The sun climbed toward the center of the sky, spilling ever-hotter light onto the land. The chill of the previous night was long forgotten—it felt fully like spring now.
Cheon Ryu-yeong wiped the sweat from his brow and dismounted. The hill ahead was not tall, but it was steep, and the trees grew thick. Riding any farther would be impractical.
From beside Dokgo Seol, the Yaksha Sword Jo Jeon-hu stepped forward and turned his back to him.
It meant, Get on.
Cheon Ryu-yeong was embarrassed, but he didn't protest. This was no time for pointless pride.
From beyond the low hill came faint shouts and screams. The righteous faction warriors' eyes lit with urgency at the sound.
They had been running for nearly an hour straight, yet the thought that the Amipa was dying filled them with grim determination.
Cheon Ryu-yeong looked at them and silently vowed that he too would one day learn martial arts. As a fellow man, he couldn't help but envy such stamina. How could it be that he, who had arrived on horseback, was more exhausted? It was almost shameful.
The Invincible Sword Han Chu-gwang, a man of action, surged to the lead.
"Let's go."
The Kunlun Sect and the Black Tortoise Unit nodded and charged up the hill without hesitation.
The Dokgo Clan split off, circling the hill through a side path. This was per Cheon Ryu-yeong's suggestion, which Dokgo Mu-yeong had accepted.
On Jo Jeon-hu's back, Cheon Ryu-yeong quietly clicked his tongue in amazement. Truthfully, he had thought the Amipa would already be annihilated by now.
The Demonic Cult must have been fully prepared and struck by surprise—yet the battle's still going? Is the Amipa that strong? Or did the enemy underestimate them?
He decided it was both. His eyes glimmered slightly.
He had thought he could simply turn back after coming this far, but now there was no pulling out. If he wanted to survive, he had to help them win. And in that sense, separating the Dokgo Clan earlier had been a wise choice.
"Heavenly Demon Sword Baek yun-hoe… as long as he doesn't intervene, we might manage."
He prayed the thirty riders he had sent would buy enough time, even as he steeled himself for the worst.
Without realizing it, Cheon Ryu-yeong was sinking deeper into the mindset of a true strategist.
"Why haven't more of them come?"
From three hundred jang away, Baek yun-hoe frowned at the thirty riders who had stopped in place.
It had been a full gak since they arrived. By now, fast-moving experts should have been appearing one after another.
Were we deceived?
He bit his lip hard. The reason for his lingering unease was now clear.
A short, incredulous laugh escaped him.
The battle was not yet over, and he had even seized the seemingly impregnable Sichuan Branch. Yet a strange sense of defeat pressed on his chest.
Beside him, Cho Ji-myeong tilted his head.
"I can't tell what those thirty are planning. They're not going to attack here, that's for sure… but there's no report of anyone following behind them either."
Baek yun-hoe's reply was flat.
"We've been tricked. That mysterious man… sent those thirty here just to buy time."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Other than those thirty, the rest will be heading to rescue the Amipa. By now, they're probably already destroyed, but… if by chance they aren't, then we'll be the ones in danger."
Cho Ji-myeong's face hardened.
"No way…"
Baek Un-hoe recalled advising Elder Black Ghost Dao to set aside his pride and work with the Twin Cold-Blooded Elders to eliminate Bohyeon first and foremost.
The elder had agreed in words, but his expression had been one of clear displeasure, as though to say: Baek yun-hoe, you always fight the enemy leaders one-on-one, but now you tell me not to? What do you take a Demonic Cult Elder for?
At the time, Baek Un-hoe had been uneasy, but not overly concerned. Even if Black Ghost Dao fought Bohyeon alone, he had thought, victory shouldn't be an issue.
But now things had gone wrong. The situation had been twisted by this unknown man's interference. If Elder Black Ghost Dao had ignored his advice, the price would be steep.
The elder could die for all Baek yun-hoe cared, but the same could not be said for the innocent subordinates.
"If they've destroyed the Amipa and are on their way here, then fine… but if not…"
He bit his lip again, then continued.
"We'd better send reinforcements. Gwan Tae-rang!"
"Yes, sir."
"I'll lead two hundred of the Cheonrang Unit myself."
"At once!"
As Gwan Tae-rang turned, Cho Ji-myeong suddenly cut in.
"Wait!"
The Black Wolf Unit Leader's sudden interruption made Baek Un-hoe frown.
"What do you mean?"
Cho Ji-myeong met his gaze.
"I think this is something I should handle."
"I don't follow."
"My younger brother Cho Ji-gwak is there—he's the Black Wolf Unit's vice leader."
"…I see."
Everyone knew how much Cho Ji-myeong treasured his only blood relative. Baek yun-hoe thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Very well. Take all three hundred of the Black Wolf Unit. If Elder Black Ghost Dao is being pursued, join him to block the enemy—but do not launch reckless attacks. A swift retreat here is the priority. We must hold this place until the Holy Son arrives with the main force."
"I understand."
"And… I don't want to lose a capable man like you, Cho Ji-myeong."
His tone was calm, but the words carried deep trust and camaraderie. Cho Ji-myeong felt an unexpected swell in his chest.
They had shared years in the field together, but this was the first time he'd heard such words.
"Thank you. I've served on the battlefield for nearly thirty years, starting as a common soldier in the Demonic Cult. I may have more experience and years, but I've always respected you—not because you're my superior, but because I share your dream of seeing the Heavenly Demon Sword's banner over the entire martial world. Until then, I can't die, can I?"
He smiled awkwardly after speaking with such heat.
"I'll take only two hundred. Leaving just three hundred to guard a fortress this size is unthinkable."
Baek yun-hoe was about to protest, but Cho Ji-myeong spoke again.
"I am the Black Wolf Unit Leader Cho Ji-myeong."
Baek yun-hoe bit back a wry smile. Cho Ji-myeong was as fine a warrior as any.
A man who had lived solely on battlefields for decades, he had naturally mastered the art of seizing and surviving shifting opportunities and dangers.
Even so, Baek yun-hoe felt a twinge of unease watching him leave. If his brother had died, Cho Ji-myeong was not one to take it quietly. But he also wanted to trust the man's boldness and seasoned skill.
If the Black Wolf Unit Leader dies…?
He shook his head. No—Cho Ji-myeong was not someone who could die easily, nor should he.
In his quiet power struggle with the Holy Son for control of the cult, Cho Ji-myeong was an ally. The man was a battlefield commander with a vast network of loyalty among the outlying units.
If he was in danger, Baek yun-hoe would save him at all costs. He was an asset too valuable to lose—even after Baek Un-hoe himself took supreme power.
He turned his gaze to the thirty riders in the distance. He could finish them first and then follow after without too much trouble.
Besides, he was curious about them.
The thirty were shouting crude insults without pause.
Baek yun-hoe gave a cool smile as he gripped the sword resting across the Sword Stand.
"Gwan Tae-rang!"
"Yes, Unit Leader."
"Ready two hundred of the Cheonrang Unit for deployment."
A twitch ran through Gwan Tae-rang's eye. That would leave only two hundred men here. If the righteous faction launched an unexpected attack, defending this vast fortress with so few would be impossible.
But he bowed and answered,
"Understood."
The one giving the order was none other than Heavenly Demon Sword Baek Un-hoe, his direct superior. In the ten years he had served under him, Baek yun-hoe had never ceased to inspire admiration—he was the man who had planted in him the grand dream of unifying the martial world, and who made him look forward to the new era he would bring.
Baek yun-hoe smiled faintly at him.
"I know what you're worried about. But the Black Wolf Unit Leader Cho Ji-myeong is worth dozens of Sichuan Branches. Any fortress can be retaken, but a man—once lost—cannot be replaced."
Baek yun-hoe was famous not only for his loyalty to his subordinates but for his regard for talent. Even enemies of exceptional ability or character earned his respect.
"You don't need to explain to me, sir. My duty is simply to act as you order."
Baek yun-hoe tapped Gwan Tae-rang's shoulder twice and shook his head.
"No—I'll always tell you what I'm thinking, as I always have. Because you're a comrade running toward the same dream as me."
Gwan Tae-rang bit his lip. In the Demonic Cult, most martial masters treated their subordinates as expendable. But this man was different.
He valued people.
And for a warrior, what greater happiness could there be than to have a commander who truly recognized their worth?
With a stirred expression, Gwan Tae-rang said,
"Understood. While you're away, I'll guard this place. Do what you must without worry."
"Thanks. But neither I nor this place will come to harm, so don't worry too much. Now, I'm going to have a quick word with our guests—be ready to move by the time I'm back."
Finishing his words, Baek yun-hoe strode to the window, pushed off from the floor, and leapt out.
Fwhiiish!
A long, sharp whistle.
A gleaming black stallion galloped toward him, its coat shining, while the Golden Sphere circled above his head.
From their vantage point, Dokgo Clan's Chief Hwang Ha-seong and Deputy Chief Lee Min-geol had ordered their twenty-eight subordinates to hurl crude insults, then spent a full gak doing nothing but watching the Sichuan Branch.
Where once the banner of the Martial Alliance should have flown, there now stood a flag bearing the words Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Hwang Ha-seong's tone was bitter as he spoke.
"How infuriating. To see this place—once called the Invincible Branch for a hundred years—fall to the rabble of the Demonic Cult."
The Invincible Sichuan Branch of the Martial Alliance.
It was the pride of the righteous factions, a fortress that had repelled the fearsome Demonic Cult time and again.
Lee Min-geol nodded.
"We'll take it back."
"Yes… we must."
But despite his words, his chest was heavy. Capturing that high, sheer hilltop fortress would not be easy, and heavy losses were inevitable.
"I wonder what cunning the Heavenly Demon Sword used to take it in the first place."
"Who knows? Perhaps that youth, Cheon Ryu-yeong, might."
At Hwang Ha-seong's remark, Lee Min-geol smiled faintly.
"That young man is remarkable. Was he really just a baggage handler at an escort agency? I can't understand how someone with such talent could be nothing more than that. Like a needle in a sack—true talent always finds a way to show itself."
Hwang Ha-seong agreed.
"Indeed. Unless he was seriously blacklisted by someone high up at the agency…"
He trailed off and chuckled. The answer was in his own words. Lee Min-geol laughed as well.
"So he was blacklisted. I wonder if it was a flaw in his character?"
"Who knows? Perhaps the head of the agency simply couldn't tolerate a man like Cheon Ryu-yeong. In any case… let's head back."
Cheon Ryu-yeong had originally told them to turn back as soon as they arrived.
But seeing the Heavenly Demon Cult's flag over the Sichuan Branch had filled Hwang Ha-seong and Lee Min-geol with fury. The two had decided at least to curse the enemy to their hearts' content before leaving.
Just as Hwang Ha-seong was about to order the retreat, he saw a lone rider emerge from the fortress. The thirty Dokgo Clan men started in alarm, but relaxed upon seeing no one following.
"Quickly—fall back."
At his order, the group began moving, but then the lone rider called out in a loud voice:
"Stop! I am Heavenly Demon Sword Baek yun-hoe! You may have come and gone as you pleased, but you will not leave as you wish."
"Heavenly Demon Sword Baek yun-hoe?"
Hwang Ha-seong glanced at Lee Min-geol in disbelief, and Lee looked just as astonished. It was hard to believe the enemy commander would ride out alone.
Lee tilted his head, then spoke urgently.
"Chief, we must retreat. Whether he's truly the Heavenly Demon Sword or not, waiting for him in hopes of capturing him could be walking right into a trap."
The rider's exact identity was unknown, but he was clearly a formidable master. They could probably kill him with a combined assault, but if enemy reinforcements surged out mid-battle, they would be in serious trouble.
Hwang Ha-seong laughed and nodded, spurring his horse hard.
"Hyah!"
Thudududududu!
Thirty horses thundered forward, raising a cloud of dust.
The Dokgo Clan party kept glancing back. The lone pursuer was still coming after them—and his horse was clearly a fine steed, for the gap was steadily closing. Their own mounts, after their earlier hard ride, were growing tired.
Hwang Ha-seong scowled.
"This feels foul."
After all, thirty riders being chased by one man was hardly a flattering image. Lee Min-geol agreed.
"We've put some distance from the Sichuan Branch now."
His words were a suggestion: capture or kill the man.
Hwang Ha-seong suddenly recalled Cheon Ryu-yeong's words—Run there and then come back with your tails between your legs.
Perhaps it was said without malice, but it had stung his pride. And while their allies were risking their lives to save the Amipa, here they were riding back and forth doing nothing.
He hesitated, then said,
"Deputy Chief—shall we catch him?"
Lee Min-geol replied as if he had been waiting for this.
"I think that's best. It looks poor to run from one man."
"And if he really is Heavenly Demon Sword Baek yun-hoe?"
"Unlikely… but if so, it's a chance for great merit."
Cheon Ryu-yeong had said only a few experts were needed among the thirty, but in truth, the Dokgo Clan had selected only elite warriors for this mission. Naturally, the twenty-eight men with them were all skilled fighters.
Even while galloping, some of the subordinates spoke up after hearing the conversation.
"Chief, let's take him down before we go."
"Yes, that would be best."
"We should at least do something."
With so many voices in agreement, Hwang Ha-seong and Lee Min-geol smiled. Hwang Ha-seong raised his hand.
"We'll stop, finish him quickly, and then move on! If we can capture him alive, even better—we can find out how he took the Sichuan Branch."
"Yes, sir!"
The twenty-eight men answered as one, yanking their reins.
Neigh!
Thirty horses cried out as they skidded to an abrupt halt.