“Sister~”
“Rye-ah!”
Rye-ah, who had grown a height of five chi, rushed over to Black Cat and Miss Yeo Il-ye and hugged them. The chubby baby fat had disappeared, and she looked quite like a young girl now.
“Have a drink too.”
“Ah, yes.”
I diverted my gaze from the three of them who were hugging and squealing, complimenting each other’s appearance, and accepted the cup of alcohol handed to me by the Family Head.
At the table where I was seated, there were a total of five people: the Family Head, Poison Doctor, Feng Ying Hall Master, and even Tang Do-gyeong.
“I can’t believe it, even after seeing it. It hasn’t been five years since I diagnosed your celestial mark…”
The Poison Doctor, confirming my level, looked as if they had seen a ghost.
The surprise of the Poison Doctor, who had gradually untangled the blood curse with me since the Iryu days, was bound to be special.
“Yes, your exploits have been hard to ignore. Cleaning up the rabble of Sacheon City, stopping the Blood Sect’s movements during the Sacheon Outcast post-tournament…”
The Family Head let out a hearty laugh.
“And it seems your gambling skills have been revealed too?”
“Yes, well… it just happened that way.”
“Right. Now you can go out and say you learned from the Brain Knife Outcast.”
“Hahaha! Being the first disciple of Senior Ho, this Tang Do-gyeong can finally hold his head high.”
A light discussion about gambling unfolded. What tricks had been used at the Video Tower, what types of gambling were trending in the Tang Clan, and so on.
“If we keep this up, the day will break just with gambling talks.”
The Family Head changed the subject.
“I received your letter and proposal well. We will settle all grievances through Jeong Cheol and the matches… do you understand what that means?”
“Of course. The Tang Clan currently harbors the most profound resentment against Jeong Cheol. It means you wish to take revenge on his behalf.”
In a way, my proposal could be seen as an insult to the Tang Clan.
After the Tang Clan incident, they had given me a Bicheongmacha and even assigned Miss Tang So-yeol to my party because I could crush the justification of Jeong Cheol, who claimed vengeance as a Sacheon Outcast.
The Tang Clan had chosen to let me step forward to eliminate that justification to avoid leaving future troubles, not because they had given up their grievances.
But in such a situation, Jeong Cheol disappeared, spreading false information that he was addicted to poison.
Although it was not directly mentioned, it was apparent that everyone thought the Tang Clan was behind it, making it an enormous humiliation for them.
And now I would come forward to settle all grievances, including those of the Tang Clan regarding Jeong Cheol?
That could be a sensitive topic that the Tang Clan might interpret as me disregarding them.
“Indeed.”
The face of the Family Head, Tang Guanglie, discussing clan matters had no trace of a smile, and all the favor he had for me had completely vanished, leaving only an understanding light observing the situation.
“Separate from you, we have our own grievances against Jeong Cheol. He made a fool of the Tang Clan and spread nonsense that he was addicted to poison using cowardly means.”
“Indeed.”
“That’s why there have been fierce debates within the clan. Is it acceptable to leave the treatment of someone like Jeong Cheol, who deserves direct revenge, to you? The mere fact that Jeong Cheol made this proposal is proof he doesn’t regard the Tang Clan at all, leading to much anger among those concerned.”
It was certainly an understandable situation.
For the Tang Clan, Jeong Cheol was as good as an irreconcilable enemy. If Jeong Cheol focused solely on targeting me to settle grievances, how infuriating would that be from the Tang Clan’s perspective?
“Therefore, I want to ask you clearly.”
With a swish.
The Family Head made an astonishing maneuver. Suddenly, my internal energy attracted not only the attention of my companions but also the gazes of other members of the Tang Clan, yet the Family Head paid no attention and spoke up.
“Your true intentions.”
The Family Head pulled a letter from his robe.
[I, Sacheon Outcast Jeong Cheol, declare to the Martial World and the Brain Knife Outcast.]
It was a challenge and declaration issued by Jeong Cheol.
[While bedridden, I could not help but feel sorrow upon hearing of the Brain Knife Outcast’s actions. Although the actions of the Brain Knife Outcast have been beneficial to the entire Martial World, their essence is merely that of a pawn for the hypocrites of Sacheon. For someone like that to be hailed as a hero is a corruption of the spirit of this Martial World; thus, I, Jeong Cheol, will unveil the true spirit of the Martial World by burning myself alive, even in my bedridden state.]
[I, Sacheon Outcast Jeong Cheol, challenge the Brain Knife Outcast to a duel. If I am defeated, I will shed the title of Black Rib and vanish with everything I have built as a Sacheon Outcast. You, the Brain Knife Outcast, must also forsake your title and return to being an outcast if you shall lose.]
[Although the Brain Knife Outcast has become a mere servant to a large organization without even knowing the true meaning of being a Black Rib, I believe at least as a martial artist, you will accept this duel if you have any semblance of pride.]
I had already heard the contents verbatim through Black Cat, but this was the first time seeing the original text of the challenge.
“His face is as thick as the best in the world.”
“We should have turned him into a handful of poison that day…”
The members of the Tang Clan showed faces that hinted at their anger as they recalled the challenge’s contents.
Only the Family Head, Tang Guanglie, looked at me with a cold gaze and asked.
“Do you really believe that if he loses, he will keep his promise? Can you really imagine that someone who would fabricate lies for personal gain would willingly depart from the Martial World just because he lost?”
I looked at the members of the Tang Clan present: the Family Head, Feng Ying Hall Master, Poison Doctor, and even Tang Do-gyeong.
What was evident in their eyes was distrust.
Distrust towards Jeong Cheol.
A belief that this duel might itself be Jeong Cheol’s ruse or that even if he were to lose, he wouldn’t keep his promise.
If I were to say that I would retire Jeong Cheol after winning, they looked ready to personally hunt him down and kill him.
Thus, I smiled bitterly and began to speak.
“After I emerge victorious over Jeong Cheol…”
Everyone, including the Family Head, widened their eyes.
“I intend to take his life.”
* *
Word of Jeong Cheol’s challenge spread like wildfire across the world, drawing all martial artists’ attention to Sacheon.
The major sects of Sacheon gathered at the Tang Clan.
Se-in and the others were able to receive the conclusions reached by the sects assembled in Sacheon as a declaration.
[The Brain Knife Outcast declares.]
[Jeong Cheol, who organized the Sadoryeon and incited the Outcast Faction causing chaos in Sacheon, has used his cunning tongue to instigate further unrest in the Martial World, and we can no longer overlook this.]
[However, the grudge against Jeong Cheol is not solely my own, thus after understanding the perspectives of the Sacheon sects, I hereby draft this declaration.]
[I, the Brain Knife Outcast, will not avoid the duel against Jeong Cheol; he may set the place and date anywhere in Sacheon via this declaration.]
[As you have stated in your declaration, I expect you to show the minimum martial spirit as a martial artist.]
Acceptance of the duel!
Soon after the public declaration was made, Jeong Cheol’s response arrived.
[The duel is set for the date of Mo Month, Mo Day. The place of the duel will be identified as Seongneung-hyeon of Cheonghae. As there were remains of a fallen sect, the dueling venue will utilize that location.]
[I wish to involve those unrelated to the duel as witnesses, hence it will be a public duel.]
[However, I will personally appear at the dueling venue, and no one associated with the large sects of Sacheon or individuals connected to the Brain Knife Outcast shall be permitted to approach the scene.]
The duel is confirmed!
With the specific date and location established, those who wished to witness the clash between the Brain Knife Outcast and Jeong Cheol hurriedly set off on their journeys.
As the Martial World buzzed with news of the upcoming duel between the Brain Knife Outcast and the Outcast Faction’s Jeong Cheol.
In a certain cave, a Blood Person was bowing down and reporting.
“So, that Brain Knife Outcast is obstructing the work of our main sect and causing chaos in the Martial World?”
“That’s right, my Blood Ancestor!”
The Blood Person bowed their head and asked.
“Should we deal with this insolent one who dares to disrupt the great cause of our sect?”
For a while, there was no response to the Blood Person’s question.
The Blood Ancestor clicked his tongue, recalling the whereabouts of the Iron Blood Rat that had gone missing.
‘What a useless fellow.’
It might have had its strengths, but every time it did, it consumed a portion of accumulated Qi. It might be advantageous for survival, but it was utterly useless for combat. With that in mind, he was docile and lacked fighting prowess.
If there was any redeeming quality, perhaps it was its high intelligence.
Having deemed worthless in battle, it had been deployed in experiments to produce entities. And the results of those experiments had also been unsatisfactory.
So the disappearance of the Iron Blood Rat was not regrettable.
After all, the already weak creature would have been further weakened through experimentation, so was there any need to recover it?
However, even that Iron Blood Rat was an entity.
The pitiful results from the investment in generating that entity made the Blood Ancestor’s expression darken.
‘Rumor has it that the experiment was ultimately conducted. Yet even so, to be suppressed by the Brain Knife Outcast…’
The Brain Knife Outcast’s acknowledged level was Peak Stage. Though their companions were renowned among the Post-Stage, they could still be considered Peak Stage.
While they succeeded in some transformations, if they were being hunted down by Peak Stage opponents unable to properly deploy their Array Formation, they could not even be called entities.
Having concluded thus.
When he caught news of the duel between the Brain Knife Outcast and Jeong Cheol, the Blood Ancestor’s judgment wavered.
‘That Brain Knife Outcast… it’s rumored that they just recently attained the Peak Stage and are now set to fight Hwa-gyeong martial artist Jeong Cheol.’
There was a possibility that they could be a Hwa-gyeong martial artist concealing their true prowess.
If that were the case, perhaps the value of the experiment had to be reassessed.
“I shall witness the duel against Jeong Cheol.”
“Yes!”
“First, investigate in detail what happened with the Shengsu Faction. Prioritize recovering information regarding the experiment over the Iron Blood Rat.”
“Understood!”
The Blood Ancestor issued orders before promptly withdrawing his attention. The duel between the Brain Knife Outcast and Jeong Cheol, as well as the Iron Blood Rat or experiment-related matters, were merely sources of fleeting interest to him.
Grrrr…
A sound that could hardly be believed to be from a beast resounded in the cave.
In the cave, a massive Saber Beast, covered in blood, was writhing its limbs.
“Cough, cough…!”
The Blood Ancestor chuckled, watching such a Saber Beast.
The Iron Blood Rat? Such a creature was mere prey among the countless entities. As he contemplated the future, he was indeed conducting research on how to transform humans into entities, but there was no urgent need for it.
The world is vast, and there is no shortage of entities.
“Soon, this Blood Ancestor’s time will come. Until then, I’ll just enjoy watching the duels of the outcasts in peace. Heh heh heh…!”
The mockery of the Blood Ancestor echoed in the cave. It was on the day of Mo Month, the day when people flocked like clouds to the ruins of the fallen sect in Seongneung-hyeon, eagerly waiting for the confrontation between Jeong Cheol and Ho Cheon-an.
