Had anyone been watching from outside, they would certainly have seen it.
The eaves of the Martial Emperor Hall trembling--faintly, but unmistakably.
It was caused by hundreds of luminaries all shouting at once.
RUMBLE!
So many were speaking over one another that it was difficult to make out any single voice.
The one thing that was clear: every last one of them was seething.
For the reception given to the Martial Alliance's hero, it was a supremely brazen display--yet the circumstances left them no choice.
The man at the center of all that verbal fury, Dan Sahyeok himself, remained utterly indifferent.
"Enough! Enough, please, everyone! Let us calm down and resolve this through dialogue!"
Sama Jin shouted desperately, but his words were powerless against the crowd's frenzy.
They had passed well beyond agitation into outright fury, and no one was in any state to hear reason.
The only thing stopping them from drawing weapons was the absence of steel in their hands--otherwise, it would not have been strange to see every one of them charge at Dan Sahyeok.
Just then.
THOOM—!
A violent tremor rippled outward, and a massive wave of pressure swept through the chamber.
Even in their excitement, the luminaries could not help but flinch before that overwhelming force.
The one who had caused it had merely stamped his foot.
"Now it is quiet."
"Patriarch...... Namgung."
"Our esteemed seniors and juniors should be ashamed of themselves. Is this the extent of the courtesy you offer the hero who brought down the Blood Sky Demon?"
"......"
"Of course, all of that."
Namgung Un turned to face Dan Sahyeok.
"Assumes that the Blood Sky Demon's death is truly certain."
"......!"
"Patriarch Namgung! What do you mean by that?"
Namgung Un fixed Dan Sahyeok with a steady gaze.
"As things stand, only one fact is beyond dispute. That you have come to the Martial Alliance bearing the Blood Dragon Blade."
"......"
"No--if I am being completely honest, I cannot even guarantee that blade is the genuine Blood Dragon Blade. It is certainly a finely honed edge with the shape of a blood dragon etched upon it, but the possibility that a skilled craftsman forged a replica cannot be entirely ruled out."
When Dan Sahyeok offered no reply, Namgung Un let out a smirk.
"Nothing to say? Or is it that you see no need to defend yourself? Well, it matters not. One more possibility remains--the most important one."
"The most important one?"
"What on earth......?"
As whispers rippled through the room, Namgung Un cleared his throat.
"It is a simple matter. Whether you truly possess martial prowess sufficient to defeat the Blood Sky Demon."
"Hm!"
"Indeed......!"
The hall buzzed anew.
Namgung Un raised his hand slightly, and the noise subsided of its own accord.
"What say you, Dan Sahyeok?"
"I say I am grateful."
For an instant, Namgung Un's eyes narrowed.
"Grateful for what?"
"Thanks to you going on at such length, the situation has become much simpler."
Going on at such length?
Namgung Un frowned, slightly offended.
"What has become simpler?"
"That blade is the genuine Blood Dragon Blade. But setting that aside, you are right that it alone is not enough. First I would need to prove it is real, and even then, proving its authenticity does not necessarily prove I killed the Blood Sky Demon."
"......"
"But thanks to you running your mouth a while longer, only one simple option remains."
Dan Sahyeok's sharp gaze cut across the room.
"All I need to prove now is whether I truly could have killed the Blood Sky Demon."
"......!"
Namgung Un's eyes widened.
A faint sneer formed at the corner of Dan Sahyeok's mouth.
"I will prove it any way you like. But...... while I am ready whenever, what about the rest of you?"
"Ngh!"
Namgung Un stifled a groan.
He understood exactly what Dan Sahyeok meant.
Proving whether he could have defeated the Blood Sky Demon.
A pure demonstration of strength, nothing more.
'In the end......!'
'Someone has to step forward and face him.'
'Face the man who may very well have defeated the Blood Sky Demon......'
'Which means!'
The room began to stir.
The meaning had shifted from a moment ago.
They still harbored suspicion toward Dan Sahyeok, yet the nature of that suspicion had changed considerably.
Perhaps he really had defeated the Blood Sky Demon.
To be a fitting opponent for such a man's proof of strength could only mean one thing.
'Facing him head-on. In other words......'
'A formal duel, before everyone's eyes!'
If the man was all bluster and a fraud, there was no problem.
They could simply beat him to a pulp.
But what if he was not?
What if this man truly possessed the strength and skill to have defeated the Blood Sky Demon?
'They could end up getting utterly destroyed in front of everyone!'
'Then they would spend the next several decades as the laughingstock of the martial world.'
'No, that would almost be a mercy. If one's luck truly ran foul......'
'They could die!'
That was, in the end, what the luminaries feared most.
In the martial world, one's reputation was tantamount to one's life.
Bound as much to fame and renown as to raw strength and martial arts, stepping forward carelessly was out of the question.
And on top of that, there was the matter of one's life itself.
'Hmm......'
Namgung Un suppressed a groan internally.
His earlier, bold initiative had become a shackle around his ankle.
He was, of course, the patriarch of the Namgung Clan--foremost among the Five Great Clans of the martial world.
In the realm of swordsmanship, he was a peerless master who would not yield to anyone.
'But......!'
Was he on par with the Blood Sky Demon, who had reigned as a terror over the entire martial world for so long?
He could not answer that with certainty. That was the reality.
'But if I retreat here, then I, too, will become the laughingstock of the martial world. Not just me--the entire Namgung Clan!'
Namgung Un strained to maintain an air of composure on the surface while desperately analyzing the man called Dan Sahyeok.
With his eyes, he read the man's build, posture, and frame. With his senses, he tried to detect his breathing and the flicker of his qi.
His aim was to gauge whether this man was truly worthy of being called the Blood Dragon Blade's new master, but time was not on his side.
'Do I fight, or do I not? If I do fight, and this man is stronger than I am...... how do I bring the situation to a close?'
In the hall that had been raucous just moments ago, an eerie silence had settled.
"Who will step forward?"
Dan Sahyeok's voice rang out.
Namgung Un clenched his jaw.
"I will--"
"I will do it!"
A voice cut in by the thinnest of margins.
Once again, it had come from beyond the doors of the Martial Emperor Hall.
Before long, a diminutive figure stepped inside, yet no one dared take him lightly.
If anything, they held their breath and tensed.
"That is......!"
"Is that not Great Master Gomok, the Abbot of Shaolin?"
"Great Master Gomok was here at Yellow Dragon Fortress?"
The arrival of a figure who eclipsed even Namgung Un.
And given the timing, every soul in the room naturally fell silent and watched.
Great Master Gomok walked in with measured steps and stood before Dan Sahyeok.
Namgung Un smoothly withdrew to the rear.
The old monk turned his gaze, looking back and forth between the Blood Dragon Blade and Dan Sahyeok.
"The Blood Dragon Blade. You brought it?"
"As you can see."
"......Did Cheon Muyeol leave any last words?"
"One thing."
"What was it?"
"He said once the Martial Alliance took the Blood Dragon Blade, they would never give it back to me."
"Is that so?"
"It is."
"And why would that be?"
"Because it is a valuable thing."
The air around them froze of its own accord.
Several faces could be seen flushing red and purple.
The one who seemed most amused was Great Master Gomok himself.
"Hm! That sounds like Cheon Muyeol, all right. He was always a man who mocked and sneered at the Martial Alliance's ideals and principles. Do you know that he was originally a member of this Alliance?"
"I heard it from him."
"I see! Well, his personality was nothing if not honest and forthright, so if one could hold a conversation with him, there was no finer companion to be found."
"Hm."
"So then, you brought that Cheon Muyeol down. Word has it you made a demand of the Alliance as your reward?"
"I demanded that the vow the Alliance Leader proclaimed be honored."
"Heh heh, the vow that promised anything the Alliance owns? Even this old rascal remembers that."
Great Master Gomok glanced at Sama Jin, then turned his gaze back to Dan Sahyeok.
"So what did you demand that has everyone in such an uproar?"
"Yellow Dragon Fortress."
"......Ha ha!"
The old monk burst into a hearty laugh.
Not in disbelief, but in something closer to wonder.
"I see! So that is why they were all standing around looking like they were about to soil themselves. Even that Strategist over there, the one they call the Seven-Step Divine Strategist."
"A-Abbot."
"Well, it is a surprising demand, but not an unjust one...... so granting it would be the proper thing to do, would it not, Strategist?"
Great Master Gomok's sudden declaration sent the air rippling once more.
But with the Abbot of Shaolin himself standing there, no one dared raise their voice in protest.
"Besides, I can understand why everyone is so upset. We monks need only pack up our begging bowls and prayer beads, but plenty of people have made this place their entire household."
"As it happens, I intend to give ten days."
"Time to clear out their rooms? That is a bit stingy, though. Fifteen days at the very least, I should think."
"That much is negotiable."
"What an agreeable fellow! Come visit Mount Song sometime."
"I will consider it."
Great Master Gomok gave Dan Sahyeok an amicable smile, then turned back to Sama Jin.
"And so it stands, Strategist."
"What...... what stands, Abbot?"
"That blade is undoubtedly the genuine Blood Dragon Blade. I give you my word. And Cheon Muyeol was not the sort of man who would willingly hand over his lifelong companion just to set up some ploy."
"B-but......!"
"Which means this young man wrested it from him by force. Now, I cannot entirely rule out the possibility that he persuaded or tricked Cheon Muyeol through some extraordinary means...... but that seems unlikely."
"On what basis?"
"This young man is strong."
"......!"
"Well, at the very least, that is what this old monk sees."
Great Master Gomok's gaze shifted to the rest of the assembly.
"If you cannot rest easy until Cheon Muyeol's corpse is confirmed, then this old man has nothing more to say. But while that verification is underway, I would suggest you start packing. If you put it off until later, you will be scrambling to meet the deadline."
"A-Abbot!"
"Strategist, smile. If what this young man says is true, then this is a momentous occasion to celebrate. The threat of the Blood Sky Demon, who plunged not only the martial world but the entire land into suffering, has been utterly extinguished."
He was certainly not wrong.
'But, even so......'
Everyone could only mutter to themselves and dither in silence.
Great Master Gomok, for his part, was cheerfully continuing to chat with Dan Sahyeok.
"So tell me, once you have claimed Yellow Dragon Fortress, what do you intend to do with it? Sell it to someone for a fortune? Or make it your estate and found a sect?"
"Neither."
"Then?"
Every eye in the hall converged on him.
Dan Sahyeok ignored them all and spoke with perfect composure.
"It is an absurdly massive building, so it should be perfect for renting out."