Chapter 463

Chapter 463
## Chapter 463. Uncertain Conviction (5)

—

Following the emergence of the Blood Cult within the borders of Sichuan and the subsequent assault on their main base of operations, a massive repository of heretical techniques was brought to light. The sheer prominence and tenacity of the Blood Cult, which had locked horns in a brutal conflict with the Martial Alliance until their very collapse, cast a long shadow over the factions of the White Path. As a result, certain individuals among the forces mobilized for the campaign secretly harbored a dangerous notion: *If I can harness that power, wouldn’t it allow me to break through my current limits and reach greater heights?*

Fundamentally, their martial foundations originated from entirely disparate disciplines, making such an endeavor practically impossible. Even so, martial artists by nature were a prideful collective, populated by individuals who firmly believed in their own exceptionalism. Those who had achieved greatness by shattering ordinary boundaries were naturally filled with an abundance of self-assurance. When this boundless confidence crossed the line into raw hubris, it ultimately birthed the delusion that ‘even if the task is an impossibility for the rest of the world, I am the one who can achieve it.’

Consequently, practitioners began to surface who secretly dabbled in the forbidden arts of the Blood Cult. From the standpoint of the Martial Alliance, this was a deeply humiliating predicament—that the very sects who had pledged solidarity to their cause were now covertly exploring the unorthodox path. While exposing their transgressions and publicly executing the offenders was a valid course of action, the fragile internal state of the Martial Alliance simply could not withstand it. With the fractures within the Alliance steadily widening, raising the banner of a public ‘Purge of Forbidden Arts’ ran the severe risk of collateral damage, potentially implicating innocent people.

Furthermore, the menacing presence of the Four Black Lotus Alliance weighed heavily on their calculations. If the neighboring sects were to witness a fellow faction suffer total annihilation under the pretext of a forbidden arts crackdown, a treacherous thought would inevitably take root in their minds: ‘Throwing our lot in with the Four Black Lotus Alliance might just be a viable alternative.’

‘Every single piece is falling into place.’

To put it plainly, it was precisely to intercept and nullify all of these overlapping crises that the covert operation codenamed ‘Purge’ (*Cheok-sal*) was originally conceived.

“To minimize the risk of any classified intelligence leaking out, knowledge of this mission was restricted to an absolute handful of individuals, and the Kill List itself was transmitted under a strict seal.”

At this very moment, they were desperately retracing their steps to uncover precisely where and how the breach had occurred. The ongoing purge mission had also been brought to a temporary standstill. Every individual involved in transferring the Kill List to Heo Il-sik was currently thrown into the depths of the Golden Prison, with a rigorous and unsparing interrogation slated to go forward, regardless of how much time it might consume.

Ak Byeong-bi recounted the harrowing tale with immense difficulty, his countenance profoundly grave. Yet, regardless of how agonizing or weighty the delivery felt, if one were to strip away the prose and condense this entire narrative into a single, unvarnished word—

It amounted to nothing more than a ‘Mistake.’

And the grieving souls who had to sit through this explanation could not easily suppress the fury boiling in their chests, no matter how elegantly it was shrouded in empty, decorative phrasing. Yu Ji-ryang shook with unchecked rage, and the expressions worn by the surrounding disciples of the Mosan Sect were identical in their fury. For my part, I maintained a strict silence. From the very beginning, this was not a situation where it was my place to offer a defense.

“…….”

My sole responsibility was to sit quietly, absorbing every detail while sipping the tea set out before me, resembling a lone bird resting for a brief moment at the edge of a stream. Ak Byeong-bi refrained from sending any subtle cues or looks in my direction as well.

“The Martial Alliance offers its profoundest condolences regarding this tragic turn of events, and we are prepared to commit every available resource to ensure the full restoration of your losses.”

This was a hollow script I had heard played out countless times during my previous life. In my personal experience, such platitudes never managed to provide even an ounce of genuine solace. Just as I had reacted in that past existence, the faces of the Mosan Sect disciples flared a vivid, angry crimson. The burning urge to point accusatory fingers and unleash a torrent of vitriol was written plainly across their features. Even so, they forcibly clamped down on their wrath, turning their eyes toward Gu Song-baek, who occupied the primary seat of authority.

“I have listened carefully to the sequence of events that brought us to this point.”

For the individual who possessed every right to be the most incensed in this chamber was none other than Gu Song-baek himself.

“And yet, there is a distinct absence of the *reason* why things were allowed to degenerate to this state.”

Gu Song-baek, who had maintained an absolute, stony silence throughout the entirety of the briefing, locked his frigid gaze directly onto Ak Byeong-bi.

“Is that truly the extent of it?”

“…….”

Utterly freezing words, perfectly matching the chill of his stare, cut through the air and struck Ak Byeong-bi directly. Ak Byeong-bi, feeling as though his very chest had been impaled by an shard of ice, bowed his head like a condemned criminal.

“…….”

In truth, both Gu Song-baek and Ak Byeong-bi were acutely aware of the underlying ‘why.’ Everything had been executed under the grand banner of Justice (*Jeong-ui*). However, the absolute limit of what Ak Byeong-bi could offer in response was a repetitive string of apologies. The exact second he attempted to justify the ‘why,’ every single word of remorse he had previously offered would instantly lose its meaning. The catastrophic devastation visited upon Mosan would be reduced to nothing more than acceptable collateral damage.

“I demanded to know if that was truly the extent of it.”

Despite that, Gu Song-baek chose to press Ak Byeong-bi even harder. He understood that if he did not release his fury outward in this manner, the sheer pressure of that rage would eventually turn inward and consume him completely.

“Give me an answer!”

“……I am deeply sorry.”

Yet, the only reply that came back was the identical, hollow apology of his counterpart. Both men were fully aware of the bitter truth. No matter how much wrath was unleashed, and no matter how many times an apology was uttered, the dead would never draw breath again. And.

“A century.”

The precise moment that realization settled into his soul, the fiery anger consuming his heart crystallized into an agonizing, eternal grudge (*Han*).

“Was a blood alliance spanning a hundred years something to be discarded by the mere stroke of a single piece of parchment…….”

Witnessing the utter despair rolling off Gu Song-baek, Ak Byeong-bi scrambled to offer further concessions.

“The Martial Alliance bears an absolute, infinite weight of accountability for this catastrophic error. To that end, we pledge to mobilize every conceivable measure to assist in the total rebuilding of the Mosan Sect until this matter is entirely resolved.”

“…….”

“We are prepared to allocate a dedicated, premium estate within the central grounds of the Martial Alliance so that your disciples encounter absolutely no discomfort during your stay. Furthermore, we have already deployed three entire Halls to provide an ironclad escort for the Mosan Sect, and the Department of Universal Affairs has given its word to provide bottomless financial backing.”

An unprecedented, staggering package of restitution was laid out on the table.

“!!!”
“!!!”

It was a glaring testament to the immense prestige and authority that the Mosan Sect wielded across the vast expanses of the Jianghu. Even the most resentful members of Mosan could not entirely conceal the momentary shock that rippled across their faces. Even I, merely observing from the periphery, felt a sudden prickle of surprise at the nape of my neck, making it glaringly obvious how monumental this offer truly was.

“The Martial Alliance has never once broken faith with Mosan. That has been our unwavering stance until now, and it shall remain an absolute truth moving forward.”

The resolve in the eyes of the Mosan disciples began to falter. While their fury burned fiercely whenever they recalled the sheer negligence of the Martial Alliance, the sheer magnitude of the proposed compensation package was grand enough to shake the very foundations of their resolve. The collective attention of everyone in the room converged entirely upon Gu Song-baek. Throughout the annals of history, there had never been a single record of any orthodox sect being granted such an extraordinary level of restitution.

“It is indeed remarkable.”

Gu Song-baek was fully cognizant of this fact. But that was where the impact ended.

“Is this truly what the Martial Alliance equates to bearing ‘accountability’?”

“If there is a specific desire you wish to name……”

“What exactly do you imagine I desire?”

Gu Song-baek’s solitary remaining eye flared with a brilliant, blood-red intensity. Within that gaze, a tumultuous storm of conflicting emotions—profound resentment, blinding rage, deep sorrow, and an intense longing—swirled together into a tangled knot. A moment later, a voice heavily choked with unshed tears reverberated through the silent room.

“The only thing I desire…… is for the departed souls of the Mosan Sect to walk back through those doors alive.”

Gu Song-baek’s parting words tore through Ak Byeong-bi’s conscience far more brutally than any physical blade ever could.

Ultimately, the confrontation yielded no true resolution. Or, to put it more accurately, the fundamental reality remained completely unaltered. Gu Song-baek refrained from declaring an official departure from the Martial Alliance, just as Ak Byeong-bi failed to provide a definitive, concrete answer on how he would personally answer for this catastrophe. From the very beginning, Ak Byeong-bi was merely an intermediary, tasked with regurgitating the pre-approved compensation package decided by the upper echelons of the Martial Alliance without any personal deviation.

“Haa……”

Ak Byeong-bi’s face was a map of profound trepidation.

“Given that the absolute worst-case outcome was successfully avoided, shouldn’t this be considered a passable result from the viewpoint of the Inspection Hall?”

The nightmare scenario that the Martial Alliance dreaded above all else was the possibility that the Mosan Sect would completely sever their ties with the Alliance as a direct consequence of this betrayal. A sovereign Mosan Sect completely detached from the Martial Alliance’s sphere of influence would instantly become the most prized prize in all of the Jianghu, and there would be a limitless number of powerful factions eager to claim them.

“…….”

Ak Byeong-bi offered me a hollow, vacant stare before finally breaking his silence.

“When you spend your life entrenched within the Inspection Hall, you cross paths with an endless parade of individuals who have been subjected to horrific injustices. You see those with explosive temperaments, those who drop to their knees begging for cosmic retribution, those who lose their sanity entirely to their grievances, and those who utterly destroy their own lives in pursuit of vengeance.”

His gaze drifted aimlessly into the empty air, as though he were vividly conjuring the specters of those broken souls, his pupils trembling ever so slightly as if locking onto a single, haunting memory.

“Do you happen to know which type among them strikes the deepest terror into the heart?”

For some inexplicable reason, I received the distinct impression that Ak Byeong-bi—a man who carried one of the most menacing and imposing auras in the entire realm—was actively shivering with genuine dread.

“It is precisely the individual who wants absolutely nothing. You can never truly predict or comprehend what on earth a person like that is capable of doing.”

Ak Byeong-bi, a seasoned veteran who had survived campaigns across treacherous mountains, raging waters, and even aerial battlefields, was visibly terrified.

“And without fail, it is always because of those individuals that a truly catastrophic upheaval breaks out.”

I found myself silently concurring with his assessment. Toward the conclusion of that tense meeting, the moment Gu Song-baek had spoken his piece, an inexplicable, icy shudder had rippled straight through me.

“Be that as it may, is it not an event that has already transpired?”

In response to my blunt observation, the intensity in Ak Byeong-bi’s eyes shifted, suddenly resembling a thoroughly drenched puppy abandoned in a downpour. A massive, battle-hardened man was looking thoroughly crestfallen.

“Is it not the only correct course to accept the consequences for what has already taken place?”

“……Do you truly believe that the sole anchor of my anxiety is the fate of the Mosan Sect?”

Where was he going with this all of a sudden…….

“Is it not?”

“Naturally, that plays a massive part in it. However, the far more perilous issue lies elsewhere.”

Ak Byeong-bi shifted his gaze away from me, directing his eyes once more toward some unseen point far in the distance. His posture was stiff, as if he were constantly walking on eggshells around some terrifying, omnipresent entity.

“It is the fact that the ‘Purge’ has effectively ground to a complete halt.”

A sudden, freezing sensation raced straight down my spine. How could I have overlooked such an obvious, glaring consequence?

“Consequently, the very individuals who were marked for termination are still drawing breath.”

The entities who walked away with the absolute greatest advantage from this disastrous turn of events were not the immediate rivals of the Mosan Sect. Rather, it was precisely those practitioners who had been facing imminent execution due to their secret cultivation of the Blood Cult’s dark arts. An identical chain of events must have played out during my previous lifetime as well. A hidden undercurrent that I would have blindly overlooked without ever realizing its significance back then. The villains who were meant to perish in my past life had managed to survive in this current timeline.

“Now that they are acutely aware of how close they came to total annihilation, they will bury themselves even deeper into the shadows from this moment onward.”

“…….”

Where exactly would those heretics who had just cheated death choose to migrate?

“In all my years, this is the absolute first time I have witnessed such a volatile, unpredictable political landscape take shape. I am completely…… unable to even begin predicting the kind of chaotic future that awaits us.”

Ak Byeong-bi was experiencing a very real, paralyzing fear.

Ak Byeong-bi gathered his subordinates and departed the grounds immediately. Not a single soul representing the Mosan Sect stepped forward to accord them a proper farewell. In the aftermath, the Mosan Sect quietly commenced a somber, private funeral for their fallen comrades. Though there were a multitude of outsiders who desperately wished to pay their respects, the Mosan Sect enforced a strict embargo, refusing entry to anyone outside their lineage.

The memorial service itself was devoid of any grand pageantry. It was carried out utilizing only the bare minimum of ceremonial vessels and offerings. The atmosphere bore an uncanny resemblance to the makeshift, hurried funerals I had witnessed on the battlefields of my past life. Of course, those had never been sponsored by the Alliance, but were instead modest affairs orchestrated by destitute, low-ranking soldiers who had scraped together what little coin they possessed. Because in those days, absolutely no one of status bothered to mourn our passing.

Yet, there was an unmistakable difference between this gathering and our past selves, who had been completely drowned in sheer grief and bitter resentment.

“The Mosan Sect shall never permit the tragedies of this day to fade from memory, nor do we intend to truly send you who have perished away into the afterlife.”

That disciplined, hushed funeral carried the heavy, suffocating weight of a razor-sharp vow taken right before marching into a bloody campaign.

“For that exact reason, none of you are permitted to cross over into the underworld just yet. You are bound to linger and witness every single deed we commit from this day forward.”

A palpable, otherworldly ghostly energy (*Gwi-gi*) clung to every single syllable that left Gu Song-baek’s lips.

“If wandering aimlessly through the nine springs transforms your souls into a bitter grudge (*Han*), then I bid you to unleash the entirety of that dark malice directly upon my own head.”

Eun-ho let out a visible shiver.

“It feels…… distinctly unnatural and haunting.”

Exactly as Eun-ho had pointed out, it was a memorial completely saturated with an icy, vengeful air (*Han-gi*).

Perhaps it was because witnessing that funeral had violently dredged up the buried fragments of my previous life. Finding it impossible to soothe the turbulent state of my mind, I grabbed a container of strong spirits and leaped up onto the roof tiles.

‘In all likelihood, this unsettling feeling stems from Gu Song-baek…….’

His terrifying demeanor in the center of the memorial ground kept flashing vividly before my inner eye. That was without a doubt the expression of a man who had permitted an immense, consuming malice to take root in his soul.

[*They are raw Evil. A malignant cancer that must be severed completely before it expands any further.*]

Yong So-ah’s deeply grating voice echoed within my thoughts.

[*Absolute certainty.*]

An irritating habit of speaking with total infallibility, coupled with an unshakeable cadence.

[*Gu Song-baek, during his time embedded within the ranks of the Demonic Cult, was completely missing his left eye.*]

Even as I desperately attempted to purge the memory from my brain, that cold, detached voice continued to burrow deep into my quiet reflections, sparking a wave of volatile emotions.

‘Then for what earthly reason did that absolute bastard retreat halfway through?’

The puzzle piece that continued to elude my understanding was the glaring contradiction that, at the ultimate climax, Yong So-ah—who possessed the undeniable leverage to end Gu Song-baek’s life right then and there—had chosen to stay his hand. Back when my own movements were completely restricted by that bastard Heo Il-sik. There was no question that he could have effortlessly slaughtered Gu Song-baek in that precise window. And yet, the bastard ultimately chose to leave Gu Song-baek breathing.

Then, a sudden revelation struck me like a bolt of lightning. That individual is capable of peering into the timeline. During my previous life as well, he must have been actively observing the threads of the future. If that was the case, was the specific version of the Jianghu he had forged in that past life truly the absolute best possible outcome among all the various futures he had scanned?

[*The absolute annihilation of the Jianghu. I was forced to look upon that endless, boundless tide of death.*]

It was undeniable that, however fleeting it might have been, genuine terror had taken root within that bastard’s eyes. That completely unbothered individual, the precise monster who wouldn’t so much as bat an eyelash if hundreds or thousands of martial artists were being slaughtered in front of him.

“*Gulp*…… Wait, what? It’s already empty.”

As I remained completely trapped in my own spinning thoughts, tilting the jug back without even realizing how much I was consuming, the dry bottom of the container brought me back to reality. Just as I was internally debating whether to climb down and secure another bottle of liquor.

*Ttogak, ttogak, ttogak, ttogak.*

The unmistakable, rhythmic thud of solid wood tapping against wood drifted through the quiet night. Immediately following the sound, the voice of the very individual responsible for those footsteps reached my ears.

“Are you in need of more spirits?”

Realizing I had been caught red-handed loitering on the roof by the master of the estate himself, I let out a thoroughly embarrassed chuckle and peeked over the edge of the tiles.

“Haha……. I was actually just preparing to make my way down anyway.”

“Haha, please do not speak so formally. If it concerns a young hero such as yourself, *So-hyeop*, I wouldn’t utter a single word of complaint even if you chose to guzzle liquor directly inside our sacred Ancestral Hall, let alone up on the roof.”

His tone was brimming with a gentle, profound warmth. It was a complete, night-and-day transformation from the terrifying persona he had displayed earlier this morning.

“Be that as it may, given that my current physical state makes it rather difficult to move, preventing me from scaling the roof myself, would you mind coming down to join me?”

The moment my feet touched the solid earth, I saw that Gu Song-baek had already laid out two fresh jugs of liquor along with a small assortment of food. The spirits and the accompanying dishes were unmistakably the identical items that had been presented during the formal memorial service.

“I must apologize that I appear incapable of offering my savior the proper hospitality he deserves.”

“Why on earth would you apologize for that? You have already provided me with far more than enough.”

I offered a lighthearted quip, intentionally trying to dissolve the thick tension lingering in the air. In this manner, a succession of cups were filled and emptied between the two of us.

“……In truth, I find myself completely unable to comprehend it. Why exactly the Tae-eul Sect, and why *you* specifically, threw yourselves into the fray to rescue us.”

Perhaps it was because the burning alcohol had finally begun to loosen his guard, but his voice carried a deep, profound exhaustion.

“If one were to argue it was merely the compensation for setting up the Tae-eul Sect’s grand defensive formation, that debt was already fully settled during the crisis at the Demon Spirit Plateau. Furthermore, there was our own undisguised avarice regarding a deeper understanding of the Infinite Indestructible Soul-Destroying Formation.”

No, it was far more likely that he was buckling under the crushing weight of reality, having just experienced the merciless, cutthroat nature of the Jianghu firsthand.

“Taking all of that into account, there was absolutely no logical reason for the Tae-eul Sect to put themselves on the line. Risking everything while merely gambling on a potential future recompense is a far too perilous gamble. Because the catastrophic fallout that must be endured in the aftermath is simply too massive to calculate.”

Gu Song-baek completely understood the mindset of the various factions who had cold-bloodedly turned their backs on his sect. Had he found himself in their exact position, he would have undoubtedly chosen the same self-serving path.

“You possessed multiple clear opportunities to abandon us and flee to safety mid-battle, and yet, none of you chose to take them.”

Gu Song-baek fixed his gaze directly onto me, his face visibly flushed from the heavy drinking.

“Would you be willing to enlighten me as to why?”

The question of why, the underlying reason, I see……. It was an absolute impossibility for me to reveal the events of the timeline to come, or the specific grand design I was actively trying to paint. Because of that, I opted to present him with a fragment of unvarnished honesty.

“I simply learned that such an act is the very definition of Justice (*Jeong-ui*).”

His two eyes, heavily bloodshot from the effects of the liquor, widened a fraction. I locked my gaze firmly into those eyes.

“It amounts to nothing more than that simple truth.”

“……Justice, is it.”

I, too, had passed through a period of immense internal torment. The apocalyptic, blood-soaked future foretold by Yong So-ah, the man who claims to perceive the path ahead. Balanced against that dark premonition was the survival of my own life and the lives of my precious *Sa-je*, which held a value far greater than anything else in existence. And yet, the singular catalyst that empowered me to actively court all of those terrifying dangers was—

[*If the absolute annihilation of the Mosan Sect is an unalterable decree written into the fabric of history, then at the very absolute minimum, ensuring the survival of those innocent young children is a duty I cannot abandon.*]

The sheer, unadulterated desperation Gu Song-baek had exhibited in his darkest hour. That fierce, unyielding moral compass that fought to safeguard the absolute minimum of human decency even while staring down total ruin. It was precisely that display that changed everything. From the depth of the gaze he had offered then, I had forged an ‘Uncertain Conviction.’ A profound belief that he would absolutely never choose to walk hand-in-hand with the demonic entities of this world. Even though the chilling aura and the terrifying ghostly energy he had unleashed during the memorial service had caused my confidence to waver for a brief second, the memory of the man he was in that desperate hour ultimately swayed my soul.

“Indeed. The very same Justice (*Jeong-ui*) that you yourself exemplified, *Mun-ju-nim*.”

“…….”

Gu Song-baek fell into a protracted, heavy silence. He appeared to be locked in a fierce internal war, weighing options and agonizing over a choice that would undoubtedly alter the entire trajectory of his existence. I simply waited for him in silence, continuing to pour and consume my liquor without uttering a single word.

*Sip.*

By the time I had managed to completely drain both of the remaining liquor jugs entirely on my own.

“The Mosan Sect will officially undo the seals binding every single one of our forbidden techniques.”

A thoroughly earth-shattering declaration shattered the quiet.

“And we shall fully reclaim our true, original heritage.”

The reality that Gu Song-baek had flatly turned down the lavish, extravagant restitution offered by the Martial Alliance. And yet, he had simultaneously refrained from completely cutting his diplomatic ties with them. That calculated move was, in the grand scheme of things,

“Through the crucible of this disaster, I have come to painfully realize just how utterly useless and frail Justice without absolute power truly is.”

An entirely calculated sacrifice to forge a brand-new destiny for the Mosan Sect.

“And I have come to poignantly understand how incredibly fragile and fleeting a peace built upon constantly compromising and bending oneself to suit the whims of others truly is.”

From my own personal standpoint, this development was a massively beneficial turn of events. If the ancient seals—which in the previous timeline were only meant to be broken long after the outbreak of the Great War between Justice and Evil—were torn down ahead of schedule, it meant we would possess the capability to forge a vastly superior army of highly accomplished sorcerers.

“The political blowback and opposition you encounter will be absolutely immense.”

Because of that reality, I made sure not to omit a word of caution regarding the dangers. Breaking those seals in the relative stability of the present versus doing so during the desperation of the Great War. The sheer scale of the trials they would face would exist on a completely different stratum.

“We will simply have to validate our choices through raw results, will we not?”

Inexplicably, Gu Song-baek let out a remarkably serene, unbothered smile, closely resembling a man who had already thoroughly mapped out and accepted every single one of those incoming hardships. That particular smile somehow managed to imprint itself deeply onto my consciousness.

“Furthermore, there is a particular inquiry I wish to make.”

Believing that the conversation had veered into an exceptionally favorable direction, I offered a light, supportive nod.

“To which specific alignment does the Tae-eul Sect pledge its allegiance?”

What he was fundamentally trying to discern was where exactly the Tae-eul Sect intended to position itself among the major power blocks—the Righteous Path Association, the White Path Association, and the formidable Twelve Peak Fortresses.

“The Tae-eul Sect does not swear fealty to any existing coalition.”

“And is it your firm intention to maintain that absolute independence moving forward into the future?”

I would vastly prefer to construct an entirely sovereign, independent faction from scratch rather than ever permit our sect to be steered around like a puppet by an outside force.

“Without a doubt.”

Because a miserable existence spent being dragged along by the whims of others was a fate I had endured more than enough of during my previous incarnation. In this current lifetime, I will absolutely never allow myself to repeat that exact same failure. Regardless of how profoundly isolating and treacherous that specific path might turn out to be.

“If that is the case, would it be permissible for Mosan to walk that very same path alongside you?”

“……Those words imply?”

“They mean exactly what they say—the Mosan Sect actively desires to journey along the identical path that the Tae-eul Sect is currently carving out.”

It had actually happened. That perilous road might turn out to be far less isolating than I had originally anticipated. I reached out, grasping the neck of the liquor container, and carefully filled his cup to the brim.

“Are you completely certain you will be alright with the consequences?”

To completely push away the outstretched hands of countless powerful sects and massive coalitions, choosing instead to align their destiny with the unproven Tae-eul Sect. The Mosan Sect’s baffling decision would inevitably invite intense scrutiny and endless questions from the rest of the world. Even so.

“I managed to find my own absolute conviction the moment I listened to your philosophy, *Jin So-hyeop*.”

Gu Song-baek tossed back the contents of his cup without a single shred of hesitation.

“Mosan shall stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Tae-eul Sect.”

And with those words, the very first Blood Alliance of this new era was forged.