Battle of Blood at the Tang Clan (Ⅱ)
A cool breeze swept across the earth as dusk settled. Stars that had appeared faintly one by one suddenly gathered in clusters, filling the sky. And then, above the low hills, a round moon rose.
The full moon.
Tang Cheol-hyeon, the Poison Eagle, stood by the window and let out a hollow laugh.
"Ke-ke-ke… has even the heavens abandoned my clan? A cloudless full moon night…"
With poison rendered useless, their only reliance left was on hidden weapons. The darker the night, the greater their power. But under a clear sky and a full moon that would bathe the world in light, it was enough to make anyone sigh.
From behind him, Elder Jeol Su-dok spoke with a grim expression.
"Even so, we must fight to the very end."
At his side, he gripped tightly the Meteor Mace—a weapon made by attaching a metal weight to the end of a long rope. The other elders, too, laid hands on their weapons and nodded.
Seeing the resolve in their eyes, Tang Cheol-hyeon forced a smile. Indeed, to show weakness on the eve of battle would be foolish.
"Ke-ke-ke… yes. We must show the world just how vicious the Tang Clan can be. Only then will no one dare scorn the children we smuggled out."
It was almost like a vow to himself. Just then, the Outer Hall Lord entered with heavy footsteps.
"Clan Leader, at their current marching pace, the enemy will arrive in about an hour and a half."
Tang Cheol-hyeon sighed and nodded.
"Too slow. It would be better if they came quickly."
He even wondered if the demon cultists were leisurely enjoying the road to the Tang estate, while his own people could do nothing but wait in gnawing anxiety. The longer that wait dragged on, the more it would sap their spirit and drain their minds.
He turned the topic to escape from those grim thoughts.
"The disciples?"
The Outer Hall Lord hesitated, then answered weakly.
"The evening meal was especially plentiful… they all ate well."
Elder Jeol Su-dok rebuked him sharply.
"That is not what the Clan Leader asks! He asks whether their discipline is faltering."
"They are uneasy, of course—it is their first large-scale battle. But they are bearing it well. Many are encouraging each other, saying it is time to show the strength of the Tang Clan."
"Truly?"
"Yes. The underground poison chambers may have burned, but not all the poison has been lost. And they believe our words—that the Young Lord and those he took away are being used as a special detachment in strategy."
Relief washed across the elders' faces.
Before battle, morale was everything. That was why the leadership had been forced to lie. To tell the truth would bring only despair.
Listening to their exchange, Tang Cheol-hyeon gave a bitter chuckle and shook his head.
"Ke-ke-ke… no. That's not it."
He swept his gaze across the elders and the Outer Hall Lord.
"I'm sure they already suspect the truth of our situation. Our children are not so foolish. They simply choose not to say it aloud. Deep down, they wish to cling to even the smallest shred of hope."
A heavy silence filled the chamber. At last, the Outer Hall Lord bowed his head.
"…Yes. That seems to be the case."
"You are not to blame. All of it is my fault. I should kneel to every disciple of this clan, including you. Though fear must gnaw at them, though they must want to flee, they have stayed… and for that, I am grateful."
The Lord's eyes shifted from sorrow to firm resolve. He clenched his fists.
"This is only natural. What disciple abandons his sect? And above all, we are Tang Clan!"
Tang Clan!
That cry struck Tang Cheol-hyeon and the elders deep in their hearts.
The sense of belonging among martial clans was always strong, but among the Tang, it was stronger still. They were a sect scorned by the world as madmen obsessed with poison and hidden weapons. Precisely because they were such a small and peculiar gathering, they understood and cared for each other all the more.
Tang Cheol-hyeon bit his lip and remained silent for a long time, before finally whispering:
"If only… if only we could overcome this crisis—if someone would lend us aid…"
He could not finish the thought. He turned to the window, then shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Have I grown weak as well? To harbor such futile hope… ke-ke-ke."
The Tang estate was gripped by unease.
An hour and a half later, the allied army of the Demon Cult and the Black Heaven Lotus appeared before the Tang estate—seventeen hundred strong.
The black-clad coalition of cultists and outlaws glared across the field. The Tang estate lay some eighty jang away, bathed in moonlight, shrouded in silence.
Lei Ak-cheon, who commanded the vanguard unit Red Wolf Brigade, was about to give the order to advance when Ma Bul, Vice Lord of the Demon Temple's Asura Corps, suddenly spoke.
"On the way here, I thought—our Asura Corps should also take part in breaking through the outer wall."
His sudden proposal drew frowns. Lei Ak-cheon responded in exasperation.
"Didn't your temple and the Four Emperors' Palace agree to join us only after we passed the outer wall? The strategy was already set. Is it right to change plans here on the battlefield?"
The Tang estate was divided into two parts: the Outer Wall and the Inner Wall.
It was said to be the most closed-off place in the martial world—so closed, people joked that even birds entering its walls could not fly back out.
The Inner Wall resembled any other great sect. But the Tang had created another world outside their true compound: stone towers, shrines, dense bamboo forests—within which countless traps and mechanisms spat forth hidden weapons. Warriors of the Tang lay in ambush within.
This entire constructed world was enclosed by high walls, forming the Outer Wall.
To break through, the Celestial Demon Sword, Baek Yunhoe, had advised brutal simplicity: burn the bamboo groves and shrines, smash the stone towers, and march straight for the Inner Wall. It would take time, but was faster and more decisive than dismantling the countless traps one by one.
Lei Ak-cheon glared at Ma Bul, who merely smiled gently.
"Our Asura Corps is made up of disciples of great strength. We excel at breaking things down. We can shorten the time."
The Yellow Demon Elder, Mong Hyul-bi, cut in.
"The Red Wolf Brigade already has four hundred men. That is more than enough."
"With too many, efficiency only suffers."
But Ma Bul would not back down.
"Let the Asura Corps advance side by side with the Red Wolf Brigade. We also have four hundred. Together, the competition will drive us faster, and the widened path will benefit the army behind."
Lei Ak-cheon sighed.
"What sense is there in competing amongst ourselves with the enemy before us? Save your strength for the true battle inside the Inner Wall."
At that point, the eldest of the leadership, Blood Priest Elder of the Demon Cult, raised a hand to end the squabble.
"Enough!"
At his low but commanding word, all eyes turned to him.
"Vice Lord Ma Bul's zeal is not to be faulted. But neither is it wise to change tactics at the brink of battle."
At this, Ma Bul frowned. The elder continued:
"So let the Red Wolf Brigade attack the Outer Wall as planned. But when we breach the Inner Wall, the Asura Corps shall take the lead."
Ma Bul's eyes gleamed. This had been his aim all along. The true Tang estate lay within the Inner Wall—and whoever struck the first blow there would earn the greatest merit. The highest glory of all would be to take the head of Tang Cheol-hyeon, the Poison Eagle himself.
"Heh-heh-heh… as Elder Blood Priest decrees. But you must support us well."
The elder smiled.
"Of course. We will be right behind the Asura Corps."
At those words, Ma Bul flinched ever so slightly.
Right behind.
That meant the Blood Priest's forces could, at any time, push the Asura Corps aside and take the lead.
Ma Bul sneered inwardly. As if I'd let that happen. The Asura Corps was reckless and bold. He was certain that, by leading the charge, they would be the first to reach Tang Cheol-hyeon, the Poison Eagle.
"Very well, let's do it that way."
Meanwhile, the Blood Priest Elder quietly mocked Ma Bul in his heart.
Fool. No matter how toothless the Tang Clan has become, their initial resistance will be fierce. When you take your losses and falter for even a moment, we'll step forward and claim the glory.
Both men hid their schemes behind genial smiles. The Lord of the Four Emperors Palace, Sa Hyeol-gang, simply watched in silence.
Of all the sects belonging to the Black Heaven Lotus, his was the smallest. He had no desire to throw his men into the grinder, and intended to minimize losses. Yet even he watched like a hawk, waiting for the right moment to snatch up prey.
Lei Ak-cheon now laughed brightly.
"Keh-heh-heh… then all that remains is to erase the Tang Clan from this world."
He turned and called for the commander of the Red Wolf Brigade. The towering figure of Geotap, already prepared to march, stepped forward with a long steel staff slung across his shoulder.
A giant of eight cheok in height, his muscles alone could crush men's spirits.
"Give the order!"
Lei Ak-cheon drew his blade and thrust it toward the front.
"Break the Tang Clan's outer wall and open the way to the inner fortress!"
"At your command!"
The Red Wolf Brigade surged forward under Geotap's lead, with the main army following behind at an unhurried pace.
As they advanced, Lei Ak-cheon suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Ah! I nearly forgot. Commander Cho Ji-myeong!"
At the sound of his name, Cho Ji-myeong's eyes flashed with sharp light. He strode forward quickly, bowed, and spoke.
"Your command, Young Master."
"Keh-heh-heh, how could I forget the one known as the 'Spear of the Battlefield'? I regret that I called you to join the fight but hadn't yet told you your role."
The corner of Cho Ji-myeong's lips lifted. His crushed pride blazed back to life.
Behind him, Mong Chu, Pa Reuk, and the hundred men of the Black Wolf Brigade, once overshadowed and scorned, felt vigor return to their faces.
Others might have shunned the harsh life of open-field campaigns. But the Black Wolf Brigade was made of men born for it—men who had lived their lives in battle. To them, war was home, the only place they truly felt alive.
These hundred had even more to prove: while their comrades had been humiliated at the hands of Cheon Ryu-yeong, they themselves had remained idle at the Sichuan Branch. Their hunger for battle was fierce.
Pa Reuk whispered excitedly to Mong Chu:
"Perhaps he means to use us as a special detachment. I'm certain he'll order us to seize the Tang Clan's leader in the midst of battle."
Mong Chu shrugged.
"Seems even if he hates us, he can't deny our worth."
But just then, Lei Ak-cheon, smiling strangely, gave his order.
"As you know, Commander Cho, our army has no rearguard."
Cho Ji-myeong's eyes wavered violently. The rearguard was a reserve, deployed only in emergencies. In a battle like this, where victory seemed assured, they had no role.
Lei Ak-cheon's grin grew sly.
"You will take command of the rearguard. Wait on the path the Red Wolf Brigade opens through the outer wall."
It was blatant dismissal, humiliation in the open.
"Young Master… a rearguard? What use is there for a rearguard here?"
Cho Ji-myeong's tone was hard. Lei Ak-cheon clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk. What if reinforcements come from Sword Fragrance Field to aid the Tang? We must be ready for an attack from behind."
"…"
"A commander who's spent his life on the battlefield doesn't know such basic strategy?"
Cho Ji-myeong barely swallowed back a curse. This was nonsense.
Even if, by some chance, reinforcements from Sword Fragrance Field came, they would number no more than three hundred. They were hardly a threat. A few sentries would have sufficed. Assigning the entire Black Wolf Brigade, a unit meant for vanguard strikes and special missions, was absurd.
He had expected humiliation. But this was excessive. To march with the army, even without fighting, was one thing; to be left behind to merely keep watch was another entirely.
When Cho Ji-myeong fell silent in his shame, Lei Ak-cheon's eyes gleamed.
"Do you mean to defy orders? Even as a disgraced commander, you still cling to pride?"
Cho Ji-myeong bit his lip hard. What was there to expect anymore? From the moment he left the Sichuan Branch, he'd known better.
"No. I… obey."
"Good. Do your duty."
So the Black Wolf Brigade halted, watching helplessly as the main force marched ahead.
When they were far off, Pa Reuk ground his teeth and burst out:
"We are the Black Wolf Brigade!"
His low cry rang with fury.
Cho Ji-myeong glanced at him, then swept his gaze across the distorted faces of his men.
"Even if the Young Master's order was meant to humiliate us, it was not wrong. We must be ready for the unforeseen."
Pa Reuk protested bitterly.
"Commander! Are you defending him? Did you not see our comrades and those Black Heaven Lotus bastards laughing at us as they passed? The Young Master has openly spat on us!"
"Pa Reuk!"
"Yes, Commander!"
"Tell me… is your heart in more pain than mine?"
"…"
"Is it more unbearable than what I feel?"
Pa Reuk's face twisted in agony. Slowly, his head bowed.
"…Forgive me, Commander."
The rest of the Black Wolf Brigade also lowered their heads.
With sorrow in his eyes, Cho Ji-myeong spoke.
"As the Young Master says, I am a defeated general."
"…"
"Now is the time to endure. But trust me. Endure this shame, no matter how bitter it feels. I promise you this: when the final battle that decides our fate comes, the Black Wolf Brigade will stand at the vanguard once more."
The moment his words fell—
Kwaaang!
A deafening crash rang out.
Geotap, the Red Wolf Brigade's commander, had smashed down the massive outer gate of the Tang Clan with a single strike of his steel staff.
"Waaaaahhh!"
A roar erupted.
At last, the clash that history would remember as the Battle of Blood at the Tang Clan had begun.