Three Days Later – Foot of Mount Daeseong
The party stood before the shadow of a mountain fortress built directly into the cliffside, veiled in crimson banners and smoke-choked incense plumes. This was Bonghyeol Pavilion, one of the Crimson Spine Sect's oldest strongholds — and the last barrier between them and the alliance ballot network.
"So," Ma-Rok muttered, "are we burning it or sneaking in?"
"Depends," Sun-Ho replied, already tugging his mask from his belt. "Do you want to die now or later?"
"Fair."
Master Jang smirked and leaned against his staff. "Let's send in Musang Oje first. Stir the bees."
"You're enjoying this way too much," So-Ri said.
Yeon scribbled on his board: "Musang Oje: One-man fireworks show. No refunds."
Sun-Ho slid the mask into place.
"Let's begin."
---
Nightfall – Within Bonghyeol Pavilion
The fortress's inner sanctum glowed with paper lanterns. Disciples moved about in practiced silence. At the center of it all sat Elder Choi Deung-Mok, an Inner Council figure and head of external operations.
His fingers drummed along the lacquered table. "The Elementless Sovereign again. First an outpost, now this close to our holy lands?"
A disciple knelt before him, trembling. "There were no survivors from the Pine Guard."
"Then he has teeth," Elder Choi said. "Let us see if he bites steel."
He turned to a second messenger. "Send word to White Horn Hall. I want the Twin Yaksha Brothers activated."
The messenger paled. "Aren't they—?"
"Criminals? Maniacs?" Elder Choi finished. "Yes. But useful ones."
Outside, a wind began to swirl unnaturally.
---
At a Ridge Overlooking the Pavilion
The party crouched in the underbrush, watching torches light the paths below.
"They've tripled security," Ji-Mun whispered. "Which means we're right on time."
Sun-Ho took in the patrol formations. "We go with dual infiltration. Musang Oje goes loud to the west entrance. The rest of you follow Ji-Mun through the old servant's tunnel to the record vault."
Ma-Rok grinned. "You're splitting the party?"
"Trust goes both ways," Sun-Ho said.
Master Jang nodded. "I'll stay here and be the emergency backup. I haven't stretched in days."
Sun-Ho whispered to So-Ri, "Keep Yeon safe."
So-Ri gave him a light smack on the arm. "You keep yourself safe, genius."
He smiled beneath the mask.
---
West Gate – A Storm of Elements
BOOM!
Fire spiraled upward in a brilliant arc, shattering the gatehouse in one sweeping wave. Crimson-clad disciples ran screaming as Musang Oje descended in a cyclone of lightning and stone.
Fweeee!
A gust of wind blew open twenty doors at once.
He landed on the courtyard tiles with a soft tap. Five guards lunged at him — clank! — but their swords passed through afterimages.
Musang Oje grinned beneath the mask.
They were improving. But not enough.
He extended both arms — flame in the left, water in the right — and twisted.
Wooooosh!
The ground erupted in steam, blinding half the plaza. Behind it, he moved unseen, disabling fighters with surgical precision.
---
Meanwhile – Tunnel beneath Pavilion
"Why is this tunnel sticky?" Yul-Rin hissed.
Ji-Mun didn't turn. "Old wine cellar runoff. Stop complaining."
Ma-Rok sniffed the air. "Smells like plum vinegar and regret."
They reached the hidden hatch beneath the record vault. So-Ri peeked through the slats.
"Two guards. Lightly armed. Both Inner Core Realm."
"Easy," Ji-Mun said. "Yul-Rin and I will—"
"I got it," Yeon said softly.
Everyone froze. It was the first time he'd spoken in days.
So-Ri blinked. "Yeon?"
He nodded. "I'll be quick."
Before anyone could stop him, he slipped through the crack. In ten seconds:
thud
smack
squelch
Silence.
Yeon popped his head back in, a faint grin tugging his lips. "All done."
Ji-Mun blinked. "He's terrifying."
Ma-Rok grinned. "He's family."
---
Record Vault – Within
Scrolls lined the room like sacred bones. Yul-Rin and Ji-Mun scanned the racks while So-Ri and Yeon kept watch.
"There!" Yul-Rin yanked a bundle of marked ballots.
"Forgery seals. Alliance signature stamps." She held up a scroll. "This is it. The Crimson Spine's plan to rig the Summit vote."
So-Ri rolled the stolen scroll and sealed it in her robe. "Let's get out before—"
CRACK!
The ceiling exploded as two massive bodies dropped into the room. One was bald, the other covered in ritual scars. Both carried curved axes the size of millstones.
"Whoops," said Ma-Rok. "Looks like the Twin Yaksha came to dance."
---
Outside – Musang Oje vs. Elder Choi
On the pavilion's highest platform, Musang Oje and Elder Choi stood facing each other.
"You wield five elements," Choi said, drawing his twin blades. "But I walk the Path of Bone — where death fuels every strike."
Musang Oje rolled his shoulders. "Sounds exhausting."
They clashed.
CLANG!
Fwoooosh!
Zzzap!
The masked sovereign moved like fire itself — fluid, untouchable — while Choi countered with precise, brutal slashes. Each cut drew poisonous wind, each dodge laced the air with fatal intent.
Then Choi struck his blade into the ground.
SKRRRKKK!
Bone pillars erupted, surrounding Musang Oje.
Sun-Ho narrowed his eyes behind the mask. "Your mistake was thinking I need space to win."
He exhaled —
and everything caught fire.
---
Simultaneously – Vault Battle
Ma-Rok charged one Yaksha, grappling him into a wall. The second lunged for So-Ri.
Yeon dove between them, took the blow in Ma-Rok's discarded shield, and stabbed upward.
Crack!
Poison exploded across the enemy's face.
Ji-Mun threw three blades from the shadows, and Yul-Rin coated the air in sleeping mist.
One Yaksha collapsed, the other soon after.
Panting, Yul-Rin said, "Please tell me Musang Oje is winning."
---
Cliffside Escape
The group sprinted through the tunnel with scrolls in hand.
Outside, the entire mountain roared as Musang Oje leapt from the crumbling tower, flames licking the sky.
He landed in front of the group, burned but grinning.
"I got what we needed," Sun-Ho said, pulling off the mask.
Yeon held up his board:
"We're going to war with the clans now, right?"
Everyone looked at Sun-Ho.
He paused, looked at his team, and grinned. "We already are."
---
[End of Chapter - 27 ]