The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 90

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

Enemy Dragon Sovereign — Episode 90

Chapter 90 — The Scarecrow General’s True Identity Revealed

Those who had slipped into the Yen Military Encampment under Papa’s command.
The first thing they saw was the severed head of a Zhao general hung above the military gate.
‘Bastards.’
They swallowed their rage and pressed deeper still. Within moments, they split into two groups.
Countless torches illuminated the encampment, yet no sentry noticed their passage. The two assassins reached Jeong Cheon’s quarters and paused to catch their breath.
From within, Jeong Cheon’s voice drifted out in muted tones. The assassins drew their blades without a sound.
Then one of them seized the other’s wrist.
[Wait.]
[What is it?]
[Hold for a moment.]
The one who had grasped his companion’s arm pressed his face against the tent wall. The deep voice within grew louder.
“So long as the General-in-Chief leads our forces, there is no reason to fear defeat in this war.”
“It is truly astounding. We never knew the General-in-Chief possessed such talent for commanding an entire corps. I cannot fathom why such an ability has been concealed all this time.”
“Many harbor the same thought. When the General-in-Chief first assumed full authority, I confess to considerable unease—but now that dread has vanished entirely.”
“With the enemy’s vanguard routed so effortlessly, the army’s morale has soared. Even if Zhao’s forces descend upon us, we need not fear.”
The two assassins exchanged glances, their eyes widening at what they’d overheard.
[What is this? The one commanding the Southern Military Corps is not Peng Wu-wei, but the Scarecrow General?]
[We heard clearly that he holds full authority. Shouldn’t we be heading to the General-in-Chief’s quarters instead of here?]
One of the assassins fell into thought.
But the moment was brief.
[You must run back to Papa at once and report this truth. If we fail here, our superiors must know who the true commander is, or our plans will suffer.
[And you?]
[I will make for the General-in-Chief’s quarters.]
[Be cautious. Wait for my return unless a perfect opportunity presents itself, friend.]
[Understood. Go now.]
One assassin departed.
The remaining one surveyed the surroundings with keen attention, then moved toward Yi Hwan’s quarters.
‘So the Scarecrow General was the true commander of the Southern Military Corps all along. Everyone has been deceived.’
Moments later, the assassin approached the rear of Yi Hwan’s pavilion. The lights were extinguished, and soft snoring echoed from within—clearly everyone slept.
‘I must first locate the General-in-Chief’s chamber.’
The assassin sharpened his senses to their peak. Then, in perfect silence, he scaled the wall and entered the Back Courtyard.
‘Why is there no sound of breathing at all?’
That was when it happened.
Five pinpoints of light appeared above the assassin’s head. Soundless as they were, they descended quietly toward him.
“Have you come to kill me?”
……!
At that indifferent voice, the assassin reflexively staggered backward and drew his sword.
Clang!
‘When did he appear?’
Before the doorway leading from the courtyard into the pavilion sat a figure. Yi Hwan had simply materialized in a place that, an instant before, had been empty.
“For you to slip all the way here to take my life—it seems you’ve finally learned the truth about me.”
‘Is this the Scarecrow General?’
His strike matched his thought in speed.
The assassin crashed down upon Yi Hwan with all the force he could muster.
But the five points of light that had descended firefly-like were far faster still.
Thwack!
“Agh!”
A cry of agony tore from his throat as blood sprayed from both his shoulders. His nerves severed, both arms went slack below him, and his blade clattered away.
Clatter!
Swoosh!
Then Cheol Mu-ok appeared and severed the assassin’s right leg clean from the shin.
Thud!
“Screeeaaaahhh!”
A death shriek tore through the midnight silence without mercy.
Only then did Yi Hwan rise slowly and step out into the moonlight.
Baek Po-in stared directly at Yi Hwan’s face, even as pain wrung groans from his throat.
“What kind of sorcery did you use?”
“Since you’ve never seen it, it’s natural you’d mistake it for magic.”
Yi Hwan opened his fingers lightly, and five points of light appeared once more.
“From the moment you stepped into the Back Courtyard, these creatures have been hovering above your head. It’s my own martial art—one that even a god couldn’t escape if they were ignorant of it. That someone of your level should fall to it is only natural, wouldn’t you say?”
“W-who are you really!”
“Who? The Scarecrow General-in-Chief, of course.”
That was when it happened.
Clang! Crash!
“Ahhh!”
Suddenly, the sound of metal and screams erupted from above the encampment.
Yi Hwan’s brows shot upward.
“So I wasn’t the only target.”
“I’ll investigate at once, sir.”
Bang!
Cheol Mu-ok launched himself skyward, driving off the ground.
Baek Po-in watched Cheol Mu-ok tear through the darkness like a Night Bird, his Lightness Technique leaving Baek Po-in breathless with shock. In that moment, the truth crystallized for him.
He had leapt into the mouth of a tiger.
‘Damn it…….’
“From now on, I ask the questions and you provide answers. If you hesitate or lie, you’ll watch your limbs fall away one by one with perfectly clear consciousness—no mercy of fainting, nothing. See if you can endure that.”
“……!”

* * *

Bang!
Jeong Cheon kicked open the tent flap and rushed out.
Before the Military Quarters stood warriors of the Sword King Lineage, and at their feet lay two corpses, motionless on the ground.
“What’s happened?”
“They appear to be assassins sent by the enemy, sir.”
“What?!”
Jeong Cheon stared down at the bodies in shock. Both lay dead with their throats half-severed, flesh torn and hanging.
Drip.
Something fell to the ground. Confirming it was blood, Jeong Cheon turned to the warrior and asked urgently.
“Is anyone hurt?!”
“It’s only a minor wound, sir. Please don’t worry.”
One warrior bore a wound on his arm. The other remained entirely unscathed.
Whoosh!
Cheol Mu-ok descended from above.
Jeong Cheon spoke quickly.
“Were assassins sent after the General-in-Chief as well?”
“They were subdued with ease, sir.”
Cheol Mu-ok turned to the Sword King Lineage warriors.
“Were these all of them?”
“Yes, sir. There were no others.”
‘Strange. Only one came after us. But then, these men sustained injuries. I thought they were insignificant since our lord defeated them so easily…….’
Looking at the situation, it had been a one-to-one match. Yet one man had still been wounded—which meant the assassins’ skill was quite formidable.
Whoosh!
The encampment’s commanders descended one after another. Last came Peng Wu-wei, entering the tent.
“What in blazes is going on?!”
Jeong Cheon pressed him.
“Did assassins come for you, sir?”
“Not a soul. I just heard the commotion and came out.”
Jeong Cheon’s gaze grew distant.
‘If these were assassins from Zhao, they should have targeted the Crown Prince first. So why did they come only for Jeong Cheon and the General-in-Chief?’
Jeong Cheon’s brow furrowed.
‘They’ve realized the General-in-Chief is commanding our forces!’

* * *

Baek Po-in raced through the darkness.
A shadow pursued him.
Tap-tap-tap!
Realizing someone was on his heels, Baek Po-in poured everything into his Lightness Technique. Each time he glanced backward, the distance narrowed, and alarm seized him.
The chase had begun the moment they left the military encampment—at first, he and his pursuer had been roughly fifty paces apart.
Now that gap had shrunk to twenty paces or less.
Baek Po-in stared ahead.
Allied forces were stationed not far off, perhaps two hundred paces distant.
At this rate, he would be caught long before reaching them.
Baek Po-in’s right hand plunged into his sleeve and withdrew. Something glinted between his fingertips.
The light flew toward the shadow chasing him like a meteor.
Shriek!
Boom!
A sharp explosion erupted with a burst of flame.
As the shadow faltered, Baek Po-in gained precious ground.
Crack!
Baek Po-in clenched his teeth.
Fleeing like this gnawed at his pride, but there was something far more pressing he could not ignore. The Concealed Projectile he had just hurled was a signal to summon his allies.
‘If you keep chasing, I’ll tear you limb from limb and throw you to the dogs.’
Baek Po-in looked back—and his eyes widened.
The pursuing shadow had vanished without a trace.
“Come on then, bastard!”
Baek Po-in hurled the curse into the empty darkness—a release of his own rage as much as anything.
Then it happened.
“If you were so tough, why did you run?”
“……!”
A spine-chilling aura washed over Baek Po-in. He spun like a top and threw himself left just as blood sprayed from his chest.
Splash!
‘When did he—’
Horror seized Baek Po-in.
The shadow had appeared ahead of him.
Despite the Concealed Projectile meant to buy time, the man had already overtaken him.

* * *

Ju Tae approached the wide-eyed Baek Po-in slowly.
Wisps of smoke curled from his body—remnants of the Concealed Projectile, whose flames had caught him. He had extinguished them quickly with his Internal Energy, but the exposed skin bore angry red burns.
“You should have used that rage to run faster instead.”
Shing.
Baek Po-in’s blade cut through the air with a metallic ring.
“Interesting.”
“Who are you?”
“A warrior of the Southern Military Corps.”
Ju Tae knew there was no time for more words. Far ahead, he could already see figures rushing toward him like wind—Martial Artists of Zhao Kingdom, no doubt.
“Hold out until your friends arrive. Then you might live.”
Thud!
Ju Tae’s body became a blur, sliding into Baek Po-in with devastating force. Baek Po-in retreated, his blade rising to meet the onslaught.
Clang!
Steel met steel, and sparks erupted.
Ju Tae’s sword cut through empty air again. This time too, Baek Po-in’s defense held firm.
Crash!
“Agh!”
A cry tore from Baek Po-in’s throat.
Force met force head-on, and his wrist shattered under the blow.
‘In a direct contest, I lose. Always.’
Acknowledging his opponent’s overwhelming strength, Baek Po-in had to find his best chance for survival.
Flash!
Ju Tae’s blade ignited in the darkness. This time, two arcs of sword-light streaked toward him simultaneously.
To conjure two separate arcs with a single blade—he had never even heard of such a technique, let alone witnessed it.
Judging it impossible to defend, Baek Po-in deployed his final gambit.
Whoosh!
The Lazy Donkey Rolling.
A technique so crude that even third-rate fighters despised it—but it was how Baek Po-in dodged Ju Tae’s assault, tumbling backward and slamming hard against a tree.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Contempt flickered across Ju Tae’s eyes.
“Your Zhao martial artists seem to have lost all sense of shame.”
“If you fail to kill me here, I swear I will hunt you down and end you myself. Grrr!”
He’d ground his teeth so hard that a cracked one flew from his mouth.
The depth of his humiliation was plain to see.
A sinister presence surged toward Ju Tae from behind.
In just a few more breaths, he would be within striking range.
‘Damn.’
Ju Tae’s brow furrowed.
His opponent had arrived faster than expected. That meant an expert—a true master. He couldn’t linger here, or he’d be surrounded with no way out.
Lingering would mean certain encirclement.
Baek Po-in had already slipped away diagonally. The moment for a final strike had passed.
“Quite the performance. Your Lazy Donkey Rolling has reached the highest level—truly a sight to behold. Heh, heh, heh.”
With those words, Ju Tae hurled himself into the darkness. Baek Po-in didn’t straighten until the man had completely vanished, then bent forward, gasping heavily.
“Huff, huff, huff!”
Whistle!
Zhao martial artists descended into the courtyard in succession. One of them, dressed in blue, leveled his blade at Baek Po-in and barked coldly.
“Who are you?”
“I serve Papa directly.”

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