Chapter 75: Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 75: Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds (5)
Gal Yong, the Grand Hall Master of the Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds, wore a face full of bewilderment.
It was only natural that he wanted to curse.
The strength of the three brothers of the Yangtze River Four Guests lay in their combined attack formation. By severing that connection, their combat power had been effectively neutralized.
In truth, without their combined attack, not a single one of them was a match for me.
-Kwahahat! Look at that little brat’s eyes spinning.
The Blood Demon Sword chattered excitedly.
You’re starting to sound more and more like the Lesser Conversation Sword.
As the Blood Demon Sword noted, Gal Yong was glancing at the pirates watching from the other ships, likely conscious of his prestige as the Grand Hall Master.
He was in a bind.
To call it cowardly would be hypocritical since they were fighting three-on-one to begin with. To bring up the Sword Control Art was pointless; regardless of the truth, in the eyes of the onlookers, it looked as though I was performing all of this on my own.
I could see him racking his brain to find a way out of this situation, but I wasn't about to let him.
If I were a member of the Orthodox Faction, I might have treated him with more chivalry, but these men were the worst of the Evil Faction. They had to be treated accordingly to be brought to heel.
I had to press them hard.
As I took a step forward, he shouted.
“Wait...”
Wait for what?
Swish!
Launching myself forward, I lunged straight for Gal Yong.
“Tch!”
Startled by the sudden closing of distance, Gal Yong unleashed a claw technique with his sharp nails. It was like a tiger repeatedly swinging its forepaws.
I lightly shifted my upper body, dodging his attacks.
His movements were incomparably faster and more dazzling than those of ordinary peak masters.
“You little—!”
Slash, slash, slash!
When his initial three stances failed to connect, he switched to a changing tide. He tried to vary his forms to target my lower body, but—
Thud!
“Urgh!”
I kicked one of his constantly moving legs, sending his body tumbling forward. However, he managed to regain his balance and arched his back.
‘An opening!’
I spotted it in that split second.
Like a flash of lightning, I thrust my index finger into the pressure point of his elbow.
Thwack!
“Kh!”
His left arm jerked upward. Taking advantage of the gap, I delivered a spinning kick to his chest.
With a pained groan, his body was sent skidding back more than ten paces.
Screeeech!
“Blegh!”
Having taken a direct hit to the chest, Gal Yong coughed up a mouthful of blood, likely suffering internal injuries. Since I was using the Blood Flower and the True Blood Golden Body, even a strike with only three stars of internal power carried devastating weight. Gal Yong struggled to regain his senses.
“B-Brother!”
“Damn it!”
Gal Yong’s two younger brothers shouted simultaneously. They wanted to rush to his side immediately, but they were too busy fending off the Blood Demon Sword and the Evil Connection Sword.
‘The consumption of Innate True Qi has increased.’
The more swords I controlled through Prison Torture, the faster my Innate True Qi depleted. Moreover, since the swords were performing actual martial arts stances, the drain was even more rapid—as if I were performing the techniques myself.
At this rate, I wouldn't be able to last even half an hour.
I realized that when controlling multiple swords, I should avoid letting them use complex sword techniques too freely.
“Haah... haah...”
Gal Yong wiped the blood from his mouth. After glaring at me, he suddenly turned and lunged toward another ship.
He was heading for Gal Ho, the second of the three brothers. He intended to ambush the Blood Demon Sword, which Gal Ho was currently fighting.
Whish!
-Hmph! As if!
The Blood Demon Sword flew upward, easily dodging Gal Yong’s claws. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the swords’ field of vision allowed them to see in all directions, unlike humans. It was more like their focus shifted to wherever they needed to look.
“Now! Ho!”
In that moment, Gal Yong and Gal Ho lunged toward the youngest, Gal Yung. It seemed they were desperate to regroup. It was a wise choice, as they had realized they stood no chance individually.
However, they surely didn't think I would just stand by and watch.
‘Blood Demon Sword, return.’
-Don’t give me orders.
Look at him acting all rebellious every time I call.
Despite his words, he returned promptly. Grabbing the hilt of the Blood Demon Sword, I slammed it hard into the deck of the ship.
‘Blood Stillness Sword Stance.’
The 7th stance of the Blood Heaven Great Achievement Sword: Blood Stillness Sword Stance.
It was the same technique I had used during my duel with the Moon Evil Sword Sama Chak on the Yangtze River. Back then, I had pushed myself beyond my limits to perform it. How would it fare now that I had broken through the wall?
Rumble!
At that moment, centered around where the sword was planted, a crimson killing intent erupted from the deck. It surged in a fan shape, like a tidal wave overflowing and turning into a tsunami.
The faces of the three brothers paled as they saw the deck fragments exploding and the wave of energy rushing toward them.
“What in the world...”
“Brothers!”
“Shut up and block it!”
The three brothers skidded to a halt and desperately unleashed their ultimate techniques against the surging wave of red energy. Their momentum was strong enough to be called secret techniques, but—
Boom, boom, boom!
“Agh!”
“W-What kind of killing intent is this?!”
The moment their ultimate techniques collided with the wave of the Blood Stillness Sword Stance, they were swept away and blown backward simultaneously.
To describe the power: all three were sent flying off the ship.
Gal Yong and Gal Ho were thrown onto the ship opposite them, while the youngest, Gal Yung, was sent flying all the way to a ship in the northeast.
Crash! Splinter!
The second brother, Gal Ho, even snapped the mast of the ship he landed on.
The pirates watching from the surrounding vessels were struck with horror.
“He’s... he’s a monster.”
“That was a sword stance?”
“The Grand Hall Master and the Hall Masters are no match for him.”
I could hear their frantic whispering. Was this enough to prove my overwhelming martial prowess?
Creeeeeak! Rumble!
Suddenly, the ship shook violently, and the spot where I stood tilted upward. I had already split the upper deck with the Blood Purging Sword Refinement, and the Blood Stillness Sword Stance had turned the interior and the deck into a wasteland. The ship couldn't take any more.
Unable to maintain its center of gravity, the ship began to sink slowly from the stern. I needed to move to another vessel.
Just then, someone shouted.
“Fire! Don’t let that monster cross over!”
“Cannons, arrows—fire everything!”
The pirates on the other ships seemed to agree. I saw them aiming their bows and scurrying around to light the fuses of the cannons.
So, they weren't going to surrender easily.
Then I had no choice.
‘Blood Demon Sword, Evil Connection Sword. Poke holes in their ships.’
-This should be fun.
-Kyahaha! I love it.
At my command, the two swords excitedly streaked toward the ships on the right and the rear.
“The—the swords are flying toward the ship!”
“Stop them! Block the swords!”
The pirates panicked and tried to intercept the Blood Demon Sword and the Evil Connection Sword. They fired arrows and threw nets, creating a chaotic scene.
But how could they hope to catch swords flying high in the sky?
Swish! Thud!
The swords soared high before diving straight through the decks.
“They went inside the ship!”
“Go below and stop them!”
Rumble!
“Gah!”
“The—the ship is...”
Before the pirates could even run below deck, the ships began to shake violently. They didn't know it, but I could see through the swords’ eyes. I had told them to sink the ships slowly, but the Blood Demon Sword and the Evil Connection Sword were absolutely shredding the hulls.
“The ship is filling with water!”
“We’re going to sink!”
The fact that we were in the middle of the Yangtze River worked to my advantage, turning the very environment the pirates called home into a death trap. After only a brief moment of the two swords’ work, two ships were already on the verge of sinking.
“The ship is sinking! Move to the next one!”
“Get to the ship next to us!”
At that cry, the pirates scrambled in total disarray, everyone trying to jump to another vessel. It was pure bedlam.
Then, a sight occurred that truly terrified them.
Pop! Pop!
The two swords that had punctured the hulls burst through the decks and flew toward yet another ship. Having found their rhythm, they skimmed low over the river surface this time, aiming straight for the waterlines.
“The swords are coming this way!”
“Stop them! You must stop them!”
The pirates on that ship shrieked in horror, screaming for someone to block the incoming blades. To them, those flying swords must have looked like the Grim Reaper himself.
It was then.
“Stop! Stop this at once!”
A thunderous shout infused with internal energy echoed across the water.
It was the voice of Grand Hall Master Gal Yong.
Pale from his internal injuries, Gal Yong limped to the edge of the deck and shouted toward me as I stood on the sinking ship.
“We lose! Blood Cult Leader, we have lost, so please, stop this!”
The declaration of surrender finally came from his lips. I could hear the desperation in his voice. He must have realized that if this continued, his entire fleet would be at the bottom of the river.
“Grand Hall Master!”
“How can you say that?!”
The pirates shouted in protest, but it was no use.
“Do you intend to lose all our ships here then?!”
At his roar, the pirates who had been shouting fell silent. He certainly held firm command as their leader, as not a single person raised a further objection.
‘Stop.’
-Already? What a shame. Hmph.
-It ended without even seeing blood.
True to their nature as demon swords, they sounded disappointed that there were no casualties. Regardless, the Blood Demon Sword and the Evil Connection Sword stopped their flight and returned to me. I saw the surrounding pirates heave a collective sigh of relief.
Every single one of them looked as if they had just escaped death by a hair’s breadth.
Meanwhile, the ship I was on was about to go under. I leaped across to the opposite ship where Gal Yong stood.
Gal Yong stared at me with a look of utter exhaustion.
“If you’re not convinced, we can keep going?”
At my words, he shook his head vigorously.
“......I am truly speechless. I heard the previous Blood Demon was a monster, but you are even worse.”
To be compared to the previous Blood Demon... should I consider that an honor?
I felt I should be grateful for the power of Prison Torture. Of all the abilities I had gained, none were as effective at intimidating enemies as this one.
“Will you submit to me now?”
At that question, he bit his lip hard. His pride was likely wounded. But once defeat was admitted, there was only one answer.
I looked down at him and spoke in an arrogant tone.
“Kneel.”
“Haah......”
His cheeks quivered with indignation, but like a man who had resigned himself to fate, he let out a long sigh and eventually dropped to one knee.
In that position, Gal Yong asked me:
“Does your Cult intend to unify the Evil Faction once again?”
“That is correct.”
I did not deny it.
“......Then I suppose our Waterway Stronghold is the first step in that grand journey?”
I understood what he was getting at. Even in this situation, he was trying to secure his position—a very pirate-like way of thinking. I had given them enough of the whip; now it was time for the carrot.
I gave a small smirk and replied.
“Since you are the first to join, I will ensure you are treated fairly.”
Thud!
At my words, Gal Yong brought his hands together in a firm fist-and-palm salute and shouted.
“The Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds swears its loyalty to the Blood Demon, the head of the Evil Faction!”
This was the moment the first objective of the Evil Faction unification, the Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds, fell into my hands.
*
Since time was short, I sent the Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds on their way, telling them I would visit later to discuss the Golden Eye organization.
Initially, they asked for permission to take all the cargo—the wealth of the Geumhwapyeong Merchant Group—but I couldn't send them away empty-handed, so I allowed them to take about twenty percent. That should be more than enough.
In the midst of this, Grand Hall Master Gal Yong handed over the Dog Beating Staff as if yielding a trophy of war. It was a useless item to them anyway. They were likely worried that if they kept it, the Beggar's Sect would desperately try to reclaim their divine object.
‘A significant gain.’
Not only had I secured the Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds, but I had also dealt with the Sect Leader and the Successor of the Beggar's Sect. This would naturally allow me to push Jo Seong-won toward the position of Sect Leader.
The only downside was that he didn't know the Dog Beating Staff Technique, one of the two ultimate arts of the Sect Leader. However, since the previous leader was dead and the lineage effectively severed, it wasn't a major issue.
-How much longer do we have to stay up here?
I heard the voice of the Lesser Conversation Sword. I had left it on the mast of the merchant ship along with the Namcheon Iron Sword before coming down.
But there’s still more to do.
-More to do?
I suppose you could call it playing two roles at once.
-!?
*
The escort guards and sailors on the merchant ship began to wake up one by one. Upon waking, they looked around and were struck with amazement.
The ships of the Yangtze River Waterway Eighteen Strongholds that had surrounded them were gone.
Then, the sound of clashing weapons reached their ears from above.
One of the guards shouted.
“Look up there!”
“Someone is fighting up there!”
In the dark sky they pointed to, two figures, looking smaller than fingernails, were seen locked in combat.
“What on earth is that?”
“Who is it?”
The ship’s lanterns were all extinguished, so they could only see faint silhouettes. Judging by the sound of clashing steel, it seemed to be a fierce battle.
Then, a shout echoed from the sky.
“Blood Demon! Let’s settle this here and now!”
Hearing the shout, one of the guards widened his eyes and yelled.
“It—it’s Great Hero So Woon-hwi! Great Hero So Woon-hwi is fighting the Blood Demon!”