Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The North Gate of the Northern Heaven Alliance was shrouded in pitch-black darkness.

Unlike the main gate, where alliance members usually came and went frequently, this place was a side path used for nighttime transport of supplies or the passage of secret messengers.

In that place, thick with dawn mist, figures moving soundlessly like shadows gathered one by one.

The First Squad, Third Squad, and even the Fourth Squad of the Iron Soul Unit had assembled, a total of thirty people.

Yet among them, their presences were so perfectly refined that even the sound of breathing could not be heard.

Instead of the alliance’s martial arts uniform, they wore black-blue light combat attire that blended easily into the darkness.

Their weapons were also wrapped carefully in black cloth so they would not reflect the moonlight.

They had gathered here after receiving Yeom Baek’s sudden summons.

Dokgo Jin’s eyes, mixed among them, took on a strange light.

‘Three squads moving at the same time.’

It was no ordinary mission. The Iron Soul Unit, except during wartime, moved and carried out missions by the squad.

For three squads to be dispatched simultaneously was certainly rare.

Dokgo Jin had casually asked Gwak Hyo, his squad leader, but even he knew nothing.

‘On top of that, the Captain is personally stepping forward.’

Unless it was a mission involving the entire combat unit, it was extremely rare for the Captain to personally command.

“…….”

Dokgo Jin’s gaze turned toward the man standing at the very front of the formation like a heavy boulder.

Yeom Baek looked over the unit members with coldly sunken eyes.

“Has everyone arrived?”

Vice-Captain Yu Seol-ah, standing beside him, briefly lowered her head.

“The First Squad, Third Squad, and Fourth Squad. Everyone has finished assembling.”

“Good.”

Yeom Baek’s gaze swept over the unit members one by one, then stopped on Dokgo Jin, who stood at the very rear.

He was still blending into the darkness with an indifferent expression that revealed nothing inside.

Yeom Baek sent a Sound Transmission.

[You have unexpectedly ended up going on your first mission all of a sudden. Are you nervous?]

[Not particularly.]

[Well, it is hard to even imagine you looking nervous.]

“…….”

[In this mission…… your role may perhaps be significant.]

With those words, Yeom Baek stared forward again. His low yet powerful voice cut through the dawn air.

“The goal of this mission is urgent, and every moment counts. We will move first, and I will tell you the details during a rest.”

Yu Seol-ah, who still did not know the details, asked,

“No, at least tell us the destination, Captain.”

“The destination has not been specified yet. For now, we will confirm the destination while moving.”

Yu Seol-ah looked surprised.

‘It is that urgent?’

Yeom Baek spoke to the unit members.

“We depart! Anyone who falls behind will be left behind, so stay alert and follow!”

“As you command!”

When Yeom Baek launched himself forward, thirty-one black shadows followed him and were swallowed into the mist.

It was a covert and swift departure that did not even disturb the silence of dawn.

***

Yeom Baek’s speed at the front was terrifying.

As he followed behind him, who seemed to glide forward as though folding the earth beneath his feet, Dokgo Jin silently examined the group.

‘Hmm, I see why the Third Squad and Fourth Squad were chosen in particular.’

Aside from the First Squad, the martial force of the remaining squads was generally similar. Even so, the squads with lower numbers were slightly stronger.

However, there had to be a clear reason why the Second Squad had been skipped and the Third and Fourth Squads had been deployed.

‘Movement arts, I suppose?’

In fact, when the Iron Soul Unit went on missions, the Third Squad and Fourth Squad were the squads that quickly went ahead as the advance party and served as scouts.

‘Where are we going?’

Dokgo Jin gauged the direction through the surrounding scenery.

‘The direction is west. No, has it shifted slightly south?’

He recalled the Complete Map of the Central Plains in his mind.

In this direction, the destination could be the edge of Shaanxi Province if it was close, or as far as Gansu Province or Sichuan Province.

‘Once we leave Shaanxi Province, it is no longer the territory of the Northern Heaven Alliance. Surely…… we are not going all the way to the territory of the Western Hegemon, are we?’

The Western Hegemon, Kunlun Demon Palace.

It was a force clearly distinguished from the other Three Hegemons, one that thoroughly pursued the Demonic Path.

It was a force created by the remnants of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which had collapsed during the Great Righteous-Demonic War, and the Demonic Path followers who supported them.

Because they occupied the area around Mount Kunlun, even the Kunlun Sect, one of the Nine Sects and One Gang, had declared a sealing of its gates and was barely maintaining its lineage.

‘Is it a clash with Kunlun Demon Palace?’

Although the Four Hegemons of the Central Plains outwardly maintained a precarious peace, localized battles often broke out along the borders of their spheres of influence as commonly as meals.

Even considering that, questions remained.

‘If it were a simple localized battle, there would be no need for the Captain to move personally and this covertly.’

At that moment, Dokgo Jin saw Yeom Baek at the front and Yu Seol-ah following right behind him meet each other’s eyes.

Judging by the subtle movement of their lips, it seemed they were conversing through Sound Transmission.

“…….”

Dokgo Jin glanced up at the sky. It was a pitch-black dawn, without even the light of daybreak.

‘Good.’

He slightly curled the corners of his mouth and drew up energy from deep within his qi center.

Nine Nether Dark Heaven Scripture.

Dark Tide.

It was a qi art whose power doubled in the darkness.

Fwooooo.

A very faint Black Flame Qi, impossible to distinguish with the naked eye, spread out in all directions like mist.

The energy that had assimilated with the darkness naturally wrapped around Yeom Baek and Yu Seol-ah. Its purpose was to intercept the waves of their Sound Transmission midway.

Soon, the two people’s secret voices could be heard vividly in Dokgo Jin’s ears.

[……Who in the world would dare target Grand Elder Yong’s granddaughter?]

It was Yu Seol-ah’s voice. Bewilderment and anger were mixed in it.

‘Grand Elder Yong’s granddaughter?’

A strange light appeared in Dokgo Jin’s eyes.

Then Yeom Baek’s heavy voice answered.

[Nothing has been confirmed yet. However, according to intelligence from the Heavenly Secrets Hall, it appears to be a matter involving the bastards of Kunlun Demon Palace.]

[The Demon Palace……!]

[They say there is a high chance that a Unit Leader-level master is included as well.]

“……!”

A Unit Leader of Kunlun Demon Palace meant a master with combat strength equivalent to a Captain of the Northern Heaven Alliance.

[Then a combat corps of Kunlun Demon Palace may have come out, no?]

[There is a high probability of that.]

[But only three squads are being dispatched? Should the entire unit not be stepping forward?]

[It cannot be helped. We must maintain secrecy.]

Yu Seol-ah could not understand.

[They were the ones who started the trouble, so why……?]

[She may be the Grand Elder’s granddaughter, but strictly speaking, she is an outsider. Sending a combat unit for such a reason would become a burden to Grand Elder Yong.]

[Ah…….]

Only then did Dokgo Jin understand.

‘So that is how it is.’

Grand Elder Yong, “Flame Dragon Divine Lord” Yong Mu-seong, was regarded as the person closest to becoming the next Head of the Council of Elders.

As the authority of the Head of the Council of Elders was immense, naturally there were competitors aiming for that position.

However, sending a combat unit of the Northern Heaven Alliance to rescue his granddaughter could become a political weakness.

That seemed to be why he had secretly asked Yeom Baek, who was neutral and trustworthy.

Even if it was revealed later, it would not become a major issue, since it was the movement of a small force.

However, for those who were undertaking the mission, it was a different matter.

Yu Seol-ah furrowed her fine brows.

[This will become quite a dangerous mission, will it not?]

[Perhaps. But am I not here?]

[What if the opponent is a master you cannot handle, Captain?]

[We will have to overcome it somehow. Besides…….]

He glanced toward Dokgo Jin following behind them and continued the Sound Transmission.

[Do we not have the Dragon-Tiger Tablet Holder?]

Yu Seol-ah seemed about to say something, then stopped.

‘He is overflowing with confidence. As far as I know…….’

[In any case, the best outcome is to rescue the Grand Elder’s granddaughter and return to the alliance before we clash with them. That is why we are hurrying like this.]

[So where is the Grand Elder’s granddaughter right now?]

[I only heard that she is in southern Gansu Province. Since she must be continuously moving to avoid their pursuit, it would have been difficult to pinpoint her location. The Heavenly Secrets Hall said they would inform us as soon as they grasp it.]

[I see. Then let us hurry more, Captain. Would it not be troublesome if we went while conserving strength for no reason and the Grand Elder’s granddaughter was captured by the enemies afterward?]

[Yes, you are right about that.]

Yeom Baek looked back at the unit members and shouted.

“The target is Gansu Province! Every moment is urgent, so from now on, we increase speed!”

“As you command!”

Bang!

Yeom Baek and Yu Seol-ah increased their speed, and the unit members chased after them. Like that, they ran for two full days without even stopping for meals.

***

A white snowfield where a blizzard raged.

“Huff, huff…….”

A woman was carrying a girl on her back as she pushed through snow that rose to her knees.

The woman’s name was Han Seo-ryeong.

She was the captain of the guards for Yong Chae-rin, Grand Elder Yong’s granddaughter, and a nanny-like figure who had cared for her since childhood.

The girl carried on her sturdy back was none other than Yong Chae-rin.

She had a young face of about fourteen or fifteen, still not fully shed of baby fat.

She was a beautiful girl with skin even more translucent and white than the snowfield, and features so elegant they seemed painted.

However, what was unfortunate were her large eyes.

Her pitch-black pupils were hazy and unfocused, as though trapped in a thick fog. She was blind.

“…….”

Yong Chae-rin felt a damp, sticky liquid seeping out from Han Seo-ryeong’s back, where her cheek was pressed.

This warmth soaking and spreading through the fabric.

It was not sweat. It was blood mixed with the fishy smell of iron.

‘Everyone…… died.’

The world before her unseeing eyes was, as always, nothing but pitch-black darkness. However, her sensitive hearing remembered everything vividly.

The sound of the ten escort warriors who had come with her collapsing without even being able to scream properly.

The horrifying bursting sound of hot blood spraying across the snow.

‘It is all…… because of me.’

She had been on her way from her family home in Lanzhou to the Northern Heaven Alliance. It was because she had been summoned by her grandfather, Grand Elder Yong.

But.

Had it been bad luck, or misfortune arranged intentionally by someone?

Along the way, they had gotten into a minor dispute with a group they encountered, and it had immediately led to blades being drawn.

At first, she had not taken it seriously. The skill of the ones who picked the fight was pathetic, and the escort warriors had subdued them easily.

But that had been a trap.

The ones who appeared from the shadows immediately afterward were on a different level.

The escort warriors were slaughtered without even being able to properly exchange swords once.

There was no other method but to flee. The rare outing she had set out on with excitement had turned into hell in an instant.

‘The sisters and brothers, all of them, while trying to protect me…….’

Guilt seemed to become a heavy shackle dragging at her ankles.

“My lady…… Just a little, endure just a little longer.”

Han Seo-ryeong whispered in a blood-boiling voice as she breathed roughly. Her steps had already reached their limit.

Her left thigh had been cut deeply, and red blood was dripping from it. The inner arts in her Qihai acupoint had long since run dry.

Her face had turned pale, but only her eyes burned like an unextinguished flame.

The single-minded determination that she had to protect Yong Chae-rin.

With a mental strength close to maternal instinct, she ran across the snowfield even as she staggered as if she would collapse.

‘Sister Seo-ryeong…….’

Yong Chae-rin could not bring herself to tell her to abandon her and run.

She tightly clutched Han Seo-ryeong’s clothes and bit her lip.

‘I have to save Sister, at least.’

Even if Han Seo-ryeong abandoned her, there was no guarantee she would survive.

In that case, going together was better.

Because.

Throb.

Yong Chae-rin’s brow stung.

It was an unpleasant sensation, as if a sharp needle were piercing her forehead.

To her, the world came not as visual shapes, but as the flow of energy and “colors.”

And now, ahead in the darkness, she felt a crimson blood mist crouching.

“Stop!”

Yong Chae-rin urgently shouted.

“M-My lady?”

“Ahead…… We cannot go ahead.”

“……!”

Han Seo-ryeong stopped.

The reason she had been able to continue fleeing until now despite her wounded body was all thanks to Yong Chae-rin’s special “sense.”

Her sense had never been wrong.

“……Right. We have to go right.”

The right side was a steep cliff path. It looked much more dangerous, but Han Seo-ryeong did not hesitate.

“Understood!”

Han Seo-ryeong immediately stepped onto the cliff path.

“Hold on tight!”

Han Seo-ryeong launched herself toward the cliff path.

Yong Chae-rin tightly shut her unseeing eyes. The scent of the wind blowing from behind her smelled fishy.

The smell of blood and death.

That smell was growing closer and closer.

‘At this rate, we will be caught in the end.’

After they narrowly passed through the cliff path, how much time had gone by?

Han Seo-ryeong asked,

“My lady, there is another fork in the road. Where should we go?”

At her urgent question, Yong Chae-rin bit her lip.

She desperately sharpened her senses, but it was hopeless.

The left side and the right side. From both paths, a chilling blood-red killing intent was blazing.

‘Neither side will do. They are all blocked.’

At that moment, her head turned as if possessed toward the dense thicket on the right.

She felt an extremely alien energy from that place. A pitch-black, heavy abyssal energy she had never felt before.

She could not even tell whether it was an enemy or an ally, but at the very least, it was better than that disgusting blood-red mist.

“Sister, let us go right.”

“Pardon? But that way has no path……”

Yong Chae-rin firmly shook her head.

“There is no other way.”

Han Seo-ryeong erased her hesitation and pushed forward, striking aside the rough brush with her body.

Tree branches scratched them and drew blood in several places, but Yong Chae-rin swallowed even her groans.

At some point, that dark energy drew right up before them.

Flash!

Han Seo-ryeong came to an abrupt stop and drew her sword.

“Who are you?!”

A black figure blocked their path.

Yong Chae-rin instinctively knew.

The owner of that vast darkness she had felt just now was that man.

“I found you.”

The black figure, Dokgo Jin, was wearing a faint smile.