Emperor Hongrak
When the Emperor's arrival was announced, the Imperial Palace gardens fell so silent it seemed even breathing had been swallowed whole.
Imperial army generals in thick armor glared as if ordering every eye to the ground, and Emperor Hongrak appeared clad in a golden dragon robe.
The absolute ruler of the Central Plains mounted the central platform in silence beneath the weight of every gaze.
"Is that the Emperor? I can't see his face clearly past the Imperial Guard."
"Shh, Harang. Get your head together and bow."
At his appearance, every imperial relative and high official flattened themselves to the floor as one. In that single moment, differences of power and rank meant nothing.
Even the Empress and the Imperial Consort paid respectful homage to the supreme of the imperial house.
Jo Harang, whose curiosity had been surging, was saved from standing out only because I shoved her head down.
Lift your head without leave to look upon the Emperor's face, and an Imperial Guard's blade could take it clean off.
"All of you, raise your heads."
Emperor Hongrak spoke in a low voice amid the solemn atmosphere. At those words alone, everyone rose.
And at last they faced the Emperor's countenance.
Though well past sixty, Emperor Hongrak's presence was intensely powerful. He was tall and solidly built; his sharp eyes seemed to pierce everything below the platform, and the dragon robe with a golden dragon mid-ascent only deepened the imperial majesty.
But what set him apart most was his eyes. In the black pupils that seemed to drink in the surrounding light, a ferocious energy swirled faintly.
"I have gathered you all in one place after so long to restore harmony to an Imperial Palace unsettled by the Crown Prince's illness. Open your hearts and enjoy this banquet."
The Emperor's tone was benevolent, yet no one present took the words at face value.
The Empress covered her mouth with her fan and wore a meaningful expression, while Consort Yang kept shooting anxious glances between the Emperor and the ministers.
The only one taking the Emperor's words literally and enjoying the festive mood was the pure-hearted Imperial Consort. Her children, too, were busy gauging the complex atmosphere around them with complicated expressions.
"Mujin, that Emperor Hongrak... something feels off... Is it just me?"
Just then, Purple Micro Star Jo Harang whispered quietly into my ear.
Wondering what she meant, I focused my eyesight—and then my eyes locked with his.
In that moment, the red Salsung shuddered through my whole body like a warning. A sinister energy was rippling deep in the Emperor's pupils.
As every hair on my body stood on end, I instantly realized it was the same strange energy I had felt when I faced Jo Harang—the energy of a Malevolent Star.
...!
Good heavens. The Emperor of the Central Plains also carried a Malevolent Star, just like me.
"That energy... Ah, I see. You wouldn't feel anything, Mujin."
Jo Harang chewed her lip as if only she, who bore the same kind of star, could sense it.
But even with my Heavenly Killing Star dormant, I had one lodged in my head—and I was feeling that energy just fine.
"Uh, he's looking this way...?"
Jo Harang whispered in a startled voice.
They say if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. From among the vast crowd, Emperor Hongrak was sending an intense gaze as if he had seen right through to us.
The oppressive eyes of the ruler who commanded all the armies of the Central Plains, the Eastern Depot, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Only then did I understand why Hwang Geolgae had warned me to be careful of the Emperor. He must have recognized the Malevolent Star seated within the Emperor thanks to the Seongun Simbeop as well.
"Mujin, but looking closer... he seems to be staring at you, not me..."
Hearing Jo Harang's words, I looked again and saw the Emperor's face with the corners of his mouth twitching slightly, as if amused.
What? My Heavenly Killing Star is dormant, so the Malevolent Star energy should be extremely faint. Unless someone deliberately sent energy through their body the way Hwang Geolgae did, it should be hard to notice.
Could he have recognized the star energy I forged through Seongun Simbeop? That seemed somewhat possible.
"And h-he's smiling?"
Jo Harang stammered in confusion at the Emperor's inexplicable reaction.
Since I happened to be sitting right in the middle of Imperial Consort Ma's faction, the court ministers who misread the Emperor's gaze and smile stirred in surprise.
"His Majesty is smiling so joyfully..."
"I haven't seen that man's expression change in recent years."
"Could it be true that he favors the Imperial Consort and means to set aside the Crown Prince's position?"
"If so, we should realign our allegiances even now..."
Without meaning to, I had set fire to the hearts of the flustered court officials. People tilting toward Imperial Consort Ma's faction seemed to be springing up everywhere.
"..."
While Imperial Consort Ma Ju-yeong tilted her head in puzzlement at the phenomenon, I quietly slipped out of the Emperor's line of sight while attention and commotion focused on her.
After Emperor Hongrak took his place on the platform, the Imperial Garden Banquet began in earnest.
Colorful black-powder fireworks painting the sky lit the garden bright, and amid that splendor the main event of this banquet—the flower of the evening—also opened.
"Wanhu Commander Jang Sak of the Imperial Army, take your place!"
It was another spectacle the Emperor had long prepared while declaring a revival of imperial martial arts: a Martial Combat Tournament.
Wanhu Commander Jang Sak, who had stripped off his gleaming armor and changed into light martial attire, stood tall on the sparring ground. His equipment-like solid physique revealed under the sunlight instantly seized the spectators' attention.
"Waaah—!"
"Jang Sak! Jang Sak!"
Imperial soldiers stationed throughout roared their support as one. As those shouts blanketed the garden, the air of the sparring ground heated with fighting spirit.
Walking out to face him was a middle-aged man in Embroidered Uniform Guard dress. His face lined with wrinkles, he mounted the sparring ground with calm steps.
"Pae Yul! Pae Yul!"
Judging by the unusual aura he carried, he was a Peak Realm—or perhaps Transcendental Peak Realm—master of the Embroidered Uniform Guard: Pae Yul.
"Begin the match!"
An official's voice cut sharply across the sparring ground.
Two martial artists granted the honor of competing before the Emperor's eyes. While maintaining taut tension, the first to move was the Imperial Army's Jang Sak.
He stamped a Shocking Foot while shouting a martial art name thick with patriotism.
The impact briefly shook Pae Yul's balance, and Jang Sak did not miss the opening, closing in at once. Blue Fist Force roughly surged toward his opponent's chest.
KWAANG!
Pae Yul's Sword Force, drawn out like lightning, roughly met Jang Sak's fist technique. In clarity of Force and power invested, Jang Sak held the advantage, but Pae Yul faced him by skillfully redirecting the overflowing strength with experience.
Before the Emperor's eyes, the two martial artists clashed fiercely while packing embarrassing levels of loyalty into every shouted technique name.
KWANG! KWAANG!
A continuous exchange of Jang Sak's rigid, driving fist techniques and Pae Yul's fluid, water-like counters. The violent collision of the two Forces swept the sparring ground, and when the blue lapis floor cracked with a sharp zzzeok from the impact, gasps of admiration burst from the crowd.
"Ohhh, as expected of the Imperial Army's Jang Sak! He must have swept the barbarians of the frontier just like that!"
"Pae Yul's no slouch either! Truly the Embroidered Uniform Guard, called the blade of the Imperial House!"
What boiled men's blood in the tedious life of the Imperial Palace was still the battles of masters. While countless officials argued heatedly over who was stronger, the fierce exchanges continued on the sparring ground.
Jang Sak poured out the Loyal Nation Eighteen Fists in a tyrannical cascade. Against the endless waves of Fist Force rolling in like the tide, Pae Yul responded with precise sword strikes. Silver-thread Sword Force seeping from his blade tip embroidered the space like a spiderweb.
As the two masters' spar grew increasingly heated that way, at some point Jang Sak's expression changed. The thick competitive fire in his eyes. As if deciding to end the fight now, he drew out a move he had been holding back.
"Huuup!"
With a great breath, enormous energy poured from Jang Sak's body. His muscles swelled, pulling his clothes taut, and the energy wreathing his fists grew clearer than ever.
Puh-ung!
Jang Sak slammed a fist technique hard into empty air. Then a ferocious energy that seemed able to shatter mountains roared like a beast and surged across space toward Pae Yul.
"Heuk!"
KWAKWANG!
At the moment of collision, light flashed above the sparring ground and a wave of energy whirled. The spectators' eyes bulged; they could not hide their shock.
The attack just now was a method of manifesting clearly formed Force externally. In other words, an act only possible upon reaching a certain realm every martial artist yearned for.
"T-Transcendent Realm...?"
"Good heavens—Wanhu Commander Jang Sak has reached the Transcendent Realm!"
It was the appearance of a Transcendent Realm master that stunned the assembly. The officials at the Imperial Garden Banquet began to stir. Some even sprang to their feet in surprise; others shouted in disbelief.
Emperor Hongrak, on the other hand, watched the match without a word, only a faint emotion at the corners of his mouth.
"Keuk...!"
And from the moment he revealed his realm, a one-sided fight began. With every collision where Fist Force erupted, the sparring ground shook and pale dust rose. Pae Yul was busy being driven back, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Fist Force grazed his shoulder and a spray of blood flew; Jang Sak did not miss the moment he wavered, closed in, seized his arm and twisted it, and slammed a knee into his abdomen.
"Keheok!"
And so the match ended one-sidedly.
"Winner: Jang Sak!"
The victor was, as anyone expected, Wanhu Commander Jang Sak of the Imperial Army. The spectators, thrilled by the Martial Combat Tournament that announced the arrival of a Transcendent Realm master, roared "Waaah!"
Meanwhile, a certain man sitting in Imperial Consort Ma's formation was shuddering for a different reason and shaking his head.
"Those martial art names are seriously savage."
Loyal Nation and Nation-Saving—Dan Mujin thought their intent and color were crystal clear.
Long, long ago, the Imperial House had suffered humiliation at the hands of the Murim, and from that had arisen the unwritten law of mutual non-interference between court and martial world. For a long time the Imperial House and the Murim had maintained a delicate balance of not invading each other's domains.
But once Emperor Hongrak's reign began, the atmosphere changed markedly. Active dissemination and cultivation of martial arts, the development of firearms—the Imperial House was stretching its limbs again.
"Prepare the next opponent!"
The Martial Combat Tournament continued after that. Imperial martial artists hoping to catch the Emperor's eye and rise in the world showed off their skills, and the fights sometimes grew fierce. But as the matches piled up, the overwhelming favorite for victory was still, inevitably, Wanhu Commander Jang Sak.
With one such overwhelming martial artist present, even the spectators who would normally have been chattering themselves hoarse picking a winner seemed somewhat subdued. If this Martial Combat Tournament had had legal sports betting, the odds would have been brutal.
But the Emperor did not permit such petty gambling, which left Dan Mujin nothing but disappointed.
"Mujin, Director Cheon says stop watching the matches and do your job."
So when I was absorbed in the matches, the head of the Eastern Depot sent a scolding through Jo Harang to get to work. Dan Mujin pouted and, while performing his lookout duty in snatches, also detected the murderous intent around him.
Fierce malice poured from the Empress not far away, but that had always been the case. Cheon Su-gong had called him precisely because he had already grasped that malice, so to Dan Mujin there was nothing new about it.
And so Dan Mujin continued his boring guard duty.
"Don't do anything that draws attention."
Just as his vigilance was about to loosen, Cheon Su-gong had approached at some point and spoken.
"I haffen't dofe anyfing."
Dan Mujin, who had been greedily swallowing leftovers the Imperial Consort had left unfinished, spoke with an aggrieved face.
"Swallow first, then talk. How undignified."
Cheon Su-gong clicked his tongue at that incomprehensible gluttony. Dan Mujin forced down what he was chewing and spoke again.
"I didn't do anything like that."
"Hmph. Didn't do anything? Then why did His Majesty stare a hole through you a moment ago."
Everyone else had murmured thinking he was looking at the Imperial Consort. The Empress, too, had thought the same and exploded with envy and jealousy toward the Imperial Consort. But this Eastern Depot old man alone seemed to have noticed the true meaning of that gaze.
"How would I know."
Dan Mujin shrugged as if to say how could he know the will of someone so high above.
Then Cheon Su-gong narrowed his eyes as if that nonchalant attitude made him even more suspicious, and flared his aura. The formless energy a master emitted swept like a typhoon, wrapping and crushing Dan Mujin.
An ordinary martial artist would have rolled their eyes back under the immense pressure, but this insolent brat only squinted as if to ask what this was about all of a sudden.
Cheon Su-gong clicked his tongue and withdrew the energy.
"You really are a strange one. You."
The Eastern Depot was the shadow that followed the Son of Heaven. Whatever else, he could not easily let anything related to His Majesty pass, so he had applied pressure from every angle—
"Why say that like it's something new."
As if he'd heard it many times before, Dan Mujin waved a hand and grumbled casually.
"Your Majesty, you keep looking at that young man. Is there a special reason?"
A pale-faced eunuch carefully asked after reading the direction of His Majesty's gaze.
Emperor Hongrak picked up a well-ripened jujube from the jade dish with his fingertips. He put one in his mouth, chewed slowly, then spoke in a low voice.
"I sense a familiar energy."
Where he was looking, there was a young man. He was devouring the leftovers Imperial Consort Ma had left as if possessed by a glutton-god. Though dressed in Eastern Depot attire, that shameless attitude was a far cry from palace etiquette.
The Emperor smiled wryly at the sight. The more he looked, the more the young man chose only behaviors that brought a certain beggar old man to mind.
"Come to think of it, they said Princess Dohwa's petition came up at the request of a young man just about that age."
When that memory surfaced as well, the smile at Emperor Hongrak's lips grew even deeper. It felt as if he had cast a fishing line into a lakeside without much thought—and unexpectedly hooked a golden carp.
"How is the Martial Combat Tournament? The cheers seem fewer than before."
At Emperor Hongrak's question, the eunuch bowed his head and confirmed it.
"Wanhu Commander Jang Sak's might is extraordinary; continuous one-sided victories seem to be the cause."
In other words, the outcome was already decided before anyone even mounted the sparring ground, so the atmosphere of response had cooled compared to earlier.
"Is that so? Then shall we add a variable."
At that, the ruler of the Central Plains smiled faintly pale and began looking at the man called Dan Mujin.