The plan is simple.
First, the Illusion Witch uses her Sorcery to show them some kind of horrifying hallucination, whatever it may be.
The captured Kunlun survivors will get caught up in it too… but it's not like they'll be in real danger. That much is worth accepting.
After that, we charge in at once—the experts take down the rogue monks of the Potala Palace while they're still in chaos, and those with relatively weaker martial levels rescue the captured Kunlun disciples.
The end.
"Does anyone have any objections?"
"…I have plenty I'd like to say, but honestly, it is efficient."
The Murim Alliance Leader said that with a look of clear reluctance.
But once the most authoritative figure among the Orthodox Sects gathered here gave his assent, the others began nodding one by one as well.
As for the Unorthodox Sects' martial artists, they had already agreed to follow whatever I proposed, so there was no particular noise from them.
The course of action seemed settled, so it was time to move on to the next step.
"Then I'll take it that everyone is in agreement… and I'd like to flesh things out a bit more concretely."
"I second that. This matter absolutely cannot be taken lightly, nor can it be allowed to fail."
Kunlun had once been counted among the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, and although it had since stepped down from that position, it remained one of the most prestigious orthodox sects.
And that Kunlun had suddenly suffered damage tantamount to Clan Extermination, with even its survivors taken captive.
The Blood Calamity that had swept through the peaceful Central Plains for the first time in over a decade. For the Murim Alliance, this was a matter that could not be taken lightly—both for the sake of their own authority and for the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance they had forged afterward.
Above all, the Murim Alliance Leader's alias was Uicheon-singae. It was a title that meant he was counted among the most chivalrous men even in the Beggars' Sect, which boasted nothing but righteousness and information.
Perhaps that was why. The Murim Alliance Leader, who had been chuckling at my plan with a friendly air just moments ago, let his gaze sink heavily.
It had turned cold. But strangely, the Murim Alliance Leader, now carrying more heat than before, continued speaking.
"As I said before, the foremost premise of this plan is not to defeat the rogue monks of Potala Palace, but to rescue the surviving disciples of Kunlun."
"I understand. First, we need to find out where the Kunlun disciples are being held."
"Exactly. Unfortunately, while we have had exchanges with the Kunlun Sect, I have never visited in person, so the problem is that I do not know the internal layout…"
"That is only natural. The distance is hardly ordinary, is it?"
Most of the Central Plains' major orthodox sects were concentrated in the inner regions, in areas with dense populations. The Kunlun Sect, however, was located far away in Qinghai Province, at its western edge.
The people gathered here were hardly light-footed wanderers—each and every one was a clan head, a sect leader, or held a position of comparable standing.
It must have been difficult for them to come all the way to Kunlun in person. But.
"It's fine. Fortunately, I have a rough understanding of the internal layout, so let's base our plan on that."
"…And how do you know something like that?"
"Well, you see."
Naturally, it was something I had learned before my regression.
Of course, even back then, the Kunlun Sect had already been exterminated long ago. It had collapsed under the Demonic Cult's invasion.
So, strictly speaking, I hadn't personally seen the inside of the Kunlun Sect.
Instead, I had known a martial artist from the exterminated Kunlun Sect.
It was around the time they were barely holding out against the Demonic Cult's war, but that didn't mean there were no casualties.
He had been thoroughly afflicted by the Demonic Cult's sorcery, trapped in a past of his own making, his body wasting away until he lived and died within the hallucination of the Kunlun Sect.
At the time, the Orthodox-Unorthodox Alliance had no proper countermeasures against sorcery, so they were in the midst of devising various methods to combat it.
Sama Yuryeon was one of the people at the forefront of this research.
The Lord of the Black Alliance often assigned me as her escort because she had a sharp mind but weak martial skills… and through that process, I learned quite a lot.
It was also during this time that I learned how to break the seals the Demonic Cult placed on its followers.
He had been lost in illusions, dreaming all day long, but after various attempts, he managed to recover about half his sanity.
I asked him to tell me in as much detail as possible what was happening to him as he wavered between illusion and reality, and naturally, I was able to learn the general structure of the Kunlun Sect.
…Well. That ending wasn't very pleasant.
In the end, torn between the illusion that showed his happiest days and the reality where everything had collapsed, he turned his back on reality and chose the dream.
Seeing a corpse that had hanged itself was a bit more sickening than seeing one killed by a blade.
Anyway, because of that damn seal, he couldn't speak plainly, so after agonizing over how to phrase things, I realized something.
That I no longer needed to fabricate a lie that everyone would find convincing.
I stared quietly at the Murim Alliance Leader and opened my mouth.
"I can't speak in detail, but I remember it, however faintly."
"What do you— Ah. That."
The Murim Alliance Leader, who had been about to furrow his brow, nodded instead.
At that reaction, those who knew about my seal—Tang Jincheon and Great Master Jeonghyeon—showed signs of understanding, and Seomun Hwa-rin followed a beat later.
Of course, Namgung Jong and the Unorthodox Sect martial artists I'd brought along couldn't make sense of it and looked puzzled.
Namgung Jong, having attended as the young head rather than the clan head, chose not to press the matter and let it slide.
The Illusion Witch and the One-Blade Asura simply interpreted it however they pleased.
"So I'm right in what I'm thinking, then?"
"Yes. Just as they clearly did to us, they must have conducted a preliminary investigation on the Kunlun Sect as well, planning to subjugate them someday."
The conclusion they reached was as wicked as the Demonic Head bastards themselves, but the important thing was that they were listening to me.
Instead of replying, I borrowed a suitable piece of paper and sketched a rough map from memory.
"It won't be perfectly accurate. Just use it to get a general sense of the layout. Ah, but I'll point out a few important locations separately."
The places where I used to play hide-and-seek with my fellow disciples as a child. In other words, spots good for hiding a person.
The places where I'd get scolded sharply by my master upon entering. In other words, the most core locations within the Kunlun Sect.
I began filtering the stories I'd heard from a highly personal perspective into objective information and explaining them.
The Murim Alliance Leader, who had been listening intently, let out a small chuckle.
"Given the nature of their goal, I did wait for you to arrive, but frankly, I was worried you might be a bit late. Still, if you're going to spoon-feed me like this, it was worth the wait."
"You've already decided how you're going to handle it?"
"Old as I may seem, I've lived through the most hostile period between the Orthodox and Unorthodox Sects. I have a few guesses as to where they might be."
The Murim Alliance Leader traced a line connecting several buildings with his hand as he spoke.
"In my experience, they usually gather hostages in places like this. Easy to keep an eye on, and plenty of space. On the other hand, the renegade monks of the Potala Palace are likely gathered somewhere around here."
"Hoh. Quite experienced, aren't you? Have you done this before?"
"…Unlike you, White Moon Sword Lord, I was usually the one rescuing the hostages."
"Put it that way, and it sounds like I'm the one always taking them."
"Was it not?"
"I did take a hostage against the Lust Demon recently, but it worked out well, so you can count it as nothing."
"…"
Everyone's gaze focused on me, but I remained confident. After all, I had settled things in a way that satisfied everyone.
For some reason, the Illusion Witch looked at me with an impressed expression and quietly chimed in.
"Th-then, since we now know everything we need to, all that's left is to put it into action, right? First, as I mentioned earlier, I was thinking of a hallucination that catches fire…"
"Isn't that a bit weak on its own?"
"Huh?"
"Those from the Potala Palace have developed their secret arts through Vajrayana rather than martial arts. Perhaps that's why they've gone a bit mad these days… Anyway, there are those among them who have reached a level surpassing your sorcery, Illusion Witch."
"W-well, I did surrender to you immediately, White Moon Sword Lord, but that doesn't mean my skills are lacking in the least… If I may, could I know the name of that bald monk you claim is greater than me?"
The Illusion Witch, slightly stung, trembled but still spoke to me clearly and deliberately. I shrugged my shoulders at her.
"There's one called the Blood Buddha. An old fiend who has lived for several hundred years by storing his spirit within an artifact, then eroding the mind of whoever holds that artifact and dyeing it with his own memories."
"…Now that I think about it, I suppose I'm not quite at that level. If a simple fire isn't enough, what would you suggest?"
"What I mean is adding a few things beyond just fire. Something a bit more realistic and plausible. But if it's the worst imaginable thing, even better."
"That is, after all, the basics of illusion arts. Since we knew you were coming, I was planning to go with the story that they abandoned all hostages and everything else, setting fire to deal with those who opposed the Murim Alliance… But if you have a better idea, please tell me."
"It won't be something completely different. Essentially, I'm just adding a bit of seasoning to the story you just thought of, Illusion Witch. For example…"
What I had seen in the latter half of the war against the Demonic Cult before my regression was the flailing of those trying to survive. But what I had grown sick of seeing in the early and middle stages was clan extermination.
It didn't matter whether it was a renowned prestigious clan or a small, unheard-of rural martial hall. If they were proper martial artists, the Demonic Cult brought down a blood calamity upon them without exception.
I explained a few things that stood out in my memory from what I had witnessed back then and from the final scenes of the Iron Blood Faction.
A corpse that had been cut down after shoving aside his sworn brothers to flee and save only himself, only to be butchered before he could get far.
A mother and child who had huddled together, the mother curling her body to shield her young one until the very end, only to die together in the end.
A person who had thrown away his own body like a straw to buy time for even one more person to escape, and who died with a satisfied smile even as countless weapons pierced his body.
And the owner of a hand that jutted out from beneath the floorboards—one who had neither fled nor fought back, but merely hid, only to be discovered and killed on the spot.
I recited the scenes of relentless, malicious slaughter in a calm voice. If we could transpose this onto the martial artists of the Potala Palace, it would have a rather good effect.
At first, the Illusion Witch, who would have had to cast the illusion directly, and the others listening all wore startled expressions.
But as my words continued, they seemed to catch on to something, and their faces grew grave.
Especially Seomun Hwa-rin. Perhaps because she had glimpsed my past through the secret art. Or perhaps because she herself was someone who had survived a clan extermination.
Unlike usual, Seomun Hwa-rin stared at me with red eyes. At the end of that piercing gaze that seemed to see through everything about me, she spoke in a low voice.
"Have you suffered greatly?"
"Those are stories of people who have nothing to do with who I am now."
"Do not worry. The Kunlun Sect will surely not escape extermination… but there are still quite a few who have survived. It cannot be too late yet."
"…I am aware."
"It will surely go well. I will make it so. All those gathered here. And you."
With Seomun Hwa-rin's words, the atmosphere warmed for some reason. Seeing everyone, regardless of Orthodox or Unorthodox, steel their resolve was a welcome sight… but.
I couldn't help but feel a bit complicated inside.
I let out a silent sigh, but only for a moment. Soon after, we began our ascent of Kunlun Mountain.
And just as planned, the moment the Illusion Witch finished circling the half-ruined Kunlun Sect and completed the installation of the prepared artifacts—
Wooong-
Ting-a-ling-
Among the artifacts emitting a strange resonance, the handbell I always carried just in case began to ring on its own.
"Ah."
I should have just left it behind.
It had shown no reaction at all until now, so why all of a sudden…
As I stood there, caught between bewilderment and curiosity, the scenery around me collapsed like melting wax. Then I blinked.
There stood the Kunlun Sect, blazing with flames. At the same time, there was something there that should not have been.
The Illusion Witch's sorcery had succeeded. The problem was that it had dragged us in as well—and that something else had gotten mixed in too.
"Illusion Witch. Be honest with me. You don't actually have any talent for sorcery, do you?"
"You, you're too mean…"
The Illusion Witch shrank into herself.
"I'm joking. Though honestly, this does seem to be the problem."
"…"
When I took the bell out of my robe and showed it to her, a hint of resentment crept into the Illusion Witch's gaze.
"Got something to say?"
"Nooo…"
The Illusion Witch shrank into herself again.