As dawn broke, Gok Jindong, leader of the Extinction Corps, ascended to Hatch Peak, where the Death Shadow Corps was stationed.
He had come to report that there had been no notable incidents overnight.
Whoosh.
But he soon halted, eyes widening in shock. Behind the encampment, Bu Eunseol emerged, his body drenched in blood.
“What’s wrong, Leader?” Jo Namcheon and the Death Shadow Corps members rushed toward him, but Bu Eunseol waved them off.
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? You’re covered in wounds!” Jo Namcheon exclaimed, nearly jumping.
Myo Cheon-woo approached, calmly inspecting Bu Eunseol’s body.
“Not a single mark from a direct strike,” he observed, frowning. “You fought assassins, didn’t you? They used covert assassination techniques.”
“Assassins?” At that moment, the Death Shadow Corps members gasped in unison. Even Wi Cheongyeong, startled, stepped forward and asked, “Leader, is that true?”
“Yes,” Bu Eunseol replied.
As he spoke, the members turned in unison, glaring at Gok Jindong. Unless they had fallen from the sky, anyone approaching Hatch Peak would have had to pass through the checkpoints guarded by the Extinction and Venom Eye Divisions.
“What the hell happened, Leader Gok?” Won Semun, furious, lunged toward Gok Jindong, but Bu Eunseol waved his hand again.
“It’s fine. It was no big deal.”
“No big deal? Assassins came for you!” Won Semun protested.
“Have you forgotten that I ordered the Extinction and Venom Eye Divisions to rest?” Bu Eunseol said.
Won Semun jumped again. “Even so…”
“Even if you had been guarding instead, the outcome would’ve been the same,” Bu Eunseol said calmly. “It was the Star-Chasing Division.”
“The Star-Chasing Division?” Won Semun’s brow furrowed deeply as he asked with utmost seriousness, “What’s that?”
The Star-Chasing Division was one of the Martial Alliance’s secret assassination units, unrecognized officially. Even Won Semun, well-versed in martial world affairs, had never heard of it.
“It’s the Martial Alliance’s assassination division,” Myo Cheon-woo answered in his stead, causing the Death Shadow Corps members to gape in shock.
“The Martial Alliance sent assassins to kill our leader?”
“Not the Martial Alliance—Jo Cheonwang,” Bu Eunseol corrected.
The members froze, suddenly recalling that Bu Eunseol had killed Jo Cheonwang’s son, Jo Bi-un.
“How could they send assassins so quickly after you arrived here?”
“Well, certain circumstances led to it,” Bu Eunseol said, shaking his head as if annoyed by the complexity.
Turning to Gok Jindong, he said, “No need for reports. Return to your post.”
“Y-Yes.” Gok Jindong, avoiding the Death Shadow Corps’s glares, hurriedly descended the peak.
“And…” Bu Eunseol added softly, “There’s no need to set up patrols because of this. Keep the members resting as they are.”
“What?”
Gok Jindong looked puzzled, but Bu Eunseol continued calmly, “The assassination division has retreated, so no one else will come here. Just stay on standby and rest.”
‘Is he testing me?’
“How could I dare…” Gok Jindong said, his expression uneasy.
“It’s an order,” Bu Eunseol said sternly. “No patrols, just rest.”
“Understood.” Though visibly reluctant, Gok Jindong clasped his hands and complied.
Back at the base, Gok Jindong’s mind was in turmoil.
The Martial Alliance’s assassination division had slipped past their checkpoints to ambush Bu Eunseol, the Death Shadow Corps Leader. Had they properly manned the checkpoints, they could have stood tall even if such an incident occurred.
But hadn’t they spent the night drinking?
True, it was under Bu Eunseol’s orders, but a nagging unease lingered in his throat like a stuck bone.
“Leader, what happened?” Oh Deungryong, the Venom Eye Corps Leader, cautiously asked, noting Gok Jindong’s pale expression.
After a moment’s hesitation, Gok Jindong calmly explained the situation.
“Last night, the Death Shadow Corps Leader was attacked by the Martial Alliance’s assassination division.”
“What?”
“Probably while we were drinking,” Gok Jindong added.
Oh Deungryong’s face turned ashen.
Bu Eunseol was known for his cold demeanor among Majeon leaders. If it was revealed they hadn’t stood watch properly?
They could be beheaded without a word to say.
“Don’t worry,” Gok Jindong said. “He doesn’t seem intent on holding us accountable.”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t he order us to drink in the first place?”
“True, but…” Oh Deungryong scratched his head, still uneasy.
Gok Jindong sighed. “He said it was a formidable assassination division. Even if the Death Shadow Corps had been on guard, the outcome would’ve been the same… He even made excuses for us.”
Pausing, he shook his head. “He even ordered us not to set up patrols, saying no one else will come.”
“No patrols at all?” It was an incomprehensible order.
Oh Deungryong frowned, lost in thought, but found no answers.
“Was there anything else?”
“No,” Gok Jindong replied.
“That’s a relief. Your expression was so grim, I thought you’d been severely reprimanded.”
“Something feels off,” Gok Jindong said, narrowing his eyes. “The Death Shadow Corps Leader isn’t ordinary. To say no one’s coming and to rest? It’s unsettling.”
Having led a division in Majeon for years, Gok Jindong had sharp instincts and a knack for reading situations.
“Yun Pyeong!” he called loudly.
A young man from the Extinction Corps stepped forward, clasping his hands.
He was Yun Pyeong, the youngest member of the Extinction Corps.
“You called, Leader?”
“Are you still close with Han Seowung from the Death Shadow Corps?” Yun Pyeong’s friendly nature made him close with members of the former Amcheondae Division, especially Han Seowung, with whom he got along well.
“Yes. We shared a drink recently.”
“Good,” Gok Jindong said, lowering his voice. “The Death Shadow Corps Leader’s behavior is suspicious. When you have time, meet Han Seowung and find out what’s going on with their division.”
“Understood.” Two days later, Yun Pyeong returned after visiting Hatch Peak and speaking with Han Seowung.
“They’re drinking and relaxing?”
“Yes,” Yun Pyeong confirmed.
Gok Jindong couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
“According to him, the Death Shadow Corps Leader doesn’t care much about sect affairs. As long as the members do their tasks, he doesn’t interfere or impose restrictions.”
Yun Pyeong explained that the Death Shadow Corps at Hatch Peak rested lazily during the day and drank every night.
Even the leader himself joined them in drinking.
Hearing this, Gok Jindong furrowed his brow deeply.
He had thought Bu Eunseol was exceptional for leading the chaotic Amcheondae Division so effectively. But was he just a rogue who got along with those misfits, commanding them well because he was one of them?
“He says it’s fine to keep resting. The Death Shadow Corps Leader never goes back on his word,” Yun Pyeong added, then said meaningfully, “The Death Shadow Corps is a first-class division now, isn’t it? And we’re a second-class division under their command.”
Gok Jindong’s eyes gleamed.
A first-class Corps Leader had the authority to act independently.
But they were also solely responsible for their actions. If the Extinction and Venom Eye Divisions caused trouble while drinking, wouldn’t all the blame fall on the Death Shadow Corps Leader?
“Heh heh heh.” Realizing this, Gok Jindong’s tension eased, and a smile crept onto his face.
“I thought he was some master strategist, but he’s just a guy who fits in with those rogues.”
He had worried needlessly.
Even if they drank and rested daily, they were merely following Bu Eunseol’s orders.
No responsibility would fall on them.
“From now on, we strictly follow orders,” Gok Jindong declared loudly to the Extinction and Venom Eye Division members. “Keep resting. Don’t even think about setting up patrols.”
A smile played on his lips. “That’s the order from the Death Shadow Corps Leader.”
Four days passed.
Bu Eunseol kept his word.
He issued no further orders, whether the Extinction and Venom Eye Divisions rested leisurely or not, and they, too, continued to relax at Hatch Peak.
“Yawn, this is boring.” Leaning against a rock, Gok Jindong yawned, gazing at the distant sky.
Waiting at the foot of a desolate mountain for four days was driving him mad with boredom.
“I wish something would happen.”
No sooner had he spoken than an Extinction Corps member ran up, shouting, “We’re in trouble!”
The member rushed to Gok Jindong and shouted again, “Big trouble, Leader!”
“What’s wrong?”
Gok Jindong’s face hardened as the member yelled, “Tens of thousands of imperial soldiers are heading toward Hainan!”
“Imperial soldiers?” Gok Jindong’s mind went blank.
It was incomprehensible.
“The imperial court is intervening in martial world affairs?”
“Haven’t the civilians around Oji Mountain suffered greatly from this standoff?”
“And?”
Gok Jindong’s eyes widened as the member said urgently, “The Heavenly Thief isn’t an ordinary martial artist.”
The Heavenly Thief was a mysterious figure holding the weaknesses of both righteous and demonic factions. Capturing him meant seizing a critical advantage over both sides.
“They want to capture the Heavenly Thief?”
“Even if that’s not their intent, with both righteous and demonic forces clashing here, the imperial court must be displeased,” the member said, swallowing hard. “And the civilians are the ones suffering from this conflict.”
“Ugh.”
Gok Jindong groaned as the member continued, “Rumor has it that last night, the Cheonsal Leader found and attacked the Heavenly Sword Corps Leader of the Martial Alliance.”
“The Cheonsal Leader revealed himself?”
“Yes. If they delay any longer and the imperial army arrives, both our sect and the Martial Alliance will be like dogs chasing chickens.”
If the imperial army stormed Oji Mountain, the Heavenly Thief might reveal himself, celebrating the chaos. For him, being escorted by the authorities would be better than being killed by the masters of either faction.
“Then a full-scale battle is imminent…”
Boom! Boom!
As if to prove Gok Jindong’s words, two fireworks shot into the sky side by side.
The signal flares used by Majeon and the Martial Alliance’s sword divisions to request reinforcements had gone off simultaneously. Clearly, the sect’s divisions and the alliance’s sword divisions had clashed nearby.
“I need to meet the Death Shadow Corps Leader,” Gok Jindong said, resolute.
Step, step.
At that moment, dozens of figures descended from Hatch Peak.
It was Bu Eunseol and the Death Shadow Corps members.
“Leader.” Gok Jindong bowed upon seeing Bu Eunseol, and the other members followed, clasping their hands. “Leader, have you heard? The imperial army…”
Before Gok Jindong could finish, Bu Eunseol raised a hand, cutting him off.
“No need to worry.” He continued calmly, as if he had overheard their conversation, “A full-scale battle will never happen.”
Pointing to the fireworks from both factions, he added, “In fact, we’ll temporarily cooperate with the Martial Alliance.”
“What does that mean?”
“If we fight to the death in this situation, we’ll either lose the Heavenly Thief or let the authorities take him,” Bu Eunseol explained. “To prevent that, our sect and the Martial Alliance have no choice but to work together.”
“So those fireworks aren’t for reinforcements but a sign of cooperation?”
“Yes. the Heavenly Thief has likely been spotted nearby,” Bu Eunseol said.
Gok Jindong’s jaw dropped.
It made sense.
Rather than letting the authorities take the Heavenly Thief, it was better for both factions to join forces and kill him.
“But… where are you going, Leader?”
“I was getting restless staying at Hatch Peak. Since our sect will take over here, you all head up there.”
“You’re not joining the pursuit?”
“No,” Bu Eunseol replied.
Gok Jindong couldn’t understand. Even if he didn’t need to earn merit, how could Bu Eunseol be so irresponsible?
“Still, if you want to gain merit…” Gok Jindong trailed off, and Bu Eunseol gave a cold smile.
“If you don’t want to, I can assign another task.”
“No, no!” Gok Jindong waved his hands, fearing Bu Eunseol might give him some absurd task to make trouble. “We’ll head to Hatch Peak immediately.”
Lest Bu Eunseol change his mind, the Extinction and Venom Eye Divisions quickly packed and moved to Hatch Peak. Once they had all disappeared, Myo Cheon-woo, standing silently beside Bu Eunseol, slowly spoke.
“Now, it’s time to explain everything.”
“Explain what?”
“The imperial army is coming, and you’re just sitting here? That doesn’t make sense,” Myo Cheon-woo said, his voice firm with conviction. “I know you. This is all your doing, isn’t it? Tell me.”
“The imperial army isn’t coming,” Bu Eunseol said.
“What?”
“Yoo Unryong did his job well.”
“What do you mean by Yoo Unryong?”
Bu Eunseol said nonchalantly, “I had Yoo Unryong spread the rumor that the imperial army was coming.”
“What?”
“Of course, to fool the intelligence networks, we had to move some troops. That’s why I entrusted this to Yoo Unryong.”
Myo Cheon-woo and the other members stared at him, dumbfounded, as if they’d seen a ghost.
“Leader, what’s going on?” Unable to contain his curiosity, Wi Cheongyeong stepped forward. “You deliberately moved the imperial army?”
“Yes,” Bu Eunseol said, gazing at the distant sky. “That way, our sect and the Martial Alliance would stop their standoff and join forces to kill the Heavenly Thief quickly.”
From the start, Bu Eunseol had no intention of strictly following the orders of the Chief Instructor or the Cheonsal Leader. The longer the standoff between the sect and the Martial Alliance continued, the more precarious his position would become. All attention would focus on the Heavenly Thief, and he couldn’t predict what orders the Cheonsal Leader might issue.
Thus, Bu Eunseol devised a scheme to break the standoff, forcing the sect and the Martial Alliance to cooperate and capture the Heavenly Thief swiftly.
“The Heavenly Thief has evaded capture in this area because the masters of both factions were locked in a standoff,” Bu Eunseol said, looking at his members. “But if they join forces to search…”
His eyes gleamed as he paused. “He’ll have no options left. He’ll try to break through the encirclement and escape through here.”
‘Our leader is truly insane…’ The members, unable to hide their shock, gaped in awe.
Kicking over the plans of both factions and orchestrating the imperial army’s involvement to resolve the Heavenly Thief affair in one stroke? Wi Cheongyeong, looking as if he’d been struck in the head, shook his head and spoke.
“But why have them join forces to kill the Heavenly Thief?”
“So their secrets don’t leak,” Bu Eunseol said, murmuring as he gazed at the sky. “If one side monopolizes him, their hidden secrets will be exposed.”
“Then why let our sect and the Extinction Corps slack off up there?” Myo Cheon-woo stammered, confused, and Bu Eunseol gave a chilling smile.
“So the Heavenly Thief will pass through here.” Myo Cheon-woo shivered at that smile.
He finally realized what Bu Eunseol was aiming for.
“With both factions joining forces, the Heavenly Thief won’t last long. And since we’ve been neglecting patrols and drinking here…”
“Exactly,” Bu Eunseol said, his smile confident. “He’ll definitely come through here.”
The Heavenly Thief must have been closely monitoring the area. If trouble arose, he’d seek the weakest point to escape—Hatch Peak.
“So that’s why you sent Yoo Unryong…” Myo Cheon-woo, finally grasping Bu Eunseol’s plan, looked dazed.
The plan was ingenious but dangerously reckless.
If it hadn’t worked, and the factions didn’t cooperate?
If a battle broke out in their haste?
It could have sparked an all-out war between the righteous and demonic factions.
“You could’ve at least told us,” Myo Cheon-woo said, exhaling deeply. “One misstep, and it’s straight to ruin.”
“If I had, the information might’ve leaked, just like with the Heavenly Thief,” Bu Eunseol replied.
Boom!
Another flare shot into the nearby sky.
As Bu Eunseol predicted, it wasn’t for reinforcements but a signal from the pursuit teams that had located the Heavenly Thief.
“It seems the Martial Alliance caught his trail first,” Myo Cheon-woo muttered.
Whoosh!
A piercing sound tore through the air as a shadow streaked across the sky, vanishing in the opposite direction.
The Heavenly Thief.
That terrifyingly swift shadow was undoubtedly him.
Thud, thud, thud!
At the same time, the sound of dozens of footsteps approached.
“Myo Cheon-woo!” Bu Eunseol shouted like thunder. “Command the members to block all pursuit teams coming this way!”
Boom!
With lightning-like movement, he chased after the Heavenly Thief’s fading shadow.
“Heard the order?” Myo Cheon-woo’s shout was met with beast-like roars from the Death Shadow Corps members. “We block every straggler coming this way! Third Squad, take the lead! Second Squad…”
Myo Cheon-woo efficiently directed the members to form a defensive line.
Thud, thud, thud!
Dozens of figures surged toward them, wearing white headbands—clearly masters from the Martial Alliance’s sword divisions.
“Let’s stop them!”
At Myo Cheon-woo’s cry, the Death Shadow Corps members roared and charged forward.
