The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 57

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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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Episode 57. Fanning the Flames of Ambition
Deep within Sinkang, thousands of li from Saja Plain, at the very heart of the Demonic Sect, Ma Ryeong—who served as both the Demonic Sect’s military commander and the commander of Gunma Rim—received his subordinate’s report with a deeply furrowed brow.
“So the Seonghua Eight Elders were defeated entirely by a single man—the Taegeuk Sword King?”
“Yes. According to all information gathered so far, that appears to be the case.”
At his subordinate’s report, Ma Ryeong’s eyes narrowed further.
Even after reporting to the Lord, a lingering unease had prompted him to launch an investigation—yet the results had failed to entirely dispel his doubts.
“Even if the Taegeuk Sword King has truly ascended the Hwaryeong, he shouldn’t have been able to slaughter all of the Seonghua Eight Elders outright. Unless he’s a fool, the Taegeuk Sword King wouldn’t have revealed himself without the Eight Elders attempting some response—it’s inconceivable they simply sat idle.”
“It does appear they attempted to flee, but our assessment is that they were caught before fully breaking through the battlefield.”
“That makes no sense. Not one or two—but all of the Seonghua Eight Elders unable to escape? That’s impossible.”
“Then what could it be…?”
“Dig deeper. There’s definitely something more. Go to the Hyeol Gwi Dae yourself and find the eyewitnesses. I want to hear from those who were actually on the ground, not the half-hearted scribbles some clerk sends in a letter.”
“Yes, Ma Ryeong.”
As the subordinate bowed and left, Ma Ryeong’s expression grew cold as stone.
In truth, this entire operation had been attempted without even reporting to the Lord—to his superior.
With the operation’s failure, Ma Ryeong found himself cornered.
Strangely, the Lord had not demanded accountability, but that troubled him all the more.
Ma Ryeong knew better than anyone that the Lord was far from a merciful man.
This was why he resented Gwan Hong all the more.
It was Gwan Hong, the newly appointed Chief Commander of the Hyeol Gwi Dae, who had devised this grand scheme to orchestrate the Cheol Hyeol Maeng’s collapse.
The first move in that strategy was the kidnapping of the Maeng Ui Dan’s Military Advisor.
Ma Ryeong had approved the plan—an operation certain to cost countless lives—because the report that the Ja Jeon Sword King had ascended the Hwaryeong had been confirmed.
In other words, he had believed that while the Cheol Hyeol Maeng possessed one master of the Hwaryeong, Gunma Rim now had two—including the Ja Jeon Sword King.
It seemed clear that the odds favored Gunma Rim.
This calculation had been the foundation for approving Gwan Hong’s bold strategy.
Yet that victory had turned to ash with defeat in the Hwandae Tournament.
For the Cheol Hyeol Maeng had also confirmed that the Taegeuk Sword King had ascended the Hwaryeong.
Two on each side now.
They had returned to stalemate.
No—not even that. During the Hwandae Tournament, warriors from the Baek Ui Ryeon had appeared on Saja Plain.
Now Gunma Rim would have to face a coalition of both the Cheol Hyeol Maeng and the Baek Ui Ryeon.
The ordinary martial ranks would thicken, and so too would their masters of the highest echelon.
Gunma Rim could well find itself pushed into a defensive position.
Ma Ryeong could not allow that.
The conflict was still in its infancy.
While the bond between the Cheol Hyeol Maeng and the Baek Ui Ryeon remained fragile, he had to sever their connection.
Success would allow him to diminish, however slightly, his responsibility for the Hwandae defeat.
There was no reason to hesitate.
“Mi Jong.”
At Ma Ryeong’s call, a figure in black night garb with a cloth mask concealing the face materialized from the empty air like a phantom.
“Yes, Ma Ryeong.”
“Assemble all of the Hwansang Twelve Spirits. You are to receive your orders.”
“As you command.”
The masked figure, Mi Jong, bowed and vanished back into empty space as if erased by an invisible hand.
Ma Ryeong’s eyes, gazing into that vacant void, gleamed with cold killing intent.
***
Yi Hwan considered many possibilities in response to Gong Chan’s words, yet he could not discern why Gunma Rim would suddenly shift its stance and launch a massive offensive.
Gong Chan, who had been watching Yi Hwan intently, finally opened his mouth.
“You seem uncertain. I was the same. That’s why I was confused—no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t uncover the reason.”
At Gong Chan’s words, Yi Hwan asked with concern.
“Then we must prepare without knowing the cause?”
“Yes. Though I suppose we should be grateful. Regardless of what tactics they employ, we now possess a shield that can counter it.”
“What… do you mean?”
Gong Chan answered Yi Hwan’s question.
“The Taegeuk Sword King has ascended the Hwaryeong. Whatever card they hold, we can now neutralize it.”
“Ah!”
Seeing that Yi Hwan at last grasped his meaning, Gong Chan continued.
“Moreover, we do not possess merely the shield of the Taegeuk Sword King—we also wield a keen dagger.”
“A dagger?”
“Jeok Sa. How we deploy him will determine in which direction this conflict with Gunma Rim shall conclude.”
After what had befallen the Seonghua Eight Elders during the Hwandae Tournament, it was now impossible to conceal Jeok Sa’s true strength.
So there’s no point in hiding or denying it now.
It won’t work anyway.
Yi Hwan drew a deep breath and asked.
“What do you intend to do with Jeok Sa?”
“That depends on how far his true abilities reach.”
Yi Hwan replied with a grave expression to Gong Chan’s unwavering answer.
“According to Sa Jo, they are of equal standing.”
Gong Chan’s expression stiffened for a moment.
The difference between anticipating something and having it confirmed was far greater than he’d realized.
Once the shock passed, regret flooded in.
He realized he’d held such a remarkable treasure in his hands all this time yet never grasped its true value—treating it like a kitchen knife, squandering it carelessly.
Of course, this regret stemmed from Gong Chan’s ignorance that Ryu had only recently entered the Hwaryeong realm.
Either way, once Gong Chan shook off both the regret and the shock, he began to concentrate intently on how best to deploy Ryu.
Yi Hwan watched him quietly for a moment, then asked.
“Do you believe he’ll follow your wishes and those of the Maeng Ui Dan?”
At Yi Hwan’s question, Gong Chan’s gaze turned toward him.
“What… do you mean?”
“You know as well as I do. He’s the sort who springs back the moment you press down.”
It was another way of saying he would leave whenever his will didn’t align with theirs.
Besides, Ryu had already exceeded his mandatory service obligation.
Yi Hwan continued, seeing that Gong Chan grasped the meaning.
“Even knowing that, you still mean to use him?”
Gong Chan could not answer readily.
***
Even as Gong Chan learned that Ryu, like the Taegeuk Sword King, was a master of Hwaryeong and remained uneasy and vacillating, the Hyeolkwi Corps was rapidly reorganizing.
The turmoil that had shaken the Hyeolkwi Corps quickly subsided thanks to the Ja Jeon Sword King’s appearance on Saja Plain, where he openly displayed the divine realm of Hwaryeong.
Confidence took hold—if the Taegeuk Sword King had ascended to Hwaryeong on their side, then the Ja Jeon Sword King stood on this side.
The various sects of Gunma Rim felt the same way.
The sects of Gunma Rim, which had shrunk back in shock at the unexpected news of the Taegeuk Sword King, now cheered at word of the Ja Jeon Sword King and shook off their hesitation, sending their warriors to Saja Plain one after another.
Thanks to this, the Hyeolkwi Corps, which had been driven to the brink of collapse, rapidly recovered its original form.
Of course, the framework remained the same, but the masters who filled it were all newcomers.
Yet they were not complete novices.
Given the circumstances, each sect had primarily dispatched warriors who had gained actual combat experience on Saja Plain.
As a result, nearly eighty percent of the newly recruited members were fresh, but the Hyeolkwi Corps experienced no confusion.
At the strategic council of the reorganized Hyeolkwi Corps, Chief Commander Gwan Hong proposed a swift offensive.
He argued they should seek revenge now that they too had the Ja Jeon Sword King.
The Ja Jeon Sword King questioned Gwan Hong’s words.
“Will you stand as the vanguard?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking if you’ll lead the charge and shed blood yourself.”
“That is… well….”
The Ja Jeon Sword King spoke coldly to Gwan Hong, who could not answer promptly.
“If that’s not the case, don’t spout nonsense about revenge.”
Having crushed the Chief Commander with that single remark, the Ja Jeon Sword King—whose mask bore the golden character for “gold”—turned his gaze to another figure.
“Geum Mil, have the Mil Gwi been fully reconstituted?”
“Yes, Deputy Lord.”
“The Heuk Gwi master reinforcements haven’t arrived yet. Which means the Mil Gwi are currently our strongest warriors.”
“I am aware of it.”
At that confident reply, the Ja Jeon Sword King spoke.
“Which explains why such foolish talk is circulating.”
“Sir?”
“There are openly spreading rumors that we should capture Sal Rang and avenge the previous Mil Gwi.”
“Ah! Yes. The resolve of the men is—”
“Don’t feed me the same rubbish. Keep your subordinates in line. Don’t make me ask you to replenish the Mil Gwi again.”
Geum Mil stared blankly, unable to grasp what he meant, and the Ja Jeon Sword King’s expression twisted harshly.
“Don’t make me repeat myself!”
“I, I understand!”
Geum Mil hastily bowed his head, and the Ja Jeon Sword King’s expression remained stern as he watched.
It wasn’t that he failed to understand their confusion.
Yet he deliberately concealed his reasons and treated them harshly because he did not trust Ma Ryeong.
What desperation must have driven the Ja Jeon Sword King to send a letter to Rim Ju—a man who had sworn that even if he faced his mortal enemy, he would never again speak with him?
Going through formal channels risked having the message intercepted by Ma Ryeong before it ever reached Rim Ju.
Why?
Rim Ju was a fighter.
Whenever a new master emerged, he would seek them out and challenge them without hesitation.
In fact, not a single one of the Three Great Souls of the World had escaped Rim Ju’s challenges.
While none had actually come to blows due to their respective positions, the very act of issuing—and receiving—such challenges had been perilous for all involved.
Had either of those conflicts ended in decisive victory, irreversible consequences would have followed.
Ma Ryeong, who knew Rim Ju’s reckless nature better than anyone, would certainly try to suppress all information about the new Cheol Hyeol Maeng’s Hwaryeong—for it was obvious what such knowledge would provoke. Yet Ma Ryeong would report the Taegeuk Sword King’s deeds to Rim Ju; there was no way around it when accounting for the Hwandae Tournament’s results. Besides, even if the new Cheol Hyeol Maeng possessed the same Hwaryeong as the Three Great Souls, it had the obstacle of Muddang standing in the way, so Rim Ju’s attempt to face such a challenge would likely meet with resistance.
But Sal Rang was different.
Information about Sal Rang would be at high risk of suppression by Ma Ryeong.
The Ja Jeon Sword King could predict with terrible ease what Ma Ryeong would do once he succeeded in blocking that information.
‘Eliminate him by any means necessary.’
Sal Rang would have to die to prevent Rim Ju’s emergence.
The problem was the collateral damage that would result.
The Sal Rang the Ja Jeon Sword King had encountered was exactly what his name suggested—wolf-like in nature.
A savage beast.
Having faced him, even the Ja Jeon Sword King himself harbored no certainty of victory. Sending mediocre fighters against such a man would only result in a trail of blood.
Of course, Ma Ryeong wouldn’t blink at such casualties.
That was precisely what troubled the Ja Jeon Sword King.
Among those who would needlessly perish in the chaos, countless disciples of Hwasan—his own sect—would surely fall.
He had no intention of allowing that.
That was why the Ja Jeon Sword King had sent the letter to Rim Ju directly.
Rim Ju’s response would determine whether information about Sal Rang’s realm would be disclosed.
Until then…….
“Let me be clear: no one acts rashly. Anyone who disobeys will have their neck severed by my own hand.”
The Ja Jeon Sword King’s icy warning fell upon the chamber like a bucket of cold water, and the room fell silent and chill.
“Yes, Deputy Lord.”
The Ja Jeon Sword King’s gaze swept across the assembled leaders of the Hyeolkwi Corps, each one shrinking beneath his stare.
***
The Blood Fiend Sovereign, Pa Geuk Ryeom—lord of Gunma Rim—regarded the letter placed before him with puzzlement.
“Who sent it?”
“The Deputy Lord, sir.”
The man who had, in private gatherings, spoken of his own master with such contempt that he treated him as a blood enemy—what wind had blown his way to make him send a letter now?
“Open it carefully. He may have laced it with poison or hidden insects inside.”
If Rim Ju had been the sort to deal death through such means, he would have perished long ago.
Let alone from the Cheol Hyeol Maeng—assassins were dispatched from the other sects under Gunma Rim with such regularity that there was barely a day’s respite.
Rim Ju’s contempt for the Ja Jeon Sword King’s master stemmed precisely from this. When that man had served as sect leader of Hwasan, the number of assassins sent from the sect had exploded.
Though no assassin had ever been captured, and thus no definitive proof of Hwasan’s involvement could be produced, the Blood Fiend Sovereign was no fool.
The relentless tide of killers that descended upon him had left Rim Ju unable to sleep soundly for a time, and his mood had been anything but pleasant.
His subordinate fumbled so long with opening the letter at his command that Rim Ju’s patience wore thin, and he snatched the missive away roughly.
As he unfolded it and read, the light in Rim Ju’s eyes began to burn.

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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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