Chapter 96
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: The Half-Complete Great Four-Way Battle
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"The Iron Golems that attacked the Righteous Heaven Alliance just a few days ago were completely smashed to pieces. Don't underestimate the Righteous Heaven Alliance. From what I can see, they're not all that different from the Martial Alliance."
If Yu Baek-sang had made that judgment, then it must be true. As befitting a merchant, Yu Baek-sang was skilled at appraising the value of any item. Be it a person or an organization, everything had a price tag in Yu Baek-sang's mind.
But even so, there had to be some difference from the Martial Alliance.
"Why not reach out to the Martial Alliance as well? They're going to have to fight the Demonic Alliance anyway, so you could probably pull them in without much cost."
"It's fine if the Martial Alliance fights on their own initiative. But the moment we come begging, we'll end up groveling at their feet. The Martial Alliance has ties to merchants' interests everywhere. One wrong move, and the Golden Alliance's trade networks could collapse. The Martial Alliance is too dangerous."
Geum Yu-hwa had no choice but to nod at those words. The countless families under the Martial Alliance dominated trade routes across the land. To the Golden Alliance, which spanned the world, they were no different from enemies. They couldn't afford to give them any leverage.
But the Righteous Heaven Alliance was different. Most of the sects under it had little to do with commerce. It was baffling how such a massive organization moved so naturally without those entanglements.
Yu Baek-sang was aiming for that very point. The Righteous Heaven Alliance was probably short on funds. If the Golden Alliance allied with them, they could scratch each other's itches.
Of course, let their guard down for a second, and they might get devoured—but it was still far better than the Martial Alliance. Begging the Martial Alliance would tear the Golden Alliance to shreds.
"Looks like they've arrived in Changsha."
Geum Yu-hwa peered out from the carriage and spoke. Yu Baek-sang took a deep breath, steeling his expression. The Golden Alliance's future would be decided by a few words in the coming meeting. From here on, they couldn't afford to relax even for a moment.
"The Demonic Alliance's momentum really is something else."
At Jegal Rin's words, the eyes of everyone gathered in the room turned to her. The group had spent most of their time cooped up in this inn room.
They had gathered in the largest room in the inn's rear courtyard, listening to rumors and information Jegal Rin gathered while each planned their next moves.
The people here had no choice but to face the Demonic Alliance sooner or later. Even without the Righteous Heaven Alliance's business, they would've done the same.
The Sword King had to fight the Demonic Alliance anyway. Though it stemmed from the Golden Alliance's scheme, it was as good as the Sword King who brought them down.
And if the Sword King fought, the Sword Demon would naturally join in. He needed to shed the shell of being from the Heavenly Demon Castle, and besides, he'd grown quite attached to the Sword King.
Tang Ho-gwan was already itching to unleash Heavenly Thunder near Dan Hyeong-u. Even without this, he'd have wheedled his way into any fight. This battle was the perfect chance to perfect Heavenly Thunder.
With Tang Ho-gwan in, Tang Mun-yeong joined naturally. And Jegal Rin and Umun Hye would participate no matter what, if only for Dan Hyeong-u.
Dan Hyeong-u tagged along to protect them all. They were all in the same boat, destined to clash with the Demonic Alliance.
Since a fight was inevitable, knowing the Demonic Alliance's movements in detail was crucial. And with Jegal Rin diligently gathering intel, it made things all too easy.
"Any new developments?"
"The Golden Alliance's headquarters fell. The alliance leader's dead, and only the young leader barely escaped."
At Jegal Rin's words, the Sword King looked worried.
"So it came to that after all."
Jegal Rin hurriedly continued, as if to say not to worry.
"The young leader's fiancée, Geum Yu-hwa, is safe too, so no need to fret."
"That's a relief."
The Sword King's expression softened slightly at her words. He'd spent quite some time with Geum Yu-hwa, after all. And if not for Dan Hyeong-u, he might not have protected her back then.
Recalling that incident brought a special fondness. Thanks to it, he'd met Dan Hyeong-u too.
"Still, the Golden Alliance isn't one to fall so easily. The Demonic Alliance must be stronger than we thought."
Tang Mun-yeong voiced her opinion. Jegal Rin nodded gravely in agreement.
"And get this—they didn't deploy a single Iron Golem in that fight. They recovered all the corpses intact. When they face us, they'll be even stronger."
The group was mildly shocked to hear not a single Iron Golem was used. It proved just how overwhelming the Demonic Alliance's power was. The Golden Alliance was no pushover. Money, wielded right, could outmatch any martial sect.
"Impressive."
"The real shocker is that the Golden Alliance has allied with the Righteous Heaven Alliance."
The group nodded solemnly at Jegal Rin's revelation. It wasn't entirely unexpected. The Golden Alliance would need power on that level.
"You've given wings to a tiger."
The Sword Demon muttered, hitting the nail on the head. His words weighed heavily on everyone's hearts—especially Jegal Rin, from the Martial Alliance. Even if the Righteous Heaven Alliance and Martial Alliance were both righteous factions, their paths diverged. They couldn't just join hands amicably.
From the Martial Alliance's view, the Golden Alliance gaining such might wasn't ideal. It would shake up their interests considerably. Worst case, righteous factions might clash over territory.
"Anyway, we just have to fight—that's easy enough, no?"
Jegal Rin nodded at the Sword King's words but couldn't suppress a sigh.
"What of the Martial Alliance?"
She fell silent at his question. It was hard to answer. The Martial Alliance was still watching events unfold. The Demonic Alliance had provoked them, but not severely. The Righteous Heaven Alliance had jumped in bigger.
The clash between Demonic Alliance and Righteous Heaven Alliance was all but set. No need for the Martial Alliance to stir.
But Jegal Rin found it frustrating. This was their fight too. The Sword King and Sword Demon were teaming up. And what of Tang Ho-gwan's Heavenly Thunder?
Plus Dan Hyeong-u. He might not join the fray actively, but he wouldn't stand by if his comrades were hurt. He'd be a huge asset.
This was a sure win. No matter how strong the Demonic Alliance, it wouldn't matter.
The Martial Alliance should act decisively without hesitation. But they weren't. It frustrated Jegal Rin to no end.
The Martial Alliance was vastly underestimating the power Dan Hyeong-u's group wielded.
Jegal Rin glanced at Dan Hyeong-u, the root of all this chaos. He stood there, posture and expression unchanged.
"Haa..."
A sigh escaped her lips—a desperate wish that the Martial Alliance would move before it was too late.
The Demonic Alliance's movements were straightforward. Easy to track and predict. They were heading straight for the Righteous Heaven Alliance.
The road from Soju to Changsha was no short jaunt. No reason for the Righteous Heaven Alliance to wait there passively. They could block a chokepoint for an ambush or set up in a favorable spot ahead of time.
The Demonic Alliance wasn't in its right mind. Their madness and obsession reached even the Righteous Heaven Alliance resting comfortably in Changsha.
Hordes of such lunatics swarming the city would spell disaster. No guarantee they'd only target the Righteous Heaven Alliance. Innocent cityfolk would suffer.
Iron Golems, uncontrolled, were little more than feral beasts. They rampaged indiscriminately in bloodlust. The powerless always fell first.
Thus, the Righteous Heaven Alliance had no choice but to march out and meet them. They'd have done the same even if the Demonic Alliance were sane. Waiting at home sapped momentum. Lose that, and victory slipped away.
Array formations could counter them, but the Demonic Alliance wasn't foolish enough to charge blindly. If they razed the surroundings instead, the Righteous Heaven Alliance would be in a bind. The reckless Demonic Alliance was fully capable of it.
In the end, the Righteous Heaven Alliance gathered most of its forces to intercept and battle midway.
And Dan Hyeong-u's group set off for Jiangxi in sync with their movements.
"Is it really okay to move this leisurely?"
Tang Mun-yeong asked anxiously. But Jegal Rin nodded firmly.
"This pace is plenty."
Even with Jegal Rin's confident reply, Tang Mun-yeong couldn't hide her unease. Their route diverged completely from the Righteous Heaven Alliance's.
And they'd started much later. Yet here they were, taking it slow. How could she not worry?
"Arriving after they've already clashed won't sit well with the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader."
The Sword King chimed in, unable to stand it. Jegal Rin scanned the group. Most shared Tang Mun-yeong and the Sword King's thoughts. Expressions were dour.
They were martial artists—masters, at that. Once resolved to fight, they preferred charging in boldly above all. Especially the Sword King, Sword Demon, and Tang Ho-gwan.
"No need to worry. We'll probably arrive first."
The Sword King's eyes gleamed at Jegal Rin's words.
"Did you exchange words with the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader separately?"
"Nothing like that. We just notified them we'd be moving independently."
Everyone knew they'd sent word ahead. So Jegal Rin must have some other plan.
Reading the burning curiosity on their faces, Jegal Rin continued with a helpless shrug.
"The Righteous Heaven Alliance will have to change course soon enough. Our path is the fastest way to meet the Demonic Alliance. Rush too much, and we might run into them alone."
Everyone's eyes widened simultaneously.
"What do you mean by that?"
"The Righteous Heaven Alliance took the wrong road. The Demonic Alliance can't go that way. They won't even be able to set up camp ahead."
The Sword King and all who cared even a little wore stunned expressions, like they'd been clubbed with a hammer.
"The Demonic Alliance now isn't the old one. They're using their heads. The Righteous Heaven Alliance? Not so much."
Jegal Rin added inwardly.
'Maybe they're deliberately letting themselves be fooled...'
That was probably spot on. The Righteous Heaven Alliance boasted formation experts rivaling the Jegal family.
If they had the pull for such formation masters, they'd surely have drawn in large-scale battle tacticians too. Sticking to the wrong path meant intent.
But most people didn't question it.
For some reason, the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader seemed to want a head-on clash without formations. It was a riddle Jegal Rin couldn't unravel.
Her grasp of Demonic Alliance movements came courtesy of the Martial Alliance and Jegal family's intel networks.
If the Righteous Heaven Alliance lacked that, fine—but they didn't. It screamed deliberate. And Jegal Rin judged their intel capabilities rivaled the Martial Alliance's.
"So we just follow you and trust your lead."
While Jegal Rin pondered alone, the Sword King summed it up. Spot on, of course. No one could deny her skills—especially her recent feats, which drew awe.
"Shall we pick up the pace a bit?"
With that, Jegal Rin leaped forward lightly. They'd walked leisurely till now, but it was time to speed up. Her target: southern Jiangxi, near Baekun Mountain. That would surely be the battlefield.
They needed to arrive neither too early nor too late. Ideally, right after the Righteous Heaven Alliance, just before the Demonic Alliance.
As Jegal Rin took off, the group followed. Yeom Hye-mi, yet to master lightness skill, rode in the Sword King's arms.
Dan Hyeong-u brought up the rear at a relaxed stroll. His gait was leisurely, but the distance to the group stayed constant. Eyes forward, yet his senses spread everywhere, automatically mapping terrain and threats.
His intent to protect them naturally guided his actions.
Unlike his first escort mission, where it'd been similar but crude, now he absorbed everything in his sensory range.
Dan Hyeong-u walked on, lips curling like a child spotting a new toy.