2. Fall
1
“Hmm…”
“What is it, Your Majesty?”
King Buryu, who had been watching the front, suddenly frowned, and Jo Won-rak asked him.
“Are you displeased that their fight is dragging on?”
“No, it’s just that the movements of the Song Empire’s camp seem suspicious.”
Buryu, revered as a master archer, also possessed exceptional eyesight.
It was far superior to even the most renowned experts, to the point where there was an exaggerated rumor that ‘the Great King can see the stars even in broad daylight.’
While not quite to that extent, he was certainly capable of closely observing the movements of the Song Empire’s army from a distance.
“It seems they’re planning a surprise attack.”
“Are you sure?”
“It doesn’t hurt to be careful.”
Just as Buryu said that, a messenger rushed over.
Looking at the flag stuck in his back, it was clear he was from the Symphonia Kingdom army.
“What’s the matter?”
At Buryu’s question, the messenger hurriedly knelt on one knee and replied.
“Your Majesty, the Symphonia army reports that the movements at the rear of the Song army have become hurried.”
While Luke was fighting Yi Yungmu, some of the mages attached to the army were using Fly magic to observe the Song Empire’s camp.
Hwang Bo-kwang’s subordinates had not anticipated that they were being secretly watched from above.
They were too focused on Yi Yungmu’s perceived betrayal and their planned surprise attack, and they had ignored the reports from some diviners who had sensed the mages’ movements, as they were in a hurry to prepare for battle.
“So, they were planning a surprise attack. Immediately withdraw all troops out of artillery range and deploy defensive formations on the flanks and rear to counter enemy cavalry attacks.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The allied forces, including the Yemaek army, began to move busily.
Even though they were focused on their opponents, Luke and Yi Yungmu couldn’t help but notice this.
After exchanging a few blows and retreating, they took a breather and talked.
“It seems something has happened while we were fighting.”
At Luke’s words, Yi Yungmu glanced ahead and clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, it seems the Prime Minister’s lackeys in our camp have become impatient.”
Yi Yungmu had been so focused on fiercely exchanging blows with Luke that he had no time to observe the movements of his own camp behind him.
However, seeing the allied forces preparing for a surprise attack, he could guess that something was happening in his own camp without his orders.
“Red Dragon King, what do you intend to do? If a full-scale battle breaks out, I will return to my camp. It’s a shame that this duel has to end midway, though.”
“But I believe we still have time for a few more exchanges, don’t you?”
Luke questioned Yi Yungmu, who seemed to have some lingering regrets.
“Do you think we can settle it within that time?”
The two men’s duel was evenly matched.
They had been fighting for the time it takes to eat a bowl of rice [a common way to measure a short period of time] without a victor, so to settle it in just a few exchanges?
“Then, will you leave with regrets like this?”
At Yi Yungmu’s subtly provocative retort, Luke chuckled.
Seeing him act as if he was confident he could settle it within that time, his own pride and fighting spirit surged.
‘It’s foolish to fall for the opponent’s provocation.’
His cold mind warned him.
However, Luke’s body and mind had no intention of obeying.
He had fought countless enemies in both his past and present lives.
With the conviction to create a world where people could live like people, he had fought against formidable enemies and even opponents much stronger than himself, like Arsen.
Those fights were battles he absolutely could not lose for the sake of survival and justice.
Unlike those battles with such pressure, the current duel was very enjoyable.
Even though he knew that losing here would put his life in danger, and even though he had plenty of opportunities to retreat, he somehow didn’t want to avoid it.
That was how much he liked the opponent in front of him, the warrior named Yi Yungmu, the Red Dragon King.
He wanted to settle it no matter what, and he wanted to achieve victory at all costs.
That was the will and desire of the knight Luke, not the mage Luke.
“Very well, let’s finish this.”
“Hahaha, I knew you would accept.”
Yi Yungmu, who was laughing with joy, quickly readjusted his spear.
At the same time, Luke also changed his stance and focused all the aura converted from his ether glove into his sword.
‘I’ve already seen enough of Yi Yungmu’s spear techniques. Now it’s my turn to break them.’
Luke felt that Yi Yungmu’s spear was like a storm.
Sometimes it was as flexible as the wind, sometimes as fierce as a downpour, and sometimes as intense as thunder and lightning.
The scary thing was that the storm, as if summoned by a dragon’s draconic magic, unfolded quickly and accurately, targeting its mark.
The moment he missed a single move, he would either be cut by the spear blade that flew like the wind, pierced by the spear strikes that poured down like a downpour, or be killed by a thunderbolt-like blow.
‘A hot flame is extinguished in front of a huge storm, and even a huge tree falls. To overcome such a storm… there’s only one way!’
Don’t avoid it, jump into it.
He had to dance with the storm and stab the heart of the dragon crouching inside the eye of the storm!
That was the conclusion Luke had reached to achieve victory in one go.
Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa—!
Luke boldly jumped towards the spear strikes that were flying like a storm.
Knowing that Yi Yungmu’s spear tip was aiming for his vital points, including his neck and heart, he did not avoid it and instead swung his sword to meet it.
‘Hmph! You intend to replace defense with offense?’
‘This isn’t a fight that can be ended by being cautious!’
The two exchanged blows without rest, communicating with their eyes.
Kwaang! Kuaaang—!
Chaechaechaeng!
Along with the roar of the spear and sword clashing, countless white streaks cut through the air.
At that moment, a red mist rose and enveloped the two of them.
It was a phenomenon created by the blood droplets sprayed from the wounds they had sustained while exchanging blows, painting the sky.
The gazes of the soldiers from both armies, who were preparing for battle, were once again focused on their fight.
“Look over there! They’re fighting even more fiercely than before?”
“It’s a bloodbath, literally.”
To describe the two men’s fight, it was like a dragon and a giant clashing in a storm.
However, even though they were clearly fighting for their lives, they somehow looked like they were dancing together in harmony.
“What are you doing! Hurry up and prepare for the attack!”
The supervisors of the Song army urged the soldiers.
However, when they showed slow movements, they mercilessly swung their whips.
Swaack! Smack!
“You sluggish things! Hurry up!”
“If you disobey the military order, I will cut off your head!”
When the supervisors’ urging reached its peak, the fight between the dragon and the giant, which was taking place in the mist of blood, reached its climax.
“This is the end!”
Kaang! Puuuk—!
Yi Yungmu’s halberd, which had slipped past Bellion, pierced through Luke’s chest like lightning.
“Ah! Oh no!”
“Your Majesty!”
The knights of the Symphonia Kingdom, including Hwang Bo-sung, who were watching the fight, turned pale.
The worst possible outcome had occurred.
But then.
Puh-wung—!
Yi Yungmu’s halberd shattered as if it had exploded.
At the same time, Luke, who had readjusted his holy sword Bellion, flew towards Yi Yungmu.
“This is my final move—!”
To the eyes of others, it was a lightning-fast movement, but to Yi Yungmu, who was right in front of him, Luke seemed to be flying very slowly.
However, he could not move at all.
It wasn’t just because his spear had shattered. It was because his own movements now felt much slower than Luke’s.
‘Yes, this is definitely like that time…’
It was a similar phenomenon to what he had felt when he had lost to the Sword Saint Yeon Ga-ram in his ambitious youth.
Although it wasn’t exactly the same, Yi Yungmu unconsciously smiled with satisfaction at the golden light spirit sword that evoked the feelings of that time.
At that moment, his vision was filled with a bright golden light.
Puuuk! Zwaaaaaak—!
Along with a gruesome sound, a golden spirit passed by Yi Yungmu. Behind the golden trail left in the air, a clear purple of blood rose.
“Cough!”
Blood gushed out of Yi Yungmu’s gaping chest.
Ssssk!
The halberd blade that had been stuck in Luke’s chest automatically pushed itself out, and the wound healed instantly.
“Hoo, hoo!”
Luke, who had exploded his power at once to run through the eye of the storm.
He was breathless from the aftereffects, but he gritted his teeth and raised his sword high into the sky.
The battle between the southern red dragon and the northern giant had finally ended with the giant’s victory.
2
“Waaaaaah!”
“His Majesty has won!”
“The ruler of the North has defeated the Red Dragon King!”
Starting with the Symphonia Kingdom army, cheers of joy spread throughout the allied forces.
In contrast, the Song Empire’s camp was frozen in shock.
Even Yang Gwi and the other members of Hwang Bo-kwang’s faction, who had been suspicious of Yi Yungmu, could not help but be surprised by this result.
They never thought that the Red Dragon King would lose.
“Commander, what should we do now…”
“What do you mean what should we do! Carry out the orders immediately!”
At Yang Gwi’s scolding, the supervisors once again urged the frozen soldiers.
Meanwhile, Yi Yungmu squeezed out the last of his strength and approached Luke, saying one word.
“Cough! Congratulations…”
“No, you were at a disadvantage in the fight.”
If Yi Yungmu had fought with a weapon equal to Bellion, the reversal just now might not have been possible.
The spear shaft would not have shattered due to the clash of hyper auras concentrated at one point, and the spear blade would not have been blocked by Bellion, missing Luke’s heart.
“Could you… tell me what… the last move you showed was?”
At Yi Yungmu’s request, Luke readily nodded.
“If I had to give it a name, I’d call it Clock Up Sword? I realized it while fighting you.”
The duel with Yi Yungmu had given Luke a great realization about swordsmanship.
One of them was the ability to instantaneously concentrate hyper aura at one point on a weapon.
However, the most decisive thing was that it had allowed him to realize the Clock Up Sword, the final technique of the latter half of the Gold Sword.
“Clock Up Sword… Time Acceleration. Cough! So that was the final move of the Golden Light Spirit Sword.”
Yi Yungmu, who had muttered to himself, looked at Luke and made one last request.
His eyes were already losing their vitality.
“All the blame… lies with the traitors… please… have mercy on the soldiers and the people.”
Whoo-oong!
After leaving his last words, he closed his eyes and felt a warm energy enveloping his entire body.
‘How strange. I thought I would be cold since I lost so much blood.’
Could it be that he was already dead and in paradise?
When he slightly opened his eyes, he saw Luke smiling at him.
The warm energy was flowing from the light that was gathered in his right hand.
“Th-that is…?”
“It’s divine power. I can also use the power of a priest.”
Although he had been stabbed in the chest by the halberd a moment ago, Luke’s ether glove was fine.
So, he could heal himself, as well as Yi Yungmu.
“Huh, I didn’t think I would survive…”
Yi Yungmu stroked his chest, which had completely healed, leaving only a scar, and wore a surprised expression.
He had heard from merchants in the Northern Continent that the monks of the North could borrow the power of the heavenly spirits to display abilities similar to the Six Supernatural Powers of the Sejon religion [a fictional religion in the story].
However, it was the first time he had experienced it firsthand.
Moreover, the one who had bestowed this grace was the opponent he had fought to the death with!
“To even save the life of a defeated general, I will repay this favor someday.”
Yi Yungmu said politely, clasping his hands.
“Instead of repaying that favor later, how about repaying it right now?”
Luke pointed to the Song Empire army.
It seemed they were about to attack, with the artillery moving to the front and the cavalry in the rear preparing for a charge, making a great commotion.
Yi Yungmu, who had been lost in thought for a moment, replied.
“I will follow if you promise to only blame the traitors.”
“Of course, I will.”
When Luke nodded, Yi Yungmu looked around and picked up a spear.
It was the halberd that Shirley had dropped a moment ago, and he intended to use it to replace his shattered halberd.
Yi Yungmu slammed the bottom of the halberd into the ground and shouted at the Song Empire army.
“Everyone, stop—!”
As soon as his command fell, the Song Empire army stopped as if it were a lie.
The Red Dragon King, who they thought had been defeated and was about to die, was alive.
The soldiers who had been shouting to avenge Yi Yungmu stared at him with wide eyes.
“There is no reason to fight here! Our true enemy is in Daeryang!”
At Yi Yungmu’s cry, the Song army camp was instantly thrown into chaos.
There was no one foolish enough not to know who the enemy in Daeryang was referring to.
Of course, the first to notice were the supervisors Yang Gwi and the other subordinates of Hwang Bo-kwang.
“Yi Yungmu, you traitor! You have betrayed the country and rebelled against the Emperor, do you think you will be safe!”
“Shut up, you! Isn’t it you who committed treason! Did you think I wouldn’t know that you used assassins from Salmak to try to assassinate His Majesty the Emperor!”
Yi Yungmu shouted and slammed his halberd down.
Each time, the ground shook as if there was an earthquake, and Yi Yungmu’s shout echoed in the sky.
Overwhelmed by his force, Yang Gwi broke out in a cold sweat and took out a wax doll from his pocket.
He had to execute Yi Yungmu as soon as possible.
Otherwise, the agitated soldiers would turn their spears and swords against them.
“Yi Yungmu! You foolish traitor! You will pay the price for entrusting your life to us!”
After saying that, Yang Gwi stuck a needle into the heart of the wax doll, and light flashed over the spell engraved on the wax doll.
But that was it.
Yi Yungmu was not spitting blood and collapsing, but was instead striding towards him.
Panicked, Yang Gwi repeatedly stabbed the doll’s heart with the needle, but nothing happened.
“Hahahaha, you are the foolish ones! Did you think I would so easily hand over my life to you?”
Yi Yungmu, who laughed heartily at Yang Gwi, took off his helmet and even threw away his topknot [a traditional hairstyle for men in East Asia].
Then, his closely shaved head was revealed.
He had shaved his head before entering the palace, and in front of Jo Won-gyun and Hwang Bo-kwang, he had only worn a wig made of horsehair to create a plausible appearance.
Yi Yungmu’s bald head was a shock not only to the Song Empire soldiers but also to the allied forces.
In the Southern Continent, especially in the Song Empire and Yemaek, the topknot was a man’s pride and symbol.
Therefore, no one had imagined that Yi Yungmu, who was so proud as to call himself the best warrior of the Southern Continent, would shave his head.
“What is there to be ashamed of to correct the country! Sons of the Song Empire! It’s not too late now! Defeat the traitors and prove your loyalty!”
At Yi Yungmu’s cry, which sounded like he was spitting blood, voices of support erupted from all over the Song Empire camp.
“Let’s follow the Great General!”
“We can’t live as Hwang Bo-kwang’s dogs!”
The Yang nobles and garrison commanders did their best to quell the disturbances erupting from all sides, but few followed their orders. As the allied forces advanced, the situation became irreversible. In the end, the Yang faction fled, and the 100,000 Song Empire troops, initially sent to stop the allied forces, joined Jo Won-rak’s rebel army. Thus, the Hwang Bo-kwang faction, which had once seized control of the empire with great momentum, began its descent towards downfall.
3
The Red Dragon King’s defection spread rapidly. Naturally, the Song Empire court was thrown into an uproar upon hearing this news.
“What? Yi Yungmu led his soldiers and surrendered to Jo Won-rak?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. After losing a battle against the king of the Northern Continent, he suddenly incited his troops and revealed his rebellious intentions.”
Upon hearing the minister’s report, the officials in the throne room rose up like a swarm of bees and began to denounce Yi Yungmu.
“We were deceived by Yi Yungmu!”
“That’s right! From the beginning, Yi Yungmu didn’t go to stop the Yemaek army, but to collude with Jo Won-rak!”
“We must punish the traitor immediately!”
Jo Won-gyun, who had been frowning deeply at the officials’ denunciations, straightened his posture and asked,
“Punish Yi Yungmu, who is even immune to the curse of the sorcerers… how?”
“W-Well, of course, by mobilizing the Imperial Guard…”
Bang!
Jo Won-gyun slammed his fist hard on the armrest of the jade throne. Then, with a face flushed red, he shouted,
“The Imperial Guard is the last bastion protecting the imperial family! And you want to mobilize the entire Imperial Guard? Then who will protect the capital and the imperial palace?”
The Imperial Guard was a unit created by gathering orphans from all over the country and instilling in them martial arts and loyalty to the imperial family. Their total strength was 100,000. They were the Song Empire’s strong shield and last line of defense, and it was because of them that the Song Empire had endured for over a thousand years without collapsing. Jo Won-gyun and Hwang Bo-kwang, who had planned to seize the Song Empire, had also taken control of the Imperial Guard’s leadership first. But to mobilize such an Imperial Guard? It was like revealing all their cards.
“However, if not the Imperial Guard, we cannot stop Yi Yungmu and the Yemaek army.”
What the officials said was not without merit. According to current information, the Yemaek army alone numbered over 100,000. If you add the rebel army following Jo Won-rak and the troops that Yi Yungmu had taken with him, it would be close to 300,000. To win against such a large army, the central army currently remaining in Daeryang [the capital of the Song Empire] and its vicinity would not be enough. The 100,000 elite troops of the central army had gone with Yi Yungmu and had been turned over to the enemy, and the remaining 200,000 were either inexperienced recruits or newly conscripted soldiers. There was not enough time to train them properly, nor was there enough time to gather them in Daeryang.
‘Damn it! It’s all because of that damned old man!’ Gritting his teeth, Jo Won-gyun calmed his anger and issued an order. “Yi Yungmu’s family members are in Daeryang. Capture them all and hang them on the city walls.”
“Shouldn’t we exterminate their entire clan?”
“Postpone the executions for later and use them as hostages for now.”
It was a despicable tactic, but now was not the time to be picky. Immediately, the Imperial Guard left the imperial palace and raided Yi Yungmu’s residence. However, they could not achieve their goal. The residence was empty.
“We found a tunnel in one of the detached buildings. It seems they escaped through there.”
Jo Won-gyun trembled at the Imperial Guard’s report. If they had dug a tunnel to smuggle out their family members, it meant that they had been planning to betray him from the beginning.
“They couldn’t have escaped outside the city yet. Search Daeryang thoroughly and find the traitor’s family members!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
After the Imperial Guard commander who had come to report left, Jo Won-gyun overturned the desk in a fit of anger. Nothing was going right.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it all… !”
Hwang Bo-kwang, who had been quietly watching Jo Won-gyun writhing in anger, opened his mouth. “Your Majesty, it seems we will have to abandon Daeryang.”
“What? Are you suggesting we relocate the capital?” Jo Won-gyun looked at him with a surprised expression, and he nodded. “That’s right. In the current state, it is difficult to defend Daeryang. Therefore, it would be best to gather the remaining forces, retreat west, buy time to fight against the rebels, and conscript more troops.”
“But if we do that, the public sentiment in the capital will surely lean towards Jo Won-rak.”
Jo Won-gyun had also considered relocating the capital. However, he considered it a last resort, and there was a reason for this. Daeryang was the center of politics, economy, and culture of the Song Empire. Moreover, many people had come from the provinces to seek advancement, so the public sentiment of Daeryang’s people often represented the public sentiment of the Song Empire. That was why, during the Rebellion of the Eight Princes in the past, the princes had fiercely competed to enter Daeryang first.
“If we abandon Daeryang and leave, Jo Won-rak will not stand idly by. He will try to gain the public sentiment of the capital by any means possible.”
And there was another problem that Jo Won-gyun was worried about. It was the existence of the emperor. The emperor, who had been kidnapped by the rebellious forces, seemed to be hiding somewhere near the capital, and if the emperor’s safety fell into Jo Won-rak’s hands, his status would surely be reduced from crown prince to a traitor.
“As you said, if we leave, that will certainly happen. But we can take sufficient measures beforehand.”
“Measures?” Hwang Bo-kwang, with a meaningful smile on his lips, approached Jo Won-gyun. Then, he explained the secret plan he had in mind in a whisper. After listening to his explanation, Jo Won-gyun initially had a surprised expression, but soon he had a sinister smile. “Hehehe. If things go as the Prime Minister says, we can get rid of our worries at once.”
“Yes, the rebels will end up biting and fighting each other.”
Hwang Bo-kwang’s proposal was something he had never thought of. It was something that an ordinary person could never think of. No, it was something that should not be done. However, Jo Won-gyun, who had already been blinded by his lust for power, laughed heartily and approved the plan.
4
Late at night, in the slums of the capital, Daeryang. In the slums, where shacks were huddled together and winding alleys stretched out, there was a well for public use. The wells, one in each district, were important sources of drinking water for the residents. Therefore, the residents of the neighborhood voluntarily took turns standing guard to protect them. This was because if a vagrant or someone with ill intentions towards the residents threw waste into the well, the well could not be used for a while.
“Hey, Dong. I heard that General Red Dragon King personally led his troops out a few days ago?” A man in shabby clothes spoke to his neighbor, who was on duty with him. Then, the head of the neighboring household immediately scolded him. “Are you just hearing about that now? The Third Prince, who has joined hands with the barbarians, has come close, and the capital is in an uproar.”
“Whether it’s in an uproar or not, it doesn’t matter to us, does it? No matter who becomes the emperor, our lives won’t get any better…”
“Anyway… I wonder what’s going to happen to the world. Sigh!” The two men continued their conversation, bringing up various topics to chase away their drowsiness. The deeper the night, the slower time seemed to pass.
“By the way, have you heard this rumor?”
“Rumor? What rumor?”
“I’m quite close to the Kang family who lives two blocks over there. We even do manual labor together at the construction site.”
“That’s right.”
“Well, I heard from Kang yesterday that one of the residents in their neighborhood suddenly became a Jiangshi [a type of Chinese hopping vampire or zombie].”
“What? A Jiangshi?!” The man shouted in surprise. For the ignorant commoners, Jiangshi were beings that instilled fear just by hearing their name.
“Yeah, there was a commotion because a Jiangshi suddenly went on a rampage.” While the poor were helplessly suffering from the Jiangshi’s rampage, suddenly, the Imperial Guard appeared, subdued the Jiangshi and the people bitten by the Jiangshi, and took them all away. Moreover, they threatened that if the incident was spread, all the poor in that district would be arrested. Of course, that didn’t completely stop the rumors from spreading by word of mouth.
“Huh, even though the country is already in turmoil because of the war and everything, now even Jiangshi are running wild! How on earth can Jiangshi appear in the capital?”
“How would I know? Maybe some crazy sorcerer infiltrated. Anyway, you should be careful too. You never know when and where a Jiangshi might appear.”
“I understand.” That was when the two men finished their conversation. A shadow stretched out long behind them, and a person emerged from within it. It was a strange man wearing black light armor and a black hood. The strange man, who had appeared silently, swung a dagger and cut the two men’s throats.
“Cough!”
“Ugh!” The strange man, who had quickly dispatched the two men, clicked his tongue and wiped the blood off his dagger. “Damn it! Because of those Northern black magic users, my precious sword has been stained with dirty blood.”
The grumbling strange man was one of the second-class assassins of the Salmak [a group of assassins] hired by Hwang Bo-kwang. Some time ago, one of the black magic users from the Northern Continent had spilled a liquid that spread the Jiangshi plague into the food and alcohol given by the imperial family. It was said to be a mistake by the black magic user, but there were also rumors that he had deliberately poured it for experimental purposes. Anyway, because of that, some of the poor who ate it became Jiangshi. Since the existence of Jiangshi should not be revealed to the general public, Hwang Bo-kwang had ordered the Salmak and the Imperial Guard to collect those who had become Jiangshi or had been bitten by Jiangshi.
“But now, that’s over today.” The assassin, with a smirk, took out a sealed ceramic bottle from his pocket. If he just sprinkled the liquid in this ceramic bottle into the well, this slum would be devastated in an instant. “Hehehe! I’m curious why they suddenly changed their policy, but I don’t care as long as I get paid a lot.” Just as he was about to open the lid of the ceramic bottle with a sinister smile, “Stop!” Swoosh-! From the left alley, a loud shout was heard, and something flew and cut off his arm. It was a sword covered in strong energy. “Kuh!” The assassin groaned and quickly retreated. The man who had appeared like lightning and snatched the ceramic bottle looked at him and asked, “What’s in this?”
“…”
“If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to. I’ll know what it is if I feed it to you.” The man who had snatched the ceramic bottle was Hwang Bo-yoon. After rescuing the emperor, he had been hiding with Zhuge Shin in a secret location near the capital. It was to avoid the pursuit of Jo Won-gyun and Hwang Bo-kwang. However, they had not completely stopped their activities in Daeryang. They had secretly helped Yi Yungmu’s family escape, and they had also used the information network of the Haomun [a powerful merchant guild] and the Zhuge family to continue monitoring the Jo Won-gyun faction. As a result, they discovered a group of masked men pouring out of Hwang Bo-kwang’s residence. So, Hwang Bo-yoon and Zhuge Shin had followed them, and they were able to achieve the current result.
“Die!” The assassin threw poison needles at Hwang Bo-yoon and began to run away as fast as he could. He knew from the previous move that he was facing a powerful opponent he could never defeat. However, his escape did not last long. He was soon caught by Hwang Bo-yoon, who had quickly chased after him. “Why don’t you try eating this.” Hwang Bo-yoon, after removing the assassin’s mask, forcibly shoved the ceramic bottle into his mouth and poured the liquid in. “Kuh, n-no… Keeeooook!” Then, an amazing thing happened. The assassin, who had been writhing while clutching his throat, had his life force rapidly drained away and died.
“Is it poison?” Did they try to kill the poor by poisoning the well? But why? Just as Hwang Bo-yoon was tilting his head, unable to solve his curiosity, the pale corpse suddenly jumped up from its spot and rushed towards Hwang Bo-yoon. Keeeeee! ‘W-What is it? Did it become a Jiangshi?’ Hwang Bo-yoon, startled, quickly swung his sword and cut off the Jiangshi’s outstretched arms. However, the Jiangshi did not care and tried to bite him with its mouth wide open. But thanks to Hwang Bo-yoon’s quick response, it bit the sword instead of his neck. Crunch! Crack! ‘It’s tenacious!’ Hwang Bo-yoon’s sword was a strong sword made of an alloy from the Northern Continent, which was used to make the armor of the Ironclad Giants. Even if it had turned into a Jiangshi, to have the biting force to crack the blade of such a strong sword!
“Air Wave Cut!” Hwang Bo-yoon, injecting strong energy into his left hand, cut off the Jiangshi’s head. The Jiangshi, with its head and body separated, struggled for a while and then slumped down. “Tsk, that was close.” He had received a report from the Haomun that the strange disease that had spread in the slums earlier turned people into Jiangshi. There was also talk that people had contracted the strange disease after eating the alcohol and food distributed by the imperial palace, so he had suspected the Jo Won-gyun faction. “They were trying to do something more dangerous than I imagined. If I hadn’t stopped them…” If the strange disease spread through the well, and countless people turned into Jiangshi, and those bitten by the Jiangshi spread the disease again… The thought alone was terrifying. After letting out a sigh of relief and shaking his head, Hwang Bo-yoon suddenly became serious and ran to another place. He had stopped it, but there was no guarantee that other wells had not been affected.
“Isn’t that Young Master Hwang Bo-yoon? Why are you here…” When he ran to another well in a nearby slum, Zhuge Shin and the warriors of the Zhuge family were there. The assassin was lying dead, bleeding, and the ceramic bottle he had was in Zhuge Shin’s hand. Swoosh! Hwang Bo-yoon, who had quickly snatched the sealed ceramic bottle, threw it into the bonfire lit by the residents on duty. The ceramic bottle shattered, and the liquid inside evaporated. Zhuge Shin, covering his nose with a handkerchief at the terrible smell, asked, “Was it a dangerous poison?”
“It was something more dangerous than you can imagine.” Hwang Bo-yoon told him in detail what he had just seen and experienced. Zhuge Shin’s expression changed instantly. “This is terrible! If the poison that creates Jiangshi spreads to other places, it will be a disaster, won’t it?”
“We must quickly identify and take action before dawn.” Hwang Bo-yoon and Zhuge Shin hurriedly contacted their subordinates who were tracking the assassins. Soon, a report came in. They had stopped it in some places, but there were wells where the poison had already been spread because they were too late. So, Hwang Bo-yoon ordered that the contaminated wells be completely filled in. Since there was no suitable way to purify them, they had no choice but to block people’s access to them.
“Whew, I’ve taken a load off my mind for now.”
“We don’t know. The underground water veins are connected, so there’s no guarantee that the poison hasn’t spread to other places.”
“Then what should we do?”
“First, if we receive information that Jiangshi have appeared, we must do our best to prevent the spread of infection. We must also spread this information to the people and actively prevent the use of wells.” And since the rebel army was also approaching, they had to prepare for that as well. Hwang Bo-yoon explained his plan in detail, and Zhuge Shin nodded. Forgetting about sleep, they roamed around the capital until the sun rose.