Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 40

The Three Kings’ Disciple (41)

040

‘How dare you—!’

Thud, thud, thud.

The walls and ceiling shook as if about to collapse from the furious roar, sending down a shower of stone dust.

‘Those crazy bastards from Hainan, they finally did it!’

He was Do Cheon-hu, the head of the Docheon Guild, one of the five pillars of the Iron Sword Alliance that dominated the three provinces, and who also controlled half of Gyeonggi Province.

It was known that he had already reached the realm of Hyeon-gyeong [a high level of martial arts mastery].

‘His aura is stronger than Blood Hand Baek’s… Mid-stage of Hyeon-gyeong…!’

Kang Eun-ha was genuinely astonished by his aura.

She had thought that the known powerhouses of Hyeon-gyeong were only at the beginning stages of Talma [a specific stage within Hyeon-gyeong].

But facing him directly, she could tell.

At least Do Cheon-hu was at the mid-stage of Hyeon-gyeong.

‘If that’s the case…’

Goosebumps rose all over her skin.

Do Cheon-hu was clearly a powerhouse.

Yet, he was only known as the third strongest in the Iron Sword Alliance.

It would be fortunate if Do Cheon-hu had been hiding his true strength.

‘If he’s really only the third…’

Gulp.

She couldn’t help but swallow hard.

If the Iron Sword Alliance was this strong, how powerful would the Iron Sword Sect, Hainan, and Hwasan be?

‘What about the other Nine Great Sects?’

What about the Martial Arts Association?

‘I was truly a frog in a well [a metaphor for being ignorant of the wider world].’

Kang Eun-ha tightly closed her eyes.

Many people compared the realms of martial artists to the levels of players.

Since the Kangha Group and Guild were player guilds, they had unknowingly followed their habits.

That there were as many masters of Hwagyung [another high level of martial arts mastery] as there were rankers, and as many masters of Hyeon-gyeong as there were high rankers.

‘No.’

It wasn’t like that.

It was much more than that.

There was an absolute difference that players could never overcome against martial artists.

‘Ah, Father. Please calm your anger…!’

Do Sang-mok said, trembling, and only then did Do Cheon-hu’s eyes return to normal.

‘My baby. You were very surprised.’

Do Cheon-hu rushed over and supported Do Sang-mok.

Do Cheon-hu’s misguided paternal love was evident as he called Do Sang-mok, who was already in his mid-twenties, ‘baby’.

‘I heard he finally had a son after he turned sixty.’

That’s why he would do anything Do Sang-mok said.

That was all true.

But.

Shudder.

That son had returned with his left arm gone and his stomach pierced by a sword.

‘Was it definitely a martial artist from Hainan?’

Do Sang-mok swallowed hard at Do Cheon-hu’s words.

He closed his eyes for a moment, lost in thought, then opened them and looked at Kang Eun-ha.

If he told the truth, Kang Eun-ha would die on the spot.

Do Sang-mok looked back at Do Cheon-hu.

‘Father, do you not trust me?’

‘Ahem.’

‘Didn’t you see that the sword that pierced my stomach was a blue sword, symbolizing the elders of Hainan!’

Do Sang-mok shouted, pointing at the blue sword stuck in the table.

-Don’t worry.

Kang Eun-ha recalled Lee Ro-woon’s voice.

-His mind is suppressed.

Blood Demon Path, Heavenly Demon Path.

In the Silver World, they were demons.

The patriarchs of the demonic path that seduced humans and led them down the wrong path.

But all of that was considered a legend of the past.

‘It was real.’

According to Lee Ro-woon, it wasn’t perfect brainwashing or control of the human mind yet.

It was just an exaggeration of suppressed desires.

‘I trust you. It’s just that I didn’t expect Hainan to move like this, so I asked, my baby.’

‘Father! I lost my left arm!’

With that, Do Sang-mok raised his perfectly healed left arm.

It was the effect of the elixir he had from the Docheon Guild.

It was an elixir worth trillions, but Do Cheon-hu had used it on Do Sang-mok without hesitation.

‘I almost died!’

‘I know!’

‘Are you going to let this go!’

Do Sang-mok raised his voice even louder.

‘If you endure this anger…’

Do Sang-mok seemed to have made a decision and quickly pulled out a dagger from his inventory, holding it to his neck.

‘What are you doing!’

‘I will prove this humiliation with my life!’

‘No! No!’

Clunk!

Before the dagger could pierce his neck and draw even a drop of blood, Do Cheon-hu’s internal energy stopped Do Sang-mok’s hand in mid-air.

‘Don’t worry.’

Do Cheon-hu said, as if he had made up his mind.

‘Listen.’

A small tremor ran through the room outside at Do Cheon-hu’s voice.

‘Immediately summon the three attack squads of the Docheon Faction, and gather the guild members!’

Thud, thud, thud!

‘Issue a summons to the guilds under our command and prepare.’

Killing intent poured out of Do Cheon-hu.

‘I will personally move and wipe out the Donghae Guild first.’

Do Cheon-hu’s eyes blazed with anger.

That’s why he couldn’t see it.

A smirk on his son’s lips.

***

‘Congratulations.’

Do Sang-mok smiled and replied to Kang Eun-ha’s words.

‘Thank you, Miss. It’s all thanks to you.’

Do Sang-mok was genuinely smiling.

Do Cheon-hu might be a fool for his son, but he couldn’t be a complete idiot.

He was also one of the pillars of the Iron Sword Alliance and a ruler of Gyeonggi Province.

He was a man with years of experience leading a force.

If Do Sang-mok had returned without any evidence and talked about war with Hainan, Do Cheon-hu would have appeased Do Sang-mok but wouldn’t have prepared for an expedition.

At least, he would have reported to the Iron Sword Alliance and moved through due process.

But the evidence was clear.

‘The blue sword.’

The divine weapon he had taken from Yuk Sa-geol.

The wounds Do Sang-mok had suffered were too crude to be the sword techniques of a Hainan elder, but only those who had mastered the Hainan’s inner cultivation could wield the divine weapon.

‘It’s thanks to the Blood Demon suppressing the divine weapon’s power.’

It was thanks to Lee Ro-woon taking it from Yuk Sa-geol and Bonde-no temporarily suppressing it with his power.

That was enough evidence.

If the sword techniques had been perfect, Do Cheon-hu would have only given first aid to his son instead of giving him the elixir, showing the wounds to the world and gaining more justification.

It was only because that wasn’t the case that he sealed the wounds with the elixir.

‘All of Docheon’s achievements will belong to the Vice Guild Leader.’

‘How can it be my achievement alone? It’s all thanks to…’

Smirk.

‘Miss and ‘that person’.’

The demonic energy that was taking root in him was taking over his reason as time passed.

‘Didn’t you hear it too, Miss? What my father promised the Eunha Guild.’

‘I am grateful. He will be satisfied too.’

Do Sang-mok’s smile deepened.

‘That’s a welcome thing.’

‘If things go well this time, it wouldn’t be impossible for Docheon to dominate the entire Gyeonggi Province, driving out Cheonin Gate.’

‘Hahaha! When that time comes, I will surely hand over Namyangju to Eunha as promised.’

Kang Eun-ha’s eyes sharpened as they had a conversation that seemed to go in circles.

‘But.’

A low and thin voice.

‘Shouldn’t we hurry?’

‘With what?’

‘Cheonin Gate, I mean.’

Do Sang-mok flinched at Kang Eun-ha’s words.

‘The fact that we know this information means that there is a high possibility that someone else also knows this information.’

‘That’s… an old story. Unless there’s evidence…’

‘That evidence.’

Kang Eun-ha said with a dazzlingly beautiful smile.

‘Isn’t there?’

Clearly, Lee Ro-woon had said.

-Those who know the truth are locked up in the Docheon Faction.

Those who knew the truth were alive.

And their existence alone was proof.

The Docheon Faction was the Silver World where the Docheon Guild had taken root.

‘Although the Docheon Faction is safe, you never know. Wouldn’t it be better not to leave any future troubles?’

‘Y-yes, that’s right.’

Flames flickered in Do Sang-mok’s eyes.

‘I must erase them right now. This is not the time to be here. See you next time, Miss.’

With that, Do Sang-mok quickly headed somewhere.

‘Foolish human.’

And his actions would convey information that he should never have revealed to the Blood Demon.

Clench.

Kang Eun-ha, who was left alone, clenched her fist as she walked out.

‘It’s still not enough.’

She had tried, but when the Blood Demon moved directly, things went much better.

She would gain several times, even dozens of times more than what she thought she should have.

The Blood Demon was their god.

It was the role of a believer to carry out the words of God, but it was also the duty of a believer to pave the way for God by anticipating God’s will.

‘I will try harder to be more helpful.’

Flames were also flickering in Kang Eun-ha’s eyes.

* * *

It was a surprise attack.

It was literally instantaneous when six buses that had departed from Gyeonggi Province in the early morning arrived in Donghae.

From the start, the land of South Korea was narrow.

If you didn’t prepare, you would be helpless.

That day, the empty guild house of the Donghae Guild was seized by the Docheon Guild, and those who were returning from attacking the gate were all killed by the waiting Docheon Guild.

‘War.’

It was war.

Something no one had ever imagined.

The Iron Sword Alliance had attacked Hainan first.

Hainan, who belatedly noticed the situation, moved, but they could not break through the wall of Docheon, who had prepared for all situations in advance.

Hainan protested to the Iron Sword Alliance and the Association, but the only answer they received was one.

‘A Hainan elder attacked the Vice Guild Leader of Docheon.’

Nonsense.

But they had evidence.

Justification was the power that moved the Silver World.

Now, they had entered the war with prepared justifications.

‘The Iron Sword Alliance Leader, Cheol Jong-hwi, was taken aback by Docheon’s actions, but I think he thought it was an unavoidable flow.’

‘That’s right.’

‘Rather, he must have thought it was worth a try since there was justification. Donghae is one of Hainan’s major branches. Not only was it occupied overnight, but most of the Donghae Guild was killed…’

Hainan would have a hard time moving for a while.

‘The front lines are being formed. The elites are moving.’

An unstoppable flow.

No one could easily stop the river flowing out of a burst dam.

‘It’s a good thing.’

A smile spread across Kang Eun-ha’s lips.

‘Thanks to that, there are gates overflowing in Gyeonggi Province, as well as Chungcheong and Gangwon Provinces.’

Martial artists and players who should be attacking the gates were moving to protect the front lines.

So, naturally, there would be a shortage of personnel to attack the gates.

That was something that the guilds under the influence of the Iron Sword Alliance had to stop.

In return, the guilds that attacked the gates would have to pay more tribute to the Iron Sword Alliance.

‘Under the influence of Docheon, we received a promise that we don’t have to pay tribute. Also, they said they would entrust most of Docheon’s attack gates to us.’

It was an opportunity.

An unparalleled opportunity.

But there was something more important.

‘Docheon has temporarily lifted the limit on the number of guild members for the Eunha Guild.’

That was the standard that divided the privileged and the underprivileged in the modern world.

The giant forces that dominated the power.

They couldn’t watch the seeds of discord sprout within them.

Just like the Martial Arts Association did to the Player Association.

Those who protected the forces would check the appearance of another force within the force.

That’s why the Eunha Guild was slowly, gradually changing the Blood Cultists into guild members.

But that limit had been lifted.

‘We have already made two hundred cultists into guild members.’

The time for the Eunha Guild to grow.

‘As you said…’

Lee Ro-woon and Kang Eun-ha.

He said, looking at an empty space that had been newly created in the Blood King Fortress.

‘We have also recruited a large number of ronin [masterless samurai].’

Those who had lost their world or had been abandoned by the world.

That’s why they were wandering.

They were gathered and confined in the Blood King Fortress.

Smirk.

It was time for the Blood Cult to grow as the Eunha Guild grew.

Step.

Lee Ro-woon moved towards them.