The Ruler of Darkness

Book 8: Chapter 8

A Lee family elder with a military background shouted from behind those holding shields, wielding a command baton.

This was because he had seen another elder sent flying by a single inner energy technique from a distance.

“Hold the line! Not a single step back! Endure with grit no matter what, I say!”

Family servants were generally expected to serve as combat troops in situations like this.

However, the Lee family servants mobilized for this emergency were of a different caliber than the common conscripted servants used merely to pad numbers.

The Lee family invested vast sums annually to carefully select and train their servants.

With the addition of martial artists leading them, they truly became a force worthy of a powerful family’s name.

“You bastards! Hold! Press your shoulders against those next to you and hold!”

“Fuck! Squeeze out even the strength you used to suckle milk!”

The Lee family’s squad leaders were at the very front, hurling rough curses while pushing back the enemy’s large shields with their full body weight.

The Lee family’s forces, facing the enemy in a long diagonal formation, were somehow withstanding the enormous pressure from the heavily armed judicial enforcement troops.

It was an unbelievable feat.

But.

From the central point of collision in the formation, a voice infused with inner energy rang out.

“To obstruct the official duties of officials appointed by His Majesty the Emperor with force! You are the real traitors!”

Someone was throwing the words heard in Cheonghak District right back at the Lee family.

The owner of that clear voice was, of course, Yeon So-hyeon.

The Eldest Young Master’s flag pole, as rigid as a steel rod, waved in a strange pattern.

“Everyone, kneel!”

The Lee family forces, who had been somehow resisting while pushing back against the flag pole, all lost their balance at once and fell forward.

Some even fell face-first, beyond merely kneeling, smashing their chins.

“Everyone, make way!”

With Yeon So-hyeon’s shout, as the flag pole violently swept left and right, the Lee family forces were sent flying in groups of three or four, tumbling backward.

Troops from the rear constantly filled in the gaps.

But Yeon So-hyeon’s flag pole was sweeping through that narrow space as if it were completely unoccupied.

“Haha!”

He looked like a one-man army.

The reason lay in the series of spear techniques Yeon So-hyeon was currently unfolding with his flag pole.

Those spear techniques originated from a nameless secret manual called the Fengxian^[1] Spear Technique, which was none other than the martial art of Lü Bu, who was known as a peerless warrior.

That spear technique, which had been auctioned off over a hundred years ago as the Lee family declined over time, was now in the possession of the Luoyang Sword House.

“Th-This…!”

The face of the Lee family elder holding the command baton turned red with anger.

What was the point of showing miraculous struggle against the heavily armed judicial enforcement troops?

It was obvious that if the center where Yeon So-hyeon stood collapsed, the meaning of the entire diagonal formation would be nullified.

The troops absolutely had to buy time until the elders could destroy or escape with important evidence.

“What are the martial artists doing?! Stop him first!”

Several of the Lee family’s martial artists, mainly positioned on the left side of the diagonal formation, launched themselves into the air.

They pounced towards Yeon So-hyeon, stepping on the heads and shoulders of the troops with their lightness techniques.

Of course, Yeon So-hyeon had clearly anticipated such a response.

What other way was there to attack him through the densely packed troops on both sides except through the air?

In an instant, Yeon So-hyeon’s martial art changed.

“Hup!”

The martial artists descending from the air were sent flying in the opposite direction with a boom.

Though it seemed like a single explosion, it was actually an overlapping impact enough to twist their entire bodies.

Zhongnan Sect.

Extreme Star Connecting Flag Eight Forms.

Instead of the Fengxian Spear Technique, which was created in ancient times and only had spear techniques without inner energy skills, this was the essence of Zhongnan, the pinnacle technique Yeon So-hyeon had chosen.

The martial artist who tried to sneak in between the legs of the fiercely pushing troops was already crushed under Yeon So-hyeon’s feet.

The sniper from the Eastern Kingdom, recruited at enormous expense, died from being hit by his own arrow that had been deflected back.

“Is this all the Lee family can show?!”

A Taoist lion’s roar shook the battlefield once, and the peerless warrior’s spear technique, improved by Yeon So-hyeon, swept and stirred in all directions.

At that sight, the back of the Lee elder holding the command baton was drenched in cold sweat.

‘This, this madman…! At this rate, our formation will collapse!’

It was no time to hold back.

“…I implore you.”

At his words, the martial artists who nodded stepped forward, each holding their weapons.

They were all renowned figures in the martial world who had been staying as guests of the Lee family.

But they had no chance to display skills worthy of their fame.

“——-!!”

The towering wall where the left end of the Lee family’s diagonal formation touched was shattered, and the iron fortress crashed into the side of the formation.

It was the moment when the left end of the diagonal formation, maintained with the thickest troops, was instantly crushed.

“Wh-Why did that thing come out from there?!”

It was a nightmarish sight.

The Lee family elder who had been commanding clutched his head.

‘How could I have missed that huge carriage retreating…?!’

This was all because he had been stuck between the shields at the very rear due to Yeon So-hyeon’s Hundred Step Spirit Fist.

In other words, the commander’s field of vision had been woefully narrow.

As the iron fortress began to wreak havoc on the rear lines amidst a haze of bloody mist, the commander of the judicial enforcement troops, who had been waiting for this moment, flashed his eyes.

“Now! One step forward!”

As the shout infused with inner energy rang out, the judicial enforcement troops who had been silently maintaining their formation and draining the strength of the Lee family forces all advanced one step at once.

“One step!”

With the judicial enforcement troops’ unified response, the Lee family’s formation, which had been holding up well until now, was shaken as if by magic.

“Wh-What…?!”

“D-Don’t let them push us back!”

But they were already drained of strength and were being pushed back one-sidedly.

This was the tactic developed by the judicial enforcement troops from long experience.

As was often the case when they went out for law enforcement, powerful families would usually exercise their right of self-defense with force.

The forces of such families, facing the immediate loss of their livelihoods, often displayed strength beyond imagination right after the battle began.

‘Once we drain that strength, the rest is easy.’

The commander of the judicial enforcement troops waved his hand in signal.

“Hup!”

Then, the investigators who had been silently waiting in the rear all sprang out through the gaps that had opened up.

“Ack…!”

“We, we must hold…!”

Their weapons, imbued with inner energy, began to flash ominously from all directions.

The Lee family’s formation, now completely drained of strength, began to collapse.

“Push with all your might!”

As Yeon So-hyeon’s lion’s roar thundered across the battlefield, all the judicial enforcement troops charged in at once.

Short spears flashed, blood splattered, and screams filled the air from all directions.

A one-sided slaughter unfolded.

“…….”

Amidst the chaotically moving crowd, the eyes of Yeon So-hyeon and the commander of the judicial enforcement troops met from afar.

His gaze seemed strangely full of discontent, probably because Yeon So-hyeon had given orders both at the start of the battle and just now at the crucial moment.

Nevertheless, he didn’t seem to intend to express his dissatisfaction directly.

Yeon So-hyeon’s commands had been that timely.

“My apologies.”

Muttering to himself, Yeon So-hyeon slightly raised his hand in apology to him before turning around.

“Give up.”

He spoke to the Lee family’s martial artists who were standing awkwardly.

“The tide of battle has already turned.”

Their discarded weapons rolled on the ground.

There was no choice to resist until the end.

Seeing their behavior, the elder commanding the Lee family forces flew into a rage.

“What on earth are you doing?! Shouldn’t you fulfill your duty as guests?!”

At his words, the martial artist who had surrendered first shrugged.

“We only have one life.”

To throw themselves into an already lost battle and sacrifice their lives to the very end.

It wasn’t worth the calculation for the grace they had received merely staying as guests.

“You honor-less-bas-!”

The command baton he was swinging in anger spun in the air and fell to the ground.

Its owner collapsed backward with his jaw shattered.

“Noisy to the end, aren’t you.”

Yeon So-hyeon, withdrawing the flag pole he had thrust out, smiled coldly and shouted.

“Everyone surrender! The battle is over!”

His shout, infused with inner energy, rang out.

“…….”

The remaining Lee family forces, who had been struggling to the last on top of their comrades’ corpses, dropped their weapons.

***

“Found it. It’s a mechanical device.”

As the investigator manipulated a candlestick, a secret door was revealed, and troops entered inside.

“I-I surrender! Sur-!”

The words were cut off, and screams and the sound of beating drums leaked out from inside.

As the investigator rummaged through the space behind a bookshelf while smoking half a cigarette, a Lee family elder covered in bruises was dragged out.

The investigator waved his hand at the troops’ questioning gaze.

“Take him away.”

They threw the elder, bound with aura, outside.

“Ouch! I’m dying!”

The garden located in the inner part of the family compound was already full of people dragged out like this.

An elder who had fled over the wall only to be caught by those waiting outside.

An elder who had been hiding somewhere in a corner and was discovered and dragged out.

An elder who had changed into shabby clothes and pretended to be a servant but was caught.

An elder who had been resisting with inadequate martial arts.

If there was a common point, it was that they were all severely beaten, their faces swollen.

The investigators demonstrated ghost-like abilities in capturing criminals and finding evidence.

Behind the judges receiving reports, Yeon So-hyeon’s figure could be seen.

“Excellent tactics and outstanding command.”

At Yeon So-hyeon’s words, the commander of the judicial enforcement troops slightly bowed his head.

His expression was surprisingly friendly.

“Thanks to Eldest Young Master, we were able to suppress them much faster than usual. Our troop casualties were also that much lower.”

He had experience accumulating military achievements by participating in various major local wars, including the Northern War.

“I thought there would be nothing more to surprise me on the battlefield, but the Eldest Young Master has astonished me.”

“You flatter me.”

“I do not speak empty words.”

Those guarding the surroundings hid their surprised expressions at the commander’s words.

He was their commander who usually spoke so little that one could say he was almost silent.

For him to praise someone like this was something even those who shared meals with him had never seen before.

“There, all done!”

Beyond their conversation, Suran, a problem solver from Luoyang’s Spring, was helping with first aid for the wounded.

Suran and Guard Cheong had not been allowed by Yeon So-hyeon to participate in the battle.

It wasn’t that he disregarded their level, but because today was so different from the back alleys where they usually operated.

And as Yeon So-hyeon had said, the Lee family’s resistance was vastly different in level from the underworld organizations.

“Miss! Thank you!”

“Oh my. Don’t call me ‘miss.'”

Suran waved to the wounded soldier heading back to his unit after thanking her, then turned her gaze towards Guard Cheong.

“…….”

There was a hint of worry in her gaze, as her colleague Guard Cheong was talking with the head of the Cheong family.

Elder Cheong spoke to Guard Cheong.

“You brat. Did it feel good to leave the family behind?”

Contrary to his words, Elder Cheong’s tone was gentle.

“…I’m sorry, Uncle.”

Guard Cheong scratched the back of his head with his one remaining hand.

He had left the family because he might eventually cause harm to the family while working as a member of Luoyang’s Spring.

“Still, I’m glad to see you’ve grown so much after leaving the family. To think you’ve become a great person who can accompany that Eldest Young Master.”

At Elder Cheong’s words, Guard Cheong gave a bitter smile.

“Rather than accompanying, it’s more fitting to say I’ve been allowed to follow Eldest Young Master.”

“Don’t you know that even that alone is remarkable?”

“You’re right.”

Guard Cheong had only known Yeon So-hyeon for an extremely short time.

Nevertheless, it was clear that he was such a remarkable person that just being allowed to accompany him was enough to gain recognition from the head of the Cheong family.

“But…”

“What are you worried about?”

Guard Cheong opened his mouth with difficulty.

“…I’m concerned that launching such a large-scale operation without concrete evidence might place a great burden on the Cheong family.”

“Indeed. As you say, it will be a burden.”

Elder Cheong nodded in agreement and smiled.

“Now that our family has joined the front line with Eldest Young Master, we will be severely attacked by other families aligned with Young Master Lee in the future.”

“Then, why…?”

“It’s because…”

Elder Cheong’s gaze turned to Guard Cheong.

“In this old family head’s short-sighted view.”

Guard Cheong swallowed as he met those eyes filled with unfathomable wisdom.

“If I dare to assess the current Luoyang, I would call it a historical turning point. From this moment, it will be decided whether the Central Plains Kingdom will regress or move forward.”

Elder Cheong spoke in a calm voice, but his words were filled with insight encompassing the entire continent.

“And I’ve thought that the result can only be the decline and destruction of the Central Plains Kingdom.”

“……!”

“But coincidentally, at this point, I was able to meet one person.”

He turned his gaze to the distance, towards Yeon So-hyeon.

“With his appearance, regardless of how it turns out, that Eldest Young Master will be at the center of that transformation.”

This person called Yeon So-hyeon held the position of Eldest Young Master in the Luoyang Sword House, a great family of historic proportions.

He was also the one being fully backed by Gong Liang, the head of the Gong family, one of the Sixteen Families of the Imperial Capital and the representative of the reform faction in the Central Plains Kingdom.

The deal that brought together the nomads of North Mang Mountain, the Sichuan Tang Family, and the Dali Dan Family was beyond imagination in both scale and method.

Though his steps had just begun to venture out into the world, with that single step, he was already shaking this massive metropolis, Luoyang.

“…Our Cheong family will continue to reform the Central Plains Kingdom together with him. This is just the beginning.”

Just as in this battle, he was convinced that in the history of the continent, that young man would exist as a turning point.

“Is this enough of an answer to your question?”

“…Yes, Uncle.”

Guard Cheong broke out in a cold sweat.

The head of the Cheong family, whom he met after a long time, once again felt like such a great figure that it was only natural for him to be called ‘Elder’.

Both the head of the Cheong family, who could read the flow of history, and Young Master Yeon So-hyeon, who could move an entire family led by such a person.

They were far beyond any limits he could measure.

“I’m also very interested in the reform you mentioned, but…”

Guard Cheong scratched his head with a bitter smile.

“For someone as lacking as me, it seems all I can do is help the people right in front of me.”

At his words, Elder Cheong laughed heartily.

“Your words are also right. Changes at the very bottom can also become an irresistible great flow.”

Guard Cheong could understand the words left unsaid.

‘Ah! So that’s why the Sword House’s Young Master…’

At that moment, the chief investigator sent a sound transmission to Elder Cheong from afar to report.

[All investigations have gone smoothly so far, but the head of the Lee family is nowhere to be seen]

Elder Cheong inwardly sighed and immediately relayed the message to Yeon So-hyeon via sound transmission.

Yeon So-hyeon, who had been discussing urban area tactics with the commander from afar, replied with a smile via sound transmission.

[As for the head of the Lee family, you need not worry.]

At that answer, Elder Cheong shrugged.

As expected, the Eldest Young Master was always beyond his expectations.