For a long while, Bu Eunseol let out a hearty laugh.
Clack.
He abruptly stopped laughing and spoke to Maeng Cheonrip with ice-cold eyes.
“From now on, if you pull a stunt like this again, I will never forgive you—no matter who you are.”
“What are you talking about, Command Lord?”
“Still, it’s fortunate. The fact that my subordinates aren’t just brainless fools, but actually clever enough to use their heads in their own way.”
“Command Lord.”
Maeng Cheonrip spoke with a bewildered expression.
“What exactly are you saying right now?”
“There’s something I never told you.”
Bu Eunseol snorted and declared in a loud voice, “To properly unleash the martial arts of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars, one must be born with the Hundred and Eight Stars.”
“……”
“Of course, if it’s the hidden forces of the Martial Alliance, they might have succeeded in artificially creating the Hundred and Eight Stars.”
Still standing with his hands behind his back, Bu Eunseol looked at the warriors of the Death Shadow Corps who were dying miserably and let out a soft snort.
“But if they had truly cultivated their forces to that extent… would they have stayed as quiet as dead mice like this?”
As his murmur spread, the Martial Alliance warriors who had been fighting madly on the battlefield began stealing glances at Bu Eunseol, as if they had clearly heard his voice.
“And that was your second mistake.”
Bu Eunseol clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Externally, I said I would strike the Martial Alliance first, but in reality, I had planned to hit the Martial Soul Society first.”
It was a shocking statement.
The Lord of the Martial Soul Society was none other than Bu Eunseol himself.
Yet he had intended to make the Martial Soul Society his first target?
“Aren’t you curious?”
Faced with Bu Eunseol’s confident gaze, Maeng Cheonrip could only lower his head and remain silent.
“Enough. Withdraw it now.”
Bu Eunseol spoke firmly.
“The Heart Mirror Technique.”
Rumble rumble rumble.
The moment those words left his mouth, the sky and earth suddenly began to shake violently. At the same time, with a flowing sound, the surrounding scenery started melting like taffy.
Finally, when the entire world had melted away, an entirely different landscape slowly revealed itself on all sides.
It was the main training grounds of the Suppressed Demon Pavilion.
Bu Eunseol was still standing there, and the armed Death Spirit Corps members were solemnly lined up in formation.
Where Maeng Cheonrip had been standing was now Yoo Unryong.
At the four corners of the training grounds stood Myo Cheonwoo, Wi Cheongyeong, Won Semun, and Jo Namcheon, each holding a treasured artifact.
Everything that had happened until now had been an illusory world created by the Heart Mirror Technique. In reality, the subordinates had only gathered at the main training grounds of the Suppressed Demon Pavilion to prepare for the expedition.
Drip…
All the unit members and captains had turned deathly pale and were drenched in cold sweat.
They had prepared the Heart Mirror Technique in advance to use on Bu Eunseol.
However, because simply activating it normally would be instantly noticed, they had sacrificed their own internal energy and even their life force using the mysterious treasured artifacts known as Immortal Treasures.
They had staked their lives to manifest this illusory world but even that had failed.
Midway through, Bu Eunseol had realized it was an illusory world, and the Heart Mirror Technique shattered in an instant.
As a result, they suffered severe backlash to both body and soul.
The only fortunate thing was that, thanks to Yoo Unryong having studied the Heart Mirror Technique for a long time and elevating it to a fairly complete level, even though the illusion had been forcibly stopped, none of the captains or unit members had lost their lives.
“Was it fun?”
Bu Eunseol asked with the corners of his lips raised as he looked at Yoo Unryong standing across from him.
“Deceiving me like that.”
“I’m sorry.”
Yoo Unryong bowed his head.
“But it was necessary to bring your soul back to the right path.”
In truth, gathering the Death Shadow Corps warriors at the main training grounds had also been for the purpose of activating the Heart Mirror Technique.
From the moment Bu Eunseol had entered the training grounds, the Heart Mirror Technique had already begun, and he had been seeing vivid hallucinations of the illusory world.
Unlike mind-manipulating techniques, the illusory world directly touched the soul.
Therefore, even Bu Eunseol, who had reached the realm of spiritual Harmony, could not resist it until he became aware of it.
“Bring it back to the right path… huh.”
Bu Eunseol murmured softly and put on a solemn expression.
“So this is what they call a subordinate revolt.”
Then, looking straight at Yoo Unryong, he spoke in a voice as cold as falling ice.
“You attacked my soul just because you didn’t like your commander’s personality?”
Yoo Unryong had nothing to say, even if he had ten mouths.
Literally, the commander’s personality had changed, and they had attacked his soul to change it back.
“Yoo Unryong. From now on, you and—”
“Wait!”
At that moment, a beautiful woman dressed in white rushed in from the Suppressed Demon Pavilion.
It was Yeon Soha, who had been secretly staying there thanks to Yoo Unryong’s consideration.
“Please understand them.”
She bowed her head as if kneeling.
“If you really form a unit and start a war, something irreversible will happen!”
“Nonsense.”
Bu Eunseol shook his head with a slightly hoarse voice.
“On the contrary, something very good will happen.”
He looked at Yeon Soha and continued, “With this opportunity, I will be able to overturn the martial world and grasp the true combat strength of the countless forces hidden in the depths—including the Martial Alliance.”
“Then innocent people will die, and a great war will break out in the martial world, won’t it?”
“It’s something that will happen someday even if I don’t do it. Perhaps by forcing them to reveal their strength, we can prevent an even greater war.”
Bu Eunseol spoke firmly.
“Once their strength is revealed, they will have no choice but to keep each other in check.”
“I know. I know you’re not the kind of person who starts fights recklessly.”
Yeon Soha spoke with a sorrowful expression.
“But you were someone who, even if the path was difficult, would walk it silently without avoiding it.”
“……”
“You were never the kind of person who would choose the easy path at the cost of other people’s lives.”
Bu Eunseol’s face showed slight anger.
“Why are you the one defining what kind of person I am?”
Then, in a sharp voice, he added, “And didn’t I clearly say back then that we would break off the engagement?”
“Command Lord.”
“Do you think you can control me however you want just because you have a pretty face?”
Bu Eunseol waved his hand decisively.
“You and I are no longer anything to each other. So do not interfere in my affairs again.”
Stagger.
The words seemed to hit Yeon Soha hard; her body swayed for a moment.
“Command Lord!”
Unable to watch any longer, Won Semun, Wi Cheongyeong, and Jo Namcheon rushed forward and knelt before him.
“Command Lord! Please forgive the Young Palace Master.”
“That’s right. The Young Palace Master was simply worried that something might be wrong with the Command Lord’s soul… She came from afar and did all this out of concern.”
“Please, even if you punish us, forgive the Young Palace Master.”
“Hahahaha!”
Seeing the captains earnestly pleading, Bu Eunseol instead burst into hollow laughter.
“So this is the extent of your so-called loyalty.”
“Command Lord.”
“You didn’t like my taste, so you tried to control my soul with the Heart Mirror Technique.”
“……”
“And now you’re whining and siding with the righteous faction person who ruined the Command Lord’s plan?”
At that, Myo Cheonwoo, unable to stay silent any longer, stepped forward.
“The captains aren’t siding with her. They’re speaking for your sake.”
“For my sake?”
“Yes. If you continue walking this tyrannical path, everything you’ve built until now… all your efforts will collapse.”
He spoke with a pained expression.
“If you ever regain your original self, won’t you regret what you’re doing now? That’s why they tried to change your heart.”
“Original self.”
Bu Eunseol’s eyes froze as cold as the glaciers of the North Sea.
“So why are you people the ones judging that?”
He looked at each of the captains’ faces and said coldly,
“Me regretting it? That’s nothing but an excuse.”
“……”
“In the end, you simply didn’t like my personality, so you tried to change it back to the way it was.”
The captains lowered their heads like mute people who had eaten honey and kept their mouths shut.
Looking at them, Bu Eunseol’s eyes were filled with nothing but utter contempt.
“I already gave orders in advance so that you wouldn’t do something like this. I told you not to step forward in this subjugation at all… and to enjoy watching the battle maniacs of Majeon die.”
“……”
“But my consideration vanished into thin air, and just because you didn’t like my personality, you pushed me into the Heart Mirror Technique.”
None of the captains could open their mouths.
As the chilling atmosphere continued, Yoo Unryong finally spoke.
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“If even your current self is your true personality, we were prepared to follow you. But that…”
“I clearly told you!”
Bu Eunseol’s furious shout became a lion’s roar that shook heaven and earth.
“Whether the Command Lord’s personality is real or fake, why are you people the ones judging it?!”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The exploding anger took form and swept through the training grounds like a sharp storm.
“If we were simply in a superior-subordinate relationship—if you thought of yourself as the superior and us as subordinates—we wouldn’t have done this.”
Yoo Unryong spoke urgently.
“We did this because we thought of you as family!”
It was the sincere heart of every warrior in the Death Shadow Corps.
But to the enraged Bu Eunseol, their sincerity seemed to mean nothing. His eyes looked like flames trapped inside ice.
“I’m sorry.”
Yeon Soha showed a sorrowful smile.
“For meddling in your affairs without permission.”
“……”
“But please don’t be angry with your subordinates. They only followed because they believed my foolish words.”
She forcibly swallowed the tears that were about to burst out and bowed respectfully.
“I will never bother you again.”
Then she immediately turned around and left the Suppressed Demon Pavilion.
Drop.
But in the end, a single teardrop fell to the floor.
“I’m sorry.”
Yoo Unryong also lowered his head and said,
“The captains and she are not at fault. It was my wrong judgment that led me to gather the captains and deploy the Heart Mirror Technique.”
“You speak so lightly.”
Bu Eunseol said coldly.
“If you make a mistake, you must receive punishment. If everyone just says ‘I was wrong’ with their mouths, then who in the world…”
“I will take responsibility.”
Yoo Unryong spoke with an extremely grave expression.
“Starting today, I will leave the Death Shadow Corps.”
It was an extremely shocking declaration.
The captains’ faces all stiffened at Yoo Unryong’s unexpected words.
But only Bu Eunseol’s expression remained utterly cold.
“Oh? So now that you’re dissatisfied, you’re threatening the Command Lord with such words.”
Bu Eunseol laughed hollowly as he swept his gaze over Yoo Unryong and the captains.
“Did you think I would stop you? Did you think I would beg you to stay?”
Then, with absolute firmness, he said,
“If you would leave over something like this… then your loyalty was only worth that much after all?”
“Bu Eunseol.”
“Leave.”
Bu Eunseol looked at Yoo Unryong and spoke decisively.
“Since you say you’ll take responsibility, I won’t stop you. Leave immediately.”
“…Understood.”
Yoo Unryong nodded.
“Thank you for guiding and trusting someone as lacking as me all this time.”
He then slowly bowed.
It was no longer the bow of a friend, but the utmost respectful salute given to one’s superior.
After finishing the bow, he turned and walked out of the Death Shadow Corps.
Yoo Unryong had truly left.
“Command Lord.”
Unable to hold back, Wi Cheongyeong spoke.
“Without Captain Yoo, the Death Shadow Corps will be paralyzed. You must stop him.”
“Paralyzed?”
Bu Eunseol said coldly.
“Do you think the Command Lord cannot handle even that much?”
Wi Cheongyeong shut his mouth.
With Bu Eunseol’s wisdom and commanding ability, he would naturally be able to lead the Death Shadow Corps perfectly well even without Yoo Unryong.
However, it was undeniable that Yoo Unryong’s presence had allowed the hall to operate smoothly and had kept the strong-willed captains in Harmony.
“There are many strategists like him in the martial world.”
Bu Eunseol said coldly.
“Or are you all threatening the Command Lord by saying you’ll leave as well?”
“……”
“If anyone wants to leave, do so now. I will never stop you.”
A deathly silence fell.
How much time had passed?
“Sigh…”
With a deep sigh, Myo Cheonwoo spoke.
“Without Unryong, I would just be a useless person here eating rice for nothing.”
He swallowed a bitter smile and shook his head.
“It was only because Unryong placed me in the right positions and helped me that I was able to do my part in the Death Shadow Corps.”
It was not modesty; it was half the truth.
Even during the periods when Myo Cheonwoo was absent, Yoo Unryong had led the Death Shadow Corps perfectly.
However, Myo Cheonwoo had the widest network and held the hearts of all the captains and warriors, which was why he could accomplish many things together with Yoo Unryong.
But without Yoo Unryong?
In the end, Myo Cheonwoo would also become completely useless.
“Is that your true intention?”
“Of course.”
Myo Cheonwoo wore a self-mocking smile.
“Without Unryong, I would be the most unnecessary person here.”
“Fine. Go.”
At Bu Eunseol’s words, Myo Cheonwoo also bowed respectfully.
Then, without hesitation, he turned and left the Suppressed Demon Pavilion.
“Is there anyone else who wants to leave?”
Bu Eunseol looked at the captains and warriors in the training grounds.
Their expressions were all extremely dark.
They did not speak, but it was clear they were deeply disappointed by his completely changed behavior.
“Ah, I almost forgot.”
Bu Eunseol clicked his tongue. Then he said something he absolutely should not have said.
“That you all came from nowhere, that you were rootless warriors with nowhere to go.”
“Command Lord.”
The captains’ expressions grew endlessly dark.
“We understand that you are furious. We were wrong.”
When Wi Cheongyeong stepped forward to apologize, Bu Eunseol said coldly,
“Let me warn you in advance: do not interfere with my plans again.”
“……”
“And do not think of yourselves as special. I can find as many replacements for you as I want.”
Bu Eunseol was greatly angered by the fact that Yoo Unryong and Myo Cheonwoo had left without hesitation.
Knowing this, the captains could only lower their heads and remain silent.
***
In the end, the Blood Heaven Order was actually formed, and Bu Eunseol left Majeon to begin the subjugation.
―The Martial Soul Command Lord returned after achieving a great victory.
However, contrary to expectations, there was no fierce battle or grand righteous-demonic war.
The Martial Soul Command Lord, who commanded the Blood Heaven Order, did not push all the way to Henan.
He simply pressed the righteous faction forces at the border of Hubei and returned.
And that was neither for external evaluation nor to avoid a righteous-demonic war.
Having already experienced the battle he wanted inside the Heart Mirror Technique, his excitement had completely cooled.
After all, his calculations would not have been wrong.
As expected, the Martial Alliance would organize an enormous force and sweep away the entire Blood Heaven Order.
It was like eagerly waiting for a delicious meal on one’s birthday, only to end up eating it at someone else’s banquet.
There was no need to do the same thing again, and since fighting no longer excited him… he completely changed the plan and carried out a light subjugation without provoking the Martial Alliance.
Conflicts of this level were common in the martial world, and even the righteous faction, which had expected a bloodbath, accepted and understood the lighter-than-expected clash.
―It must have been a necessary subjugation to solidify his position as Majeon’s successor.
The righteous faction even granted justification to this conflict.
That way, meaningless fighting would not continue any further.
As a result, Bu Eunseol’s position rose greatly, but the atmosphere inside the Suppressed Demon Pavilion was as gloomy as a funeral.
It was because the warriors of the Death Shadow Corps had done nothing.
Even though the greatly angered Bu Eunseol had taken them to the battlefield because they had tested him, he had only made them wait in the rear and never deployed them into battle.
Only then did the Death Shadow Corps warriors bitterly realize one fact.
―Just as the Command Lord said, we really are replaceable troops at any time.
Looking back and thinking coldly, they had become stronger thanks to the training Bu Eunseol had implemented, and their victories in every battle had been thanks to his tactics and strategy.
In the end, just as he said, they were nothing more than replaceable personnel.
And for a martial artist… losing one’s pride meant the end of everything.
―We will also take our leave now.
In the end, the captains and most of the warriors of the Death Shadow Corps went to Bu Eunseol and politely expressed their intention to resign.
―We did not know our place all this time. Now that we understand, we will live lives befitting our abilities.
They had accomplished nothing by themselves.
They had simply received the martial arts Bu Eunseol provided, trained, and grown stronger.
Most of the battles that led to victory had also been handed to them on a platter by Bu Eunseol.
―Do as you wish.
Bu Eunseol did not oppose them.
In fact, he had been wondering how to get rid of them.
There was no way to bring back warriors who now considered themselves incompetent and had lost their pride.
If he left them as they were, they would only become baggage that hindered the things he wanted to do.
It was almost a relief that they were leaving on their own.
―Out of consideration for our past relationship, I will simply let you go. However, do not interfere with the Command Lord’s affairs.
With Bu Eunseol’s permission, most of the captains and warriors of the Death Shadow Corps quietly departed.
Those who remained were only the newly arrived fledgling warriors who could not survive without Majeon’s salary, and the maids provided by Majeon.
“Good. Within three years—no, within one year—I will train new Death Shadow Corps warriors for you.”
Perhaps because his personality had changed so drastically, Bu Eunseol felt no impact at all even after his subordinates left.
***
Majeon had many talented individuals.
Just as Bu Eunseol had declared, he selected outstanding talents once again and began training them.
If he had been an ordinary person, he would have felt lost without capable adjutants and found starting over daunting.
But long ago, he had ordered Yoo Unryong to document and systematize all of the Death Shadow Corps’s systems, including training.
If they created clear manuals that new people could simply follow, they would be able to quickly train professional personnel even without him or Yoo Unryong.
―From now on, you will be in charge of training, Jinha.
Bu Eunseol called in Seo Jinha, who had always acted as his shadow, and entrusted him with the overall operation of the Death Shadow Corps.
He assigned Soyo and Tak Ilhon to the training section, and left personnel management to the Death Spirit Corps Captain, Mu Heon.
By reorganizing the Death Shadow Corps so systematically, the void left by the departed subordinates was quickly and calmly filled.
And everything went extremely smoothly.
The previous Death Shadow Corps warriors had all been outstanding, but their personalities had been too strong.
The newly reorganized Death Shadow Corps, however, was like the precise parts of a machine.
They carried out Bu Eunseol’s orders without the slightest error.
Since most important decisions were made by Bu Eunseol anyway, having subordinates who simply did what they were told was not so bad.
As time passed, the Death Shadow Corps regained stability, and the situation improved to the point where Bu Eunseol no longer needed to pay much attention to its operation.
It was running so perfectly that he could head out into the martial world again.
“It’s nice that there’s no need for separate meetings.”
In the past, whenever they started something, they would gather the captains’ opinions—whether good or bad—and proceed with careful, planned execution.
But now there was no need for that.
All plans existed inside his own head, and his subordinates simply had to carry out what they were told.
“Now then…”
Bu Eunseol, who had been about to head out into the martial world, paused for a moment.
Come to think of it, since he no longer needed to protect the Death Shadow Corps subordinates, there was no reason to be tied down by Majeon’s affairs.
“In that case.”
Bu Eunseol wore a strange smile.
One of the things he had not been able to do until now was seize dominance over Majeon.
He still could not overthrow the Demon Emperor, so he could not act rashly.
However, if he firmly built up support forces within Majeon and the demonic path, he would be able to escape various interferences.
Once the Demon Emperor entered closed-door training, there would be no one left in Majeon to control him, and he would be able to freely stir up the inside as he wished.
“No, should I just kill the Demon Emperor first?”
Only then did Bu Eunseol realize there was an easier path. He clutched his forehead and burst into laughter.
“After unifying the demonic path like that, I can slowly take control of the martial world.”
If he unified the demonic path, he would be able to achieve his great cause quickly without having to worry about trivial matters.
“I should have done this much earlier.”
He even felt refreshed.
He no longer needed to care about human relationships.
The people he had to protect had all disappeared.
Now he could simply do whatever he wanted.
“Really, what I want to do is…”
As he murmured quietly, Bu Eunseol suddenly wore a dazed expression.
What had he wanted to do?
Was it unifying the martial world?
Or becoming the greatest under heaven by reaching the end of martial arts, someone no one could defeat…?
“No.”
The reason he had come out into the martial world was only one thing: to take revenge on the culprit who had killed his grandfather.
It was also revenge against the one who had twisted his fate.
“But…”
A sudden question arose.
“Why do I have to take revenge?”
Simply because they touched his grandfather? Because it made him angry? Because they ruined his life?
“No, that’s not it…”
As he thought carefully again, he finally realized the reason.
Because he had lost the person who, by their mere existence, had filled his heart and the entire world…
A precious person.
“At that time, I was too young and powerless, so I helplessly let my only family leave.”
But now, even though he had power, he was once again letting precious people leave because of wrong choices.
“I just wanted to protect the people precious to me…”
The moment he newly realized his goal in life, his head throbbed and his breath caught.
It was not pain that the current Bu Eunseol was feeling.
It was the suffering, anguish, and heartbreak of someone trapped deep inside his heart.
[You cannot protect the people precious to you.]
At that moment, an endlessly low and lonely voice came from somewhere.
It was Bu Eunseol’s original voice.
Thank you for the chapters !! 🐱