novelraw Chapter 281 : Southern Invasion (5)
Chapter 281 : Southern Invasion (5)
The Northern Subjugation War in the first turn was the direct catalyst for the collapse of the Church Allied Forces.
To be more precise, the significant resentment within the Church Alliance, which had been simmering due to the execution of the Saintess, was ignited by the crushing defeat in the Northern Subjugation War.
This caused the human forces, once united around The Order, to begin fracturing.
From then on, it was guerrilla warfare that the Demon King's Army excelled at.
They inserted Demonic Species between the feuding humans to deepen their conflicts.
Rather than striking at The Order with full force from the outside, they created situations where the city gates could be opened from within.
In that manner, the Church Allied Forces in the first turn began to crumble from the inside out.
And the turning point for that was indeed the ‘defeat in the Northern Subjugation War.’
Just as it had been in his previous life, the Northern Subjugation War held no less significance in U-jin’s second turn.
If the Northern Subjugation War in the first turn was the starting point for the ‘collapse of The Order,’ the Northern Subjugation War in the second turn could be called the starting point of the ‘Demon King Hunt’ carried out under U-jin’s plan.
Furthermore, it wasn't just a simple repetition of the previous life’s war; the outcome itself had been completely overturned.
Just as the forces The Order had prepared for a long time reached a state of annihilation back then, this time, the North—which the Demon King's Army had prepared through long-term ‘fortification’—was utterly defeated by The Order.
The results had been flipped to the exact opposite.
Of course, this was a positive outcome for The Order.
Legion-level forces that would have originally vanished remained intact, the reclamation of the North was underway, and the Church Alliance, which would have dissolved upon the Saintess’s death, was bound even tighter by the victory in the subjugation war.
However, this did not only come with advantages.
From U-jin’s perspective, it was something he had to face regardless, so he had taken a head-on approach.
But turning the Northern Subjugation War—a defeat pre-regression—into a victory was not something that ended with it simply being ‘meaningful.’
If the Northern Subjugation War had ended in defeat as before, there were many things U-jin would have known.
He had personally experienced the entire process of The Order’s collapse, and afterward, while active in the Suicide Squad, he had watched for a long time how the Demon King's Army swallowed the continent.
Since he had flipped the entire board, he no longer knew how the Demon King's Army would act from here on out.
For U-jin, it was a state of increased uncertainty.
In particular, how the cornered Demon King would react was something he had not experienced even in his previous life.
It might be premature, but the appearance of ‘Primordial Demons’ might even occur.
…That was why the existence of the ‘Xuanyuan Sword’ was all the more desperate for U-jin.
If the message passed down through the Imperial Family of the Murim Empire was true, he could use the Xuanyuan Sword to respond to the ‘variables’ that would arise in the future.
The path for the Demon King Hunt had already been set; the problem was those variables.
U-jin, who was certain that he could bring about victory in the War against Demons if he could just handle those variables, could never give up on the Xuanyuan Sword.
However.
Regardless of that desperation, U-jin found it difficult to take the Emperor’s current statement at face value.
“You take it.”
“…Pardon?”
“I said you should take it. Did you not hear me?”
“…….”
He couldn't help but react that way.
‘…Why?’
The reason U-jin had agonized over the Xuanyuan Sword was that he didn't think Gongson Zan would just hand it over simply because U-jin said he needed it.
This wasn't just about greed or a simple 'give and take.'
From the perspective of Gongson Zan, the Emperor, this Xuanyuan Sword was no less than a ‘family heirloom.’
Regardless of commanding the Four Divine Beasts, it was a kind of relic and legacy passed down through his ancestors.
In fact, if what U-jin knew was correct, the name ‘Xuanyuan’ in ‘Xuanyuan Sword’ was taken from none other than ‘Gongson Xuanyuan,’ the first Emperor who unified and founded the Murim Empire.
In other words, the man before him was saying he would hand over an ancient relic used by his own progenitor to U-jin, someone he had only just met.
From U-jin’s position, he naturally had to suspect the Emperor's ‘true intentions.’
The Emperor had mentioned there was a message passed down orally within the Imperial Family, and according to that ancient message, it was certainly an item the Emperor should possess.
Furthermore.
‘…Surely.’
If U-jin’s memory wasn't mistaken, the Emperor had used a weapon called the Xuanyuan Sword pre-regression.
That meant, in other words.
Although U-jin hadn't brought it to him like in this second turn, the Emperor had found these fragments within the Murim Empire through his own strength and completed the sword.
U-jin, who knew where these fragments had been hidden, could be certain that the process hadn't been easy.
Knowing the development from his previous life, U-jin even began to wonder if the Emperor’s current statement was a test.
To give away a fragment of a family heirloom, even though U-jin said he brought it from the Emperor's own territory?
That wasn't something that could be explained simply by being benevolent, altruistic, or generous.
Of course, knowing how Gongson Zan had fought against the Demon King's Army until the end at the cost of his own life in his previous life, U-jin knew he wasn't a man who would act with ill intent. But that was only U-jin's thought.
Since this was the first time they were meeting face-to-face, he had to be more cautious.
This was something that required more explanation.
Smirk—
However, as if he already knew what U-jin was thinking.
The Emperor curled the corners of his mouth, keeping his hand extended as he uttered something unexpected.
“You are indeed the rightful owner of this item.”
This, too, was a difficult statement to understand.
It would have been easier to accept if the Emperor, Gongson Zan, claimed he was the owner but was gifting it to U-jin.
The item was in the Murim Empire.
The method of its use was passed down through the Imperial Family of the Murim Empire.
And it was a relic of the first Emperor passed down as a family heirloom for generations. To push it toward an outsider and claim they were the owner was hard to grasp, even with the most generous interpretation.
However.
U-jin’s lack of understanding ended there.
The words the Emperor casually tossed out next unfolded a new development that U-jin hadn't even considered.
“I didn't mention it earlier.”
“…….”
“But that wasn't the only message of the Imperial Family.”
“……!”
The message of the Imperial Family wasn't just that.
U-jin had already felt that the content of the oral tradition seemed a bit short.
Sure enough, that hadn't been all.
The Emperor spoke, his smirk widening even further.
Whir— Whir—
“Naturally, you couldn't have known, but this sword doesn't hum simply because two fragments are brought together.”
“……!”
Slightly—
The Emperor gestured with his chin toward U-jin’s chest.
As U-jin followed his gaze to his own chest, he saw a strange sight.
Though he hadn't noticed it until now, three intense energies were reacting strongly from his chest, as if refusing to lose to one another.
And those were, naturally.
‘…The Divine Artifacts.’
The three Divine Artifacts he had received from Kim Satgat in the Floating Territory.
The Vermilion Bird’s tail feather, the Azure Dragon’s inverted scale, and the Black Tortoise Cold Iron.
As U-jin carefully pulled the pouch containing the three Divine Artifacts from his chest, the intense energies that had been hidden by his clothing grew even stronger, flaunting their presence.
“…When the Heavenly Noble possessing Water, Wood, Metal, and Fire appears and reaches Murim.”
“…….”
“When the abominations of the ancient destruction reappear, he shall assemble this sword and command the Divine Beasts.”
The Emperor then recited the full text of the message he had received from the previous Emperor, and it was a passage that clearly pointed to U-jin.
Of course, the energies in the pouch were only Fire, Water, and Wood.
Whir—
The fragment of the Xuanyuan Sword held in U-jin’s hand.
It, itself, contained the energy of ‘Metal.’
The Thought Form of ‘Allen Tigris III’ that had previously dwelled in the fragment possessed a small amount of the White Tiger’s energy.
Though that energy was relatively small compared to the other Divine Artifacts, a faint energy of Metal was indeed radiating from the hilt of the Xuanyuan Sword.
“Perhaps it's because I'm tight-lipped, but in my entire life, my intuition has never been wrong.”
“…….”
“And my intuition tells me that you are the ‘Heavenly Noble’ from the Imperial Family’s message.”
Commonly speaking, it was an implausible story.
No matter how great the Murim Empire was, the current situation was beyond the level of being simply ‘great.’
Even if they somehow knew U-jin would regress and arrive at this point in time, how could they have known of U-jin arriving after an eternity of thousands of years and left a fragment of an unnamed sword?
And what if even one of the Divine Beasts' artifacts had been lost or damaged? How could they leave such an oral tradition?
However, to simply dismiss it as impossible, the message too accurately pointed to U-jin, who had come to Murim with the Divine Artifacts.
In fact, if one assumed that the words were true, it made sense why there were no stories of Gongson Zan commanding the Divine Beasts even while wielding the Xuanyuan Sword in the first turn.
“You are indeed the owner of that sword. I can already feel that the sword has chosen you.”
“…….”
“To be honest, I am envious. I don't know why it's you instead of me, a descendant of the first Emperor, but what can I do when it's the will of the Imperial Family and the will of the sword?”
Shrug—
“There is probably a reason I don't know.”
There was an undeniable hint of regret in the Emperor's voice as he spoke.
Just as U-jin had thought, he, too, had been tempted by the Xuanyuan Sword, which was said to be able to command the Four Divine Beasts.
However, as Gongson Zan U-jin knew, he was not a person who would defy the will of his ancestors for his own greed.
Rather, that was why he followed the will passed down from the previous Imperial line exactly, rather than acting on his own desires.
“…If I'm right, it will likely only respond to your energy. Even if I were to swing it, it would remain nothing more than a piece of hard scrap metal.”
The Emperor held up the blade once more, signaling U-jin to take it.
As U-jin took it and aligned the broken surfaces of the blade and the hilt.
“Then, I wish you luck.”
The intense energy of the Five Elements erupted simultaneously.