Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Reverse Scale (1)
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The screams drew rapidly closer.
Those who had halted their transactions to observe the situation witnessed something utterly beyond common sense.
Behind a mob fleeing in terror, as if chased by a demon horde, a man of colossal build emerged.
With every swing of his fist, a body burst apart. Not merely limbs snapping, but pulverized in gruesome explosions like bursting gunpowder. The spectacle was so horrifying and nightmarish that even Gu Cheonmyeong was struck speechless.
"Doesn't look like the Ha Hu Clan."
Gu Cheonmyeong stated it with conviction.
Yu Wol nodded heavily in agreement.
It stood to reason. No matter how blinded by vengeance an upright, prestigious clan like the Ha Hu might be, resorting to such barbaric brutality would be an unbearable loss of face.
"Y-Young Master."
The leader of the Water God Guards, Chang Wi, approached with a rigidly tense face.
Even Gu Cheonmyeong's expression, sensing the ominous shift in the air, grew taut with tension.
"What's going on?"
"I-It’s the Diamond Yaksha."
"Diamond... Yaksha? What are you..."
Gu Cheonmyeong was about to chide him for spouting nonsense at such a critical moment when he suddenly clamped his mouth shut. His face twisted in shock as he asked,
"You mean the Diamond Yaksha we know?"
His voice trembled involuntarily.
"Yes. No doubt about it."
"Why the hell is that monster here?"
Chang Wi had no chance to reply. Even Cheol Woo's arrival was shocking enough, but the moment they recognized the man striding behind him, their minds went utterly blank.
"D-Divine Demon Division Leader!"
"The Sword of the Demonic Path!"
Gasps of horror erupted simultaneously from the Water God Guards upon spotting Sima Geon.
"W-Why are they showing up here?"
Gu Jong cried out in disbelief. Gu Cheonmyeong swallowed hard; he'd never seen his uncle so rattled.
I Ja-gon tugged lightly at Yu Wol's sleeve.
"The atmosphere's turning ugly. We should slip away now."
Yu Wol couldn't respond. His gaze was already locked on Cheol Woo and Sima Geon, exuding monstrous power.
His hand had instinctively gripped his sword hilt, slick with sweat in that brief instant.
"Deputy Leader!"
I Ja-gon shook Yu Wol's arm. Snapping back to reality, Yu Wol heard I Ja-gon's urgent whisper.
"We need to get out of here."
"You're right."
Sensing the overwhelming pressure from Cheol Woo and Sima Geon, Yu Wol didn't hesitate.
The thought of aiding the Red Dragon Gang didn't even cross his mind. He immediately signaled his men to retreat and bolted in the opposite direction.
They weren't the only ones. The slave traders, detecting the dire mood, scattered in all directions. But Sima Geon and his group had no intention of letting them escape easily.
Ha Hu Yeon and Thunderbolt Sword began dancing their blades in a frenzy.
The warriors hired by the slave traders numbered plenty, but few could withstand their swords.
Sima Geon was unleashing in earnest as well. Each time his sword left his hand, over a dozen lives vanished into nothingness.
Their overwhelming might, against which no resistance or counterattack was even conceivable, inspired pure dread.
The Crimson Blood Squad tasked with blocking Cheol Woo fared even worse.
Though individually superior to the slave traders' hired thugs, they meant nothing to a supreme expert like Cheol Woo.
In the blink of an eye, more than half had lost their lives.
"Y-Young Master!"
Naham floundered helplessly as his men crumpled like swept straw bundles.
Primarily operating at sea for Red Dragon Gang revenue, he'd never faced Cheol Woo directly. But he knew the rumors surrounding the Diamond Yaksha all too well.
The gap between hearsay and harsh reality was like heaven and earth.
When the nightmare he'd vaguely imagined materialized before him, the terror defied words.
"Order a retreat, now."
As Gu Cheonmyeong hesitated, Gu Jong, deeming it hopeless for the Crimson Blood Squad, swiftly issued the command.
"Fall back! Clear out, fast!"
Desperate to save even one more subordinate, Naham screamed hoarsely.
"Young Master, what are your orders?"
Chang Wi asked, his face etched with strain.
"What can I do? We don't even know what they want or why they're here."
Gu Cheonmyeong shook his head in frustration.
Chang Wi glanced at his equally tense comrades. With them, no foe had ever daunted him before—but these monsters were on another level entirely.
"Don't lose your nerve. Whatever happens, we'll handle it."
He feigned calm, but Gu Cheonmyeong's insides burned; tales of Sima Geon and Cheol Woo's exploits had grated in his ears endlessly.
Of all the damn timing.
Gu Cheonmyeong bit his lip, eyeing the palanquin.
That girl inside had to be secured at any cost. His youngest sibling's life and the Red Dragon Gang's future hung in the balance.
"I'll handle this. Don't do anything rash."
Warning Gu Cheonmyeong not to act impulsively, Gu Jong stepped forward.
"Well, if it isn't Gu Senior of the Red Dragon Gang?"
Recognizing Gu Jong, Cheol Woo waved casually, as if greeting an old acquaintance.
Gu Jong showed no reaction.
He could sense the killing intent gleaming in those smiling eyes.
"Long time no see, Cheol Woo."
Steadying his quaking heart, Gu Jong strove to maintain composure.
"These guys your Red Dragon Gang rabble?"
Cheol Woo glanced at the Crimson Blood Squad cowering in fright.
"They're under the Red Dragon Gang, yes."
"The Red Dragon Gang's scraping the bottom of the barrel now? Quite the letdown."
Humiliating barbs boiled rage from Naham's gut, but he dared not step up. He merely clenched his fists.
"Don't underestimate them. They're no match for the Divine Demon Division elites, but they've done plenty for the main gang."
"Plenty? Oh, you mean pillaging and slave-trading? How proud you must be. Never dreamed the mighty Red Dragon Gang stooped to such filthy back-alley scum work."
Gu Jong held his reaction in check despite Cheol Woo's blatant sneer, but Gu Cheonmyeong couldn't.
"That's too far. We've heard of your renown, but surely some decorum is in order."
Gu Cheonmyeong stepped forward, shouting.
"Decorum? Bullshit."
Cheol Woo fixed Gu Cheonmyeong with a chilling glare.
"And who the hell are you?"
Overpowered by the savage aura crashing over him, Gu Cheonmyeong forced a steady expression and introduced himself.
"Gu Cheonmyeong."
"Gu Cheonmyeong?"
Cheol Woo tilted his head, appraising him.
He sensed a refined energy worlds apart from the Crimson Blood Squad he'd just obliterated. A formidable expert, yet the name rang no bells. Then—
"It's that palanquin over there."
A sharp whoosh pierced the air alongside an urgent voice.
"Watch out!"
With Gu Jong's shout, the Water God Guards encircled Gu Cheonmyeong, bracing for attack.
The sword rocketing in at terrifying speed didn't target Gu Cheonmyeong—but the palanquin guarded by the Crimson Blood Squad.
"Argh!"
The Crimson Blood Squad members shielding it collapsed, chests pierced by the flying blade.
Sima Geon retrieved the sword as it elegantly arced back, then advanced slowly.
Over twenty Crimson Blood Squad remnants still surrounded it, yet none dared move.
At Sima Geon's side walked Manchu, alongside a Beggar Clan informant who'd infiltrated Sungmyeong Island early.
Mingled among the slave traders, the informant had covertly monitored the Hongik Gang-Red Dragon Gang deal. Upon Manchu's arrival in Sungmyeong Island, he'd relayed that the Hongik Gang's trade partner was the Red Dragon Gang—and the item was a palanquin.
Did they track the girl inside the palanquin here?
From the moment Sima Geon hurled his sword and headed for the palanquin, Gu Jong sensed disaster. His face drained of color.
Anyone harboring enmity toward the Heavenly Demon Cult knew most Divine Demon Division members—including their leader—had been sold as child slaves and trained in Black Dragon Valley.
Their ill will toward slave traders was natural, and Gu Jong had assumed Sima Geon and Cheol Woo's sudden appearance in Sungmyeong Island stemmed from settling that grudge.
He'd guessed wrong. Catastrophically so.
"Long time no see, Divine Demon Division Leader."
Gu Jong forced an awkward smile in greeting.
Sima Geon didn't even glance his way as he tremblingly opened the palanquin door.
Seeing Sima Jin lying motionless inside, his blood ran cold.
Suppressing rising dread, he reached out to check her pulse.
A slow but steady beat. He'd spotted the acupoint seal immediately.
Confirming she was merely asleep, Sima Geon's expression eased slightly.
"Jin-ah."
Lifting Sima Jin into his arms, Sima Geon gently brushed aside the hair veiling her face and caressed her forehead.
In the deathly hush, he gazed at her for a long moment before beckoning Cheol Woo.
Cheol Woo rushed over and peered at the unconscious Sima Jin.
"She's okay?"
"Yeah. Just sleeping."
"Phew! What a relief."
Cheol Woo exhaled in genuine delight.
"Jin-ah, big brother’s here."
"She won't hear you. They sealed her acupoints."
"Then wake her up. Gotta make sure nothing's wrong."
Sima Geon waved off Cheol Woo, who fussed as if ready to act.
"Leave her be."
"Why?"
"No need to expose her to this mess when she's already exhausted. We can wake her once everything's sorted."
"Fair enough."
Cheol Woo nodded understandingly. Sima Geon carefully laid Sima Jin down and rose.
"Guard her."
"Huh?"
Ignoring Cheol Woo's startled query, Sima Geon turned and walked slowly toward Gu Jong.
"Long time no see, Senior."
"Indeed. Back when we clashed with the Jeok Yeom Clan, it must've been four years."
"Something like that."
Sima Geon's demeanor seemed milder than expected, but Gu Jong remained on edge.
"Heard there was some excitement at the Heavenly Demon Cult. Looks like the Red Dragon Gang dodged any real trouble."
"Most of us did. It all happened in a flash—no chance to get swept up. Of course, with you there, it wouldn't have wrapped up so neatly."
"You're overestimating me."
"Not an overestimate—it's the truth. That's why I'm shaking like this."
Gu Jong flashed a wry smile, displaying his sweat-slicked palms.
"Never imagined running into you here."
"Same. Mind if I ask what brings you to a place like this?"
Gu Jong's gaze flicked to Gu Cheonmyeong at Sima Geon's question.
"Inspecting the outfits under the main gang's banner with my nephew on the way back. Happened to pass through here."
As their eyes turned to him, Gu Cheonmyeong bowed politely, without groveling.
"Gu Cheonmyeong."
A cold smile curled Sima Geon's lips as he regarded him impassively.
"'Happened to pass through.' How unfortunate."
Seeing that smile, Gu Jong felt his heart plummet.
"We truly had no intentions."
"Intentional or not, it doesn't matter. What counts is we crossed paths right here—right when I came for that girl."
"May I ask who she is?"
Gu Jong inquired as cautiously as possible.
"My sister. Haven't seen her in thirteen years."
At "sister," Gu Jong's eyes squeezed shut.
He'd half-suspected from the tender way he'd handled the girl in the palanquin, but confirmation left him speechless.
The tale of the Demonic Path's supreme, Divine Demon Division Leader Sima Geon forsaking glory to leave the Heavenly Demon Cult in search of long-lost family had been quite the sensation. And they'd gone and touched that family.
The reverse scale. It was the absolute worst scenario imaginable.