Pope.
Those were two words spoken in Kim Rae-won's tone.
But they were Dong Bongsu's true feelings, borrowing Kim Rae-won's manner of speech.
He pulled up the System Window to a corner of his vision.
'Faith Arrow'
'Shield of Faith'
'Faith Judgment'
'Faith Weight'
'Faith Sight'
The items, each stamped with the two characters for 'Faith', lined up one after another.
Dong Bongsu slowly scanned the list.
As the specifications for the five items opened in order, one thing was included in every field without exception.
Faith Bonus.
Trustworthiness Weight.
The displayed words or formats were slightly different, but the nature of the variable was the same.
The bonus affected power, and the weight affected efficiency.
The variables determining power and efficiency were grouped under the same name.
'Faith'.
The strength of this Faith was clearly based on numbers.
Headcount was Faith, and Faith was power.
The Faith of What is Hero was by no means an abstract concept.
It was another name for headcount.
As the headcount increased, an arrow would strike farther, and a judgment would spread wider.
The five lines unanimously explained the input and output of that circuit.
On the other hand.
"Po…pe?"
The footsteps, which had been maintaining a distance of two or three steps, stopped for a moment.
Yeop Bihwa mulled over those words.
The Emperor of the Faith.
Looking at the characters alone, the meaning was clear.
But such a position existed nowhere in the Orthodox Factions of the Jianghu, nor among the Demonic Beings.
It was an expression that far surpassed the rank of a mere Cult Leader.
A title that referred not to the head of a single sect, but to the very pinnacle of the system of 'Faith' itself.
Such a title was not marked anywhere on the map of the Jianghu she had walked her entire life.
"Such a position does not exist anywhere in the Jianghu. And…"
After a moment of silence, Yeop Bihwa continued.
"Even if such a thing existed, it would not suit the Jianghu."
"Why do you think so?"
"Is it not a religion?"
"Don't monks fight? Like the Dark Rakshasa Way you are currently fighting. Though their direction is a bit problematic."
"…"
One corner of Dong Bongsu's mouth tilted up slightly.
"Anyway, 'Kim Rae-won's' dream is now to be the Pope."
"…May I ask why?"
"It's the same reason you are a Martial Artist."
With a questioning look in her eyes, Yeop Bihwa blinked a few times.
"…What do you mean?"
Dong Bongsu's white teeth showed for a moment.
"Because I have been growing stronger, I will continue to grow stronger, and ultimately, I don't want anyone standing above me."
"…"
"You're the same, aren't you? Just like any Martial Artist."
"…"
Yeop Bihwa stood still for a long moment before opening her mouth.
"I am not."
"…"
"The sword is merely the path I pursue. I have never pursued strength for its own sake. I simply grew stronger while polishing my sword to wholly achieve the One Line. Furthermore, do your words not mean turning the sword into a religious order?"
Dong Bongsu paused, choosing his words.
"No. The Pope I speak of, the one I mean, is different."
"How so?"
"It will be a religious order of heroes to end all fights."
"The end of... all fights?!"
"Yes. A Righteous Hero of the Jianghu that no one dares challenge, yet one that anyone can dream of becoming. I will be the first to pave that path and become the 'Emperor' of the 'Faith'."
"…Isn't that just being the Number One Under Heaven?"
"No. If the Number One Under Heaven gave you an order, would you obey?"
"…"
"I will place the world under the feet of this Hero's Sect… this Hero's Religion. The Orthodox Faction, the Unorthodox Faction, and even those who walk the Demonic Path—all of them, under the name of the Pope whom none can defy."
"Audacious… such an incredibly audacious ambition."
Indeed, it was so.
Yeop Bihwa had never considered herself an ordinary person… but before this 'new' Kim Rae-won, she felt she couldn't help but be one.
His skill, his goal, his will.
Whether he was serious or not, the very fact that he could voice such a thing made him feel like a lofty, unsurpassable being.
A brief silence fell upon the path.
Just then, a part of his Super True Qi Field shifted from behind him to the front.
It was because he had detected a stream of True Qi approaching from ahead on the path at a frightening speed.
'Is it Myo Jinheo?'
Beyond a bend in the path, a trail of dust was rising.
At the end of that trail, a single person could be clearly detected.
The person holding a fan in one hand and deploying his Lightness Skill as if flying towards them was, without a doubt, Myo Jinheo.
Tap-.
Myo Jinheo stopped about ten steps away.
"Sect Leader."
Dong Bongsu's gaze fixed on him.
Yeop Bihwa's gaze also naturally shifted to Myo Jinheo.
"Huu… Huu…"
Myo Jinheo's breaths came out ragged, unlike usual.
Moreover, he was alone.
Neither Dongmun Mutoe nor Yan Bilyeong were with him.
The reason immediately followed.
"The Blood Rakshasa… the Blood Rakshasa has come to lead the attack himself."
"The Blood Rakshasa?"
"That is correct. I speak of the Left Guardian of the Dark Rakshasa Way."
Dong Bongsu's expression quickly sank into 'nothingness'.
"The scale?"
"The main force appeared to exceed two thousand, with several at the level of the Upper Four Rakshasas, and the Blood Rakshasa himself is coming here in person. They are twenty li beyond the eastern ridge of the River Capital… Whether they will stop to avoid provoking the authorities, or push forward regardless, this Trigram Master does not know."
The fan lowered for a moment, then rose again.
"However… the Dark Rakshasa Way has never cared for the authorities. Even if the authorities are close to you, they will likely have no choice but to step back, citing the principle of non-interference between the authorities and the Murim. They would not see a good outcome if they were to get needlessly involved in a large-scale Murim conflict."
At the end of that short pause, the final line fell.
"This is clearly… a Calamity, Sect Leader."
Dong Bongsu quietly mulled over the word 'Calamity' and then smiled.
"What about Dongmun Mutoe and Trigram Master Yan?"
"Trigram Master Dongmun and Trigram Master Yan are currently setting up Mountain, Lightning, and Illusion formations on the eastern ridge. However, time is short, so they can only manage the framework…"
"...Is that true? You said the Left Guardian of the Dark Rakshasa is personally bearing down on us?"
Myo Jinheo's fan stopped.
His gaze shifted from its original position to over Dong Bongsu's shoulder.
Vast Heaven martial robes.
A narrow, slender sword.
A beauty that held the air of both a peerless beauty and a peerless martial artist.
A title naturally formed in his mind.
"The Iron-Faced Lady?!"
The appearance of someone in their mid-twenties.
But her bearing far surpassed her looks.
An independent power directly under the Vast Heaven Sword Venerate.
One of the Three Monsters.
A title given to her by the Jianghu, derived from her unbending nature once she sets her mind on something.
Only then did he realize the identity of the energy that had cut through the gray mist on the ridge a short while ago.
Myo Jinheo immediately put away his fan.
"It is true."
He answered briefly and performed a fist-and-palm salute toward her.
"I am Myo Jinheo, a Trigram Master of the Formation Tower. A junior of the Jianghu greets Senior Yeop."
"I am not fond of such formalities. More importantly… were your words just now true?"
"This humble junior saw it with my own two eyes. Two other Trigram Masters of the Formation Tower were there as well. On the dark red flag behind the Dark Rakshasa Way's main force, the character for 'Blood' was clearly emblazoned."
Myo Jinheo's gaze returned to Dong Bongsu.
"Sect Leader."
He gripped the fan tightly in his palm.
"So, to urgently report this situation, this Trigram Master was on my way to the Hero's Sect… Huh? Where are you going?"
His words had not even finished.
Dong Bongsu had lightly passed by Myo Jinheo and was already moving east.
The hem of his clothes brushed past the tip of Myo Jinheo's fan.
Myo Jinheo's hand, holding the fan, froze in place, half-turning to follow Dong Bongsu's back.
"I have to go see."
Myo Jinheo's fan froze where it was.
"...?"
"You said a horde of enemies has come, right?"
As he spoke, Dong Bongsu glanced back at Yeop Bihwa.
The corner of his mouth quirked.
"You're coming with me, right? After all, you guys were already at war with them, weren't you?"
Yeop Bihwa met Dong Bongsu's gaze.
Then, her hand holding the sword briefly rose to the front of her martial robes before falling.
Her mouth half-opened as if to reply.
It was at that very moment.
Once again, from beyond the bend in the path ahead, another presence cut through the wind and glided toward them.
A lean figure in a white robe.
Loosely tied white hair.
An old man who appeared to be at least seventy, wearing an unmarked robe.
He exuded a strong aura of the Formation Tower, just like Myo Jinheo.
However, the True Qi detected from him felt a level higher than Myo Jinheo's.
As soon as he saw him, Myo Jinheo's neatly folded fan rose to his chest and then lowered.
"Elder Baek Hando!"
Soon, the hem of the white robe stopped about one Zhang away from Dong Bongsu.
The old man in the robe gave a light gesture to Myo Jinheo, then shifted his gaze to Dong Bongsu.
"We meet for the first time. This old one is called Baek, and I hold the humble position of an external affairs Elder in the Heavenly Formation Dao Alliance."
Baek Hando performed a short fist-and-palm salute.
"Hero's Sect Leader."
Dong Bongsu also responded with a light fist-and-palm salute.
'An external affairs Elder.'
So, what was meant to happen has happened.
A figure from the Formation Tower, and one in charge of external affairs at that… It seemed highly likely that Dongmun Mutoe had succeeded in his task.
"A pleasure. I am Kim Rae-won, the Sect Leader of the Hero's Sect."
Baek Hando lowered his hands from the salute.
Then he slowly, yet thoroughly, scanned Dong Bongsu—once with his eyes, and again with his energy.
How are all Formation Masters so alike?
Their methods differ, but they are all similar.
The corner of Dong Bongsu's mouth lifted slightly, then relaxed.
"So, for what reason has the Formation Tower sought me out?"
"This old one…"
Baek Hando's tone grew heavy.
"I have come to see the Hero's Sect Leader in person, having been delegated the full authority of the Yin-Yang Guard."
"Full authority? What kind of full authority are you talking about?"
"You may not be aware, but the war between the Vast Heaven Infinite Sword Sect and the Dark Rakshasa Way is currently showing signs of intensifying."
"And?"
"The Heavenly Formation Dao Alliance has received requests from both of them."
"Mm, and so."
At Dong Bongsu's lukewarm, immediate responses, Baek Hando's expression changed oddly.
"...Uh… Trigram Master Myo here is a member of the Formation Dao Alliance."
"Ah, is that so? I was not aware."
"…"
"So why are you telling me, the Hero's Sect Leader, that?"
"...Uh, well, it's not just Trigram Master Myo here, but also Trigram Master Dongmun and Trigram Master Yan, a total of three Trigram Masters, are at the Hero's Sect."
"Ah, is that so? I wasn't aware of that either."
"First, I must politely request that you send those three back to us, Sect Leader."
Dong Bongsu let out a short scoff.
"Look here, Trigram Master Myo."
Myo Jinheo, standing beside him, answered a beat late.
"...Ah, ah, yes. Sect Leader."
"Have I ever held you here against your will?"
"No… You have not."
"Then did I hire you with money?"
"Never."
"That's my point. I haven't paid any mind to whether you were eating the Hero's Sect's food or whatever else you were doing, so I don't know what the intentions are of the Formation Tower's external affairs Elder to speak to me like this upon our first meeting."
Baek Hando's white eyebrows furrowed and then relaxed.
A thick trace of bewilderment was embedded in that breath.
A brief flash of white showed from the corner of Dong Bongsu's mouth.
"Anyway, we are busy right now, so please continue this conversation among yourselves from the Formation Tower."
"...What? What do you mean by that?"
Dong Bongsu's feet turned east again.
"Didn't you say just now that those Dark Rakshasa bastards are invading?"
While the two figures from the Formation Tower stood frozen, Dong Bongsu's feet had already taken another step toward the east.
Yeop Bihwa's hand also settled firmly on the hilt of her sword.
"I will follow as well."
Dong Bongsu's hand swept through the empty air.
A jet-black sword now rested in his grasp.
Hwiiirrr—.
A fierce whirlwind kicked up, making Dong Bongsu's clothes flutter once.
Then, he vanished on the spot.
Yeop Bihwa's footsteps immediately followed.
And so, two long trails of dust were drawn ahead.
"...Ha. Ha. That's just like Sect Leader Kim."
"…"
Baek Hando stood frozen on the spot for a long while.
Where Myo Jinheo's dejected sigh had settled, Baek Hando's white robe, filled with his own dejection, fluttered briefly before settling down.
At the same time, the white strands of his hair, which gave him the air of an immortal, swayed lightly from side to side.
"Heh. Heh… Well, I'll be."