Ruyi Spring Squad's leader, Bukgung Ah.
With strikingly well-defined features and skin as pale as snow, she sat carelessly against shattered marble, her outstretched legs exceedingly long. Her lazily bent arms were just the same.
She was born with a body suited for battle. Around her knees, the burning intensity of her martial stance rendered even the most advanced leg techniques insignificant.
Her surname was Bukgung.
She hailed from the North, where most clans were known for their bold nature. It was said she carried the noble blood of a royal lineage.
Publicly known as one of the Black Three Steel of Desolate Fortress, she was a high-ranking figure. She was also notorious for being unable to sleep in the fortress unless she was at Wonpyeong's First Sword Hall, yet such eccentricities were hardly considered unusual for someone like her.
Beyond that, she possessed countless compulsions, and her martial prowess and accomplishments were extraordinary.
She was far from humble, possessing self-love and pride as unshakable as the Great Northern Wall.
She was not one to pry into the martial arts of others. For Ruyi Spring Squad's leader to be reading Radiant Demon Squad's leader's secret manual was an event so unprecedented within Desolate Fortress that it could almost be called an anomaly.
It held too much significance to be dismissed as mere whimsy. One had to examine the surrounding circumstances.
The martial currents rising across the land due to famine.
The Thirteen Celestial Demons, possibly uniting under Yeoryeong Sect's guidance.
The numerous small and medium demonic faction sects proliferating under Thirteen Celestial Demons.
The Eight Great Clans, whose self-serving tendencies had reached their peak.
The countless Murim aristocrats, forming Murim Alliances across the land, responding to Desolate Fortress' stance of disregarding the distinction between orthodox and unorthodox sects.
And… the white, blue, and some black Desolate Fortress warriors collapsing and closing their eyes in enemy territory.
As the chaotic era continued, the garments of the white, blue, and black warriors of Desolate Fortress faded with time.
The majority of Murim warriors treated them as enemies rather than offering aid, and those like the Nine Great Sects, who dedicated themselves to relief efforts, were a mere handful compared to the vast land.
A formidable crisis was steadily becoming more pronounced.
Desolate Fortress was undoubtedly being cornered. Victorious squad leaders had become exceedingly rare.
'Ruyi Spring Squad's leader and Scorching Abyss Squad's leader are examining Jung Yeonshin's secret manual? Could it be because of the rapidly deteriorating situation surrounding the fortress? Have the Black Three Steel, standing by as reserve forces, now resorted to studying their juniors' martial arts just to contribute...?'
Ma Se-in forcibly swallowed again. A surge of resentment rose to his throat.
The mention of Heavenly Demon in reference to his friend Jung Yeonshin irritated him. No matter what, that was too much.
But he had to endure it.
Even if the squad leaders of Desolate Fortress greatly stabilized the lives of the common people, their personalities varied widely.
Some embodied the very ideals of orthodoxy, while others were like butchers, only favorable to the common folk.
Ruyi Spring Squad's leader leaned closer to the latter.
'No, is Yeonshin the same…?'
Ma Se-in pushed aside the natural doubt that followed.
Jung Yeonshin was remarkably kind even to the warriors of Desolate Fortress. Unlike the near-maniacal Ruyi Spring Squad's leader.
"That was an interesting one."
Ruyi Spring Squad's leader, Bukgung Ah, uttered those words after finishing the book.
Her lifted face bore a peculiar expression. Her cheeks were ever so slightly flushed, yet the wrinkle between her brows remained.
Ma Se-in clasped his hands politely, though he could not entirely hide his slightly sullen expression.
Even if she was one of the Black Three Steel, it was hard to dilute the bloodline of Ma Clans. Tilting her head slightly, Bukgung Ah smirked as if finding it amusing.
"The current Radiant Demon Squad's leader is in Shaanxi now, right? I heard their assassins occasionally capture targets and throw coins at them, saying if they guess heads or tails right, they'll be spared. They call it their kind of elegance."
"…?"
"Lightning Genius, that bastard, is no different from those coins. Absolutely worthless. To the ignorant juniors, his words might sound like the cryptic teachings of a grandmaster… Three steps, four steps, five steps—he laid out countless paths forward, yet in the end, he only threw them two steps ahead. If someone notices that, they can oversee the entirety of the martial technique. If they're dull, they'll just repeat those two steps endlessly."
At that moment, Scorching Abyss Squad's leader, who had been standing idly, flinched.
Tak.
Bukgung Ah closed the book, her body naturally straightening.
Her movements carried the extreme freedom of Void Grasp. For a moment, she hardly seemed human.
"Does he think everyone is like him? Is he saying after three steps, they should figure it out themselves? Or is it because he himself couldn't go beyond that? Or perhaps he simply doesn't expect the dimwits of this fortress to ever reach that far? There are far too many audacious omissions in the martial theory…"
"Don't you think you're going a bit too far?"
Only Ma Se-in's escort, Ma Ung, seemed to properly register the remark he had mustered the courage to voice.
As the Ma Clan's bodyguard fidgeted uneasily, Bukgung Ah turned her burning black gaze toward Scorching Abyss Squad's leader again. Her expression was bordering on madness.
"I like how direct it is. If they have even a grain of talent, they'll see immediate benefits. It's been irritating to see our juniors getting beaten and killed outside, but with this, at least they'll have some bite. Don't you agree, Uncle Yoo?"
"…Didn't you say you were analyzing the Jung Clan Movement Arts? That must be why you called the Ma Clan's kid."
Scorching Abyss Squad's leader muttered. The response came immediately.
"I already did. He can't replicate it."
Bukgung Ah's face instantly turned solemn. Her shift in expression was reminiscent of Swift Sword.
"That current Radiant Demon Squad's leader, that bastard, has gone completely mad over martial arts. Just by skimming his energy flow, I can tell how absurdly meticulous he is. He's dyed his entire body in the Movement Arts System. It was strange how an ordinary Ma Clan's kid suddenly looked like a prodigy… Turns out, he transformed his muscles and meridians using internal energy. There's nothing to gain from just looking at his body."
A sharp, almost incoherent ramble. The Ma Clan's master and retainer stiffened.
Ruyi Spring Squad's leader flicked her wrist at Ma Se-in dismissively.
Her entire presence exuded an air of disregard, as if she were gesturing for him to leave.
"Forget Splendid Wings Four Steps. With a technique like this, I can definitely create at least five more steps. Let's form a new branch that surpasses the original."
Sarak.
Interlocking her fingers, Ruyi Spring Squad's leader raised her arms high. The soft, jet-black sleeves brushed her cheeks before cascading down.
At the same time, Scorching Abyss Squad's leader, Yoo Jung-myung furrowed his brows and clasped his hands behind his back.
"You're saying something unexpected. Weren't you planning to study Radiant Demon Squad's leader's martial arts, then simplify and teach it for immediate combat effectiveness?"
"That was before I read it. I didn't realize it was this intuitive. Just simplifying it would be a waste. I plan to restructure it in my own way before Lightning Genius returns. I can just barely extend it to Splendid Wings Four Steps."
She replied nonchalantly.
A chilling glint flickered in Yoo Jung-myung's blue eyes.
"Isn't that an act of disrespect? The creator is still very much alive…"
"You're opposing this? Do we have some orthodox elder geezer in here now? I'm telling you, every time one of those nameless disciples or white-clad kids dies here, I'll cut off one of your fingers."
"Even if it's a technique acquired through Heavenly Gold Martial Arsenal, it doesn't entirely belong to you. It must be treated with proper courtesy. Tampering with that footwork without exchanging a single word with the grandmaster himself, you're no different from the Northern War God you so despise…!"
At that moment, the edges of Bukgung Ah's eyes sharpened to an extreme.
Zzeooong—!
It happened in an instant.
A sudden gust of force swept through, engulfing Scorching Abyss Squad's leader's body before violently flinging him away.
With a deafening crash, the wall shattered, sending a cloud of dust into the air. It had all transpired in mere moments.
Yoo Jung-myung's figure disappeared beyond the collapsed wall.
"Damn old man, this is wartime if we go by military law. Do you even know how far it is from here to Shaanxi? What if Heavenly Extreme Sect's swordsmen breach the walls tomorrow? I heard those Yeoryeong bastards are lurking around Yangyang too."
Standing where Yoo Jung-myung had been, Ruyi Spring Squad's leader clenched and unclenched a hand raised to her chest.
"You and I, and even Radiant Demon Squad's leader, we're all tied as disciples under the same lineage. If he likes my martial art, let him take it."
A belated gust swept through, sending her jet-black hair flying like obsidian strands.
At the entrance to the open space, Ma Se-in saw nothing.
Only Bukgung Ah's leg, distorting space with a faint shimmer, entered his vision.
The first step was strikingly familiar. The perfectly straight foot placement, the faint ripple of energy along her calves—everything was exactly as he knew it.
'Splendid Wings Step…!'
After Ma Se-in's eyes widened to the brink of tearing apart,
A rumor spread quietly through Desolate Fortress.
Annihilation Squad's leader, Ruyi Spring Squad's leader, and Scorching Abyss Squad's leader had made a wager over a certain footwork technique.
A battle where the first to take four steps would win. The technique's completion would be judged by its creator.
Thus, a new martial branch was being formed. It spread like a trend.
It was the second wave after the short-term decisive battle style.
Desolate Fortress was gradually being painted in Lightning Genius' color.
In order not to break as the sword of the people.
* * *
Mountain of corpses, sea of blood.
The plains surrounding the gorge were dyed a deep crimson. Dozens of corpses lay sprawled in a massive circle.
Far from them, at the edge of a cliff, Jung Yeonshin, draped in plain black robes, stepped forward, his footfalls disturbing the silence of the dead.
"The Grand Ritual Sword pointed this way."
"Y-yes…"
Behind him, Heon Wonchang tightened the Hero's Ribbon around his head again, following in a dazed, staggering gait.
The atmosphere of Sacred Warrior of Desolate Fortress had shifted from when he had unsealed the restriction. It had returned to normal.
It was the same as always—the Sacred Warrior.
"Let's take a look. Even if I can't dismantle the formation, I can at least send a signal."
Heon Wonchang stepped over the bodies of martial scholars and stood against the rock wall.
With a look of faint nostalgia, he pressed his palms firmly against the cliffside in a decisive manner. His image, with his long Hero's Ribbon trailing behind him, created a peculiar harmony.
Jung Yeonshin took a step back and observed.
Desolate Fortress' Sacred Warrior was pressing into the cliff with an unusual stance.
"Sword control… sword arts, energy-controlled sword…"
From behind, a hoarse voice rasped out.
Without even turning, Jung Yeonshin could guess who it was. The last swordsman from Murong Clan's forces to be cut down.
Was he out of his mind?
The words were laced with more horror and shock than the feeble remnants of life left in him.
"Lotus, Lotus Nezha, Radiant Demon Squad's leader… must avoid…"
The sound of him collapsing spread eerily through the air.
The final survivor, muttering incoherently to himself, had perished.
Nameless, buried in the wilderness that walled the cliffs like a fortress.
Jung Yeonshin didn't bother to spare a glance.
The Radiant Demon Squad's leader was a warrior.
He had gone through too many experiences to still see certain vicious enemies as people.
Benevolence was a privilege that made common folk live like humans, but for someone who killed to survive, it was not a luxury he could afford.
"It's open! Why's the response so fast?"
Startled, Heon Wonchang lifted his head.
A section of the cliffside cracked open like a doorway.
A rare phenomenon in Murim, one worthy of being called a mystery.
With the grinding sound of metal hinges, grrrrng—, the passageway yawned open, and darkness flooded out.
A damp wind, thick as the air of a cave, billowed outward.
"So you survived. I was worried, what with all those old men failing to act their age and you having to look after your disciples…"
A slender silhouette stood at the entrance.
The one who had broken the concealment formation and opened the door.
"I've been waiting, Seon-hwi."
The man's figure dipped into an exaggeratedly courteous stance, performing a formal Baoquan.
His movements exuded the refined grace of nobility.
Chivalrous Slayer, Kim Jon-hwi.
A wide-brimmed black hat shadowed his face.
The long, trailing black robe on his back bore a striking resemblance to the attire of Desolate Fortress' squad leaders.
His energy was faint, as if he might vanish at any moment.
In Murim, one might call him something like Mysterious Nobleman.
His gaze fell upon Jung Yeonshin.
In that moment, a bold smile carved itself across Kim Jon-hwi's lips.
"So we finally meet like this. Welcome, truly, to the Slaughter Sect. I have long…"
His words trailed off.
His black hat tilted slightly upward.
And then, his gaze took in the mountains of corpses. All of them had been felled in a single stroke.
Anyone with the slightest knowledge of swordsmanship would recognize it immediately.
Some had their torsos cleanly severed from their legs.
Some had been mid-swing, only to have their blades cleaved along with their necks, leaving half of a sword buried in their stomachs.
Some lay in perfect alignment, as if beheaded in one simultaneous sweep.
'What kind of swordsmanship could do this?'
Chivalrous Slayer was at a loss for words.
At least forty bodies. Not a single one among them lacked a sword in their grip. That meant every one of them had been a swordsman at the peak of their skill.
Even for Kim Jon-hwi, who had unsealed his restriction, this would have been an exceedingly difficult feat.
Yet the nobleman before him, the one called Lotus Nezha, bore a tranquil expression.
There wasn't a single drop of blood on his sword wave or the back of his hands.
A force beyond human comprehension.
'Can I truly let him in?'
A moment of hesitation arose.
After all, he led a sect that guarded the legacy of the Heavenly Demon Tomb.
Compared to that, Murong Clan's leader and Profound Martial Alliance's leader, who had been eyeing this place like a lurking beast, were nothing more than hidden dragons, yet to reveal their fangs.
But now, he was standing face to face with a serpent on the verge of ascension.
His gaze kept drifting toward the mountain of corpses, the sea of blood stretching behind the nobleman from Desolate Fortress.
"A sect that raised the right hand of Radiant Demon Squad's leader,"
Lotus Nezha parted his lips.
His tone was soft, as if persuading rather than demanding.
"Wouldn't that be fitting as a gift?"
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