A Calculated Silence
What did he just say?
Palduyeok's words left me momentarily dazed. My mind went blank, completely forgetting the suffocating bloodlust and the dire situation we were in.
As I stood there, Palduyeok smirked at me.
"Ah. That's right. You wouldn't know."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"What else? I am talking about the end of your oh-so-great Sword Saint."
"..."
"The world believes that monster died of an illness. Do you truly believe that to be the case?"
"..."
Actually, I knew the truth because I'd heard it directly from the source. How could I not know when the old monster himself had told me?
However.
I don't think that's something I should be hearing here.
The situation was the problem.
Not only had this guy brought up that incident...
But above all else.
"...What did you say?"
"What did you just say?"
The real issue lay with the others, who had no way of knowing the truth.
Rumble!
Something forced its way through Palduyeok's suffocating bloodlust.
It was battle spirit.
The battle spirit radiating from Cheon Ui-jin and Do-hyeong.
It was piercing right through Palduyeok's oppressive aura.
"Ho."
Palduyeok shifted his gaze to the two of them, his eyes gleaming with interest.
"Not a bad showing of spirit."
His smile was incredibly vicious.
While the giant was distracted by them, I raised my eyes to look at the empty air.
I was looking for Yoo Chun-gil.
He was floating in midair, silently watching the scene unfold.
I wondered how Yoo Chun-gil would react to hearing someone claim they had disposed of him.
But he merely watched without the slightest hint of emotion.
To be precise...
He's looking at me.
He paid no attention to Palduyeok, keeping his eyes fixed solely on me.
I frowned at his attitude.
That old man.
How could he react so calmly after hearing about his own death?
It made no sense. Then again, when had he ever made sense?
There was only one thing I could be sure of right now.
Did the old man already know this would happen?
Judging by his reaction, there was no way he hadn't anticipated this.
If so...
Why?
I had to figure out why he hadn't told me despite knowing.
Why did he do it?
What was his motive? Why did Yoo Chun-gil make this choice? I racked my brain to find the answer.
I had to figure it out.
Where did it start going wrong?
If something was amiss, where was the starting point?
Think.
Yoo Chun-gil had stopped me earlier when I sensed something off about the mechanics and formation masters and tried to warn the Poison King.
Which meant he had foreseen this outcome even back then.
If so...
He must have also known what they planned to do to the Poison King...
...and that they would launch an invasion like this.
Then why did he stand by and let the Poison King fall into that state, knowing all of this?
Did he want me to die?
It was possible. Knowing that malicious ghost, I wouldn't put it past him.
No, it's not that.
There had to be another reason besides wanting me dead.
Yoo Chun-gil didn't want me to die.
If he had, he wouldn't have gone about it this way.
Besides, looking at everything that had happened so far, Yoo Chun-gil had always guided me toward gaining something.
Even when he manufactured crises and turned situations into complete chaos, the end result of those trials was always me obtaining some kind of benefit.
Would this time be any different?
No, it wouldn't.
If so...
What is he trying to make me gain?
What was he trying to give me by letting this disaster unfold?
I kept thinking.
Who were these intruders, and what was the conclusion Yoo Chun-gil wanted to reach through them?
My mind raced, piecing the clues together at breakneck speed.
The Secret Vault. The intruders. The traitors. The Poison King's condition. What they are targeting.
And...
What Yoo Chun-gil is aiming for by exploiting all of this.
I lined up the words and began to thread them together.
Weaving them tighter and tighter, the long chain of clues finally stretched to its logical conclusion.
It didn't take long for me to reach the answer.
"...Ha!"
A dry gasp escaped my lips at the realization.
I immediately glared up at Yoo Chun-gil.
No way.
I hoped I was wrong, but everything pointed to this being the truth.
Our eyes met.
Yoo Chun-gil saw my gaze and curled his lips into a smirk.
I narrowed my eyes at his words.
Then.
Yoo Chun-gil corrected himself.
"..."
His voice, laced with amusement, pierced straight through me.
His words drifted down like a thick fog, settling heavily around me.
He was referring to the moment the Tang Clan members were about to pull their stunt.
He was asking if I had known since then.
How on earth...
...was I supposed to know that?
I wanted to snap back, but the words wouldn't leave my mouth.
Was it because I couldn't afford to argue with him right now? No.
...Sharp old bastard.
It was because the old man was, frustratingly enough, half-right.
Indeed, when the first signs of trouble began to show, I had anticipated it to some extent.
However.
I just thought there was no way.
Could it really be that?
No matter how crazy the old man was, I doubted he would actually go that far. But...
I underestimated him.
I had misjudged him.
He lost his mind a long time ago.
I had vastly underestimated his madness.
Sigh.
I let out a long breath, partly to steady my breathing and partly to cool my rising anger.
The moment I finally regained my composure.
"How dare you insult—!"
"Let me ask you something first," I interrupted Cheon Ui-jin just as he was about to explode at Palduyeok in fury.
"Are you saying, senior, that the Heaven-Destroying Palace is connected to the death of the Sword Saint?"
"Indeed. You are quick to underst—"
Palduyeok cut himself off mid-sentence.
In that instant.
Whoosh!
An immense pressure erupted from Palduyeok.
It was far more vicious and violent than what I had felt earlier.
My breath caught, and my shoulders trembled involuntarily. I felt like my mind would shatter if I let my guard down for even a second. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to stay focused.
"...What is this?"
His bloodlust was like a ravenous beast.
"You. What are you?"
The moment I let my guard down, it would bare its fangs and tear my throat out.
"I do not recall those words ever leaving my mouth."
Hearing the name of the Heaven-Destroying Palace completely shifted Palduyeok's demeanor.
I stared into his eyes. Just looking at him made my knees want to buckle.
Was this the true bloodlust of a master? It couldn't even be compared to what the Mountain Ghost had unleashed.
But...
...For now.
I could endure it. Perhaps because my realm had reached the First-rate level, I was still able to hold my ground.
So, I endured.
Withstanding the pressure, I spoke to Palduyeok.
"We ran into some people on our way to the Tang Clan. They called themselves the Heaven-Destroying Palace."
"...Ha?"
Palduyeok let out a dry, scoffing laugh.
"Nonsense. There is no way they would have told you."
His tone was filled with absolute certainty.
Was it just my imagination? To me, it sounded less like "they wouldn't have told you" and more like "they couldn't have told you."
"Well, believe what you want. But it's the truth."
I wasn't lying.
I had just heard it from a dead man, not a living one.
When I pointed that out, Palduyeok fell silent for a moment.
"...Right. It was you lot."
Then, he growled.
As expected, they already knew what we had done.
"So? What does that have to do with your little theory?"
"What do you mean, what does it have to do with it?"
It had everything to do with it.
"Suspicious figures searching for something near Sichuan. A mole hidden inside the Tang Clan. And now, this current situation. There are more than enough clues to connect the dots."
"Ha, sophistry. Even so, you have nothing to prove it."
He was right. It was merely a guess; nothing could be proven with absolute certainty.
Which was exactly why I did it.
"That's why I threw out a bait. And you, senior, practically handed me the answer."
"...!"
Since guessing wouldn't give me a definitive answer, I had baited him openly, and he had reacted perfectly.
"...You brat..."
A thick vein throbbed on Palduyeok's forehead at my response.
"...You dare play mind games with me?"
"I know, right? You looked a bit too heavy to be swayed, but you took the bait hook, line, and sinker."
Creak.
His energy flared even stronger. The sheer pressure made the corner of my eye twitch.
"You certainly have a silver tongue."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"...Shall I rip that tongue out of your mouth to shut you up?"
Palduyeok smiled viciously and reached his hand toward me. Watching him, I spoke.
"Since I've already said this much, how about I tell you one more thing?"
Palduyeok's hand stopped. Though his eyes burned with fury, there was a trace of curiosity in his gaze, daring me to continue.
So, I laid it out.
"You guys didn't come here looking for me."
The Heaven-Destroying Palace's target wasn't me—the successor of the Sword Saint.
Though they acted as if I were their goal, I knew better.
"You came here to find something else... and targeting me was just a convenient bonus. Am I right?"
"..."
"So what is it? What on earth are you trying to find? What are you planning to do here in the Tang Clan?"
Step.
I took a step forward, pushing through his bloodlust toward him.
Every instinct screamed at me to run away. The oppressive aura he radiated certainly made me want to.
But I didn't run. I had something to confirm.
Staring straight into his eyes, I spoke.
"Shall I try guessing that as well?"
The moment those words left my mouth.
Creeeeak! Boom!
A violent gale erupted.
Palduyeok had swung his arm, unleashing a brutal wave of force.
I was swept up in the blast, my body stumbling back.
What was that? What did he just do?
How can a human body produce such force...
It was a bizarre, monstrous power that didn't seem humanly possible.
I quickly scanned my surroundings.
As if to prove the impact wasn't an illusion...
...deep, jagged gouges were carved into the ground.
As I stared at the marks.
"...You are a fearless little brat."
Palduyeok's voice drifted from a slight distance.
Before I knew it, he had backed away and was standing a few paces back.
He was now holding a spear, though I hadn't even seen him pick it up.
"I have been humoring your little tricks because they were amusing. But... I wonder how far that will get you."
Palduyeok sneered viciously.
"Let us see how long you last."
"..."
The moment Palduyeok finished speaking.
The surrounding martial artists moved as if they had been waiting for the signal.
As I had noted earlier, their numbers were far from small. Seeing them draw their swords and advance...
"Tch!"
"..."
Cheon Ui-jin and Do-hyeong drew their weapons and stepped in front of me.
And then.
Dang Ye-ran stepped forward to join them.
I could see her slender shoulders trembling.
Wait, why is everyone shielding me...?
I stared at them, completely bewildered.
I could understand the two guys, but what was Dang Ye-ran doing?
I was genuinely startled to see her standing in front of me as well.
Puzzled, I shifted my gaze back to the front.
The enemies were closing in with drawn swords.
I looked past them to Palduyeok.
His previous bloodlust had vanished, replaced by a look of deep displeasure as he stared at me.
Seeing that expression, I became certain of one more thing.
That guy.
Palduyeok...
...cannot kill me.
It seemed he wasn't allowed to touch me.