Emperor’s Sword [EN]: Chapter 33

34. The Demonic Alliance’s Assassin Squad

Judging by the sound, they were quite well-trained. Twenty people were moving, yet not a single sign of their presence could be felt. However, their pounding heartbeats were as loud as thunder to Pa Cheon, and he clearly grasped their positions.

The assassins, unaware of this, infiltrated the detached palace. At that moment, the three except for Pa Cheon vanished like smoke from their respective spots.

Pa Cheon focused all his senses, listening intently to their movements.

‘Hmm? Three more have joined… Moreover… these guys are no ordinary thugs. Did the Demonic Alliance have such skilled fighters? One of them is almost at the level of a Transcendent Demon [a very high level of martial arts mastery].’

Pa Cheon tensed up. He hadn’t expected anyone in the Demonic Alliance to be at the Transcendent Demon level, and he certainly hadn’t anticipated such a big shot being deployed for something like this.

The Mad Demon Lord watched the black-clad figure moving sluggishly in front of him with a sinister smile. Even with him standing right behind, the man didn’t seem to notice. About twenty men were patrolling the long corridor, checking each room, communicating with each other through hand signals or telepathy.

Just as the Mad Demon Lord was about to smash the man’s head, he noticed two figures appearing at the end of the corridor.

They were the Shadowless Lord and Dan Jang-hwa, and they also recognized the Mad Demon Lord.

The Mad Demon Lord started to act as if there was nothing more to see, and so did the Shadowless Lord and Dan Jang-hwa. In an instant, screams filled the detached palace.

“Aaaah!”

“Ugh!”

“Wh…who?”

“Who do you think? …It’s your daddy.”

“Everyone, retreat… Keck!”

Dan Jang-hwa’s sword was engulfed in a blue aura, slicing through the opponents’ swords and blades, while the Shadowless Lord weaved through the black-clad figures like a hazy mist. The Mad Demon Lord was furious. Like a child whose toy had been taken away, he was seething, and he flew to the opposite side, killing the men that the Shadowless Lord and Dan Jang-hwa were dealing with. From his hands, scale-like energy blades surged like waves, covering the black-clad men’s bodies and cleanly slicing through any part they touched.

“Th-this is…”

Only then did Pa Cheon sense the commotion outside. As soon as he did, his body scattered.

When Pa Cheon appeared in the corridor, the Mad Demon Lord’s hand was just about to split open the head of one of the black-clad men.

“Stop it, Mad Demon Lord!”

At the sound of the Supreme One’s stern command from behind, the Mad Demon Lord froze as if he had been struck by lightning and slowly turned his head.

“Th-this… this can’t be!”

Pa Cheon was dumbfounded. The corridor was filled with the corpses of nearly twenty men. Behind them, the three were smiling contentedly, like children waiting for their parents’ praise after finishing their work.

The black-clad man, who had barely escaped death thanks to Pa Cheon, seemed to have lost his mind. All his comrades were dead, and he was the only one left. He didn’t know when his own life would end. The people in front of him didn’t look human; they looked like demons who had escaped from hell.

“Y-you… who… who told you to do this…?”

Pa Cheon was stuttering, perhaps because he was too agitated! The Mad Demon Lord was misinterpreting it.

“Hehe, Supreme One! How can a subordinate only do what the Supreme One orders? A good subordinate is one who scratches where it itches, even if the master doesn’t ask…”

“Mad Demon Lord… be quiet. If you say one more word, I might just beat you up.”

A bone-chilling voice was spat out through clenched teeth. The Mad Demon Lord was bewildered, and so were the Shadowless Lord and Dan Jang-hwa. Were they so moved by their subordinates’ loyalty? Or were they angry that they hadn’t killed them more cleanly? That was the limit of their understanding.

“All of you… plant.”

“Huh?”

They looked at each other, but they were all equally confused.

“What… what do you mean by ‘plant’?”

“I mean, all of you, put your heads on the ground!”

As soon as Pa Cheon’s shout rang out, they slammed their heads onto the floor with lightning speed. The Mad Demon Lord’s head was buried in the blood of the fallen black-clad men, and Dan Jang-hwa’s head was unfortunately between the legs of a dead body. The Shadowless Lord was on the bare floor, but when he put his head down, he saw the eyes of a dead body staring at him.

The surviving black-clad man was fidgeting as if it was all his fault, and he wished he could go insane from the fear, but he was resentful that he couldn’t.

-Hey, Pa Cheon! Aren’t you being too harsh? They did it to try and impress you…

“What’s too harsh? If I could, I’d send them back to the Demonic Cult…”

-I don’t like you.

“What?”

-At the very least, the Heavenly Demon Supreme [title of Pa Cheon] should act without hesitation… You’re too calculating and thinking too much, and I don’t like it…

“Tch, I have my own way of doing things. And do you think this is just a neighborhood brawl? If we recklessly charge in, we’ll have to fight the entire martial world… Then how will you take responsibility for all those lives?”

=Amitabha! May the departed souls not hold any grudges and be reborn in paradise…

-Do as you see fit. After all, you’re the one making all the decisions.

Pa Cheon didn’t scold or ignore the Heavenly Demon like he used to. Over the long time they had spent together, they had come to understand each other deeply and had developed a subtle bond.

Pa Cheon watched them with their heads on the ground!

“All of you, get up. And gather in the room… And drag that guy in here.”

“Yes, sir!”

The three were full of energy. They didn’t know what they had done wrong, but if the Supreme One was displeased, then it must be their fault. They believed that with all their hearts.

“Ahem… What’s all this? What’s with the commotion so late at night?”

It was So-gun. She was rubbing her eyes, as if she was just getting sleepy, and she was looking at the corpses scattered in the corridor without any emotion.

The Mad Demon Lord and the Shadowless Lord, who had glanced at So-gun’s voice, had a strange glint in their eyes. So-gun, completely unaware of this, kicked the corpses on the ground and approached the three.

“Who are these people? Grandpa, are you okay now? Huh? You look fine too, Uncle…”

The two men’s faces twisted in a comical way. They ignored So-gun as if it was a waste of time to deal with her and went into the room. The black-clad man, grabbed by the Mad Demon Lord’s collar, was dragged in, his face ashen.

“You! You’re from the Demonic Alliance, right?”

“…”

“This is really annoying… Hey, Mad Demon Lord, you take care of it.”

Then he turned his head away. When Pa Cheon pointed at him, the Mad Demon Lord’s face brightened.

‘As expected, the Lord trusts me. You can tell just by the fact that he called me, not those two kids, right?’

[Mad Demon Lord, find out two things. The location of the Demonic Alliance and how to contact them.]

As Pa Cheon’s telepathic message reached him, the Mad Demon Lord, burning with a sense of duty, began to interrogate the black-clad man.

“It’ll be better for you if you tell me nicely…”

Pshhhhhh

The teacup in the Mad Demon Lord’s hand crumbled into dust. The black-clad man’s face contorted horribly at the sight, and he even started to convulse. It was a miracle that he hadn’t wet himself.

“Where is the Demonic Alliance located?”

Once again, more than a dozen energy blades flickered in the Mad Demon Lord’s hand.

“I… I… I don’t know that.”

The man, his face covered in sweat, barely managed to utter those words, staring fearfully at the Mad Demon Lord’s hand.

“Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know.”

The black-clad man was puzzled for a moment at the Mad Demon Lord’s words!

“Instead… your body will probably resent your head for not knowing.”

Could this be considered a dignified threat? He thought he was speaking very politely, but the black-clad man didn’t see it that way. He was trembling like someone with a fever. Having already experienced their brutal methods, his fear was even more overwhelming.

“From the moment my question ends… if the answer doesn’t come immediately… I’ll start with your fingers, then your toes, then your arms, then your legs, then another leg, then your balls, and then your neck.

Even after all that is gone, it will be fun to see if your body resents you.”

Then, he focused the energy blades emanating from his hand into a single point, and it resembled a small dagger.

“You are not a member of the Demonic Alliance, correct? Answer quickly, choose one.”

“U…uh…”

Swish

There was no hesitation. The black-clad man’s thumb was cleanly sliced off at the base.

“Aaaah!”

“Are you already starting to resent it?…”

He pinched a pressure point, as if he didn’t want to hear the scream.

“You only need to nod to answer, so you don’t need to speak, right? Let’s start again. You are not a member of the Demonic Alliance. Correct? Which one?”

He shook his head rapidly.

“Huh? You’re saying no? This guy hasn’t come to his senses yet…”

Thwack

Another finger flew off his body and rolled on the floor! He couldn’t even scream, his body was just trembling. It was something no human would do, but neither he nor anyone else seemed to think so.

“Answer quickly. Is it no?”

Thwack

“Ah. Sorry. I cut the wrong thing.”

The Mad Demon Lord’s energy blade had cut the black-clad man’s finger in half. The flesh and bone were only half-cut, and it was dangling sideways. Just by looking at his hand and nodding frantically, it was clear that it was even more painful and terrifying.

“You’re saying yes? Then you should have said so earlier! I thought you didn’t care about losing a few fingers? Well, I guess it wouldn’t matter for using chopsticks, wiping your butt, or whoring around? You only need one hand, after all.”

Dan Jang-hwa covered her mouth and laughed at the Mad Demon Lord’s crude remarks. The Shadowless Lord looked displeased, either because he thought the Mad Demon Lord was taking too long or because he was confident that he could be even more cruel. So-gun was watching the black-clad man’s expression intently, as if she didn’t want to miss a single detail. They were truly monsters. Pa Cheon, who had been watching them, clicked his tongue inwardly.

“Shall we start again? This time, I’ll release the pressure point, so you’ll answer properly, right?”

Nod nod

“Good. You’re a very likeable guy!”

Then, without any movement, the pressure point was released.

“Ugh… ugh…”

“Are you in a lot of pain, mister?”

It was So-gun who spoke.

“So-gun, you should go to sleep.”

It was Pa Cheon who spoke to So-gun.

“Tch, Master always tells me to sleep! I want to watch too. I need to observe carefully so I can use it later.”

There was no need to respond to that, was there?

“Which part of the Demonic Alliance are you from?”

“I’m from the Assassin… Squad.”

At that, Pa Cheon interrupted.

“Is the Mad Demon Alliance headquarters in Hangzhou?”\n\n”……Umm……”\n\nPa Cheon frowned as the man hesitated. How could he not answer when asked by him, yet grovel at the Mad Demon Lord’s mere gaze?\n\n”I’m asking if the headquarters is here?”\n\n”It’s not. I don’t know that either. We just follow orders from above… This time, it was an order from the branch leader.”\n\nIt seemed so hard for him to open his mouth before, but now he was talking a mile a minute. He even looked like he regretted not being able to answer more. Pa Cheon started asking questions directly.\n\n”Then, besides the Blood Sword Unit, what else is in Hangzhou?”\n\n”The Blood Sword Unit is directly under the headquarters… I know that the Black Tiger Gate, one of the eight main forces of the Mad Demon Alliance, is operating secretly here.”\n\n”Black Tiger Gate? What are the Eight Gates of the Mad Demon?”\n\n”Besides the Black Tiger Gate, there are also the Green Forest, the Evil Masters’ Chamber, the Eighteen Strongholds of Dongting, the Five Elements Chamber, the Killing Curtain, the Bewitching Flower Palace, and the Sun Fortress. They each carry out their missions independently.”\n\n”Really? Then where is the Black Tiger Gate? And where is your Blood Sword Unit?”\n\n”The Black Tiger Gate is scattered throughout Hangzhou, so I don’t know exactly… The Blood Sword Unit is by the West Lake.”\n\n”Really? Then how did you guys find this place?”\n\n”The guy who died here was the cousin of our Blood Sword Unit leader. We received information that the culprits were staying in a detached house in the inner courtyard of the Gangnam First Pavilion… and they sent us.”\n\n”I see. You can guide us there, right?”\n\n”No, I can’t. They probably know we failed already, and I’m now a traitor who has to run away. There are over 500 members stationed there, so going in would be suicide.”\n\n”That’s not your concern. Besides… hmm? Haha, no need to go. Judging by the direction and speed they’re coming from, we’re the target.”\n\nThe Mad Demon Lord was also bewildered by Pa Cheon’s words, but then he finally sensed someone approaching at a terrifying speed.\n\n‘The Supreme One’s martial arts have reached an unimaginable level.’\n\nKnowing that Pa Cheon was not much different from him until recently, the Mad Demon Lord was simply amazed at Pa Cheon’s progress.\n\nSsssk\n\nPa Cheon’s face was changing. His appearance, transformed by the Face Changing Technique [a technique to alter one’s appearance], was that of a cold, intimidating man in his mid-twenties. The people in the room were puzzled when he suddenly used the Face Changing Technique.\n\n”Now it’s time for the Heavenly Demon Scholar, Pa Cheon, to manifest.”\n\nThose who didn’t know much about Pa Cheon didn’t understand what he meant, but one person! The black-clad man’s face turned ashen. The Heavenly Demon Scholar, Pa Cheon! The protagonist of the Mount Tai bloodbath a few months ago, and a name that had risen to prominence in the Demonic Path overnight.\n\n”If you’ve come, you should come in, instead of hiding like a rat.”\n\nAt Pa Cheon’s words, three figures appeared in the room. When he saw the person in the middle, the black-clad man’s face turned white with fear.\n\n”You… you’re not dead yet? Your comrades all died… and you’re the only one left, flapping your gums… kill yourself.”\n\nThe black-clad man was determined by the middle-aged man’s words and bit his lip. When Mu Young-jon touched his pressure point, he fell like a bundle of straw. Silence fell between them for a moment, and no one spoke first.\n\n”What a great nerve… How dare you commit such a massacre here? Are you guys from the Martial Alliance?”\n\n”You must be the leader of the Blood Sword Unit… There are at least 100 of your underlings lurking around.”\n\nPa Cheon didn’t answer the middle-aged man’s question and instead said something strange, causing the other man’s gray pupils to fill with murderous intent. He seemed quite proud and had a nasty, arrogant personality, like his thin lips suggested.\n\n”Well… it doesn’t matter, does it? You’re all going to die anyway… Whether you’re from the Martial Alliance or just wandering vagrants, you’re going to die today.”\n\nThe faces of everyone in the room, including the Mad Demon Lord, were filled with scorn.\n\n”Are you just good at talking? If you’re going to attack, then hurry up.”\n\nThe Mad Demon Lord provoked him. Yet, the opponent didn’t attack easily. It seemed he had seen the corpses of the Blood Sword Unit members when he came in, and he sensed that the atmosphere around them was unusual.\n\n”Who the hell are you guys?”\n\nIn the end, that was the question that came out of his mouth again, and judging by their attitude, he didn’t seem like he would attack easily.\n\n”Are you the Blood Sword Unit under the Mad Demon Alliance? And are you the leader?”\n\nThe opponent was dumbfounded by Pa Cheon’s words and was about to say something. Pa Cheon cut him off and continued.\n\n”I am… the Heavenly Demon Scholar, Pa Cheon. I want to meet the leaders of the Mad Demon Alliance.”\n\n”What?…”\n\nHis face was clearly beyond surprise, it was one of shock.\n\n”My men killed the Blood Sword Unit members because they attacked us first. If you want to use that as an excuse to oppress us, then there’s no point in talking further, right? Do as you please. If dying is your wish, would you mind a little effort?”\n\nThe opponent, who had met Pa Cheon’s cold gaze, showed a completely different attitude than before. It was the power of the name, Heavenly Demon Scholar Pa Cheon. The protagonist of the Mount Tai bloodbath, who had slaughtered 528 experts from the Northern Sword Society and 127 experts from the Nine-Star Alliance in one day. At one time, the Mad Demon Alliance had even dispatched experts everywhere to find him. Of course, the reason was to invite him.\n\n”A-are you… really the Heavenly Demon Scholar?”\n\nHis tone towards Pa Cheon had become quite respectful. It seemed that fame was a good thing. Those who were empty inside tended to chase after empty names rather than seeing the true nature of a person! In that regard, the man who might be the leader of the Blood Sword Unit was clearly not a very impressive guy.\n\n”That’s right.”\n\n”I am Ha Jin-chung, the Blood Sword Unit leader, One-Sword-Cuts-the-Moon. It is an honor to meet such a renowned figure.”\n\nHe had a ridiculously cool nickname. This was also a common trait of those who were insignificant.\n\n”Is that so? Why? Weren’t you going to kill us no matter what today? I thought that was the case…”\n\n”How could I dare… The Alliance has been searching everywhere for a distinguished guest like you.\n\nIf you come with me, I will treat you with the utmost respect.”\n\n”Ah… no thanks. I can’t leave this place yet… I just need to tell you one thing. I…\n\nI can’t stand seeing the Martial Alliance guys causing trouble. But I don’t like you guys that much either… But as someone who has a common enemy, I want to join forces with you. So I want to meet your leader. Do you understand?”\n\n”Yes, sir! I will relay that to the Great Master. But… where should we find you?”\n\n”I’ll contact you… Just tell me how to reach you.”\n\n”But…”\n\nHe had a suspicious look. He didn’t know if the other person was really the Heavenly Demon Scholar, and even if the person in front of him was the Heavenly Demon Scholar, he couldn’t reveal any information about the headquarters until he knew his true intentions.\n\n”You’re too suspicious! Fine. Let’s meet at the Junghwa Restaurant in Kaifeng in ten days. How’s that?”\n\nDespite Pa Cheon’s somewhat excessive words, he couldn’t express his dissatisfaction.\n\n”Why in Kaifeng, where the Martial Alliance headquarters is…”\n\n”It doesn’t seem to matter… Well, if you’re worried, you can choose…”\n\n”If you stay here for a few days, I will contact you by tomorrow.”\n\n”Do as you wish… I’ll be here until the day after tomorrow, so do that.”\n\n”Then, I will keep that in mind and take my leave.”\n\nHe respectfully clasped his hands and disappeared outside. Pa Cheon called them back again.\n\n”Hey, you should take this guy with you, right? And it would be nice if you could clean up the ones outside…”\n\nHe bowed his head, indicating that he understood. The Mad Demon Lord handed the man over, subtly touching his pressure point.\n\nIt was probably because he had seen Pa Cheon’s Face Changing Technique.\n\nAs they really left, the Mad Demon Lord’s face, which had been full of anticipation, drooped. It was the same for Mu Young-jon and Dan Jang-hwa, and even So-gun, who had been watching the room with curious eyes.\n\n”Okay, everyone, it’s late, so go to sleep.”\n\nPa Cheon’s words were an order to leave. As they all left, Pa Cheon ended his first day in the Central Plains and went to sleep.\n\n★ Pa Cheon had to wrestle with So-gun all morning. It was clear that she was a talented individual, but it was impossible for her to master the Heavenly Demon Three Swords in a short period of time. So, the method he chose was to select only the essence of the Pa Cheon Three Swords and add the basic principles of swordsmanship to create a simple but powerful three-move sword technique.\n\nHe taught this to So-gun with all his heart. She was an exceptionally bright child, and she seemed to understand well as Pa Cheon explained and refined it easily. Her only flaws were her lack of internal energy and practical experience. It seemed that only time could solve this.\n\nThe Mad Demon Lord and Mu Young-jon were restless because Pa Cheon was just holed up in the inner courtyard and didn’t seem to want to go out. Still, they had no choice but to be patient. It was true that they were disappointed because it was so different from their expectations of having exciting fights when they came to the Central Plains with Pa Cheon.\n\nTheir eyes began to light up a little after noon. Someone was watching the surroundings of the inner courtyard, and they were cleverly taking turns and creating a smokescreen, but they couldn’t fool their eyes.\n\n[Supreme One, what should we do?]\n\nIt was the Mad Demon Lord’s telepathic message. Pa Cheon, who was watching So-gun’s actions in the inner courtyard, heard the Mad Demon Lord’s urgent message but didn’t say anything.\n\n”So-gun, that’s not it. True energy should be natural. A sword that you’re not used to will cut you. You only have about 1 cycle of internal energy at most. If you try to control your true energy forcefully, your sword path will not be natural, and there will be gaps. Try again!”\n\nSo-gun performed her sword dance again in front of Pa Cheon. The Mad Demon Lord was anxious. He was dying to go out, but the Supreme One was so calm. He didn’t even notice So-gun’s childish movements. He glanced at So-gun’s sword dance, and his eyes gradually widened, and later he was completely fixated on it. After So-gun had been dancing for about two hours, she turned her sword tip to the ground, and Pa Cheon clapped and praised her.\n\n”Well done. It seems like you’re finally doing it right. Okay, that’s it for today’s lesson. Go in and rest.”\n\n”Yes, Master!”\n\nShe seemed to be flying with joy after receiving praise from Pa Cheon, and she danced out of the room.\n\n”Um… Supreme One! What was that sword style just now?”\n\nIt was a sword technique that even the Mad Demon Lord, who had trained in swordsmanship his whole life and reached the realm of transcendence, had never seen before.\n\n”Why? Does it seem good?”\n\n”It’s more than good? It was like watching a well-choreographed dance. If you train it for a long time, you could reach a great realm.”\n\n”If you saw it that way, then it must be so. By the way, what were you saying earlier…”\n\n[My lord, suspicious guys are scouting this place. It seems like that guy from yesterday is up to something. Should we wipe them out?]\n\n[No. They’re not from the Mad Demon Alliance.]\n\n[Huh?]\n\n[They seem to be from the Martial Alliance. Well, there’s no place in the world where their eyes aren’t watching. Moreover, Hangzhou was once the stronghold of the Demonic Path, so it’s natural that they would be on high alert when suspicious people appear. Leave them alone.]\n\n[But I’m still worried…]\n\n[After today, there will be many opportunities to fight from tomorrow, so be patient.]\n\nKnowing the Mad Demon Lord’s inner thoughts, Pa Cheon was comforting him with those words. At Pa Cheon’s words, he immediately looked like he was about to die of excitement. He was a truly simple person. He was…\n\n———————————————\n\nFirst, this is the only one for today. I’m not feeling well right now… I keep having a fever, and even sitting in front of the computer makes me dizzy… I’m sorry.\n\nSo, today’s writing might be in very bad condition. Please understand this. It’s 12:12 now, and I’ll upload it right away.\n\nBut I will try to upload two tomorrow.\n\nAnd thank you so much to everyone who sent me emails.\n\nI replied to some of you, but I haven’t been able to reply to a few yet.\n\nI’ll email you again tomorrow.\n\nI’m really tired and sleepy…\n\nThen, see you tomorrow.\n\nSubject: [Serial] Emperor’s Sword 35. Hangzhou Branch Leader of the Martial Alliance. Related Materials: None [59904]\n\nSender: Lim Sam-yeol (logos333) 2001-01-05 00:17 Views: 2424\n\n-Emperor’s Sword-“