Chapter 118
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: The Black Refinement Sect Arrives
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Taegok Branch Hall's conference room.
With all the leaders gathered, Yu Gong-seon spoke.
“The Sword Inspection Brigade Leader should be striking the Blood Killer Hall by now.”
This marked the true beginning of the war between the Taegok Branch Hall and Shanxi Province's unorthodox sects.
“Since we instructed them to target the Blood Killer Hall Leader first in this opening strike, we should be able to annihilate them with minimal losses if it succeeds.”
“The Sword Inspection Brigade will handle it well.”
Everyone nodded at Seol Hwa-un's words. The prowess of the Sword Inspection Brigade Leader and his team was that formidable.
“Afterward, with no time for ambushes, they were told to accept some casualties and launch immediate follow-up raids.”
Yu Gong-seon continued, pointing at the map.
“The Evil Sound Gate here and Broken Moon Valley over there are realistically the farthest sects the Sword Inspection Brigade can intercept.”
Bing Cho-pung asked,
“Is anything beyond that too much?”
“We have to consider the Sword Inspection Brigade's stamina as well. They could push further, but by then the enemy will surely be on guard, so there's no need to overextend.”
Seol Hwa-un said,
“After that, they're heading to the Shanxi Sword Sect?”
Yu Gong-seon's eyes widened.
“As expected of the Young Palace Lord. Exactly. To prepare for the Shanxi Sword Sect mobilizing upon hearing the news, some unorthodox sects will head that way too.”
“…….”
“With the Sword Inspection Brigade attacking from behind and the Shanxi Sword Sect responding from within, we can push back the unorthodox sects without much trouble.”
“What matters after that is whether they can come support us here or not.”
Yu Gong-seon nodded at Seol Hwa-un's words.
“Precisely.”
Bing Seol-pung, the leader of the Taegok Branch Hall's regular warriors, muttered,
“Man, the Sword Inspection Brigade's got it rough.”
The North Sea Ice Palace's regular warriors all belonged to the North Sea Martial Corps, and Bing Seol-pung was its Third Brigade Leader.
“No helping it. The Sword Inspection Brigade is the Taegok Branch Hall's elite, so we need to make maximum use of them. The more they achieve, the fewer losses our main branch suffers.”
“Hmm…….”
“The main branch can't let its guard down either. If they realize the Sword Inspection Brigade has slipped away, they won't just sit idle.”
“Quite right. The later they notice, the more time we have to prepare.”
This time, Yu Gong-seon asked Seol Hwa-un,
“How are the new recruits doing?”
“Eom Mu-hwi and Dong Ho-won are teaching them diligently. They're all so enthusiastic that they're mastering the Yi Hang Hap Won Formation faster than expected.”
Bing Cho-pung chimed in.
“I never would have imagined. Even after we revealed the full situation without hiding anything, they all chose to stay.”
“It's all thanks to the Young Palace Lord.”
Seol Hwa-un shook his head.
“No. It was possible only because the Enemy Path Wolf stepped up at the right moment.”
“Wasn't it the Young Palace Lord who scouted that Enemy Path Wolf in the first place?”
In truth, there had been plenty of objections regarding recruiting the Enemy Path Wolf.
No matter what, he was someone who had been hostile to the North Sea Ice Palace, so accepting him so readily seemed too lenient.
Of course, when Seol Hwa-un took full responsibility back then, no more objections were raised. Still, some remained skeptical.
“In the end, it proves the Young Palace Lord's judgment was correct.”
Despite the repeated praise, Seol Hwa-un's expression showed no change.
“It's fortunate, but we can't settle for this. Not only must we win this battle, but we also need to minimize their sacrifices.”
“You're right, Young Palace Lord.”
Next, the Third Brigade Leader raised an agenda.
“With the emergency situation, shouldn't we strengthen patrols? For the time being, even if it's tiring, we should increase the patrol shifts…….”
At that moment, a warrior burst urgently into the conference room.
“Forgive the interruption during the meeting, but we have urgent news!”
Bing Cho-pung asked,
“What is it?”
“The Black Refinement Sect has arrived!”
“Already?”
“They moved this quickly?”
Seol Hwa-un's eyes gleamed.
“I'll go check it out myself.”
Seol Hwa-un left the conference room and stepped outside.
Sure enough, about three hundredzhang away from the branch hall, the Black Refinement Sect group had arrived and was setting up their camp.
“…….”
From their relatively elevated position, the Black Refinement Sect's encampment was visible at a glance.
“They're setting up camp quite competently. It seems the Black Refinement Sect has someone skilled in military tactics.”
It was Yu Gong-seon, who had appeared beside him.
“They have more personnel than expected. Their main sect is probably completely emptied out.”
“…….”
“It's a shame. If we had the spare forces, we could have targeted their home base.”
Of course, knowing that, the Black Refinement Sect had brought their full strength.
Seol Hwa-un asked,
“What do you think? If I lead Eom Mu-hwi, Dong Ho-won, and the remaining Sword Inspection Brigade members in a raid.”
Yu Gong-seon pondered briefly before replying.
“It might succeed, but if the Mad Blood Sword General is there, we won't achieve much. It could even expose our weakened forces instead.”
“…….”
“Shall we send scouts to confirm? If the Mad Blood Sword General isn't there yet, it might be worth trying…….”
But Seol Hwa-un shook his head firmly.
“No. The Mad Blood Sword General is there.”
“……Pardon?”
“One of the Four Demon Emissaries, as expected. His presence is palpable even from this distance.”
“Ah.”
Yu Gong-seon shrugged.
‘That's just the Young Palace Lord's senses being extraordinary, isn't it? I couldn't sense a thing.’
At that instant, Seol Hwa-un spotted something flashing from the Black Refinement Sect's encampment.
A chill ran down his spine.
“He's spotted me.”
Seol Hwa-un was certain. From this distance, the Mad Blood Sword General had looked straight at him.
‘You're even more formidable than I thought, Mad Blood Sword General.’
* * *
The Mad Blood Sword General, who had been staring at the Taegok Branch Hall, muttered,
“……So that's him.”
Bok Yeo-wol stood beside him. The Mad Blood Sword General, highly impressed by his talent, had ordered him to serve as his aide.
“What do you mean?”
“The North Heaven Dragon.”
“Pardon?”
Bok Yeo-wol wore a blank expression. Of course, he too had seen a silhouette flickering in front of the Taegok Branch Hall.
‘But…… to pinpoint it exactly from this range?’
Bok Yeo-wol couldn't help but be astonished.
‘A master on another level entirely……!’
From what he'd observed up close, the Mad Blood Sword General was a monster. His prowess exceeded even the rumors.
‘No matter how strong you are, North Heaven Dragon, you can't beat the Mad Blood Sword General.’
At that moment, the Mad Blood Sword General flashed a sinister smile.
“Heh, he's got me pegged too. This might actually be fun.”
“……!”
Bok Yeo-wol shuddered.
‘They're both monsters.’
He had no choice but to admit it. These two were beyond anything he could fathom.
‘Even so, I can't imagine the Mad Blood Sword General losing to anyone.’
Beings beyond norms.
That was the only way Bok Yeo-wol could think of them.
Just then, a warrior approached them cautiously.
“What is it?”
The warrior flinched under the Mad Blood Sword General's gaze and quickly bowed his head.
“G-Greetings, Mad Blood Sword General.”
“State your business.”
“Yes! The Black Roar Gate has just arrived.”
“Black Roar Gate?”
The Mad Blood Sword General glanced at Bok Yeo-wol.
“Where's that?”
“Yes, great hero. The Black Roar Gate is in the Pingyao region.”
“Isn't Pingyao closer than Hongdong, where the Black Refinement Sect is?”
“That is correct.”
“Is that so?”
His eyes took on a strange glint.
“……Dismissed.”
The Mad Blood Sword General headed straight to the command tent.
Upon entering, he saw the Black Refinement Sect Leader and his top brass, along with a group clad in dark red uniforms.
“……!”
Spotting the Mad Blood Sword General, they shot to their feet and bowed.
“Greetings, Mad Blood Sword General!”
“…….”
Without a word, the Mad Blood Sword General took the seat of honor.
In the tense silence, he finally spoke.
“Who's the Black Roar Gate Leader?”
A tall middle-aged man with a stern face bowed.
“I am the Black Roar Gate Leader, great hero. It's an honor to meet you…….”
Slash!
The Black Roar Gate Leader couldn't finish his sentence as his head was severed. No one in the tent had seen the Mad Blood Sword General make a move.
Not even a sword was in his hand.
Spurt!
Blood erupted from the Black Roar Gate Leader's body, splattering everywhere.
“Ugh……!”
A young man standing behind him groaned. He appeared to be the Black Roar Gate's Vice Sect Leader, utterly dazed by the sudden turn.
“Shut your mouth.”
“Gasp!”
Terrified, he clamped his hand over his mouth desperately at the Mad Blood Sword General's command.
“…….”
A heavy silence descended.
Suddenly, intense killing intent flashed in the Mad Blood Sword General's eyes.
“I clearly said to come as fast as possible, yet you arrive now. Do you think my words are a joke?”
As soon as he spoke, the Black Roar Gate's leaders prostrated themselves, kowtowing frantically.
“F-Forgive us, great hero!”
“P-Please spare us just once!”
The Mad Blood Sword General asked,
“Who's next in line?”
“……Pardon?”
“In the Black Roar Gate. Who's after the Gate Leader?”
A middle-aged man raised his head.
“I-It’s me. I'm the Vice Gate Leader!”
“You're the Gate Leader now. Lead the Black Roar Gate.”
“Yes, great hero!”
The Mad Blood Sword General addressed the assembly.
“Relay this to the other unorthodox sects still on their way: if they don't hurry, they'll end up like the former Black Roar Gate Leader.”
“Yes, great hero!”
Witnessing it all, the Black Refinement Sect Leader unconsciously swallowed hard.
“…….”
Had the Black Refinement Sect not been with the Mad Blood Sword General, they surely would have delayed as much as possible too.
‘But to decapitate the Black Roar Gate Leader without even hearing him out!’
From what he knew, the Black Roar Gate's delay was because they waited for their dispatched main force to return before mobilizing.
Regret washed over him anew.
‘Was it a mistake to ignore the Vice Leader's advice and invite the Mad Blood Sword General?’
It seemed his greed to leverage the Mad Blood Sword General to elevate the Black Refinement Sect had backfired.
But now it was too late to turn back. Or perhaps it was inevitable anyway.
‘With things as they are, all we can do is attack the North Sea Ice Palace with everything we've got.’