Chapter 111
"So-ah...!"
"Uncle. What on earth happened here?"
"Well, you see..."
Calming his bursting heart, So-ah first heard a brief account of the situation in the hall from his uncle.
'Of all days for this to happen!'
He had expected a bustling tournament venue...
Instead, he found his seniors poisoned by an unknown substance.
Tang Il-gi, Myo-seon, and Namgung Mun were severely injured.
And setting aside the unidentified figures in black, even No Yeong-myeong, who could be called the greatest nemesis of So-ah's life, had appeared.
'First, I need to get this situation under control.'
So-ah's mind began to race.
This was undoubtedly the greatest crisis the Orthodox Path had faced in decades.
"So-ah..."
Abbess Hongryeon's low murmur brushed past So-ah's ear.
"Grandma Hongryeon..."
"I've shown you a pathetic sight."
"Don't say that."
"So-ah..."
"Grandma. When I was young, you and Grandpa showed me great kindness. And of course, you've helped me a lot since then. That debt."
"..."
"I will repay it today."
So-ah firmly grasped Abbess Hongryeon's limp hand.
Right now, the most miserable person here was surely Abbess Hongryeon...
On the very first day she became the Alliance Leader, most of the leaders of the Nine Great Sects and the masters of the Eight Great Families were poisoned, and the series of duels between the rising stars, arranged by Zhuge Hyuk's quick thinking, was suffering defeat after defeat.
Her heart had to be heavy.
However.
"Grandma Hongryeon."
"...Yes, So-ah."
"I have one request."
"What is it?"
"From this moment on, please grant me the temporary authority of 'Emergency Response Committee Chairman'."
<Emergency Response Committee Chairman>
It was an unfamiliar title.
But So-ah recalled the contents of a book he had read when he became the head instructor of the academy, called the 'Cadre Management Manual'.
The <Cadre Management Manual> was a book that briefly summarized all the laws, commands, administration, and regulations of the Martial Alliance, and it clearly described the role of an 'Emergency Response Committee Chairman'.
"Emergency Response Committee Chairman...?"
"From now until the situation is resolved, I will take command."
***
The Emergency Response Committee Chairman was, as the name suggested, a 'temporary highest-ranking official' established to resolve a situation when a grave problem occurred.
—Martial Alliance Regulation Article 27.
The Emergency Response Committee Chairman can issue commands to all departments of the Martial Alliance, and all personnel, except for the Alliance Leader, must follow those commands.
It was because he remembered this passage that So-ah had made such a request to Abbess Hongryeon.
However, in deciding to transfer this immense authority, no one present had any objections.
Abbess Hongryeon, having reached a consensus with the key figures through eye contact, spoke urgently.
"I, the Alliance Leader, hereby appoint Jin So-ah, the great disciple of the Moyong Family, as the Emergency Response Committee Chairman, effective today, at this time."
At that, So-ah nodded and issued commands in a swift and orderly manner.
"Head of the Medical Hall."
"Yes, Chairman."
"I will take command here, so do not worry. Move the injured to the Medical Hall and focus on their treatment."
"Yes."
"Family Head Tang Mun-cheol!"
"Speak, Young Hero Jin."
"The heroes of the Tang Clan are the best in the world when it comes to poison. You may not be able to detoxify the seniors immediately, but please do your best to prevent their conditions from worsening."
"I understand."
"Great Master Gwangwon."
"Yes, Almsgiver Jin."
"I will conclude this duel. Instead, please conserve your strength in case of an emergency. Right now, the only ones not poisoned are the high monks of Shaolin."
"Understood."
'Senior Brother...'
'So-ah!'
'Now that Brother Jin is here, it's time to repay the humiliation!'
Watching So-ah, the crowd felt an indescribable sense of reassurance mixed with astonishment.
In that moment.
"Aren't you lot going to step up?"
Hwang Yoon growled from the center of the collapsed duel stage.
'The more time I drag on, the more disadvantageous it becomes for me.'
Hwang Yoon was not in good condition after the successive duels.
He sought to quickly turn the tables by using the 'Star-Sucking Great Art' in the next duel.
Of course, his wish...
"I'm coming now, you son of a [email protected]#$%^& bastard."
...was shattered to pieces along with So-ah's profanity, which was too vulgar to be uttered in a formal setting.
***
Kwa-reung...!
'...What is this?'
Hwang Yoon had clearly intended to unleash the Star-Sucking Great Art and absorb all of his opponent's internal energy and essence.
However, that plan was nothing more than a futile delusion.
"Puhuk!"
A single blow.
So-ah's shoulder had merely touched Hwang Yoon's chest, but...
Kwajijijik!
A single cry of pain.
And with a mouthful of fresh blood, the bones of Hwang Yoon's chest, including his upper and lower abdomen, were shattered.
It was the Ten-Second Invincible Arts, imbued with the tenth-level internal energy of the Great Whale Heart Law.
The technique of the Eight Walls of the High Mountain.
'That man... who on earth is he?'
A question spread through the minds of the White Lotus Cultists and the Eastern Depot masters.
Their hair stood on end at the blow that was too incredible to believe even after seeing it.
However.
"Next!"
At So-ah's shout, which erased even that fear.
"Yeah! Our little brother is the best!"
"He's alive, he's alive. Hey!"
His sworn brothers, the Bandit King and the Waterway King, let out unexpected cheers and shouts of encouragement.
'Aigoo. Big brothers... given the situation, that's a bit...'
An embarrassed look appeared on So-ah's face.
However.
"Brother Jin! Smash those trashes to pieces!"
"You're all finished now, you bastards!"
"Our Brother Jin, huh? When it comes to stamina, he's the strongest in all of history, you bastards! He's a man optimized for a series of duels. You're all f*cked!"
The former students of the Human Division also started shouting at the top of their lungs, making the hall ring.
"Hahaha..."
"He's really something else."
"So-ah..."
In this situation where they could neither laugh nor cry, the corners of the mouths of the renowned masters, who had been listlessly hanging their heads from the poison, were also faintly rising.
***
"Next!"
'Wow! They're falling like autumn leaves!'
"Next!"
'It's like the rising sun!'
"Next!"
'Victory after victory! Victory after victory! Kahaha!'
The hearts of everyone in the hall, except for the White Lotus Cult side, were drenched in an indescribable sense of refreshment.
'Already... the last one?'
As soon as he appeared, So-ah had achieved four consecutive victories and was still just spitting out the absurd word, "Next!"
"That bastard... I will kill him no matter what..."
No Yeong-myeong ground his teeth and stared at So-ah with eyes gleaming with killing intent.
But So-ah's gaze was colored with ridicule for him.
Moreover.
Lick—
As if worried someone might see, for a very brief moment, So-ah even stuck out his tongue at the trembling No Yeong-myeong.
"Keke. Great Hero No. Calm your anger. He's a dead man anyway."
"..."
"I will send out Captain Go Ju-hoe for this match."
"Fine!"
No Yeong-myeong clenched his fist tightly.
Captain Go Ju-hoe.
He was the right-hand man of the eunuch Han and the general captain of the Eastern Depot, an elite master whose martial prowess needed no further explanation.
The eunuch Han thought that although it might be somewhat difficult, Go Ju-hoe might be able to defeat So-ah.
But No Yeong-myeong's thoughts were different.
'Even the general captain of the Eastern Depot won't be able to defeat that brat. If that happens, then I!'
He resolved to kill So-ah himself, even if he had to step forward personally.
"Captain Go Ju-hoe."
"Yes, Eunuch."
"Bring me Jin So-ah's head."
"Yes!"
At the eunuch Han's command, Go Ju-hoe approached So-ah.
'I, the general captain of the Eastern Depot and an equal to the general captain of the Embroidered Guard, cannot lose to a mere young brat from the Orthodox Path!'
As firm as his resolve was, his eyes also held a deep killing intent.
So-ah, too, could not help but be tense this time.
'His entire body is like a single, well-forged famous sword.'
So-ah knew well.
That this type of person carves out their own sword path without a single error.
That only by becoming a master of the sword, who has devoted their entire life to a single sword for thousands, tens of thousands of times, can one emit such an aura of Body-Sword Unity.
'I have to pour all my strength into this.'
Thud, thud-thud.
So-ah undid the lumps of black iron he had been wearing on his hands and legs.
At that, the ground sank, and at the same time, General Captain Go Ju-hoe's eyes became as wide as lanterns.
But that surprise was only the beginning.
"Hey, mister."
"..."
"To be honest, for someone of your level, I don't need to go this far, but."
"What did you say?"
"I have a lot to do right now. So I'm busy, you see?"
"Are you mocking me?"
"Mocking you? No. I just feel sorry for you."
"What?"
"Because I'm going to crush you mercilessly."
Simultaneously.
Woooong...
A roar whose pitch was hard to discern flowed from So-ah's body.
Sss...
And from his entire form, a white mist began to rise like a haze.
'I have to win overwhelmingly. Only then can I refresh the broken atmosphere of the hall and re-establish the Alliance's spirit.'
Even in this situation, So-ah was looking ahead to the aftermath.
He vowed to offset today's disgrace with his explosive martial might.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-gang!
'...!'
'...!'
'...!'
They saw it.
They definitely saw it.
But it was hard to comprehend in their minds.
The people of the Orthodox Path.
The White Lotus Cult side.
Even the brothers Jang Beon-pal and Jang Beon-ha.
Fist Aura?
A massive aura was certainly emitted from So-ah's fists.
But that attack was not a simple Fist Aura.
Fists, headbutts, shoulder charges, elbows, and knee strikes.
In the blink of an eye, a staggering five techniques from the Ten-Second Invincible Arts formed an astonishingly large aura and engulfed General Captain Go Ju-hoe's body.
"Hoo..."
So-ah let out a low sigh.
The recent strike was a burdensome one that he had also taken a risk on.
No matter how outstanding a master So-ah was, it was the first time he had unleashed such a formidable blow.
That's how much that strike contained an impossible level of speed.
It held an impossible level of internal energy and contained an unprecedented strain that went against the laws of nature.
'It's thanks to the efficacy of the Great Purity Ultimate Divine Pill.'
That was right.
The driving force behind such a strike was the effect of the 'Great Purity Ultimate Divine Pill' obtained from the first room of the Ghost Valley Mountain Manor.
Normally, if he simultaneously exploded his Great Whale energy and the pill's power, his body would not be able to withstand the immense force.
For that reason, he had only been mixing them appropriately according to the situation.
But this time, he had raised both powers to their maximum and performed the feat of containing five killing techniques of the Ten-Second Invincible Arts in a single blow.
The Eastern Depot's General Captain, Go Ju-hoe, vanished from the world on a wisp of wind, leaving no trace behind.
'I'm dizzy...'
A wave of vertigo washed over him.
Furthermore, So-ah realized that the ki and blood in his body were flowing in reverse.
But the corners of his mouth were turned up.
The members of the Moyong Family.
The senior masters of the Orthodox Path.
The former students and his friends.
His sworn brothers, whom he had acquired by chance.
At this moment, the eyes of everyone looking at So-ah were sparkling with awe.
Just then.
"Book of Heavenly Evasion... spell..."
It was a low murmur.
So quiet that no one could hear it.
But that murmur came from No Yeong-myeong's mouth.
As his spell was realized, a massive bolt of lightning flashed and appeared above So-ah's head.
The lightning pierced through So-ah's body.
His god-level sixth sense and physical reaction speed sought a path of survival on their own, causing So-ah to cross his arms to protect his head and execute the 'Treading on Snow Without a Trace' technique, thus avoiding a fatal wound.
'Ugh...!'
But due to the strain on his mind and body from dealing with Go Ju-hoe and the impact of the ability, So-ah suffered a severe internal injury, coughed up blood, and staggered.
However, No Yeong-myeong's spell was not over.
Once again, a dark shadow fell over So-ah's head…
"Die!!"
With No Yeong-myeong's shout, the lightning that had descended from the sky was fired again.
In that moment.
With a strange metallic sound, a transparent barrier in the shape of a circle spread out around So-ah's body.
The barrier became So-ah's shield and splendidly deflected No Yeong-myeong's Heavenly Evasion spell.
'What is happening!'
No Yeong-myeong's pupils and shoulders trembled minutely, colored with bewilderment.
Just then, a calm voice brushed past his ear.
"Why do you, in a place where martial arts are being contested, use the tricks of the unorthodox path?"
That voice belonged to Jeon Woo-chi's master.
It was Baek In-hwa's.
"Y-You are!"
"I am Baek-mo, the leader of the Udo-bang of Goryeo.
I swear. If you intend to commit murder and silence witnesses with your wicked arts that go against all of creation, I will risk my life to stop you and die with you."