麻豆工作室

 A man’s head dropped in the center of a grand palace, the dull noise signaling the end. The bloodstained history that dyed the world red for the past five years had finally come to an end.

 “Brother!”

 A middle-aged man with the appearance of a beggar rushed forward. At the end of his sight stood an old man whose once-pure white clothes were now drenched in blood.

 The old man was in critical condition. The sword in his hand trembled, and his eyes were unfocused. Furthermore, blood was pouring from his abdomen. It looked as if he would drop dead at any moment.

 However, the old man’s expression remained calm.

 “…It is finally over.”

 “That’s not what matters! Brother, your wound–”

 “That is all that matters.”

 The beggar looked up with a frustrated sigh. In return, the elderly man smiled brightly.

 “Didn’t I slay the Blood Demon?”

 The beggar couldn’t help but laugh when he saw that delighted smile.

 “…Yes, you did. Brother, you managed to pull it off. Sword Star Mok Seon-oh has passed judgment upon the Blood Heaven Cult and Blood Demon Tan Cheonhwa for their atrocities.”

 There was a history of blood. A history etched with more blood spilled than the waters of the Yangtze River, and even more deaths.

 Some said.

 The world of martial arts will never return to its former glory.

 The age of evil spirits has arrived, and everyone will suffer.

 However, the bloodied history caused by the vile evil spirits of the Blood Heaven Cult came to an end at the hands of this elderly swordsman who stood at the forefront of numerous heroes in the Orthodox Faction.

 A middle-aged beggar – no, one of the Ten Grand Masters of the Orthodox Faction, King of the Beggars’ Gang, Ma Il-seok, had finally come to terms with reality.

 “You’ve been through a lot, but it’s all over now! Brother, you saved this world! Do you have any idea how worried I was? Over there…”

 Ma Il-seok quickly said those words to relieve the tension.

 Sword Star Mok Seon-oh, the old man he addressed as Brother, laughed and turned his gaze to the distance.

 There was a small side door.

 ‘It was trying to protect that place.’

 Having faced the Blood Demon himself, he knew. The Blood Demon could have fled, but chose not to. It resisted desperately by drawing upon more demonic qi, as if seemingly protecting what was hidden behind that door.

 That was the reason he was able to win.

 The Sword Star’s eyes narrowed.

 It was because curiosity welled up within him, wondering what was behind the place that made the Blood Demon perform such an act.

  Splash⁠–

 As the Sword Star stepped on a pool of blood, Ma Il-seok asked.

 “Brother, where are you going?”

 “I will look around for a while.”

 “Huh? Then, let’s go together. I’ll help you.”

 “Much appreciated.”

 With a joking response from Mok Seon-oh, Ma Il-seok laughed heartily and followed. Passing the grand palace stained with the Blood Demon’s blood, they arrived at the side door. With a single slash, the door was cut open.

  Crash–!

 At last, when he saw inside, Mok Seon-oh’s expression stiffened.

 “…A child.”

 Behind the door, on an altar, lay a baby wrapped in a blanket, soundly asleep amidst the chaos.

 ‘The Blood Demon’s offspring?’

 His immediate thought was that even a demon might cherish its offspring, but that thought quickly faded.

 ‘…No. What parent in the world would place their child on an altar?’

 It was an altar with an unmistakable stench of blood. The Sword Star immediately discerned its grim purpose.

 ‘Sorcery.’

 The baby was most likely intended to be used for black magic.

 Mok Seon-oh was filled with rage as he stepped forward to save the infant. However, as he held the baby in his arms, an involuntary shiver coursed through him.

 “Brother?”

 Ma Il-seok, who arrived moments later, called out. His gaze was drawn to the child, and his expression stiffened shortly after.

 “Those eyes…”

 The reason for their reaction was obvious. The baby who had woken up possessed blood-red eyes.

  “The Heaven-Slaying Star…” Ma Il-seok whispered.

 In the Central Plains, blood-red eyes had but one meaning.

 The Heaven-Slaying Star.

 The star of a slaughterer destined to plunge the world into chaos just by living and breathing. That was this child’s fate.

 “We need to kill it. This child might grow up to become another Blood Demon. We must kill it while it’s still an infant,” Ma Il-seok said.

 As the one responsible for gathering information on the entirety of the Central Plains, the Beggar King was well aware of the devastation that those born under this killing star had inflicted upon the world.

 Far beyond Xinjiang.

 There was the Third Heavenly Demon Lee Mubaek, who drenched the western region with rivers of blood.

 As well as Sword Devil Seo Woojin, once just a vagabond, unified the southern region and established the Unorthodox Alliance called the Black Death Association.

 And then there was Demonic Sword Oh-chun, heir to the famous Oh family, whose evil deeds included slaughtering tens of thousands in his lifetime.

 “Brother, we have to kill it now.”

 Upon hearing Ma Il-seok’s urgent words, Mok Seon-oh’s forehead wrinkled. He agreed with Ma Il-seok’s perspective, but hesitated since the being in question was just a baby.

 “…Such a small child.”

 “Brother…”

 “Look at him. Barely accustomed to his mother’s milk, yet why does he not cry?”

 “Don’t be fooled, this is a slaughterer!”

 “But before that, it is a child.”

 Ma Il-seok’s expression hardened. In the midst of this, Mok Seon-oh cast a sorrowful gaze at the child.

 “…A child who has yet to become anything.”

 “This child will call for blood.”

 “Has there ever been a day where blood has not stained these lands?”

 “It might not be the blood of martial artists!”

 “It might be the blood of a demon.”

 “Brother! This child might end up slaughtering thousands of innocent people!”

 “Or perhaps he could cut down tens of thousands of evildoers.”

 Their conversation wasn’t reaching a consensus. Mok Seon-oh simply pitied the innocent child, while Ma Il-seok warned of the impending chaos, urging him to take action. The atmosphere was growing tense, and if things continued this way, they might find themselves unsheathing their swords.

 “My beggar friend.”

 “…”

 “What did we come here for?”

 Ma Il-seok clenched both fists tightly and replied.

 “…We came to kill the Blood Demon. And we succeeded..”

 “Why did we do that?”

 “What do you mean why? For peace! We came here for the sake of righteousness!”

 “Then I will ask.”

 Mok Seon-oh, with eyes fixed on the child, said.

 “Is murdering a child who has yet to become anything because they might become dangerous, truly considered righteousness?”

 Ma Il-seok froze. His eyes widened, followed by a terrible frown.

 “Is the reason we wield the sword merely that? Our goal is peace, and this is the process. If we are not honorable in our means to achieve our goal, can we truly call that righteousness?”

 It sounded like sophistry; making such sacrifices for the sake of peace was only natural. Nonetheless, Ma Il-seok found himself unable to refute.

 The reason was simple – the man before him, uttering such unrestrained words, was none other than Sword Star Mok Seon-oh.

 It was a name that belonged to the one seated at the zenith among the Four Stars Six Kings, representing the Ten Grand Masters of the Orthodox Faction.

 Never able to turn a blind eye to injustice, always agonizing over the path of righteousness, and never backing down from danger, the Beggar King could not possibly bring himself to challenge the words of the man he held in the highest esteem as his Brother.

 “Beggar friend, I cannot do it.” 

 Amidst the loud voices, the child, who had been staring at Mok Seon-oh, began to giggle upon making eye contact. When Mok Seon-oh reached out, the child firmly grasped his index finger.

 Observing this scene, a blend of concern and sorrow etched across Ma Il-seok’s expression. After what seemed like an extended period of contemplation, he let out a sigh and finally spoke.

 “…Brother, you are truly cowardly.”

 The sarcastic chuckle and words that followed left no room for any doubts. It was an undeniable surrender. In response, Mok Seon-oh offered a gentle smile.

 “Thank you for following along with my stubbornness.”

 “What do you plan to do?”

 “I will raise the child.”

 “…You?”

 “Yes. Since I was insistent on saving him, should I not raise him with my own hands?”

 The child continued to hold onto Mok Seon-oh’s finger, bringing it close to its mouth to suck on.

 “…I will teach this child the path of righteousness. I will raise him to resist his fated destiny.”

 “Really, I can’t change your mind.”

 Ma Il-seok shook his head. Even though his words were teasing, he wasn’t genuinely annoyed. On the contrary, he felt relieved.

 Even the child, who would become a slaughterer, looked at him with hope. Observing this, Ma Il-seok was reminded once again why he had come to revere Mok Seon-oh as his Brother.

 ‘He always stands by his words, no matter how ridiculous they are.’

 In the Central Plains, the weight behind the title ‘Sword Star’ was equivalent to the weight of the chivalrous deeds Mok Seon-oh had performed. This naturally fostered expectations.

 Perhaps, just perhaps, Mok Seon-oh might raise the child not as a slaughterer, but as a righteous swordsman.

 “Mok Riwon.”

 “What?”

 “I believe it will be a fitting name for the child. Taking my surname, Mok and a first name using the characters ‘Ri’ meaning control, and ‘Won’ meaning origin. It is a wish that he will grow up to take control of the origin within him and alter his fate.”

 A very magnificent smile touched Mok Seon-oh’s face as he spoke.

 “What do you think?”

 Ma Il-seok looked at the child.

 The child, with pale white skin, had eyes as red as blood. As the child grew, the intensity of that red would fade, never to return unless the child was consumed by bloodlust. If the child grew true to his name, that red qi in his eyes would never be seen again.

 “…It seems like a good name.”

 “Doesn’t it?”

 “But.”

 “Hm?”

 “But, while I trust you and will reluctantly follow…”

 Ma Il-seok gestured outside the door.

 “How do you plan to convince those outside?”

 He referred to the other martial arts masters awaiting beyond the door inside the palace. Mok Seon-oh made a troubled smile before responding.

 “I can only hope they understand.”

 “Those people? I think it’s impossible. Even if others might be swayed, the Poison King will never allow it. The Tang family has sacrificed too much in this war.”

 “Is it not a sin to blame this child?”

 “At least, he won’t think that way.”

 The atmosphere grew tense again. Mok Seon-oh’s worries deepened, and Ma Il-seok silently waited. The conclusion was no different from before.

 “As expected, it is only right to seek their permission in the end.”

 “Brother…”

 “It would not be right to deceive them for my own selfish desire.”

 Mok Seon-oh laughed, descending from the altar with the child in his arms.

 “Let’s go.”

 As Mok Seon-oh stepped outside, those waiting for him with the Blood Demon’s corpse noticed what was in his arms, and they each had different reactions upon hearing his words.

 There was no record of the conversation in the palace that day.

 The Central Plains only knew one thing – on the day the Blood Demon drew his final breath, the brightest star of the Orthodox Faction willingly relinquished his name.