"It's him. He's back."
Only one person came to Jo Sungwon's mind.
- Thump, thump, thump!
As a black silhouette approached from the eastern side of Song Jahyun village, slowly being consumed by darkness, Jo Sungwon's heart pounded uncontrollably.
When he first met him, he never imagined he would become such a monster.
But the scene unfolding before his eyes was enough to instill fear in anyone.
"This… this can't be!"
Elder Ui Gusaeng couldn't hide his shock.
Dozens of members of the Beggar's Gang were running toward the eastern boulevard.
Trying to forget their fear, they shouted to boost morale as they charged into the darkness — but soon fell like puppets with their strings cut.
No one could understand what was happening.
'He didn't even do anything… So how…?'
The dark figure was merely walking.
Yet none of the Beggar's Gang could get near him; they all collapsed before making contact.
Even more puzzling was that the villagers who had been outside, as if hypnotized, all turned back and entered their homes.
And each time, the lights in those homes went out.
Now, the figure was only about thirty jang (~90 meters) away from them.
"Lord! Whether you flee or fight, you must make a decision!"
Elder Ui Gusaeng shouted at the dazed Jo Sungwon.
The shout brought Jo Sungwon back to his senses.
'What do I do?'
It was definitely him.
If he was approaching while covering the eastern village in darkness, he must have been enraged.
If he had appeared at the Blood Cult's branch, he might think Jo Sungwon had betrayed him.
'...Damn it.'
Assuming his death had been certain was foolish.
He was one of the Eight Masters and one of the Five Evil Kings.
For such a monstrous man to disappear for seven months — Jo Sungwon had been certain something serious had happened.
Of course, just in case, he hadn't crossed the line too far.
'Will I even have a chance to explain?'
Even if he wanted to speak, the fact that he returned as the Blood Demon made things complicated.
The members of the Beggar's Gang didn't know that Jo Sungwon had been loyal to him.
If he knelt to explain, he'd have to give up his position as leader.
'If I run…'
That would be even worse.
It would confirm his betrayal.
Not that escape was really an option — how could he flee from someone who could fly with their sword?
Elder Ui Gusaeng pressed him again.
"Lord, you must decide now!"
Jo Sungwon bit his lip hard.
'...There's no other way.'
After all, he was originally meant to die by the schemes of the former leader Hong Guga.
The one who saved him and made him Lord was that man.
Having sworn loyalty to the cult master of the Blood Cult, he had always prepared for the day when he might have to surrender his position.
"Elder Ui."
"Yes, Lord."
"Let's go."
Hearing the resolute tone, Elder Ui Gusaeng thought Jo Sungwon had made up his mind to fight.
Their opponent had felled warriors without lifting a finger.
Still, as orthodox martial artists, they could not abandon their comrades.
Even if it meant death, they would uphold their convictions.
"It seems this old man chose the right Lord."
Jo Sungwon's heart ached at those words.
He wasn't going to fight.
But Elder Ui Gusaeng seemed to think he was going to make a final stand.
'Forgive me for disappointing you.'
He would kneel before him.
If not, every member of the Beggar's Gang here would die.
Without a word, Jo Sungwon leapt from the roof.
He walked through the main gate and headed toward the eastern boulevard.
Elder Ui Gusaeng followed silently.
'Such immense pressure…'
The figure walking in the darkness came into view.
Though it was still dark, his face became clearer as he got closer.
'That face?'
But it wasn't Jin Unhwi — not the face Jo Sungwon knew.
It was someone he had never seen.
'Is it a disguise mask?'
It could've been someone else, but no one else could demonstrate that kind of divine martial skill — defeating enemies without touching them.
Though Elder Ui Gusaeng was watching, Jo Sungwon prepared to kneel.
"Jo Sungwon…"
- Thud!
'!?'
A noise from the side made Jo Sungwon turn his head.
Elder Ui Gusaeng had collapsed to the ground.
"Elder Ui?"
Despite being called, Elder Ui Gusaeng didn't respond — he had fallen asleep, even snoring.
He had blacked out in an instant.
Just as Jo Sungwon turned in shock—
- Thwack!
"Urgh!"
A kick slammed into his abdomen, sending him flying back more than ten jang (30 meters).
It happened so fast he couldn't protect himself with internal energy.
Rolling across the ground, Jo Sungwon coughed up a mouthful of blood.
'...He's gotten even stronger.'
He already knew the man had reached the realm of a superhuman.
But Jo Sungwon had also trained fiercely in the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms and consumed the sacred elixirs passed down to the Beggar's Gang leaders, reaching the peak of martial arts.
He'd worked like a madman not to bring shame to his role as Lord — and yet, a single kick nearly destroyed his insides.
'Is this how powerful someone beyond the wall truly is?'
He started to question everything.
- Swoosh!
Suddenly, the man was standing in front of him.
As Jo Sungwon looked up, he saw the facial bones shift and transform.
Soon, it became the face he knew well.
'Ah!'
It was him. Without a doubt.
Panicking, Jo Sungwon prostrated himself and shouted:
"This lowly cultist pays respects to the cult master of the Blood Cult — the Blood Demon!"
As he bowed, a voice answered:
"Why do you always ask for punishment?"
Goosebumps broke out all over his body.
Flustered, Jo Sungwon looked up and hurried to explain.
"My lord, I understand you may have misunderstood but—"
- Thwack!
"Gah!"
Before he could finish, a kick struck his shoulder, lifting his body into the air and slamming him into the wall of a vacant house.
- Crash!
It felt like every bone in his body had shattered.
Jo Sungwon, barely able to lift his head, looked up.
Jin Unhwi was striding toward him with a terrifying expression.
His face went pale.
"My, my lord!"
"Clench your teeth."
I sat on the wooden floor of the empty house, looking down at Jo Sung-won, whose face was a mess of bruises and swelling.
He was kneeling, half out of his mind from exhaustion.
He had been beaten up just like this the day he first swore loyalty to me.
I was sure those memories were surfacing again, one by one.
"You really turned him into a pulp, Young Master."
Ah-song clicked her tongue.
After beating up Jo Sung-won and demanding to know where Ah-song was, he personally brought her from the house's storage room where she had been imprisoned.
He hadn't known about Ah-song because he had gone to attend the Lord's inauguration ceremony.
I was ready to beat him even more if she had so much as a scratch on her, but thankfully, she was unharmed.
"He didn't torture you or anything, right?"
"Torture? Not really. He didn't touch me, but he didn't give me food or let me sleep either, but that's..."
"What?"
When I raised an eyebrow, Jo Sung-won flinched and shouted,
"I truly didn't know!"
"Tsk tsk."
I clicked my tongue as if displeased, ready to punish him again.
The only reason I left it at this was because he hadn't crossed the final line.
He had secretly told me that he had leaked intel to the Blood Sect branches, without directly interfering with the Murim Alliance's large-scale purge of them.
As a result, the Blood Sect branches that received his intel were able to escape before being raided.
Of course, he admitted he couldn't help all of them.
—He at least left some breathing room.
Right.
When I first met him, he was clumsy and incompetent as a spy, but he had grown a lot.
All of it must have been in case I ever returned — no matter how slim the chance.
"Huff… huff…"
I looked at Jo Sung-won as he continued to anxiously observe my reaction.
While acting as the Beggars' Gang Lord, he had tried in many ways to avoid direct confrontation with the Blood Sect.
—What would he have done if I had really died?
Who knows?
He probably would've stayed on the fence and kept observing the situation.
Even if I disappeared, there were still people in the main sect who knew his true identity.
It would've been hard for him to defect recklessly.
—Can you trust him?
I was displeased he played both sides, but he was still the Lord of the Beggars' Gang.
Unless it was top-secret, he had access to information from the Murim Alliance, and I could use him to spread misinformation in return.
He wasn't someone to discard easily.
Staring at him, I walked up and asked,
"You leaked intel and helped the sect branches escape, so why lie in ambush here and try to catch our people?"
"…The Beggars' Gang plays an important role in the Murim Alliance. If we openly opposed the campaign against the sect or refused to participate, it would've raised suspicion."
"So you did this to avoid suspicion?"
"I'm sorry. I had to make it look like I was assisting the Alliance, at least on the surface."
He spoke as if he'd committed a grave sin.
I chuckled at that.
Then I held out my hand toward him.
"You're finally starting to act like a proper spy."
Jo Sung-won looked at me with trembling eyes.
"My lord?"
"I should punish you more for playing both sides, but since you kept your position within your limits, I'll let this go."
"…Thank you."
—Grip!
He grabbed my hand with a face full of relief.
After helping him up from his knees, I sat back down on the floor.
Jo Sung-won then said to me,
"I will return to the main sect with you, my lord."
"No. You must continue your role as Gang Lord right where you are."
"...Really?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
He would lose his value if he left his post to travel with me.
It was far more useful for him to stay and gather information like this.
"Why do you think I put all the Beggars' Gang members to sleep?"
"Ah!"
He finally understood my intentions and let out a quiet exclamation.
I hadn't put them to sleep to show off Hwan Ik-gyeong's powers.
I didn't harm them because I still needed them.
And while it may have looked like mere venting, the reason I beat Jo Sung-won to a pulp was to ensure no one would suspect him.
"We're short on time, so let's get to the point."
"What do you mean, the point?"
"While the others are still unconscious, I need to know what happened while I was gone. Skip the useless parts and just tell me about the sect and the Murim Alliance."
I needed to know what had happened in the past seven months.
Since Song Ja-hyun's branch had withdrawn, Jo Sung-won, as the Lord of the Beggars' Gang, was the best person to tell me.
But Jo Sung-won looked troubled as he replied,
"I don't know the internal affairs of the sect in detail either."
Of course.
Many branches had either withdrawn beyond the Yangtze or been crushed by the Murim Alliance.
Unless he was in direct contact with them, it would've been hard to get any intel on the sect.
'Hmm.'
That had always puzzled me.
Too many branches had been hit.
If it were just one or two, maybe, but nearly 30% of the branches had suffered according to Jo Sung-won.
That clearly suggested a leak.
Jo Sung-won had adamantly denied he was the source.
'Then who leaked it?'
We had already purged most of the spies within the sect.
For such a disaster to happen again, either a new spy had infiltrated, or a traitor had emerged from within.
I'd have to return to the main sect to get to the bottom of that.
"Just tell me what you do know."
At my command, Jo Sung-won cautiously opened his mouth.
"My lord… do you know that Iljon is dead?"
'!!!'
I couldn't believe my ears.
Iljon is dead?
Iljon — Dan Wi-gang, the Rending Swordmaster.
He was said to be the strongest in the sect, aside from me.
Before I disappeared, he had been holding the line against one of the Eight Masters, the Taiji Swordmaster Jong Seon-jin of Wudang, near the border of Guangxi and Hunan.
I was so shocked I couldn't speak.
["For the new sect Your Grace will build, I will offer this old life to protect it. Please allow me to support you."]
His words echoed in my mind.
Iljon had promised to be my strength.
The news of his death was so devastating, my chest ached with sorrow.
'…Is this my fault?'
Seven months of absence.
I had hoped nothing serious had happened during that time.
But I hadn't expected the worst-case scenario.
Grief gave way to a slow, rising anger.
—Clench!
"Was it the Taiji Swordmaster?"
When I asked through gritted teeth, Jo Sung-won shook his head.
Unable to contain my rage, I raised my voice.
"Then who did it?!"
"…The Taiji Swordmaster Jong Seon-jin is also dead."
"What?"
What was he saying?
I thought Wudang's Jong Seon-jin, his rival, had killed Iljon — but if he's dead too, then what was going on?
What in the world had happened in those seven months?
As I stood dumbfounded, Jo Sung-won spoke in a grave tone.
"Both of them were killed by Salhyung Jeolshim."
'!!!'
Salhyung Jeolshim.
One of the Five Great Evildoers, known as the most brutal butcher.