CFZ

Ilcheong Sword stood frozen, as if his mind had short-circuited.
The other members of the Martial Alliance, including Bumdong, looked equally shaken—like they’d just been hit by an earthquake.
Honestly?

Connections were always a useful thing.
I was reminded of that once again.
‘…Hah.’

Maybe it was because Heavenly Lord had intervened to defuse the situation.
Thanks to him, my head cooled off a bit.
With my current body, I wouldn’t have been able to handle a fight against Ilcheong Sword.

Well, I might have pulled off a victory, but the plan would’ve gone up in flames.
“Now that we’re done talking, can we go?”
“...”

Ilcheong Sword furrowed his brow.
He clearly had more he wanted to say, but with Heavenly Lord standing right there, he swallowed it down.
Instead, he shot me a sharp glare before eventually giving in.

“…I’ll escort you.”
And just like that, he folded.
 

******************
The path to the pavilion was clear once the first obstacle was removed.
With Ilcheong Sword personally leading the way—and the location not being far to begin with—it didn’t take long to arrive.
As we moved, I glanced around.

‘A lot of personnel.’
I had counted forty earlier, but there were even more stationed inside.
Though it was far fewer than the Alliance’s original forces, it was still a sizable number.

One thing, however, stood out.
‘Where did the rest of them go?’
Three division leaders were here.

Ilcheong Sword, Twin Blade Sword, and the last one…
‘Probably the Golden Dragon Division Leader.’
Judging by the two swords hanging at his waist, he fit the description of someone who practiced dual-sword techniques.

The One Dragon Division Leader was confirmed dead.
The Red Dragon Division Leader was a separate matter.
And I already knew what the Wind Dragon Division Leader was up to.

So where were the others?
‘They weren’t around when the monsters attacked, so I thought they were all here.’
But that clearly wasn’t the case.

So where did they go?
“...”
I had one guess.

I hoped I was wrong.
If I wasn’t, my faint respect for the Alliance would turn to outright resentment.
We continued walking.

Eventually, we arrived at the pavilion—the site of the martial arts tournament and my earlier clash with the Poison King.
To think I’d end up back here in this battered state so soon.
‘What a joke.’

I stared straight ahead, suppressing the bitter thoughts creeping in.
The crimson barrier was still intact.
It was surrounded by a large group of people.

“Damn it…!”
“What the hell are we supposed to do?!”
“Hurry up and try again! The Alliance Leader is still trapped inside!”

“We’re doing everything we can!”
The gathered crowd was visibly distressed, staring helplessly at the barrier.
I recognized the uniforms of prestigious martial clans and the crests of wealthy merchant families.

Whether it was strength or wealth, the people here represented the pillars of the Central Plains.
As I scanned the scene, my gaze settled on a figure standing at the forefront.
An old man with an expression twisted in fury—

‘Look at that face. He’s about ready to cut someone down.’
The current Martial Alliance Leader, the Wudang Sword Saint.
Gone was the benevolence typical of a Daoist elder.

He looked more like a demon.
Judging by the clear skies, he likely knew the worst of the attack was over.
And yet, his expression showed no relief.

‘So he knows.’
He wasn’t a fool.
He must’ve realized the Alliance’s image—and his own authority—was crumbling.

Trapped and unable to act, he could only stew in anger.
I understood that feeling all too well.
‘How satisfying.’

Oddly, it lifted my mood.
Feeling unexpectedly cheerful, I pushed forward.
I brushed past the guards blocking my way.

“Excuse me.”
“Urgh—! What the—”
“Yeah, yeah. Move aside. I’m in a hurry.”

I forced my way through.
When I finally reached the front, I saw the scene up close.
Near the barrier, a group of martial artists stood wearing uniforms marked with the character for “wind” (風).

‘Wind Dragon Division.’
They were one of the Eight Sword Divisions, specializing in formations and tactics.
At the center—

“…Division Leader! Please, stop! You’re going to hurt yourself!”
“Let us handle the rest. Please…!”
Surrounded by people trying to restrain him, an old man knelt before the barrier, his hands trembling as he touched it.

It was Bima Pa, the Wind Dragon Division Leader.
Despite his frail body, he kept working on the barrier, his hands visibly shaking.
He was trying to break the seal.

‘Not much use, though.’
He was acting under my orders.
“Huu… Huuu…”

Bima Pa looked like he could collapse at any moment, yet he didn’t stop.
Watching him, I narrowed my eyes.
‘Looks like my guess was right.’

I’d hoped to be wrong.
But the situation was playing out exactly as I feared.
It had been estimated that even with Bima Pa’s help, breaking the barrier would take half a day.

The half-day estimate was only possible because Bima Pa, the Wind Dragon Division Leader, was an expert among experts.
If anyone else had tried, it would’ve taken days.
It spoke volumes about her skill.

After all, she was the reason the process could be shortened to just half a day.
And sure enough—
‘The barrier’s gotten a little thinner.’

The crimson barrier looked slightly faded compared to before.
But—
‘It’s still going to take a while.’

It had only dimmed a bit. Fully dispelling it would take much longer.
I frowned, contemplating my next move.
Half a day was too long.

I had to break the barrier sooner.
That was why I was even using Bima Pa in the first place.
‘But this might get annoying.’

What should I do?
I studied the barrier.
To the eye, it just looked like a normal magical seal.

But as Pillduma had boasted, it had enough power to restrain three of the Ten Grand Masters and several martial artists at the Hwagyeong level.
Still…
‘Is it really that hard to undo?’

Activating my Insight Vision, I examined the barrier.
Even turning it on was a struggle, thanks to my internal injuries.
‘Oh.’

I could see it.
A web of countless intertwined threads—so tangled it was impossible to tell where they began or ended.
The threads formed the barrier, and it seemed Bima Pa was carefully unraveling them to find the starting point.

I realized something immediately.
‘No wonder it’s going to take half a day.’
When was she supposed to untangle all of this and find the starting point?

‘This is the most tedious work I’ve ever seen.’
Feeling a headache coming on, I examined it more closely.
‘…Hmm.’

I squinted, looking for clues.
‘Still can’t figure out the principles.’
I couldn’t understand how it functioned or produced such effects.

Not that I’d expected to—I’d never studied formations.
‘A shame.’
If I could figure it out, it’d be a useful power to exploit.

But with Pillduma gone, there was no point in dwelling on it.
Instead—
‘Hmm.’

I shifted my focus.
The tangled threads…
They were packed so densely that finding any gaps seemed impossible.

Yet, not long after, I noticed something strange.
Several of the threads were glowing.
‘What’s this?’

Why were those threads shining differently?
I traced them with my eyes.
Most of the threads, though ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ tangled, converged toward one spot.

That spot was somewhere on the ground beneath the barrier.
It looked like an ordinary patch of dirt.
Ignoring Bima Pa, I headed there.

It was about six steps away from the group of martial artists.
Of the many glowing threads, several converged at this point.
It didn’t look special at all.

I stared at it for a moment before reaching out.
Wuuung—!!
The barrier trembled as soon as my hand touched it.

“D-Division Leader! The barrier’s reacting!”
“Could it be? Is there progress?!”
Thinking it was Bima Pa’s doing, the others turned to her with excitement.

I ignored them and focused on the sensation at my fingertips.
Wuuung.
Wuuuuung.

Energy pulsed against my hand.
The formation, which had seemed complex from afar, felt different up close.
‘This feels… familiar.’

I’d felt this before.
I thought about it for a moment—then remembered.
‘Ah.’

Pillduma’s hideout.
It was similar to the formation I’d touched there.
Though this one was far more intricate.

The threads began writhing violently, as if rejecting my touch.
Wuuuuuung—!!
“…T-This can’t be! The formation’s destabilizing!”

“If this keeps up… we’ll have to recalculate everything!”
“Damn it! Why now?!”
The others panicked, thinking their progress had been ruined.

But I didn’t get it.
‘Why start over?’
The vibrations were wild, sure, but the source wasn’t the chaotic threads.

It was the glowing threads I’d grabbed.
‘Why bother with the start or end points?’
How long would it take to find those?

Instead—
‘Why not just rip the right thread?’
If I’d already found a critical thread, why not simply pull it?

As soon as I thought of it, I gripped the thread and yanked.
Snap—!
It tore easily—almost too easily.

My eyes widened in surprise.
Why was it this fragile?
Had I pulled the wrong one?

But before I could second-guess myself—
Wuuuuuuuuung—!!!!
The barrier quivered violently.

Guuuuuuuung—!!!!
Starting from the point where the thread snapped, the barrier began to unravel.
“Hah—!! D-Division Leader! You did it—huh?”

“Huh?”
They were about to cheer—until they realized the barrier’s collapse hadn’t started with Bima Pa.
Their eyes all turned toward me.

…
…?
Their faces clearly said, What the hell just happened?

I gave them an awkward smile.
“Well, uh… it just seemed like it was taking too long, so I tried something… and it worked? Haha. Lucky, right?”
Haha…

I forced a laugh, but—
…
…

…
No one laughed with me.