The movement techniques of the two men and one woman running through the Daebyeol mountain range were stealthy and fast.

Tang Gwan glanced at Yeon Hojeong.

Yeon Hojeong was racing along the mountain path with a calm expression. He had left the noisy Flood Dragon Chain behind for covert movement, but he had proudly slung the Mad Dragon over his shoulder.

Tang Gwan found himself thinking that, even armed like that, the brat was somehow managing to conceal his presence and run well. An axe that size naturally took a great deal of air resistance, so it should have been as fatal to covert movement as an iron chain.

Hm.

Tang Gwan silently watched Yeon Hojeong, then suddenly asked as something occurred to him.

“Where exactly did a bastard like you crawl out from?”

“What is that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”

Even though their speed was one that most Peak masters could barely keep up with by exerting all their strength, both men’s faces were full of ease.

“Was the Yeon Clan of Green Mountain not versed in swordsmanship? I am asking how a brat like you ended up carrying such a vicious thing.”

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“This suits my temper better. Just because we are a clan of swords does not mean we absolutely have to swing only swords.”

“What a ridiculous brat. If it does not suit you, that means you have no talent. If you lack talent, then it is only proper to shed blood and sweat in an effort to carry on your clan’s orthodoxy.”

“That may be how the Tang Clan does things, but my clan is not like that. My father is strict about clan law, but he is flexible about matters like this.”

“......You Yeons truly are a difficult breed to understand.”

“From our perspective, the Tangs are stranger.”

“Quiet.”

Yeon Hojeong grumbled in a voice so small even Tang Gwan could not hear it. Roughly interpreted, it amounted to, “He was the one who started talking and now he says quiet,” and, “That is just how Tang bastards are.”

Tang Gwan paid no attention to Yeon Hojeong’s muttering. He could not hear it to begin with, and he did not want to hear it either.

There was just one thing he wanted to ask.

“No matter how different a clan’s customs may be, there is always a line that ought to be upheld.”

“That is true.”

“One who has not learned the clan’s orthodox martial arts has no qualifications as heir. A crafty brat like you cannot possibly be unaware of that.”

“I know.”

“Then what? Are you saying you secretly learned the Yeon Clan’s sword art behind your father’s back?”

“What do you take me for? I am still the eldest son of the Yeon Clan. I have memorized most of my clan’s swordsmanship.”

“And?”

“I simply have never trained it properly.”

Tang Gwan frowned.

“Are you playing games with me? How can someone with that mindset call himself the legitimate heir of his clan?”

“There is another legitimate heir besides me, is there not?”

“......?!”

“In fact, Jipyeong probably understands the Yeon Clan sword art better than I do. Perhaps, when it comes to sword intent alone, he may even be better than me.”

A look of disbelief spread across Tang Gwan’s face.

“What does that mean?”

“What does what mean?”

“Do you mean to yield the heir’s position to your younger brother?”

Yeon Hojeong spoke with an indifferent expression.

“Did you think a butcher like me could take charge of the clan’s future?”

“......?!”

“Even if I were versed in swordsmanship, a man who lacks the qualifications should not inherit the clan. Jipyeong is more suited to being the Clan Lord than I am.”

Yeon Hojeong rubbed his chin.

“Jipyeong really is better. Perhaps he might even become the greatest Clan Lord in the history of our clan......”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes?”

Tang Gwan’s face twisted in a way that was hard to describe.

“I asked whether you are serious about yielding the heir’s position to your younger brother.”

“Why would I go out of my way to lie about something like this?”

“......!!”

“Jipyeong will do well. I have that much faith in him.”

“You mean you have no desire for the Clan Lord’s seat?”

Yeon Hojeong snorted.

“Does someone give you money if you become the Clan Lord of a martial clan? Or does your martial arts improve just because you laze around? If not that, does the heavens look kindly on you?”

This lunatic.

Tang Gwan was so dumbfounded that he could not even open his mouth.

Yeon Hojeong continued in a flat voice. At first glance, his voice sounded almost leisurely.

“I do not look down on the position of a Clan Lord. No, rather, I think it is remarkable. That is why I am saying Jipyeong is better suited to it than I am.”

“And you have no desire to sit in that remarkable position yourself?”

To Yeon Hojeong, who had already led tens of thousands of Dark Path heretics as the Lord of the Black Emperor’s Citadel, those words held no meaning.

And because of that, Yeon Hojeong knew.

He knew what it meant to become the head of an organization.

Perhaps, just as Tang Gwan said, becoming the Clan Lord of the Yeon Clan of Green Mountain might be more difficult and more valuable than becoming the Lord of the Black Emperor’s Citadel.

Yeon Hojeong smiled bitterly.

“I am someone who knows his place. I might be able to serve as the leader of a band of rogues, but becoming the Clan Lord of a proper clan is beyond me. It would probably feel more comfortable to aim for becoming the greatest under heaven.”

Tang Gwan’s eyes flashed.

“Is your dream to become the greatest under heaven?”

“Becoming the strongest in martial arts under heaven. That, too, would be meaningful. It is special, after all. Then again, people who do not understand the compatibility between martial arts and real combat would not know that a true greatest under heaven can never exist.”

“......”

“That is all I mean. For me, aiming to be the greatest under heaven looks easier than becoming the head of an upright organization.”

If heard the wrong way, it could sound like the words of a truly arrogant brat.

But those were Yeon Hojeong’s true feelings.

The Black Emperor’s Citadel had not been an organization deliberately created from the start. After cutting his way through blood-soaked Asura fields, strong people had gathered around him before he knew it, and together with them, he had created the Black Emperor’s Citadel to rule the Dark Path and stage one grand brawl against the entire world.

Of course, Yeon Hojeong had grown greatly through that process as well. He could not even count how much he had learned about the qualities and responsibility a leader of an organization needed to possess.

But that was all.

It had only been possible because the Dark Path heretics treated strength as the highest virtue. Yeon Hojeong genuinely thought so.

That was why he believed he was absolutely unsuited to becoming the master of the Yeon Clan.

If he became Clan Lord, the clan would transform into an endlessly arrogant combat organization, no different from the Tang Clan of Sichuan as it was now.

“What a ridiculous brat. I do not know whether to call you the greediest man in the world or a half-baked fool with no ambition whatsoever.”

“You may call me whatever you like. Whatever it is, my belief that Jipyeong is more suited to the Clan Lord’s seat will not change.”

Tang Gwan’s eyes deepened.

“How can you be like that?”

“What do you mean?”

“Siblings are merely a word used to define a relationship. In this vicious world, they are nothing more than the first competitors you face after being born. Your temper is no ordinary thing either, so what exactly do you owe your younger brother that you would yield so much to him?”

“Yield......”

Yeon Hojeong’s smile turned bitter.

It was an expression that seemed to carry some story behind it, enough that even Tang Gwan, who had been sharply needling him, closed his mouth the moment he saw it.

“I did not know that.”

“Know what?”

“That before being the first competitor you face after being born, a younger sibling is someone you should protect and cherish, and eventually hope will surpass you.”

“......!”

“For a time, I hated the brother I should naturally have cherished. That is why all I want now is to treat him several times better than that.”

“......”

“Well, that is how I feel, but it has not been easy. I have been so busy. Though maybe being busy is just an excuse too.”

Tang Gwan shook his head.

“You truly are impossible to understand.”

“Tell me about it. Sometimes, I do not understand myself either.”

“I do understand one thing. You are half mad.”

Yeon Hojeong chuckled.

“Is this not a world where one must be mad to survive? Hah hah.”

“Do not laugh.”

“Woof.”

“What is that undignified noise?”

“It is not as though I can grapple with the great Tang Clan Lord.”

“Madman.”

“I told you I know.”

How long had they been running like that?

“......”

Tang Gwan’s eyes deepened.

He looked back at Yeon Hojeong. Yeon Hojeong nodded silently.

Whoosh!

The three of them descended the mountain path at twice their previous speed.

A short while later, Ga Deoksang appeared from behind a large boulder.

“Can you see it?”

Ga Deoksang’s gaze was directed toward a vast forest surrounded by trees that had yet to sprout new buds.

The corner of Tang Gwan’s mouth rose.

“Is that it?”

“Yes. After releasing our field agents to examine the area, we confirmed that he has not yet moved from that place.”

Tang Gwan looked at Yeon Hojeong.

“Then it is certain. That man, who we believe is a high-ranking official at least at the level of Assistant Commissioner of the Provincial Defense Command, is undoubtedly connected to the Divine Flame Cult.”

“I see.”

“......”

“What is it?”

“......Nothing.”

Tang Gwan deliberately did not say it.

He did not bother saying how splendidly the brat’s eyes were burning right now.

Yeon Hojeong asked Ga Deoksang, “We must cut off Henan Province first. I trust you understand what I mean.”

“Of course. However, once this operation begins, the Divine Flame Cult will be put on alert in one form or another. The imperial palace and the authorities as well.”

“I know.”

“We cannot merely cut things off starting from Henan Province. We must end everything inside Henan Province.”

“Do not worry.”

Ga Deoksang nodded.

“Young Master Yeon, Lady Mook. I wish you success in battle.”

Yeon Hojeong offered a cupped-fist salute, then looked at Tang Gwan.

“I will go first.”

“Do so.”

“By any chance, if things prove too much......”

“Quiet. Nothing like what you are thinking will happen. Go.”

Yeon Hojeong grinned.

“Understood. Then I will await news of your victory.”

PAAK!

With that, Yeon Hojeong and Mookbi raced west along the lower mountain path.

It became clear that even the movement techniques they had used until now had not been their full effort. The man and woman ran even faster than they had on the way here, and before long, they vanished into the darkness. Their movement techniques were so fast it would make one click one’s tongue.

Ga Deoksang exhaled heavily.

“Please begin whenever you wish, Clan Lord.”

The corner of Tang Gwan’s mouth rose.

“What is so grand about this that I should drag it out? I should finish it quickly.”

*****

It was better to come out into the courtyard and look up at the sky than stay shut inside the base. The tree branches were so dense that even the sky was hard to see, but Yo Roe’s eyes pierced through the gaps between countless branches and looked upon the star-filled heavens.

“Hoo.”

White mist bloomed from the light breath he exhaled.

“The cold of the Central Plains certainly has something different about it. It is nothing like the chill of my bleak homeland.”

WOOONG. WOOOOONG.

Yo Roe’s pupils gave off a faint red light.

“To tell the truth, since I planned to stay here for a few days, I was thinking of getting some sleep.”

There was no one around him. Even so, he continued speaking in a calm voice, as if he were conversing with someone.

“But I felt rather strange. It is difficult to put my finger on it, but it felt as if something amusing was about to happen. So I have been wandering around here without sleeping, without even venting my bloodlust.”

Yo Roe slowly closed his eyes, then just as slowly raised his eyelids again.

His demonic eyes had turned as red as blood.

“As expected, my intuition was right. To think such an entertaining toy would appear.”

The place he was looking at.

Far beyond the brush, a middle-aged man in dark green robes was approaching with arrogant steps.

SWISH.

A smile spread across Yo Roe’s lips.

“What a distinctive presence. You must have carved at least three syllables of your name into the world. What are you?”

The middle-aged man, Tang Gwan, gave an overwhelming answer.

“A pity, then, that my name has only two syllables. It is a name you will forget soon anyway, so instead of wasting your time on useless things, I advise you to try running.”