The battlefields where the Heavenly Lord Who Annihilates Evil had rampaged were already close to ten in number. Countless martial artists from the orthodox sects had witnessed him firsthand.
Likewise, the few Black Lotus Union warriors who had miraculously survived all spoke in unison.
“The Heavenly Lord Who Annihilates Evil is a madman drunk on blood!”
Killing dozens, hundreds of people—such an act was difficult for any sane human mind to comprehend.
And if hundreds, even thousands, could be wiped out with just a flick of the hand? How many could wield such a hand so casually?
Every warrior who had stepped onto the battlefield agreed.
“The Heavenly Lord Who Annihilates Evil does not see demonic martial artists as people.”
Unless he saw them as mere insects, it was unthinkable for someone to slaughter with such merciless efficiency.
By now, the number of warriors he had slain was nearing five figures.
Thousands had fallen at the mere wave of his hand.
If the battlefield hadn’t been composed primarily of warriors at the peak level and above, the death toll would have been incomprehensibly higher.
Because of this, those who had seen him in action spoke of the name Heavenly Lord Who Annihilates Evil with trembling fear.
And as their terror took shape, another rumor surfaced.
“The Heavenly Lord Who Annihilates Evil wields demonic energy. That venomous intent is reflected even in his aura!”
Among the orthodox sects, his name had already become a source of dread. With multiple testimonies fueling it, the rumor spread like wildfire.
It even reached the ears of Jegal Tong.
“…That is the current situation.”
Across from him, Seo-jun, resting his chin on his hand, sneered.
“Not my problem.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to clarify the rumor about demonic energy…?”
“Clarify? To whom?”
Red eyes fixed upon Jegal Tong.
“What exactly do you think these fools can do even if they suspect me? Forget it. What matters now is the Sword Sect’s situation.”
“…Understood.”
Jegal Tong summarized the intelligence he had gathered.
The Harmonious Realm warriors who had come to support the Sword Sect had not returned to their respective sects.
It seemed there had been some discussion, and they were maintaining an ambiguous distance from the Sword Sect. If anything were to happen, they would immediately reinforce it.
“Hm…”
Pondering, Seo-jun pointed at the map.
“The one who caused a distraction from the east to the west of the Central Plains—was he an elder of the Great Black Mountain Sect?”
“Yes. A man named Ryeo Won.”
It was the same individual suspected of having subdued Namgung Yeon when Namgung Jincheon had been lured away.
“Perfect.”
Seo-jun’s eyes shifted between the Sword Sect and the Great Black Mountain Sect marked on the map.
“We should pay our respects to them as well.”
****
Jegal Tong nearly had a seizure when he heard Seo-jun’s plan.
“This is far too reckless! That’s not a strategy—it’s a gamble!”
“They did it. Why shouldn’t I?”
Jegal Tong could do nothing to stop Seo-jun from leaving the Martial Alliance.
“Ugh… No matter how capable you are, this is…”
Clutching his head in frustration, Jegal Tong groaned.
But Seo-jun didn’t care.
Instead of immediately carrying out his plan, he returned to the Namgung Clan first.
Before executing the next phase, he needed to deal with the former sect leader of the Sword Sect—Geom Hyeon.
To do that, he needed to develop a counter technique for One Mind, One Sword.
At the same time, he figured he would check on Namgung Sua and her martial progress.
Swiiik—!
Heading straight to the training grounds, he spotted Namgung Sua wielding two swords.
A relatively short longsword and a large greatsword.
Her form was taking shape—her twin-sword techniques were becoming more refined.
“Bravo.”
Clap, clap.
Hearing the applause, Namgung Sua took a deep breath and turned her head.
“Oh, you’re back…?”
She smiled bitterly, but her complexion was pale, hardly something to call healthy.
‘And this is already an improvement…’
Lately, just looking at Namgung Sua made Seo-jun’s chest ache.
He wanted to shove something into her mouth and make her eat.
If Chun-bong in the past had been someone he wanted to fatten up, then Namgung Sua now was someone he just wanted to see regain her color.
Seo-jun reached into his robe and pulled out a sugar-coated hawthorn stick—the same kind he had once offered to pacify Chun-bong in the wild.
Holding it up to Namgung Sua’s lips, he said, “Here, at least eat this.”
“…Why do you keep trying to feed me every time you see me?”
Letting out a soft chuckle, she took the skewered treat and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before taking a bite.
“Mmh…”
Her brows knitted slightly. It was too sweet.
‘Should I start carrying snacks more suited for her…?’
While Seo-jun debated, Namgung Sua suddenly stepped in close.
A faint scent, deepened by sweat, reached his nose.
Without a word, she wrapped her arms tightly around him.
“More than food, just… hold me like this sometimes.”
Seo-jun raised a brow.
After a brief hesitation, he firmly pulled her into an embrace.
“Sometimes?”
“More often would be nice.”
Well. That wouldn't do.
“I should just hug you every time I see you.”
Lifting her up, Seo-jun found a suitable place and sat her down, deciding to take a moment to rest.
A gentle breeze blew through the courtyard, but even with her sweat-dampened skin, Namgung Sua showed no sign of feeling cold.
Nestled against him, soaking in his warmth, she gave his arm a light tap.
“Hold on.”
When he let go, she picked up her two swords and faced him.
Her hands were itching for a fight.
Sometimes, there were moments like this—when everything just felt right.
Twin swords, huh…
A question always follows the concept of twin swords:
“If you have two weapons, doesn’t that mean you’re twice as strong?”
Of course not.
If that were the case, then Asura Seo-jun, with six arms, would already be the greatest in the world. The Fifty-Blade Centipede he had seen in the Demonic Cult would have been beating Supreme Realm masters into the ground.
Twin swords had their advantages, but they also had clear disadvantages.
‘The weight of the swords isn’t an issue.’
Namgung Sua was a supreme master. Wielding swords with one hand wasn’t a problem for her at all.
If necessary, she could probably swing a one-ton sword like it was nothing.
‘The problem is that her opponents are similar in strength.’
When two warriors were evenly matched in power, a two-handed sword was naturally stronger than a single-handed one.
Of course, this wasn’t a dealbreaker.
If she were swinging her swords recklessly, it might be an issue, but someone of Namgung Sua’s caliber would instinctively adjust.
Still, it remained a potential weakness.
Moreover, twin swordsmanship leaned more toward a defensive style than most people realized.
‘At that point, wouldn’t it just be better to use a shield?’
While Seo-jun silently pondered, Namgung Sua continued her sword dance before him.
“Oh?”
Her swordplay resembled her previous style, relying on shifting her center of gravity to maintain seamless motion.
The two blades, different in length, disrupted her opponent’s sense of distance.
And then, when the longsword lashed out, its speed was like a sudden bolt of lightning.
For any opponent trying to find an opening, the greatsword would obstruct their vision, making it seem like she was open.
But then, in a single explosive moment, her greatsword would strike, embodying the overwhelming might of the Namgung name.
“Phew…”
Exhaling deeply, Namgung Sua turned to Seo-jun.
“What do you think?”
“You’re much better than I expected.”
Seo-jun abandoned his concerns about twin swords.
Namgung Sua clearly had an innate feel for the blade.
Her swordsmanship would refine itself naturally—there was no need for him to interfere.
Gazing at her, Seo-jun casually asked,
“Wanna sleep together tonight?”
“W-what…? O-okay… I’ll… prepare….”
Fwoosh—!
Namgung Sua’s face turned bright red, as if about to burst.
‘Oh.’
Was this… a sign that her complexion was improving?
Seo-jun nodded in satisfaction.
****
To be clear, asking to sleep together had no strange implications.
It was all for martial arts purposes.
“Go on, explain it in more detail. I’m sure that’ll help.”
Chun-bong, standing with her arms crossed, gave Seo-jun an icy glare.
“I’m innocent.”
“A pervert has no right to claim innocence!”
“Even if I meant it in that way, we’re engaged anyway…”
“W-what?!”
Chun-bong jumped in shock.
“How dare an unmarried man and woman engage in such shameless acts…!”
Seo-jun casually pulled the raging Confucian Chun-bong into his embrace and explained.
“No, seriously. Think about Chun-bong Divine Art for a second.”
“…What about it?”
“To be honest, Sua Divine Art is less refined than Chun-bong Divine Art.”
This was inevitable.
Seo-jun and Chun-bong were like one entity.
He knew her body better than she did.
“H-heuh…”
Chun-bong’s body stiffened at the strangely suggestive statement.
Seo-jun continued,
“We’ve been together all day, every day. We’ve slept together. I’ve monitored your meridians constantly because of acupuncture treatments. That’s probably why.”
“…That makes sense?”
“I guess?”
Even Seo-jun wasn’t completely sure.
It could just be that Chun-bong was Chun-bong.
“Anyway, if I spend more time with Sua, she’ll improve, too.”
“…Are you sure?”
“About what?”
“That it’ll only improve her martial arts? What if she ends up pregnant?”
“Wha—?!”
Seo-jun slapped a hand over his mouth.
Come to think of it, that wasn’t impossible.
“Well… the engagement is official, so it wouldn’t be a big deal…”
“DIE!”
WHAM!
Seo-jun got punched.
Laughter escaped him as Chun-bong pummeled him with her fists.
‘A kid, huh…’
Though he joked, he wasn’t actually thinking about having children yet.
It was too dangerous at this point in time.
If something happened… Seo-jun wasn’t sure if he could handle it.
‘A father…’
Just imagining it felt surreal.
Or rather, he felt nothing but dread.
Suddenly, Chun-bong’s ears twitched as she lightly patted Seo-jun.
“Hm? What’s that noise?”
As she stared in the direction of the sound, Namgung Sua, who had been quietly blushing from their conversation, answered.
“A new batch of disciples is joining the Namgung Clan today.”
“In this kind of situation?”
“No matter the time, Namgung has always been the same.”
New warriors for the Namgung Clan?
Seo-jun sat up from where Chun-bong had been beating him.
‘They must have already filtered out any spies, but…’
It still bothered him.
Was one of the new recruits a Green Forest Brigade successor—someone like his own junior?
As he glanced toward the source of the noise, Namgung Sua gently took his hand.
“Want to go see?”
“…Am I allowed?”
“Of course. You’re the Grand Preceptor of Namgung.”
Even if he wasn’t, no one would have stopped him.
But since Seo-jun did hold the Grand Preceptor title, his presence would serve as an additional source of motivation for the newcomers.
“Oh… Then I should establish some discipline.”
Seo-jun immediately set off.
Anyone stepping into the Great Namgung Clan had no choice but to become stronger.
‘Because I’ll make sure of it.’
His crimson eyes gleamed.