Chapter 169 – Great Guardian (3)

An old memory fading up now—

When the dominating hegemony was enjoying the peak of conquering the world.

Chak!

The warrior who delivered the information knelt down and reported,

[For the Great Guardian, the Spirit Illusion clan in Jiangxi province has surrendered.]

The Spirit Illusion Clan was one of the prestigious clans in the Jiangxi province, and it was a strong clan with over 1,000 members. Destroying this kind of clan with their hands was good, but Seo Yong-chu wasn’t that happy.

[Great Guardian?]

[Nothing. You can leave.]

The warriors who reported it, bowed as he stepped back. Seo Yong-chu just sighed.

Clearly this was good news for them. However, recently an odd feeling was creeping into him.

[Sigh.]

Seo Yong-chu sighed and looked at the scroll with the word ‘Secret’ written on it on his desk.

As Seo Yong-chu looked at it, his first meeting with the lord came to his mind.

-Wouldn’t you like to come as my right hand and conquer the world?

He lived it. So, he gave up on the teachings of his teacher and went under this man as his right hand.

Although everyone feared him, calling him a tyrant and arrogant, Seo Yong-chu liked him and enjoyed the path he was on.

But, from some point, what he was doing felt so odd from the path he original chose.

Chak

His eyes looked at the scroll and sunk at the task.

‘Womb…’

Womb.

For some time, his lord was referred to as Martial God Martial Supreme.

And this had nothing to do with their cause. After hearing rumors that there was a technique close to immortality, his lord began to show changes little by little.

They eventually even killed the leader of the sect which was close to them for the sake of this forbidden technique.

‘… Is it true immortality?’

The secret technique which supposedly transferred the soul of the body to one who shared the same blood. No matter how much he thought this made no sense.

-My immortality means the immortality of Dominating Hegemony.

The Lord pushed ahead in the world.

Very few people knew about this plan, and Seo Yong-chu was included in the list.

Well, he had to be.

It was a position that he had no choice but to know the happenings of the Lord. At first, it was assumed that the immortality would endure the eternal growth of Dominating Hegemony, so he was convinced that this was right.

But lately, this plan was turning sour for him.

Rumors were already going around about their hegemony.

-Again?

-I heard they brought women from the place they destroyed.

-Do you think that’s all? It is said that even the brothels were touched and the decent ones were gathered.

-I think there are over 200 already.

-Does he intend to set up a palace for them?

He didn’t have to go far to know all this, with his skills he could listen to the gossip around.

And it was true that there were 215 women brought into the castle, and about 400 vessels were born from them.

Among them 104 were deformed kids due to the failure of the technique, and 246 were normal.

Around them 40 died due to the changing of souls.

[Sigh…]

Seo Yong-chu had no choice but to regret this. The image of their warrior, their Lord was not what he hoped it to be.

Although violent, this was nothing humans would do.

Clench!

Despite repeated disappointments, Seo Yong-chu couldn’t stop being loyal. But he couldn’t stop feeling horrible either.

Looking at the contents in the scroll, he headed somewhere.

Not too far from the castle, a black carriage had arrived there.

[You came?]

Someone in a bamboo hat greeted him. And the man pointed to the carriage.

[A few appearances. You must have received the report in advance but it is a clan with a unique bloodline which he is looking for.]

Then he opened the door to the carriage.

Two women came down from the carriage, and Seo Yong-chu exclaimed at the beauty of the women, especially one who kept drawing his attention. She looked like a person who shouldn’t be here.

[To think of her as just a womb…]

It felt bad.

At that time, the woman with the best appearance, raised her eye and said,

[I am disappointed.]

‘!?’

[Seeing the Lord’s women come, he couldn’t even be polite enough to take us. Was this how the Dominating Hegemony worked?]

At her words, Seo Yong-chu frowned.

Didn’t this woman not know why she came here? Occasionally, such women were there…

At that time, she smiled.

[What? Are you nervous? It is a joke. A joke.]

[Uh?]

[Your size is distracting because it is huge. For someone this huge to be nervous because of a petite woman who is joking.]

[…]

[I am called Hae Ha-rang of the Daedong Hae family of Shanseo. Next to me is my sibling, isn’t this child pretty too? It shouldn’t be too much.]

This was his first meeting with her.

The peculiar woman, it was said that she came here on her own.

At first, he wondered if she came here not knowing about the purpose of them wanting women.

But she knew.

[I know. He asked me to give birth to the child he would like. Seeing him talk that way right at the first meeting, I got goosebumps.]

[Then you came here?]

[I will make the man fall for me and turn him into a human.]

She came to make the tyrant a human. Seo Yong-chu smiled at it because of her boldness.

Perhaps this boldness of hers might actually change him. And in fact, there were times when the Lord seemed taken aback by her boldness.

[How do you not find your way to a single bed?]

[… Do not bother me.]

[Such a beautiful wife is a bother? Come and play with me.]

[You…]

[You! What?]

[… No.]

Everyone was afraid of the Lord.

Especially the women he used. But not her, she never was afraid and pushed past his boundaries.

The Lord was annoyed at first, but maybe he thought it wasn’t too bad, so despite not eating with anyone before, he would make time to eat and talk with her.

Maybe… maybe, it was really because of her that the lord might change.

But—

[Uh? What Lord?]

[Throw away everything except for Supreme.]

[B… But… Lord. The castle… young lord.]

[Not young lord. Just vessels.]

[Lord…]

[If there is even one variable, throw it away, everything except Supreme. You are my sword, so follow my order.]

That was the last command that the Lord gave to him before leaving the place and moving to what was now known as the final battle.

He couldn’t understand the order.

Mount Song, which is known to be sacred grounds of the Justice Faction, was gathering all forces, including the Four Great Warriors.

That was why, no matter how arrogant he was , he understood being prepared is a feature of his.

However, there were countless kids who inherited his blood, although they were being called vessels, and Hae Ha-rang, who was the only one who gets treated as human is there, and there were other people there too.

‘… But he abandoned her too.’

Seo Yong-chu knew then.

This man would not change. The actions he had with her were just on a whim. To him she was nothing but a… womb to use.

‘Ahh…’

He hoped that the Lord would win the battle and come back.

However, the result didn’t end as such.

He, who was known as the God of Martial Arts, was defeated in the battle against the four.

Seo Yong-chu who received the message, couldn’t hide his sadness and anger at the death of his Lord whom he swore allegiance to.

Whatever it was, Lord was Lord. He wanted to run to Mount Song right then to avenge him.

However, there was no way he could defeat them all.

-Save Supreme

In the end, he decided to follow the order of his Lord. He was the first to take Supreme and run. In the meantime, he heard news that the Four Great Warriors invaded the castle.

‘…’

Seo Yong-chu fell into trouble at the time. The Lord’s orders were being carried out.

But ‘she’ was still in the castle.

‘Hae Ha-rang.’

The woman who made the Lord fall in love with her, Seo Yong-chu liked her as a person.

-Why are you making such a sad face every day? Follow me and smile wide.

-…

-Do you want to try smiling? Like this.

-… Ahem.

-Uk? Barely? What are you looking at when smiling like that? It is okay for a big body person to have a big smile.

In a place where everyone lost their smile, she was the only light, and so the orders of the Lord were followed, but he couldn’t leave her there.

At the risk of it, he headed back to the castle which was being raided.

Wheeik!

But by the time he went there it was too late, he could only look at the burning castle.

‘… In the end I couldn’t.’

He lost his Lord and he couldn’t even protect her.

Even if it went against the order, he should have taken her. Seo Yong-chu felt horrible at this.

He began to doubt many things, and when he was leaving, he came across someone

‘!?’

Someone who made him shocked.

It was the Southern Blade of the Emperor, Hong Hwa-ryun, a member of the royal family and one of the Four Great Warriors.

[Hong Hwa-ryun!]

[The Wicked Giant.]

The two recognized each other right then. However, there was something which caught his eyes more.

[Hae Ha-rang!]

The woman on his shoulders, it was Hae Ha-rang.

[Hong Hwa-ryun, you!]

Killing his Lord and burning the castle wasn’t enough that he was aiming for the one woman his Lord loved!

He was enraged, even if it meant death he wanted to take her back.

But—

[Stop.]

[What, stop…]

[I am trying to save this woman.]

[What?]

Seo Yong-chu, who was trying to fight, hesitated. What did he mean by saving her?

Hong Hwa-ryun said,

[… In order to get rid of the aftermath here, we tried to remove those of his blood, but this woman couldn’t handle it.]

[What are you saying?]

[There is no time now. I too am risking everything by saving her. A search is being conducted all around. That is why I am not going to fight with you.]

At those words, Seo Yong-chu raised his voice.

[Then put her down right here!]

[I cannot do it.]

[What?]

[I am trying to save this woman because I was moved by her motherly love, and also because the father of her child is one who committed grave wrongs, which will come to find her.]

[Crime?]

[… Under the pretext of justice it is my regret that I threw her kid over the cliff.]

[You bastard!]

Does that mean he killed the child named Mumu?

Seo Yong-chu glared at him like he couldn’t forgive him. But on the other hand, he didn’t understand. Where is the need to talk about the mistakes committed as if confessing a sin?

’Hong Hwa-ryun… ’

[Put her down now!]

[I said I couldn’t. Sooner or later, all of the remnants of Dominating Hegemony including you will be taken down. Then this woman will not live.]

At those words he hesitated.

Supreme, who was evacuated would have to be taken care of, with the Lord dead, it was unknown what would happen with the future.

Seo Yong-shu said in a low voice.

[… How can I believe that you will protect Hwa-ryun?]

[I will risk my life to save the woman as a means to atone the sins I committed.]

Hong Hwa-ryun seemed determined for it. Seo Yong-chu glared at him.

There wasn’t any uncertainty in his eyes.

Flinch!

At that time, he felt the presence of many around. It seemed like quite a lot of skilled warriors were coming.

Seo Yong-chun bit his lip.

[Go. I will take care of it]

[What?]

[… Make sure to protect her, no, my lady. If you promise that, I will take this to the grave.]

Great Guardian Seo Yong-chu.

Hae Ha-rang was the wife of his Lord according to him ,and Hong Hwa-ryung was shocked.

[You will die if you stay here.]

[I didn’t say yes for your sake. It is for the lady to have time.]

Hong Hwa-ryun’s eyes shone at those words. Although they were enemies, he felt moved at such loyalty.

[… I will promise. I will risk my life to protect this woman.]

Pat!

With those words, Hong Hwa-ryun took her and left.

‘I hope you survive.’

He prayed for Seo Yong-chu.

After he left, Seo Yong-chu tore off his clothes and wrapped them around the handle of the poison clan’s weapon, the Demon Spirit Curved Blade.

Clench!

To keep the issue hidden until he died. Seo Yong-chu, had something to remember and smiled.

It was an awkward smile which was forced by his left hand, but it was a wide smile.