Chapter 242
**
The day was fading. I looked down at the night streets from the roof of the inn.
The Assassin’s doors were spread all over the place. As soon as they spot any suspicious characters, they will surely fire a signal flare.
I had settled on the inn’s roof to get a grasp of their layout. I wasn’t sure exactly who would catch me…
But I didn’t want to cause any trouble here.
The night streets where the Martial Alliance was located were truly beautiful. I had never viewed them from above while I was a gatekeeper.
I had been busy. Always busy. I never had the luxury to turn my head to the things around me.
I should have made one more penny during that time. I should have moved just a bit more.
Of course, that’s still similar now. I have a purpose and I am steadily moving toward it.
But right now…
I feel a sense of being alive.
It must not just be a matter of the sword. Maybe it’s because there are people who look down at the night streets with me. I suddenly resolved that I would say that out loud.
“Su-ryeon.”
“Yes.”
“Il-ho.”
“…Yeah?”
“Narin.”
“Yes?”
“Gwangyang.”
“Yes! Master!”
I turned to the four who were keeping by my side. With my back to the night streets, I smiled faintly at them.
“Thank you. Always.”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
The ones who exchanged glances awkwardly turned their heads away.
“Jeok-un really knows how to mess with people’s hearts occasionally…”
“…I-I thank you…? Am I supposed to?”
“Master!”
“I-I feel a bit hot for no reason… Ahem…”
Suddenly, a firework went off. People still lingering in the night streets looked up.
I could see shadowy figures pausing as they jumped across the rooftops. They wore masks to hide their faces, but…
Their expressions were filled with confusion.
“Is it that Jegeol Soak is inept or that we just anticipated it well?”
In response to Narin’s question, I gave a brief reply.
“They must have determined that they cannot eliminate me unless they take the risk. And of course, they’ve sent sufficient manpower.”
“That means…”
“Get ready.”
I gazed down at the four assassins.
“They’re not ordinary folks.”
…
Divine Army.
What does that mean?
The answer is simple. Divine Army refers to the group that was formed by people who gathered specifically for the Martial Alliance Leader.
However, the reality was that these individuals became heroes not by their own volition but by outside influence. Those who boasted of their reputation in the martial world had long been crafted by someone else.
And…
The current Martial Alliance Leader was the one who raised this group of incredible geniuses.
A grand scheme to fill the world with his own people, to enjoy eternal power.
The might they have each honed for the past twenty years could comfortably surpass the Martial Stage. Among them even existed those who peeked into the transcendent level.
These were the ones trained deliberately by the Martial Alliance Leader.
And part of that group was now prowling the night streets.
—Whoosh.
Suddenly, a firework blasted. The Divine Army’s ‘Dam Bi-chang’ immediately raised his hand.
The gazes of the people soaring upwards. They knew that the attention was not directed at them…
But the important thing was that the firework had exploded.
“……”
Didn’t the military officer issue a warning directly?
That their actions could possibly be seen through by the opponent.
“…Brother. What should we…”
It’s a crossroad of choices.
However, turning back from this place would be the height of foolishness.
The Martial Alliance Leader’s commands are absolute.
Moreover, the solitude in my head was warning me to heed that command.
The sword is already drawn, and there’s no way to put it back.
On top of that…
There was a reason the leader had sent both this ‘Dam Bi-chang’ and ‘Zhu Moxing’ together.
With both of them, even the current Martial Alliance Leader could be pressed. As long as the solitude in my head doesn’t interfere, we could potentially fight to escape with all our might.
Their strength rivals the highest levels.
And if the two swords, which have honed their skills together for a long time, combine, it could overpower even the Transcendent level in a flash.
It doesn’t matter if the opponent is truly at the Transcendent level. The sword provided by the current Martial Alliance Leader is a renowned blade that can counter Heart Sword with its sheer might.
Thus, preparations are perfect.
There’s no reason to hold back.
“…I move forward.”
Dam Bi-chang swiftly jumped across the rooftops. The continuous explosions of fireworks suggested that their position had been compromised.
Each firework exploded amidst those passing by. When people believed to be bystanders moved, without fail, another firework shot into the sky.
In the beautiful lights painted across the sky, Dam Bi-chang came to a halt.
…And.
He faced the warrior waiting for him.
Jeok-un. The former Martial Alliance Inspector.
The target given a command to be ‘absolutely’ eliminated no matter what.
“……”
“……”
Heavy. The stares are.
How can a person feel so heavy?
Dam Bi-chang suppressed his trembling hands with sheer will. Without taking his gaze off the opponent, he slowly opened his mouth.
“…It seems you know the reason we’ve come.”
“By your own will or by force.”
At the calm inquiry, Dam Bi-chang couldn’t help but laugh.
By my own will?
Or by force?
It was a question I shouldn’t have answered, but my lips twitched. Dam Bi-chang understood the reason.
This place might become his mentis.
“In the beginning, it was by my own will. At a young age, without understanding a thing, I was drawn by the proposal of the current Martial Alliance Leader! To be the disciple of the famous Namgung Hyuk! Fame and wealth! Great martial arts! Aren’t those things every martial artist must dream of at least once?”
“……..”
“But once the solitude took root within me, I realized. The Leader wanted to use me not as a disciple, but as a mere pawn. Everything promised to me was merely within the grasp of the current Martial Alliance Leader.”
Dam Bi-chang felt pain throbbing in his head.
The solitude was moving. If he refused the order, his head would likely burst here.
“…The Divine Army has been prepared for a long time. They only recently surfaced, but the truth is they were secretly created into heroes even before the current Martial Alliance Leader rose to power about twenty years ago.”
“What’s your intention in revealing all this to me?”
“…Looking at you, I understand. Today might be my last.”
Dam Bi-chang slowly drew his sword.
The sword.
Yeah. The sword.
He had been fascinated by it. And he walked.
Then he met the Leader who said he had talent.
Having the solitude implanted in my head, he has been working hard since that day.
After building up my martial arts, I stepped into the world.
As my reputation grew, I naturally became one of the masters supporting the current Martial Alliance Leader.
A covert plan to dominate the entirety of the Martial Alliance. And from that, he enjoyed wealth and fame.
What he said was, regardless, accurate. Being under his rule while pretending to admire him, I could experience all the wealth and fame he promised.
But ultimately, all of it…
Was gained by revering someone I didn’t want to.
Solitude. The solitude implanted in my head rendered everything futile. I couldn’t move at all according to my will, and the glory tethered by a leash couldn’t be enjoyed no matter how much I swung my sword.
…However.
Though I started on the wrong foot and lived an unwanted life…
“My life is a fake. It’s nothing more than a manipulated existence. All the achievements and fame I’ve built… were given to me by the Martial Alliance Leader. Nothing that’s truly mine exists anywhere.”
“…….”
“But there’s still something I possess. Even though I lived a life I didn’t want, the sword I’ve built up remains real.”
The moonlight reflects on the sword god. And at that moment, I forget everything.
The martial artist before me.
Quietly whispering as I gaze into those heavy red eyes.
“Having come here as an assassin, seeing you makes me want to fight as a martial artist. I wish for a moment of truth in my entirely false life. Is it alright if I ask your name?”
“……”
The impassive opponent slowly removed his straw hat. After placing it on the ground, he tilted his head up to the moonlight, closing his eyes for a moment.
A brief silence.
And then came the soft words.
“…Jeok-un.”
Respect.
Why do those words bring tears to my eyes?
Dam Bi-chang smiled brightly. Yes. This is the feeling.
Wealth and fame.
An unwanted manipulated life.
But beyond that, in the end, didn’t all things converge into one?
To be a martial artist means placing one’s life on the tip of the sword.
And to truly be called a martial artist, one must wield it entirely according to their will.
“…I am Dam Bi-chang.”
The true one stands before me.
One who has built their achievements alone.
Who has caused the most improbable events.
And at the end, he stood against his eternal ruler—the Martial Alliance Leader with whom he could do nothing but obey, someone infinitely distant from himself.
“…I am Zhu Moxing.”
“I am Bai Saak.”
“I am Weiji Il-do.”
Four masters drafted from the Divine Army.
They each revealed their names.
With all due respect, they drew their swords.
Standing before him not as mere assassins but as true warriors.
With the utmost respect.
With the utmost etiquette.
“…One more move.”
Dam Bi-chang asked in a low voice.
“Please. Blood Lord.”
“As you wish.”
He slowly drew his sword. As if it had broken and reattached, a crimson blade began to emerge gradually from the cracked sword end.
The four masters drafted from the Divine Army held their swords. Dam Bi-chang glanced at the two people standing behind him and commanded.
“Bai Saak. Weiji Il-do. Buy some time.”
The rushing masters scattered their sword lights in an instant. With a rough sound, shadows other than him fell to the ground.
What remained was just Jeok-un before him…
And himself with Zhu Moxing. Just the two of them.
“…I apologize that there are two instead of one. But I can’t possibly match swords without doing this. I’ve heard the tales of you. If you truly bore the might of the Martial Alliance Leader, then you must be standing a step above us.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“…Thank you. Now. Zhu Moxing.”
Dam Bi-chang turned his back to Zhu Moxing.
To perform what may be the last sword dance.
“Let’s do this.”
“…I will too.”
Even the one who had maintained composure and remained cold like a mask smiled.
“This will be the greatest sword dance of my life.”
“…Hehe!”
