"Absolutely not!"

At the sight of killing intent rising from Seolhwa, Okmyeon Seonsaeng cried out in alarm.

But the murderous aura did not subside.

At last, Okmyeon Seonsaeng rose to his feet and stood by Ilryong's side, pleading.

"This is a trap laid by those Iron-Blood Bastards! It is clear they are seizing the moment to provoke us while our strength has waned after the battle with the Twin Eagles Gang!"

"I agree as well."

It was Hao Munju who added weight to Okmyeon Seonsaeng’s claim.

"Reacting to the Iron-Blood Gang’s provocation right now is foolish. As the strategist said, the Sado Alliance has only just emerged from a major battle."

It had not even been seven days since the Sado Alliance had fought and subjugated one of the major dark factions that ruled Sichuan.

Naturally, the subordinates of the Sado Alliance were still exhausted.

What Okmyeon Seonsaeng and Hao Munju feared was not only the dissatisfaction of already weary subordinates facing another consecutive battle, but also the inevitable loss of strength in their weakened state.

"We just need to win!"

Ilryong shouted angrily, stepping forward.

"If we crush the Iron-Blood Gang, that resolves everything! The subordinates will be pleased too!"

"Indeed! Let us take this chance to show the Iron-Blood Gang the true bite of Sichuan!"

"What is the Sado Alliance, if not an alliance? We cannot just sit by after blood has been spilled! Alliance Leader!"

Several leaders, brimming with hot-blooded fervor, rose in support of Ilryong.

The Black Cloud Gang, being one of the founding factions of the Sado Alliance, held high prestige within it and thus had many followers.

But Hao Munju and Okmyeon Seonsaeng did not retreat so easily.

"The Iron-Blood Gang is not like the Twin Eagles Gang. They are not opponents to be taken lightly. The Sado Alliance in its current state cannot guarantee victory."

"If the momentum shifts, there will certainly be factions eager to defect to the Iron-Blood Gang. If their number grows, defeat will become inevitable—and with that, the tower we have painstakingly built thus far will collapse."

The two asserted their opinions in calm voices.

As strategist and head of the intelligence network of the Sado Alliance, their words could not be dismissed lightly.

The crowd that had been raising their voices faltered.

"I told you, we just need to win!"

"I told you victory is not guaranteed."

"Then what, you expect me to sit back and watch while my brother is dying?!"

"A small sacrifice is inevitable for the sake of the organization! How can you be so blinded by immediate gain that you fail to see the thousand-foot cliff before you?!"

"What?! Did you just say I am blind? And what about you—are you scared to even lift a sword, is that why you want me to go fight for you?!"

"What did you say?!"

"Enough."

The escalating argument came to an abrupt end with a single word from Seolhwa.

A chilling silence fell in an instant.

Yet the heat lingering from the quarrel did not fade so easily.

One side, insisting that they must fight even if it meant overreaching; the other, warning they could lose everything—they glared sharply at one another.

In the midst of that, a firm voice emerged.

"The Sado Alliance will not respond to the Iron-Blood Gang's provocation."

The reaction to that decision split the room.

On one side, faces broke into smiles of relief; on the other, despair clouded their expressions.

The faction leaders who usually charged ahead without hesitation could not hide their displeasure at the Alliance Leader’s defensive decision.

But even the smiles of Hao Munju and Okmyeon Seonsaeng did not last long.

"This time, I shall move alone."

"!"

"...?!"

Hao Munju, Okmyeon Seonsaeng, and even the faction leaders all turned to Seolhwa with expressions of shock.

Hao Munju asked urgently.

"You cannot mean to enter the Iron-Blood Gang alone?"

Seolhwa nodded.

"I will personally go to the Iron-Blood Gang and meet their Gang Leader."

"Alliance Leader!"

"This provocation is clearly an act of disdain toward the Sado Alliance. Furthermore, to lay a hand on an elder of the Black Cloud Gang, the core of the Sado Alliance, is not something that can be overlooked."

The expressions of the faction leaders rapidly brightened.

"But."

"..."

"I cannot simply ignore the words of our esteemed strategist and Hao Munju. I shall abide by your advice and place no burden on our subordinates."

"No burden... meaning..."

You are going to invade alone...?

The look of dismay spread across the faces of Hao Munju and Okmyeon Seonsaeng.

It was appreciated that she did not dismiss their advice.

But still.

‘That does not mean we asked you to dive into enemy territory alone, Alliance Leader...?’

They were not the only ones unable to respond to such an absurd decision.

Even the leaders who had been crying for revenge were taken aback by the unexpected turn of events.

Unable to bear it, one of the leaders stepped forward to stop Seolhwa.

"The Iron-Blood Gang is not called one of the three great dark sects for nothing. According to reports, the Gang Leader’s martial prowess has reached the peak of the Supreme Realm, and there are over five masters of similar caliber beneath him. How can you possibly storm such a place alone?"

Until now, Seolhwa had rarely stepped onto the battlefield herself during the Sado Alliance’s expansion campaigns.

The Sado Alliance was a dark faction alliance.

Though it would have been easy to grow their power had she acted directly, doing so was not conducive to strengthening the cohesion of the member factions.

After all, victory earned by one’s own hand is the sweetest.

Thus, among the leaders attending this meeting, only a few had personally witnessed Seolhwa’s martial prowess.

It was no wonder that the majority found her decision reckless.

And yet—

"The only reason I tolerated the Iron-Blood Gang’s arrogance until now was because I needed a watchdog to hold the southeast in check."

While cautiously rallying the dark factions in Yunnan, where the Blood Demon Cult’s base lay, the Iron-Blood Gang served merely as a means to keep southeastern forces restrained.

Now that they had dared to lay hands on her people, Seolhwa had no intention of tolerating their provocation.

"Overlooking a dog that bites its master is not mercy—it is stupidity."

A faint smile curled at Seolhwa’s lips.

"This opportunity will make clear in whose hands the hegemony of the dark factions truly rests."

The faction leaders exchanged glances.

Was she serious?

Was she truly going to charge into that blood-reeking place alone?

Most of them sat in stunned silence as Seolhwa declared,

"Within three days, the Gang Leader of the Iron-Blood Gang will come and kneel before me."

****

“Khahahaha!”

Loud laughter rang beyond the walls of the Iron-Blood Gang.

"Idiots! They must be sitting there sucking their thumbs while their comrade dies! Khahahahaha!"

The Iron-Blood Gang Leader’s hearty laughter sparked laughter from the surrounding elders.

The Gang Leader asked playfully,

"You think they will come to rescue the one we caught?"

The elder who had first proposed this plan smiled cunningly.

"They tend to avoid battle, so odds are they will not come. But if they do, that would be all the better. We can wipe them out in one blow. Hehehe."

"Exactly, exactly. It always irked me that rootless scum dared to stand shoulder to shoulder with us! We must crush them completely this time!"

"I wish they would come quickly, actually."

"Indeed! Hurry and come, you bastards! Kha—huh?"

Suddenly, the Gang Leader tilted his head and looked up at the ceiling.

The elders exchanged puzzled glances as the Gang Leader’s expression began to harden.

At the moment he reached for the iron mace by his side—

KWANG―!

“Uwaaagh!”

“Ah! What the hell?!”

With a deafening roar, the ceiling of the Iron-Blood Gang’s main hall came crashing down.

The Gang Leader and elders instinctively covered their heads, dodging falling debris.

Some failed to react in time and were struck by stone, losing consciousness.

“Who’s there?!”

The Gang Leader, coated in dust, shouted toward the collapsed ceiling.

In that moment—

KAANG―!

A gleaming light flashed before his eyes.

Sensing # Nоvеlight # the killing intent, the Gang Leader instinctively raised his mace to block the attack, then looked in shock at the one who had swung the sword.

“Wh-What are you?!”

A sword black as ink, as though soaked in blood.

A black cloak fluttering with crimson feathers.

A golden-decorated black mask.

And a dark energy swirling around her, like shadows rising.

“I am the Lord of the Sado Alliance.”

“S-Sado Alliance...!”

Recognizing the intruder, the Gang Leader’s eyes widened in horror.

“Where is my subordinate?”

The suffocating killing intent layered atop the smoke-like dark energy made it hard to breathe.

The Gang Leader felt as though his chest had seized up.

The one he had only heard of in rumors was far more powerful than expected.

Perhaps even stronger than himself.

Kagak...

“!”

The sound of her sword scraping against his mace was a warning.

Speak now, or die.

But the Gang Leader of the Iron-Blood Gang was not one to yield so easily.

Steadying his breath, he forced a nonchalant expression and said,

“K-Keuhuhu... To think the Lord of the Sado Alliance would grace us personally. It seems we caught quite the important one!”

He quickly glanced around.

Aside from the fools knocked out by debris, the remaining members were pointing their weapons at the Alliance Lord.

But even they hesitated under the oppressive aura she emitted.

More importantly—

‘Why is it so quiet outside?’

If she had reached the main hall at the Iron-Blood Gang’s center, chaos should already be erupting outside.

Why was it so quiet?

"You cannot have come alone, can you? Where are your subordinates?"

"Alone."

The Gang Leader’s mouth dropped open again.

“Y-You came here alone? Truly? Have you come to die?”

“Where is my subordinate?”

“I have seen all kinds of lunatics....”

Kagagak...

"If you kill me, your subordinate dies! If you wish to save them, drop your sword!"

If she had come alone, he still had a chance.

And if she cared about her subordinate, he could use that hostage to his advantage.

But—

A faint laugh slipped from beneath the mask.

“...?”

A laugh? She is laughing? In this situation?

"Are you saying you refuse to speak?"

“...?”

"Then I shall simply kill you and ask someone else."

In that moment, an immense energy exploded outward from the Lord of the Sado Alliance.

As though darkness had swallowed everything in an instant.

“W-Wait!!”

The Gang Leader shouted in desperation.