Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 289

-I wish to see the Blood Demon! With that voice, the group that emerged from the barrier carried the flags of Jeomchang, the Council, and the Manila Alliance, a coalition of various sects and guilds. In other words. “Are you the Blood Demon?” They were messengers sent to convey their intentions. “You cannot meet him.” Kang Han-cheol spoke to them in a monotone voice. This place was a temporarily created open space between buildings. Around them, countless Blood Cult members and residents were watching everything. “Then, can you represent the Blood Demon?” “No one can represent the Blood Demon. However, I can convey your words to him.” “Then that will suffice.” The messengers from Jeomchang quietly nodded. They seemed inwardly tense. And for good reason. Flicker. The numerous gazes fixed on them. Those gazes held killing intent and hostility. It was as if, the moment an order was given, they would be seized and torn to pieces. This was a mission that risked their lives. However, the messengers did not back down. “I am Mak Ho, one of the Sixteen Swords of Jeomchang!” Rather, he amplified his voice with internal energy so that everyone could hear. “I will convey the will of Jeomchang and the Council to the Blood Demon!” They were using honorifics for the Blood Demon. Those who could be considered the pillars of the orthodox faction. “Jeomchang and the Martial Alliance acknowledge the Blood Cult as an organization of the ‘Eun’ [a term referring to the orthodox martial arts world] and recognize the Blood Demon as their leader!” Murmurs began to rise. What they had just said seemed simple, but it was anything but. How had the Blood Cult and the Heavenly Demon Cult been regarded within the ‘Eun’ until now? They were considered a group of devils. A group similar to Gehenna [a place of torment], who craved blood and flesh, and seduced and corrupted humans. They had never acknowledged the Blood Cult and the Heavenly Demon Cult, only seeing them as a group of evil that needed to be hunted. “…….” Yet now, they were acknowledging the Blood Cult as an organization of the ‘Eun’ and recognizing the Blood Demon as their leader. Even for Kang Han-cheol, this was surprising. Even if he didn’t want to be, he couldn’t help but be astonished. However, the next words from the messenger were even more shocking. “Furthermore, Jeomchang and the Martial Alliance-!” His voice grew even louder. “Grant the Blood Cult the right to govern the southern Philippines! And recognize the Blood Demon as the leader of the southern Philippines!” “I, insane….” It didn’t end there. “Furthermore, we acknowledge that the Blood Cult holds the rights to the entire Philippines in the future-!” Every word that followed was astonishing. This went beyond the issue of whether to acknowledge the Blood Cult or not. It went beyond that…. “Furthermore! If the Blood Cult desires, we will incorporate the Blood Cult into the Council and grant them a pillar position-!” This was a declaration. “However, if they do not wish to, we will acknowledge them as a separate organization from the Council and form an agreement!” Right then. “Are they crazy?” “Is this perhaps….” “A declaration of surrender?” A declaration of surrender. It seemed like they were acknowledging the Blood Cult and the Blood Demon, but in the end, it was no different from Jeomchang and the Council admitting defeat to the Blood Cult and accepting them. No direct battle had even occurred yet. Especially since they hadn’t even clashed with Jeomchang, one of the Nine Great Sects that formed the pillars of the Council. “This is the will of the Martial Alliance and Jeomchang!” Flap! “The promise will be kept!” The flag fluttered. It was like proof that their words would be kept. They hadn’t even fought, yet they had knelt. “Wow….” The reaction to that was, in a way, natural. “Waaaaaaaah-!” A thunderous roar erupted. Those who had become members of the Blood Cult were celebrating their victory to the fullest, shedding tears of joy. “Will you accept it?” However, the expressions of those who could be considered executives, including Kang Han-cheol, were not good. ‘This is a declaration of surrender.’ It was certainly something to be happy about, just like the Blood Cult members were rejoicing. However. ‘If they didn’t know the circumstances.’ It was only a declaration of surrender to those who didn’t know the circumstances. If they accepted this proposal, the advance would truly stop, and they would slowly retreat, leaving the Philippines. The entire Philippines would become the territory of the Blood Cult. The Blood Cult’s flag would be planted without shedding more blood or destroying this place. In a way, it was certainly a pleasant thing. However. ‘If they knew the circumstances….’ They would know how cunning and wicked their words were. This was just. ‘A pretext.’ Building a pretext. “Convey our words to the Blood Demon! We will return again!” The messengers who had come began to return. “…….” It was time for a meeting. * * * “Accept….” A quiet voice echoed. “We must accept it.” Kang Han-cheol’s gaze was fixed on Ha Se-min at his words. It was a gaze that felt like a burning flame. “You’re saying we should accept the Council’s proposal?” “Yes.” “That’s impossible!” Kang Han-cheol stomped his foot and shouted. “Knowing our relationship with the Council, how can you say that! We cannot coexist with them!” Kang Han-cheol continued. “What! Be accepted into the Council? Be recognized as one of the ‘Eun’ organizations? How can you say we should accept such dogshit!” “Joining the Council is just an option.” Unlike his usual appearance during battles, Ha Se-min was filled with coldness. “They said those words in front of everyone.” The Blood Cult members, the residents of Batangas, all saw and heard that scene and those words. “What will happen if we reject the proposal here?” They were saying not to shed blood, but if they rejected it. “They will soon say this. Look, they will say. The Blood Cult is a group that craves blood and commits slaughter. They don’t care about the lives of their followers at all. To side with them is….” Ha Se-min said. “No different from becoming a demon.” It was, in a way, a checkmate. If they accepted, they couldn’t wage war against the Council for the time being. If they didn’t accept, the identity of the Blood Cult could be misunderstood and collapse. They were. “They sent the messengers and made the declaration in front of everyone, aiming for that.” What would the Council lose? “The Council loses nothing. They were going to abandon the Philippines anyway. It’s already known that Jeomchang was planning to move its base, and the Philippines is a land like a white elephant, where enemy forces are widely spread.” To them, the Philippines was a land that was as good as useless, and its influence on the mainland was small. “If we reject the proposal, they will gain the pretext they like so much. There are reports of internal strife within the Council due to the incident with Einheart. Even if that wasn’t the case, the dissatisfaction of the players is also growing.” Ha Se-min continued. “The war with Einheart is a burden. That’s why the Council isn’t moving even though Einheart is taking a hostile stance. But what about internal conflict? Or rather, to be precise, what if they set a group of demons as their enemy?” He took a breath. “The unity within the Council will strengthen, and they will even gain a legitimate pretext to increase their military power.” It was indeed the cleverness of an organization that had ruled the ‘Eun’ for so long. Clench. Kang Han-cheol’s clenched fist trembled. He was filled with anger at the thought that he had been tricked by their tactics. “Pretext….” That which the orthodox faction liked so much. “It’s pretext building.” And they had done that efficient thing again. “…….” A quiet silence fell. Ha Se-min’s words were certainly reasonable. Especially since he, as the Black City King, was also knowledgeable in political matters, he could be said to be the closest to an expert here. However. “It’s not possible.” There was a voice that shattered all of that. Lee Shin-woo. He quietly looked at each person and spoke. “This is….” His dark face, the flames flickering behind his glasses, felt like a greater anger than the fist Kang Han-cheol was holding. “It’s something that happened because they knew Ro-woon, no, the Divine Demon, from the start.” “…….” “Knowing that we would never back down, they attacked us.” Black City King Ha Se-min. He was well-versed in information. But there was one thing he didn’t know the most. -Lee Ro-woon. The very person he served, the Divine Demon. The one who knew him best here was Lee Shin-woo. “This is a fight we cannot back down from.” “Is there a reason?” He had thought about it. ‘Why?’ Why didn’t Lee Ro-woon return to Korea? ‘Why?’ Why would Lee Ro-woon target Jeomchang? Such questions. Kang Han-cheol and Ha Se-min, etc., had those questions, but they had simply followed Lee Ro-woon and arrived here because it was him. The reason they hadn’t been told, the reason they hadn’t asked. “That is.” Lee Ro-woon, who had been quiet, opened his mouth. “I’ll tell you.” There was no longer any reason to leave it to them. “This is a fight to correct my past mistakes and a fight to move forward.” “…….” Everyone listened attentively. “The leader of the enemy forces, Kwon Cheol, is our foster father.” “…….” Silence fell, but it wasn’t awkward. They already knew about Lee Ro-woon’s background. That he had grown up in the Saebom Orphanage, and that Kwon Cheol, the director of the Saebom Orphanage, was the leader of the enemy forces. They also knew that the children of the Saebom Orphanage had grown up to become the enemy forces. “I will kill that man.” A knot. “In that case.” Ha Se-min said. “What does that have to do with Jeomchang?” He said everything he wanted to say. “If we accept the proposal from Jeomchang and the Council, we just need to add one condition. Bring the leader of the enemy forces, Kwon Cheol. If they hand him over, we will accept the proposal.” With that one condition, everything would be over. It wasn’t that they couldn’t capture the enemy forces. They were just leaving them alone as needed. At least, that’s what Ha Se-min knew. “It’s not that simple.” There was a complex and lengthy reason. It would take a long time to explain. But there was one thing that could be explained simply here. “The sect leader of Jeomchang.” Lee Ro-woon said. “He is presumed to be Kwon Cheol.” “…….” “…….” In the silence. “That’s absurd….” Shock followed. * * * A few days later, the messengers from Jeomchang and the Council came again to Batangas, where the Blood Cult members were stationed beyond the barrier. This time as well, they took their place in a busy downtown area and waited for the Blood Cult’s messenger. A smile spread across his face. -If this matter is resolved, I will become one of the vacant Jeomchang Six Swords. It was a dangerous mission that risked his life, but if the reward was sweet, he could endure it. Moreover. ‘They have no choice but to accept it.’ Even he thought that the Blood Cult had no choice but to accept this proposal. It was hard for a member of the orthodox faction to accept that such a barbaric group would be recognized as a member of the ‘Eun’, but the proposal they had made was absurd. A declaration of surrender from Jeomchang and the Council. ‘There must be some meaning behind it.’ There must be a reason to endure that humiliation. He just had to make a sweet proposal, and they just had to accept it. End. That was all it needed to be. Swoosh. The Blood Cult members who had been standing moved aside, and someone appeared. “It’s been a while….” He thought it was the person he had met before, and as he was about to greet him. “…….” He realized that someone was standing in front of the person he had seen before, and his face hardened. “W, who are you?” A quiet voice was uttered. The answer to that was heard. “I am the Blood Demon.” Lee Ro-woon. He was standing there.