WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ The Martial Alliance Rulebook Archives ◈

Chapter 49: The Pursuers (2)

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Though I had decided to track down the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner, several things still troubled me.

First was the question of strength. The Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner was likely at the Transcendent Peak realm. Even if I could display Peak-realm prowess for about half a quarter-hour, it would not be enough to bring that bastard down.

I tried to assess the Steel-Severing Leg's abilities. A former member of the White Sword Squad who had formally joined the Martial Alliance and risen high enough to hold a leadership position, even at a small branch.

It would be difficult for someone at the First-rate level to receive such a promotion. But if Iljik were at the Transcendent Peak realm, Iljik would have been summoned to the main headquarters long ago. Would that not put Iljik at the Peak realm?

But...

‘It will be difficult to bring Iljik along.’

Iljik seemed to have a particularly strong instinct for self-preservation. The heart of the negotiating tactic I had taught Murong Sung was, “Give Iljik a reason not to join the pursuit of the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner, and get results in exchange.”

Iljik would likely remain at the Murong Clan's camp throughout the pursuit.

I sent Murong Sung a voice transmission.

[Young Master Murong. The Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner possesses the prowess of a Transcendent Peak realm expert and... bizarre methods befitting an assassin. Can the pursuit party handle the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner?]

As for the Anomaly, I vaguely described it as a “bizarre method.” Since the Anomaly's scent and the tracking incense drifted from the same direction, there was probably some connection between them.

Still, I had no idea what kind of properties this fragrant chicken-scented Anomaly possessed. I could not carelessly narrow down the possibilities.

[We can. The Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner may have plenty of experience killing others, but little experience being pursued by specialists who move as systematically as the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner does. My family's guest retainers are more than capable.]

I wondered what sort of guest retainers specialized in tracking incense and pursuit. Still, I did not press further. This was surely tied up in the complicated affairs of a great clan.

I had no desire to get involved in a clan's power struggle. Investigating Anomalies alone already made life difficult enough.

Assuming we had sufficient strength to face the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner...

The fact that the Anomaly had appeared near the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner was another troubling point.

The Records Office had described the Black Lotus Society's Anomaly Destruction Hall like this: “They claim to destroy Anomalies in public, while behind closed doors they chew on them, tear them apart, and taste them.”

‘What if the Anomaly around the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner is not the one Jade Scale found by reading the Heavenly Order, but one handled by the Black Lotus Society?’

The thought weighed heavily on me, but it did not shake my decision to join the pursuit party.

I remembered the Eccentric Physician's advice.

Hadn't he told me to consume Anomalies whenever I had the chance? To avoid dying a miserable death from ruptured acupoints, I needed to steadily strengthen my internal energy.

* * *

I greeted Iljik, the Steel-Severing Leg, whose face was full of resignation.

“Senior Steel-Severing Leg! Please take good care of the punitive expedition's camp.”

“Y-Yes... I also hope Junior Yeok can honor the spirits of the fallen White Sword Squad members and restore the great cause of the martial world.”

With a bitter expression suggesting that this was the wrong matter to get caught up in, the Steel-Severing Leg rattled off the words smoothly. One could sense the strong desire to see me off quickly, lest the words, “Will you lend a hand in our revenge?” slip out.

It seemed Murong Sung had thoroughly persuaded the Steel-Severing Leg the night before.

Guarding the camp would be far safer than joining a pursuit party hunting a Transcendent Peak realm expert.

Murong Sung met my eyes and nodded, looking deeply satisfied.

“We'll depart now.”

What?

Murong Sung was personally leading the pursuit party?

It was quite unexpected. I lowered my voice and asked, “But, Young Master Murong, will you command the party yourself?”

The Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner was a formidable opponent. If the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner truly was one of the Black Lotus Society's monstrous madmen, they would be the kind of lunatic to kill even a scion of a prestigious clan without hesitation. Even based on the strength the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner had already revealed, they were clearly an opponent we would have to risk our lives against.

Yet Murong Sung was joining the pursuit himself?

“I have several calculations already in mind.”

Murong Sung explained his plan. The bandits of Iron-Steel Stronghold no longer had any options left.

A Green Forest mountain stronghold might rival a fortress, but it could not sustain itself like a true castle.

If the encirclement held for a few months, most of Iron-Steel Stronghold would starve to death.

“But that would not be worth the cost.”

Keeping martial artists gathered in one place was enormously costly. Wages, provisions, and treatment whenever someone was injured. The losses grew with every passing day.

They also had to engage in occasional skirmishes to pressure Iron-Steel Stronghold. The supplies consumed each time were no small matter either.

Besides, winning by starving them out would do little for Murong Sung's own plans.

“A son of the Murong Clan received support from the Martial Alliance, only to spend months subduing a mere bandit. My martial reputation would not rise. It would only suffer.”

That was why Murong Sung intended to take a gamble.

“If Iron-Headed Fire Axe has any sense, he will know Iron-Steel Stronghold has been driven into a corner. Then what if he hears that the enemy commander has left the camp with only a small number of martial artists?”

“He would see it as his last chance to turn the war around.”

“I intend to hunt him instead.”

At this point, Iron-Headed Fire Axe's only path to survival was to kill Murong Sung and break the encirclement.

Murong Sung was both the punitive expedition's strongest fighter and its sole commander.

“You intend to use yourself as bait, Young Master.”

“Hehe. Iron-Headed Fire Axe will think that among this separate detachment, this Murong is the only martial artist capable of opposing him. But the truth is entirely different.”

Murong Sung described the abilities of his guest retainers.

Of the five tracking specialists whom he had hired through unknown channels, the weakest had only just entered the First-rate level. Three had reached the late First-rate level, while the strongest was a seasoned Peak-realm expert.

Murong Sung also implied that he possessed enough skill to protect himself, though not enough to defeat Iron-Headed Fire Axe alone.

One Peak-realm martial artist, along with four First-rate martial artists capable of deploying a Coordinated Attack Formation in coordination with that Peak-realm expert.

And Murong Sung himself.

“We have set out with the personnel sent by the Martial Alliance, but after tracking for a while, I intend to divide them into several groups. Iron-Headed Fire Axe will not attack if too many people are gathered together.”

The martial artists other than the elite accompanying Murong Sung would be tasked with surveying the terrain.

Under the pretext of finding where the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner might be hiding, they would gather information on the surrounding paths and identify in advance where the remnants of Iron-Steel Stronghold might flee.

“The best part is that Iron-Headed Fire Axe does not know why we came out here. From his perspective, the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner is an unknown expert I was trying to meet in secret. If Iron-Headed Fire Axe encounters the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner, might they not destroy each other?”

It was a deeply considered scheme. Inwardly impressed, I spoke.

“May I accompany you, Young Master?”

Murong Sung called out with obvious delight.

“Of course! From the fact that you fought the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner and bought us time, I could already estimate Researcher Yeok's abilities. I am only grateful for your help.”

I nodded. Since I had to continue investigating the Anomaly anyway, it would be a profitable outcome if I could remove Iron-Headed Fire Axe, the greatest variable in this region.

* * *

Iron-Headed Fire Axe received word that the damned brat from the Murong Clan had gone outside the camp.

“Really? For what reason?”

“The Martial Alliance martial artists are scouring every part of Iron-Steel Mountain. Several people are checking the side paths. It seems they mean to block even our last opening for bringing in food or escaping.”

It was a crisis.

Unless one reached the Transformation Realm and transcended the limits of life, even a martial artist had to eat and sleep.

Those vicious bastards allowed neither.

Iron-Headed Fire Axe's body remained strong thanks to a realm higher than that of his subordinates, but even he had begun to feel his limits.

“I must kill him.”

“Stronghold Chief! But...!”

Iron-Headed Fire Axe waved a hand at the subordinate trying to stop him. The possibility that this was a trap meant to lure him out? Of course, he had considered it.

“But you heard whom Murong Sung brought in. Iljik, the Steel-Severing Leg. These days, Iljik may be a washed-up has-been who only knows how to throw their weight around, but Iljik is still a Peak-realm expert.”

From Iron-Headed Fire Axe's perspective, Murong Sung had clearly brought in Iljik to capture him.

Even as a seasoned Peak-realm expert, Iron-Headed Fire Axe could not guarantee victory against two martial artists who had entered the Peak realm.

“Once this scouting is over, Murong Sung will launch a full-scale assault on Iron-Steel Stronghold with Iljik at the forefront. Not the half-hearted harassment from before, where they only kept us from sleeping.”

If so, it was better to kill one of them now, while the Steel-Severing Leg remained at the main camp and Murong Sung was out scouting.

If the Murong Clan's young master, the leader of the punitive expedition, died, there would be an unavoidable delay while they dealt with the resulting confusion.

As the two major powers, the Martial Alliance and the Murong Clan, continued negotiating, Iron-Steel Stronghold would surely find an opening to escape.

Iron-Headed Fire Axe made his decision.

“Gather five of the quickest among those who can still move properly. We will cut the Murong brat's throat.”

* * *

It was the third day of tracking the Lamp-Extinguishing Executioner.

We stood back-to-back with Iron-Headed Fire Axe, wary of something lurking in the forest.

Footnotes:

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