Return of the Mount Hua Sect

‘I thought I heard something.’

He thought he heard the sound of thunder from afar, but then he turned his head back. Right now, he couldn’t afford to worry about the little details.

“It’s a pain in the ass.”

As Evil Tyrant Alliance occupies the Yangtze River, the Black Ghost Fortress will also have to make a decision sooner or later. Depending on what decision the leader makes, it will be the difference between bowing their head and surrendering to Myriad Man Manor who swallowed water fortress, or if they will engage in a do-or-die battle.

‘N- No.’

In life, things in the world don’t always flow to such extremes. Maybe they will keep their emotions for each other like this, keep an appropriate distance, and just maintain the framework of Evil Tyrant Alliance.

Perhaps that is the most realistic prediction.

“The more I think about it, the more it gives me a headache.”

Yang Gon sighed deeply.

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To be honest, he didn’t want to pay much attention to the upheavals in Kangho itself. Managing Hangzhou well and occasionally rooting out the remnants of Hao Sect plotting to retake Hangzhou seemed enough to spin his head.

Yang Gon is one of the wise men who knows very well that knowing one’s place and being content with what one has is the way to be a winner in life. Unfortunately, those who are part of an organization do not have the luxury of choice.

“I wonder what decision the leader will make…”

Muttering to himself, Yang Gon smacked his lips.

In fact, it may not be that important, regardless of the situation in Kangho. What matters to Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold is which choice is most beneficial to Black Ghost Fortress.

However, it was difficult for Yang Gon’s mind to predict which side would bring more wealth to Black Ghost Fortress in the future.

“Sigh.”

He eventually shook his head.

Whatever the choice, he just hoped it wouldn’t end in bloodshed. Now that he’s in the final years of his life, the last thing he wants is to go to the battlefield and die gruesomely.

With that in mind, it was just when Yang Gon was trying to stamp the document with optimism.

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Kwang!

The door burst open as if it would break, and a pale-faced man rushed in.

“Bra- Branch Manager-nim!”

“What’s the matter?”

Yang Gon sharply asked with a cold expression.

“So- Some crazy guys have appeared in the Hangzhou commercial district. Th- These crazy bastards are killing everyone indiscriminately right now, regardless of age or gender.”

“What?”

Yang Gon jumped up from his seat.

Even if they are part of Evil Sects, brutal acts within their territory must be stopped.

Moreover, Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold knows the simple truth that people are money. A person equal to money is dying in Hangzhou, managed by Black Ghost Fortress? That will all be the responsibility of Yang Gon, the branch manager of Hangzhou.

“Which crazy bastards dare to cause trouble in Hangzhou!”

Sparks flew in Yan Gon’s eyes.

Those who have dabbled in Kangho know better than to stir up trouble in Hangzhou. Causing trouble within the territory of Black Ghost Fortress means making an enemy of the fortress.

However, sometimes idiots who do not understand the current situation in Kangho do things like this without understanding the balance of unseen forces.

“Gather all the kids.”

“Yes? You mean everyone?”

“Yes.”

Yang Gon coldly ordered.

“I’ve been thinking it’s about time to tighten up the atmosphere that’s been getting lax recently. It’s time to tighten it up again.”

“U- Understood!”

“Move out!”

“Yes!”

As the man dashed out, a soft sigh escaped Yang Gon’s mouth.

“Tsk.”

He scratched his head in a tired manner, different from before.

“Which kids this time.”

Although he had shouted orders with a stern voice, he wasn’t actually angry. Just like a bee attracts a flower, the nightlife of Hangzhou attracts young people who mistakenly believe they’re stronger than they are. It’s a familiar situation to him. This time too, it would likely just need a bit of tidying up.

However, showing his inner thoughts to his subordinates was another matter.

He was skilled at separating his internal feelings from his outward appearance.

“For the first time in a while, time to enforce discipline again.”

With that, Yang Gon left the room with a light heart.

“…Branch Manager-nim.”

“….”

“Bra- Branch Manager-nim. What on earth…”

Yang Gon looked at the scene in front of him in a daze.

He realized the situation was more serious than he thought when he first encountered a crowd fleeing in terror.

Hangzhou is a city of pleasure. Inevitably, it’s a place where big and small incidents happen non-stop. A fight on the street and a few people dying can be viewed as entertainment.

And Yang Gon could swear that since he became the branch manager here, he had never seen the people of Hangzhou so terrified.

Startled for a moment, he steeled himself. No matter what happened before his eyes, he decided he wouldn’t be shocked and would respond coolly.

But….

That resolve melted away the moment he faced the reality of Hangzhou’s situation.

“… This… uh….”

Yang Gon’s hands trembled.

Everything in front of him was smashed to pieces.

Trees, buildings, the ground, and even the people who would have been inside.

Like being swept by a terrible typhoon, the debris of shattered pavilions lay mixed with what must have been limbs of people who were alive just moments before. The person was torn to pieces along with the royal engravings.

“Uugh!”

The sound of someone gagging pierced his ears.

They are Evil Sects. They don’t particularly feel an aversion to killing. Yang Gon himself couldn’t count how many people he had killed to get to his position.

But….

What he committed was murder.

That is, when Yang Gon killed someone, he was acutely aware that the person he ended the life of was ‘human’.

But what’s with this sight?

Can this scene, where collapsed walls, roofs, pillars, and piles of dirt are arbitrarily mixed with something living, be called ‘murder’?

‘No….’

This is a disaster.

Sweeping away things like this without distinguishing between living and non-living is something that only an emotionless being can do.

Ttook. Ttook.

Between the debris, a corpse’s finger pointed outwards, from which dark red droplets of blood fell. Even Yang Gon felt a wave of nausea rising from within and clenched his mouth shut.

Hangzhou’s City That Never Sleeps.

If one were to view this scene from above, a corner of the wide expanse of lights spread across the land would appear blackened as if gnawed by a beast.

The distinction between beast and human, Yang Kun believes, is the light. No beast can create light like a human can.

Darkness had deeply settled here. This meant that humans no longer existed in this place.

“Which madness has done this…”

Yang Gon suddenly came to his senses at someone’s groan-like words.

Right. Someone caused this. Meaning, the one who created this unbelievable scene isn’t far from here.

When he thought about that, he got goosebumps all over his body.

‘What should I do?’

Should he flee? Or should he attack?

Logically, he should find and attack the perpetrator. After all, he is the Black Ghost Fortress’s branch manager responsible for Hangzhou.

But before this utterly destructive scene, even natural judgment was questioned.

Is it really possible for a human to create such a scene? For someone with human skin?

And if he attacked such a being…

“Branch Manager-nim!”

Yan Gon, who was lost in his thoughts, was woken up by someone violently calling out to him.

“O- Over there….”

And so, Yang Gon saw it.

A world where everything is mixed up and turned ashen. Far off, beyond the light that seemed to be swallowed by the dense darkness at the end of that space, a figure in blood-red robes was slowly approaching.

Yang Gon knew intuitively.

It was him.

The man is the monster who did all of this.

Step. Step. Step.

Yang Gon, who was staring at the man in the red long robe approaching calmly, flinched without realizing it and took a step back. The wind hit the chest of the person standing behind me.

It is disgraceful to retreat in fear at the sight of an enemy. But now Yang Gon could not afford to worry about his reputation.

His face turned increasingly pale.

He reached this position by going through and overcoming numerous crises, but he couldn’t figure out what to do in a situation like this.

He had only one option, to rely on the might of the strongest entity he knew.

“Do, do you realize you’re in the territory of Black Ghost Fortress and still dare to cause such chaos?”

Then the man, who had been walking slowly, stopped.

He slowly lifted his head. The moment Yang Gon met those blood-red eyes, he felt his heart ache sharply.

“…Black Ghost Fortress?”

The man muttered indifferently.

“Was there a place like that…?”

“Yo- You…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

The moment Yang Gon was about to say more, the man indifferently cut him off.

“Whether you belong to any group, regardless of your gender, age… none of that is important. The only thing that matters is that you are alive right now.”

“….”

Yang Gon was momentarily at a loss for words. The man spoke in an even tone.

“Looks like… You seem to have quite a name, so that’s good.”

Someone called out to Yang Gon almost like a scream.

“Branch Manager-nim!”

For a moment, Yang Gon was shocked and looked around with bloodshot eyes. A group dressed in black clothes suddenly appeared and surrounded them.

‘When did they…?’

“Kill them all.”

As soon as the man’s words left his mouth, vicious killing intent poured out from all directions. It looked more like something raw, like a starving beast, rather than the killing intent radiating from a human being.

As soon as the thick and suffocating momentum hit, the group engulfed in demonic energy rushed towards Yang Gon and his subordinates like a black wave.

“Aaaargh!”

“Aaahh!”

The man in the red long robe, who had been quietly watching them as they quickly began to be swept away, slowly turned around.

At that time, a monster dressed in black knelt in front of him on one knee. His head was lowered, so low as if he couldn’t bear to make eye contact.

“Bishop.”

“…What is it?”

“Will you continue like this?”

The bishop’s cold gaze fell on the back of the bowed head.

“If you have complaints, you may leave now. I won’t take your life.”

“How could I have complaints? I am a body that follows the bishop. But… according to the sacred commandments, shouldn’t we remain hidden, awaiting His return…”

“Are you parroting the stale words spewed by the cult elders?”

“I just….”

“What a silly thing to say.”

The bishop scolded him coldly.

“If He, so omnipotent, could find us hiding on His own, why then did He meet His end at the hands of these faithless beings?”

“That’s…”

The man could not easily answer.

This is due to the fact that no matter what the answer is, it will be against the doctrine. He wasn’t yet high-ranking enough to shake off the accusation of heresy on his own.

“Do not doubt!”

The bishop’s blood-red eyes emitted a gleaming light.

“If we truly consider ourselves His faithful servants, it would be natural for us to make our presence known to Him!”

“….”

“Kill and kill everything you see. So much that no one in the world can tell we exist here. The blood of those you have slain, the sacrifices you have offered, will become the beacon we offer to Him. Only then can we truly witness His second coming.”

“We will follow.”

The bishop turned around, fluttering his long robes.

The cult merely waits and endures. Those who survive will die, and those born anew will age, just waiting and waiting.

He could no longer bear it.

‘If He truly has returned, He will surely respond to our voices.’

Certainly.

For that is the ‘duty’ of a ‘god’.