Chapter 270

He had to become strong enough to flip the board itself.

Strength gathered in Unhwi’s steps.

It was time to return.

Behind him came the sound of Go stones striking the board.

Tok, tok, tok.

A /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ rhythmical, lonely sound.

Unhwi left it behind and kept walking.

***

When the downpour cleared, the stench of blood still hung thick over Cheongpa Port.

That was where Unhwi appeared.

His face was drawn and pale, but the reactions to his arrival split in two.

Those who had stood with him brightened.

Seong Yangho let out a sigh of relief, Joo Soa gave a short, incredulous laugh, and Han Murin and Namgung Wonyang broke into smiles.

Standing on Unhwi’s side, Hwa Muryeong only blinked in blank disbelief—much like the captured warriors of the Ihwa Union.

No—unlike them.

The surviving warriors of the Ihwa Union were all sinking into despair.

They couldn’t believe it.

Unhwi’s presence here could only mean one thing: the Sword Emperor of Myriad Transformations, Jang Icheong, had been defeated.

Even seeing it with their own eyes, they couldn’t comprehend it. No matter how much of a prodigy Unhwi was, the Celestial Being Stage was supposed to be an absolute divide—how could he have overturned that?

Unhwi’s own people weren’t much different.

They had believed in him, but if they were honest, they’d been doubtful too.

They’d joined this operation ready to die with him if he lost.

Yet the result had turned out well.

Unhwi had returned as the victor. Immense rewards would follow. That much was certain.

Among the Ihwa Union captives, Jin So-cheon raised his voice.

“How... how are you here?”

Hang Ryeo joined in.

“What happened to Lord Jang? What became of him?”

So Ryeong-hwa all but screamed.

“That’s impossible! You defeated a master of the Celestial Being Stage? Impossible!”

Unhwi looked down at them, cold-eyed.

“Do I really need to explain it?”

“......”

“I don’t feel like answering. Keep your mouths shut.”

What kind of man was Seol Unhwi?

Simple.

He cared for his own people to the point of cruelty. And to anyone he deemed his enemy, he looked down on them as less than insects.

Only a few days ago he had treated all three—save So Ryeong-hwa—as seniors. That ended now.

His gaze swept across the field and caught the sight of countless corpses.

Among them were members of the Bright Cloud Band and warriors of the Seongjak Union.

He didn’t cry. He didn’t clutch his chest in grief. But the sight soured his heart.

Such was the martial world.

A place where killing and dying were constant—and the victor took everything.

But accepting that truth didn’t make it any easier.

Unhwi looked briefly toward Hwa Muryeong.

“Are you firm in your resolve?”

Hwa Muryeong placed a hand on Han Murin’s shoulder and answered.

“I am.”

“You’ve made the right choice.”

What next?

Unhwi’s eyes lowered.

Three Heavenly Commanders were kneeling before him.

Jin So-cheon flinched.

That Unhwi had defeated Jang Icheong was now beyond question.

The Ihwa Union had been utterly routed.

Now came the aftermath.

As envoys dispatched from their temples, all three kneeling before him were capable men—they grasped the situation quickly.

Jin So-cheon spoke first.

“If you kill me, the Five Great Sword Sects won’t sit idle.”

Hang Ryeo followed.

“If you spare us, we’ll bury what happened here today.”

So Ryeong-hwa, her expression hard, cut into the exchange.

“You must know what comes next.”

Unhwi asked, “And what would that be?”

“You’ve struck both the Five Great Sword Sects and the Outer Sima Branch. Their main sects will move. When they do, this will escalate beyond anyone’s control. So I’m proposing a deal.”

“A deal...”

“Listen well. We were all deceived by Jang Icheong’s schemes. That’s what drove us into this bloodbath. The true blame lies with Jang Icheong and the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect that pulled his strings.”

Hang Ryeo brightened.

“Yes! Let the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect take all responsibility!”

Jin So-cheon raised his voice.

“That way we can prevent any further wars—with the Five Great Sword Sects, with the Outer Sima Branch, with anyone.”

It was a clear proposal.

All three were responsible representatives. As they said, accepting it could smooth everything over.

It was, on the surface, a tempting deal.

But—

Unhwi’s thinking was different.

“And what of the lives and blood my people shed here today?”

The three gaped at him.

Was this the ‘prodigy’ they’d heard of? Had something gone wrong in his head?

“Are you... not seeing the situation?” Hang Ryeo shouted. “If you don’t side with us, you’ll have to face both the Five Great Sword Sects and the Outer Sima Branch! What nonsense are you spouting?”

Unhwi gave a faint laugh.

“Seems you’re the ones mistaken.”

“...What?”

“I already gave you a chance.”

“......”

“The only one who seized that fair chance was Hwa Muryeong.”

“Wait—” Jin So-cheon felt a chill of dread.

“And here at Cheongpa Port, my people’s blood has been spilled. That debt must be repaid.”

“Then take our—”

“Buying your way out with money and false justification isn’t justice.”

Unhwi’s voice hardened.

“I’ll take your wealth, your manuals, your spirit elixirs—everything connected to you.”

Their eyes went wide.

Something in his tone froze them.

“Why do you think I gave you that chance in the first place?”

“......”

“The Five Great Sword Sects and the Outer Sima Branch are formidable, yes. Facing them will cost blood and exhaustion. But what’s begun must be finished. The chance I offered wasn’t only to you three—it was aimed at the sects behind you as well.”

“What... what kind of lunatic—”

“As those in charge, you’ve just decided not only your own lives but your sects’ as well. Your heads will be the spoils, the offerings to appease the spirits of my dead.”

“W-wait—!”

So Ryeong-hwa screamed, but Unhwi ignored her.

He gave a wave of his hand.

Three figures moved at once behind the kneeling captives—quick, silent.

They were the people of the Bright Spirit Domain.

In order: Joo Soa, Namgung Wonyang, and Han Murin.

Normally Seong the Chief or Pung Muhwi would have taken such a task, but Pung lay collapsed from exhaustion, and Seong, leaning against a wall and gasping for breath, couldn’t move.

With a whisper of steel, the three drew their swords.

Unhwi spoke.

“Fare well.”

The words had barely left his mouth when—

Slash—

A single, clean sound.

Three heads fell at once.

Blood seeped into the earth.

Silence descended.

Now the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect, the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, the Heaven-Sound Sword Sect, and the Heaven Demon Spirit Sect had all become enemies.

That, too, was fine.

What’s begun must be finished.

No matter the obstacles, that is how a martial man should live.

At the very least—

Unhwi always had.