Chapter 242
Pi-pi-pi-pi-pi-ping!

“Ahhhhhhh!”

“Gyaaah!”

“Charge! We have to get close—if they can’t fire their ranged attacks, we stand a chance!”

“Go! Get in any way you can! Huff—ugh! Gyaaah!”

After suffering devastating losses in the initial ambush, the warriors aboard the Black Dragon ship desperately tried to defend against the ranged attacks and break through the encirclement.

They had judged that since the main force of the white-clad warriors relied heavily on ranged attacks, closing the distance would give them an advantage.

But the white-clad warriors were no pushovers.

Having unleashed their ranged attacks in the first strike, they now held their swords ready, blocking the Black Dragon warriors’ approach with only a third of their forces remaining.

It was a perfectly timed and fitting counter.

Cha-cheng! Cha-cha-cheng!

Pi-pi-ping!

“Ugh!”

While about two hundred vanguard warriors held the enemy at bay, a hundred warriors in the rear fired ranged attacks through their comrades, picking off the Black Dragon warriors attempting to break the siege.

It was a flawless division of roles and seamless coordination.

Easier said than done—one wrong move and they could have accidentally struck their own allies in these razor-thin maneuvers.

Yet they executed these impossible tactics in battle without a single mistake, flowing like water.

No need to confirm further—they were clearly elite warriors who had trained together for a long time.

Cha-cha-cheng! Pi-pi-pi-ping!

“Ahhhhh!”

“Gyaaaah!”

Faced with such masterful encirclement, the Black Dragon warriors fell helplessly one by one.

Watching this, Sul Mo-saeng, the head of the Haenam Sul clan, could only feel panic rising within him.

“Th-this can’t be…”

The scene unfolding before his eyes was nothing like the plan he had envisioned.

He had imagined that with the overwhelming force of two hundred Black Dragon warriors, they would easily deal with In Pa-rang and return victorious…

Since pledging loyalty to Jin Tae-do over a decade ago, Sul Mo-saeng had walked a smooth path.

Jin Tae-do, his lord, had become the chief of the Haenam faction, and Sul Mo-saeng had enjoyed every privilege under him.

No obstacles, no hardships.

Everything had been smooth sailing, and he never doubted that this life would continue.

At least, until now.

But now, watching the Black Dragon warriors scream and fall, Sul Mo-saeng swallowed dryly without realizing it.

Gulp!

It seemed a serious crisis had come to his life.

He turned his gaze away from the Black Dragon warriors and looked ahead again.

There, not only the mysterious white-clad warriors but another threat was approaching.

In Pa-rang, sword drawn, was slowly advancing.

His steps were calm, as if approaching prey already caught.

Sul Mo-saeng ground his teeth in fury.

Gnash!

It was all because of that bastard.

If he had died cleanly back then, everything would have ended.

But he had survived stubbornly, and now stood in the way of his path.

“You bastard!”

Clang!

Sul Mo-saeng drew his sword with eyes blazing with rage.

He had to kill that man.

Everything had happened because of him, and if he could just kill him, all would be resolved.

Besides, Sul Mo-saeng was confident he could take him down.

No matter if he was the heir of Haenam or whatever, he was still just a kid in his twenties.

There was no way such a brat could be a match for someone like him, standing on the brink of mastery.

Pointing his sword boldly at In Pa-rang, Sul Mo-saeng shouted,

“This time, I’ll kill you for sure!”

At that, he caught a glimpse of a faint smirk on In Pa-rang’s lips.

It looked like mockery.

Fury rising at the sneer, Sul Mo-saeng let out a battle cry and charged.

“You bastard! How dare you!”

Suddenly, he noticed In Pa-rang take a step forward.

Though he had been steadily advancing all along, this step felt different somehow.

And in the next moment—

Sul Mo-saeng found In Pa-rang’s face suddenly before him.

“Gah!”

He was horrified by In Pa-rang’s divine technique.

The name of the technique flashed through his mind.

‘I-Ichyeong Hwanwi?!’

But that didn’t matter now.

Before him, the blade In Pa-rang had drawn was streaking like a ray of light.

Shu-haaaak!

“Ugh!”

Sul Mo-saeng hurriedly raised his sword to block the horizontal slash.

Jjeong!

“!”

The force was tremendous.

Just blocking a single strike made his grip ache as if it would tear apart.

Not only that, he had to exert all his strength to prevent his sword from violently vibrating and flying aside.

A scream burst from within.

‘Ugh! How can a mere kid in his twenties be like this?!’

As he thought this, though he was sure he had blocked the horizontal slash, the next instant the blade came down vertically without any delay.

Chu-haaaak!

“!”

Watching the blade descend like lightning above his head, Sul Mo-saeng could only think of one name.

‘Southern Cross Sword…?’

And that was the last thought he had.

Puh-haaaak!

His body was cleanly split in two.

A master who had been on the verge of mastery was cut down by In Pa-rang’s sword—just a kid in his twenties—with only two strikes.

“Ohhhhh!”

Ja-gae-chu, the head of the Haenam family who had witnessed the entire scene, gasped with tears welling in his eyes.

That was the Southern Cross Sword.

The legendary blade that had produced the greatest warrior under the name of Haenam, thought lost forever by the Haenam faction.

And look at the white sword he held.

Wasn’t that the White Tiger Sword?

The sacred treasure of the Haenam faction, thought lost and never to be found again.

Ja-gae-chu had honestly given up on both the Southern Cross Sword and the White Tiger Sword.

But now, before his eyes, the heir of the Haenam clan wielded the White Tiger Sword, demonstrating overwhelming skill with the Southern Cross Sword, and had just executed the traitor Sul Mo-saeng.

It was the most moving sight he had ever witnessed.

Tears glistening, Ja-gae-chu turned his gaze to the still-fighting warriors and shouted loudly.

“Warriors of Haenam! Behold! The rightful heir of the White Tiger Sword and Southern Cross Sword has appeared! In Pa-rang, the heir of the Haenam clan, has executed the traitor Sul Mo-saeng with the Southern Cross Sword!”

The effect was tremendous.

The Black Dragon warriors still resisting saw the White Tiger Sword in Seon Woo-jin’s hand and the split corpse of Sul Mo-saeng before them, and their faces fell in despair.

The fact that the sacred White Tiger Sword of Haenam was now on the opposing side, and that their greatest leader Sul Mo-saeng had become a lost soul in an instant, drained their will to fight.

They suddenly stopped, murmuring to themselves.

“This can’t be…”

“W-what do we do now?”

“Is that really the White Tiger Sword?”

Seizing their confusion sharply, Seon Woo-jin raised the White Tiger Sword high and shouted,

“If you still consider yourselves warriors of Haenam, surrender before this White Tiger Sword! If you serve Jin Tae-do, you may be punished, but if you are true Haenam warriors, you will be spared once!”

His words forced the Black Dragon warriors to choose whether to remain soldiers of Haenam or continue as Jin Tae-do’s mercenaries.

It also implied that Jin Tae-do was no longer the rightful chief of the Haenam faction.

And that declaration effectively ended the battle.

Though they were warriors of the Haenam Jin family, they were still Haenam warriors.

No one wanted to die as a traitor to Haenam.

The Black Dragon warriors completely lost their will to fight and dropped their swords.

Clang, clang!

“We… we surrender!”

“We yield.”

“Surrender…”

And just like that, the battle was over.

A clear demonstration of how a fight without legitimacy ends.

Afterward, the surrendered Black Dragon warriors were disarmed, pressure-point sealed, and forced to kneel on one side.

The white-clad warriors who had subdued them gathered around Seon Woo-jin.

Their eyes blazed like flames as they looked at him.

The sharp-eyed warrior standing at the front knelt before Seon Woo-jin and said,

“We, the warriors of Haenam In-ga and Haenam Sa-ga, pay our respects to So-ju!”

His voice was filled with a deep, long-held sorrow.

That was the beginning.

As he called out and knelt, nearly three hundred white-clad warriors all began kneeling and shouting with heartfelt emotion.

“Warriors of Haenam In-ga pay respects to So-ju!”

“Warriors of Haenam Sa-ga pay respects to So-ju!”

“So-ju!”

“We pay respects to So-ju!”

Thud, thud, thud!

It was an astonishing sight.

The sight of over three hundred warriors, tears welling in their eyes, kneeling before Sun Woo-jin was like witnessing the return of a hero straight out of legend.

Standing beside Sun Woo-jin, Son Dae-su, Son Yi-rang, and Jin So-eun stared blankly, almost dazed, at the three hundred warriors bowing before them.

A shiver ran from the tips of their toes all the way to their heads.

Then, as every one of the White-Clad Warriors dropped to their knees and cried out with heartfelt fervor, the last to approach was the head of the Haenam family, Ja Gae-chu. He stepped forward slowly, knelt before Sun Woo-jin, and spoke.

“I, Ja Gae-chu, head of the Haenam clan, pay my respects to the rightful successor of the Haenam faction.”

The rightful successor of the Haenam faction.

Those words carried immense weight.

Hearing this beside him, Son Dae-su couldn’t help but let out a low sigh.

“Ha…”

To be called the rightful successor of Haenam.

It was a heavy title indeed.

It implied that Jin Tae-do, the current clan leader, was illegitimate—that he must be ousted to restore the rightful order. It also meant that a storm of bloodshed was inevitable for the Haenam faction.

Son Dae-su could almost smell the thick scent of blood hanging in the air.

He thought to himself, Is this getting out of hand? This will inevitably lead to an all-out war with Jin Tae-do… And besides, Sun Woo-jin isn’t even the real Inparang Gongja. Even if his intentions are noble, if they find out the truth…

The very thought was terrifying.

Son Dae-su’s head spun as he looked at Sun Woo-jin with worried eyes.

Yet, despite the gravity of the moment, Sun Woo-jin’s expression remained unchanged.

He simply crossed his arms and gazed silently at the Haenam warriors before speaking briefly.

“Everyone, rise.”

At that moment, Son Dae-su let out a bitter chuckle of admiration.

Sun Woo-jin’s command to the warriors, delivered as if his own worries didn’t exist, was so natural—so effortless.

It was as if it was only natural for him to be their ruler.

And look—at his command, the Haenam warriors rose as if spellbound.

It was clear he possessed an overwhelming authority that compelled absolute obedience.

Son Dae-su shook his head, smiling wryly.

At this point, whether he’s the real Inparang or not might not even matter. That’s some serious leadership. I used to scoff at the idea of someone being born a king, but today I’m witnessing it firsthand.

He admitted it silently.

For someone barely in his twenties, with no experience leading others, to wield such natural authority—it could only mean he was born to be a king.

He also thought, If he chooses to live as Inparang, he will inevitably become the true king of Namhae. He might even write a new legend after the Namhae Sword King.

As Son Dae-su and the others shivered, caught up in this scene straight out of a storybook, there was one person who could not share their sentiment. He let out a deep sigh.

That was Myeo Cheong-ju, head of the Haenam Myeo family.

Myeo Cheong-ju was filled with regret.

I should have joined forces to kill him when he fought Sul Mo-saeng earlier. My hesitation cost me the last chance. Now it’s too late—there won’t be another.

Until just moments ago, Myeo Cheong-ju had been unable to decide what to do.

It was likely a habit formed from always mediating between sides, making decisions to suit his own interests.

By staying neutral, he had always been able to make the final call and maximize his advantage.

So when Inparang began fighting Sul Mo-saeng, he chose to watch from the sidelines rather than intervene…

He never expected the outcome to be decided so quickly.

Biting his lip, Myeo Cheong-ju regretted his misjudgment.

It was a completely wrong call.

Now that everything had ended so swiftly, he painfully realized that his power to choose only existed when the balance between sides was even.

When the scales tipped so heavily, there was nothing he could do.

Moreover, Inparang already knew that Myeo Cheong-ju had sent his father, In Gye-un, to the Hyeongsan faction.

There was no way Inparang would ever recognize him as neutral.

He thought ahead to what might come.

Is there any room for negotiation?

Maybe there was.

If he promised to help Inparang reclaim the Haenam faction from Jin Tae-do, who was clearly weaker, then Inparang would need allies—and might not want to turn the Myeo family into outright enemies.

If only he could persuade him on that point…

But just then, Sun Woo-jin’s eyes suddenly locked onto Myeo Cheong-ju.

The icy glare he met made Myeo Cheong-ju realize immediately.

There was no room for negotiation.

Sun Woo-jin had no intention of sparing him.

Pointing his sword at him, Sun Woo-jin shouted,

“Myeo Cheong-ju! When you go to hell, be sure to apologize to the spirits of the In and Sa families who died unjustly!”

Following his lead, all the White-Clad Warriors fixed their blazing eyes on Myeo Cheong-ju.

Their gaze was filled with vengeful fury, ready to exact justice.

Myeo Cheong-ju squeezed his eyes shut.

From the start, there had been no thought of negotiation.

Even if Inparang wanted to negotiate, the other warriors would never accept it.

This is the end.

He felt hollow.

The choice to side with Jin Tae-do, who seemed likely to become the clan leader, had come back to haunt him in this way…

As always, he regretted it.

But as always, regret was useless.

Accepting his fate, Myeo Cheong-ju closed his eyes.

Just as Sun Woo-jin was about to strike—

Suddenly, Myeo A-ran, standing beside him, shouted out.

“Wait!”

Her clear voice drew everyone’s attention instantly.

Then, with desperate urgency, she called out to Sun Woo-jin.

“Before you kill my father, please talk to me first! I have something important to say to Lord In!”

But Sun Woo-jin’s sword didn’t move.

His cold gaze met hers as he asked,

“Why should I?”

A-ran looked at him with an unreadable expression before answering slowly.

“Because… I am your betrothed.”

In that moment, Sun Woo-jin’s eyes widened, shaken to their core.