CHAPTER 13

Faster, More Ruthless

"The Gale Martial Arts… defeated the Third Young Master."

While the audience was still in shock from the completely unexpected outcome, some people were stunned for a different reason.

"Did he really use Gale Martial Arts—"

"Dangon, are you telling me that's the skill level of someone who has only been training in Gale Martial Arts for ten days?"

Dangon, with his nose held high, smirked with pride.

"Heh! It's all thanks to the great teaching of our martial arts master."

"That's nonsense!"

"If it were just about teaching, we wouldn't be struggling like this!"

Dang Tae and Dang Jin, both core members of the Gale Corps alongside Dangon, looked as if they were ready to grab their old friend by the collar.

When Dangon had first invited them, saying he had something interesting to show them, they had been uninterested.

They were already overwhelmed, organizing reports for the Shadow Lord, whom they hadn't seen in a long time.

Being constantly pestered to take time out of their packed schedules had only made them irritated.

Still, Dangon had promised that if they found it boring, they could strangle him, so they had come along—

But… this was far beyond what they had expected.

"What the hell is going on? Explain properly."

"Ah, I don't feel like talking for free."

"Oh yeah? Want me to give you something in return?"

Dang Tae casually pulled out a dagger from his robe, while Dang Jin quietly slid throwing knives between his fingers.

A clear message—if Dangon didn't talk, they'd be happy to stab him full of holes.

Judging by their sharp glares, they weren't bluffing.

"…Come on, it was just a joke! Just a joke! Ha ha, ha ha ha!"

"It's not funny! Start talking properly!"

"Just forget it."

"You bastard—"

"I'm serious! Just drop it!"

When Dangon suddenly raised both hands in surrender, Dang Tae and Dang Jin, though skeptical, held back from pressing him further.

"Then just explain it simply. What exactly happened?"

Dangon recounted what had happened with Unhui.

How, on the first day they met, Unhui had effortlessly memorized multiple martial arts, including the Shadow Phantom Steps, and even grasped the form of Gale Martial Arts.

And how, over the following ten days, Unhui had experimented with various weapons and quickly mastered the essence of Gale Martial Arts.

"And you expect us to believe that?"

"I don't believe it either! But it's the truth, so what do you want me to do?!"

"You're sure he didn't learn Gale Martial Arts beforehand?"

"I had the same suspicion. But do you doubt my eyes?"

If someone had fooled a master like Dangon, it would mean they were already a martial artist superior to him. In other words, it was impossible.

In the end, they had to accept Dangon's words as fact.

Unhui had truly defeated Dang Yuchang with just ten days of training in Gale Martial Arts!

"…This doesn't make sense."

At this point, Dang Tae and Dang Jin felt as if everything they had known was crumbling.

And now that the initial shock was fading, another thought was beginning to surface.

"Could it be—"

"Are you suggesting that Unhui is a Wind Talent?"

A Wind Talent—someone exceptionally attuned to the nature of wind.

All members of the Gale Corps had a degree of this talent, but only two people had possessed it to an extraordinary extent.

One was now the leader of the Nine Dragons Branch.

The other had died and was buried in a grave.

Their deaths had led to the dissolution of the Gale Corps.

"If he isn't a new Wind Talent, how else do you explain this?"

"..."

"..."

Dang Tae and Dang Jin had no words to refute this.

Dangon's eyes… were shining more brightly than ever.

Ever since the other Wind Talent, who had been like a brother to him, died, his eyes had always been dull and lifeless.

But now, for the first time, they held life again.

"And, Unhui said he wants to restore the Gale Corps."

"!"

"!"

"Neither Lady Gyu-jin nor Young Master Yuchang cared about the Gale Corps. But now, someone we never paid much attention to, Young Master Unhui, has brought it up. What do you make of that?"

"..."

"..."

"I'm not saying we should pledge our support to him just yet. I still have many doubts about Unhui."

Dangon was convinced that Unhui had another teacher.

Until he uncovered the truth about Unhui's background, he couldn't entrust the fate of the Gale Corps to him.

The weight of the Corps' past grudges and debts was too heavy.

"But we can at least start watching with interest, can't we?"

Dang Tae and Dang Jin remained silent.

But Dangon was certain.

Unhui had now taken root in their minds—just as he had in his own.

"…We'll see whether he's worth our expectations or not."

Their gazes returned to the training grounds.

Thump. Thump. Thump!

Her chest was burning.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump!

She was suffocating.

Her heart was racing too fast.

That's why Dang Gyu-jin couldn't easily speak.

A challenge to a duel?

Against her?

She knew Unhui was skilled.

But she had never imagined he would defeat Dang Yuchang in a single second.

And she certainly hadn't expected him to have the audacity to challenge her so boldly.

Everyone was staring at her, but she didn't care.

Right now, the only thing that mattered was her inner voice.

She wanted to fight.

The desire to test her strength against him was undeniable.

But if she defeated Unhui here…

She had just begun overturning the clan's prejudices against her, yet she might be dismissed once more.

And if Unhui won?

She would lose too much.

The weight of being the heir to the Nine Dragons Branch pressed down on her left shoulder.

The burden of being the successor of the Qingcheng Sect's Upper Azure Palace rested on her right.

Was it worth risking both just to cross swords with Unhui?

Moreover, her mother would lose all hope.

If both of her children were defeated by an illegitimate son, she would no longer be worthy of her title as Matriarch.

No matter how much she resented her mother, she couldn't bring herself to abandon her entirely.

But then…

『Why are you hesitating? What you want is right in front of you.』

The voice inside her whispered like a devil.

『Forget all your calculations. Do what you want. You want to fight, don't you? Don't you?』

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump!

Her heartbeat grew even wilder.

『Right now, it's not Dang Unhui and Dang Gyu-jin standing here. It's just one warrior against another.』

At those words—

A grin spread across her face.

Like a lurking demon.

Yes.

She was a warrior.

She drew her sword.

Screeeeech!

The Blue Ghost Mask.

A chilling wail echoed as the face of a phantom momentarily overlapped with her own.