“You are…?”
“W-what? Did you follow us?”
Came the shocked words of his subordinates. Well, it was a natural reaction.
They didn’t know that the person in front of them was keeping an eye on them.
And not only was he an escort of the Earth Demon, but he was someone who performed missions when needed.
“Didn’t you hear? Come on, give him to me. Do not waste my time.”
Seol-Hwi glanced at the masked man who was pressing him.
“Uh…”
Songhwa looked terrified.
It was as if he knew that he was the target of Cheol Gun-song from the start.
And the expression of Ma Taryong next to him was… complicated.
Was it because he came to know the opponent is part of the Fourth Army Squad?
“May I ask why?”
“Huh?”
When Seol-Hwi asked, the masked man frowned.
He probably didn’t like that he had to explain the situation to a measly captain.
“I will tell you the current situation. Currently, the Demon Lord has sent four squads.”
But given the circumstances they were in, he spoke anyway.
“The Bloody Annihilation Squad is coming with the Blood King’s Banner to assist. And the Eight Iron Demon Kings are coming with the Ghastly Troops. This should be sufficient for you to understand the level of interest in you.”
The faces of his subordinates went stiff.
With the units mentioned by the man, it felt too much.
The Ghastly Troops are also made up of Fangshi similar to Songhwa.
And the Eight Iron Demon Kings are like eight superhumans who have had experience in numerous battles.
These are all difficult people to deal with, and they were all participating in this campaign.
The best of the best were being sent.
That is around 30% of Demon Lord’s power or maybe more.
At this point, the outcome of the fight seemed obvious. Mount Hua will certainly be burning with the will to fight, but they will eventually retreat.
That is why the damage will be huge.
“While Mount Hua pushes out in all directions, the Ghastly Troops will sniff around, and they will not allow a Fangshi to side with the Earth Demon. Soon, they will find your location and kill you.”
“All because of being with just a single child?”
“Just a single child? There are only a handful of people similar to them at the Sect who can actually move people through space. Are you actually saying that you do not know his true value?”
“…”
It was only then that his subordinates all recognized how valuable Songhwa was.
They were too busy with Ma Taryong and forgot that they would have all died in the Mount Hua base if not for the child.
They all managed to live without losing anything due to him, and it was very significant considering the level of damage done to the enemies.
The ability to move people in an instant.
Songhwa’s existence was a trump card which could turn the tide of war. Such would be reassuring to your allies and extremely fearsome to your enemies.
“So, hand the child over. And then I will safely guide you all back to the main Sect.”
“…”
“…”
No one responded to the man’s offer. Instead they started to feel how horrible the situation was.
If they handed Songhwa over…
Obviously the kid wouldn’t have a good time.
But if they refused to do it, their lives might be at risk for a child they had only just met.
“What are the orders you received?”
And Seol-Hwi asked another question.
“What do you mean?”
“Did the Earth Demon ask you to take Songhwa from us?’
“You…”
The masked man glared.
He already went out of his way to explain this much, so they should just hand the child over, but this person kept asking questions.
“Look here Seol-Hwi. What orders I have is none of your business.”
Chak.
He took one step to the side of Seol-Hwi which brought intense pressure.
A sense of intimidation spread to the extent that Seol-Hwi’s subordinates unconsciously took a step backwards.
“No. It is something I have to know.”
“What?”
Yet, Seol-Hwi didn’t back down. Rather, he stood his ground.
“It might be trivial to some, but I am responsible for all of them. And Songhwa belongs to me. Should a captain simply abandon one of their members because the rest will be in danger?”
“…You. It seems like you want everyone to die here.”
Clench!
He was wearing a mask, but the sound of him gritting his teeth could be heard.
“Do you think you can stop me with your ignorant actions? Are you really that confident?”
“I don’t know. But if you are so concerned with us…”
Seol-Hwi spoke with a confident gaze.
“Then help us.”
“What? help you?”
“The Earth Demon said so, right? No matter what happens, be sure to bring the kid and the command unit back safely.”
“…!”
The masked man’s eyes widened.
“What are you saying?”
“The captain alone…”
“How do you know that?”
His subordinates were shocked too.
The order which the Earth Demon gave to the masked man shouldn’t have been known by anyone else. Obviously Seol-Hwi also shouldn’t have, but he was somehow seeing the situation with a third person’s eye.
The masked man looked agitated.
“Okay? Was this based on your gut feeling? Then you might want to know he asked me to bring you back safely, but he didn’t say anything about roughing you up a little.”
Chak!
He drew his sword and approached Songhwa.
Tap
And Seol-Hwi blocked his path.
“Move. If you are going to get in my way again I will cut down an arm and eliminate you.”
What!
A terrifying killing intent was exuded.
“Ahem!”
Seol-Hwi faltered but he didn’t back down.
“You, I see what you are doing.”
Someone managed to neutralize the killing intent, and it was Ma Taryong.
He, who had been backing down previously, now intervened.
“This is.”
The masked man looked confused again.
He wanted to be happy that the person who had been imprisoned was safely rescued, but should he be angry instead that he was now rudely interfering with his work?
“Seven Messengers, Ma Taryong. I heard you were taken prisoner… you seem in better condition than I thought you would be.”
At the subtly cornering question, Ma Taryong answered.
“My dantian was broken. However, I got help from the captain.”
“So? You made a promise or something?’
The masked man titled his head.
“Yes. With just one thing my broken dantian was restored.”
“Hmm…”
The masked man narrowed his eyes.
He knew well that Ma Taryong wasn’t one to lie to others. Obviously he wouldn’t even be able to speak if Mount Hua’s men caught him, so losing his dantian was what would most likely happen.
“I don’t know what he did to save me, but Captain Seol-Hwi, he is a resourceful person.”
His next words could be inferred. Since he was helped by Seol-Hwi, he was bound to intervene.
“So. Do you want to interrupt what I am doing? You must have gotten quite cheeky to stand in my way, Ma Taryong of the Seven Messengers!”
Step
Now he approached Ma Taryong.
The two men silently stared at each other, with their breathing being the only thing that could be heard.
“I did not stop you, sir. But you should realize that excessive loyalty is poison.”
“What?”
The masked man’s eyes changed and some of them nodded their heads.
“You…”
“Do you really need to break down the will of the man whom the Earth Demon is so interested in? if he loses an arm or becomes useless, it will be the Earth Demon who gets his heart broken. Won’t you be the one to take responsibility for it?”
“…”
“That is what I am trying to say.”
When Ma Taryong spoke of responsibility, the masked man went silent, making Ma Taryong take a step closer.
And now two men were now very close, facing each other.
“Fuck, when did you ever start talking so disrespectfully to me?”
“…!?”
“…!”
“…!”
In an instant, the eyes of the two men flashed.
At the sudden words which came, even the masked man looked bewildered.
Is the position of Ma Taryong that good?
Seol-Hwi also looked surprised. He knew this man would be of help.
But wasn’t it too much to stand this proudly in front of the masked man?
Well, if he thought about it, their level of strength shouldn’t be too different.
Ma Taryong is the one who aimed to be at the Peak Demon level. And the masked man hasn’t even reached it.
“…Right, fine. If you wish to die that way, then do whatever you want.”
The man took a step back, and he looked around before continuing.
“But, from this moment on, do not ask for any more help from me. You were the one who did this to yourself.”
Tak
And then he quickly went to hide himself in the shadows.
“Phew…”
“Ah…”
As the man vanished, his subordinates let out heavy sighs of relief.
“We should move too,” Seol-Hwi said as their eyes fell on him.
The terrain was rugged. There were many strange rocks, both large and small.
After crossing a steep cliff, night had fallen.
Seol-Hwi and his men looked at the map and headed to the place they decided in advance.
“You have done really well.”
While the others were searching around the place, Seol-Hwi approached Ma Taryong who was alone.
Four hours earlier.
If he hadn’t stopped the masked man, then the situation would have been really embarrassing.
“Well, I took a side right away, but I think it was a stupid choice.”
Ma Taryong’s expression turned cold.
He still didn’t seem to like the decision he made.
“There is only one thing the Ghastly Troops want. The kid. It can be a tough decision for you to make, but it isn’t something to be avoided like this. If you make a mistake here, a conflict between the Second Disciple and Fourth Disciple will emerge.”
“…”
Seol-Hwi bowed his head, not answering at the rightful words.
Because he knew that he could have ruined the scheme which Ma Taryong attempted by throwing his life away.
“What are you thinking? I am involved in this so you should tell me at least that much.”
“…When I look back at the Sect, there are always people around, wandering with no unit taking them in.”
Hesitating, Seol-Hwi spoke.
“These people are those who were judged to not be compatible with demonic properties, or those who have been judged as normal and failing talents. There were such people in the Supreme Pavilion.”
“So?”
“Some of them went outside under the orders of someone and got killed. They didn’t even know the reason why.”
“By any chance…?”
“Yes, I was their captain at the time. A guy horrible enough to not even retrieve the bodies of his dead subordinates.”
“…”
Ma Taryong’s eyes fluttered.
Probably because he didn’t expect this man to have lived such a life of having to witness the death of his subordinates.
No, in the first place it was difficult to understand why such a skilled man was without a unit.
“It was such a common thing, those who didn’t know they were being thrown away. And rebelling is something that only people with power can do, that is what our superiors told us.”
“…”
“I only recently found out. The things that I hadn’t seen before. No one protecting even one person. I was terrified of not knowing when I would die, but it was a life where I had to follow the instructions of those above me.”
“Look…”
“That kind of life is not one I can live anymore. Accepting a situation in which you have to give up and run away to live. It’s no longer something I am willing to accept.”
Seol-Hwi spoke in an unexpectedly calm manner.
It was as if he was saying that this was going to be the path he would tread.
“I want to live my life. That is all.”
“…”
Ma Taryong looked at Seol-Hwi and shook his head.
He was a person who cannot be stopped, and knowing that, he sighed.
And quietly, the night progressed.
