Chapter 53
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Reinforcements Arrive
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Family Head.
Thud.
A hollow sound, as if striking sand, devoid of any real impact.
Family Head!
He paid no mind to the voice calling his name.
Thwack.
Another empty sound followed. A series of meaningless punches continued, like fists being swallowed by a sandbag.
Despite hearing his title called several times, the man throwing the punches remained unfazed.
Simply.
Clad in not a single thread.
With each punch, a symphony of muscles rippled, a wave of sinew that culminated in a beautifully sculpted physique.
After some time, he seemed to reach his final punch, which was even weaker than the ones before it.
Your nagging robs my fists of their strength, Am.
The owner of the body, a work of art in itself, slowly exhaled and finally turned around.
...I heard the signal flare.
Is that so. Has the time come?
As if he had been waiting, Hwangbo Am, who was reporting to the Family Head, bowed his head.
...Twenty from the Thunderbolt Corps and four from the Five Tiger Great Fist Army have been mobilized.
The Five Tiger Great Fist Army.
And the Thunderbolt Corps.
These were the forces that represented the Hwangbo Family, a power composed of their most distinguished members.
The Five Tiger Great Fist Army, in particular, consisted of:
Hwangbo Jung, the Sky-Shaking Fist and head of the Hwangbo Family.
Hwangbo Gyeom, the Thunderbolt Fist.
Hwangbo Sang, the Dragon-Tiger Fist.
Hwangbo Yeop, the Shattering Fist.
Hwangbo Hyeon, the Ivory Fist.
They were the very definition of Shandong, the very core of the Hwangbo.
They were, without a doubt, the five strongest warriors of the Hwangbo Family. That four of them had been mobilized meant this was a matter of grave importance.
Hwangbo Am, who had been reporting, held up a fine silk garment. The head of the Hwangbo Family, Hwangbo Jung, turned and took a few steps forward, draping it over his shoulders.
At that moment.
Crumble.
The twenty-eight faint traces left in the air by his seemingly feeble punches suddenly
CRACK! KABOOM!
With a tremendous roar, the training grounds used by generations of family heads were utterly devastated. The sight made one swallow hard.
The opponent is.
The Iron-Blood Sword Saint.
Indeed. It would have to be the Sword Saint for Gyeom to use the signal flare. Still, it is surprising. That that spirited child, Gyeom, would swallow his pride and call for aid.
Hwangbo Jung spoke of Hwangbo Gyeom, a fellow member of the Five Tiger Great Fist Army, as if he were a child. Hearing this, Hwangbo Am tensed and began to speak.
...Family Head.
Speak your mind, Am.
This could become a problem.
What kind of problem are you referring to?
Gyeom's rash decision could complicate matters unnecessarily. It could disrupt our, the Hwangbo's, hundred-year plan.
A hundred-year plan.
The hundred-year plan Hwangbo Am spoke of.
It was the best course of action the Hwangbo Family had chosen for the next generation.
For this, many in the Hwangbo Family had endured great bitterness. They had held on and persevered.
Looking at Hwangbo Am, Hwangbo Jung reached out and patted his shoulder.
Do you still not understand Gyeom? That child is extremely conservative when it comes to threats against the Hwangbo Family. The fact that he used the signal flare means there was a threat that surpassed his expectations. For instance, the Iron-Blood Sword Saints martial prowess far exceeded our estimations, or he saw something that could shatter our hundred-year plan.
Something that could shatter our hundred-year plan?
That was impossible. Not after all the humiliation the Hwangbo Family had endured to prepare this grand scheme.
There was nothing that could derail it. All the leaders of the Hwangbo Family were mobilized, moving swiftly, their actions interlocking like clockwork.
Am, Am. The world you see is not all there is. What do you see when you look at me?
At those words, Hwangbo Am lifted his head and looked at Hwangbo Jung.
What was Hwangbo Jung like?
A giant, a great mountain, an unbreachable, colossal rock.
Is that so. You see me as being that great.
Of course.
I thank you. However.
As Hwangbo Jung adjusted his clothes, he loosened the front and pointed with his finger. Hwangbo Ams eyes followed his gesture.
The world is a wide place.
A long scar from a sword ran from his right shoulder down to his left side.
When the seat of power among the Six Great Families was being contested, my fighting spirit overflowed. At the time, I had no doubt I could defeat anyone.
However.
A blue lightning strike shattered my fist and instantly carved this wound into me. The memory of that azure sky sword still shimmers before my eyes.
After that, he had gritted his teeth and trained day after day. For Hwangbo Jung, it was the greatest epiphany of his life, and not a day had passed since that he had not forgotten to move with purpose.
Was it not because of this that the Hwangbo Family had also transformed?
Gyeom must have seen it. Someone who threatens the next generation, our hundred-year plan. And he realized that unless that someone is eliminated, the hundred-year plan is meaningless.
Hwangbo Am found Hwangbo Jungs words hard to believe, but how could he argue?
As far as he knew, Hwangbo Jungs word was absolute.
However, he is a Sword Saint.
Two of the Five Tiger Great Fist Army would be an even match, three would guarantee victory, and four would ensure his death.
Such a concentration of force will create a vacuum on the Hwangbo Family's other fronts.
Who would dare to raise a hand against the Hwangbo Family? Even if some branch members of the Namgung attack, we can simply wipe them all out.
Even if it led to a war with the Namgung Family, it didn't matter. If the Sword Saint was eliminated, a war with the Namgung was a price they were willing to pay.
At least here in Shandong, no one could raise a blade against the Hwangbo Family.
Family Head!
That was what he believed, until he heard someones urgent voice.
To reach ones limit.
It meant struggling against the exhaustion and helplessness that seeped into every fiber of ones being.
Hah! Hah!
Even exhaling was agonizing. He gritted his teeth against the blinding sky. It had been a long time since they had set out at dawn; now, the sun was rising, and it was becoming broad daylight.
He had to lower his head, feeling the hostility and killing intent radiating from all directions. They still hadnt escaped.
Despite it all, Yangsanpa simply tightened his grip on the Great Young Lord, who was on his back.
The one truly teetering on the edge of life and death was not him.
...Just a few more steps back.
It was someone else. A figure, so disheveled he barely looked human, was using his sword, plunged into the ground, just to support his body.
He said they were almost there, that they just needed to retreat a little further. Yangsanpa took another step or two back from the standoff.
Even so, a sense of awe filled Yangsanpa's eyes.
The Iron-Blood Sword Saint, An Baek. Yangsanpa had vividly witnessed his feats along the way. Looking like a demon, he was breathing irregularly, yet he had cut down a third of the twenty men in armored gauntlets and faced the monsters of the Hwangbo Family without a single step back. Thanks to him, Yangsanpa had come this far with only exhaustion and not a single wound.
For six whole sijin. For twelve hours, the Iron-Blood Sword Saint, An Baek, had fought them, displaying a performance that transcended human limits.
Move back a little more. Slowly.
Heeding his quiet words, Yangsanpa was carefully stepping backward when
Truly incredible. As expected of a Sword Saint. I can hardly believe it.
The monster from the Hwangbo Family, who had been directing the assault with a ghastly presence despite his pale complexion, bared his teeth.
You would be deserving of the title Sword King, not just Sword Saint.
A genuine admiration for the warrior known as the Iron-Blood Sword Saint, An Baek, filled the air.
Sword King.
It was a moment when anyone else would have been humbled by such praise.
Do not cross the line.
With a trembling hand, An Baek raised the tip of his sword, his breath ragged and dry.
Hoo, Sword Saint.
Hwangbo Gyeom clenched and unclenched his fists, watching An Baeks pitiful state.
Its a shame, but what can you do now? Other than accept death. If you do, I and the rest of the Hwangbo Family will honor the Sword Saints name for ages to come.
At those words, An Baeks gaze fell on Yangsanpa. His disheveled hair fluttered for a moment.
Go further. Twenty more steps.
His voice was barely audible, meant only for Yangsanpa.
...What about you?
Dont worry. Just go.
The moment he saw the look in An Baeks eyes, Yangsanpa turned.
Yes, those were not the eyes of a man who wanted to die.
Then I will do what I can.
Yangsanpa turned and began to run. Watching him, Hwangbo Gyeoms lips curled into a smirk.
Still intend to play tag? In that state?
He shook his head and gestured to the Thunderbolt Corps. He couldn't move from his standoff with the Sword Saint. He raised his guard, just in case.
An Baeks presence was still so potent that a careless move could cost him a limb.
It wont change anything.
Three or four members of the Thunderbolt Corps began to pursue Yangsanpa, keeping a wary eye on An Baek. They wanted to crush them in an instant, but the memory of their comrades dying by An Baeks sword just moments ago made them hesitate.
However.
As Yangsanpa ran and the Thunderbolt Corps members slowly closed the distance, An Baek remained motionless. The suspicion in their eyes turned to surprise.
His strength was gone.
Stop right there!
If so, there was nothing to fear. They would shatter the young mans spinethe Namgung's Great Young Lordand send his head flying.
At the shout from the Thunderbolt Corps, Yangsanpa, gasping for breath, yelled out.
Hah! Hah! Were almost there! Twenty steps! Weve made it! So!
What did he mean, theyd made it?
Come out already!
As he screamed, Yangsanpa and the young lord tumbled to the ground. The members of the Thunderbolt Corps sneered. They gathered their internal energy and thrust their fists toward the two.
Or rather, they were about to.
Slice!
The right shoulder of a Thunderbolt Corps member, still in its armored gauntlet, flew into the air. As if that wasn't enough, the white sword energy cleaved the man in two.
We have waited a long time. For you to enter Namgung territory.
A shadow slowly emerged.
It was the White Fang Sword, Namgung Seok, and beside him, Namgung Han appeared.
Protect the Great Young Lord and Great Warrior An.
One hundred and fifty Namgung warriors formed a tight circle around the panting An Baek and the fallen Great Young Lord.
At the same time, hundreds of soldiers appeared behind the stunned Hwangbo Gyeom and the other Hwangbo members, cutting off their retreat.
Im-Imperial soldiers?!
Seeing the Asura Corps appear, breaking the pact of non-interference between the government and the martial world, Hwangbo Gyeom couldn't help but swallow hard.
Imperial soldiers intermingled with the warriors of the Namgung Family.
It was something that should never have happened in any era.
What in the world was going on?