Emperor Of Steel [EN]: Chapter 89

4. The Dark Clouds of the Song Empire

Baesanimsu [A location with a mountain behind and a river in front, considered auspicious in Feng Shui].

A grand manor was situated in an auspicious location, with mountains behind it and a river flowing in front.

While not comparable to the Taihua Palace, the imperial palace of the Song Empire, it was one of the largest manors in the empire.

At the center of the manor, which consisted of dozens of buildings, warehouses, and various structures, was a secret chamber completely concealed by a dark curtain.

In the secret chamber, where a faintly fragrant incense stick burned, two people sat facing each other.

One was a figure wearing a flamboyant robe, seemingly a mage, and the other was a man in his late 30s wearing a yellow robe.

“This test of Death Knights and Liches… is the enemy not too weak? I wonder.”

A grating voice, like metal scraping, emerged from inside the hood that half-covered his face.

In response, the man in the yellow robe shook his head.

“Not at all, Lord Arsen. Zhuge Hui is one of the top five masters in the Zhuge family. Moreover, the heavily armored cavalry he personally trained is renowned for its strength within the Imperial Guards.”

“Tsk, still they are not even a snack for my darlings.”

The mage in the flamboyant robe was Arsen.

He had come to the Southern Continent to experiment with the liches and death knights he had painstakingly created over a long period.

It was too risky to test them in the Rhodisia Continent, which was heavily guarded by paladins with strong divine power.

“Indeed, Lord Arsen, if they are the death knights and liches you have painstakingly created, they will surely surpass even the most skilled masters.”

The man in the yellow robe nodded in agreement, unlike before.

He was Hwangbo Gwang, who had recently become the head of the Hwangbo family.

Although there could have been chaos due to the sudden retirement of the previous head and the ascension of the new one, Hwangbo Gwang quickly took control of the Hwangbo family with his remarkable charisma and skill.

And for some reason, he was now facing Arsen.

“Once this test is complete, the first stage of production will be finished.”

Currently, Arsen was creating a total of 700 death knights and liches.

It would be ideal to complete them all at once, but the death knights and liches were divided into grades based on their previous lives’ skills, the amount of reagents invested, and the sacrifices made.

There were 10 high-grade ones, equivalent to 9th circle archmages and sword emperors.

100 mid-grade ones, equivalent to 8th circle archmages and sword sages.

And 590 low-grade ones, equivalent to 7th circle mages and sword masters.

What he had brought to the Song Empire for testing this time was 33 low-grade units from the first stage of production.

“Oh! Is the first stage finally being completed?”

“That’s right. Although they are low-grade, even with just these, it is possible to sweep the Southern Continent.”

“Really? But isn’t there a powerful combat weapon called the Gigant in the Northern Continent, or rather, in Rhodisia?”

“Heh heh heh. Do you think I would not have taken that into account when creating them?”

“So, you’re saying they can’t even stand against the Gigant?”

“Of course. The era of those scrap metal dolls is over.”

The reason why Arsen had not left the Island of Death, even when the Veritas Magic Tower was in danger, was precisely this.

Once the 700 death knights and liches were completed, it would be possible to bring not only the Rhodisia Continent but the entire Middle Realm to its knees.

‘That foolish Seimon. To start a war with golems when he had such a great thing. No wonder he was killed by that idiot Rakan.’

In any case, Arsen was now convinced that even if the legendary hero Rakan and the Demon King Seimon were to be resurrected a dozen times, they would not be able to stop his unstoppable march.

“By the way, will there be no problem in taking control of the Song Imperial Family?”

At Arsen’s question, Hwangbo Gwang confidently thumped his chest and answered.

“Everything is proceeding according to plan, so please leave it to me.”

Hwangbo Gwang, who had recently taken control of the Hwangbo family, was plotting to make his sister’s son, the second prince Jo Won-gyun, the emperor.

With Arsen’s support, he had already secretly made a considerable number of ministers his henchmen, and he had addicted the crown prince, Jo Won-gi, to opium, rendering him useless.

The biggest obstacle was the third prince, Jo Won-rak, but he had already dispatched a secretly trained band of ronin [masterless samurai], along with death knights and liches, to eliminate him.

Although Zhuge Hui and his cavalry were escorting the third prince, they would never be able to stop them.

“Starting with Jo Won-rak, I plan to eliminate all the useless princes and royals who are obstacles to the succession. And the last one will be the emperor.”

At Hwangbo Gwang’s confident attitude, Arsen asked.

“Heh. Still, there must be quite a few opposing forces. Will the power of the Hwangbo family be enough?”

Even though the Hwangbo family was a massive power that controlled the economy of the Song Empire and was a pillar of the martial world, it was not without opposition.

There was the government and the Song Imperial Family, and then there were the large martial sects and families, including the Zhuge family.

It would be impossible to absorb or conquer all those forces with the power of the Hwangbo family alone.

“Hahaha. We are already conducting operations in various places besides the imperial palace. The Gu poison… no, the Dark Worm that Lord Arsen gave me is quite effective.”

“Heh heh heh. That is good then.”

Five years ago, Arsen came to the Southern Continent to establish a base and happened to meet Hwangbo Gwang.

Finding the ambition and madness burning in Hwangbo Gwang’s eyes, he immediately extended his hand to Hwangbo Gwang.

At the time, Hwangbo Gwang, who had a considerable inferiority complex due to being pushed aside by his half-brother Hwangbo Sung, readily took Arsen’s hand.

As a result, an alliance between the two was formed.

The condition was that if Arsen conquered the Middle Realm, he would give the Southern Continent, including the Song Empire, to Hwangbo Gwang.

It was also Arsen who had given the evil heretical magic soldier that severed Hwangbo Sung’s dantian [energy center] and leg muscles two years ago.

Although people did not know it, Arsen had quite a few items from the Southern Continent, or items modeled after them, such as the heretical magic soldier and the Dark Worm.

‘Hehehe. Meeting Lord Arsen was the greatest luck in my life. If I can make my nephew the emperor, conquering the entire Southern Continent is not an impossible task!’

Of course, Hwangbo Gwang had no intention of just doing good for his nephew.

He had ambitions to receive the throne from his nephew later and become the new emperor of a new country.

His ultimate goal was to be the first emperor to unify the Southern Continent.

Although there was still a long way to go, Hwangbo Gwang vowed that he would definitely achieve it.

“I am busy, so I will be going. Before I leave, I advise you that for the sake of your dream, you must not be negligent until the very end.”

“I will keep that in mind, Lord Arsen.”

As the conversation ended, Arsen disappeared from Hwangbo Gwang’s sight in an instant.

Hwangbo Gwang, who already knew that he was an outstanding mage, was not particularly surprised.

Rather, he was more interested in the drunken singing that was getting closer.

“In a scattered flower garden—with a wine bottle—tucked in—.”

The song was not pleasant at all. The voice was loud, and the rhythm and pitch were all over the place.

But that was not why Hwangbo Gwang frowned.

‘It’s Yoon. Is he back from the brothel?’

Coming out of the secret chamber, Hwangbo Gwang found a disheveled man lying sprawled in the flower garden near the secret chamber.

Hwangbo Yoon, the second son of the previous head of the Hwangbo family.

Like Hwangbo Sung, he was a half-brother born from a concubine, but he did not feel particularly wary or jealous of him.

He was a good-for-nothing who was not good at martial arts or academics and liked alcohol, women, and gambling.

Therefore, he was considered the ‘shame of the family’ in the Hwangbo family.

“What are you doing here?”

At Hwangbo Gwang’s question, Hwangbo Yoon, who was lying down and drinking, turned his head towards him.

“Oh my, brother—have you been well? But did you go to the graveyard? Why do you smell like a corpse…”

Hwangbo Gwang, who had just been facing a ‘living corpse,’ felt a pang of guilt and raised his voice.

“Get out of here right now! I’ve told you repeatedly that this building is my private space!”

“Tsk, how petty… Alright, I’m going, I’m going.”

Hwangbo Yoon, who had gotten up with a start, staggered out.

Hwangbo Gwang glared at his back and thought.

‘I need to get rid of that guy soon too. He’s just a parasite who wastes the family’s wealth.’

The amount of money Hwangbo Yoon had squandered on alcohol and gambling since the time of the previous head was enormous.

The silver he had spent could have filled the large pond in the back garden.

‘Should I lock him up in a mountain temple? It would be nice to get rid of him without a trace, but the old man who has retreated to the back room will jump up and down…’

While pondering about his brother’s future treatment, Hwangbo Gwang turned back into the building.

He had a mountain of things to do to achieve his ambition.

But he did not see it.

The moment he entered the building, Hwangbo Yoon’s eyes flashed sharply.

Dududududu—!

Zhuge Hui was driving the six-horse carriage like a madman.

The surviving subordinates had stayed behind to hold off the masked men and the three monsters, and the soldiers of the 1st Company who had joined them were also leaving one by one to stop the pursuing enemies.

By the time they thought they had barely shaken them off, there were only about a dozen soldiers left.

Zhuge Hui, who had lost all the subordinates he had cared for and trained like his own children, shed tears of blood and gritted his teeth.

‘Grrr, I will never forgive you!’

He vowed to find out the identities of the assassins as soon as he returned to the imperial palace and exterminate their entire families.

But to do that, he first needed to completely shake off their pursuit.

Although they had gained some distance, it was not safe to relax on a deserted road.

They needed to reach Angyeong, where the Zhuge family was located, at the very least.

The place they were heading now was not their original destination, Nanjing, but the Zhuge family.

Since they did not know what kind of trap might be waiting for them in Nanjing, he thought that the Zhuge family, which he knew well, would be the safest place.

It was also close by.

“General, is Angyeong still far?”

Jo Won-rak’s terrified voice came from inside the carriage.

Indeed, when would he have ever been in such a life-threatening situation?

Although the third prince was known to be intelligent and patient, he could not help but be flustered in this situation.

“It’s just a little further. Once we reach the Zhuge family, they will no longer be able to harm Your Highness.”

Although he said it was a little further, they still had to go another 30 li [approximately 15 kilometers].

The problem was that the horses pulling the carriage were foaming at the mouth, as if they were exhausted.

It was unknown whether they would last until they reached Angyeong or collapse along the way.

“General, in front… !”

Thud!

The soldier who was running in the lead was hit by a black blast of energy and turned into a puddle of blood.

But Zhuge Hui and the soldiers had no time to be surprised or saddened by the death of their comrade. Because the three monsters from before were standing right in front of them.

Krrr—!

Kikikikiki!

‘This can’t be… how did they get here?’

If they had used their lightness skills, he would have felt their approach.

But there was no such sign at all, and the monsters seemed to have been waiting there for quite some time.

‘Did they fly here? Or did they use some kind of teleportation?’

Come to think of it, he had heard that the northerners could do all sorts of strange things with something similar to Taoist magic, but much more systematic, called magic.

They could make medicine that could heal wounds cleanly just by applying it, and they could move giants made of steel.

Not only that, but they could also cause earthquakes or erupt volcanoes.

‘One of the three is a mage. He must have been the one who did it.’

Considering that, the mage was a more difficult opponent than the two black knights.

Zhuge Hui, who had drawn his sword, signaled to the coachman and his subordinates with his other hand.

He instructed his subordinates to deal with the black knights and the coachman to escort the prince to safety.

“Your Highness, it seems my service to you ends here.”

“General!”

“Though I may die, Your Highness, you must preserve your life and inherit the imperial lineage!”

Having uttered words akin to a final testament, Zhuge Hui dashed towards the mage like lightning.

His sword was wreathed in a blazing aura, as if it could melt even iron.

He was determined to eliminate the mage, but as he launched his attack, a black knight beside the mage stepped forward to intercept it.

“You fiend, you were aiming for that!”

Zhuge Hui roared, and his sword twisted deftly, beheading the black knight.

*Shwack!*

With a gruesome sound, the black knight’s head was severed.

As the head bounced and rolled on the ground, he inwardly cheered.

‘One down! Next is… no?!’

Zhuge Hui’s joy was short-lived.

The beheaded black knight stood up as if nothing had happened and swung his sword down at him.

*Clang!*

“Ugh! How…?”

Zhuge Hui, who had hastily blocked the attack and retreated, wore an expression of utter disbelief.

Even the most skilled martial artists would die if their heads were severed, so how could these monsters move without their heads!

‘Could it be… are these things not human?’

His hunch was correct.

The monsters attacking the Third Prince’s party were death knights and liches, who would not die even if parts of their bodies were destroyed.

However, Zhuge Hui, unaware of this fact, could only retreat continuously.

‘I thought they might be related to the heretical cult, but I never imagined they would be zombies…’

Zhuge Hui, seeing the black knight’s dark energy and the fact that they did not die even when beheaded, mistook them for zombies created by the heretical cult.

Unable to shake off his shock, he noticed a black light flashing from the mage’s staff.

*Fwoosh—!*

The black rays, sharp as needles, shot out towards his subordinates who were fighting another black knight and towards the carriage that had hastily turned around.

“No, no!”

“Kaaah!”

“Ugh!”

The moment Zhuge Hui screamed, most of his subordinates were killed, their bodies riddled with holes.

Moreover, as the carriage was destroyed, the coachman and even Jo Won-rak were thrown onto the road.

“Your Highness!”

As a black knight approached Jo Won-rak and raised his sword, Zhuge Hui rushed in and pushed the black knight away with his body.

However, in the process, he was slashed across the back by the black knight’s sword.

“Kuh-ack!”

“General Zhuge!”

The wound was not deep.

However, the dark energy of the black knight quickly caused the wound to fester.

Furthermore, the dark energy that had penetrated his body rapidly depleted his inner energy [internal energy or life force].

It felt as if his *dantian* [energy center below the navel] was burning whenever he tried to circulate his energy.

The outcome of the battle was decided here.

He had suffered a fatal wound against an enemy that did not die even when beheaded.

‘Ugh, how can this be!’

As far as Zhuge Hui knew, such powerful zombies had not appeared even when the heretical cult was causing chaos in the martial world.

Who on earth had created these zombies using the bodies of northerners?

Was this truly the work of the remnants of the heretical cult?

However, it seemed he would not be able to solve that mystery.

It seemed that his fate, as well as Jo Won-rak’s, would end here.

‘Has the heavens abandoned His Highness… this Song Empire!’

Zhuge Hui wore a resentful expression as he watched the black knights raise their swords to strike him and Jo Won-rak.

*Thwack—!*

Just as the swords of the black knights, whose eyes were black and lifeless, were about to fall, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed through the area, and a man burst into the scene.

The man attacked the black knights with fists imbued with lightning energy.

*Thud! Bang!*

The black knights, struck by the fists, were sent flying far away without even a scream.

At the unexpected rescue, Zhuge Hui felt relief and widened his eyes.

He had recognized the martial art the man had just used.

‘Th-that’s definitely the Three Thunder God Fist of the Hwangbo Clan!’

The Three Thunder God Fist, created by the Fist King Hwangbo Woong, who had dominated the martial world 300 years ago.

It was said to be a supreme martial art where a single punch would cause thunder to roar and intense lightning to shatter the target.

Why was the man in front of him using a martial art that no one had mastered since the Fist King?

Could he be someone related to the Hwangbo Clan?

“Are you alright?”

“Behind you! Look behind you!”

Instead of answering the man’s question, Zhuge Hui shouted.

The mage’s staff was flashing with black light once again.

However, it was already too late when the man turned to respond. Sharp black rays, like needles, poured down like a rainstorm.

‘Is this… the end!’

Zhuge Hui closed his eyes tightly.

But he felt no pain.

He cautiously opened his eyes and saw a fair-haired northerner standing in front of them.

He had one hand extended towards the mage, and faint smoke was rising from his hand, which was surrounded by a purple aura.

The northerner frowned and muttered in a foreign language.

“Why are these things causing trouble here?”

It was Luke.

Luke was heading towards the road, guided by Hwangbo Sung.

It was a sparsely populated area, so they had to push through the undergrowth with each step, but thanks to Hwangbo Sung, who continuously swung his hand like a knife to clear the path, it wasn’t particularly difficult.

As they descended, the two sensed an ominous energy from the road.

“What is this?”

“Someone is being attacked by those with dark energy.”

Sensing the victims of the dark energy, Hwangbo Sung quickly gathered his inner energy and rushed towards the road.

Before Luke could stop him, Hwangbo Sung disappeared, and after clicking his tongue for a moment, Luke used fly magic to lift himself into the air and followed him.

And a moment later, he could see the tragedy that had unfolded on the road.

Around the completely shattered carriage, those killed or injured by black magic were scattered.

There were a few survivors, but two black knights and a mage were attacking them.

Luke was more surprised by the identities of the creatures that had caused the carnage than by the carnage itself.

They were death knights and liches, dark creatures created by black magic.

After saving Hwangbo Sung, who was in danger, he frowned and muttered.

“Why are these things causing trouble here?”

However, no one answered his question.

The death knights and liches, sensing the sudden appearance of a strong energy, turned their attacks towards Luke and Hwangbo Sung instead of Zhuge Hui and Jo Won-rak.

“My lord, be careful!”

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

No matter how powerful the death knights and liches were, they were no match for Luke, who was almost fully regaining his divine power from his Seimon days.

While Hwangbo Sung took on one of the death knights, Luke cast Black Bind on the headless death knight that was rushing towards him.

*Whirr!*

Black vines, like plant tendrils, sprouted from the ground and tightly bound the headless death knight’s body.

Meanwhile, Luke deflected a blast of fire magic that was aimed at him into the air.

*Kwah-ah-ahng!*

“Do you think you can kill me with that?”

*Kikiki!*

As if provoked by Luke’s sarcasm, the lich began to unleash even more powerful magic.

Zhuge Hui, who had caught his breath thanks to the sudden appearance of saviors, watched the situation.

Hwangbo Sung, who was continuously unleashing fist winds, was evenly matched with the death knight, and Luke, who had bound the beheaded death knight, was toying with the lich.

‘I don’t know where they came from, but if it’s them, they will be able to defeat those monsters.’

However, he could not completely relax.

The masked men who had fallen behind could still catch up, and there was no guarantee that other monsters would not appear.

‘Therefore, I must escort His Highness to a safe place as quickly as possible.’

Having made that decision, Zhuge Hui pulled on the sleeve of Jo Won-rak, who was sitting down.

“Your Highness, we must leave this place immediately.”

“But…”

“This is a golden opportunity to escape this death trap. Do not hesitate!”

For Zhuge Hui, Jo Won-rak’s safety was the most important thing.

That was why he was willing to be rude to the unknown benefactors and abandon his still-living subordinates and the coachman.

“The fate of the Song Empire rests on Your Highness… Kuh-ugh!”

“General Zhuge!”

Zhuge Hui, who was trying to flee with Jo Won-rak, collapsed after only a few steps.

The dark energy that was eating away at his body had penetrated not only his *dantian* but also his bone marrow.

While Jo Won-rak and Zhuge Hui were hesitating, Luke was pushing the lich back.

As a former black mage, he was knowledgeable about the lich’s attack methods and weaknesses.

He had found related information in an ancient black magic book he had possessed during his Seimon days.

‘The magic it unleashes is powerful, but its movements are somewhat inflexible. In that case…?’

Those who have been forcibly turned into liches have no reason, and those without reason only move according to pre-set commands.

Therefore, as long as one had the strength to withstand the lich’s attacks, one could respond to them.

“Thousand Bullets!”

As hundreds of purple bullets struck its bony body, the lich hastily deployed a defensive magic.

‘As expected, it is programmed to switch to a defensive stance when it receives a certain level of damage.’

While the bullets of Thousand Bullets were striking the lich in succession, Luke deployed 8th Circle Volcano magic.

*Krrrrrr!*

The ground beneath the lich’s feet cracked, and hot lava surged upwards.

Kikikiki!

A scream-like sound erupted from the lich’s mouth as it was instantly submerged in lava.

The creature struggled to escape the lava pool, but the flames, controlled by Luke, wouldn’t release it.

Eventually, the lich turned to ash within the lava.

However, Luke knew that if he didn’t destroy the hidden life vessel, the lich would revive again.

‘That’s why you have to keep a close watch when dealing with these guys.’

Luke activated Hawk Eye magic in both eyes and carefully scanned the surroundings.

This was because there was a possibility that a ‘spare body’ for the lich’s soul to transfer to was nearby.

However, no magical energy was detected anywhere else.

“In that case…”

Luke, turning his gaze like lightning, shot a Dark Bullet magic towards the decapitated Death Knight.

The Death Knight, already having most of its magical energy absorbed by Luke’s Black Bind, was unable to resist and had its heart pierced.

But just before being pierced, the armor on the Death Knight’s back fell off, and a small dwarf skeleton popped out.

That dwarf skeleton was the body where the lich’s soul had transferred.

“I knew it.”

Kikikikikiki!

The dwarf skeleton, or rather the lich, glared and unleashed black magic.

The black magic, spewing from its fingertips, surged like flames and flew towards Luke.

It seemed as if Luke’s body would be swallowed by the magic at any moment.

“How dare you!”

Woo-oong!

Luke, drawing his sword, released Gold Aura.

The Gold Aura, imbued with anti-magic power, instantly extinguished the lich’s magic and burned the lich’s body as well.

Keeeek!

With a final scream-like cry, the lich was completely annihilated.

However, Luke did not yet sheathe his sword.

“Surely there isn’t another body, is there?”

He turned his gaze towards Hwangbo Sung.

Hwangbo Sung, who had been gaining the upper hand with his Three Thunder God Fist, was about to deliver the final blow.

“Vile one, disappear!”

Urrung- Kwakwang!

The Death Knight, struck by Hwangbo Sung’s fist imbued with lightning, was shattered into pieces, armor and body.

The shattered body was burned black by the lightning that Hwangbo Sung released.

“It’s over.”

Seeing the scene, Luke sheathed his sword.

If it was destroyed to that extent, the lich’s spare body that the Death Knight was carrying would have disappeared as well.

“Well done, Sir Hwangbo Sung. Your iron fist is indeed fearsome.”

“You flatter me, my lord. More importantly, there are still people alive.”

“Yes, we need to save them to find out what happened.”

Luke quickly began to treat the survivors, including Zhuge Hui.

Luke took out the healing potions he had stored in his subspace for emergencies, applied them to their wounds, and bandaged them.

It would have been best to extract the magical energy that had penetrated their bodies, but the situation was different from when he had treated Hwangbo Sung before.

They were now severely weakened from their injuries, so if he tried to absorb their magical energy carelessly, their mana and life force could be absorbed, leading to death.

Therefore, it was better to prevent the magical energy from spreading further, allow them to recover to some extent, and then extract the magical energy.

“I’ve done the first aid, so their lives are not in danger. It would be best not to overexert yourselves for a while.”

Hwangbo Sung translated Luke’s words.

Then, Jo Won-rak, who had been anxious even after the fight, wondering if pursuers would appear or if General Zhuge would be harmed, made a fist and palm salute with a relieved expression.

And he gave his thanks in very clear Rhodisian common language.

“I am Jo Won-rak of the Song Imperial Family. I will never forget the grace you have bestowed upon me.”

At those words, not only Luke but also Hwangbo Sung were surprised.

It wasn’t because the other party was fluent in Rhodisian common language.

They had thought he was of a noble status because of his fancy attire, but they never imagined he would be a member of the imperial family.

And not just any member of the imperial family.

“My lord, this person is the Third Prince of the Song Empire.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I’ve only heard rumors, but I clearly remember his name.”

“Hmm… I didn’t expect him to be such a noble person.”

Hearing Hwangbo Sung’s words, Luke inwardly showed a pleased expression.

He was the son of the emperor who ruled the Song Empire.

With such a status, he could be of great help in returning to the Rhodisian continent.

“By the way, what are the names of our benefactors…?”

At Jo Won-rak’s question, Luke answered.

“I am Luke de Rakan, the ruler of the Rakan March in the Rhodisian continent. And this one is…”

“I am Sung, a son of a concubine from the Hwangbo family. I am currently serving as a retainer of the Rakan March.”

‘What? Hwangbo Sung?’

As Hwangbo Sung revealed his name after Luke, Zhuge Hui, who was recovering next to them, was startled.

As far as he knew, Hwangbo Sung was no longer alive.

Yet, he was meeting him in such a place!

Many questions arose, but now was not the time to solve them. Another attack could happen.

Therefore, it was necessary to escort the Third Prince to Angyeong as soon as possible.

“Your Highness, let’s talk in detail later and go to Angyeong first.”

“Let’s do that. But how should we take the injured with us…”

At Zhuge Hui’s words, Jo Won-rak looked troubled.

There were six injured people, including Zhuge Hui and the coachman. The carriage was destroyed, and the horses were either dead or had run away.

At Jo Won-rak’s concern, Luke chuckled as if it was nothing.

“You don’t have to worry, I have something to ride.”

“You do?”

“Yes, it might be a bit uncomfortable.”

At Luke’s assurance, Jo Won-rak and Zhuge Hui tilted their heads.

Unlike Hwangbo Sung, who had already guessed to some extent, they had no idea what Luke was talking about.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The road leading to Angyeong.

With a ground-shaking roar, a machine rarely seen in the south was running on the road.

A giant covered in steel from head to toe.

It was the Gigant, a representative weapon of the Rhodisian continent.

“Huh, to think that something made of iron could run like the wind.”

“Yet, it is less shaky than a carriage or palanquin!”

The group of Jo Won-rak, who were riding on the shoulders of the test model that Luke had taken out from his subspace, couldn’t help but be amazed.

When they first saw the Gigant, they thought that such a lump of iron couldn’t be that fast, but it turned out to be unexpectedly fast.

As a result, they couldn’t adapt to the speed.

Zhuge Hui and the soldiers were fine, but Jo Won-rak and the coachman looked pale as if they were about to throw up.

Seeing this, Zhuge Hui shouted to Luke, who was controlling the Gigant.

“Marquis Luke, please slow down a bit.”

“Understood.”

Luke reduced the driving speed by about half.

The previous sprint was partly due to Zhuge Hui’s request to hurry, but the main purpose was to test the test model.

To complete his personal machine, he needed to conduct various tests.

One of them was a full-speed run.

“By any chance, is General Zhuge Hui related to the Zhuge family?”

When Hwangbo Sung translated Luke’s words, Zhuge Hui nodded and answered.

“That’s right. I am the 53rd descendant of the Zhuge family. Our main family is in Angyeong, where we are going now. But is there any problem…?”

“No, there’s no problem. I’ve just been interested in your family for a long time.”

“Is that so? Haha, to think that our family’s reputation has spread to the far northern continent…”

‘It’s not because of your reputation.’

Luke had once failed to obtain ironwood to make a Synchronization Helm.

The Zhuge family, who sold ironwood, had rejected him.

So, he was determined to take a large amount of ironwood this time.

‘Surely, they wouldn’t treat me poorly after I saved their bloodline and even the prince, would they?’

If they didn’t give it to him, he would steal it.

Since he had come all the way to this distant southern continent, he thought he should get that much gain(?).

‘No, not only that, but there are also more important points to address.’

Thinking of that, Luke spoke to Zhuge Hui again through Hwangbo Sung.

“But how did you get attacked by the Death Knight and the Lich?”

“Death Knight and Lich? Ah, you mean those monsters.”

At Luke’s question, Zhuge Hui explained the whole story.

He was escorting Jo Won-rak on his inspection of the south when they were attacked by masked men of unknown identity near Nanjing, and the Death Knight and Lich in question supported them.

“You don’t know who’s behind it?”

“Well, judging by their use of magic, it seemed to be related to the Apostates.”

“Apostates…”

Luke had heard about the Apostates from Hwangbo Sung before.

They were said to have been disrupting the southern continent and using powers similar to the black magic of the Rhodisian continent.

So, he knew that a martial artist from the southern continent could mistake the Death Knight and Lich as monsters created by the Apostates.

‘No, maybe it’s not a misunderstanding. If the Apostates and the Rhodisian continent are somehow related…’

The face of one person flashed through Luke’s mind.

It was the person considered to be the cause of this incident.

That was Arsen.

Considering his history of becoming a lich and the possibility that he had taken the ancient black magic book he had, he was almost a likely suspect.

However, there was no evidence to be sure that it was his doing just because he created the Death Knight and Lich.