"Ah!"
They say that facing death brings enlightenment.
Regaining her consciousness, Baek Hye-hyang no longer needed my or the Blood Demon Sword's help. She circulated her internal energy on her own, breaking through all the blocked meridians within her body.
Everyone was astonished as her energy steadily rose.
"Brother Hae, this is..."
"She's breaking through her limits."
At the boundary between life and death, she was surpassing herself.
Even her life force, which had once been depleted, now emitted a red haze from her spirit, swirling into a whirlwind of energy.
This was the phenomenon that occurred upon reaching the 8th star of the Blood Heaven Great Demonic Art.
Everyone was momentarily stunned.
Then, the rising energy of her Blood Heaven Art began to stabilize, and her aura settled into calmness.
Once stabilized, she slowly opened her eyes.
The paleness had vanished from her face; vitality returned.
"Congratulations, Vice Leader!"
"Congratulations!"
With a congratulatory voice from the Demonic Blade Disciple, Seo Galma, the others echoed in unison.
Truly, one can never predict what life holds.
A woman who had been at death's door now stood among the elite martial artists of the world—those who had stepped into the realm of superhuman strength.
Baek Hye-hyang looked up at me.
Then, with her trademark teasing tone, she said playfully,
"I was just about to take a rest, but you forcibly pulled me back."
"With the road ahead still long, how could I let you rest?"
I replied with a light joke.
At my words, the corners of Baek Hye-hyang's mouth lifted.
Everyone seemed delighted to see her revived—faces lit with relief and joy.
Master Hae Ak-cheon chuckled and said,
"Heh heh, there hasn't been a day as joyous as this."
"Brother Hae is right. Haha, this old man now has no regrets."
To the words of the two elders, Baek Hye-hyang scoffed and said,
"We're not done yet. Until the Murim Alliance is kneeling beneath our cult, neither of you should even dream of retirement."
"Well, perhaps Brother Seo might retire, but this old man shall remain until the children of our Cult Leader and Vice Leader grow up. Don't worry. Heh heh."
"Three Elders..."
Master Hae Ak-cheon's words made me deeply uncomfortable.
Children? Out of the blue?
True, I had feelings for Baek Hye-hyang, but I was already betrothed to Sama-yeong.
And honestly, watching her now—strong, fearless—this seemed far more fitting for her than being bound by romance.
She was the very definition of a fierce woman.
"The Vice Leader has much to do. Such talk is best left unsaid, even in jest..."
"Un-hwi."
She interrupted me.
She called me by name—not by title.
Puzzled, I watched her stand and say,
"Do you know what I regretted most before dying?"
"That's..."
Suddenly, Baek Hye-hyang grabbed my neck and tried to kiss me.
Earlier, I had let her do it, thinking she was on the verge of death. But not this time.
Like lightning, I blocked her lips with my hand.
"Mmmp!"
"There are a lot of eyes watching. Aren't you ashamed?"
She roughly pushed my hand aside and stuck out her tongue.
"Acting all shy, are you?"
Hah...
Now that she's back to normal, she's her usual self again.
Headstrong, bold, and never caring what others think.
Even while the revered elders watched, she was utterly unfazed.
"Heh heh. Ah, to be young again."
Master... this is no time for jokes.
Though, to be fair, Master had always hoped I would marry either Baek Hye-hyang or her sister, Baek Ryeon-ha, to strengthen the Baek family's lineage.
He only stopped after I became involved with Sama-yeong, daughter of Wolak Sword Sama-chak.
Baek Hye-hyang, licking her lips, looked at me and said,
"There was one thing I regretted before dying. That I never got to have you, Jin Un-hwi."
I was momentarily speechless.
She was completely open with her feelings for me.
It's true—I was attracted to her too.
But I had already chosen to be with Sama-yeong. So, this was as far as things could go.
"I'm sorry if this disappoints you, but we—"
"That's enough."
"…You really don't hold back with your Cult Leader."
She's the only one who dares speak to me like this.
Baek Hye-hyang locked eyes with me and said,
"Forget about engagements and that Wolak Sword crap. Just answer me one thing."
"What?"
"Are you attracted to me?"
Her blunt question left me speechless.
Normally, I could lie without blinking.
I could've easily said no.
But looking into her eyes, I couldn't bring myself to do it.
— What's this? The liar suddenly lost his edge?
Sodam Sword chuckled in my mind.
Yeah... it'd be laughable to lie now.
When I thought she might die, the pain tore my heart apart.
From the first time I saw her, to all the hardships we faced together in Musang Castle—I remembered it all vividly.
It was clear.
I was as drawn to her as I was to Sama-yeong.
"Don't bother lying. I can see it in your eyes."
"..."
She's a woman who always goes straight for the heart.
I looked at her silently, then let out a long breath and nodded.
"I am. But—"
"That's enough. That answer is all I need."
"What?"
The rest of the sentence was more important. What do you mean that's enough?
Then Baek Hye-hyang, nearly trembling with excitement, said:
"Whether we split you in half or share the bed—that's between me and that girl. You stay out of it."
'!?'
What… did I just hear?
Split me… in half?
My head started to pound.
Still stunned, Master Hae Ak-cheon slapped my shoulder and burst into hearty laughter.
"Kahahahahaha!"
…Easy for him to laugh. It's not his problem.
Anyway, now that Baek Hye-hyang is safe, it's time to deal with the righteous factions of the Murim Alliance who infiltrated the mountain.
Since they've entered Ryeongsan, the sanctuary of our cult, they must be thoroughly punished.
Besides those who came through this ridge, there was also fighting on the opposite mountain.
There were no masters of Grandmaster level on that side, so things might be tougher there.
"Grandmasters, head to the other ridge and support our cult disciples."
At my order, Master Hae Ak-cheon bared his yellow teeth and replied,
"No need to worry about that side, Cult Leader."
"What do you mean?"
"Though he isn't used to his left hand, he is over there—the former top master of our cult."
'!!!'
No way…
A chill ran down my spine.
After hearing from Jo Sung-won, I had assumed he was dead.
— Swish!
I drew Sodam Sword and threw it toward the opposite ridge.
Rather than go myself, I used the sword's vision to check.
Soon, my mind linked with the sword's sight.
There he was—an utterly unexpected figure—swinging his sword with his left hand, leading the cult disciples in battle against the righteous faction.
'Ahhh!'
Seeing him alive, my heart swelled with emotion.
Northern Guangxi Province.
Between Yongbok County and Yangsan County, the main force of the Eight Thousand Martial Alliance was marching southward.
As the rear guard, they had traveled without rest for two days to catch up with the vanguard, finally arriving here.
If they pushed on for about three more days, they would reach Ryongsan.
At the front, leading the march, several elders including the Third Strategist Baek Wihyang had faces filled with expectation.
And understandably so—they believed the war would be almost over by the time they arrived.
The vanguard included the Martial Alliance Leader, Musangdo Jeongcheon.
He was one of the top five unmatched masters among all superhuman warriors.
In contrast, the top master of the Blood Cult, Iljon the Blood-Splitting Sword Emperor Dan Wigang, had been slain by the Murderous Heart Demon, and even the Blood Cult leader's fate was uncertain.
It was a situation where victory seemed certain.
"Did we rush down here for nothing? What if the war is already over?"
At this remark from Go Jin, the head of Buyang Sect, the largest faction in Anhui Province, the other sect leaders nodded in agreement.
The war had likely broken out yesterday or today.
Since it was a conflict between martial artists, not formal armies, they didn't think it would last long.
"A shame, truly. I thought I'd finally get the chance to soak this blade in the blood of Blood Cult bastards after twenty years. Seems we're just cleaning up the leftovers."
"Well, at least it reduces the rear guard's casualties. That's a good thing."
"Hahaha, that's true."
The vanguard was the core force of the Martial Alliance.
If the war ended without this core suffering damage, it would be a significant accomplishment.
It would also give justification to pressure the vice-leader and existing executives who had opposed this campaign.
But not everyone was so optimistic.
"Don't get complacent. The enemy is the Blood Cult. We never know what tricks they might pull."
"Hooh... Master Jo."
The one who spoke was Jo Cheong-un, the Lone Sword of Hyeongsan, representing the Hyeongsan Sect.
Among the elite warriors in the rear guard and core force, he ranked among the top three.
His cautious words dampened the excited mood, and some executives couldn't hide their displeasure.
At this, the leading Third Strategist Baek Wihyang replied with confidence.
"Master Jo is right. But do you really think I and the Leader devised a sloppy strategy? By now, a messenger should be arriving with news of victory."
"That's true. They were so meticulous they kept their strategy secret from even us. Let us trust the Leader and Strategist in this campaign."
Pang Sayong, one of the Six Elders of the Martial Alliance and head of the Pang Clan in Hebei, supported the statement.
At his support, Baek Wihyang shrugged his shoulders proudly.
Jo Cheong-un sighed and spoke again.
"Strategist, what if—by chance—the Blood Cult forces are no longer at Ryongsan?"
"That won't happen."
"But we haven't seen all the messages from the Beggars' Sect. They say the 108 Arhat Formation of Shaolin was destroyed by a single strike from that Blood Demon Lord."
At this, Woo Bokchang, head of the Paejeol Sect, chuckled.
"You actually believe that, Master Jo? That the 108 Arhat Formation fell in one move from some Blood Demon?"
Go Jin of the Buyang Sect joined in.
"Even our current Alliance Leader couldn't pull that off. I can't understand how the Beggars' Sect sent such absurd information."
Everyone nodded.
When they first heard the news, they weren't shocked—they were dumbfounded.
It was too unrealistic.
Had the formation broken after exchanging dozens of techniques, maybe—but one move?
"That sounds like too much mistrust of the intel."
Un Gwang-un, head of the Jinju Clan, quietly interjected.
Even he believed the intel was exaggerated, but if the Beggars' Sect went as far as to send it, the event must have been significant.
Strategist Baek Wihyang scoffed.
"A mere tactic from the Blood Cult. They lack the strength for a direct fight. Naturally, they'd try to divide our forces."
Jo Cheong-un frowned.
"Then the one who attacked Shaolin wasn't the Blood Cult Leader?"
"My judgment says no. Our spies disguised as physicians confirmed multiple times that the Blood Cult Leader was gravely wounded by the Fear-Killing Sword. That he would now show up at Shaolin? Nonsense..."
Just then—
Someone shouted, pointing ahead.
"Strategist! Look there!"
In the distance, someone was rushing toward them with light steps.
As they neared, they saw he wore the Martial Alliance uniform and carried a small banner on his back—clearly a messenger.
Everyone watched with confusion.
Strategist Baek Wihyang raised his hand to halt the march.
"See? Didn't I say a messenger bearing news of victory would arrive soon?"
"Hahaha. Looks like Master Jo's worries were in vain."
They were certain the messenger had come to deliver the news of their victory.
But as the messenger approached, everyone's expression darkened.
'What is this?'
The messenger's uniform was soaked in blood.
Sensing something was wrong, Strategist Baek Wihyang asked,
"What happened?"
The messenger steadied his breath and replied.
"Strategist! The Leader is dead."
'!!!'
No one could hide their shock.
"The Leader is dead?"
"What is this nonsense...?"
Except for a few, most had been sure the vanguard would win.
And yet—the shocking news came that the Alliance Leader had been killed.
Fuming with disbelief, Baek Wihyang dismounted and strode toward the messenger.
"What nonsense are you spouting! Who could possibly kill the Leader?!"
"It was the Blood Demon. The Demon killed the Alliance Leader and the strongest warriors at the front."
"Impossible."
The shock was so great that Baek Wihyang's legs buckled.
He had been certain of victory this time.
They had the superior force, and Musangdo Jeongcheon himself, arguably the strongest warrior alive, had led the vanguard.
But Baek Wihyang stumbled, unable to accept it.
"That can't be. That would mean the Blood Demon's strength surpassed the Leader's. How could that be? You must be mistaken—"
Just then, the messenger removed something tied to his waist—a bundle, soaked red and dripping.
"This is...?"
"I knew you wouldn't believe me. So I brought proof."
"What... proof?"
"The severed head of Alliance Leader Musangdo Jeongcheon."
"What?"
The messenger unwrapped the bundle—revealing a severed head, eyes wide open and tongue hanging out.
All the sect leaders at the front recoiled in horror.
No one could believe they were seeing the Alliance Leader's head with their own eyes.
"L-Leader..."
Strategist Baek Wihyang was utterly shaken.
Then he had a strange thought.
'How did this man get the Leader's head?'
When he looked up from the head to the messenger's face, something felt wrong.
Despite crawling out of battle to deliver the message, the messenger's face was completely unscathed—unlike his blood-soaked clothes.
—Shiver!
Baek Wihyang suddenly felt chills down his spine.
'This man... right now...?'
As if enjoying the reaction, the messenger's eyes gleamed with amusement.
—Swish!
Without a moment's hesitation, Baek Wihyang trusted his instinct and drew his sword, aiming for the messenger's neck.
But before it could even touch, the messenger caught the blade between two fingers.
—Clang!
'W-What?'
It was unthinkable.
A mere messenger catching his sword?
"Who are you...?"
At that, the messenger curled his lips and replied,
"Who do you think cut off that head?"
'!!!'