The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 132

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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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Red Dragon Sovereign, Episode 132

Chapter 132 – Hwa-ryeong’s Fury

Screee!
A violent shock shot up her wrist, and Hwa-ryeong nearly dropped her sword.
It had happened in only two clashes.
Thud!
Blood trickled from her nose, blooming a single crimson flower above her eye.
‘This cannot be….’
Her shattered pride made Hwa-ryeong tremble with rage.
Meanwhile, Cheong Po-in staggered backward five paces, his entire frame wavering.
Drip-drip!
Blood fell from his nose as well.
On the surface, their strength seemed evenly matched. Yet the force Cheong Po-in had absorbed exceeded what Hwa-ryeong had taken.
‘How can some mere scout girl be this formidable….’
He, too, possessed pride as fierce as hers. He had lived knowing no defeat, just as she had, and he bore the trust of his superiors in equal measure.
Eon Ho-chu.
He was the eldest son of the Eon Clan and the supreme young master whom Zhao Kingdom championed as its mightiest rising expert.
A roar tore from his throat!
Shattered pride became killing intent.
A torrential surge of Qi erupted from Eon Ho-chu’s frame, and snow flew up wildly all around.
Hisssss….
“I’ll kill you, wench.”
“What happened to all that talk of holding this beautiful body close? Changed your mind already, you bastard?!”
Hwa-ryeong reset her stance.
By now, no one on the battlefield was paying them any heed. Rather, everyone was too consumed in a blood-soaked melee of slaughter to spare them a glance.
“What’s your name?”
“What about you?”
“Eon Ho-chu. First son of the Eon Clan.”
“The Eon Clan? Why, I thought you crawled out of somewhere truly illustrious.”
Hwa-ryeong spat and raised her blade, aiming for the space between Eon Ho-chu’s brows.
Eon Ho-chu pressed again.
“Reveal yourself.”
“If you’re so curious, pry my mouth open yourself.”
Flare!
Murderous intent blazed from Eon Ho-chu’s eyes. In the Martial World, if an enemy revealed their name first, it was natural courtesy to reciprocate. It was an unwritten law the Martial World had upheld for a thousand years—a cardinal rule.
But Hwa-ryeong ignored it entirely.
Eon Ho-chu could only feel as though he were being mocked.
“Very well. I’ll tear your mouth open and learn it myself.”
“Watch your groin. I’ll rip it clean off.”
Hissss!
Their Qi collided, and a whirlwind of snow erupted between them, spinning wildly.
That was when it came.
Wheeeee!
A horn call pierced the air from a distant place. Hwa-ryeong’s head snapped up, and the figures racing through the sky like a wind became vivid in her eyes—sharp as daggers cutting through flesh.
“Retreat!”
A cry tore through the chaos.
The Martial Artists of Yen Kingdom began to withdraw, launching themselves into the air. By that brief moment, every ordinary warrior had already been slain.
“We must fall back at once!”
The Female Warrior urged Hwa-ryeong forward.
Hwa-ryeong clenched her teeth, glaring at Eon Ho-chu as if to kill him. Then she kicked off the earth and launched skyward.
Whoosh!
Eon Ho-chu did not pursue.
He could not have, even if he had wished to.
“Urgh!”
Eon Ho-chu buckled at the waist, vomiting blood. To his left and right, three Hwang Po-in descended.
One of them glanced at the devastated battlefield, then turned to Eon Ho-chu and spoke.
“Are you hurt?”
“It’s nothing.”
He tried to brush it off, but Eon Ho-chu’s complexion had turned paler than wax.
“It seems you’ve encountered quite a formidable opponent. To think you’ve sustained Internal Injuries—”
“Don’t concern yourself!”
Eon Ho-chu snapped irritably and turned westward. The surviving Eon Clan warriors hurried after him.
Hwang Po-in narrowed his gaze toward the northeast.
“A pity. We’ve lost our chance to kill such a master—one powerful enough to reduce Eon Ho-chu to this state.”
“Shall we pursue them now?”
“Think for once. Do you honestly believe we could catch them if we chased now? It’s too late. Let it go.”
“…Yes.”
Hwang Po-in turned away.
At that moment, a Zhao Kingdom warrior whose final breath hadn’t yet left seized his ankle.
“Please… spare me.”
Snap!
A murderous aura bloomed in Hwang Po-in’s eyes. The hand grasping his ankle went limp and fell away as though ice had shattered.
“Don’t you dare touch me, you filth.”

* * *

The atmosphere around Hwa-ryeong as she returned to the Military Encampment felt not merely heavy, but endlessly dark.
‘Is this my fault?’
Her concentration had wavered for a single moment because of those the Empress had sent, and now the enemy had discovered their position. No matter what anyone said, that responsibility was hers.
Hwa-ryeong observed the warriors walking ahead. A considerable number had fallen—the group was noticeably smaller.
‘The Crown Prince and the General-in-Chief may use this as a pretext to place me in a difficult position. If they do, I’ll fail in my mission, and he’ll certainly exaggerate the matter when reporting to the Empress.’
Hwa-ryeong thought of the Empress.
From all her time at her side, Hwa-ryeong knew that once the Empress’s mind turned, she never knew how to reverse her decision. If things went wrong, she herself could become that object of displeasure.
‘Now that I think of it, I haven’t made contact with Manhua Palace since arriving here. That’s why she sent them to me—even entrusting me with her personal token.’
Throb!
As her thoughts tangled, pain bloomed behind her eyes.
Hwa-ryeong exhaled without thinking.
“Breathe…”
Then it came.
“That was unlike you, Hwa-ryeong.”
A female warrior spoke up.
Hwa-ryeong turned to look at her.
“What?”
“You lost your focus, and because of that, the enemy discovered us. It’s a mistake you would never have made before.”
“Are you questioning me right now?”
“I’m only speaking for your own good… Gah!”
Hwa-ryeong’s hand clamped around the female warrior’s throat. A Blue Light gleamed in Hwa-ryeong’s eyes.
“Did I suddenly look pathetic to you?”
“Urgh… gack!”
Crunch!
“Did you swear allegiance to that bastard?”
The sound of bone splintering echoed. The female warrior’s head lolled to the side.
“What are you doing?”
The martial artists ahead erupted in outrage.
“Shut your mouths. Unless you want me to kill every last one of you, keep walking.”
“…!”
The potent killing intent radiating from Hwa-ryeong’s entire body made the martial artists and warriors flinch and step back.
“You won’t get away with this.”
“Go report it then. Get out of my sight!”
Soon after, only Hwa-ryeong and the female warriors remained.
“The rest of you, go on ahead.”
“What will you do, Hwa-ryeong?”
“I’ll follow slowly. Now go.”
“…”
“Aren’t you going to listen?”
“O-of course not. Then we’ll go first.”
The Female Warriors departed shortly after.
Left alone, Hwa-ryeong gazed down at the Female Warrior she had slain with her own hands, her eyes trembling faintly.
The Female Warrior, with whom she had served for nearly a decade, had been more than a subordinate—a friend, a companion. And in a moment of unchecked fury, Hwa-ryeong had killed her.
Shiver…
The trembling ran to her fingertips.
“I’m sorry.”

* * *

Go-mi entered Yi Hwan’s quarters.
“Most of the scouts dispatched on reconnaissance have fallen, it is said.”
“Are you speaking of the troops that woman Hwa-ryeong led?”
“Yes. And it appears that woman’s careless movements resulted in their discovery by the enemy. On the return journey, unable to contain her rage, she even killed one of her own subordinates.”
“Is that so?”
Yi Hwan set down the teacup he had been raising to his lips.
Clink.
“Strange. That woman doesn’t seem the type to make such a blunder.”
“Perhaps she is capable of losing her wits. In any case, our forces have suffered greatly because of that woman. She surely deserves punishment.”
“Punishment, you say…”
Yi Hwan brought the teacup to his lips, his eyes growing distant. In his mind arose the arrogant image of Hwa-ryeong as she had glanced back at him on the battlefield with that mocking smile.
‘Perhaps there is something better than fashioning a necklace from her eyes.’
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Yi Hwan’s mouth.
“Tell her to come to me when she returns.”
“You mean that woman?”
“Yes. As you say, she has inflicted considerable losses on our forces. She must be punished for it.”
“If I may ask, what form will this punishment take?”
“I haven’t decided that yet. But why does your expression look so grave?”
“…Me?”
“Yes. You look as though you’re facing an implacable enemy. Did something happen between you and that woman?”
“No, nothing. I’m simply a bit tired… With your permission, I shall take my leave now.”
Yi Hwan watched Go-mi’s retreating figure as she hurried out, his brow furrowing slightly before something seemed to occur to him, and he nodded to himself.
“Does Wol-ju seem rather strange today?”
“She must be having a sensitive day.”
“I see…”
Ju-tae scratched his head with an awkward laugh.
Cheol Mu-ok spoke up.
“What will you do about that woman?”
“Killing her requires careful consideration. For now, I should look for something better than that.”
Yi Hwan rose from his seat.
“I’ll be training, so don’t disturb me unless something urgent arises.”
“Understood.”

* * *

Hwa-ryeong returned toward evening.
She considered seeking out the General-in-Chief Gwak Chung-mu to offer an explanation, but decided first to go to the barracks.
The first to greet her upon her arrival were Cheong Po-in and Heuk Po-in.
Hwa-ryeong glanced at the Female Warriors standing with bowed heads in one corner of the barracks and quickly grasped the situation. She sat across from Cheong Po-in and drained a bowl of cold water.
Thunk!
Hwa-ryeong looked directly at Heuk Po-in and tilted her chin slightly upward.
“What is this about?”
“I heard you killed one of your subordinates. Is it true?”
“Yes.”
“Then I need to hear your explanation for why.”
“And why must I explain myself to you?”
“Because the Empress has granted me full authority over this matter. So for now, you are not the commander of those women—you are my subordinate, and you have a duty to report to me, Hwa-ryeong.”
“And if I refuse?”
At Hwa-ryeong’s unyielding demeanor, Heuk Po-in shook his head and smiled faintly.
“Do you dare defy the Empress’s will?”
“Not the Empress’s will—your own ambition. You have always resented the Empress’s trust in me. That’s why you volunteered to come here, wasn’t it? To seize any opportunity to bring me down.”
A soft chuckle.
Heuk Po-in’s laughter deepened. Cheong Po-in, who had been watching with arms folded, let a faint smile escape.
Heuk Po-in spoke.
“You seem to be under the impression that I came of my own accord.”
“Her Majesty sent me. It appears matters here are not progressing smoothly, so she commanded me to come and investigate what is happening. But upon arrival, I find the situation far more grave than expected. How could I possibly fulfill the Empress’s orders under such circumstances?”
Cheong Po-in opened his mouth for the first time.
Hwa-ryeong did not even glance at him, her gaze fixed solely on Heuk Po-in. Heuk Po-in withdrew the tablet he had received from the Empress and placed it upon the table.
Tap.
“Return to Manhua Palace at once. This is not a command from me, but from Her Majesty herself—you must obey it, Hwa-ryeong.”
A tremor.
Hwa-ryeong’s brows curved sharply.
Just then, Cheong Po-in drew the sword he held against his chest, easing it upward slightly.
Click.
The blade rose a fraction, and an icy chill flooded the chamber. He smiled as he spoke.
“Let us avoid any unfortunate incidents.”
“It seems to me that you are the ones bringing misfortune upon yourselves.”
“That cannot be. We have merely come here at Her Majesty’s command.”
“Did Her Majesty truly order you to do this?”
“She said that if you refuse to obey, she will permit measures beyond mere recall.”
A tremor ran through her.
Hwa-ryeong’s eyes wavered.
She needed no explanation to understand what lay beneath the threat Cheong Po-in had just made.
‘So it was true, then?’
Hwa-ryeong’s chest burned.
What infuriated her more was that her subordinates—those who had shared her fortunes and misfortunes—stood silent as stones, offering no resistance.
Under normal circumstances, the moment Cheong Po-in had drawn his sword, they should have acted immediately.
“You should have remembered that Her Majesty tolerates not even a single failure, Hwa-ryeong.”
Heuk Po-in rose to his feet.
But Hwa-ryeong could not move at all.
‘Silence. I did not fail. I was waiting, watching for a more certain opportunity. But why….’
Hwa-ryeong swallowed the words that had risen to her throat. They were not meant for Heuk Po-in, but for the Empress.
Heuk Po-in moved behind Hwa-ryeong and asked.
“I ask you one final time. Will you obey Her Majesty’s command?”
As he spoke, Heuk Po-in’s hand came to rest upon the hilt of his sword.

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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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