Chapter 271
Chapter 271
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 271
Chapter Title: Return (2)
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Honestly, until now, I’d always thought of Dan Un as a tedious person.
I was tired of him constantly demanding to spar.
But thinking back on it now, those were all memories.
He was also the one who readily stepped up whenever I was in trouble.
And so, I extended my hand, filled with those memories. Dan Un grasped it, smiled faintly, and spoke.
“It’s been a while. Let’s have a round.”
“……”
He truly is an insufferable man.
“Cut the crap, sit down, and have a drink.”
*Shing.*
“Come on, attack.”
“……”
At the sight that drew an involuntary sigh from me, I quietly recited the rules.
“Nine Dragons Fortress Code of Conduct, Article 8. All warriors shall prioritize the orders of their respective Hall Master. In the event of their Hall Master’s absence, they shall follow the orders of another Hall’s Master.”
For reference, the chairman of the disciplinary committee is the Grand Chancellor, the chief of staff of the Nine Dragons Fortress, and the vice-chairman is the Red Dragon Hall Master, the commander of the military police.
*Shing.*
Hearing the rule, Dan Un cleared his throat and sheathed his sword.
“How dare someone without rank…”
“Ahem.”
Indeed, it is an immutable truth that the one with money and status becomes the elder brother.
“Sir Dan, it’s been a long time.”
Just then, Myo Hyang, who had been grilling fish caught nearby over a charcoal fire, brought a few over.
“Miss Myo… no, Madam Myo. Congratulations on your marriage. I heard the news beforehand but was unable to attend due to official duties.”
“Hohoho, I am just grateful for your belated congratulations.”
“And please accept this. It’s a humble gift, but I brought it to celebrate.”
“What is this? It looks like an herb root.”
“It is the root of the Spirit Mountain Herb, which only grows around here. Though it’s not an elixir, the herb gatherers all agree it is the best, so its efficacy should be certain.”
“Efficacy, you say…”
“They say it is good for pregnancy and childbirth.”
“Oh my!”
*Whoosh.*
Her face flushing red, Myo Hyang clutched the herb to her chest and hurriedly left.
“You damn lunatic. Is that something you say to another man’s wife?”
Dan Un, on the receiving end of my curses, shrugged with a look of complete incomprehension.
“Is there any reason to be ashamed of a natural part of marriage, which is to have descendants?”
“No.”
Isn’t this guy a sociopath?
Ignoring him, I poured him a drink. Only then did Dan Un sit down and offer a proper greeting.
“Have you been well? I heard the story from my master. You played a great role in suppressing the White Dragon Hall’s rebellion, didn’t you?”
“Let’s just say I made enough of a contribution to have my name etched firmly in the history of the Nine Dragons Fortress.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“I’m telling you, that White Dragon Hall Master was flying through the air, unleashing an invisible sword and a mind-controlled blade. It sent shivers down my spine. It was a good thing I awakened the Fist of the Mind; otherwise, I don’t even want to think about what would have happened.”
“……”
As I recounted my exploits without the slightest exaggeration, Dan Un fell silent.
*Trickle.*
“So, how’s life as the defense commander?”
I asked while pouring him a drink. Dan Un shook his head.
“It is overwhelming.”
“Is it that bad?”
Knowing Dan Un’s personality, as he never feigned weakness, if he said it was bad, the actual situation was likely even worse.
Though he was a lesser man than I, he was the manliest of men who would describe his arm being half-severed as a mere scratch.
“Why? Are the men not listening to you?”
“That’s not it. Although it’s a coalition, the warriors and unit commanders from the Righteous Path Alliance and the Martial Emperor Fortress have never once ignored my opinion. In fact, they follow it actively.”
“Then?”
“Recently, the bastards from the Lion's Alliance have been crossing the border and invading at all hours. I ran into you just now while tracking the Black Wind Brigade.”
“Ugh…”
Hearing that I had been mistaken for the enemy again, I couldn't help but sigh.
‘These bastards have no concept of copyright, now or in the future.’
I had every right to be angry. Wasn’t my War King Sect the originator of the black-clad cavalry?
I could only hope that the martial world's awareness of copyright would grow quickly.
“Why are the Lion's Alliance guys suddenly acting up like this?”
“They started running wild two months ago, after the Tumult of the Fiery Wind.”
“The Tumult of the Fiery Wind? What’s that?”
“You don’t know? The rumor has already spread throughout the Central Plains.”
“I’m busy enough as it is. What time do I have to listen to rumors?”
“It refers to the incident where the Imperial Palace caught fire.”
“Wh-what does that have to do with…”
“With such a disaster occurring in the Imperial Palace where the emperor resides, isn't it natural for all the Imperial Guards to converge on Nanking? For the Lion's Alliance, it must have made defending their rear much easier, giving them more flexibility in their overall military operations.”
The unexpected butterfly effect left me speechless.
‘How did things get so twisted…?’
I was sure I had done a good thing.
“Hmm… I suppose I’ll have to request reinforcements.”
My pricking conscience made my mouth move on its own.
“It’s still fine for now. We’re short on numbers, not strength.”
“But the Lion's Alliance is…”
*Fwoosh!*
In an instant, Dan Un unleashed an aura that filled the entire area.
“……!”
I couldn’t help but be astonished at the sight.
“It seems you’re certainly not lacking in strength.”
The warriors in his defense force were all masters in their own right.
“I suppose that’s true.”
From my robe, I took out the Yueyang Society token, one of the two Baek Il-hak had given me, and handed it to him.
“The Yueyang Society? An advisor? Aren’t the executives of the Nine Dragons Fortress prohibited from holding concurrent positions?”
“Concurrent position, my ass. It’s just an honorary title. I only accepted it because they kept pestering me.”
“The Yueyang Society… Is it related to Yueyang?”
“It’s now called the Hoyeon Society, a union of Hunan warriors. They won’t turn you away if you show them that token. They have a decent intelligence network, so they should be helpful.”
“Thank you.”
Dan Un reined in his aura, smirked, and put the token in his robe.
Seeing him, various thoughts crossed my mind.
I had thought I was ahead of him, but that wasn’t the case.
My ascent to the Profound Realm (True) was thanks to the War King Arts, a martial art said to allow one to become a god, and the countless doses of Chilling Yin Fluid I had consumed. But Dan Un’s achievement was purely from dedicating himself to martial arts.
“……”
An unfamiliar emotion, one named competitiveness, began to bloom in my chest.
As if sensing my feelings, Dan Un’s eyes gleamed.
“What do you say? How about a round?”
“…Alright. Let’s have a round.”
“Oh? What’s the occasion?”
“I don’t know, just seeing how much you’ve grown, Brother Dan, stirred my fighting spirit?”
*Smirk.*
“It feels good to be acknowledged by you. It feels like my efforts haven’t been in vain.”
“Acknowledged, my ass.”
*Shing.*
His sword was drawn once again.
The surrounding warriors, sensing the mood, quickly cleared a space, creating a wide-open area.
*Step, step.*
I walked toward the center of it.
“But here’s the thing.”
“……”
“You’ll be in for a big surprise if you think I’m the same person I used to be.”
Dan Un held his sword straight up and looked at me.
“From the first time I met you at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion, I have never once underestimated you. On the contrary, I’ve only grown more impressed with each passing year. And I still am.”
*Grin.*
“It feels good to be acknowledged by you, Brother Dan. It feels like all my hardships haven’t been in vain.”
“Acknowledged? I’m just stating the obvious.”
*Step, step.*
He approached until he was five steps away.
“No complaining if you get hurt, okay? And of course, no compensation for the beating.”
“Just don’t go crying to the Fortress Lord.”
“Darn, I was planning to.”
The smiles we exchanged were the signal for the duel to begin.
* * *
The duel with Dan Un was nothing short of fierce.
Dan Un maintained his distance like an out-boxer, while I, possessed by the spirit of an in-fighter, tried to close the gap by any means necessary.
I managed to dodge the continuous heavy blows of the Blue Wind Sword and land the Dragon-Slaying Thirteen Strikes, but it wasn’t enough to pierce his protective aura.
In the end, I barely managed to inflict damage using short bursts of Explosive Death Force and Ultimate Death Force, but the real fight started after that.
Dan Un unleashed a new ultimate technique called the Nine Rivers Heavenly Wind Sword Art.
A tempest of heavy sword strikes centered on him, spewing forth sword ki and beginning to pulverize everything in the vicinity.
If I hadn't been wearing the Dragon Scale Armor, I wouldn't have dared to enter.
However, I hadn’t accepted this duel with the intention of losing.
*Kwoooargh!*
Unleashing my War Dragon Aura at full power, I leaped into the eye of the storm.
And so began another clash.
*Clang! Clang!*
The heavy sword strikes, imbued with the essence of Sword Control Art, hammered against my War Dragon Aura.
*Thud, thud, thud, thud!*
The short, sharp bursts of Explosive Death Force hammered against his protective aura.
After exchanging blows for several dozen seconds, I unleashed the Moon Breaker I had prepared.
The black-hole-like Moon Breaker devoured the sword ki of the Nine Rivers Heavenly Wind Sword Art and exploded.
Of course, Dan Un, who had mastered the Dark Scent Dart to the twelfth stage, used Form-Shifting Displacement to escape the blast radius.
“Ugh.”
He staggered, seemingly having suffered internal injuries.
A golden opportunity.
I didn’t miss the opening and used the War King Step to engage in close combat, but…
“Damn it!”
The Blue Cloud Red River Sword rained down from the sky like a Psionic Storm.
*Krakakakakaboom!*
As the sword ki, carrying overwhelming destructive power, poured down from the azure clouds and struck the ground, the earth shook and a storm erupted.
‘Hey, are you trying to kill me?!’
A sudden surge of anger rose within me.
We had agreed to a duel, so what was he doing using a killing move?
And at a moment when I couldn’t even dodge.
In the end, I unleashed Moon Breaker against Dan Un’s descending Blue Cloud Red River Sword.
The only difference from the previous attack was that I had layered the Moon Breaker.
And then.
*Flash!*
Just like with the Ten Demon Alliance’s leader, the world turned gray.
‘……!’
When I came to my senses, not only the Blue Cloud Red River Sword but also the force of my Moon Breaker had completely vanished.
Seeing this, I exclaimed with a mix of joy and surprise.
“It actually worked…”
It was only natural.
This single move that blocked the Blue Cloud Red River Sword was the very beginning of the Hell Realm.
Of course, the price was steep.
In addition to all the force I had built up through Chain Ring Force, over 80% of my internal energy had been consumed.
Furthermore, the rapid expenditure of internal energy resulted in internal injuries.
Dan Un’s condition was likely similar.
However, the day’s match ultimately ended in my victory.
Though it was a struggle just to stay on my feet, I forced myself to run forward and take Dan Un’s sword with my torso.
“What!”
Forgetting the existence of my Dragon Scale Armor, Dan Un retreated in shock. I then detonated the secret weapon I had prepared just in case, right in front of his face.
*Poof.*
“Gah…!”
“Hehehe, you still haven’t learned your lesson after all that.”
Pepper Bomb ver. 5.
[Made by Soso Cheong & Mujeon Jin]
This era’s greatest gunpowder weapon, a joint creation of Cheong So-so and myself, had neutralized Dan Un.
And then.
*Thwack.*
As my fist stopped just short of his nose, Dan Un declared his surrender.
“I have lost.”
“I’ve learned a lot.”
Frustrated by his defeat, Dan Un demanded a rematch, but what could I do?
“Neener neener, I’m not gonna fight you anymore.”
The one who wins in the end is the true victor.
And now.
I was lying in the carriage on the way home, my head resting on Myo Hyang’s lap.
Normally, I would have been content with the strange sensation of her thigh, but not now.
“Oof, ouch.”
Looking at me, Myo Hyang chided me in a worried tone.
“Why did you have to push yourself so hard?”
“How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this…?”
I had no idea the aftereffects of the Hell Realm would be this severe.
Sighing, Myo Hyang offered me a small pill.
“Here, it’s time for your medicine.”
“My wife is the best. Hehehe.”
“You should be thanking So-so for preparing it.”
“That girl is a bit…”
As I was idly passing the time, Wu Je-jun approached.
“The Nine Dragons Fortress is in sight.”
I had been happy to leave, saying I was going on a trip, but now that I was returning, I felt that home was truly the best.
The members of the land party also seemed pleased, smiles on all their faces.
‘I should give them some time off.’
A bonus and a vacation. There was nothing better to give hardworking employees.
As we approached the Nine Dragons Fortress with joyful hearts, a large poster caught my eye.
“Stop for a moment!”
Curious, I went closer to examine its contents, and my disbelief didn't just vanish; it ascended to the heavens.
[Candidates for Vice Fortress Lord]
1. Blue Dragon Hall Master.
2. Red Dragon Hall Master.
3. Gray Dragon Hall Master.
4. Gold Dragon Hall Master.
An election in the martial world.
“What is this?”
What an amazing martial world.