The Absolute One's Demonstration
"?!"
"?!"
Whoosh. Whoosh.
The moment Baek Do-ha drew Un-jeop-bi-jang, the Heavenly Sword Unit Leader and the Earth Sword Unit Leader—who had been watching in silence—whipped their heads toward the Alliance Leader, faces pale with shock.
If their eyes were not deceiving them, that weapon was unmistakably…
Namgung Je-u felt their stares and gave a quiet nod, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Haha…"
When the Alliance Leader nodded, the Heavenly Sword Unit Leader let out a hollow laugh.
That flippant tone had sounded familiar for a reason…
The Absolute Being who had gone to fight the Demon God had returned.
"Still, something feels off. There's no way he should be this weak."
"You're telling me."
Dan Woo-hyeon muttered, and Song Gyeol, the Earth Sword Unit Leader beside him, nodded in agreement.
Among the current members of the Alliance Sword Units, only Dan Woo-hyeon and Song Gyeol had any personal connection to Emperor Baek Do-ha. They knew the full measure of his power—and right now, he looked far too weak.
"Whatever's going on, the Alliance Leader already seems to know."
"Not long ago he ditched the entire Alliance Sword Unit and went out alone… He must have met him then."
"Looks that way."
"Whatever the Alliance Leader is thinking, we just watch."
Dan Woo-hyeon and Song Gyeol folded their arms and settled in to observe with easy hearts.
Zwaaang.
Flare.
Whooosh!
Swoosh—
"Not a chance!"
Thud!
A fireball packed with searing heat came streaking toward him. Geon-ho swung his sword in a blur, cutting through the air with practiced speed.
A straight-line attack this honest? The man was underestimating him badly.
Woom.
Fire Bomb.
"?!"
Just as he was about to bisect the fireball, Geon-ho hastily unfurled his protective Gang Qi and wrapped it around his body.
BOOOOM!
"Oh, quick reflexes. I figured you'd end up roasted."
"You son of a—"
Killing intent began to pour from Geon-ho's body as he blasted the smoke away. He had only planned to take one arm as a lesson, yet this bastard kept climbing above his station.
"Tricks this shallow…"
Air Bomb.
Bang!
"…"
The air itself detonated and snapped Geon-ho's head backward. His protective Gang Qi kept him from injury, but he had still taken a clean hit while completely open.
"There's a special kind of idiot who runs his mouth mid-fight and leaves openings like that."
Do-ha himself loved to provoke opponents during a fight, but he never left himself that exposed while doing it.
"I've decided. You die here."
Tsupat!
Swoooosh!
In a single breath Geon-ho vanished, reappearing behind Do-ha and driving his sword toward the neck.
Sssk.
Idiot.
Watching Do-ha raise his staff toward his own throat, Geon-ho sneered inwardly. The neck strike was a feint—the real target was elsewhere.
He thinks I'm going for the throat, but my real aim is the side.
Whirrr.
The blade that had been racing for the neck curved in a smooth arc toward Do-ha's flank.
A mere mage daring to challenge a martial artist…
Thuk!
"Huh? The feel of this…"
Geon-ho's brow twitched as his sword sank into the side. He had driven it deep, yet the sensation in his hand was wrong—almost as if he had stabbed into water.
In that instant—
Blur.
"Wha—?!"
The figure of Do-ha with a sword through his side shimmered, then vanished completely.
"An… illusion?"
Ssssk.
Do-ha reappeared a good distance away.
No… this isn't some cheap illusion.
The way he moved while leaving faint afterimages could only be—
"I-hyeong-hwan-wi…"
It was the form-shifting technique that only Super-Peak masters with exceptional footwork could use. How the hell could a man like that perform it?
"You bastard! You're a martial artist!"
"Well now… am I really just a martial artist?"
Whoosh.
Shock Wave.
BOOOOM!
"Ghk?!"
Geon-ho crossed both arms and staggered under the crushing impact, eyes wide with disbelief. Shock Wave was a close-range spell—an impact blast launched against an enemy right in front of you. Yet this man had been standing far away!
Hwoook!
Great Force Diamond Palm, Second Form: Striking Alarm.
Thud-thud.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud.
"Guh!"
In a blink Do-ha closed the distance and hammered Geon-ho's body at terrifying speed. Geon-ho's frame began to bounce and shudder. He had clearly seen the approach coming, yet the Shock Wave had locked his feet in place.
"You think this is how it ends?!"
Swoosh!
Geon-ho's body lifted into the air; he kicked off empty space and thrust his sword forward.
Do-ha, however, simply stretched a hand toward him.
Gravity × Taiji Combined Arts, Eighth Form: Sealing Flower, Creating Alarm.
Clunk.
"Wh…?"
His body suddenly became impossibly heavy. Geon-ho's pupils shook. Gravity was a Sixth-Circle spell—how could a mage who cast that also use martial arts?
And then—
Grab.
KRAAAAAANG!
Thud.
Do-ha slammed Geon-ho into the earth with Sealing Flower, Creating Alarm. Consciousness fled completely. An ordinary application of the technique would have left him battered but conscious; the gravity magic layered on top made the force far beyond what he could endure.
"Ugh, every time I use this one I end up covered in dirt."
Tap. Tap.
While Geon-ho lay sprawled with eyes rolled back, Do-ha rose as if nothing had happened and casually brushed himself off.
Sssk.
"Well? How did you like the show, Alliance Leader?"
"…"
Every person inside the Martial Alliance headquarters stood with mouths hanging open. Some were so stunned that drool actually dripped from their lips.
Wielding magic and martial arts at the same time…
It was a realm none of them had ever even dreamed of.
"Hmph. Nothing particularly impressive. I've seen it so many times I'm sick of it."
When the silence finally broke, it was Namgung Je-u who spoke. His words were dismissive, yet a smile lingered at the corner of his mouth.
He had worried that Baek Do-ha might have lost everything. Today's display proved those fears had been pointless.
That figure of Baek Do-ha—exactly the same as decades ago, when he had slammed Je-u himself into the ground.
"Visitor, follow me. Heavenly Sword Unit Leader and Earth Sword Unit Leader, you come as well."
"Yes."
"Understood."
Step.
"Moon Sword Unit Leader and Yang Sword Unit Leader, clean up the surroundings."
"Yes!"
Whoosh.
At the Alliance Leader's command, the two unit leaders moved at once.
Sssk.
"Drink. It's cool tea."
"Feeling better now, you damn bastard?"
When Namgung Je-u offered the cup, Do-ha grumbled. Punching someone and then acting this petty afterward?
"We greet Your Majesty the Emperor."
Heavenly Sword Unit Leader Dan Woo-hyeon and Earth Sword Unit Leader Song Gyeol bowed their heads toward Do-ha in unison. The Alliance Leader stood right beside them, yet Baek Do-ha was the emperor who had unified every continent. Strictly speaking, he ranked above even the Alliance Leader.
"It's been a while, both of you. You've grown a lot. And I'm not emperor anymore, so drop the formalities."
Do-ha waved a hand. All this ceremony had always made him uncomfortable. In the past he had refused the throne for exactly that reason—only taking it because the story needed an ending.
"Hey, Je-u. Got any snacks? Why do you people only ever drink tea?"
"Just eat what you're given, you bag of bones."
Canteas grumbled, and Namgung Je-u's face twisted. Why did this guy demand snacks every single time he visited the Martial Alliance?
"Drinking nothing but this bland tea is why you turned into such a stiff."
"What did you just say, you dog-bone bastard?!"
"Haha…"
Watching the Alliance Leader and Canteas bicker after so long, Dan Woo-hyeon and Song Gyeol offered awkward smiles. They were the swords that protected the Alliance Leader, yet everyone present was both his friend and a powerhouse on his level. The two of them had no idea how to act.
"So what brings you to the Martial Alliance?"
Je-u shook off the banter and looked at Do-ha. The man had said Earth-side business would keep him busy for a while—why come now?
"Just wanted to see my friend's face."
"…Spare me the nonsense."
He's in a good mood.
Definitely pleased.
Watching Je-u's twitching eyebrows, Dan Woo-hyeon and Song Gyeol shared the same private thought. He called it nonsense, but the emperor's words had clearly lifted his spirits.
"I'm serious. One absolute shitshow of a problem cropped up and suddenly I missed you like crazy."
"Shitshow?"
"Demon Pills."
Freeze.
The moment the words "Demon Pills" left Do-ha's mouth, Namgung Je-u—who had been about to sip his tea—and Dan Woo-hyeon and Song Gyeol—who had been smiling gently—all stiffened at once.
"Demon Pills are circulating on Earth."
"…Is that true?"
"Yeah. Not once or twice—multiple confirmed reports. Looks like the Blood Cult has joined hands with the Demon God Cult."
Crunch.
Namgung Je-u ground his teeth. Two groups he already wanted to tear apart had decided to work together.
"How can you be sure the Blood Cult teamed up with the Demon God Cult?"
"Because no one from Belhart has crossed over to Earth. The Cult, on the other hand, moves freely between worlds."
Do-ha told Namgung Je-u about the Demon God Cult branches that existed in other dimensions. Demons in the Demon Realm were almost certainly exchanging information with those other worlds.
"I lost this Un-jeop-bi-jang in the Demon Realm, yet it turned up on Earth. And Canteas's black magic was taught to cultists on the Earth side."
"So information and goods are moving through the Demon Realm."
"Exactly. Emilton told me earlier that the Cult has been opening Gates at random. Probably to forge more connections with the Demon Realm—and, while they're at it, to contact their branches in other dimensions."
"Haa… this is giving me a headache."
Namgung Je-u pressed his temples hard.
"Look on the bright side. Two groups we already had to wipe out just conveniently joined forces."
Do-ha clapped Je-u on the shoulder. This was exactly why the seats of emperor and Alliance Leader were such a pain.
"Woo-hyeon."
"Yes, Alliance Leader."
"Any reports of Demon Pills turning up in the Central Plains?"
"None."
Yet Je-u could not shake the uneasy feeling. If Demon Pills were circulating even on completely unrelated Earth, how could the Central Plains be clean? The Blood Cult's roots were not on Earth—they were here in the Central Plains.
No matter how many times he hunted down and slaughtered the Demonic Cult and Blood Cult, those people would never have fled in fear. If they were the type to run, they never would have started a war to conquer the Central Plains martial world in the first place. They could have gone to the Southern or Northern Continents, yet they had stubbornly targeted the Eastern Continent—the Central Plains. That alone proved the Blood Cult would never abandon the Eastern Continent to set up shop elsewhere.
"Maybe there's a spy inside the Martial Alliance?"
"…"
Canteas tossed the remark out casually, and neither Je-u nor the two unit leaders could answer. Truthfully, all three of them had been thinking the same thing moments earlier—that a hidden informant might be leaking information.
"Who handles the information that comes into the Martial Alliance?"
"It depends on the type, but most of it…"
"The Patrol Division manages it."
When Dan Woo-hyeon trailed off, Song Gyeol finished the sentence. More than half the intelligence flowing into the Martial Alliance passed through the Patrol Division; urgent matters were sorted and delivered to the Alliance Leader in order of priority.
"That slick-looking bastard from earlier is in charge there?"
At the words "Patrol Division," Do-ha immediately pictured the idiot he had just fought.
"…Yes."
Dan Woo-hyeon nodded. Geon-ho, who had never gotten along with the Alliance Sword Units, was precisely the division head of the Patrol Division.
"Shall I interrogate him?"
"No."
Do-ha shook his head at Dan Woo-hyeon's offer. If the man really had sided with the Blood Cult, interrogation would never pry his mouth open. Better to root out the hidden spies another way.
"Hey, Je-u. Let me borrow some of the Martial Alliance's resources for a bit."
"?"
Namgung Je-u tilted his head at Do-ha's sudden request.