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Chapter 116. Five Dragons Fight for a Pearl (12)

As Woo-Moon and So Geom-Rak spoke, the Sword Emperor shook his head at the Hegemon Emperor.

“No. It doesn’t seem to be time just yet. Let’s talk about why I’ve come. The Cruel Sandstorm Riders have emerged in gangho once again. They’ve secretly joined hands with the Black Bull Gang and they’ve raised an army to attack us.”

Finding all this out for the first time himself, Woo-Moon was completely taken aback as the Hegemon Emperor’s expression stiffened when he heard the words “Cruel Sandstorm Riders.”

Suddenly, a world-shattering Hegemon force spread out in all directions around the Hegemon Emperor.

Immediately, the Hegemon Clan disciples staggered as if there had been an earthquake, their complexions turning pale.

“Those bastards dare...!”

The Hegemon Emperor seemed to absolutely loathe the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. It was only after much effort that he was able to contain his rage and speak up.

“But why did you come find me? What reason do we have to help the Justice Coalition?”

“Now that those two have joined forces, the Justice Coalition will fall if the Hegemon Clan doesn’t aid us. If that really does happen, where do you think they’d turn to next?”

The Hegemon Emperor chuckled to himself at the Sword Emperor’s response.

“I don’t know how you do things in times of peace, but I know very well the hidden power that the Justice Coalition can bring out when its very existence is threatened. Isn’t that why all of gangho sees the Justice Coalition as the strongest force among us? Just the existence of the Nine Sects and One Gang serves as proof of your strength. Of course, I don’t think that the Justice Coalition will be able to win against their combined forces. However, considering how much damage they will have to suffer to take you down, it seems like our Hegemon Clan will be able to survive.”

The Hegemon Emperor didn’t actually seem completely confident in the Hegemon Clan’s survival. After all, the combined forces of the Black Bull Gang and the Cruel Sandstorm Riders were horrifying.

“Please have the Hegemon Clan take on the Cruel Sandstorm Riders. If you do that...”

The rest of the conversation continued through voice transmissions.

It seemed as though an incredible amount of gold was being promised for the Hegemon Clan’s aid. After pondering for a moment, the Hegemon Emperor nodded.

Truthfully, he intended to help from the very beginning.

The Hegemon Clan never wanted the Justice Coalition to fall at the hands of the combined forces of the Black Bull Gang and Cruel Sandstorm Riders in the first place. The only reason he had rejected the Sword Emperor was to gain more benefits.

Despite his appearance, the Hegemon Emperor was an ambitious man as sly as a fox.

“Do you agree?”

“Fine. We’ll aid the Justice Coalition and wage war against the Cruel Sandstorm Riders.”

“Understood. Then, since I have other matters, you’ll have to excuse us.”

Neither brought up a contract or anything like that. However, this casual verbal agreement was more material than a written promise could ever be. It was, after all, a pact made directly between the Sword Emperor and the Hegemon Emperor. The gravity of such a pact was heavier to the Hegemon Emperor than anything else, as retracting his promise was tantamount to destroying not only his own honor, but also the reputation and prestige of the Hegemon Clan in one fell swoop.

As the Sword Emperor turned around to leave, the Hegemon Emperor suddenly spoke.

“By the way, who is that child who came with you?”

“Hoho. So, in the end, you couldn’t manage to contain your curiosity. This child is the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor.”

The Hegemon Emperor immediately cursed in a manner completely unbecoming of the head of the massive Hegemon Clan.

“Fuck, really?! And here I was thinking about trying to entice him away. To think he’s the grandson of that arrogant bastard.”

The Hegemon Emperor obviously knew who Woo-Moon was, having read the report. The reason their side had lost the spar, even after using a trick so grave that it could have led to a full-scale war if discovered, was this very youngster standing before him.

‘So this is Song Woo-Moon... The reports aren’t exaggerated at all.’

The Hegemon Emperor was deeply impressed by the young Woo-Moon’s accomplishments. He looked around at his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

“Pathetic brats...”

He was pissed. It would have been one thing if it was some random brat, but it just had to be that bastard’s grandson!

‘I refuse to believe I’m losing to that frivolous bastard because of my descendants!’

It seemed as if the Palm Martial Emperor was going to appear at any moment, laughing at him with that shit-eating grin he was famous for. The Hegemon Emperor’s rage rose to the point where steam seemed to come out of his ears.

‘Should I just kill him?’

He was suddenly filled with bloodlust.

It seemed better to nip this problem in the bud now than to watch him grow bigger in the future. However, the Hegemon Emperor knew that he couldn’t make a rash move, as all of his subordinates were watching. Moreover, it was clear that the Sword Emperor would move to protect Woo-Moon.

As he continued to look at Woo-Moon, the Hegemon Emperor suddenly noticed the obscured Ma-Ra standing in his shadow.

“Oh ho, that child holds a part of the Death God.”

Surprisingly, a flustered look appeared in Ma-Ra’s eyes. Meanwhile, the Sword Emperor replied calmly, as if he already knew, “You recognized it, as expected.”

“You really are such a transcendental cultivator. To think you didn’t do anything when you saw a child who inherited the martial arts of someone who used to be the bane of the murim,” the Hegemon Emperor teased.

“Although the Death God is said to have been a Star of Death, it’s already been six hundred years since they roamed the murim. Moreover, it’s difficult to say if the martial art is evil or if the person is.”

“No, there are definitely evil martial arts. After all, there are demonic arts that change one’s mentality.”

“Learning demonic arts itself is a human fault. Moreover, it’s the person’s fault for allowing themself to be overcome and infected by the demonic energy of a demonic art.”

“Hmph, that’s sophistry.”

“Keke

After listening to their conversation, it seemed as though Ma-Ra had inherited the martial arts of an expert known as the Death God, who had been active six centuries back. Looking at Ma-Ra’s reaction, it seemed like she knew this too.

Woo-Moon was a little disappointed that she hadn’t told him sooner. However, considering Ma-Ra’s personality, it wasn’t as if he didn’t understand.

Thinking that she had her own reasons, Woo-Moon quickly shook off his disappointment.

‘Still, I’d like to know the Death God. If they’re famous enough for the Sword Emperor or the Hegemon Emperor to care about, then they must have been an incredible figure.’

Considering that a mighty existence like the Sword Emperor had even used a term like “Star of Death,” Woo-Moon wondered how strong the Death God was.[1]

Now that he thought about it, many of the doubts he felt when fighting assassins other than Ma-Ra were resolved to some extent. No matter how much of a genius she was, he never understood how other high-level assassins, who were supposed to be similar in strength, could be so much weaker. However, that discrepancy finally made sense if she was using the martial techniques of someone of that caliber. Considering the title and Ma-Ra\'s specialty, it was clear that the Death God used killing arts.

As Woo-Moon was lost in thought, the Hegemon Emperor looked at Ma-Ra with a subtle gaze.

“Pretty child, you’re better suited for the Evil Faction, whether in terms of your temperament or your martial arts. Come here. If you join our clan, I’ll not only take you in as a personal disciple, but I’ll also give you an elder-level position. Throw away the stupid politics of the Righteous Faction, who only frown and spew insults when they hear the word ‘assassin,’ and join our side.”

The people of the Hegemon Clan were more shocked than Woo-Moon or Ma-Ra.

While they didn’t know what level Ma-Ra’s killing arts had reached, they just couldn’t believe that the Hegemon Emperor was speaking so sweetly and trying to appease what seemed to be just a pretty little girl.

Although most people would be worried that Ma-Ra would join the Hegemon Clan because of the enticing offer, Woo-Moon wasn’t most people. And as if she was acknowledging his trust in her, Ma-Ra just responded curtly.

“Don’t want.”

The Hegemon Emperor burst out laughing when he saw Ma-Ra not balk in anyway and answer in a brazen and brusque manner.

“Hahahaha!!”

‘How funny. She really isn’t suitable for that bastard’s grandson.’

The Hegemon Emperor’s gaze grew strange.

“Now that we’ve finished our business, let’s go,” the Sword Emperor said before turning around and leaving the Hegemon Clan.

***

As they headed to the Justice Coalition, the Sword Emperor looked back to Woo-Moon.

“How was it? Did you gain a lot?”

His reasoning for bringing Woo-Moon was that at Woo-Moon’s level, the boy would be able to gain considerable enlightenment and grow just by following him through his journey and meeting the Hegemon Emperor. He didn’t actually have to ask Woo-Moon anything; he could see the young man’s development with his own eyes.

Woo-Moon had also already guessed why the Sword Emperor had taken him along and bowed his head politely.

“Thank you.”

Smiling kindly, the Sword Emperor looked off somewhere in the distance.

“I have one more stop left. You should go back alone and hand this letter to Martial Commander Palan Shin-Tong.”

“Understood.”

The second Woo-Moon responded, the Sword Emperor disappeared like a gust of wind. Woo-Moon turned to Ma-Ra and smiled.

“Let’s go, Ma-Ra.”

“Mmm.”

After a short while, the two entered the Justice Coalition and headed to the Martial Commander Palan Shin-Tong.

Standing before a large map, Palan Shin-Tong paused his serious strategy discussion with the soldiers under his command and read the letter Woo-Moon had handed him over and over again.

Finally, he asked the subordinate next to him, “Who is the current Wind Sword Squadron Captain?”

“Xiahou Jinxian, sir.”

“Ah, that’s right. He was a part of the Righteous Warrior Squadron, no?”

"Yes, that\'s right."

“You said they had returned earlier, right? Go find him immediately and inform him of his dismissal as captain of the Wind Sword Squadron, and bring back his identification plaque.”

“Understood.”

Woo-Moon felt a strong sense of crisis and anxiety as he watched the soldier leave with his orders.

“I... I’m quite tired, so I’ll be taking my leave now.”

"Huh? Just wait a moment. I have a gift for you.”

At the word “gift,” the unidentifiable sense of crisis grew even greater, and Woo-Moon even broke into a cold sweat.

After some time, the soldier who had left under Palan Shin-Tong’s orders returned with an identification plaque.

It was a silver plaque with the words “Justice Coalition” and “Wind Sword Squadron Captain” engraved on either side.

“Young man.”

“Yes?”

“Can you hold this for me for a moment?” Palan Shin-Tong said as he very nonchalantly handed the identification plaque to Woo-Moon.

Woo-Moon reluctantly took the plaque, feeling a little hopeful as Palan Shin-Tong had only asked him to hold it for a moment. However, the moment he did so, Palan Shin-Tong spoke again.

“Congratulations. You are now the new captain of the Wind Sword Squadron. You’ll be dispatched to Nanjing soon, so please go to the Wind Sword Squadron quarters and meet your subordinates. Although they were gone on their own missions while the Righteous Heroic Warriors Squadron was attending the spar, they should have returned by now. Don’t you think that you should at least get to know their faces if you’re going to fight together? You can leave now.”

Palan Shin-Tong spoke rapidly, without hesitation, before turning back to the map and resuming his discussion with the other soldiers. In that brief instant, he used so many words and discussed things so matter-of-factly that it seemed as if everything was natural and nobody could ever have anything against it.

“I...what....”

It was only now that Woo-Moon returned to his senses.

He had absolutely no intention of going to war against the Black Bull Gang, which wasn’t even affiliated with Martial Heaven. However, right as he was about to protest, he overheard Palan Shin-Tong’s following words.

“So, you’re saying they’ve already broken through the primary blockade to Nanjing?”

“Yes. Although we’re hastily gathering the nearby troops to build a secondary defensive line, it’s quite difficult as the enemy has already concentrated their strength. We’ll need to buy some more time. Otherwise...”

“They’ll push into Anhui Province, where the Iron Sword Baek Family and the Namgoong Family are located.”

“Yes. It will be a terrible blow to our coalition if the Iron Sword Baek Family and the Namgoong Family fall.”

Woo-Moon’s mind went blank.

He had always felt distanced from the news of the war between the Black Bull Gang and the Justice Coalition, assuming it was someone else’s matter. However, he had just found out that the enemy was marching toward the Baek Family, bound to attack them.

His heart grew anxious.

“Just a second! Then, isn’t the Iron Sword Baek Family in danger now? I don’t have time to work with whatever Wind Sword Squadron. I’ll be leaving for the Iron Sword Baek Family immediately.”

Hearing Woo-Moon’s words, Palan Shin-Tong turned to look at him and slowly drew a line between Nanjing and Hefei on the map.

“There is still this much distance between them. If we buy as much time as possible before they reach the Iron Sword Baek Family and we are able to deploy our main forces, we’ll be more than able to keep them from taking any more ground. Don’t be impatient, go meet your comrades and go to Nanjing as I ordered you.”

“How long should I be waiting? I should go immediately, right...!”

1. The original here contains a fairly major spoiler that Woo-Moon has absolutely no way of knowing (and the readers on the Korean side also remarked the same). This paragraph has been redacted accordingly. ☜