The twin demons laughed. The sound echoed through the valley. The namgung elites and the boys all looked up as the twin demons fell from the sky and landed. The demons wasted no time. They attacked immediately. The fight itself was chaos.
Hanjo moved first, his staff spinning in golden arcs. The whip-like demon dodged with grace, retaliating with claws that split stone. Jinhu blocked a strike meant for Hanjo, his gauntlets shattering under pressure.
Ilho flanked left, slashing across the brute’s ribs. The demon didn’t flinch. Instead, it grabbed Ilho mid-strike and hurled him like a ragdoll.
Blue moved fast, a storm of precision and fury. Whispering Gale ignited from his blade, the second form of Silent Edge. He continued to attack. Every strike shaved away at the brute’s defenses.
Kwan screamed through the chaos, “NOW!” and drove his blade through the whip demon’s shoulder. Blood splattered across the rocks.
But even wounded, the demons laughed. “You tire,” one spat. “We don’t.”
Blue collapsed to one knee, breathing ragged. Kwan stumbled beside him, burned along his ribs
"Retreat,” Gyeom barked, blood coating his face. “We fall back. NOW.”
“No!” Jinhu growled.
“We’re not winning this one,” Ilho snapped. “MOVE!”
The order rang clear. The group began to pull out, but two did not. Baek and the Sword Saint stepped forward.
The soldiers turned, eyes wide.
“We shall cover your retreat,” Baek said calmly.
The Sword Saint unsheathed his blade. “Go. We’ll follow shortly.”
Blue turned back. And what he saw burned into his memory. Baek unleashed a wall of golden force, sacred scripture igniting behind him like a divine halo. His chants reverberated like thunder, each syllable pushing the demons back.
The Sword Saint became pure movement...his blade danced like lightning, every swing splitting flame and shadow. His qi exploded outward, forming the illusion of a dragon, its roar shaking the dungeon walls.
The twin demons howled in unison. The valley flashed with brilliance... gold, white, blue.
Then Blue was yanked back by Kwan. “Don’t look back,” his brother said. “They’ll return.”
But even as they retreated, something changed.
Atop the cliff overlooking the battlefield a figure emerged. Clad in obsidian armor etched with ancient runes. A massive broadsword rested on his shoulder. His helm concealed all but the red glow of its eyes. He watched the battle below.
"The little king has failed us again,” the demon growled. He turned to leave, but something stopped him.
He had locked eyes with someone. Blue froze mid-step. His neck burned, as if an old wound was reappearing. He spun and looked up. He stared at the figure on the cliffs, time seemed to stop.
"Blue! Blue! Damnit brother what are you doing?" Kwan screamed.
Blue slowly raised his arm and pointed. "That... that's the mother fucker. The one who cut off my head."
Everyone stopped. Kwan gripped his sword. Blue raised his Jian, fury burning just beneath the surface. They were about to ignore the retreat command.
Then, Baek and Gyeom reappeared in front of them, both bloodied but alive. Baek’s tone was uncharacteristically sharp. “We need to leave. Now.”
Gyeom nodded. “If we stay, we may all die here.”
“You’re not strong enough to face that thing yet, Blue,” Baek said. “Neither are we.”
“Whatever you’re thinking...whatever you're feeling...ignore it. Live to fight another day.”
Kwan didn’t move. Neither did Blue. Until Ilho and Jinhu grabbed them both by the shoulders, pulling them back.
The group turned and ran, the gate pulsing faintly in the distance.
And high above, the demon king watched them go. Waiting.
The red light of the gate dimmed behind them as they exited the gate. The smell of the gate still clung to their clothes, their skin, their breath. Medics moved in quickly. Bandages were wrapped. Water skins were pressed into trembling hands.
Jinhu dropped onto a crate, sweat and soot streaking his face. “What the fuck was that?” he said, his voice loud enough for half the camp to hear. “How is Murim still standing with monsters like that hiding in the gates?”
Baek turned, his gaze steady but heavy. “Because,” he said, “Murim has those who can match them.”
Jinhu frowned. “Stronger than you and the Sword Saint?”
Baek’s lips curved. “Yes.”
Gyeom stepped forward, wiping blood from his blade. “Cheng and Yeol,” he said. “They stand atop Murim’s peak. Either of them could have ended those demons without effort.” He paused. “And there are others...wanderers without sect or banner...whose strength is told as folklore and they protect Murim in their own way.”
The campfire light crackled. A stunned expression flickered across Ilho's face. "So you're telling me... what we just saw wasn't the top?"
"No,” Baek said simply.
"Technically." Gyeom said as he took a seat on a log. "I am a 2 star Ascendant. Cheng is on the verge of 3 star. Yeol sits almost a 4 star. The difference between a 3 star and a 2 star Ascendant... is like that of a third-rate to a Grandmaster."
"Why didn’t we know how strong elder Cheng was? He seems like a sweet old man." Jinhu whispered to Blue.
"Because that sweet old man. He is a cunning old bastard. He doesn't fight unless he wants to. Yeol on the other hand, he is as bloodthirsty as they come." Gyeom laughed.
"Amitabha." Baek added. "If not for Buddha sending Cheng and the Sword Saint to befriend Yeol. I'm afraid he would be a worse enemy for Murim than even these monsters."
Silence settled over the group, the weight of that truth was more than they could carry.
Baek’s tone shifted, sharp and commanding. “We leave for Silent Edge in the morning. Those who are wounded...rest. Those who can still stand, you will stand guard tonight.”
No one argued.
The morning after the battle, they broke camp without a word.
Boots crunched against the earth. No one spoke, not Baek, not Gyeom, not even Jinhu. The silence wasn't one of exhaustion. It was the reality of how weak they truly were.
Every one of them had felt it...the crushing gap between themselves and the monsters in that gate. Even Baek and the Sword Saint, unshakable pillars in their own right, walked with their jaws set and their eyes fixed on nothing in particular. They had all come face to face with how far they still had to climb if they meant to protect anything.
The march back to Murim was slow, deliberate. By the time Silent Edge’s gates came into view, the sun hung low, its light fading over the mountaintops.
Baek and Gyeom peeled away the moment they crossed the threshold, heading straight for Yeol, Cheng, and Wu Jin without a glance back.
Jinhu let a smile shine across his face. He stuck his nose in the air. He took a whiff. "Spiced pork! Let's go." He darted toward the dining hall. Blue shrugged his shoulders. "Last one there get the rod!"
Kwan looked at Ilho confused. "Stick around long enough, you'll learn." Ilho vanished. Kwan ran after them. As the boys reached the dining hall, they were laughing and arguing about who won and who lost. The dining hall doors opened as they walked through.
At a long table near the center sat Ryul, and beside him, Seori and So-Yeon. Ryul’s face lit up the moment he saw them. “You’re back.”
The group grabbed trays, loaded them quickly with steaming bowls and fresh bread, and slid into the seats across from the three.
Between bites, they told their story. The rivers of lava. The endless waves of demons. The twin masters. And finally, Blue’s voice lowered as he described the figure in obsidian armor...the one who had ended his first life with a single swing.
"It was him. The son of a bitch who took my head." Blue stared at his food.
Kwan's knuckles turned white as he gripped his chopsticks.
Blue’s gaze shifted to So-Yeon. “Why are you here?”
She met his eyes. “Because uncle Yeol summoned me. He said you’d be returning today… and that it’s time for a family meeting...now that Kwan knows the truth.”