A Traitor Exposed
Do Ye-cheon widened his eyes in spite of himself.
Words lost their way, lingering uselessly on the tip of his tongue.
Only a single thought filled his mind.
This cannot be. There is absolutely no way.
It was a pure denial of reality. Do Ye-cheon denied it over and over.
Yet, no matter how much he denied it, reality remained unchanged.
"..."
In that moment, his gaze locked with Dok-go Cheon's. Do Ye-cheon flinched instinctively.
He had no choice but to admit it.
That... is the real one.
There were things that could be faked, and things that could not.
Dok-go Cheon's unique, overwhelming spirit and presence was not something a mere double could ever replicate.
Because of this, an even greater question swirled in his head.
...But how on earth?
Wasn't this the exact time when the jusul-dok should be at its absolute peak? Had there been some miscalculation? Or had some other variable interfered?
While Do Ye-cheon frantically racked his brain to find the cause, amid a silence so profound it felt as if the entire world had ground to a halt—
"You have laid eyes upon your lord," Dok-go Cheon spoke in a low, quiet voice.
"Yet your greeting is late."
"..."
It was an ease that belonged only to the absolute supreme. Amid that immense composure, everyone present felt as if the heavens and earth were splitting open.
Just moments ago, the world had seemed to lose its color, frozen in a dull gray. In an instant, vibrant colors rushed back.
Returning to the world as it should be, the countless martial artists offered the respect their rightful master deserved.
"We greet the Lord!"
"We greet the Lord!!"
Thud!
The ground trembled with a heavy, resounding impact. It was the result of everyone from both factions dropping to one knee simultaneously.
It was only natural. The banner Do Ye-cheon had raised was the protection of Dok-go Cheon. Now that Dok-go Cheon was confirmed to be alive and well, the Vice Lord's banner had effectively crumbled to dust.
Yet, the expressions on their faces were worlds apart. While the warriors of the Lord's faction looked deeply moved, the warriors of the Vice Lord's faction were pale with terror.
They had finally realized exactly what kind of catastrophe they had brought upon themselves. A massive, devastating storm was bound to follow. Every single one of them turned as white as a corpse.
"...Are you truly the Lord?"
Someone spoke up. It was the only person in the area who remained standing—Do Ye-cheon.
Naturally, everyone's gazes pierced into him like arrows.
"Amusing. Do you take me for some phantom?"
"...Lord, we came here to hold the Leader of the Law Enforcement Division accountable for failing to protect you from the threat of assassination, and to uncover the truth they have been hiding."
He poured out excuses riddled with lies from beginning to end, yet his eyes did not waver in the slightest.
He had only one goal: to conceal the fact that he had plotted to usurp the position of the Lord of Sadocheon. Do Ye-cheon was buying time, trying to spin his rebellion as a righteous act.
Even as he spoke, he scrutinized Dok-go Cheon's condition.
He might be forcing himself to move before fully recovering.
The jusul-dok was the worst curse, the pride of Jibu Gwimo. Having been struck by the Seonghyungjisal curse, he should have been on the brink of death. The possibility that he was pushing himself past his limits just to suppress this rebellion could not be ruled out.
If this is nothing more than a temporary final burst of life...!
Even if he had to bear the stigma of a vile usurper, he could challenge him to a duel for the position of Lord right here and seize the throne.
"We risked our lives to protect you, Lord, even if it meant being branded as rebels," Do Ye-cheon continued cautiously, hiding his sinister plot deep within.
"Seeing you recovered brings relief to my heart, but an unavoidable question remains."
"..."
"I ask this out of pure loyalty—"
Do Ye-cheon trailed off, his eyes flashing as savagely as a wolf's.
"—Are you truly in perfect health, Lord?"
"..."
A quiet shock rippled through the crowd. Everyone understood the hidden barb in Do Ye-cheon's words.
Dok-go Cheon might look normal on the outside, but his internal state could be entirely different. He might have fallen victim to the enemy's schemes, or perhaps he was being manipulated as a puppet.
"Perhaps the Law Enforcement Division is trying to use a mentally compromised Lord as a shield to escape their predicament..."
"Amusing."
Sss. Rumble!
Dok-go Cheon's single word cut Do Ye-cheon off.
"!!"
"?!"
At that moment, everyone, including Do Ye-cheon, was struck with absolute horror. A terrifying energy, unlike anything they had ever felt before, surged outward with arrogant majesty.
Was this what it felt like to stand before a great mountain? Or to face the vast, boundless ocean?
An overwhelming pressure, impossible to describe in words or capture in writing, weighed down and choked everyone present.
This is impossible. How... how can he possess such...!
The blood vessels in Do Ye-cheon's eyes burst. The calm facade he had been acting out shattered, his face contorting like a demonic entity.
One could only see as much as they knew. The power Dok-go Cheon was radiating was far beyond the peak of the Profound Realm.
It was the wall that the current Jianghu, long past the glory of ancient times, could only look up to.
The Life and Death Realm...!
Do Ye-cheon realized more clearly than anyone else that Dok-go Cheon had reached the Life and Death Realm—a state of existence that was nothing short of myth.
Regardless of their faction, everyone trembled in sheer terror.
A natural disaster. The martial power they sensed from Dok-go Cheon was exactly that. Just looking at him filled them with dread, forcing them into involuntary awe.
Amidst this chaotic turmoil.
"Do Ye-cheon."
"...Yes, Lord."
"Is it not amusing that the very man who tried to kill me now feigns concern for my well-being?"
"..."
Dok-go Cheon's shocking words echoed through the air.
There was not even the sound of a startled gasp. The statement was so staggering that no one dared to draw a breath.
But as the frozen time began to flow again, the stark truth gradually carved itself into their minds.
Who tried to kill whom?
The Vice Lord... tried to kill the Lord?
Every eye, from both sides, turned toward Do Ye-cheon. Yet, even under the weight of those gazes, Do Ye-cheon did not so much as blink, maintaining his composure.
"Your acting is not half bad," Dok-go Cheon added.
"...I have no idea what you are talking about, Lord. As I said before, my only purpose in coming here was to save you—"
"You joined hands with the leader of Yukhonbang to cast a horrific curse to kill me, and before that, you allied with the Geumhwang Merchant Group to plot a rebellion."
"..."
"The funds you provided them were raised through the Lust Demon Ji Jung-young and the Noh brothers, who distributed drugs in Changsha. Well? Shall I go on?"
With each piece of evidence revealed, the crowd grew increasingly horrified. The matters Dok-go Cheon mentioned were all grave issues that would require extensive investigation. Not a single one of them could be swept under the rug.
"If Commander Jeok had not gathered intelligence beforehand and warned me, I would have met my end without knowing a thing."
"Just as I thought! The Lord is not in his right mind!"
"Silence!"
Dok-go Cheon's thunderous roar reverberated through the air. Infused with the internal energy of the Life and Death Realm, the shout carried a pressure that made even Do Ye-cheon, a master at the peak of the Profound Realm, feel his hair stand on end.
"Do you intend to show such ugliness to the very end, Do Ye-cheon? Where has the dignity of your past self gone?"
The moment Dok-go Cheon finished speaking, Do Ye-cheon shrieked in a fit of rage.
"Shut your mouth! To insult me, your lifelong companion, based on the baseless lies of a Jegal bloodline without a shred of proof! The Lord has clearly lost his mind to madness!"
The clash between the two giants left the gathered martial artists wavering in confusion. As shocking as the Lord's accusation was, executing the Vice Lord without concrete proof was a difficult matter.
Do Ye-cheon quickly seized upon this hesitation and raised his voice.
"What are you all doing? Stop the Lord, who has fallen for the Law Enforcement Division's schemes, at once—!"
"—Behold!"
Just as Do Ye-cheon tried to strike first by attacking Dok-go Cheon's credibility, Dok-go Cheon pulled something from his robes.
A rolled-up scroll unfurled, fluttering in the wind. Do Ye-cheon's eyes stretched so wide they looked ready to tear.
Why... why is that in his hands...!
Though the others did not know, Do Ye-cheon recognized the object instantly.
Meanwhile, the martial artists who saw the scroll gasped in horror.
"That, that is...!"
"What in the world...!"
Though the writing was somewhat small, the title, name, and red seal were crystal clear. The three characters of Do Ye-cheon's name, and right next to it, the mark of the leader of Yukhonbang. This was the secret treaty secured by Jeok-un—an absolute, undeniable proof of treason.
Vice Lord of Sadocheon, Do Ye-cheon [Seal]
Leader of Yukhonbang [Seal]
"This is the proof of the alliance between Do Ye-cheon and Yukhonbang! The evidence that he sought to defile Sadocheon not through a rightful challenge, but through cowardly schemes!"
At Dok-go Cheon's booming declaration, all the warriors of the Vice Lord's faction focused their attention. The confusion on their faces gradually gave way to betrayal and fury.
This was proof that, just as Jeok-un had anticipated, the majority of Do Ye-cheon's faction had not been aware of the full truth when they joined him.
Dok-go Cheon's aura began to boil fiercely, like the midday sun.
"Do Ye-cheon is a traitor to Sadocheon!"
"..."
"However, if any among you still wish to follow a traitor out of loyalty!"
Dok-go Cheon's final ultimatum followed.
"Step forward together! I will gladly face you all!"
Just as Jeok-un had intended, Dok-go Cheon gave the subordinates who had strayed onto the wrong path the freedom to choose their own destiny.
Under the weight of those words, silence fell once more. But this time, the silence was broken far more quickly than before.
Clang!
One man dropped the sword in his hand. Then another. And another. Without a single exception, every warrior cast their weapons to the ground.
It was a clear declaration of their refusal to obey the Vice Lord. In that instant, Do Ye-cheon realized. Looking at the hostile, murderous glares directed at him from all sides, there was no denying it.
Everything was over. His plans had collapsed completely, like a castle of sand. The foundation and influence he had built over decades had vanished like bubbles on water.
"Ha, hahaha! Hahahaha!"
Do Ye-cheon suddenly burst into mad laughter. How could he not find it absurd? Out of this vast crowd, not a single person stood by his side.
Soon, his laughter subsided, but...
Not yet.
Do Ye-cheon had absolutely no intention of dying quietly. Yes. If he could not have that throne, he would spend the rest of his life tearing it down.
"Do not think this is the end, Dok-go Cheon!"
Rumble!
Do Ye-cheon threw a punch along with a desperate scream.
Roar!
A destructive and ominous sphere of ganghwan radiated from his clenched fist.
Whoosh! Boom!
However, the direction the ganghwan flew was...
"Do Ye-cheon—!"
...not toward Dok-go Cheon. It was aimed at the subordinates standing in the opposite direction. Not even the Lord's faction, but the very men of his own faction whom he had commanded as his limbs.
Dok-go Cheon lunged forward to block the ganghwan. With a sharp slash and a massive crash, he shielded the terrified subordinates, swinging his blade to slice through the sphere of force.
Swish!
In that brief opening, Do Ye-cheon fled, summoning every ounce of his strength. It was an utterly pathetic sight—sacrificing his own men just to save his own skin.
Watching the retreating figure already shrinking into a distant speck, Dok-go Cheon spoke.
"Maeng Po, take charge and quell this chaos! I will pursue the enemy!"
"Understood, Lord!"
Whoosh!
His figure vanished like a phantom.
Having received his orders, Maeng Po began to restore order and calm the chaotic situation.
Yet, out of the vast crowd, not a single soul noticed. A long shadow cast across the Alliance Leader's Hall had suddenly slipped away like a ghost, vanishing in the direction Do Ye-cheon had fled.