Chapter 111

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on February 6, 2025

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The situation was getting worse by the minute.

And as things got more urgent, people started coming to me.

Especially those who had fled after receiving serious injuries while fighting would come to me, bow their heads, and beg for a blessing, staking their very lives on it.

They claimed that the head of the Celestial Palace had forbidden anyone from entering where I was, but the members of the Heavenly Horse Sect weren’t following this authority or power. They were just too scared of the bug inside them called Samshi.

This bug swims around in your body and gives you excruciating pain if you disobey your superiors within the Heavenly Horse Sect.

It’s created a system where everyone is desperate to climb up the ranks at any cost.

But when they came to my Harvester, they found out the bug inside them would disappear.

And once they realized that severed arms and legs, along with severely damaged body parts, could regenerate without a trace, people started coming to me, ready to die in the process.

But only three per day.

So a game of subtle mind games began.

And the higher-ups, who should have been limiting this, turned a blind eye because those injured in battle could return to the front lines. Meanwhile, even higher up, factions were busy fighting amongst themselves—those trying to push away Oh Myeong-seong, those attempting to make Gu Mil-mil the new leader, and others with completely different agendas. It was quite the mix.

Meanwhile, the Moon Hall Master was slowly dismantling the tangled web that held the Heavenly Horse Sect together. The marks of past vows that once bound people were disappearing, giving them more freedom—but also making them harder to control.

Ironically, actions taken for the greater good were weakening the unity of the Heavenly Horse Sect, eventually leading to its collapse.

Inadvertently, the Moon Hall Master helped bring about the downfall of the Heavenly Horse Sect.

But the Martial Arts Alliance they had to face was enormous.

Moreover, it kept growing.

Once its size started influencing entire regions, not joining became a disadvantage.

Dividing into sides is an age-old human tradition, especially in a world where groups often only cared for their own.

No, actually, it’s the opposite.

Since ancient times, humans have rarely accepted larger concepts unless something catastrophic—a war so massive it shattered identities, or events so terrible they destroyed all norms and values—forced them to.

Because up until now, our established societal identity has worked just fine.

Even though it’s rough around the edges, large groups function well as long as there’s a clear goal.

The complete annihilation of the Heavenly Horse Sect.

To create a world where no one dies like in the old days of countless victims.

Being victims themselves, they showed no mercy.

There’s no hesitation in killing people. After all, it’s not about killing people—it’s about eliminating evil for the sake of family, profit, and justice.

Ideas can spread through the world more powerfully than drugs.

Martial artists skilled with swords from the Martial Arts Alliance come to capture members of the Heavenly Horse Sect.

On the surface, it’s for noble causes, but practically speaking, the more people you kill, the higher rank you can achieve.

As they grew in size, it seems the Central Government, which oversees this vast land, started taking notice. But they likely won’t interfere until the Heavenly Horse Sect is completely gone since they don’t pay taxes anyway. They’re basically wild animals.

Who knows what happens after the Heavenly Horse Sect falls?

Anyway.

The Heavenly Horse Sect is fracturing, but the Martial Arts Alliance keeps expanding.

Numbers-wise, the Heavenly Horse Sect is doomed.

The signs are already here.

It’s been about ten days since the war began.

During this time, the Heavenly Horse hasn’t shown up once. More accurately, couldn’t show up.

And isn’t it said that bad things happen in twos? Now, near the villages surrounding the Heavenly Horse Sect, more people are turning against them.

Conversely, more people are joining the Martial Arts Alliance—not just weak ones, but powerful martial artists too.

I could see the writing on the wall.

Thinking about all this, I sent the Harvester back and sat on the porch.

Unlike how others might perceive the situation, nothing particularly big had happened here yet. The only real commotion was occasional shouting when more than three people showed up wanting to become Harvesters.

Other than that, nothing major.

Yet.

***

The next day.

Finally, Martial Artists reached a position where they could see the Heavenly Horse Sect.

At that moment, bells rang out across the main hall, the village, and even my house. Bells seem similar everywhere.

“Kang! Kang! Kang!” The loud sound filled the area where the Heavenly Horse Sect was located.

Still, only half of those who should’ve arrived made it to the meeting room.

Ultimately, including the Heavenly Horse and Oh Myeong-seong, those present decided to immediately engage in battle.

At the entrance of the village to the northwest, a group from the Martial Arts Alliance wearing white headbands appeared, and the fight had already begun.

“Choseol, don’t go outside.”

I was leisurely observing the unfolding situation from inside when Soo-oh suddenly furrowed her brow, picked up her sword, and stood up.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a murderous intent.”

After saying that, Soo-oh opened the door.

When the wooden door opened, the yard was visible, but there was no sign of anyone. No light either.

I thought maybe Soo-oh sensed what was happening in the village, but as soon as she stepped outside, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.

“Clang!”

Soo-oh swung her sword and deflected something.

Looking at what fell to the ground, it was a strange arrow.

Actually, it wasn’t an arrow. It looked like one, but it was entirely made of metal.

“Choseol, outside! Hurry!”

Suddenly, Soo-oh grabbed me and ran outside.

Not long after, a long iron rod pierced through the house. If I’d been inside, I’d have been skewered.

The headquarters of the Heavenly Horse Sect is on a cliff, with entrances ranging from the north to the west via a gentle slope.

The gentlest slope to the west has a village, and that’s where the Martial Arts Alliance is invading now.

So, this must be a diversion.

“Choseol, they’re bad people.”

Soo-oh coated her sword with purple smoke and glared fiercely at something. I followed her gaze.

From the forest to the north, where the arrows came from, figures camouflaged by natural surroundings were approaching.

The distance from here to the forest is considerable.

Did they shoot that iron spike from way over there?

With internal energy, humans can perform superhuman feats. Given that premise, it’s not impossible, but shooting so many?

The people approaching held strange objects in their hands.

Not bows, not crossbows.

They looked like harpoon guns, but when the spikes flew earlier, there was no explosion sound. So, it wasn’t gunpowder.

Soon, they aimed the harpoon-like weapons at us.

And then…

Without a sound, the spikes flew toward us.

Soo-oh threw me aside, swung her sword high…

“Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-jak!”

Metal fragments embedded themselves all around.

But Soo-oh stood firm, having deflected them all.

“Guh…”

“No!”

Trying to say something in response to Soo-oh’s scream, only the sound of air escaping came out. The spear had pierced my chest, puncturing my lungs and diaphragm.

My body was big, and the spikes flew in such wide range that throwing someone wouldn’t help evade the attack.

One pierced my chest, another my thigh.

So, bathed in two people’s light, I immediately drained their warmth.

Far away, flesh and bone splattered, and the weapons they held sank into their flesh. From the fragments of their memories I saw, unsurprisingly but expectedly, I learned the name of this thing.

It’s called the Sealing Needle.

It’s a technique of the Immortals.

Two notable points.

First, the tube. This is the device that fires the needle, likely using Qi similarly to how magic power works in other worlds.

And the Sealing Needle itself. Once it pierces someone, it sucks their Qi. The difference between before and after firing suggests there’s a mechanism activated only upon firing that draws Qi.

The two monsters deprived of warmth went berserk seeking more warmth.

But they were quickly subdued with glowing blade-like weapons.

They’re strong.

Their true identity: disciples of the Immortals.

Disciples who study under Immortals to become one themselves.

Based on the scattered memories, it seems similar to Daegon creating fishmen followers.

Creating their own kind using humans.

Immortals seem to use this method.

They came armed with special artifacts called seals to eliminate those who create Harvesters.

Yes, I thought they were targeting the Heavenly Horse as a diversion, but I was wrong.

The Martial Arts Alliance wants to remove the Heavenly Horse Sect’s Harvesters, while these guys are here for me.

Strictly speaking, both were likely decided by the connection between the Martial Arts Alliance and the side of the Immortals, considering they extracted the souls of Jungjae-woo and Byung-il to obtain various information about the Heavenly Horse Sect.

Thus, the target of the Immortal Disciples is me.

I looked at Soo-oh, fidgeting anxiously beside me.

Wow, didn’t know Soo-oh was this strong.

I knew she was pretty capable, but this much? As I watched the Immortal Disciples advance again, I glanced back at Soo-oh.

She could probably survive on her own anywhere.

Then I pointed eastward with my finger.

Yeah.

There’s only stone pillars and a complex lake over there.

Just telling her to run far away.

If the Heavenly Horse Sect wins, she can come back later. If not, running far away is fine too.

Priority is survival, right? That’s the value of everything we’ve built so far.

Soo-oh looked at me with teary eyes.