Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 255

The Three Kings’ Disciple (256)

255

More than a dozen jeeps blocked the road, red flags planted on them like diplomatic vehicles.

Screech.

The vehicle of Lee Shin-woo and Lee Rowoon came to a complete stop.

Clunk.

As if they had been waiting, the doors of the jeeps began to open.

Thud.

Feet in combat boots ruthlessly trampled the ground.

Thud, thud.

One, ten, a hundred. That was the number of people who emerged from the jeeps.

Of course, that wasn’t all.

Tutter, tutter.

As if they had been waiting, motorcycles arrived one after another and stopped. The strange thing was that they also had red flags symbolizing the enemy forces.

The number of them seemed to have all gathered.

“It must be close to a thousand.”

A whopping thousand. Lee Shin-woo’s face contorted.

‘Why didn’t I sense it?’

If this many were lying in ambush, he, who was sensitive to magic, should have noticed. But until they revealed themselves…

No.

‘I still can’t sense it.’

Even now, he couldn’t sense any magic from them.

Clunk.

Lee Rowoon opened the door.

“Rowoon…ah.”

Lee Shin-woo, who was about to call out to stop Lee Rowoon, closed his mouth. Surrounded by over a thousand, any normal human would naturally run away or try to stop him.

Clunk.

Lee Shin-woo also opened the door. Come to think of it, what reason was there to stop Lee Rowoon? He was the one who had already swept away nearly five thousand enemy soldiers alone in Davao.

Swoosh.

Lee Rowoon and Lee Shin-woo stood in front of the vehicle.

“…….”

Lee Shin-woo still couldn’t feel the enemy’s energy, and his face was frustrated, as if he had sunk into water.

“They’ve eliminated their magic.”

Lee Rowoon’s voice was heard.

“What?”

“They’ve transformed the player’s core.”

“……!”

Lee Rowoon seemed to know everything already.

“You haven’t forgotten who the opponent is, have you?”

“Kwon Cheol….”

And.

“A variant….”

The power of Kwon Cheol’s hidden job was the power to mutate. The power to change forms and reverse the nature of individuals. That was why they could use monster-like powers while still being human.

-Through the magic runaway ability of monsters, they cause the player’s power to run wild.

That was one of the enemy’s secrets. They had to pay the price of their human form and intelligence, but the enemy forces didn’t care. And they were…

“They’re the new generation.”

“New generation.”

“The second generation.”

The ones they had faced so far were the first generation. They mutated players like monsters, causing their magic to surge and their bodies to transform. Then what about the second generation?

“It seems they’ve castrated their magic and pushed their physical abilities to the limit.”

In Lee Rowoon’s eyes, he could see their true forms. Distorted beyond recognition. A form that made one wonder if they could even be called human anymore.

“So….”

Lee Rowoon takes a step forward and speaks.

“That’s why you can’t feel it, hyung [older brother or close male friend].”

There was no magic, so he couldn’t feel magic.

Then.

‘Doesn’t that mean they’ve become weaker?’

However.

“Hoo.”

Lee Shin-woo shook his head. The strange pressure he felt from them was more intense than any enemy he had faced so far, not weaker.

Thud.

As if matching Lee Rowoon’s steps, someone from the other side walked out. Lee Shin-woo stepped back and watched. He was the representative of the Azure Army, the Azure Noble himself, but in this place, he was not the king. Lee Rowoon. Lee Shin-woo had already entrusted everything to him.

“…….”

All choices were made by Lee Rowoon.

‘There’s no way the enemy forces wouldn’t have moved.’

It was something he had already expected. They had defeated and annihilated the enemy forces twice. They would be in contact with each other, and there would be hidden enemy spies everywhere, so it was stranger if they didn’t know what had happened. So he thought they would approach in some way.

“It’s been a while, Lee Rowoon.”

The commander who stepped forward, a being who looked like a Blood Demon, spoke to Lee Rowoon. He also…

“I have something to tell you.”

Was from the Saebom Orphanage.

* * *

Blood Demons from the Saebom Orphanage.

“…….”

Except for the members of Dank and Lee Shin-woo, and a few others, all the orphans from the Saebom Orphanage had become enemy soldiers and Blood Demons. Those they had encountered so far. It was a memory that had become blurry and faded over time, but continuing to face them was not a pleasant thing. They were the ones they had eaten, slept, and lived with. There had been many things that had happened within that.

-Rowoon-ah!

Most of them had followed Lee Rowoon.

“I have something to tell you.”

They stood before him, not a trace of their past selves left, and spoke with broken appearances that had no emotion.

“…….”

Murdurous intent. The feeling of wanting to kill something arose. It hadn’t been many times since he had returned that such a feeling had reared its head.

Swoosh.

He wanted to twist that neck right away.

Squeeze.

Lee Shin-woo, who had approached at some point, grabbed Lee Rowoon’s shoulder. Only then could Lee Rowoon erase his murderous intent, because that was a feeling that Lee Shin-woo was also feeling.

“Speak.”

What was the murderous intent he was feeling? Lee Rowoon pondered the answer.

“These are the words of the Red Demon.”

Yes. That was it.

“Kwon Cheol.”

His anger towards him. And….

“Let’s meet at Jeomchang.”

Anger towards you. The Blood Demon closed his mouth as if he had finished speaking.

Swoosh.

The encirclement was closing in a little more.

“Let me ask you one thing.”

Lee Rowoon said to the Blood Demon.

“Do you think there was nothing wrong?”

What that human who had called himself their father had done to the children of the orphanage was terrible. Things that even Lee Rowoon now would frown upon. He had thought it was natural back then, but as he grew older and saw the world, he realized it was wrong.

Then.

“Why are you still living like that?”

Why were they still subordinate to Kwon Cheol? A child is someone who eventually becomes independent from their parents. Especially if they were such trash parents, it wouldn’t be strange if they became independent at any time. But they had stayed by Kwon Cheol’s side until the end, committing slaughter.

“While suffering so much.”

They killed their emotions. Lee Rowoon could see what the face behind that mask, the face behind the expressionless mask, looked like. A face distorted with pain, regret, and sadness. That was why…

Clench.

He had killed them as soon as he saw them. He hadn’t given them even a single chance. It was because he didn’t want to see that face. That distorted face looked like his own.

Also.

“It’s a meaningless question, Lee Rowoon.”

Even if he gave them a chance.

“This is the reason we were born and live.”

Because they wouldn’t change.

“We must repay what we learned and received from our father. That is the meaning of our lives. For the peace of the world, for liberation, for true freedom.”

Lee Rowoon’s languid face. The corners of his mouth twisted and contorted. A smile. It was a sneer.

“True freedom.”

He looks at Lee Shin-woo. He also seemed to be enduring a multitude of emotions with a distorted face.

Swoosh.

He looks at the sky. They speak of freedom. The enemy forces speak of liberation, of freedom.

“Then break free from Kwon Cheol.”

They speak of freedom while being subordinate to Kwon Cheol, while being dominated by him.

“That would be the true freedom you desire.”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

Words don’t work. Even if they realized the truth deep in their hearts, it was too late. They were buried. The lives they had built up over countless years. The pain they had endured.

Lee Rowoon.

-Deny it.

It was no different from saying that all of that was meaningless. That their entire lives were wrong. That was why.

Lee Rowoon and the Blood Demons. The two could never mix or understand each other. Those who had left in search of freedom and those who cried out for freedom while being subordinate were completely different beings.

Swoosh.

In an instant, Lee Rowoon took a stance with his greatsword. So far, Lee Rowoon had killed all the enemy soldiers, but one thing was certain: that he had been considerate enough to ensure they didn’t feel great pain.

Swoosh.

It was the moment the greatsword was about to move.

Thwack!

A tearing sound was heard from somewhere. A black dagger was embedded in the neck of an enemy soldier in the back row. At that moment…

Gurgle!

The enemy soldier’s body began to change shape, turning into foam. So far, the enemy forces had only transformed parts of their bodies into blades, monster arms, or something else. But now, they were the second generation.

Whoosh!

The enemy soldier whose neck had been pierced by the dagger swelled up, expanding his body as if he was about to explode. What was there was something that was just a monster.

-Kuaaaaaa!

* * *

Swoosh.

Lee Rowoon lowered his sword.

Thwack! Thwack!

Daggers flying from somewhere were embedded in the enemy soldiers’ vital points without an inch of error. And…

Boom! Boom!

They were expanding and revealing their true forms. The second generation of enemy soldiers. Kwon Cheol and the enemy forces said that they called it evolution. Something that had surpassed humans. Those who had transformed into new beings through the player core became monsters.

-Kuaaaaaa!

They were roaring.

Thud.

Lee Shin-woo grabbed Lee Rowoon’s shoulder and stepped back.

“What’s going on?”

The sudden surge of magic. No, this was… ‘Inner energy.’ It was the energy of a martial artist. A presence he hadn’t felt even though he was close enough to instantly kill an opponent with a thrown dagger.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Even at this moment, daggers were flying and attacking the enemy soldiers.

Whack.

The face of the Blood Demon who had conveyed Kwon Cheol’s words to Lee Rowoon contorted.

-Kuaaaaaa!

The enemy soldiers who had suddenly revealed their true forms. Crash! They had gone out of control and were literally rampaging. Also, at that moment…

Whoosh!

A flying dagger aimed for the Blood Demon’s neck.

Thud.

The Blood Demon caught it. As he glared at Lee Rowoon…

Swoosh.

A shadow flickered behind him.

Clang! Clang!

In an instant, blades clashed, and sparks flew. Thud! Thud! They stepped back, gauging the distance.

“I don’t think we’ll have time for a long greeting.”

The shadow that had appeared shouted to Lee Rowoon. He was the owner of the daggers that had been thrown. And…

Whoosh!

He was the protagonist who was cutting down the Blood Demon, who was overwhelming even the martial artists of the Hyunkyung [a martial arts school or group].

Swoosh!

It was a situation that could be called urgent. The shadow that had appeared lowered his mask and smiled.

“With the heart of a server.”

Clang!

Sparks flew again. The sword energy imbued in two short daggers emitted a chilling flame, pushing the Blood Demon back. And…

Crash!

Flames rose from behind. Crash! The enemy soldier who had turned into a monster was shattered with a single blow and burst into flames. It was a flame as red as blood.

“Sweep them away!”

There was more than one or two. Just as the Blood Demons had surrounded them, they had also been surrounded. Lee Shin-woo closed his mouth. He had vaguely realized their identities.

Swoosh.

A shadow flickered next to Lee Rowoon as well. But Lee Rowoon did not assume an attack stance or raise his sword.

“It’s been a while.”

A low chuckle and a voice were heard.

“Do you know how worried I was?”

“What were you worried about?”

Lee Rowoon returned to his usual face and replied. Then the shadow smiled again. He also lowered his mask and said,

“We’ll take care of it.”

The ruler who dominated the darkness in Asia, or rather, the ruler who could be said to dominate it all now.

“Let me show you that we haven’t just been playing around.”

Huksiwang, Ha Se-min, said.