Sword God Reborn

Chapter 175 : Proxy War

A large training ground attached to a huge manor.

As the Black Assembly was held, it had undergone major renovation. It was large enough to accommodate nearly eight thousand people at once.

But there were no empty seats, and it was so full that there was no room to move.

On the platform, the Great Dragon Gang leader, Dokgo Pae, appeared.

It was not just Dokgo Pae. The Great Strength King and Wang Jeonyu also stood on either side.

"The heroes of the martial world have gathered here at the request of this inadequate person. Comrades of the martial world! I am the Great Dragon Gang leader, Dokgo Pae!"

At Dokgo Pae's appearance, the gathered people sent enthusiastic cheers.

It was an overwhelming sight. Only the Green Forest members and the river pirates had ambiguous expressions, while the vast majority of the Unorthodox Alliance cheered with flushed faces.

"And here, for this gathering for the martial world, the River King of the Yangtze River and the Great Strength King of the Green Forest have also personally graced us with their presence, so now the heroes of the martial world have all gathered under the flag of the Unorthodox Alliance!"

"Waaaaaah!"

Only then did the Green Forest and the river pirates also clap their hands.

But Cheon Mubaeck sneered.

'It's obvious who is superior.'

Dokgo Pae was leading the conversation alone in the center. Like the protagonist of a stage. On the other hand, Wang Jeonyu and the Great Strength King were just standing there. They were like decorations. A background to make the protagonist, Dokgo Pae, stand out.

Cheon Mubaeck's gaze swept over the training ground. An enormous crowd.

The Unorthodox Alliance, who had all lived rough lives. Not just some small fries, but the raw power of the real thing was dynamic.

Cheon Mubaeck noticed Dokgo Pae's purpose.

'He's taking the initiative and setting the hierarchy.'

The achievements he had made, the enthusiastic support of the Unorthodox Alliance, including the Great Dragon Gang.

He was showing everything. And he was presenting a sweet fruit.

He was emphasizing that one could be satisfied even by living as the second or third in command. That he was a man who would generously give appropriate rewards, such as honor or wealth.

'There's a reason why the Unorthodox Alliance is integrating.'

Cheon Mubaeck, who had revised his evaluation of Dokgo Pae upwards, rather made a strange expression.

Because a man like that did not seem like he would be swayed by the Blood Demon Valley.

'Rather, he might use the Blood Demon Valley for his own purposes. That's why he's more dangerous.'

If he were a subordinate of the Blood Demon Valley, he could just get rid of him. But if he was a cunning guy, it would be a headache. Because he had power and influence.

'To create a three-way division, I have to at least make Wang Jeonyu the leader, and draw out the cooperation of the Green Forest to keep him in check. Only then will the integrated Unorthodox Alliance not move according to Dokgo Pae's will.'

After organizing his thoughts, Cheon Mubaeck looked at the front again.

At some point, Dokgo Pae's powerful opening speech was coming to an end.

Kwaang!

As he stomped his foot so hard that the training ground resounded, the surroundings became quiet in an instant.

It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop, and numerous gazes were focused. Dokgo Pae smiled as if he were enjoying the gazes.

And he shouted.

"Drink!"

Dokgo Pae's resounding lead.

The direct subordinates of the Great Dragon Gang stood up and responded.

"Driiiink!"

Kwang!

"Get drunk!"

"Get druuuunk!"

The repetition of the lead and the response. That strange resonance soon shook everyone's hearts.

Kwang!

"Play!"

"Plaaaaaay!"

And with that, a feast began right away. Courtesans came out to the training ground and danced, and at some point, splendid food was displayed. Wine, food, and the dances of the courtesans.

The splendid feast was like a festival, and even the Green Forest and the river pirates, who had been somewhat reluctant, were quickly swept up in the atmosphere.

Cheon Mubaeck smiled bitterly.

'He's a guy who is as powerful as a dragon and yet has the cunning of a snake.'

At this moment, Cheon Mubaeck made up his mind. If that man became an enemy. No, if he even showed a hint of it, he would act first.

'I must kill him.'

He had to.

* * *

The Black Assembly was truly a frantic festival.

The entire city was soaked in wine, courtesans, and music. For several days and nights, wine flowed, and all sorts of delicacies were eaten and eaten, but they did not run out.

And as befitting the vigorous Unorthodox Alliance, it was common for fights to break out here and there.

Every day, things were broken here and there, and while someone was carried away to the doctor, the sight of them watching and laughing boisterously was raw.

"..."

Cheon Mubaeck silently watched the situation.

It was a lawless zone with no rules, a pandemonium.

But this was the integration of the Unorthodox Alliance.

The Unorthodox Alliance who had gathered from all over shared wine, started fights, fought to their heart's content, and then shared wine with each other again.

Although it was a pandemonium that seemed truly foolish, the Unorthodox Alliance were rather forming a strong bond here.

And in the midst of that, a rumor spread.

"The leader of the Black Assembly will be decided!"

The rumor, which had started from somewhere, soon spread in an instant.

"Well, of course the Great Dragon Gang leader will do it."

"But there's a procedure. Will they choose by voting?"

"Whatever they do, in the end, won't the Great Dragon Gang leader become the leader? Even if they fight fairly in a sparring match."

"Well. Even the Great Strength King and the River King can't beat the Great Dragon Gang leader, right?"

Everyone did not show much interest.

In any case, it seemed likely that Dokgo Pae would become the leader.

And when the festival had died down a little, Dokgo Pae once again convened the people at the large training ground and declared.

"The Black Assembly that will soon be launched is not just a martial arts sect! Until now, the Orthodox Path martial world has created an organization called the Martial Arts Alliance and has pursued their own interests, and the Demonic Path has also pursued integration by putting forward a worthless religion. In the meantime, the Unorthodox Alliance has always been divided and has been despised as the weak!"

"That's right!"

"That's right! It's not a wrong statement!"

Dokgo Pae, who had drawn empathy in an instant, declared.

"So, the Black Assembly, which encompasses all the Unorthodox Alliance sects of the Central Plains, the waterway of the Yangtze River, and even the heroes of the Green Forest, is being created here, so now, for the martial world of the Unorthodox Alliance, shouldn't a man who will jump into the flames take the lead? A place to decide the leader of the Black Assembly has been prepared!"

Dokgo Pae cleared his throat and shouted again. A powerful internal qi resounded. A strange magic that made the hearts of the listeners pound was overflowing.

"But we are not those ignorant guys of the Demonic Path, are we! Just because one is strong, one cannot create a martial world for the Unorthodox Alliance. So there is no need for a strong guy to rise to the position of leader just because he is strong, like in the Demonic Path."

Dokgo Pae, who had poured out a long speech, was silent for a moment. As if it were a lie, the surroundings became quiet. How much time had passed? The moment all the gazes, all the nerves were focused on Dokgo Pae. He declared.

"The Unorthodox Alliance are brothers! It is not that one is strong just because one is strong, but the Unorthodox Alliance is strong only when the brothers are strong! My brothers, my younger brothers, my subordinates must be strong to be recognized as the leader! So I will tell you the content that I have agreed on with the Great Strength King and the River King here. Representing each of our forces, not me, the Great Strength King, or the River King, but the people under our command will hold a 'proxy war'!"

The proxy war immediately caused a considerable repercussion.

If it were the Demonic Path, the survival of the fittest, where the strongest becomes the leader, would be appropriate.

The Unorthodox Alliance was not.

The phrase that Dokgo Pae had said, 'The Unorthodox Alliance are brothers,' immediately resonated with many of the Unorthodox Alliance.

"Why do we fight alone?"

"If things go wrong, we fight together and die together."

Because it was not a shameful thing for several, or dozens, to attack one person.

Rather, the Black Assembly was stirred up by the fact that it was a proxy war between forces, not a sparring match between leaders.

"If it's a force, the Green Forest is also not to be trifled with, right?"

"There's no guarantee that the Great Dragon Gang leader will have an advantage in this?"

While these and other stories were being exchanged, the announced proxy war quickly gained momentum.

Because all the agreements had already been made.

Three people representing each force from the Great Dragon Gang, the Green Forest, and the Yangtze River would participate.

It was not a sparring match to compete for individual strength, but a base battle, considering that it was the daily life of the Unorthodox Alliance to take and be taken from each force.

The three peaks that rose in the nearby mountain range.

The rule was to set up a base for each force there, and to capture that base.

When the list of participants for each force was decided, the day before it started, the participants gathered in the center of the training ground.

Of course, Cheon Mubaeck participated.

Of course.

"Why me again..."

"There's no one among the river pirates who is as good as you."

Neung-heo made a long face.

"Please take care of me. This is a matter of the pride of the Yangtze River."

The participants from Wang Jeonyu's side were Cheon Mubaeck, Neung-heo, and a man with a reddish-black face called the Iron Face Palm.

He was the leader of a huge waterway in the Yangtze River that was quite famous.

Looking at his protruding temples, he was also a formidable master of the peak, but the opponents who had gathered in the seat were also unusual.

From the Green Forest, the one-armed Salt Light Fortress Leader and two sturdy men came out. It was said that they were also once the leaders of a huge Green Forest fortress that had resisted the Great Strength King.

The problem was the Great Dragon Gang side.

Two of the three guardian guards called the Three Monsters, Jeoki and Doki. The other one was the leader of a huge Unorthodox Alliance sect called the Yufeng Gang.

The Yufeng Gang leader glanced around, and then his gaze stopped at Cheon Mubaeck. He smiled at the Iron Face Palm.

"Hmm. My goodness, the heroes of the Green Forest are famous for being good with their swords even in the rough mountains. The friends of the Yangtze River must have a hard time with this matter, right?"

"..."

"A young kid wearing a mask, a middle-aged man with burn marks all over his face... was it the Iron Face Palm? I've heard the rumors about you. That you dance with a sword like a ghost on the water. But what to do about this. This is on land, so I don't know if you can dance well. If you want to dance, I have some courtesans I brought, so how about learning a sword dance? Don't get involved in such a rough matter."

The Yufeng Gang leader sneered with a silly smile.

Although Neung-heo was not shaken by such a thing, and Cheon Mubaeck also felt as if a dog were barking.

The Iron Face Palm's face flushed with the thought that he had been insulted.

"Hehehe. My goodness. If you don't think so, how about you draw some water from below and dig a lake on the peak?"

And as he made a gesture of swimming and flailing, the guy named Dok next to him laughed heartily.

Although it was a place to get to know each other, the Yufeng Gang leader was openly sneering.

But no one stopped him.

Because this was the daily life of the Unorthodox Alliance. Wasn't it their way to start a fight at any time and roll around in the mud? Rather, there were a lot of people watching with interested faces.

"And you, the brat with the mask, you look like a young kid. A guy who lives off the Unorthodox Alliance, why did you suddenly go under the turtle of the Yangtze River?"

The Yufeng Gang leader grinned. And as he spread his legs and pretended to crawl, it was a blatant mockery.

Well, it was clear that the Yangtze River side looked the weakest, and since it was the Unorthodox Alliance to start a nerve war and take the initiative, the Yufeng Gang leader had chosen the easiest opponent.

Cheon Mubaeck's mouth opened.

"Well, you're being a real smartass."

"...!"

At the sudden words, the Yufeng Gang leader was at a loss for words for a moment.

The Yufeng Gang leader's expression hardened as he realized that those words were directed at him.

"What did you say, you young bastard?"

"Are your earholes blocked because you're old? A guy who lives off the Unorthodox Alliance is crawling between the Great Dragon Gang leader's legs, so your ears must be broken."

"..."

As he calmly poured out harsh words, the Yufeng Gang leader was rather flustered and his face turned red. His face turned red and blue at the thought that he was getting back what he had said.

At the unexpected reaction, the people around looked at him with interested faces. As the gazes were focused for a moment, the Yufeng Gang leader, who thought it would be an insult if he just stood still, drew his sword with a red face.

"You bastard, don't you know you have to respect your seniors in the Unorthodox Alliance?"

"I don't think a moron who is proud of crawling between someone's legs is a senior."

"You bastard!"

In the end, unable to bear it, the Yufeng Gang leader brandished his sword. He had intended to inflict a moderate wound and make him bow his head. But at that moment.

Seogeok!

Everyone who was watching widened their eyes and doubted their own eyes.

"...!"

It was truly concise. Until the moment the sword was brandished, the sword was in its scabbard.

But the moment he blinked his eyes once, the sword was already drawn, and the Yufeng Gang leader's wrist was rolling on the floor. The eyes of Dok, who had been laughing heartily at the Yufeng Gang leader's bizarre behavior, flashed murderously.

'It's a concise and clean sword strike that is invisible. That brat... what on earth is he? Where did the River King bring such a guy?'

The Yufeng Gang leader screamed as he saw the blood gushing from his wrist.

"Ugh!"

"If you want your mouth to be torn too, keep screaming."

"...!"

With a pale face, the Yufeng Gang leader closed his mouth firmly.

A violent killing intent that poured out from Cheon Mubaeck for a moment!

Cheon Mubaeck, who had easily subdued the Yufeng Gang leader, calmly looked at the Great Dragon Gang side and said.

"Since one of his wrists is cut off, I don't know if he can participate in the proxy war."

When a meeting took place between the Unorthodox Alliance, a battle of initiative was always the norm.

Although the Yufeng Gang leader had acted first, in the end, it was not Cheon Mubaeck who was subdued, but the crowd.

While everyone was silent, Doki and Jeoki of the Three Monsters frowned and were about to step up.

A heavy voice cut in.

"Then we'll have to change the participant. Since the Great Dragon Gang leader has given his permission, I will participate instead."

The one who appeared was a man with long hair and an indifferent face.

The eldest of the Three Monsters, Haei.

At his appearance, a murmur flowed through the surroundings. The expressions of the Green Forest members also frowned, and the Iron Face Palm also had a stiff face.

The three guardian guards of the Great Dragon Gang leader who could face the Great Strength King and the River King at the same time if the three of them acted.

All three of them were participating in the proxy war.

As Haei appeared, revealing his momentum to his heart's content, the surroundings instantly became as cold as ice.

But...

"What to do. If all three of them die during the proxy war, won't the Great Dragon Gang leader lose all his guardian guards?"

"...!"

A smile appeared on Cheon Mubaeck's lips. Rather, what appeared in his eyes was anticipation.

(End of Chapter)