The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 133

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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 Martial Emperor, Episode 133

Chapter 133 — Hwa Ryeong’s Tears

Snow began to fall again.
Flakes accumulated on Hwa Ryeong’s hair.
Crunch, crunch.
As Hwa Ryeong departed the Northern Military Unit, her steps lacked their usual vigor.
Without channeling her inner strength, the cold air had flushed her face crimson.
Yet her eyes remained sharp as a blade, and her breathing came harsh with fury directed at someone unseen.
‘I didn’t fail. So why……’
The betrayal rising from the depths of her heart only swelled with each passing moment.
What filled her mind was not Heuk Po-in or Cheong Po-in—it was the Empress.
Whoosh!
Whisper, whisper……
Wind-swept snow powder scoured across her entire body. Hwa Ryeong made no move to brush the frost from her face—she simply walked, and walked again.
How long had she been walking?
Thump!
Hwa Ryeong’s footsteps ceased.
Slowly, she drew her sword.
Slide!
“Afraid of what I’ve seen, you’ve chased me all this way?”
“Of course. We couldn’t kill you within the military encampment.”
Heuk Po-in and Cheong Po-in materialized from the snow like wraiths. Hwa Ryeong turned to face them slowly.
Just moments before, she had obeyed Heuk Po-in’s command to return to the Imperial Palace—a choice forced upon her by the internal injuries she’d sustained during the operation.
But they had followed.
The reason was obvious.
“Is this Her Majesty’s command as well?”
“I tell you again—she does not tolerate even a single failure. So die cursing yourself for not completing your mission, Hwa Ryeong.”
Slide!
Heuk Po-in drew his sword. Cheong Po-in, meanwhile, left his sheathed and shifted to Hwa Ryeong’s left with arms crossed.
He raised both hands toward her with a smirk.
“I dislike unfair fights, so I’ll merely watch. Don’t mind me—just fight with all your heart. Hehehehe.”
Hwa Ryeong’s gaze fixed upon Heuk Po-in once more.
“You—a palace maid groveling for the Emperor’s favor. Can you even call yourself a martial artist?”
“If I can receive his grace, what wouldn’t I do? Besides, weren’t you the same? You did anything for the Empress’s love, didn’t you?”
“Hmph! I alone earned the Empress’s trust through my ability. That’s why you envied and resented me—because it’s something you could never achieve.”
Twitch.
The muscles beneath Heuk Po-in’s eyes flickered.
“Your wounded pride changes nothing about the outcome, Hwa Ryeong.”
“Shut your mouth and come at me, you dog.”
“I was already planning to send you to hell.”
Scrape!
Heuk Po-in’s blade kindled with Blade Energy.
But Hwa Ryeong’s sword remained unchanged.
‘I have to end this in one stroke. To do that, I’ll conserve my power and……’
She had no other choice.
With internal injuries, time was entirely her opponent’s ally. And there was that irritating Cheong Po-in as well.
Heuk Po-in began advancing toward Hwa Ryeong slowly.
“I’ve always wondered as I watched you—what could you possibly be, that Her Majesty treasures you so dearly? But at last, I’ve found the answer.”
Scrape!
The Blade Energy coiled around his blade began to roil.
“The Empress never trusted you as a person—she merely saw you as a hunting dog. Otherwise, she wouldn’t discard you so easily. Isn’t that right?”
“As if you’re any different?”
“I suppose I’m also viewed as a hunting dog. But if I bring back the Crown Prince’s head or the Fourth Prince’s head, things might change, don’t you think?”
Snap!
Heuk Po-in vanished as if extinguished.
But in Hwa Ryeong’s eyes, his form rushed forward with the clarity of a Flash Step.
In that instant, Hwa Ryeong’s eyes blazed with Blue Light.
Flash!

* * *

“Hmm?”
Cheong Po-in’s eyes, which had been watching lazily with arms crossed, widened slightly.
The two figures who had clashed once and sprung apart looked unmistakably different. Hwa Ryeong staggered, blood trickling from her chest, while Heuk Po-in stood rooted to the spot like a stone monument. At first glance, it appeared to be Hwa Ryeong’s defeat.
But Cheong Po-in saw beyond that.
“A wounded tiger demands even greater caution. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
Cheong Po-in clicked his tongue and uncrossed his arms. Then, slowly, he drew his sword.
Shhhhink.
The moment the blade cleared its sheath completely, Heuk Po-in—who had not moved so much as a muscle, standing like a monument—toppled forward like a great tree.
Thud!
The accumulated snow swallowed him whole.
Blood flowed from Heuk Po-in’s throat, staining the white around him crimson.
“Gahhh!”
Hwa Ryeong doubled over, coughing up blood.
Splatter!
“Impressive. Even if he let his guard down, he’s not the sort a single strike should kill.”
Hwa Ryeong steadied her stance, fixing her gaze on the approaching Cheong Po-in. But she had already exhausted herself utterly—she lacked even the strength to properly raise her sword.
She had poured everything into that single clash with Heuk Po-in.
She should have held back reserves to face Cheong Po-in, but Heuk Po-in had proven far too formidable.
Hiss.
Hwa Ryeong smiled toward the approaching Cheong Po-in.
“You didn’t dislike unfair odds—you aimed for this from the start, didn’t you? Despicable bastard.”
“I’m hurt you’d take my kindness that way. That man and I walked together for ten years—we were like friends. So my heart aches quite a bit, truly.”
“I’ll ask you one thing.”
“What? A small favor like that, I can certainly grant.”
“Did Her Majesty really order you to kill me? Really?”
“That man’s answer seems sufficient, don’t you think?”
“Stop playing games with words and just answer!”
“Of course she ordered it. That’s why he was quite pleased—he said he finally had a chance to rid himself of a thorn like you.”
Tremor…
Hwa Ryeong’s eyes quivered once. Then curses toward the Empress spilled from her lips.
“Bitch.”
Then, raising both hands, she laughed again.
“I’ll accept your deal.”
“What?”
It was then.
Ju-tae appeared behind Cheong Po-in. And one more—Yi Hwan.

* * *

Moments earlier, as Hwa Ryeong sank into despair, a thread of Transmission of Voice had slipped into her ear.
[Fight like this and you die.]
“…!”
Yi Hwan’s voice.
‘How did this bastard even get here…’
[I’m thinking of making a proposal.]
[What is it?]
[Work for me and I’ll spare you. Of course, if you refuse, you die—and so does he.]
“…!”
[Answer slowly and I’ll watch with great amusement as his blade severs your throat.]
Quiver…
Hwa Ryeong’s eyes trembled.
[Did you know this would happen from the start?]
[Hardly. But I sensed something was amiss, vaguely enough.]
Crunch.
Hwa Ryeong bit down on her lip.
[Then I await your swift decision.]
Yi Hwan’s Transmission of Voice ended there.
Hwa Ryeong plunged into the gravest crisis of her life. Yet that moment of anguish was fleeting, and in the end, she chose to live. Had it not been for her sense of betrayal toward the Empress, she would never have consented, even unto death.

* * *

Cheong Po-in whirled around as if struck by lightning.
Ju-tae fixed him with that characteristic rough laugh of his.
“Surprised?”
“How did you find this place?”
“I noticed something odd about the way you were seeing off a departing comrade, so I followed you. And here I find you playing around.”
Sling!
Ju-tae drew his blade.
Yi Hwan made no move, merely leaning against a tree and watching Hwa Ryeong.
Hwa Ryeong struggled to his side, and a trail of blood marked the path she had taken.
“If you mean to use me, you’ll need to keep me alive first.”
“You look rather exhausted.”
“It’s agony…”
Hwa Ryeong’s voice trailed into silence, and she collapsed without strength. Yi Hwan reached out and caught her waist, seating her against the tree. Then he placed his palm against her back and breathed True Energy into her.
‘Life is a thing no one can foresee.’
A bitter smile rose in his throat.
He’d followed out of a vague suspicion, never imagining the situation would unfold this way. He had already been considering other uses for Hwa Ryeong.
But never this.
Hwa Ryeong’s eyes fluttered open.
The moment they did, she coughed blood again.
“Gasp!”
“Just lie still.”
“Ah—ah!”
Hwa Ryeong lay sprawled in the snow.
Tears traced down her cheeks. She had chosen life, yes—but in doing so, she had betrayed the Empress, who had been her everything.
The fact that the Empress had betrayed her first was beside the point.
“Take those tears as a sign of something good.”

* * *

‘…This cannot be!’
Cheong Po-in trembled violently.
He and Ju-tae had exchanged three passes. In the first collision, he had been certain of his victory.
In the second collision, doubt had crept in—’This isn’t right’—and by the third, disbelief had seized his mind entirely.
‘Impossible!’
He, one of the finest masters among the Empress’s covert organization, had failed to last three seconds against a mere bodyguard to a prince.
Though his fighting strength remained, his spirit had been crushed under the weight of Ju-tae’s dominance.
Ju-tae, for his part, was equally astounded.
‘What is this bastard made of?’
Outwardly composed, he was barely enduring the violent shock that had twisted his Five Organs and Six Viscera.
‘I’m going to suffer on the privy tomorrow.’
Pfft!
Ju-tae spat coarsely and advanced toward Cheong Po-in again. The devastating shock to his organs had already faded, thanks to his peculiar rapid recovery.
Cheong Po-in reset his grip on the blade, steadied his stance, and clenched his teeth.
Crunch!
At the sound of grinding teeth, Ju-tae bared his teeth in a grin.
“Nice form there. Hehehehe.”
Then it happened.
Flash!
A streak of light erupted from behind Cheong Po-in.
It cleaved his head clean away.
Thud!
“What in hell are you doing?”
Ju-tae’s face twisted in fury.
The one who had severed Cheong Po-in’s head was none other than Cheol Mu-ok. He tilted his chin toward the rear.
“She looked to be in serious condition, so I finished her quickly. Since you’ve decided to keep the woman alive, shouldn’t she be treated right away?”
“I was planning to send her on in a single stroke anyway!”
“Yes, I trust you.”
“Damn it all!”
Then Yi Hwan’s voice cut through the tension.
“Let’s go.”

* * *

Yi Hwan laid Hwa Ryeong down on his own bed.
She had regained consciousness, but her condition was grave. Yi Hwan gazed down at Hwa Ryeong’s pallid face, drained of all color, and asked quietly.
“It seems I’ll need to kill your subordinates. Otherwise, it’ll only cause you suffering.”
“…….”
“If you agree, I’ll end it at once.”
Hwa Ryeong’s mind turned to those subordinates who had chosen not to leave the encampment with her, remaining instead at Heuk Po-in’s and Cheong Po-in’s side.
She had never once doubted their loyalty. And for that very reason, her anger and her pain cut deeper.
‘Did I bring this upon myself?’
She had put to death a subordinate who had offended her pride—in full view of everyone. Perhaps that was why they had turned against her.
‘But even so, that was no excuse.’
“If you need time to think, take it.”
“Kill them.”
Yi Hwan, who had half-turned away, looked back at Hwa Ryeong. She continued.
“They have already abandoned me. If you let them live, word of my betrayal will reach the Empress. So kill them—but let them go without pain.”
“Very well.”
Yi Hwan gestured, and Cheol Mu-ok and Ju-tae, who stood at the door, filed out.
Hwa Ryeong asked.
“How will you account for their deaths?”
“I’ll report to the Empress that they attempted to eliminate me, that all your subordinates died in the struggle, and that you alone barely survived.”
“Of course. But the Empress won’t give up. She may send even stronger ones next time.”
Yi Hwan posed a question then.
“How many martial artists are there around the Empress?”
“Couldn’t we speak of that later?”
A soft laugh escaped her.
“Fair enough.”
Yi Hwan turned and grasped the door handle. But before he stepped outside, he did not neglect to warn her.
“Once your body has fully recovered, you’ll need to change that tone of yours—that expression, that attitude—to something more respectful. Those friends of mine won’t tolerate it otherwise.”
“…….”
Thud!
The door swung shut, and a chill swept across Hwa Ryeong’s face.
Hwa Ryeong stared blankly at the ceiling.
‘How did it come to this?’
Events she had never even imagined were unfolding before her.
The reality she refused to accept felt like nothing but a nightmare.
‘If only I had trusted them for just a few more days…….’
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
As her emotions surged, Hwa Ryeong’s thoughts turned to the Empress. Why? Why?
‘What drove her to this? Why?’
The fortress of Hwa Ryeong’s spirit, once so solid, was already crumbling into dust, scattering like sand.
Never to be rebuilt again.

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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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