Chapter 473

Chapter 473
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Chapter 473. Finding Evidence (3)

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—

Seo Un-chang, a swindler who had successfully cleared the lower-class warrior exam without possessing a single shred of martial arts expertise, had formerly remarked:

[Tricking an individual is far from a demanding chore. You merely have to trace the path of their avarice.]

What constituted the true greed of Mak Hyo-wol—or rather, the Tang-hyeon Sect? It was likely the yearning to clear this investigation without incident and preserve their customary existence, undisturbed, just as they always had. One could argue whether that truly qualified as greed, but ironically, the very thing craved most intensely by those who have strayed into wrongdoing and illicit behavior is the quiet tranquility of everyday life.

[When individuals become blinded by their own cravings, they stumble into errors. When anxiety takes hold and forces them to rush, they execute actions they would typically avoid.]

Had Mak Hyo-wol not been consumed by the dread of falling under suspicion, and had he not been so desperately fixated on maintaining his everyday tranquility, he would never have fallen so effortlessly for an illusionary deception conjured through basic sorcery. He would have readily detected that his senses had been compromised by the Soul-Dreaming Incense (*Mong-hon-hyang*).

Yet, the catastrophic scene unfolding right before him represented the precise nightmare he had spent his life evading, and Mak Hyo-wol proved utterly incapable of holding onto his sanity.

“Could these be the Blood Men?”

“….”

Deep within the cavernous space, inside the iron cells lining the passageway, the imprisoned captives trembled in absolute dread. Tracing the air of terror to the furthest depths of the cave…

*Creeeeeak—*

Ten Blood Men were suspended there.

“They appear to be unfinished.”

Their complexions and eyes were stained a vibrant crimson. Had they attained a state of perfection, they would likely have been entirely indistinguishable from normal human beings.

“What possessed you to commit such a horrific act?”

Strangely, Mak Hyo-wol’s own gaze, bloodshot with ruptured vessels, looked as though it might weep crimson tears at any moment, mirroring the very countenances of the Blood Men.

“…Did I not mention it before? Faith holds no value when confronted with absolute strength. You conceded to that point yourself.”

“That is accurate. I did concur…”

“Precisely!! You of all people ought to comprehend! Your own order, over a vast stretch of time, endured endless degradation and—”

That concession had never been intended to justify this. Regardless of the depth of one’s grievances or bitterness, there remained a boundary that must never be breached.

“That principle holds firm only as long as it inflicts no suffering upon innocent people.”

“….”

“The very instant you bring harm to others to serve your own advantages—”

I directed a distant look toward the horrific display arranged at the back of the cavern.

“One must conclude that you have already stepped far past the acceptable threshold.”

Paying no mind to Mak Hyo-wol’s stunned expression, I scrutinized the captives confined within the *Geum-ok*. A particular woman drew my attention. With her unkempt, tangled hair, she bore a striking resemblance to the youth dressed in rags I had encountered on the streets.

“Were you, by chance, accustomed to wearing a scarlet hair tie?”

“….”

The petrified captive could scarcely utter a proper reply to my query, remaining entirely frozen.

“Your daughter appears to be searching for you desperately.”

“!”

Only at those words did her awareness return, and she flung herself against the iron bars.

“S-Seung-a! Is Seung-a safe?”

“I cannot say for certain. She merely wandered about calling out for anyone with a red hair tie, crying out for her ‘Mom’ and seeking her.”

“Ahhhh… My Lord, I beg of you, set me free. If she loses her father and now loses me as well, our poor child will…”

“Please remain patient for just a brief moment. You shall be liberated shortly.”

As I averted my gaze, the Blood Men began detaching themselves from the cavern wall one after another. I questioned Mak Hyo-wol.

“Do you truly purpose to take this path to its absolute conclusion?”

“….”

Mak Hyo-wol offered no reply, staring fixedly at the unfinished Blood Men as though they represented his final salvation. His verbal response was no longer required. I unsheathed the Red Light Sword (*Jeok-gwang-geom*).

*Wooooong—*

A radiant golden light infused with the Jade Pure Heavenly Power vividly lit up the gloomy depths of the cavern.

“Regardless, the Yong-bongs are stationed above. It is merely a matter of time before this atrocity is brought to light.”

*Thump— Thump— Thump—*

The Blood Men snapped their eyelids open. Even the sclera where white should have been had transformed into a deep crimson, their actions completely governed by primal impulse. Their lethal intent saturated every pocket of the cave.

“Guekk—”
“Keo-heok!”

The townspeople confined within the holding cells gripped their throats, struggling for oxygen. I expanded the reach of my Jade Pure Heavenly Power even further to clear their breathing passages. In that very instant.

“You asserted that the moment someone inflicts harm on others for personal gain, they have crossed the threshold, did you not?”

Mak Hyo-wol’s hollow voice resonated through the cavernous chamber. He had shifted his eyes, which had been locked onto the Blood Men, toward my position.

“Are you aware of who breaches that boundary more than anyone else?”

Moving in perfect alignment with his words, the Blood Men dropped into low stances.

“It is none other than—”

At last,

“The wretched bastards of the Murim Alliance!”

*Kyaaaaang—*

The Blood Men bounded forward with the fierce agility of feral felines.

*Pang! Pang! Pang! Pang!*

I discharged sharp bursts of sword-qi toward the oncoming Blood Men who sprang at me, disregarding the cavern walls or the structural bars of the holding cells, moving as though their limbs possessed unnatural adhesion.

*Puck! Puck! Puck! Puck!*

*Kreeeee-eak—*

Dark, tar-like blood poured continuously from their severed gashes.

‘Will this fail to sever them entirely?’

I had assumed the purifying essence of the Jade Pure Heavenly Power would suffice to cleave them to pieces, but because they were still unrefined creations, their crimson vitality had not yet reached its full maturity. I immediately deployed the Twin Heaven Sword Style (*Ssang-cheon-geom-gyeol*), launching an offensive against the four Blood Men charging from the front.

*Sli-ce— Sli-ce— Sli-ce—*

Digits were lopped off, ears were torn away, and lethal sword-qi scraped hazardously close to their throats. Yet, the monstrous entities pressed their assault without a single pause. Upon closing into absolute close-quarters distance, they ripped their jaws wide open. Massive teeth, completely uncharacteristic of any human being, came into view.

“Where do you think you are thrusting that foul maw!”

*Peo-peo-peo-peo-peo-peo-peo-puck!*

The rapid fist strikes of the Ten Thousand Flowers Unrivaled Fist (*Man-hwa-mu-jeok-gwon*) reduced one Blood Man to a mangled pulp, and the skull of the creature that had sustained the heaviest blows was thoroughly shattered. I channeled my internal energy even further, amplifying the Jade Pure Heavenly Power. Evading the sharp talons targeted at my lethal points, I sheared off limbs and joints.

*Ke-ek—*

Stamping down hard on the skull of a Blood Man who shrieked as though his nervous system still functioned to register agony, I utilized that rebounding force as leverage to slice the torso of another Blood Man soaring toward me cleanly in two.

*Sli-ce—*

Without drawing back the blade, I spun it smoothly to decapitate a Blood Man ambushing me from the rear and instantly retracted the weapon, driving it deep between his upper limb and torso.

*Stab—*
*Guekk—*

Uncertain of what manner of toxic essence might be concealed within that dark crimson fluid, I prioritized dodging it as much as possible before unleashing the So-cheon Sword Style in all directions. The sweeping range of the sword-qi proved too expansive, causing a portion of the containment cells to be sheared away.

“Do not stir just yet. I cannot ensure your protection if you move.”

“Y-Yes… Of course!”

Having calmed the anxieties of those confined within the cages, I plunged directly back into the thick of the Blood Men. There was not a trace of martial arts refinement or sophistication within the claw sweeps, palm strikes, or punches they threw out. It was blatant proof that they had merely been animated to move, far from being fully realized. Such Blood Men were incapable of moving with true competence. Failing to synchronize their efforts even among themselves, they occasionally speared the flesh of their own allies.

In the brief span where they blinked at one another in confusion following a misplaced strike, I immediately lopped off that offending limb while simultaneously cutting the throat of the Blood Man who stood there dazed.

*Sli-ce—*

As the tally of decimated Blood Men climbed past five, their maneuvers grew increasingly reckless, likely driven by a mounting sense of desperation.

*Puck! Puck! Puck! Puck!*

Every punch they launched drove themselves deep into the rocky cavern wall. I retreated a step and instantly targeted the monstrosity’s throat utilizing a swift drawing-sword posture.

*Tung!*

The creature managed to intercept the Red Light Sword, but his limb was completely severed in the process. Just as I prepared to deliver another strike with the blade—

“Watch your back!”

One of the previously downed figures scrambled back up and lunged directly toward me with its neck grotesquely broken.

“I explicitly told you to keep that foul maw away from me.”

Because we were positioned deep underground alongside numerous civilians, I had initially intended to refrain from deploying the Sacred Fire Demon-Slaying Hand (*Seong-hwa-myeol-ma-su*), but their tenacious vitality ultimately compelled me to summon the flames.

*Puck!*

A fist packed with the blistering energy of the Sacred Fire Demon-Slaying Hand blasted straight through the creature’s jaw, leaving a hollow cavity through its skull. As anticipated, cleansing flame serves as the ideal remedy for most complications. Next came a Blood Man charging with a mangled limb. When I hurled the Red Light Sword directly at him, the creature, pierced through the arm, was impaled against the cavern wall. Immediately following, the Sacred Fire Demon-Slaying Hand drove straight through his chest. The entity with the ruptured chest likewise seemed to lose all vitality as its head slumped forward and it went limp.

Only three Blood Men now remained. These at least coordinated their movements, synchronizing their limbs as they advanced. I briefly wondered if a more refined specimen existed among them, but…

*Sli-ce—*

Judging by their physical resilience, that was clearly not the situation. It was simply that their operational patterns shifted because the total number of Blood Men being manipulated had dwindled. Modifying their tactical movements alone could not alter the outcome of this clash.

*Sli-ce— Sli-ce— Sli-ce—*

It required less than a quarter of an hour for the final three Blood Men to drop to the earth like marionettes with severed strings.

“The matter is concluded.”

“…Indeed, it is finished.”

Mak Hyo-wol had not interfered in the skirmish, remaining passive both during the conflict and after its resolution. He had merely observed the lopsided slaughter between myself and the Blood Men in a complete stupor. Only now did a low lament escape from past his teeth.

“…As expected, faith carries no weight when matched against absolute force.”

Mak Hyo-wol lowered his head in utter defeat.

As I severed the iron restraints of the holding pens, the liberated prisoners flooded out and gathered closely behind my back.

“If you truly hold any affection for your followers, do not attempt to expiate your misdeeds by throwing away your life.”

“…?”

He, who had been slouched in despair, lifted his gaze. I gestured with a subtle nod of my head toward the mangled remains of the Blood Men scattered across the stone floor.

“Your disciples were entirely oblivious to this operation, were they not?”

“You…”

I turned my back, having no desire to swap any further dialogue. Following that, I gathered up the severed skull of one of the fallen Blood Men from the ground and began to walk at a measured pace.

“Hiek—”
“H-How can you touch that?”
“I possess a specific purpose for it.”

The townspeople who had been liberated from the cells were gripped by horror, but the present moment left no room to worry about their psychological comfort. This action was necessary to avert a far more catastrophic dilemma.

Making my way up the steps and exiting the Sect Leader’s Pavilion, torches and lanterns were ablaze across the entirety of the Tang-hyeon Sect. Every single follower of the Tang-hyeon Sect stood with weapons unsheathed, radiating a fierce intensity, while the Yong-bong Association stood in direct opposition to those Tang-hyeon disciples, barricading the entrance to the Sect Leader’s Pavilion.

“Where is the Sect Leader!”

They must have assumed the frantic cry Mak Hyo-wol uttered upon witnessing the phantasm was the result of a hostile ambush. Casting my eyes about, multiple Tang-hyeon disciples lay sprawled across the earth, stripped of consciousness.

“Even if you represent the renowned Yong-bong Association, do you truly believe you will be granted absolution for executing such an outrage?”

Sang Ja-yang threw out the words with freezing coldness. I answered him.

“Drop your weapons and yield.”

“Have you completely lost your senses?!”

I hurled the severed head of the Blood Man directly toward his position.

*Thud— Thud— Thud—*

The skull of the Blood Man tumbled over a few times before coming to a halt right at Sang Ja-yang’s feet.

“W-What on earth is this!”

“…Just what actions have you taken?”

Both the members of the Tang-hyeon Sect and the warriors of the Yong-bong Association were petrified by that gruesome spectacle, yet Sang Ja-yang alone merely narrowed his eyes, his brow deeply knit.

“….”

Sang Ja-yang kept his lips firmly sealed, staring intently at me. His gaze was saturated with a highly intricate state of mind. I spoke out before he could potentially make a catastrophic error in judgment. Naturally, I omitted any mention concerning the Blue Dragon Pavilion.

“Deconstruct the *Gimun* Formation immediately and surrender. Representatives from the local Murim Alliance branch will arrive shortly, and every single member of the Tang-hyeon Sect will be escorted away to the Murim Alliance by their authorities.”

Shifting my focus away from Sang Ja-yang, I swept my gaze over the gathering of the Tang-hyeon Sect.

“Those who bear direct culpability for this atrocity will face decapitation or be locked away in a dungeon for the remainder of their days, never again to gaze upon the sun. Even those who hold no direct blame, by virtue of having belonged to the Tang-hyeon Sect, shall spend the remainder of their existences under the constant monitoring of the Inspection Bureau and the Execution Bureau, and—”

The lethal aura radiating from the Tang-hyeon disciples steadily intensified. The atmosphere within the courtyard was pulled incredibly taut, as though an all-out bloodbath might erupt at any split second.

“The Tang-hyeon Sect shall be utterly erased from the annals of the *Kangho*. From this day forward, anyone who has studied the martial principles of the Tang-hyeon Sect will be branded a public adversary of the Alliance. Therefore, lay down your arms.”

As my lengthy declaration concluded, the fury of the Tang-hyeon followers surged past its boiling point. Even the youthful disciple who had previously idolized the Yong-bong Association and collected their signatures ground his teeth together and unsheathed his blade.

“Just what massive sin has our Tang-hyeon Sect committed to deserve this…!”

“Are we not the proud Tang-hyeon Sect, commanding one of the illustrious One Hundred and Eight Peaks!”

“Let us overwhelm the Yong-bong Association this instant and report their outrageous tyranny to the Murim Alliance!”

The outrage proliferated and sustained itself, giving rise to collective indignation. That bitter resentment transformed into a powder keg, serving as the beacon that signaled the commencement of hostilities.

*Ch-ch-ch-ch-ching!*

The very instant a certain Tang-hyeon disciple who had bared his steel leaped forward.

“Halt!!!!”

Sang Ja-yang’s booming Lion’s Roar reverberated through the entire grounds of the Tang-hyeon Sect.

“…General Manager, for what reason are you holding us back?”

“Ought we not cut down these tyrannical scoundrels this very second?”

“….”

Sang Ja-yang provided no reply to their inquiries, keeping his eyes locked onto me. At long last,

“Can you… can you truly guarantee that outcome for our people?”

His legs buckled beneath him, and he sank heavily onto the ground.

“…!”
“…?!”

At the sight of Sang Ja-yang kneeling as though he had been granted a profound salvation, utter bewilderment and distress spread across the features of the Tang-hyeon disciples.

“The Blood-Man Arts were never cataloged among the Ten Forbidden Arts. Consequently, there remains a path open for rehabilitation.”

It was a vague, open-ended pronouncement, yet Sang Ja-yang inclined his head as if that assurance sufficed.

“All of you, throw down your blades!”

“What?”

“General Manager, what is the meaning of this command!”

“Are they not the villainous perpetrators who attempted to take the life of our Sect Leader…!”

“Silence, all of you!!”

Sang Ja-yang’s thunderous roar once more drowned out the clamor of the protesting Tang-hyeon disciples.

“Did I not command you to cast aside your steel!”

Nevertheless, the Tang-hyeon disciples did not comply readily. A few even advanced, disregarding his decree as if the General Manager had suffered a lapse in judgment. As the volatile, hair-trigger tension persisted, the members of the Yong-bong Association likewise eventually unsheathed their respective armaments and gathered their internal energy. Just as the radiant inner force enveloped each of their blades and they arrived at a point of absolute non-return.

“All of you… lay down your arms.”

The Tang-hyeon Sect Leader, Mak Hyo-wol, stepped forward from the shadows behind.

“Sect Leader…!”
“Are you unharmed!”
“Just what has taken place here!”

Within that fleeting pocket of time, he seemed to have withered instantly, resembling a man who had weathered an additional decade of hardship.

“Everyone, cast aside your weapons.”

“But… those people are…!”

“This is the sole path remaining for me to safeguard your lives— and”

A voice heavy with suppressed emotion washed quietly over the assembly.

“It stands as the final command I shall ever issue as your Sect Leader.”

His weary, slumping shoulders appeared more fragile than they ever had before.

*Clatter— Thud—*

When even Sect Leader Mak Hyo-wol joined General Manager Sang Ja-yang in issuing such a directive, those who sensed the dark undercurrents began to cast their armaments onto the earth one by one. As nearly five hundred pieces of weaponry clattered against the stone simultaneously, it produced an echo like a deafening roll of thunder.

Amidst the stunned crowd of followers, certain individuals who apparently possessed knowledge of the hidden realities began to emerge one after another, weeping openly. While the pandemonium grew, several figures followed Sang Ja-yang’s example and dropped to their knees on the spot. These were the very individuals I had previously observed executing the secret member substitutions.

“For what reason… did you grant us such clemency?”

Mak Hyo-wol appeared fully aware that I possessed far harsher alternatives. I gazed down at him serenely, maintaining the exact same expression I had worn the previous day.

“Did I not state it before? That I comprehend your plight.”

Upon hearing my words, he appeared to plunge into deep reflection for a long interval, carefully deliberating over his reply, until at last his lips parted.

“…My gratitude.”

It was hardly the sort of expression a Sect Leader who had just witnessed the destruction of his own order should offer to the man responsible for erasing it. I observed him once more. On his countenance, where a grim end was an absolute certainty, there remained nothing but a spirit weighed down by profound sorrow and intense anxiety for his followers.