The soldiers atop the fortress walls were taken aback as an army suddenly appeared on the distant horizon.
“What is that?”
Clad in black, they radiated a sinister aura.
“Is that the Imperial Army?”
Their appearance closely resembled the infamous Black Army of the Empire, notorious across the continent.
Suddenly, a soldier holding a telescope raised his voice.
“Th-they’re not from the continent!”
“What?”
“They’re from the East!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look for yourself!”
He handed over the telescope.
“Uh…?”
The soldier who peered through it gasped.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
The commotion on the walls grew louder again.
Just then, Calcio, having heard the news, appeared.
“What’s going on?”
“See for yourself!”
“Give me the telescope.”
Calcio raised the telescope to his eye and stared intently at the horizon.
The army emerging from the east was steadily advancing toward Saidor.
Their banners, held high, bore strange Eastern characters.
“Commander, what should we do?”
“Why are these Eastern bastards here?”
“Where are the orcs? Why aren’t they stopping them?”
Calcio raised his hand.
“Everyone, calm down.”
Still, the noise didn’t subside. Calcio took a deep breath and shouted loudly.
“Quiet, all of you!”
At last, the fortress fell silent.
“Summon all of Saidor’s troops. Prepare for battle.”
The meaning was clear.
Saidor would defend the fortress against them.
“Sound the horns.”
“Yes, sir.”
The soldiers’ previously noisy faces turned serious.
These were men who risked their lives fighting orcs every day. They knew when to focus.
“Yes!”
“Get ready!”
“Prepare for battle!”
The horns blared once more, and each soldier took their assigned position.
The remaining troops inside the fortress quickly finished their preparations and rushed up to the walls.
Calcio placed one foot on the battlement and spoke.
“They didn’t come here with good intentions.”
Thanks to years of battlefield experience, Calcio could tell from their expressions alone the hostility of the orcs. By extension, he could roughly gauge the murderous intent of humans.
They came to fight.
And it looked like they wanted to utterly crush their enemies.
“Everyone, steel yourselves. This is going to be a brutal fight.”
The Eastern army that had appeared suddenly was large. Saidor’s forces, recently downsized, would struggle to hold them back.
Calcio swallowed hard.
“Ever since the count left, things have gone downhill…”
If they were willing to come all this way to wage war, they must have prepared thoroughly.
Just by their gait, each soldier seemed formidable.
“Well, this is only fair.”
Calcio cracked a wry smile.
The continent’s heroes had left to fight a life-or-death war, and they couldn’t afford to rest easy.
Here in Saidor, they too had to fight with their lives on the line to maintain the balance.
Calcio shouted.
“Tired of fighting ugly orcs? This time, it’s handsome Eastern friends! If you’re scared, write your will now!”
A soldier called back.
“You said that every time the orcs came. We’re already past a hundred wills!”
“I’ve written a thousand, kid!”
Laughter spread across the walls. It was how the people of Saidor eased tension in a world where battle was everyday life.
“Now… where are these guys…”
Calcio raised the telescope again and looked toward the horizon.
The distance had noticeably shortened.
The man in black at the front suddenly raised a bow.
“What’s he doing?”
The distance was still considerable.
Shooting an arrow from there wouldn’t even let them see properly.
But then.
For a moment, Calcio felt as if their eyes met.
The arrow on the string vanished.
It was a fleeting instant.
Calcio’s instincts screamed cold dread, and he ducked immediately. Something whizzed just over his head.
The sound followed a beat too late.
The air tore with a sharp whistle.
“What was that?”
“Commander!”
Then came the sound of an explosion.
Calcio turned around.
An arrow had lodged itself in the spire inside the fortress walls, shattering the outer wall and causing debris to fall.
“Damn it…”
To spot the enemy from such a distance and shoot an arrow with the force of a catapult…
Calcio realized the Eastern visitors were far stronger than he had imagined.
“What the hell are they?”
He hesitated.
This battle would be difficult to win.
If it was a lost cause, perhaps retreating to preserve as many troops as possible was wiser.
“Commander.”
“What is it? Ready to write your will now?”
“No, it’s not that…”
The soldier on the wall lowered the telescope.
“They’re coming again.”
“What?”
Calcio looked in the direction the soldier pointed. Sure enough, another group was raising dust as they approached.
Calcio sank into despair.
“Damn it…”
Their numbers were nearly as large as the first group.
“Why are these Eastern bastards suddenly acting like this?”
Calcio clutched his head.
Then the soldier with the telescope raised his voice again.
“Wait a moment!”
“What now?”
“Commander, you have to see this for yourself.”
Magunak’s chest swelled with excitement.
“The vow of the Heavenly Demon Sect is finally coming true!”
Hidden in the Ten Thousand Mountains, the Heavenly Demon Sect had been eyeing the Eastern martial world. Now, they led their entire force westward.
It was all because of a letter from their leader, Danso Cheon.
Danso Cheon had sent word that he had retrieved the Secret Heavenly Angel Command, and with the cooperation of the Western Emperor, planned to bring the entire continent under the Heavenly Demon Sect’s heel. Accordingly, all forces were ordered to march west.
After fully conquering the West, they would use their vast resources to invade the East, slaughtering the despicable righteous sects and enslaving their families.
As a member of the Heavenly Demon Sect, this was a stirring tale.
Danso Cheon was regarded as one of the most talented Heavenly Demons in history. When he left alone for the West, the followers were disappointed, even thinking he had abandoned the sect.
But it was all a misunderstanding.
Danso Cheon was the true supreme of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
“Heavenly Demon! Heavenly Demon! Heavenly Demon!”
As Magunak shouted the sect’s battle cry, the followers echoed him. Fired up, Magunak stepped forward and bellowed.
Someone stopped him.
“Black Death Commander!”
“What is it?”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t get too far ahead.”
“Hm?”
Magunak frowned.
“Does the Blood Demon Commander not like me?”
“The other five commanders are quiet, but you act like you’re the leader.”
“Leader? With the Heavenly Demon gone, I think I can take that position.”
“What?”
“Is there anyone here stronger than me?”
Magunak’s fierce expression made Blood Demon Commander Jo Bongseol purse his lips.
“I’ll be sure to report this to the Heavenly Demon later.”
“Do as you please. Hey, you there!”
Magunak suddenly shouted to summon his aide, intending to startle Jo Bongseol. But the man didn’t react.
Magunak scowled and reached out.
“Bow!”
“Yes!”
When Magunak received the bow, Jo Bongseol stepped back and asked.
“What are you doing?”
“There’s a rat spying on us. I’m just saying hello to my Western friends.”
“Doing whatever you want again…”
Ignoring him, Magunak drew the bowstring.
The arrow, carrying Magunak’s challenge, flew a great distance and struck the spire beyond the fortress walls.
It wasn’t enough to topple the spire, but the outer wall cracked, causing the soldiers on the walls to stir uneasily.
Magunak laughed heartily.
“Now, let’s go. We just need to take this place called Briol, then kidnap the continent’s most beautiful woman from its capital, right?”
A few days ago, a messenger from Danso Cheon had arrived, ordering them to kidnap the continent’s most beautiful woman, who was said to be in the capital of Briol.
Magunak had no reason to refuse.
“They say the main forces of that country are away. Still, we shouldn’t underestimate them.”
“No need to overthink it.”
Magunak grinned.
“The continent’s most beautiful woman—this should be interesting. Ha ha ha…”
“Tch…”
Jo Bongseol gave Magunak a disdainful look before turning away.
“There must be strong fighters in the West as well…”
Muttering to himself, he suddenly noticed something flickering on the distant horizon.
At first, he thought he was mistaken.
But the banners were fluttering.
“Huh?”
Starting with Jo Bongseol, who had a high level of martial skill, the others gradually noticed the anomaly. Unease spread.
The six commanders of the Heavenly Demon Sect, including Magunak, fixed their gaze on the horizon.
The banners bore Eastern script.
“‘Destroy evil, uphold righteousness. Sacrifice life to pursue justice.’”
A declaration that they would shatter falsehoods, establish what was right, and follow justice even at the cost of their lives.
Anyone brazen enough to display such shameless words was obvious.
“The Martial Alliance!”
“How did they get here…?”
Though the Heavenly Demon Sect had been growing their strength in the Ten Thousand Mountains, they had ultimately been pushed back by the Martial Alliance, failing to seize the Eastern martial world.
To the Heavenly Demon Sect, the Martial Alliance was both enemy and rival.
Soon after, a golden flag gleamed into view.
“Jeongdo Jeonghaeng.”
(The Right Path, The Right Action.)
At the sight, the demon army’s commander twisted his face in displeasure.
That flag meant only one thing:
The Wulin Alliance Leader, Jang Young-hak, had come in person.
Jang Young-hak was leading the warriors of the Wulin Alliance toward the Western Regions.
His bold decision was the result of several intertwined factors.
First, there was the intriguing swordsmanship of a man named Bernard. It was said that the West held even stronger fighters than him. Once known as a fierce duelist who thrived in battle, Jang Young-hak’s heart raced at the thought of exploring this new martial world.
Then there were the rare goods brought by a merchant named Elaine—items difficult to find in the East. If they could establish trade with the West, and perhaps secure exclusive rights to certain products, the Wulin Alliance’s influence would grow immensely.
But above all, there was Cheonma.
For the Wulin Alliance, the eradication of the Cheonma Sect—the demonic cult—was a long-cherished goal. And now, it was said that Dan So-cheon, a key figure of the Cheonma Sect, was in the Western Regions.
At first, Jang Young-hak found it hard to believe.
But soon, reports came of suspicious activity detected at the Ten-Thousand Mountains. The information came from a spy who had infiltrated the demonic cult. He said their army was moving westward.
Everything fit together perfectly.
Jang Young-hak made his decision.
Trusting the words of the merchant, the swordsman, and the wanderer from the West, he summoned the Wulin Alliance and set out for the Western Regions. It was a heavy burden to bear.
If anything went wrong, he might lose his position as Alliance Leader.
But by now, he no longer clung to the title.
Once, it had been a coveted seat, but now that he held it, it felt hollow.
He was entering the latter half of his life.
He no longer sought empty power, but something greater.
And now, that long-held wish was unfolding before him.
“Cheongun, was it?” he asked.
“Yes, that’s right,” came the reply.
“So your words were true.”
Jang Young-hak said, “There—the Cheonma Sect’s men are there.”
But Cheongun himself seemed oblivious, tilting his head in confusion. Perhaps warriors of lower rank couldn’t sense anything.
But Jang Young-hak knew better.
Beyond the distant horizon, he could smell the stench of the demonic cult.
And that wasn’t all.
Something far worse was blanketing the Western sky. A truly evil aura was twisting the natural order.
Before he was the Wulin Alliance Leader, he was a shamanic master. He could feel the world’s fate trembling.
“Perhaps meeting you all was the will of heaven.”
Gradually, the demonic army came into view.
Before the Wulin Alliance could falter, Jang Young-hak shouted, “There—the cultists! Prepare for battle!”
And he drew his sword.
Before Saidor, the war that would decide the fate of Eastern martial arts was about to begin.
Meanwhile, atop the city walls, Kalchio watched the scene with a look of disbelief.
“What the hell are these guys doing here?” he muttered.