Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: I'm Not Just a Survivor—I'm the Victor
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Thud! Thud thud! Thud thud!
The one who had shot the Dark Current Arrow at the office clerk from afar was Luha. Knowing roughly where Ak Muyoo was, she had loosed her Great Heaven Demon Bow the moment the enemy revealed himself and charged.
An archer's most vital asset is their eyes.
They must aim precisely to hit their mark. That's why archers train their vision more rigorously than ordinary martial artists. It was that training that allowed Luha to detect the subtle shifts in the darkness.
'Darkness isn't all the same shade. This one's different from the usual gloom. The enemy's there.'
Luha fired another Dark Current Arrow. The speed of her arm was astonishing. Several arrows streaked through the air in a deadly diagonal barrage.
Thud! Thud thud thud! Thud thud!
Dodging palm-sized Dark Current Arrows hurtling through the darkness at terrifying speeds was impossible from the start. One arrow burrowed into the office clerk's face and exploded out the back of his skull. Still, no scream.
Someone else was attacking the office clerk as well. It was Seo Haran, the Flame Dragon. She thrust her right hand forward. A massive golden palm, three張 in size, materialized.
The palm plummeted straight toward the ground.
Splat!
With a dull thud, the office clerk's body trapped beneath the palm burst apart. It was the Gold Palm, one form of the Demon Buddha Divine Palm—a signature technique of the Demon Temple and Seo Haran's unique martial art. A massive handprint scarred the ground. The Gold Palm rose again, shifting to crimson. The second form, Red Palm. This was the technique that earned her the moniker Flame Dragon. A gigantic palm, as if filled with molten lava, swept horizontally across the front.
Splat! Thud! Thud thud thud! Thud thud!
The office clerk's torso shredded apart on impact with the Red Palm. It was brutally savage, belying its Buddhist roots. That savagery explained the "demon" in Demon Buddha Divine Palm.
Luha's Great Heaven Demon Bow and Seo Haran's Demon Buddha Divine Palm were power enough, but now the giant wielding a massive blade joined in. Her skills were no less formidable than Luha's or Seo Haran's. Each swing of her enormous blade cleaved the assassins' torsos.
The assassins' numbers dwindled rapidly.
Even with seven hundred men, they couldn't overwhelm such formidable foes. Normally, the captain would order a retreat by now. But Tan Ya had no such luxury. Ak Muyoo lurked somewhere in the darkness. Fearing an arrow the instant his position was exposed, he crawled forward like a sluggish worm, every sense locked ahead.
Moving so agonizingly slow, even Ak Muyoo couldn't pinpoint Tan Ya's location. Nor was Tan Ya the only one on the move. Ak Muyoo had slung the Heavenly Divine Solar Bow across both arms and was inching along too, matching Tan Ya's glacial pace.
Slash! Swish!
Splat! Thud thud! Thud!
From behind came the ceaseless sounds of assassins dying.
'You're mine.'
Ak Muyoo muttered to himself inwardly and halted.
'That said... maybe I should just settle down here?'
The thought crossed his mind: Did he really need to return to the Central Plains? Everything he could want was here. He'd even had a formal wedding and become a family head—albeit one with no real authority. He wouldn't need to work anymore, it seemed.
He wasn't sure about Arak Siru, but Luha didn't seem to dislike him. With more time to get to know each other, they might develop a good relationship.
Suddenly, silence fell.
'Is it over?'
Ak Muyoo glanced back.
As expected, the fight had ended.
'Now just to nab this guy.'
Ak Muyoo resumed his creep.
'Huh?'
Tan Ya's eyes widened.
Three張 away, something had fluttered just now. The motion vanished in a blink, but Tan Ya knew what it meant.
'It's him.'
He took a deep breath to steady himself.
Then he moved again. His pace remained torturously slow. It took a full incense stick's time to cover seven steps.
As the distance closed, it sharpened into clarity.
'A wind guard.'
He finally recognized the object from moments ago. A wind guard, used to block gusts. Tan Ya gathered his full inner energy and unleashed Heavenly Reason Pure Sound Technique.
'Nothing.'
The wind guard was a decoy.
'The moment I lunge at it, he'll strike from behind. But I'll lunge anyway.'
Whoosh!
Tan Ya hurled himself forward.
The instant he moved, a faint sound came from the left.
'Got you.'
Reaching the wind guard, he flipped his body skyward in a flash. He planned to wait behind it and counter Ak Muyoo.
Whish!
That's when the wind guard fluttered.
From beneath it, a weapon laced with killing intent shot toward Tan Ya's torso.
"Gasp!"
Tan Ya's face drained of color.
Miscalculation. The enemy was hiding under the wind guard. As the weapon pierced his side, he twisted sideways and stabbed downward with the weapon in his left hand.
Not to attack.
To use the momentum to leap higher. The sideways twist bought a mere half-second.
Fortunately, it worked. The gash in his side was deep but not fatal. In that interval, he'd spun fully prone. Directly below was Ak Muyoo, gripping an odd sword. Ak Muyoo had swung both hands at once, leaving his arms crossed in opposite directions.
'Now it's my turn.'
Tan Ya thrust his weapon at Ak Muyoo's throat while plummeting downward.
Shing!
A burst of white radiance exploded from Ak Muyoo's waist.
Tan Ya's eyes bulged, but he couldn't speak. His waist severed, everything but his staring eyes ceased functioning.
Splatter!
Tan Ya's bisected corpse flopped atop Ak Muyoo.
"If only I had some inner energy right now."
Ak Muyoo shook his head with a mutter. He was drenched head to toe in Tan Ya's spilled blood and guts. The stench of severed entrails was vile beyond the mere blood reek.
"You okay?"
Luha rushed over and asked.
"Yeah."
Ak Muyoo sat up.
The rest of the group arrived then too.
"Damn impressive."
Ageukta clicked his tongue.
"Why?"
"You know who you just took out?"
"Who?"
"The Hell Ten Evils' Evil Lord, White Sand Tan Ya."
"I'm not just a survivor—I'm the victor."
Ak Muyoo said as he stood.
"Aren't those the same thing?"
"Of course not. Let's go."
Ak Muyoo started walking.
"Good work."
Arak Siru approached and said.
"I'll need to borrow the bath again."
"You're not borrowing anymore—you live here now."
"Right. We're married."
Ak Muyoo dragged the Solar Heaven Sword along as he trudged forward.
"Surviving is a skill too."
Ageukta called to Ak Muyoo's back.
Ak Muyoo turned to look at Ageukta, then said,
"If you say so, old man, it must be true. Help me with this."
Ak Muyoo unfastened the Solar Heaven Sword Sheath, dropped it with the sword, and kept walking—this time across the bridge.
"Good work, Father King."
Arak Cheonjang bowed to Ak Muyoo after descending Dokkaegyo Bridge.
"Yeah. You did good too, Chief. Now you can stretch out and sleep easy."
Ak Muyoo headed for the building.
Inside, he went straight upstairs to the bath. The water was still ice-cold. He sank in, rested his head on the tub's edge, and closed his eyes.
The door creaked open then.
Ak Muyoo turned. Arak Siru entered.
"Brought your clothes."
Arak Siru set fresh garments aside, approached the tub, dipped her hand in, and heated the water with Samadhi True Fire. It warmed in moments.
"I'll wash them this time."
Arak Siru detached the Seventy-Four Guards from Ak Muyoo's robe and removed the Heavenly Divine Solar Bow. She dunked them in the water, swirled them vigorously, then sprinkled podu powder on them. She rubbed podu into a drying loofah and scrubbed hard.
"What's that?"
Ak Muyoo asked, watching Arak Siru.
"Loofah fruit."
"Couldn't you use that to wash too?"
"It's too rough for the body."
"I think it'd be fine for me."
"Wait. I'll scrub you down."
Arak Siru diligently washed the robe.
After finishing, she grabbed another loofah and came to Ak Muyoo.
"This one's older, so it's softer."
She soaked it, added cleanser, and worked up a thick lather. She scrubbed his back with it.
"Doesn't hurt?"
"Feels refreshing. Nice."
After his back, she did the front, focusing on the spots soaked in Tan Ya's blood and guts.
"All done now, right?"
Ak Muyoo asked.
"The Hell Ten Evils are wiped out—who'd dare come after us? Though..."
"The Wind Evil Clan—no, Black Sand Black Dragon Heaven—is the issue, huh?"
"Yes."
Arak Siru nodded.
"No need to worry much."
"Why not?"
"Black Sand Black Dragon Heaven's Heaven Lord, Parap, is now the undisputed master of the Wind Kingdom."
"So we've cleared out his rivals for him?"
"Yes."
"That's a positive spin."
Arak Siru said.
"Worry about negatives when they hit."
"True. Anyway, this all happened because of you."
"Just got lucky."
"You coming here was our luck. Hungry?"
"How'd you know?"
"You fight with raw physical power, so of course you're starving. Hurry and finish up. I'll dry the clothes."
Arak Siru wrung out Ak Muyoo's garments.
After bathing, Ak Muyoo dried off and dressed. He strapped the Mad Demon Armor over his sleeves. Ideally, you'd cut the sleeves and wear it against bare skin, but with no immediate need, he just buckled it on.
He reattached the Seventy-Four Guards and Heavenly Divine Solar Bow, then donned the robe.
"Let's go."
They headed downstairs.
Arak Jangha waited on the first floor.
"How are the clans faring?"
"They're executing those who actively joined the rebellion."
"And Unjung Go Dok Hyeonul Clan?"
"Same there. All with the Hyeonul surname are getting their heads chopped off."
"Finally getting on track."
Ak Muyoo relaxed.
"Eat."
Luha approached and said.
"Shall I?"
"Join me."
Arak Siru followed Luha.
Three days after the rebellion, representatives from each clan entered the royal palace. They were interim heads.
"My conditions are three."
Arak Siru eyed the three men.
"Speak them."
"From now on, no clan shall use the term 'clan.' Cheonjung Go Seongcha becomes Cheonjung Division, Shinpung Manri Hyeoksega becomes Shinpung Division, Unjung Go Dok Hyeonulga becomes Unjung Division, Hwangnyong Dae Cheon Mujakga becomes Dae Cheon Division, Hyeon-u Storm Manju becomes Manju Division, and Jese Je Cheon Arakga becomes Jese Division. Each division's head shall be called Division Lord, appointed by the king. Any objections?"
Arak Siru scanned the three.
"None."
They answered in unison.
"Each Division Lord must spend half a month of every month working in the royal city. Can you manage?"
"Yes."
"All revenue will be managed by the royals, and budgets allocated from there. Agreed?"
"We'll comply."
"Good. You are now the Division Lords."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The three rose, knelt, and bowed their heads.
Thus, the rebellion ended.
The next day.
Ak Muyoo prepared to depart with Mok Woo's group. Time to honor his promise to them.
"Ready."
Arak Jangha entered and said.
"Ready?"
Ak Muyoo eyed Arak Jangha quizzically.
"Didn't you hear?"
"Hear what?"
"I assumed you knew since you're preparing."
"What's this I don't know?"
"We need to hold the wedding ceremony again."
"......"