Dusk had begun to settle over the training ground.
As Lee Woo-yang stepped onto the platform, the members who had barely managed to collect themselves began to leave one by one.
The wounds they had suffered on the battlefield.
And the beating they had just endured.
They were in no condition where it would have been strange for them to collapse at any moment.
CLANK.
Amid them, the sound of a mass of metal shifting rang out.
Ja Cheon-gwang rose to his feet, a greatsword in his hand.
“I’ll borrow yours.”
It was Bong Gyu’s greatsword.
Blood clung thickly to its broad blade, and the hilt reeked of mingled blood and iron.
Ja Cheon-gwang tilted his head back.
Beyond the ridge, the sinking sun cast a deep crimson glow across the sky.
For a long while, he stared blankly upward.
A cool gust brushed the bridge of his nose.
Strangely enough, it felt refreshing.
CREAK.
Had he made up his mind?
A harsh grinding sound rose from the hand gripping the hilt.
“Sect Leader. Did you do this?”
His voice was low.
Yet it had apparently been loud enough.
The movements of those struggling to rise came to a simultaneous halt.
Every gaze turned toward Ja Cheon-gwang.
Then shifted to Lee Woo-yang.
Could anyone truly dare speak to the Sect Leader of the Ascending Dragon Sect like that?
It was not merely because he held the position of Sect Leader.
Ascending Dragon, Lee Woo-yang.
Within the Ascending Dragon Sect, only the strongest could bear the epithet of Ascending Dragon.
Furthermore, the strongest person was required to become the Sect Leader.
Thus, it was only natural that the Sect Leader possessed the title of Ascending Dragon.
In any case, Lee Woo-yang was the strongest person here.
Before his martial might, everyone had always held their breath.
“W-What?”
The liquor that had nearly passed down his throat almost caught there instead.
Lee Woo-yang stared at Ja Cheon-gwang as though he could not believe what he had heard.
“You bastard… did you just say that to me?”
“Is there another Sect Leader here besides you?”
“Ha….”
A mere member of the Golden Dragon Corps.
For a moment, Lee Woo-yang was too dumbfounded to continue speaking.
Watching him, Ja Cheon-gwang spoke even more firmly.
“Didn’t you hear me? I asked whether you did it.”
Ja Cheon-gwang’s hand tightened around the greatsword hilt once again.
Behind Lee Woo-yang, Moin let out a quiet sigh at the sight.
‘Damn it… this is bad.’
The situation he had feared most had finally reared its head.
‘It was obvious that he would cause trouble. That was why I tried to get rid of him beforehand… but I never expected it to erupt like this.’
Moin resented Lee Woo-yang inwardly.
It was true that he had tried to eliminate Ja Cheon-gwang.
Perhaps it had simply been an excessive concern of his own.
There had been a chance that Ja Cheon-gwang would have spent his entire life keeping his head down as a member of the Golden Dragon Corps.
The martial artists of the Ascending Dragon Sect had been thoroughly indoctrinated since their days in the Non-Dragon Corps.
They had been taught that challenging one’s superiors was absolutely forbidden.
‘This is your fault. How many times did I tell you to rein in that temper of yours? You damned Sect Leader.’
Looking at Lee Woo-yang’s temperament, it was something bound to happen eventually.
Especially after he had started treating even the fully grown Golden Dragon Corps members as though he were hunting rats.
The problem was that he had used the Ascending Dragon Sect’s strongest force like slaves.
And that had ultimately pulled Ja Cheon-gwang’s trigger.
‘No. It isn’t that simple.’
Moin narrowed his eyes.
He carefully examined Ja Cheon-gwang’s condition.
‘Something is wrong with him. He isn’t normal. Besides, the Sect Leader is the strongest man here. Even if that bastard’s skills have improved by leaps and bounds, the Sect Leader will not fall easily. If necessary, we can simply mobilize the members and kill him.’
SHFF…
However, his calculations did not last long.
The members standing between Ja Cheon-gwang and Lee Woo-yang stepped back of their own accord, opening a path between them.
Even if they had to drag their legs to do so.
‘Damn it… I forgot these men belong to an unorthodox faction. This is a life-or-death duel against the Sect Leader. No one will interfere.’
No one tried to stop them.
No one barked an order.
Those standing nearby merely watched the scene unfold.
Though they outwardly imitated a structure similar to that of the orthodox factions, the Ascending Dragon Sect was, at its core, an unorthodox faction.
It was a group where the strong were respected.
The superior accepting a challenge from below was an unspoken rule among them.
Otherwise, one had to suppress others with enormous wealth.
No matter how foolish they might be, they were not so gullible that they would bow their heads to someone insignificant.
They would never tolerate that.
Moin had another concern.
‘The Sect Leader winning is a given. But no matter how strong he is, he is an inherited Ascending Dragon. He has no real combat experience.’
Originally, this was a place where the strongest person became the Sect Leader.
However, thirty years ago, the Ascending Dragon Sect had been defeated in its decisive battle against Hegemon Fortress and absorbed under its command.
The Sect Leader who had died then was succeeded by his bloodline.
From son to son, and then to the next son.
Lee Woo-yang, too, had inherited the position of Sect Leader from his father, the previous Ascending Dragon.
The Sect Leader at the time the Ascending Dragon Sect submitted to Hegemon Fortress had been his grandfather.
At least Lee Woo-yang’s martial prowess was outstanding.
Thanks to that, he had held his position without any major trouble until now.
But Ja Cheon-gwang’s challenge was the first of its kind for him.
A proper fight as well.
The other members would never intervene.
The moment Ja Cheon-gwang of the Golden Dragon Corps raised his sword against Lee Woo-yang, the Sect Leader, it ceased to be simple rebellion.
It became a clear challenge to a superior rank.
A place governed by strength and reason.
That was the way of the unorthodox faction.
“You’ve finally gone mad.”
Lee Woo-yang gripped the Black Death Sword he had tossed aside.
The sword that had never been drawn until then finally revealed itself.
The Black Death Sword slowly slid from its dark scabbard, its blade the same murky black.
Its oppressive presence was enough to make the onlookers stop breathing.
In contrast, the power of Ja Cheon-gwang’s inner arts flowed into the greatsword’s hilt.
A bluish haze rose from it.
Sword energy.
“There’ll be one more corpse today. You won’t die peacefully.”
This was Lee Woo-yang’s first challenge.
The dignity of the Sect Leader, proof of his own martial prowess.
He had no intention of ending it easily.
Blue sword energy slowly rose from the Black Death Sword as well.
The distance between the two men gradually narrowed.
Ja Cheon-gwang moved first.
The greatsword slowly rose above his head.
The sword energy converged, becoming an even deeper blue.
Then he brought it down.
An eerie blue sword energy burst forth as though exploding.
Ascending Dragon Qi Art, First Form: Ascending Dragon Overpowers the Heavens.
The sword energy that erupted from the tip of the greatsword took the shape of a blue dragon and traced a beautiful arc.
“Ha. You’re attacking? You really must want to die.”
When the sword energy was almost upon him, Lee Woo-yang swept the Black Death Sword horizontally.
CRASH.
The blue dragon-shaped force aura shattered with an explosive sound that tore through the air.
Through the fragments of sword energy that scattered like mist, Ja Cheon-gwang’s figure lunged forward.
At point-blank range.
The greatsword whipped through the air.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM…
Metal struck metal.
Iron struck iron.
Yet there was no chilling metallic clang that seemed ready to tear through their eardrums.
Both were masters who had trained in the Ascending Dragon Sect’s martial arts.
The power of their inner arts collided, and explosive blasts engulfed the training ground.
Ascending Dragon Lee Woo-yang.
Though he had become Sect Leader through inheritance, the title of Ascending Dragon was not meaningless.
His martial arts were the strongest within the Ascending Dragon Sect.
How much effort must the previous Sect Leaders have spent to prepare him to inherit the position?
The starting line had always been different between ordinary members, who had lived while being worked like beasts in the Non-Dragon Corps, and Lee Woo-yang, who had been trained on meat and spirit elixirs three times a day.
As though to prove that difference, Lee Woo-yang immediately shifted to the offensive.
“Urgh….”
A groan escaped Ja Cheon-gwang’s lips.
The problem was not his inner arts.
His body was already wrecked beyond repair.
His injuries were disrupting his movements.
“You bastard… you dared challenge me in that condition? You were a hundred years too early.”
The Black Death Sword traced a massive arc.
CRASH.
Had Ja Cheon-gwang not hurriedly raised the greatsword to block it, his torso would have been split apart.
Lee Woo-yang had no intention of sparing Ja Cheon-gwang.
To him, the Sect Leader, Ja Cheon-gwang was merely a single piece on a game board.
If one piece was gone, he only had to place another on the board.
‘He’s stronger than I expected… but not strong enough that I can’t handle him.’
Since they had never crossed blades directly, it was only natural that Ja Cheon-gwang had been unable to gauge Lee Woo-yang’s strength.
‘Still, one thing is certain. If I weren’t injured… it would already be over.’
The instant their swords had met, he had become certain.
Lee Woo-yang was not his opponent.
But there were his injuries.
He had to withstand that immense pressure with his right hand alone.
The flesh of his left hand had already been torn away, leaving it mangled.
“Got you, bastard. I’ll tear your limbs apart.”
The instant Ja Cheon-gwang’s movement stopped, Lee Woo-yang slipped in from the side.
A faint smile rested on his face.
But that was his mistake.
He had only been the strongest until two years ago.
Ja Cheon-gwang’s rapidly growing strength had already surpassed Lee Woo-yang by far.
Injuries?
They merely meant that Ja Cheon-gwang was giving him a handicap.
They had been on different levels from the start.
Moreover, the sword art Lee Woo-yang used was the Ascending Dragon Sword Art.
Contrary to its outward appearance, it was a sword art with limited variations.
His actual combat experience was lacking as well.
As long as Ja Cheon-gwang could read the sword paths, the difference in their inner arts alone was enough to suppress him.
SNATCH.
The Black Death Sword’s trajectory stopped.
Ja Cheon-gwang had grabbed the Black Death Sword with his left hand.
His left hand was so badly ruined that bone protruded from it, but he paid it no mind.
And then—
SLASH.
“AAARGH!”
With a scream, Lee Woo-yang’s left arm flew through the air and fell to the ground.
It had only been a glancing strike, but before the concentrated power of inner arts, an arm was no sturdier than paper.
Lee Woo-yang barely kept his life.
He had thrown aside the Black Death Sword and retreated backward.
Had he been even a little slower, his body would have been cut cleanly in two.
CLICK.
Ja Cheon-gwang picked up the Black Death Sword that had fallen to the ground.
It truly was a weapon worthy of the Sect Leader.
It was on a completely different level from the dull-edged weapons wielded by ordinary members.
Beneath the sunset, its blade gleamed even more sharply.
Holding the Black Death Sword, Ja Cheon-gwang slowly approached Lee Woo-yang.
“I-I say… Instructor Ja Cheon-gwang. Wait, just wait a moment.”
Clutching his severed left arm, Lee Woo-yang cried out.
Still seated, he pushed himself backward across the ground with his buttocks.
SLASH.
A single indifferent swing.
Lee Woo-yang’s left leg fell away.
“AAARGH!”
His body rolled across the ground and twisted.
The severed leg twitched as though searching for its owner.
“Instructor Ja Cheon-gwang. Just wait, wait. P-Please spare me!”
Before his own Black Death Sword, Lee Woo-yang begged in a voice mixed with screams.
“I’ll step down as Sect Leader. You can be the Sect Leader. You can be the Ascending Dragon. So… please spare me.”
“…….”
Though Lee Woo-yang pleaded so desperately, his words did not properly reach Ja Cheon-gwang’s ears.
His mind had already grown hazy.
The exhaustion from the battles that had continued since the day before, the anemia caused by excessive blood loss, and the Sect Leader’s beating…
His body had already reached its limit.
On top of that came the deaths of Yoo Hwan-geun and Bong Gyu.
His mind had been worn down as well.
There was no way he could fully hear Lee Woo-yang’s cries.
The thread of reason he had barely been holding snapped.
From that moment onward, Ja Cheon-gwang was no longer in his right mind.
There was only one thought in his head.
‘Cut down Lee Woo-yang.’
“Just die. Let it all end now.”
SLASH.
One swing.
This time, Lee Woo-yang’s right leg was severed.
“Guaaagh….”
The Black Death Sword’s edge was truly sharp.
It was on a completely different level from a dull greatsword.
A light sweep was all it took to sever limbs with ease.
Now, only his right arm remained.
But there was no need to cut it off.
The training ground was already soaked with his blood.
Even if left alone, he would soon die.
His deathly pale face said as much.
“Golden Dragon Corps.”
Ja Cheon-gwang’s call was low.
“Yes!”
The members of the Golden Dragon Corps, who had watched the life-or-death duel, answered in unison.
It was obvious to anyone.
At this moment, the position of Ascending Dragon had changed hands.
“My first order. Seize Great Dragon Hall. Behead every member of that bastard’s household.”
“Yes!”
Ja Cheon-gwang had always been the strongest member of the Golden Dragon Corps.
For a long time, the expectation that he might become Sect Leader had already taken root in the members’ hearts.
Thus, their resounding reply was perhaps only natural.
Their bodies were covered in battlefield wounds, and Lee Woo-yang’s beating had left them in ruins.
Yet at this moment, their blood boiled.
So fiercely that they could not even feel the pain.
The Golden Dragon Corps members grabbed their greatswords, dragged their legs, and rushed toward Great Dragon Hall.
The birth of a new Sect Leader.
Proof of the strongest person.
They had witnessed it with their own eyes.
“S-Spare me… please….”
Lee Woo-yang’s voice had become tiresome now.
Why was the voice of a man about to die so loud?
SLASH.
A faint smile formed on Ja Cheon-gwang’s lips.
He would no longer need to listen to that clear voice.
What voice could possibly come from a head rolling across the ground?
From the direction of Great Dragon Hall before the training ground, screams erupted.
The piercing shrieks of women.
The cries of children.
Lee Woo-yang’s wife and children were there.
Within Great Dragon Hall, a feast of slaughter had begun.
Ja Cheon-gwang staggered forward.
Toward the three elders standing side by side before the platform.
“Grand Elder… I think we have something to discuss.”
His voice was calm.
Moin swallowed dryly.