There were three names written on the list I received from the Black Lotus Sect Lord.
Golden Ghost Wolf King.
Illusory Illusion Witch.
Brahma Heavenly Lust Demon.
And with one more—One-Saber Asura.
I had to track down all four and win against them in martial duels.
I wondered which one I should defeat first, but in the end, I decided to make One-Saber Asura my first sacrifice… no, my first opponent.
There was no particular reason. It was simply because the Conquering Asura Gate he founded was the closest to the Black Lotus Sect.
So, I spoke to one of the close subordinates the Sect Lord assigned to me.
“First, guide me to the Conquering Asura Gate.”
“Leave it to me. I, Twin-Ghost Killing Sword Gu Gwan-hae, shall take the lead.”
“Good. Thank you. But… there’s something I’ve been curious about for a long time. May I ask?”
“Please ask me anything.”
Twin-Ghost Killing Sword eagerly waited for my words, eyes sparkling.
A bearded uncle who looked twice my age staring at me with such bright eyes… it was honestly burdensome.
But because I knew him before my regression, and remembered how he met his end, I understood that despite appearances, he was a simple and honest man.
To put it nicely—pure.
To put it poorly—a pushover.
Still, he possessed naturally excellent physique and the martial talent to fully utilize it.
He had apparently been sold off by poor parents and lived like a slave under an eccentric old master, doing every filthy chore.
Later, he caught the eye of the Black Lotus Sect Lord, escaped from the old master, learned martial arts, and finally lived a proper life.
Because of this background, he worshipped the Sect Lord like a god for giving him a new life.
In truth, after the Sect Lord’s death, he charged alone into enemy territory, swung his sword like a madman, and managed to retrieve the Sect Lord’s remains to hand them over to Sama Yuryeon before dying on the spot.
In short—he was a man of loyalty.
I had no idea what the Black Lotus Sect Lord told him that made him treat me so stiffly and reverently, but since I wasn’t close with him before regression, I used this opportunity to ask something I never could.
“Why does your title have ‘Twin’ in it? Don’t you use only one sword?”
If he meant to imply dual-sword style, then it should be Ghost-Slaying Twin Swords—not Twin-Ghost Killing Sword.
And if it meant two ghosts, then it sounded like he had a partner who followed him around, but in reality, he always wandered alone.
Before regression, nobody ever addressed it—rather, they avoided mentioning it and just sighed whenever it came up, so I never learned the truth.
But now, I could finally ask him directly.
Twin-Ghost Killing Sword widened his eyes with joy.
“As expected! White Moon Sword Lord immediately sees through it!”
“Hmm???”
“In truth, the ‘Twin’ in my title is proof of my respect and loyalty toward the Sect Lord! I took the first character from his title, Twin-Conqueror Spear King!”
“So… like inheriting a surname?”
“What! A surname?! No, no! The Sect Lord would never allow something like that! I simply couldn’t take any other part of his title, so this was the only thing left!”
Since he wanted to be a faithful subordinate, he couldn’t use the word “Conqueror”.
He didn’t use a spear, so he couldn’t take “Spear”, and he wasn’t a Flowering Stage master, so he couldn’t take “King”.
Thus, only “Twin” remained.
“I actually tried practicing dual-sword techniques as well…”
“It didn’t work out?”
“Yes. It was far harder than I imagined.”
To reach mastery in dual-sword style, one needed the special talent to move both hands independently.
Without mastering something like Wudang’s Two Minds As One Method, it relied purely on talent—and he didn’t have the talent for dual swords.
I had seen manuals on dual-blade techniques a few times in the Black Lotus Sect or the Namgung Clan’s libraries, so I had a rough idea.
“And yet, you still put ‘Twin’ in your title?”
“Doesn’t it sound more impressive than the alternatives?”
“To my eyes, they all seem about the same… but fine. I understand.”
The truth I learned after regression turned out to be somewhat silly, but one thing was now certain.
Twin-Ghost Killing Sword was stiff and old-fashioned, but absolutely loyal to the Black Lotus Sect Lord—making him the ideal escort for this martial duel journey.
“Twin-Ghost Killing Sword. Until I leave the Black Lotus Sect and return, I will give you one rule you must follow.”
“I will listen carefully.”
“Think of protecting Tang Sowol, my betrothed, as your highest priority. Next, focus on protecting your own life.”
“…Yes?”
“I mean—don’t interfere in what I do unless absolutely necessary, even if it looks dangerous.”
“But I received orders from the Sect Lord himself to assist you, White Moon Sword Lord!”
“It seems I phrased that poorly.”
I adjusted the wording and continued.
“Don’t interfere even if the opponent in the martial duel looks dangerous. I may cut too deeply by mistake, but I won’t kill them.”
“Ah!”
He finally understood and nodded vigorously, eyes filled with trust.
“As expected, the Sect Lord’s judgment was flawless! I will keep it in mind!”
“Mm.”
As he bowed deeply, I heard a small sigh beside me.
“Sigh.”
Tang Sowol didn’t say anything—but her sigh told me she clearly had many thoughts she chose not to voice.
***
With Twin-Ghost Killing Sword’s help, I arrived at the Conquering Asura Gate.
The name of the sect was quite grandiose, but at least while One-Saber Asura was its master, that grandiosity wouldn’t be a problem.
After all, One-Saber Asura was a Flowering Stage master.
Even if “Asura” wasn’t a title, attaching “King” to the sect he founded was something everyone accepted.
Of course, the name might change after his death.
I gazed quietly at the large gate of the Conquering Asura Gate as it came into view.
It wasn’t large enough to compare to the renowned sects or great clans I had visited, though it was a spacious estate—just about that level.
But it was flashy.
The rumors said that as long as one paid the protection fee, they accepted anyone as a member and never bothered merchants—
Judging by the luxurious decorations all over the gate, they must have collected a fortune.
Even the plaque above the gate had Paewang Suramun written in ink mixed with gold powder. A fine calligrapher, I supposed.
As I was studying the building, radiating pride built on a single saber, the gatekeepers started yelling at us threateningly.
“Hey you! I know our Conquering Asura Gate looks impressive, but don’t just stand there blocking the front and staring! Move along! If you don’t—huh?”
The gatekeeper, who had been shouting boldly, blinked as he stared at my face—but no, his gaze shifted to Twin-Ghost Killing Sword behind me.
It looked like he sensed familiarity but couldn’t quite recall.
And he genuinely didn’t seem to recognize me, which felt strangely refreshing.
“Are you new? Or has the gatekeeper training gotten lax here?”
“You dare—!”
“Either way, it doesn’t matter. If you’re new, you’ll learn today what the martial world truly is. If it’s the sect’s problem, then from today onward, laziness ends.”
I lightly swung my sword through the air.
The sword energy crossed the air and brushed the plaque.
Slice—
Even without touching it, the plaque split cleanly and fell to the ground.
The gatekeeper stared dumbfounded, so I spoke.
“Tell them—today, I will teach which stands above the other: sword or saber.”
“Huh? Uh, What?”
He still looked lost, so I made it even clearer:
“Tell your master to come out.”
He gulped and ran inside.
Honestly. I always had to spell it out for people like this.
While I shook my head, noise erupted inside.
Soon, a strong presence approached swiftly.
“You bastard! How dare you intrude here relying on some witchcr—huh???”
The man looked far past fifty but had the aura of someone much older—his energy reached Sub-Perfection.
“An elder…? No, the sect hasn’t been around long enough for elders. What should I call you?”
“W–Why is White Moon Sword Lord here…? And the plaque…”
“So you recognize me. But you haven’t answered my question.”
“L–Left Guardian…”
“Good. Left Guardian, go tell your master, One-Saber Asura, this: White Moon Sword Lord has come to determine who stands above whom. Tell him not to cower and come out.”
“Insane bastard! The rumors didn’t do you justice!”
The Left Guardian shouted with inner strength:
“Intruder! The righteous sect’s White Moon Sword Lord has invaded! All disciples of the Conquering Asura Gate, take up arms and form the formation!”
At once, disciples rushed in, drawing their sabers and arranging themselves into formation.
As I focused, their energies intertwined and amplified each other, forming a large flow of power.
So this was what a formation’s inner-strength flow looked like to the eye.
While I quietly admired it, a presence far stronger than all of them combined approached.
A middle-aged man broke through the formation—despite undergoing transformation from reaching the Flowering Stage, a deep sword scar still marked his face, giving him a fierce look.
He wore expensive silk, yet even fine cloth couldn’t hide the hostility emanating from him.
His instinctive gaze checked my vital points first—proof he was used to life-and-death battles.
One-Saber Asura stepped forward, glancing between me and the broken plaque before exuding murderous intent.
“What is the meaning of this, brat? Is this the Tang Clan’s will? Or the Murim Alliance? Whoever it is, I’ll make you pay for acting arrogant in my sect.”
The killing intent was strong enough that Tang Sowol flinched, and Twin-Ghost Killing Sword quickly stepped in front of her.
She had never directly received my killing intent, but she had grown used to being around it.
Yet even she reacted like this—so the “Asura” title wasn’t undeserved.
However—
“Hm. So this is your level?”
The moment I raised my killing intent, the atmosphere shifted entirely.
His killing intent shrank instantly, and everything around us fell under my domain.
Compared to mine, his killing intent was nothing. Even so, the formation allowed his disciples to resist—barely—but they were still suppressed.
Perhaps because he never imagined being overwhelmed in killing intent, One-Saber Asura stiffened, then drew his saber.
“This much killing intent… Did I wrong you somehow?”
“If I had to choose, you were involved in my parents’ deaths. But it’s not deep enough to be called a grudge. This is simply the killing intent I always carry.”
“You’re insane. And the Tang Clan and Murim Alliance are insane for keeping you. If it’s not a grudge, then what’s your purpose?”
“Did you not hear? I simply want to see which is superior—sword or saber.”
“For that trivial reason, you could’ve just asked for a normal duel.”
“You wouldn’t have accepted. And I don’t plan to end it with just a duel.”
“What…?”
“The loser becomes the subordinate of the winner. Familiar rule, isn’t it?”
“You bastard! Are you saying you’ll swallow not only me but the entire sect I built?!”
“The Black Lotus Sect’s Twin-Ghost Killing Sword is the witness. So don’t even think about taking your words back after losing.”
“I’ll cut that arrogant mouth in half!”
He charged, a deep crimson aura coating his blade, swelling massively as he closed in.
Saber techniques were inherently forceful—blocking head-on meant loss, but dodging was just as hard because of their speed and precision.
His strike continuously pressured the opponent, maintaining the advantage—an attack embodying dominance.
Any mediocre fighter would have been split apart instantly.
But I was no mediocre fighter.
I calmly watched his approaching aura, then drew out my own.
Already-dense sword aura compressed even further until it barely coated my blade.
A pale, cold-white sword line flashed through the air.
If I couldn’t block or avoid it, then I simply needed a sharper blade.
His overwhelming saber aura instead fueled my sword strike.
Rip—
The crimson saber aura split cleanly, and One-Saber Asura desperately twisted his blade sideways to receive my attack with the flat instead of the edge.
Clang!
He avoided having both saber and body cut apart, but was blown away violently, crashing into the ground.
Unfortunately for him, he landed right on the already-broken plaque, shattering it completely.
His expression twisted with shock as he stared at the splintered pieces.
Then rage seeped through his face.
“Damn it! What are you all doing?! Attack together! Anyone who runs—I'll cut you down myself!”
“Y–Yes!”
The disciples charged, maintaining their half-broken formation.
Their faces were dark, as though they had resolved themselves for death.
So I smiled.
“Don’t worry. No one will die.”
Dead bodies were useless.
These were all future workers.
