Chapter 172
Chapter 172
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Hell Blade's Gambit
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Thud. Thud.
Having received Hyeok Mulin's command, Ji Wolhon turned back through the ranks and issued orders.
In an instant, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. The Divine Demon Blood Death Squad broke from formation and departed to carry out Hyeok Mulin's command.
After they left, Sima Jin remained in place with a dazed expression, unsure whether this was a dream or reality. To confirm, he slapped his own cheek.
Snap—
'Damn, that hurts. Definitely reality.'
Snapping back to his senses, Sima Jin hurriedly ran after Hyeok Mulin, who was already walking far ahead.
"Cult Leader, please wait a moment!"
Hyeok Mulin stopped and turned at the call. Sima Jin continued.
"May I ask for an explanation regarding the order you just gave to the Heavenly Demon Army? My insight is too shallow; I still can't grasp your intent."
With a cooled head, Sima Jin had already shifted his thinking.
The Cult Leader had never made a wrong decision.
Thus, there must be a reason for this command as well.
To find a way he could assist, he asked about the reasoning he didn't yet understand.
"Take a look at this."
Instead of words, Hyeok Mulin handed him something.
'A letter...?'
Sima Jin looked at Hyeok Mulin with puzzlement before accepting it.
His eyes widened as he lowered his gaze to read the contents.
"This is!"
The letter foretold rebellion by the Man Clan.
A bead of sweat trickled down Sima Jin's beard.
But moments later, having gathered his thoughts, he spoke calmly and cautiously.
"Cult Leader, there's a high chance this letter's contents are false."
Hyeok Mulin replied immediately.
"I know."
He had realized the moment he saw the letter that the Man Clan wasn't plotting immediate rebellion.
Among the Seven Great Demon Clans, the Man Clan was relatively open.
Spy networks dispatched from the cult to check their information had reported as much, and Sima Geuk and Cho Sa Hyeon's separate intelligence networks were monitoring them independently.
'So it's nearly impossible for the open Man Clan to evade all those eyes and secretly prepare a rebellion.'
If they truly intended to, Hyeok Mulin would have received two or three more letters with the same content.
From Sima Geuk and Cho Sa Hyeon, warning of their treason.
Since no such letters had arrived, the conclusion was simple.
'The Man Clan never planned to rebel in the first place.'
Knowing this, Hyeok Mulin hadn't rushed his return to Singang.
"Then why deploy the Heavenly Demon Army?"
He knew the Man Clan had no such intent.
Yet he had sent the Heavenly Demon Army and ordered the patriarch's arrest.
Sima Jin tilted his head, his doubts unresolved.
"Check the end of the letter."
The end?
Sima Jin looked down again and confirmed the name written there.
He cried out in shock.
"Man Ho!"
Realizing the sender was the Man Clan Patriarch himself, Sima Jin lifted his gaze from the letter and looked at Hyeok Mulin with a trembling voice.
"Then...?"
"I've done as he wished. Now we watch, and the answer will come."
With just that one impure claim in the letter, he could be charged with treason.
Now was the time to learn his true intent.
The genuine meaning behind the letter Man Ho had personally written and sent to Hyeok Mulin.
The Heavenly Demon Army marched unflinchingly across the inner castle.
The demons hurriedly cleared the way as they advanced in their gleaming black armor with overwhelming dominance.
Step. Step. Step. Step.
Their footsteps synchronized perfectly, as if they were one body.
The sudden appearance of the Heavenly Demon Army in the inner castle drew tense gazes from the onlookers.
Fear and admiration mingled in their eyes.
"So that's the Heavenly Demon Army."
"Heard they reorganized the troops, but this is my first time seeing them."
"Their Grand Commander is leading them."
People whispered upon spotting Ji Wolhon at the front, followed by numerous warriors.
Then, someone quietly voiced a question.
"But where are they headed? And fully armed, no less."
"Indeed. With the entire Heavenly Demon Army mobilized, it can't be anything ordinary."
A few curious onlookers cautiously trailed behind them.
The moment they confirmed the destination, their body hairs stood on end, and they froze in paralysis.
"That place...!"
The Heavenly Demon Army had halted right at the entrance to the Man Clan's grand estate.
The guards at the Man Clan's massive gates swallowed hard at their abrupt arrival.
They'd heard nothing, but the fully armed Heavenly Demon Army appearing here was no good omen.
With slightly trembling voices, they asked Ji Wolhon.
"What brings you here?"
"Step aside. We're here to execute the Cult Leader's direct order."
"C-Cult Leader!?"
At the mention of the Cult Leader, the guards couldn't hide their bewilderment.
They agonized for a moment—dozens, hundreds of times over.
It was the Cult Leader's direct order, but this was still the Man Clan's estate.
Yet defying the Cult Leader's command was impossible, estate or not.
Unsure whether to open the gates or bar entry without headquarters' permission, they hesitated.
"Step aside."
With Ji Wolhon and the Heavenly Demon Army pressuring them ferociously from the front, rational thought was impossible before their heads felt ready to burst.
As the guards stood frozen, eyeing the situation, a voice came from inside the estate behind them.
"Open the gates."
"Y-Yes!"
Recognizing the familiar voice, the guards eagerly swung the gates wide.
Rumble—
Before the opening gates, Ji Wolhon stood motionless, staring straight ahead.
The interior slowly came into view.
But what caught his eye wasn't the estate—it was the people.
Man Clan warriors had encircled the entrance in a ring, awaiting them.
Their numbers seemed three or four times that of the Heavenly Demon Army he had brought.
In the center stood Man Jido, leader of the Man Clan's elite Myriad Demon Blade Heaven Squad, arms crossed, facing Ji Wolhon.
Man Clan warriors versus Heavenly Demon Army.
Man Jido and Ji Wolhon.
With the open gateway's threshold between them, Man Jido spoke first.
"What brings the Heavenly Demon Army to our estate?"
"To execute the Cult Leader's direct order."
"Direct order?"
After a deep breath, Ji Wolhon let out a thunderous voice that seemed to shake the heavens.
"Traitor Man Ho, who dared betray our cult's teachings and plot rebellion! Your unforgivable crimes before the world are already laid bare. Come out and accept your punishment meekly!"
"What!?"
The Man Clan warriors froze in place at Ji Wolhon's proclamation.
As shock rippled through them at the utterly unforeseen claim, Man Jido opened his mouth with a ferocious glare.
"Nonsense. You know better than anyone that the patriarch wouldn't do such a thing."
"I'm merely executing the Cult Leader's command on solid grounds."
Ji Wolhon had received and reviewed the letter from Hyeok Mulin on the way back to Singang, along with separate instructions.
Thus, he knew he held the justification in this situation.
Of course, even without grounds, he would have carried out the Cult Leader's order regardless.
"Solid grounds? What could they be to frame the patriarch with false charges?"
"The patriarch knows that best."
Invoking the man himself again, Ji Wolhon declared to them.
"Step aside. Obstruct the arrest, and I'll take it as defying the Cult Leader's command—I'll execute you on the spot."
"You want us to clear the path to the patriarch? Without even a single reason?"
Eyes bulging, Man Jido stepped forward to block the way.
"No matter what, I can't let you pass."
"You're ignoring the Cult Leader's direct order?"
"Who would accept arresting the patriarch without explanation? You'll have to break through this Man Clan wall to achieve your goal."
Man Clan warriors behind Man Jido formed ranks, drew their blades, and assumed battle stances.
They had positioned themselves to fight and repel the intruders the moment the Heavenly Demon Army entered.
"...So you're choosing to walk the same path as the patriarch."
Ji Wolhon murmured, fixing them with a chilling gaze.
He had anticipated resistance.
Considering the immense power, influence, and symbolism a clan patriarch held among the Seven Great Demon Clans, they wouldn't yield easily.
Yet Ji Wolhon's resolve remained unchanged from start to finish.
'Execute the Cult Leader's direct order.'
Whatever blocked that, he would smash through.
Gazing at the warriors before him, Ji Wolhon slowly raised one hand.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Heavenly Demon Army drew their weapons in unison, aiming blades at them as if ready to charge.
Staring piercingly across the mere threshold, they pointed swords and blades at each other, on the verge of collision.
As the tension peaked, Ji Wolhon slowly parted his lips.
"Heavenly Demon Army. Advance..."
"Clear the way."
But just as Ji Wolhon was about to order them swept aside, someone emerged from the Man Clan estate.
The warriors parted left and right in surprise at his appearance.
Striding forward with wide steps through the opened path.
It was Man Ho.
"Patriarch!"
Man Jido raised his voice at Man Ho's arrival, but he spoke first.
"Step back."
"But these men are heading for you..."
Swoosh—
Man Jido's breath caught as he met Man Ho's piercing glare upon turning.
"Making me say it twice?"
"...Understood."
Startled, Man Jido bowed his head and retreated.
Now standing alone at the front, Man Ho faced Ji Wolhon.
"Divine Demon Blood Death Squad Grand Commander, I presume. A pleasure."
"Man Patriarch."
After greeting Ji Wolhon, he continued.
"So, what brings you to our estate with the full Heavenly Demon Army?"
"While the Cult Leader was away, you plotted rebeli—"
Ji Wolhon began explaining the reason again.
But before he could finish, Man Ho spoke.
"I see. Got it."
Nodding, Man Ho walked straight forward with heavy steps.
He stopped right before Ji Wolhon, nodded again, and said.
"Then arrest me."
"......?!"
"P-Patriarch!?"
His completely unexpected action stunned not only Man Jido but all the watching Man Clan warriors.
Ignoring their reactions lightly, Man Ho extended both hands and urged him on.
"Come on."
A mad smile curled at the corners of Man Ho's lips.