The Rupture
It was a dark basement.
As if prepared just for me, a table stood in the center, and someone sat there.
“You arrived sooner than I expected.”
Sa-an Gwi-gun. It was him.
I stepped inside with Muyoung.
“Come, sit.”
He grinned like a madman.
His vertically slit pupils, like a snake’s, were utterly chilling.
I took the seat across from him.
Muyoung stood guard at my side, tense to the core.
“No need to be so on edge. Let’s just talk.”
“Now, of all times?”
“Heh heh. You’ve seen me, and I’ve seen you. Surely we can have a proper conversation by now?”
Sa-an Gwi-gun’s tongue was cunning. I had to stay sharp if I didn’t want to be drawn into his rhetoric.
“Up close, you’re even younger than I thought. Hah. To think I was outmaneuvered by a mere whelp like you.”
“Speak plainly. You’re the one who laid out the board and told me to chase you.”
“Kuk kuk. So you figured that out too?”
Sa-an Gwi-gun burst into hearty laughter, as if genuinely amused.
“Stop wasting time and get to the point.”
I knew the man before me wasn’t the real Sa-an Gwi-gun. The true Sa-an Gwi-gun wasn’t here. Even so, I had come because his demonic art, the Soul-Destroying Illusion Art, could only be cast within a certain range. In other words, Sa-an Gwi-gun had to be somewhere nearby.
“How did you see through me?”
“It was obvious. Nothing difficult about it.”
The moment someone fell under the Soul-Destroying Illusion Art, their eyes would turn crimson.
“Obvious, you say? Impossible. My art is flawless.”
Sa-an Gwi-gun frowned and tilted his head.
The real reason he wanted to see me was his pride. He was a twisted pervert who took perverse pleasure in hiding in the shadows and controlling people. Yet his art had been seen through completely, and he couldn’t rest until that curiosity was satisfied.
“If the signs are that blatant and I still couldn’t see them, then I must be blind.”
“Signs……?”
Sa-an Gwi-gun’s expression twisted. It seemed he had no idea himself.
“Let’s say that’s true. Second question. What exactly is that demonic qi? Have you learned a demonic art?”
“Well, it’s probably easier if you think that way.”
“Hmm. A member of the orthodox sects who cultivates demonic arts. And from the Ju Family’s direct line, no less……”
Sa-an Gwi-gun bared his teeth in a grin, clearly finding the situation highly entertaining. What truly fascinated him was the demonic qi itself. Normally, possessing demonic qi required learning a demonic art. That was common sense. Cultivating demonic arts was completely different from the methods of orthodox martial artists. It wasn’t something a pampered scion of a great house could master.
“How about joining hands with me?”
“……”
Sa-an Gwi-gun’s eyes gleamed.
“The Ju Family will wash its hands of me. Not only that, I’ll swear the Ju Family will never touch me again. In exchange……”
“You want to bring down the other Five Great Families and Nine Great Sects?”
“Kuk kuk kuk. That’s right. Tempting, isn’t it? The Ju Family standing tall above the entire martial world. Just imagine it. Everyone looking up to the Ju Family you lead.”
“The Ju Family I lead?”
“Of course. You’ll be the one leading it. I can give you more than enough support. Kuk kuk.”
So this was why he had approached this young master. It seemed he had been meddling in the succession for the next head of the family. Did that mean, in my previous life, this young master had risen to the position of young patriarch because of him?
“I see. So that’s why you approached Sang-jin.”
“Sang-jin? Ah, you mean that fool, the Ju Family’s second son?”
Sa-an Gwi-gun shook his head as if it were pathetic.
“He was a bit risky. Easy to control, but his maternal family was the Namgung Family. The danger was high, yet he still held enough authority to challenge for the next patriarch’s seat.”
“Then why are you extending your hand to me now?”
“Because you’re no ordinary man. The fact that you came to the Black Corner just to catch me…… It seems you know something.”
He suddenly leaned his upper body toward me. His slit pupils drew closer.
“Well? It’s not a bad offer for you either.”
“Heh heh. And after the Five Great Families and Nine Great Sects are gone? Who’s going to stop your Demonic Cult?”
“……”
At those words, Sa-an Gwi-gun’s face hardened like stone.
“One of the Twelve Demon Emperors, called Sa-an Gwi-je. That’s you.”
“You…… Just what are you?”
Sa-an Gwi-gun’s expression twisted in genuine shock. Perhaps this was the first time he had ever been caught off guard. He was an arrogant man who believed he could control every board.
“Confused? I’m not finished yet.”
I grabbed him by the collar.
“You’re not the one who gets to decide anyway. Cheonma. Would he really let the Ju Family live?”
“……!”
The moment the name Cheonma left my lips, his hands began to tremble. Even the thought of him was terrifying. But only for a moment. He quickly composed his face and smiled leisurely.
“A rupture, is it?”
“A rupture.”
“A shame. Then you’ll have to die here.”
“……”
At the same time, his eyes turned red. But I didn’t release his collar. His expression twisted again.
“Why? Not working?”
I smiled as if amused. The Soul-Destroying Illusion Art he had unleashed had no effect on me. The reason was simple. I had reached a realm high enough to resist his mental domination.
Realizing something was wrong, Muyoung belatedly drew his sword and launched a strike at Sa-an Gwi-gun. Sa-an Gwi-gun easily dodged the sword strike and retreated to a distance.
“You truly are a strange one. There’s no opening to slip through. Are you even human?”
“……Who knows.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at that.
“I suppose I used to be. Now, I’m not so sure.”
“……We’ll meet again soon. From now on, you’re my number one priority.”
“Do your worst.”
I smiled and released his collar. At the same time, black smoke burst around Sa-an Gwi-gun, and he scattered like mist.
“Young Master, is it all right to let him go like this?”
“He was a fake. He was only possessing someone else’s body to come here.”
I stood up and looked straight at Muyoung. Why had he reacted so late? Come to think of it, it was strange. Muyoung had shown odd behavior, responding slowly even when this young master’s reactions were unusual.
‘Could it be……’
On a hunch, I asked.
“Just now, did you see that bastard’s eyes turn red?”
“Pardon? His eyes turned red? Whose?”
“……”
Hah. So that was it. Those crimson eyes were visible only to me. This wasn’t because I possessed demonic qi. Even in my previous life, I had noticed that whenever demonic practitioners activated their arts, their eyes would turn strikingly red. That was how I had been able to hunt them down one after another. Perhaps, just perhaps, I had been born with eyes that could naturally distinguish demonic practitioners. I would have to think carefully about what this ability could do for me.
* * *
“You lost him? Damn it.”
Amjon muttered with a disappointed look.
“There’s no need to be disheartened. He’ll choose to retreat for now.”
“Why? Half of the Black Corner has already split apart.”
“There’s an antidote that can restore their minds. I’ll send it to you separately.”
At those words, Amjon let out a hollow laugh.
“Hah, for heaven’s sake. Then we’ve gained nothing, have we?”
“We have. We obtained the antidote and drove out the spies.”
“That bastard could come back to the Black Corner……”
“He won’t. The antidote’s effect is certain. He’ll never be able to use that demonic art again.”
Amjon looked doubtful but had no choice but to nod. There was no other way at the moment.
“If I’d known it would turn out like this, I should’ve gone to catch him myself. Damn it.”
“Even if you had moved, you wouldn’t have caught him.”
“Hahaha! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all day. How dare you……”
“Even our Lord couldn’t catch him. Because he wasn’t the real one.”
Only when Geomjon was mentioned did Amjon fall silent. Even among the Ten Sovereigns, there was a clear hierarchy of power. Among them, Geomjon Ju Tae-sung stood at the very top, and there were only two people who could stand as his equals.
“Then you gained nothing either?”
“No. I did.”
I smiled with satisfaction and headed straight to where the warehouse had been. The wreckage of the exploded carriage still remained. I picked up one of the fragments.
“Why are you picking up that trash?”
“I’m taking it with me.”
“That? Why? For what?”
Amjon seemed full of questions.
“The wood used to make this carriage, and the craftsmanship that shaped it. We’ll start by tracing things from here.”
Something had felt off from the beginning. When I approached the carriage, the mechanism inside had activated. The problem was its blast radius. It hadn’t been meant to kill. Its purpose had been to destroy the carriage itself.
‘A thorough bastard. No doubt about it.’
Most of it was broken and shattered, but I picked up a relatively intact piece and tucked it into my robes. Starting with this, I intended to track down the phantom merchant group Sa-an Gwi-gun had planted and every trace he had left behind.
‘Now it begins.’
No matter how Sa-an Gwi-gun responded, the real fight with him started now.
* * *
After returning to the Black Corner, Amjon summoned me to his quarters. The Black Pavilion. It was both Amjon’s residence and his office.
“I’ve thought about it.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“No one speaks so boldly in front of me. Even the elders of the Black Corner bow their heads in my presence.”
“Mm, yes.”
“But isn’t it strange? You show no fear or dread toward me at all.”
I tilted my head.
“Should I be afraid?”
“Normally, yes. Normally. No matter how much of a direct descendant of the Ju Family you are, or how much of Geomjon’s blood runs in your veins.”
Amjon growled fiercely.
“It’s strange. Even when you walk alone into enemy territory like this and talk about internal strife, there’s not a hint of trembling.”
“Because I spoke the truth.”
I had no idea what he was trying to say.
“Yes. Now I can believe you a little. So, who are they?”
Sa-an Gwi-gun. He was asking for his identity.
“Demonic practitioners.”
“……”
Amjon fell silent. He had instinctively realized I wasn’t talking about ordinary demonic practitioners.
“To be precise, practitioners of the Demonic Cult. They’ve begun to move again.”
“……Does Geomjon know about this as well?”
“He does not.”
“Why?”
“Because I haven’t told him.”
Amjon tilted his head at that.
“Then you’re the only one who knows the Demonic Cult is moving again?”
“Yes.”
I had decided to tell Amjon the truth. He was a more cautious man than I had thought. He wasn’t the type to blabber everywhere or reach out recklessly, as I had feared.
“Hah. So you’ve been fighting this lonely battle all by yourself? Why?”
“Because we weren’t ready.”
“The Ju Family?”
“The entire orthodox side.”
At those words, Amjon’s expression turned cold. I had to correct myself.
“No. The entire martial world isn’t ready to face the Demonic Cult yet.”
With that single sentence, Amjon understood everything. He realized the matter was far more serious than he had imagined.