In the rising sunlight, Divine Spear was smiling.

That expressionless man had the corners of his mouth lifted.

It was an unfamiliar expression.

Just the fact that he was smiling made it so.

I was quietly studying his face without even realizing it when—

Creak.

The door opened.

The one who came in without making the slightest sound was Cheonrijinan.

“...Huh.”

The moment he stepped inside, he let out a breath of disbelief.

He looked at Divine Spear and me, then just stood there with a blank expression.

Seeing him, Divine Spear spoke.

“You’re here.”

“...Alliance Leader.”

“Good morning.”

“What?”

At Divine Spear’s words, Cheonrijinan’s brow furrowed.

He looked like he couldn’t even process what he’d just heard.

Probably because it was such an absurdly awkward thing for Divine Spear to be the one saying.

“...How is your body?”

“It’s fine.”

“It shouldn’t be.”

The wounds were still there.

The foulness seemed to be gone, but the injuries it had left behind remained.

Still—

He’ll be fine now.

Everything that had been causing harm had been cleared away, and judging by his body—

Medicine will be enough.

Even with Seongheon’s knowledge, it didn’t look like there would be any major problem.

He just needed a long period of rest.

“I’m glad your body is fine— What are you doing?”

Before Cheonrijinan could even finish speaking, Divine Spear got up.

He started unwrapping the bandages as if it were nothing.

The wounds that had not fully healed were laid bare.

“Alliance Leader. I asked what you think you’re doing.”

“I’m awake, so I should be working. There has to be a pile of things waiting.”

“Are you insane?”

He was really saying he was going to work in that state?

Cheonrijinan’s face twisted completely.

“What work? I already handled most of it.”

“You’ve worked hard, then.”

“And that’s all you have to say—!”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Hah.”

At Divine Spear’s words, Cheonrijinan let out a hollow breath.

It was written all over his face.

This lunatic clearly wasn’t going to listen no matter what anyone said.

“...You wake up and the first thing you say is that you’re going back to work?”

“I rested too long.”

“That was not resting. The correct term would be collapsing.”

“Bring me the reports on everything that happened in the meantime.”

Divine Spear started walking.

It was the kind of tone that made clear he had no intention of accepting objections.

“You crazy bastard.”

Just before Cheonrijinan could finally curse him out, Divine Spear turned around.

Our eyes met.

“Thank you.”

“...”

For such a lightly tossed remark, it carried a remarkable amount of weight.

At that, I scratched the back of my head.

He shouldn’t remember.

The current Divine Spear shouldn’t remember any of it.

I had cleaned things up properly, so that was how it should be.

Is he thanking me for the treatment?

That didn’t sound right either. He shouldn’t even know I was the one who treated him.

“...What exactly do you mean by that?”

I asked carefully.

At that, Divine Spear looked at me quietly.

“Who knows. What do I mean by it? I don’t know.”

After saying only that, he turned away again and started walking.

“...”

I stood there and watched his back.

Did he thank me without even knowing why?

It seemed like fragments of memory had somehow remained inside him.

That’s strange.

Normally, he shouldn’t have been able to recall any of it, and yet he was.

Maybe it was because Divine Spear was such an extraordinary ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) martial artist.

Or maybe—

Because she had simply been too important to him.

I didn’t know.

Either way, it was probably something extraordinary.

I was standing there blankly, watching Divine Spear leave, when—

“Is the treatment truly finished?”

Cheonrijinan asked.

“...Ah, yes. There are still physical issues left, but the important part has all been treated.”

“...What exactly did you treat, if the physical part is still there?”

Cheonrijinan asked like he genuinely couldn’t make sense of it.

“Mm... lingering attachment?”

“What?”

“I treated what was keeping him from waking up. There was a pretty large knot inside him.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“I’m saying the treatment went well, roughly speaking.”

“...”

Cheonrijinan made a strange face.

Meaning he didn’t like my explanation.

But what was I supposed to do? That was the best explanation I had.

...And what am I supposed to do with that?

My gaze drifted toward the box sitting off to the side.

The divine pill had been prepared, but I ended up not using it.

What was I supposed to do with that now?

It bothered me faintly, but—

Anyway.

Divine Spear’s treatment was over.

The fact that his back looked lighter than before—

That proved it.

*****

Several days passed after returning to the Martial Alliance.

The moment Divine Spear regained consciousness, he immediately threw himself back into the work of the alliance leader.

The cracks that had begun to form because the alliance leader was absent were mostly resolved the moment Divine Spear reappeared.

The simple fact that the central pillar still stood unchanged was enough.

But—

“I intend to step down from the position of alliance leader starting next year.”

Divine Spear made a shocking declaration.

He announced that after next year, he would no longer continue as alliance leader.

That sent the Martial Alliance into an uproar.

How could it not?

The Heaven-Beyond-Heaven figure who had supported the Martial Alliance ever since the death of the Sword Saint had just declared he would step down as alliance leader.

And on top of that—

“The greatest plum blossom of Mount Hua has fallen.”

With the death of Seongheon, the Plum Blossom Single Sword, it felt as though a massive storm were sweeping through the Martial Alliance.

Divine Spear was stepping down as alliance leader.

If that happened, then who was supposed to become the next alliance leader?

The Plum Blossom Single Sword, the Heaven-Beyond-Heaven figure who had been mentioned as the next likely candidate, was dead.

And at present, there was no one else who could immediately be raised into that role.

There had also been talk about the Sword Emperor,

but his whereabouts were unknown.

While everyone was expecting the storm that would come next year to be fierce—

“...I heard you’re retiring?”

I was currently having a private conversation with the man who had caused that storm.

“That’s right.”

Divine Spear nodded.

Two teacups sat on the table between us, along with several pieces of confectionery.

Looking at the perfectly still surface of the tea, I spoke.

“How did you end up making that choice?”

“It was necessary.”

“In the middle of a situation like this?”

“It is precisely because it is a situation like this.”

“I don’t understand...”

The revival of the DEMON CULT.

The emergence of HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE.

Just those things alone were enough to make this an age of chaos.

So if Divine Spear stepped down from the position of alliance leader on top of that, wouldn’t that only add confusion to chaos?

Still—

This really is the right time for it.

Now was the point when it had been shown that Divine Spear was alive and well.

If the position of alliance leader was going to change, this was probably the safest possible time for it.

Though I had no idea who would take the position.

“...Then why was I called here?”

That was what I had been wondering since before I even arrived.

Why exactly was I sitting here?

At that question, Divine Spear looked at me and said,

“There is something I want to ask you, and something I wish to propose.”

“Something to ask, and something to propose?”

“That’s right.”

“What are they?”

I was already uneasy.

If Divine Spear had called me here personally to ask something, there was no way it was going to be normal.

“What I want to ask is about your master.”

“...”

The question was about Yoo Cheongil.

I swallowed dryly and got ready to start dodging.

“What... about him?”

“I’ll ask directly.”

“Yes.”

With a solemn expression, Divine Spear asked me:

“Are you truly the Sword Saint’s only disciple?”

“...What?”

What kind of question was that?

I frowned.

His only disciple?

Did that mean there was supposedly another successor?

Was that even possible...?

I immediately looked up at the old man floating above me.

At my glance, Yoo Cheongil also shook his head with much the same expression.

[I’ve no idea what he’s talking about.]

“...That’s correct. At least as far as I know.”

With help from the man in question, I answered.

Hearing that, Divine Spear nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“I see.”

“...And why are you asking that?”

“Because of a rumor.”

“A rumor?”

“That’s right.”

Divine Spear took a sip of tea, then said to me,

“I heard that in Guangdong, a martial artist has appeared claiming to be the true successor of the Sword Saint.”

[What nonsense.]

“...Has one?”

Yoo Cheongil snorted.

I didn’t really believe it either.

False rumors were nothing unusual.

But then—

“I heard he uses that man’s martial art.”

[Hm?]

“What?”

What came out of Divine Spear’s mouth next was not what I expected at all.

“If you mean martial art... are you referring to Blue Moon Sword Dance?”

Yoo Cheongil’s martial art.

More precisely, Blue Moon Sword Dance, the martial art of Blue Moon Sect.

At that question—

“No. I heard it is a different sword art. They say his hair turns white, and he releases blue flashes. Just like—”

Divine Spear’s gaze turned back to me.

“—you.”

“...”

Hair dyed white.

Blue flashes.

That—

Moon Heaven...?

It sounded extremely similar to the traits of Moon Heaven, Yoo Cheongil’s divine art.

No, similar wasn’t the right word.

It matched completely.

But there was another person using Moon Heaven?

[What kind of bullshit is this?]

“Is the report trustworthy?”

“It came through the Beggars’ Union. We’re still looking into the details... but before that, I wanted to ask you first.”

“...”

Another successor of the Sword Saint besides me?

No.

It could happen.

Sure, it could happen.

It could.

But—

There’s no way the man himself wouldn’t know.

The person who had created that divine art had no idea what was going on.

“I think you’ll need to investigate further, just as you said. At least as far as I know, there is no such person.”

“I understand.”

At my answer, Divine Spear nodded as though satisfied.

In that case—

“Was that all you wanted to ask?”

“For now, yes.”

So that was all for the questions.

A question about another successor of Yoo Cheongil.

In that case—

“What is it you want to propose to me?”

What Divine Spear wanted to propose.

The moment I asked about that—

Slide.

As if he had been waiting for it, Divine Spear pulled something from inside his robe.

It was a letter.

He handed it to me.

“This is...?”

What was this?

I asked before even opening it.

At my question, Divine Spear answered:

“It came from the DEMON CULT.”

“What?”

[What?]

A letter from the DEMON CULT?

My eyes shook in surprise.

Those bastards were sending letters now?

“What do you mean...?”

“Someone claiming to be the little master of the DEMON CULT sent it. He says he wishes to pursue a meeting with the righteous sects.”

“Is he out of his fucking mind?”

The words slipped out, and I covered my mouth.

I had blurted out my thoughts without realizing it.

No, because seriously.

Wasn’t that insane?

They stormed in and turned everything into a complete disaster, and now they wanted a meeting?

What kind of horseshit was that?

“...My apologies.”

“It’s fine.”

Divine Spear waved a hand as if that reaction was only natural.

“...So the DEMON CULT wants a meeting.”

“That is what the letter says.”

I didn’t understand at all why something like that was happening.

But what mattered right now was—

“Then... how exactly is this letter connected to whatever you want to propose to me?”

If he was saying he had something to propose to me, and the first thing he brought up was a letter from the DEMON CULT, then that was deeply unsettling.

Thinking that, I asked my question.

“I have a proposal for you.”

Divine Spear spoke.

“As a current candidate for alliance leader, and as a representative of the righteous sects, would you be willing to attend the meeting?”

“Attend the meeting? You mean you’re actually going through with that— Wait.”

...What did he just say?

My eyes widened.

What candidate...?

“...Candidate for alliance leader?”

There had been something deeply strange mixed in there.

Something that absolutely should not have been possible.

—End of Part 1—