novelraw Chapter 77 : Chapter 77
Chapter 77 : Chapter 77
Chapter 77 Sado Alliance (3)
“Those entering the Alliance Leader's Palace must walk this Crystal Path without exception. Those who head toward the palace without going through this path are considered enemies. Since it’s the first time for Young Master Jaun and Young Master Ban, you will likely become the focus of interest for all the warriors around here. Be prepared.”
As the group began to take their steps onto the Crystal Path, just as Ice Rakshasa Pan Bing-yeong had said, people appeared from here and there and swarmed around the path.
“Judging by the figures, one is a young woman. There shouldn't be any high-level female master other than Ice Rakshasa capable of leading others on the Crystal Path. What’s going on? And what’s with the tagalongs following her?”
“Should we grab them and beat the truth out of them?”
“Leave it. Seeing that Ice Rakshasa is leading them, it’s likely an appointment with the Alliance Leader. If they are the Alliance Leader’s guests, let's at least show the minimum amount of etiquette.”
Contrary to their murmuring words, a thick energy surging from all directions began to envelop the group on the Crystal Path.
Ice Rakshasa took a deep breath and drew up her energy, and I also surged my energy to protect Ban Cheol-hwi, who was standing in the middle.
─ Crackle
Due to the energy Ice Rakshasa drew up, a white frost began to settle around the Crystal Path.
The further we moved forward, the more intense the pressure through energy became.
It was to the point that beads of sweat formed on the forehead of Ice Rakshasa, who was walking at the very front.
“Tsk. How much has that girl’s skill improved in the meantime? It’s my first time seeing someone pass the Crystal Path at that speed. She must be under pressure from at least dozens of people.”
“Ice Rakshasa isn't enduring it alone. That brat standing on the left. That fellow is contributing his energy. He doesn't seem to be an ordinary guy.”
Breaking through the momentum and interest of the warriors approaching the Crystal Path, the group moved their steps one by one toward the Alliance Leader’s residence.
The pressure through energy grew fiercer the closer we got to the Alliance Leader's Palace, and the two of us concentrated our spirits to walk through the thickly layered energy.
Since even the warriors who joined late added their strength once we passed more than half of the Crystal Path, by the time we reached the end of the path, the backs of Ice Rakshasa and me were drenched in sweat.
As the group, having taken the final step with difficulty, stepped off the Crystal Path, the pressure that had filled the surroundings vanished all at once.
“Phew. It’s over. Good work, Young Master Jaun. I don't think I could have endured it if the Young Master hadn't been here. It seems the warriors gave it their all because a stranger was included in the party.”
Ice Rakshasa Pan Bing-yeong wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled at me.
“It was an interesting experience. There was a reason the Sado Alliance can stand in sharp confrontation with the Murim Alliance.”
I looked back at the Crystal Path I had walked.
The energy possessed by the warriors of the Sado Alliance was rough but stable.
The internal energy of the warriors belonging to the Murim Alliance, who walked the Orthodox path, had almost the same texture, but the internal energy of the Sado Alliance warriors had distinct individualities.
It was the essence of warriors who had pioneered their own martial way and raised it to a high realm.
I, who felt many things within the energy of the Sado Alliance elites who were walking their own martial paths, nodded.
Toward the warriors who were still looking at us with sharp gazes, I bowed my waist slightly and sent a greeting.
“……Che. No fun. Let’s go back.”
The warriors, having confirmed that the group had safely passed the Crystal Path, turned away while grumbling.
“He’s no ordinary fellow. I wonder if one of the seats in the Alliance Leader's Palace will be snatched away if we're not careful.”
“How did such a tiny guy obtain that kind of strength?”
“Ice Rakshasa too. Anyway, kids these days are scarier.”
Leaving behind the whispers of the warriors scattering in all directions, I turned my body again.
I looked up at the large but elegant wooden building in front of me.
‘If the warriors outside the Alliance Leader's Palace are at this level, then those inside…….’
Ice Rakshasa, seeing me with eyes sparkling with curiosity, let out a smirk and grabbed my arm once.
“Let’s go. It’s the moment of the decisive battle.”
Ice Rakshasa, having entered the Alliance Leader's Palace, led the group to the highest point of the palace through endless stairs.
In front of a small door they finally reached, the door opened on its own when Ice Rakshasa sent a Telepathic Message somewhere.
Ice Rakshasa let out a large breath and slowly walked forward.
****
“It’s been a while? The troublemaker of the Law Enforcement Hall?”
A woman who had been leaning over and looking into a book raised her head and looked at the group that had entered the top floor of the pavilion.
“I greet the Alliance Leader.”
Ice Rakshasa knelt with a gesture full of respect and lowered her body as much as possible.
Watching her like that, the woman looked at me and Ban Cheol-hwi, who were standing awkwardly, and burst into a fit of laughter.
‘So the Alliance Leader was a woman.’
Feeling the massive power hidden within the woman's body, which gave off a small and even cute impression, I trembled.
“……Wait a moment. Miss. Is that person truly the Alliance Leader?”
“Young Master Ban. Show your respect.”
At Ban Cheol-hwi’s words, Ice Rakshasa looked back with startled eyes.
“Then the thing about the concubine……”
“Enough. Be quiet.”
“Ahem. Well, since it doesn't deviate from the principles of Yin and Yang……”
“Young Master Ban!”
At Ice Rakshasa’s urgent shout, Ban Cheol-hwi scratched his head and turned his head to the side, feigning innocence.
“Please forgive the rudeness, Alliance Leader.”
As Ice Rakshasa bowed her head once more, the Alliance Leader stood up while cracking her neck from side to side.
“What interesting children.”
The Alliance Leader began to walk toward us with a look full of curiosity.
I felt as if a well-forged sharp sword were approaching.
As I took a step back from that overwhelming momentum, the Alliance Leader looked back at me with intrigue.
“Oho. I see. So you can endure that much, huh? There was a reason Ice Rakshasa chose you. You're quite something.”
Looking at the Alliance Leader who was wearing a smirk, I calmed my pounding heart.
‘She is a master of Rejuvenation.’
On the outside, she appeared to be around the same age as Ice Rakshasa, but the profundity glimpsed within her was something that could only be felt from a warrior who had devoted over several decades entirely to the martial way.
“I am Han Jaun of the Murim Alliance Anti-Demon Squad.”
“Ban Cheol-hwi, descendant of the Quanzhen, greets the Sado Alliance Leader.”
Having received the greetings of the two, the Alliance Leader gathered her energy in an instant.
The pressure that had filled the Alliance Leader’s room vanished as if washed away, and only then, seeing the more relaxed faces of the group, the Alliance Leader smiled.
“I am Chu Myeong-hwa, the Sado Alliance Leader. I was once called the Blood Queen of Martial Souls in the Jianghu. Welcome.”
The Alliance Leader slowly approached and climbed onto the high chair placed there with a groan and sat down.
“After undergoing Rejuvenation, my height became smaller, so there are some frustrating points. Please understand that I must do this to match our eye levels.”
Sitting in the chair and staring blankly at the group, the Alliance Leader fixed her gaze on me and then nodded.
“It’s good to see. Your energy is even better. You’re worth Ice Rakshasa coveting.”
My internal energy, reacting to the energy flowing from the Alliance Leader looking at me, began to stir once again.
I felt the hardness of a rock and the sharpness of a sheer cliff simultaneously from the Alliance Leader sitting in the chair.
My hands trembled finely as a competitive spirit rose within me.
Sensing my trembling, the Sado Alliance Leader suddenly burst into boisterous laughter.
“Ohoho. Yes. That’s how a man should be. Do you want to shove a blade into me? Heh. Do as you please.”
The Sado Alliance Leader, having hopped down from her chair, stood in place and fluttered her sleeves.
Ice Rakshasa, who had turned pale, blocked my front and knelt on the spot.
“Alliance Leader. Please, have mercy.”
Staring down at Ice Rakshasa, who was trembling slightly, the Alliance Leader let out a small chuckle.
“To have made this troublemaker into this much of a human. It is nothing short of amazing. Fine, let me hear your story.”
As Sado Alliance Leader Chu Myeong-hwa climbed back onto her chair and sat down with a struggle, Ice Rakshasa let out a sigh of relief.
“As I sent in the letter, movements of the Blood Cult are being discovered in the Central Plains.”
“And?”
“If this continues, the Central Plains may once again be threatened by the Blood Cult, so I believe we must stop their movements in advance.”
“Hmm. Why?”
In the eyes of the Sado Alliance Leader, who asked Ice Rakshasa back with a languid gaze, there was not a single shred of worry about the crisis of the Central Plains.
“If a variable occurs in this tedious state of affairs. Couldn't that also become a form of entertainment?”
“Alliance Leader. No matter how you look at it, the martial arts of the Blood Cult are……”
“I know. They say they gain strength by offering life as a sacrifice? What about it? Energy Absorption Arts are like that, and so are parts of the Yin-Yang Arts. Ultimately, gaining power by sacrificing something. If we have melted down time and sweat, didn't they simply choose another method?”
“Alliance Leader.”
As Ice Rakshasa raised her head with a worried expression, the Alliance Leader shook her head.
“I know what you're trying to say. Ultimately, it means it’s an incorrect method. However, does everything in life flow only correctly?”
The eyes of the Alliance Leader, looking up at the ceiling, were empty.
I, who felt something alien in that gaze, looked at the Alliance Leader for a moment.
“Even if they chose an end with an obvious ruin, it is ultimately the path they chose. They bear the responsibility themselves. Crazy bastards of that level need to appear for this Jianghu to become a bit interesting.”
The Alliance Leader, sitting in her chair, let out a large yawn.
“I roughly know what kind of story you came here to tell. Ultimately, you're talking about righteousness. That meager sense of elitism that one must be made to walk the correct path."
The Alliance Leader, having shaken her head once, spoke again.
"Enough. I was only thinking of taking a look at what kind of fellows you were, so this is enough.”
The Alliance Leader, having brushed off her clothes, turned back to me.
“When I traveled the Jianghu, those I killed with the dagger in my bosom numbered over a thousand. Ultimately, I also took the lives of others for my purpose. That is how I am sitting in this position.”
The Alliance Leader stepped down from her chair.
“I believe that for a purpose, one must not hesitate to use any means or methods. The pursuit of the Sado Alliance is not much different.”
The Alliance Leader, who was fiddling with her chin, continued speaking.
“However, this Murim is also bound to collapse without the civilians. The Blood Cult, which does not know how to coexist with them, is bound to be weeded out on its own. As several past attempts have shown.”
At the Alliance Leader's words, I raised my head.
“In that process, a vast amount of blood will be spilled.”
The Alliance Leader, who glanced back at me, replied.
“We are living in such a world. How can people who live with swords be afraid of losing their lives? It is a natural and obvious thing. In a life flowing like that, I am only interested in protecting the Sado Alliance that I raised with my own hands.”
I, who frowned at the Alliance Leader's answer, changed my mind.
She was someone with values too different from mine.
Therefore, there was a need to persuade her in a different way.
“Then what must I do for you to give full-scale support in stopping the Blood Cult?”
At my sudden question, the Alliance Leader, who had been looking at me for a moment, burst into boisterous laughter.
“Are you suggesting we make a deal? Good. At least I can talk to you.”
The Alliance Leader looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“The safety of the Jianghu? As you just heard, I’m not very interested. Rather than that, I simply want something that will eliminate my boredom. If you truly want to obtain the support of the Sado Alliance, how about struggling to eliminate my boredom?”
At the Alliance Leader's words, Ice Rakshasa cautiously raised her head.
“Alliance Leader. What do you mean by that……”
“The Life-and-Death Tournament will begin soon. So, brat of the Murim Alliance, you participate in it as well. And please entertain my eyes. If you entertain me sufficiently, I intend to provide a worthy reward.”
The Life-and-Death Tournament.
It was the annual event of the Sado Alliance and the stage where fierce blood battles took place to enter the Alliance Leader's Palace.
The Life-and-Death Tournament, where each person's martial arts and their levels were verified and the internal hierarchy was determined, was one of the Sado Alliance’s major festivals.
At the Alliance Leader's proposal, I fell into thought for a moment.
‘Must I go this far to obtain the support of the Sado Alliance?’
It was necessary.
Only with the support of both the Murim Alliance and the Sado Alliance could I face the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult without worrying about other matters.
Ice Rakshasa quietly whispered to me as I was lost in thought.
“The Life-and-Death Tournament is literally a place where you must stake your life. Furthermore, since the Young Master belongs to the Murim Alliance, the Sado Alliance warriors will certainly not look upon you kindly. If you're not careful, you could be exposed to great danger, Young Master.”
The Alliance Leader, who overheard Ice Rakshasa’s whispering, nodded.
“That troublemaker is right. It is a place where you must stake your life. How desperate you are, and whether you are prepared to even give up your life for your goal. You will be able to sufficiently prove it there.”
I, who had been thinking for a moment at the Alliance Leader's words, nodded.
“Fine. I will participate in the Life-and-Death Tournament. In exchange, please make sure to keep what you promised.”
“Of course. I swear on the name of the Alliance Leader. If you give me sufficient enjoyment, I intend to pay the price for it.”
The Alliance Leader's smile toward me filled the room.