Martial Alliance
Inside the Martial Alliance's military council.
After a long time in deep thought, Jegal Ji-gang suddenly slammed the table.
Puk!
"It wasn't the Sama Clan! It was Cheong Yeon! It was that child all along!"
Jegal Ji-gang's clenched fists trembled violently.
At last, all his doubts were resolved.
The incident with the Justice Alliance and Mountain Sword Sect had always felt strange.
Not only the Sword Saint, who acted differently from all expectations, but also the tale of Shadow Unit's 8th Squad—that they had reported about Great Strength Demon and the Justice Alliance, only to be annihilated. And then the story of the Five Eagle Siblings, who had suddenly appeared in Zhejiang, accomplished impossible feats, and disappeared again.
Jegal Ji-gang had even wondered if perhaps the remnants of the Sama Clan he had crushed were secretly moving again.
But under thorough surveillance, the Sama Clan showed no signs of activity.
Then, unexpectedly, he stumbled upon a clue when he heard the names of those so-called Five Eagle Siblings.
"Cheol Shin-yuseong Bae Jong-gwan, Quick Blade Myorang Cheon Ju-eun? I've definitely heard those names somewhere before…."
But while he remembered the names, he couldn't recall where he'd seen them.
Surely, it must have been some fleeting mention of little importance.
He finally recalled it only when he heard the Sword Saint had begun compiling and managing a registry of demobilized soldiers.
It was then he realized that assassinating those from the unorthodox sects or wandering backgrounds would no longer be so easy. And at that moment, the squad leader of the Thirteen's 7th Squad, Seol Pung, came to mind.
"Seol Pung, wasn't it? I never even had the chance to recruit such a skilled man, and now I can't even eliminate him."
And then suddenly, the names resurfaced in his mind.
"Bae Jong-gwan! Cheon Ju-eun?! So it was them!"
He finally remembered.
They had been members of the Thirteen's 7th Squad.
He recalled how Sak Muhun, captain of Shadow Unit's 5th Squad, had once reported briefly on them, and he had barely glanced at the squad members' names.
They had only been second-rate at the time, so he hadn't paid them any attention.
But Jegal Ji-gang's excellent memory had retained even those names.
And with that, the rest became clear.
"If the two of the Five Eagle Siblings are Bae Jong-gwan and Cheon Ju-eun, then 'Reborn Dragon' Chang Hyeok must be Seol Pung. And the 'Sword Fairy' must be vice-leader Na Seo-yu. Which means 'Heavenly Beauty' is none other than…."
The girl praised as beautiful as a celestial maiden descending from the heavens could be none other than Hae Cheong-yeon.
She was the only young woman he thought more beautiful than his own daughter, Jegal Seo-yul—Sword Saint Hae Un-baek's third daughter.
True, Hae Cheong-yeon had a blue-tinted pupil in one eye, whereas the Heavenly Beauty Yeon Hae was never rumored to. But disguising one's eye color would not be difficult.
And if she were indeed alive, then everything made sense.
Ever since the order to kill her, the Sword Saint's behavior had diverged completely from expectations.
"To be exact, it must have been from that letter."
The letter that the Sword Saint had asked him to deliver at the Council of Blood and Justice—it had been a test.
And at that time, the Sword Saint had supposedly been in seclusion. But in truth, he must have been elsewhere.
Jegal Ji-gang muttered with a dumbfounded expression:
"I was completely toyed with. By that child."
He was struck with futility.
He had heard countless times from the Sword Saint that she was more gifted than she was beautiful, but had dismissed it as nothing more than the doting words of a foolish father.
To have been deceived to such an extent—it was absurd.
But that was the past.
Now that he had identified the cause, he could find a solution.
Jegal Ji-gang's lips curled into a sinister smile.
"If it all traces back to her, then eliminating her is the first priority."
Of course, at present, the Sword Saint held complete control over the frontlines.
That would not make things easy.
And now, he couldn't move the Shadow Unit, nor could he even trust them.
But a method could always be found.
After all, she was at the frontlines—a place where death at the hands of the Blood Sect would be all too natural.
"I'll have to draw in the Blood Demon. And first, I'll need to take care of the Sword Saint."
Jegal Ji-gang realized he could no longer leave the Sword Saint alone.
Before, he had thought, "I'll eliminate him if the chance arises."
Now, it had become, "I must eliminate him, no matter what."
If his deductions were correct, the Sword Saint already knew far too much.
"And to kill him, I'll need…."
Jegal Ji-gang immediately left the council chamber.
His guards followed close behind.
"Strategist, where are we headed?"
"To the Lord's Hall."
"Yes, sir!"
The current Martial Alliance Lord, the Chivalry King, Mo Yongjin, was practically bound by fate to Jegal Ji-gang.
Even so, Jegal Ji-gang disliked going to see him.
The reason became clearer the closer they drew to the Lord's Hall, as voices grew audible.
"Oh my, Lord, it's broad daylight…."
"Ohohoho! And what of it if it's broad daylight? Who would dare question what I, the Chivalry King Mo Yongjin, choose to do?"
"Oh, Lord… haah!"
The high-pitched voice of a woman, the Alliance Lord's booming laughter, and the sounds of gasps and moans came from within.
Jegal Ji-gang stopped at the entrance at last and shouted to his guards.
"Announce to the Lord that Strategist Jegal Ji-gang is here on urgent business!"
At once, silence fell within.
Then, after a pause, the Alliance Lord's voice rang out.
"Enter, Strategist!"
As Jegal Ji-gang stepped inside, the first thing he saw was Mo Yongjin in disheveled robes.
There was no mistaking what he had been doing just moments before. Jegal Ji-gang inwardly sighed.
He wasn't sure whether to lament such a sight, or to be relieved that at least the woman had been sent out the back door.
Then the Chivalry King, Mo Yongjin, greeted him with a broad smile.
"Ah, welcome, Strategist Jegal! It seems you've been very busy lately?"
It was merely small talk—Jegal Ji-gang rarely visited, even when close by.
Though it wasn't true that he was always busy, he didn't bother correcting the misconception.
"Yes, many trivial matters as always."
Mo Yongjin nodded enthusiastically.
"Oh, then I mustn't detain such a busy man for long. Well then, what brings you here?"
The implication was clear: state your business quickly and leave.
Jegal Ji-gang resisted the urge to sigh again, lowered his voice, and spoke gravely.
"There is something that requires your explicit approval, Lord."
Mo Yongjin's expression hardened at once.
"…What is it?"
Jegal Ji-gang took a deep breath, setting the weight of the atmosphere.
He would need all his rhetorical skill to convince the Lord to approve the elimination of none other than the Sword Saint—a pillar of the orthodox world.
After a pause, Jegal Ji-gang finally declared, his face grim:
"Lord, I believe… we must kill the Sword Saint."
Mo Yongjin's face twisted in shock.
"…The Sword Saint?"
"Yes. That's right."
Jegal Ji-gang nodded, ready to explain further.
"The Sword Saint is now…."
But his words went no further.
It was Mo Yongjin who cut him off with an answer.
And upon hearing that answer, Jegal Ji-gang found himself unable to continue.
Mo Yongjin had spoken as though it were the most natural thing in the world:
"Very well."
This time it was Jegal Ji-gang who was caught off guard.
"…Pardon?"
Mo Yongjin nodded with a look of reluctant inevitability.
"Kill the Sword Saint. If my trusted strategist Jegal has decided as much, then there must be good reason. I will authorize anything that requires my name, so proceed as you see fit."
"..."
"Now then, if that's all, you may leave. It wouldn't do to keep a busy strategist detained for long, would it? I'll be counting on you again."
Jegal Ji-gang looked at Mo Yongjin, unsure what expression to wear.
Though politely phrased, it was nothing less than a dismissal.
To Mo Yongjin, even the Sword Saint's life and death seemed less important than the time he spent with women.
Jegal Ji-gang fell silent, then bowed deeply before turning on his heel.
"Understood. Then I will take my leave."
Everything had gone exactly as he had wished, and yet he could not decide whether to feel satisfied or sorrowful.
That a man who was once a proud warrior and the former Sword Saint himself, Mo Yongjin, had fallen so far…
It was hollow and bitter.
But Jegal Ji-gang quickly cast such thoughts aside.
If the Alliance Lord was in such a state, then the true master of the Martial Alliance could only be himself.
And in that case, there was no reason to hold back.
Stepping out of the Lord's Hall, Jegal Ji-gang immediately went to the outer court and issued his command.
"This is the Alliance Lord's order! Find the whereabouts of Monster Sword Seo Il and make contact!"
Seo Il, the Monstrous Sword of the Five Fiends of the World.
He was the blade Jegal Ji-gang had chosen.
For a beast like him, consumed only by obsession with battle, there would be no hesitation in tearing into a wounded Sword Saint.
Jegal Ji-gang turned his gaze toward the southern skies, where the Sword Saint would be, and smiled faintly.
The crimson sunset seemed to him like an old friend.
Meanwhile, Mo Yongjin—who seemed eager to dismiss Jegal Ji-gang quickly and summon the women back—sat quietly with a faint smile even after Jegal departed.
Then, suddenly, he spoke:
"To think he would so easily suggest killing even a man he once called a comrade… it seems schemers truly have no room for sentiment in their hearts. Don't you agree, Yeoryang?"
A voice answered from somewhere unseen.
"A true strategist is free of greed, and without greed, there is no need to betray loyalty. He discards people so easily not because he is a strategist, but because he is consumed by ambition."
Mo Yongjin countered with an amused smile.
"Did you not come to me out of ambition as well? Then how are you any different from him?"
"His greed is for his own wealth and glory. Mine is the ambition to realize my vision upon the world. They are entirely different things."
At this resolute rebuttal, Mo Yongjin chuckled softly and nodded.
"Very well. I may not see the difference, but if you, wise one, say so, then it must be so. I'll look forward to it—to see what distinguishes a strategist of the Sama Clan from that of the Jegal Clan."
The voice replied firmly:
"You will not be disappointed."
Mo Yongjin smiled in satisfaction at that voice.
Jegal Ji-gang was an excellent tool, yes, but once a tool began keeping secrets from its master, its value as a tool was lost.
Mo Yongjin had long since resolved to dispose of Jegal Ji-gang.
***
Yunnan Province, Mt. Wudang
In the office of the Wudang Sect's head, Blood Demon Jeon Mugwang finished reading Jegal Ji-gang's letter and smiled faintly.
"It seems Jegal Ji-gang is in quite a rush. To ask for help not only with the Sword Saint, but even with his daughter."
A voice answered from the empty air:
"According to spies among the unorthodox, the Sword Saint has seized complete control of the frontlines. Most of the Shadow Unit members active near the front have either been slaughtered or bent the knee to him. It's only natural that Jegal Ji-gang would feel desperate."
Nodding in understanding, the Blood Demon then asked, as though remembering something:
"Speaking of which, how goes Yu Sang's infiltration of the Yun Clan? Has he planted the seeds well? He'll need to establish his position before the Sword Saint's influence grows too strong."
The voice replied again:
"Yes. Reports state the Yun Clan is fully under his control. He has yet to touch the Mountain Sword Sect, which recently caused a stir, but it seems he has already sown seeds within both the Sunwoo Clan and the Six Ghost Hall."
The Yun Clan had been the very sect that annihilated Man Jongrim, the Eleventh Captain of the Alliance, during the Justice Alliance incident not long ago.
Man Jongrim, deceived by Gu Yu-sang's schemes as the White Jade Dragon, had infiltrated what he believed to be a Blood Sect base, only to be slaughtered along with his squad.
Having exhausted himself fighting Man Jongrim, the Yun Clan had then been struck from behind by Gu Yu-sang, and swallowed whole by the Blood Sect.
It had all been part of Gu Yu-sang's plan.
At this, the Blood Demon smiled with satisfaction.
"As expected of Yu Sang. Excellent. I hear even the righteous called him the White Jade Dragon?"
"Yes. With his outstanding looks, he was even called Sichuan's First Young Lord. Considering he was once taught by the Supreme One, it's hardly surprising."
"Hm."
The Blood Demon nodded, pleased, then suddenly asked again:
"And the Sword Saint's daughter—I hear she's said to be beautiful as well? Have you learned anything?"
The voice replied:
"Yes. According to information gathered on the Sword Saint, his third daughter, Hae Cheong-yeon, is said to be a remarkable young woman. Not only beautiful, but also brilliant, with tremendous talent in martial arts. The unusual detail is that one of her eyes is blue."
At this, the Blood Demon paused, repeating the words.
"Beautiful, intelligent, gifted in martial arts… and one eye blue?"
"Yes, that's correct."
The Blood Demon's eyes flashed sharply.
"So that's how it is."
Then, wearing the expression of a predator sighting prey, he gave his order.
"Find out everything about her. Her current location, her level of martial arts—everything."
"At once!"
As the aura of Gui Yu-eum, the Demonic Shadow of the Blood Sect, vanished, the Blood Demon stroked his chin and murmured to himself.
"Perhaps… I've found my vessel."
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