The Assault
The Ju Family was thrown into an uproar.
Five entire squads from the Jeokryongdae had already rushed out, and even their chief had gone with them.
Right behind them, warriors from the Black Dragon Unit began to move as well. The hot-tempered Fifth Elder, my uncle Ju Tae-hwi, had personally risen to take action.
Against those who had dared to assault the matriarch of the Ju Family.
The Blood Sovereign would show them no mercy with his own hands.
Swish!
Upon hearing the news, I too shot forward at full speed.
I had forgotten.
It was the same as in my previous life.
The only difference was that back then, my mother had been gravely ill and had gone to her parents’ home to recuperate. This time, she had simply paid a visit after a long while.
It had felt so natural that the memory from my past life hadn’t surfaced at all.
“Young Master, are you all right?”
Ju Yu-ran asked.
I nodded and kept running forward without slowing down.
Yu-ran matched my pace and called out in a low voice.
“The matriarch will be fine. So please don’t worry too much.”
“…Understood, Chief.”
Yes, that was right.
In this life, my mother does not die here.
But even though I knew that, my heart was still gripped by unbearable anxiety.
The future was not set in stone.
Because I had intervened in matters involving the Demonic Cult, the future could change at any moment.
Could it be Sa-an Gwi-gun?
Even as I thought that, I knew better than anyone that it wasn’t him.
Sa-an Gwi-gun did not operate this way.
He moved quietly, without drawing attention.
This, on the other hand, was far too blatant a provocation.
That bastard.
There was only one reason I felt this uneasy.
If my mother had encountered that man like in my previous life, the situation would be completely different.
That man did not touch the sick or the weak.
In my previous life, my mother had been extremely ill, so after ambushing her, he had simply left.
But right now, my mother was in excellent health.
Was that a relief, then?
Up ahead, I caught sight of a pair of broad, reliable shoulders.
One of the Ten Supreme Sovereigns, the man the Black Path feared most.
Ju Tae-hwi, the Blood Sovereign, was already there.
“You wretches!”
Suddenly, a furious roar erupted from Ju Tae-hwi’s mouth.
The forest trembled violently, and frightened mountain birds shot into the sky.
At the same time, the thick stench of blood filled the air.
Having slaughtered countless Black Path warriors, Ju Tae-hwi’s body carried a heavy scent of blood whether he wanted it or not.
Flash!
Sword light surged from the tip of his blade.
It was the manifestation of the family’s highest sword art.
The Paecheon Mugeuk Sword Technique.
Boooom!
As if dozens of thunderbolts had detonated at once, a deafening explosion tore through the air, and half the forest was obliterated.
Yet despite that, the carriage carrying my mother in the distance remained completely unharmed.
An astonishing display of control.
Only someone who had reached at least the Transformation Realm could show such mastery.
Ssssss!
The cloud of dust that had blanketed the area began to settle, and a figure emerged from within.
“Blood Sovereign.”
Shockingly, the opponent was completely unscathed.
Even after being exposed to Ju Tae-hwi’s rage-filled strike, he looked perfectly fine.
As I thought.
My memory had been correct.
It was him.
Broken-Face Asura.
I didn’t know his real name.
He was only ever called Asura.
His martial prowess was on par with the Four Kings.
Excluding the Ten Supreme Sovereigns, the hierarchy was One Emperor, Three Sovereigns, then Four Kings.
Broken-Face Asura possessed strength that even the Four Kings could not ignore.
Despite possessing such formidable martial arts, the man harbored a viciously perverse nature.
He kidnapped women and young girls, tortured them to his heart’s content, and killed them in the most agonizing ways possible.
He was a madman who took pleasure in watching such scenes.
Yet even he had his own ironclad rule.
He never touched those who were already ill.
He was so deranged that he considered watching people die from the pain he inflicted the greatest joy in life.
“Broken-Face Asura, do you even know whose mother you are laying your hands on?”
“The Ju Family, huh? How did you get here so quickly? Hehehe.”
Even with the Blood Sovereign standing right in front of him, Asura showed no sign of tension.
Because he’s strong.
It also meant that Broken-Face Asura was that powerful.
“Woo-jin.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Escort the matriarch back to the family immediately.”
“Understood.”
I gave a light bow and steadied my stance.
The moment Ju Tae-hwi launched his attack, I would have to grab my mother and run as fast as possible.
Wherever my uncle fought, the land was inevitably devastated.
His signature technique, the Paecheon Mugeuk Sword Technique, literally possessed the power to tear apart heaven and earth.
Bang!
Ju Tae-hwi raised his sword straight up.
Soon, energy began to gather at the tip of the blade before spreading across its entire length, taking solid form.
Sword astral!
It was the appearance of sword astral, which could shatter and sever anything it touched.
“Kahaha! Blood Sovereign! Think carefully. If you kill this bitch here…”
As he spoke, Broken-Face Asura reached out to grab my mother’s hand.
But at that exact moment, Ju Tae-hwi took one step forward.
Kwaaaaang!
Crack.
A massive explosion rang out loud enough to rupture eardrums, and at the same time, one of Asura’s arms was completely severed.
An overwhelming gap in power.
I recognized that as the signal.
Swish!
The perfected Gangpung Swolwol was no mere wind—it brought a massive gale with it.
Booom!
In the blink of an eye, I closed the distance, scooped my mother onto my back, and sprinted back in the direction I had come from.
Broken-Face Asura could only watch helplessly.
Everything had happened in an instant.
“You crazy bastard!”
Only then did Asura realize one of his arms was gone. He charged madly at Ju Tae-hwi.
What an idiot.
Only then did a sigh of relief escape me.
He had already been struggling against Ju Tae-hwi. Now that he had lost his composure, it was only a matter of time before he died.
But then.
“Enough.”
“…?”
When the blood-soaked Broken-Face Asura collapsed, Ju Tae-hwi sheathed his sword.
“For daring to harm the Ju Family’s matriarch, I will take one of your arms as payment.”
What?
Was that it?
“Uncle.”
I urgently called out to Ju Tae-hwi.
“You must kill him.”
“……”
At my words, Yu-ran quickly nodded in agreement.
“We shouldn’t leave any future trouble behind.”
This foolish righteousness of the Orthodox Path.
It made me sick to my stomach.
How could they even consider sparing this lunatic who had tried to harm the family matriarch?
Was this the hypocrisy of the Orthodox Path that the Black Path always spoke of?
But of course, my uncle was still my uncle.
“You’re right, aren’t you? That’s how it should be, yes?”
Ju Tae-hwi suddenly grinned and raised his sword again.
It seemed he had been hoping for exactly that.
With even the regular warriors of the Jeokryongdae agreeing, Ju Tae-hwi grew even more excited.
He had clearly wanted to kill the man from the start.
The moment Ju Tae-hwi stepped forward, the entire ground shook violently.
Broken-Face Asura spat out curses until the very end, vomiting blood repeatedly.
Squelch!
In one clean stroke, Asura’s head flew off.
The fate of Broken-Face Asura, who had once plunged the region into terror, was decided just like that.
“Jeokryongdae, erase all traces in the area and return to base.”
After issuing the order, Ju Tae-hwi immediately ran toward my mother.
“Sister-in-law, are you all right?”
“Yes, Young Master. I’m perfectly fine. Thank you for saving me.”
“It was only natural. I’m truly relieved you’re unharmed. Haha.”
Only after hearing my mother’s voice did Ju Tae-hwi finally look relieved.
“Mother.”
“Yes, my son. Woo-jin.”
“Why did you return so quickly?”
“It’s already been over ten days since you left your child at her parents’ home, you know?”
Ah, so much time had already passed.
Well, I had gone back and forth to Mount Tai, so of course a lot of time had gone by.
“In any case, I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Yes. To think my son would come running like this out of worry for his mother. This mother of yours has no regrets even if she dies right now.”
Yes. It was a relief.
A tremendous relief.
If I had lost my mother again, I really might have gone completely insane.
And so, without further incident, we returned to the family estate.
But at the time, I had no idea.
That this seemingly minor event would become the spark of a massive storm that would shake everything in the future.
“The antidote is complete.”
Yakseon shouted energetically, hands on his hips.
In contrast, Heo Su-gyeong, the head of Insujeon, had deep shadows under his eyes.
He looked utterly exhausted.
“You pushed it all onto us, didn’t you?”
“It seems he did.”
Muyoung, standing beside me, added to my comment.
Yakseon had released the formula to Insujeon and made the other physicians and Heo Su-gyeong manufacture the medicine.
Of course, given Yakseon’s personality, he hadn’t simply left it to them. He had meticulously checked every herb combination and produced a perfect antidote.
Yakseon handed me twenty vials first.
“These are the ones I made in advance. Now that everyone has gotten the hang of it, we should be able to produce at least thirty per day.”
It was a much faster rate than I had expected.
I accepted all the vials Yakseon offered.
“Thank you, Elder.”
“Hehe, go on and take care of your business.”
Yakseon waved me off with a strangely excited expression.
“Then I’ll be going.”
I didn’t refuse.
After gathering the vials, I headed toward the northern inner court of the family where the Baekryongdae was stationed.
The first group was twenty people.
I immediately summoned members of the Baekryongdae.
Since there were twenty vials, I called exactly twenty men first.
Every single one of their faces was filled with dissatisfaction.
They probably thought their superior had been captured because of me…
Whatever. Explaining it was too much of a hassle.
Since they were all below my standards anyway, the resentment they held toward me showed no signs of fading.
“Think of this as a kind of stamina supplement. It’s made from a blend of healthy medicinal herbs, so make sure you drink every last drop.”
“……”
At my words, several Baekryongdae warriors turned their gazes toward me.
People were most sensitive when it came to their health.
Especially as they grew older, that sensitivity only increased.
The ones hesitantly stepping forward now were mostly the older members.
“Can we really trust this?”
“It was made at Insujeon. It’s not something that Young Master Ju made himself.”
“Really? Then I’ll drink it right away.”
The Baekryongdae warriors lifted the vials and gulped them down without hesitation.
“Ugh, it’s incredibly bitter.”
I immediately began observing their reactions one by one.
At first, there was no unusual response.
Then, two out of the twenty began showing strange reactions.
“Ugh! Bleeegh!”
They vomited violently and collapsed on the spot.
That wasn’t all.
“Ah, aaaaah…!”
Some clutched their heads in agony.
As if something was resurfacing.
“Found you.”
I cheered inwardly.
The antidote reacted with the demonic energy hidden inside their bodies.
It struggled to push the energy out, causing those painful reactions in the process.
Day after day, I distributed the newly made antidotes and began rounding up and imprisoning those who showed reactions.
“Huff… huff…”
Ju Seung-hyeok, the Sword Dragon, was covered in countless wounds.
Yet his eyes still burned with ferocity.
“Is it difficult?”
As always, Ju Tae-sung asked first. Seung-hyeok smiled and shook his head.
“I feel good, Father.”
“…Good. It’s almost over now. Keep it up.”
The Archipelago Campaign.
The work there was finally nearing completion.
For over a month and a half, the two of them had fought endlessly against wave after wave of enemies.
During that time, Ju Seung-hyeok’s skills had improved dramatically. He had even begun to emit a rather fierce aura.
“Not bad at all.”
“I still have a long way to go to reach you, Father.”
During this campaign, he had learned a great deal from Ju Tae-sung.
He should have done this much earlier. It almost felt too late now.
In many ways, it had been an invaluable time for Ju Seung-hyeok.
At that moment, a single hawk flew toward Ju Tae-sung.
A small piece of paper was tied to the bird’s ankle.
Ju Tae-sung skillfully perched the hawk on his forearm, untied the note, and unfolded it.
Instantly, his expression twisted into something terrifying.
“What is it, Father? Did something happen…?”
“Prepare yourself.”
Ju Tae-sung crumpled the paper and immediately grabbed his sword.
Then, with cold, piercing eyes, he looked straight at Ju Seung-hyeok and spoke.
“Ha-rin… the matriarch has been attacked by Black Path scum.”
“What?! We must go at once, Father.”
The work on the archipelago was nearly finished anyway. All that remained was to send in the military unit to clean up the rest.
“We return. To the family.”
It was time for the Sword Sovereign and the Sword Dragon to come home.