Trash of the Count's Family Book 2: Chapter 368: Strongest Under the Heavens (6)
Previously on Trash of the Count's Family...
<Strongest Under the Heavens (6)>
“Wow.”
Genuine surprise filled Cale as he savored the noodles.
The Lan Kingdom.
This land resembled a wuxia tale's setting, yet the cuisine matched what he remembered from Korea.
The dish featured plentiful toppings and meat; its broth, both clear and fiery, suited Kim Rok Soo's preferences perfectly.
“Pfft.”
Cale paid no mind to the Heavenly Demon's laughter and relished the rare sensation of a full stomach.
Meanwhile…
“We must make haste!”
As though death pursued them closely…
The Assistant Commander of the Dark Pulse’s Shadow Murderers pressed her master to move faster.
“Alright. Let’s depart.”
The Shadow Murderers' Commander, the elderly man, steadied his pupil and swiftly exited the chamber.
Before departing, he cast a final glance toward Cale and the Heavenly Demon in the far distance via the open window.
Click.
The door shut, leaving the pair behind in the room no longer.
Tatap! Tatap!
They concealed themselves in the darkness and occasionally leaped across rooftops to rapidly return to the Dark Pulse’s Alliance leader, Pao Seo Tae.
Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-
Yet the room wasn't entirely empty.
As a faint gust of wind slipped inside…
Flutter.
A soft current followed.
Beside the wide-open window…
The figure clinging silently to the wall…
Ssss–
Raon materialized in the room, ending his invisibility.
“Hoooo!”
Excitement gleamed in Raon’s eyes.
“I am indeed the greatest and most mighty!”
Wings beat lightly.
“I eavesdropped on it all without detection!”
In truth, Raon had spotted these individuals but considered observing from afar.
However, when the woman shed blood tears and collapsed forward, the old man's alertness waned as he aided her.
Seizing the moment, Raon crept closer undetected and caught every vital detail.
Flap flap.
Raon vanished once more and soared out of the room.
Tap, tap!
He rejoined the sprinting Hong and Rosalyn.
Hong trailed the old man and woman discreetly.
“We’ve got to keep at least this distance, nya!”
Rosalyn adhered closely to Hong’s guidance.
Without On present…
Hong excelled in pursuit and concealment, so Rosalyn and Raon heeded his counsel effortlessly.
– Kind Rosalyn! I’ve gathered all the info!
Naturally, Raon relayed everything via telepathic magic rather than voice.
Smile.
Rosalyn’s lips curved upward gradually.
She held no royal status here.
Still, her knowledge of the continent's key powers now rivaled Alberu’s.
‘This is getting intriguing.’
The Dark Pulse.
A grin escaped Rosalyn upon hearing that name.
* * *
Tap. Tap.
The fingers drumming the table betrayed clear agitation.
“You mentioned the ultimate evil?”
Tap!
The forefinger halted its rhythm.
“Rules over hell? Demands reverence from the wicked?”
His icy stare fixed on the Shadow Murderers' leader.
More precisely, it pierced beyond the prostrated old man to the woman kneeling similarly.
“Cheon Ryeo. Are you aware of the hell you describe?”
Cheon Ryeo.
She bore that name.
“Indeed, Alliance leader-nim.”
“If it holds true—”
A grin formed on Pao Seo Tae's features.
With the smile lingering, he pressed on.
“We’re finished.”
“…….”
Cheon Ryeo squeezed her eyes shut.
“The Eight Evils. Could there exist another hell? Perhaps the Devil’s Boundary, but that's merely a heap of refuse and lowly folk, not true hell.”
Pao Seo Tae expressed incredulity yet kept smiling.
“It has to be among the Eight Evils. You claimed he garners worship from evildoers.”
Yet the smile carried an unpleasant edge.
It was harsh.
“We’ve stumbled into damnation by entangling with a madwoman.”
The elder interjected then.
“This Strongest Under the Heavens Competition surely hides a massive plot unknown to us.”
He posed a query.
“The Eight Evils shunned exposure. For one to emerge in the Lan Kingdom… This can’t be mere chance.”
“And so?”
The old man recoiled at Pao Seo Tae’s serene reply.
Then he bowed his head.
“…It proves pointless.”
Pao Seo Tae inclined his head toward the elder’s faint words.
“Right. Utterly pointless.”
Should there be purpose…
“The Dark Pulse amounts to a mere xiangqi pawn. That’s our sole concern presently.”
He dismissed the pair of Shadow Murderers.
“You’re dismissed.”
“Understood, Alliance leader-nim.”
“… Alliance leader-nim—”
Yet Cheon Ryeo lifted her gaze toward him.
“I’m uncertain it belongs to the Eight Evils.”
“…What?”
Pao Seo Tae frowned upon her contradictory statement. But he faltered seeing Cheon Ryeo’s expression.
“I can’t discern a person’s essence clearly. I merely voice the visions crowding my thoughts, the phrases overwhelming my mind.”
Terror etched Cheon Ryeo’s face.
Her eyes met Pao Seo Tae’s, yet seemed fixed on some phantom behind him.
“…An utterly dreadful hell, that malevolence—”
Words failed her at the end.
Still, Pao Seo Tae sensed her intended meaning.
“Might surpass even the Eight Evils?”
“…This subordinate has never encountered the Eight Hells’ rulers. But—”
The attendant.
The strikingly handsome man with an eerie aura.
The one feigning levity and cheer…
Contrasting his facade—
“I,”
The mind's contents spilled from her lips.
“I, have never beheld a god either.”
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Silence gripped the room.
What did Cheon Ryeo imply?
She suggested the figure might be either an Eight Evils head or a deity, indistinguishable.
“Ho—”
Pao Seo Tae let out a mocking breath.
“You’re dismissed.”
He repeated the command.
The elder and woman paid respects and departed.
They avoided glancing at each other’s ashen countenances.
Tap.
Once the door sealed, Pao Seo Tae addressed the remaining occupant.
“Do you trust her words?”
“Alliance leader-nim, Cheon Ryeo-nim’s prophecies have always proven accurate.”
The Dark Pulse’s Chief Advisor, Ho Tan.
Pao Seo Tae held his tongue at her remark.
After some time, he resumed.
“…We should anticipate a guest.”
No names were voiced.
Ho Tan responded steadily.
“I’ll order all guards to pull back at once.”
“Good. Minimize staff in the inner quarters.”
Ho Tan bowed, acknowledged, then added.
“They might not arrive, however.”
“In that case, I’ll seek them out.”
Ho Tan grinned at Pao Seo Tae’s words before exiting. Her final remark came.
“Alliance leader-nim. I’ll accompany you there.”
“Pfft.”
A calm smile graced Pao Seo Tae’s face.
“I wouldn’t venture without you.”
“Naturally, alliance leader-nim.”
Alone now, Pao Seo Tae shut his eyes.
His hand extended.
He sensed the heat from his axe, his trusted weapon.
The frigid blade warmed gradually.
Likely mirroring his surging pulse.
“Huuuuuu.”
A deep exhale escaped as he waited in the hushed chamber.
For the nearing evil…
Or maybe the supreme evil deity.
* * *
Swoooooooosh-
Wind sounds reached him.
Chhh.
The ornate hanok window slid aside, allowing a draft to enter.
“…….”
Pao Seo Tae’s eyes opened.
Three figures stood before him.
He rose deliberately and greeted them.
“Welcome.”
Cale’s gaze dimmed seeing the courteous attitude.
– This fellow appears quite capable.
He brushed off the Heavenly Demon’s mental message.
‘T, the wanderers’ dangers aren’t the problem!’
Raon’s relayed intel replayed in his mind.
‘Wanderers—
Potentially hazardous wanderers—’
“Alliance leader-nim.”
Cale inquired amiably.
“Has a wanderer paid you a visit?”
“…….”
Pao Seo Tae’s face remained unchanged.
Internally, he pondered the prior visitor’s words.
‘My name is So Hee.’
‘I’m merely a wandering traveler.’
Smile.
Cale grinned.
Positioned centrally amid the group—flanked by the recalled Kim Hae-Yi, the enigmatic powerhouse, and his protector—as if the leader, Cale silently assessed Pao Seo Tae.
“Us, what intentions do you hold for us?”
After a prolonged silence, Pao Seo Tae spoke.
Nothing else concerned him.
Solely the Dark Pulse mattered—the faction he’d devoted his existence to safeguarding.
“None.”
Cale denied it.
“We intend no actions.
Mm.”
Cale appeared to mull over something briefly before addressing Pao Seo Tae anew.
“Details on the wanderers and their directives to the Dark Pulse… We’d like some insight there. But we can uncover it gradually.”
Cale persisted.
“Here.”
Choi Han advanced a step.
“Our guard martial artist-nim will remain with you temporarily.”
‘What?’
Pao Seo Tae’s eyes widened.
This time, he couldn’t mask his feelings; unease surfaced involuntarily.
Yet Cale’s following words froze him.
“We aim to protect you.”
Cale regarded Pao Seo Tae steadily before continuing.
“Wanderers possess god-like potential yet forsook it. Thus, they wield immense power. Even deities might fear them as threats.”
‘Deities?’
Pao Seo Tae struggled to grasp this beyond-human discourse.
One certainty emerged, however.
“With our guard martial artist-nim nearby, you can at least flee alive.”
This attendant before him…
The inability to read this puzzling man…
He confirmed that much.
Chhh.
The partially shut door parted, and the hallway’s lone occupant, Chief Advisor Ho Tan, bowed inquiringly.
“Could I learn more particulars?”
Devoid of martial prowess, her sharp mind earned the Alliance leader’s notice, elevating her to his key aide.
“…….”
Ho Tan smiled under Cale’s mute scrutiny.
“The evening chill calls for warm tea.”
Cale replied with a smile.
“Provided it’s not bitter.”
“Certainly, I’ll remember that.”
She offered Cale a soft smile, then turned to Pao Seo Tae.
With Cale’s party present, she addressed him.
“Alliance leader-nim. The previous wanderer visitor scorned respect like a beast. These arrivals show decorum, so ought we not reciprocate suitably?”
“Ha.”
Pao Seo Tae exhaled a brief, sigh-like chuckle.
He nodded.
“True. Martial cultivation doesn’t erase our grasp of courtesy.”
The Heavenly Demon concurred.
“In fact, we must value respect more deeply.”
Their gazes met between Heavenly Demon and Alliance leader.
The Heavenly Demon stated evenly.
“If you comprehend life and death’s essence.”
Life and death.
Greater understanding of life and death demands heightened respect.
“I appreciate that sentiment greatly, sir.”
Pao Seo Tae nodded, requesting refreshments from the Chief Advisor.
“We have much to cover, it seems.”
Cale smiled back at the Alliance leader.
At that instant, the Heavenly Demon sent a transmission.
– Choi Han might stir trouble?
Cale strove to disregard it.
He avoided looking at Choi Han presently.
Choi Han’s uncle, Choi Jung Gun.
Currently comatose and fading from chaos pollution.
A Five Colors Bloods wanderer contributed to his plight.
The culprits who afflicted Choi Jung Gun, a wanderer himself…
Choi Han’s enmity toward the Five Colors Bloods ran profound.
‘He conceals it well, making it fiercer within.’
Choi Han never raged or complained.
He simply watched Cale patiently.
Now, circumstances placed him near a Five Colors Bloods member.
The Wanderers.
Undoubtedly formidable, yet…
Choi Han forged his unique way, crafting an aura realm akin to ancient powers.
He could contend with them.
‘Mm.’
Nevertheless—
Cale recalled another.
‘Our crown prince must claim this blade from Choi Han.’
The Sun Sword.
It belonged to Alberu, the protagonist.
‘Cale, discuss it come morning.’
He intended a morning talk with Alberu.
‘Mm. We can simply deliver it.’
* * *
Events veered from the intended path, however.
“Hooo! Roughly 300 advanced to the preliminaries?”
“Wow. This is intense! We should witness the preliminaries!”
As preliminary entrants for the Strongest Under the Heavens Competition were revealed…
“The Dark Pulse stays subdued.”
“Rumor has it Pao Seo Tae hasn’t emerged lately.”
The Cooperative Alliance, among the five great sects, monitored their rivals, the Dark Pulse, keenly.
“Stay vigilant on them.”
“Yes sir.”
Slam!
“Chief Advisor-nim!”
“What’s wrong?”
The Cooperative Alliance’s Chief Advisor eyed the hurried underling. The man steadied his breath and reported hastily.
“Reports of booming blasts from the Dark Pulse’s inner residence! Trouble’s afoot there!”
Per the account…
Tumult brewed in Pao Seo Tae’s inner quarters.
“Ho.”
Disbelief silenced Pao Seo Tae.
“Hooooo. That spear work is impressive too.”
The Heavenly Demon remarked wearily, reclining in his seat with curiosity.
As for Cale…
“Mm.”
His expression turned uneasy.
Before him sprawled a vast training area.
“As anticipated, my mentor’s trial is tough.”
Alberu Crossman.
The User Disrespectful Emperor grinned while speaking, though his spear’s tip trembled faintly.
Opposite him…
“Mm. I mustn’t take this lightly.”
Choi Han lowered his sword, a strained smile on his lips.
Currently, Alberu and Choi Han clashed in combat.
—
Translator's Comments
BeruHan showdown!
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