Chapter 764: Cry Louder

A vast space unfolded before his eyes.

Its overwhelming scale could not be compared to the false tomb he had seen within the formation earlier.

This was the place where all the previous Alliance Leaders rested for eternity after their deaths.

Geom Mugeuk stood on the boundary between the living and the dead and greeted them loudly.

“This is Geom Mugeuk, the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Though the paths we walk are different, I respect the great lives of the seniors who protected theirs with a single sword. In this era of the martial world, there are forces that seek to disturb the order of the Unorthodox Alliance and seize control of the martial world. I have come here to stop them, so I beg your forgiveness for this unpermitted intrusion.”

After bowing deeply and paying his respects, Geom Mugeuk stepped inside. Then, in true Geom Mugeuk fashion, he added one more line.

“I admire and respect the current Alliance Leader! And I’m friends with the next one! So please look upon me kindly!”

He stood at the entrance for a while, overwhelmed by the weight of the countless years that filled the place. The scent of incense lingered faintly in the dry, heavy air.

Though the interior was spacious, he believed there would be enough time to explore it all. Even Danso Jin would not be able to come and go freely here. He, too, could only enter on appointed days.

But time was not the important thing. If fate willed it, he would find what he sought even within an hour; if not, he would never find it even after ten years in this place.

He could only hope that the final orb would be destined for him.

The interior was built in a vast circular structure, and at the center of the rear stood a statue of a martial artist seated on the Throne.

Even though it was a statue, an overwhelming sense of authority radiated from it—it seemed to represent the founder of the Unorthodox Alliance. Blood-red jade eyes were embedded in its sockets, giving it a terrifying presence even to those who merely met its gaze.

In front of it stood an altar where one could offer rites, surrounded by dozens of pillars.

Each pillar bore inscriptions—the records of every past Alliance Leader.

One pillar for one life.

Where they had been born, which martial arts they had mastered, how they had risen to become the Alliance Leader, what they had achieved during their tenure, and finally, when and how they had died—everything was inscribed there.

Each pillar was a fragment of the Unorthodox Alliance’s history.

Geom Mugeuk slowly read through the inscriptions.

Reading another person’s life, especially when reduced to mere written records, could be an excruciatingly tedious task.

But Geom Mugeuk knew—there was always something to be learned from the choices of others. Life was never long enough to make every choice on one’s own.

Thus, Geom Mugeuk began to read through the most important choices the Alliance Leaders had made throughout their lives, and the outcomes that had followed.

After finishing one person’s life, he moved on to the pillar beside it, reading yet another life, and then another.

Sometimes he smiled, and sometimes he frowned. Some Alliance Leaders he found admirable, while others made him wonder how such people had ever held the position at all.

As he continued reading through the pillars, one name caught his attention.

Joo Ga-shin.

The very same Joo Ga-shin who had been the greatest master of the Unorthodox Alliance and its Leader three hundred years ago.

It was spread that the ‘Sword Tomb’ beneath the lake where he had fought the Twelve Zodiac Kings was his resting place, which had drawn countless masters there in the past.

However, his true remains were actually enshrined here.

Geom Mugeuk began to read through Joo Ga-shin’s life—how he had trained in martial arts, how he had become the One-Sword of the Unorthodox Alliance, and how he had eventually risen to the position of Alliance Leader.

—After becoming the Alliance Leader, he always kept a wolf named Red Wolf by his side.

An Alliance Leader who went everywhere with a wolf? That sounded rather impressive.

Then, among his deeds, there was a particular passage that seized Geom Mugeuk’s attention.

—Together with the Martial Emperor Divine Sword, he destroyed the Heavenly Will Palace.

‘Ah, so Joo Ga-shin was there too!’

Three hundred years ago, on that day of the final blood-soaked battle between the Martial Alliance and the Heavenly Will Palace, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had not been the only one to appear. The Unorthodox Alliance had also taken part in that war—led personally by its then-Alliance Leader, Joo Ga-shin.

The fact that the final orb was kept here was no coincidence. It was clear now that the thread of fate from three hundred years ago still continued to this day.

He never would have known this had he not carefully read through that pillar.

Geom Mugeuk went on to read all the remaining pillars. There was still no pillar bearing the name of Baek Jagang. Once he passed away, one would surely be erected here in his honor as well.

‘Will my name ever find a place in the history of the Unorthodox Alliance Leaders?’

—Together with the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he destroyed the Heavenly Will Palace in a single strike!

I hope so, Alliance Leader.

After finishing the history written upon all the pillars, Geom Mugeuk made his way toward the area where the relics of the past Alliance Leaders were kept.

There, the secret manuals they had used were displayed in glass cases. Each one was a peerless divine technique that, if even a single volume leaked out, would send the martial world into utter chaos.

Of course, Geom Mugeuk didn’t so much as open them. What drew his interest instead were the artifacts displayed before them—he wondered if perhaps the orb might be hidden among them.

There were weapons of every kind—armor, gauntlets, hidden weapons, even the clothes and shoes once worn by the Alliance Leaders. It was a collection of countless artifacts.

Nothing was labeled, so it was impossible to tell who had owned what.

Geom Mugeuk refrained from touching any of them.

Though no one was watching, Geom Mugeuk still maintained every bit of decorum he could. Yet, he carefully examined each artifact up close, just in case the orb might be hidden among them.

However, even after thoroughly inspecting every object, the Secret Box did not respond.

‘Right. They wouldn’t have hidden it somewhere this obvious.’

Considering how he had obtained the previous ones, he knew finding this one would not be easy. He recalled the Black Eye that had been retrieved at the Heavenly Wind Cult. When So Baekta became the next Wind Cult Leader, and he asked for it saying ‘let’s settle it with this.’

It had seemed simple enough at first glance, but when he thought of all that had happened leading up to that moment, he knew it had been anything but easy.

This time, Geom Mugeuk turned his steps toward the surrounding walls.

Along the circular wall stood stone statues of martial artists, each with a sword resting on the ground as if standing guard.

Upon the wall behind them, murals had been painted—depictions of the previous Unorthodox Alliance Leaders in various scenes.

There were scenes of them drenched in blood, locked in fierce battles; scenes of them raising flags and shouting amidst fields littered with corpses; scenes of them splitting cliffs apart with a single sword.

Some showed them running while holding a child, others committing acts of ruthless slaughter. It was a panorama of all the countless facets of their lives.

The vast wall was almost entirely covered in these murals, and the sight alone was breathtaking.

The statues stood in a perfect circle, maintaining a precise distance from the mural.

It seemed far too many to have been placed there merely as symbolic guardians of the tomb. Moreover, the distance between each statue was measured so precisely that not even a hair’s breadth was off.

‘Who are you standing there to protect?’

Geom Mugeuk placed his hand upon the wall between two statues. The wall was thick—so thick that even a martial master could not normally sense what lay beyond. But Geom Mugeuk, whose martial arts had reached the peak of mastery, could faintly perceive what was on the other side.

‘There’s a space behind this wall.’

He turned his gaze toward the statues circling the round chamber.

‘So, behind each gap between these statues lies the coffin of a past Alliance Leader!’

These statues were, in truth, guardians—stone sentinels protecting the coffins of their respective Alliance Leaders.

Even so, there were no visible doors on the wall. Not even a hint of one. Surely, there must have been an ingenious mechanism to open them, though hidden beyond detection.

‘If the orb is hidden within one of those coffins…’

That would be an impossible situation.

Finding the final orb was of utmost importance, but breaking down the wall and opening the coffins was out of the question.

Not only because of Danso Jin—but also because of Baek Jagang and Bih Sa-in.

‘Please, let it not be hidden inside there.’

Geom Mugeuk began to move along the circular chamber, inspecting each guardian statue one by one.

‘Please, cry out, Secret Box! Let the eyes of one of these statues glow with a violet light, let the ornament hanging from the sword’s hilt drop to the ground!’

But that was nothing more than Geom Mugeuk’s wishful thinking. Even after he had examined all the guardian statues, the Secret Box remained silent.

He even checked the statue seated on the Throne Mat, and then leapt into the air to examine the ceiling itself—but still, no orb could be found.

‘Could it be… that the orb isn’t here?’

No, that couldn’t be.

—If the Alliance Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance does not die, the martial world will face destruction.

It had been a prophecy.

Those people had sought to kill the then-current Alliance Leader and discover this place’s location so they could seize the orb for themselves.

‘No, it must be here.’

Once again, Geom Mugeuk’s eyes turned toward the walls between the statues.

‘That’s the only place left now.’

There had to be a mechanism somewhere that opened the hidden doors. And if not… he would have to cut through the wall discreetly, without leaving a trace.

That thought made Geom Mugeuk pause. He realized that he was acting far too impatiently—something that was unlike him. His fists were clenched tightly without him even noticing. It was because this was the final orb. His heart was racing.

‘The orbs I’ve found so far… none of them were obtained by force.’

He slowly loosened his grip. Only by opening his hand could he hope to hold the orb when he finally found it.

Geom Mugeuk sat down heavily on the spot.

“Ah, Alliance Leaders, this unworthy junior shall rest for a moment. We of the Demonic Cult have fiery tempers by nature, so please understand.”

His voice echoed throughout the chamber. As he sat there, he suddenly thought of Baek Jagang.

He missed that man—the way he used to look at him with those small eyes. Alliance Leader, please, come here and find it yourself!

“When time passes, you too will come to rest here, Alliance Leader.”

Baek Jagang’s image would one day be painted upon these murals as well.

And later still, perhaps even Bih Sa-in’s would join them. Once Geom Mugeuk left this place, he would never return again—he would never see those future paintings.

“If I end up missing you too much, I might sneak in here someday.”

The image of Bih Sa-in scolding him for always imagining he’d die first came to mind, and Geom Mugeuk couldn’t help but smile.

Regaining a bit of composure, he looked around once more. His gaze turned to the murals. Until just moments ago, he had paid no attention to the artwork, focusing solely on sensing the Secret Box’s vibration.

‘Ah, Joo Ga-shin must be somewhere in these paintings too.’ 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Even if he couldn’t recognize anyone else, he wanted to find Joo Ga-shin. He was the only person here that Geom Mugeuk truly knew of. If the orb had been hidden in this place, then Joo Ga-shin must have been the one who decided where to hide it.

But it was impossible to tell who any of the Alliance Leaders in the murals were, making it futile to try to find Joo Ga-shin.

The same went for the artifacts and the secret manuals—none of them had names written on them. What an unkind Alliance this was.

As Geom Mugeuk sat admiring the murals, something suddenly caught his eye.

It was a painting of a wolf—its crimson fur so vivid and magnificent that he couldn’t help but exclaim,

“Wow, you’re truly a handsome one!”

He was about to move on, but his gaze returned to the wolf once more.

At that same moment, a certain phrase resurfaced in his mind.

—Even after becoming the Alliance Leader, he always kept a wolf named Red Wolf by his side.

Red Wolf—the wolf with crimson fur!

Geom Mugeuk shot to his feet and hurried toward the painting.

When he looked closely at the wolf, his eyes widened in shock.

The wolf was wearing an ornate set of armor around its neck and body, and embedded within the chest plate was an orb.

‘A blue orb!’

The orb that he had once retrieved from the Iron Wolf Statue of the Unorthodox Alliance—that had been the Blue Purity.

Geom Mugeuk turned his gaze to the Alliance Leader standing beside the wolf in the mural.

It was a middle-aged man, dressed in full ceremonial attire, drawn as if he were about to march into battle—majestic and commanding. A warrior who looked perfectly matched with his wolf companion.

And in that instant, Geom Mugeuk’s eyes widened even further. On the man’s belt was another orb—this one of violet color.

‘That man… he’s Joo Ga-shin!’

The blue orb on the wolf’s armor might have been a coincidence, but the violet one on the belt could not be.

‘So Joo Ga-shin obtained two orbs that day.’

He must have hidden one inside the Iron Wolf Statue, and the other… where did he place the other one?

Geom Mugeuk leapt up and returned to the area where the divine relics were kept, searching for the belt that Joo Ga-shin had worn in the mural.

“There you are!”

The belt was indeed there. It no longer had any orb attached, but Geom Mugeuk could feel it—the faint, mysterious energy emanating from it.

“Excuse me for a moment, Alliance Leader.”

Geom Mugeuk carefully picked up the belt with both hands.

“Perhaps we could have even met that day.”

But the Secret Box had sent him back to reality before that battle from three hundred years ago ever began. If he had remained there, he might truly have met Joo Ga-shin in person.

Geom Mugeuk silently looked down at the belt in his hands, then fastened it around his own waist. Yet, nothing happened.

His gaze turned once more toward the mural.

‘Could it be...?’

Slowly, Geom Mugeuk walked over and stood beside the Iron Wolf Statue, positioning himself exactly as Joo Ga-shin had in the painting.

Ssshhh—

At that moment, he felt the metal ornament on the belt being drawn toward the statue, as if pulled by an unseen magnetic force.

Clack—

A faint mechanical sound echoed from within the wolf statue.

Then—

Srrrng!

A section of the wall between two guardian statues across the chamber swung open wide. From the newly opened passage slowly emerged a coffin. Both the door and the coffin itself were parts of an astonishingly intricate mechanism.

Geom Mugeuk instinctively understood.

‘That’s Joo Ga-shin’s coffin!’

Clatter—

The lid that covered the coffin slid smoothly to the side, opening completely.

With trembling eyes, Geom Mugeuk stepped closer.

The moment he looked inside, his heart was overcome with emotion.

Within the coffin lay the white bones of Joo Ga-shin. His skeletal hands were folded over his chest, and nestled between them was an orb.

The final orb he had been seeking—Violet Purity.

After three hundred years, the orb had finally revealed itself to the world, radiating a brilliant violet light.

Wuuuuung—

The Secret Box in his arms began to vibrate, stronger than ever before. The power within it roared as if resonating with the orb.

“Cry louder, Secret Box!”

At that moment, the five energies that had lain dormant within Geom Mugeuk’s body all awakened at once.

“Finally found the youngest one!”