Extremes
"Hoo... So this is the Cheonma Singyo they've been talking about?"
"It seems like a decent religious group in terms of style and dignity, Grandfather."
"We'll see about that."
Dong Chobak finished speaking and immediately signaled to his subordinates in the Geumuiwi.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
At his command, they were about to slam their spears into the ground and shout for the gates to open—
But with a resounding creak of friction, the main gates of the Divine Cult swung wide open.
As countless figures slowly revealed themselves in the center, the Geumuiwi recalled the monk who had called himself the Alliance Leader's warnings about gunpowder and plague, their battle spirits subtly rising. Yet as they took in the formation of the approaching procession coming into view, their eyes gleamed with interest as they observed them.
The tense silence stretched on until the Demonic Cult group arrived before them. The leader, Maroe, clasped his hands in a respectful pose and bowed deeply.
"This humble one is Maroe, the military officer and protector of the Cheonma Singyo. It is an honor to meet Princess Juyeonhui and General Dong Chobak."
""It is an honor to meet you.""
A grand spectacle unfolded behind Maroe as they all clasped their hands and bowed in unison. Juyeonhui smiled faintly at their crisp discipline, rivaling that of the imperial guards, and stepped forward.
"Maroe... So you're the one Master Jinbaek called Uncheon?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Jinbaek and I studied under the same school... I've discarded my secular name, so please call me Maroe."
"Very well, Maroe. From what my master Jinbaek told me, you reported the evidence of treason to the imperial family... Is that true?"
Only then did realization dawn on the Geumuiwi—excluding Dong Chobak and Juyeonhui—as to why the procession had formed up beyond Shin-gang. Shock and fury crept into their eyes.
The renegade monk they'd encountered earlier, and now this Cheonma Singyo—everywhere they turned, it reeked of rebellion against the emperor's reign. For those who had sworn lifelong loyalty as the imperial blade, it was an outrageous affront.
Sensing the Geumuiwi's unrest, Dong Chobak raised a hand to calm them and stepped forward.
"We'll find out through investigation... But more importantly, I've heard some strange rumors lately...?"
They already had intelligence that the imperial procession had clashed with the Murim Alliance. Guessing what they were accusing him of, Maroe nodded slowly and gestured politely toward the interior, inviting them in.
"I can imagine what they're accusing us of, but I'd rather not say much here... Please, come inside first. Only then can we discern right from wrong, no?"
Maroe's calm, utterly confident demeanor. Dong Chobak's expression soured at the stark contrast to the earlier monk, while Juyeonhui lifted one corner of her mouth at this intriguing encounter outside the palace for the first time in ages.
"At least you lot seem to know what manners are, unlike that previous bunch who just whined endlessly."
"Haha. I can picture it without even seeing."
Perhaps connections were connections after all—thanks to his fellow disciple Jinbaek, Maroe felt the cult's prestige had spread even to the Geumuiwi. He smiled faintly and bowed again to the imperial procession.
"Then, please, come in."
+++
"This is the place?"
Guided by Maroe, the imperial party beheld a grand avenue rivaling the palace in splendor. Flanking flower paths stretched left and right, leading to a distant outdoor banquet hall. Juyeonhui turned to Dong Chobak for approval, her face alight with curiosity—but the grandfather who always grumbled yet responded was smiling at the banquet hall with an expression she'd never seen before.
"Gra... Grandfather...?"
Even as Juyeonhui called out faintly, Dong Chobak grinned widely and turned to Maroe.
"Heh heh heh. Maroe, was it...? Didn't you say Cheonma Singyo was a proper religion?"
"Indeed, Grand General."
"...Then that man at the banquet hall must be one of your key figures... What's his position?"
"...That is none other than our supreme lord and cult leader, the Cheonma."
"Ha...!!! So the head of a mere religious group is stronger than I, the Geumuiwi's commander?!"
Realizing what Dong Chobak meant, Maroe smiled and nodded.
"Heh heh. Strict rule of the strong—that's one of the Cheonma Singyo's core doctrines, so it's only natural."
"Then if I'm stronger than that Cheonma, could I become the leader of Cheonma Singyo?"
"Could you...?"
"...Heh heh heh."
Dong Chobak chuckled at Maroe's words, staring endlessly at the banquet hall before finally stepping toward the waiting Cheonma.
Juyeonhui followed, stealing glances at this unprecedented side of her grandfather.
Ignoring Maroe's guidance, Dong Chobak quickened his pace, suppressing his trembling arm from excitement, until he faced a man seated arrogantly at the head table.
After a moment of mutual scrutiny, Cheonma smirked and gestured to the seat opposite.
"Pleased to meet you, Grand General. I am Cheonma Dokgo Yun, but... was our hospitality satisfactory?"
"..."
"...Come now, even at the peak of the Fire Realm, walls exist for a reason, don't they?"
Dong Chobak, glaring murderously at Cheonma, squeezed his eyes shut and sighed.
"If I'd known someone like you existed, I would've pushed harder in my youth... What a shame."
"That's what makes the world interesting, isn't it?"
"Tsk tsk... Indeed."
After their brief exchange, Dong Chobak settled across from Cheonma. Juyeonhui, piecing it together from the situation and words, sent a pleading glance with trembling eyes toward her grandfather.
"Ah...! Forgive my manners—allow me to introduce her. This is my granddaughter and the emperor's third daughter, Princess Juyeonhui."
"Hoo... Peak Fire Realm, Grand General... and the emperor's in-law? We're just a religious group; we hardly know where to put ourselves. Eh?"
"Don't make me laugh... Yeonhui, he's the supreme under heaven in this era, so don't be too standoffish—greet him properly."
"...!"
No one in the imperial family save the emperor had ever earned Dong Chobak's recognition. Yet here was the clear title of supreme under heaven from his lips.
Standing primly behind him, Juyeonhui masked her flustered feelings—her princess status apparently irrelevant—and smoothed her robes before bowing slightly.
"I never dreamed anyone stronger than my grandfather existed... It's an honor to meet you."
"A grand general would think that... Pleased to meet you, Princess. I have a daughter about your age, so it feels familiar."
Dong Chobak, watching closely, lit up and spoke.
"Oh...! You've laid out such a grand spread—why not introduce your daughter too? Someone like her, I could arrange a fine match...?"
Tempting as the second-in-command's offer was, Cheonma smirked and shook his head.
"Well... She's already married, so not a great proposal. I don't want to get on his bad side... Heh heh."
"Hm...? Someone even you defer to?"
At Dong Chobak's question, Cheonma thought of one person and snorted.
"You'll see when you meet him. He’s the one who called you here, after all—my son-in-law."
With that, a man and woman approached down the avenue where Dong Chobak and Juyeonhui had walked.
Unashamed of their realms, the pair advanced, radiating auras without restraint.
"Just in time."
"...Ha! Damn it... Rule of the strong, my ass...?"
"If you're unhappy, bring troops and crush them. Heh heh."
Dong Chobak clicked his tongue and shook his head at Cheonma's grinning shrug.
"Unless I surpass you, that's impossible."
"Indeed it is."
"Damn it..."
As their sharp verbal sparring continued, Kang San and Dokgo Hwaryeon finally entered the outdoor banquet hall.
Despite their youthful thirties appearance, their realms were unmistakably superb. Dong Chobak shook his head again at Cheonma, who smiled faintly, and began radiating his aura.
Step.
As the peak Fire Realm warrior's pressure poured toward Dokgo Hwaryeon, the young man stepped forward and took it full-on himself.
"Grand General, surely you won't call yourself a man if you pressure a woman like that?"
Dong Chobak let out an admiring gasp at the youth's composure under the onslaught—equivalent to two peak Fire Realm auras—and turned to Cheonma.
"What kind of monster den is this? You, your son-in-law... How have such powers not shaken the world?"
Cheonma chuckled casually.
"Thanks to His Majesty's grace—'untouchable by officials' and all that."
"...Hah... Now that I've grasped the problem clearly, whatever it is ends today..."
Dong Chobak withdrew his test aura and turned to me, eyes bulging.
"Since you called us, I'll ask directly. Who... plotted the treason?"