Chapter 288

There was conviction in Unhwi’s voice.

None of them doubted him.

Above all, Chief Seong and Seo Hyo each had enough personal martial force to handle a degree of the unexpected.

But Han Murin did not.

“Chief.”

“Speak.”

With a sober face, he asked:

“...Even now I can’t be sure—am I truly meant to enter the royal capital tomorrow?”

“Certainty, is it...”

Unhwi gave a small laugh.

It was perfectly understandable.

Of them all, Han Murin had the least personal martial force.

At Triple Blossoming Purity Stage, he would not be outmatched just anywhere, but within the royal capital there were martial men throughout the Heaven-Earth Apex.

To anyone’s eye, Han Murin had the lowest chance of surviving and the least use.

It might even be better for him not to be there—but Unhwi’s view was the opposite.

“If you’re not there tomorrow, the probability of all of us dying rises.”

“...Sir?”

At that, Seo Hyo and Chief Seong both cocked their heads.

“For the plan I set to be perfect, and for the board I laid to turn around me, you must be at my side tomorrow.”

“...Me.”

“Do you trust me?”

At the out-of-the-blue question, Han Murin blinked.

But—

The answer was clear.

He had never doubted, not for a single instant.

“I do.”

“Then what more needs saying.”

Han Murin nodded, firm-jawed.

***

At the start of the Si hour the next day, before the main gate of the Capital City in Un’gyeong Province.

Unhwi, with Seo Hyo, Chief Seong, and Han Murin, had arrived at the appointed place.

Morning sunlight struck the walls, but the air was still cold.

Chief Seong pointed to a party approaching from afar.

“They’re coming.”

The Crown Prince was walking with Kim Mujin and Jang Cheolsan. All three wore expressions more solemn than usual.

Unhwi drifted close to Chief Seong and whispered something. Chief Seong nodded, face set.

Presently Unhwi looked to the Crown Prince and spoke.

“Good morning, Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince nodded, letting his gaze pass over Unhwi’s party. His eyes lingered a moment on Seo Hyo, then returned to Unhwi.

“Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

“Then let’s go in.”

Leading the way, the Crown Prince entered the Capital City. The gatekeepers, recognizing him, hurried to clear the path.

The road to the royal palace.

Within the Capital City, the bustle of morning had already begun.

Merchants opened their shops, and officials set out for their offices.

As the Crown Prince’s party passed, the people on the streets all dropped to their knees and offered bows.

But the Crown Prince did not glance at them, walking straight toward the palace.

“How long to the State Affairs Hall?”

“Half a double-hour should suffice.”

The answer to Unhwi’s question did not come from the Crown Prince.

It was Kim Mujin.

“Is the Chancellor usually alone at this time?”

“Hardly. From the Si hour until before the Wu hour, the Chancellor reviews state papers, and whether he eats or not there are always a man and a woman guarding him.”

Those two were the Left Guard General and Right Guard General.

Both were martial men at Celestial Being Stage, officers of the government army.

Beyond that, none—including Unhwi—opened their mouths.

Thus they reached the palace’s front gate.

Dozens of guards dropped to their knees as one.

“We greet Your Highness the Crown Prince!”

The Crown Prince lifted a hand, signaling them to rise, then said to the captain of the guard:

“These people will accompany me to the State Affairs Hall. No one is to hinder them.”

“As you command, Your Highness!”

The captain bowed his head, but puzzlement flickered in his eyes. It was truly strange for the Crown Prince to bring outsiders to the State Affairs Hall.

But that did not mean he could object.

A mere captain of the guard, to the Crown Prince?

It was out of the question.

Passing the gate, they moved naturally toward the royal palace. Inside, it was broad and splendid. Red pillars, eaves trimmed with gold, dragon motifs carved in fine detail everywhere.

After a long walk through the royal city, they arrived at the State Affairs Hall.

Only then did the Crown Prince speak.

“When we arrive, I will speak with the Chancellor first. After that, do what must be done.”

Unhwi regarded the Crown Prince.

Speak first with the Chancellor?

Perhaps he did not wish to miss the opportunity he had long awaited. One wondered how a man with such appetite had borne the wait until now.

Unexpectedly, Unhwi smiled.

“As you wish. However—”

He looked straight ahead.

Just then, from the manor of the side compound, a man appeared.

Unhwi continued.

“—unfortunately, there will be no time for private talk.”

The Crown Prince’s brow creased. Understandable.

Because the man who appeared was Chancellor Inspector of State Affairs An Wigwan.

As if not expecting the Crown Prince to show, An Wigwan’s eyes widened—and the instant he saw Unhwi beside him, his brow furrowed.

Clearly he had not foreseen this.

Why had those two come together? And to the State Affairs Hall?

Behind An Wigwan stood two martial men.

One, a sturdy man who looked in his mid-fifties.

This was the Left Guard General, Yeol Gwangyeo.

And beside him, a man in his late forties with a keen cast—this was the Right Guard General, Gwak Seojin.

Both were martial men at Celestial Being Stage, fully worthy of being called strong. Perhaps sensing something amiss, the two drew taut the cord of their vigilance.

With a stiff face, An Wigwan bowed to the Crown Prince.

“Your Highness, to what do we owe your visit?”

“Have I come where I should not?”

“That is not it, but if you had business with me, why not send a letter? I would have come to you myself.”

An Wigwan, who looked to be in his early sixties, wore arrogance at a glance.

And it was not something the Crown Prince could call out.

Even for a Crown Prince, politics bowed to the man who held real power.

An Wigwan fixed Unhwi with a sharp gaze.

“Remarkably persistent.”

“Do you mean me.”

“I said clearly I would have no dialogue with the Heavenly Alliance—and yet you sweet-talked His Highness and came all the way here.”

Unhwi wore a curious smile.

“Are you displeased.”

“More than displeased—I find it a touch sordid.”

Whatever his purpose, provocation or otherwise, Unhwi paid it no mind.

He only tossed a single question.

“Do you think I came here to talk?”

“...What?”

“Elder An Wigwan. Today, you will die.”

An Wigwan’s face went pale in an instant.

“You insane—”

Unhwi and Seo Hyo sprang at the same time.

KA-BOOM—!!

KA-BOOM—!!

Two concussive blasts in perfect sequence hurled the Left Guard General and Right Guard General aside.

It was the scheduled step. From the rear, Han Murin kicked off the floor.

An immense surge of demonic flame burst from his body.

Demonfire Sky-Piercing Sword Art.

Han Murin’s eyes flashed.

Thwuck—!

His sword pierced An Wigwan’s heart.

Of the Crown Prince’s party, none understood what was happening.

No, everything in this world had a prior sequence—and without any proper exchange, they had simply slit the man’s throat?

It made no sense. Madness.

And in that instant, the Crown Prince had to decide.

Move, or not.

He chose the latter.

The patience he had cultivated over more than two, nearly three decades had become a habit.

Chief Seong, who had been watching the Crown Prince closely, quietly sprang and shifted position toward Han Murin.

At the Capital City gate, Unhwi had already briefed them on their roles once inside.

Seo Hyo and Han Murin moving was part of their roles; even Chief Seong, who did not move at first, had his.

Unhwi had said:

I will kill the Chancellor when no one can possibly expect it. And if the Crown Prince so much as seems about to give an order, seize him as a hostage at once.

And if he does not move?

Then open as much distance as you can. If possible, toward Han Murin.

To seize the Crown Prince as a hostage with a master at the Realm of Martial Divinity and a master at Unity of Heaven and Man standing there with eyes open was as good as a death sentence.

But given what had just occurred, it was more than possible.

Kim Mujin and Jang Cheolsan looked stunned and vacant—but not to the degree of the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince was assuredly clever. No fool.

He had the earliest moment to judge, and he chose not to move.

Chief Seong read that time between.

Just as Unhwi had said.

Moving toward Han Murin, Chief Seong quietly drew the dagger at his waist, and Seo Hyo came to Unhwi’s side as Unhwi, planted where he stood, drew the Heavenshaking Spiritblade.

“What will you do? Will you truly face both of them at once?”

“Do you think I cannot.”

“You likely can—but isn’t it a waste to unveil a concealed card here?”

Unhwi slanted a glance at Seo Hyo.

Seo Hyo was indeed outstanding. No—extraordinary.

Unhwi had already faced martial /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ men at Celestial Being Stage twice and won. Each time, he had been wounded to at least a serious degree—so facing two Celestial Beings at once now?

That implied Unhwi would draw on something he had kept hidden, and Seo Hyo was saying: not now—save it for a truly crucial moment later.

“In any case, I will soon be acting as an ‘Elder’ of the Heavenly Alliance; yet the world does not know who the Master of Cheonrim is, nor what realm he stands in.”

Rolling his neck, Seo Hyo looked at the Left Guard General, who still could not comprehend this absurd situation.

“And without doubting you, Chief—I think plans always have variables.”

“I don’t deny it.”

“If ‘he’ does not move, then to extract yourself later you should conserve strength.”

Seo Hyo met Unhwi’s eyes, clear.

—If this fails, I intend to die here. And I will do anything to keep you alive. So afterward, be sure to grant my wish.

Unhwi let out a thin laugh.

Spoken thus, how could he refuse?

“Take the Left Guard General. The time limit is half a quarter-hour [about seven and a half minutes].”

Seo Hyo nodded and sprang.

Unhwi turned his head.

The Right Guard General still looked wide-eyed, as if he could not understand.

“You seem confused.”

“...You... do you know where you stand.”

“How could I not. This is the royal capital of Un’guk.”