Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 153

The Battle on the Sea

The Battle on the Sea

1

The Bohai Sea stretched between the Song Empire and Yemaek.

Through the foggy expanse, about a hundred square-shaped ships bearing the Song Empire’s flag sliced through the water.

Aboard the massive flagship at the front, a boy with narrow, slit-like eyes wore a sly smile.

“Heh heh heh. Those foolish Yemaek barbarians. They’re sorely mistaken if they think we’ll repeat the same mistakes.”

This was Hwangbo Jangcheon, son of Hwangbo Gwang, and commander of the Song Empire’s special forces.

The fleet under his command consisted of roughly 30,000 martial artists and 500 Taoist sorcerers.

The core of his force was made up of warriors from the Hwangbo family, including several masters who had reached the pinnacle of their skills.

Also, hidden beneath the decks were numerous Jiangshi [reanimated corpses] created by Hwangbo Gwang in collaboration with Guigokja.

With their forces concentrated at the front, a landing of these troops in the rear would cause Yemaek to collapse uncontrollably.

It was a battle they couldn’t lose, even if they tried.

“Hey, General Mak. How much further until we reach the Yemaek port?”

Hwangbo Jangcheon, who had been gazing towards the east with a triumphant expression, turned to ask.

Before him stood an old general with one eye.

The old general, with a tanned face that made him look like a natural-born sailor, was Mak Deungcheong, the naval commander of the Song Empire.

He was famous as a self-made man who had risen from the rank of a low-level soldier to commander.

It was said that if there was Lee Yungmu, the Red Dragon King, on land, there was Mak Deungcheong at sea, such was his standing in the navy.

He was someone Hwangbo Jangcheon couldn’t treat carelessly, but Mak Deungcheong didn’t mind at all.

Unlike Lee Yungmu, his family was humble, and his martial arts skills were not outstanding, but he had a strong desire for success.

He was working hard to solidify his connections with the Hwangbo family, the current power brokers of the Song Empire, so he didn’t mind the rudeness of Hwangbo Jangcheon, who was young enough to be his grandson.

“Young Master, the Yemaek navy is by no means weak. So…”

“So what? What are you trying to say?”

Mak Deungcheong, who had hesitated for a moment at Hwangbo Jangcheon’s annoyed gaze, continued to speak.

“It’s not too late to turn the ships around, is it?”

In truth, Mak Deungcheong did not have high hopes for the success of this expedition.

The Yemaek navy he knew was small in size but very strong.

They were armed with ships much larger and sturdier than those of the Song Empire, as well as large cannons. Even the Yamatai pirates, who were said to be invincible at sea, feared the Yemaek navy.

In particular, if they encountered the ironclad ships called Turtle Ships, the allied fleet would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses before even landing on the shore.

With this in mind, Mak Deungcheong had opposed the deployment of landing forces by sea from the beginning.

However, no general could refuse an order issued in the name of the Emperor.

“Oh, not this again. I told you, I have a plan.”

Hwangbo Jangcheon made a displeased expression at Mak Deungcheong’s repeated concerns.

Before this expedition, he had already taken a sneaky measure to divert the Yemaek navy’s attention.

He had commissioned the leader of the Yamatai pirates to lure the Yemaek navy away in exchange for a large sum of money.

By now, the Yemaek navy would be busy chasing after the pirates, so they would never be able to stop the allied fleet.

“So, General Mak, all you have to do is make sure our landing forces can cross the sea safely.”

‘Ha, what nonsense is this? To think that those vile pirates would obey just because they got some money, how naive!’

Mak Deungcheong couldn’t understand how such an operation was carried out in collusion with pirates without the knowledge of the naval commander himself.

And he couldn’t understand the thinking of the imperial military, which had appointed a 16-year-old boy as the commander of the landing forces, even if he was the son of the Prime Minister.

‘Do they think war is child’s play? Or are they so confident in their forces that they can treat it like a game?’

He sighed inwardly.

Still, he thought he had no choice but to endure it for the sake of his career, so he gave Hwangbo Jangcheon the answer he wanted.

“If the voyage goes smoothly, we will arrive at Yemaek’s Bonghwang Fortress in three days.”

Bonghwang Fortress was a port city located further inland than Guknae Fortress, and from there, it would take two days to reach Asadal, the capital of Yemaek, by taking the main road.

The reason why it took three days to travel a distance that could be covered in one day was because they were going around the far sea.

“Three days? Can’t we go faster? Isn’t there a shortcut?”

“There is, but that sea area has many reefs, so we cannot go there. The Bohai Sea is particularly foggy, making it difficult to avoid reefs.”

“Tch! Then just increase the speed!”

“We are already going at top speed. But as you know, transport ships are originally slow, and they are fully loaded with personnel and cargo…”

Hwangbo Jangcheon waved his hand dismissively, cutting off Mak Deungcheong’s explanation.

“Enough, I’m going back to my cabin, so send me some girls after they’ve dolled themselves up.”

“Ha, I understand.”

Hwangbo Jangcheon was excellent in martial arts, but he was also a great womanizer.

So, he had brought several courtesans of outstanding beauty on this expedition.

Originally, it was illegal to bring women to the battlefield.

However, it wasn’t just Hwangbo Jangcheon who did this.

High-ranking officers were doing it secretly, and Mak Deungcheong was no exception.

Just as Hwangbo Jangcheon, who had given the order, was about to go below deck, the lookout’s shout rang out from the mast along with the sound of a bell.

Ding ding ding-!

“Ships! Multiple ships have appeared from the north!”

“What?!”

Startled, Mak Deungcheong used his movement technique to jump up to the mast in an instant.

Then, he looked in the direction the lookout was pointing.

“Hmm, where did that fleet come from!”

It was clear that they were not merchant ships.

The shape and size of the ships were more suitable for combat than for transporting goods.

‘But what is that giant ship in the center? It doesn’t have any masts?’

He had heard stories that the ships of the northern people used some kind of magical engine, but he had never seen or even heard of a ship without sails.

“General Mak, could that be the Yemaek navy?”

Hwangbo Jangcheon, who had followed him up, asked urgently.

He didn’t think it was possible, but if the opponent was the Yemaek navy, it would be a headache.

The main force of the landing troops were martial artists.

They were not skilled in naval warfare, and most of the current Song Empire fleet were transport ships carrying landing troops.

“It seems we need to get closer to know for sure. However, judging by the fact that the ships appeared from the north, perhaps…”

“Perhaps what?”

“It might be a warship from the Northern Continent.”

“What? From the Northern Continent?”

Hwangbo Jangcheon looked utterly bewildered.

He could understand merchant ships, but there was no reason for a warship from the Northern Continent to appear here.

In history, a warship from the Northern Continent had appeared in the Southern Continent only once.

That was about 100 years ago, when a ship from the Kingdom of Grenada was shipwrecked while pirating in the far sea, lost its course, and briefly docked there.

Since then, no warships from the northern people had ever appeared.

But suddenly, one had appeared!

And coincidentally, in the middle of a landing operation.

In any case, the appearance of the unidentified fleet threw the Song Empire’s navy into chaos in an instant.

2

“A fleet is approaching from the south! And there are more than 100 ships!”

At the lookout’s report, Luke climbed the mast himself to observe the fleet.

“Is that the Yemaek navy?”

Since this was Yemaek’s sea, that was the natural thought.

Moreover, they had met the Yemaek navy’s ships yesterday and were being guided to Bonghwang Fortress.

However, Hwangbo-sung, who was beside him, shook his head.

“My lord, those are ships of the Song Empire.”

“The Song Empire’s navy?”

“Yes, judging by the square box shape and the ram at the bottom, they are typical Song Empire ships. The ones with three masts are warships, and the ones with five or more are transport ships.”

At Hwangbo-sung’s words, Luke realized why the Song Empire’s fleet had appeared here.

It was to strike the rear of Yemaek by crossing the sea.

“What will you do?”

At Hwangbo-sung’s question, Luke wore a sly smile and said,

“What’s there to think about? We have to smash them to pieces.”

They were on their way to help Yemaek.

So, if they encountered the Song Empire’s fleet, sinking them was the way to help them.

At Luke’s command, the Oster, as well as the Yemaek ships that were guiding them at the front, began to maneuver for battle.

The Yemaek sailors quickly lowered their sails, laid the masts down on the deck, and then took out numerous oars from the sides.

And they aimed their cannons at the enemies who were trying to invade their country, burning with fighting spirit.

In response, the Song Empire also split off a fleet of dozens of warships and began to respond.

Boom! Bang!

As the distance closed, the ships of both sides began to fire simultaneously.

The number of ships in the Song Empire’s fleet was much greater, but the firepower of the Yemaek fleet was superior.

As a result, the battle was proceeding evenly.

That is, until the Symphonia Royal Navy’s Oster joined the fray.

“Wh-what is that!”

“What kind of ship is that big!”

“It’s like a huge island floating on the water!”

As the Oster approached, the Song Empire’s sailors began to panic.

They hadn’t realized it when they saw it from afar, but the ship in the center of the enemy fleet was more than ten times larger than their own flagship.

Moreover, it wasn’t just big.

It was also incredibly fast, and the surprising thing was that the ship had no sails or oars at all.

“It’s a ghost ship! It must be a ship moved by ghosts!”

“If we don’t run away…”

As some of the soldiers, who were susceptible to superstition, caused a commotion, the naval commander Mak Deungcheong drew his sword and shouted.

“Everyone calm down! We have more warships! There’s no need to be afraid just because one enemy ship is bigger!”

His experienced response, which prevented the morale of the soldiers from falling, calmed the commotion on the deck.

Mak Deungcheong immediately urged his deputies to prepare for battle.

In fact, to be honest, Mak Deungcheong was also afraid of the giant warship at the front of the enemy.

However, naval battles are not about size.

Most of the time, the outcome is determined by how strong the firepower and durability are.

In that respect, the Song Empire fleet’s flagship, the ‘Yellow Dragon Ship,’ was second to none.

It was armored with iron plates on the upper deck and sides, and it carried a total of about 100 cannons, both large and small.

Therefore, he thought that if they fought calmly, they would surely win.

Bang! Boom! Boom boom boom!

The Yellow Dragon Ship, which had moved forward, fired its cannons all at once.

Several dozen steel cannonballs flew through the air and repeatedly struck the giant enemy ship.

“Wow! It hit…”

The faces of the Song Empire sailors, who had cheered with joy at the first hit, froze.

They didn’t think that a giant enemy ship like an island would sink immediately after being hit by only a few dozen cannonballs.

Still, they thought it would have taken some damage, but it was too unscathed.

‘What’s going on? It clearly wasn’t armored with iron plates?’

Mak Deungcheong wore a look of dismay.

As he had observed, the Austerho’s hull was not reinforced with iron plates. Adding iron plates would increase its weight, thus slowing it down. This would defeat the purpose of installing the screw [a type of propeller]. Instead, Luke had engraved shield magic circles, similar to those used on Gigant armor, onto the Austerho’s hull to enhance its defense. Mak Deungcheong, unaware of this, urged the half-frozen sailors, “What are you doing! Reload the cannons and move the ship closer to the enemy!” There is no such thing as an unsinkable ship. No matter how large a ship is, even if it’s covered in thick iron armor, it will eventually be destroyed if bombarded relentlessly in one spot. It was when the sailors, having regained their senses thanks to the encouragement of the veteran naval commander Mak Deungcheong, were moving busily that the massive enemy ship began its counterattack. “The 1st to 10th cannons at the front will focus fire on the enemy flagship. The 11th to 100th cannons on the sides will support the surrounding Yemaek fleet!” Luke, observing the battle, gave orders to the captain of the Austerho. He believed that ten cannons would be sufficient for the enemy flagship. Using more would be overkill. When modifying the Austerho, Luke replaced the front cannons with larger ones that had much greater firepower than fortress cannons. They were five times larger and more powerful than the existing cannons, but the recoil was also severe. Originally, it was impossible to mount them on a ship, but Luke engraved magic circles that reduced the recoil, making it feasible. Additionally, all the existing cannons were replaced with fortress cannons that had at least twice the power. So, although the number of cannons on the Austerho was halved compared to before the modification, the overall firepower was significantly stronger. The Grenada Navy hadn’t bothered with such modifications because the existing cannons were adequate for naval battles. Moreover, the Austerho’s greatest advantage wasn’t long-range bombardment. It was the ramming attack using its massive size and the shipboard battles using the sea Gigants it carried. KWAANG! KWAANG-! With a deafening roar that seemed to rupture eardrums, the cannons at the front of the Austerho unleashed fire. A large, high pillar of water erupted in front of the Yellow Dragon Ship. “Tsk, did it miss?” Luke wasn’t greatly disappointed. It was the first time the Symphonia sailors had handled large-caliber cannons in actual combat. They had come on an expedition without proper training, so he couldn’t scold them. “Well, they’ll hit it next time.” While Luke remained relaxed, the Austerho, maintaining its speed, rammed into the Song Empire warship blocking its path. KWAANG! KWAAJIIJIK! Two Song Empire warships bravely moved forward, but they collided with the Austerho and were shattered to pieces. The sight of them being smashed like eggs against a rock made the Song Empire sailors, as well as the Yemaek soldiers, widen their eyes. But the Austerho’s performance was just beginning. POW! POP-POW! “Kuaaak!” “Uaaaak!” The Austerho, having charged in fiercely, fired its cannons in all directions, wreaking havoc and causing the Song Empire fleet’s formation to collapse immediately. Mak Deungcheong, witnessing the scene, slammed his fist on the railing. ‘Kuek! This is a more troublesome opponent than I expected!’ He bit his lip, not expecting one ship to cause such chaos. The most crucial aspect of a naval battle is maintaining formation. This was necessary to concentrate cannon fire and project power efficiently. However, the Song Empire fleet was unable to maintain its formation due to the Austerho, which was recklessly disrupting everything. Despite their numerical superiority, the warships scattered like ants to avoid the Austerho’s ramming and bombardment. The ships that were separated in this way became easy prey for the Yemaek fleet. “Reorganize the ranks! What is the signalman doing? Immediately signal the fleet with flags…” POW! ZWAAAK-! A pillar of water shot up right next to the Yellow Dragon Ship, cutting off Mak Deungcheong’s words. The sailors’ faces turned pale at the bombardment, which was much closer than before. Even though the Yellow Dragon Ship was an ironclad, it seemed it wouldn’t survive a direct hit from the enemy’s terrifying cannons. “T-this is dangerous, we must retreat immediately…” It was the moment when Hwangbo Jangcheon, terrified, was about to order a retreat. Mak Deungcheong shouted, yelling, “Everyone, attack that giant enemy ship! Everyone, stick to it!” He, with his extensive naval battle experience, knew that retreating without a plan would cause even greater damage. It would be better to penetrate the enemy’s cannon blind spot and settle the matter with close combat. As soon as Mak Deungcheong’s order was given, the signalman frantically waved the flags. Seeing the Yellow Dragon Ship boldly charging while sending signals, the Song Empire warships, as if regaining their fighting spirit, began to rush towards the Austerho all at once. Of course, Hwangbo Jangcheon was furious at the sight. “You crazy! I told you to retreat immediately!” “Shut up! A brat who doesn’t know anything about naval battles should step back!” Mak Deungcheong pushed him away and shouted, his face flushed with anger. Hwangbo Jangcheon, enraged, drew his sword. Just as he was about to cut off Mak Deungcheong’s neck, a cannonball fired from the Austerho hit the Yellow Dragon Ship. KWAANG! KWADDEUDEUDEUK-! The heavy cannonball struck the deck. The cannonball, which had the power to shatter even a steel Gigant in one blow, pierced the thick iron armor around the deck of the Yellow Dragon Ship and struck the hull. “Hiiiik!” Hwangbo Jangcheon and his subordinates, terrified by the power of the enemy cannons, jumped off the ship in a hurry. Regardless, Mak Deungcheong did not take his eyes off the Austerho. “My lord! It seems the enemies are targeting our ship.” “Huhu. I see it too.” At Hwangbo-sung’s report, Luke wore a bitter smile. It seemed the enemy had used their brains to some extent, but he thought they were like moths flying towards a flame. “Prepare to meet the enemy!” At Luke’s command, Hwangbo-sung saluted and stepped back, immediately giving orders to the expeditionary knight order. Then, the core engine of the Gigants began to hum lowly from below the deck. Luke had brought a force of one knight order to the Southern Continent expedition: 200 knights, 100 Gigants, and 50 Iron Mages and War Mages to assist them. Since ordinary soldiers wouldn’t be of much help, he brought only the minimum number to support the knights and perform guard and reconnaissance duties. However, in addition to the 100 Gigants Luke had brought, the Austerho also carried 20 sea Gigants for self-defense. These Gigants were made by reverse-engineering the Crabs that had been captured from the Kingdom of Grenada in the past. These Gigants, named Tritons, looked no different from Crabs, with their smaller size than ordinary Gigants and their wooden outer armor. However, they were different in that they were equipped with warrior-class core engines in the 1000-fight range and had built-in air tubes, allowing them to float in water for a while. Anyway, these sea Gigants were lifted onto the deck via cargo elevators. KWAANG! KUNG! KUKUNG! Even as they were being smashed by collisions with the Austerho or sunk by bombardment, the Song Empire warships did not give up on making contact. They knew that if they retreated, they might escape, but the transport ships carrying the landing forces would be captured or sunk by the enemy. If that happened, even if they returned alive, the commanders would be executed for the failure of the operation, and their families would be ruined. Thinking of their families left in their homeland, they thought it would be better to fight bravely and die in battle. “Don’t retreat! Stick to it!” “Use our own ships as sacrifices to get closer!” The Song Empire navy’s struggle was remarkable. Despite suffering constant damage from ramming and bombardment, they eventually succeeded in sticking to it. As one ship stuck, a dozen more, including the Yellow Dragon Ship, stuck to the Austerho. The Song Empire sailors began to climb onto the ship by throwing ropes with hooks on the railings. “Fire!” “Prevent the enemies from getting on the deck!” The Symphonia sailors fired bows and crossbows, hindering their ascent. Among the Song Empire navy, who were hesitating, hundreds of agile soldiers suddenly appeared. They were martial artists from the Jianghu [a community of martial arts practitioners], belonging to the landing forces. Some of them, who were on the transport ships, moved to the front lines to support the attack for close combat. SWISH! SWOOSH! They deflected the pouring arrows and crossbow bolts with their swords and flew onto the deck of the Austerho in an instant using their lightness skills. “W-what? Who are these guys?” “Fall back! They are Jianghu people!” Most of the Symphonia sailors didn’t know what kind of people the Jianghu people Hwangbo-sung was talking about were. However, they knew they were unusual opponents and quickly retreated behind the knights. The knights, who had already formed ranks, stepped forward, holding out their swords and shields. The Jianghu people, who had boarded the deck with murderous intent, were surprised. They weren’t surprised by the knights, but by the large puppet weapons standing behind them. “What is that?” “Could it be a wooden ox?” “No, that must be the steel puppets that the northern barbarians use!” The martial artists couldn’t help but make absurd expressions. They never imagined they would see a wooden ox, no, a Gigant, in the middle of the sea. While they were hesitating, Luke gave orders to the knights. “Attack! Don’t let a single one of them return alive!” As soon as the order was given, the Tritons charged forward with a thud and swung their greatswords at the martial artists. Following them, the Symphonia knights, led by Hwangbo-sung, also launched an attack. “Kuaaak!” “Keeek!” “D-don’t retreat!” The battle proceeded with the Symphonia expeditionary knight order having a unilateral advantage. The martial artists, whom Mak Deungcheong had sent as his trump card, were swept away without being able to use their strength. Among them were several masters of the peak realm who were quite arrogant in the martial world. However, they were powerless against the Gigants’ combat power, and they were immediately cut down the moment they were seen by Luke, Hwangbo-sung, Leonard, or Shirley. Moreover, the skills of the other Symphonia knights were also considerable. In terms of Jianghu people, each of them was at the level of a second-rate to first-rate master. They had plenty of war experience, and they were not only good at their own skills but also excellent at coordinating offense and defense with their surrounding comrades. “Kuek, at this rate, we’ll be annihilated. Retreat!” “Retreat!” In the end, the martial artists, realizing it was futile, turned and fled, while some were captured. As the martial artists retreated, the morale of the Song Empire sailors plummeted. Despite the encouragement of their commanders, the situation did not improve. Rather, as the Tritons threw large harpoons or jumped onto the decks of the Song Empire warships and engaged in slaughter, the sailors’ confusion became even more extreme. “Heh, heh, heh!” Mak Deungcheong let out a hollow laugh as he watched his fleet collapse miserably. He had a bad feeling about this operation, but he never thought he would encounter such a monster in the sea. That incredibly large enemy ship far surpassed the Yemaek navy’s pride, the Turtle Ship [a type of armored warship].

Moreover, they had even loaded wooden puppets—no, steel automatons, which the northerners only used in land battles—onto the ship. I never imagined that.

The steel automatons, named Gigantes, were weapons that ordinary soldiers or martial artists could never hope to defeat.

If I had known there were Gigantes on that ship, I would never have engaged in a naval battle.

“All ships, retreat!”

With tears of blood, he issued the retreat order.

However, escaping was not easy.

The Yemaek navy had already blocked their retreat route, and two Tritons had boarded the Yellow Dragon, wreaking havoc on the deck.

Thump, thump, thump!

“Surrender! If you surrender, we will spare your lives!”

The Triton rider, having seized the deck, shouted while brandishing a greatsword.

Mak Deungcheong didn’t understand the northern continent’s language well, but he wasn’t so oblivious that he didn’t know what the opponent was suggesting.

In this situation, he only had two choices.

Surrender, or die in battle.

Mak Deungcheong chose the honorable death.

“Do you think I, the naval commander of the Great Song Empire, would beg for my life from the enemy!”

Mak Deungcheong grabbed the glaive mounted on a pole and charged at the Triton.

The rider, startled by his roaring charge, instinctively swung his greatsword at Mak Deungcheong.

Swish!

Mak Deungcheong, who was not particularly skilled in martial arts, was instantly cut in half by the greatsword.

It was a gruesome but dignified death befitting the highest-ranking military officer of a nation.

“That, that fool!”

Hwangbo Jangcheon, who had jumped off the Yellow Dragon and been rescued by an allied ship, watched the battle from afar and cursed.

He had escaped, but he thought that if he could just board the enemy ship, he could lead the battle to a favorable outcome.

Since dozens of martial artists from the Jianghu [a community of martial arts practitioners] were aboard the Song Empire’s warships, he believed they had a good chance of winning in a ship-to-ship battle.

And as he had hoped, the Song Empire’s ships succeeded in boarding the enemy’s massive vessel.

“Kuhahahaha! Yes! Get on the ship and kill them all! Wipe them out!”

As if he had been directing the operation from the start, Hwangbo Jangcheon roared at the top of his lungs.

However, the battle, which seemed like it would be won, was completely overturned by the wooden puppets—no, the Gigantes—that suddenly appeared on the enemy ship.

The martial artists, who had been fighting hard, either fled from the enemy ship or surrendered.

“Damn it, turn the ship around! Retreat at full speed!”

Hwangbo Jangcheon, with a completely sour look on his face, ordered the entire fleet.

There were still 20,000 warriors, 5,000 sorcerers, and a considerable number of Jiangshi [a type of reanimated corpse] hidden on the transport ships.

But what good was their strength if the enemy could just fire cannons from afar and wipe them out at sea?

The dozens of transport ships turned around and began to flee at full speed.

But they didn’t get far.

They were caught by the pursuing Yemaek ships, and Luke, who had chased them with Fly magic, cut down all the masts of the transport ships with Wind Cutter magic.

In the end, after a few ships fiercely resisted and sank, Hwangbo Jangcheon raised the white flag.

4

“Release me, you barbarians! Do you know who I am to treat me with such disrespect!”

Hwangbo Jangcheon, bound by Symphonia knights and dragged to the Oster, raged and cursed.

“Ugh, you’re really talkative! If you keep chattering, I’ll crack your skull!”

Shirley, unable to bear it any longer, threatened him with her halberd, and Hwangbo Jangcheon gritted his teeth with a resentful expression.

Then, he noticed someone and looked surprised.

“H-How are you…!?”

“You’ve grown a lot since I last saw you.”

Hwangbo-sung, seeing his nephew after a long time, wore a bitter expression.

He had wondered if it might be him when he heard the familiar voice, but he never imagined that his young nephew would be participating in the war.

“N-No way. There’s no way you’re alive! Father said he poisoned you with San Gong poison and paralysis powder!”

“Of course, I almost died. But I met benefactors and was saved.”

Shirley cautiously approached Hwangbo-sung, who answered with a cold expression, and asked.

“Do you know him?”

“He’s the son of my half-brother, who is currently the Prime Minister of the Song Empire.”

Shirley and the knights’ mouths dropped open.

They had thought he was a high-ranking commander because he was wearing gold-adorned armor, but he was more than that.

Not only that, but he was Hwangbo-sung’s nephew!

“He likely has valuable information, so take him to the interrogation room and interrogate him. He’s a rude one, so there’s no need to be lenient.”

“Understood, I’ll make sure to beat him thoroughly!”

Shirley, saluting at Hwangbo-sung’s command, dragged Hwangbo Jangcheon to the interrogation room.

“Kuaaak! You dirty bastard of a concubine! I will definitely report what you’ve done to my father!”

“Be quiet, be quiet!”

Thwack, thwack!

Hwangbo-sung’s gaze turned cold as he watched his nephew being beaten and dragged away by Shirley.

‘To entrust a young one like that with command of an army… what on earth is my brother thinking?’

Is it a scheme to let his young son gain military achievements?

Or is there something so secret and important that it has to be entrusted to a blood relative?

“Kuaaak!”

While Hwangbo-sung was lost in thought, screams suddenly came from the captured transport ship.

When he turned his head, he could see soldiers who had gone to investigate the lower deck frantically running out.

‘What is it? Were there those who didn’t surrender?’

Hwangbo-sung, who was puzzled, soon heard a report from the transport ship where the commotion had occurred, and his face turned pale.

He quickly examined the transport ship and immediately rushed to the cabin where Luke was staying.

Luke, having finished the battle and entrusted the cleanup to his subordinates, was attempting to contact Reina using magic communication.

He had raised an antenna using Fly magic, but it wasn’t connecting easily, perhaps because the distance was too great.

“Hmm… should I raise it a bit higher?”

While Luke was pondering, Hwangbo-sung came and reported.

“My lord, there is something you must see immediately.”

“Something to see? Right now?”

“Yes, things that shouldn’t be there have been discovered on the captured transport ship.”

“Is that so?”

What could it be that had made Hwangbo-sung’s brow furrow so deeply?

Intrigued, Luke postponed contacting Reina and followed Hwangbo-sung to one of the captured transport ships.

On that ship, the mages who had accompanied this expedition were constantly going in and out of the lower deck, discussing something.

Mages were naturally curious beings.

They seemed excited, as if they had discovered a new magic or item.

“It’s here.”

The place Hwangbo-sung led him to was a large cabin at the very bottom of the transport ship.

Luke, who had entered the dark cabin illuminated by a faint lantern, was startled and widened his eyes.

‘No, this is…?’

The reason for his surprise was that there were beings inside that he never expected to see in the southern continent.

Kkkkkk!

Kikikiki!

Making incomprehensible noises, they were emitting hostility towards their surroundings. They were the undead.

But something was strange.

These undead were very different from the zombies or ghouls he knew.

First of all, their appearance was not that of Rhodisian people, but of southern continent people with yellow skin and black hair, and their attire was not that of ordinary people, but of the black light armor favored by those called martial artists of the Jianghu.

And on their foreheads, there was a piece of paper with an unknown symbol written in red on a yellow background.

Perhaps because of the magical energy emanating from the paper, the undead were only emitting hostility towards their surroundings and could not move a finger.

As Luke carefully examined the undead, Hwangbo-sung explained from the side.

“My lord, these are beings called Jiangshi in the southern continent.”

“Jiangshi? Ah, now that I think about it, it seems they call the undead Jiangshi in the south.”

“Yes, they are similar to the zombies of the Rhodisian continent. But there are quite a few differences as well.”

Jiangshi were undead like zombies, but their movements and the process of creating them were quite different.

And crucially, the existence of a magical artifact to control the Jiangshi was different.

Undead like zombies or ghouls, due to their extreme hatred for living beings, would attack any living thing in their vicinity.

However, Jiangshi could be controlled in various ways using magical artifacts created by sorcerers.

“Hmm, quite interesting. So, the yellow paper on their foreheads is the talisman?”

“That’s right, my lord. If you remove that paper and ring this bell while chanting an incantation, you can control the Jiangshi.”

Hwangbo-sung showed the bell, which was the magical artifact used to move the Jiangshi.

“But if you get bitten by these Jiangshi, do you become a Jiangshi too?”

“It’s known that way among the common people because of the Jingju [a type of Chinese opera], but that’s not actually the case.”

People who are bitten and die from zombies or ghouls become zombies or ghouls due to being infected by the corpse poison and demonic energy within the undead.

However, Jiangshi do not have demonic energy, so even if you are bitten, you do not become a Jiangshi.

“I see. What is the combat power of these Jiangshi?”

“It’s not something to be ignored. There were some casualties during the actual search of the ship.”

During the search of the captured transport ship, one of the Symphonia Kingdom’s soldiers had accidentally removed a Jiangshi’s talisman.

Due to the soldier’s ignorance about Jiangshi, the Jiangshi, freed from its restraints, attacked the soldiers nearby.

In the process, some of the soldiers who had gone on the search were killed or injured.

“Tsk, not being careful.”

Luke clicked his tongue with a look of pity.

“It is said that it was only after two Expert-level intermediate knights, who had rushed over after hearing the news, intervened that they were barely able to subdue it.”

“They’re quite strong. If zombies or ghouls were that strong, the Rhodisian continent might have become a world of the undead long ago.”

Hwangbo-sung shook his head at Luke’s words and replied.

“Originally, Jiangshi are not this strong. It seems these ones have undergone a special refining process.”

“Is that so? But, do they use Jiangshi as war weapons in the Song Empire?”

At the question, which he asked just in case, Hwangbo-sung made an expression that said it was absolutely impossible.

“That’s something only the evil factions of the Jianghu, like the Baegyo [a fictional evil cult], would do. In the past, there were times when they were made into Jiangshi as a temporary measure to return the war dead to their hometowns, but they were never used as weapons in battle.”

“Then, it’s highly likely that the Song Empire soldiers who were captured as prisoners don’t know that these guys are on the transport ship.”

“Yes, probably…”

Not all of them would be unaware.

What came to Hwangbo-sung’s mind was the image of his nephew, Hwangbo Jangcheon, whom he had seen earlier.

He had been wondering why the young one had participated in the war in the first place.

The answer seemed to be here.

“It seems we need to thoroughly interrogate the captured leaders.”

“Do so.”

Hwangbo-sung’s hunch was correct.

Shortly after, after interrogating Hwangbo Jangcheon and the other high-ranking officers of the landing force who had been captured, they were able to learn a shocking fact.

These Jiangshi were the result of the efforts of Guigokja, who had been invited by the Hwangbo family, and were made using kidnapped Jianghu martial artists as materials.

“Haa, how much more sin does my brother have to commit…!?”

Hwangbo-sung sighed deeply.

Even though he had left the Hwangbo family, he was saddened to see his family sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss of evil.

He began to worry whether the Hwangbo family would be able to survive even after the chaos in the southern continent subsided.

Emperor of Steel [EN]

Emperor of Steel [EN]

강철대제
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] In the realm of dark magic, Shaymon stood unrivaled, mastering the deepest and most formidable arts. Yet, his unparalleled prowess became his undoing when he was wrongfully accused of being a Demon King and met a premature death. Defiant in his final moments, Shaymon's indomitable will propels him 500 years into the future, granting him a second chance at life. However, fate plays a cruel jest: he is reborn as the descendant of his former nemesis, the revered Sword Emperor. In this new era, where the legacies of magic and swordsmanship intertwine, Shaymon must navigate the intricate dynamics of his inherited lineage while confronting remnants of his past. Armed with ancient knowledge and a renewed purpose, he embarks on a journey to reclaim his destiny, challenging the very fabric of time and power. Dive into a tale of reincarnation, redemption, and the relentless pursuit of truth in "Emperor of Steel."

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