Bölüm 429: Hasat Mevsimi (1)

Bölüm 429: Hasat Mevsimi (1)

Chapter 429: The Season of Harvest (1)

Il-mok's ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍mind was buzzing with questions, but he knew he’d get his answers once he actually met the man.

"Show ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍him in."

A ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍moment later, Jin Hayeon pulled back the tent flap and allowed a middle-aged man to step inside.

“I’m ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Il-mok, the Left Guardian of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."

"The ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍name's Jeok Ri-gang. In the Central Plains, they know me by the title Battle King."

He ‍​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍gave a brief salute with clasped hands as he said so.

Il-mok studied him while he did.

Jeok Ri-gang looked to be somewhere in his middle years, and his face bore several old scars. But what stood out far more than his appearance was his bearing.

‘Looks like the rumors of the martial world can't be trusted at all.’

By reputation, the Battle King ranked at the very bottom among the Twelve Heavenly Pillars. But standing across from him now, Il-mok could feel a presence that measured up evenly against Namgung Jin and the Supreme Ultimate Sword Immortal.

While Il-mok sized up Jeok Ri-gang's bearing, the man himself was doing the same in return.

‘I'd heard he was young, but this is something else.’

Going by looks alone, the man could've passed for one of the rising stars of the current generation.

But that aura of his was something else entirely.

Even at a glance, it was impossible to say with confidence who would win between them.

They spent a brief moment measuring each other up like two players in a silent standoff, and then Il-mok gestured for Jeok Ri-gang to sit before taking his own seat.

He went straight to the point.

"So, what brings the Battle King to a place like this?"

Jeok Ri-gang's hand moved toward his chest in respond to his question. It was something that could be misunderstood as the opening of an ambush, so he kept his movement as slow as he could to avoid that misunderstanding.

From his robes, he pulled out several low-quality papers and tossed them on the table.

Some just had text scrawled on them, while others featured crude illustrations alongside the words.

Il-mok recognized them immediately. It’s the propaganda flyers.

"These are what brought me here."

Il-mok had to fight down the urge to laugh in disbelief.

He had started the flyer campaign hoping to scrape together some decent mercenary reinforcements, but never in his wildest dreams that he would hook a whale this fast.

"Let me get this straight. You read what was written on those cheap flyers, and decided to come help us?"

"Hahaha. I am not particularly fond of acting like a hypocrite, so I'll be straight with you."

Jeok Ri-gang grinned and replied, "The papers did bring me here, yes. But it wasn't only the contents that did it."

"Elaborate"

Il-mok narrowed his eyes, prompting Jeok Ri-gang to explain.

"I'm not going to sit here and feed you some self-righteous bullshit about wanting to punish the corrupt eunuchs or save the common folks. If I actually cared about that kind of thing, people wouldn't call me a neutral rogue who walks between the Orthodox and the Unorthodox paths. That much you'd know, wouldn't you?"

Il-mok began to grasp something of the man's real purpose.

"I see. So want to establish merit in this war and secure a high-ranking position within our Divine Cult."

"Hahaha! Spot on. You're easier to talk to than I expected. I came here to make the biggest gamble of my life."

The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was globally infamous as a mob of brainwashed fanatics. 

Jeok Ri-gang was well aware of that and had accounted for the possibility that whoever he spoke to might not be open to reason. But maybe because the Left Guardian was so young, the kid was actually flexible instead of being choked by the cult’s dogma.

Watching the Battle King laugh so openly, Il-mok spoke in genuine curiosity, "You're quite different from what the rumors say. I heard you preferred working alone."

"Half right, half wrong. It's true that I'm blunt by nature and not much of a socializer. But I'm not exactly roaming the martial world like a vagabond because I enjoy it."

As he said that, Jeok Ri-gang clicked his tongue lightly and his face became a little bitter. Despite the wrinkles of a middle-aged man, Il-mok could see a hint of a rebellious youth in his face.

"Every single time I tried to settle down and build a home for myself, those arrogant pricks from the Seven Great Families and the Nine Great Sects would constantly sabotage me. If it were just one or two sects, I could have beaten them back, but they always ganged up on me. They’d invent some flimsy, self-righteous excuse just to try and brand me as an enemy of the martial world.”

Il-mok finally understood what kind of man Jeok Ri-gang was.

He was a man with outstanding personal martial prowess, yet he possessed no foundation or backing.

He was someone who had climbed to the very top relying solely on his own abilities, but consequently held an immense resentment toward the established factions that ruled the Orthodox Factions.

"Why not join one of the existing factions, then? With your skills, you could have walked into any noble family as a guest elder and they would have rolled out the red carpet for you. Even joining the Martial Alliance was always an option, you know?"

"Nah. The Martial Alliance is just a bunch of pretty propaganda. At the end of the day, it's just an organization built to grovel before the Seven Great Families and the Nine Great Sects. I watched that dead Alliance Leader spend his days cleaning up after them, and that was enough for me. I never went anywhere near the place after that."

Jeok Ri-gang grinned and added, "Speaking of which, the rumor going around is that you were the one who killed that Alliance Leader. Is that true?"

"It is. The man was a rat on the Imperial Family's payroll working to stir up conflict between our Divine Cult and the Central Plains."

"Hahaha! So the rumor was true."

Jeok Ri-gang burst out laughing again, clearly more than a little pleased about the death of Cheok Pae-myeong.

"Then why did you avoid the other factions too?"

"Because of my damn pride. The thought of walking on eggshells and playing the obedient lapdog to people weaker than me soured my mood. So I decided I'd rather just walk alone."

After getting a decent read on the man's character, Il-mok asked the most important question.

"If that's the case, why come knocking on our Divine Cult's door now? Does it not hurt your pride?"

"Haha! Why would my pride be hurt? It's not you using me. It's me choosing to help you."

His tone was confident as he added, "That's exactly what I meant when I said this is a gamble with my life on the line. You know how it works. When you extend a hand to someone, it only means something if you do it when they're still struggling. Once they've already got everything they wanted, offering help earns you nothing."

"I see. So that's why you specifically chose to show up in the middle of this stalemate."

"Now you get it."

Make no mistake, if the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and their allies were already getting crushed, Jeok Ri-gang wouldn't have come within a hundred miles of this camp.

Taking a bet with less than a one-percent payout wasn't a gamble; it was just a complicated way to commit suicide.

But looking at the current state of the board, he put the Divine Cult's odds of actually winning this war at a solid thirty percent.

And with himself joining the fold, those odds would climb higher still.

That was enough justification to put his life on the line, and so here he was.

With that question answered, Il-mok asked one last question.

"Then, how much are you hoping to gain by seeking us out?"

Jeok Ri-gang met the question with a confident smile.

"That's something we'll work out along the way, isn't it? I trust the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to reward me fairly and openly, in proportion to what I actually accomplish on the field. Haha!"

Amused by the man's audacity, Il-mok offered his own smile. "Fair enough. I'll have someone show you to your quarters for now. The next time blood is spilled, I'll make sure to hand you a mission worthy of the Battle King's legendary reputation."

With that, Il-mok signaled Jin Hayeon to escort the mercenary king to his quarters.

Once the tent flap closed behind them, Jeong Hyeon immediately stepped forward and voiced her hesitation.

"Left Guardian... do you really tr-trust him?"

"Hmm. Do I trust him as a human being? Not a chance. We just met five minutes ago. But do I believe he's telling the truth? Yes."

The man hadn't hidden behind the usual self-righteous garbage about martial honor or justice. Instead, he openly and shamelessly declared that he was chasing his own wealth and status.

Unconvinced, Hyeokryeon Seon-ah glared at Jeok Ri-gang's retreating figure with disapproval.

"Left Guardian, he has no faith in the Divine Cult's doctrine and doesn't seem the type to swear loyalty to you either."

"You're right that he's the kind of man who moves for profit, and that does make him a risk in a dangerous situation. But preventing that just comes down to what kind of jobs we give him, am I wrong?"

Il-mok had zero intention of handing Jeok Ri-gang any do-or-die missions, nor would he give him tasks where a sudden betrayal could cripple their forces.

"Do not worry, for I only plan to treat him as a martial artist with rather exceptional skills."

He had anticipated this scenario the moment he started printing those flyers. 

Drawing in people who were genuinely furious at the eunuchs' corruption hadn't been the only goal. The flyers and the posted notices had been made with the intention of rallying those who'd been crushed under the existing power structure to join under the Divine Cult’s banner.

In that sense, the Battle King was practically a symbol of everything the oppressed represented.

The man had shown up in person, and turning him away just because he wasn't a member of the Divine Cult would've undermined the whole point of making those flyers in the first place.

Just then, someone came sprinting toward Il-mok and the others.

"Left Guardian! The scouts we dispatched have returned! They're reporting that enemy forces are on the move!"

***

About an hour's march from Il-mok's encampment, a force of roughly ten thousand strong made up of government troops and martial artists had begun setting up their own temporary camp.

"According to the scouts' report, the enemy encampment is approximately one hour away."

Hearing the report from the commanding officer, Yangmuja's brow furrowed.

"So, are we actually going to fight this time?"

"Shouldn't we observe the enemy's movements before doing anything rash?"

Yangmuja openly clicked his tongue in disgust at that response, and the commanding officer’s face scrunched in displeasure.

‘Ill-mannered brutes.’

But orders from above kept him from voicing it out loud.

"We will keep a close eye on their movements with our scouts. Until then, you martial artists should return to your tents and rest."

Instead, he simply dismissed them. Any further discussion would only drive his blood pressure higher.

"Call for us when it's time to fight."

Yangmuja stood with poorly concealed irritation, and Namgung Jin, wearing an equally displeased expression, left with him.

—Can we talk for a moment?

Hearing Yangmuja's sudden use of a voice transmission, Namgung Jin simply nodded instead of speaking out loud. 

The two of them headed straight for the cluster of tents reserved for the Namgung Family's martial artists and entered Namgung Jin's personal tent.

The moment the tent flap fell shut behind them, Yangmuja let loose his frustration.

"How much longer are they going to drag their feet like this?"

Just as Il-mok's forces were burning out from the endless cat and mouse game, the martial artists on this side were getting completely sick of the stalemate too. And it wasn't just the hot-headed Yangmuja feeling this way.

"It was a mistake to join hands with the government officials from the very beginning."

Martial artists were people accustomed to throwing themselves headlong into straightforward clashes. None of them was cut out for this prolonged conflict.

But there was an even bigger reason the martial artists were furious.

"Why the hell are we rearranging our entire military structure just to babysit that Divine Monk?"

The entire war effort revolved around that damned monk.

He might have been crucial during the siege on Mount Wudang, but they had all charged into the enemy lines together back then.

But in their current situation, they were being used as glorified decoys to hide the monk's location. 

If the monk wasn't in their camp, they were explicitly ordered to turn tail and run from the Divine Cult.

These men used to rule the martial world.

They were the undisputed patriarchs of the Nine Great Sects and Seven Great Families.

They were the Twelve Heavenly Pillars.

For being like them, playing second fiddle to a single monk was utterly humiliating.

"Look at the disrespect radiating off that officer just now. He has the Head of the Namgung Family and me standing right in his camp, yet all he can think about is how to run away. Just how little does he think of us to have thoughts like that?"

After sitting through Yangmuja's unending complaints, Namgung Jin finally opened his eyes and broke his silence.

"If that's the case, why don't we just show him? We'll show that cowardly imperial mutt."

"Show him? Show him what?"

"What we're capable of. We didn't join up with these people just to play second fiddle to some Divine Monk."

Yangmuja and Namgung Jin looked at each other.

Their circumstances were much the same.

In the battle against the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult in Qinghai where the Blood Cult had crashed into the fight using the Heavenly Blood Jiangshi, both the Namgung Family and the Mount Heng Sect had suffered devastating losses.

That massacre was the only reason Namgung Jin and Yangmuja had swallowed their pride and allied with the government.

They wanted revenge for the people they had lost.

"Tomorrow, if battle breaks out, I'm thinking of driving straight into the enemy lines and cutting down every last one of those damn Cult bastards I can find. What do you think, Sect Leader Yangmuja?"

Hearing Namgung Jin's proposal, Yangmuja let out a roaring laugh.

"Haha! Now that's the best thing I've heard in a long time!"

***

For about an hour, the stretch of ground between the two temporarily encamped forces was alive with movement.

Many scouts had exhausted themselves probing the other side's strength and tracking their enemy’s movements. Their paths crossed often enough that skirmishes between opposing scouting parties broke out from time to time.

However, the one to shatter that suffocating tension first was the unit on the side of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

Early in the morning, they departed their encampment and marched directly toward the enemy forces.

When the news reached the government side through their scouts, an emergency meeting was hastily called.

"Are we just going to stand there and watch those Demonic Cult bastards walk up to us?!"

"Vice Commander, don't you want to earn some merit from this fight?"

Pressured by Yangmuja and Namgung Jin’s demand, the commanding officer finally gave a nod.

"Deploy the troops! Inform the soldiers to prepare for battle!"