When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 202
Chapter 202
“!!”
When the First Consort, her eyes wide with fear, didn’t answer, he yanked her hair again, pulling her head back.
“You know what a Divine Beast’s wish is, don’t you?” he growled, tightening his grip on her hair.
“So tell me. Now.”
“C-Clan Head…!”
“Before I use it to make you suffer for eternity, neither dead nor alive!”
This was a side of their Clan Head they had never seen before.
He, who was always honorable and courteous, even on the battlefield, was now brutally tormenting a small, frail woman.
But his rage, his murderous aura, was so intense, so unexpected, that no one dared to approach him.
“The… Orb…” the First Consort gasped, her voice barely a whisper, “…You need… the Red Dragon’s Spirit Orb…”
“Don’t play games with me. That can’t be all.”
“Ugh…!”
A wave of chilling malice, so intense it made it hard to breathe, washed over them.
The First Consort, standing right next to Baek Giha, gasped for breath, her body trembling.
“The Red Dragon’s Spirit Orb was always with the Mystic Ruler. Do you think the Corrupt Dragon would entrust his life to him? You know better than anyone what the Mystic Ruler is like.”
“I-I don’t know! I don’t know anything about that! All I know is that you need the Red Dragon’s Spirit Orb—!”
Crack.
The ground beneath the First Consort cracked under the pressure of Baek Giha’s rage, the sharp aura tearing at her flesh.
“Aagh!!”
She writhed in agony.
“So you won’t talk. Fine. You want to see your son so badly? I’ll let you.”
“!!”
He pulled her towards the barrier.
“It’s true! I swear! I don’t know anything else!!” she cried, but he didn’t stop.
The Baek Clan women were known for their gentleness and refinement, rarely leaving their inner chambers, their focus solely on managing their households. So, the Baek Clan warriors were shocked to see their Clan Head, a man of honor, brutally treating a woman, dragging her across the ground like a slave.
“C-Clan Head! I-I don’t know what’s going on, but please…”
One of the warriors, unable to bear the sight, rushed forward. This wasn’t just the Baek Clan army, warriors from all Six Clans were present.
‘If they question his leadership after seeing this—’
But he couldn’t approach Baek Giha.
“…C-Clan Head…”
Baek Giha’s eyes, dark and intense beneath his furrowed brows, were filled with a chilling rage, a desperate, all-consuming grief, his aura sharp and menacing.
It was as if he, not the First Consort, was facing death.
“......”
The warrior, seeing this unfamiliar side of his Clan Head, stopped.
And no one else dared to approach or interrupt Baek Giha as he continued to drag the First Consort across the ground.
He brought her to the hill overlooking the barrier and the warriors’ camp and threw her to the ground. He pointed towards the barrier.
The sounds of battle echoed from beyond the barrier.
The First Consort knew exactly what those sounds meant.
“If I lower the barrier, the Corrupt Dragon will see you,”
“!”
“…and he’ll come for you.”
The First Consort’s lips trembled. She was truly afraid.
“Tell me how to kill you, if you don’t want that to happen.”
“The Red Dr—"
“That’s not an option. Think of something else!”
“Agh!”
A wave of chilling malice, sharp as a blade, pierced her body.
The pain was as excruciating as when she was enduring the Corrupt Dragon's curse.
“Neck…!”
The sharp aura around her receded slightly as she gasped the word, giving her a moment's respite.
“Alright. Neck, and then…?”
“!”
Her face paled as she realized what she had said.
“I-I don’t know! I don’t know anything else!”
“Do you still need more time? Or do you think I won’t hand you over to the Corrupt Dragon?”
He grabbed her chin and lifted her face, his grip so tight that her jaw felt like it was about to break.
“If you don’t tell me now, I’ll flay you alive and devour your still-beating heart. You think you can escape death that way? No. I’ll use my wish to keep you alive, so you can watch as your body is torn apart, piece by piece.”
‘No!’
This wasn't a bluff.
She knew, instinctively, that he was capable of it.
He didn't care about his position as the leader of the Six Clans, or his status as a Divine Beast, the pride of the Baek Clan.
“…Then…” she gasped, her lips barely moving, “…Perhaps… a Divine Beast’s spiritual power… a Spirit Orb powerful enough to overcome the Corrupt Dragon’s…”
She closed her eyes, avoiding his gaze, which was cold and menacing.
“I won’t ask for the Red Dragon’s. So… can you give me yours…?”
The sound of hundreds of hooves echoed across the plains.
Ju Jayoon, riding behind Ju Myoungyoon, was silent.
‘To think there were so many others…’
He couldn't fully believe Ju Myoungyoon's words yet, but everything he had said was consistent with the situation, the circumstances.
And he wasn’t the only one. Everyone who had heard Ju Myoungyoon's explanation felt the same.
So, they rode in silence, their minds heavy with unease.
And when they reached their destination, they were once again speechless.
He had been curious about why they had to go to the outpost with the gate to the Human Realm, and now…
“Who… who are these people…?”
The outpost was filled with criminals whose Cores had been shattered, who had crossed the gate using Spirit Orbs.
Ju Jayoon turned to Ju Myoungyoon and demanded, “What is the meaning of this?! Why did you bring these criminals here?! What are you planning?!”
“Planning?”
Before Ju Myoungyoon could answer, Cheon Sua, who had been tending to the exiled mystics, approached them, Choi Deokmun by her side, like a guard.
He bowed to Ju Jayoon.
“Elder Jayoon, it’s been a while. I am Choi Deokmun.”
“…Who are you? You look familiar.”
“Don’t you remember? I made your first banquet robe.”
“Ah!”
He was a renowned merchant from the Mystic Realm who had once supplied goods to the Mystic Ruler’s residence and even had private audiences with the Mystic Ruler. He was quite influential, often summoned by the other elders as well, but…
“I haven't seen you in a while, I thought you’d been exiled. What did you do?”
“I didn’t commit any crime. I was robbed of something precious, so I’m here for revenge.”
“Revenge? What was stolen from you?”
“My wife’s body. Most likely, it’s being used by one of the Mystic Ruler's Eight Consorts. Have you perhaps seen a woman who looks like this?”
“!”
Ju Jayoon’s eyes widened as he unfurled the scroll Choi Deokmun handed him.
It was the Seventh Consort.
Why was this merchant claiming that the Seventh Consort was his wife…?
“…You’re saying this woman… is your wife?”
But there were a few things that didn't add up.
First, unlike the Mystic Ruler’s other consorts, the Seventh Consort rarely left her quarters and didn't attend banquets, so few people outside the elders knew what she looked like.
‘How does this merchant know her?’
Second, even if he had somehow obtained her portrait, it was too perfect, too detailed. Since she rarely appeared in public, no one could have painted such a lifelike portrait of her.
‘Unless he had seen her often enough to remember her face perfectly…’
And third…
“......”
…his bloodshot eyes, his white knuckles, the blood dripping from his clenched fist… his grief, his rage… it all seemed too real to be an act.
Ju Jayoon, who had been about to accuse him of colluding with Ju Myoungyoon, swallowed his words and chuckled dryly. He wanted to be suspicious, but everything seemed to point to the truth.
Just then…
Rumble.
The ground suddenly shook violently, the sky above flashing with lightning, as if a storm had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Deafening thunder echoed through the air.
“!!!”
Everyone, Ju Myoungyoon, Cheon Sua, Ju Jayoon, all turned towards the source of the commotion, their eyes wide with alarm. Something big was happening.
Ju Myoungyoon turned to Ju Jayoon.
“I’ll leave these people to you.”
“What?”
“There’s no time to lose, we have to go. I'm entrusting these people to you.”
“What are you talking about? You’re leaving now—?”
Just then, Choi Deokmun approached them with the exiled mystics.
“Elder! Let us go with you!”
“That’s not possible. You’re too weak, you might die.”
“But we don’t know who will be needed, or when. I want to help.”
“After finally coming back… you’re willing to risk your lives?”
“Anyone who hesitates can stay behind, but we… we have to do our part, not just to repay your kindness, but also for the future. Everyone here understands that.”
Their gazes met, their expressions resolute.
The exiled mystics and Cheon Sua, with Sa Danyoon, left the outpost first.
Ju Myoungyoon looked at them, then turned to Ju Jayoon.
“I wanted to show you the evidence and prove my words, but it seems things have already begun, so we have to change our plans. I have to go now and join the battle, so whether you believe me or not, whether you choose to inform the Mystic Ruler about me, or if you choose to infiltrate the Ju Clan and find those who had their bodies taken over, it’s up to you. Decide for yourself.”
“But—”
Ju Myoungyoon turned and rode towards where the explosions were coming from.
Ju Jayoon, left behind, stared blankly at his retreating figure, dumbfounded.
That stubborn, old-fashioned fool.
But that was why he knew that Ju Myoungyoon was incapable of betrayal or deceit.
If he was rushing towards that battle, it meant it was no ordinary fight.
He had been warned that it could be dangerous, that he could even die.
“Damn it!” he shouted, then turned to the other warriors.
“Hurry! We’re going!”
The sound of hooves echoed through the air as Ju Jayoon and the Ju Clan warriors galloped after him.
Comments
Post a Comment