Emperor’s Sword [EN]: Chapter 88

The letter crumpled without resistance in Pa Cheon’s hand. He raised his head to look at the sky. The window was open, but no image formed. Only the clouds drifting across the sky were reflected meaninglessly in his eyes. Pa Cheon’s face showed no sign of softening. Seeing his expression, Dokgo Seolran could only clutch her anxious heart, not knowing what was wrong, and Gae Wang also looked uneasy. An awkward silence hung in the air until the clouds above them barely grazed the edge of their vision.

‘Foolish… I told him not to give his heart so easily, what is he trying to do?’

The energy swirling in Pa Cheon’s eyes was clearly tinged with regret. He met the gaze of Dokgo Seolran, who was anxiously watching him. Her eyes were full of concern, and it was genuine. Pa Cheon could feel her heart, which made his own chest feel even heavier.

‘If… if Seolran were in the same situation… Haa, fine, Mad Demon Lord! If that is the path you have chosen, I will not blame you. But why so foolishly hasty? If you had at least asked for my help, did you think I would have opposed you?’

Of course, Pa Cheon would have opposed him. But he would have come up with a solution that the Mad Demon Lord could accept. The Mad Demon Lord knew this as well. So why did he choose such a difficult path?

‘He must have thought this was his own problem. He didn’t want to burden me with this. That’s exactly the kind of person the Mad Demon Lord is. But there’s something you didn’t consider. To me, there is something more important than achieving my goals. It’s that I don’t want to lose those who belong to me…’

[Your Excellency. What shall we do? What measures should we take? Or should we just ignore it…]

Gae Wang couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence, and his expression alone showed that he was also struggling to organize his thoughts and was in a state of confusion. Pa Cheon’s eyes turned to Gae Wang.

[How much power can we mobilize in Luoyang right now?]

[The five squads of the Demon King’s Sword Guard, five hundred men in total. But they can stir up the Great Punishment [a powerful organization]. Within two days, we can reinforce with about five thousand more, including the rest of the Demon King’s Sword Guard masters.]

[…]

Wrinkles began to form on Pa Cheon’s forehead. He seemed to hesitate, unable to make a decision.

‘If I move the Demon King’s Sword Guard to strike the Great Punishment’s base, it will inevitably lead to an all-out war. Moreover, the movements of our sect will be exposed to the tentacles of the Heavenly Emperor’s Palace and the Blood Demon Heaven. It’s too early for that.’

[What are the chances of the Mad Demon Lord surviving?]

[Considering their revealed strength, he would be fine on his own, but if he has company… it’s almost impossible. They are not just scarecrows either…]

‘I see. Then, there’s only one way left. It can’t be helped.’

[Gae Wang, immediately…]

Pa Cheon instructed Gae Wang in a telepathic message for a long time. As soon as Pa Cheon’s message ended, Gae Wang hurriedly disappeared from the room. The gaze that followed Gae Wang as he moved away using his lightness skill [a martial art technique for moving swiftly] was filled with complex emotions.

★ Darkness always exists everywhere. Even in the places where light has lingered, darkness remains. It always occupies the opposite side, asserting its own existence. The room, covered with thick cloth, seemed to be filled only with darkness. From within, a low sound, like the cry of a wounded beast, flowed out.

“Kuh…”

It sounded like a groan of someone unable to bear the pain, and also like the murmur of a soul unable to overcome unbearable despair.

Crash

The door burst open, and someone entered the room, causing the darkness to hastily retreat to one side. However, darkness still had the upper hand over the light, so the full view of the room was not clearly revealed. Only a large chair in the center was visible, and a figure, presumably a person, was huddled there. The grotesque figure flinched, stiffening its body to avoid the light pouring in through the open door.

“Pathetic fool. What are you doing here? You, who were always so confident and arrogant, can’t overcome a single failure and show such an ugly sight… Get up now.”

Despite the rebuke from the man standing against the light, the grotesque figure did not seem to want to move. Nor did it show any particular reaction.

“Listen carefully. It’s not just you… it would have been the same for me. Anyone who met such a person would have been helpless. So don’t blame yourself too much.”

The person standing with light like a halo was clearly Cho Ryang. He looked at the left shoulder of the huddled grotesque figure. Was it an illusion that his eyes seemed to waver for a moment? As if nothing had happened, the tone that poured from his lips was cold.

“The elders from headquarters have arrived. And… the Sword Emperor has also come. They already know about your situation, so go and see them. Staying like this won’t change anything. A warrior can suffer defeat, but they must not despair. The difficult path we walk is not always filled with victories. Those who cannot rise from defeat will eventually be eliminated. You still have a chance, so get up now.”

The huddled grotesque figure raised its head. But could that really be called a human face?

It was hideous. Except for the eyes, the entire face was deeply furrowed. From the forehead to the chin, there was a deep, vertical scar as if it had been slashed with a knife.

Numerous lines covered the entire face, tangled together without any gaps.

“Senior brother… can’t you just leave me like this?”

Senior brother? Then he was the Blood Hand Heavenly Lord? Come to think of it, the arm that should have been on his left shoulder was missing. He was definitely the Blood Hand Heavenly Lord.

“Please tell the Sword Emperor that I’m sorry.”

With those words, he lowered his head as if he didn’t want to deal with it any longer. Cho Ryang, who was looking at him, turned around without saying anything, unlike before, and left, and the door closed firmly again. The darkness, which had begun to roam again, quickly pulled the room into a deep rest.

“I will never forgive the world. The world that gave me this despair, the world that took my junior sister, I will destroy it all. Hehehe, I will show them a destruction ruled only by darkness. Hahahaha.”

The laughter was filled with an indescribable sadness, as deep as the despair. It sounded like the laughter of a madman mocking the world. The Blood Hand Heavenly Lord! Having barely escaped with his life, he was even struggling to ride a horse. It was partly because he had lost too much blood due to not being able to stop the bleeding in time, but also because the mental shock had exceeded his ability to endure. Because it was not far from the Great Punishment, he was able to return without dying. When he was led to Cho Ryang, his body was a wreck. His left arm was cleanly severed from the shoulder, and his face was disfigured as if it had been scraped with a wheel. It was unbelievable that he was still alive in this state. Cho Ryang was at a loss and panicked throughout the treatment. His hands trembled, and his lips were tightly shut. Unable to bear it any longer, Cho Ryang’s subordinates offered to treat him instead, but he refused. In the end, he silently treated the Blood Hand Heavenly Lord’s wounds alone. Then, without saying a word, he disappeared into his own quarters, and the Blood Hand Heavenly Lord was left alone, huddled in the inner room with only darkness.

★ “I’m sorry.”

“Why would Grand Tutor [a high-ranking advisor] say such a thing? Anyway, this is a big problem. I don’t understand how such a strong master can exist in the Central Plains martial world. Moreover, according to the information, he doesn’t seem to be a righteous person, so does that mean he’s a master of the Demonic Alliance?”

Cho Ryang answered the old man in front of him with a polite tone.

“It didn’t seem like that either. According to the information given by the Second Commander of the Blood Demon Heaven, he was the one who rescued the Heavenly Demon Scholar Pa Cheon in a crisis, and the martial arts he used were strange demonic arts. In my opinion, he may be related to the Heavenly Demon Scholar, but I don’t think he has a direct connection to the Demonic Alliance. If such a supreme master existed in the Demonic Alliance, it would have already been known throughout the entire martial world.”

“Then who do you think he is, Grand Tutor?”

“In my opinion, the Heavenly Demon Scholar is also someone whose sect or affiliation is ambiguous. He is probably the one who holds the key to determining his true origins.”

“Hmm… are you saying that there is another mysterious force in the martial world that we don’t know about?”

Cho Ryang met the gaze of the old man in front of him with a deep look.

‘One of the Five Emperors, and the strongest person except for my master and the Blood Emperor! He has no interest in the affairs of the headquarters, but he is obsessively fixated on martial arts. But I have been aware of your sinister intentions for a long time. This alliance with the Blood Demon Heaven was also practically decided by him. The Killing Emperor is just a sidekick of the Sword Emperor. He probably has some kind of secret agreement with the Blood Demon Heaven Lord. But don’t forget. As long as I am here, nothing will go as you wish.’

Contrary to his inner thoughts, a warm smile like a spring breeze never left Cho Ryang’s face. The Sword Emperor, who was looking at him, also maintained a benevolent smile, though it was unknown what he was thinking inside.

“Well… it could be. Both the matter with my junior brother and the matter of the stolen goods… it’s natural to think so. Their actions are so secretive, and they are also masters of immeasurable strength, so it is true that intensive surveillance is needed.”

“Hmm… doesn’t this mean that the time for unifying the martial world is getting further away than we thought? I thought there would be nothing to stop us with the alliance with the Blood Demon Heaven… but the potential of the martial world is not to be ignored.”

Cho Ryang secretly sneered at him.

‘You fools! The potential of the Central Plains martial world has not even been revealed yet. The power you are judging is not even half of the true strength. Even if we pour all the power of the Blood Demon Heaven and the headquarters, it is honestly difficult to guarantee victory…’

“That’s right. The potential of the Central Plains martial world is enormous. Even if we put all our efforts into it…”

“It’s still just that. Honestly, with the power of the headquarters alone, we can easily crush the Central Plains martial world, can’t we?”

The Sword Emperor’s words, interrupting Cho Ryang, were full of confidence close to certainty. The people he had brought this time were seven of the elders and two thousand masters of the Sword Emperor’s Guard. These were the elites of the Heavenly Emperor’s Palace, considered the most valiant among the Five Emperors’ personal guards. It seemed that the Sword Emperor thought he could easily trample the Central Plains with his current power. This thought of his was pathetic in Cho Ryang’s eyes, but he had no intention of revealing it. After all, wouldn’t they find out when they clashed?

“The reason I came this time, as Grand Tutor knows, is for cooperation with the Blood Demon Heaven. The Second Commander will be dispatched as the person in charge on their side. First, we will try to shake the Martial Alliance. Then it will be the Demonic Alliance. If we start first, the Four Emperor’s Castle and the Four Evil Blood Sect, which are already inside, will not stand still, and that is exactly the era of chaos we want, isn’t it? Hehe, if we build our power in that gap and the forces of the main camp come in, who would dare to stop us? Isn’t that right?”

‘Like a senile old man…’

“That’s right.”

Cho Ryang really didn’t want to talk to the Sword Emperor any longer. What could he talk about with an old man who couldn’t even judge the situation properly? He remained silent. As he closed his mouth, the Sword Emperor began to pour out harsh criticisms and ridicule, dismissing the Central Plains martial world as a disorganized rabble. If you combined everything he said, the main point was always that he was great. There was a limit to Cho Ryang’s patience. The endurance he had shown so far was superhuman, beyond what an ordinary person could imagine.

“I have to leave now, it’s time for my training.”

The Sword Emperor’s eyes were filled with questions at Cho Ryang’s words.

“Oh, is that so? Well, are you training some special martial art? I heard that Grand Tutor’s martial arts have reached an unimaginable level, are you researching another martial art?”

“You flatter me. I am too lacking compared to the duties I have been assigned. So I am currently refining the martial arts I possess. Then I will see you later with the elders.”

As Cho Ryang stood up to leave, the Sword Emperor also stood up to see him off. Cho Ryang, who took the hand he offered, even felt a chill. After Cho Ryang left, the Sword Emperor sat down and was lost in thought alone.

“Sa Ryu Geom.”

“Did you call me?”

As if he had suddenly sprung up from the ground, a figure knelt before the Sword Emperor. He did not raise his head and only looked at the floor.

“What do you think of the Grand Tutor?”

“…”

“He’s a dangerous man. He is the Heavenly Emperor’s chief disciple, but I can’t see through him. Moreover, I don’t know the extent of his true martial arts… and that gaze that never reveals itself is unpleasant. When I sit facing him, it feels like all my inner thoughts are being exposed. Do you have the confidence to follow the Grand Tutor?”

“It is an impossible order. But if you wish it, my subordinate… will carry it out.”

“Well, that guy always has shadows around him… there’s no reason to clash yet. Alright, I understand. You go and thoroughly examine the area around the Great Punishment again. Keep the troop deployment in mind…”

“Understood!”