“Next, I will list—sequentially—the dark-path forces the Evil-Smiting Corps has annihilated. Beginning with Gloom-Death Hall, followed by the Green Forest’s Shark-Mouth Stockade, Flame Sword Hall, Iron-Death Fortress, Ghost-Blade Gate, Steel-Beam Gate, and....”

Ga Deoksang folded the document shut.

“Crimson Demon Society. That is all.”

The room jolted.

“The Crimson Demon Society... you mean that assassination outfit, the Crimson Demon Society?”

“Yes.”

The councilors stared at each other, blank-faced.

The Crimson Demon Society wasn’t one of those assassin organizations that people claimed sat in the top ten of the martial world, or whose leader’s martial arts rivaled anyone’s.

Still, it was dangerous.

Assassination outfits in the martial °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° world all had lines they didn’t cross. They wouldn’t accept contracts to kill children, or they wouldn’t touch high-ranking government officials—things like that.

The Crimson Demon Society followed none of it.

In other words, it was a filthy murder-for-hire organization that would kill anyone as long as you paid. Worse, somehow they’d even gotten their hands on explosives, and they carried them around specifically to kill their targets.

And that Crimson Demon Society got smashed by an Evil-Smiting Corps that wasn’t even fifty strong. This wasn’t the same kind of fight as Shark-Mouth Stockade’s three hundred.

“Is it true?”

“It is.”

“That makes no sense. The only reason the Crimson Demon Society has survived this long after doing such vile things is because no one knows where their base is. Don’t tell me the Evil-Smiting Corps found it?”

“How could they?”

“Then what? The Beggars’ Union handed it over?”

“Not that either.”

Ga Deoksang’s eyes turned cold.

“The Crimson Demon Society struck the Evil-Smiting Corps first.”

“W-What did you say?!”

BANG!

Several councilors slammed the table. The air inside the Hall of the Martial Sage heated in an instant.

The Evil-Smiting Corps was the first organization created by the newly reestablished Alliance of the Martial World—and the first of the roaming forces, too. For the Crimson Demon Society to attack them... this was a matter of the Alliance’s face.

“Due to the Crimson Demon Society’s attack, more than ten soldiers of the Evil-Smiting Corps suffered severe injuries. Fortunately, there were no fatalities.”

“T-Those lawless bastards!”

Pungbyeokja of Qingcheng demanded urgently.

“They’re being treated? How bad is it?”

Most of the Evil-Smiting Corps’ soldiers belonged to the Nine Sects and One Union. It was only natural his heart would drop.

Ga Deoksang nodded.

“We requisitioned the best physicians and attached them as fast as possible. Since the injured are all highly trained, we’re told their recovery is progressing quickly.”

“Haa...”

Seated, Pungbyeokja let out a relieved breath.

“Thank heavens. Truly—thank heavens.”

Poison, hidden weapons, explosives—those were men who used every kind of lethal contraband. Even a master died if he took a supreme toxin, and if a firebomb went off, it meant catastrophic injury.

That there were no deaths was a miracle.

“But.”

Je Gal Munho spoke.

“Who, exactly, would commission the Crimson Demon Society?”

A flicker of unease crossed Ga Deoksang’s face.

“We were unable to determine that.”

“Hm.”

“Commander Yeon Hojeong took a small force, tracked the assassins, tailed them, and finally struck down into their base in northern Jiangxi. In the middle of a fierce battle, someone detonated the main camp.”

“Huh!”

“Most of their assassins died, and their foundation was erased. Calling it extermination would not be an exaggeration. However... the client’s identity has become completely unknowable.”

“The detonation—was it their side?”

“We can’t know the exact circumstances... but the probability is very high.”

Je Gal Munho nodded with a hardened expression.

“Good. Tracking assassins is no ordinary task.”

“Yes. Breaking into the Crimson Demon Society’s base was entirely Commander Yeon’s merit. We’re told he clung to them to the very end.”

“I see.”

Je Gal Munho had deliberately framed it as a pursuit matter, and Ga Deoksang accepted the framing with perfect timing.

Because questions could arise about Yeon Hojeong’s qualifications. He’d shown outstanding capability—but the injured were disciples of the Nine Sects and One Union, so talk like that could easily surface.

The two men recognized the risk and cut it off in advance.

Ga Deoksang continued, leaning forward.

“There were unfortunate incidents, but if you judge only by results, they’ve amassed major merit over the past few months. And they did it while receiving almost no support from the Alliance.”

Daoist Yonghwa spoke with a sour look.

“It could not be helped. The Alliance of the Martial World has only just begun to operate properly. The situation was far too chaotic to establish fund flows or build a budget plan.”

Ga Deoksang smiled.

“Yes, of course. Commander Yeon will know that as well. What I mean is—now, at the very least, we should provide them support.”

“Hm.”

“You’ve all seen the Evil-Smiting Corps’ path so far. They can become stronger, and more thorough, than they are even now. They have proven they are worth it—so as an advisor to the Information Bureau, I request full support for them.”

Heads nodded across the room.

They differed in temperament and in purpose, but every person here had survived the harsh martial world. They all knew how difficult it was for people who hadn’t been in an organization long to pile up achievements like this.

Then Abbot Gonggong of Shaolin opened his mouth.

“The Demon-Sweeping Corps has finished selecting its talent, and appointments for each unit and organization have been concluded.”

The room held its breath.

Mo Yonggun’s eyes sank as he looked at Abbot Gonggong.

Of course.

Since the Alliance was founded, he’d lived at a sprint. All of it to solidify his base of power.

But he still hadn’t reached it. That seat.

The weight in his words is different.

The world placed the Nine Sects and One Union and the Six Great Clans on the same tier, but even inside that, there was a clear hierarchy.

And Shaolin stood at the top, without question. No one could deny the thousand-year majesty of Shaolin, called the pillar of the martial world.

“In this monk’s eyes, the Demon-Exterminating Corps was too radical from the moment of its birth. It was tolerated because the Alliance’s foundation was not yet firm... but in truth, for one of the Demon-Sweeping & Evil-Smiting roaming units to go out into the world without any control at all was plainly not the proper way.”

The room nodded.

Of course, whenever the Evil-Smiting Corps moved, informants tailed them and kept watch. That was the minimum measure the Alliance could take.

But an organization could not remain like that forever. It had been tolerated until now. It could not be tolerated anymore.

“However.”

Abbot Gonggong wore a faint smile.

“A hot-blooded commander and the soldiers who follow him have not turned their eyes from their goal, even at an age when their blood should boil over. And in only a few months, they have piled up merit this large.”

“...”

“I do not know what the councilors here may think, but this monk feels that it would be acceptable to recognize a certain degree of special allowance for them.”

Abbess Bokho of Emei agreed at once.

“A special allowance is not always a bad thing. And I believe that even if the Evil-Smiting Corps had not earned such merit, we should still be lending them our strength.”

Pungbyeokja asked, bewildered.

“Why do you think so? Special allowances can easily provoke dissatisfaction from other organizations.”

“They may be dissatisfied. But I believe all of us owe the Evil-Smiting Corps a debt.”

“A debt?”

Abbess Bokho’s eyes turned distant.

“They went out to punish the villains that not only the councilors seated here, but the entire orthodox martial world, had been keeping quiet about. And the ones who did it were young people who haven’t even reached thirty.”

“...”

“If nothing else, we should have honored that resolve. Instead, we tried only to restrain them. It was understandable, yes—but I believe we should reflect on what deserves reflection.”

At her words, the mood in the Hall of the Martial Sage grew solemn.

Smiling, she looked to Yeon Wi.

“Clan Lord Yeon, you must be very pleased.”

“Yes?”

“Many people doubted the fame of the Green Mountain Tiger General. Some even dismissed it, saying rumors in the martial world can’t be trusted.”

“...”

“But after seeing this chain of events—after watching it, and feeling it—only now do I understand. Clan Lord Yeon, you raised your son splendidly. A talent of that caliber has already raised banner, spear, and sword for chivalry... truly, it is a blessing for the Central Plains.”

It was praise that came rarely, and it came heavy.

Yeon Wi lowered his head.

“He is still a child with many shortcomings. When Commander Yeon returns, I ask that you teach him not with praise, but with rebuke and strictness.”

Abbot Gonggong laughed.

“Ho ho. The abbess is correct. If there is something to learn, it is we who must learn it. Clan Lord Yeon, I believe your humility is excessive.”

Ga Deoksang smiled—careful that no one saw.

Goodwill toward the Evil-Smiting Corps was deepening.

Deeper than he’d expected.

At this level, no one would try to dig in and question why the Evil-Smiting Corps should exist in the first place. That alone satisfied him.

And then—

“That’s right.”

All eyes gathered in one place.

Mo Yonggun.

“As has been said, the Evil-Smiting Corps has earned major merit. They will require proper reward.”

Abbot Gonggong smiled.

“Clan Lord Mo Yonggun, you must be pleased as well.”

It was Mo Yonggun who had proposed the founding of the Independent Field Forces and recommended Yeon Hojeong. Abbot Gonggong was pointing that out.

Mo Yonggun threw his head back with a hearty laugh.

“Haha! Of course I am. But I did expect it to some extent. It may be presumptuous to say, but Commander Yeon is one of the finest talents I’ve ever seen. Results like this were well within what I anticipated.”

“Ho ho.”

“However, over the past few months, the Evil-Smiting Corps has crossed the Central Plains in every direction. I imagine their fatigue is considerable.”

Everyone nodded. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The Evil-Smiting Corps hadn’t rested as they crushed one dark-path gang after another. In the dark-path martial world, they were already calling the Evil-Smiting Corps a death unit—an army of fiends.

“So I propose this.”

A malice no one noticed settled into Mo Yonggun’s eyes.

“The inauguration ceremony for the Demon-Sweeping Corps is not far off. Since we can grant rewards and provide rest at the same time, what do you think of summoning the Evil-Smiting Corps back to the Alliance?”

“That’s a good idea.”

Abbess Bokho agreed immediately.

“If someone lives with their blade always drawn, their body and mind are bound to be worn away. Summoning them now does not seem a bad choice.”

Most of the councilors joined in agreement with Mo Yonggun.

Ga Deoksang looked to Je Gal Munho.

Je Gal Munho wore a faint smile, but a subtle tension sat in his eyes.

Ga Deoksang opened his mouth.

“First, we should learn the Evil-Smiting Corps’ future route, and then the summons—”

At that moment, Tang Gwan spoke.

“Personally, I would also like to offer a gift to the Evil-Smiting Corps for their hardships.”

The councilors flinched. They hadn’t expected words like that from the Tang Clan Lord, a man known for his pride and harshness.

“Then call them quickly.”

Ga Deoksang’s eyes wavered.

He hurriedly checked Mo Yonggun’s face—and felt a chill crawl through his chest. Mo Yonggun’s smile, his gaze, were heavy with meaning.

Ga Deoksang was about to speak again when—

“Since the councilors’ will is so, contact the Evil-Smiting Corps today.”

Ga Deoksang startled and looked at Je Gal Munho.

Je Gal Munho spoke calmly.

“Advisor, I ask you to put in some effort. Make sure the message reaches them as quickly as possible.”

Je Gal Munho’s eyes said it plainly.

Don’t step in any further. This isn’t the time to create a sense that something is off.

Ga Deoksang clenched his teeth.

“...I will contact the Evil-Smiting Corps immediately.”