Chapter 96
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96
One of Baek Ga-ya’s eyebrows arched sharply.
“Insolent?”
Even at rest, Ga-ya exuded a chilling, frost-like aura. As his eyes hardened, the surrounding air seemed to plummet in temperature, as if it might freeze solid.
Yet, the more he bristled, the deeper and more serene Jeok San-yu’s smile became.
The expressions of those watching the exchange soured.
Oh boy, here they go again.
Baek Ga-ya and Jeok San-yu were as opposite in personality as they were in appearance, and they got along just as poorly.
In times like these, the best course of action was to flee—unless one wanted to get caught in the crossfire and end up injured.
The onlookers began to slink away in silence.
“This is actually quite timely, Lord Ga-ya. To be honest, I’ve been in a rather foul mood.”
Jeok San-yu lifted the longbow he had been maintaining and aimed it directly at Ga-ya.
“Would you care to indulge me for the first time in a while?”
“Hah?”
At that very moment, as Baek Ga-ya stared back in disbelief at the beaming Jeok San-yu—
Whoosh—!
San-yu’s arrow streaked through the air without hesitation.
“That crazy chicken-head.”
Ga-ya quickly tucked away the handkerchief he had received from So-ya and threw himself aside.
Boom—!
The arrow struck the spot where he had stood just a moment ago, exploding and carving out a massive crater. Had it even grazed him, he would have been severely wounded.
While anyone else would have been paralyzed with terror, Baek Ga-ya simply kicked off the ground and pivoted mid-air. He drew the sword at his waist and lunged toward Jeok San-yu.
Unlike when he fought demonic beasts, Ga-ya preferred using a weapon when dueling humans. If he fought barehanded, his claws—the natural weapons of a White Tiger beastkin—could easily tear his opponent to shreds.
Ga-ya charged, his blade whistling through the air as he sliced every incoming arrow in half. Just as he raised his sword to deliver a downward strike, San-yu hoisted his bow to parry the blow.
Clang—!
The moment the sword and bow collided with a dull thud—
Rumble—!
A massive roar erupted, and a thick cloud of dust billowed upward. It was a scene of such destructive combat that even the nearby demonic beasts fled in fright.
*
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Imperial Army’s position, beyond the swirling dust—
Past the teeming hordes of demonic beasts lay the cold, desolate Northern Land, where the blackened earth stretched endlessly.
A demonic beast clad in black armor and a matching helm looked down upon the frozen battlefield.
His name was Do-ol.
He was one of the Four Peril Beasts resurrected by Hyeon Ra-baek, and the commander of the demonic beast legion currently assaulting the Empire. Following his master’s command, he and his subordinates had been laying waste to the land.
More than ten years had already passed since the invasion began.
The war dragged on with no end in sight. There were only the demonic beasts, crossing the border to slaughter humans for no purpose or meaning other than an instinctive bloodlust.
In truth, more demonic beasts fell to the blades of the Imperial Army than humans died, but such things were irrelevant. To Do-ol, the leader of tens of thousands, only one thing mattered:
Executing the orders of his master, Hyeon Ra-baek, to attack the humans.
“Do-ol.”
A man approached him. Wrapped from head to toe in black rags, this man was the final Peril Beast, Do-cheol.
“Following Hondon, Gung-gi has also fallen.”
“…….”
Do-ol did not even turn around, his gaze fixed on the distant battlefield. Seeing Do-ol’s lack of interest in the news, Do-cheol continued.
“The human vessel our master inhabits is too weak. At this rate, we will all perish.”
“What are you trying to say?”
Only then did Do-ol turn back, his brow furrowed.
“I’m saying we shouldn’t be serving the head of the Black Tortoise Tribe. We should be serving our true master—the ‘Evil’ of this world!”
“Watch your tongue, Do-cheol.”
In an instant, Do-ol leveled the tip of his sword at Do-cheol.
“The one who resurrected us is our current master. I follow only his commands.”
“…….”
Faced with the chilling edge of the blade, Do-cheol swallowed hard and clamped his mouth shut.
“If you do anything to harm our master, I will not forgive you either.”
With that brief threat, Do-ol turned his back and walked away.
“He’ll be dead soon enough, too. Just like the other two.”
Do-cheol clicked his tongue as he watched Do-ol’s retreating figure. He had no intention of meeting such a miserable end.
I waited so long to be resurrected like this.
Hyeon Ra-baek, the leader of the Black Tortoise Tribe. Long ago, he had awakened the ‘Ancient Evil’ and taken it into his own body, intending to become the ‘Evil’ of this world himself, but…
That man’s body cannot fully contain our master’s power.
The fact that a Peril Beast like himself, who had once thrown the entire continent into chaos, had become this weak was proof enough. If their true master, currently dwelling within that man, could find a powerful vessel suited to him—if that Evil could only grow stronger—then Do-cheol would become far more powerful than he was now.
I must find a new vessel for our master before that human body collapses.
Do-cheol ground his teeth at the thought.
*
The cold North.
Submerged beneath the ripples of the Black Swamp lay the Hyeon-to Underground Palace, the Swamp of the Dead.
A man sat upon a black throne, drenched in cold sweat and groaning in agony.
Hyeon Ra-baek, the Sovereign of the North.
Because his body was originally that of a normal beastkin, there was a limit to how much of the ‘Ancient Evil’ he could contain. His already precarious condition had taken a severe hit three years ago when he sent a puppet to the White Tiger Palace, only to have the attack backfire.
He should have recovered over the last three years, but the cracks in his body had allowed the Evil to slowly seep out, destroying his physical form from the inside out.
“Ugh…!”
Hyeon Ra-baek writhed in pain as the Evil constantly tried to shatter his spirit core and burst forth. His body was fracturing, breaking apart bit by bit, unable to endure.
However, this was something he had prepared for since the moment he first accepted the Evil. Even at the cost of sacrificing his own flesh, he desired only one thing:
The total collapse of the continent.
For Hyeon Ra-baek was a man blinded by that single, foolish obsession.
“Whew….”
Having finally managed to suppress the pain, he let out a long, ragged breath.
He remembered.
Twelve years ago, on the night of the Red Moon. He remembered what the Imperial Family had done to his former lover.
It all began with the oracle—the prophecy that the Bride of the Yellow Dragon would awaken the Four Divine Beasts from their slumber.
“Heh… Hehehe.”
Suddenly, he covered his face with one hand and burst into laughter. But soon—
“……Yeon-ah.”
With a pained murmur, thick tears began to stream down from beneath his heavy palm.
“Si-yeon. I miss you….”
The black water that pooled around his ankles rippled. The haze rising from the surface coalesced into the phantom of a woman.
The illusion approached him.
Hyeon Ra-baek lowered his hand and slowly raised his head to look at her.
She was the lover he had once promised eternity to, only to be torn apart by the cursed title of ‘Bride of the Yellow Dragon’ or whatever it was. She was his old flame, who had eventually become the Emperor’s consort, severing their ties forever.
As a subject bound by imperial decree, it had been agonizing to watch her from afar after she became Empress, but he had endured it. He could have lived with it.
Until he learned of her death and the hideous truth the Imperial Family had hidden behind it.
—Don’t cry, Ra-baek.
The phantom stroked his cheek, offering comfort.
Hyeon Ra-baek’s throat tightened as he pulled the woman into a fierce embrace.
“Si-yeon….”
He slowly opened his tightly shut eyes and looked up at her. The woman, with her dark blue hair and beautiful turquoise eyes, gave him a tender smile.
She leaned down toward him. Her face drew closer.
Following an old habit from long ago, he reached out and untied her hair ribbon. The dark blue hair cascaded down, tickling his cheek.
As he gazed at her with a faint smile—
Fwoosh.
The illusion ended. She vanished into nothingness.
Both the woman and the sensation of the ribbon in his hand were gone.
Hyeon Ra-baek let out a hollow laugh as he stared at his empty palm.
*
A turquoise hair ribbon dangled atop So-ya’s head.
Every time she hopped along, the ribbon fluttered with her.
With the Dragon God Festival in the East concluded, So-ya had returned to the White Tiger Palace.
“I’m home!”