"It seems to have begun."
"Indeed."
"Is it alright for you to be here, Master? I heard the Joy Pavilion is in a state of emergency due to tomorrow's competition."
"It's fine. There are many trustworthy people I can rely on."
"I see."
"And..."
A murderous intent flickered in Soyeonshim's eyes.
"I want to see it, the sight of the real culprit being tightly bound."
"Even if we catch the real culprit now, we'll only detain them. The day we announce the culprit's crimes to the world is tomorrow. That's when the golden shackles will be placed on the culprit's wrists."
Even as he spoke, Gogu felt uneasy.
"Of course, we must gather all the evidence we can before then."
This was essentially a trap investigation. But since there was no physical evidence, the plan was to catch the culprit first and find proper evidence overnight.
What if no evidence was found even then?
That was when Seoryang would step in.
The reason Gogu shuddered at Seoryang's plan was because of this.
This damned Third Prince intended to use not only the trap investigation but also the festival of Pasunje itself.
And that too, right in front of the Sect Leader.
"Well, the very idea of conducting a trap investigation on someone not affiliated with the Divine Sect is a problem in itself."
He felt like splitting open Seoryang's skull to see what was inside.
How could he think of diving straight into the swamp of illegality, crossing the boundaries of the law?
"So the real showdown is tomorrow."
"It doesn't matter. It's a sight I want to see as many times as possible."
Gogu, who was gazing at her face intently, nodded.
"Understood."
"Will the Master be alright?"
"What do you mean?"
"Rushing in at the decisive moment to arrest only the criminal... It might seem annoying, but if this fact becomes widely known, all the credit will go to the Third Prince. Meanwhile, the prestige of the Criminal Law Hall will fall considerably."
"The Criminal Law Hall is not an organization that prevents crimes in advance but one that deals with crimes that have occurred and imposes punishment. It's what we've always done, so it's nothing new now."
"That's true."
"And..."
Gogu looked into the distance.
The place surrounded by countless members with a sound barrier to prevent the criminal from escaping.
"Isn't it true? The Third Prince has achieved merit."
"......"
"Before the merit, we should seriously consider whether the Third Prince should also be detained."
Boom!
With the monstrous attack of the strange man, Madongpil kept retreating.
However, he showed no sign of panic. The opponent's martial arts were formidable, but he too had become strong enough.
Swish!
With a skillful step, Madongpil disrupted the impact and advanced, swinging the Black King Sword.
His movements from retreat to stop, and then advance, were as smooth as flowing water.
And they were fast. There was no wasted strength, and there was no sign of his internal energy wavering.
Boom!
Madongpil staggered.
He attempted a counterattack with a combination of footwork and swordsmanship, but the opponent was too strong.
Regardless of skill, the gap in internal energy was too great. With a mere gesture, a typhoon arose, and with a single kick, even rocks were sent flying. It was practically a monster.
Yet, Madongpil did not panic.
With a skillful shift in weight, he regained his stance and aimed a swift sword strike at the strange man's neck.
Clang!
The Black King Sword clashed with the forearm, producing a sound like metal striking metal.
'An incredible sword energy!'
It wasn't just a simple hand sword. Beyond the hand, the entire arm was as solid as a divine weapon. By concentrating the internal energy of the whole body into one arm, there wasn't even a scratch when it collided with the Black King Sword.
Buzz!
A blue light emanated from the strange man's arm.
'It's coming.'
Swish!
The hand sword swung like lightning, creating a massive blue sword energy.
Madongpil's eyes wavered.
The oppressive force of the sword energy flying like a crescent moon was immense. The speed was one thing, but the density of the true energy concentrated in the sword energy was beyond imagination.
Defense was impossible. It had to be avoided at all costs.
Madongpil leaped high into the air.
Thud!
The sword energy carved a massive sword mark into the ground.
The sword energy pierced the hard earth endlessly. It was so sharp that there was almost no noise.
Madongpil's judgment was accurate. If he had tried to block that sword energy, even if the Black King Sword remained intact, at least his arms would have been severed.
Flash!
The strange man looked up into the air.
Madongpil's body, high in the air, was full of openings. Unless one was a supreme master capable of stepping on air, no one could be free in the air.
Buzz!
Several small crescent moons formed on the strange man's arm. It was to shoot multiple sword energies at once to inflict a fatal wound on Madongpil.
At that moment, a blue demonic energy flickered on the Black King Sword.
The demonic energy, darker and murkier than the strange man's true energy, was Madongpil's sword energy.
"Single Soul, Return to Heaven."
Slash!
Madongpil's secret technique was quite similar to the strange man's sword energy. If there was a difference, it was that it felt smaller but thicker and more solid than the strange man's sword energy.
The strange man swung his arm. He sensed that the sword energy was unusual.
At that moment.
Boom!
The strange man's body staggered.
"I don't like ganging up on one guy, but hey!"
Appearing out of nowhere, Wihongryeon swung the Poa Sword again with a maniacal laugh. It was an attack aimed at the direction the strange man could dodge.
Meanwhile, Madongpil's sword energy had reached right in front of the strange man's nose.
Boom!
A loud explosion erupted.
Unlike the strange man's sword energy, Madongpil's sword energy was sharp enough, but his martial arts were more specialized in solidity and weight than sharpness, so the noise was also loud.
Swish!
Wihongryeon approached Madongpil's side.
"Did we get him?"
"Of course not."
"Damn, I knew it. That bastard's body is as hard as ten-thousand-year-old iron."
"Indeed."
"By the way, when did you get so strong? Is it all because of that sword? Right?"
Buzz!
Inside the thick dust, a blue light glowed fiercely.
Madongpil's eyes flashed.
"Now's not the time to be saying such things!"
Whoosh!
Two streams of sword energy shot through the dust, targeting Madongpil and Wihongryeon.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
"Ugh!"
Madongpil's complexion turned pale. Wihongryeon, who had retreated five steps further, even spat blood.
Just blocking a single strike left them in this state. Regardless of sharpness or weight, the level of internal energy was different.
'A power that suppresses even enlightenment! If the quality and quantity of internal energy are overwhelming, even a master several levels higher becomes endangered.'
Rustle.
The strange man walked through the dust.
A blue light emanated from his hand once more. It was a sword energy stronger and sharper than before.
"Damn! What kind of bastard is he? Does he have infinite internal energy?"
Even after spitting blood, he shouted loudly. It was proof that he was still alive.
The strange man slightly bent his upper body.
Madongpil's eyes wavered. The opponent was taking a proper stance for the first time.
It was a stance that conveyed the will to kill the enemy with all his might. Beyond that deadly will, an undeniable greed flickered.
And that greed was directed at the Black King Sword.
Swish!
As soon as the strange man moved, Madongpil swung his sword.
Surprisingly, what he used was not his highest martial art but the Homage Sword Technique.
The basic sword technique of the Guardian Pavilion, the Homage Sword Technique.
Of course, it was enough to be called first-rate, but it was not suitable for use in a life-and-death battle.
However, Madongpil had a reason for using the Homage Sword Technique.
Boom! Clang!
Sword energy clashed with sword energy.
Thud!
Quickly carrying Wihongryeon on his back, Madongpil kicked the strange man and used the rebound to instantly create a distance of five jang.
'As expected.'
As his level rose, his perspective on martial arts became freer.
The Homage Sword Technique was not an outstanding martial art, but at least in terms of defense, it was enough to be called the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
The counterattack moves were excellent, and it was a sword technique specialized in receiving the opponent's attack and ensuring the body's freedom.
'I can't win against this opponent. In that case...'
Flash!
A blue demonic energy flickered on the Black King Sword. Though dark and murky, the gently flowing sword energy reminded one of the deep sea.
'Protect.'
Boom!
Madongpil coughed up blood.
Fortunately, the internal injury was not as severe as he thought. The Homage Sword Technique had deflected nearly half of the strange man's attack.
'It's possible. But...'
Boom!
'Young Master.'
Thud!
'I won't be able to hold out for long.'
Soyeonshim, who was watching the scene from afar, asked anxiously.
"When is the Third Prince coming? Normally, he should have intervened and subdued that guy by now."
Gogu replied in a heavy voice.
"He sent a message saying he had to go somewhere urgently. He said it wouldn't take long, so I told him to hold on until then."
"......Damn it!"
"Let's trust him. He's not someone without a sense of responsibility, is he?"
Another explosion erupted.
Boom!
Madongpil and Wihongryeon kept retreating.
They couldn't hope for Gogu and Soyeonshim to join the fight.
If it became known that even the leaders of the sect were involved, the martial world of the demonic path would fall into chaos.
That's why they even leaked false information that they were working in the office.
The worst-case scenario of losing the strange man.
The two would move at that moment. They were, so to speak, reserve forces.
Of course, everyone believed without a doubt.
That there would be no need for reserve forces to step in.
"Kaah!"
The strange man's monstrous roar spread in all directions, only to be absorbed by the sound barrier.
But to Madongpil and Wihongryeon standing in front of him, it was a tremendous threat. They realized that the strange man was about to deliver the final blow.
"Damn it!"
At that moment.
Boom!
With a strong shockwave, the strange man's body flew back three jang.
Considering that even their combined efforts only made him stagger, it was a disheartening sight.
The soft yet powerful martial art that pushed the strange man back was called the Golden Silk Palm.
Madongpil's face brightened.
"Young Master!"
"Aren't you tired of being the bodyguard who gets protected by the one you're supposed to protect?"
"......I am ashamed."
"I'm just kidding, man."
Seoryang walked over from afar.
In one hand, beneath his fluttering long robe, he held the Dragon Scale Saber. Already, a vivid red demonic energy flickered on his Dragon Scale Saber.
"Sorry for being late. I had to get something from some idiot."
Whoosh!
A fierce wind gathered around the Dragon Scale Saber.
Madongpil's eyes widened.
"Young Master! Are you planning to kill him?"
"Are you crazy? If we kill him, all the effort we've put in so far will be for nothing. Absolutely not."
"But that saber technique..."
He didn't know the name of the saber technique, but he knew what that fierce saber wind was. No master could survive being hit by that tremendous saber wind.
"That's the problem."
"What?"
Seoryang's eyes blazed.
"That's why you guys were pushed back so much. Without this level, you can't subdue that guy."
"......!"
Boom!
A powerful aura surged from Seoryang's body as he stomped the ground.
Was it because he felt the pressure from that impact? The strange man, who had risen at some point, emitted a terrifying killing intent.
Seoryang grinned.
"Ready for round two, you lunatic?"
The strange man, Jiyounghyun, let out a monstrous roar.
"Uwaaah!!"
"Great voice!"
Boom!
The fiery red saber and the chilling blue sword clashed head-on.