Chapter 120
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: Provocation of the Blood Radiance Sword Lord
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A terrifying aura erupted from Seol Hwa-un's body. Yu Gong-seon's face paled as he stood nearby.
"Yu Strategist, fall back a good distance."
"Ah, yes."
Fearing he might get caught in the fight, Yu Gong-seon quickly retreated.
"Kukuku, seeing you up close like this feels entirely different. Indeed, it's no wonder In-gyeom fell to you."
Seol Hwa-un tilted his head as if wondering who that was.
"In-gyeom?"
"The Blood Yin Death Lord you killed. You didn't even know his name?"
"Who knows. I wasn't particularly interested."
"Arrogant bastard...!"
In an instant, a horrifying killing intent poured from the Blood Radiance Sword Lord's body.
Even though they were twenty paces apart, Seol Hwa-un felt his skin prickle from the killing intent.
'He's definitely far stronger than the Blood Yin Death Lord.'
"How long do you plan to stand there?"
"What?"
"Didn't you come here for revenge on the Blood Yin Death Lord? Why hesitate? I'm right here."
"......!"
It was a blatant provocation. Come at me.
The Blood Radiance Sword Lord's killing intent grew even fiercer.
"You bastard!"
He looked ready to charge at any moment, but suddenly withdrew his killing intent.
"Hmph, you're under one delusion."
"......?"
"I didn't come here personally to kill you."
"Then what is this about?"
The Blood Radiance Sword Lord flashed a sinister smile.
"I'm just here to scout the place I'll wipe out. Kukuku, your forces are even more pathetic than I thought."
He raised his hand and mimed slicing across his throat.
"It might be fun to sever your head in one stroke. But wouldn't that be too easy?"
Madness flickered in his eyes.
"You're last. After slaughtering everyone in this Taegok branch hall, I'll tear apart you in your despair as the finale!"
"......!"
Seol Hwa-un's face hardened.
"Isn't that proper revenge?"
"You think that's possible?"
Ta-at!
Seol Hwa-un's form shot forward at terrifying speed.
"Look forward to it."
As he moved to vanish completely, Seol Hwa-un's eyes flashed.
"Where do you think you're going!"
He thrust out his fist.
Paaaang!
With a sharp sonic boom, a white energy-wreathed fist wind extended at ferocious speed.
Shuaak!
"......!"
It was so fast that even the Blood Radiance Sword Lord's face changed.
"As if!"
There was no time to draw his sword. Instead, he thrust out a palm to block the fist wind.
Kwaang!
A heavy explosion rang out, and the Blood Radiance Sword Lord used the recoil to distance himself.
"......"
Seol Hwa-un had no choice but to stop in place.
"......Your movement technique is impressive."
He smacked his lips.
'I should have closed in more before attacking.'
He regretted missing the golden opportunity to kill the lone Blood Radiance Sword Lord.
'No helping it.'
As he thought that, Yu Gong-seon came running over.
"Little Palace Lord."
"Yu Strategist, you alright?"
"Ah, yes. Just a light scrape. I'm fine."
"That was really dangerous. Next time, stay somewhere safer."
Yu Gong-seon shook his head.
"Everyone's risking their lives in battle. I can't be the only one hiding."
"Foolish talk. Others can be replaced, but not the strategist. For the palace's sake, value yourself more."
"Ah...... You're right. I was short-sighted."
Seeing how much Seol Hwa-un truly cherished him warmed Yu Gong-seon's heart.
'Little Palace Lord, I will shatter my bones and scatter my flesh to make the palace stand tall in the Central Plains.'
At that moment, Eom Mu-hwi appeared, covered head to toe in blood.
"Little Palace Lord."
"Good work. It ended quicker than expected."
"Yes."
Looking at Eom Mu-hwi, Seol Hwa-un noticed the dark energy lingering on his face and his eyes changed.
"Hm? Are you poisoned?"
"Ah, yes. It's not a big deal. No real harm, and a bit of meditation will clear it right up."
"Still, resolve it as quickly as possible. It could leave aftereffects."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Now that I think about it, the infiltrators from the east were the Poison Lord Valley."
"Yes, they gave us some trouble at first, but the Shanxi Martial Brigade arrived swiftly and we wiped them out easily."
Interest lit up in Seol Hwa-un's eyes.
"I see."
The North Sea Ice Palace's regular warriors had virtually no experience with poison arts.
In the barren, frigid North Sea, maintaining poisons was extremely difficult, so they were rarely used.
Thus, the Shanxi Martial Brigade, centered on seasoned ronin with plenty of experience, rushed in and provided crucial aid.
He had ordered the Shanxi Martial Brigade to stand by in the center for emergencies and deploy as needed, and they had followed orders faithfully.
'Jeok Rang-do is doing far better than expected.'
Meanwhile, bolstered by Dong Ho-won's exploits, the White Unit Squad was overwhelming the Black Valley Sect.
Most of their disciples lay fallen, with only the Black Valley Sect Leader resisting desperately in a wretched state.
"Kuh!"
Cha-ang!
His sword flew from Dong Ho-won's spear strike. Dong Ho-won thrust his spear again with cold eyes.
"It's over."
Shuuk!
His spear pierced the Black Valley Sect Leader's chest.
Pook!
"Gah!"
Watching, Eom Mu-hwi clutched his forehead.
"......That idiot."
As the Black Valley Sect Leader collapsed, the remaining dozen or so disciples dropped their weapons and surrendered.
"We won!"
Waaaa!
Cheers erupted from the White Unit Squad. It was a crushing victory with only ten casualties.
Dong Ho-won approached Seol Hwa-un with a bright expression.
"All taken care of, Little Palace Lord."
Seol Hwa-un nodded with a peculiar smile.
"Good work. Any injuries?"
"Hahaha, none. They were weaker than expected?"
Looking at Eom Mu-hwi, he added,
"You're here. See my heroic display, bro?"
"Yeah, I saw it. Your idiotic antics."
Dong Ho-won scowled.
"What?"
"Didn't the strategist emphasize to both of us before the fight? Capture enemy leaders alive whenever possible."
"......Ah."
"You're still the same hot-blooded fool."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
As Dong Ho-won bristled, Yu Gong-seon smiled and asked from the side.
"Did you capture any, Mu-hwi?"
"Yes, Strategist. The Poison Lord Valley Leader resisted too fiercely to take alive, but luckily we captured the Vice Leader."
"Well done, Mu-hwi."
At Seol Hwa-un's praise, Dong Ho-won's face twisted further.
"......Damn it."
With Shanxi Castle completely cut off from the outside by the unorthodox sects, intelligence was scarce.
In such a situation, information from enemy prisoners was invaluable.
Seol Hwa-un's expression turned serious.
"More importantly, something bothers me."
"What is it?"
To Yu Gong-seon's question, he continued.
"The Blood Radiance Sword Lord just left like that. Why did he show up in the first place?"
"Hmm."
Yu Gong-seon pondered briefly, his expression darkening slightly.
"He probably came to check the Taegok branch hall's situation with his own eyes."
"That means......"
"He might have noticed the Sword Brigade slipping out of the branch hall."
"......!"
* * *
In the Blood Radiance Sword Lord's quarters within the Black Refinement Sect camp.
The Blood Radiance Sword Lord sat in a chair, repeatedly clenching and unclenching his hand.
"......"
It was the hand that had blocked Seol Hwa-un's fist wind.
Staring at it, the Blood Radiance Sword Lord muttered.
"North Heavenly Dragon......"
It looked no different from the other hand, but upon closer inspection, it was unusually pale.
'Such intense yin energy.'
He had neutralized it with his palm strike, but the yin energy in the fist wind pierced through, burrowing deep into his bones.
If his internal energy weren't so profound, he would have taken serious damage.
'Definitely not to be taken lightly.'
When rushing to Shanxi Castle, he hadn't considered Seol Hwa-un a threat at all.
But facing him directly changed his mind completely.
'I scoffed when Iron Face Tiger warned me...... I need to prepare for contingencies.'
His eyes sank deeply.
'I might have to use that thing I've kept hidden for so long......'
It was then.
"Hero, may I enter?"
"Come in."
At his permission, Bok Yeo-wol entered.
"So, what did you find?"
"As you predicted, Hero. Contact with the Blood Death Clan and several other unorthodox groups has been completely cut off for days."
"Kukuku, just as I thought. No wonder their visible forces seemed so few. The North Heavenly Dragon cleverly pulled his main strength out."
The Blood Radiance Sword Lord who appeared at the raid site hadn't just watched the battle.
He had spread his senses, scrutinizing the entire Taegok branch hall in detail.
"What will you do, Hero? Send reinforcements?"
The Blood Radiance Sword Lord sneered.
"Is that necessary?"
"......Pardon?"
"They've likely pulled out a significant force. We'll strike them now."
Excluding the vanished Black Valley Sect and Poison Lord Valley from the raid, including the sects arriving tomorrow made seven participating sects.
Total numbers swelled back to two thousand.
In contrast, the Taegok branch forces they assessed numbered around six hundred, even fewer with the Sword Brigade gone.
It was an overwhelming disparity.
"Understood. Then when do you plan to attack?"
There were still plenty of unorthodox sects en route.
Waiting for all to arrive would be safer, but risked ambushes from the missing forces.
"That is......"
As the Blood Radiance Sword Lord opened his mouth, footsteps approached from outside.
"Sorry, Hero. Urgent message......"
"Speak."
"The Cheonjan Twin Fiends have just arrived."
Bok Yeo-wol's eyes widened at the name.
'Those monsters?'
The Cheonjan Twin Fiends. Infamous unorthodox experts terrorizing the Huabei region.
They had vanished after being branded public enemies by the Martial Alliance a decade ago.
A smile curled on the Blood Radiance Sword Lord's lips.
"They arrived at just the right time. Did you ask when to strike?"
"......"
"Tomorrow at dawn, we launch the full assault."
Killing intent flashed in the Blood Radiance Sword Lord's eyes.