Tales Of The Nine Dragons [EN]: Chapter 104

Nine Dragons Chronicle (104)

The Green Forest bandits of Oh Tae Mountain Fortress were all kneeling before Hwa-rin.

Oh Se-han, the second-in-command, became the new leader of Oh Tae Mountain Fortress, replacing Bang Seok-gu, the original owner.

The bandits of Oh Tae Mountain Fortress didn’t seem to have much dissatisfaction with Oh Se-han becoming their new leader, so it was as if Hwa-rin had taken over Oh Tae Mountain Fortress with him at the forefront.

“You can do whatever else you want, but don’t touch my mine. If anything bad happens to the mine, I’ll assume it’s your doing and come find you all and kill you.”

Hwa-rin laid down the law, and the bandits simply kept their heads down.

“You’ve made quite a bit of money selling minerals, haven’t you?”

“We haven’t sold the minerals. We didn’t have a suitable buyer, so we piled them up on the mountainside.”

“But you still have money, right?”

Hwa-rin asked, his patience thinning, and Oh Se-han immediately confirmed that they did.

“Then, guests will be arriving in a few days, so prepare to receive them.”

‘Guests?’

Hyuk Ji-seok tilted his head, wondering what he meant, when a familiar figure walked into Oh Tae Mountain Fortress.

It was Lee Do-moon.

“I greet my lord.”

“You came?”

“I hurried here to clean up this place, but you’ve already taken care of it, my lord.”

“There’s not much to clean up. I just changed the leader.”

Lee Do-moon glanced at Oh Se-han, who was prostrate on the ground.

“You didn’t kill them all?”

“There’s no need to kill them all. Even if they’re out of their minds, they wouldn’t dare to talk nonsense to the guests who are coming.”

The ones coming here were the leaders of the Central Plains assassin world. If the rumors proved false, they would meet the messengers of Yama [the King of Hell in East Asian mythology] without anyone knowing, so they would have to keep quiet about what would happen in a few days.

“Guardian Lee.”

Hyuk Ji-seok called out to Lee Do-moon.

“Guests? Who is coming here?”

Lee Do-moon looked at Hwa-rin. When Hwa-rin nodded, Lee Do-moon’s expression turned serious, and he said,

“If you hear the story, Commander Hyuk will never be able to escape the lord’s shadow for the rest of his life. Would you still like to hear it?”

At the sudden pronouncement, Hyuk Ji-seok looked at Lee Do-moon cautiously. He would have dismissed it as a joke if Hwa-rin had said it, but Lee Do-moon, as far as he knew, was not one to joke around.

After a moment’s thought, he nodded.

“Congratulations on becoming a vassal of the lord.”

“Pardon?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Once you hear the story, you won’t be able to escape the lord’s shadow.”

“I haven’t heard anything yet.”

“You will now, so I’m congratulating you in advance. And you won’t regret this choice.”

Hearing this only intensified his curiosity.

“The leaders of the Central Plains assassin world are coming here.”

“What are you talking about?”

Hyuk Ji-seok asked, startled by the sudden mention of the assassin world’s leaders.

“The lord has summoned the Sword Demon of Massacre, Baek Jeong-in, here to verify who the true master of the assassin world is, and the leaders of the assassin world will be watching their duel as witnesses.”

“Wait a minute. Did you just say the Sword Demon of Massacre, Baek Jeong-in? The Sword Demon belonging to the One Demon, Two Emperors, Three Kings, Four Deities [a ranking system for the most powerful martial artists]?”

“That’s right.”

Hyuk Ji-seok’s gaze turned to Hwa-rin, who smiled nonchalantly.

“No, what were you thinking, challenging the Sword Demon of Massacre?”

Hyuk Ji-seok asked in surprise, and Lee Do-moon corrected him.

“It’s not that the lord challenged the Sword Demon of Massacre, but that the Sword Demon of Massacre challenged the lord’s throne.”

“No, who exactly is the Clan Head that the Sword Demon of Massacre would challenge? Are you saying that the Clan Head is the successor of the Murderous Monarch, Seo Moon?”

“That’s right. The lord is the successor of the Murderous Monarch, Seo Moon.”

At that moment, Hyuk Ji-seok blinked, wondering if he had misheard. When Lee Do-moon nodded to confirm that he had heard correctly, his head snapped towards Hwa-rin.

“Why are you so surprised by something like that? There are many more surprising things in the world.”

“No, why did you hide that?”

“I didn’t hide it. You didn’t ask me. So I didn’t see any reason to tell you first.”

He knew that Hwa-rin’s martial arts were impressive, but he never dreamed that he would be the successor of the Murderous Monarch, Seo Moon.

“That’s why you said I couldn’t escape the lord’s shadow.”

“There isn’t a single person under the heavens who can avoid the lord’s hand.”

Who would dare to evade the assassination techniques of the Murderous Monarch? Of course, there was bound to be a difference between Hwa-rin and the Murderous Monarch, Seo Moon, but that difference would be narrowed over time, so he thought that Hwa-rin would eventually be able to recreate the Murderous Monarch’s former glory.

Hyuk Ji-seok straightened his clothes, turned towards Hwa-rin, then knelt on one knee and lowered his head.

“Hyuk Ji-seok greets the lord.”

He formally acknowledged Hwa-rin as his lord and decided to pledge his allegiance.

“Still, there won’t be any changes in your life, Commander. I look forward to working with you.”

“I will always protect the Nine Dragons Stronghold.”

Hwa-rin was pleased to have gained Hyuk Ji-seok as his man.

“What are you doing? We need to prepare to receive the guests. Prepare food, prepare a banquet. More than a hundred people will be coming, so make sure there are no problems with receiving the guests. If even one person makes an unpleasant expression, I’ll change the leader again.”

* * *

“The assassin world must be moving by now.”

“The leaders of all one hundred and forty-six assassin clans in the Central Plains are heading to Oh Tae Mountain. It has been confirmed that the Sword Demon of Massacre is also heading to Oh Tae Mountain.”

“The Murderous Monarch… that’s too sudden.”

Baek Mu-gi, the Fourth Emperor of the Blood Evil Alliance’s inner sanctum, was having a private meeting with Sima Maeng, the chief manager who could be said to be the head of the Blood Evil Alliance.

Although the rumors had not spread widely in the Murim [martial arts world] yet, many people were heading to Oh Tae Mountain to confirm the source of the rumors that those in the know were aware of.

“The Righteous Sky Alliance and the Demonic Cult must also be heading to Oh Tae Mountain to confirm this.”

“That’s what we’re gathering. But it won’t be easy to approach the inside of Oh Tae Mountain.”

It was to be a meeting between the Murderous Monarch and the Sword Demon of Massacre.

The Sword Demon of Massacre, Baek Jeong-in, was already an absolute powerhouse who had risen to the ranks of the Central Plains Ten Great Masters, and although it was unknown how powerful the successor of the Murderous Monarch was, if he had boldly arranged a meeting with the Sword Demon of Massacre, he must have inherited all of the Murderous Monarch Seo Moon’s essence.

If someone who was not allowed entered Oh Tae Mountain to witness the duel between such masters, they would probably not be able to leave Oh Tae Mountain alive.

“What about us?”

“We needed someone who could move while evading the eyes of the assassins, so we asked the Clan Head of the Thousand Mile Eye Family, Cheon Yi-seong.”

“To Clan Head Cheon Yi-seong?”

“That’s right. By now, the Thousand Mile Eye Family will have selected and sent those who excel in stealth and lightness skills.”

“If it’s the Thousand Mile Eye Family, one or two might be able to return.”

The Thousand Mile Eye Family, one of the Twelve Great Families that could be said to be the foundation of the Blood Evil Alliance, was a family that excelled in agility and stealth, and played an active role in the information department in the early days of the Blood Evil Alliance.

Their martial arts were also not inferior to other families, and they made a great contribution to building the current Blood Evil Alliance.

“We must convey our gratitude to Clan Head Cheon Yi-seong.”

“He will know the Alliance Leader’s heart well. And they must also be very curious about the Murderous Monarch, so they would have investigated separately even if we hadn’t asked for help.”

The Fourth Emperor of the Blood Evil Alliance, Baek Mu-gi, paused for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Wouldn’t the Sword Demon of Massacre have a better chance of winning? Even if he is the successor of the Murderous Monarch Seo Moon, he probably doesn’t have much experience.”

“You can’t ignore experience once martial arts reach a certain level. It’s an even more difficult opponent if it’s the Sword Demon of Massacre.”

As he was also in the ranks of the Ten Great Masters, Baek Mu-gi knew very well the weight that the title of Sword Demon of Massacre carried.

“What if the Sword Demon of Massacre loses…?”

“Assassins will gather around the Murderous Monarch. And the balance of the Central Plains Murim world will change depending on whose side they take in the future.”

* * *

A heavy silence permeated Oh Tae Mountain Fortress, which was located halfway up Oh Tae Mountain.

More than a hundred outsiders had entered Oh Tae Mountain Fortress, but their presence was barely noticeable.

The bandits of Oh Tae Mountain Fortress felt like they were suffocating from this silence, but they had no choice but to endure and wait.

Two people were standing face to face in the central clearing of Oh Tae Mountain Fortress.

A middle-aged man wearing white robes and a young man of about twenty, also wearing white robes.

It was the Sword Demon of Massacre, Baek Jeong-in, and the successor of the Murderous Monarch, Hwa-rin. Hwa-rin had disguised himself, concealing his true face, and his current appearance was extremely bizarre.

No face!

There were no eyes, nose, or mouth where a face should be. But it wasn’t like he was using a human skin mask.

It was a faceless visage that Hwa-rin had created by combining the reverse application of martial arts and the heretical sect’s secret techniques.

The two stood facing each other like that for a while, and those watching felt like their hearts would burst. They were simply standing face to face, but between the two of them, their energies were swirling and colliding with each other.

If even a light fallen leaf were to fall between them, the mountain fortress might be severely damaged due to the explosion of their energies.

The Sword Demon of Massacre, facing Hwa-rin, was inwardly surprised.

When the one who called himself the successor of the Murderous Monarch challenged him, he thought nothing of it.

The Murderous Monarch was a man of the past, and although he didn’t know how great he was, he thought that he had far surpassed him now.

If the Murderous Monarch had gained fame as an assassin specializing in assassination, he was an assassin, but he thought that his rank was different even if they were the same assassin because his fame was gained through direct confrontation rather than assassination.

However, the moment he saw his successor, that thought changed a little.

“I know that Sword Demon has put in a lot of effort for the assassin world.”

Hwa-rin opened his mouth first.

“I have no intention of ignoring Sword Demon’s achievements. Also, I don’t want to insist that my teacher is greater than Sword Demon. My teacher’s era, Sword Demon’s era, and my era in the future are all different in their environment, people, and circumstances.”

“Hmm…”

“Just as it is, Sword Demon, you just need to open your own era now. You have already built up achievements that are respected by assassins enough without having to tarnish my teacher’s reputation.”

“So?”

“Stop erasing my teacher’s achievements. Then I will no longer interfere with Sword Demon’s events.”

Hwa-rin spoke as if he was making a concession, but those words touched the Sword Demon of Massacre’s nerves.

“My events?”

“That’s right. Even if Sword Demon uses assassins to fulfill his desires, I won’t interfere.”

The expressions of the assassins watching twisted at Hwa-rin’s words.

“Is that so?”

“That’s right. I think of it as compensation for what Sword Demon has achieved so far, so I have no intention of interfering at all. But…!”

The Sword Demon of Massacre’s eyes changed. It was because he felt Hwa-rin’s change.

“If you mention my teacher’s honor any more, I will have no choice but to step forward to protect my teacher’s honor.”

“You step forward? Do you think that if you step forward, you can stop me?”

“Why, do you think I can’t surpass Sword Demon?”

“What?”

“My teacher was also the best, and I, who have inherited my teacher’s essence, am confident that I will not lose to anyone in this industry. That means I am also telling you that I am the best.”

Hwa-rin’s energy changed to the point where even the people who had gathered could feel it, and the vortex of energy formed between the two began to be pushed to one side.

It was a great change that all the leaders of the assassin world watching could feel.

‘Where did this guy come from? Unless he learned martial arts from inside his mother’s womb…’

Even if he was the successor of the Murderous Monarch, he couldn’t believe that he had been pushed back in the battle of energies so quickly.

He immediately used his own mind skill to double the amount of energy, but it was difficult to recover the momentum that had been pushed back once.

‘The Clan Head’s successor has pushed back the Sword Demon’s energy.’

‘The Sword Demon has failed to seize the initiative. Perhaps we will be welcoming a new Murderous Monarch.’

The leaders of the assassin world dreamed of the Murderous Monarch’s revival as they watched the two’s duel.

“Everyone says that.”

The Sword Demon of Massacre moved the internal energy of his dantian [energy center in the body] to reverse the current situation.

“But those who have directly experienced me, Baek Jeong-in, dare not say such things in front of me.”

Pow! Pow!

The energy between the two exploded with a loud noise and scattered in all directions, creating a strong wind.

The wind swept away the buildings of the mountain fortress, shaking them so much that they collapsed due to the impact.

“Run away! The building is collapsing!”

The bandits, who had been hiding inside the mountain fortress’s building in fear, not even showing their faces, ran out of the building, fearing that it would collapse.

Crack.

The bandits, who would have been crushed to death by the building if they had hesitated even for a moment, were chilled to the bone.

‘Shit, what do you want us to do? You’re causing a ruckus here.’