Chapter 1
There was a man.
He was the leader of the Twin Demon Alliance, a cult that plunged the common people into despair, and the master of the Divine Blood Sect, a group with a bizarre ideology that aimed to drown the world with blood.
This man was Hyeok Wi-Sang, the Blood Demon.
He waged war across the martial world, taking countless lives, peasants and warriors alike.
“The world is full of hypocrisy and sin. Only through blood can it be purified.”
Wherever Hyeok Wi-Sang went, only blood and death remained in his wake.
The people said:
“No human could commit such atrocities. He must be a demon descended upon the mortal realm.”
“…Demon, my ass. Just a crazy bastard.”
Thud!
A headless body fell to the ground.
It was the end of Hyeok Wi-Sang, the Blood Demon. Whether demon or human, it seems all die the same when their heads are cut off.
“Finally dead, huh… Whew…”
Dokgo Hyeon slumped down on a pile of rubble.
As he exhaled the breath he had been holding, the pitch-black darkness in his vision gradually cleared, and the surrounding scene came into view.
Red and black.
Everywhere he looked, the landscape was painted in red and black.
Collapsed, burned buildings, corpses scattered everywhere, countless arrows and weapons stuck in the ground, and the ashes and blood that covered everything.
The colors of the battlefield were always like this.
Dokgo Hyeon gazed at the ruins and casually muttered a single sentence.
“Get up, you bastards.”
No answer came.
Of course, there wouldn’t be. The only things in the ruins were corpses.
Caw! Caw—!
Somewhere, the sound of crows echoed loudly.
“Are they all dead…?”
Dokgo Hyeon muttered in a low voice as he looked at the pile of bodies.
“…Did you think I was serious, you bastards?! You’re not dying yet!”
His eyes gleamed as he gripped the hilt of his sword.
“Argh! I’m up!”
“Okay! Stop swinging your sword!”
People covered in blood began rising from the pile of bodies one by one.
“Hey! Wake that guy up before the captain loses it! Looks like it’s over!”
“Ugh, I’m gonna die!”
The once silent battlefield suddenly became noisy.
The people who appeared to be corpses, battered and bloodied, were none other than the secret strike force directly under the command of the Martial Alliance Leader—The Demon-Slaying Squad.
“You bastards! The captain’s been dancing between life and death, and you’re all here pretending to be dead?”
Dokgo Hyeon gritted his teeth as he glared at the Demon-Slaying Squad.
The squad members, indignant, shouted back.
“Hah! You think we were just lounging around?”
“I took several stabs for you, captain!”
“I practically dipped my toes into the River of Souls!”
“Look at this! I almost had my guts spilling out from being stabbed!”
Wham!
Dokgo Hyeon planted the tip of his sword into the ground with a smirk.
“So, now that it’s all over, you think you can challenge me?”
The squad members flinched and shuddered.
“C-Calm down, captain. Let’s put the sword down and talk. We’re all injured!”
“And you think I’m not?”
Truth be told, Dokgo Hyeon was in the worst condition among them. Several arrows were lodged in his back, and even as they spoke, blood was seeping from the gash in his abdomen.
“More importantly! That bastard! Is that ghostly freak really dead?”
“Gasp! Yeah, what about that freak with the ghostly eyes?”
The previously boisterous squad members tensed up, swallowing nervously.
“Trying to change the subject, huh… Fine, I’ll let it slide this once.”
Dokgo Hyeon chuckled and nodded toward his feet.
“If you don’t believe me, see for yourself.”
On the ground lay a severed head.
The skin, drained of blood, was pale, but the eyes, as red as blood, still glared lifelessly.
It was the head of the Blood Demon, Hyuk Wi-sang.
“He’s really… really dead!”
“I knew the captain would take that bastard’s head!”
“Good work, Captain.”
“You did great, Captain!”
The Demon-Slaying Squad members called out, their faces beaming with wide smiles.
Good work, they said…
Yeah, it had been grueling.
Even though the fight was over, Dokgo Hyeon’s limbs barely responded. His vision blurred, likely from the amount of blood he’d lost.
But they had won.
He, and the Demon-Slaying Squad, had taken the head of the Blood Demon, the leader of the Divine Blood Sect.
“It’s over! It’s finally over!”
“Phew… It’s really done.”
“What’s the first thing you’re gonna do when we get back?”
“First thing? I’m drinking! What about you, Jang Cheol?”
“I’m going back to my clan. Now that I’ve earned a pardon at last.”
The squad members gathered in small groups, their faces bright as they began to talk about the future.
“A pardon, huh… Do you think I can return to my family?”
“I’m planning to open my own sect and become the founder! Hahaha! Anyone who wants to follow me, come along! I’ll make you all elders!”
“A sect? In our situation? We’d be lucky to live quietly without anyone noticing. Isn’t that right, Captain?”
…
Dokgo Hyeon silently looked around at his men.
Their ambitions were modest, given the great feat they had accomplished. The most ambitious goal was opening a small sect.
It made sense. The Demon-Slaying Squad was made up of those without status or privilege.
Disgraced disciples expelled from their sects, adopted sons treated like expendables by prestigious clans, criminals, slaves from outcast regions…
Each one had been promised some reward before being sent to the battlefield, men from the bottom of society.
The Demon-Slaying Squad was a humble group, bound together by their tragic pasts.
But.
“What’s the problem? Becoming a founder? If you want to, just do it. Since you’re at it, make it something grand.”
Being from the bottom of society was just yesterday’s story.
From today, the Demon-Slaying Squad would be known as the heroes who severed the Blood Demon’s head and ended the war.
“Hahaha! Look! The captain says so!”
At that moment, someone approached from behind and lightly sat beside Dokgo Hyeon.
“What will the captain do first when we return?”
It was a delicate voice, out of place on the battlefield.
A woman with a sword, broken in half, draped over her shoulder.
It was none other than one of the four deputy commanders, Namgung So-Hwa.
“Once we’re back, maybe you’ll snag a high-ranking position?”
“Come to think of it, didn’t the old man from the Assembly say he’d give you a position?”
Namgung So-Hwa’s words drew interested responses from nearby Demon-Slaying Squad members.
“Could it be… you’re going back to your clan?”
At the cautious question, all the Demon-Slaying Squad members’ eyes turned to Dokgo Hyeon.
“To my clan.”
Dokgo Hyeon wiped the blood from his face and muttered softly.
Just as the squad members each had their own stories, Dokgo Hyeon had his own as well.
The Dokgo Clan.
The place that had taken him in when he lived like a wild man as a branch member, and also the place that had sent him to this damned battlefield.
Dokgo Hyeon mulled over that name he had long forgotten, and then broke into a small smile.
“What do you plan to do about it?”
“If you have no place to go, come with us.”
“What? Why?”
“If not me, who else will put up with the captain’s damned personality?”
Namgung So-Hwa tossed her sweat and blood-soaked hair back as she spoke.
At that moment.
“Oh! If the Captain and the Deputy are going, then Zhang Che will follow too!”
“Shut up! Zhang Che, you should return to the sect!”
Namgung So-Hwa snapped angrily.
“What? Where are you going?”
“The captain is following the Deputy, isn’t he?”
“Then we should go too!”
“What are you guys talking about?”
“No, seriously! The captain is going to become the Grandmaster of the Demon-Slaying Sect! And the Deputy is going to retire in style!”
“Wait, you’ve already named the sect?”
Dokgo Hyeon’s eyes narrowed as he observed the noisy commotion among the Demon-Slaying Squad members.
They don’t even realize they’re still in enemy territory… No, more importantly.
“Quiet! You ungrateful bastards! Where do you think you’re going?”
“Ungrateful? Why is this about loyalty now?”
“Before you think about anything else, you should make memorials or graves for those who died in the middle of this! You’re all just thinking about yourselves!”
Dokgo Hyeon’s scolding made Namgung So-Hwa and the Demon-Slaying Squad members clear their throats awkwardly.
“Of course, that’s obvious.”
“Y-yes! We were definitely thinking about it!”
“Well, we didn’t mention it because it was a given! What do you take us for…”
Dokgo Hyeon clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Really, to think I’m stuck with such people…”
Boom, boom, boom!
At that moment, the sound of hooves pounding the ground shook the horizon.
Srrng!
The Demon-Slaying Squad members, who had been laughing and chatting, immediately grabbed their weapons and formed ranks, as if nothing had happened.
However, Dokgo Hyeon still maintained a relaxed smile.
“Well, look who showed up right on time.”
The Demon-Slaying Squad members widened their eyes and looked toward the source of the hoofbeats.
Riding toward them were warriors with the word “Alliance” clearly emblazoned on their chests.
“Hey! Over here! Here!”
“Ah, they’re alive. Even at times like this, it’s good to see those gentlemen.”
The faces of the Demon-Slaying Squad members brightened.
They were reinforcements. The rescue team that was supposed to secure their retreat after the battle had arrived.
“Whoa, whoa.”
Soon, the horses stopped, and a middle-aged man dismounted from the lead horse.
“Alliance Leader?”
Dokgo Hyeon furrowed his brow as he recognized him.
The man was dressed in a blue and white robe and had a gentle demeanor.
It was none other than the Martial Alliance Leader, Bai Mu-Hun, who had come in person.
“So, the sun rises in the west today. What brings you here in person?”
“You’re still alive, I see.”
“Likewise.”
Bai Mu-Hun, looking as if he had endured a harsh journey, approached Dokgo Hyeon and asked,
“Did you really pull it off?”
In response to the question filled with skepticism, Dokgo Hyeon gave a nonchalant smile.
“Can’t you tell by looking?”
“And the Blood Demon?”
“His head is rolling over there; you might want to look for it.”
“And the Eight Great Law Protectors and the Six Bodyguards?”
“Most of them have already left, just as you said. That’s how we managed it.”
“Hah, even so… I can’t believe it.”
Bai Mu-Hun marveled with a stunned expression.
It was hard to believe. The long war with the Twin Demons’ Alliance had finally come to an end today.
And it was achieved by the Demon-Slaying Squad, a group of underdogs.
“Are you alright?”
“As you can see.”
He was severely injured. In his current state, even taking a few steps was difficult.
But he was alive.
As long as he was alive, it was enough. These wounds would heal with a few days’ rest.
“Ha…”
Bai Mu-Hun sighed.
Seeing this strange expression, Dokgo Hyeon’s eyes twitched.
“I honestly didn’t think you’d make it this far.”
“What are you suddenly saying?”
“You’ve done well. And I am truly sorry.”
In an instant, a brilliant flash of light erupted from Bai Mu-Hun’s scabbard.
Dokgo Hyeon’s eyes widened in shock.
Instinctively, he tried to retreat, but his injuries made him too slow.
“Ugh!”
The worst!
Blood erupted from the gash in Dokgo Hyeon’s chest.
That was just the beginning.
“What the hell is this!”
“Captain! Captain!”
“Agh!”
Blood splattered everywhere. The martial artists who had come with Bai Mu-Hun began to slaughter the surviving members of the Demon-Slaying Squad.
Namgung So-Hwa, the other captains, Deung Pyung, Geum Seok-du, Jang Cheol… all the survivors of the Demon-Slaying Squad were drenched in blood.
Dokgo Hyeon’s eyes flared with rage.
“What is this…!”
Bai Mu-hun shook his head with a bitter smile.
“You’ve done too well for your own good.”
“What?”
“From the start, your role was only to weaken the Blood Demon’s power. The finishing touches were meant to be ours.”
Dokgo Hyeon felt his heart turn cold.
The absurd order to take on the stronghold alone, and the fact that the Blood Demon was waiting for them…
“Anyway, it’s over now…!”
“It’s over, yes. But… think about what comes next.”
Bai Mu-Hun muttered, with a trace of bitterness.
“Somehow… it’s not right for a unit like the Demon-Slaying Squad to have taken the enemy commander’s head.”
“!”
Dokgo Hyeon’s eyes widened in shock.
Swish!
Bai Mu-Hun flicked the blood off his blade and approached Dokgo Hyeon.
“Don’t worry about the aftermath. I’ll make sure your lives and those of the Demon-Slaying Squad are compensated generously. Their families will be taken care of, and their honor preserved. You’ll be hailed as heroes.”
“Until the very end…”
Dokgo Hyeon gritted his teeth.
No problems? He’ll just sweep them away to avoid any issues.
Even if Bai Mu-Hun genuinely intended to keep his promise, the name of the Demon-Slaying Squad would eventually be claimed by the prestigious sects and renowned families.
Hadn’t it always been this way?
They would seize everything they could, even taking from the dead without hesitation.
“No personal feelings,” Bai Mu-Hun said calmly, swinging his sword again.
In that brief moment.
Dokgo Hyeon’s drooping eyes glowed with a fierce light.
Slash!
The chilling sound of flesh and blood being severed echoed through the air.
Bai Mu-Hun’s sword sliced through Dokgo Hyeon’s body, while Dokgo Hyeon’s sword pierced Bai Mu-Hun’s heart.
“Ugh! Cough…!”
Bai Mu-Hun coughed up blood, his trembling eyes fixed on Dokgo Hyeon.
Dokgo Hyeon twisted his bloodied lips into a grim smile as he withdrew his sword.
“…I have personal feelings, you bastard.”
Bai Mu-Hun’s eyes widened in shock as he collapsed.
Thud!
Dokgo Hyeon also fell to the ground, exhausted and letting go of his sword.
The sky that filled his vision seemed so gray, it felt like it might pour rain at any moment.
To see such a sky in his final moments.
‘Well… maybe I expected this.’
His vision slowly narrowed.
As he looked up at the sky, Dokgo Hyeon couldn’t help but smile.
Wasn’t this the way the world always was?
From the start, those born into privilege saw people like him and the Demon-Slaying Squad as nothing more than hunting dogs to be used up and discarded when their usefulness ran out.
‘But… who would have thought that such a hunting dog would bring down both the Blood Demon and the Martial Forest Lord, you bastards?’
A hunting dog who killed both the Blood Demon and the Martial Forest Lord in one day.
Where in the long history of the martial world could one find a hunting dog with such a dazzling achievement?
“Cough! Hack!”
His body felt heavy. Sounds were fading away.
The leader of the Demon-Slaying Squad, Dokgo Hyeon, slowly closed his eyes.
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