Chapter 81

Yeon Woo Jin’s interest was piqued at the mention of offering up the entirety of Gentlemen’s Gate. “Got any other friends to call?” “Excuse me?” “There must be other armed squads besides yours.” “There is. The White Dragon Unit...” “Call them.” “My relationship with them isn’t good. There’s a high chance they won’t come.” “How bad is it?” “We’re sworn enemies.” “That means it’ll be easier to call them.” “...What?” “Send a letter saying you’ve been assigned an impossible task. Make it sound like you’re the best.” “T-That’s...” “What? You don’t want to do it?” “N-No! I’ll write it.” “Add some lines that’ll sting their pride. Something like: ‘If you’re too scared, don’t bother showing up.’” “Understood.” He hesitated at first, but once he remembered all the things the White Dragon Unit Leader had done to him over the years, the words flowed easily. ‘I’m not going through this alone.’ Just imagining that man’s face twisting up like his own made him feel better. **** The true strength of Gentlemen’s Gate came from two armed units. The Black Dragon Unit and the White Dragon Unit. The two didn’t get along. Ironically, because of their rivalry, both groups became stronger—constantly competing against each other. Knowing this, the master of Gentlemen’s Gate never bothered to mediate between them. The leader of the White Dragon Unit read the letter delivered by a Black Dragon Unit member and stared suspiciously at him. “You’re telling me Hua Cheon really wrote this letter?” Hua Cheon was the name of the Black Dragon Unit’s leader. “Y-Yes, sir!” “There’s no way that guy ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) would ever send a letter like this.” “Bang Un covered the entire Heavenly Armor Gate in formations. We’ve been ordered to move, but we can’t even get inside. Our sect master is getting frustrated.” “Heh... Always so full of himself, and now this.” It was a line at the end of the letter that finally stirred the White Dragon Unit leader into action. “If you’re not confident, don’t bother coming? Hah... Still clinging to that pride of his.” He stood up. “Get ready. Heh. Let’s go see that bastard Hua Cheon’s face all twisted up. And since we’re at it, I’ll help him out—and enjoy watching his pride shatter in the process.” “D-Do you have experience with formations?” asked the Black Dragon Unit member cautiously. The White Dragon leader chuckled. “I know more than that bastard does. Let’s go. I’m curious now—he must really be in deep if he’s asking me for help.” “Yes, sir.” Judging by how nervous the Black Dragon Unit member looked, it must’ve been one hell of a formation. That’s probably why he came crawling for help. Formations, after all, were the White Dragon Unit Leader’s specialty. **** O Gun, the White Dragon Unit Leader. He arrived at the front gate of Heavenly Armor Gate with his subordinates. There, the Black Dragon Unit was pacing back and forth in front of the gate. Spotting Hua Cheon, O Gun walked toward him. “Looks like you’re in a bind?” At the sound of O Gun’s voice, Hua Cheon frowned. Seeing that only made O Gun grin wider. “Hehehe. So, big brother’s here. What can I do for you?” “Who the hell’s your big brother.” “Oh? Doesn’t seem like you’re in a rush. Should I just head back?” Hua Cheon’s frown deepened. O Gun was practically gleeful at the sight. “Come on, say it—‘Big brother, this worthless younger brother has wronged you. I’ll serve you properly from now on.’ Then I’ll help.” Hua Cheon’s body trembled. Clenching his fists, he closed his eyes. “B-Big brother... This... worthless younger brother... has wronged you... I... I’ll serve you properly from now on.” He forced the words out like a man being tortured, clearly against his will. O Gun burst into laughter. “Bwahaha! That’s right! That’s more like it! I’ll be counting on you, little brother.” “Damn it...” Hua Cheon bowed his head, trembling with rage. O Gun, on the other hand, felt like ten years’ worth of stress had melted away. At the same time, though, he began to wonder—just how bad was the situation that Hua Cheon would humble himself like this? With a more serious expression, O Gun asked, “Is there a formation inside?” “Yes.” “What kind?” “I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it.” “Tell me what you do know.” “Well... It’s like you’re being lured into something. You start seeing illusions. Someone floats dozens of swords in mid-air and attacks us, or stops us from moving at all. It hurts when we’re stabbed, but there’s no wound.” O Gun frowned. “What the hell? A type of illusion formation?” “Everyone here’s fallen victim to it.” “Hm. I’ll have to see for myself. The entire compound is covered in this formation?” “Seems that way.” O Gun headed toward Heavenly Armor Gate, scanning his surroundings. “Strange. I can’t sense any formation energy.” “If you don’t believe me, go in and see for yourself.” O Gun smirked. “Fine. I’ll go in, break the formation, drag everyone out of there, and hand them to you on a platter. Grateful, aren’t you?” Hua Cheon clenched his teeth. “Don’t underestimate it. It’s no simple formation.” “Hehehe. Maybe for you. Boys! Let’s move!” With O Gun’s command, the White Dragon Unit charged into the compound behind him. The moment they disappeared into Heavenly Armor Gate, the surrounding air filled with sighs of relief. A smile curled at the corner of Hua Cheon’s twisted mouth. “Hah... Big brother, my ass. Let’s see how you like it.” **** Inside the silent Heavenly Armor Gate. The White Dragon Unit moved in, their faces tense. They ventured deeper and deeper, until they finally reached the sparring grounds. Something felt off. They’d come this far, but nothing had happened? “What the hell? Nothing’s happening. What got them so scared they couldn’t even come in?” “Maybe they were just weak and actually hallucinated the whole thing?” “Heh. That might be it.” “No matter where I look, I don’t feel any trace of a formation.” A subordinate standing next to O Gun peered into the wooden case he held. “Hm, the formation stone isn’t reacting. Then there really might not be any formation here.” Formation stones were long rectangular stones that violently trembled in the presence of formation energy. But the one inside the case remained still. “But from what he described, it sounded like a unique kind of formation...” “No response. There’s no formation here.” “Damn it. Why do I feel like we just got played?” O Gun frowned. That was when someone stepped out in front of the sparring grounds. Step—step. Every member of the White Dragon Unit turned to look. “Who the hell are you? A Heavenly Armor Gate disciple?” “No.” “Then what?” “I’m the guy who’s going to make you a Heavenly Armor Gate disciple.” “What? This guy’s nuts. Take him out.” At O Gun’s command, a subordinate charged forward and slashed at the man. Whoosh— The sword cut through air, and O Gun’s expression hardened. “Body Shift?” Or was it an illusion? He glanced at the subordinate holding the formation stone. The subordinate shook his head. No formation. Then what was this? Could it be some kind of hallucinogenic drug? O Gun hurriedly circulated his inner energy. His body was fine. No drug. Then— He frantically looked around, trying to find where the man had gone. Then a voice came from behind him. “Looking for me?” “Damn it!” O Gun instantly leapt back, hurling throwing knives at the man behind him. Whizz—whiz—whizz. Thud-thud-thud! The knives passed right through the fading image and embedded themselves into the ground. “Everyone, take formation! He’s a master!” O Gun drew his sword, grinding his teeth. “Hua Cheon! That bastard forced us into this trap!” Now it made sense—how obediently that bastard had gone along with everything. O Gun vowed that once they got out of here, he’d stab him in the gut—sect brother or not. But first, he had to escape from the hands of a master capable of spatial shift. How? The man was at least at the Mythical Realm. He looked young, but that could be because his cultivation was that advanced. ‘Why the hell is someone like that in Heavenly Armor Gate?’ A hidden prodigy? Whoosh— O Gun tensed, scanning the surroundings, when he suddenly heard a piercing sound and felt a sting on his cheek. He raised his hand to touch it—and felt something warm. His own blood. “When—?” Something had brushed past his cheek before he even noticed. Was it a missed attack? No. It was a warning. A warning that he could be killed at any time. “We are the White Dragon Unit of Gentlemen’s Gate! We didn’t know a master was residing here and trespassed unknowingly. If you would be generous enough to forgive us, we will leave at once and never set foot here again!” The man reappeared. He smiled. “You’re not leaving.” “W-What do you mean?” “From today on, you’re the White Dragon Unit of Heavenly Armor Gate.” “That... that’s absurd!” “So, words won’t work, huh?” Zzzng— zzzng— zzzng— Blades of pure blue light began forming around them. When O Gun saw them, he froze in horror. “S-Heartblade?” A wielder of the Heartblade... This man wasn’t just Mythical Realm. He had transcended it. A master on par with the Martial God Sect Master himself. Why was someone like that here? O Gun suddenly realized things were far worse than he had thought. He misunderstood everything. This man wasn’t just conquering sects within the Martial God Sect—he was trying to take over the entire Martial God Sect itself. O Gun formed a respectful martial salute and spoke. “It seems... you have set your sights on the Martial God Sect. However! The Martial God Sect is led by the Martial God Sect Master himself. Expanding your power this way will never let you claim it.” The man looked genuinely confused. “What the hell are you talking about? When did I say I was trying to take over the Martial God Sect? I just told you to become part of Heavenly Armor Gate.” “That’s not possible! I will never betray my master!” The man grinned. “I like that answer. Alright. If you endure to the end, I’ll let you go.” “E-Endure? Endure what?” “My attacks.” “W-Wait a min—” O Gun tried to stall him again, but it was too late. Dozens of shimmering Heartblades came flying toward the White Dragon Unit. O Gun swung his sword to deflect them— Slice— —but the blade passed right through the phantom sword, and it stabbed into his body. “Guaagh!” He couldn’t block them. They didn’t just pierce flesh—they brought pain. Real pain. The kind from getting stabbed. Was this how he died? He glanced at his subordinates. They were suffering too, pierced by the phantom blades—screaming, writhing—but no blood was being spilled. Then he remembered what Hua Cheon had said: “Someone floats dozens of swords in the air and attacks us. Our movements freeze. We get stabbed, it hurts—but there’s no wound.” “Goddamn it! This is what he meant!” Hua Cheon hadn’t lied. Everything he said was true. He said the swords wouldn’t kill. Then maybe—if they could just endure... What’s a little pain, right? Thunk. Thunk-thunk. It wasn’t just one or two. What’s pain, really... Thunk. Pain... Thunk. “ARGH! I-I surrender! Just give me orders—I’ll do anything!” Come to think of it, they couldn’t die. But how long were they supposed to suffer this level of agony? It wasn’t like he’d ever been loyal to the Gentlemen’s Gate Master anyway. Why was he suffering like this for that bastard? At O Gun’s shout, the blades piercing his body disappeared. The man approached. “Who’s the master of the White Dragon Unit from today?” “H-Heavenly Armor Gate’s sect master!” “And who is that?” “B-Bang Un! Lord Bang Un!” “Serve him with complete loyalty. Got it?” “Yes, sir!” “If you so much as disobey him or resist his command... you’d better be ready for what comes next.” It was terrifying. Every hair on his body stood on end. “W-Who are you...?” “I’m Yeon Woo Jin.” “Yeon...?” Yeon Woo Jin smiled faintly. Dear god. Now that he mentioned it... he did resemble the Martial God Sect Master.