Chapter 47: Flower, Real Battle (2)

A dark shadow spoke someone’s name aloud.

“Second Order.”

“……”

“Second Order.”

“……”

“Second Order, the higher-ups are furious. You should stop ignoring me.”

Only after the third call did Second Order, who had been bowing his head, respond.

“I know.”

“Thanks to you, I couldn’t avoid being reprimanded either. It’s been a while since the last time, and I must say, it’s been quite a joy.”

At the shadow’s sarcastic remark, Second Order gritted his teeth.

“More problematic than the failure of the mission is that you recklessly made contact with the daughter of the main family.”

“There’s no chance she’ll speak my name.”

Second Order spoke firmly.

“Because my Soul-Restraining Spirit Technique was flawless.”

“Don’t be so sure, Second Order. Someone might notice the spiritual suppression and try to dispel it.”

“Let them. I never suppressed her to begin with.”

Second Order’s Soul-Restraining Spirit Technique wasn’t refined enough to dominate someone’s will.

It simply drove their thoughts to one extreme direction.

And when that path extended far enough, all other memories would be erased from the mind.

“This incident will be handled as the act of a woman driven mad by jealousy. The identity of the assassin has already been handled as someone from an assassin clan bought off by Ju Guk-seon. The matter won’t escalate beyond this.”

Given the nature of the Heavenly Demon Cult, it was only natural that many assassin clans thrived in the shadows.

Most of them existed as secret underlings of groups like the Hidden Trace Manor, but Second Order had willingly sacrificed one of them to cover up his mistake.

“Fine, let’s say that part is taken care of. But, Second Order…”

There had never been a time when Second Order felt this burdened by the shadow’s voice calling his name.

“You can no longer turn away.”

His words weighed heavily on Second Order’s shoulders.

“You need to produce results.”

“……”

“You must recover the Jade Green Heavenly Net Divine Sword. Without it, we can’t proceed with the next step. The commotion we stirred up will only die down as time passes.”

If things flowed that way, it wouldn’t end with just a reprimand.

“You could be discarded.”

Flinch!

Second Order’s shoulders trembled violently.

For someone who had always been sly in front of the dark shadow, such a reaction showed just how cornered he truly was.

The shadow let out a sigh and said:

“The only relief is that there’s still one last chance.”

“If you’re talking about a chance…?”

“Before I came here, the Pavilion Master gathered all the instructors and announced that the schedule will proceed as originally planned.”

Second Order’s expression brightened immediately.

“You mean—!”

“Yes, the new cohort will head to Qinghai.”

Both had assumed that, given the recent assassination attempt, all remaining activities would be canceled.

“And because of the current instability, some of the senior cohorts will be selected as escorts. You and your subordinate, San Dojeon, are among them.”

“Th-thank you! My deepest thanks, Myeong-oh!”

Although the announcement came from the Pavilion Master, Second Order expressed his gratitude as if it had all been thanks to Myeong-oh’s efforts.

“This truly is your last chance, Second Order. You must kill Sword Flower and retrieve the Lord’s sacred item.”

“I will. I will make it happen.”

“Though we may belong to different factions, you and I are inseparably tied. If you fall, I fall. The Underworld Corps I lead will be deployed to support you.”

“Ah, the Underworld Corps!”

Even though the Underworld Corps leaned toward an assassination role within the organization, they were powerful enough to annihilate most units head-on with pure force.

Excited, Second Order made another proposal.

“If we’re going to do this, let’s be thorough. I’ll ask the Three Orders in Evil Overlords of Heaven for assistance.”

“The Three Orders, you say?”

Myeong-oh’s expression shifted subtly with unease.

“They’ve always longed to act in the main cult rather than Evil Overlords of Heaven. If I offer the proposal, they’ll gladly accept.”

“But is it really necessary to involve Evil Overlords of Heaven…?”

“If we’re doing it, we do it right! If Evil Overlords of Heaven steps in, it solidifies the cause more than anything else.”

“Well… that may be true, but…”

Myeong-oh remained clearly displeased.

If they involved Evil Overlords of Heaven, they could pin all blame on that faction.

However, if things went wrong and the situation led to war, the backlash could easily fall on them instead.

And right now, war was the last thing they needed.

Still, Myeong-oh had no authority to stop Second Order.

“Second Order, you absolutely must not make a mistake this time. Now is the time to incite division, not wage war. Do you understand?”

“Hahaha, of course! I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong!”

“……”

Myeong-oh found it difficult to believe Second Order’s confident declaration.

—

The collective battle of the new cohort, where a dramatic assassination attempt took place.

As a result, the three teams from Unit Three were removed from the Thousand-Day Pass.

And right after the outcome was announced, it was decided that the remaining trainees would proceed to Qinghai.

“What the hell is the Pavilion thinking?”

“There was an assassination attempt, yet they’re going forward with the schedule?”

“At this rate, something really big might happen.”

They weren’t afraid of facing unorthodox martial artists in Qinghai.

But getting caught up in the power struggle of the main cult and dying a pointless death was something they wished to avoid at all costs.

“By the way, just who is this Baek Sang-ah woman that she’d attract an assassin like that?”

Naturally, interest in Baek Sang-ah among the trainees surged.

“It’s not like there’s no Baek family within the cult, but it’s not one of the Six Clans. Could any of them really have the power to pull something like this off?”

“Baek Sang-ah… that’s the same name as Sword Flower, one of the Four Phoenixes.”

“Wait, Sword Flower is in the Thousand-Day Pass now? Are you kidding me?”

“N-no. I’m just saying the name, that’s all.”

Those well-versed in the affairs of the Central Plains began to connect Baek Sang-ah’s name to Namcheon Sword Flower.

Naturally, such remarks were thoroughly dismissed.

Coincidentally, though…

“The brat is supposed to be Sword Flower?”

“Pfft! If she’s Sword Flower, then my little sister must be the Graceful Moon Goddess.”

“To be called Sword Flower, she’d better grow a bit taller first.”

“Is it really the height that’s the issue, though?”

Baek Sang-ah’s distinctive physical features played a significant role in silencing the rumors.

…If she had heard them, those comments would have earned a dual-sword impalement straight through the crown of their heads—and still probably be ruled as justified.

While a whirlwind of gossip about Baek Sang-ah swept through the Thousand-Day Pass—

“Huff, huff!”

I was swinging my sword atop the training arena assigned to new trainees.

The reason I chose the spacious arena instead of a private training chamber was simple.

First, the previous chamber I had trashed hadn’t been restored yet.

Second, what I was doing now wasn’t some advanced swordsmanship training, but just basic physical conditioning.

Around me, Samsa stood gaping in a daze, watching my training.

They’d petitioned the Pavilion Master and had been relocated to my dorm as of yesterday.

“Huff!”

With sweat pouring down like rain over my entire body, I was overcome with a fierce fatigue.

‘Seriously, I feel like I’m going to die.’

A thousand downward strikes with heavy iron rings strapped to my arms and legs. Even if the movements weren’t wild, the intensity matched the brutal physical training from when I first joined the Thousand-Day Pass.

‘At least now I’m not risking my life doing it like back then.’

The Thousand-Day Pass’s introductory physical training was nothing short of a living hell.

We didn’t have to wear tons of gear back then, but if you fell, you were skewered to death. Where else in the world does that happen?

Even Baek Sang-ah had demanded serious reform on that point during a casual chat with the Pavilion Master, calling it training that killed people.

Of course, the Pavilion Master firmly rejected the idea, saying “Return” with unshakable conviction.

“A-a-amazing, my lord!”

“To wield a sword while wearing those heavy iron weights!”

“You are truly inspiring!”

The moment my training ended, my subordinates rushed over, showering me with flattery.

I replied with a flat expression.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Huh?”

“You’re all going to wear them too.”

I pointed with my chin at a wooden box neatly stored in a corner.

“M-my lord?”

“If you claim to be my subordinates, then you’d better be able to keep up with my training. From now on, you’ll wear those iron rings for every single session at the Thousand-Day Pass.”

Their faces instantly turned grim and ashen.

The most composed of them, Baek-sa, spoke on behalf of the other two.

“Um, if I may ask… how much do those iron rings weigh?”

I’d been waiting for that.

“Since your internal energy is pitiful, I made yours lighter than mine.”

“A-ah! I see!”

“They’re only about thirty kilograms each.”

“…How many kilograms did you say?”

“Thirty kilograms.”

Since there are four total—two on arms and two on legs—that makes it one hundred twenty kilograms altogether.

“Put them on. Now.”

“……”

“Go on.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Like cattle being led to slaughter, Samsa began putting on the iron rings one by one.

“Ugh!”

“T-too heavy!”

“My skin feels like it’s being ripped off!”

As expected, they were now experiencing the same pain I had felt the first time.

This wasn’t some petty vengeance to make them suffer as I had.

This was an act of boundless compassion from a lord who wanted his subordinates to grow alongside him!

“Hold it up. Like that.”

I spoke to Samsa in a deliberately stern tone, as they struggled to stay upright.

“Everything starts with physical strength. Internal energy or whatever—it means nothing if your strength can’t support it.”

If you’ve been eating rare elixirs since you were a kid and cultivated top-tier Qi-gong, then maybe you can skip this.

Or if your talent’s on par with Cheon Yura.

Otherwise, you must absolutely push your physical strength to the limits of your potential.

“Especially since your basic martial arts are trash, muscle training is absolutely essential.”

“Ugh! Y-yes, understood!”

“To survive in the Main Flow, we’ll have to get used to this kind of torture.”

“We’ve already vowed to risk our lives for our lord. Complaining over something like this is disgraceful!”

Watching them bluff with bravado, I couldn’t help but smile.

Still, it was true—they had grit and tenacity from surviving the back alleys.

Jin Sang and Baekgu, who once treated me like a god, had already run away.

But these three… maybe it was time to give them a little hope.

“If the three of you manage to complete this entire training regimen while wearing those weights.”

“If… if we manage it?”

“I’ll go to the Martial Arts Repository of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan and select a martial art suited for each of you.”

“Gasp!”

Their faces lit up immediately.

It wasn’t just any place—it was the Martial Arts Repository of the Jin Clan, one of the Six Great Demonic Clans.

Not quite the Heavenly Demon Pavilion’s supreme repository, but surely a place teeming with high-grade martial and divine arts.

“Woooah!”

“We pledge our loyalty!”

Just as Samsa lit up with burning determination and dived back into training—

“You’re training quite diligently, I see.”

“…Huh?”

I blinked.

A voice that had no business echoing in this space reached my ears.

When I turned my head—

Standing there was a woman with a sharp aura I hadn’t seen in months.

The Young Cult Leader, Cheon Yura.

“It’s been a while, Jin Yeomyung.”

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