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**

The military officer of Reverse Heaven bowed his head low.

My forehead must touch the ground. No, it should go lower.

The enemy is not just any foe; they are my master.

Moreover, with a series of blunders, I could not even raise my head…

To avoid having my neck severed, I must even reduce my breathing.

Please.

“Military Officer.”

“Command me!”

The man with black hair put on the top he had removed. I turned and stood before him.

Not daring to meet his gaze, I buried my forehead deeper into the ground.

A voice came from above my head.

It whispered like the sun that I dared not look at.

“It seems more unexpected events are occurring in the current realm.”

“If you give me time, I will resolve everything…!”

“Variables. Did I call them variables? The events in Sado Clan ended up being unforeseen—that’s the crux of it. The conflict between Sado Clan and the Martial Alliance has temporarily ceased…”

The Master of Reverse Heaven murmured.

Each word felt as heavy as a mountain.

“There should be no events in this world that I cannot foresee, should there?”

“That’s correct!”

“Yet for it to occur…means the level of the bugs must have risen.”

“…….”

The voice faded away. I heard a sound of sitting down.

Though his body moved away, the returning voice felt like it was whispering right next to me.

“Learning accumulates, and eventually, people will develop. Someday, we will reach an era beyond control.”

“…….”

“The emergence of variables has also been recent, hasn’t it? I was eagerly waiting for the situation to unfold since it seemed promising… but once again, one of my plans has been distorted. Everything has changed from the point when it was fully controllable. In the end, a sword that will eventually reach me shall be completed.”

“I will block it!”

“That is not your role. I have no intention of blaming you. You are competent as a messenger, a bug that delivers my words best.”

The master of Reverse Heaven.

He languidly murmured.

“How is the preparation for the rebellion?”

“With a single command, I am ready to move at any moment…!”

“It is time to question the era. It is time to burn the accumulated knowledge and turn all that mankind has built into ashes.”

The master of Reverse Heaven commanded.

“I will not tolerate any further tiny variables. I will tidy up the current Martial World. Furthermore, send a letter to the current Heavenly Demon of the Demon Cult.”

“What does that mean…?”

“I have been lenient enough, so make it clear. Will you be an ally of Reverse Heaven? Or…”

I heard a sound of him tapping the chair.

And that was the end.

“Will you be the sacrifice for the rebellion?”

…

“Sister.”

…Wait a minute.

Was I lost in thought?

Gu Hwa-rin, the disciple of Huashan, opened her eyes. As a disciple of Huashan, that was a title she naturally had to bear among her peers.

But in truth, only one person ever called her ‘sister.’ No one else viewed her as a fellow disciple of Huashan.

Yet the person before her was different.

The constant use of the title reminded her of who she was.

Bai Hyun.

She turned to look at him.

“Older Brother.”

His gallant face had become haggard. Once resembling a young noble, he now radiated the air of a battle-worn warrior.

His eyes, having gone through repeated combat, were calm like a still lake.

But within those eyes, loneliness was apparent.

He sat next to her, quietly gazing at the moonlight and whispering softly.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

“…Pfft.”

A cold, huh.

Gu Hwa-rin smiled after a long time. Bai Hyun chuckled too.

As they quietly gazed at the moon together, they began to speak softly.

“I heard the Jinju Family received threats to join the former Martial Alliance.”

“That adds another task to our list.”

“They’re forcing those who don’t want to fight… Where did the reason for the Martial Alliance’s founding go?”

A deep sigh escaped her lips. Gu Hwa-rin hugged her knees.

“Still, the new Martial Alliance is not much different. They speak of justice, but they pressure others to join their ranks, just the same.”

“…At least it’s fortunate that Sado Clan suddenly halted their advance. With only the Demon Cult to contend with, the number of those who will perish should decrease.”

“The Demon Cult…”

Gu Hwa-rin quietly looked up at the moon.

The place where that person had been. Yet, what it truly was, remained unknown to her.

Just hearing the name of the Demon Cult made many tremble. But if you were to ask why…

No one knew exactly what the Demon Cult had done to earn such hatred.

“…The Demon Cult’s advance isn’t particularly quick. They’re steadily approaching, but their pace is quite slow. The new Heavenly Demon must be a very cautious person.”

“The key is that we’re gradually losing ground.”

Bai Hyun uncapped a small bottle hanging at his waist. He gulped down the cheap liquor inside.

Gu Hwa-rin stared at it silently. Over the past two years, Bai Hyun had started drinking, something he had never done before.

As a master, he should uphold the virtue of avoiding meat and alcohol…

Despite his strict adherence to the code, he hadn’t been able to sleep without alcohol for the past two years.

“…Can you share a little?”

“I brought an extra bottle, just in case.”

“Thank you. Older Brother.”

“What do you mean? We’re practically the same.”

He lightly clinked the bottle and poured. Bai Hyun muttered.

“It would be nice if Gwangyang and Narin were here too.”

“…Indeed.”

The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Gu Hwa-rin poured herself another drink, savoring the bitter taste lingering in her mouth.

But no matter how much she drank, she couldn’t get drunk. It only gave her the feeling of drinking.

She could force herself to suppress her energy and induce drunkenness, but…

Unlike Bai Hyun, she did not want to rely on alcohol.

There were things she had to do.

“…What will happen to the Former Society?”

“I sent someone from Huashan regarding that matter.”

“Who?”

“The Sect Leader.”

He rummaged through his belongings and pulled out a letter. Gu Hwa-rin quietly unfolded it.

The contents were brief.

[Come back. To Huashan. It is too dangerous there. The former Martial Alliance is targeting the Former Society.]

“……”

Though the new Martial Alliance did not view them favorably, they did not pose a direct threat.

But the former Martial Alliance was different.

The old powers gathered under the Martial Alliance Leader viewed them as a thorn in their side. They had once sent assassins to eliminate some members of the Former Society.

Of course, it was never conclusively proven that they were responsible. But circumstantially, it was clear.

“…If they are targeting the Former Society… are they planning to send assassins like before? Or will they use another force to attack here?”

“Well, I’m not sure. But it’s clear they’ll try to make a move in some way.”

Bai Hyun poured himself another drink.

“I told Narin and Gwangyang first. If the Sect Leader from Huashan is warning us directly, it means they are properly preparing for something. It is undoubtedly more dangerous than before. I warned them that now is the time to hide.”

“What did Narin and Gwangyang say?”

“…….”

Bai Hyun smiled bitterly.

“They told me to stop talking nonsense. If we run now, we’ll be ashamed in front of our late master.”

“…As expected.”

“Still, sister. I’ll ask out of courtesy. What will you plan to do?”

What will I do?

Gu Hwa-rin downed the remaining liquor in one go. Setting the empty bottle aside, she stood up.

“I was already planning to draw my sword anyway. I had made up my mind to crush the former Martial Alliance long ago.”

“…This time feels different. You could really die.”

“I don’t care. They can frame us with any method they want, or turn me into a public enemy among all warriors…”

Gu Hwa-rin placed her hand on the sword.

“The Martial Alliance Leader will die by my hand. It’s certain.”

“…It’s a dangerous path, so I can’t just let you go alone…”

Bai Hyun got to his feet.

“As your older brother, I have no choice but to see this through to the end.”

“You can go back. It’s fine. Really.”

“I don’t want to.”

Bai Hyun smiled bitterly.

“…Sending the master to the Cheonryong Association was the right thing to do. The more you dig, the more corruption comes pouring out. Regardless of the master’s story, he must not be left alone. When everyone closes their eyes and fears the power, someone must speak up, right?”

Bai Hyun placed his hand on the sword.

“That’s the justice he taught us.”

…

Gu Ok-gyeong’s day began with work and ended with work.

Thinking of her carefree demeanor, one might expect her to slack off, but that was far from the truth.

“Ugh. What a hassle.”

Though she complained about it, she handled all tasks assigned to her meticulously. She neatly accounted for the damages caused by various disturbances and wars, steering the Sado Clan in the right direction.

The war had practically paused for a moment. Although it was uncertain what would happen later on, she judged it right to tidy up the Sado Clan’s internal affairs.

The conflict between the righteous faction and Sado Clan had entered a temporary lull.

“There’s been a lot of plundering in the grain-producing regions of Honam… Perhaps because it was once the territory of the Cheonryong Association.”

“Ok-gyeong.”

“I know. Shut it. I hate touching civilians too. But I’ll take a little tax. If I don’t, the underlings will go nuts. I mean, we can just set it up at a similar level to the Cheonryong Association…”

Once it became public knowledge that the false and true had swapped overnight, warriors who had chased after Gu Ok-gyeong came rushing to her, bowing their heads.

“Please kill me!”

“Uh-huh. Keep dreaming.”

“Y-yes?”

“You guys are so spineless, asking to be killed? Do you really want to die?”

“I-I’m sorry!”

Gu Ok-gyeong’s bad reputation was so tremendous that even though she hadn’t said a word, those who were scared came offering apologies in a long line outside the city.

She accepted all of it. She did not refuse.

“They chased me, didn’t they? Why? Is there something wrong with this too?”

“Of course not.”

“Do you want this? How about this one too?”

“That’s fine.”

“You’re not getting it for free. It’s a loan. The things I give you have to eventually return to me, got it? So take everything. Take this too. Just come back once a month and return one at a time. I’ll lend you about ten thousand.”

“Ok-gyeong…”

“At this rate, go bathe in gold and riches. Is it prickly? But I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s not that refreshing.”

It wasn’t just Gu Ok-gyeong who was busy. The First Sword of Sapa, Heuk Dae-wun, visited me for the first time in a while.

“I came to keep my promise.”

“…No way?”

“Yes.”

He introduced someone to me.

“This is someone who can be called the greatest craftsman of Sado Clan. I brought him with great difficulty. Speak to him about what you desire. In terms of skill, he’s incomparable to Master Guigok Yajang. They call him the Iron Craftsman.”

 

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