Chapter 306: The Youngest Alliance Leader Candidate (4)

Chief Strategist Bang Deok-hyun was visibly shaken by the death of the middle-aged man who appeared to be a bodyguard.

It was natural for him to be shocked.

After all that surveillance, he would've never imagined I'd approach him like this.

There's no better technique for catching an opponent off-guard than Chehwa Manbyeonsul.

But the face of the man, who seemed as if he would remain flustered, soon regained its composure.

Does that mean he's truly seasoned?

With a hardened expression, he looked at me and said,

> "It can't be a human skin mask... could it be Yeokyongsul?"

Yeokyongsul is a technique that forcibly alters one's facial muscles to mimic someone else's face.

But compared to Chehwa Manbyeonsul, it's neither as delicate nor stable—it's flawed and can't be maintained for long.

You could say it's similar to Master Haeakcheon's Chukgolgong technique.

> "I'm surprised. I've never seen Yeokyongsul mimic another's face so precisely."

> "You seem quite calm."

> "What is there to be surprised about? Since you already knew my title within the organization, your identity is more or less confirmed."

I snorted and asked him,

> "And what exactly is my identity?"

> "Little Sword Immortal So Un-hwi—or rather, the successor of the Sword Immortal."

He's sharp.

Well, I suppose someone who became the Chief Strategist of the Martial Alliance and an advisor to the Emperor must possess at least this level of insight.

> "You're well-informed. Then I assume you also know why I'm here?"

At my words, Bang Deok-hyun let out a dry chuckle.

Was he being bold in the face of death? Or had he simply given up?

> "You find this funny?"

> "I laughed because of an unforeseen variable."

The fact that I could disguise myself as someone else wasn't something just anyone could know.

After all, I made sure to kill every person who had turned into an enemy.

The only one still alive is Seol Baek.

I said to Bang Deok-hyun,

> "Let's keep it short. I already know how loyal you are to the Emperor."

> "Do you expect me to tell you everything about him?"

> "Exactly."

> "Then you must also know that I won't say a word."

> "Of course."

With that, I stepped toward him.

If he wasn't going to speak, there was no reason to prolong this.

I didn't have time to waste.

Then he gave me a relaxed smile and said,

> "You're free to kill me, successor of the Sword Immortal—but are you ready to deal with the consequences?"

> "Consequences?"

He tapped his head with a finger.

> "I've survived this brutal world using nothing but my wits. Do you think I didn't prepare for an unexpected variable like this?"

> "You overestimate yourself."

> "Do you think you can kill me and take my place without getting caught? I've always been prepared for confusion caused by human-skin masks or Yeokyongsul. Even if you try to mimic me, you can never truly replace me."

It seemed he had set up some kind of secret code that only his inner circle would understand—precautionary measures, so to speak.

That's a strategist for you.

He gestured around the room and continued.

> "If you're thinking of just killing me quietly and walking out, I wouldn't recommend it either. Why do you think there's nothing but a desk and table in this office?"

As he said, the office was oddly clean for a strategist's workspace—no books, no shelves, nothing to hide behind.

> "I've always been paranoid. I arranged for the organization's martial artists to periodically scout this office. How are you planning to hide the bodies?"

He was now visibly smug.

He probably believed he'd cornered me—believed there was no way I could escape the contingency he'd laid out.

He picked up a teacup from the table and sipped calmly.

> "Slurp. Disappointing."

> "Disappointing?"

> "I expected more from you, since you've often escaped my traps. I thought someone finally came who could match me in wits. But this is just sad."

He clicked his tongue and continued,

> "You overestimated both your swordsmanship and your brains. If you really intended to outsmart me, you should have found and exploited my weaknesses. Acting so rashly… I gave you too much credit."

> "..."

> "It's hard to find someone like Je Gal Won-myeong, who I trained myself, someone who could truly entertain me."

He tried to subtly move his leg, but I lightly raised my hand.

He immediately froze in place, trembling with strain.

I waved my left hand sideways toward the desk, and using Heogongseobmul (Telekinesis), moved the desk aside, revealing a hidden foot pedal.

> "You've been waiting for a chance to press that, huh?"

> "...Even if I don't press it, nothing changes."

—Knock knock!

Just then, someone knocked at the office door.

> "Ah, they've arrived."

Bang Deok-hyun gave a smug smile, as if to say, I told you so, and tried to speak.

But I sealed his mouth with internal energy, so there was no way he could.

I casually snapped my fingers.

—Snap!

He looked confused by the gesture.

Just then, the door opened and a martial artist in military attire entered.

He bowed to Bang Deok-hyun, who remained frozen in place, and said,

> "There's been no movement from the Bukyeongdosung side."

'!?'

Bang Deok-hyun's eyes widened, clearly not understanding what was happening.

The martial artist, completely unaware of the situation in the room, reported various information, then—

> "Chung!" (A respectful martial greeting)

He bowed and left the office without a second glance.

I said to the dumbfounded strategist,

> "Quite the fun scheme you tried to pull. Was this your plan for the Martial Alliance meeting—to eliminate me?"

Bang Deok-hyun muttered in a trembling voice,

> "What… what the hell did you do?"

Nothing much—just used Jeongyo Hwanuigyeong to make them see what I wanted.

A perfectly normal-looking Bang Deok-hyun.

Even if I didn't know the hidden codes, the martial artist saw what he expected to see and left without issue.

> "You used sorcery, didn't you?"

I didn't answer.

Instead, I pulled a small charm pouch from my robe.

Ignoring his suspicious gaze, I approached the corpses and said,

> "Smart people always think within the limits of their own perspective."

I picked up a corpse and dropped it into the pouch.

Bang Deok-hyun's eyes bulged as he saw the body disappear into the tiny pouch.

> "W-What?"

It would've been stranger not to be shocked after watching a full human body disappear into such a small bag.

I then stuffed the broken-necked bodyguard into the pouch as well and said nonchalantly,

> "The corpses are taken care of now."

He was visibly dismayed.

He never imagined I'd dispose of them like this.

> "Wh-What is this?"

> "Corpses handled. Next…"

I reached into the pouch and pulled something out.

It was the Saryeon Sword.

> "A sword?"

First the corpses, now a sword—it must've seemed unreal.

The Saryeon Sword chirped at me,

> —"Hmph. What took you so long? It was suffocating in there."

She must've been really uncomfortable.

Well, it won't be for long. There's something you need to do now.

Sword in hand, I walked toward the immobilized Bang Deok-hyun and smiled.

> "Let me return your words from earlier. You're… very disappointing."

> "What?"

> "I had some hopes for you, since you were Je Gal Won-myeong's master. But you're not even close to your student. At least he gave me a hard time before dying."

'!?'

Bang Deok-hyun's eyes widened.

Of course—he didn't know that I was the one who killed Je Gal Won-myeong.

> "...Ha!"

He let out a hollow laugh.

They'd all believed the Blood Cult killed him to steal the Blood Demon Sword.

As I stood in front of him, he said, unable to understand,

> "...Are you truly the successor of the Sword Immortal?"

> "Why? Do I not seem like it?"

Maybe he thought I was moving for some righteous sect or cause.

Sorry to disappoint, but I move for myself.

I reached out toward him.

> "What are you trying to do now?"

> "This."

—Crack-crack-crack!

I sealed his pressure points to keep him from speaking, grabbed his head, and sent a jolt of lightning qi into his brain.

—Bzzzzt!

> "Grrrkkk…"

He convulsed violently and drooled, staring at me with a dazed expression.

Part of his brain had been completely fried—he looked like a total fool now.

—Swish swish!

I channeled qi into his head to check his condition.

There were no signs of regeneration or recovery.

Just as Seol Baek had said, it was clear he hadn't received the Golden Body Procedure.

I placed the Saryeon Sword in his hand.

> —"Ugh, I hate old bodies..."

Bang Deok-hyun whimpered in a sultry voice.

That twisted expression with that body was hard to look at. Honestly, kind of gross.

Around an unspecified time in the afternoon.

All the elders of the various sects gathered in the main conference hall of the Murim Alliance's headquarters.

It was for the meeting to elect the new Alliance Leader, which had been kept secret until now.

Most of the elders had taken their seats, and even the Vice Alliance Leader, Yeol Wangpae Jin Gyun, had appeared and sat down—but the Grand Strategist Bang Deokhyeon had yet to show himself.

Since he was usually known for being as punctual as a blade, everyone found his absence quite strange.

"Why is he late?"

"The one who was supposed to make the proposal at this meeting is..."

Some elders, who had already coordinated in advance, silently expressed their concern.

If he didn't step up to make the proposal, someone else among the elders would have to, and that would draw open hostility from Vice Alliance Leader Jin Gyun.

Time continued to pass.

With the Grand Strategist still absent, Vice Alliance Leader Jin Gyun began to show visible irritation.

"Why has the Grand Strategist not arrived yet?"

At his question, Second Strategist Sima Junghyeon gestured for someone to be called.

"Go to the military quarters immediately and bring the Grand Strategist..."

Just then—

Creeeeaaak!!

The door to the conference hall opened, and in stepped Grand Strategist Bang Deokhyeon, dragging behind him an unusually heavy-looking cane.

Vice Alliance Leader Jin Gyun, about to scold him for being late, frowned instead.

It was because of the person walking in behind Bang Deokhyeon.

"Little Sword Immortal?"

"What's Little Sword Immortal doing here?"

It was none other than So Geomseon, So Unhwi.

Most present were bewildered that Bang Deokhyeon had brought So Unhwi to a meeting that only elders and higher-ranking figures of the Murim Alliance were permitted to attend.

"Why are those two together?"

Even the elders who had coordinated with Bang Deokhyeon in advance were baffled.

Those two should not be acting in unison under any circumstance.

"What in the world is going on?"

"Don't tell me the plan has changed?"

The very purpose of this meeting had been to exclude So Geomseon So Unhwi from the list of candidates for Alliance Leader.

At that moment, Second Strategist Sima Junghyeon stood up and spoke loudly:

"Grand Strategist, you're late. However, this is a critically important meeting. You should know that no one outside the Elders' Council and Military Division is permitted entry."

In response, Grand Strategist Bang Deokhyeon opened his mouth.

"First, I must apologize to everyone for my tardiness. But I have brought So Geomseon because a critical matter has arisen regarding this meeting."

"A critical matter? What is it?"

To that question, So Unhwi clasped his fists in respect toward the elders and spoke.

"First, I must apologize for entering such a solemn place without permission, and for troubling Vice Alliance Leader and the rest of the esteemed elders."

At his words, the newly appointed head of the Wudang Sect, Master Jong Oh, spoke up.

"Primordial Heaven's Worthy. Primordial Heaven's Worthy. I don't know what this critical matter is, but rules exist for a reason. So Geomseon, please leave the room for now."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot do that."

"What?"

The elders' expressions began to harden ominously.

Vice Alliance Leader Jin Gyun especially revealed his displeasure openly and said:

"Brother So, though I am acquainted with you, this is not a place where you can just walk in freely. If you do not leave at once—"

"Please take a look at this first."

Before Jin Gyun could even finish, So Unhwi pulled something out from inside his robes.

It was wrapped in cloth, and when he unwrapped it, a needle-like object was revealed.

"What about it?"

"It is a needle coated with Phantom Demon Poison."

"Phantom Demon Poison?"

In response to Jin Gyun's puzzled question, So Unhwi pointed sadly toward Bang Deokhyeon, who was quietly leaning on his cane, and said in a solemn voice:

"Everyone, Grand Strategist Bang Deokhyeon has been under the influence of this Phantom Demon Poison and has been manipulated all this time."