The leader of the Martial Alliance, Jang Young-hak, and the Dark Assassin Lord, Ma Gun-ak, were locked in a fierce battle.
All the martial artists watched in stunned silence.
It was a rare clash between masters few would ever witness again.
“Ugh, this old man’s no pushover!”
Ma Gun-ak stepped forward with confidence, but the tide of the fight was gradually turning in Jang Young-hak’s favor.
It was hardly surprising.
Ma Gun-ak was merely the second-in-command of the demonic cult, while Jang Young-hak stood at the pinnacle of orthodox martial arts—rivaling, perhaps even surpassing, the legendary Dan So-cheon, the Heavenly Demon.
His martial skills, honed over decades, were beyond Ma Gun-ak’s expectations.
“Damn it…”
Ma Gun-ak’s entire body flushed crimson as he drew on his dark energy, unleashing a desperate flurry of attacks.
“Die!”
In contrast, Jang Young-hak moved with the ease of a leisurely stroll, his robes fluttering gently as he wielded a single sword.
With his steps naturally occupying every direction, all of Ma Gun-ak’s strikes missed their mark.
“Let’s end this.”
Jang Young-hak murmured softly, raising his sword.
The Taiji Enlightened Sword.
A gleaming sword aura surged upward.
“Damn it…”
Ma Gun-ak gritted his teeth.
Anyone watching could tell—there was no stopping that sword. Jang Young-hak’s mastery of martial arts was clearly on a higher plane.
In a sudden outburst, Ma Gun-ak shouted,
“Help me!”
In the martial world, calling for outside help during a one-on-one duel was a disgraceful act, a stain on one’s honor. Yet Ma Gun-ak felt no shame.
As if on cue, the cult’s other lords launched a coordinated attack on Jang Young-hak.
“What is this!”
The warriors of the Martial Alliance were shocked.
But it was already too late to fend off the ambush. The martial artists, having enjoyed a long era of peace, had momentarily forgotten the true nature of the demonic cult.
A flicker of surprise crossed Jang Young-hak’s eyes.
Handling Ma Gun-ak alone was no easy task; facing multiple attackers at once left him with no options.
“This is bad…”
They say the moment of life and death comes unexpectedly—and it was true.
Just as he prepared to unleash his final, desperate technique, a voice suddenly echoed.
[Dance joyfully…]
It was strange.
Though the language was unfamiliar, its meaning was clear.
[Stop right there.]
The moment the words ended,
[Power of the Spoken Spirit: Stillness.]
The world froze.
Jang Young-hak was stunned.
Everything literally stopped.
The internal energy surging within him, the sword moving forward—
The enemy weapons soaring into the sky—
Even Ma Gun-ak’s twisted face standing before him—
All motion ceased.
In that instant, the entire scene looked like a painting.
[Fights should be fair and square. Tsk tsk…]
Though the language was foreign, the meaning came naturally to his mind.
Suddenly, Jang Young-hak recalled a legendary technique.
The Enlightened Light Mind Speech.
He felt a calmness wash over him. This was a realm unreachable by martial arts or dark sorcery.
It meant the mysterious savior was a rare genius walking the righteous path.
Understanding this, he was no longer bound by the spoken spell.
Jang Young-hak straightened and stood.
[Oh…]
As he turned, a red-haired woman stood before him.
Jang Young-hak assumed a fighting stance.
“I am Jang Young-hak, leader of the Martial Alliance. I thank you for your rescue.”
[Ah, a proper human being. These guys here have lost their manners, but perhaps the East still holds honor and courtesy…]
The mysterious savior, Cruar, smiled warmly.
[If you’re grateful, you should repay me.]
“Huh?”
[Human from the East, do you see that?]
Cruar pointed to the northern sky.
A vast, clear blue stretched out.
But that wasn’t all.
She was pointing beyond it.
Jang Young-hak understood what she meant.
“Yes. I see it.”
[Then you know why you’ve come here.]
“I came to destroy the demonic cult…”
[Do you really think that’s all?]
Jang Young-hak fell silent.
His stated mission was to eradicate the cult plotting in the Western Regions.
But that was not the whole truth.
As the leader responsible for Eastern martial arts, it was a reckless decision to leave based on the words of a few Western swordsmen. Yet, after facing those Western fighters, he felt an inexplicable urge to press on.
And upon arriving, that urge became certainty.
Something far more evil than the demonic cult was growing in power on this land.
An evil so vast and strong it was almost unimaginable.
Until now, he had believed himself and the Martial Alliance to be the pinnacle of martial prowess.
But the Western swordsmen, and the star blazing in the sky, made him realize he was just a man trapped in the East.
Fear gripped him.
He didn’t care for his own life, but the lives of the many martial artists who had come with him weighed heavily on his conscience.
Could he truly order them into this battle?
“I…”
Jang Young-hak hesitated, and Cruar asked again.
[Will you fight against that star in the sky?]
“…”
[If it’s hard to answer, I’ll ask again.]
She raised her hand, pointing to the Martial Alliance’s banner.
[“Uphold righteousness, even at the cost of life.”]
Her vertically slit pupils locked onto Jang Young-hak.
[Do you believe in those words?]
The answer came from behind him.
“Yes!”
Jang Young-hak turned to see.
Jong-gak, the eccentric monk from Shaolin known for his strange antics, grinned.
“I’m here for that!”
Jong-gak rarely involved himself in Martial Alliance affairs, so when he suddenly appeared to join this expedition, Jang Young-hak thought it was just another whim.
But it wasn’t. Jong-gak already knew the cosmic order was twisted.
Others quickly voiced their resolve.
“Of course!”
“We’ll go!”
“We will destroy evil!”
Inspired by the conversation between Jang Young-hak and Cruar, the determined warriors shouted in unison.
Jang Young-hak felt a surge of emotion.
Some say the Martial Alliance is a stagnant, corrupt group.
But here were still many heroes who understood true righteousness.
“Master! Why hesitate?”
His disciple and the alliance’s protector, Wu Dang Pa-gum, called out, and Jang Young-hak nodded.
“Yes.”
He gestured behind him.
There, the banner symbolizing the leader of the Martial Alliance fluttered proudly.
“That is my answer.”
Cruar smiled with satisfaction.
[I knew I wasn’t mistaken. Now, deal with these first.]
The warriors of the Martial Alliance were free to move.
The cult’s fighters struggled to break free from the spell, but it was too late.
The slaughter began.
The blades of the martial artists were stained with blood.
Before long, every cult member lay dead on the ground.
The Martial Alliance’s long-sought purge of the demonic cult ended in futility.
But no one rejoiced.
There was still work to be done.
[Well done.]
Watching the scene, Cruar spread her arms.
[Now, it’s my turn.]
A radiant light burst from her body.
“Ah…!”
When the light faded, there stood not a beautiful woman, but a majestic dragon from legend.
Everyone stared up in shock.
“Impossible…”
Cruar, returned to her true form, spread her wings wide.
[You speak of walking the righteous path. Good words. For you, I will open the path you must follow.]
From her lips flowed the dragon’s words once more.
[Power of the Spoken Spirit: The Way.]
A path of light appeared.
Everything on it made way. The earth folded, rivers stilled, mountains and trees bowed to clear the way.
On that path, one step was worth ten.
Witnessing this miracle, the martial artists bowed in reverence.
[The path is open. Now go forth and walk it yourselves.]
No reply was needed.
The banners fluttered as they marched northward toward the empire.
“So it has come to this.”
“I see…”
Yuri met Bernard after a long time, but there was no time for pleasantries—they spoke of recent events.
The suddenly appearing army was their ally from the East.
“Lady Cruar helped us…”
“Yes. Thanks to her, we arrived here quickly.”
“And Elaine?”
“She split off at Saidor. There’s nothing she can do on the battlefield.”
“Well done.”
After assessing the situation, Yuri and Cheong-un went to meet the leader of the Martial Alliance.
He was an elderly warrior with white hair, but despite the wrinkles on his face, his body was strong—he didn’t seem old at all.
The two stared at each other for a moment.
‘Not an ordinary old man.’
That was Yuri’s impression. Having met countless powerful figures, she felt no great surprise upon meeting the Martial Alliance leader.
But Jang Young-hak was genuinely shocked.
‘Unbelievable. How can someone his age radiate such energy? Could it be the legendary art of reversing age and renewing youth?’
Yet he showed no emotion outwardly.
Under Cheongun’s interpretation, the two men exchanged words.
Their conversation was brief.
Beyond that fortress wall lay their true enemy, and to catch him, they had to get past it. But the defenses were formidable—any reckless attempt would only lead to a meaningless death. They needed to gather a small group of elite warriors to break through the wall.
When Yuri voiced this plan, Jang Younghak immediately agreed.
With a swift decision made, the two shook hands.
Before leaving, Jang Younghak offered one last remark.
Cheongun translated.
“When this war is over, he wishes to meet again and formally request your hand.”
Though the situation was urgent now, he meant that once this was all settled, he wanted to build a relationship with Yuri. Yuri gave a sly smile in response.
“Tell him that if we all survive, I’ll gladly accept.”
Cheongun spoke something in the Eastern language, and Jang Younghak smiled warmly, bowed slightly, then turned away.
Cheongun said, “There’s no one else in the world the Martial Alliance Leader would say that to besides Your Highness. Truly impressive.”
“Experts recognize other experts,” Yuri replied. Then, tapping Cheongun’s shoulder, she added, “By the way… Cheongun, don’t you have something to say to Master Moyongchan?”
Yuri had learned that the two shared the same Cheongseong faction background.
It was a strange twist of fate.
Disillusioned with the Eastern martial world, Moyongchan had abruptly abandoned his sect and set off on a demon-slaying journey. His disciples who remained in Cheongseong tried to hold on but eventually had to disband.
As a result, Cheongun became a wandering ronin, drifting from place to place.
“Something to say…” Cheongun hesitated for a moment before answering, “Well… I suppose…”
Suddenly, Yuri realized a guest had arrived.
“Cheongun.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s leave the rest of the conversation to this gentleman and me.”
The man’s identity was Moyongchan.
Cheongun stood there, stunned and speechless, while Yuri promptly excused herself.
This was a matter they needed to resolve on their own.
Even if they couldn’t, so be it.
Their mission wouldn’t change.
Cheongun headed ahead to the Anti-Empire Alliance’s vanguard, where Francesco and the others were already waiting.
Jared asked, “How did the talks with the East go?”
“They cooperated smoothly. Communication was surprisingly easy.”
“That’s a relief.”
Yuri glanced sideways.
Not long after, the Martial Alliance’s experts appeared, indicating the Eastern side had also moved quickly.
“We have the same numbers,” she noted.
The Anti-Empire Alliance fielded nine fighters, including the newly joined Bernard. The Martial Alliance sent nine as well, including their leader.
Eighteen in total.
Twice the strength they had at the start.
“We should thank Cruar,” Yuri said.
Without him, the Eastern forces wouldn’t have reached the Empire so swiftly.
Soon Moyongchan returned.
Everything was ready.
“Did your talks go well?”
“Nothing to report,” he replied curtly, though his expression looked relieved.
Yuri teased, “By the way, Moyongchan, aren’t you going to stick with your own people? Easterners should band together.”
“No, I like it here.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Yuri smiled.
“Let’s go. Time’s short, so we need to move quickly.”
Warriors from two different continents, united as one, began advancing toward the fortress wall.