Chapter 843: Ilcheonkyo.

Killing intent is, ultimately, just an emotion.

Literally, it was the will to kill someone, and when combined with a warrior’s energy, it became killing intent (殺氣).

It’s an energy that grows stronger the deeper the emotion, but ultimately, being energy, it can be controlled.

That’s fortunate.

If the opponent just went around spewing killing intent whenever they felt like it, that would be a problem in itself.

Since killing intent is the clearest of all energies a warrior possesses, it’s a power that must be handled with care as one’s level increases.

Because if you accidentally release too much, the opponent will notice far too easily.

Therefore, warriors with higher levels tended to handle killing intent skillfully.

They use it only when necessary, and suppress it if they can.

This meant that since killing intent is ultimately connected to emotion, it could be controlled as much as desired.

I’m sure that’s how I knew it.

‘What bullshit is this.’

I had to frown as I checked my physical condition.

Clutching my chest where my heart was, I clicked my tongue briefly. Something was wrong with my body.

Gugugugugu-!

“Ugh.”

A vibration felt inside my body.

Immense killing intent was boiling up from within my heart. It was so strong that I had to pour energy just to suppress it.

‘Seriously, what the hell.’

I was barely holding it in, afraid it might leak out of my body, but it was uncertain how long I could manage.

But I couldn’t just let it explode like this.

‘There’s too much.’

I could gauge the level it would explode at, mixed with energy.

This was enough to cover not just my quarters, but most of the branch.

It was vast and immense.

If this exploded out of my control, it would be enough to sweep up most people nearby, and judging by its quantity and quality, the aftermath would be considerable.

I only intended to cause a moderate ruckus, but it would be a problem if it went that far.

At least, ‘not yet,’ it shouldn’t be like that.

“Hooo…”

Knowing that, I kept forcing myself to endure.

“Dragon Lord Seong.”

In front of me stood the very person who would have the worst effect in this situation.

“I ask you, what is the meaning of this?”

A man asking me questions while pointing his sword at me.

Ilcheonggeom, the leader of the Azure Dragon Squad, faced me, raising his battle aura.

“Explain the situation.”

“…Hmph.”

It wasn’t good at all.

Just looking at that face annoyed me, and he had to point his sword at me, of all times.

‘How tactless, especially now.’

I was sweating buckets trying to suppress the killing intent, so why now of all times?

I forced myself to catch my breath and looked at the guy.

I couldn’t avoid answering, so I slowly opened my mouth, suppressing the backlash with my energy.

“…Can’t you tell by looking?”

At my words, Ilcheonggeom looked around. His own squad leader lay collapsed, covered in blood. The Azure Dragon Squad members were visibly terrified by my movements.

And considering the formation I had set up, looking at it all, the situation he could understand was definitely not good.

Knowing that, Ilcheonggeom pursed his lips and said.

“…I can tell by looking. That’s why I’m asking more. No matter how arrogant you are, you wouldn’t be someone who causes trouble so thoughtlessly.”

“Wow. You think so highly of me, I don’t know where to put myself.”

I chuckled slightly.

Fortunately, the killing intent inside was gradually subsiding.

Although the speed was quite slow, it was definitely subsiding.

“Since you think so highly of me, perhaps you know why things ended up like this?”

“I don’t know. So please, I hope you’ll explain.”

Sreung.

Ilcheonggeom’s sword trembled. At the same time, I felt energy seeping into the blade.

“If not, it seems I won’t be able to hold back this time either.”

“Haha…”

Normally, I would have challenged him, asking what he’d do if he couldn’t hold back. But now, I could barely manage that.

More precisely, I didn’t have the leeway. If I really did that, what I had barely managed to put to sleep might explode again.

So, rather than nitpicking his words, it was better to be direct now.

“Since you wish it, I will explain.”

Pausing briefly as if catching my breath, I set the mood with silence, then opened my mouth again.

With my fingertip, I pointed straight ahead at the guy whose jaw I had just smashed.

“That bastard… no, that Azure Dragon Squad leader said he had business with our unit.”

“…Business?”

Hearing that, Ilcheonggeom’s eyes narrowed. I could tell from his expression; he looked like he didn’t understand what the problem was.

But.

“I don’t know what kind of business it was, but he said he had some.”

“But what problem could that possibly cause-“

“Then, fuck, why didn’t he come himself instead of ordering me around like a goddamn idiot?”

“…!”

At my words, Ilcheonggeom’s eyes widened. It seemed he finally vaguely grasped the problem.

“Does he have business with us? No, with your side. But he dares to order me to come? And between squad leaders, no less? Haha. Damn.”

I said, slowly walking towards Ilcheonggeom.

“Anyone would think we were a subordinate unit of the Azure Dragon Squad. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“…”

The frowning expression was the same, but there was a difference within it.

This was a matter of justification.

Do you know the biggest difference between the righteous and the unorthodox paths? While there could be many reasons, the one I value most is the difference in how actions are carried out.

Righteous sects cannot recklessly display power based on emotion, but the unorthodox paths don’t care about that.

In other words, it was about whether or not one considered justification.

And.

“The Azure Dragon Squad is clearly here to provide support. So, how am I supposed to understand this shitty situation?”

Right now, I was explaining the justification to Ilcheonggeom.

Ilcheonggeom, whose face was deeply furrowed. Looking at him, I smirked and asked.

“Isn’t that right?”

The same rank. Not even a subordinate, but a squad leader.

Someone of the caliber of the second-in-command of each sword brigade had done something so absurd.

Moreover, the Azure Dragon Squad was here in a supporting role, yet this situation made no sense.

‘Besides.’

I overheard the conversation between that guy and our squad leader. It was quite something else.

The level of disregard was top-notch.

I couldn’t understand.

‘Does he have a brain?’

Currently, the Alliance side was pushing the Seong Ryong Squad as the main force. Of course, even if it was mostly for show, the circumstances were indeed like that.

Knowing all that perfectly well, would they openly disregard us like this?

‘Unless the person is insane.’

No matter how I thought about it, it was incomprehensible. Someone who had been active in the Alliance for years and reached the rank of squad leader acting like this?

It was definitely not a normal situation. There had to be a few reasons for this.

‘Unless there was some reason, this situation wouldn’t have happened.’

Whether Ilcheonggeom ordered it, whether it was to break my spirit, or whether there was personal animosity.

Unless there was some ulterior motive, such a foolish act wouldn’t have occurred.

Ilcheonggeom couldn’t possibly not know that.

However.

“Even if that was the cause, is it right to not only cripple a fellow colleague like that but also threaten me like this?”

Ilcheonggeom certainly had a counterargument.

The justification was that the handling of the situation was excessive compared to the incident itself.

That was a fair point.

Looking only at the situation, there was no need to go that far. It could have been easily resolved by using the leader’s authority to pressure and intimidate the squad leader.

“Moreover, this is enemy territory. We should be coordinating and working together, yet… what is this?”

At Ilcheonggeom’s words, the surroundings stirred. Especially the Azure Dragon Squad members. Reactions like ‘Isn’t that too excessive?’ could be felt.

It seemed like a valid point at first glance.

Every point he made was technically correct, but…

“Then you shouldn’t have acted like a fucking asshole.”

“…What?”

At my reaction, Ilcheonggeom’s eyes widened. It seemed like an unexpected response.

“If you didn’t want things to end up like this, you shouldn’t have acted so cocky, shouldn’t you have?”

“Dragon Lord Seong. What kind of wordplay is that?”

“Wordplay, my ass. Do I look like I’m playing around right now?”

As I spoke, I circulated my energy.

For a moment, I had to forcibly suppress the killing intent that threatened to burst out.

“You spout what you think is righteous reasoning, but it’s annoying. My temper isn’t good enough to refute every single point.”

Honestly, I could refute everything he said.

If I wanted, I could even sway the mood to my side right now. But.

“I just beat him up because I felt like it. What’s the problem with that?”

“What…? Are you serious right now?”

“Of course. I’m saying this because I mean it. Senior.”

I smiled slightly and continued.

“Senior, do you know what the title of ‘Daepyo’ signifies?”

A leader of a sword brigade. Does Ilcheonggeom know what that implies?

Even if he knew, I suspected it might be different from my understanding.

“One could say it’s simply the head of a group… but ultimately, what I see as a leader is this:”

I said to Ilcheonggeom, suppressing my energy.

“Someone who is the first to step forward and crush the opponent when their subordinate suffers some shitty treatment. That’s what I see as a leader.”

If you sit in a position, you must take responsibility. Whatever it may be.

That’s why I dislike positions. Because they unnecessarily increase the responsibilities.

But what could I do?

I had already taken the seat, so… I had to do what needed to be done.

“But my subordinate was blatantly disrespected right in front of me. So what else could I do?”

I had to crush the opponent.

“So. You made our subordinate end up like that… Is that what you’re saying?”

“Fortunately, you’re quite quick to understand.”

“Ha…”

At my words, Ilcheonggeom let out an incredulous laugh.

A hint of annoyance flickered in his eyes.

“No matter how inexperienced you are… you don’t seem to understand what you’ve done.”

Ilcheonggeom’s raised eyebrows gradually grew colder.

“What is it that I don’t understand?”

“You seem unaware of how unfitting it is to act rashly without properly assessing the situation.”

“Fitting? Hahaha.”

Unfitting. Hearing that, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What is this ‘fitting’ you speak of for me?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know?”

“Yes. I don’t know.”

In both my past and present lives, I’ve never possessed any ‘fitting,’ which made it even more so.

“You are the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance and a warrior bearing the title of King. Therefore, it is right for you to act in a manner befitting that status.”

“I see… a status-based ‘fitting’…”

“Now you understand-“

“If that’s the case, Senior. Then I need such ‘fitting’ even less.”

“Huh?”

Hearing my response, Ilcheonggeom reacted with disbelief. He was about to say more, but I spoke faster.

“No, isn’t that right?”

My breathing calmed down. I could finally feel the energy receding.

“Someone who can’t even properly protect their own subordinates, what ‘fitting’ do they have? Stop talking such bullshit. If that’s ‘fitting,’ then I don’t need it. If you want it, keep it yourself, Senior.”

“Star King-!”

Kugu-gu-! My skin vibrated from Ilcheonggeom’s roar. The energy mixed within it was quite potent.

“Ah, why are you yelling so loud it hurts my ears?”

Squeak. A rough sound came from his clenched fist. He seemed to be holding back desperately.

“As I said earlier. You acted without properly understanding the circumstances. Don’t you realize what kind of punishment you’ll receive if this goes to the main Alliance?”

Receiving punishment from the main Alliance. I knew that too, and it was true. As Ilcheonggeom said, I had retaliated without properly hearing the situation. And since that retaliation was excessive, I would indeed be punished upon returning to Hannam.

Even if not.

“Even if it’s not the main Alliance, I have no intention of letting this matter slide.”

Ilcheonggeom, who had drawn his sword, also didn’t seem inclined to let me go easily.

Of course. If I were let go like this, it wouldn’t be about anything else but his own position.

If his subordinate ended up like that and he just backed down, what would happen? He couldn’t afford to do that for his own standing.

“Star King. Unless you properly apologize for this, I too will have no choice but to draw my sword.”

“Hmm… I see.”

So he won’t let it go. I see…

At his words, which showed deep fighting spirit, I took a step forward.

“…!”

As I moved suddenly, Ilcheonggeom narrowed his eyes warily. The energy imbued in his sword tip began to flicker intensely.

“If you have no intention of letting this slide, what will you do? Are you going to fight?”

“If that’s what you wish, then by all means.”

“Good, that’s manly. But you know, if you were going to be that manly.”

Thump. As I closed the distance by another step, Ilcheonggeom’s fighting spirit intensified. If I got any closer, he would really swing his sword.

But.

“You shouldn’t have resorted to poison, should you have?”

Halt-! At my words, Ilcheonggeom’s gaze wavered.

Not just his gaze. I confirmed that the energy surrounding his sword was also shaking.

The reaction was significant. That’s why I couldn’t hold back.

“Ah, or perhaps…”

I erased the smile from my face. Then I said.

“At the very least, you shouldn’t have colluded with the Sky Opening Gate Master to do such dogshit, shouldn’t you have…? That’s what I’m thinking.”

At my words, the surroundings instantly fell silent.