The list I received from the Black Alliance contained three names.
Golden Wolf King Do Geum-jin
Illusion Witch Hyeol Ok-ryeo
Lust Demon Bi Jeong-ryu
Adding one more to that, One-Blade Asura Im Cheon-gang—four in total. I had to visit each and win a sparring match against them.
I mulled over who to take down first, but in the end, I decided to make One-Blade Asura my first victim… no, my first sparring opponent.
There was no particular reason. It was simply because the place where One-Blade Asura had established his own sect, the Tyrant Asura Gate, was the closest to the Black Alliance.
So I spoke to one of the Lord of the Black Alliance's close aides.
"First, please guide me to the Tyrant Asura Gate."
"Leave it to me. I, Twin Ghost Sword Gu Gwan-hae, will take the lead."
"Good. Thank you. …But there's something I've been curious about for a while now. Do you mind?"
"Ask me anything."
Twin Ghost Sword waited for my words, his eyes sparkling.
A bearded old man who must have lived twice as long as I had, yet his eyes were so clear—it was truly overwhelming.
But as someone who knew him before the regression and remembered his final steps, I knew that despite his appearance, Twin Ghost Sword was a simple and honest man.
To put it kindly, he was pure-hearted. To put it harshly, he was a pushover.
But he was also someone blessed with naturally outstanding bone structure and the Martial Talent to make full use of it.
He had been sold by his poor parents, I recalled, and lived like a slave under a cantankerous old master, doing all sorts of dirty work in his stead.
Then later, he caught the eye of the Lord of the Black Alliance, escaped from that old master, learned martial arts, and was able to do proper work.
Because of these circumstances, he worshipped the Lord of the Black Alliance, who had given him a new life, almost like a god.
In fact, after the Lord of the Black Alliance's death, he charged alone into enemy lines, swinging his sword like a madman, vowing to recover even his remains.
He managed to retrieve the Lord's head and hand it over to Sama Yuryeon, then died on the spot.
In other words, he was a man of loyalty.
I had no idea what the Lord of the Black Alliance had said to him to make him treat me so respectfully and act so burdened around me.
Anyway, since we hadn't been close before the regression, I'd never had the chance to ask him about it—so I decided to ask now.
"What's with the 'Twin' in your alias? You only use one sword, don't you?"
If he meant to say he used twin swords, it should be Twin Ghost Swords, not Twin Ghost Sword.
And calling him "Twin Ghost" made it sound like he went everywhere with a partner, but in reality, he was just a guy who wandered around alone.
Before the regression, no one ever brought it up—or rather, they all seemed reluctant to mention it and would just sigh first, so I could never figure it out.
Now, I could finally ask him directly.
Twin Ghost Sword's eyes widened with delight at my question.
"Just as I thought! The Great Hero White Moon Sword Lord recognized it right away!"
"Hm?"
"Truthfully, the 'Twin' in my alias is proof of my respect and loyalty toward the Alliance Lord! I took the first character from the alias Twin-Blade Spear King and attached it to my own!"
"…You mean like inheriting a surname?"
"Goodness, a surname? The Alliance Lord never permitted anything that grand! It's just that I couldn't borrow any other part of it."
Because Twin Ghost Sword wanted to be a loyal subordinate, he couldn't attach the word "King" to his alias.
Nor did he wield a spear, so he couldn't take that either—and since he wasn't an absolute master of the Harmony Realm, he couldn't claim the title of "King" at all.
All that remained was the single word: Twin.
"Actually, I did try practicing twin swords separately, but…"
"Didn't work out, I take it."
"Yes. It was harder than I expected."
To reach the ranks of a master with twin swords, one needs a special talent for executing completely independent movements with both hands.
Unless one has mastered Wudang's Twin-Hearted Mental Cultivation Method, it's a sword art that relies entirely on talent—and Twin Ghost Sword simply didn't have the talent for twin swords.
I'd seen a few martial art secret manuals for twin swords in the libraries of the Black Alliance and the Namgung Clan, so I had a rough idea of what they involved.
"So you put the word 'Twin' in your alias anyway."
"It sounds more impressive than anything else, doesn't it?"
"They all look the same to me… but fine, I understand."
The truth I'd only learned after my regression was a rather anticlimactic reason, but at least one thing was certain.
Though somewhat rigid, Twin Ghost Sword was absolutely loyal to the Lord of the Black Alliance, making him the best choice for this sparring trip.
"Twin Ghost Sword. I will set one principle you must uphold from the moment you leave the Black Alliance until you return."
"I'm listening."
"Make protecting Tang So-wol, my betrothed, your top priority. After that, focus on protecting your own life."
"…Yes?"
"Even if things look dangerous, I'm saying don't interfere with what I'm doing unless it's absolutely necessary."
"But—but I was ordered by the Lord of the Black Alliance to assist the Great Hero White Moon Sword Lord!"
"My apologies. I misspoke."
After a moment of choosing his words, he found a more fitting combination and wove it into a sentence.
"What I mean is, don't interfere if the sparring opponent looks dangerous. I might cut a little deeper by accident, but he won't die."
"Ah!"
The Twin Ghost Sword nodded as if everything finally made sense. He opened his mouth with a gaze full of trust.
"As expected, the Lord of the Black Alliance's judgment is never wrong! I will keep that in mind!"
"Hm."
As I nodded at the Twin Ghost Sword's deep bow, a short sigh came from beside me.
"Hah."
There was much to say, but I wouldn't say it.
It was a sigh from Tang So-wol that conveyed that resolve.
***
Arriving at the Tyrant King Asura Sect with the Twin Ghost Sword's help.
The sect's name was quite arrogant, but at least as long as One-Blade Asura was the sect leader, that arrogance wouldn't become a problem.
After all, One-Blade Asura was an absolute master who had reached the Harmony Realm.
It wasn't an alias, but attaching "King" to the name of a sect he had founded himself was at a level everyone could accept.
Of course, the name might change a bit after One-Blade Asura's death.
I quietly watched the main gate of the Tyrant King Asura Sect growing closer.
Its size itself wasn't comparable to the prestigious sects or clans I had visited so far.
It was clearly a spacious estate. But that was about it.
However, it was splendid.
The evaluation was that as long as you paid the protection fee well, they would accept you as a sect member, and they never pestered merchants…
It seemed they collected that protection fee quite generously.
Even though it was merely the main gate, it was adorned with all sorts of lavish decorations, and the plaque bore the characters for "Overlord Asura Gate" written in ink mixed with gold powder. Fine calligraphy indeed.
As I stood there for a moment looking up at the building, which practically radiated pride in having risen to prominence with a single sword, the gatekeepers began to threaten me.
"Hey, you there! We get that our Overlord Asura Gate looks impressive, but it's rude to stand right in front of the entrance and gawk like that! Get the hell out of the way! Otherwise… huh?"
The gatekeeper, who had been speaking with such bravado, looked at my face and blinked. No, to be precise, he wasn't looking at me but at the face of the Twin Ghost Sword standing a little behind me.
His expression was as if something was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't quite recall it.
I, on the other hand, genuinely didn't seem to recognize him, which felt rather refreshing.
"A newbie? Or is the gatekeeper of the Overlord Asura Gate simply undertrained?"
"…How dare you!"
"Either way, it makes no difference to me. If you're a newbie, then you'll gain a valuable lesson about what the martial world is really like. And if this is a problem with the Overlord Asura Gate, then from today onward, you'll have no choice but to stop being so lax."
I raised my sword and lightly slashed it through the air.
The sword strike, tearing through space itself, grazed past the plaque.
Slicing sound.
The gatekeeper stared blankly at the plaque, now split in two and tumbling across the ground, even though the sword had never touched it.
I spoke to him.
"Today. Tell them I'll show you which of the two blades—the sword or the saber—stands above the other."
"Wh-what? Uh, yes?"
Since he still seemed confused, I spoke in a way he could understand more easily.
"Tell your sect leader to come out."
"Gulp!"
Swallowing his breath, the man hurried inside.
I shook my head. Did I really have to spell it out for him to understand? Just then, I sensed a commotion from within.
And before long, one presence came rushing toward me.
"You bastard! How dare you—relying on some sorcery in a place like this…?"
He looked past his fifties, and the Aura he gave off had reached Transcendent Peak—his real age was probably even greater.
"A sect elder? No, the history of the Overlord Asura Sect is too short for you to be called an elder. What should I call you?"
"Wh-why is the White Moon Sword Lord here…? And the plaque…"
"So you recognize me. But you still haven't answered my question."
"Th-the Left Protector."
"Very well, Left Protector. Go and tell your sect leader, One-Blade Asura, this: I, the White Moon Sword Lord, have come to settle matters between high and low, so he should stop cowering and show himself at once."
"…You madman! I'd heard the rumors, but you're even worse than they said!"
The Left Protector's face twisted into a fierce scowl as he shouted with all his internal energy.
"Intruder! The White Moon Sword Lord of the Orthodox Sects has broken in! Every martial artist of the Overlord Asura Sect, take up your weapons and activate the formation!"
The moment those words left his mouth, a flood of sect disciples rushed in, each holding their own saber, and began lining up in a regular formation.
As I focused my mind, I could feel their energies stimulating one another, intertwining into a single whole, and transforming into a far greater power.
So this is what it feels like to see the flow of internal energy created by a formation with my own eyes.
Even as I marveled inwardly, a presence far more intense than all those who had gathered here combined was rapidly approaching, having apparently heard the commotion.
A middle-aged man appeared, pushing his way through the defensive formation they had so carefully arranged.
As a martial artist of the Harmony Realm, he must have undergone Bone-Exchange Rebirth, yet a deep sword scar still ran across his face, giving him a fierce and menacing appearance.
He wore expensive silk robes, but even through the soft fabric, he radiated a sense of discomfort and hostility that could not be hidden.
His gaze instinctively swept over my vital points—proof that he was a man well acquainted with life-and-death duels.
The One-Blade Asura stepped forward to the front, alternating his gaze between me and the signboard lying on the ground, then unleashed his killing intent.
"What is the meaning of this, you brat? Is this the will of the Tang Clan? Or the Murim Alliance? It doesn't matter either way. You'll pay the price for daring to act so insolently within my sect."
Tang So-wol flinched at the rather vicious killing intent, and the Twin Ghost Sword stepped in front of her, guarding her with a tense expression.
Though she had never directly experienced my killing intent, Tang So-wol had grown accustomed to the presence of killing intent itself through our travels together—so her reaction said something.
It meant the word "Asura" in his alias was no mere decoration. However.
"Hmph. So this is all you've got."
The moment I raised my own killing intent, the atmosphere around us changed completely.
The One-Blade Asura's killing intent was pushed back as if shrinking in an instant, and the entire area around us became my domain, enveloped in my killing intent.
Killing intent incomparable to anything before. Yet the martial artists of the Overlord Asura Sect, though their bodies stiffened, were not completely incapacitated.
It must be because of the formation. With their strength combined, they could barely hold on.
Of course, both the formation and the martial artists composing it were equally unable to exert their full power.
Had he not expected to be pushed back by killing intent? The One-Blade Asura, his face frozen in shock, drew a single blade from his waist and took his stance.
"…Killing intent of this magnitude. Is there some grudge between us?"
"If I had to say, it's related to my parents' deaths. But it's not enough to call a grudge. This is just the murderous intent I carry on a daily basis."
"You're out of your mind. The Murim Alliance and the Tang Clan are both out of their minds for treating a bastard like you as one of the Orthodox Sects. If it's not a grudge, then what the hell is your purpose?"
"Did you not hear me? The sword and the blade. I simply want to see which of the two is superior."
"If it's only for a reason like that, you could have just requested a normal sparring match."
"If I had, you wouldn't have accepted. And I have no intention of ending things with a simple bout."
"What do you—"
"The loser submits to the winner. How about it? A familiar arrangement, isn't it?"
"You bastard! Are you saying you'll swallow up not just me, but the entire sect I've built over the years, treating us like some street-level dark force?!"
"The Twin Ghost Sword of the Black Alliance here is our witness. So don't think about changing your words after you lose."
"We'll see if that arrogant mouth of yours can still talk after it's been torn apart!"
The One-Blade Asura charges forward in a fury. A thick, dark crimson Aura envelops his blade, and in an instant, his body swells as he rushes in.
It was a technique that, due to its characteristic ferocity, would put you at a disadvantage if you tried to block it, yet it was too fast and precise to simply evade, leaving no clear opening to exploit.
It was a high-level strike imbued with the mystery of forcing the opponent into constant unfavorable clashes and stringing together momentary advantages.
An average opponent would have been torn apart by this single move.
But I am no average martial artist.
I calmly watched the incoming Aura, then drew out my own Aura in response.
I condensed the already-compressed Aura again and again, until I could barely shape it to cover the blade of my sword.
A sword tinged with pale white traced a single clean line through the air.
If I can neither dodge nor block, then the answer is simple—cut it down with a sharper sword.
One-Blade Asura's blade carried such ferocious force that it only added power to my sword strike.
Squelch.
The dark red blade energy was cleanly severed, and beyond it, I could see One-Blade Asura hastily twisting his blade sideways, catching my sword with the flat of his weapon rather than its edge.
BOOM!
He managed to avoid being cut down along with his blade, but the price was his body being sent flying, crashing hard into the ground.
As luck would have it, he landed right on the already-shattered signboard, reducing it to complete splinters.
One-Blade Asura stared at the wooden fragments in dismay, a thick poison energy seeping across his face.
"Kugh! What are you all standing around for?! Attack together! Anyone who tries to run, I'll cut down myself!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
The martial artists of the Tyrant Asura Sect charged forward, maintaining their half-collapsed formation.
Their faces were all dark and grim, as if they had resigned themselves to death, so I gave them a sly grin.
"Don't worry. No one's going to die."
After all, corpses are useless.
Aren't these all my future workers?