Chapter 64: Sect Opening Ceremony (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 64: Sect Opening Ceremony (1)
“How could this be!”
Gwak Cheol, the Deputy Branch Leader of the Guangxi Branch of the Martial Alliance, was visibly shaken.
His reaction was only natural. Who could have predicted that the Blood Cult’s massive force of ten thousand would be a mere decoy, and that all the Revered Stars—the Cult’s strongest masters—would head straight for the Martial Alliance’s main headquarters?
At that moment, Woo Jiksu, the Chamber Leader of Sword Sinking Sea Liberation, spoke up.
“Deputy Branch Leader! This is nothing but a bluff. Even if the Blood Cult’s top masters have gone there, our headquarters’ strength is nearly a thousand men. Furthermore, the Branch Leader, known as the greatest master in Guangxi, and the experts of the Crane Heaven Sword Sect are guarding the main base!”
Hearing those words, Gwak Cheol seemed to regain his composure, his expression returning to normal.
“Thank you. I almost fell for the enemy’s trickery.”
“Trickery?”
“To think you would use the strategy of ‘making a sound in the east to strike in the west’ against us. You are quite the strategist, Blood Demon.”
Seong-dong-gyeok-seo (聲東擊西). It was a military tactic of creating a diversion in the east to strike the enemy in the west.
Gwak Cheol spoke to me in a voice that had grown heavy.
“Do you think I don’t know this is a ploy to make us retreat so you can strike our rear?”
“A ploy, you say?”
I almost burst out laughing. I hadn’t intended anything of the sort, yet they were crediting me with a strategy far beyond my actual actions. Then again, in the midst of war, people are bound to play countless mind games; they had no choice but to overthink.
Gwak Cheol pointed his saber at me.
“Blood Demon. There is one thing you’ve overlooked. If we kill you, the leader, right here and now, the morale of the Blood Cult trying to rise again will be crushed.”
He wasn't wrong. If they killed me here, that would indeed be the case.
“For the bright future of the Orthodox Faction, I shall kill you, Blood Demon.”
As if responding to that resolve, Woo Jiksu also spoke to me with a voice full of determination.
“I shall join you. You will never leave this place alive today—”
Thwack!
“Gah!”
“Chamber Leader Woo!”
In that instant, the tip of a blade erupted through Woo Jiksu’s chest. He looked down at his own chest, unable to hide his shock, as if he hadn’t expected this at all.
About thirty paces away, Sama Yeong was in a throwing posture. When I looked at her, she waved her hand with a bright, innocent smile.
“I really like your lady,” Guardian Great Leader No Seong-gu remarked, grinning and revealing his straight teeth.
I was already tired of the Orthodox Faction’s prattling about how they were the only ones on the side of justice, so I was actually quite grateful.
“Blood Demoooooon!”
Gwak Cheol screamed in rage and lunged at me. Judging by the surge of his energy, it seemed he was intent on a mutual destruction.
Swish!
I glided toward him like a hawk, my Blood Demon Sword drawing a crescent arc. It was the Blood Net Sword Sky from the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword.
Slash-slash-slash!
“Ugh!”
Clang!
The man lost his grip on his saber. He couldn't even withstand a few variations of a single martial form. His vital points were shredded by the sword, and he collapsed with a scream.
“Agh!”
It wasn’t that he lacked skill. He possessed enough martial prowess to hold the position of Deputy Branch Leader, but my own prowess—having opened even my Upper Dantian—was now at a level where I could face masters who had broken through the wall. He was simply no match for me.
“You... you monster... just kill me.”
Realizing there was nothing he could do, he resigned himself to his fate and told me to end it. Leaving him behind, I shouted toward the advancing cult members.
“Begin the Sect Opening Ceremony!”
“WAAAAAAAAGH!!!”
As soon as my shout ended, the cult members let out a roar filled with battle-lust and charged toward the warriors of the Guangxi Branch of the Martial Alliance.
*
The fourth floor of the Guangxi Branch of the Martial Alliance’s main building.
The interior was a shambles, drenched in blood. Baek Hye-hyang, holding an Imitation Blood Demon Sword stained a deep crimson, breathed heavily.
“Huff... huff...”
Even for her, fighting her way up here alone against over a hundred experts was bound to be exhausting. She wiped her blood-stained face with her sleeve and muttered.
“The moment I recognize him as the Blood Demon, I end up being ordered around like this.”
Despite her words, the corners of her mouth were curled upward. Outside, the clashing of blades and the sound of explosions were incessant. The nine Revered Stars were still dealing with the numerous experts at the headquarters. Originally, she was supposed to enter the building after they had cleared the perimeter, but her impatient nature had driven her inside first.
“That old man, the First Venerable, really is a monster.”
Looking out the window, she saw him practically sweeping the field alone. Every time First Venerable Blood Breaking Sword Emperor Dan Wi-gang swung his sword, five or six Alliance warriors were swept away by his sharp killing intent.
Boom!
Performing just as impressively was the Fourth Venerable, Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon. Having activated his Red Blood Golden Body, his entire body was glowing red and emitting steam. Every time he swung his fists, the experts of the Orthodox Martial Alliance were crushed like lumps of meat.
“Kyahahahaha! Good! Come on! Hurry up!”
True to his title, he was the embodiment of a bizarre eccentric. Because of his terrifying display, those who were brave enough to attack the other Revered Stars hesitated to approach him.
Baek Hye-hyang chuckled and headed for the stairs. Upstairs was O Ja-seo, the Sect Leader of the Crane Heaven Sword Sect and the man called the greatest swordsman in Guangxi.
‘Hmm?’
At that moment, she heard someone descending the stairs. Three presences. A middle-aged man in white battle garb was followed by two old men whose auras were far from ordinary.
Upon seeing the middle-aged man, Baek Hye-hyang gave a predatory smile.
“Crane-Sleeved Sword, O Ja-seo.”
He was the swordsman representing the justice of Guangxi. Since he was a martial artist ranked within the top forty of the Martial Alliance’s hierarchy of power, she was filled with anticipation. He was a prey far too tempting to yield to the First Venerable.
O Ja-seo looked at her and spoke.
“I thought we had pulled you out by the roots twenty years ago...”
He couldn't hide his bewilderment at seeing Baek Hye-hyang and the Revered Stars suddenly invading his office. In particular, she—with her blood-red hair and crimson eyes—was a shock in herself.
“Why so surprised?”
“No one would be anything but surprised to see the descendant of the Blood Demon.”
Shring!
O Ja-seo drew a precious sword from a jade-decorated scabbard at his waist.
“Even if you are a mere girl, you truly do carry the Blood Demon’s blood. To use ten thousand cult members as bait for a diversionary tactic...”
O Ja-seo was genuinely impressed by the audacity that had surpassed their own schemes.
“But that is the end of it. If you, the leader, die here, everything will come to naught. Descendant of the Blood Demon... or should I call you the Blood Demon?”
“I’d like to be called that too, but unfortunately, I’m not the Blood Demon.”
“What?”
Before O Ja-seo could question her, Baek Hye-hyang lunged. Her Imitation Blood Demon Sword aimed sharply and precisely at his brow, his philtrum, and his throat simultaneously. As an experienced swordsman, O Ja-seo cautiously parried the surprise attack.
Clang-clang-clang!
However, O Ja-seo wasn't her only opponent. The experts acting as his guards aimed for Baek Hye-hyang’s openings. With agile movements, she performed a mid-air flip, lightly dodging their blades.
‘Troublesome. They’re skilled at combined attacks.’
Baek Hye-hyang inwardly admired their offensive. Both were swordsmen at the peak of the Supreme Peak Realm; they aimed exquisitely, using footwork to block all her paths of escape.
Whoosh!
As she was suspended in the air, O Ja-seo targeted her with a flamboyant sword technique. It was the famous Crane Immortal Sword Technique.
While still in mid-air, Baek Hye-hyang unleashed the 8th form of the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword: Blood Purging Dewy Field. It was a technique that used a small force, like night dew, to trigger a tidal wave of blood.
Clash-clash-clash-clash!
“Ugh!”
Despite having the advantage of position, O Ja-seo was pushed back three steps by the sharp sword force. Had his two guardians not intervened, his wrist might have been severed.
‘I shouldn't underestimate her just because she looks tired.’
Only then did O Ja-seo feel a surge of tension. He had thought that with his martial prowess, he could easily subdue her, as she seemed exhausted from fighting her way up. Instead, he was being pushed back in both internal power and swordsmanship.
‘I must kill her. If I don't kill this girl here, she will become a lingering disaster for the Alliance.’
O Ja-seo gripped his sword hilt with both hands. Right now, his guardians were using their ultimate techniques, desperately trying to pin down her movements. This was his chance.
O Ja-seo unleashed the secret technique of the Crane Immortal Sword Technique: Secret Crane of the Severed Dance. His body soared like a crane, and his sword lunged at her like a hawk snatching its prey.
At that moment, the corners of Baek Hye-hyang’s mouth lifted.
“How kind of you all to gather so I can finish you at once.”
“!?”
Baek Hye-hyang changed her grip, holding the sword in a reverse fashion, and then spun her body violently. In that instant, blood-colored killing intent rotated like a spinning top, severing the swords and wrists of the guardians who were pressing in on her.
Clang! Slash!
“Aaargh!”
O Ja-seo realized he had fallen for her lure, but he couldn't retreat. If he withdrew his technique now to use a variation, he would be swept away by her momentum and defeated.
Clash-clash-clash-clash!
Her violently rotating sword form collided fiercely with O Ja-seo’s blade. Worthy of being called the best Orthodox swordsman in Guangxi, his sword did not falter, desperately trying to penetrate her technique.
‘I see it.’
Finally, a flaw appeared in O Ja-seo’s eyes. He thrust his sword exquisitely toward that opening.
Stab!
It was Baek Hye-hyang’s collarbone area.
‘I won.’
Now, he just had to drive the sword deeper and slash through her body. Or so he thought.
Baek Hye-hyang was wearing a thin, cruel smile.
Grip!
She grabbed his sword, which had pierced her flesh, with lightning speed.
‘Oh no!’
He tried to twist the sword to force her to let go, but before he could, Baek Hye-hyang’s sword slashed through his wrist.
Slash!
“Gah!”
It was a tactic of "giving up flesh to take the bone." The pain of his wrist being cut was excruciating, but knowing he would be killed if he stopped, O Ja-seo hurriedly kicked upward at the wrist of the hand holding her sword.
Thud!
Her sword was kicked upward, creating an opening. He tried to change the trajectory of his kick to strike her chest and create distance, but—
Thud-thud-thud!
In that moment, Baek Hye-hyang’s fingers pierced his calf in three places. It was the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Art.
He had tried to endure the loss of his wrist, but the pain was now too much to bear. He twisted his body, trying to escape her range at any cost. But there was no way she would miss this opportunity.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Baek Hye-hyang lunged forward and struck his chest with her finger technique. As her fingers repeatedly pierced his chest, his internal injuries worsened, and blood sprayed from O Ja-seo’s mouth.
Thump!
O Ja-seo finally collapsed to the floor. Baek Hye-hyang pointed her sword at his throat and spoke.
“Hey. That was actually quite fun.”
‘Fun?’
It was absurd. To think that he, the man called the greatest swordsman in Guangxi, had ended up like this even after a combined attack with his guardians. There could be no greater humiliation.
O Ja-seo struggled to speak.
“Cough... cough... Do you think... the Blood Cult can rise again just because of this?”
“This is only the beginning.”
“Cough, cough... You fools. You’ve provoked not only the Alliance but the government as well. Do you really expect to open your sect in peace?”
“The government? Hahahahaha!”
Baek Hye-hyang burst into mad laughter at O Ja-seo’s words. She grabbed him by the hair as he frowned in confusion and said, “We haven't even touched them, so why would we be fighting?”
“What?”
O Ja-seo couldn't understand the situation at all. Even if they had fallen for the diversion, the Alliance had set things up so that the Blood Cult would inevitably be at odds with the government. So what did this mean?
“You didn't think you Orthodox bastards were the only ones who could bribe the officials, did you?”
At her mocking words, O Ja-seo’s eyes shook. This felt entirely different from the Blood Cult he had known twenty years ago. Unlike the Alliance, which had maintained favorable relations with the government, hadn't the Blood Cult been ostracized by everyone because of its bloody doctrines?
‘Did they really settle things with the provincial army?’
If so, the first step of the Chief Strategist’s plan had crumbled. Without friction with the government troops, they couldn't move the army to subjugate the Blood Cult.
O Ja-seo bit his lip hard. If this was the case, he had no choice but to trust the Chief Strategist’s second move.
‘Laugh all you want. Every branch in Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, Guangdong, and Jiangxi is marching toward this place.’
This victory was only temporary. From the beginning, the Martial Alliance’s goal wasn't just to move the government troops. Their true objective was to completely annihilate the remnants of the Blood Cult through a war of speed before they could properly establish themselves. Even if they were sacrificed, the Cult would never be allowed to rise.
O Ja-seo spoke with a smirk.
“Cough, cough... Enjoy this moment. That laughter will soon disappear.”
“Disappear?”
“I’ll go ahead and wait for you all to follow. Kill me.”
O Ja-seo closed his eyes. He hadn't expected to survive at the hands of the Blood Cult anyway. Since they must have been nursing their grudges for twenty years, it was obvious they would kill him and everyone else.
However, unexpected words came from Baek Hye-hyang’s mouth.
“If it were up to me, I’d love to do just that, but the current Blood Demon insisted that we keep you leaders alive if possible.”
“What?”
O Ja-seo opened his eyes, unable to comprehend. Just then, the sound of drums and a massive roar echoed from somewhere.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“WAAAAAAAAGH!!!”
“What is this...”
“Looks like they’ve arrived.”
Grip!
“Argh!”
Baek Hye-hyang grabbed him by the hair and dragged him somewhere. It was toward the window of the headquarters building.
“Ha! He kept quite a lot of them alive.”
Baek Hye-hyang, looking out first, clicked her tongue. Then she lifted O Ja-seo by his hair so he could see outside.
O Ja-seo’s expression froze as he looked out the window.
Into the plaza of the Guangxi Branch of the Martial Alliance, a mysterious figure wearing an evil ghost mask was entering like a triumphant general, leading countless cult members carrying flags emblazoned with the character for ‘Blood’ (血).
But that wasn't why he was shocked.
“You people...”
Among the Blood Cultists, he saw over a thousand Alliance warriors being dragged along in bonds. To anyone’s eyes, they were clearly prisoners of war.
“...Why did you leave them alive?”
At O Ja-seo’s question, Baek Hye-hyang snorted and replied.
“He said they’d make a good shield for negotiations.”
“!?”
For a moment, O Ja-seo was speechless. Their methods were completely different from the Blood Cult he had known in the past. Wasn't the Blood Cult a group of extreme brutality that left no one alive except those who completely surrendered to their doctrine?
And yet, they were keeping prisoners alive for negotiations?
As he stood there stunned, Baek Hye-hyang stared out the window and spoke.
“He’s different from the previous Blood Demon you lot dealt with, isn't he?”