828 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Sichuan Province. A place slightly removed from the bustling centers. Known as a quaint village to some, it isn’t exactly deserted, yet it doesn’t boast the crowd of an urban hub—somewhere in between. As the Sky Clan's Leader, Dae-Hwan walks towards a remote site within the region. Although the sun is up, the surroundings seem dim. The few people he does see along the way become increasingly sparse. With a resolute and hardened expression, the Sky Clan's Leader finally reaches his destination. As if anticipated, the door swings open upon his arrival. Creak. Through the narrow opening, a man bows his head to Dae-Hwan. "I greet the leader." As he steps inside, the Sky Clan's Leader speaks. "What’s the status of the search?" "Guardian Jin has dispatched people to reassess, but... nothing has been found yet." "Not even a trace?" "Yes, my apologies…." Grinding his teeth, he continues walking. Inside, the place resembles a simple guesthouse, yet as they pass a bookshelf, he gives it a slight nudge. Clatter-! Suddenly, a staircase is revealed from the left wall. They descend the stairs without hesitation. "Leader... With Guardian Jin involved, we should soon have information." The man tries to gauge the leader’s reaction as they descend. Recent unexpected attacks have been troubling. The leader’s nerves were understandably frayed. However. "Enough." "Yes?" The man reacts in surprise to the leader's abrupt reply. "What do you mean...?" "I have a hunch about the culprit." "...!?" The man is taken aback by the sudden claim of identifying the culprit. The leader elaborates. "I believe the culprit is the Star King." At these words, the man’s eyes widen like saucers. "T-the Star King, you say?" "Yes, it’s him." "Did something happen when you met him?" "..." Recalling the encounter with the Star King, the leader’s face twists with hostility—a memory too unpleasant to recount. The more they conversed, the harder it was to suppress his murderous intent. Not just the expressions, but even the tone and manner the Star King used—everything stirred fury within him. -Do I look like a pushover? Recalling the words spoken with that particular expression, the Sky Clan's Leader clenches his fist. "He asked me if I knew about the Church of Ilcheon." "The Church of Ilcheon... How does he know that?" "He claimed to have many eyes—though I’m not sure in what way. But from the looks of it, he seemed to be certain." Mention of the Church of Ilcheon and the peculiar expression he wore at the time—all signs pointed to a strong suspicion. ...The dilemma was. ‘How?’ How did this situation come to be? No matter how much he pondered, the Sky Clan's Leader couldn't comprehend. ‘How exactly did he find out?’ The Star King was an enigma. The more he probed, the stranger things seemed. The Sky Clan's Leader had predicted that the Murim Alliance would make a move around this time. In fact, he had leaked information to Mok Riseon hoping for this. He anticipated the emergence of a top-level figure. Yet. ‘Two of them came?’ He expected initial reconnaissance, but contrary to expectations, two great leaders were deployed. It wasn’t what he had planned. The root cause of the problem was the delay between Mok Riseon leaking information and it reaching Hanan. In the interim, incidents had occurred in Hanan. Though encountering the Sung-ryong division was unexpected, the Sky Clan's Leader had thought it manageable. ‘It’s better this way.’ The division led by the Star King? Upon investigation, he found the Star King to be a young post-Kido with barely any experience. Reportedly the youngest to near king status, his martial prowess was notable, but beyond that, no concern. After all, he was an inexperienced, albeit strong, youngster regarded merely as a great leader by the Sky Clan's Leader. ‘But it went awry.’ Having faced the Star King directly, the Sky Clan's Leader’s expectations were significantly off. His sudden discovery of a place masquerading as an inn, and his overwhelming presence—hardly fitting the label of a mere post-Kido youth. ‘What could one call it?’ Difficult to articulate but not the aura of a typical Alliance leader. That was the impression he got of the Star King. Through years of experience and narrowly escaping many life-threatening situations, he’d seen countless orthodox and unorthodox figures. The Sky Clan's Leader could definitively judge the Star King. ‘He wasn’t orthodox.’ He was too warped for that label. Even when subduing the leader's subordinates. ‘He truly intended to kill.’ There was no hesitation in his actions. Rather, it seemed like he wanted to kill immediately but was stifling it desperately. To solely gauge one’s alignment by killing alone is foolish, yet, for someone barely past twenty to possess such eyes? ‘Just how much killing has he done?’ Having killed and killed until death meant nothing more, reached only by living on the edge. And he had it. ‘...I can’t understand it.’ Utterly baffling. Had he reincarnated countless times? If not, how? ‘This is becoming troublesome.’ He appeared to know something. While the extent of his knowledge was uncertain, having some secrets was undeniable. However. ‘Not everything.’ He seemed unaware of everything. He knew about the leader’s base and Ilcheon’s connection, but beyond that, seemed clueless. ‘Or maybe not.’ It wasn’t definitive. He could be pretending ignorance. Moreover, the critical issue was. ‘His aim doesn’t appear to be us or Ilcheon….’ The Star King’s interests weren’t necessarily with the Sky Clan. From the moment he reached the base, he’d stated a purpose. ‘Align with the Ilcheon Sword.’ And then, to have the Ilcheon Sword kill the leader… or rather, assist in doing so. That was the Star King's demand.