Chapter 99
Chapter 99
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: The Death Squad
-----------------------------------------------------------------
#099 The Death Squad
With the sound of his left knee shattering, Yang Ho-seon staggered and fell.
“I didn’t even hit you that hard, you bastard. Don’t be such a baby over a wound that a few needles will fix.”
That was a lie.
I'd completely shattered his kneecap. Considering the poor medical standards here, he'd live the rest of his life with a limp.
“Ugh-aaaah!”
But, as if my lie hadn't worked, the man began to crawl desperately, trying to escape.
*How annoying.*
*Thwack!*
“Gack!”
A black iron nail I flicked from my hand pierced the back of his left hand and pinned it to the ground.
Pinned to the floor, the man screamed.
His guards flinched, about to draw their weapons, but...
*Shing.*
“This is an interrogation. Stand down.”
Surrounded by over a hundred warriors from the Outer Hall, they could do nothing.
“How can you call that an interrogation!”
“Did the Military Affairs Department interfere with the Outer Hall's personnel through proper channels?”
“Even so, we didn't harm anyone!”
“Instead, you harmed a warrior's pride, which is as precious as his life.”
“Hmph.”
The guards fell silent at the criticism from the Second Squad Leader, who had been reprimanded for arresting Yang Ho-jan back when he himself was the Third Squad Leader.
*Smack!*
I slapped the man's cheek and spoke.
“A token symbolizing the Ten Demon Alliance and evidence of his espionage were found in that bastard Yang Ho-jan's office.”
“Th-that's impossible! Why on earth would my brother be a spy?!”
“I don't know the answer to that. But I do know this.”
The man, lying flat on his stomach, turned his head, his eyes widening in horror.
*Flutter, flutter.*
He had recognized the bundle of papers in my hand as the ledger detailing the people Yang Ho-jan had sold off.
“That he deserves to die. I had some time, so I took a peek. A significant number were sent to Qinghai and Gansu, weren't they? Isn't this enough proof?”
“What nonsense is this?! Wasn't it just a deal with slave traders? How can you call my brother a spy just because they were from Qinghai and Gansu?!”
“Oh? I haven't even mentioned what kind of deal it was, but you already know they were slave traders. Looks like you were involved too, huh?”
“...”
“Wow, a so-called scribe of the Military Affairs Department involved in the slave trade, which is forbidden in the fortress. You're an even bigger bastard than I thought.”
“...It's fabricated evidence! Bring my brother, bring my brother here. I need to know what happened.”
“Sorry, but that might be difficult.”
“...?”
“Your brother should be standing before King Yama right about now.”
“You... you damnable fiend! You killed him before his guilt was even proven!”
“And you sold people off because they couldn't repay some money. When you think about it, it's pretty much the same thing, isn't it?”
“...”
“Just wait a little. I'll send you to your precious brother's side soon enough.”
“Grrr!”
As I was continuing my... polite interrogation, Ga Rip returned.
He was briefly startled at the sight of the half-crippled Yang Ho-seon, but quickly composed himself and approached.
“Have you finished your report?”
“The Hall Master went to the Lord's Palace as soon as he confirmed the contents.”
*Mission complete.*
With this, I had succeeded in naturally alerting them to the danger looming over the Mount Hua branch.
And in the process, I even arranged a meeting with King Yama for the bad guys. A perfect one-shot, two-kill.
“Good work.”
“By the way, is this all right?”
“Don't worry. There's more than enough evidence that this man is a spy for the Ten Demon Alliance.”
*After all, the Two Immortals Gang should be breaking into his house right now to fabricate all sorts of evidence.*
“What kind of bullshit is that?! Me, a spy for the Ten Demon Alliance!”
“Oh? The little demon spawn can actually speak human words?”
*Crack. Thud thud.*
“Ugh! Gak!”
I kicked out all his teeth, and things finally quieted down a bit.
Looking at the twitching man, I thought.
*A man should live his life doing good deeds.*
*It's so rewarding.*
I should make a kill list and work my way through it whenever I have free time.
*Let's see...*
I've done everything I needed to do.
The higher-ups in the inner fortress will handle the rest.
*Phew, I can finally relax a little.*
You really shouldn't live with a burden on your conscience.
* * *
From the moment Bukgung Baek arrived at the Lord's Palace, the Nine Dragons Fortress was thrown into great turmoil.
It wasn't the fact that spies from the Ten Demon Alliance had infiltrated the fortress that was so shocking.
The Nine Dragons Fortress had planted its own spies among the Five Hegemons of the World, so it was only natural to expect the enemy to do the same.
The problem was the spies' identities: Yang Ho-jan, a man born and raised in the Nine Dragons Fortress who had amassed great wealth, and Yang Ho-seon, a first-class scribe in the Military Affairs Department.
The shock that men from the highest echelons of society—men who wanted for nothing... no, men who held both money and power—had committed such corruption struck the Nine Dragons Fortress hard.
In response, the Lord's Palace began to move swiftly.
The Disciplinary Corps, which oversees the fortress's personnel, feared there might be more traitors and thoroughly investigated anyone even slightly suspicious.
Dang Jun of the Green Dragon Hall, who had replaced Baek Ja-cheon as the new head of the Disciplinary Corps, handled the matter with veteran skill despite his recent appointment.
The Information Pavilion, responsible for intelligence, worked with the Red Dragon Hall to scrape together every last scrap of information and pass it on to the Disciplinary Corps and the Military Affairs Department.
But the busiest of all was the disgraced Military Affairs Department.
Under the command of the Grand Chancellor, they focused on synthesizing all available information to root out the spies.
In particular, the Military Affairs Department rooted out not only the spies within the fortress but also those positioned nearby.
As a result, a mass exodus of spies who had infiltrated the Nine Dragons Fortress began.
It was to be expected. The Dark Poison Corps and the Black Tiger Corps, two of the most formidable single fighting units in the world, were launching relentless attacks under the orders of the Military Affairs Department, leaving no path to survival.
This continued for seven days and nights.
Thinking things were more or less settled, the Grand Chancellor summoned the nine Hall Masters.
As Bukgung Baek's aide, I too was required to attend the meeting.
“...”
Due to the recent series of events, the atmosphere in the meeting hall was a mess.
If one had to assign blame, it could be said to lie with the Red Dragon Hall, which indirectly managed the Information Pavilion; the Grand Chancellor, head of the Military Affairs Department; and the Green Dragon Hall, which had produced the new head of the Disciplinary Corps.
However, no one dared to speak up.
You know what they say.
A small mistake is a weakness, but a painful one is a dragon's reverse scale.
No one, unless they were completely insane, would dare to point fingers in a situation like this...
“Things are a complete disaster, yet you all seem to be doing just fine.”
...So there is one.
At Bukgung Baek's single remark, several faces instantly soured.
*He really is insane.*
Every time I see him, I wonder how on earth this man survived his youth.
He couldn't have been born a supreme master, could he?
I don't know for sure, but I'm certain that mouth of his must have nearly gotten him killed several times.
In any case, in the instantly chilled meeting hall, a uniquely relaxed Bukgung Baek looked around and spoke.
“You've all let your guard down. Are you all just coasting through life with your heads in the clouds?”
*Gasp.*
Drool trickled from my agape mouth without me realizing it.
However, the situation didn't escalate to an extreme.
“At this rate, I wonder if a promise delayed another fifty years will ever be kept.”
At Bukgung Baek's cryptic remark, the atmosphere turned solemn.
I was curious what he meant, but it wasn't the right atmosphere to ask, so I quietly stared down at my feet and waited.
When there's nothing to do, zoning out is the best option.
As I waited, letting my imagination wander for a moment,
*Clank.*
The Lord of the Fortress opened the meeting hall door and appeared.
The absolute ruler of Sichuan, the Dark Poison Star King, Dang Cheong.
Famous for his sharp nature but for never showing his emotions, he appeared, for some reason, with a frown on his face.
At his appearance, the Hall Masters quickly rose and clasped their fists in salute.
“We greet the Lord of the Fortress!”
*Clasp.*
He nodded silently and took his seat, and the meeting began.
It started with nothing special.
Just a briefing on the events that had transpired so far.
The real discussion began when the contents of the deciphered text I had leaked were brought up.
“Seeing as the Ten Demon Alliance is targeting Mount Hua, I believe we must prepare.”
“How can they, being in the north, possibly target Mount Hua?”
“Is Tibet made of ocean? They can just bypass it, can't they?”
“Hah! Such short-sightedness. Do you think the Tibetan Kingdom is filled with fools? They know what kind of bastards the Ten Demon Alliance are. Does it make any sense for them to join hands?”
“Sun Tzu's Art of War says to be prepared for all contingencies. Why are we arguing like this when we could simply prepare in advance?”
“We'd have to send at least a thousand men. Is the Jade Emperor going to pay for their dispatch?”
*Rumble, rumble.*
Once the fire was lit, the meeting hall quickly turned into a noisy marketplace.
*Thrum.*
Dang Cheong lightly tapped the table, and the air resonated, filling the meeting hall.
“...”
In the instantly silenced atmosphere, he asked.
“Hall Master of the Red Dragon Hall, what is your assessment?”
“I urged our hall's warriors stationed in Tibet to investigate, but they have found no unusual signs.”
“No signs... Grand Chancellor, what are your thoughts?”
“It is either a ploy to throw the fortress into confusion with false information,”
The Grand Chancellor looked around at everyone and continued.
“or I believe they have struck a deal with Tibet. Otherwise, they would be unable to manage the supply lines all the way to Mount Hua.”
“...!”
Everyone in the meeting hall widened their eyes like startled rabbits.
It was only natural. If, as the Grand Chancellor said, the Ten Demon Alliance had joined hands with Tibet, the problem would become serious.
Although it is said to have declined now, Tibet was historically known as a great power.
As the saying goes, 'a rich family's wealth lasts three generations.' It's known they can mobilize a force of nearly fifty thousand.
If the Tibetan Blood-Demon Cult, once the greatest martial power in the region, hadn't been destroyed long ago, I would be preparing to leave the Nine Dragons Fortress immediately, even if it meant abandoning all my wealth.
Of course, it was still dangerous regardless, and a great sense of bewilderment was etched on the faces of the nine Hall Masters.
“There is no need to worry too much. If my prediction is correct, Tibet will not have committed troops, but merely lent them passage.”
“Can you be certain?”
“The Tibetan Kingdom has been at war with the Ten Demon Alliance for generations. They recently killed the current king's younger brother, so it would be absurd for the two to join hands.”
“But then, why would they grant them passage?”
“It's simple. They want the Ten Demon Alliance to fight our Nine Dragons Fortress and for both to be annihilated.”
As a man who had spent his entire life predicting the future based on scarce information, the Grand Chancellor once again presented a plausible hypothesis.
“Do you have a plan?”
The Grand Chancellor answered the Lord's question immediately.
“We will send warriors, but only a small number.”
“Why? Is this decision due to the cost?”
“Because the danger of a feint remains. If we dispatch a large number of warriors south to Mount Hua, Hanzhong in the north will be vulnerable.”
“...I see.”
“However, this small dispatch must consist only of the Nine Dragons Fortress's most elite forces. Should the Ten Demon Alliance pour all its strength into the south, they will have to buy time on their own until we can send the main force.”
After hearing the Grand Chancellor's full response, the Lord of the Fortress stood up.
“It seems a conclusion has been reached. What are your thoughts?”
“We will follow the Lord's command!”
The shout of the nine Hall Masters filled the meeting hall.
* * *
Following the Lord's directive and the Grand Chancellor's recommendation, each hall began to select warriors to dispatch to Mount Hua.
Of course.
*Except for us, that is.*
Our Outer Hall, considered a non-combat force, was excluded.
Wasn't it obvious?
While each hall was selecting only its top masters, the warriors of the Outer Hall, mostly second-rate fighters, would be useless if they went.
*I'm so proud.*
Not only did I discover the fortress's crisis early and allow them to prepare, but I also provided the impetus to root out all the spies and even cleaned up the trash that was sucking the lifeblood out of the outer fortress residents.
Isn't this what you call killing three birds with one stone?
On top of that.
*"Thanks to you, we were able to prepare for this crisis. I will reward you handsomely for this contribution later, so just wait."*
Just as the Grand Chancellor had said, a hefty reward was waiting for me, which was incredibly reassuring.
And so, as I was cheerfully passing the time at headquarters,
“No, I said I'm not going!”
“Your late Senior Martial Uncle took such good care of you, yet you would turn your back on Mount Hua in its time of crisis?!”
The Hall Master of the Black Dragon Hall had come to find me.
“This is driving me crazy. I'm the one who uncovered the crisis at Mount Hua.”
“They say there is beauty in seeing things through to the end. You started this, so it's only right that you finish it.”
“Have you no shame?”
“I'd rather be shameless than watch the sect's gates burn down a second time.”
“How much help could one person like me possibly be...”
“If you join, the Master of the Outer Hall has agreed to take command of the defense force.”
“...You're not taking command, Hall Master?”
The Hall Master of the Black Dragon Hall replied with a bitter smile.
“I've simply chosen the safer path.”
“But isn't the Great Pure Adept there?”
“I cannot speak of the details, but my master cannot leave the fortress.”
“What? What do you mean...”
“I'm asking you.”
Looking at the bowing Hall Master, I thought.
*So this is the weight of connection.*