“What the hell happened! The rioters have invaded the imperial palace!”
Mangwibi scolded Wangjik, who had come to fetch her from the secondary palace.
Wangjik, her loyal subordinate, lowered his head and explained as if to defend himself.
“It seems the rioters are more resistant than expected. The Imperial Guard is suppressing them right now, so please wait just a bit longer.”
“Tsk, it’s hard to trust such a careless handling of matters.”
Clicking her tongue, she understood the urgency of the situation and decided to move deeper into the palace with Wangjik.
“Yangbang, you lead the way.”
As Wangjik glanced at Yangbang, who was standing behind him, Yangbang nodded with a bright smile.
“Of course.”
‘What on earth is this guy still thinking about?’
Wangjik stood next to Mangwibi, aware that all the power he currently held came from her.
If Mangwibi, who was adored by the Emperor, were to perish, his position would be at risk too.
Thus, he had to protect her at all costs.
‘There’s no better puppet than this foolish woman.’
As an old woman hurriedly followed Yangbang, glancing sideways at Mangwibi, Wangjik suddenly realized something.
‘There shouldn’t be a path this way?’
He immediately called out to Yangbang, who was leading the way.
“Did you take a wrong turn? Up ahead is a dead end.”
Yangbang, who was walking ahead, replied.
“No, this way is correct.”
“…?”
Noticing something odd, Wangjik halted his steps.
Meanwhile, without any suspicion, Mangwibi and the palace ladies entered an alley surrounded by high walls, following Yangbang.
That moment of doubt split the fate of Wangjik and them.
Splash!
In the blink of an eye, a wave of black sand surged forward, swallowing Mangwibi and the palace ladies whole.
“What the…”
Wangjik couldn’t comprehend the events occurring before his eyes.
It was an utterly surreal sight.
Mangwibi and the palace ladies consumed by the black sand turned into a handful of blood, leaving no corpses behind.
It was hard to believe this was the end for a figure who had manipulated the imperial family of the Ming Dynasty for nearly two decades, backed by the Emperor’s favor.
However, Yangbang, the one who committed this monstrous act, smiled nonchalantly and said,
“Oh dear, it seems we have a witness now.”
Wangjik, now alert, pointed a finger at the ‘being wearing human skin’ before him.
“You! What in the world are you?”
Suddenly, Yangbang’s eyes, normally half-closed, widened as if he no longer felt the need to maintain a facade.
“I’m Yang, one of the ten heavenly lords of the Haedo faction.”
“Haedo faction? What organization is that?”
“Well, it’s unfortunate if a person of this age doesn’t understand. To put it simply, think of it as a group of enlightened beings that prospered in the past.”
“Enlightened beings? You, Yangbang, are an enlightened being?”
“I did pretend to be a Taoist for your convenience, but I am indeed an enlightened being. Yes.”
Feeling uneasy about Yangbang’s overly polite explanation, Wangjik cautiously inquired,
“If you’re an enlightened being, why bother explaining all this to a mere human like me? Couldn’t you just kill me like Mangwibi and the palace ladies?”
“Well, there’s a bond we’ve built over time, and I’d like to give you a generous gift for the road to the afterlife… But, yes, you still seem useful, so I’m letting you live.”
Yangbang stated his intentions openly.
“If I leave no witnesses and kill everyone here, I’d surely have nothing to worry about afterward. But that won’t do. To resurrect our Haedo faction and spread the name of the ten heavenly lords, I require an appropriate herald.”
“So you mean you want to use me as a convenient promotional tool?”
“Yes. From what I’ve observed, your cunning and meticulous nature make you the perfect herald I’m looking for.”
“Hahaha! That’s quite the joke! They say there’s always a way out, even when the sky is falling!”
Wangjik, laughing like a lunatic, glimmered with excitement.
“So what should I do from now on? Just tell me.”
“You’re surprisingly proactive. I thought you would show more resistance.”
“I know I’ll be killed the moment I become useless, so I need to be smart about this.”
“Good. You have a good grasp of your position.”
Yangbang smiled with satisfaction and then spoke to Wangjik, who was looking at him with a nervous expression.
“Then, to celebrate your becoming my subordinate, I’ll give you your first command. Go to the Emperor right now and report that the furious martial artists have killed Mangwibi.”
“…If I do that, it would start an all-out war between the royal family and the martial artists, right?”
With a smile of delight on his face, Yangbang replied,
“Yes, that’s exactly what I want. Only in times of chaos can I take revenge against the dreaded Taeyul Jin people and resurrect my sworn friends.”
Looking at his crazed expression, a shiver ran down Wangjik’s spine.
Though he wore the guise of a human, it was clear he was anything but human.
Perhaps a ferocious beast would be more understandable.
Realizing this instinctively, Wangjik began to step back and said,
“Uh, then I’ll take my leave. I must report this to the Emperor as soon as possible.”
“That sounds good.”
The moment Wangjik turned his back to end the conversation with Yangbang—
“Wait.”
Suddenly, a beautiful voice pierced his ear.
*
“Wait.”
With those words, a girl appeared from the sky.
Stepping onto the floating black sword as if walking on stairs, she descended slowly to the ground, possessing a beauty reminiscent of a celestial maiden descending to earth.
Even Wangjik, who thought he had to leave immediately, momentarily felt mesmerized.
But he quickly regained his senses at the girl’s cold expression.
‘What on earth is she?’
From the sudden descent and her abnormal beauty, it was clear she was not an ordinary person.
Perhaps she was an enlightened being, just like Yangbang, he thought, prompting him to consider fleeing as fast as possible.
However, as he cautiously attempted to take a step back, one of the nine swords floating behind the girl shot forward and struck the ground at his feet.
“I told you to wait, didn’t I?”
With the sword firmly aimed at his torso, Wangjik cursed inwardly.
‘You bastards.’
Do they think I’m someone who just comes and goes at their whim?
But he wisely refrained from voicing his thoughts to avoid making a broad provocation.
As he hesitated, shifting his gaze between Yangbang and the girl, Yangbang spoke up.
“It’s been a while, Dokgo Sojeo. Has it been almost two months?”
“Well, the humiliation I suffered at your hands feels as fresh as if it just happened yesterday.”
The girl called Dokgo Sojeo said as she slowly turned her gaze sideways.
Swallow—
As Wangjik swallowed nervously at the blade still aimed at him, a small jar hidden behind Yangbang suddenly erupted with a massive amount of sand.
“……!”
Surprised, the girl jumped back, and Wangjik didn’t miss the opportunity.
Tap-tap!
As soon as she revealed a gap, he dashed in the opposite direction.
“Hey!”
Noticing Wangjik dashing away, the girl gestured, and one of the swords that had been floating in the air shot towards the back of his head.
But—
Splash!
The sword that had shot from the jar, almost like a limb, intercepted the one heading for Wangjik.
As their eyes met for a brief moment, Yangbang smiled and said,
“I’ll take care of this. You go on ahead.”
Wangjik nodded in gratitude and ran off, afraid that the girl might chase after him.
In reality, he had already fallen behind due to his status as a eunuch, but that wasn’t particularly important now.
What mattered was that he was still alive.
‘Monstrous bastards.’
As he looked back and heard explosions erupting from the direction of the secondary palace, he thought to himself, considering escaping.
But with Yangbang’s transcendent abilities before him as an enlightened being, he felt certain he would be pursued relentlessly.
Swiftly giving up on that thought, he rushed to inform the Emperor about Mangwibi’s death as ordered by Yangbang, and soon the Taehwa Hall began to come into view.
Some hope ignited within him.
But just for a moment, as his breath started to hasten, Wangjik felt something strange.
‘What’s going on? My legs feel heavy.’
His legs, as if soaked in water, felt like lead, refusing to move forward.
Eventually, he knelt before the Taehwa Gate.
“Haah, haah, haah, haah.”
Dripping—
Fresh red blood trickled from his nose as he gasped for breath.
Soon, feeling his head spin, Wangjik collapsed to the ground.
“@!#%^&”
The guards at the Taehwa Gate rushed over, muttering at the sight of him falling, but he could hear nothing anymore.
‘Damn it.’
The moment he thought he barely survived, despair came crashing down.
The cause of death for one of the world’s most infamous treacherous officials was none other than acute radiation syndrome.
