Chapter 173: Determination
Chapter 173: Determination
By the time Seonwoo Jin returned to the front line, everything had already come to an end.
The only news he could hear was the outcome.
"The Sword Saint Elder... was defeated and killed by Seo Il?"
Seonwoo Jin simply could not believe it.
That the Sword Saint would be defeated by someone like Seo Il was absolutely impossible.
But the Sword Saint's body was already being transported to the Hae clan estate in Henam.
And whether it was Jegal Ji-gang's doing or not, no details of the duel were being disclosed at all.
Moreover, the news that plunged Seonwoo Jin into shock was not just that one thing.
Having gained nothing from the Flying Dragon Corps headquarters and hurriedly returned to the Flying Dragon Thirteen Squads, Seonwoo Jin could not help but be utterly bewildered.
It was because Cheon Ju-eun clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Seonu Gongja! Why did you come back so late?! The eonnis! Seo-yu eonni and Cheongyeon eonni, they...!"
Seonwoo Jin, who had somehow maintained his composure even at the Sword Saint's death, could only freeze on the spot at the unbearable news.
He muttered in a daze.
"What do you mean...?"
They may not have been eternal, but everything he had thought would always remain by his side was crumbling all at once, far too quickly.
***
'The Heavenly Robe Sword Saint Hae Un-baek was defeated and killed by Poisonous Eyed Ghost Sword Seo Il.'
The martial world, which had recently been endlessly buzzing with astonishing news, could not help but boil over like a furnace once again at another tremendous piece of news that followed.
No, no prior news had ever shaken the martial world this much.
Its content was far too shocking.
Though no details of the process were known, it was shocking enough that the Sword Saint had been defeated by Seo Il, and was it not said that he was defeated and killed by a single strike from Seo Il?
That news was nothing short of a sky-collapsing shock for martial artists who revered the Sword Saint as an idol.
"The Sword Saint was defeated by a single strike from Seo Il? A single strike?"
"Does that mean Seo Il was that strong? Or if not..."
After that, rumors began to boil up in the martial world that the Sword Saint had been overly overestimated all along.
That the Sword Saint was actually someone who had luckily made his name among the Fifteen Absolute Masters and had been receiving undue praise.
That was not all.
Even testimonies from alleged victims began to circulate in the martial world, claiming that the Sword Saint had in fact been a shameless scoundrel, and that they had been unable to come forward because they feared his authority despite having suffered harm from him.
After the Sword Saint's death, the true downfall of the Sword Saint was beginning.
All of this was, of course, fabricated by Jegal Ji-gang.
He intended to utterly destroy the Sword Saint's reputation and then erase his influence from the Murim Alliance.
Having pulled out the most troublesome thorn, Jegal Ji-gang now slowly fanned himself with a fan in his office and muttered with a leisurely expression.
"All this time, there have been far too many in the Alliance influenced by the Sword Saint. Those who fail to see practical gains because they're bound by useless chivalric agreements, tsk."
How much had the Alliance's activities been restricted because of such people until now?
But now, even that was over.
Because he was going to thoroughly shatter the idol of those who cried out for chivalric duty.
After bringing down the Sword Saint's reputation, Jegal Ji-gang planned to sort out his followers next.
Since they were followers of someone who was in reality nothing but a scoundrel, it wouldn't be difficult to gain justification.
"And once I fill those empty seats with my people, only then will the Murim Alliance finally become a perfect and flawless force."
Yes.
A perfect and flawless force.
A perfect force led by the sage Jegal Ji-gang, where only alliance members who thoroughly carried out his orders existed.
He suddenly muttered quietly to himself.
"Murim Alliance Leader Jegal Ji-gang. Not bad."
Since the days of Zhuge Wuhou, those bearing the surname 'Jegal' had always been perceived as second-in-commands by people.
But that was truly, utterly absurd.
In an era where even lowly peasants or tenant farmers founded dynasties, was it even a sensible statement that a capable person of the Jegal clan was always the second-in-command?
It was all nothing more than a stereotype born from a lack of precedent until now.
So Jegal Ji-gang intended to become that precedent himself.
By becoming the first person bearing the Jegal surname to be the number one man.
'I will be remembered as an existence that leaves its mark on history, and as a hero who surpasses Zhuge Wuhou.'
And he was convinced that the time for that was not far off.
But a few days later, he was forced to explode in rage at a report that came to him.
"What?! Sword Saint Guardian Corps?!"
At his rarely enraged voice, the Lord of Mancheong Pavilion, who was delivering the report, hunched his shoulders and carefully continued speaking.
"Yes, that is correct. Movements are rising everywhere in the martial world to hunt down the forces slandering the Sword Saint. Those who say they personally received grace from the Sword Saint are rising up and searching for the source of the rumors."
At that news, Jegal Ji-gang gritted his teeth and spoke.
"Then shouldn't you just handle it quietly?"
At that, the Lord of Mancheong Pavilion bowed his head deeply as if ashamed and answered.
"The thing is... there are too many. It happened far too much in too many places at once.... Even martial artists within the Alliance are rising up to track down the true nature of the forces that slandered the Sword Saint. The Beggar's Sect is stepping forward to connect them, and the Hao Gate members are also actively stepping forward to cooperate, so..."
Kwaang!
Jegal Ji-gang finally could not contain his fury and struck his desk.
If even the Beggar's Sect and the Hao Gate members were stepping forward to help them, then this was not a problem that could be quietly handled.
Rather, it was a situation where he had to quickly sever all points of connection with the Murim Alliance.
This had happened because even Jegal Ji-gang had not predicted that there would be so many who had received grace from the Sword Saint, or that they would be distributed across so many different places.
The Sword Saint was already dead, yet his shadow was being cast even larger.
Jegal Ji-gang muttered through gritted teeth.
"Un-baek, you bastard! How long, just how long do you intend to block my path!"
But rage was rage, and business was business.
Judging the situation coldly, if things had reached that point, pulling out now was the wise decision.
Jegal Ji-gang, trying hard to regain his composure, gave an order to the Lord of Mancheong Pavilion.
"Eliminate those who were manipulating public opinion. No connection whatsoever between them and the Alliance must be discovered..."
It was then.
Suddenly, a loud voice was heard from outside.
"The Alliance Leader is entering!"
This was something far too unexpected for Jegal Ji-gang.
"...The Alliance Leader? The Alliance Leader came here?"
The Murim Alliance Leader, the Cooperative King Mo Yong-geom, had not once come to visit Jegal Ji-gang in recent years.
No, far from visiting, it had not been easy even to see his face when Jegal Ji-gang went to find him directly.
Yet now, of all times, the Alliance Leader had personally come to find him.
It could not be anything but a highly significant event.
'No way, it can't be.'
Suppressing his anxious heart, Jegal Ji-gang sent the Lord of Mancheong Pavilion out, while simultaneously rising from his seat and calling out.
"Please enter, Alliance Leader!"
At that, Mo Yong-geom, wearing a bright smile, entered the office.
"Advisor! Have you been well?!"
Jegal Ji-gang also responded with a warm smile.
"So-so. But for what reason has the Alliance Leader made the journey all the way here? You could have simply called for me..."
Though he spoke humbly, the meaning was to state the reason for his visit first.
At that, Mo Yong-geom laughed heartily and answered.
"Wahahaha! You seem busy again, as usual. Well, the advisor is always busy, so that's true. Alright, I shall get straight to the point. Rumor has it that there have recently been forces slandering the Sword Saint? Have you, Advisor, perhaps heard of this as well?"
Jegal Ji-gang felt a sudden pang in his chest.
But he shook his head as if he was hearing it for the very first time.
"Well now. Are there not always many groundless rumors in the martial world? I, personally... have not really..."
But the Mo Yong-geom of today was not the usual Mo Yong-geom that Jegal Ji-gang knew.
To his answer, Mo Yong-geom asked again with an expression of finding it strange.
"Is that so? That's strange. What I heard is that the person who ordered it was Advisor Jegal. Are you saying you truly haven't heard of it?"
Mo Yong-geom was now looking at Jegal Ji-gang with a meaningful glint in his eyes and a cynical smile.
Jegal Ji-gang's heart plummeted.
This was not a question asked merely in passing.
Mo Yong-geom already knew everything.
Now, even Jegal Ji-gang could not feign a smile.
Today's Mo Yong-geom was completely different from usual.
He, who had shown no interest whatsoever in Alliance operations, was suddenly trying to pressure him.
He had to figure out why he was acting this way.
Furthermore, this incident was something Jegal Ji-gang had orchestrated independently without informing Mo Yong-geom.
Not only did he lack information, but he also lacked justification to oppose him.
Jegal Ji-gang decided to bow his head quickly for now.
"Hehehe, the Alliance Leader already knew. My apologies. It was a matter I handled alone, thinking it might trouble the Alliance Leader. That I failed to report it in advance is my oversight..."
Jegal Ji-gang intended to quickly admit to this part and move on. Believing that since he had bowed his head once, Mo Yong-geom would also consider his circumstances.
But once he had bared his teeth, Mo Yong-geom did not let him go.
"That's not all, Advisor. I hear that before the Sword Saint fought the Ghost Sword, he was ambushed by Blood Cult demon heads including the Blood Demon. Advisor, did you perhaps conspire on this matter with the Blood Cult's demon heads as well?"
The eyes of Mo Yong-geom, who had always laughed like an honest and stalwart hero, now emitted a dangerous light like that of a savage beast, at least in this moment.
Jegal Ji-gang realized that something was going terribly wrong.
He quickly racked his brain.
The details he had mentioned were known only to his direct subordinates.
It was because he had ordered that no evidence and no witnesses be left at the scene.
In fact, had he not just received a report not long ago that all the White Tiger Squad martial artists had been annihilated?
So, though I didn't know where the alliance leader had heard such things, there would be no witnesses left anyway.
Jegal Ji-gang first tried to deny it.
"How can you say such things? Who on earth told the alliance leader such words?"
At that, Mo Yong-geom gave a scoffing laugh and answered.
"Heh, White Tiger Commander Dong Bang Mu-geuk, who attended the Sword Saint at his side, told me. He said the Blood Demon, along with the Iron God Mad Demon, Black Blood Illusion Demon, and White-faced Corpse Demon, all attacked together, didn't they? To mobilize them all, I never imagined the military advisor possessed such great influence over the Blood Cult!"
White Tiger Commander Dong Bang Mu-geuk?
Hearing that name, Jegal Ji-gang's face finally hardened like stone, and he could do nothing about it.
He was certainly supposed to be dead....
Jegal Ji-gang asked in a trembling voice.
"Did you say... White Tiger Commander?"
Jegal Ji-gang's mind began racing.
If the alliance leader's words were true, it meant the reports that had come up to him were incorrect.
That was an extremely serious problem.
Then Mo Yong-geom smiled bitterly and asked.
"What's the matter? Are you shocked that the White Tiger Commander, who should have been dead, is alive?"
Jegal Ji-gang was horrified.
Because he had completely grasped the meaning of those words.
He was saying that he knew Jegal Ji-gang had ordered the White Tiger Commander killed, and that he had prevented it and then had false reports sent up to him.
And that story was no different from saying that the organization he had believed to be his own might not be his own after all.
'How... can this be.'
Jegal Ji-gang's vision went dark.
It was to the point where he even doubted whether the man before his eyes was truly the same always-profligate Mo Yong-geom.
Moreover, the most serious thing was that he could not even begin to guess just where his grasp began and ended.
Perhaps it was everything.
'I have been dancing in the palm of his hand all this time.'
Jegal Ji-gang could realize that he had been completely leashed by Mo Yong-geom.
Jegal Ji-gang swiftly acknowledged defeat.
Now was the time he had to do so.
And he thought about the direction of his future response.
He had to know why he had come to him now, and what he wanted.
Common sense dictated that, unless it were an assassination, there was no reason for him to seek Jegal Ji-gang's political destruction.
Because the secrets they shared were far too dangerous for either side to destroy the other.
'He must know that if my mouth opens, it will be the end for him as well. Then what does he want?'
But even so, the hand Mo Yong-geom had just played was far too powerful to think positively.
Because if it became known to the martial world that he had cooperated with the Blood Cult to cause the Sword Saint's death, and then manipulated public opinion to defame the Sword Saint afterward, then at that moment, not only he himself but the entire Jegal clan would surely be finished.
Having thought that far, Jegal Ji-gang now asked Mo Yong-geom with a respectful look in his eyes.
"What is it you want from me, alliance leader?"
At that, Mo Yong-geom smiled faintly again and answered.
"As expected, your quick grasp of the situation is appreciated. Hmm, what do I want...."
Mo Yong-geom, who seemed lost in thought for a moment, soon continued in a playful voice.
"Until now, I have trusted Military Advisor Jegal ten out of ten times. So whatever you did, I always trusted and supported you."
That was certainly a fact.
Though it was less because he trusted him and more because he was too lazy to do anything himself.
Jegal Ji-gang, suppressing his fury inwardly, silently listened to his words.
"So I tried to understand and overlook most matters. But this matter, it seems, no matter how much you are Military Advisor Jegal, is something I cannot simply let slide."
Jegal Ji-gang grew tense.
It seemed the main point was about to come out now.
"So I think it might be good for Military Advisor Jegal to have some time for self-reflection."
"...Did you say, time for self-reflection?"
"That's right. Go somewhere with good air, perhaps.... Ah, as it happens, since the Sword Saint has passed away, how about going to the front lines for a while? Go, observe the situation on the front lines and the Blood Cult, and do some managing while you're at it."
Jegal Ji-gang knew very well that he was already in a situation where he could not refuse his words.
And as for the front lines, though the existence of the Blood Demon bothered him a little, it didn't seem bad for keeping his distance from Mo Yong-geom and organizing his own forces.
So he forced a smile and answered.
"The front lines.... Very well. As it happens, I must resolve the problems the Sword Saint caused. It will be a good opportunity."
At that, Mo Yong-geom laughed heartily and said.
"Eu-hahahaha! I knew Military Advisor Jegal would like it!"
Jegal Ji-gang ground his teeth inwardly.
He, who had just been dreaming of becoming the first supreme ruler in the history of the Jegal clan, was now in a situation where he had to be exiled to the front lines.
It felt as if a raging fire was blazing up inside him.
But outwardly, he smiled brightly.
"Hahaha! If I can be of help to the alliance leader, is there any reason I would refuse? Hahaha!"
It was the moment the internal power structure of the Murim Alliance underwent a tectonic shift.
And it was also the moment the de facto authority on the front lines changed from the Sword Saint to Jegal Ji-gang.
***
Seonwoo Jin and the Seventh Squad members were greatly despondent over the Sword Saint's death and the matter of their comrades taken away by Guyueumma Jigieum.
But that was only for a moment; they regained their spirits with stunning speed.
It was not only because they were frontline workers accustomed to the death of comrades.
It was because Seonwoo Jin had gathered them and told them of the next plan.
"I know it is hard for everyone, but we have no time. Even the time to grieve is too precious."
Contrary to Hae Cheong-yeon's words that she would send them back soon, Na Seo-yu and Sak Mu-heun had not returned even after several days.
Thus, Seonwoo Jin and the Seventh Squad members were in a state of having lost three comrades.
Generally, there was absolutely no case of Flying Dragon squad members captured by the Blood Cult's demon heads returning alive.
Because abduction or disappearance on the front lines was practically synonymous with death.
But Seonwoo Jin was explaining to his comrades that this time was somewhat different.
"Guyueumma Jigieum is not like other demon heads, a lust demon in heat. Rather, he is known as a loyal man who faithfully follows only the Blood Demon's orders. Also, as we all saw, the Blood Demon was a man of a different caliber from ordinary Blood Cult demon heads, rather giving off the feeling of an orthodox faction elder. I do not believe he coveted Miss Cheong-yeon's beauty and had her kidnapped."
At Seonwoo Jin's words, a few nodded their heads.
They were the Seventh Squad members who had seen the Blood Demon directly during the previous Jeonghyeol Summit.
Seonwoo Jin continued his explanation.
"Miss Cheong-yeon seems to have thought that the Blood Demon and the Blood Cult's demon heads would attack the Sword Saint Elder. Given the circumstances, I agree as well. But the problem is that, in the midst of that, the Blood Demon pulled the crucial force that is Guyueumma Jigieum out to have him kidnap Miss Cheong-yeon."
Then Bi Sa-yeong, who was listening, asked.
"Did he kidnap her to threaten the Sword Saint Elder?"
At that question, Seonwoo Jin shook his head.
"Miss Cheong-yeon probably thought so too. So she tried to stall for time without being subdued. To prevent herself from being used until the Sword Saint Elder's fight was over. But that story conversely means that, from Ji Gi-eum's standpoint, it was a situation where he could not allow that. If it were a kidnapping truly meant for a threat, he would have had to take Miss Cheong-yeon as quickly as possible, but he didn't do that."
"...Which means?"
"I think there was some other reason. A reason they had to take her alive, even to the point of sending Guyueumma Jigieum, an important force, just before the decisive battle with the Sword Saint Elder."
That was precisely what Seonwoo Jin wanted to say.
That they would not easily kill Hae Cheong-yeon, whom they had gone to such trouble to take.
Then Seol Pung, his eyes gleaming like a wild beast, murmured.
"If so... that means Lady Hae might still be alive. Perhaps even Lady Na and Brother Sak...."
Seonwoo Jin nodded and said.
"That is what I believe."
And Seonwoo Jin, who possessed the memories of his past life, was in the midst of suspecting that the reason they had taken her might be related to Blood Demon persons.
Peak-level masters with the bodies of demonic beings, Blood Demon persons.
In his past life, weren't the early-appearing Blood Demon persons, including the first Blood Demon person, the Red-clothed Blood Demon Woman, mostly young martial artists?
Seeing that, the younger they were, the easier it might be to turn them into Blood Demon persons.
At that, Seol Pung, emitting a beast-like momentum, slowly rose to his feet.
"Then there is no reason to hesitate."
Now that he had lost Na Seo-yu, Seol Pung had a look in his eyes as dangerous as the past life Seonwoo Jin remembered.
He seemed to be thinking of charging straight into the Blood Cult right then and there to rescue Na Seo-yu.
To that place where countless demonic beings and demon heads would be swarming, where they knew neither its location nor the path to get there, where even the absolute being, the Blood Demon, would be present.
It could not be called anything but an utterly reckless thought.
But Seonwoo Jin did not stop him.
Rather, he too rose to his feet and said.
"I will make the preparations."
Seonwoo Jin also intended to charge into the Blood Cult.
Because if his feeling was right and they had taken Hae Cheong-yeon to turn her into a Blood Demon person, he thought he might be able to predict where that place was.
Moreover, as if by heaven's will, wasn't there a guide who could lead the way already present?
Seonwoo Jin spoke to the one who had come to the Flying Dragon Thirteen Squads in his absence.
"Dakam, can you guide us to Aenoesan Mountain?"
It was none other than Dakam.
The Myoin tribe youth who had lived in the Poison Forest caring for his younger siblings with the old man Seok Gyeong-dal.