Chapter 30

The deepest part of Mount Heng, famous for its ruggedness.

After the downfall of the once-prestigious orthodox Hengshan Sect decades ago, Inwang Fortress, the headquarters of the Eighteen Fortresses of the Green Forest, took its place.

Eighteen burly men were gathered there, huddled together.

“I heard you were defeated by some unknown youngster?”

“I have nothing to say.”

Surprisingly, the one sitting in the highest seat was the smallest man in build.

Though quite sturdy, he was shorter and thinner compared to the others.

However, his eyes shone more fiercely than anyone else’s.

And the man bowing his head before him.

It was Lee Jagwang, the leader of Aso Fortress.

“You fool. Are you saying you don’t even know who it was!”

“…Yes.”

At Jin Sa-cheok’s rebuke, Lee Jagwang thought of Eunho but didn’t speak.

There was another reason why Lee Jagwang, who usually didn’t attend general meetings, was present today.

“What bastard dares to…!”

“Chief Leader.”

Lee Jagwang’s deep voice rumbled low.

The Green King glared at Lee Jagwang with displeasure, not even bothering to reply.

The recent conflict between the two was known to everyone present.

Originally, Lee Jagwang was a talented individual cherished by Jin Sa-cheok for his unwavering loyalty and outstanding martial arts, and he was also the one who had been with Jin Sa-cheok the longest among the leaders of the Eighteen Fortresses of the Green Forest.

The other leaders respected and followed Lee Jagwang as much as they respected Jin Sa-cheok. But recently, since Jin Sa-cheok started getting involved in the commercial rights of the Changsha area, the relationship between the two had rapidly deteriorated.

Lee Jagwang opposed everything Jin Sa-cheok did.

He felt that it was moving further and further away from his idea of what the Green Forest should be.

Even without a reply, Lee Jagwang firmly conveyed his intention.

“I’ll say this for the last time. Don’t abandon the traditions of the Green Forest. Isn’t the Green Forest what started when those with nowhere to go gathered in small mountain fortresses? Aren’t we men pursuing strength within the confines of the mountain that embraces all?”

At Lee Jagwang’s question, Jin Sa-cheok’s thick eyebrows twitched.

The atmosphere seemed like a big outburst was about to happen at any moment.

Sensing this, the other leaders bowed their heads, avoiding the two men.

In normal circumstances, this would have already escalated into a loud argument, but Jin Sa-cheok, while exhaling roughly, just watched silently.

Today, Lee Jagwang’s demeanor was quite different from usual.

Lee Jagwang raised his head stiffly and glared at the Green King.

“Since when did the Green Forest become a bunch of merchants!”

CRACK!

The armrest Jin Sa-cheok was gripping crumbled to dust.

In his eyes looking at Lee Jagwang, there was nothing left that could be called old affection.

That’s the kind of person Jin Sa-cheok was.

If something immediately displeased him, the length of their acquaintance meant nothing.

His patience had now reached its end.

“I can’t believe this. So you’re saying you’ll commit treason?”

“…If the Chief Leader continues to walk this misguided path, I will leave the Green Forest. I never once wanted to become a merchant.”

The leaders’ eyes widened in surprise.

They hadn’t expected Lee Jagwang to say he would leave the Green Forest.

Everyone was busy watching the two men’s reactions.

The Green King, who had brought about the Green Forest’s golden age by joining the Twenty-four Martial Arts Masters, and Lee Jagwang, the man closest to such a Green King.

“Get the hell out.”

The Green King was firm.

Other leaders who were close to Lee Jagwang wanted to stop the Green King but couldn’t step forward.

It felt like if they intervened now, they would directly face the Green King’s wrath.

Lee Jagwang raised his head and scanned the other leaders.

They were all terrified.

‘Huh, since when did the Green Forest become like this?’

In the Green Forest, the Chief Leader should be an object of respect, not fear.

“This is the final greeting from your brother.”

Lee Jagwang made a deep bow to the Green King and turned to leave.

Silence fell over the massive fortress, with only Lee Jagwang’s heavy footsteps echoing.

That’s when Jin Sa-cheok raised his aura.

Feeling the blatant killing intent from behind, Lee Jagwang turned around and.

BANG-!

He was slammed into the floor.

The Green King had attacked Lee Jagwang from behind.

“Chief Leader!”

As the other leaders tried to stop Jin Sa-cheok in alarm, his fierce gaze swept over them.

“The Green Forest doesn’t let traitors live. If anyone intervenes now, I’ll consider them a traitor too.”

The leaders flinched and stopped moving.

It was clearly unreasonable.

There was no one here who didn’t know Lee Jagwang’s loyalty and love for the Green Forest.

Nevertheless, they didn’t have the courage to step forward and object.

Even the leaders were merely at the Peak realm, while the Green King before them was a Transformation realm master who had joined the Twenty-four Martial Arts Masters.

BANG-! BANG-!

Merciless kicks rained down on the back of Lee Jagwang’s head as he lay on the floor. Without any particular technique, he was being beaten like a dog, quite literally.

Lee Jagwang was furious at being indiscriminately assaulted in front of his juniors.

He was so enraged that he wanted to kill the Green King and return the Green Forest to its original state.

But, he lacked the strength.

Lee Jagwang, who hadn’t even reached the Transcendent realm, let alone the Transformation realm, could do nothing against Jin Sa-cheok.

Some leaders who usually respected Lee Jagwang turned their heads away, unable to bear the sight.

At that moment, a man who had been watching from a dark corner stood up and approached Jin Sa-cheok.

“That’s enough now.”

There was regret in his voice.

Though he didn’t know much about the Green Forest’s situation, he could tell that Lee Jagwang was a loyal person.

Above all, he felt it was excessive to humiliate him like this in front of his juniors.

“Evil King, are you trying to interfere in Green Forest matters?”

At the Green King’s rebuke, the Evil King Cheol Museong finally clicked his tongue and had to let go of his shoulder.

Even if they were old friends, the Green Forest was clearly the Green King’s force.

He had no justification or reason to intervene.

The Green King’s beating continued for a long time.

Though he could kill him with a single blow, he was cruelly beating him just short of death.

He was showing everyone.

What happens to those who defy him.

“E-Enough…”

Lee Jagwang’s voice was so faint it seemed about to break at any moment.

Still, the Green King didn’t stop.

“You brought this upon your…”

BANG-!

The Green King’s words were cut off by a sudden explosion from outside.

He frowned and said to one of the leaders:

“Go see what’s going…”

BANG-! BANG-!

The explosions kept coming.

They were even getting closer.

As everyone looked around with puzzled expressions.

The Evil King’s face hardened.

He had definitely experienced this before.

KWANG-!

These explosions gradually getting closer and then soon happening right in front of the door and…

BANG-!

The door burst open and Eunho appeared.

The Evil King’s expression went from hardened to pale as he watched this.

Eunho, who had boldly smashed through the door to enter, looked around.

The first thing he saw was Lee Jagwang, unceremoniously beaten on the floor.

“Oh! It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

It was a bit strange to ask someone who was half-dead if they’d been well, but Eunho wasn’t the type to care about such things.

The Green King’s expression twisted greatly.

This guy who suddenly appeared by smashing the door is acting like he knows Lee Jagwang?

“Lee Jagwang! Were you really planning to commit treason?”

On the other hand, Lee Jagwang was bewildered.

His eyes were swollen and barely open, but Eunho’s face was strangely clear.

Of course, he had never thought of treason, and he didn’t know why Eunho was here.

“N-No, I never intended to…”

“Shut up! Then how do you explain this situation?”

Jin Sa-cheok raised his aura and faced Eunho.

He planned to kill this impudent guy in front of him first, then beat or do whatever to Lee Jagwang to find out the truth.

Eunho tilted his head askew and looked at the Green King.

“Was it you? The one who killed our people?”

Eunho had no intention of intervening in ordinary disputes.

Such disputes were usually common.

The problem was that three people from the Cheonha Merchant Guild had been killed.

There’s a limit to how brazen one can be.

“Just who are you to…”

As expected, the Evil King reacted most vehemently.

He had fled to the Green Forest, abandoning even the Four Evils Alliance out of fear of Eunho.

But when Eunho suddenly appeared, he couldn’t believe it.

No, he didn’t want to believe it.

“Ah. I came here partly because of you too, so wait your turn. Don’t even think about running away. I’ve blocked the fortress with a formation, and the Fist King is waiting outside.”

“The Fist King!?”

Not just the Evil King and Green King, but even the other leaders stirred at the mention of the Fist King.

“Why is he here! Don’t talk nonsense!”

The Evil King shouted as if he couldn’t believe it.

Eunho alone was more than enough to handle, and now the Fist King had come too?

The Fist King was truly the Evil King’s natural enemy.

Not only was his martial prowess superior to his own, but unlike others, he didn’t care about the Four Evils Alliance leader’s face.

While at least the other Twenty-four Martial Arts Masters moved based on justification, that crazy Fist King would charge at the Four Evils Alliance leader or whoever if things went wrong.

The Evil King glared with disbelieving eyes, but Eunho didn’t even flinch.

“Then go out and see for yourself.”

As Eunho spoke boldly, the Evil King cautiously extended his energy sense.

There was indeed an enormous energy outside the fortress.

He couldn’t tell if it was the Fist King, but it was certainly on the level of the Twenty-four Martial Arts Masters.

At least it didn’t seem like it was going to move, so that was somewhat fortunate.

While the Evil King tensely watched Eunho, the Green King was truly enraged.

It was arrogant enough to barge in, but he was too relaxed.

It felt like he was being looked down upon.

“You bastard!”

The Green King’s roar echoed throughout the fortress.

In fact, Eunho had never looked down on the Green King.

Rather, he was still pondering.

Seeing the Green King in person, he was even more disappointed.

He had thought the Evil King was the weakest among the Twenty-four Martial Arts Masters, but the Green King seemed similar.

Honestly, it felt like he could kill him in one strike.

The problem was that there were other leaders here too.

If the person they had served, the absolute powerhouse they believed in, died in an instant, wouldn’t their shock be too great?

If they received too big a shock and became listless invalids, wouldn’t that be a pity?

They were probably just simple bandits who begged on the streets.

As Eunho stood still pondering, the Green King laughed arrogantly.

“You’re scared now that you see me in person, aren’t you? Don’t worry. I’ll kill you so fast you won’t even feel death.”

The Evil King approached the Green King and grabbed his shoulder.

“What?”

“Just kneel down.”

After thinking it over, if the one outside was really the Fist King and they couldn’t escape, that was the best option.

He knew Eunho’s strength from facing him. There was no way to win.

Honestly, even if he and the Green King attacked together, he couldn’t guarantee victory.

When uncertain, not fighting was the best strategy.

“Hah, Evil King, have you lost your mind?”

The Green King felt like the Evil King was mocking him right now.

To tell him to kneel to such a youngster.

While the two were bickering, Eunho finished his deliberation.

A good solution had come to mind.

He could knock out the other leaders first before killing the Green King.

Having decided, there was no hesitation in his movements.

Eunho’s index finger pointed at the leaders, just as he had done to take down the Four Evils Alliance elites.

Swoosh. Swish.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The leaders fell one after another like wooden dolls.

The two Kings watched this with dumbfounded expressions.

“Ah, just to let you know. I’ll give you, Evil King, a chance to repent, but I’m just going to kill that guy.”

Eunho was firm.

Meanwhile, a brief look of relief passed over the Evil King’s hardened face.

“By giving me a chance, you mean…”

“I’ll beat you just short of death. I’ll drag you to the marketplace in front of the Four Evils Alliance and beat you like a dog. Then I’ll hand you over to the Alliance.”

The Evil King’s expression hardened again.

After some deliberation, he raised his aura.

He could endure being beaten by Eunho.

Surviving was the most important thing for now.

But going to the Martial Alliance was a different story.

That place was full of people who wanted him dead.

Going to the Martial Alliance after giving them justification to kill him was truly suicidal.

The aura raised by the two members of the Twenty-four Martial Arts Masters was truly magnificent.

Even the Fist King waiting outside felt his blood boiling.

If it weren’t for Eunho’s instruction not to come in, he would have wanted to charge in and fight right away.

Eunho was satisfied facing the two men’s auras.

“Good. That’s a good choice. I’ve knocked out all the leaders too… Ah, except that one.”

He saw the Aso Fortress leader Lee Jagwang, who had been reduced to rags.

“Well, it should be fine.”

Eunho raised his aura in response.

The three men’s auras collided fiercely.

The fortress should have rightfully collapsed, but it only shook violently while holding firm.

It wasn’t because it was built sturdily.

“These crazy bastards!”

Cold sweat ran down Yi-ryang’s forehead as he surrounded the fortress with a formation.

If it weren’t for his formation, it wouldn’t have been strange for the entire mountain to collapse.