Where will I fall?
The Huang O deity, who had suddenly emerged from the house where the old lady was weaving, walked straight to the inn.
Just as I was pouring wine for Jeom So Yi, Huang O arrived and unexpectedly grabbed Jeom So Yi's hair, asking, "Did you see the guy who came out from over there?"
Jeom So Yi, startled, replied, "Ah, no. No one came out. I didn't see anything."
Huang O then turned to look at me.
"What about you?" I stretched out my left hand and pointed behind Huang O.
"Not that way, over there."
As Huang O slightly turned his head, I used the Absorbing Sound Technique to pull him in and grabbed his neck.
"Crack!" Huang O was a deity known for his violent behavior, and I had previously ordered Hong Shin to kill him.
To think he would grab Jeom So Yi's hair right in front of me.
I tightened my grip on Huang O's neck with my left hand and struck his face with my right fist.
Bang! As the mask shattered and his real face was revealed, I kept punching him in the face.
Thud—! Thud—! With each sound, the bones of his face broke apart.
I glanced around the street while smashing Huang O's face, then threw him into the center of the street.
Huang O's body landed with a thud and rolled several times.
Jeom So Yi, who had been watching, was trembling.
"Don't be surprised. This is how things are in the Jianghu."
I wiped the blood from my fist on the table.
I poured the remaining wine into my cup and offered it to Jeom So Yi again.
"Let's drink."
"Yes."
Jeom So Yi, who had been extending the wine cup with one hand, now offered it with both hands.
Perhaps this was part of his social skills, so I said nothing.
Still, he seemed too shaken, so I felt the need to calm him down.
"The green wine is dead, and that was Huang O."
"Ah, yes. I see."
If it had been a proper fight, Huang O would have fiercely resisted with gestures and movements, but he had not been wary of me at all while I was drinking with Jeom So Yi from the start.
I drank with Jeom So Yi and the two bottles of liquor.
Yet, he still looked pale, as if he couldn't calm down.
I said to Jeom So Yi, "Oh, go inside and rest a bit. I'll send someone later to settle the bill. I need to finish my drink here."
"Ah, understood. Then I will."
As Jeom So Yi hurriedly entered the inn, two minor deities rushed over to examine Huang O's corpse and said, "He's still nearby."
I chewed on some dry snacks while looking at the black cow and the red sheep.
One of the minor deities, Hyun Chuk, shouted at me, "What are you looking at, you bastard?" I turned my gaze away and pulled a chopstick from the holder.
After infusing it with energy between my thumb and index finger, I threw it at Hyun Chuk's face.
As soon as I threw it, there was a thud— and the chopstick lodged itself in his forehead.
The red sheep, choosing to flee, opened its mouth as it used lightness skill.
"Captain! Here…!" Thud! A long bottle of liquor, still half full, hit the back of his head.
As the Ju Mi deity fell forward, I pulled out another chopstick, stood up, and threw it at the head of the fallen Ju Mi deity.
Once again, the chopstick stuck in place.
In the middle of the street, the corpses of the twelve deities lay sprawled out.
Huang O had died foolishly due to his carelessness, and from the beginning, Hyun Chuk and Ju Mi were the weakest among the twelve deities.
Hong Shin and Geum Hae were fortunate enough to have eaten, ridden in a carriage, and visited a doctor, but war is inherently merciless.
After chewing on the dry snacks, I stood up and walked down the central street.
I spotted the Baek Ja deity running towards me.
I briefly made eye contact with Baek Ja before slipping into a side alley and leaning against the wall.
After crossing my arms and waiting for a moment, Baek Ja, suspicious of me, turned back and appeared in the alley.
However, upon seeing me near the entrance, he was startled and unleashed his energy with his right hand.
Seeing his body instinctively react like that, it seemed he had trained in energy techniques.
Thud! I countered with a left hook and then twisted my wrist to lock him.
In an instant, I used the Absorbing Sound Technique to draw in Baek Ja's energy and dashed madly down the alley.
When I felt his strength weaken as he desperately tried to hold on, I pulled him in and struck his throat with my fist.
"Ugh!" I struck again between my thumb and index finger to break his neck, then held onto Baek Ja's corpse as I walked down the alley.
Listening to the sounds around me, I stopped, took off Baek Ja's mask, and put it on myself, also removing his white robe to wear it over my own body.
I stared blankly at Baek Ja's dead face, then laid him down in the corner of the alley and covered him with a rag used by a local beggar.
"In your next life, don't meet someone like me."
I tidied up the white robe and adjusted the mask's position.
If anyone noticed that my lower garments were different from Baek Ja's attire, then so be it.
The important thing was to create confusion, not to be meticulous.
In times of war, people are generally in a state of chaos.
Counting the dead, only the Sa Sin Jang and the Dae Na Chal remained.
I briefly checked the matchups.
The matchups were still unpleasant.
Based on the skills of the Heuk Myo, I could somewhat estimate the strength of the Sa Sin Jang, but the abilities of the Dae Na Chal were not clearly revealed, so I needed to endure a little longer.
'Let's kill one more.' While my insides were boiling, I calmed my mind for a moment.
In an instant, I cleared all distracting thoughts like a wooden chicken with the heart of the neck technique.
When I stepped back out into the alley, I found the Sa Sin Jang examining the dead priests while conversing.
As I approached, I heard Baek Yu's voice.
"We can't catch him anyway. He was faster than us from the start. He must be planning to lure us out one by one and kill us. What should we do? At this rate, we will fall into his trap."
Cheong Jin nodded.
"Let's stick together as Sa Sin Jang. If we four are together, he won't be able to do anything."
I stood silently next to Jeok Sa, gazing at the dead priests.
I couldn't help but mutter, "To die so foolishly."
Jeok Sa offered another opinion.
"We should return to our master."
I glanced sideways at Jeok Sa.
He was the one who had attacked me first earlier, and even in this moment, he was thinking of the Dae Na Chal.
Was it deep loyalty or a mindset filled with slave mentality? Who could tell?
Cheong Jin opposed him.
"If we go back like this, our master will be even more upset."
I quietly listened as the beasts from the Animal Kingdom voiced their opinions.
The white tiger, Baek Yu, remained silent until the end.
Then, the others looked at Baek In as if asking him to make a decision.
"Captain, please decide."
Baek In, the leader of the twelve deities, spoke.
"Let's continue the pursuit. As Cheong Jin said, the four of us will stick together. Baek Ja, you inform our master about the deaths of the priests. Tell him that the Sa Sin Jang followed the enemy."
I replied briefly, "Yes."
Cheong Jin asked again, "Do you mean we should stay away from our master for a while?" Baek In lowered his tone and said, "After all, his goal is our master. He wouldn't have started this just to kill us all. Earlier, I thought he was just rambling, but the nonsense of those with a twisted mind often holds truth."
"Are you saying that he was serious when he told us to endure?"
"It seems so."
"But why did he kill the priests?" Baek In pierced the essence of the matter.
"Because he's insane."
I nodded in agreement with Baek In's words.
The other priests seemed to acknowledge it too. 'Still, he is a true captain.' These foolish beings were seriously discussing their plans for survival in front of the dead priests.
Baek In continued, "If we four stick together, it won't be easy for him to attack. However, considering he mentioned one-on-one, there is a possibility he will appear where our master is alone. Do you understand what I mean? After all, our master dislikes using lightness skills and will likely stay in the Heuk Myo Room."
Listening to Baek In's words, I thought, 'Is his back not well?' Given that his arm was severed, he must have sustained numerous injuries while surviving.
The priests glanced at Baek In.
After all, if the Dae Na Chal died, he could take everything for himself, so he would be saying such things.
Surprisingly, Baek In even tried to sway me. "…Let’s elevate Baek Ja to the Sa Sin Jang. We can start again among ourselves. According to his words, how long will we continue to be slaves? I hope we can stop treating the young people cruelly."
I nodded repeatedly as if I agreed.
But then, without realizing it, I opened my mouth.
"Then how about I just kill our master? Wouldn't that solve everything?"
Baek In, Cheong Jin, Jeok Sa, and Baek Yu all turned to look at me simultaneously. "……."
I suddenly sighed.
The identities of Ija Ha and Baek Ja had become intertwined.
It is not a lie that wearing a mask can worsen madness.
You can see it in me.
Right next to me, Jeok Sa was clinging on.
I unleashed the neck technique with my left hand to ambush Jeok Sa while simultaneously unleashing the Flame Rooster Palm Technique forward.
In an instant, a surge of energy, as large as the Buddha's palm, poured out from my reddened palm.
Baek In, Cheong Jin, and Baek Yu responded simultaneously with their own techniques.
Boom! The impact varied according to the depth of our energies.
First, Baek Yu shot straight out and rolled on the ground.
Baek In and Cheong Jin staggered back about six or seven steps.
Jeok Sa was immobilized, marked by my technique.
I removed Jeok Sa's mask and placed it over my own Baek Ja mask.
I spoke to the confronting Sa Sin Jang.
"I have the masks of Heuk Myo, Nok Sul, Baek Ja, and Jeok Sa. Do you think you are any different?"
Since I had Jeok Sa as a hostage, the other Sa Sin Jang did not move.
"I originally preferred one-on-one. Don't provoke me any further. Those who live in the dark are so shamelessly trying to fight. If I fight with the Dae Na Chal and one of us dies, won't that solve everything? It was originally this simple, yet you all want to complicate things and die. Baek In, what will you do?"
Baek In replied immediately.
"Today, we won't approach the Heuk Myo Room, so spare Jeok Sa."
I stroked Jeok Sa's head and replied, "I can't spare Jeok Sa."
"Why not?"
"He's the one who kidnapped poor women to offer to the Dae Na Chal. Of course, the ones who brought them in were the weaker ones, but he was the mastermind."
At that moment, when Baek In was at a loss for words, I grabbed the back of Jeok Sa's neck, who was immobilized by my technique, and threw him against the wall.
Jeok Sa's head hit the wall with a thud and crumpled down.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason I killed him.
Earlier, he had attacked me first, and the strategy book for the twelve deities noted that he had the deepest loyalty to the Dae Na Chal.
Moreover, the fact that he had recently rescued and offered a beautiful woman was more than enough reason for him to die.
I looked at the three who stood stiffly and said, "The Sa Sin Jang has been reduced to three."
I pointed at Baek In, Cheong Jin, and Baek Yu with my finger.
"If you have no regrets in life, let’s fight at the Heuk Myo Room. If we die, we die, and if you are lucky enough to survive, continue being slaves to the Dae Na Chal. I’m leaving."
With Jeok Sa's mask on, I turned and headed towards the Heuk Myo Room.
Although there was a possibility that the three might ambush me from behind, I kept walking.
I wanted to grab the weapons on Jeok Sa's body, but I refrained, as it would be a loss of face.
A man cannot turn his back in such moments.
Though my back felt slightly prickly, I continued walking towards the Heuk Myo Room.
In truth, even after explaining all this, if they dared to attack me again, they would be beyond saving.
When I arrived in front of the Heuk Myo Room, the door was still wide open.
I muttered to myself as I approached the Dae Na Chal.
"The disciple has arrived. Jeok Sa is here. Baek Ja has come. After sending Hyun Chuk and Ju Mi away, I have returned alive. Huang O has fallen into the Fiery Hell, Jeok Sa into the Abyss Hell, and where will I fall… Master? Where is our dog-like master?"
As I entered the inner courtyard, the positions had changed.
The Dae Na Chal was seated on the platform, and all the subordinates of the Heuk Myo Room were kneeling on my side.
It seemed they had been playing the king and slave game during that brief moment.
I stared blankly at the Dae Na Chal while wearing Jeok Sa's mask and called out to him in a mournful tone, "Master…"