55. Playing in the Big Water
The moment the blade pierced his chest, the branch manager understood what kind of energy was being deployed on Sirius’s blade.
This was neither brain magic nor a magic sword. It was brain magic that had been transformed into a fluid flowing over the blade with the properties of lightning.
The technique Sirius had unleashed was unlike any magic the branch manager had ever known.
“You, on earth…”
Sirius did not reply and dealt a fatal blow to the branch manager.
Sirius is now using the power of the third stage of Cheonrang Shingong, Changloi (蒼雷).
Of course, he has not officially entered the Changloi stage.
He is merely reproducing the sword energy of Changloi with the power of the brain energy he has gathered, but even so.
Sirius was able to surpass the branch manager’s brain magic and inflict a fatal blow.
That was the martial might of Baek Murang, the unrivaled master of Cheonrang.
“Ah…”
The branch manager collapsed, spraying blood into the air.
A silent scream erupted from the branch manager’s mouth as he hit the ground.
“Do you have any last words?”
Sirius asked, looking down at the branch manager.
Then the branch manager glared at Sirius and opened his mouth with difficulty.
“On earth… where did you get such power.”
“Are you curious about that in this situation?”
“The power you just used… it was beyond the common sense of brain magic. No matter how much ancient magic you have learned, that kind of…”
The branch manager could not say anything more.
This is because Sirius put his hand on the branch manager’s chest and unleashed the force of Beopmyeong.
“You bastard, what are you… Keugh!”
The circle of the branch manager was destroyed, and he became unable to use magic.
And the leaked magic power was absorbed into Sirius’ body.
The amount of magic power was suitable for the 8th circle, and it was more refined than Valerian last time… but this magic power would not greatly increase his internal energy.
‘It seems that it will be difficult to increase my internal energy by absorbing magic power.’
The dantian is like a large lake.
Using internal energy is an act of drawing water from this lake.
If you draw a lot of water, the water in the lake will temporarily decrease, but it will naturally recover over time.
Doing Unkijosik after internal energy is consumed, or absorbing the opponent’s energy with the Beommyeong’s technique… This is to quickly fill the lake’s water that has decreased.
But let’s say that suddenly one day, a heavy rain pours and a huge amount of water flows into the lake.
Then, the lake itself expands as the water overflows.
If the embankment is built well at that time, the maximum level of the lake water can be permanently increased.
This is the principle by which internal energy increases when taking a strong elixir.
On the other hand, what happens when a small amount of water flows in?
The amount may increase temporarily, but the lake itself cannot expand much.
This is why no matter how much of a mediocre elixir you eat, you can never become a master.
Even if you eat a thousand 10-year-old Hasuo, it is more effective to eat one thousand-year-old Hasuo.
Absorbing the opponent’s energy with the Beommyeong’s technique is similar.
If you absorb from someone with similar or greater internal energy than yourself, you can greatly expand the lake.
However, if you absorb from someone with less internal energy than yourself, you will only end up replenishing the reduced lake water.
This is the reason why the guys who brag about mastering the so-called Absorption Method can’t make a big noise.
No matter how much you absorb internal energy from those weaker than you, you won’t get stronger.
On the other hand, skilled masters do not give you a chance to absorb internal energy with the Absorption Method.
In the end, the only way to reach a higher level is to become stronger on your own.
‘I don’t know what would happen if the opponent was a 9th circle… but there is no point in absorbing the magic power of the 8th circle any more.’
Sirius turned his head and looked at Berdian.
Berdian was watching Sirius as he defeated the branch manager with admiration.
‘So I need that guy’s help.’
This was another reason why Sirius took in Berdian.
Berdian, the direct disciple of the Poison King, would have knowledge of various medicines.
The White Ice Flower was a poison that caused albinism, but it acted as an elixir that gave Sirius extreme internal energy.
If he could find out about medicines that worked that way through Berdian, he would be able to greatly increase his internal energy.
“Ugh…”
A weak groan came from the branch manager who had lost his magic power.
With that sound, the branch manager’s breath stopped completely.
“It’s over.”
He had already checked with his energy that there were no more enemies around.
With this, it could be said that the Eastern Branch of the Alliance was destroyed.
“Master, it was truly amazing.”
Aleion, who had been watching all the fighting, said in an impressed voice.
“That guy just now seemed stronger than Valerian Agtas last time. To win a complete victory against such a guy….”
“It wasn’t an easy fight. If I had been just a little weaker, I would have ended up a corpse sprawled on the ground.”
This wasn’t modesty.
The branch head’s brain magic was considerably powerful.
I was able to win because I responded with extreme concentration.
“You truly are an amazing person, Sirius-nim.”
At that moment, Berdian spoke up.
“To defeat even the branch head of the east, your abilities must rank among the top of the 8 circles. Though I don’t know if it’s right to judge your realm by circles.”
“……”
Berdian’s remark was subtly sharp.
“However, you’re not yet at a level where you can stand against the 9 circles. You will absolutely… not be able to win against the Alliance.”
“Are the 9 circles really that formidable?”
“Of course. With your current abilities, you wouldn’t be able to defeat not only the eastern branch head’s master, His Majesty the Brain Emperor, but also my master, His Majesty the Poison Monarch.”
“……”
“I hope the day comes soon when you witness their overwhelming power and your arrogance is crushed.”
His voice was blunt, but it held no hostility.
Sirius calmly replied,
“I look forward to it.”
“Pardon?”
“I look forward to the day I meet those great 9 circles. I wonder what kind of power they possess.”
Sirius had the goal of reaching a higher realm than in his previous life.
Fighting the 9 circles would be a great help.
“Just what are you…”
“It’s no use, Berdian.”
At that moment, Allion spoke up with a smile.
“The Danzhou is not someone who will feel fear just because you try to scare him like that. I would say he’s someone with great potential.”
“Tch…”
Berdian clicked his tongue.
“Well, the Alliance won’t move to assassinate Sirius-nim right away. They’ll probably try to assess the situation first. So… think about how you can survive longer.”
“Thank you for the advice, Berdian.”
“It wasn’t really advice.”
Sirius chuckled as he watched Berdian grumble.
* * *
Sirius returned to the Agtas family and told them that he had destroyed the eastern branch of the Alliance.
Everyone from the Agtas family, including Kaien, and the members of the Rigel family who had come as envoys, were stunned.
Only Justitia sighed and muttered, “You’ve done something amazing again.”
However, just because the eastern branch of the Alliance had been destroyed, it didn’t mean that the entire east would become peaceful.
As the branch head had said, it was true that the Alliance had been managing the dark guilds of the east.
Now that the leaders of the major dark guilds were desperate, there was a chance that some of them would rise up and try to expand their power.
So… it was time to start organizing the system.
“It’s been a long time, Sirius-nim.”
“Nothing special going on in the Northeast?”
“We’re maintaining order while cooperating with Lord Rootvein. There are no forces opposing the Azure Sword Union, and everything is running smoothly.”
Sirius called in the patriarch of the Uterus family.
“The fortress seems to be quite relaxed in the Northeast as well.”
“Yes, and it’s all thanks to you, Lord Sirius…”
“Then come this way, Paltheon.”
“Excuse me?”
“Leave the Northeast to Lord Rootvein. You can leave the Uterus family to someone else as well.”
“…?”
Paltheon blinked.
“You’re not asking me to step down as patriarch of the Uterus family, are you?”
“There’s no need for that. I just want you to play in a bigger pond.”
“…”
Paltheon’s face turned grim after hearing Sirius’s words.
Paltheon was a cunning fellow.
If left alone, it was likely he would start scheming and having other thoughts.
How could he prevent this guy from having frivolous thoughts?
The best way would be to keep him busy.
Even during the days of the Azure Emperor Baek Murang, there was a cunning rat-like fellow among his close aides.
That’s why Sirius knew how to handle guys like this.
“Paltheon, you don’t want to die after just being a commander in the Northeast, do you?”
“No, I’m quite satisfied with that…”
“Play in a bigger pond, a bigger pond.”
“…”
Paltheon had probably wanted to live comfortably in the Northeast with Sirius’s authority behind him.
However, he couldn’t do anything if Sirius was this persistent.
“What do you plan to have me do?”
“Organize the group.”
“Do you mean managing the Azure Sword Union?”
“No, the group that I’m going to create in the future.”
“By any chance…”
“I’m planning on creating an organization to maintain order not just in the East, but on the entire continent.”
“…”
Paltheon gulped.
He had heard something similar from Sirius in the past.
“I’m going to have you do the practical work of forming and operating that organization.”
“Are you going to entrust me with that?”
“From what I’ve seen so far, you’re the most capable in terms of practical ability.”
“Me?”
Paltheon’s face lit up.
Sirius had not expected to receive such high praise.
“Except for Justitia.”
“Ah……”
Paltheon wore a slightly disappointed expression, but he soon let out a sigh.
“No, well, that’s an objective evaluation. Even I can see that Lady Justitia is a genius.”
“Don’t belittle yourself. You’re better at managing people than Justitia.”
“Well, that’s only because Lady Justitia is so cold.”
“I agree with that.”
Paltheon chuckled at Sirius’s agreement.
“My, my, Sir Sirius gossiping about his wife. I must tell Lady Justitia about this…… ow!”
“Don’t be a blabbermouth.”
Paltheon, who had been hit once, pouted.
“The East is still not completely stable, and it’s still too early to have a full-fledged organization. However, it would be good to create a basic foundation in advance.”
“A basic foundation……”
“In the future, it will become a very large organization.”
During the days of the Unrivaled Lord, the Murim Alliance consisted of the One Palace, Two Houses, Three Halls, Four Pavilions, and Five Corps.
The One Palace refers to the Alliance Lord’s Palace, where the Alliance Lord and his direct subordinates belong.
The Two Houses are the Guardianship House, which governs the order of the Murim Alliance, and the Elders’ House, where the elders belong.
The Three Halls consist of the Military Strategy Hall, which is responsible for commanding operations; the Ten Thousand Gold Hall, which is responsible for finances; and the 侠員 Hall, which manages all the Murim Alliance’s personnel.
The Four Pavilions were four organizations that carried out independent missions such as gathering information or covert operations, and the Five Corps were five units that mainly handled general combat.
“Paltheon, you are the Chief of the 侠員 Hall, which is responsible for the 侠員 Hall.”
“The 侠員 Hall?”
“You can think of it as a department that manages all the members of the organization.”
“So it’s like a human resources department.”
At that time, most of the internal organizations of the Murim Alliance were controlled by the Seomunse Clan.
The Elders’ House and the Guardianship House had been firmly in the grip of the Seomunse Clan from the beginning, and the Military Strategy Hall, the Ten Thousand Gold Hall, and the 侠員 Hall had also fallen to the Seomunse Clan around the time of the Cheonma Divine Cult’s destruction.
If this were to happen, the Four Pavilions and Five Corps would also become puppets of the Seomunse Clan.
That was why, at the last moment, the only ones who stood with Baek Murang were the Twelve Guards, who were directly under the Alliance Lord’s Palace.
In order to prevent such a thing from happening again, Sirius planned to place his own aides in all the organizations.
In his previous life, the Twelve Guards had only served the Alliance Lord’s Palace, but this time, Sirius’s aides would oversee the entire organization.
“Paltheon, I will soon create a new corps separate from the Cheonlang Sword Corps.”
“A new corps?”
“I will create a new corps called the Black Tortoise Defense Corps to protect the local community. I plan to have the Cheonlang Sword Corps take on a more offensive role.”
“Ah……”
The Cheonlang Sword Corps was based on the Kalstein Sword Corps and had many members from the Black Society.
Because of this, it was difficult for the troops of the prestigious families to participate.
That was why he planned to create a new Black Tortoise Defense Corps and have several families, including the Agtas family, provide troops.
“The Black Tortoise Defense Corps will be a治安維持部隊that several families in the East will participate in.”
“I understand. There will be a lot of coordination involved.”
Paltheon nodded.
“In the meantime, the league will be a one-party, two-group system.”
The one party is the Collaborators’ Party.
The two groups are the Azure Sky Sword Group and the Black Tortoise Guard.
Compared to the five-party, four-corner, five-group era of the Murim Alliance, it is small, but it will gradually grow in size.
“But excuse me, Sirius-nim.”
Patheon suddenly lowered his voice.
“Are you doing this without the Rigel family knowing?”
“That’s not the case.”
In order to establish a force like the Murim Alliance in this world, the sponsorship of the Rigel family, one of the five great families of the continent, is essential.
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Especially since Justitia’s Azure Sky Trading Company will play the role of the Mangum Party in the future…… There was no reason to break up with the Rigel family.
“I’ll talk to Justitia as well.”
“Ah, I see.”
Patheon snickered, but quickly covered his mouth with his hand.
“Oops, I don’t mean to say that a couple should be of one mind or anything like that. Please don’t misunderstand.”
“Who said anything?”
“Then why are you in that pose?”
“Ugh……”
Sirius lowered his hand.
“Then why did you laugh?”
“No…… I’m just envious.”
“Envious?”
“As I said earlier…… Justitia-nim is a very capable person. I’ve often admired her when we worked together in the northeast.”
Patheon said with a smile.
“I laughed because I was envious of Sirius-nim for marrying such a talented woman. I wonder what kind of woman I’ll end up marrying…… hahahaha.”
“…….”
“You must feel secure being married to such a woman.”
To Patheon’s question, Sirius replied in an emotionless voice.
“Well, I wonder.”
Sirius trusts Justitia.
However, it is only as a comrade who cooperates for each other’s goals.
It could be said that it is not trust as a couple.
Considering that he was betrayed by his wife in his previous life and became addicted to the Formless Poison…… It would be difficult to trust Justitia as a wife.
Anyway, they are a couple in name only, and there is no need for such a thing.
* * *
Late in the evening, Sirius visited Justitia’s quarters.
It was because he needed to discuss future plans.
However, Justitia was with someone else.
“I see you’re in the middle of a conversation. I’ll come back later.”
“No need for that. Sit down for a moment, brother-in-law.”
Justitia’s older sister, Leticia, grabbed Sirius.
“Since we’re talking about the future of the Rigel family, it would be good for my brother-in-law to join us.”
“…….”
The future of the Rigel family.
Hearing those words, Sirius glanced at Justitia’s face.
Justitia’s expression was stiffer than usual.
“It seems like a serious conversation.”
Currently, the youngest, Justitia’s husband, Sirius, is leading the Rigel family.
It may not be a welcome situation from an older sister’s perspective.
If that’s what she’s going to talk about, Sirius plans to confront her head-on.
“Please speak. I’ll listen.”
Leticia married into the prestigious Letiwood family in the south.
The Letiwood family has power that rivals the Agtas family, and they are also part of the ‘Southern Alliance’, a gathering of southern families.
If Sirius advances into the south, a clash with the Southern Alliance will be inevitable… and a conflict with Leticia will also be unavoidable.
If Leticia declares war first, Sirius planned to fight her head-on.
“Sister, let’s not talk about this anymore….”
“Hold on, Justitia.”
Justitia tried to stop Leticia, but it was no use.
After looking back and forth between Sirius and Justitia, Leticia opened her mouth.
“You two, aren’t you going to have a baby?”
For a moment, there was silence at the older sister’s voice, urging the newlyweds.