Clench!

“Kuaaak!”

Oh Muyang, also known as Yang Muoh, woke up from a sharp pain.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed someone was holding his hand. The person was Mumu, wearing the face of a stern middle-aged man.

“S-stop…”

Crack!

Yang Muoh begged at the pain he was feeling from his fingers being crushed. As a result, Mumu unclenched his hand.

“Are you feeling a little better now?”

Yang Muoh was speechless at the question.

Having captured him and then waking him up in the most wildest way made him think that this guy had no mercy in him.

“Haa… haa…”

Yang Muoh took a deep breath and looked at Mumu as he asked,

“What is your true identity? What the hell are….”

Shh

Mumu took something out of his pocket and showed it to Yang Muoh.

And this caused his expression to contorted in all sorts of ways in bewilderment at the sight of the jade plaque and the two lines in the triangle.

“You?

“You have this too?

“W-where did you get that from?”

Yang Muoh wondered if Mumu had taken this from someone, but Mumu showed the back of it.

‘Mumu?’

[Mumu]

What was written there on the jade was none other than his name, and seeing this only confused him more.

After the defeat of the empire-like organization they held, only four people with the jade plaque had survived, including himself.

Muil, Mui, Musa, and Muoh.

‘Mumu?’

It was a title he was seeing for the first time. As far as he knew, Mu was surely the one attached to their names, and it was the same here. But then, he actually has a title?

Mumu’s eyes widened.

“Your reaction is a bit different from Mui’s?”

“What?”

“I was quite curious. Muil, Mui, Musam is dead and Musa and Muoh… and then the deformed sons which were failures of the man.”

‘!?’

Yang Muoh’s face hardened at the words he heard. It was because he was surprised by Mumu, who knew more than he thought.

The only ones who knew they were failures was Musa.

‘What the hell is he?’

He had a jade plaque he had never seen before?

As their father’s troops were defeated, he was the one who knew the hidden truths about it, along with Musa and the guardian warriors.

While he was panicking, he heard the voice of someone.

“Just speak if you know something.”

It was the familiar voice of Kang Mui.

Yang Muoh, who found Kang Mui standing with his back leaning against the wall, said with a frown,

“… is that what Kang Mui told you?”

“You don’t speak with formalities anymore.”

Kang Mui snorted. Of course he understood this.

Since he was someone with a working brain and a new son came up, he was bound to be full of doubts. Yang Muoh snorted and said,

“At this point, did you think I would give up the one I am supporting and side with you?”

“I never mentioned wanting any of that.”

Kang Mui shrugged his shoulders.

He had already given up a lot of things, so it didn’t matter what happened to being the lord. He just wanted to share the pain he had suffered.

Kang Mui said,

“I didn’t know that this guy even existed. Of course, we knew that the man had many kids besides us. You, the oldest of us, must know quite a bit except for the great guardian.”

Yang Muoh sighed at the words of Kang Mui.

And he softly said,

“I don’t know.”

“Oh. Really?”

“If you intend to hear something from my mouth, then just tear it off. I don’t know what Kang Mui and you, brat, are up to but I chose a person I want as a Lord…”

“You are deeply loyal to the one who abandoned you.”

“What?”

At Kang Mui’s words, the expression of the man wrinkled. What nonsense was this? Abandoned?

To him, who was puzzled, Kang Mui said,

“Eh. Was it Young Jeon? He should have said it.”

“Young Jeon?”

Yang Muoh turned his head in the direction Kang Mui was looking in. And he saw Young Jeon there, standing with a tense face.

“Young Jeon! How can you…”

“He gave up on the imperial palace.”

“What?”

“It is as you heard. All the other descendants of Eight Evil Families have disappeared from the palace.”

At those words, Yang Muoh’s eyes trembled.

What new nonsense is this? Why did they suddenly disappear? Kang Mui smiled as he said,

“Did you know? After this guy dethroned the current emperor, he looked for the descendants of the Evil Families but then they all disappeared.”

“… Eight Evil Families… wait, what was that?”

“Which part?”

“He just dethroned the emperor…”

“Ahh. I’ve been passed out the whole time so I don’t know what is happening. Young Jeon, why aren’t you speaking?”

At Kang Mui’s words, Young Jeon opened his mouth.

“The present emperor on the throne is the True King.”

“W-what nonsense…”

Clench!

“Kuak!”

Yang Muoh’s body twisted like it was in pain as his hand was held. And Mumu said it to warn him,

“There is no one around but still talk quietly okay? Can you do that?”

At Mumu’s words, Yang Muoh quickly nodded his head. At this, Mumu unclenched his hand.

Yang Muoh, who didn’t want to feel the pain again, spoke slowly,

“… What do you mean?”

“It is as you have heard. The lord has dealt with the guards of the palace and the captain of the hidden truth squad and the current emperor was put on the throne.”

‘!!!!’

At those words, Yang Muoh was speechless.

To be honest, it was something he couldn’t believe. How many people can easily accept that the emperor had been dethroned and the True King was now the emperor?

‘Guards of the palace too?’

Because of their existence, they didn’t move hastily. And it was because they thought that such powerful people in the palace shouldn’t be made aware of their plans.

But Mumu dealt with all of them and even the captain of the hidden truth squad?

“Cannot believe it? Who cares? This is the reality.”

“Sigh…”

Yang Muoh’s breathing trembled at the sound of Kang Mui’s chuckling voice. He was so confused on how this situation was to be dealt with.

Yang Muoh could only look at Mumu with trembling eyes.

‘What is this? What on earth is he to go and destroy all our plans?’

He didn’t understand.

It was even more so if he really was the owner of a jade plaque. If he inherited the blood of that man, why wasn’t he thinking of getting revenge?

‘Right. That face.’

Kang Mui smiled at the despair on the face of Yang Muoh.

This monster was beyond common sense. And it was even more frightening because no matter how hard they worked, Mumu could not be crossed.

“The Lord you chose ran in fear of this guy. Would you insist on your allegiance if he gave up so easily on you?”

Crack!

Yang Muoh grit his teeth at the words of Kang Mui. If he did give up on the imperial palace, then it wasn’t actually a wrong decision.

It was because if he tried to do something, then he would only get caught, and the probability of the entire plan failing was high.

‘Right decision. But…’

A human heart isn’t so rational. No matter how right the decision was, he had bet everything on him.

He didn’t know that he would give up on his right hand man who had been helping him for ten years this easily.

‘Is this the price of the choice?’

If he looked at the cause, he should accept the whole process, including being abandoned, but it felt so bitter to his heart.

Kang Mui told Yang Muoh,

“A guy like you should be able to rationally judge what is right.”

“…”

At those words Yang Muoh looked at Mumu.

‘… Damn it.’

He began to think now, the situation was already disastrous.

The people in the academy and the imperial palace, their plans all destroyed by one person, Mumu.

Their skills, their strategy, plans, and contingencies turned useless. With just one overwhelming force, the entire situation was changed.

In this situation, can things be reversed if one chose death out of loyalty to nothing?

‘Four Great Warriors…. Guardians of the palace… hidden troops… Kang Mui… Sa Muheo…’

No one was an easy opponent.

Such people collapsed too easily. Yang Muoh who was worried about the reality finally made up his mind.

“… Will my life be guaranteed if I surrender?”

Kang Mui laughed at those words. He couldn’t help it.

No matter how much they thought, everyone should know that thoughts or plans don’t work for him.

Mumu said to Yang Muoh who was practically speaking of surrender.

“Then can you tell me everything you know?”

“As long as my life is guaranteed I will speak of everything I know.”

“Nice.”

Yang Muoh sighed in relief at those words, which he accepted readily.

On one hand he didn’t like the situation, but as of now, he had to preserve his life. Yang Muoh took a peek at Young Jeon and said,

“Move from here.”

“Move from here?”

“Yes.”

At this, Mumu nodded and Young Jeon left.

“Phew.”

Yang Muoh took a deep breath and asked,

“Right. What do you want to know?”

“As said earlier, Muil, Mui, Musam, Musa, Muoh, and the other deformed sons who were called failures in the castle, what is all that?”

At that Yang Muoh looked at Kang Mui and asked,

“Muil and Mui are things you heard from Kang Mui but how do you know about the failures?”

“I heard.”

“I am asking from who.”

“From a mister known as East River Sword Star.”

“…”

He tried to not show it, but Yang Muoh had no choice but to bite his tongue.

He heard rumors of how Mumu defeated the man, but hearing the past from him was too much. If it wasn’t for being overwhelmingly strong, there was no way that man would have opened his mouth.

And Kang Mui asked.

“What the hell are these failed kids?”

He was unaware of such a thing. He was curious about the words of Mumu.

“Muoh! What have you been hiding from us?”

At that question, Yang Muoh sighed and said,

“This is a story that you people didn’t have to know because they all died.”

“No need to know?”

“Even before me, there were numerous failures. Even those who had the name of MU were often thrown away in emergencies.”

Kang Mui’s expression went stiff at those words. What the hell is this about, being given the title of Mu but being abandoned?

Mumu raised his eyebrows and asked,

“What are the failed ones? The kids who weren’t liked?”

Yang Muoh’s expression darkened at this. He thought the topic was done, but this was being brought up again.

“What do you think the meaning of the title and the plaque is?”

“… Wasn’t it given to those who had the most near to perfect body of the children he gave birth to?”

“Not wrong.”

“Not wrong?”

“It is true that Mu was given to those who had outstanding skills and things. However, that isn’t what determined who his successor would be.”

“What?”

Yang Muoh looked at Kang Mui and Mumu, who were unable to understand it, and said,

“We are all his alter egos and new vessels.”

‘!?’