When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 174
Chapter 174
“So, Young Lord, how will you deal with this?”
“Don’t go easy on them.”
“They erected this barrier without permission, so we have justification on our side. But we can't proceed until we drag Baek Giha and Sehwa out of there. Lend me your strength, Elders.”
“Alright!”
“Let’s do it!”
The Elders, their eyes narrowed, channeled their spiritual power and attacked the white barrier.
Kaboom!
A powerful shockwave, far stronger than before, swept through the hallway.
As the warriors joined the attack, the ground shook with a deafening roar, as if struck by lightning.
Crack. Crack—
The barrier, unable to withstand the onslaught, began to crumble.
Shatter!
Just as the top of the barrier shattered like glass, the door behind it opened, and Sehwa stepped out.
She paused, looking at the crowd filling the hallway, then at the destroyed barrier and the Young Lord, and asked, “What’s going on? Did you… attack the barrier, Young Lord?”
Baek Giha, following her out, frowned, scanning the crowd.
His voice, cold and sharp, was directed at the elders.
“What is the meaning of this? Why have you all come to the annex, when I specifically asked not to be disturbed?”
One of the elders retorted, “Clan Head Baek, how dare you? How dare you erect a barrier in our territory without permission? Do you not realize this is an insult to the Clan Head?”
At the same time, the warriors standing behind the Mystic Ruler stepped forward, ready to accuse Baek Giha of the fires if he showed any sign of guilt or apologized for the barrier.
But both Baek Giha and Sehwa simply stared at the elder, their eyes narrowed in confusion.
“What?”
“What are you talking about?”
Baek Giha, unable to hide his bewilderment, said, “Don’t you realize how busy everyone is with the Mystic Ruler’s inauguration ceremony? The warriors, the servants… no one has time to guard the residence. What if I wandered around and accidentally stumbled upon the clan’s secrets?”
“!!”
“I erected the barrier as a gesture of goodwill, to avoid causing any trouble and to allow the Mystic Ruler and the Ju Clan to prepare for the ceremony without any distractions. And you’re all here because you doubted my intentions?”
“......”
“How is a barrier an insult? It’s a protective measure, to prevent anyone from entering and causing trouble. And my barrier only covers this small annex, my room. What could I possibly be doing in such a confined space?”
“But you still could—”
“Are you forgetting something? When the Ju Clan and the Six Clans faced each other on the battlefield,” Baek Giha said, his voice low and menacing, stepping towards them. He leaned down, his eyes meeting the elders’, a sly smile playing on his lips. “Ten thousand Ju Clan warriors were no match for me.”
“!!!”
“Whether it's the Ju Clan's secret chamber or the Mystic Ruler’s residence, if I had intended to cause trouble and disrupt the ceremony, I wouldn't need a barrier. Do you understand?”
How arrogant.
How many elite Ju Clan warriors were currently in the residence for the inauguration ceremony? How many Ju Clan elders were present?
He was saying they were all beneath him.
“......”
But they couldn’t refute him.
Not only were his words true, but his chilling aura, which made their skin crawl, silenced them.
The Mystic Ruler roared, “How dare you speak with such arrogance?! Do you think the entire Mystic Realm is beneath your feet just because you’re a Divine Beast?! You! Tell me what you saw!”
One of the warriors standing behind him stepped forward.
“Yes! A fire, protected by spiritual power, erupted in the building where the ceremonial items were stored, burning down seven buildings and the connecting corridors. And I clearly saw Clan Head Baek escaping from the blaze!”
“Are you still denying it?!” the Mystic Ruler shouted.
“You call that barrier a gesture of goodwill?! That you wouldn’t need a barrier to cause trouble?! Yes, you could! But you erected that barrier to sabotage my inauguration ceremony!”
He turned to the elders and appealed to them, “The spiritual power within the flames was so strong that we couldn’t extinguish it! He burned all the ceremonial items! And you’re still going to believe his lies?! Elders of the Ju Clan?!”
“…Ah…”
“W-Well, we…”
“The Ju Clan might have fallen from grace, but this is the Mystic Ruler’s inauguration ceremony! He erected a barrier without permission, escaped, and set fire to the residence to sabotage the ceremony! How can you be swayed by his lies?! You, the core elders of the Ju Clan?!”
The Mystic Ruler was desperate, seeing that things weren’t going his way. But Baek Giha cut him off. “Wait a moment.”
“What?!”
Before the Mystic Ruler could react to the interruption, Baek Giha approached the warrior who claimed to have seen him at the fire.
“You said you saw me there. Are you certain?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Then tell me, what was I wearing?”
“What?”
The warrior’s gaze shifted to Baek Giha’s current attire. A light gray robe with a wind pattern.
But there was a problem. He was wearing another layer of clothing underneath.
A beige robe with a light gold wind pattern embroidered on it.
The warrior’s face paled. Which clothes should he describe? And come to think of it, his clothes were different from what he had been wearing when they entered the residence. What had he been wearing then?
“Why aren’t you answering?”
“Well, th-that… I was so startled by your appearance that I didn't pay attention to your clothes.”
“You didn’t see? Couldn't you at least tell us the color?”
The warrior desperately tried to come up with an answer. But even if Baek Giha could control the wind, there should have been a lingering smell of smoke if he had been near the fire. He focused his senses and examined the two robes Baek Giha was wearing, but there was no trace of smoke on either of them.
‘Did he use the wind to prevent the smell from clinging to him? Should I just make something up, since there’s no proof he actually started the fire? What should I do? Damn it… The Mystic Ruler will kill me if I mess this up…’
But then he realized that it didn’t matter what he said, since it was all a lie anyway. Even so, he hesitated, unable to answer, when he saw a blue robe draped over a chair in the distance.
It was also embroidered with the Baek Clan’s wind pattern, just like the two robes Baek Giha was wearing, so it must have belonged to him.
‘Even if he did start the fire, these two robes don’t have any smell of smoke, so if I have to choose…’
“You’re wasting the Young Lord and the elders’ time! Answer the question!”
“He was wearing a blue robe!” the warrior blurted out at Baek Giha’s sudden roar.
“A blue robe?”
“Yes! I’m certain! He was wearing that blue robe over there! He must have changed!”
Baek Giha looked towards the room.
“Are you talking about this?”
“Yes!”
Baek Giha chuckled, as if amused, and returned to the room, emerging with the blue robe. He unfolded it, revealing a garment clearly too small for him to wear.
“That’s funny. This isn’t mine. It’s my wife’s.”
“!!!”
“How could I possibly wear this?! Are you trying to frame me and cause conflict between the Baek and Ju Clans with your false testimony?! Such a heinous crime, unforgivable even by death, committed by a guard of the Mystic Ruler!”
“N-No! I didn’t lie! Clan Head Baek, you said you confined yourself within the barrier, but you didn’t come out even when it was being attacked, and only appeared after it was destroyed! Perhaps you were destroying evidence inside!”
The warrior, though terrified by Baek Giha’s aura, was more afraid of the Mystic Ruler's wrath. He spoke desperately, “We wouldn't know what you were doing inside the barrier. It seems like you're trying to discredit my testimony because I only remember the color of your robe. But I’m innocent! I saw you with my own eyes!”
“How did I get that blue robe, then?”
“You… you must have brought it with you, Clan Head Baek.”
“I didn’t bring any blue robes.”
“Who can prove—”
“We were searched when we entered the residence, on the Mystic Ruler’s orders. You can ask the servant who searched us. The one personally appointed by the Mystic Ruler. Surely, you wouldn’t dare lie about that.”
“!”
The warrior, finally remembering the search, bit his tongue.
Since the Ju Clan residence was protected by special spiritual power, it had never been damaged before, no matter what anyone did.
So, body and luggage searches were rare, and he hadn’t remembered it.
“W-Well, I…”
‘You idiot! Just admit you were wrong! Say it looks like the clothes he’s wearing now!’
The Mystic Ruler gritted his teeth at the warrior's incompetence.
“You dare underestimate the Ju Clan?! Trying to cover up your mistake with such a flimsy excuse?!”
He was about to step forward himself when one of the elders stopped him and whispered, “Young Lord, let it go. This isn’t the time for such a commotion, not with the inauguration ceremony so close.”
“What?! Are you saying that after hearing that White Tiger’s lies—?”
“Young Lord, we’ve already accepted you as the Mystic Ruler, even though you haven't transformed yet. That’s not supposed to happen.”
“What are you talking about?! What does that have to do with this situation?!”
“We’re saying, don’t ask for any more sacrifices from us.”
“…Sacrifices…?”
The elder’s eyes held a multitude of emotions.
Whether Baek Giha had actually started the fires or not… what could they do even if they captured him?
Could he subdue him in his untransformed state?
Or were they suggesting they recreate the scene where a hundred thousand warriors were defeated by a single Divine Beast?
The Mystic Ruler, exasperated, sighed, “I don’t understand. You were all so furious just a moment ago—”
“We thought you had irrefutable proof, Young Lord.”
They had thought they would at least get some compensation.
But now, it seemed like they would have to bear the consequences instead of the powerless Young Lord.
They were also angry about the disruption of the inauguration ceremony, but they weren't certain if Baek Giha was the culprit, and even if he was, what could they do against a Divine Beast?
“We’re the ones who supported your ascension, even though you haven’t transformed, we’re the ones working to protect the Ju Clan! So follow our advice this time.”
“Indeed, Young Lord.”
‘Those bastards are scared of that tiger…’
The Mystic Ruler was both annoyed and frustrated.
He hadn't transformed yet.
And he knew that the elders could still change their minds and oppose his ascension until he officially became the Mystic Ruler tonight, during the ceremony.
“......”
He couldn’t afford to antagonize the elders before tonight’s ceremony.
So what should he say…?
‘I should refuse. I can't let this matter be swept under the rug…’
“Young Lord, please listen to us.”
It wasn’t just the elders urging him.
Everyone in the hallway was watching him expectantly.
Ju Sehwa was also looking at him, her eyes sparkling.
The Mystic Ruler, biting his lip hard, his body trembling, finally gave in.
“…Imprison… that warrior… for false testimony…”
Back in his room, the Mystic Ruler, unable to contain his rage, threw and broke everything within reach.
“Aaaargh!”
He couldn’t control his anger.
He had been humiliated because of that warrior's blunder.
The elders’ excuses to Baek Giha, the looks in their eyes…
“Clan Head Baek, please understand, our Young Lord is still young and lacks judgment.”
“He hasn’t even transformed yet. He must have been nervous and anxious, suddenly becoming the Mystic Ruler at such a young age.”
“Those bastards! Young? Lack of judgment?!”
Those spineless cowards! Turning their backs on him so easily just because they couldn't get anything out of Baek Giha?!
‘I should have replaced them a long time ago…’
But they had been easier to control, so he hadn't.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
He couldn't even defend himself against the elders' accusations.
He couldn't control them yet, not without having transformed and officially ascended to the position of Mystic Ruler.
And he hadn't even been able to deliver the wedding gift, the artifact he had planned to activate before everyone.
“If I had just transformed… if I had just switched to a different body… if it weren't for Ju Sehwa…”
The Mystic Ruler glared at the air, his eyes burning with rage, his fists clenched.
“…No… It’s not over yet…”
He might not be able to act now, thanks to those two bastards’ tricks, but he had placed numerous artifacts around the annex.
And once he became the Mystic Ruler, he would be able to use the Red Dragon's Spirit Orb.
‘Right, the Red Dragon’s Spirit Orb!’
With that, the artifacts wouldn’t run out of power!
“Is anyone there?!”
The Second Corps Commander, who had been waiting outside the door with his head bowed, hurried inside.
“Go and unseal the Red Dragon’s Spirit Orb. It has to be done before the inauguration ceremony! Understand?!”
“What?!”
The Second Corps Commander looked up in shock.
Once unsealed, a Spirit Orb would unleash its power only once before dissipating.
“M-Mystic Ruler… b-but… then the symbol of the Mystic Ruler… the sacred treasure of the Ju Clan… will be gone forever…!”
“It’ll be used for its intended purpose! It’s a useless treasure anyway, I can’t absorb its power! What does it matter?! Do as I say!”
“B-But, Mystic Ruler, that’s—”
“Do you want to die?!”
“!”
The Second Corps Commander’s face paled at the Mystic Ruler’s menacing tone.
He hesitated, then finally relented.
“Y-Yes…”
He bowed and hurriedly left to carry out the order.
The Mystic Ruler’s eyes gleamed.
“You think you’ve won? You’re wrong.”
Blood dripped from his clenched fist.
“Let’s see whose life ends first.”
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