Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 42

The confrontation between the Iron Sword Alliance and Haenam intensified.

Originally, Gangwon Province was considered the Iron Sword Alliance’s territory, but its reach was limited to Gangneung.

The East Sea had been taken by Haenam, which controlled Gyeongsang Province, and they had been pushed back.

However, the Docheon Guild seized the justification and moved swiftly to reclaim the East Sea.

It was the moment when the Iron Sword Alliance completely dominated Gangwon Province.

Naturally, Haenam’s full attention was also focused on the East Sea, and although a front line was formed, the most intense forces were gathering in the East Sea.

Even now, small-scale battles were taking place.

‘Those who chose to relocate have all entered the Blood King Fortress and been assigned residential areas.’

The Blood King Fortress, which had ignited the conflict, was incredibly peaceful.

‘They are all ready to learn the Blood Arts [Martial arts focused on blood manipulation] and will soon begin their training.’

Lee Ro-woon nodded at Kang Han-cheol’s words.

The ronin who had decided to become followers.

The small number of Silver World residents they protected had entered the Blood King Fortress.

It was a sudden situation, and they were about to lose even the base they had barely established, but there was not much resistance.

-This place is also your home. When this place becomes your home, you are free to move around at any time.

That permission had been granted.

Moreover, they were originally residents of the Silver World.

Although there were many Silver World residents living mixed in with Earth’s population, most of them still longed for the Silver World.

Even while living on Earth, they never considered it their home.

Now, they had a home where they could live.

‘Treat them without discrimination.’

‘There is no need to worry.’

Kang Han-cheol said with a satisfied smile.

‘In fact, it was the law of the Blood Cult not to interfere much with the lower followers who were not members of the Blood Demon Palace. It was only because the Blood Cult’s situation was so bad that we had no choice…’

Kang Han-cheol seemed to feel like the changing appearance of the Blood King Fortress was just a dream.

‘It is merely a return to the way the Blood Cult should have been from the beginning.’

Return.

Was there any word more exciting than that?

If now was their glorious time, return might be a cursed word, but Lee Ro-woon, who was born and raised on Earth and was a resident of Earth, knew.

‘Good. That word.’

There was nothing more exciting than being given another chance.

‘When you return, you have to get stronger like crazy and smash everything.’

Lee Ro-woon said with an amused smile.

‘You must never lose, and you must learn from your failures to find the path to success.’

‘I will keep that in mind, again and again.’

The Blood King Fortress and the Silver River Guild were rapidly growing in size, even though the war had begun and no real decisive battle had yet taken place.

Outside, the Silver River Guild was attacking the empty gates at a crazy speed.

The wealth was being accumulated again and supplied to the Blood King Fortress.

‘I have to make sure to raise them properly this time.’

Once the chaotic period of war passed, problems would begin to arise.

Especially the expansion of the Silver River Guild.

Now that the shadow of the Iron Sword Alliance was cast, there was no problem, but what the Silver River Guild was earning by attacking the gates had surpassed a level that could not be ignored.

What if that money didn’t circulate back and disappeared somewhere?

What if that money turned into supplies and evaporated?

‘Suspicion.’

It was okay now that Black City was helping, but they couldn’t rely solely on Black City, and it was also a problem if it grew to a level that Black City couldn’t handle.

The Silver River Guild had to grow.

The supplies going into the Blood King Fortress were too small compared to the size of the Silver River Guild, so it wouldn’t even be noticeable.

‘Revise the laws and establish the rules. Soon…’

Lee Ro-woon said as he turned around.

‘The family will grow.’

‘Understood.’

***

The Baran Guild.

It was a typical player guild, created by investments from various companies and individuals, rather than having a single owner.

Still, there was clearly a representative.

‘Choi Yu-ran.’

She was the chief executive of the Baran Guild, and she herself was a ranker above level 100.

‘Thank you all for gathering.’

A young leader.

And at her call, the investors and executives of Baran gathered in one place.

The faces of those filling the conference room were not good at all.

The somber atmosphere made it seem as if the Baran Guild was on the verge of destruction or a major disaster had struck.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Choi Yu-ran thought their appearance was natural.

The Baran Guild was a player guild.

However, it did not have a proper sponsor.

In the changed world, in order for a guild to gain power in Asia, it inevitably needed a Silver World force to sponsor it.

Of course, Baran also had such a Silver World sponsor, but their existence was secretly hidden.

In the end, Baran was a player guild without a proper sponsor.

It was neither one thing nor the other, a half-baked guild that was not even allowed to carry out proper activities.

‘Ahem. What is the reason for today’s gathering?’

In that case, from the perspective of an entrepreneur or investor, Baran was a guild that should be disbanded at any time.

However, Baran had been maintained for several years despite recording losses.

Not by their will, but by the will of others.

‘It wasn’t me who called you.’

‘……!’

The middle-aged man who had spoken widened his eyes at Choi Yu-ran’s words.

But soon, his eyes lowered with an indescribable emotion.

‘It seems someone from the cult is coming.’

‘It’s been quiet for a while…’

Baran.

They were a guild created by the needs of the Blood Cult.

Also, a place where the owners were those who had no choice but to become temporary followers, not formal followers.

They were called followers, but it was nothing short of coercion.

If they didn’t obey, they would die.

Even though important people had been saved by them, it was never a pleasant thing.

‘How much more do they want…’

In the meantime, what the Blood Cult had wanted from Baran was not any military power, but only money.

And that was enough to make Baran falter.

The existence of the Baran Guild was nothing more than an organization created by those who had been forcibly made followers to make offerings to the Blood Cult.

‘It would be best if everyone is careful with their words today.’

At Choi Yu-ran’s words, everyone looked at her face.

‘Today…’

Choi Yu-ran also could not hide her tension.

She was different from them.

-You are special.

Because she had been chosen and became a formal follower, not a temporary one, despite being a resident of Earth.

‘A high-ranking person is coming.’

‘A h-high-ranking person…?’

No one could guess their identity.

So far, the high-ranking people of the cult they had met were just messengers.

Only cold-hearted people who were hard to believe were human, like machines that nothing could penetrate.

‘……!’

Choi Yu-ran rose to her feet instead of speaking.

‘Stand.’

As Choi Yu-ran’s words continued, the gathered people rose to their feet with the sound of chairs being pulled back.

The door opened, and the martial artists dispatched by the cult to the Baran Guild lined up.

Gulp.

Only then could the gathered people feel it a little.

The representatives who had been conveying the messages until now were lined up like mere guild members, quietly lowering their eyes.

In between them.

‘Yu-ran. It’s been a while.’

A pretty young woman who looked to be only about twenty years old appeared in a suit.

‘I greet the Divine Maiden.’

She, who held the position of the Baran Guild Leader, knelt down without hesitation and paid her respects.

‘W-we greet the Divine Maiden!’

Still, those gathered here seemed to have a reason for gathering their wealth, as they noticed and paid their respects.

‘The Divine Maiden!’

None of them had ever properly seen the Divine Maiden.

They had only heard of her as a high-ranking person of the cult.

It was said that she was one of the five most powerful people in the cult, and she had come in person.

Gulp.

The sound of swallowing could be heard here and there.

They shouldn’t underestimate her just because she was young.

There was a saying in the Silver World.

-The ones you should be most careful of are children, women, and the elderly.

In the past, what kind of damage had South Korea suffered at the hands of a young-looking Silver World martial artist?

The gathered people lowered their bodies even more and held their breath.

However, something even stranger happened.

Swoosh.

The powerful person of the cult, called the Divine Maiden.

‘Pay your respects.’

She was kneeling on both knees, not bowing as if paying homage to a god.

Thud!

The cult’s martial artists who were lined up were the same.

The hastily gathered people looked at Choi Yu-ran, but she seemed just as bewildered.

Thud!

The first to move was Choi Yu-ran.

She lowered her body and bowed as low as Kang Eun-ha.

The others were the same.

Thud.

Small footsteps echoed from afar.

‘What on earth is going on?’

They knew it was something they shouldn’t do, but they carefully raised their heads slightly.

Thud.

The footsteps were getting closer.

Thud, thud.

At the sound, they felt a sensation as if their hearts were shrinking.

Thud.

Finally, the footsteps stopped.

The owner of the stopped feet.

Kang Eun-ha, who was called the Divine Maiden, lowered her head to the ground again and said.

‘I pay my respects to the Blood Demon.’

That was the beginning.

‘I pay my respects to the Blood Demon-! Blood Demon Thousand Years! Blood Demon Blessings!’

‘……!’

The Blood Demon! The god of the cult they had been talking about so much.

Was he here in person?

Who was he that….

‘Hey. I told you not to do this. It’s embarrassing.’

But soon, the faces of those who had been tense were filled with questions at the voice like a rascal.

‘H-however, today is to meet the temporary followers, so the Blood Demon’s majesty…’

‘Shut up and stand up.’

‘Yes, yessir!’

Thud!

A pleasant drum sound came from Kang Eun-ha’s head.

* * *

The Blood Demon.

It was an existence they had heard so much about that their ears were sore, as they had become temporary followers.

The god of the cult, an existence that the cult had to unconditionally follow.

Their blind faith sometimes took on the appearance of religion, and sometimes it seemed to refer to the plump one from the North in the past [A reference to a past leader of North Korea].

How much had they imagined that existence?

Some might have imagined a truly sacred god, but most imagined a demon.

A demon covered in blood.

But such an existence was now before their eyes.

‘You said you were going to run ahead and prepare, but you’re doing this?’

‘T-that is… the Blood Demon’s majesty…’

‘Haa.’

Not a red dragon robe with a blood-stained dragon drawn on it, but a pitch-black suit.

The black hair was messy, but it also strangely suited him.

Thick lines of a handsome man, who seemed to be in his early twenties, were revealed through his half-closed eyes, which seemed to be annoyed by everything.

‘S-sorry.’

‘In the Blood King Fortress, the followers want that, so I let it go a little.’

‘I-I will correct it.’

Again, the existence of the Divine Maiden, whom Choi Yu-ran feared and revered so much, was standing there like a new college student being scolded by a senior.

‘…….’

They knew that the beauty of the two was not of this world, but wasn’t this just like a college student in their early twenties?

Of course, they could feel a deep charisma that could never be defied within that.

‘If you do this again next time, you’re dead.’

‘I-I will keep that in mind…’

Was it real?

Was he really someone from the cult?

Everyone looked at Choi Yu-ran, who was the closest to the cult.

‘…….’

Choi Yu-ran seemed to be the most out of it.

It was then.

Whoosh!

As if space was being sucked into somewhere, silence fell.

The thoughts they had towards Lee Ro-woon and Kang Eun-ha, and any questions, disappeared.

The two eyes that were looking at the gathered people while sitting leisurely in the upper seat.

That was telling everything.

‘Nice to meet you.’

The god of the Blood Cult opened his mouth.

‘I am the Blood Demon.’