Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Please Meet the Alliance Lord!
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‘My god! Forty-eight star swords!’
Even Pan Ha-rin's own master could only produce a maximum of twenty-four sword lights.
An Do-pil and the branch members were so shocked by the sight that their mouths hung open.
“Ah…”
“I-Incredible…”
The forty-eight star swords transformed into beams of light, raining down on Pan Ha-rin from above and all sides.
*Swoooosh!*
It was a beautiful sight, like forty-eight meteors streaking across the night sky.
Pan Ha-rin turned pale, not daring to even think about how to counter it.
‘Pan Ha-rin! Snap out of it! You'll die at this rate!’
Her eyes widened as she spun in place, quickly assessing the situation.
Fortunately, the forty-eight sword lights weren't all coming at her at once.
So she decided to dodge and block the nearest ones first.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
“Aah!”
The force was so immense that when her sword met the beams, her grip tore and her hands started to bleed.
Not only that, but the beams she couldn't fully dodge tore her clothes in several places.
Her hair, which had been tied up like a man's, came undone and flowed freely.
It was a miracle she hadn't been struck by any of the sword lights amid the pandemonium.
But she couldn't stop. The beams kept coming.
*Swoooosh!*
Pan Ha-rin rolled on the ground, swinging her sword with all her might.
*Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Swish!*
*Clang! Cla-clang!*
“Hngh!”
Instead of rushing in all at once, the sword lights poured down at a rate that she could barely defend against, forcing her to dodge and swing her sword with every ounce of her strength.
Of course, I was doing this on purpose to toy with her. If all forty-eight had come at once, she would have been diced to pieces.
“Hah… hah… hah… hah!”
Pan Ha-rin collapsed to the ground, her clothes torn to shreds, revealing glimpses of her skin. Her hair was a mess as she gasped for breath.
Half of the sword lights still remained, continuing to rain down.
But even in this desperate situation, she didn't want to ask her subordinates for help. No, they couldn't help her even if they tried.
*Swoooosh!*
Pan Ha-rin was exhausted, but the sword lights filled the air and began to pour down again.
‘Hah… hah… I feel like I'm going to die from exhaustion…’
She remained seated on the ground, staring blankly at the beams raining down on her.
*Whoooosh!*
The sword lights plunged into the ground in a circle, surrounding Pan Ha-rin.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!*
Pan Ha-rin was covered in dirt, but she was unharmed.
The last attack was an act of mercy on my part.
I stopped my attack and spoke quietly.
“So?”
Pan Ha-rin, still sitting on the ground, lifted her head and looked at me.
She seemed to have much to say, her lips moving, but no words came out.
However, her complicated gaze was a mixture of surprise, despair, and anger.
She slowly stood up, stared at me blankly, and said bitterly.
“…I lost.”
It wasn't just a loss; it was a complete and utter defeat. There was no room for excuses.
This was the first time she had ever lost a fight, and the first time she had admitted defeat with her own lips.
“Come here.”
Pan Ha-rin looked at me as if asking why.
“You have to take a hit.”
“Ah…”
Pan Ha-rin's expression turned miserable. Earlier, she had said I wouldn't get a chance to hit her because she was going to kill me. So I had told her I would hit her if she failed.
Pan Ha-rin hadn't killed me. So she had to take the hit.
While she had declared she would kill me, I had shown her mercy and spared her.
If she didn't even follow through on taking the hit, Pan Ha-rin wouldn't be able to face her subordinates.
The twelve Sword Demon masters hadn't moved from their spots, even when Pan Ha-rin was in peril.
This meant they followed their superior's orders well, knowing that interfering would not be helping Pan Ha-rin but rather shaming her and hindering her path in the demonic arts. They were truly well-trained demonic masters.
“Should I come to you?”
“Hmph!”
With a deep frown and a groan, Pan Ha-rin strode toward me and stopped at a suitable distance to be struck, facing me.
Her clothes were tattered, and with her long, luscious black hair revealed, she looked undeniably like a woman.
She closed her eyes with a look of resignation.
“Hit me.”
The Sword Demon masters wore complex expressions, while An Do-pil and the branch members watched with fascination.
I stared at Pan Ha-rin in silence, but I couldn't bring myself to hit a woman's chest.
No, it wasn't just her chest. She was just a small girl; there was no part of her I could bring myself to strike.
Pan Ha-rin opened her eyes and said demandingly.
“Hurry up and hit me.”
I waved my hand as if shooing a fly.
“Just go, girl.”
“Why aren't you hitting me?”
Pan Ha-rin didn't react to being called a girl. She had accepted the fact that she was a woman.
“If I hit you, you'll die instantly.”
“…”
“Do you want to die?”
“…”
Pan Ha-rin couldn't say anything, her lips just trembled. It wasn't a bluff; if my fist landed squarely on her chest, she would really die.
Hadn't she just experienced firsthand what a terrifying being I was?
But a promise was a promise, and her petty pride stirred.
“I don't care. Just hit me.”
“Go when I tell you to.”
*Slap!*
Pan Ha-rin suddenly slapped my cheek. It stung. I had let my guard down; I could have been in big trouble. If she had used a killing technique with malicious intent, I would have been helpless.
“Hah!”
“Now this is a crime worthy of death, isn't it? Hurry up and hit me.”
This girl was truly a bundle of stubbornness and pride.
I saw tears welling up in Pan Ha-rin's eyes. Her pride had been deeply wounded.
Pan Ha-rin closed her eyes again.
“Well! Hurry up and hit me.”
I ignored her words and walked past her.
“You bastard! Die!”
*Whoosh!*
Pan Ha-rin threw a punch at my back.
But I could tell from the sound alone that there was no internal energy in it. She was trying to provoke me into hitting her.
What a hopeless girl.
I spun around and lightly grabbed Pan Ha-rin's arm.
“Eek! Let go! Can't you let go?”
I spanked her struggling bottom.
*Smack!*
“Don't mess around.”
“Ah!”
I let go of her arm.
“Go before I get really angry.”
Pan Ha-rin held her bottom with both hands and glared at me fiercely without a word.
I walked toward the dining hall.
“Let's eat!”
We had left in the middle of our meal.
***
Everyone resumed their meal.
An Do-pil explained about me to the branch members.
“As you all well know, this man is more than qualified for the position of Grand Branch Master!”
If anyone had dared to object, they probably would have been beaten to death by the other members.
All the branch members looked at me with respect. Beneath that respect, a thin layer of fear was spread like ice.
Seo Seung-taek straightened his back and spoke politely.
“Um… Grand Branch Master.”
“Speak.”
The team member, Seo Seung-taek, asked the question on everyone's mind.
“Why are you here?”
An Do-pil answered.
“The Grand Branch Master has lost his memories, hasn't he!”
“Ah!”
The branch members remembered what they had briefly forgotten and showed expressions of complete understanding.
I put down my chopsticks.
“I will serve as both Grand Branch Master and Team 3 Leader.”
No one objected.
“And from today on, Yang-rim is a member of Team 3.”
Yang-rim, who was standing near the entrance with his hands clasped in front of him, looked at me in surprise.
I gave him a nod.
“Brother Yang, come and sit here.”
After Yang-rim sat at the Team 3 table, I looked at Sang Gang-jo, who was sitting quietly beside me.
“While you're here, how about you teach the branch members some martial arts?”
“I will.”
Sang Gang-jo bowed his head respectfully.
I looked around at the branch members.
“You won't get another chance like this, so learn diligently.”
The esteemed Chief Hall Master from the Martial Alliance Headquarters had become the martial arts instructor for the backwater Dong-ro Branch.
***
When I entered my room, Sang Gang-jo followed me in.
“What is it?”
“Please sit.”
As I sat on a chair, Sang Gang-jo remained standing and spoke cautiously.
“I don't believe that you've lost your memory, Team Leader.”
“Is that so?”
I neither confirmed nor denied it.
“Where did you learn the Soul-Severing Star Sword Style?”
“Are you interrogating me?”
“I dare ask this question so that I may trust you even more, Team Leader.”
I didn't want to answer, but I appreciated Sang Gang-jo's honesty.
“I'm self-taught.”
“Self-taught?”
It wasn't a lie.
“But I have no desire to earn your trust.”
Sang Gang-jo paid no mind and looked at the Fire Dragon Sword on my shoulder.
“Earlier, when you burned the Red Flying Swallow Sword's whip, was that the Soul-Severing Star Sword Style? Or was it the sword?”
I tapped the Fire Dragon Sword.
“This is a special sword.”
Sang Gang-jo's eyes widened.
“How can a sword breathe fire?”
“Are you curious?”
“My apologies.”
I didn't personally hate or dislike Sang Gang-jo.
That said, I didn't like him or feel any affection for him either. There wasn't a single person in this world that I liked or felt affection for.
In that sense, Sang Gang-jo was a decent person, character-wise.
“It's made from a tree that was struck by lightning tens of millions of times over countless eons, so it's much stronger than steel.”
“Oh!”
“Does that answer your question?”
“It does.”
“Stop beating around the bush and get to the point.”
“I will.”
Sang Gang-jo spoke a little more politely.
“Will you come with me to meet the Alliance Lord?”
“What for?”
“Please have a conversation with the Alliance Lord.”
“What kind of conversation?”
“It's because your character and martial skills are too great to be wasted, Team Leader.”
A dry laugh escaped me.
“Are you saying I should work for the Martial Alliance?”
“Yes.”
A cold sneer formed on my lips.
“The Martial Alliance's depravity and wickedness are no different from the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union or the Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path.”
“Hmph!”
“If you're going to ask why I'm at the Martial Alliance's Dong-ro Branch despite that, I'll just leave right now.”
Sang Gang-jo thought for a moment before speaking.
“It's true that was the case under the previous Alliance Lord. But without resorting to such means, there was no way to deal with the wicked Demonic Emperor's Grand Union and the Ten Heavens.”
I let out a long yawn, openly showing my disinterest.
Yet, Sang Gang-jo didn't back down. That's how important what he had to say was to him.
“The current Alliance Lord is completely different from the previous one.”
I got up and walked to the bed.
“The current Alliance Lord has identified and expelled all the close associates who aided the previous Lord in his corruption and evil deeds. As a result, the headquarters' current strength has been weakened to half its former level.”
I flopped down on the bed.
“Team Leader, please meet the Alliance Lord. I beg you.”
“No.”
I cut him off flatly, closed my eyes, and tried to sleep.
“Then, if I bring the Alliance Lord here, will you meet him?”
“…”
Since I didn't answer, Sang Gang-jo stood in silence for a moment before walking to the door.
“…I'm not going anywhere.”
At those words, Sang Gang-jo showed a look of relief and bowed deeply.
“Thank you. I'll take that as your consent.”