Episode 127: Return to the Demon Sect
The landscape of Juhahyeon’s Hoja Valley is unique.
The vast expanse is dotted with gently rising hills and deep basins. From the top of one hill, you can see the basin below, but the view beyond the next hill remains hidden. It’s reminiscent of endless sand dunes in a desert, except here, the dunes are covered in grass, and distant mountain ranges are visible.
Usually, this area is used for grazing sheep, but today, not a single one is in sight. For the past few days, this place has been the battleground of a fierce conflict.
On one of the many hills in Hoja Valley, a lone figure stood, gazing down at the basin below. It was none other than Lee Saheum, the master of Cheonan Pavilion.
Just then, a shadow approached him.
“Reporting in. All enemy forces are stationed at that camp over there. Approximately five hundred men. As usual, they seem to retire at the start of the hour. About fifty warriors are on guard.”
“Good work.”
With Lee Saheum’s acknowledgment, the shadow vanished silently.
Moments later, another man approached. It was Seok Jipyeong, the leader of the Cheonrang Group.
“How are things looking?”
“The plan is flawless. Please proceed without any mistakes.”
“Hahaha, don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”
“And the leader of the Hoheop Group?”
“He has moved beyond the eastern hill with his subordinates. The hour is approaching, so we should prepare.”
“The Jeonggeom Group and the Chuiui Group have also departed, right?”
“Yes, as you instructed, the Jeonggeom Group is heading north, and the Chuiui Group is waiting on the southern hill.”
Lee Saheum nodded slowly, then suddenly asked, “Do you know anything about someone named ‘Sabi Kang’?”
“Sabi Kang? Who is that… Oh, are you referring to the instructor from Yongcheon Pavilion?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you ask about him all of a sudden…?”
Lee Saheum simply looked at Seok Jipyeong, his gaze implying, “Do I really need to explain everything?”
Realizing his mistake, Seok Jipyeong quickly added, “From what I recall, he’s an arrogant man. Disrespectful and unpredictable. How someone like that became an instructor at Yongcheon Pavilion is beyond me…”
Seok Jipyeong clicked his tongue, recalling the time when Sabi Kang disrupted a solemn departure ceremony at Yongcheon Pavilion with his crude behavior. Though they eventually pressured the pavilion to discipline him, the memory still irked him.
Lee Saheum nodded faintly. “I see. Recently, the General has been meeting with him.”
“The General? Why would he… What could he be planning?”
“Who knows? But whatever it is, it won’t matter once this operation succeeds.”
Seok Jipyeong, sensing Lee Saheum’s deeper thoughts, smiled softly. “Perhaps the General, feeling his power slipping, is desperately grasping at straws. It’s not something you need to worry about.”
Lee Saheum looked at Seok Jipyeong, pleased. “You have a knack for saying the right things.”
He nodded approvingly and patted Seok Jipyeong on the shoulder. “Hahaha! Your insight is commendable. Now, prepare yourself. If this operation succeeds, you’ll rise to a position where no one in the alliance can look down on you.”
“I’ll do my best!”
Seok Jipyeong, visibly excited, saluted. If he could achieve great merit this time, he would surpass someone like Sabi Kang, who was merely an instructor.
As Seok Jipyeong left, Lee Saheum looked up at the stars. The hour was approaching. Below the hill, the basin was still brightly lit.
The current leader of the Blood Demon Sect’s core organization was Akcheon Goe. He had quickly become a key figure in this conflict, having decimated numerous righteous sects. However, he had his flaws. Despite his formidable skills, he was rough, simple-minded, and stubborn. While such arrogance might be expected of someone of his caliber, it didn’t suit a leader.
True to his reputation, Akcheon Goe had been acting predictably. Even after five days of battle in Hoja Valley, he moved in the same manner, likely overconfident in his martial prowess. Lee Saheum had observed him closely, but his expectations were not disappointed. Akcheon Goe was overly reliant on himself.
In battle, self-reliance is crucial. But in war, one must trust their subordinates.
‘This will do.’
His heart raced with anticipation. The mere thought of a decisive victory in this battle sent shivers through him.
General Gu Yun had criticized his strategy for having too many flaws. But Gu Yun was overly cautious. The strength of a military leader comes from action, not just thought. Testing a stone bridge before crossing? That’s foolish. If it’s a stone bridge, you cross it.
‘With such fear, it’s no wonder he’s been a mere figurehead in the alliance. Hahaha.’
**
Clang! Clang!
“Aaargh!”
“Kill them!”
“Ugh!”
The sounds of clashing weapons, shouts, and screams echoed everywhere. The camp in the basin was a scene of chaos.
Akcheon Goe, surveying the surroundings, furrowed his brow.
‘Damn it!’
Just then, a sword swung towards the back of his head.
Swish!
But before the blade could connect, Akcheon Goe spun around, flicking the incoming sword away with his fingers.
Clang!
The startled attacker hesitated, stepping back.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Akcheon Goe lunged forward, standing before the attacker.
Thud!
In the next moment, Akcheon Goe’s hand plunged into the warrior’s chest.
“Ugh!”
The warrior’s eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Akcheon Goe. He had chosen the wrong opponent, unwittingly attacking the enemy leader.
Squelch!
“Aaaargh!”
The warrior twisted in agony, his heart ripped out, and died instantly.
“Hmph!”
Akcheon Goe tossed the heart aside and leaped back into the fray. Another warrior, moving to a different position, crossed his path.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
The warrior was sent flying, coughing up blood, and collapsed, never to move again.
Having swiftly claimed two lives, Akcheon Goe shouted in a booming voice, “Don’t be intimidated! Fight! They’re cowards! Kill them all!”
But the situation was dire. The righteous alliance had attacked the camp precisely at midnight. Akcheon Goe had acted as usual, following the General’s orders. At the start of the hour, he had instructed his subordinates to retire, leaving only about fifty on guard. He hadn’t hinted at any danger, as per the strategist Ryu Yeojoong’s instructions. Deceiving the enemy required first deceiving one’s own.
Thus, when the righteous alliance had captured Jeokhaseong, Akcheon Goe had genuinely believed they had lost the prisoners. In any case, the alliance’s surprise attack was a resounding success, catching them completely off guard.
In the first moments of the attack, fifty men were killed, and within another quarter-hour, the death toll had risen to a hundred. Now, half an hour into the battle…
“Master! The casualties are severe! Estimated at over a hundred and fifty!”
A subordinate shouted to Akcheon Goe, who gritted his teeth.
“Hold your ground. We will win.”
“But…! At this rate, it’s truly dangerous. You must escape, Master!”
With enemies closing in from all sides, saving everyone was impossible. Akcheon Goe clenched his fist. It had been over half an hour since the surprise attack began. If things continued, it wouldn’t be surprising if their forces were annihilated.
Of course, he could find a way to escape. But returning to the main camp after losing the battle and so many subordinates would not be welcomed.
‘The General…!’
Had he been betrayed? Was Ryu Yeojoong using his failure as a stepping stone to rise to power?
Just as doubt began to creep into his heart, drums sounded again from the surrounding hills.
Doom! Doom! Doom! Doom…!
Torches flared to life on each hill. Akcheon Goe, along with the tangled mass of Blood Demon Sect and righteous alliance warriors, paused to look up.
“What is that…?”
Seok Jipyeong, who had been cutting down enemies without hesitation, frowned deeply.
Beside the torches, flags fluttered in the wind. They bore the emblem of the Blood Demon Sect.
Moments later.
“Archers!”
The unified shout of a thousand warriors echoed, shaking the very earth.
Suddenly, a volley of flaming arrows was aimed in their direction.
“Fire!”
Once again, a thunderous voice echoed as hundreds of fiery arrows rained down, encircling the camp.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The arrows ignited a wall of fire around the camp, flames leaping into the sky.
“Aaaah!”
“Help!”
The warriors of the Justice Alliance ran in panic, their bodies ablaze.
Then, from the hill, a powerful voice boomed once more.
“The Blood Warriors of Juha Division have arrived on the general’s orders!”
“The Asura Warriors of Yegyo Division have arrived on the general’s orders!”
“The Black Bone Warriors of Hyeopji Division have arrived on the general’s orders!”
“Support from the Xuanwu Hall has arrived!”
Each division had sent three hundred warriors, with five hundred more from the Xuanwu Hall.
A total of fourteen hundred reinforcements had arrived.
For Akcheon Goe and his followers, who had been prepared for annihilation, their spirits soared.
In contrast, the Justice Alliance found themselves surrounded with no escape.
Seok Ji-pyeong rushed to Lee Sa-heum.
“Leader! What’s happening? How did the enemy…?”
But even Lee Sa-heum had no answers. He was more bewildered than anyone.
“This can’t be! My perfect plan… How did it fail?”
Seeing Lee Sa-heum’s pale face, Seok Ji-pyeong realized something had gone terribly wrong.
“Tsk!”
He clicked his tongue and charged toward the enemy.
**
The dawn was breaking faintly.
Corpses were strewn around the camp.
Several warriors, bound and captured, were dragged roughly to their knees in front of the camp.
From within the camp, Akcheon Goe emerged slowly.
He surveyed the captives with sharp eyes.
They were all key figures of the Justice Alliance.
From the left: Lee Sa-heum, the leader of Cheonan; Jang Cho-shin, the head of Ho-hyeop Hall; Yeom Mu-gang, the leader of Jeonggeom Squad; Sa Ja-ryong, the leader of Chui Squad; and Seok Ji-pyeong, the leader of Cheonrang Squad.
Jang Cho-shin, in particular, was the right-hand man of the Alliance’s real power, Deung Wang-pae, and the most skilled among them.
Akcheon Goe sneered as he spoke.
“Well, well. Aren’t you the esteemed leaders of the Justice Alliance?”
“Shut that filthy mouth of yours!”
Jang Cho-shin couldn’t hold back and shouted angrily.
To be treated like this by a mere rogue was an unbearable humiliation.
Akcheon Goe’s gaze settled on Jang Cho-shin.
“Hmm. It seems you don’t understand your current situation.”
“Silence! If I weren’t bound by your restraints, I’d crush you in an instant!”
“Heh heh. So you’re Jang Cho-shin of Ho-hyeop Hall?”
“That’s right!”
In the next moment,
Whoosh!
“Ugh!”
Jang Cho-shin’s body was lifted into the air, drawn toward Akcheon Goe’s hand.
“Leader!”
“Let him go!”
Yeom Mu-gang and Seok Ji-pyeong shouted in shock.
But Akcheon Goe’s hand was already gripping Jang Cho-shin’s head tightly.
With a sinister smile, he said,
“It seems you all think I’m quite lenient. Let me show you otherwise.”
In the next instant,
“Ugh!”
Smash!
Jang Cho-shin’s head burst like a watermelon.
Akcheon Goe wiped his hand with a detached expression and looked over the remaining warriors.
The Justice Alliance warriors were too stunned to speak.
They hadn’t imagined he would kill so swiftly.
“If you want to live long, you need to be quick on the uptake. I trust you understand me now.”
With that, Akcheon Goe gestured, and his men roughly dragged the Justice Alliance warriors away.
**
Sabi-gang and his group reached a wide riverbank.
“Hmm. Let’s rest here for a bit, then find a boat to cross by evening.”
“We’re crossing the river?”
Yeom Ja-ryang asked suddenly.
“Yes, is there a problem?”
“But the southern side is in the midst of a major conflict.”
“Well, that means we can watch the action. It’s a great learning opportunity, even from a distance. Don’t you think?”
“Is that… really the case?”
Yeom Ja-ryang raised an incredulous eyebrow.
While the students murmured among themselves, Sabi-gang silently gazed across the river.
“At least we’re not too late.”