"Black Heaven Sword Gate…"
Just uttering the name makes killing intent boil up from the depths of my Dantian.
They are the ones who took the lives of Seol Ri-hyang and Seomun Hwa-rin before the regression.
My hand instinctively finds the sword hilt. I struggle to suppress the urge to swing this murderous intent, when—
A cold voice comes from Seomun Hwa-rin's small back.
"Yes. If you didn't come to fight me, and you didn't come to make an offer, then you must have come to threaten me. Gathering up the scraps I let slip through my fingers, and you dare?"
"Hahaha! Surely not. What this Alliance Lord intends is not a threat, but a negotiation, Baekbal Nachal."
Sangwan Geuk draws the two spears from his back and drives them into the ground.
Thunk!
"If you say here and now that you'll join the Black Alliance, I'll spare both you and that little one you're so fond of coddling. The gifts I've prepared are a bonus on top!"
Sangwan Geuk spreads his arms wide and gestures toward the Black Heaven Sword Gate. Those men, too, hold grudges against Seomun Hwa-rin, and their eyes are plenty murderous.
Even with Sangwan Geuk openly declaring he'd hand them over to Seomun Hwa-rin, not a single one of them blinks.
No—the one standing at their head is practically flaunting his killing intent.
An unfamiliar face, but the moment I see him, I just know.
The realm of Transcendent Peak. A sword whose hilt, scabbard, and likely even the blade itself are stained pitch black. And eyes that hold nothing but the vengeance he and Seomun Hwa-rin once carried.
Black Heaven Sword Emperor.
He may not yet deserve such a grandiose title, but before the regression, I had only ever seen his head split open by Seomun Hwa-rin… and yet, I could still tell.
This was the man who had pierced Seomun Hwa-rin's heart, the man who had died before I could even do anything about it, making revenge itself impossible.
Grit.
Before I even realized it, my teeth were clenched. Sangwan Geuk chuckled and continued.
"But if you insist on ignoring this Alliance Lord's goodwill and walking your own path… then there's no helping it. The gift will have to become a dagger."
"Ha! Negotiation, you say. In the end, it's nothing but a threat. A pointless one at that. Surely you don't expect this lady to fear the likes of you?"
"Of course not. It's just that, as Alliance Lord, if you, Baekbal Nachal, refuse to join the Black Alliance, I'll have no choice but to side with our newest family, the Black Heaven Sword Gate."
Sangwan Geuk pointed at me with a meaningful smile. Seomun Hwa-rin's eyes wavered slightly at that.
"If I'd meant to kill him, I would have done it long ago. Whether at the Dragon Phoenix Gathering or after the kidnapping. But in the end, you didn't do it. You kept quiet and hid, but anyone watching would have thought you two were lovesick fools. …Thanks to that, I was able to find the people who'd burn with fury at anything involving Baekbal Nachal."
"Y-you!"
Seomun Hwa-rin hissed, glaring at the Black Heaven Sword Gate. The Lord of the Black Heaven Sword Gate trembled under her aura but still shot me a look and sneered.
"At the very least, you should taste the same pain we did."
"Have you forgotten that the Black Heaven Sword Gate started this first?!"
"That may be so. But regardless, my father was killed by you, Baekbal Nachal. …I'll die before I watch you live happily on your own."
A thick grudge seeped through those final words. So that was it. That was how it had come to be.
The incident of Seomun Hwa-rin kidnapping me, and the reason behind it, would have become quite famous as well.
Naturally, it would have reached the ears of the Black Heaven Sword Gate, a group united by their thirst for revenge against Seomun Hwa-rin.
And they would have despaired upon hearing the news that Seomun Hwa-rin had reached the Harmony Realm. The sect leader had somehow managed to reach Transcendent Peak, but the Harmony Realm was not something just anyone could attain.
I knew that one day the Lord of the Black Heaven Sword Gate would be called the Black Heaven Sword Emperor and ascend to the Harmony Realm, but others… even the man himself could not be certain—that was the nature of Enlightenment, after all.
Before my regression, Seomun Hwa-rin had joined the Black Alliance immediately, leaving no room to act. But this time, she had kidnapped me and spent a while hiding in various places.
During that time, the Lord of the Black Heaven Sword Gate threw the dice on a gamble. If he could not kill Seomun Hwa-rin, then at least he wished for her to taste the same pain they had suffered.
They must have made an offer to Sangwan Geuk upon joining the Black Alliance. They would pledge their loyalty and reveal Seomun Hwa-rin's location—in exchange for the chance to kill me, someone she held dear.
Sangwan Geuk, for his part, was in a position where he needed Seomun Hwa-rin, so he would have decided to make use of the Black Heaven Sword Gate.
If Seomun Hwa-rin accepted Sangwan Geuk's offer and joined the Black Alliance, that would be the end of it. After that, no matter what the Black Heaven Sword Gate did, they would never be able to complete their revenge, so she would choose to die fighting right here instead.
But if Seomun Hwa-rin refused Sangwan Geuk's offer, then the story would change.
Sangwan Geuk would keep Seomun Hwa-rin in his grasp, and the Black Heaven Sword Gate would attack me in the meantime.
No matter how skilled I was, they would assume it was impossible for me to take on a Transcendent Peak martial artist, a few Peak Realm martial artists, and a host of first-rate martial artists all at once.
In the end, if she did not want to watch me die before her eyes, Seomun Hwa-rin would have no choice but to enter the Black Alliance as Sangwan Geuk intended.
That way, the Black Heaven Sword Gate would gain a chance to exact even a sliver of revenge against Seomun Hwa-rin, staking their own lives as collateral.
And Sangwan Geuk would use me as a hostage to lure Seomun Hwa-rin into the Black Alliance.
That was their goal, wasn't it.
Under this plan, I might die if I was unlucky… but I'd likely survive. A dead hostage has no value.
However, either way, the Black Heaven Sword Gate would be annihilated once more by the enraged Seomun Hwa-rin. The only one reaping all the benefit was Sangwan Geuk.
The Black Heaven Sword Gate bastards surely knew this as well. And yet they charged in like moths to a flame.
A solemn, foolish stubbornness. Hard to understand, but I had to remember that the current Black Heaven Sword Gate was not the same one Seomun Hwa-rin had exterminated in the past.
The sect leader was the eldest son of the Black Heaven Sword Gate, so he merely carried its name — but every single member was a survivor who had lost everything to Seomun Hwa-rin's revenge and barely escaped with their lives.
For them, there was no purpose other than landing a single blow on Seomun Hwa-rin. Their lives had already ended over a decade ago; all that remained was a blackened, scorched grudge.
If they could kill me, whom Seomun Hwa-rin cherished, that would be the best outcome. But even if they couldn't, they would be able to brand her with the mark of the Black Alliance.
The shackle of the Unorthodox Sects, one that was hard to shake off even if one lived a virtuous life for the rest of their days. The Black Heaven Sword Gate was trying to fasten that chain of the Black Alliance onto Seomun Hwa-rin.
All of it driven by a single wish: that Seomun Hwa-rin would know misery.
In truth, the Seomun Hwa-rin of the previous life had spent her entire existence drowning in regret and lingering attachment. That was precisely why I had taught her so many things, so that she wouldn't walk the same path I had.
…Though in this life, I had no intention of letting things go that way.
"Lord of the Black Alliance. Your words sound like you intend only to prevent Seomun Hwa-rin from interfering, not to actively kill me… Am I right?"
"Indeed. You see clearly. This Alliance Lord's purpose is only to bring Baekbal Nachal into the Black Alliance, not to make an enemy of you."
"Then what would you do if I were to cut down the entire Black Heaven Sword Gate?"
"…Huh?"
Sangwan Geuk, his face momentarily stunned, let out a hearty laugh and nodded.
"You're a madman! You've clearly been blessed with remarkable talent, but there's such a thing as the proper way. Are you being sincere?"
"Since I have no intention of letting Senior Seomun Hwa-rin go, a clash is inevitable anyway. If my plan fails, I'll withdraw quietly as requested—what room is there for sincerity in that?"
"Heh. That's true enough. Fine! If you truly bring down the entire Black Heaven Sword Gate as you claim, I'll keep my word. This Alliance Lord will quietly step aside here. Staying any longer would only lead to a life-and-death duel with Baekbal Nachal."
"Thank you."
Sangwan Geuk was a man of violent temperament, one who revered strength, had no qualms about underhanded schemes, and was a narrow-minded fellow who pretended to be magnanimous…
Yet even so, he was a figure who had reigned as the supreme ruler of the Unorthodox Sects until the very moment of his death.
Those who came under his protection, he shielded whenever possible, and the words he spat out, he kept as often as he could.
It was precisely because he had shown such a side that the self-important martial artists of the Unorthodox Sects followed Sangwan Geuk.
Toward Sangwan Geuk, I gave a light nod, then pulled Seomun Hwa-rin—who had been standing protectively in front of me—back behind me.
"Senior Seomun Hwa-rin."
"W-wait, this is dangerous! I'd rather join the Black Alliance myself. So just—"
"Anyone watching would think I'm walking to my death. I'm confident I can win, so please just watch quietly. Don't waste your strength trying to interfere and ending up fighting the Lord of the Black Alliance."
"What nonsense is that! Must I watch another person of the Seomun Clan die right before my eyes again?!"
"I haven't yet become your adopted son, Senior. And besides."
I let out a light chuckle, but didn't bother repeating the words that had caused a bit of misunderstanding earlier. That was how sincere I was.
"Didn't we promise? That we'd find happiness together. I'll make it happen."
"…!"
Sreung.
Seomun Hwa-rin's eyes flew wide open. Right before her, I drew my sword as if to make a show of it.
"Well. I owe the Black Heaven Sword Gate a debt as well."
A vengeance that burns everything in its path is not their exclusive privilege.
It's just that a long time had passed, and meeting Tang So-wol had made me bury it deep within.
Seol Ri-hyang's final voice, cut off before she could finish. Seomun Hwa-rin's red blood scattered across the white snowfield. I still remember them vividly.
Seomun Hwa-rin told me to forget, but I couldn't bring myself to, so I carved it into my mind with a sword I sharpened myself.
Can I not do twice what I have done once?
The Black Heaven Sword Gate met its first Clan Extermination at Seomun Hwa-rin's hands, and its second at mine.
Nothing will be different in this life either.
I brushed aside Seomun Hwa-rin's dissuasion, stepped forward, and leveled my sword at what lay ahead.
The rough texture of the sword's grip. A weight heavier than it looked. And the enemy I had to cut down.
Simply recognizing these plain facts clears the fog from my mind.
Fortunately, this matter can be resolved with a sword. If so, is it not truly simple?
Dozens of first-rate martial artists, five or six Peak Realm martial artists, the Lord of the Black Heaven Sword Gate who, though still a novice, had reached Transcendent Peak… and even the wall blocking my path.
I simply need to cut them all down, without a single exception.
Seeing me take my stance, the Lord of the Black Heaven Sword Gate let out a snort.
"How absurd. Were you hoping to commit suicide?"
"Do you know something? I'm actually the Tang Clan's live-in son-in-law."
"Ha! What does that have to do with anything? The moment we heard that Baekbal Nachal had reached Rejuvenation, we already accepted death. Did you think we'd back down out of fear of some Tang Clan?"
"Surely not. It's just that, now that I'm a man of the Tang Clan, I thought I ought to uphold the Family Precept."
Favor is repaid twofold, grudges tenfold.
Recalling these words, I drew up the killing intent I had suppressed all this while, the hell I had turned away from.
The crimson-stained mental image held that day's scene in its entirety.
The scent of charcoal brushing past the tip of my nose, and the metallic tang of blood. Beyond the hallucination of halls engulfed in flames and a mountain of corpses in a sea of blood.
At the very depths of that mental image, upon the oldest scar carved there.
Amidst a single blooming camellia flower, a faint scent of pear lingered.