The Ruler of Darkness - Book 4: Chapter 15

Deep in the night.

Hodu Village, the temporary base of the 4th Young Master faction.

In the darkness, people carrying lanterns bustled about.

A warrior from the Tang family, dispatched from the 4th Young Master’s office to assess the situation, was guided by the site manager and asked:

“Weren’t there reports of ongoing power struggles between dark guild organizations?”

The piercing gaze of the stern warrior fell upon the site manager.

Sweating profusely enough to disregard the cold night air, the site manager bowed his head.

“That, that is, we judged that to be the most plausible explanation based on the information we could gather from external scouting….”

The warrior was well aware that there wasn’t enough time to establish proper informants in the Valley of Sin.

“Weren’t there continuous rumors about this ‘Sovereign of Dark Heavens’? But why was there no initial report about this person?”

The site manager, trembling while guiding, came to a halt.

“That Sovereign of Dark Heavens is…”

His body shook more than before.

“We can’t be certain of his existence. The rumors are rife, but they are extremely bizarre and grotesque….”

The warrior sensed something unusual.

“At first, we thought it was just baseless gossip, and later, considered him to be a reclusive expert or a wandering master. But…”

Initially, he thought the site manager was trembling in fear of him, a dispatch from the 4th Young Master’s office.

But it wasn’t that.

“The stories about ‘that existence’, the eyewitness accounts, were entirely different from the rumors of reclusive experts we had encountered before.”

The site manager’s hands trembled, and so did the lantern he held.

Their shadows flickered chaotically.

“Those eyewitness accounts were like tales of ghosts or spirits, absurd and mythical. The more we looked into it, the less sense it made, so we…”

The warrior squinted his eyes.

Despite no wind, a chilling cold seemed to envelop him.

“…Enough with the nonsense. Guide me to the survivors you’ve secured.”

Startled by the warrior’s voice, laced subtly with inner strength, the site manager hurriedly resumed his pace.

“I’m sorry!”

As the site manager headed deeper underground, the warrior frowned.

“I heard the survivor is in critical condition. Even if they are trash from the dark guilds, they are now an important witness. Why confine them underground?”

The site manager, leading the way to the basement, began to mutter.

“That, that is, whether to call him a survivor, or something else, he is indeed a witness but…”

The warrior sighed.

It had been several years since he had left the field, and he thought that the discipline at the site had seriously deteriorated.

“Over there, inside.”

The site manager pointed inward.

In the pitch-dark basement, there was no sign of life.

The warrior shook his head.

“Not a single sign of life. Seems like he’s already dead. To treat a valuable witness like this and kill him. You will be severely reprimanded…”

Just then, a voice came from the darkness.

“Death is not the end, but merely the beginning.”

“What…!”

The sound was more like the whistling of the wind than a voice.

The warrior rushed into the darkness where the voice had come from.

“…!”

His eyes widened in shock.

“Death is not the beginning of eternal rest, but merely the yoke of eternal torment.”

The voice was right in front of him, but even with his sharp senses, he couldn’t feel any vitality.

No wonder, for what he was looking at was merely a corpse, its body split in half and clutched in its own hands.

The corpse moved its lips, barely producing a voice, like the leaking of air.

“Fear. Tremble in terror. For He has come to punish the deeds of this world in place of the indifferent heavens…”

Even as the voice emerged, intestines continuously spilled out from the split, and the floor was already a sea of blood.

The dead man’s eyes rolled grotesquely, fixing on the warrior.

“If you too accumulate evil deeds, you will eventually meet Him.”

With his last words, the deceased seemed to lose all strength and slumped.

The arms that barely held the body together loosened, and the corpse collapsed in two, making a disturbing sound.

Looking down at the now motionless body, the warrior remained speechless for a long time.

***

Outer Court of Luoyang Sword House.

In an office.

Rumors with legs, the Walking Rumor, Yeon Ha-eung’s desk was piled with various invitations from prestigious families all over Luoyang.

And his brush was carelessly rolling over a letter he had been responding to.

However, he paid it no mind.

He had just opened a note secretly passed to him by Il-ryeong, one of the triplet maids from Wongak Pavilion.

‘…The Eldest Young Master has finally ended his seclusion!’

He threw the note into the brazier.

His face, usually known for its affability, looked uncharacteristically stern.

In his eyes, a fire seemed to ignite.

‘As expected, only He can help me reclaim the position of the Minor Head of the Kaifeng Yeon Family that was unjustly taken from me.’

***

Luoyang Sword House, Elder Yeom’s office.

“Father. Have you finally made up your mind?”

Elder Yeom burned a note he had received from an informant.

“That’s right, so you should brace yourself as well.”

Yeom Baekha, holding a white tiger, smiled.

“I’m already prepared.”

***

Guardian Court of the Luoyang Sword House.

Office of the Guardian Six Division Heads.

“Excuse me.”

The door burst open, and the First Division Head strode in.

“…Huh? Senior? What brings you here?”

The Sixth Division Head, who had dozed off while reviewing case files, opened his eyes and groggily stood up.

“Just borrowing some tobacco.”

The First Division Head didn’t wait for a reply and opened the box on the desk, taking out some tobacco.

“…People who have no intention of returning always use the word ‘borrow’.”

The Sixth Division Head yawned and also took out some tobacco.

The office quickly filled with smoke.

“…Did you really come all this way just for tobacco?”

As the First Division Head puffed on his tobacco, he finally spoke.

“From now on, or rather, until I give permission, all cases involving the upper echelons are to be transferred to other departments within the Guardian Court.”

“…Excuse me?”

The First Division Head’s words, sounding as if he was dealing with a child left by the water’s edge, caused the Sixth Division Head to frown.

“You must have complaints. That’s natural. But think of your family and bow your head.”

This was the second time he had been told to think of his family by the First Division Head.

And the first time was…

The First Division Head’s telepathic message came through.

‘The Eldest Young Master has been released from his seclusion.’

‘Ah, I see. But what does that have to do with me…’

It was hard to tell if the First Division Head was exhaling tobacco smoke or sighs laden with worry.

‘Right now, the Eldest Young Master practically has no power.’

‘That’s true.’

What kind of power could someone just released from a decade of seclusion have?

‘That means, if necessary, the Eldest Young Master will swing whatever he can lay his hands on.’

The First Division Head’s gaze turned towards him.

‘And whatever he swings, those hit will suffer fatal injuries, and even those who are swung won’t escape unscathed.’

The Sixth Division Head’s expression turned pale.

He had already glimpsed some of the Eldest Young Master’s fearsomeness through incidents in the Inner Court.

‘From now on, double and triple check the cause and effect of every case that comes in. No matter how trivial the case may be.’

***

In the suburban area of Luoyang,

At a certain manor.

Medicine King was placing acupuncture needles on the back of a middle-aged man lying face down.

“So-yu’s son, So-hyeon, will be moving soon.”

At those words, the middle-aged man’s back tensed noticeably, then relaxed again.

“…That’s good news. Isn’t he like a grandson to you?”

“And to you…?”

The middle-aged man chuckled.

“While I serve ‘Her’ all my life, Her son is just Her son to me.”

“So-hyeon is a special boy.”

“Was there anyone among ‘us’ who didn’t know how extraordinary the son of ‘Her’ was from his childhood? It’s just that someone like ‘Her’ cannot exist again in this world.”

Medicine King’s hands moved swiftly.

“…So, you’re saying you have no interest in him?”

The middle-aged man remained silent.

“So-hyeon asked me to reach out to his mother’s acquaintances on his behalf.”

“…He’s not meeting them directly?”

“I said I would handle it since it’s something I can do.”

After a moment of silence, the middle-aged man spoke softly.

“…Since it’s your request, I will observe.”

Medicine King nodded.

“That’s enough.”

He nodded again.

Observing was sufficient.

Although it was impossible to compare Yeon So-hyeon and Yak So-yu on the same level.

The grandson he knew had a different kind of charm than Yak So-yu, a magical power that moved people.

***

Luoyang Sword House.

The residence of the Patriarch, Deepest Part.

A small pavilion, the only pathway to the Patriarch.

Enveloped in darkness, a single shadow was cast by the dim moonlight.

The stooped old man, always in that place, was seated cross-legged.

Known as the Old Monster in some circles, he held the status of an elder but was treated like an elder statesman.

He was the Supervisor of the Inner Court.

Eventually, his lips parted, and a murmur escaped.

“…Can you hear me, Patriarch?”

In his voice swirled fragments of faint emotions.

“…Your eldest son has re-entered the world, Patriarch. The Heavenly Killing Star has risen, and great turmoil will follow for our family.”

His unfathomable eyes gazed at the ceiling.

“This old man will protect you at any cost, whatever the sacrifice, until the promised day arrives.”

***

Luoyang Sword House, Residence of Lady Tang, the Grand Lady of the Tang Family.

The 4th Young Master’s mother, Lady Tang, the Grand Lady, was sitting alone in her usually quiet quarters.

With each breath she took, steam came out of her mouth.

“…Sister So-yu.”

The note that 4th Young Master’s messenger had dropped through the ceiling had already melted from her hand and disappeared.

“Your child, So-hyeon, has broken all constraints and seals to enter the world.”

Tears fell from her eyes onto the floor, where they created a noxious smell and smoke rose.

“You might blame me for not keeping our promise, sister. But no, you would, as always, say it’s alright, that everything will turn out well, and embrace me.”

She closed her eyes tightly.

“Contrary to our promise, contrary to the request you made, I am glad that So-hyeon has shaken off all those burdens.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I wish for him to destroy everything that stands in his way.”

As her emotions intensified, her skin cracked, and pus oozed out.

“I wish for him to burn away all the darkness of this family.”

The air became murky, and a terrible aura filled the room.

“I wish for him to find and kill, in the most horrific pain, those who did this to my husband.”

Her eyes opened, flashing with a deep green glow.

“I wish for him to forgive no one.”