Chapter 86
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Bloodstained Shores
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The beach of Sama, grazed by cruel blades, lay bleak and desolate.
Corpses not even properly tended emitted a ghastly scent of blood mingled with yin energy, drawing in wild dogs.
Rip. Riiiip.
Even amid the brutal sight of flesh being torn away, no one bothered chasing off the dogs—they simply stared blankly.
And who could blame them?
They had all lost family before their very eyes, lost friends they'd laughed and caroused with through the night.
Laughter turned to weeping, joy to sorrow.
A catastrophe.
In a calamity unseen for centuries, the Moon Clan shattered, their lands soaked in blood.
"Aaack!"
Not a soul stepped forward even as the tribe's women were dragged away by their hair.
What strength could they muster? What courage to defy those brutal hands?
All that remained were fishermen who'd never wielded a blade, enfeebled elders, and powerless children.
For them, fear outweighed any sense of justice or compassion.
"Mom... Mommy..."
A little way from the village, on a beach that felt all the more barren, a child wandered about, not even wiping away streaming tears, searching for a mother already hauled off.
Boats that should have set out for work lay abandoned, nets too heavy to haul left to the salty sea breeze—frayed and crumbling in but a single day.
"Mom..."
The child's fruitless steps, crying out ceaselessly as it dashed along the shore, eventually brought it near the whirlpool waters of the Moon Clan's sacred grounds.
Pffft.
"...Mommy?"
Puzzled by a splash unlike the waves, the child turned to the sea—and its eyes caught something familiar bursting through the water.
"O-Octopus?"
Raised by a fisherman father and haenyeo mother, the child knew it at a glance from those sucker-lined tentacles.
But... it was huge.
Far bigger than any octopus it had ever seen.
Even from a distance, its form was perfectly clear.
Stunned by the unprecedented size, the child forgot its search for mother, tears halting as it gawked blankly.
"Huh? Huhhh?"
The child's eyes widened more and more, mouth gaping wider.
"Pfoo..."
The octopus drew nearer—and suddenly, a man popped up atop the waves from beneath it?
"Huhhhh?"
Eyes bulging, finger raised, the child could only repeat the sound.
Exaggerating a touch, one leg alone matched the man's body; up close, the octopus was enormous.
Yet the man strode onto the beach with the massive octopus carcass slung over his shoulder.
"Damn, didn't notice underwater, but this thing's filthy heavy."
"..."
Tossing the octopus down like shedding a skin, the man grumbled—then finally noticed the child, eyes widening slightly.
"Huh? What're you?"
"..."
The child stared piercingly at the man, whose seaweed-like wet hair plastered his face, obscuring his features, and mumbled blankly.
"L-Looking... for Mom..."
"Mom?"
"..."
"Where'd your mom go?"
"D-Don't know..."
The man—Yu Hyun—tilted his head at the child's dazed response.
Kid's a bit off? Eyes all unfocused...
Yu Hyun eyed the child curiously a moment, roughly swept the hair from his cheeks, then checked his own body.
"First off, gotta change outta these clothes. Sticking like glue, annoying as hell."
"..."
Still grumbling nonstop as he shook water from his garments, Yu Hyun turned to leave the child behind—when someone came dashing from the Moon Clan village.
Who’s that?
Yu Hyun cocked his head.
Sword in hand, clearly a martial artist—but dressed unlike the Moon Clan folk he'd seen before.
Drawing near, the warrior glared sharply at him standing with the child and demanded,
"Who the hell are you?"
"..."
And who the hell are you, talking like that to a stranger?
Irked by the rude tone, Yu Hyun forced a smile without showing it.
This is their turf.
He'd intruded on their sacred grounds without leave, and though he'd luckily obtained what he sought at death's door...
From the Moon Clan's view, he was no better than a criminal deserving death.
He couldn't stir up more trouble.
Not quite an apology, but he'd brought plenty to soothe their anger, and planned to help with their woes as best he could.
If they wished, wipe out that new lord and his forces, make the Moon Clan the new lord... ahem, too far.
Anyway, he had to hold back for now.
"Never seen you before."
"Ah, well..."
Must be one of the lord's men, doesn't recognize me. Yu Hyun scratched his wet hair and grinned.
But then, something unexpected happened.
Slaaap!
"...!"
The warrior suddenly backhanded the child mercilessly.
Why?
"You damn Moon Clan brat, where d'you think you're running!"
"..."
Damn Moon Clan brat? Running?
Eyes wide, Yu Hyun watched as the warrior seized the trembling child's hair, faceplanted into the dirt.
"Got the brat. Now, who the hell are you? Don't look like Moon Clan remnants..."
"..."
Ignoring the warrior's half-finished interrogation, Yu Hyun stared fixedly at the child in his grasp.
Cheek already swelling red, blood trickling from split lips, eyes wide with terror.
Like with that deer kid—why do all these island bastards have a hard-on for beating children?
Anyway, calling them remnants meant he wasn't Moon Clan.
"Hey, let go of that hand first?"
"What?"
"Kid's hurting."
"What the fuck you mumbling?"
"Damn your mouth... Anyway, let go. Won't say it again."
Yu Hyun cracked his knuckles threateningly, stepping forward. The furious warrior bellowed,
"You little...!"
Bam!
"Gahk!"
No movement visible.
Yet in an instant, the warrior clutched his nose, staggering before collapsing, while the child was suddenly behind Yu Hyun.
"Th' brat hits a kid..."
"Ugh... you bastard... Moon Clan remnant!"
"Moon Clan remnant? Hey! I dunno why you keep assuming that, but I'm—"
Squeeee!
Trying to explain, the nose-clutching warrior suddenly pulled a flute and blew.
"What the—"
Clang!
Before words finished, the warrior leaped up, drawing and aiming his sword.
From afar, comrades rushed at the flute's call.
"R-Run... please."
"..."
"They're the new lord's men. Hurry. You'll die too, warrior sir. Like the villagers..."
"..."
The child urged him in a quavering, terror-stricken voice, trembling violently—yet rooted to the spot itself...
What was this about?
New lord's men? Die? Like the villagers?
Pondering the child's words, Yu Hyun's face twisted.
He didn't grasp it all yet, but one thing was clear.
The Moon Clan was in trouble.
And if the new lord's men were here...?
"Damn... plans gone sideways. Must've happened in that short time?"
No wonder the vibe felt off... But why?
Did Seong-i and the escort fail to stop it? If they moved despite the Justice Alliance envoy, what now?
Lips bitten in thought, Yu Hyun hoisted the child onto his back.
Had to head to the village first. Confirm with his own eyes, then act.
"Hold tight."
"Huh?"
Ignoring the child's query, Yu Hyun stomped the sand hard.
Ruuuumble...
Foot sinking into sand.
Thighs and calves tensed taut...
Boom!
Sand erupted, air exploded.
"Huh?"
The sword-wielding, flute-blowing warrior could only blink at where the man had been.
G-Gone?
No, not gone.
The warrior whipped his head back.
Bang! Bang-bang!
Amid successive air bursts, Yu Hyun with child on back flashed into view every ten-odd paces.
The incoming flute-responders were already passed.
"..."
What lightness skill is that...? Moon Clan had a master like him?
Snapping from his daze, the warrior bellowed,
"Damn it! Chase him!"
* * *
"..."
Yu Hyun halted at the village entrance linking to the beach.
He could go no further.
The stench of blood assaulted his nose, twisting his face.
Houses burned black and collapsed, people sunk in despair, sitting blankly here and there.
And the corpses...
A hellscape, one of the three evil paths where sinners went—laid bare before him.
Though these folk had committed no such sins deserving of hell.
"Aaack, please..."
At the sudden woman's scream, Yu Hyun's head turned slowly.
"You damn bitch! Let go!"
"Please, it's our family heirloom passed down generations!"
"Bullshit! Let go!"
Thud! Thump-thump!
Ruthless kicks battered the woman clutching his pant leg.
Classic banditry.
"Why..."
"They're the new lord's men. Came hunting remnants and..."
"..."
Stroking the child hugging his neck and shivering, Yu Hyun ground his teeth.
Civil war, power struggles—theirs to fight, sure, but not like this.
Some must be fought, others protected.
The strong shouldn't conquer and devour the weak, nor seize lives or oppress for personal gain.
Yu Hyun knew not this new lord, nor Haenam Island's laws.
But he knew the human path one must uphold, and yearned for a world that did so.
If Haenam failed that...
Steel resolve firm, he gnashed his teeth.
First, confirm. Is this the new lord's orders, or underlings misunderstanding?
"Wanna get down a sec?"
"...?"
Gently setting the child down, Yu Hyun said softly.
"Go over there. Close your eyes, plug your ears. Won't be long."
"..."
Shoving the child's back lightly, he gazed at the distant warrior trampling the woman, regulated his breath, clenched a fist lightly at his waist.
Then leaped. One step folding the vast distance...
Baaaam!
"Gaaack!"
The powerful punch sent the warrior flying, smashing into a charred house.
Not dead, but won't rise anytime soon.
"There! It's him!"
"..."
Finally catching up, the warriors entered the village entrance, pointing at the man and drawing swords en masse to charge.
"Yeah. Come on, you who abandoned even warrior pride."
Yu Hyun had found the thousand-year geopae, owed the Moon Clan a debt.
Now, time to repay.
This might overstep into their affairs. Might spark issues between Justice Alliance and Haenam Island later.
But if affiliation's the issue, ditch it. He'd walk his believed path, even if all opposed.
Even alone...
That was the world he must protect, the justice he held.