The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - 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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Red Dragon’s Undefeated Chronicles 57

Chapter 57—Threads Entangled and Woven

Yi Hwan watched the figures emerging from the forest.
Roughly fifty of them, perhaps?
‘The fact that they’re advancing openly means they’re confident.’
He issued orders calmly.
“Fall back, all of you. Form a defensive line.”
The escort warriors moved swiftly into position, their hands gripping their blades tightly, though most trembled with tension.
Wang Ji-gyeong asked, his face taut with anxiety.
“Are they men from the Hwang Ryong Trading Company?”
“Most likely.”
“Can you hold them?”
“Watch and see.”
“I’m counting on you. You must hold them, no matter what!”
Wang Ji-gyeong’s voice wavered noticeably.
Cheol Mu-ok turned to Yi Hwan.
“Wait for my signal.”
“Yes.”
Yi Hwan studied the approaching figures with sharp intensity. In moments, he had singled out Sangshan Hyeol-do. Though the man wore a mask, Yi Hwan remembered his broadsword clearly from that first glimpse in the courtyard.
“Found him?”
“Yes. He’s moving from the rear. Allow me to face him.”
Yi Hwan understood Cheol Mu-ok’s heart. Those who wielded the same weapons naturally harbored the instinct to test their mettle against one another, to measure who stood above the other.
“Stay sharp, Mu-ok. Don’t let your guard slip.”
“Yes.”
Ring.
Yi Hwan drew his blade slowly from its sheath.
Then he dismounted and stepped forward.
“Watch over the General-in-Chief.”
“Yes!”
The escort warriors formed a tight circle around Wang Ji-gyeong.
Wang Ji-gyeong shouted after Yi Hwan.
“Shouldn’t you remain at my side?”
“We’re outnumbered. I must reduce their numbers as quickly as possible. There’s nothing to fear—trust me.”
……
Yi Hwan advanced, with Do-wang and two others flanking him left and right. He turned to regard them, his smile faint but steady.
“Let’s see what you’re made of.”

* * *

The forest swayed in the wind.
Go-mi watched from her vantage point as the situation teetered on the knife’s edge.
‘Can they hold?’
Unease coiled through her.
The enemy numbers were overwhelming. Worse still, the man leading them was no ordinary fighter—Sangshan Hyeol-do, a renowned master.
On Yi Hwan’s side, most of the escort warriors were clustered around Wang Ji-gyeong for protection, leaving him comparatively few to work with. Go-mi’s eyes followed Yi Hwan as he stepped forward.
His face was perfectly still, unshaken, bearing the expression of someone entirely without worry.
Go-mi’s eyes narrowed slightly.
‘What on earth gives him such composure?’
Go-mi crept as close as she dared, preparing for any emergency. She slid her own blade partway from its sheath, ready to act at a moment’s notice.
Click.
That was when—
Go-mi’s head whipped around. Something felt wrong at her back. A figure stood perched atop a towering tree, silhouetted against the sky.
‘Who is that? Another of the Hwang Ryong Trading Company?’
Then a quiet voice seeped into her ears.
“They’re unrelated to this matter. Pay them no mind.”

* * *

Nang-in turned his gaze from Go-mi and fixed his eyes on the scene where the fight was about to begin.
His deep-set eyes soon locked onto Yi Hwan.
‘He’s entirely composed.’
Nang-in stared at Cheol Mu-ok beside him.
He too showed not the slightest trace of tension.
‘There’s someone formidable on the other side, so even a Master will have no choice but to use Jeol-gi. That will tell us who they really are.’
Nang-in folded his arms and leaned his weight against a branch.
Whoooosh!
When the wind shook the trees, the fight began.

* * *

Five spheres filled with light rose high into the sky.
The masked assailants at the head of the charge faltered and stopped in their tracks. Then Sangshan Hyeol-do’s icy command rang out.
“Strike!”
Rapid footfalls erupted.
The masked assailants surged forward in unison.
At the same moment, the spheres that had risen plummeted downward at tremendous speed.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thump!
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
Four collapsed, and one staggered, blood streaming from his shoulder.
Yi Hwan smiled faintly.
‘It’s improved quite a bit.’
Hummmmm.
His blade resonated, yet no sharp energy appeared along its edge.
Flash!
On the other side, Cheol Mu-ok’s blade blazed with light. He had not reverted his weapon back.
Crash!
“Aaaah!”
The one who had blocked his blade shrieked and flew backward like a kite with a severed string. At that signal, Do-wang’s three companions began their own blade dance.
Clang-clang-clang!
Crack!
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
Yi Hwan did not press forward but kept watch on those retreating. Several charged toward him, but breakthrough was impossible.
“Uhhhhh!”
“Kgh!”
The initial exchange revealed an overwhelming disparity in martial power. Wang Ji-gyeong, who had been watching tensely the formidable martial strength of Yi Hwan, Cheol Mu-ok, and the other three, let out a strange laugh.
“Hehehehe.”
His guards could not conceal their shock.
“Wow! They’re that strong…”
“They seem stronger than before, don’t they?”
It was still Cheol Mu-ok who amazed them most. His attacks were so devastatingly destructive that the visual impact was simply unavoidable.
Then it happened.
Someone rushed at Cheol Mu-ok from behind. Cheol Mu-ok struck the incoming broadsword of his opponent with tremendous speed.
Boom!
With the thunderous blow came a torrent of mud and spray. The masked assailants around him scattered frantically in all directions, but one failed to escape the shockwave and fell, blood spraying from him.
Cheol Mu-ok gazed at his opponent indifferently.
The two eyes visible beyond the mask trembled slightly. He must have been startled that Cheol Mu-ok had not yielded even a step.
Cheol Mu-ok smirked.
“You seem quite shocked.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“If you’re so curious, try prying my mouth open.”
Whoosh!
This time Cheol Mu-ok attacked first.
Crash-crash-crash-crash!
In an instant, four exchanges followed. Cheol Mu-ok pressed the attack while Sangshan Hyeol-do scrambled to defend.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
No one dared approach the zone where the two collided. Within the churning spray of mud and water, the shockwave from their impact flashed like lightning.
Screech!
Sangshan Hyeol-do was driven backward.
‘This can’t be!’
His wide-open eyes trembled fiercely.
Cheol Mu-ok advanced toward Sangshan Hyeol-do. In the process, two masked assailants had their necks severed by his blade and went flying.
“Argh!”
“Aaaah!”
Cheol Mu-ok raised his blade and muttered coldly.
“To think the incomparable master born in Sangshan would disappoint me so.”
Crack!
Sangshan Hyeol-do gritted his teeth, then tore away his mask. Since his opponent already knew his identity, there was no reason to keep wearing a mask that hindered his breathing.
Crack!
“Argh!”
“Aaaah!”
Sangshan Hyeol-do’s eyes swept rapidly across the battlefield.
His subordinates were dying in droves. Among them were those who had come from the Song Clan’s inn. But what chilled his chest was the sphere whizzing through the air without pause.
Each time it fell, his men’s heads burst open like watermelons.
‘Such martial skill exists in this world…….’
“You won’t have the leisure to look away now, will you?”
Sangshan Hyeol-do fixed his gaze back on Cheol Mu-ok.
Then his eyes began to fill with blood-red light.
“I will kill you.”
“Try. If you’re confident.”

* * *

Watching the battlefield where blood and flesh scattered, disappointment clouded Nang-in’s eyes.
It was because Yi Hwan and Cheol Mu-ok had not deployed the martial arts he had anticipated. Beneath that disappointment lay a subtle killing intent.
‘If they recognized the Tal-hon Qi despite not being on our side…….’
That meant they were enemies.
Such was Nang-in’s conclusion.
‘One final verification, and if they are not the people I seek, I have no choice but to kill them.’
Click.
Nang-in unsheathed his blade.
Then his gaze met Go-mi’s by chance. She stared at the blade he had raised and cried out coldly.
“I thought you said you were an outsider to all this?”
“It seems I must take back those words.”
Slide.
Go-mi drew her sword.
“Are you a lackey of the Hwang Ryong Trading Company?”
“I have no connection to them. I merely have business with them.”
“Stop right there!”
“If you interfere, you will die.”
Whoosh!
Nang-in descended lightly to the ground.
Go-mi stepped forward to block his path.
“Stand aside.”
“This man is a General-in-Chief of this realm! Any who seek to harm a General-in-Chief shall be deemed a traitor and face judgment!”
Ring!
Go-mi’s blade flared with force.
A faint glimmer of admiration appeared in Nang-in’s eyes, then faded. He then drew his own blade.
Slide.
It appeared worn, as if covered in rust—nothing remarkable.
But the instant the blade revealed itself, Go-mi felt a chilling aura wash over her as though her whole body would be torn to shreds.
‘This man is a master far greater than his appearance suggests!’
Tension flooded through her.
Yet she took a step forward and raised her blade.
“I said, stand back!”
“I’m curious. If you’re on the General-in-Chief’s side, why do you stand idle watching instead of joining the fight?”
“It’s none of your concern!”
“Something just came to mind that I need to verify. I’ll say it plainly—interfere, and I can kill you. I’m not the sort of woman who goes easy on people.”
“Then don’t.”
Shiiing!
The force surrounding Go-mi’s blade deepened and intensified.
At that, Nang-in’s brow furrowed slightly. One look at Go-mi’s eyes made it clear she would not back down.
“Are you perhaps someone who works for the state?”
“What if I am?”
Nang-in wavered.
He wanted nothing more than to throw himself into the fray and confirm Yi Hwan’s true identity. He couldn’t keep chasing shadows forever. But to do so, he’d have to kill Go-mi first.
And that didn’t sit right with him.
He was descended from the wandering knights—those who upheld righteousness and honor.
‘Troublesome.’
Nang-in’s gaze fixed on the battlefield.
Then it happened.
“……!”
Nang-in’s usually serene eyes twisted slightly. Behind Yi Hwan’s group, figures were emerging from the darkness.

* * *

“Watch out!”
“Behind us!”
At the escort warriors’ cry, Yi Hwan spun around.
Some thirty masked assailants were charging down upon them. Their sudden appearance threw the escort warriors surrounding Wang Ji-gyeong into disarray.
Yi Hwan called out sharply to Cheol Mu-ok.
“Mu-ok—hurry!”
Cheol Mu-ok turned toward the sound. Upon spotting the charging masked assailants, his eyes grew cold.
Sangshan Hyeol-do let out a cruel laugh.
“So they were getting excited, swinging their blades against a pretense of struggle. I’ll wager this very place will become your tomb today. Hehehehe.”
Snort.
“Pretending to struggle? Then I’ve no choice but to change my mind.”
Clink-clink!
Cheol Mu-ok’s sword transformed into a broadsword.
The other three did likewise.
‘What is this?’
Sangshan Hyeol-do felt a jolt of alarm. The moment the swords became broadswords, the aura that had surrounded them shifted unmistakably.
“Shall we see if you were really just pretending?”
Shiiing.
Three streams of light erupted from Cheol Mu-ok’s broadsword.
It was the phenomenon that occurred when one unleashed the Tal-hon Qi.

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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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