“Brother.”

“It’s been a long time.”

Mo Yonggun’s smiling eyes widened as he looked at Mo Yong-woo.

“I heard in the Service Council meeting that you broke through the Wall of Martial Arts. To be honest, I had my doubts, but you truly did break through it!”

Mo Yong-woo lowered his head.

“It is all thanks to you, Brother. If not for Heaven-and-Earth Martial Resolution, how could I ever have dreamed of breaking through the Wall of Martial Arts?”

“You fool. If the Wall of Martial Arts were a realm that could be crossed merely through the level of one’s martial arts, the world would be overflowing with masters at the Transcendent Peak.”

Mo Yonggun was sincerely pleased.

“Well done. Truly well done. I always had faith in you, but I never imagined you would grow this quickly. As expected of my brother.”

There was a vast difference between hearing something and seeing and feeling it with one’s own eyes.

Mo Yonggun kept breaking into laughter. He was genuinely delighted by Mo Yong-woo’s growth.

Looking at him, Mo Yong-woo felt an indescribable turmoil.

Brother.

Yeon Hojeong had no reason to lie to him. A lie that would be exposed anyway would do nothing but destroy trust.

If that was true, then his brother had really driven innocent people to their deaths.

Just how far are you trying to go?

Among the high-ranking figures of the martial world, was Mo Yonggun the only one who had killed innocents for personal gain?

More than that, Mo Yonggun had been such a cold-blooded man that he had even cast aside his own blood brothers for the sake of power. Sending the youngest brother—himself—to the Zhejiang Branch had been little different from exile, but the others had all died or been reduced to miserable ends.

That was the kind of man Mo Yonggun was. Mo Yong-woo had always known that, and that was why he had intended to drive Mo Yonggun out and lead the Mo Yong Clan into becoming a family of the Orthodox Path.

But still...

To think he would do such a thing again.

I was too complacent.

A bitter smile touched Mo Yong-woo’s lips.

I got drunk on the brotherly affection I’d never had the chance to enjoy before, and I failed to see what I should have seen clearly.

There was no need to newly blame Mo Yonggun. He had known from the beginning what kind of man his brother was.

From now on, I’ll do this properly too, Brother.

Resolve entered Mo Yong-woo’s eyes, which had been full of bitterness.

I, too, am ready to step into this mud fight without hesitation.

At that moment, Mo Yonggun asked,

“Hmm? But why do you look so poor? Are you hurt somewhere?”

His brother was looking at him with worried eyes.

A man who would use any means necessary for his objective, a man who considered even ethics and morality worthless, and yet one who would gladly hand over even his liver and gallbladder to those he considered his own.

Mo Yong-woo lowered his head. He could not bring himself to look straight at his brother.

“It’s nothing. I’m only relieved now that you’ve returned safely.”

“Hahahaha! You fool, this brother of yours isn’t such an easy man to deal with.”

He said that, but satisfaction filled Mo Yonggun’s face.

His daughter had been ruined by meeting his younger brother, and yet this stiff, unsociable brother had become one of his people.

He had already gone so far as to offer up his daughter for the sake of his bargain with Yangcheon. Many had joined hands with him, but how many truly worried for him like this?

That made it all the more precious.

And it made him all the more tense.

How could I not know the sincerity in your heart, full of worry? And yet the beastly nature in me, the nature that does not trust even blood kin, refuses to let me look upon that sincerity as something purely innocent.

Mo Yong-woo would not betray him. As always, he would sincerely trust him and follow him.

Even so, Mo Yonggun did not let his guard down.

More frightening than an attack from one of the Thirteen Seats of the Supreme Heavens was betrayal from someone he had trusted. The deeper Mo Yonggun’s trust in Mo Yong-woo grew, the tighter he simultaneously drew the cord of vigilance around him.

“Anyway, my brother has broken through the Wall of Martial Arts and become a master for the ages. How can there be no celebratory drink for that? It’s been a while, so let us have a drink together.”

“You must be tired from the journey...”

“Heh heh, no matter how tired I may be, how could I let a moment of such living joy simply pass? Or do you have business elsewhere?”

“...No.”

Mo Yong-woo smiled.

That confident smile had been hardened by sincere affection for his brother and by his resolve toward the greater cause.

“Rather, I was feeling that I ought to be the one asking for a drink first.”

“Hahahaha! Good! Let us drink!”

A little while later, the two sat facing each other over a table of liquor.

As Mo Yonggun filled Mo Yong-woo’s cup, he said,

“I did not look into it in detail, but from what the people on my side within the Alliance have been saying, the way the younger generation is being judged has completely changed.”

“What do you mean?”

“After the eldest son of the Ming Clan of the Nine Provinces was imprisoned in the Brain Prison, the greatest talents of the martial world’s younger generation were reduced to One Dragon and Three Phoenixes. In other words, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) those four young men and women came to be acknowledged as the greatest youths who would lead the next generation of the martial world.”

Mo Yong-woo spoke evenly.

“That statement is flawed. The Commander of the Evil-Smiting Corps broke through the Wall of Martial Arts at the youngest age of this generation.”

Mo Yonggun nodded.

“Yes, there is Yeon Hojeong, the Green Mountain Tiger Commander, the Commander of the Evil-Smiting Corps. But while people are aghast at Yeon Hojeong’s existence, they are also wary of him. When a person is outstanding to the point of breaking beyond the standard, what he receives is jealousy more than praise.”

“That is true.”

He had already experienced it himself. Mo Yong-woo smiled faintly.

Mo Yonggun continued in a cheerful tone.

“But then another genius outside the standard shook the martial world once more. And that person is you.”

“In truth, it is not something that can be compared with Commander Yeon. The difference in age between Commander Yeon and myself is...”

“What matters is that both Yeon Hojeong and you are still bound within the frame of the younger generation.”

A subtle expectancy appeared on Mo Yonggun’s face.

“When one genius beyond common sense is born, people become wary and jealous. But when such geniuses become plural, only then do people finally acknowledge them.”

“I see.”

“Twin Tiger Gods.”

“Pardon?”

“The Commander of the Demon-Sweeping Corps, Mo Yong-woo, is called the Heaven-and-Earth Tiger Commander, and is said to be the strongest swordsman of the current younger generation. The Commander of the Evil-Smiting Corps, Yeon Hojeong, is called the Green Mountain Tiger Commander, and is said to be the strongest warrior of the current younger generation.”

“They are already calling us that?”

“It is a rumor circulating within the Alliance of the Martial World. Since that rumor has already begun among the Alliance members, before long that great fame will spread throughout the entire world.”

Mo Yonggun let out another hearty laugh.

“Although it hardly pleases me that Yeon Hojeong is standing beside you in such an exalted place, how could I not be pleased when you have become one of the greatest in the martial world?”

Mo Yong-woo, the Heaven-and-Earth Tiger Commander.

And Yeon Hojeong, the Green Mountain Tiger Commander. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The two commanders of the first field-force units in the history of the Alliance of the Martial World had come to be called the supreme younger talents of the martial world, side by side. Mo Yong-woo felt oddly dazed.

“It is too grand. My martial arts still fall short compared to Commander Yeon’s.”

“I know. I know better than anyone how outstanding that bastard Yeon Hojeong’s martial arts are. But your talent and your effort are so remarkable that before long you will be able to obtain power not inferior to Yeon Hojeong’s.”

“...I must.”

“And besides, people only see what they want to see. Your martial arts may be one step beneath Yeon Hojeong’s, but you are already being tied to him as an equal. In the end, people will regard the two of you as standing on the same level.”

Mo Yong-woo shook his head.

“Regardless of how people see me, what is lacking is lacking. All I can do is train, and then train again.”

“That is the right mindset. But you know this as well. Rumor and reputation, depending on how they are used, can become deadly weapons.”

Mo Yonggun’s eyes gleamed.

“And as it happens, next year is the election for Alliance Leader.”

“...!”

“At such a time, your name has risen as the strongest of the younger generation. Would I not benefit from that as well?”

Mo Yong-woo smiled.

“If my reputation can be of help to you, Brother, that alone is enough for me.”

“Kuhahahaha! You fool, that is all I mean. It will be of great help to me, and to the main house, but in the end, it is what will be best for you as well.”

Mo Yonggun nodded with a satisfied expression.

“You’ve worked hard. You really have worked hard. I am proud of you.”

“...Thank you.”

Mo Yong-woo knew it.

If he had not displayed sufficient ability, his brother would never have treasured him.

Proud? It was praise so overwhelming that it made his skin crawl.

But Mo Yong-woo was no longer shaken by Mo Yonggun’s sincere compliments or satisfied expression.

“Brother.”

“Speak.”

“Now that you have returned, the Alliance of the Martial World will be shaken once again.”

“Heh heh heh. If the Alliance is shaken by the existence of a single man like me, that too would be something to take pride in.”

“And as you said, Brother, next year the Alliance Leader election will begin.”

Mo Yonggun’s eyes flashed.

“And?”

“I do not know the details, but I do know that you have made extensive preparations for the election.”

“Of course I have.”

Mo Yong-woo spoke with a serious expression.

“Then should I not also start properly earning my keep?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Please entrust me with any task. Whatever it may be, at the very least I will not do anything that would smear your name.”

Mo Yong-woo had finally resolved to step into the mud fight.

As he vividly felt the resolve in his younger brother, Mo Yonggun’s heart swelled even more with satisfaction.

“As it happens, there is one thing I would like to entrust to you.”

*****

SHIIIIIIK!

The heavy blade cut through the air with astonishing speed.

It was swordsmanship that felt almost light. It was neither a form bound to a fixed framework nor a technique that loaded Inner Qi into the sword and released sword force, but the speed and weight alone showed a terrifying sword.

It’s lacking.

Anxiousness rose on Gangryang’s face.

I don’t know what it is, but it’s still lacking.

After entering the Alliance of the Martial World, he had shut himself up in his quarters for an entire day.

He had been incredibly tense. No matter how close he had become to high-ranking figures in the Alliance, he was still a younger-generation talent from the foremost prestigious family of the Dark Path.

And now he had entered the core of the group he had considered his lifelong enemy. In other words, he had stepped into the heart of enemy territory. His mind could not help but be complicated.

But that only lasted for a moment.

By nature, Gangryang was an active man. He was not so timid a person that he would just swallow dryly and tremble because he was nervous.

In the end, what he chose was martial practice.

He was different.

The martial skill that had impressed him most in recent days had, without question, been Yeon Hojeong’s martial arts.

It had left a stronger impression on him even than Pae Yul, who used the same swordsmanship. That was not simply because of a difference in level.

He was a man mastering a peerless art of the ages. But even without using formal moves, he had controlled the battlefield—swinging an axe at the exact right moment to kill an enemy or shove one back.

Gangryang’s face reddened.

It did not seem to be only because his body was tired.

Even though his body had not been in normal condition, that man still dominated the fight.

Yeon Hojeong was not a swordsman.

But Gangryang wanted to resemble him.

That decisiveness, that perfect understanding of weapons, and that ultimate eye for how to dominate a fight.

Yeon Hojeong had been several times greater than Gangryang had imagined—not only as a fighter and martial artist, but as a warrior.

THUD!

The thick blade split a fairly large tree clean in half.

Gangryang let out a sigh.

“You idiot. Don’t split it by hacking down like an axe—split it by cutting through it.”

It was criticism aimed at himself. Gangryang smacked his lips.

I didn’t concentrate properly. But that too is part of my skill. There’s no need to make excuses.

After drawing in one deep breath, Gangryang took his stance again. This time, he intended to concentrate properly.

It was then.

“How is he, Father?”

“Hmm.”

“Not bad, is he?”

“He is far beyond merely not bad.”

“That much?”

“You are too harsh when you judge people. There are many younger-generation talents of high skill within the Alliance, but it would be hard to find one with fundamentals as solid as that young man’s.”

Gangryang looked to the side in shock.

At some point, Yeon Hojeong and Yeon Wi were standing there.

“Huh! Y-you?”

Yeon Hojeong scratched his head.

“He is a little dumb.”

“You brat, what kind of thing is that to say to someone’s face?”

Lightly rebuking Yeon Hojeong, Yeon Wi walked forward with great interest on his face.

“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Hojeong’s father.”

“...What?”

“I am Yeon Wi, the Clan Lord of the current Yeon Clan of Green Mountain.”

Gangryang’s face went pale.