Under the flag of the Martial Alliance that had spread throughout the Central Plains, the retribution began.

In just half a day, dozens of heretic factions were reduced to ashes and disappeared.

The spirit of tolerance and mercy that the Martial Alliance had shown until now had long since vanished.

Of course, there were voices of criticism.

“The Martial Alliance has finally gone mad!”

“How can the Martial Alliance be called righteous after this?”

“The Martial Alliance isn’t exactly clean either, is it?”

Behind the voices of criticism, there were not a few voices defending the Martial Alliance.

“Considering what the Martial Alliance has endured until now, this is nothing but just deserts.”

“Indeed! Evil must be rooted out, even if it means doing this!”

“Pah, spit! If there’s anyone here who defends those heretic factions, come out! I won’t let you go!”

Even as the side defending the Martial Alliance and the side criticizing it were sharply divided, the flag of the Martial Alliance did not stop.

They trampled on the heretic martial arts sects belonging to the heretic path one by one, with a spirit of retribution rather than slaughter.

This news spread quickly through the Hao Sect’s information network.

“Lord! An urgent letter!”

“Damn it! What is it now?”

Ok Myeon roughly snatched the three urgent letters and then examined the contents of the first one.

The letter was sent by Baekmyeon.

“Baekmyeon?”

The Hao Sect was already busy enough with the Martial Alliance’s large-scale surprise attack.

Information and news were pouring in day after day, so Ok Myeon couldn't leave his branch office.

Because of this, Ok Myeon, who was planning to move his branch office, was stuck in his place, unable to move.

In such a situation, Baekmyeon sent an urgent letter, and Ok Myeon was about to go mad.

“Jeokmyeon to Baekmyeon?”

It was quite an unexpected content.

Ok Myeon, who then opened the second urgent letter, realized that it was a letter sent by Jeokmyeon.

“He must be in quite a hurry.”

The content brought by the two letters was this.

Baekmyeon had visited Jeokmyeon’s Honggang and had proposed a partnership.

Jeokmyeon, who was displeased with this, had tried to assassinate Baekmyeon but had failed, and Baekmyeon, who felt his life was threatened, had requested Ok Myeon’s mediation.

Of course, it was just a request for mediation, but it meant that he wanted Jeokmyeon’s position to be revoked.

And Jeokmyeon was claiming that all of this was a misunderstanding and a scheme devised by Baekmyeon, who was eyeing his business.

As the positions of the two were sharply divided.

Ok Myeon felt an obligation to mediate between the two.

“A pair of lunatics.”

Ok Myeon massaged his temples and frowned.

He wrote two letters with a quick hand, handed them over, and said.

“Send the letters to Jeokmyeon and Baekmyeon.”

“Yes!”

Ok Myeon, who had sent a reply to the urgent letters, finally opened the third urgent letter.

It contained a more interesting content than the previous two urgent letters.

“Hoh.”

***

“Many heretic martial arts sects have been hit by the Martial Alliance. If this continues…”

Seolpyeong, who had received the news from the Hao Sect, urgently conveyed the message.

Mu Yu, who had been closing his eyes, stood up.

“Chief?”

“I must see the Alliance Leader.”

Mu Yu, who had stood up from his seat, hurriedly went to see the Heretic Path's Alliance’s leader, Ju Cheon.

As if he had already heard the news, Ju Cheon was drinking alcohol and waiting for Mu Yu.

“I have come to see the Alliance Leader.”

Mu Yu approached with a low posture and bowed before Ju Cheon.

“What are you doing all of a sudden. Come up.”

“Yes.”

Ju Cheon offered a cup to Mu Yu, who was sitting opposite him.

At this, Mu Yu hurriedly received the cup.

“Thank you!”

“The Chief must have heard the news too, right?”

“That’s right. The Martial Alliance is beating up sects all over the place. It seems the anger that has been building up since the ‘Subduing Heaven’ has finally exploded at this Four Daoist Assembly.”

“It must be so. The Martial Alliance is by no means naive. Rather, they must have been suppressing their rising anger, hiding themselves in the mask of justice and peace. And this time… that anger has properly exploded.”

“That’s right.”

“What’s the scale of the damage?”

“It’s still being estimated, but roughly thirty-five sects have been exterminated, and twenty of them were sects that were closely related to the Heretic Path's Alliance. And the number of exterminated sects is expected to increase over time.”

“Haha! They’re properly punishing them. As expected of the Martial Alliance.”

“If we remain silent like this, there could be a problem with the trust in the Heretic Path's Alliance.”

“That would be so.”

Mu Yu drank the alcohol from the cup at Ju Cheon’s suggestion, but he also watched his expression.

‘I still can’t tell.’

He had been watching him since the Heretic Path's Alliance was established and Ju Cheon became the leader.

As the chief of the Heretic Path's Alliance, he had watched Ju Cheon’s every move from closer than anyone else and had tried to understand his intentions.

But even the wise Mu Yu, who could be called the head of the Heretic Path's Alliance, had failed to understand Ju Cheon’s psychology.

What did he truly want?

‘What is the Alliance Leader’s purpose… I still don’t know.’

Decades had already passed.

Mu Yu did not know Ju Cheon’s purpose.

He suddenly looked down at the back of his hand.

A hand with fine wrinkles.

Mu Yu, who had aged at some point after drinking the poison of time, now had little time left.

The time had come to ask the question he had been hesitating about for decades.

“Alliance Leader.”

Mu Yu lowered himself as much as possible and asked.

“May this Mu Yu dare to ask the Alliance Leader a question.”

Ju Cheon looked at Mu Yu with an interested gaze.

“Speak.”

“What is the Alliance Leader’s cause?”

At his question, Ju Cheon raised one corner of his mouth and said.

“What is your cause?”

“The cause I have… is to make the Heretic Path's Alliance the best in the heretic path, and to place the world under the feet of the Heretic Path's Alliance.”

“The reason?”

“A person who has become a king must covet the world, and a person who has become a general must covet the victory of all wars. If a person who has become a martial artist covets being the best under heaven… then my wish as the chief is to covet that the Heretic Path's Alliance, to which I belong, holds the world in its hands. That is my cause.”

Ju Cheon, who had heard Mu Yu’s answer, clapped his hands.

Mu Yu, who had been passionately speaking, wiped the sweat that was flowing from tension with his sleeve.

Soon, Ju Cheon drank his alcohol and then said.

“I have no cause.”

“…”

Since it was an answer he had expected to some extent, Mu Yu was not disappointed.

The problem was what came next.

“I hate order. I hate things that are formalized. What I love is chaos.”

“Chaos…”

“A martial world divided into righteous and heretic is too boring for me. What I want… my cause is…”

Ju Cheon placed his palm on the table.

The next moment.

Creak—!!

A bizarre sound continued from the table, which was made of hard ebony.

After that, when Ju Cheon removed his hand, an indescribable scar was left on the table.

‘Unformalized… disorder.’

A scar that was chaotically tangled and twisted.

What it symbolized was disorder.

Chaos.

“The reason I established the Heretic Path's Alliance was simply that the Martial Alliance was the one that survived the Righteous-Heretic Great War. If the Ming Cult had been the one that survived the Righteous-Heretic Great War, I would have established a new Martial Alliance.”

“…”

“Do you understand, Mu Yu. What I want is to destroy this tiny martial world. For that, first of all.”

The one who symbolizes order.

“I must destroy the Martial Alliance.”

Ju Cheon, who was staring at Mu Yu’s confused face, laughed loudly.

“Hahaha! Are you disappointed, Chief.”

“No. Rather, I am just ashamed of myself for not asking earlier.”

“Mu Yu.”

“Please give your order.”

“You strive for your cause. My cause is my own.”

“As you command.”

“And leave the Martial Alliance as it is.”

“Are you saying we should not resist?”

“Yes. Those bastards are attacking the heretic martial world by surprise, without putting forth a justification. What do you think is the reason?”

At that moment, Mu Yu’s eyes opened wide.

“A feint…”

“Soon, they will move for something bigger. Wait for the right time. And.”

Ju Cheon said with the eyes of a boy waiting for something fun.

“Prepare for the hunt.”

***

Mu Yu, who had finished his meeting with Ju Cheon and had turned away, immediately went to find Ma Seongun.

Ma Seongun, who had recently returned to the alliance, was silent, cooped up in his quarters.

When Mu Yu went to find him, Ma Seongun was already out and waiting.

“You’ve come.”

Ma Seongun seemed to have been waiting for Mu Yu to come.

“The Martial Alliance is carrying out a large-scale surprise attack. But this is a feint. They are probably preparing for something bigger.”

“Hmm.”

“It is the Alliance Leader’s order. Prepare for the hunt. You will stand at the forefront of the hunt.”

“I understand.”

Mu Yu, watching Ma Seongun who had received the order and was returning to his quarters, soothed his complicated heart.

‘Ju Cheon is a dangerous person. I cannot entrust the future of the Heretic Path's Alliance entirely to him.’

Mu Yu was wary of those who had no purpose.

And Ju Cheon was a person who had no purpose.

Since he couldn't entrust the Heretic Path's Alliance entirely to him, Mu Yu was keeping an eye on Ma Seongun, who would become the next leader of the Heretic Path's Alliance.

However, there was also a problem with Ma Seongun.

‘I can’t figure out that bastard’s inner thoughts since a long time ago. It’s as if… he’s living a second life.’

Mu Yu, who was glaring at Ma Seongun’s quarters, turned his body.

In the meantime, Ma Seongun, who had entered his own room, stared at the letter placed on the table.

Ma Seongun burned the letter with his fingertip and then said softly.

“No, not yet.”

***

“Do I really have to do this?”

“Of course! You tried to kill me!”

Baekmyeon pointed at Jeokmyeon and shouted.

Although he was covering it with a mask, a sense of annoyance could be felt from Jeokmyeon’s hidden face.

“You’re being disgraceful until the end!”

“Hmph! We’ll see who’s being disgraceful when we meet Ok Myeon!”

Jeokmyeon and Baekmyeon.

The two men wearing masks with a red spider and a white spider drawn on them were getting angry in front of Ok Myeon’s branch office.

“If you go inside, the Lord will be waiting.”

“It won’t be long before your mask is taken off!”

Baekmyeon walked forward, fuming, and Jeokmyeon followed him with a deep sigh.

Having arrived at Ok Myeon’s branch office, they left their escorts, Gwan O and Eumyu, outside, and even put down the small daggers they were carrying, and then went down deep into the basement.

Jeokmyeon, who had visited Ok Myeon’s branch office several times, walked leisurely, and Baekmyeon looked around and said.

“How on earth does Ok Myeon live in this basement where not a single ray of light comes in?”

“This is the reason why Ok Myeon is great.”

“Are you already trying to flatter him?”

“Think whatever you want.”

Jeokmyeon and Baekmyeon entered Ok Myeon’s office, constantly checking each other.

There, Ok Myeon, who was waiting for the two, welcomed them with open arms.

“This is the first time I’m seeing two branch lords at the same time. Please sit.”

At Ok Myeon’s suggestion, Jeokmyeon and Baekmyeon took seats in chairs far apart from each other.

“I hear there has been a misunderstanding between you two?”

“A misunderstanding!”

Baekmyeon, as if he had been waiting, said, flying into a rage.

“That evil person tried to kill me!”

“That’s the misunderstanding. Is there any guarantee that the secret operative who attacked Baekmyeon was my person?”

“Hmph! Who would want to kill me? To think that I wouldn’t know that you were trying to kill me and monopolize the business after liking the business I proposed!?”

“Phew… I can’t seem to get through to you.”

Jeokmyeon said as if he were frustrated.

“Ok Myeon. Please listen.”

“Please speak one at a time, slowly.”

Ok Myeon listened to Jeokmyeon’s and Baekmyeon’s words one by one and then nodded his head silently.

“So, to summarize… Baekmyeon, you’re saying that Jeokmyeon, who liked the business you proposed, tried to kill you, Baekmyeon, and monopolize the business.”

“That’s right!”

“And Jeokmyeon, you’re saying that all of this is a misunderstanding.”

“That’s right. Why would I kill Baekmyeon? Even if I did…”

Jeokmyeon looked straight at Ok Myeon.

“I would surely be discovered by Ok Myeon, have my position revoked, and then be killed horribly.”

“Hahaha.”

Ok Myeon shook his head from side to side, swept his hair that had fallen over his mask, and said.

“Jeokmyeon, who knows me so well…”

A sly voice flowed from inside the jade-colored mask.

“Why did you betray me and the Hao Sect?”

(End of Chapter)