Catching the Hidden Fiend (3)
Having received the report of Gal Munjeong's death, Chaseokdu spoke listlessly.
"The powder keg's fuse has been lit."
The explosion was inevitable. It was merely a question of whether it would come sooner than expected or if they could buy just a little more time.
"Is this as far as we go?"
The Black Path Alliance.
It had been a long-cherished dream. People united by shared convictions, building power together and striving for mutual gain.
Over the past five hundred years, the Murim Alliance had firmly rooted itself and pushed the Black Paths aside. With so many free-spirited figures among the Black Paths, they were often lumped in with criminals and branded as evil.
From the perspective of the Murim Alliance's self-righteous "justice," the Black Paths were beings that deserved to vanish. Tired of the unwanted role of "villain" forced upon them, the Black Path folk had grown weary.
And just when they thought the moment had come to put a final end to that tiresome role...
'But that ends here, too.'
Thanks to encountering that peculiar White Path fellow, they'd somehow made it this far. But now, it seemed, that was over.
Those who had been lurking even before the formation of the Four Black Alliance struck at their vulnerabilities with exquisite timing, as if they'd been waiting for this exact moment. Now, the Four Black Alliance bore wounds too deep to heal.
"...We'll conduct inspections to tighten internal discipline. The alliance leader's orders have already gone out, so no one will act rashly."
Chaseokdu stared blankly at Damak, who was trying to console him.
"..."
The clever young man surely knew by now that the fire already lit could not be extinguished. Even so, Chaseokdu was grateful for his words of comfort.
Even in his calculations, Chaseokdu and the Four Black Alliance had likely already been deemed hopeless.
"...I'm sorry."
"What are you saying? It's mostly my fault for not supporting you properly."
Chaseokdu shook his head.
"No, that's not what I mean."
Damak bit his lip at Chaseokdu's sudden words. Chaseokdu lowered his head, as if ashamed.
"I failed to keep my promise to find the fiend for you."
The fiend. Neither Chaseokdu nor Damak was referring to the one lurking within the Four Black Alliance, driving the envoys into a corner.
"..."
Damak struggled to maintain his composure. Chaseokdu could only manage a bitter smile at the sight.
The top scholar of Seo-won Academy, destined for a high imperial post. From the start, Damak was never meant to tread the jianghu, let alone join the barbaric Four Black Alliance.
But if the bloodbath hadn't struck Seo-won Academy while he was away in the capital for the metropolitan exam, would he have ever entered the jianghu—much less the Four Black Alliance?
If not for the Murim Alliance's negligence in failing to protect Seo-won and Chaseokdu's promise, Damak would be sitting at the emperor's side, not Chaseokdu's.
[Find the one who killed my master and comrades. Whatever you desire, I shall make it so.]
Chaseokdu had tried to dissuade the tear-streaked Damak. He'd already passed the provincial and metropolitan exams, with a bright future ahead—he could seek revenge himself.
But Damak tore up his own acceptance letter with his bare hands.
[By the time I gain power, those bastards will have lived freely in this world. I can't just stand by and watch.]
Unable to ignore the deep grudge and resolve in his eyes, Chaseokdu staked his name on a promise. The moment the Four Black Alliance stabilized, he'd scour the world with its power to capture the arsonist of Seo-won Academy.
That had been the plan. Yet here they were.
"...You'll be the one standing at the forefront to oust me."
Unable to keep his promise, Chaseokdu resolved to do one last thing for Damak.
"You've shown yourself as a key faction leader often enough that those who know your abilities won't easily discard you as chief strategist. Especially if they see you personally striking me down."
"..."
Damak remained silent. For some reason, Chaseokdu felt his demeanor resembled that day he'd shredded the acceptance letter.
Chaseokdu forced a smile.
"I know what you're thinking. But it's not your fault, so don't worry. Even if I'm chased from the alliance leader's seat, I'm still Chaseokdu, lord of the Four Desolation Peaks."
He made another promise.
"I may not be able to serve as deputy, but I'll go out and find the fiend who raided Seo-won."
"..."
"So, carry on my shattered dream for me."
Chaseokdu bowed his head.
"I ask you."
Silence descended on the alliance leader's chamber. Chaseokdu kept his head lowered. Watching the scene, Damak bit his lip with a hardened expression.
"Not again... I can't lose another master."
Only then did Chaseokdu raise his head.
"Master... Master, you say. Am I your master?"
Damak nodded, and Chaseokdu let out a wry chuckle.
"How could I, who barely mastered the Thousand Character Classic, be your master?"
"Didn't you tell me?"
Damak clenched his fists tightly.
"As long as we live, we must keep moving forward."
"..."
Had he said that? Chaseokdu felt shame at his arrogant past self.
"Everything will be resolved. No—I will make it so."
He wondered how Damak planned to resolve it when they didn't even know the fiend's identity or its collaborators. But Chaseokdu held back the question.
Speaking now might shatter even the faint hope that remained.
After the fierce initial clashes of war subside, the tedious war of attrition begins.
The Murim Alliance doesn't send enough troops to overwhelm the enemy but doesn't abandon units to the point of retreat either.
Days drag on: one pushing the enemy back, the next being pushed.
Once the rage from witnessing comrades' deaths fades, and you repeatedly watch cheerful low-rank warriors dispatched and die within a week...
Even the natural human emotions start to erode, and your mind turns to sand.
By the time you're fighting, eating, and sleeping on autopilot with a desert for a brain...
That's when these damned bastards get thrown into the fray.
The Twin Shadow Fierce Demon Brigade.
Jegal Somyeong had evaluated them thus:
[That cunning Ma-noe crafted them in his own image.]
The Murim Alliance held absolute command over its sects but wasn't a unified force like the Demonic Cult. It was a political coalition, meaning alliances could widen or narrow based on profit and loss.
The Twin Shadow Fierce Demon Brigade exploited those gaps ruthlessly.
They didn't stop at assassinations. Disguised as White Path members, they sowed mutual suspicion.
Mimicking White Path sects' martial arts, they left identical traces to fuel doubt.
In a state where reason had eroded amid war and minds had desertified...
When factional conflicts arose due to the brigade's schemes, and traces of another sect's martial arts were found on an assassinated comrade's body...
The Demonic Cult no longer felt like the primary enemy.
In truth, few died directly by the Twin Shadow Fierce Demon Brigade's hands. Countless units vanished in infighting after falling into their traps.
What made them especially loathsome was their infiltration of elite high-rank warriors and lowly low-rank squads like ours, inciting us to turn blades on each other.
Not this lifetime. I won't just take it lying down.
On the way to the Blood Sword Sect's quarters, I asked Gun Yuhyeon, walking beside me.
"What is Blood Sword Sect Lord Do Bongsu's relationship with his sworn brothers?"
True to his information mastery, Gun Yuhyeon answered immediately.
"Sect Lord Do Bongsu was originally one of the so-called Western Plains Five Hounds. In his forties, he befriended the previous lord and joined the Blood Sword Sect."
How did a mere thug become sect lord? I didn't need to ask.
"Did he and his sworn brothers overthrow the sect?"
In White Path murim, it'd be condemned, but Gun Yuhyeon nodded nonchalantly.
"The Western Plains Five Hounds had been together since their twenties, perfectly in sync. The previous lord's skills were formidable, but he couldn't withstand their combined assault."
To maintain a nickname from twenties to fifties while roaming together meant they were either exceptionally skilled, quick-witted, or both.
"So, they know each other's secrets inside out."
"...Yes."
Hostile glares flew from all directions, but Gun Yuhyeon's face brimmed more with curiosity than fear.
"But can we find the culprit with this information?"
"Who do you think the culprit is, Lord Gun Yuhyeon?"
"...Can anyone be pinpointed in this situation?"
For a moment, I thought I heard "envoys..." but it must've been my imagination.
I asked again.
"If you had to specify."
After a pause, Gun Yuhyeon replied.
"...I'd investigate the sworn brothers first."
"Why?"
"Because it's the perfect opportunity right now."
Exactly as Gun Yuhyeon said. It was prime time for a "ride the carriage to kill the owner" scheme.
Thanks to the atmosphere the Twin Shadow Fierce Demon Brigade had cultivated, any death with a slight trace could be pinned on fellow White Path members.
I nodded.
"I think the same."
"But mere suspicion won't designate them as culprits."
"True. We can investigate, but not interrogate."
Of course, I wasn't suspecting them on hunch alone like Gun Yuhyeon.
The Twin Shadow Fierce Demon Brigade couldn't be uncovered by simple probes or questioning. They infiltrated only after gathering full intel on the target group.
Even cultivating demonic arts, they emitted no demonic qi. With bone-shrinking and human-skin masks, their disguises were more real than reality.
'But our Small Justice Squad pulled off that impossible feat.'
Among Murim Alliance units, our Small Justice Squad was the first to devise a way to detect the Twin Shadow Fierce Demon Brigade.
Though the method was a bit crude...
We shared it with elite and other units. But none detected them as easily as we did.
Highborn warriors who valued honor over life wouldn't stoop to our methods. Well, they died honorably, so probably no regrets.
As I organized my thoughts, we'd arrived at the Blood Sword Sect quarters.
Harsh voices assailed us from all sides as we entered.
"Black Flame Dragon?"
"You dare set foot here?!"
"Get lost if you don't wanna die!"
"Think Blood Slaughter Senior will keep you alive forever?!"
Nothing different from what I'd heard before.
Did they think a White Path elite like me would be hurt by such trash talk? Problem was...
In my past life, I'd shared life-and-death with Small Justice Squad scum even viler than these.
And among them...
"Shut your traps and fetch your boss. Unless you want your mouths ripped ear to ear."
...I was the foulest-mouthed.
The heated atmosphere deflated instantly. Faces screaming, What the hell is this guy?
Yep, for these types, match their level.
"Crazy bastard..."
Blood Slaughter gaped at me beside me. Gun Yuhyeon's reaction was similar.
Well, I don't seem like your average White Path guy.
Shring. Clang. Shing.
Weapons drawn from all around.
Already swamped, and now this annoyance.
I circulated the Tae-eul True Scripture, radiating killing intent.
I didn't come to brawl with small fry like you.
"Kuh!"
"What killing intent..."
"Hup!"
Some recoiled, eyes bulging. Others tried summoning their own intent to resist.
The mood turned hair-trigger in seconds.
Then.
"Enough!!!"
A voice booming through the interior, and four middle-aged men appeared on the upper floor.
Scanning the room with sharp eyes...
Do Bongsu's sworn brothers.
"It's been a while."
The eldest-looking one bowed slightly to Blood Slaughter on behalf of the group, his brothers nodding curtly after.
Even Black Path folk observed junior-senior etiquette, but that was it.
The representative glared at me before speaking to Blood Slaughter.
"Forgive our lack of manners, Senior."
Clearly mindful of me. Blood Slaughter brushed it off casually.
The man fixed blazing eyes on me.
"May I ask what relation this fellow has to you, Senior?"
Blood Slaughter answered without hesitation.
"None."
Ouch, that stings. We'd journeyed to the Four Black Alliance together and shared hardships for days.
The man nodded at the succinct reply.
"Then we needn't mind you in dealing with him?"
Blood Slaughter replied instantly again.
"Do as you please. Just no killing unless it's a formal spar."
"...Understood."
The man slowly turned to face me. His brothers bared teeth, hostility plain.
"You've come looking for me?"
"Yes."
"What's this about?"
"I've found the killer of your sect lord and eldest brother."
"..."
The man stared steadily.
"We know the killer too."
"You won't say it's some Tang family girl, will you?"
He let out a hollow laugh.
"Denying it would be the weirder claim."
"Then you're being played by the fiend. Planning to settle for revenge on a fake culprit?"
"Brother...! No need to listen to this bullshit...!"
"Quiet."
Calming his protesting brothers, the man asked me.
"...Who do you think the culprit is?"
I shrugged breezily.
"Obviously, one of you lot."
"..."
A heavy aura began probing my vital points. A declaration of readiness to strike.
The man growled low.
"If you're here to pick a pointless fight, quit while you can. We've lost our lord and brother—no time for games."
"What if it's not a game?"
"Are you... prepared?"
"Of course."
"Even with your life?"
Life on the line... In this life, moments without staking it were rare enough to count.
I nodded immediately.
After piercing scrutiny, the man stepped back.
"Fine. If you spout nonsense, I challenge you to a spar. You'll face our brothers' wrath all at once."
Mindful of Blood Slaughter's earlier words, he shamelessly declared a group assault.
"Agreed."
My ready acceptance surprised him. He confirmed with Blood Slaughter.
"Senior, this is under agreed terms."
Blood Slaughter grunted indifferently.
"Handle it yourselves."
The stage was set.
I clapped to draw eyes.
"If we're sorted, shall we begin?"
"Begin."
I scanned the Western Plains Five Hounds.
"Alright, I'll ask questions—answer immediately."
"..."
Trying to lighten the mood, but no laughs. Such stiff folks.
"First question. Where did the five of you swear brotherhood?"
"Saepa Stream."
"Western Plains' Saepa Stream."
"Saepa Stream in the Western Plains."
"It was Saepa Stream."
Attitudes like, Duh, obvious.
I pressed on.
"Second question. When is the second brother's birthday?"
Three voices answered simultaneously, excluding the pointed man.
"Giyu Month, Gyeong-o Day."
"Giyu Month, Gyeong-o Day."
"Giyu Month, Gyeong-o Day. At Zi hour."
Thirty years together, and they knew each other inside out.
"Third question. What is the third brother's ultimate technique?"
"..."
Hesitation at the martial arts query.
"Answer, please. What's the ultimate technique?"
"Can't say."
"More important than your lord's death?"
While glaring at the man, the third growled at me with fierce eyes.
"Brothers, just tell him. After this, I'll split his skull in two."
At the third's vicious words, the hesitant ones spoke.
"...Nodap Balryu."
"Nodap Balryu."
"Nodap Balryu."
Hesitant, but no full stops so far.
"Then, fourth question..."
"How long must we play this fool's game?!"
The conversational man cut me off, but I continued.
Time for the Small Justice Squad's detection questions.
"Fourth question. What type of woman made the deceased lord lose his mind?"
His eyes blazed at my crude query.
"You bastard...!"
"Answer. Last question."
The furious second gripped his saber tightly.
"He liked women so voluptuous their flesh jiggled."
"Liked fatties."
"Liked fatties so much, brothels were tough with him."
Identical answers, as if rehearsed.
But.
"...L-liked... fatties."
One man. The late responder.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The other three Western Plains Hounds stared at the fourth in bewilderment.
The fourth waved his hands in panic.
"W-what are you thinking, brothers! I-I..."
He seemed genuinely innocent in his fluster. A triumphant smile crept across my lips as I watched.
"Gotcha!"
Peekaboo, you bastard!