The Interrogation Begins
I stared intently at the man in black, who looked as if he had just regained his senses, and asked, “Affiliation. Objective. Location.”
“···What?”
“Who are you working for, what was your purpose in coming all the way here and stirring up trouble, and where are your key forces positioned?”
“······.”
When I posed the question like that, the black-clad man wearing the ash-gray hood fell silent. It seemed my questions had caught him completely off guard. But from my perspective, I had no intention of wasting any more time.
Swish—
“······?”
As I slowly raised my hand, the man in black looked up at me with a puzzled expression. Without hesitation, I snapped one of his fingers.
Crack!
The sickening sound of bone shattering echoed clearly through the surroundings.
“To be honest, I’m not particularly fond of elaborate torture methods or mystical techniques… but if you’d like to experience something far worse, I strongly recommend you keep your mouth shut.”
“Kuaaaagh—!”
“We don’t seem to have much time, so I felt the need to speed things up a bit.”
When I said that, my senior brother standing beside me gave a small nod. He had always believed that such uncompromising methods were sometimes necessary, which explained his reaction.
“Hmm. Isn’t this a little excessive?”
“······.”
Unlike him, however, Yoo Seong-ho didn’t seem accustomed to this kind of interrogation or forced confession, and he began to voice some mild objections. But I paid his reaction no mind and answered.
“Then what? Do you have a better idea?”
“······!”
“If we want to get this done quickly and accurately, this is the only way.”
When I spoke firmly, Yoo Seong-ho frowned slightly before slowly nodding in understanding. He had realized that the situation our group was in left us with no other choice.
‘Well, I suppose ordinary martial artists from the righteous sects would naturally react with disgust to this kind of torture.’
Thinking that way, it seemed Mu Yeong and I had rather unusual mindsets. I was one thing, but my senior brother was also extremely rational in his judgment. The only difference was that the process might involve some sacrifice or morally questionable acts. Still, given our current circumstances, there was nothing to hesitate over, so I faced no interference as I tortured the man in black.
It was right then that the man groaned.
“Ugh… You think I’ll talk…!”
“Hmm.”
I found myself in a slightly troublesome spot. With a short sigh at the black-clad man who was putting on a pointless show of bravado, I muttered, “Hah, then I guess we have no choice.”
“W-what…?”
Swish—
I immediately drew a short dagger from within my robes. It was a weapon I had commissioned long ago from a blacksmith, forged from pure iron. Gripping the dagger in a reverse hold, I aimed it precisely at the man’s pupil.
His reaction was instantaneous.
“W-what the hell are you trying to do…!”
“I was planning to gouge out one of your eyeballs.”
When I said it so casually, the man in black immediately paled and bowed his head in submission.
“I-I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”
“······.”
‘As expected. He’s a commander-type who isn’t all that familiar with torture.’
If he was someone commanding the men in black from afar, it made sense that he wouldn’t be well-versed in torture. As I continued that line of thought, the man began spilling information without hesitation.
“We are the Thunder Dragon Squad, one of the forces under Tuma—one of the Four Demon Lords.”
“······!”
“Tuma, you say…”
The moment Tuma’s name came up, both Mu Yeong and I stiffened, our expressions hardening at the same time. Yoo Seong-ho turned deathly pale as well. It seemed he hadn’t expected one of the major figures known as the Four Demon Lords to be involved in this matter. But since I had anticipated it to some degree—and my senior brother had realized it as well—we could only exchange glances.
“So that’s how it is…”
“I knew it.”
“···Do the two of you happen to know a lot about Tuma?”
When Mu Yeong and I nodded and exchanged looks, Yoo Seong-ho tilted his head and asked. I answered briefly.
“We have a bit of a bad history with him.”
“······?!”
“I can’t go into detail right now, but you could say we’re practically mortal enemies.”
“Ugh…!”
Yoo Seong-ho’s face hardened immediately. He had finally grasped just how serious this situation had become. As various thoughts raced through his mind, the man in black, still clutching his broken finger and groaning in pain, continued to leak information.
“The Thunder Dragon Squad is an assassination unit placed under the command of Tuma’s blood brother, the Thunder Dragon Old Demon. We obtained information that the daughter of the Hao Clan’s leader had been sighted near Mount Unhaeng, so we spread rumors in the area to lure in experts from the evil sects.”
“You used them like disposable pawns.”
“···That’s correct.”
‘Searching the entire Mount Unhaeng with just one assassination organization like the Thunder Dragon Squad would have been difficult, so this was probably the best method.’
I could roughly guess their intentions now. With that in mind, I asked about something that had been bothering me.
“The Hao Clan leader’s daughter was supposed to be staying with Dokgo Hyeon of the Dark Faction—one of the Three Great Heavens—not at Mount Unhaeng, right?”
“······!”
“So why did that woman suddenly show herself near Mount Unhaeng?”
“T-that… I’m not sure about the details…”
“Hmm.”
With my arms crossed, I slowly pieced together the reason before continuing.
“Then here’s my final question. Where is the Thunder Dragon Old Demon right now?”
“······!”
The moment I asked, reactions erupted around me. Mu Yeong managed to keep his composure, but Yoo Seong-ho was the problem. Looking utterly shocked, he said to me, “Wait, I don’t know exactly what position the Thunder Dragon Old Demon holds in the evil sects, but seeing as he’s Tuma’s own brother, he must possess strength on par with Tuma’s second-in-command… Are you seriously saying you want to go find him right now and settle this once and for all?”
“Is there a problem with that?”
“······.”
Yoo Seong-ho’s expression stiffened, as if there were far too many problems to even bother pointing them out. Seeing his attitude, Mu Yeong—who had been standing silently beside me—gave a faint bitter smile and spoke slowly.
“We won’t force you to come along. My junior brother and I will head to the Thunder Dragon Old Demon’s location by ourselves, so Thunder Sword, you can leave this place without any blame from us.”
“···Are you serious?”
“I am.”
When Yoo Seong-ho asked with a rigid face, my senior brother answered without the slightest hesitation. Watching Mu Yeong’s resolute attitude, I inwardly let out a sigh of admiration.
‘As expected of my senior brother. He’s willing to follow my opinion without a trace of fear.’
Risking one’s life to stand against the demonic path. The words and intention sounded good, but actually carrying them out was by no means easy. That was why my senior brother’s immediate agreement felt incredibly reassuring.
In that moment, Yoo Seong-ho, who had been deep in thought, finally opened his mouth.
“···I’ll go with you.”
“Are you sure you’re serious?”
“Yes. After all, I’m the one who led us down this path. If you intend to settle things, then accompanying you to the end is unavoidable.”
Yoo Seong-ho spoke his true feelings openly. With a nod at his resolve, I finally slit the throat of the man in black who had revealed the Thunder Dragon Old Demon’s location.
Slice—
Roll…
The sound of the man’s severed head rolling across the floor brushed past my ears as I spoke with clear confidence.
“Then let’s go.”
In the original novel, the Thunder Dragon Old Demon was a shadowy figure who rarely made direct appearances. That was why even the original protagonist, Han Cheonwoo, had struggled greatly to wipe out Tuma’s remaining forces, including the Thunder Dragon Old Demon. It was understandable, since completely eradicating decentralized organizations similar to the Hao Clan was nearly impossible.
However, ‘Now that we know the Thunder Dragon Old Demon’s exact location, failing to eliminate him now will almost certainly lead to future troubles.’
With that thought, I headed with Mu Yeong and Yoo Seong-ho over the ridge and toward a cave located in the valley. It was a deep cavern known as Bulgwi Valley.
Once we entered the cave, we sensed a presence in a blind spot deeper inside and held our breath. It was then that—
Swish—
A man wearing a black cat mask appeared from afar, scanning the area before muttering in a low voice.
“They say a ghost lives in Bulgwi Valley.”
“······.”
“I thought it was just a rumor, but it seems the stories were true.”
The other party remained silent at those words. The middle-aged martial artist facing the Thunder Dragon Old Demon didn’t look to be in good condition, likely because he had only recently finished a fierce battle.
“···Why are you so insistent on recruiting me?”
The middle-aged warrior’s face darkened. The other party seemed to notice and asked with a voice laced with faint mockery.
“···Are you truly unwilling to swear allegiance to the demonic path? Your physical condition looks terrible. If you keep resisting, things might become truly dangerous.”
“······.”
The middle-aged warrior swallowed a groan and closed his eyes. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke while recalling his opponent’s identity.
“Thunder Dragon Old Demon. Or rather, Tuma’s strategist.”
“Hm? Why are you calling me?”
“···Just what the hell do you want from me?”
The man known as the Thunder Dragon Old Demon stayed silent. Taking advantage of the pause, the middle-aged warrior continued in a irritated tone.
“People call the place I belong to an evil sect, but I have never harmed innocent people or committed murder. I’ve never exerted influence over the world either. Other than occasionally going down to the county to buy supplies, I’ve never shown my face in public.”
“Hmm.”
“Moreover, I have absolutely no connection to Tuma—one of those so-called Four Demon Lords. What business could you possibly have with this crazy bastard holed up in Bulgwi Valley that you’d waste elite forces just to harass me like this?”
“······.”
When the middle-aged warrior kept speaking in an annoyed voice, the Thunder Dragon Old Demon let out a soft chuckle and replied.
“You’ve already said it all yourself.”
“···What?”
“Just as I said. The reason we must recruit you to Tuma’s side even at this cost—you spelled it out for us just now.”
The Thunder Dragon Old Demon laughed softly.
“If you had even the slightest attachment to the world, formed any connections, or at least gone down to the county to exchange a few kind words with the villagers, we wouldn’t have had to resort to this.”
“···What kind of nonsense is that?”
“···It’s quite simple. If there was even one person you were close to, we could have kidnapped or tortured them to drag you out. The fact that you’re such a recluse who avoids others is precisely why we had to go through all this trouble.”
“You’ve finally lost your mind. So you’re saying there’s a reason you absolutely must recruit me?”
“Well, putting that aside. You do know that war with the Hao Clan will begin soon, yes?”
“I don’t. What could you possibly expect from someone who’s been shut away in this ghost valley doing nothing but secluded training?”
“That daughter of the Hao Clan you’re hiding. If we can secure her, a bloodbath is inevitable.”
“You think I’ll let that happen?”
“Kukukuku…”
The Thunder Dragon Old Demon smiled as he laughed. The middle-aged warrior let out a short sigh and slowly rose to his feet.
“Looking at the situation, it seems you need a sacrificial blade for your war.”
“Sacrificial blade… At your level, you’d be worth at least the leader of a mid-tier sect. We’d have to give you at least the position of unit commander.”
“You’ve already decided everything. You don’t even consider the possibility of failure?”
“Well…”
Perhaps sensing something unusual in the middle-aged warrior’s aura, the Thunder Dragon Old Demon quietly unfolded his fan. He glanced toward the man.
“You certainly possess strength worthy of facing the One Moon Unit Leader. It seems you have enough skill to be called the Sword Ghost, hm?”
“···Shut your mouth.”
The middle-aged warrior growled. From the looks of it, the One Moon Unit Leader was a high-ranking expert of the demonic path who had been defeated and driven out by this middle-aged warrior. The Thunder Dragon Old Demon smirked.
“Let’s see just how much you’ve improved during all that secluded training.”
“······.”
“Go.”
The situation was turning dangerous. The clear sound of swords being drawn rang out from the darkness.
“Damn it. So you really intend to see this through to the end!”
The middle-aged warrior shouted. This time, he seemed truly resolved. Experts dressed in black robes began to slowly reveal themselves, radiating deep and powerful auras. Yet even so, as the middle-aged warrior prepared himself for a decisive battle, the Thunder Dragon Old Demon twitched his eyebrows and asked.
“···The outcome is already obvious. Do you still wish to fight?”
“Why, are you upset that things aren’t going as planned? I suppose the others would have tucked their tails and chosen to join the demonic path by now, right?”
“······.”
“So the name Thunder Dragon Old Demon was nothing but an empty title after all.”
The moment those words left his mouth, the lips of the scholarly-looking Thunder Dragon Old Demon twisted in fury.
“Don’t kill him.”
“Understood.”
“Bring him to me alive.”
It was at that moment.
Swish—!
Sword strikes flew in from all directions.