The World’s Greatest is Dead

The World’s Greatest is Dead – Chapter 146

Small Moon Division Leader.

This referred to the highest figure in the Small Moon Division, and in the wider world, was said to be the only one who could claim to be the strongest sword of the Blue Moon Sect.

While the absolute power of the Blue Moon Sect lay with the Sect Leader, it was ultimately the Small Moon Division Leader who defended it.

What was the Small Moon Division?

It was the elite unit composed of the strongest warriors in the Blue Moon Sect. They rivaled groups like the Taiji Swordsmen of the Wudang and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen of the Mount Hua Sect. They were comparable to the Eight Prosperous Dragon Division, known as the guardians of the Murim Alliance.

The reputation and martial prowess of the Small Moon Division Leader were such that nobody in the Central Plains dared to overlook them.

Thus, I couldn’t help but recognize how remarkable the person in front of me was.

A giant man gazed down at me with striking, sharp blue eyes.

That man was Baek Yu-Chun, the Small Moon Division Leader.

As I looked at the man who seemed to regard me with disbelief, I quietly swallowed my breath.

‘Damn… this is terrifying.’

There was no enduring it otherwise.

‘Why are his eyes like that?’

His gaze was piercingly sharp.

It was different from the way the Virtuous Moon Sword looked at me. I couldn’t quite tell what emotions were behind that gaze; it was just naturally intimidating, almost making me want to shrink back.

‘This side is plainly open about it.’

The Small Moon Division Leader openly disliked me.

He didn’t bother to conceal his negative feelings at all.

His gaze, along with his aura, was filled with an intense presence.

“… What did you just say?”

The Small Moon Division Leader questioned me as if he couldn’t believe what I had just said.

Listening to his words, I hesitated.

‘Should I just pretend not to know?’

Should I say it was a mistake, ask to forget what I said, and attempt to flee?

‘But… it’s too late for that.’

Whether I thought deeply or lightly about it, the outcome was the same.

I had already spoken the words, and having heard them, the Small Moon Division Leader wouldn’t just let it slide.

So.

“I think I should become the young sect leader.”

I forced myself to repeat the same words to the Small Moon Division Leader.

“I hope you, division Leader, could support me-”

*Crack!!!*

‘Gah!’

The force radiating from the Small Moon Division Leader was intense. Even with my body at peak condition, the pressure made me instinctively shut my mouth.

‘This is crazy.’

Cold sweat trickled down. As I felt once more, were these so-called supreme masters even human?

‘How could a person exude such an aura?’

It was absurd.

Truly absurd.

‘My life, too, for that matter.’

To survive in a place dominated by such beings was indeed a wretched and cursed existence.

“… You indeed seem to regard me as a fool.”

The anger of the Small Moon Division Leader seeped into his voice.

His aura, mixed with emotions, engulfed me explosively.

“I’m sure I told you I wouldn’t acknowledge you. To appear before me and utter such nonsense, you intend to insult me?”

The air grew heavy.

At the same time, the eyes of the Small Moon Division Leader gleamed with a radiant light.

“It seems you’re under a big misconception.”

I was scared to death.

How could someone’s eyes glow like that?

“Even if the Sect Leader thinks well of you, do you assume I must follow the same judgment? Or rather…”

*Thud.*

The Small Moon Division Leader placed his hand on the handle at his waist.

My eyes went straight to it.

“Do you assume that because the Sect Leader holds you in high regard, I wouldn’t dare to do anything to you?”

“…”

Instinct warned me.

If that sword were drawn, I’d be in real danger.

So it urged me loudly to stop him quickly.

“Whatever the case, it’s a conceited misconception.”

My lips felt heavy. Bound by the pressure, they would not open as I willed them.

Ah, this wasn’t good.

‘I didn’t expect the pressure to be this severe.’

I hadn’t anticipated being silenced, unable to speak.

At this rate, I really might be finished.

*Swoosh.*

The sword began to slide out. Oh damn, what should I do?

Just as I was about to nervously swallow in the tense situation.

『Haaaaa—-!!!』

Yu Chun-gil had erupted in fury.

Immediately, a gust of wind swept through.

*Fwaaaaaa!!!!*

The air inside the room surged as if a storm had rolled in.

*Crack!*

The aura enveloping my body felt the impact and began to collapse.

“…!!”

The eyes of the Small Moon Division Leader, who had been about to draw his sword, widened.

Observing this, he opened his mouth to speak.

“I know you hold my master in high regard.”

“What?”

When the subject of my master, the Sword Saint, was brought up, the Small Moon Division Leader, who had widened his eyes, immediately furrowed his brows.

“What are you trying to say?”

“Is it not true?”

“What a trifling jest. Do you believe there is anyone at Blue Moon Sect who does not respect him?”

He was right. Yu Chun-gil was the most respected martial artist in the entire Central Plains.

Moreover, the Blue Moon Sect was his main sect.

There was no one here who did not respect him.

However, “Among those, the Division Leader’s respect stands out particularly.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“It’s as it sounds. You respect him so much—”

I paused, then continued with a smile.

“That you would even talk to the Beggar Sect to prevent rumors of me being his disciple from spreading.”

“…….”

At those words, the raging wind subsided.

The air, which had been stifled by the Small Moon Division Leader’s aura, reappeared.

Time passed.

Sound ceased, and a moment slipped by.

“…… What do you mean?”

The belated pretense from the Small Moon Division Leader reached my ears.

The expression on the Small Moon Division Leader’s face was indisputable.

‘He must know himself.’

If he intended to feign ignorance, it was too late.

His reaction just now was as good as an answer.

However, “Isn’t that so?”

“…….”

“Then, it seems I was mistaken.”

Although aware of everything, I provided the Small Moon Division Leader with an excuse to escape.

More accurately.

‘It’s a threat.’

I knew about this matter.

That was the nature of the threat.

It was the thought from the day I first arrived at Henan and began to question it.

‘Who was it that stopped my rumor from spreading?’

Considering the Sword Saint’s successor was announced in Anhui, it wouldn’t have been strange if it had quickly spread throughout the Central Plains.

Frankly speaking.

‘The fact that I became the Sword Saint’s direct successor is even more surprising than capturing Spear Demon.’

The emergence of a direct successor to the Sword Saint was.

The fact that I was called the Little Sword Saint and became well-known across the Central Plains was a significant matter indeed.

Yet.

‘Those rumors vanished completely.’

The rumors of the Sword Saint’s successor hadn’t spread for some time. It was strange. Several people had witnessed my duel with the Young Azure Sword and the report of the Mountain Sky Demon’s death in Anhui.

Considering all that, the rumor should have already spread rapidly…

‘It was thanks to the incident in Sichuan that my rumor spread.’

In truth, it had begun to spread gradually.

Even when I arrived at Blue Moon Sect, there were those who recognized me.

Even the Tang family, one of the Five Great Families, identified my presence and sent a letter.

This implies.

‘Important powers knew about me.’

But beyond that, the rumor was suppressed.

So who could have stopped the rumor from spreading?

The answer was simple.

‘The Beggar Sect.’

There was a saying that rumors in Central Plains start and end with the Beggar Sect.

This meant that no one could match them when it came to information.

In other words, they could manipulate the spread of rumors.

‘The Beggar Sect prevented my rumor from spreading.’

At the same time, they allowed major powers to know about it.

This explained why the rumors about the Sword Saint’s successor had not spread widely.

‘Of course, some rumors inevitably spread.’

Still, it remained eerily quiet.

Perhaps, if the incident in Sichuan had not occurred, it would have been even quieter.

‘There must be someone targeting me using the Beggar Sect again.’

Just as someone had blocked rumors about me, there was another scheme behind allowing some rumors to spread.

I wasn’t certain who was responsible yet.

‘Anyway, that’s not what’s important now.’

Finding the one who blocked the rumors was more crucial than the one who spread them.

I had already pinpointed several suspects during my investigation.

Among them…

‘This person had the highest probability.’

The person standing before me.

From my perspective, the Small Moon Division Leader was the most likely suspect.

‘Turns out I was right.’

In the end, my intuition proved correct.

I had initially approached the situation lightly, but the other person’s reaction gave me clarity.

“Mistaken though it may be, let’s move on to the main point. Would the Division Leader be able to support me?”

I returned to the main topic.

The Small Moon Division Leader frowned deeply at my words.

It was the same statement, but the meaning differed from earlier.

If indeed the act had been committed, ‘It was likely done without the Sect Leader’s knowledge, purely by the Small Moon Division Leader.’

The Virtuous Moon Sword would not have acted without notice. Otherwise, the reaction from the Virtuous Moon Sword towards me wouldn’t make sense.

Furthermore…

“How dare you—”

The reaction from the Small Moon Division Leader was as expected.

“Are you trying to threaten me?”

“I wouldn’t dare do such a thing.”

I maintained my smile.

Inside, fear bubbled up. If that person decided to draw a sword here, I wouldn’t be able to react before my head was separated from my body.

“This is both a plea and a longing directed towards the Division Leader. I hoped that a man who respects my master would take my side.”

“…”

“Of course, I’m aware you might not find me appealing, but life’s events can be quite unexpected.”

I kept talking without pausing. I couldn’t afford to stop.

Even if the Small Moon Division Leader really did join forces with the Beggar Sect to stifle the rumors…

‘This alone won’t bring him over.’

It was impossible to bring the Small Moon Division Leader to my side.

This was merely groundwork.

‘I’m showcasing that I’m more clever than I might think.’

I needed to make the Division Leader acknowledge that I wasn’t just an ordinary person.

After implanting this in his mind, ‘I’ll deliver the most critical blow.’

I needed to launch the prepared ‘real’ blow.

“Alright.”

“As expected, I knew you’d say that. However, if the Division Leader could support me… Pardon?”

I paused mid-sentence.

What did he say?

“You said… alright?”

“Yes, I did.”

“… Uh?”

『Uh?』

I involuntarily halted. Alright? Yu Chun-gil, who was above, also tilted his head in confusion.

This wasn’t part of the plan.

“What is this?”

Why was he agreeing?

‘Even without using what I prepared?’

As I was about to deliver the decisive statement, the Small Moon Division Leader’s words caught me off guard, disrupting my thoughts.

“Why?”

Why was he willing? Naturally, he should have been opposed! Faced with the unexpected situation, I looked at the Small Moon Division Leader.

“But there is a condition.”

The Small Moon Division Leader addressed me.

“A condition?”

Upon hearing this, I frowned. The Small Moon Division Leader then explained the condition.

“… What?”

I had to be utterly taken aback by the unexpected news.

* * *

Time passed until dusk began to settle.

I stood at the center of a space surrounded by countless people.

Moreover, “Nice to meet you.”

“… Yes.”

I was facing Chun Hye-In, holding a wooden sword.