Reincarnation of the Blood Demon - Chapter 24

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Blood Demon Rebirth
Chapter 24
You’re finished
Gansu Province, Heungryongsan.
Though the hour was late, the bandit den nestled midway up the mountain blazed as bright as midday.
From within came the cacophony of raucous voices, layered one atop another.
Like any Green Forest stronghold, the men feasted on wine and meat, their merrymaking unrestrained and crude.
Yet among them was one who never let his guard slip.
“Bandit Lord, why do you frown?”
At his subordinate’s question, the man’s face twisted with irritation.
“I told you to call me Regional Bandit Leader, you thick skull. The order came down from above how long ago, and you’re still nattering on about Bandit Lord?”
“…Forgive me, Regional Bandit Leader.”
The subordinate lowered his head reluctantly, bowing. Beneath his bent brow seethed unspoken resentment.
‘Damn it all—if he’s a Bandit Lord, why shouldn’t I call him one?’
The master of Heungryongsan Bandit Den was, for all his title, nothing like a proper bandit.
His frame was lean and wiry—nothing like the robust frame of a true brigand. His face was pinched and mean, calling to mind a rat.
This was Heuk Seo, Regional Bandit Leader of Gansu Province in the Green Forest.
His gaze drifted across the inner courtyard where the gathering took place, though not quite there.
More precisely, it fixed upon the gate beyond.
“Is something troubling you, sir?”
His subordinate pressed him again, but Heuk Seo did not answer—only narrowed his brow.
‘…Something’s not right.’
A man who had clawed his way through back alleys since childhood, he possessed an instinct keener than most.
By that instinct he had evaded danger and dangerous men alike, carving a path of success—and owing to it, he had risen to leadership of a bandit stronghold at an unusually young age.
And today, that instinct, dormant for some time, began to hum and stir once more.
“…Regional Bandit Leader?”
“Be quiet.”
Heuk Seo snapped the order and lowered his gaze to his own forearm. Gooseflesh rippled across it.
Whenever his instinct awakened, it manifested thus.
But this time the flesh prickled across his entire forearm, so vividly and broadly that he had never felt its like.
‘What in the world is coming…?’
Heuk Seo swallowed hard and rose abruptly to his feet.
“Quiet!”
In an instant, the raucous den fell silent with a snap.
Faces turned toward him, and Heuk Seo barked his command with every nerve on edge.
“Everyone—arm yourselves.”
Of course, in the midst of revelry, such a sudden command would not be grasped at once.
Seeing the bandits’ confusion, Heuk Seo scowled and ground out his words.
“You bastards, I said arm yourselves!”
At that very moment.
Crash!
The gate guarding the den exploded into splinters, and a mass of figures poured through.
“What—what’s this!”
Now perceiving the danger, the bandits scrambled for their weapons and lurched to their feet.
“Who are you!”
At a glance, the martial artists bore a terrifying presence, and the reek of blood seemed to hang thick in the air.
And at their head stood a boy in a Crimson Robe, utterly composed.
“Shouting in the dead of night—how crude.”
They wondered what boy this was, standing before them so brazenly, and yet his very strangeness only heightened their dread.
And the ominous aura that emanated from all of them in common.
‘Blood Qi! They’re from the Blood Sect!’
This was the moment Heuk Seo’s tension reached its peak.
Why had the Blood Sect come seeking him?
And having smashed through the gate to enter—it boded nothing good.
Of course, Jeok Unhwi harbored no such thoughts.
He had simply demolished the gate because it stood in his way. Whether it was a grave offense or not made little difference to him.
Ignorant of this, Heuk Seo could only wrestle with his anxiety.
‘Have I bungled something of late?’
He racked his mind, but found nothing—could find nothing.
He of all people knew the terror the Blood Sect inspired.
Because they were so close, he’d always kept his senses sharp when dealing with them—yet no matter how he pondered it, he couldn’t fathom why they’d come storming in like this.
Heuk Seo asked, feigning composure as best he could.
“What brings the esteemed guests of the Blood Sect to this dingy place?”
Jeok Unhwi nodded, surveying the inner courtyard still in the throes of revelry.
“It certainly is filthy.”
……
The bandits froze, their eyes snapping toward Heuk Seo.
When dealing with them ordinarily, he was a Regional Bandit Leader of unrelenting cruelty.
They’d braced for fury to erupt like a wildfire—yet Heuk Seo sat grave and silent, lost in thought.
His mind churned too heavily even to register the mockery.
‘Are these people from before? Then what in the world are they doing here?’
As cold sweat traced down his spine, Jeok Unhwi spoke again.
“You’ve done business with the Black Moon Sect, haven’t you?”
……
Heuk Seo hesitated, at a loss for words.
Not only was their reason for coming beyond what he’d anticipated, but this was hardly a subject to answer lightly.
‘Why is he asking that?’
He already knew. That much was plain.
Admitting it would be trouble; denying it would be trouble.
The details of that transaction weren’t something he could publicly defend.
Worse still, it was clearly entangled with the Blood Sect—whatever answer he gave, they’d find cause for complaint.
“First, who exactly are you?” Heuk Seo asked cautiously.
Jeok Unhwi merely laughed coldly.
“That’s none of your concern. Now tell me—where are those people?”
At such brazen insolence, Heuk Seo’s expression hardened.
“I haven’t a notion what you’re talking about, nor do I see why I should answer.”
“Cut the nonsense.”
“You grow more discourteous by the moment. Regardless of where the Blood Sect may hail from, this is hardly fitting conduct.”
Even as he spoke, Heuk Seo’s gaze drifted subtly toward the inner quarters—toward the secret passage he kept hidden from all eyes.
‘If I move now, I could escape.’
But should he flee like that, the position and authority he’d labored to build would crumble to nothing, and he’d face pursuit from the Main Headquarters besides.
Heuk Seo swallowed hard.
‘I don’t know who these people are, but……’
For one, they bore no insignia of an elite organization, and their clothes were not uniformly matched.
That meant they weren’t members of an elite unit like the Gwi Hyeol Unit, but ordinary disciples instead.
‘At that caliber, at least they won’t crumble easily.’
Heuk Seo’s mind raced, his eyes darting ceaselessly back and forth.
He weighed the Bandit Den against Jeok Unhwi’s company, gauging their respective strength.
‘We outnumber them.’
Why else had the Blood Sect left them alone all this time?
Because they found it bothersome to provoke them.
Though easy for people to overlook, the Green Forest was scattered across all the Central Plains.
While individual members might be unremarkable, by sheer weight of numbers, this collective could rival even the greatest under heaven.
The Green Forest was indeed a formidable force in the Martial World.
‘And the Gansu unit is a region the Main Headquarters watches with particular care.’
Should the problem-solvers dispatched directly from the Main Headquarters join in, the calculation would shift entirely.
‘……It’s manageable.’
As confidence bloomed in Heuk Seo’s eyes, Jeok Unhwi smirked and let out a low chuckle.
“Look at that bandit brat, rolling his eyes so cleverly.”
“Really, to keep on like this……!”
Cutting short his protest, Jeok Unhwi turned his head.
“Cheonryuh Hoejoo.”
“Yes, Unit Leader.”
A middle-aged man with drooping whiskers answered at once.
Jeok Unhwi spoke in a quiet voice.
“The time has come to prove yourself. Take the vanguard.”
……Yes.
Cheonryuh Hoejoo nodded, his expression troubled.
‘I knew a test would come someday……’
But he’d never expected it to arrive so quickly.
He sighed, yet his face betrayed no hint of frustration.
Even if things had come to this, just weeks ago he had been a master holding dominion over Namhwa County.
The same was true of the other martial artists.
Before Jeok Unhwi they were meek as lambs, but out in the world they were figures to be feared.
These were not Blood Sect members who would cower before mere bandits.
‘We’ve endured enough insults. This has come at just the right moment.’
A perfect target for venting all the fury that had accumulated.
“Prepare yourselves.”
Cheonryuh Hoejoo smiled with cold contempt and gestured.
Clang!
The martial artists of Cheonryuh Society drew their weapons in unison and stepped forward.
Behind them stood the ranks of Jeok Sa Bang, Namho Gate, and the Black Wolf Unit, solid and steady.
“Damn it all, you want to dance, do you!”
As events unfolded this way, Heuk Seo’s roar—which he had suppressed for so long—finally burst forth.
Rumble—!
He unleashed the Qi Technique he’d been hiding, and it proved far stronger than befitted a bandit.
It spoke to the fact that he had not merely stumbled into his role as Regional Bandit Leader.
“Damn!”
“You dogs!”
The Green Forest bandits rose with tense faces, brandishing broadswords and clubs,
while the Jeok Sa Bang members regarded their enemies with cold, sharp eyes.
A battlefield poised to erupt at any moment.
In such circumstances.
“Well then.”
Jeok Unhwi tilted his chin.
“Go. Beat them down.”
* * *
“Aaaahhh!”
“My arm, my arm!”
Blood and screams scattered in all directions.
A battlefield ruled by shouts and shrieks.
At first glance it appeared to be a fierce melee, but the reality was entirely different.
The Green Forest bandits, outnumbering their foes by more than two to one, were being systematically slaughtered.
They were swept aside without even landing a proper blow.
“Hold the line! I said hold!”
Heuk Seo shouted urgently as he tried to command, but the situation showed no sign of improvement.
As the battle deteriorated far beyond expectation and his forces were driven back, Heuk Seo’s face drained of color.
‘How can it be this one-sided……!’
Of course it was inevitable. These were the fearsome martial artists of the Blood Sect. Though not the elite of the Main Headquarters, there was good reason for their notorious reputation.
The Gansu bandit contingent was considered exceptional for Green Forest, yet fundamentally they were still mere bandits who robbed passing travelers of their coin purses.
Add alcohol to that mix, and of course they stood no chance against such opponents.
‘Ordinary martial artists are this strong?’
Then what in the world were the elite capable of?
Heuk Seo’s eyes trembled uncontrollably. His expression showed he was considering whether to flee now.
‘Why haven’t those men returned yet!’
The enforcers sent directly from Main Headquarters. They had gone out to drink as usual several hours ago, so they should be returning soon.
This was the only reason Heuk Seo had not already fled from this disaster.
‘If I can just hold on a bit longer, there’s still a chance to win!’
But the question was whether he could endure until then.
‘What in the world is that?’
Heuk Seo gazed with trembling eyes at the youth standing before him.
The leader of these Blood Sect members, and the figure who instilled the greatest dread in Heuk Seo.
The boy had been leisurely watching, only drawing his blade when enemies drew near, and each time at least two or more Green Forest bandits fell.
‘What kind of monster is this……!’
With a mere gesture, men dropped dead, leaving a clearing of empty space around him.
As a result, before long the martial artists engaged in combat ceased to approach him altogether.
“……Ah.”
At that very moment, the youth’s eyes turned toward Heuk Seo.
Snap.
Then he pointed at him with his index finger.
A swift motion.
He drew his finger across his throat in a slicing gesture.
A broad grin spread across his face as he mouthed each syllable carefully.
‘You’re finished.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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