I had kept my mask inside this sheath in preparation for such an event.
I also took off the robe that I was wearing and turned it around, displaying the red color of the inside part of the jacket.
When worn backward, it looked like a completely different outfit.
It was prepared in advance so I could use it to present myself as the Blood Demon when needed. Well then, shall I head off to pursue my original purpose?
Shh!
I took out the Blood Demon Sword.
On the ship’s upper deck that was being targeted stood a bearded, muscular man who shouted as he pointed his sword.
“Yah, old beggar. When we do you a favor, just accept it.”
The old beggar went stiff at those words. It was Hong Gu-ga, leader of the Beggars Union.
‘How could our family suffer such humiliation!’
He was the leader of the Beggars Union, one of the Nine Great Sects, and an elder of the alliance.
He wouldn’t have cared about those words if it were an average warrior. However, this man was of the waterways and a pirate. The numbers were also against them.
In such a place, the pirates would surround them and destroy them anytime. Since lives were at stake, the pirates told them to abandon the ship and run.
Clench!
His teeth broke.
[Grandfather, I think it would be better to act as if we are doing them a favor.]
His grandson, Hong Geol-gae, sent him a message.
‘A fool.’
Looking at his actions, the old beggar clicked his tongue. Even though he was his own grandson, the boy was truly pathetic.
‘He knows one but doesn’t know the other.’
The situation was completely different from when he had jumped off the ship earlier. There had been no answer then.
Even Hyuk Cheon-man was now in a sea of enemies, and it was unknown if he was dead or alive. The enemy also showed no mercy and would massacre everyone aboard the ship.
In the first place, there was no hope, let alone a chance for victory.
That was why they were able to jump off to save their lives.
But not now.
Behind him stood Ho Jin-gak, one of the three leaders of the Golden Peace Services. He was the third son of the leader, Ho Jin-ong.
When the pirate ships appeared, the third son had asked them to protect the goods.
They would be ridiculed if they chose to run in this situation without even trying to negotiate, much less confront, with the enemy.
Hong Gu-ga spoke to the bearded man.
“Did you say that you were pirates?”
“Yes, old man.”
His words were harsh since he feared an Evil Faction that did not limit itself to robberies.
That was because they couldn’t even find the slightest bit of it.
The Beggars Union Leader, Hong Gu-ga, maintained his composure and said,
“As far as we know, I heard that the people of these waterways would let a ship pass if a certain toll is paid to you. Yet you are now asking me to give up the entire ship?”
“That is none of your business, old man.”
Words didn’t seem effective at all. In the end, Hong Gu-ga tried to push slightly.
“This ship is protected by the Beggars Union. It means that it is also related to the Murim Alliance. If you really want to take everything from the ship, you will have to deal with the repercussions.”
This was a form of intimidation.
Hearing his words, the pirate suddenly laughed out loud.
“Kuahahahaha.”
All of them laughed out loud. It was obviously a laugh of derision.
The pirate leader, who laughed, then returned to a straight face and said,
“If you can, then try it. I am going to make you into fish food this time.”
There was no way such a threat would work in the first place. They were already at a level that would allow them to overcome the power of the Murim Alliance that had once subdued them.
They were confident of winning against anyone from the River Families.
‘But they aren’t afraid at all.’
There was no way out of this.
Then Hong Gu-ga suddenly remembered their words when they attacked the ship.
[Pirate leader. Doesn’t that seem like a ship?]
[Damned beings, just where are they hiding!]
It seemed that they were aiming for a particular ship.
If one thought about it, only ships with the black sails of pirates were here. However, there were those who aimed for different ships.
It occurred to them that the pirates might have had another need.
‘Then… nice.’
He decided to try out his luck.
“How about if we give you some useful information?”
“Information?”
“Such as who took your ship?”
“What!”
The other side looked unexpectedly shocked. It was only a hunch, but it seemed to work out fine.
“You know, those ships that the unknown masked people were on.”
Those words made the pirate leader jump forward and aim his sword.
“Tell me right now! Where did you see them!?”
In response, Hong Gu-ga pulled out his batting stick from his waist and released a technique at lightning speed.
It was a technique that extended the stick to allow it to knock the tip of the sword to send it flying.
Chang!
“Huh!”
The pirate leader was caught off guard and had hurt his arm. Hong Gu-ga rushed forward and knocked the man down before pressing his stick to his throat.
“You beggar!”
“Oh, now. Stay still. If not, your neck will break.”
Hong Gu-ga shouted at the pirates.
The other pirates were shocked to see their leader in such a perilous state.
‘Is it because these are just robbers on the waters?’
Hong Gu-ga laughed at their attitude and then shouted at them.
“I will negotiate with the leader!”
Since there were so many of them, surely their true leader must be among them. He didn’t know about other things but heard that a pirate group would die once their leader died.
He might be able to break out of this crisis with some proper negotiation.
When the pirates said nothing, he shouted again.
“I want to negotiate with your leader! Are you not here?”
At that moment.
Three young people moved across the waters using the ropes connected to their ship. Their movements were very different from the other pirates.
‘It cannot be…’
Hong Gu-ga was shocked at this.
Even at a glance, he could tell that each of them was beyond the level of a supreme master.
They didn’t fall behind even compared to him.
‘The pirates have such warriors among them?’
He had heard of certain people being the leader of the waterways.
They were known to work well together, but he didn’t expect such a level of skill.
‘And three people?’
He had heard that the leader had sahyungs and sajaes. However, three such people have now appeared in front of him.
The situation had become much more complex with their appearance.
‘Is this man from the same family as the leader?’
In the center of the tree was a tall, muscular, middle-aged man with a hooked sword.
His strength was at another level that anyone would be able to tell he was the leader. In response to this, Hong Gu-ga asked.
“Are you Gal Yong, the leader of the waters?”
“Huh! I am Gal Yong.”
‘Huh?’
Oddly enough, the man he addressed wasn’t the person he thought it was.
He looked at the smallest of the three, a bald man who was around four-and-a-half inches shorter than the others.
Judging from the fact that he wore gloves that resembled the claws of beats on both hands, he seemed to be a master of fishing.
‘Such bizarre people.’
The other one had a fairly large body. He held an iron ball tied to a chain. If he swung it at someone, it would surely smash open a head.
The one who called himself Gal Yong then shouted.
“This old beggar doesn’t value his health. How dare you speak to me without permission?”
“Even if this old man looks like this, I am leading the Beggars Union. It isn’t right to talk to someone like me in such a manner.”
“Huh. For a beggar, you sure ask too much.”
Gal Yong snorted and then aimed his claws.
“If you don’t get rid of that damned stick right now, I will kill everyone on this ship.”
At Gal Yong’s words, the other pirates pointed their blades at the sailors. They were clearly ready to attack.
“I have no intention of putting my life on the line. Go!”
In response, Hong Gu-ga removed the bat from the neck of the pirate leader Kwak.
Leader Kwak quickly escaped and ran toward Gal Yong.
Hong Guga looked at Gal Yong and said,
“The negotiations I want are simple. If you want information, let the ship pass safely.”
“Let the ship pass?”
“Didn’t something unusual happen to you, the great men of the Yangtze River? Should we waste time with such an ordinary clash?”
Gal Yong’s expression became strange after hearing this.
It was a guess, but it seemed that they considered this a serious event.
The three leaders talked among themselves before Gal Yong eventually spoke.
“I will let the ship go. But what if you lie to us?”
Hong Gu-ga was relieved.
Judging from their interest, it seemed like negotiations could work.
Hong Gu-ga shouted.
“I swear on the honor of my position. There are no lies in my words….”
At that moment.
Before the beggar could finish, a voice echoed all around them.
[Leader Gal, the ships you are looking for have already been destroyed.]
Everyone looked for the source of the voice, but none could be seen.
“What now?”
“Where did that sound come from?”
“It rang around us!”
Everyone, including the pirates and the soldiers, was shocked.
‘Six Harmonies?’
The Six Harmonies Tone.
It was a technique that was used to hide any traces of a sound as it resonated the sound everywhere.
The Beggars Union leader frowned.
While the Six Harmonies was shocking, another thing shocked him even more.
“It is all nothing but lies. The ship you are looking for….”
[Has been destroyed.]
Hong Gu-ga’s face became red as the voice interrupted him again. He wasn’t sure who this man was, but he was interfering.
“Who are you! How dare you interrupt the talk between two leaders!?”
Hong Gu-ga yelled out loud, but the voice’s owner did not appear.
Hong Gu-ga bit his lip and told Gal Yong.
“Now then, Leader Gak, listen to me. I have seen firsthand what happened on the other ship. The ship you are looking for is…”
[Has been destroyed.]
“AHHHHH!”
Hong Gu-ga yelled with uncontrolled anger.
“Appear in front of me right now! How dare you hide and plot against other people!”
Unlike the beggar, Gal Yong had other thoughts. He focused his qi and looked around to identify the source of the voice.
But he couldn’t sense anything.
[Do you see them?]
[I don’t see anyone, hyung.]
None of his brothers could find any traces.
‘… a great warrior. Who could hide in the tumult of this river while performing the Six Harmonies Tone?’
There was no way the man was on this boat.
Gal Yong glared at Hong Gu-ga sharply and said,
“What kind of person did you bring?”
Hong Gu-ga felt that this question was unfair.
“What do you mean, Leader? Can you not see? I don’t know who this person is.”
It frustrated him to even answer.
Just as the negotiations were about to work, someone he didn’t know appeared and created this mess.
“If it wasn’t for the ship, who would be able to stop the fight?”
“No, didn’t I tell you? Even I don’t know… Ah!”
“What is it?”
“I think I know. This ship has encountered the ship you are looking for. Unlike the other ships, we managed to escape safely. However, the unknown person who attacked us on that ship is…”
Before he could finish talking, the voice spoke up again.
[The leader of the beggars and the Murim Alliance planned to destroy the River Families by sneaking in warriors inside the boxes of the escort service. I don’t know if that one realizes it.]
‘…!!’
Hong Gu-ga scowled as he heard this. This was a top-secret mission, and now everyone knew about it.
He was also in a place where he was against enemies who were trying to kill them.
‘Damn it.’
This could not be used as an excuse, either.
[Geol-gae! Jump!]
Hong Gu-ga sent a message to his grandson and turned to use light footwork to jump into the river.
But then,
Puak!
“Kuak!”
As he released his footwork, something sharp fell in front of him and pierced the deck.
‘W-what is this…. Uh?’
It was a sword. But the problem was that this wasn’t just any sword
“B-Blood Demon Sword!”
Hong Gu-ga yelled as he looked at the sword before him.
