Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Sovereign's Command
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The Sovereign had already spoken:
"Where have you been wandering all night?"
Gu Min-chae turned his head as he entered the guest hall, hearing the rebuke directed at him.
Na Jin-bae, the chief inspector of the Golden Sword Sect, was glaring at him with clear displeasure.
"This is the Nine Dragons Branch Family. If you move around carelessly without any report and make even the slightest mistake, all our sect's efforts could go down the drain. I specifically warned you to be extra careful!"
"......"
"Who's your superior? Looks like I need to give a stern warning all the way up the chain!"
Over the past few days staying in the guest hall, Na Jin-bae had become convinced.
'The future of Sichuan's martial world rests with the Tang Clan... and especially the Nine Dragons Branch Family among them.'
The Dark Lord's tour of Sichuan had been planned long ago.
Yet why had so many guests gathered specifically here in the Nine Dragons Branch Family?
It was due to the symbolic weight the branch carried.
The legendary Stormwind Rogue Hero Tang Ho-san, who had once written the annals of Sichuan's martial world, was stirring once more. With the Dark Lord coming to meet him personally, all eyes in the martial world were turning their way.
On top of that, Tang Un-hwi's rapidly rising fame and Tang Gyu-jin, who had always shone as one of the top young talents, broadened the pool of promising figures.
'And that's not all. What about the discipline of the warriors filling the branch? It's like a well-drilled army—no exaggeration.'
Given the situation, Na Jin-bae quickly realized that the Nine Dragons Branch Family's reputation was still understated outside.
Hyeok Sin-wol and his wife Song Man-seon's foresight into the future had been exceptional.
'A powerhouse like this right next door could be poison or medicine. No mistakes can be allowed during the event.'
That was why Na Jin-bae had repeatedly urged his subordinates to watch their behavior closely.
He had ordered them not to wander outside the guest hall without reason and, if they had to go out, to always move in pairs.
Yet one of the porters had arrogantly flouted those orders all night, and it had been discovered.
He intended to make an example of him to restore shaken morale. That was Na Jin-bae's thinking.
But then.
He flinched!
'...What kind of gaze is that?'
Na Jin-bae swallowed dryly without realizing it as he scolded Gu Min-chae.
Staring into those deeply sunken eyes made his heart feel like it was chilling over.
That was Na Jin-bae's final thought in life.
Thud!
The corpse, rigid like a frozen corpse, collapsed limply.
"Huh, heok! Ch-Chief Inspector Na!"
At that moment, Hyeok U-gi, who had come to meet Gu Min-chae, rushed over in shock.
He quickly checked Na Jin-bae's pulse, but couldn't detect even a hint of life. White frost had formed on his skin.
Frozen Soul Piercing Gaze.
A technique that drastically lowered the target's body temperature with just a look, leading to death by freezing.
Hyeok U-gi shuddered at Gu Min-chae's terrifying demonic art, but at the same time, he felt lost about how to handle the aftermath.
After all, the man essentially in charge of the delegation had just died.
"D-Did Chief Inspector Na perhaps make some m-mistake with the M-Master—"
"Can you clean this up without any issues?"
"Th-That's!"
"I don't ask twice."
"......"
Hyeok U-gi swallowed hard.
He knew full well that one wrong answer here would land him lying next to the chief inspector.
"I'll... do it."
"Go."
Worried about any onlookers, Hyeok U-gi hoisted Na Jin-bae on his back and dashed to his own room.
As Gu Min-chae watched his retreating figure with an impassive face, a shadow suddenly dropped beside him.
"Tsk tsk tsk. What if you handle things so recklessly like this? There are several pairs of eyes watching here."
The Crimson Bone Deathcurse spoke while rolling his whites, gleaming unnaturally.
He was smiling, but it was a reprimand.
"You were planning to replace them all anyway, weren't you? Just think of this as getting a head start."
"Thanks to you, I'll be the one doing all the hard work."
In that instant, the Crimson Bone Deathcurse's face emitted a grotesque sound as it transformed into Na Jin-bae's.
The face, voice, and even the aura—all identical to Na Jin-bae's.
In fact, such 'swaps' had been steadily underway.
Not only the demon ghosts who had infiltrated beforehand as servants or retainers in the Nine Dragons Branch Family, but even those disguised as delegation warriors—all of them.
They were planting bombs right in the heart of the Nine Dragons Branch Family.
"What about the confirmation you said you'd do?"
"It was tight as expected. No gaps anywhere."
The reason Gu Min-chae had prowled the Nine Dragons Branch Family all night.
It was to scout the shortest path from the guest hall to the White Pavilion.
He had also intended to gauge how dense the surveillance net was, but he couldn't spot a single flaw.
Coincidentally—or perhaps not—the surveillance around their Building Four guest hall was the tightest.
Considering unseen layers of monitoring they hadn't detected yet, he couldn't even guess how many levels deep it went.
"Could information have leaked somewhere?"
"Who knows. But didn't we already anticipate they might suspect something?"
"True. That's how the South Palace Clan operates."
If Namgung San-yeong and the White Bone Net Demon hadn't bungled things so stupidly, infiltration would have been much smoother.
But trust in them had never existed in the first place.
What trust could there be between the North Sea Sect and the South Palace Clan?
Once their common enemy, the Tang Clan, fell, they'd immediately turn on each other.
"What now?"
"We stick to the plan."
"Kekeke. It could get dangerous, you know?"
"Do you think I came here without considering that?"
Gu Min-chae's eyes gleamed with madness.
The Crimson Bone Deathcurse quickly stepped back a couple paces.
"It seems I was insolent. I apologize."
"I don't overlook arrogance twice."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Even with the Crimson Bone Deathcurse's apology, the furrow between Gu Min-chae's brows didn't ease.
'I don't like him.'
The Crimson Bone Deathcurse was always like this.
He kept him around for now because he was useful, but given the chance, he'd find an excuse to snap his neck.
'What bothers me more is the current situation. How the hell do we open a path to the White Pavilion?'
Gu Min-chae had grown certain after witnessing Tang Un-hwi command the Upright Wind Pavilion with flawless precision multiple times.
Un-hwi was far more central to the Nine Dragons Branch Family than outsiders knew.
To dismantle the branch's surveillance network, eliminating Un-hwi first was the top priority.
'A spar with the Lion... Should I target that moment?'
But too many eyes would be on them then, making it hard to act discreetly.
He couldn't move forces without the North Sea Sovereign's permission.
'There must be some way... Wait, why bother attacking the White Pavilion head-on? Can't we just go around?'
Gu Min-chae's eyelid twitched.
'If I can make him taste the same pain I did first—'
The thought hit him, and his mind lit up like a flash.
"What about contact with the Sovereign?"
"We've heard he's already entered Nine Dragons County. He said he'll send a 'direct' message soon."
"The Sovereign himself?"
He was Gu Min-chae's father in private, but even setting that aside, the North Sea Sovereign was one of the top masters of the Heavenly Mountains.
He was also a candidate apostle representing the will of the Assembly and the Tower.
The knowledge that such a figure was nearby made his heart race.
And that meant one thing.
"...The Dark Lord has arrived in the vicinity."
"I'm not sure about the Dark Lord, but the Verdant Honor Guard was spotted nearby. They should reach the branch soon."
"I'm already looking forward to it."
The Crimson Bone Deathcurse saw through the lie in Gu Min-chae's mutter.
He knew well how much Gu Min-chae feared and resented the North Sea Sovereign.
'A guy who feels inferior even to a dead man six years in the grave, obsessing pointlessly over a namesake like Tang Un-hwi. I'll just pretend to follow along and watch. Kekeke.'
Same bed, different dreams.
The two were already in a relationship where they'd use each other moderately and discard when convenient.
It was right then.
"!"
"!"
Gu Min-chae and the Crimson Bone Deathcurse's gazes snapped to the air simultaneously.
Something stretched down from the ceiling and dropped. The two instantly knelt on one knee and bowed their heads.
She appeared to be an ordinary woman one might see on any street, her eyes tightly shut.
Azure Bone Mourning Beauty.
Like the Crimson Bone Deathcurse, one of the Twelve Black Fiends.
She had infiltrated as a guest warrior in the Nine Dragons Branch Family long before Gu Min-chae arrived—a spy.
Naturally, Gu Min-chae and the Crimson Bone Deathcurse wouldn't show her such deference.
It was for the being beyond her.
A tribute to their lord, who had descended directly into this flesh.
"We pay respects to the Sovereign."
"We pay respects to the Sovereign."
Fwaaa!
The Azure Bone Mourning Beauty opened her eyes.
Behind those transparent pupils, like carved blue crystal, a sinister chill swirled.
『Hear ye, followers of the North Sea's solemn Frost Arts.』
With each deliberate word from the North Sea Sovereign, Gu Min-chae felt his soul quake.
『How far along are the preparations?』
"The disciple Gu Min-chae, who offers his soul to the North Sea's Frost Arts, reports to the great Sovereign."
『Speak.』
"The Barehanded Hidden Squad and Barehanded Execution Squad have all been assembled. Grant but your command, and we stand ready to wage the holy war with smiles on our faces and embrace martyrdom."
『Good. Then I bestow upon you the sacred mission to open the first chapter of the holy war.』
"Command us."
"Command us."
『In three days, the Dark Lord will arrive at the Nine Dragons Branch Family.』
In that instant, Gu Min-chae and the Crimson Bone Deathcurse's eyes flashed coldly downward.
『In the name of the Frost Arts' master and Sovereign, I wish to send an early gift to my old rival, whom I will meet after decades.』
"What is it?"
『Throw the Nine Dragons Branch Family into chaos. Then sever the head of the Stormwind Rogue Hero or his son, mount it on a pole, and display it at the main gate. Let those eyes weep blood as they behold the old rival visiting the branch.』
Gu Min-chae clenched his fist without realizing it.
He had planned to beg permission to hunt Un-hwi himself, and now it was granted before he even asked.
『Demon ghosts may martyr themselves as needed. Can you do it?』
The last remaining restraint was lifted.
Gu Min-chae's head bowed even lower.
"How could we claim impossibility?"
『Good. I shall await it.』
Tssst—
The chill faded from the Azure Bone Mourning Beauty's glassy eyes.
She spoke again with eyes closed.
"Obey the Sovereign's command at once. Though his body is far, his eyes and ears reside here eternally."
Swish!
The Azure Bone Mourning Beauty vanished quietly.
Now that orders were given, she would gather the remaining spies without fear of prying eyes.
Gu Min-chae rose and said to the Crimson Bone Deathcurse,
"Assemble all the demon ghosts. We move tonight."
He even had a fine plan ready.
Gu Min-chae licked his lips with his red tongue, grinning slyly like a serpent.