The Triumphant Return

'Damn it. Things have gone completely sideways.'

Gwak Dae-mo, the leader of the Taesan Squad, thought to himself as he scanned his surroundings.

There were only five people present in the vast meeting hall.

The room was as freezing cold as if a northern gale were howling through it.

Was it because of the small number of people?

No. It wasn't because of the headcount.

It was because Vice Lord Do Ye-cheon, who sat at the head of the table, was in an extremely foul mood.

Do Ye-cheon's face, usually brimming with relaxed confidence, was frozen in a cold sneer.

*Gulp.*

Gwak Dae-mo swallowed hard, careful not to make a sound, and glanced at the others.

Across from him sat Ham Baek, the Chief of the Intelligence Unit, and next to him was Hwang Jin-rang, the Chief of the Reception Unit. Even these high-ranking chiefs did not dare to open their mouths.

'If I say the wrong thing and give him an excuse, my head will roll right off my shoulders.'

It was no joke; he could literally lose his head. The situation was just that dire.

Gwak Dae-mo felt a throbbing headache coming on.

'No matter how much I think about it, I just don't get it. How does it make any sense that we're backed into a corner like this all because of that greenhorn, Jeok-un?'

Indeed, the culprit behind all of this was, without a doubt, Jeok-un.

When Jeok-un had set off on that impossible mission—a black mission that was practically a suicide run—Gwak Dae-mo had felt as relieved as if a rotten tooth had finally been pulled.

Why wouldn't he be happy when a mere squad leader of the Outer Heavens, who dared to oppose Do Ye-cheon—the true power of Sadocheon—and clashed with him at every turn, was walking straight to his own death?

Yet, just a few days after the boy's departure, shocking news arrived.

'It was surprising enough that the Vice Lord dispatched the Blood Slayer Squad, but to think they were all wiped out...'

When he first heard it, Gwak Dae-mo had blurted out, "Stop talking bullshit," without even realizing it. He simply couldn't believe his ears.

And why would he? What kind of unit was the Blood Slayer Squad?

It was the deadliest hidden dagger in Do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ye-cheon's possession, led by Jang Ju-hwan, the Nine Underworlds Blade.

Even though Gwak Dae-mo was also a leader of the Ten Heavens Squads, Jang Ju-hwan was a master whom Gwak openly admitted was a cut above himself.

And the Blood Slayer Squad, led by such a man, had been completely annihilated? How could anyone believe that?

But that was not the end.

'No, it was only the beginning.'

Reports of Jeok-un's victories in Tongseong County began to flood in without end.

An assault on the Martial Alliance branch.

The execution of Dang Maeng.

The annihilation of Heukpaeseong's Geukrak Island.

The recovery of the Snow Soul Gauntlets.

And finally, the crowning achievement: the complete unification of Tongseong County.

A territory that had belonged to no one, even as the three major factions piled mountains of corpses high to claim it, had now become the property of Sadocheon under Jeok-un's hand.

Every single member of Sadocheon, without exception, was left utterly dumbfounded.

'Is such a thing even possible?'

Gwak Dae-mo turned it over in his mind again and again, but it felt entirely surreal.

It was especially hard to believe because while Jeok-un was soaring to new heights, Do Ye-cheon and his faction were plummeting in the exact opposite direction.

'Damn it. While that bastard was winning glory, we've been busting our asses just trying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to erase all traces of the Golden Phoenix Merchant Group.'

Their connection to the Golden Phoenix Merchant Group was Do Ye-cheon's greatest vulnerability. After all, he had allied with a hostile faction to assassinate a fellow member of Sadocheon.

Do Ye-cheon had ordered Gwak Dae-mo to sever all links to the Golden Phoenix Merchant Group, and Gwak had run himself ragged trying to carry out the command.

However, there was something even Gwak Dae-mo did not know.

The Chiefs of the Intelligence and Reception Units had been even busier than him, pouring all their efforts into tracking down Do Ye-cheon's slush fund, which Jeok-un had stolen.

But to put it simply, they hadn't found a single trace.

It was a total, unmitigated disaster.

To make matters worse, there was yet another source of anxiety.

'Damn it! If that bastard returns and starts digging into our connection with the Night Lord...!'

Before setting out on the black mission, Jeok-un had demanded the position of chief investigator for the "Night Lord Incident" as his reward.

A man who clashed with Do Ye-cheon at every turn would undoubtedly investigate with everything he had. If that happened, the blade of the Night Lord Incident would be pressed right against their throats.

'What on earth are we supposed to do...'

As Gwak Dae-mo groaned inwardly, racking his brain for a breakthrough, a voice broke the silence.

"My Lord, may this subordinate venture to offer an opinion?"

"...?!"

Amidst the freezing atmosphere, Do Ju-man, the leader of the Gwang-hon Squad, spoke up.

From Do Ye-cheon to the Chiefs of Intelligence and Reception, and even Gwak himself, everyone's face was grim, yet Do Ju-man's expression was bright.

Could he not feel the chilling tension in the room?

Or had the fool actually come up with a brilliant plan to resolve this crisis?

'...I highly doubt it.'

Gwak Dae-mo felt a sense of dread. Whenever the Vice Lord's brainless son wore that look, it meant he was about to make a colossal mess of things.

"Speak."

"I have heard that the Snow Soul Gauntlets of Seo Do-yeom, which the leader of the Baekya Squad recovered, are of immense help to martial artists who practice Yin-attributed arts."

"And?"

...As expected, it was nonsense.

Gwak Dae-mo sighed inwardly and closed his eyes tight.

"As you know, I practice Yin-attributed arts. If you were to bestow the Snow Soul Gauntlets upon me, my martial arts would make a great leap forward. After that, I will personally eliminate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Jeok-un, the root of all this troub—*Ack!*"

Do Ju-man's words cut off with a choked shriek.

*Crack!*

A sickening crunch echoed through the room, accompanied by a light breeze brushing past Gwak's ears.

Before anyone could react, Do Ye-cheon had leaped from his chair, lunged at Do Ju-man, and slammed his son's head straight into the wooden table.

*Thud.*

Do Ju-man lay motionless, his face buried in the table, completely unconscious.

His nose was entirely crushed, looking like a lump of raw clay. Yet somehow, his nostrils remained intact, pouring out a waterfall of blood.

"Useless piece of trash."

Do Ye-cheon kicked his unconscious son aside, his eyes filled with utter disgust.

Not killing his own flesh and blood on the spot was the final mercy Do Ye-cheon could offer.

"Ham Baek."

"Command me, my Lord."

"As of today, the position of the Gwang-hon Squad leader will be handed to someone else. Find a suitable replacement."

"Your will is my command."

Just like that, Do Ju-man lost his position as a leader of the Ten Heavens Squads.

However, Do Ye-cheon's commands did not end there.

Do Ye-cheon did not specify who the additional target was, but given the context, it could only be Jeok-un.

Thus, Yukhonbang now had two targets: the Lion Sword Emperor, Dok-go Cheon, and the Black Heaven Mad Dragon, Jeok-un.

Both were to be eliminated.

It was at that moment.

*Waaaaaaah!*

Suddenly, a massive roar of cheers erupted from outside.

The meeting hall was quite far from the main road, yet the room shook with the vibration. One could only imagine how deafening the cheers actually were.

Hearing the uproar, Do Ye-cheon's face stiffened.

The same went for the other subordinates in the room.

It was a colossal cheer, as if a grand festival had just begun. And there was only one possible reason for such an uproar.

'Jeok-un...!'

The hero who had restored the pride of Sadocheon, the Black Heaven Mad Dragon, Jeok-un, had returned to the Sadocheon headquarters in Changsha.

"Waaaaaaah!"

"The Black Heaven Mad Dragon! The Black Heaven Mad Dragon!"

"Jeok-un! Jeok-un!"

As they stepped out of the meeting hall, the cheers became even clearer.

It was merely the shouting and stomping of a gathered crowd, yet the streets of Changsha vibrated as if struck by an earthquake.

'...To think I have to welcome the return of my enemy.'

Do Ye-cheon clenched his teeth. If he didn't, his true feelings would slip out immediately.

But he could not avoid this gathering.

The timing of Jeok-un's return had already been reported to the headquarters days ago, and the Lord of Sadocheon, Dok-go Cheon, had publicly declared that he would personally come out to greet Jeok-un.

With the Lord himself stepping out, there was no way the Vice Lord could remain inside.

Because of this, Do Ye-cheon had to force a smile, his facial muscles twitching from the sheer effort of maintaining the facade.

"Ah, Vice Lord. You've arrived."

Upon reaching the main gate of the headquarters, Dok-go Cheon, who had arrived first, welcomed Do Ye-cheon.

"...I did not realize you would be out here so early, Lord."

"A great blessing has befallen Sadocheon. How could I possibly sit idle inside?"

Just as Dok-go Cheon said, Jeok-un's achievements were a monumental triumph for Sadocheon.

Sadocheon, which had recently been pushed back by Heukpaeseong, had thoroughly humbled the Martial Alliance and slapped Heukpaeseong right in the face.

Moreover, despite such bold actions, they had swallowed Tongseong County whole without triggering any major war.

It was only natural that Jeok-un's presence now was night and day compared to when he had left.

'He has grown far too influential.'

The proof lay in the crowd; not only martial artists of Sadocheon but even the common folk had poured out in droves.

Normally, commoners were too busy making a living to care about the affairs of the Jianghu. Yet, those very people had voluntarily lined the streets.

All of them just wanted to catch a glimpse of Jeok-un's face, curious to see what kind of man had achieved the legendary feats everyone was talking about.

It was curiosity, but it was also awe and pride. If such a powerful martial artist resided in their land, other factions would not dare invade easily, and that meant their homes would remain safe.

"He's coming!"

"It's the Black Heaven Mad Dragon!!"

Someone shouted, and the onlookers began to buzz with excitement.

Do Ye-cheon also focused his vision.

Indeed, figures were visible in the distance—specifically, the silhouettes of a horse and its rider. Someone was riding a horse, with a man following beside him like an attendant.

'...Jang Bo-heum?'

Although they were still quite far away, Do Ye-cheon saw clearly. The attendant leading the horse was indeed Jang Bo-heum. In that case, the man on the horse had to be Jeok-un.

*Grind!*

Do Ye-cheon ground his teeth unconsciously.

Meanwhile, Jeok-un and his companion drew closer to the main gate.

"It's the Black Heaven Mad Dragon!!"

"Waaaaaaah!"

The martial artists and commoners erupted in cheers.

Jang Bo-heum wore a triumphant grin, while Jeok-un sat atop his horse with a relatively calm expression.

Yet, this composed demeanor only drove the crowd wilder. To them, it felt like the true poise of a hero who treated monumental feats as nothing out of the ordinary.

He was, in every sense, a victorious general returning home, the one who had brought back the lost glory and the long-awaited tidings of victory that Sadocheon had so desperately yearned for.

'You bastard...'

Murderous intent flashed in Do Ye-cheon's eyes as he glared at Jeok-un.

At that moment...

"...!"

Jeok-un and Do Ye-cheon's gazes locked in midair.

It was as if Jeok-un had known all along that Do Ye-cheon would be glaring at him. Even when met with Do Ye-cheon's venomous stare, Jeok-un remained entirely unfazed.

Instead, he curled one corner of his mouth upward in a blatant, unmistakable sneer.

But it wasn't just mockery. Just like Do Ye-cheon's glare, a chilling, terrifying bloodlust was embedded within that smile.

Though the main road and its sides were packed with martial artists and citizens cheering and roaring for Jeok-un's return, it felt as if only the two of them existed in this space.

Then, Jeok-un's lips parted slightly.

As he read the words shaped by the youth's lips, Do Ye-cheon's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠face contorted like a demon's.

'You'

'are'

'dead'

'meat'

'now,'

'bastard.'

Jeok-un had declared Do Ye-cheon's ultimate demise.