Chapter 83: Insubordination (3)
There was nothing in the night sky.
The moon, the stars, and the clouds—everything trembled with fear and vanished without a trace.
Save for a single thing.
A red star.
A blood star (血星) rising alone.
Right in the center of the night sky, a single star burning crimson was casting a brilliant light.
Ja Butcher Seo Woo-hak, who wore a black bamboo hat over a white robe, swallowed a low groan.
“The energy of the Heavenly Killer Star has grown even stronger. This was something that did not show in last night’s astrology. It is an incomprehensible anomaly.”
Chuk Butcher Woo Cheol-woo, clad in a helmet and armor, nodded his head.
“Seeing that it is enough to warp even Brother’s astrology, Junior Brother In must have prepared a great deal.”
“Indeed. If he went so far as to commit insubordination and usurp the position of Union Master, he must have some card up his sleeve.”
Ja Butcher drew his longsword and smiled.
Chuk Butcher also raised his heavy crescent shovel that weighed sixty-two catties.
And in front of the two senior brothers, several Thousand-Heads stepped down.
Myo Butcher, Jin Butcher, Oh Butcher, Mi Butcher, Shin Butcher, and Yu Butcher.
The Rabbit, Dragon, Horse, Goat, Monkey, and Rooster faced the Rat and the Ox.
Jin Butcher opened his mouth.
“Have you arrived, Senior Brothers?”
“We came because we were called. Have we come to a place where we shouldn’t be?”
At Ja Butcher’s words, Myo Butcher furrowed her brow.
“Senior Brother. We are meeting after a long time, but such an uncomfortable atmosphere is not very pleasant.”
“I do not find you uncomfortable at all, Junior Sister. If you feel uncomfortable facing me, that must be because your attitude has changed.”
Chuk Butcher stepped forward and spoke.
Oh Butcher blocked his way.
“Junior Brother Sa (巳) is also here.”
“Is that so? It seems even that quiet fellow decided to help Junior Brother In. How unexpected.”
“In fact, except for you two Senior Brothers, everyone supports Senior Brother In. Will you continue to cause division like this?”
“Division? What have we done? Hahaha—by the way, I do not see Junior Brother Sul and Junior Sister Hae? Where are those two?”
At Ja Butcher’s words, the Thousand-Heads closed their mouths in unison.
Chuk Butcher laughed.
“It seems not everyone has turned their backs on Master. Then again, Junior Brother Sul and Junior Sister Hae are people of mettle. Unlike you bastards.”
At those words, the expressions of Myo Butcher, Jin Butcher, Oh Butcher, Mi Butcher, Shin Butcher, and Yu Butcher stiffened rigidly.
“No matter if you are our Senior Brothers, it is difficult to tolerate this any longer.”
“Surrender. If you do, I will speak well to Senior Brother In on your behalf, even if only out of consideration for our past bonds.”
“We are six. If we include Junior Brother Sa who is hiding in the shadows, we are seven.”
“On top of that, there is also Senior Brother In. Senior Brother In’s martial arts are by far the strongest.”
“Come now, let’s resolve this peacefully if possible. I also do not want to fight with you, Senior Brothers.”
“Let us not force the youngest to commit an act of immoral rebellion.”
However, Ja Butcher’s reply was short.
“Has everyone forgotten the Oath of Piercing the Back of the Hand?”
The moment those words were spoken, the mouths of the six Thousand-Heads shut as if by magic.
The Oath of Piercing the Back of the Hand. That was a past ritual that determined the hierarchy of the twelve Thousand-Heads of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Union.
The youngest placed their palm over a bowl.
The next youngest placed their palm on top of that.
The next youngest placed their palm on top of that one.
The next youngest placed their palm on top of that one.
In this manner, the eldest’s palm was placed at the very top.
Next. A single long awl pierced and penetrated the twelve palms at once.
Once the awl was pulled out, the blood spurting from the top flowed downward.
The blood from the very top flowed down, passing through the hole in the palm below, through the hole in the palm further below, through the hole in the palm even further below, and finally gathered in the bowl at the very bottom.
The blood flowing from the top became even thicker and redder as it passed through the holes below, mixing into the bowl, and the owners of the twelve holes sharing and drinking the blood contained in that bowl was the ritual of the Oath of Piercing the Back of the Hand.
The blood of the topmost person mixing with the one below, and mixing with the one below that, and mixing with the one below that—the sequence carved in blood thus.
That was none other than the hierarchy of the Twelve Earthly Branches: Ja (Rat), Chuk (Ox), In (Tiger), Myo (Rabbit), Jin (Dragon), Sa (Snake), Oh (Horse), Mi (Goat), Shin (Monkey), Yu (Rooster), Sul (Dog), and Hae (Pig).
Ja Butcher and Chuk Butcher raised their left hands.
On the backs of their hands, the scar that had been pierced by the awl and then healed remained distinct.
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Myo Butcher, Jin Butcher, Oh Butcher, Mi Butcher, Shin Butcher, and Yu Butcher also looked down at their left hands.
As expected, the trace of the scar that brought back memories of the time of the hierarchy oath was distinct.
Ja Butcher spoke.
“Junior brothers and junior sisters, know shame and step back. And tell me of Master’s well-being and location.”
Yet despite that, the Thousand-Heads did not step back.
They only.
“Senior Brothers. Please understand. Master’s philosophy is outdated, and this is the proper trend. A bandit must act like a bandit.”
They merely prepared for battle, led by Jin Butcher.
The expressions of Ja Butcher and Chuk Butcher also hardened.
In the end, questions and answers were useless.
“Ha-at!”
The six Thousand-Heads kicked off the ground respectively.
Myo Butcher held twin swords and spun her body like a windmill, raising a fierce sword wind.
Jin Butcher brandished a large iron mace and charged as if to smash everything before his eyes.
Oh Butcher showcased dazzling spear technique with a single long spear.
Mi Butcher brandished a chain sickle, slicing everything around into pieces.
Shin Butcher thrust out double palms imbued with profound internal energy.
Yu Butcher brandished a single longsword, drawing a bizarre curve.
As the joint attack of the six peak experts unfolded, a roar erupted as if heaven and earth were being overturned.
……However.
“It has been a long time since I played with my junior siblings like this.”
“I have neglected to greet you for a long time, Senior Brother.”
Ja Butcher and Chuk Butcher had calm expressions.
Soon, Ja Butcher’s longsword and Chuk Butcher’s crescent shovel each harbored a sharp blue gangqi.
…Flash!
The eight attacks tangled at a single spot.
With a bright cluster of light, a terrifying battle of offense and defense began to unfold.
Clang! Clang! Cla-cla-cla-clang!
Ja Butcher’s longsword deflected Myo Butcher’s twin swords, Jin Butcher’s mace, and Oh Butcher’s spear in the blink of an eye, twisting into a split-second opening.
Chuk Butcher’s crescent shovel crushed Mi Butcher’s chain sickle, Shin Butcher’s double palms, and Yu Butcher’s longsword with sheer force.
…Bang-bang-bang-bang!
Not only was their internal energy torn to shreds, but the six Thousand-Heads were also startled by the shock that struck all the way to their dantian and tumbled backward.
Ja Butcher, holding his sword diagonally, walked slowly in front of them.
“Just remain seated. I do not wish to hurt my junior siblings.”
The six Thousand-Heads had no words to reply and merely wore blank expressions.
Chuk Butcher added a word as he passed in front of them.
“In the blow just now, Senior Brother Ja did not even exert ten percent of his skill.”
“……!”
The expressions of Myo Butcher, Jin Butcher, Oh Butcher, Mi Butcher, Shin Butcher, and Yu Butcher were dyed in shock.
Their weapons were already shattered to pieces, and their qi and blood were also trembling unstably.
Fortunately for the others who had held weapons, Shin Butcher, who fought barehanded, had his hands completely stained in blood.
Under such circumstances, Ja Butcher and Chuk Butcher were calm and composed to the extreme.
And to think they did not even exert ten percent of their skill.
A sense of anxiety crossed the faces of the six Thousand-Heads.
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
“……”
Were they not Ja Butcher, who had been chosen early on as the next Union Master, and Chuk Butcher, who was called Ja Butcher’s right-hand man?
The former Union Master, Gong Je-hwan, had also felt reassured that as long as these two top disciples stood strong, the Yangtze River Water Bandit Union would remain completely unshakeable.
Under these circumstances, was it right to keep siding with the Tiger Butcher?
For the six Thousand-Heads as well, this point kept making them feel highly uneasy.
In the end.
…Thud!
Myo Butcher collapsed to the ground and lay flat just like that.
Although she was conscious, she had given up standing up.
Following her, Jin Butcher, Oh Butcher, Mi Butcher, Shin Butcher, and Yu Butcher lay down one after another.
Ja Butcher smiled faintly.
“You made a wise decision. You will not regret that choice just now.”
Soon, Ja Butcher and Chuk Butcher passed the six Thousand-Heads and climbed the stairs leading to the pavilion.
Screeech…
As the thick inner gate opened, the water bandits inside bowed their heads.
Ja Butcher and Chuk Butcher stepped into the courtyard.
“Welcome.”
From the top of the nine-story pavilion, the Tiger Butcher’s voice drifted down.
Tiger Butcher Ga Jeong-maeng. He was looking down from the railing with a bright smile.
Ja Butcher asked.
“Junior Brother In. Are you confident that you can handle me?”
“Since I am, I must have called you.”
At the Tiger Butcher’s calm reply, the corners of Chuk Butcher’s eyes ripped fiercely.
“You bastard! Where is Master?! What on earth are you plotting?!”
“Huhuhu—”
The Tiger Butcher did not reply, only laughing.
Ja Butcher let out a small sigh.
Then, he lowered his sword and spoke as if to reason with him.
“Maeng.”
“……”
“I know well that your comprehension is outstanding and your talent is extraordinary. But this is not right.”
“……”
“Clearly you were a good junior brother in the past, so why have you changed like this now? Did you not also always say as a habit that just because one is born with the fate of the Heavenly Killer Star, there is no law saying one must only be dragged around by it? That you would absolutely change your fate, by yourself……”
However, Ja Butcher’s words could not continue to the end.
This was because the Tiger Butcher waved his hand as if it were a bother.
“Let’s stop listening to talk that sounds like a squeaking rat. We are no longer in a position to give advice to each other, are we?”
“You bastard! How dare you be so insolent to your Senior Brother!”
“Senior Brother Chuk, you too should stop barking. My ears are ringing.”
The Tiger Butcher stepped up onto the railing.
In that instant.
“……!”
“……!”
Ja Butcher and Chuk Butcher saw it.
The red star in the night sky shining even more eerily.
Soon.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch…
A crimson energy began to shimmer around the Tiger Butcher’s body.
At the same time, unpleasant laughter echoed from around.
Hihihihihihihihi—
Ja Butcher’s eyes narrowed.
“Cheol-woo. Did you hear that?”
“Yes, Senior Brother. I heard it without a doubt.”
“It was Master’s laughter, wasn’t it?”
“It was unmistakable.”
Ja Butcher and Chuk Butcher looked up at the Tiger Butcher as if dumbfounded.
The Tiger Butcher smiled.
“Are you curious why Master’s laughter is heard when I channel my internal energy, Senior Brothers?”
From his body, a crimson mist that seemed to be made by boiling blood was rising in billows.
Before that overwhelming ominousness, Ja Butcher and Chuk Butcher raised their weapons.
“It is an internal energy I am feeling for the first time. I have contested with the martial artists of the Potala Palace in the past, but this is far more alien than back then.”
“I have witnessed evil arts similar to that in Haedong.”
Ja Butcher’s longsword and Chuk Butcher’s crescent shovel began to buzz and cry before the Tiger Butcher’s momentum.
Soon, the Tiger Butcher leapt from the pavilion and landed on the ground.
Despite leaping from the ninth story, not a single footprint was left on the dirt ground.
Seeing that bizarre spectacle where not even a single speck of dust rose, Ja Butcher let out a hollow laugh.
“Certainly, you had something to rely on. You have learned some bizarre outer-realm demonic art from somewhere.”
“Senior Brother. I will go all out from the start. If that demonic art crossed over from Haedong… there is no benefit in dragging out time.”
Ja Butcher and Chuk Butcher took their stances.
The Tiger Butcher’s expression settled calmly.
Sssrrng—
He drew a single long blade from his waist.
It was a curved barbarian blade (蠻曲刀) whose edge was curved bizarrely.
“Come at me together, Senior Brothers.”
Ja (Rat), Chuk (Ox), and In (Tiger).
It was a bizarre situation where the first and second of the Yangtze River Water Bandit Union were ganging up on the third.
Unrivaled Spear Ghost