CFZ

Sichuan Branch of the Martial Alliance Headquarters
Inside the branch leader’s office, Mok Ri-seon and Ilcheon Sword had just finished their conversation.
“Thank you for the information. With the branch leader’s help, the investigation should proceed much more smoothly.”

“No need to thank me…! If it helps in any way, I’ll prepare even more and visit you again.”
“Your sincerity alone is appreciated. It’s truly reassuring.”
“Hahaha….”

Ilcheon Sword tucked the letter given by the branch leader into his robes.
The information was sufficient. While the exact location wasn’t clear, several reported sightings aligned, so starting the search there seemed reasonable.
The data on the target, including their sect leader and members, had originally come from the main alliance. Ilcheon Sword didn’t anticipate the search itself to be particularly difficult.

The problem, however, was—
‘How far has the Star King progressed?’
The Star King had arrived three days earlier. How far had he advanced into the investigation? That was the real concern.

‘…That bastard.’
Just thinking about him made Ilcheon Sword’s expression twist in anger.
‘Damn it….’

His fists clenched tightly.
It had been three days since Ilcheon Sword suffered humiliation.
Two days into the Sichuan expedition, he received an urgent letter from his subordinates—an order for the Azure Dragon Division to return to the main alliance immediately.

Caught off guard by the sudden command, Ilcheon Sword didn’t hesitate. He obeyed without question, relying on the unmistakable seal stamped on the letter.
After all—
‘The alliance’s seals are crafted from rare artifacts.’
Their unique properties made it impossible to counterfeit. They could confirm whether a letter truly came from the alliance or not.

With such proof, Ilcheon Sword had no doubts. The letter had to be real.
It was official and undoubtedly sent by Muk Yeon himself.
With his suspicions cleared, he prioritized the alliance’s orders over the expedition and returned.

Yet—
‘…What?’
His eyes had widened in shock upon hearing the response back at headquarters.

“You’re saying no such order was issued?”
Neither Muk Yeon nor anyone in the main alliance had sent such a command.
It was unthinkable. How could the letter, with its flawless seal, be fake?

The pieces didn’t fit.
Still—
‘Could it be…?’

Ilcheon Sword instinctively recalled a certain person. No solid proof, but his suspicions were firm.
‘It was him.’
The Star King. It had to be that bastard.

Ilcheon Sword was convinced.
The moment he received the letter, the Star King’s gaze… the smirk he flashed just before Ilcheon Sword left… it all came flooding back.
‘That son of a bitch!’

The Star King had played him. Grinding his teeth in rage, Ilcheon Sword barely held himself back from destroying everything in sight.
Still, there was no solid evidence—only suspicion.
And now wasn’t the time to dwell on doubts.

Instead, Ilcheon Sword gathered the Azure Dragon Division and returned to Sichuan at top speed.
Even if the letter was fake and the information was planted to derail their mission, abandoning the task wasn’t an option.
Part of it was because of his suspicions.

And another part—
‘Not yet.’
He had personal reasons for returning to Sichuan.

To achieve his goal, he needed to make it back, no matter the cost.
So he pushed the squad harder than ever, pushing past exhaustion to close the time gap.
And now, face-to-face with the Star King once more, Ilcheon Sword no longer had doubts.

‘It’s you. I knew it.’
The look in his eyes. The way he carried himself. Even the aura around him.
The Star King didn’t bother hiding it.

Everything about him screamed, “How does it feel to be played?”
It was clear he had never intended to cover his tracks.
While rage boiled to the surface, Ilcheon Sword’s mind calculated possibilities.

Why?
If the Star King truly orchestrated this, how did he manage to counterfeit an artifact-sealed letter?
And why go to such lengths?

He couldn’t make sense of it.
If the Star King simply wanted to mock him, there were easier ways.
Forging a command seal invited too much risk.

Ilcheon Sword didn’t believe the Star King was stupid enough to act without reason.
So why?
‘What’s the point of all this?’

If it was just to humiliate him, then it was a massive mistake.
No matter how talented or celebrated the Star King was, forging orders from the alliance crossed a line.
Even if he thought he’d covered his tracks, evidence would eventually surface.

Ilcheon Sword’s eyes narrowed as murderous intent flickered within them.
‘Even if that’s not the case….’
He might not need to go as far as reporting to the alliance.

He had another reason for being in Sichuan.
‘…You won’t be leaving Sichuan alive.’
Accidents happen during missions.

Deaths in the line of duty weren’t uncommon.
And this would be no different.
No matter how talented or young he was, not even the Star King could avoid unforeseen tragedies.

Ilcheon Sword steadied his breathing.
‘Don’t regret this later.’
The Star King had brought this upon himself.

If he had just stayed out of the way and avoided interfering with the alliance, none of this would have happened.
But he didn’t.
The Star King set this in motion.

Just as Ilcheon Sword prepared to act—
“Ah, excuse me… Chief of the Azure Dragon Division.”
Mok Ri-seon’s voice interrupted, forcing Ilcheon Sword to mask his expression.

Even though his earlier exchange with the Star King had been heated, he couldn’t let Mok Ri-seon see his murderous intent.
“What is it?”
“Well, there’s something I need to ask you about.”

“Go on.”
“It’s about the Star King….”
Hearing the name, Ilcheon Sword’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Then—
“One of my subordinates mentioned seeing something strange. I thought you might know something about it….”
“What do you mean?”

As he asked, Mok Ri-seon hesitated before continuing.
“Apparently, the Star King has been coughing up blood or showing signs of poor health. Do you know anything about that?”
“...”

Ilcheon Sword’s expression shifted slightly.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. We’ve tried to keep it quiet, but… I thought I should inform you.”

“You did well.”
“Pardon?”
“Continue to keep it under strict control. This must not reach the main alliance.”

“Ah—! Of course!”
Mok Ri-seon finally understood the gravity of the situation.
“I’ll make sure to silence any rumors.”

“I’m counting on you.”
Ilcheon Sword patted Mok Ri-seon’s shoulder twice before turning to leave.
As he walked away, a faint smirk formed at the corner of his lips.

   ******************
   
The Search Begins
The Azure Dragon Division immediately commenced their search.

Using the information provided by Mok Ri-seon, the scope of their investigation wasn’t overly broad. It helped that they had prior leads—clues about the areas the Star Dragon Division had already searched.
Even without access to shared reports, there were observable patterns. Combining those with Mok Ri-seon’s intelligence guided their movements.
Their primary objective was to track the Celestial Stream Sect. Pinpointing their exact location was the first step toward deeper infiltration.

According to the Alliance, their base was practically abandoned.
There were traces of occasional foot traffic, but nothing indicating it still housed members of the Celestial Stream Sect.
‘They’ve already relocated.’

It seemed clear that they’d moved their base.
That raised concerns about whether they had already left Sichuan entirely.
‘But most of their recent sightings remain within Sichuan.’

Only a few accounts placed them outside the region, and those were rare. Nearly all reports pointed to Sichuan.
Furthermore—
‘Even the Star Dragon Division hasn’t searched beyond Sichuan.’

It made sense to focus their efforts within the region.
‘At this rate… two weeks at most.’
Within that time, they were bound to uncover the Celestial Stream Sect’s trail.

“Commander.”
A subordinate approached, handing over a letter.
“This is the status report from the eastern sector.”

Ilcheon Sword opened it, scanning the precise notes on locations and findings.
“Nothing found in the current area.”
“Yes. It’s likely they’re either on the outskirts or….”

“Or they’re using formations.”
“That’s our assessment.”
Formations.

It wasn’t far-fetched.
But—
“Keep that possibility in mind, but for now, continue searching without altering the route until the third day.”

“Yes, sir.”
Changing course based on speculation would only cause problems.
It was the first day. Expanding the search area prematurely would be reckless.

For now, methodical progress was the right call.
“And this…”
After finalizing the search instructions, the subordinate handed over another document.

“This details the Star Dragon Division’s movements.”
Ilcheon Sword’s eyes sharpened as he accepted it.
Unlike earlier, his gaze burned with focus.

But soon—
“Is this all?”
“…I-I apologize.”

The subordinate stiffened ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) at the sharp tone and hurried to explain.
“There were too many eyes watching. The Star Dragon Division’s members are also highly skilled, making infiltration difficult. This was the best we could manage for now.”
“Tch….”

Though dissatisfied, Ilcheon Sword couldn’t blame them.
He knew this was the most they could do under the circumstances.
The Star Dragon Division’s warriors were powerful—far superior to other squads.

Even excluding the commander, there were four Hwagyeong-level martial artists.
Even if they were only at the beginner stages, having four Hwagyeong-level fighters in one group was absurd.
The main alliance had raised concerns about this imbalance, but Muk Yeon had personally vouched for these recruits, silencing opposition.

‘This is a nuisance.’
With such warriors accompanying the Star King, monitoring him without being noticed was nearly impossible.
‘Even two weeks might not be enough.’

The obstacles standing in the way of his goal loomed tall.
Ilcheon Sword bit his lip.
What now?

Fabricating a mission to entangle them required more information.
“…Good work. Dismissed.”
“Yes, sir.”

After sending the subordinate away, Ilcheon Sword bit his fingertip hard enough to draw blood.
“Gu Yangcheon.”
Just thinking about him made his blood boil.

The mere image of his face filled him with a murderous impulse—so deeply ingrained it felt physical.
‘That bastard is too damn lucky.’
The real problem wasn’t Gu Yangcheon’s strength but the watchful eyes surrounding him.

‘This is the perfect opportunity.’
Ilcheon Sword’s anxiety grew.
He suppressed the feeling.

Gu Yangcheon was strong.
No matter how young, his skill couldn’t be ignored.
In a direct fight, victory wasn’t guaranteed.

It sounded ridiculous, but the reality was clear.
Even after several encounters, Ilcheon Sword couldn’t deny it.
He hated to admit it, but Gu Yangcheon was already approaching the level of the Top Ten Masters.

Which was precisely why now was the time.
‘He’s injured.’
Ilcheon Sword didn’t know the extent of the internal injury, but the instability in Gu Yangcheon’s energy was obvious.

No one could fake such irregular qi.
Trying to manipulate one’s energy like that would only risk backlash and deviation of internal energy pathways.
Even Gu Yangcheon wouldn’t dare.

‘It’s real.’
The injury was genuine.
But the problem—

‘Even injured, he crushed the Golden Dragon Division’s leader.’
Despite his condition, Gu Yangcheon wasn’t weak.
Ilcheon Sword had seen it firsthand.

He witnessed Gu Yangcheon overwhelming the Golden Dragon Division’s commander without breaking a sweat.
Even if the backlash made him cough up blood, it didn’t change the fact that he was terrifyingly strong.
If it wasn’t a terminal illness, his injuries would heal.

Once recovered, things wouldn’t be the same.
‘This is the moment.’
The perfect chance—before it slipped away.

Ilcheon Sword exhaled slowly.
Nothing about this mission was going as planned.
Everything he’d worked to set up had been shaken since Gu Yangcheon arrived.

Still—
‘I won’t break.’
He’d fought too hard to reach this position.

No matter what, he wouldn’t crumble.
If anything, he’d tear down the obstacles in his way.
Ilcheon Sword steadied himself.

Screech—!
In an instant, he drew his sword, slashing the air.
A burst of energy tore through the night as his blade came to a sharp halt—pointed directly ahead.

“Who’s there?”
His voice carried killing intent, piercing the darkness.
Ilcheon Sword’s eyes burned with certainty.

Even if nothing appeared, he could feel it.
“Show yourself, or I’ll cut you down.”
His warning was brief.

When no movement followed, Ilcheon Sword swung his blade in a wide arc, its sharp aura slicing through the night.
“My apologies.”
From seemingly empty space, a figure emerged.

An old man with long black hair stepped forward, his presence heavy and commanding.
Ilcheon Sword instinctively gripped his sword tighter.
‘Strong.’

The man’s aura was undeniable.
It wasn’t just strong—it was overwhelming.
Ilcheon Sword couldn’t immediately gauge his level, meaning they were likely equals.

Who the hell was this?
Before he could speak, the old man introduced himself.
“I am Dae Hwan, leader of the Celestial Stream Sect.”

“...!”
Ilcheon Sword’s eyes widened.