Chapter 18

The Fifth Chime's hands were so big they engulfed Gion's entire torso when he grabbed him.

If the wall hadn't been destroyed, the Fifth Chime wouldn't have been able to enter.

"Follow me quietly."

The Fifth Chime emitted a deadly black aura.

In an instant, the room was buried in black energy and began to decay.

Thud!

Despite his massive size, the Fifth Chime's speed was incredibly fast, flipping the entire room in the blink of an eye.

Even the mere wavering of the black aura caused the scattered corpses to decay instantly.

He could tell at a glance that he didn't get the title of 'Chime' for nothing.

He was filled with murderous intent.

The Fifth Chime radiated an ominous aura, yet Gion remained stoic, his expression unfazed.

In any other situation, the mere sight of the Fifth Chime's size would have caused someone to faint.

"..."

But to Gion, the Fifth Chime wasn't even worth the effort.

Crash!

"Ugh..."

A hole the size of a human head appeared in the Fifth Chime's solar plexus.

"...Why...? There was clearly only one fragment of light..."

The Fifth Chime blinked dumbly, not understanding why he was being overpowered.

But Gion didn't answer the Fifth Chime's question. He simply tied him up with a white cloth.

*Swoosh!*

The Fifth Chime's right arm was severed. Amidst the echoing screams, a chilling voice quietly resounded.

"Did you create the forces that distorted history?"

"Uh, uhh... No. I did not..."

"Then who did?"

"..."

The demon remained silent, showing an unknown fear.

*Crack.*

Just like snapping a rotten branch, Gion carelessly tore off the demon's left arm.

The Fifth Chime's arm, as big as Gion's torso, lifelessly fell to the ground.

Writhing in pain, the Fifth Chime started to scream.

"I don't know! I just did what I was told to-"

*Thud.*

"Aaagh!"

"..."

"I really don't know! Really-"

*Thump!*

"Stop... please..."

Gion silently thrust the knife into the Fifth Chime. The massive body of the demon, the guardian of the Seosan, began to be mercilessly torn apart.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

.

.

.

Gion didn't stop; he kept stabbing the knife into the Fifth Chime's legs.

Cutting the tendons so he couldn't walk, slicing the muscles so he couldn't stand up.

Gion didn't ask questions or show anger. He just repeatedly stabbed and slashed, ensuring that the Fifth Chime was barely alive.

How much time had passed?

Completely consumed by fear, the Fifth Chime urgently cried out.

"I only know that I joined hands with the Fourth Chime and the Black Tortoise! I don't know the thoughts of those above me! I was just following orders. I don't know the origin of the history distortion!"

"..."

"The Fourth Chime will eventually follow his father! How would I know what the Demon King is thinking!"

There was no lie in the terrified Fifth Chime's words. He was just shouting out the information he knew to survive.

Finally, Gion spoke.

"I'll give you three days."

"..."

"Find out everything you claimed you didn't know."

The Fifth Chime was a subordinate following the Fourth Chime and the gatekeeper of Seosan. And the Fourth Chime was a loyal confidant to the Demon King.

Gion's words were no different than telling the Fifth Chime to die. But Gion had no need to be considerate.

Gion looked at the Fifth Chime, who was showing a face as if the world had crumbled.

Gion's eyes seemed to hold a darkness deeper than the black energy the demons possessed.

The Fifth Chime couldn't discern what was lurking deep within those pitch-black eyes.

Gion, moving on, said,

"If you can't, then bring the Demon King before my eyes."

***

Black Tortoise.

The turtle guardian spirit lived in a sturdy cave.

Being surrounded by mountain ranges, the tribe of Black Tortoise settled in Hyunhwa Cave, called the sturdiest cave of the White Flower Kingdom.

Thud.

Gion slowly walked into the cave.

The cave, where not even a sliver of light entered.

Drops of water fell from the ceiling, and the already dark space was made even murkier by the fog, blurring the visibility.

"Who's there?"

Upon reaching a statue, the tribe members of Black Tortoise who were praying stood up.

The tribe member, surrounded by the sturdiest shell, approached Gion.

"How did you get in here? The gatekeepers-"

"...Ugh."

The gatekeeper, dragged by Gion's hand, groaned.

Even being a tribe member with a sturdy body, he appeared half-conscious with broken bones.

"...You madman!"

The tribe members immediately started rushing toward Gion.

"Don't, don't come closer. You'll die...!"

The gatekeeper shouted urgently to the other tribesmen.

The gatekeeper, who was still in Gion's grip, was the strongest tribesman among those at the cave entrance.

"The, the rock has..."

A tribe member, kneeling, pointed towards the entrance of Hyunhwa Cave.

The entrance, which should have been blocked by sturdy rocks, was wide open.

The large rocks were shattered into pieces, turning into several stones rolling around.

The praying tribe members only scowled.

"..."

A massive statue so large that even tilting one's head back wouldn't capture it in a single glance.

The statue of the deity worshipped by the tribe of Black Tortoise was showing a gentle smile, with its eyes closed.

Thud.

Gion passed through them and stood in front of the statue.

"Call Sihwan."

"...What?"

The tribe members laughed incredulously at the sudden request to call the chieftain.

"Do you know who I am to summon Sihwan-"

"Gion."

Gion sat down on the platform in front of the statue.

Thud.

Having stabbed his Chunhwa sword into the ground, Gion rested his hands on the handle and leaned forward.

Sitting in front of the massive statue, Gion's figure was shrouded in a white aura.

"Tell them I'm here, and he will come."

***

"Are you sure it was Gion?"

"Yes... The rocks blocking the entrance of Hyunhwa Cave have been shattered..."

"..."

A tribe member wearing a deep green crown stood before the statue.

The man stopped in his tracks when he saw Gion, bloodied amidst the fog, sitting on the platform.

"Sigh..."

The man took a deep breath, bowed his head, and straightened up.

"Everyone, go back in."

"What? But-"

"I said go back in."

The tribe member blinked his filmy eyelids and spoke softly.

The praying tribe members glanced at Gion and then disappeared into the fog.

Gion, motionless, spoke.

"I said bring Sihwan here."

The man in front of Gion was different from the other tribe members.

Covered in mystical scales and emitting a deep green aura, the man, armored in a shell as sturdy as armor, approached Gion.

"Lord Gion."

As if finding it troublesome, the man tilted his head and approached Gion.

"You've made a wasted trip. Sihwan is not here right now."

"Then send a message for him to come here."

The man, surveying the broken entrance and the dirtied interior, sighed.

"Sihwan is no longer your subordinate, just like you are no longer a general."

"..."

"One hundred years. A whole century. Even if you are Gion, you can't treat the tribe of Black Tortoise like this anymore. The world has changed."

"What exactly."

The quietly murmuring voice resonated chillingly.

A hundred years had passed, but Gion was still alive, draped in the white aura that protects the White Flower Kingdom.

The man frowned, grasping a large spear.

"Do you know where you are?"

The place where the five guardian tribes can exert their strongest power.

It was where the tribe lived.

It meant no different than entering a tiger's den alone.

"This is the stronghold of Black Tortoise."

"So what."

"What?"

The man, who had been bowing his head, was quietly observed by Gion.

"What changes because of that."

The man hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

"... Please leave while I'm asking nicely."

Rumble.

As soon as the man finished speaking, tribe members armed with spears and shields surrounded Gion.

Gion quietly sat and observed them.

Even at a glance, it was evident that the guardians of Hyunhwa Cave had grown stronger than a hundred years ago.

Not just overpowering with sheer strength, their stance betrayed dedicated training in martial arts.

Even amidst urgent circumstances, they did not break formation, each holding their position.

"Ha..."

A laugh escaped involuntarily.

Veins throbbed in the hand gripping the Chunhwa sword.

Gion, without drawing his sword, leaned against the statue.

After all.

It was a scene all too familiar to Gion.

Formation, tactics, and the posture of the soldiers.

All were reminiscent of the defensive tactics Gion had employed in 'Biryu.'

The tribe of the Black Tortoise, stuck in the past hundred years, hid within their sturdy shells, parasites leeching off the White Flower Kingdom.

The tactics devised to save even one life were now being used to protect the distorted history.

Gion looked up at the crystal ball attached to the ceiling and then stood up.

Boom!

Gion slowly advanced.

Merely taking one step at a time, calmly.

Yet, the charging tribe members couldn't even graze Gion's clothes.

They just helplessly fell, struck by the gracefully swirling Chunhwa sword.

Only screams echoed through the cave.

"What, what the-"

All the soldiers had fallen, only managing to groan.

Gion set down the Chunhwa sword and grabbed the man's spear.

"Ugh..."

The man, twice Gion's size, exerted all his strength to hold the spear, but it was in vain.

Clang.

The massive spear hit the ground, producing a dull sound.

Then.

Thud!

Gion punched the man in the solar plexus.

A cracking sound followed, and the man clutched his stomach, kneeling.

"Do you think it's okay to change history just because the White Flower Kingdom has fallen?"

Suddenly.

Crack.

The man's thick leg, wrapped in a sturdy shell, easily broke like a rotten branch.

"Do you know how the one who wrote the hidden books has been living?"

"Uh, ugh..."

Gion, wielding the Chunhwa sword, dragged the rock-like body of the man towards the statue.

"...You can't be serious."

Bang!

Before the man could fully rise, Gion swung his sword at the statue.

A screeching sound began as cracks formed on the statue.

"You can't! Please, not the statue!"

The man clung to Gion's leg, his expression one of utter despair.

The tribe of Black Tortoise was deeply devout. They had erected such a massive statue in the cave and prayed to it daily.

"If you shattered the convictions someone gave their life to protect, be prepared to lose something dear to you."

Crash! Bang!

Countless sword strikes rained down, causing stone dust to sprinkle from the statue.

The statue began to tremble as if it would collapse at any moment.

Gion gazed at the crystal ball embedded in the ceiling.

"Sihwan."

Gion, his reflection shown in the crystal ball, was covered in the blood of the tribesmen.

"Do I need to go and find your brother as well?"

***

Crack.

The trees in White Dragon Castle were twisting and decaying into blackness.

Behind Rohwa, who was sitting in front of the lake, Doa appeared.

"... Are you alright?"

The black aura emanating from Rohwa's figure was spreading throughout the entire White Dragon Castle.

"What is the Demon King doing now?"

Her fists were clenched so tightly that her fingernails dug into her flesh.

Rohwa, despite the blood dripping from her hand, trembled with unresolved anger.

"Currently, he's in Valley of Snow-"

"That's not what I mean. What exactly is he doing there?"

The situation had twisted.

Gion, who should be collecting crystals of light by killing the Chimes, was instead stirring up irrelevant history.

It felt like a well-built castle was collapsing.

Rohwa sank into deep thought.

"It's time to make a move."

Doa, who had been looking down, shifted his gaze upwards to the stretching shadows.

Rohwa's expression, which had been dark until moments ago, had changed to one of calm detachment.

"... Where are you going?"

Doa asked with difficulty, but Rohwa didn't answer the question.

Instead, she left a final message.

"Tell Sihwan to never meet Gion."

Rohwa disappeared into the shadows.