Chapter 49: Poison Demon, Jegal-hwi-4
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49: Poison Demon, Jegal-hwi-4
As soon as the Chief Steward finished speaking, Maebwa tucked Yeonhwa and me under her arms and took to the sky.
"Whoa!"
"Eek!"
Yeonhwa and I both let out yelps at the sudden ascent.
"Forgive me, Young Sect Leader. I had to take liberties with your person for your safety," Maebwa said, her voice cutting through the cold wind.
"What is happening?" I asked.
The biting wind whipped past my ears, making my own voice sound distant.
"It seems someone has infiltrated the Cult." Maebwa glanced back over her shoulder before answering.
"Is there really someone bold enough to attack the Black Sky Cult?"
"I am not certain. The Sect Leader should have crushed most of the Murim forces already. It may be an elite force from the Orthodox Sects."
How could the Chief Steward’s defensive formation be breached? It’s never happened before.
Maebwa muttered under her breath, perhaps thinking I would be panicked. Though she tried to hide it, I could feel her own agitation clearly.
"Why isn't the Chief Steward following us?"
"He will follow shortly. He is buying time to stall the intruders."
I hoped he would be alright. Could a man with such a frail constitution really hold people back? Anxiety gnawed at me.
Maebwa continued her flight until we reached the heart of the Black Sky Cult.
As she cleared the outer walls, she let out a sharp cry. In response, every cultist remaining on the grounds drew their weapons and fell into formation. I had assumed they were merely low-level workers handling chores, but it seemed they all possessed some level of martial skill.
Passing the groups as they took their assigned positions, Maebwa guided me toward the Palace of Sacrifice.
"You must stay here."
We passed my bedroom and reached the end of the hallway. Maebwa pulled back a rug on the floor and opened a door.
Creeeak.
It was a secret trapdoor leading downward.
Maebwa handed a lantern to Yeonhwa. "You must protect the Young Sect Leader. Do you understand?"
"Yes! I’ll protect him no matter what!"
Despite the sudden chaos, Yeonhwa nodded firmly, repeating the vow as if to steady her own trembling hands. I felt a twinge of embarrassment at being protected by a mere child.
"Young Sect Leader, you must not come out for any reason."
The door closed, and we began to move slowly through the darkness, the lantern illuminating our path. After a short passage, we emerged into a moderately sized cavern. It felt like a small basement by modern standards. It was furnished well enough to look like a room, but my first impression upon entering was immediate.
"It’s a shelter."
"Pardon?"
"It’s nothing."
A shelter built to hide important figures. It looked like we would have to stay here until the situation was resolved.
"Young Sect Leader, please don't worry too much. The people of the Black Sky Cult are all very strong," Yeonhwa said, trying her best to reassure me.
Her legs were shaking—she was clearly terrified herself—but the fact that she was trying to comfort me was quite endearing.
"Right. That makes me feel much better."
I sat down in a chair, stroking Yeonhwa’s hair. I prayed that this would end without anyone getting hurt.
*
After Maebwa left with the Young Sect Leader and Yeonhwa, Chief Steward Jegal-hwi stood frozen in place, listening to the sounds echoing from the mountain.
Tinkle.
Tinkle.
The sound of bells drifted from the distance.
The ringing grew louder, bit by bit. The Chief Steward sensed the minute change in volume. He had hoped it was merely a lost herb gatherer, but that hope proved futile.
"We have faced many attacks, but this is the first time anyone has made it this far."
The Chief Steward pulled a dagger from his sleeve and pressed the blade against his palm.
Slice.
With a gruesome sensation, a deep gash opened across his palm, and blood began to well up. He turned his hand downward, letting the blood drip onto the earth.
With every drop that fell, the surrounding vegetation withered, and a violet mist began to rise.
"The defensive formations have all been bypassed, then."
As the sound of the bells ceased, the Chief Steward drew upon the internal energy in his Dantian.
Suddenly, someone burst through the brush, swinging a sword down toward his head. The Chief Steward parried the blow with a fluid motion and seized the attacker by the throat.
"Gah...!"
The intruder thrashed as his throat was crushed, but the Chief Steward’s fingernails dug in faster. In an instant, the intruder’s face turned blue; he foamed at the mouth and went limp.
"That makes... nineteen. No, twenty."
There were twenty-one intruders in total.
Nineteen of them appeared to be at the early stages of the Supreme Peak realm.
And then...
"Is that one not coming?"
There was one individual whose strength he could not even begin to fathom.
The Chief Steward swallowed hard.
"It is a relief they aren't attacking all at once, but..."
He deflected another ambush and drove his arm into the second attacker's abdomen, his voice laced with concern. He carefully examined the clothing of the fallen man.
"The Blue Dragon Corps... Are they mocking the Cult, or do they have another scheme?"
They were a martial unit of the Murim Alliance. While a tier below the White Tiger Corps, they were still a respected organization. To even scratch the Black Sky Cult, one would normally need the White Tiger Corps and the heads of the prestigious Great Families. This attack seemed reckless.
"Could it be... they realized the Sect Leader is absent?"
If so, it would make sense for them to attack, viewing the Cult as weakened. However, unfortunately for them, the Black Sky Cult was not so fragile that it would fall easily even without the Heavenly Demon.
The Chief Steward turned and ran back toward the Cult.
He had already planted poison in two of them. The followers behind would be stalled by the poison mist created when the toxin reacted with the blood of the corpses.
It would buy him a little time. If he joined the prepared forces and organized the defense, they could hold them off.
However, only one thing weighed on his mind.
It was the person leading these twenty members of the Blue Dragon Corps.
No matter what, I will stop the enemy. That is my duty.
Pushing down the creeping sense of dread, the Chief Steward returned to the Black Sky Cult. The cultists, already armed and gathered, greeted him.
"You've returned?" the head of security asked, bowing low.
"Yes. Is everything prepared?"
"Yes. Every gate is manned by a squad. The defensive formations you prepared are also active."
"Normally, we would rely on the formations to intercept the enemy, but assume they don't exist this time. They’ve already bypassed the mountain's formations; the ones here won't be much different."
"Understood, sir."
"There are eighteen at the early Supreme Peak realm. And one person leading them."
"I will inform the squads. May I ask what the level of that leader is?"
"...It was a realm I could not measure. Likely a hidden master the Murim Alliance has been keeping in reserve."
"I see."
"I cannot say for certain, but..."
The Chief Steward knit his brows, as if loath to admit it.
"That person's realm is similar to the Sect Leader's."