Chapter 421: Omen of Destruction (4)

‘Am I… mistaken?’

Baek Sang-ah shook her head inwardly.

‘No, that’s no illusion!’

Even if it was just for a moment, she did not ignore her instinct.

The same symptoms that had afflicted the members of the Jaegal Clan.

The extremely wicked evil art—Heart-Demon Soul Repression Art!

‘Should I kill him here?’

As her fingers subtly opened and closed—

Swoosh!

“Is something wrong?”

Geon Wiyang suddenly turned his head and stared directly at Baek Sang-ah.

It was a chillingly sharp reaction, but she smiled faintly and brushed it off.

“It’s nothing. I suppose I’ve just had a lot on my mind lately….”

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard that the Alliance’s finances haven’t been doing well as of late.”

Geon Wiyang stepped closer and lightly patted her shoulder.

“It seems things haven’t been resolved smoothly with Namcheon yet. Though Bukcheon isn’t exactly overflowing with wealth, we’ll do our best to support the Alliance’s finances.”

“Thank you, Clan Head.”

Baek Sang-ah received his goodwill with a perfunctory smile.

And so, Bukcheon Geom Clan ended up joining under a blemished reputation.

That night.

Saber King approached Baek Sang-ah with a strange expression on his face.

“For that bastard to just leave quietly like that—there’s something off.”

“Did you think so too, Grandfather?”

“Of course. The reason he got injured was because he recklessly tried to take on an Awakened Being by pushing others into the fight instead….”

Though not widely publicized, his belligerence was well-known among those in the know.

“He’s not the type to care about public image. Did he receive some kind of secret message? Or maybe challenged someone to a rankless fight?”

“There was no such thing.”

“Really? This is bizarre….”

Saber King rubbed her curled beard repeatedly, his face stern.

“Grandfather, that’s why I’m asking.”

“Hm?”

“Among the ones who joined us this time, is there anyone who can be called the Clan Head’s closest aide?”

“Closest aide?”

“Someone who can meet with the Clan Head privately at any time. Yet also not quite someone you’d call the second-in-command. Finally—”

Baek Sang-ah’s gaze met with Saber King’s.

“Someone who wouldn’t immediately notice if I cast a Venom Spell.”

“……”

Saber King’s expression hardened.

“Sang-ah, you…”

Baek Sang-ah answered with silence instead.

“Damn it.”

Saber King scratched his head furiously and said:

“For now, there’s me.”

“You’re not a traitor, Grandfather, so it doesn’t matter.”

“Then there are the Clan Head’s direct descendants, excluding the eldest. The second and third sons.”

Baek Sang-ah shook her head.

“It wouldn’t be them either.”

“Why not?”

“If it were them, they’d choose to poison or incapacitate the Clan Head rather than brainwash him. Especially with something like the Heaven-Destroying Poison, it’d be much easier.”

At the word ‘brainwash’, Saber King’s expression turned frigid.

He wanted to immediately ask what kind of absurd suspicion this was, but he held himself back.

“Then the last suspects would be Chief Administrator Geon Shiryang and the Northern Sea Black Dragon Unit’s Captain.”

“Chief Administrator and a martial force captain…”

“Of course, the Chief Administrator goes without saying… and Captain Geon Wiho of the Northern Sea Black Dragon Unit is the Clan Head’s younger brother.”

The Chief Administrator was said to have risen to his position from the Geon Clan’s collateral line through recognized merit.

Both had plausible standing.

‘I’ll have to assume it’s both of them.’

Even if one turned out to be innocent, it couldn’t be helped.

Given the situation, if the Clan Head had truly been compromised, it was only natural to suspect his closest aides.

“Now tell me. What made you say all this?”

“Well…”

Baek Sang-ah recounted the trace of evil art she had sensed from Geon Wiyang earlier that day.

As expected, Saber King exploded with anger and denial.

“Unbelievable! The Geon Clan’s bond is incredibly deep and strong!”

For the clan to have maintained such prosperity for a thousand years near the Divine Cult’s domain, that kind of bond was essential.

Still, blood is thicker than water.

Even someone like Saber King couldn’t help but turn a blind eye to the truth.

“The Divine Cult’s Six Great Demonic Clans have also persisted for a thousand years. And yet, they’ve often crossed the line for power.”

Crack!

Saber King bit his lip.

Wasn’t he the one who had come to Baek Sang-ah first, concerned about Geon Wiyang’s strange behavior?

“Are you really certain about this?”

“There’s no physical evidence.”

Of course, there couldn’t be such a thing as evidence.

“But even if it was just for a moment, I trust my instincts.”

“……”

Saber King’s expression contorted painfully.

Geon Wiyang was more than just a younger brother he had spent a lifetime with.

It was hard to believe that someone like him could have been compromised without even realizing it.

“What do you want from me?”

“We can’t act against him right now. But I want to make it certain.”

Her intention was clear.

“You’re planning to set a trap.”

“Yes.”

Baek Sang-ah intended to entangle the entire Bukcheon Geom Clan in this.

“For that, I need your help, Grandfather.”

***

I looked around the ruins of the shattered ancient temple.

Though called an ancient temple, it was merely an illusion created by the erosion of another realm.

“We won.”

After a fierce battle, the suicide squad had finally succeeded in tearing out the cardinal’s heart.

But the price of victory was devastating.

Half of the suicide squad members had died in the battle.

And among the dead…

■■■ was one of them.

“Don’t even think of leaving anything behind…”

I retrieved the corpse that had begun to mutate from contamination.

Since it was corrupted by the power of the Evil God, burial wasn’t an option.

To prevent it from being ‘recycled’, it could only be cremated with sacred fire.

Crackle! Crack-crackle!

As I cremated his body, I glanced around and thought to myself:

‘I survived more than I expected.’

In truth, it wasn’t that half had died—it was that half had survived.

Originally, only three were supposed to make it out alive.

‘…Originally?’

I rubbed my forehead as déjà vu surged up again.

There are no “what ifs” in history.

The phrase “originally” should never have reason to exist.

At that moment, someone placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Thank you.”

He was one of the survivors, a middle-aged knight.

He had fought on the front lines with me and was nearly killed by the cardinal’s tendrils.

“That strange sword art you suddenly unleashed—if not for that, more of us would have died. Myself included.”

“……”

“That movement was completely different from the greatsword techniques you usually used. Did you awaken to it on the spot?”

“Maybe.”

It really felt like my body had moved on its own.

It was the complete opposite of the large, full-power strikes of my usual sword style.

The absurd thing was realizing that I was more proficient in this technique I had never used before.

‘There’s no doubt. This is a far more advanced sword art than the one I knew.’

I tried to replicate the sword art composed of ten movements using only the motions.

It still didn’t align perfectly with the greatsword, but—

If I could fully master this sword art, I was certain I could save many more lives in the battles to come.

‘If only I had been able to use this a little sooner, maybe that guy wouldn’t have died…’

Fate was endlessly cruel.

Thanks to randomly awakening a single sword art, I had saved many, but the one I most wanted to save—I couldn’t.

I stared at the fading flames of the sacred fire and made a vow.

“I’ll offer the head of that fanatical bastard at your shrine.”

And—

“If there’s a next time, I’ll never let you be taken so meaninglessly again.”

Holding the urn that contained his ashes, I began walking forward once more.

***

Bukcheon Geom Clan had poured in an immense amount of wealth into the Northern Murim Alliance.

To the point that even other sects found Bukcheon’s actions strange.

“Isn’t Bukcheon overexerting itself?”

“I think so as well. Bukcheon is by no means as wealthy as Namcheon…”

But such glances soon faded.

It was a hard time for everyone to harbor suspicion.

“There’s a reason they’re called the Twin Heavens, no? They wouldn’t commit unless it was within their capacity.”

“Indeed. Isn’t it the sect closest to being called the Greatest Under Heaven, surpassing even the Five Great Clans? Of course, they have the resources to be generous.”

“All we need to do is praise Bukcheon’s righteousness.”

Whatever the case, thanks to Bukcheon Geom Clan’s active investment, the Northern Murim Alliance could finally breathe.

Soon after—

The operation proposed by Baek Sang-ah began in earnest.

Until now, they had merely dispatched support to collateral clans and provincial sects.

But now, the main forces stationed at headquarters began spreading out to the battlefield.

With the rapid departure of the masses, only about eight hundred remained in the Northern Murim Alliance headquarters.

And even among them, the majority were hired servants, maids, and laborers. The number of actual combatants barely exceeded three hundred.

Considering that the previous Luoyang headquarters had always housed at least five thousand residents, the Northern Murim Alliance’s headquarters now felt virtually empty.

And the Southern Murim Alliance did not miss that gap.

“There’s something I’m curious about, Alliance Leader.”

“Please, speak, Clan Head.”

In the now-quiet temporary headquarters of the Northern Murim Alliance—

Baek Sang-ah sat across from Geon Wiyang with tea between them, exchanging small talk.

“I heard from others, but is it really alright to leave the main base so empty? It sounds as though the Alliance Leader is hoping for a surprise attack.”

“That’s correct.”

Baek Sang-ah slowly nodded.

“The difference in strength between the Northern and Southern Murim is clear. Without creating this sort of opening, they would never go for a short-term decisive battle.”

“I see. Then there’s one more thing I’m curious about…”

Geon Wiyang’s expression—disappeared at some point.

“What will you do if the enemy brings a force far beyond your expectations?”

“A force beyond expectations…”

“They’ve joined hands with the Heaven-Defying Society. What you see on the surface may not be all there is.”

Geon Wiyang glanced around subtly as he spoke.

“The only force left here is the Alliance Leader’s personal guard—the Black Sky Guardian Unit. They may be warriors who can each face a hundred men, but even so, isn’t it risky to leave your protection to them alone?”

“…Perhaps so.”

Baek Sang-ah continued sipping her tea as she replied.

“But what’s there to worry about? The Clan Head of Bukcheon remains here with the clan’s finest warriors. Above all else…”

She formed a chilling smile at the corner of her lips.

“No matter how many of those bastards come, they’re no match for me.”

“Hoho… that’s quite the confidence.”

“It’s justified confidence. I’ve heard that recently, a battle unit of two or three hundred slipped quietly out of the Southern Murim Alliance’s headquarters…”

“……”

“They likely attached the Golden Dragon Heavenly Sword Squad and a few stragglers to it, didn’t they? At that level, it’s easily manageable.”

Previously, the Golden Dragon Heavenly Sword Squad had lost its captain, Monstrous Sword Lord Gongson Su, and thirty of its members, but it wasn’t annihilated.

From the Southern Murim Alliance’s standpoint, a bit of reorganization was all it needed to be usable again.

“I see.”

Geon Wiyang nodded and fell silent.

A brief silence fell between the two.

It was Baek Sang-ah who broke it.

“Of course, there may be variables.”

“……”

“For example, an unexpected internal calamity.”

“Kuhuhuhu! An internal calamity—what a sharp observation.”

At some point, Geon Wiyang’s voice had subtly changed.

“When did you notice?”

Baek Sang-ah answered nonchalantly.

“From the moment I realized this tea I’m drinking contains something called the Heaven-Destroying Poison.”

“……!”

Geon Wiyang’s eyes twisted in horror.

“You knew… and you drank it?”

Nothing less than the Heaven-Destroying Poison.

Whether Fire Mirror or Profound Mirror level, once hit, no martial master in murim history had ever survived—it was the most fearsome and lethal poison.

Holding the empty teacup, she spoke.

“Uncle Geon. No, Lion Saber Lord Geon Wiyang. I’m sorry, but—”

Smirk.

“For me… things related to death no longer work.”

As she lifted the cup with a smile, her face glowed with an irresistible, alluring light.

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