novelraw Chapter 146 : Chapter 146
Chapter 146 : Chapter 146
Chapter 146 Treason (9)
"Gaaah."
"Aaaack!"
It was difficult to breathe in the intense heat. The screams coming from all directions continued without end.
Even though he had protected his body with the Millennium Silk and the Demon Dragon Robe, Jaun could not properly regain his senses for a while.
As the ringing in his ears subsided to some extent, Jaun retrieved the Millennium Silk of the Ink Ring.
SIZZLE
The Ink Ring became scalding hot with the immense heat absorbed by the Millennium Silk. When he revealed his face, which had been protected by the Demon Dragon Robe, a fierce heat that felt like it would melt his lungs rushed in.
"Cough."
Jaun raised his energy to its peak and blocked the heat pouring in from the surroundings. Shaking his throbbing head, he looked up.
The shrine, which had been about the same height and size as a nearby low mountain, had collapsed to the point where its shape could not be found.
The mountain next to it had also been unable to escape the aftermath of the explosion, as half of it was gouged out, and fragments of the shrine were embedded in various places.
Amidst the acrid smoke, thousands of charred bodies were scattered among what appeared to be the remnants of the shrine. It was a gruesome sight, reminiscent of hell.
Jaun clenched his teeth and quickly scanned his surroundings.
"...Gasp!"
The place where the Emperor had been.
He could see the Five Swords, who had held on until the very end on the barely remaining debris of the shrine, finally collapsing.
THUD
On the floor where they had fallen, the two escort warriors who were said to be the Commander's hidden blades were lying there, turned into a pile of black ash with holes all over their bodies.
'...What about the rest?'
Jaun shook his head again and focused his energy on his eyes. Behind the collapsed Five Swords, he saw the figure of an old man writhing on the floor.
The old man's clothes, as he staggered to his feet, were horribly torn and his body was covered in blood, but his two eyes were definitely alive.
"Gaaah..."
"Ugh..."
As the old man rose to his feet, a groan erupted from the body of the middle-aged man on his back.
'It's the Commander and the Emperor.'
The Emperor's condition was very poor, but he was still alive.
'...Had they buried the Thunderclap Bombs under the floor of the shrine?'
Jaun looked around at the devastated surroundings.
Large stone slabs had been laid on the floor of the shrine, and the fire was rising through them. It seemed that the flames that had entered along the fuse had detonated the enormous number of Thunderclap Bombs buried under the stone slabs.
And as the Thunderclap Bombs exploded, the huge stone slabs laid on the floor became another weapon.
Looking at the corpses, it was presumed that the shattered and exploded stone slabs had first pierced their bodies, and then a huge fire demon had swept over them.
'To think they would use the shrine itself as a weapon.'
Jaun, who was getting up, frowned at the pain he felt all over his body.
Even though the Millennium Silk had blocked the stone fragments and the Demon Dragon Robe had withstood the immense heat, not all the shock had been absorbed.
'...Whew. This many Thunderclap Bombs.'
All of this must have been possible because Prince Yeomseong was involved in the plan. He must have poured out the Thunderclap Bombs he had secured over the years using the military personnel under his command for this plan.
Now Jaun finally understood why General Hwang had been so confident in the grand plan and why he had disappeared at the end.
'Then the ones with blood energy knew about this situation in advance and escaped... Why were the 13th Division and I left here?'
His identity had not been revealed. Then there were not many reasons left.
'...A punishment for defecting with an important military force by antagonizing the Eastern Depot right before the grand plan? Or the purpose of eliminating a competitor with unexpected power?'
He did not know the exact reason, but in any case, it seemed that Thousand Households Commander Ma and the 13th Division had become discarded pieces.
Jaun got up with difficulty and looked around once more. He saw the staggering Commander kneeling on the floor again.
Thanks to the sacrifice of the Seven Swords, the Commander and the Emperor seemed to have narrowly escaped the fire and stone projectiles of the Thunderclap Bombs. The proof was that there were no survivors within a hundred-jang radius except for the struggling Commander and the Emperor.
Everyone near the shrine was either dead or about to die.
Looking at the numbers, it seemed that about half of the Embroidered Uniform Guard had disappeared due to the Thunderclap Bombs.
'...Damn it.'
The flames of the Thunderclap Bombs, which had blown away the huge altar without a trace, were burning, using the nearby corpses as fuel, and the shallow stream that flowed around the shrine had completely dried up, unable to withstand the heat.
In the thick smoke, Jaun, with a heavy heart, released his Bone Shrinking Art. With a cracking sound, Jaun's body returned to its original form.
CRASH
The debris of the shrine that had spread to various places collapsed, and black smoke rose between them.
Jaun, protecting his body as much as possible with the Demon Dragon Robe, began to walk to where the Commander and the Emperor were.
'In that case, is the tide turning? The Embroidered Uniform Guard who were guarding the Emperor at the closest distance have been annihilated. Besides, more than half of the surviving Embroidered Uniform Guard would be those with blood energy.'
The Seven Swords who were guarding the Emperor among the Twelve Swords were all dead, and although he had not seen it directly, it was obvious that the one remaining in the rear had also been attacked by the other four generals.
If this was the case, there was a difference in the number of soldiers, but the difference in the number of masters was too great.
'If we lose the Emperor here, Prince Yeomseong will ascend the throne. In the end, the power of the Imperial Court will fall into the hands of the Blood Cult. In the end, I have to protect the Emperor somehow.'
Jaun clenched his teeth at the pain that filled his entire body. After taking out a signal flare from his bosom and shooting it into the sky, Jaun began to approach the Emperor, breaking through the terrible fire demon.
"...Who are you?"
The Commander, who had sensed the signal flare and Jaun's presence, shot up in an instant. There was not a single part of his body that was unharmed, but his blazing eyes were still alive.
The Commander, who was glaring at Jaun, took out a half-broken golden sword from his waist.
"If you come any closer, I will cut you down immediately."
They were the words of a tired old man covered in wounds, but he felt that if he took one more step forward, those words would become reality.
Jaun felt the terribly sharp energy spread out in front of his feet and stopped in his tracks.
"...I am on the side of the Commander and His Majesty the Emperor. So please allow me to protect His Majesty."
At Jaun's words, the Commander frowned. After rubbing his eyes once and examining Jaun's appearance, the Commander tilted his head.
"...How are you here?"
At the Commander's question, Jaun slowly began to explain the situation.
The plot of the Blood Cult and Prince Yeomseong.
What they had tried to do here and for what purpose, and how he had come to be here.
The Commander, who was listening to Jaun's explanation, which he tried to make as concise as possible, coughed. Blood trickled down the corner of the Commander's mouth.
"Hehe. I had a strange feeling from the time we set out, and it was your energy."
The Commander shook his head and looked at Jaun.
"Even if it was against His Majesty's will, I should have eliminated all the Murim guys somehow. Such great power at that age. You are a very big threat to His Majesty's safety."
Although he said that, the Commander's energy, which had spread to Jaun's feet, had disappeared without a trace. Jaun slowly approached and continued speaking.
"If things go as the Blood Cult wishes, a really big threat will come. Not only His Majesty the Emperor, but the entire Imperial Court will fall into their hands."
The Commander bit his lip hard.
"They said that people who have learned the art of immortality have appeared, but their essence was the rotten Blood Arts. In that case..."
The Commander took the ring from the Emperor's hand, which was draped over his shoulder, and held it up.
"Is this also their scheme?"
When Jaun nodded, the Commander clenched his hand tightly.
SIZZLE
The ring, which had melted in the Commander's energy, dripped to the ground.
"I am ashamed. To be fooled by the words that it could increase His Majesty's life and to put such a hideous thing on his hand."
The Commander looked up at the sky once and then looked around at the surroundings filled with the fire demon.
"...This old man will risk his life to escape from this place with His Majesty and wash away this sin with his death."
Life began to bloom in the Commander's eyes.
Jaun, who was looking at the Commander who was even drawing out his Innate Qi, let out a sigh.
"The Imperial Palace must have already been occupied by the Eastern Depot. Even if you safely escort His Majesty to the Imperial Palace, he will not be able to survive inside. In the end, the Commander's strength is needed for His Majesty to return to his place."
At Jaun's words, the Commander raised his eyes, which were burning like the flames that filled the surroundings.
"...Did you say you could help me escape from here?"
"Yes. I will do my best to help."
The Commander looked Jaun up and down once and then nodded.
"Normally, I would have dismissed it as nonsense, but since it has come to this, there is no other way."
The Commander turned the unconscious Emperor in front of him. Then, the Commander, who had torn off his own shirt, held the Emperor in his arms and tied him tightly with the clothes so that he would not fall.
"You should get ready too. I will allow you to accompany me, but do not ever come within two steps of me. The moment you step inside, I will cut you down without looking back."
The Commander looked down at his half-broken sword once and then picked up another one of the Five Swords' swords that had fallen to the ground.
Jaun also picked up a golden sword from the ground and tied the spear that General Hwang had given him to his back.
The Commander, who was staring at Jaun, took out an object from his waist and held it in his hand.
"If you are right, then those with blood energy will come here now, right?"
"Yes. The moment the fire demon subsides, the attack will begin."
The Commander, who had been lost in thought for a moment, took a deep breath.
"...I'm thinking of raising a signal flare. If I do, the surviving Embroidered Uniform Guard will rush here. But our position will also be exposed. Are you prepared?"
"Yes. But there is one thing I need to tell you in advance. While we are moving, others will come to help."
"Hm?"
The Commander looked at Jaun with a puzzled expression.
"My colleagues are in this area."
"Colleagues, are they also the Anti-Demon Squad of the Murim Alliance?"
"No. They are... from the Sado Alliance and the Green Forest."
"...The Sado Alliance and the Green Forest?"
The Commander chuckled as if in disbelief.
"What a mess. In any case, make sure they do not come close to me either. His Majesty is very weak. We cannot delay any longer, so I will raise the Embroidered Uniform Guard's signal flare."
When Jaun nodded, the Commander shot a signal flare into the sky.
BEEEP, BOOM!
The bright light of the signal flare that the Commander shot up exploded over the fire demon that was gradually subsiding. As soon as the signal flare exploded, he could feel a fierce energy rushing towards them from all directions.
When the Commander raised his energy, the surrounding flames were instantly pushed aside. Jaun also raised his energy and added his strength to the Commander's.
The Commander, who flinched for a moment after feeling Jaun's energy, looked at Jaun intently.
"...You dangerous fellow. After His Majesty's safety is secured, do not ever come within fifty jang of His Majesty."
Jaun shrugged his shoulders once and nodded.
"Let's go."
The Commander ran forward first, and Jaun followed behind him.
The Commander, who had pushed the flames here and there by spreading his inner energy, began to escape from the devastated shrine like a gust of wind.
As he became accustomed to handling the flames, the Commander's speed gradually increased, and before long, the Commander's figure shot forward like an arrow.
Jaun raised his energy to its maximum and chased closely behind him.
The two who were shooting forward at a tremendous speed simultaneously kicked off the ground and jumped up. And the two who had jumped over the wall surrounding the shrine landed on the ground.
The moment they left the boundary of the shrine filled with flames, the two saw a huge number of Embroidered Uniform Guard thrusting their spears at each other.
"...Are there really so many Embroidered Uniform Guard who have betrayed His Majesty?"
The Commander, who was looking at the Embroidered Uniform Guard fighting each other, bit his lip hard. And taking a step forward, he shouted loudly.
"From the 1st to the 10th Divisions of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! Those who are still alive, protect His Majesty!"
The expressions of some of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who heard the Commander's voice brightened.
"It's the Commander! The Commander is alive! Everyone, form a protective stance and join the Commander."
"...So he was really alive. Break through! If we just get rid of the Commander and the Emperor, the grand plan will be a success. Break through them by any means necessary!"
The dazzling golden presence and the eerily dark red energy rushed towards each other.