1044——————==

True Martial Home (진공가향)

Miyamoto Musashi spoke, and the Master of the White Lotus Sect responded.

[This is troublesome.]

“What’s so troublesome?”

[Musashi. Since you’re coming anyway, I want one more thing.]

The Master of the White Lotus Sect continued, his gaze fixed on the battlefield in front of him.

[Bring me the secret of the Twelve Joules and the clan.]

“I told you before, I don’t know.”

[If you’re called the special envoy of the Twelve Joules, you should be able to figure it out.]

“……”

Musashi closed his eyes. Suddenly, he drew his sword.

Piying!!

The tip of his sword was caught in the palm of the Master of the White Lotus Sect. It wasn’t blocked perfectly, as blood trickled down from the Sect Leader’s hand. Miyamoto Musashi growled.

“I’m not here to be your spy. Let’s settle this here, right now.”

The Master of the White Lotus Sect had touched Musashi’s pride. Feeling Musashi’s rising aggression, the Sect Leader spoke.

[…impressive.]

“What do you mean?”

[Heh….]

The Master chuckled softly.

‘The memory of a reborn person is something else. Thanks to Baek Woong’s memory, I know exactly what kind of guy you are, kid….’

Even if the Master of the White Lotus Sect had merely encountered Miyamoto Musashi as a martial artist, understanding his essence would have been difficult. However, having gathered enough information on Musashi’s character and goals through Baek Woong’s rebirth, the Master could virtually read Musashi’s thoughts. The sudden attack earlier was even anticipated to some degree.

[I wanted to resolve this peacefully, but I guess not. If you’re just a clueless blade with nothing behind it, there’s no need for me to treat you like an absolute expert anymore.]

“Bring it on.”

Kuuooo!!

Musashi’s aggression flared up, a demon mask appearing on his face. But in the next moment, he suddenly coughed up blood.

“Guh?!”

Musashi staggered back, but the Master of the White Lotus Sect didn’t chase after him. Instead, he spoke with an emotionless voice.

[Musashi. I think I understand why the Twelve Joules accepted you as their envoy.]

“……”

[You hide a great fear deep inside while trying to ignore it, crying out about being unmatched under heaven and relying solely on your own talent, kid. Someone who hasn’t cultivated the very foundation of martial arts will clearly have limits, and the Twelve Joules probably think you’re quite easy to manipulate. It seems you know nothing about them.]

“Shut up.”

[A blade wielded by a soulless warrior is nothing but poison. So, as the Emperor of the Great Bear Empire now, I’m not going to fight you with martial arts.]

“What have you done?!”

Tukak!!

The instant Musashi finished his sentence, his arms twisted at bizarre angles in the air. Musashi grunted, holding back his cries with sheer will as he managed to straighten his arms again, but they were already bearing monumental injuries.

Musashi’s arms trembled.

The Master of the White Lotus Sect merely stared at him without a word. At that moment, Musashi realized something with the instinct of a wild beast.

He was already caught in a trap.

To escape this trap, he would have to turn his back. But could he really turn his back? Would the result be any different? He had a gut feeling he couldn’t escape death no matter what.

Rather than avoid it, Musashi chose to charge forward. So he donned the demon mask and rushed at the Master of the White Lotus Sect once more.

Two Heavens One Style (이천일류)

Divine Kill Slash (신살참)

In that fleeting moment, the Master of the White Lotus Sect muttered.

[One who looks down on life can never see the limit of martial arts.]

Pukwaquack

It all happened in an instant. Musashi’s ultimate technique, the Divine Kill Slash, shot toward the Master of the White Lotus Sect but was absorbed wholly into his Heart of Heaven’s Abundance, and the one who unleashed it, Musashi, exploded like a chunk of meat.

Thud thud thud…

In the blink of an eye, what was once Musashi, now a meat chunk, fell to the ground, and a giggling voice rang from afar.

“Ah, that’s a relief. I really wanted to kill that guy.”

[Zhuge Sa. Is this really okay?]

Zhuge Sa, who had appeared unannounced, picked up a piece of Musashi’s head with his finger and said.

“Is there anything wrong with that? After all, I’m going to use the Soul Exchange Technique to ask this guy for all the info I need.”

[…….]

Just moments before, when Musashi had charged in and swung his sword, the Master of the White Lotus Sect had activated magic, connecting his and Zhuge Sa’s hands spiritually. And through the contact between their hands and the blade, the Soul Exchange Technique had been triggered. As Zhuge Sa used the technique, the internal power flowing through Musashi’s body was reversed, causing Musashi’s limbs to explode in response to the counteraction of his own strength.

“[Kelper’s Box]. Suck it all in.”

Swish

Zhuge Sa took out a palm-sized black box and tossed it to the ground, sucking in Musashi’s body completely. This was a powerful magical treasure bought through an alien merchant from the black market. Zhuge Sa, collecting Musashi’s body without leaving a drop of blood, cackled.

“The only thing I worried about was whether the initial plan to kill Musashi would go awry. If you decided to accept him as a companion, it would have been a hassle.”

For Zhuge Sa, it was much easier to simply kill someone like Musashi than to clumsily keep him alive as a companion. By turning him into a corpse, he could use the Soul Exchange Technique to easily extract information without letting the absolute being roam free.

[…I was worried just a moment ago. Despite being someone with insufficient training, there’s no denying he was a genius of the impossible.]

The Master of the White Lotus Sect glanced down at the wound on his palm.

[However, once I knew he could take this hit, I realized Musashi was an untamable one….]

“Haha, you’re late to realize that. What do you expect from a fool who charges at the Three Sovereigns with a single sword?”

A gleam flickered in the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s eyes.

[Zhuge Sa. Torture his soul to extract every piece of information about the Twelve Joules. You must find out everything.]

“I was already planning on doing that. But this is definitely stepping onto the path of evil. It’s one thing to conquer the Southern Barbarians and Tianzhu, but starting with soul torture is undeniably an evil act. Aren’t you worried about being hated by Baek Woong?”

[Now, getting the information on the Twelve Joules is not a choice but a necessity. I will not compromise on that.]

The Master of the White Lotus Sect continued.

[And… conquering this world and obtaining the power of the whole world is also part of the plan to surely overthrow the Twelve Joules.]

“Haha… I had a hunch, but I see. Aren’t you overly cautious?”

[…It’s best to defeat him before Baek Woong returns.]

“I understand. That’s why I’m cooperating like this.”

Zhuge Sa, who had been smirking, spoke up.

“This conquest of Tianzhu will probably end at the Mughal Empire’s capital, Agra. There, Emperor Akbar is preparing for his final resistance.”

The Tianzhu continent is actually a massive empire known as the Mughal Empire, which occupies a significant portion of the continent. Up until now, they had been capturing the southernmost part of the Tianzhu continent, where the influence of the Mughal Empire was minimal, and recently had already encroached upon about half of the Mughal Empire’s territory. Emperor Akbar was gathering all the power of the Tianzhu continent to fight against the Great Bear Empire.

[It’s possible that Emperor Akbar will perform human sacrifice to summon deities.]

“Well, that’s the most troublesome thing for us. This Tianzhu continent is as rotten with humans as the Central Plains, so just sacrificing about 100,000 people would surely bring out the [Old Ruler].”

[Is there a way to deal with that?]

“Just one.”

Zhuge Sa proceeded smoothly.

“Advise Emperor Akbar to surrender. Just vow to end it with this human war and promise to avert further sacrifices. Easy, right?”

[…Are you saying that will actually work? A power figure on the verge of losing their authority likely won’t hesitate to use any means necessary.]

The Master of the White Lotus Sect questioned with suspicion, but Zhuge Sa replied.

“Emperor Akbar would have been a rightful ruler who led the Mughal Empire’s golden age had there been no invasion from us. He knows how to use magic but doesn’t particularly like it. Besides, he cares for the people, so it can end amicably enough. If we push him too hard, he might sacrifice the capital’s citizens to protect the other citizens.”

[Are you sure about that?]

“Emperor Akbar is surrounded by a secret society that has led Tianzhu for thousands of years, the Brahmin Sect. They’re the ones who will be egging him on to human sacrifice, so pushing him would be a bad idea.”

[Alright. We’ll proceed as you say.]

Considering Zhuge Sa’s tendencies toward destruction and chaos was unexpected, the Master of the White Lotus Sect was not surprised. Even if Zhuge Sa reveled in cruelty and was tainted with madness, his fundamental nature was that of a strategist. The logical consistency meant every scheme held significance.

As expected, when the Master of the White Lotus Sect sent a letter urging Emperor Akbar to surrender, he held meetings for about ten days before yielding to the Great Bear Empire. This was because the Master promised to halt the slaughter of commoners and guarantee the safety of the royal family.

The Master of the White Lotus Sect finally entered Agra, the capital of the Tianzhu continent, and sat upon the Mughal Empire’s throne. And as soon as he sat down, he spoke.

[Goryeo… Southern Barbarians… Tianzhu. With this, I have obtained half of the world.]

Now only the Western Nations, the Arasa Empire, and the [Black Continent] beyond the sea remained. However, it would not be an exaggeration to say that conquering these Western Nations and Arasa alone would bring the vast civilization under the Great Bear Empire’s control. The remaining areas were weak in civilization and development, so there was no real point in conquering them.

That night, Zhuge Yulong visited the Master of the White Lotus Sect.

“Master of the White Lotus Sect. What’s your plan now?”

[I will stabilize the conquered territories for 2 to 3 years. Through the Transference Gate, I will increase the exchange of goods and make every place within the influence of the Great Bear Empire’s culture. In time, everyone will become familiar with the words, writing, and culture of the Great Bear Empire.]

“……”

[After that, I will gather the resources of the conquered territories and swiftly annihilate the Western Nations. My initial goal is to strike at the British Empire and take the King’s head to halt all further conquests.]

“A very good plan. But you shouldn’t do that.”

The Master of the White Lotus Sect’s mask twitched.

[What happened in Luoyang?]

Zhuge Yulong slowly nodded.

“The negotiations with the Eight Parts of the Divine went awry. They declared to me that they are now going their own way and have all vanished without a trace.”

[Zhuge Yulong… Surely you had confidence in managing the Eight Parts of the Divine?]

“It seems an unexpected variable has arisen.”

[Variable?]

“It seems they have gained an unknown ally. Originally, they intended to conduct a resurrection ritual using Yacha but have even changed that plan. This is something that never happened during Baek Woong’s previous life.”

[…….]

The Master of the White Lotus Sect crossed his arms and spoke.

[Could it be that our conquest of the Southern Barbarians and Tianzhu has caused a change in the law of cause and effect?]

“I can’t say for certain. But I can definitely state that this ally’s power and authority is not inferior to the Eight Parts of the Divine. They clearly recognized this ally as being equal or superior to themselves.”

[Such beings are extremely rare in this world. Do you have any idea who it might be?]

“I came here to Agra to confirm that.”

Swish

At that moment, Zhuge Sa appeared nearby with a chill smile.

“Brother. I think there is only one such person.”

“Our thoughts probably align. So do you know what we must do now?”

“Well… if I had to say… it would be to find the secret organization of the Brahmin Sect and wipe them out.”

“Exactly.”

“If we’ve thought it out, then let’s move. Considering you’ve come all the way here, it must be urgent.”

“……”

The Master of the White Lotus Sect stared absentmindedly at Zhuge Yulong, who was struggling to keep up.

[Zhuge Yulong. Who exactly are you suspecting? I can’t quite grasp it.]

“For now, it’s just a strong suspicion. I need to strike the Brahmin Sect and torture them to confirm it.”

[There’s no need to unnecessarily hide it from me. Speak freely.]

“The initial variable is the greatest variable. That guy has been involved after getting close to Baek Woong, and even with numerous significant events occurring, he has never shown his face. Even now, after conquering the Mughal Empire….”

[…You don’t mean to imply.]

“Do you understand how dangerous that is?”

The Master of the White Lotus Sect’s complexion changed. Then he said.

[Alright. We will go all out today and eradicate the Brahmin Sect. We will erase them from this world.]

That day, an unrecorded massacre took place in history.

The largest sect of the Tianzhu continent, the Brahmin Sect, was consumed in a bloodbath, and blood covered the rivers.

And thus, the name Brahmin Sect ceased to exist in the history of the world.

Zhebeok…

[You’ve finally shown yourself.]

On the serene snowy mountain.

In the innermost sanctum of the Brahmin Sect, the Master of the White Lotus Sect, Zhuge Sa, Zhuge Yulong, and the three Dharma Protectors had all gathered. They found a man standing before them.

The Master of the White Lotus Sect spoke to him.

[What did you want by allying with the Eight Parts of the Divine?]

“Order.”

The young man with clear eyes slowly continued.

“I am here to keep you in check for the order of this world.”

[What kind of order? Do you mean to say you are the good one?]

“At least I can say you are currently the bad ones.”

[Don’t be ridiculous. You are a true hypocrite.]

The Master of the White Lotus Sect, rarely expressing anger, retorted.

[Krishna…!!]