Of the Black Alliance Lord's twin spears, the longer one was cut clean through.
The spinning spearhead flew high into the air before falling to the ground and embedding itself deep.
"…"
The Lord of the Black Alliance stared blankly at his broken spear and the sword at his neck, as if possessed by a ghost, his gaze alternating between the two.
I understood. Of course he was bewildered. Just moments ago, he had been pressing me perfectly.
But at some point, every one of his attacks began to be blocked, and by the time he came to his senses, it was already too late.
Every move he could possibly make had been cut off, and now he had arrived at this point.
I smirked at the Lord of the Black Alliance, who was still dazed.
"I've learned a lesson."
"…A lesson, my foot. It was over before I even knew what happened."
The Lord of the Black Alliance let out a deep sigh and let his shoulders droop, which had become somewhat lopsided after his spear tip had broken off.
He looked at the frozen spectators, at a loss for what to do, then suddenly bellowed.
"What are you all standing around for! The sparring bout is over! Clap for the victor!"
Was he the first to follow his own words? In the suffocating silence, the Lord of the Black Alliance began clapping alone.
Following his lead, the spectators around him began to clap one by one, and soon, a massive cheer joined in.
"Waaaaah!"
"I'd like to cheer, but I have no idea what just happened."
"Me neither. That's how fights between masters go, I suppose. But right now, we should at least clap."
"No, but our Alliance Lord lost—why is everyone happy about that…"
"Well, the owner of that Alliance Lord seat might change, after all."
"Oh."
Conversations reached my ears, sharpened by the sparring bout. Similar exchanges were happening all around.
Well, that was only natural.
Survival of the fittest was a principle etched into the very bones of Unorthodox Sect martial artists. Naturally, they would assume I intended to take the position of Lord of the Black Alliance for myself.
Their eyes were as narrow as buttonholes—they saw me, who had merely come to spar and wander, as an ambitious schemer seeking to unify the martial world.
And so, I decided to drive the wedge in right here, where all eyes were fixed upon me.
I withdrew the sword I had pressed against the Alliance Lord's neck and offered a polite fist-and-palm salute.
Not the arrogance of a victor, but the demeanor of a courteous and virtuous young martial artist of the Orthodox Sects—one who had absolutely no interest in a position like that of the Alliance Lord.
…But the Alliance Lord was one step ahead.
Just as I was about to say something like "That was pure luck" or "Truly worthy of the Alliance Lord," he let out a booming laugh, shamelessly even using his internal energy to amplify his voice.
"Hohohoho! What a refreshing defeat! I thought I held the advantage until midway through… So you were deceiving me from the very start! In my youth, I was not so easily bested. This must be what they mean when they say the waves behind push the waves ahead on the Yangtze."
"Lord of the Black Alliance. What is the meaning of this?"
"It has been over twenty years, nearly thirty, since I founded the Black Alliance. It is high time I retire. I do not know who will succeed me, but I would be glad if it were someone like you, White Moon Sword Lord!"
"That is not what we agreed upon."
I gritted my teeth and whispered, but the Alliance Lord paid it no mind whatsoever, raising his voice with a composed expression.
"Oh dear! You are a man of the Tang Clan. It would be impossible for you to inherit the Black Alliance in any case."
"I see. So this was all prepared in advance. I almost thought the Lord of the Black Alliance had lost so childishly that he would shamelessly brazen it out…"
"But! Even if you cannot become the Lord of the Black Alliance, there is one fact that everyone in this hall knows, and that I myself cannot deny!"
"…?"
I felt a sense of unease and hurriedly clamped my hand over the Lord of the Black Alliance's mouth. Then, naturally applying force, I lowered my hand from his lips.
Though I had won the sparring bout, I was ultimately the one more exhausted, so I was pushed back by my lack of strength. …I should have held on somehow.
"Now this Alliance Lord can no longer claim to be the best of the Unorthodox Sects wherever he goes! What could a loser possibly have to say! Hahahaha!"
Even as he called himself a loser, his laughter was tinged with relief. At this, the cheers that had briefly died down swelled up once more.
"Indeed! The Alliance Lord speaks the truth! He defeated three Harmony Realm martial artists, took one life, and in the end even won this sparring match against the Alliance Lord!"
"Hmm. I can see he's an impressive man, but isn't the White Moon Sword Lord a figure of the Orthodox Sects? And yet he's being handed the seat of the best of the Unorthodox Sects."
"If you're so bothered, why don't you try taking the seat of the best of the Unorthodox Sects for yourself? I'll cheer you on from behind."
"…Waaah! A new best of the Unorthodox Sects has been born!"
I shut my eyes tightly at the praise that came from afar, praise that was clearly forced.
***
"What exactly are you plotting?"
"That's what I should be asking you. What in the world did you do to be able to unleash such a bizarre sword?"
It was right after the sparring bout. The moment I stepped into the office of the Lord of the Black Alliance, I pressed him with questions.
Of course, the Lord of the Black Alliance sat down calmly and spoke of something else entirely.
"I recall that we agreed to follow the victor's wishes."
"What of it? I merely respected your intentions and did my best to see them realized."
As I sat down across from the Lord of the Black Alliance, who shrugged his shoulders, Sama Yuryeon brought out tea and refreshments that had been prepared in advance, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
Tang So-wol picked up a piece of pastry cut to a bite-sized portion and brought it to my lips.
"Come now. Young hero Cheon, don't be so upset. Have something delicious and cool your temper. I'm sure the Lord of the Black Alliance had his reasons."
"Ha! Do you think something like this will appease me?"
Munch munch.
"…But if you're the one asking, Tang So-wol, I suppose I can at least hear him out."
The sweetness entering my weary body began to restore my energy. As always, no matter what it is, food tastes best when you're hungry and exhausted.
For some reason, Tang So-wol was smiling brightly as she broke off another piece of pastry, while Sama Yuryeon wore an expression somewhere between disbelief and admiration.
The Lord of the Black Alliance continued, his expression serious.
"I don't know how you'll take this, but you're already practically a saint of the Unorthodox Sects."
"That's unfair."
"You're more unorthodox than you think you are. There's nothing to be done about it. Ah, that was a compliment."
"Just adding the word 'compliment' doesn't make it one."
"Hmph. Anyway, in that situation, you even managed to win a sparring bout against the Alliance Lord herself. To some extent, she intended it, but even if you hadn't stepped forward, everyone would have thought you'd become the next Lord of the Black Alliance. …But what do you think would happen if you said, right there, that you had no intention of becoming the Alliance Lord?"
"Wouldn't they just accept it? Anyone who couldn't accept it would become my sparring partner."
"…This side of you is truly unorthodox, but well. It's not a wrong thing to say. At least in front of you, that would be the case. But in their hearts, they'd think this."
At that point, the Lord of the Black Alliance pointed at the ground—specifically, at the land of Zhejiang Province—and spoke.
"Hmm? You're not trying to become the Lord of the Black Alliance, and you haven't stepped forward to unify the martial world, yet you just walked into Zhejiang Province and took down the Black Alliance's absolute masters? You even defeated the Alliance Lord herself? Is this some kind of declaration of war against the Orthodox Sects? That's what they'd say."
"Ah."
It was a fair point.
Perhaps because of my memories from before the regression, the Black Alliance felt like home to me—I'd only just realized that now—but originally, wasn't I nothing more than an outsider?
To put it in terms of the Orthodox Sects, it would be like a promising Unorthodox martial artist suddenly barging in, sweeping through the Namgung Clan, the Hebei Peng Clan, and the Wudang Sect, beating down their Sect Leaders and clan heads one after another.
And in the end, even defeating the Murim Alliance Leader himself.
In other words, if I made even one wrong move, this was exactly the kind of deed that would make me a public enemy of the martial world.
Of course, the Unorthodox Sects operate on the principle of the strong devouring the weak, so they wouldn't go so far as to make me a public enemy of the martial world—but they would still harbor some resentment toward me.
However, in this matter, the martial artists of the Unorthodox Sects may have felt fear or awe toward me, but they never once showed any resentment.
The reason is simple.
My actions were far too Unorthodox in nature. And everything about this sparring journey happened under an agreement with the Lord of the Black Alliance.
Naturally, they came to see me as an executive of the Black Alliance, or at the very least, someone with deep ties to its Lord.
Since I was someone who would one day claim a seat of power, they didn't hold much resentment against me.
After all, in the end, we would all be eating from the same pot. And it was common sense among the Unorthodox Sects that the stronger the person above you, the better.
"But you wouldn't care even if someone in the Black Alliance held a grudge against you. You possess strength that makes such concerns unnecessary. …Still, you told me you were preparing for a war, not a life-and-death duel."
"That's right."
"A war isn't fought alone. You know this well, which is why you're trying to form the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance. But there's no need to create enemies within and weaken your own cohesion."
"…"
He was right. Before the regression. The early days of the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance.
Back then, the Orthodox Sects hadn't yet fully set aside their pride, looking down on Unorthodox martial artists as ruffians.
Conversely, the Unorthodox martial artists snarled that the Orthodox martial artists who looked down on them were half-exterminated clans with nothing left but their mouths.
Naturally, the early days were fraught with friction and problems. There were even a few battles they lost that they could have won.
Until the remaining absolute masters of the Orthodox Sects and the absolute masters of the Unorthodox Sects joined forces to attack the Heavenly Demon and were instead slaughtered to the last—it was an alliance in name only, with both sides itching to devour each other.
If I had drawn a line with the Black Alliance without any real plan, it would have come back to haunt me later.
Seeing me lost in thought, the Lord of the Black Alliance chuckled and continued.
"What you need right now isn't to belong to either the Orthodox or the Unorthodox Sects. It's to make both sides consider you one of their own."
"…I hadn't thought that far."
The Lord of the Black Alliance told me that for various reasons, he couldn't hand over the position of next Alliance Lord to me.
Instead, he bestowed upon me the title that had been one of his symbols—the Unorthodox Sects' Number One.
So that they could regard me as a fellow Unorthodox martial artist—so that, at an age barely past twenty, they would feel pride and a sense of belonging rather than fear at the martial prowess that had won me a victory against the Lord of the Black Alliance himself.
"If you become the Unorthodox Sects' Number One, things will look better from here on out. No matter how much the Alliance Lord is the master of the Black Alliance, if he says it's hard to ignore the words of the Unorthodox Sects' Number One, wouldn't everyone concede? It's the natural path for you to seize the power without responsibility that you asked for."
"I suppose calling it power without responsibility does make me sound like a piece of trash, but it does seem like a genuinely good method."
The Lord of the Black Alliance nodded with a pleased smile.
"Pursuing power without responsibility is truly befitting of the Unorthodox Sects' Number One… I jest. It's a joke, so don't look at me with such a sour expression."
"…"
Meeting my gaze, the Lord of the Black Alliance chuckled while scratching the back of his neck as if it itched. It was precisely the spot my sword had been aimed at just moments ago.
"Ahem. In any case, the reason this Alliance Lord brought up something we hadn't discussed in front of others was precisely this. Do you now understand that what I said was meant to ensure the promise would be properly fulfilled?"
"Yes. It's a perspective I'd never deeply considered before, so it was helpful."
Both before my regression and now, I might know something as a mere martial artist, but when it came to the affairs of leading a group, I was practically a layman.
"It's good to hear that it was helpful. Then, would you care to answer this Alliance Lord's question now?"
"What is it that you wish to ask?"
"As I said at the start. Just what kind of trickery did your sword employ to break through this Alliance Lord's spear… no, to dismantle the martial art itself?"
The Lord of the Black Alliance spoke in a serious tone. Only sincerity could be felt from his gaze.
It seemed he was quite anxious, unable to understand the reason for his own defeat.
It should be fine to tell him this much. After briefly choosing my words, I slowly opened my mouth.
"First, I observed how the Alliance Lord wields the spear."
"You've hardly ever fought in front of me, though."
"No. I mean I saw it during this sparring bout. How you handle attacks that are clearly stronger than you, and how you strike when your opponent weakens and leaves an opening."
"Oh? So you weren't trying to catch this Alliance Lord off guard?"
"You're not the type to let your guard down."
"That's true enough."
The Lord of the Black Alliance nodded confidently. Yes, I knew that well. The Alliance Lord was the type who, if he didn't draw his spear at all, might hold back—but once he drew it, he never knew the meaning of moderation.
"Having seen and experienced the Alliance Lord's martial art, I can roughly understand what you pursue and the logic behind how you chain your moves."
"That doesn't make any sense from the start, but let's say it does and hear you out."
It was practically the same as saying I'd stolen the very foundation of his martial art.
This would have been impossible without the Heavenly Eye, a less sensitive Qi Sense, or even a slight lack of Martial Talent.
But the Lord of the Black Alliance simply let it pass, as if it were nothing special. I gave a bitter smile at that strangely heavy trust and continued speaking.
"Finally, I placed my complete trust in the Alliance Lord. I believed you were someone who took pride in your martial art and never made mistakes."
"Surely not…?"
"Yes. I merely traced the same trajectory one step ahead of you. In the end, it only looked as if your martial art had been broken and your Intent technique had been dodged."
"…"
The Alliance Lord stared at me with a serious expression devoid of any trace of a smile. He slowly opened his mouth.
"So you're saying you took this Alliance Lord's martial art for yourself and wielded it with a sword."
"It's not something I can execute on my own. I can only barely imitate it when there's a sparring partner in front of me, so don't worry too much."
"No. I have no intention of calling you a martial art thief or anything of the sort. After all, how could I fault someone for learning by watching over a shoulder because of their own talent? However…"
The Lord of the Black Alliance deliberated for a long while again before carefully opening his mouth.
"This Alliance Lord's spear is founded upon Intent. To thrust it out ahead of others, one must inevitably understand this Alliance Lord's state of mind and accept at least a part of it. Do you know what the people of the world call this?"
"I wouldn't know."
"Master and disciple."
"…"
"You there. By any chance, have you ever thought about learning the spear instead of the sword…"
"Why should I learn martial arts from someone weaker than me?"
"What?"
"I don't listen to those weaker than myself."
"Y-you madman, here we go again…!"
"While we're at it, how about you learn the sword from me, Lord of the Black Alliance?"
"…"
The Lord of the Black Alliance glared at me with a look of utter injustice before speaking.
"And you still claim you don't want to be called the best of the Unorthodox Sects?"
"Yeah, well."
I held back from saying that if he had a problem with it, he should have won our sparring bout.