Chapter 88: Sun Demonic Spirit Subjugation Part 1

“What is happening in the palace?”

“A powerful demonic spirit must have appeared. If we don’t return quickly, a great disaster will occur.”

As we strode forward in the pouring rain, Jang Rae and I exchanged words rapidly.

“Did Lord Bright Moon General know about this in advance?”

“It’s complicated. I’ll explain the details later. Right now, Ran-noonim is likely using every means available to stop the demonic spirits.”

“You mean Maid Seol…?”

At that, Jang Rae’s expression briefly hardened.

Come to think of it, by this time, even the Warrior Commander of the Red Palace Jang Rae must have become deeply infatuated with Seol Ran.

Anyway, the romance of the protagonist runs so deep that even the head of the Red Palace changes his expression just at the mention of her name.

“Sun Demonic Spirit Pyeong Ryang…. You’ll likely find its appearance more familiar than you expect.”

I mounted my horse to head back to the palace and spoke firmly to Jang Rae.

“To capture the Sun Demonic Spirit, we need someone with the authority to command the troops directly. If the Warrior Commander of the Red Palace gives his help, the task will be much easier.”

***

Boom!

Fwoosh!

Demonic spirits began to rise one by one from the rubble of the collapsed Red Palace.

When a chorus of retching noises echoed through the air, the Red Palace’s military officers who had been sleeping rushed out in their nightclothes.

– It’s demonic spirits! Demonic spirits has appeared!

– Damn it! Open the armory! We need to take it down!

Armed only with swords, the officers dashed through the rain and started cutting down the lower demonic spirits as they advanced.

However, due to the sudden attack, they couldn’t form an effective defense. They simply slashed at the demonic spirits that appeared before them amidst the ruins in the rain.

Meanwhile, a tremor spread through the wreckage of the Red Palace. A monstrous figure burst through the rubble and roared.

At first glance, it seemed to take on a human shape, but its dark red skin was decayed and rotten in many places.

Its nauseating stench spread even in the rain and its grotesque mouth was torn wide open, which made it look all the more horrifying.

Its back was riddled with countless mysterious arrows, and the bulging veins that glowed with eerie colors were thick enough to be counted with the naked eye.

“He-Heavens … Is that… Vice General Jeong…?”

“Don’t be fooled! I’ve heard that demonic spirits can mimic human forms! It’s just a lowly demonic spirit!”

Han Cheon Seon, the Vice Warrior Commander of the Red Palace, shouted among the confused soldiers.

Jang Rae was absent, so he had to regain his composure.

When the Sun Demonic Spirit roared once more, a huge wave rippled through the rain.

That alone caused half of the warriors to lose their fighting spirit.

The demonic spirit standing upright on the ruins of the Red Palace might have taken on a human form, but it was a monster far beyond anything human.

Its body was two or three times larger than Vice General Jeong Seo Tae, from whom it had likely originated, and its bloodshot eyes were filled with madness.

A special demonic spirit created by the Plague Demonic Spirit itself sometimes showed even greater power than a higher demonic spirit.

Though it might fall short of a higher demonic spirit in certain aspects, when it came to strength, agility, and sheer power, no other demonic spirit could compare.

The Sun Demonic Spirit leaped from the debris, cut through the night sky, and landed on the training ground.

Thud!

Crack!

The sight of the Sun Demonic Spirit’s eyes that could be seen through the cracked armor made one’s legs tremble just by looking.

Raindrops tapped on the iron armor, splashing up and tickling the corners of its eyes.

Then it kicked the soldiers nearby.

Swish!

The soldiers who were kicked… didn’t exactly fall from the blow.

Rather, their upper bodies simply disappeared.

Even the blood vessels seemed to realize the absence of their upper halves belatedly, as a delayed fountain of blood erupted.

When the Sun Demonic Spirit roared once more, the demonic spirits around it rose up as if they were paying homage to a general leading a great army.

The commanding presence of the general compelled the army to follow.

Sun Demonic Spirit Pyeong Ryang.

The moment that monstrous creature embodying the spirit of General Jeong Seo Tae fell into the heart of Cheongdo Palace… even calling it a disaster felt insufficient.

“Damn it! Request reinforcements from the palace! The warriors of this palace alone can’t handle it! Tell them to bring all the regular troops remaining in the palace!”

“We need to call in high-ranking officers! Numbers alone won’t be enough!”

Vice Warrior Commander Han Cheon Seon shouted with blazing eyes.

Countless warriors of the Red Palace stood gripping their swords in the rain, but none of them felt confident they could win.

All the high-ranking officers needed to be gathered. At this point, when they couldn’t even gauge the opponent’s strength, holding back power would be foolish.

Just as Vice Warrior Commander Han Cheon Seon drew his sword and glared at the demonic spirits, it happened.

Whoosh!

Even in the drizzling rain, the Sun Demonic Spirit’s movements were as swift as the wind.

By the time they regained their senses, it was already right in front of them and swinging its massive fist.

When its fist struck the ground, a huge earthquake erupted. Each attack seemed to trigger a disaster.

“Arghhh!”

The warriors in the vicinity lost their balance and fell to the ground.

Above them, a horde of demonic spirits swarmed in. They started biting at the warriors’ throats.

The demonic spirits’ movements were far from ordinary.

Lower demonic spirits had little intelligence and acted purely on instinct.

That should have been the case, yet the demonic spirits led by the Sun Demonic Spirit formed battle formations and ambushed the warriors in organized groups.

The Sun Demonic Spirit was a commanding entity. Realizing that sent shivers down the warriors’ spines.

It was impossible to predict the extent of the damage if the horde of demonic spirits, which had been rampaging without any real strategy, began to form proper ranks and attack people.

The Sun Demonic Spirit had to be stopped here.

If it broke out of the palace, no one could foresee how much worse the disaster would become.

Whoosh!

“Ugh!”

The Sun Demonic Spirit’s fist didn’t even touch Han Cheon Seon.

The gust of wind generated by the swing sent him flying.

He rolled across the muddy ground and locked eyes with the Sun Demonic Spirit.

And then… the Sun Demonic Spirit instinctively realized that the one leading the warriors of this Red Palace was this Vice Warrior Commander.

When facing an enemy, strike the head first.

Perhaps this primal principle was ingrained in its instincts, as the demonic spirits let out a roar and charged, grabbing Han Cheon Seon by the collar.

“Gah, ugh…”

Even a single slam to the ground would shatter every bone in his body and kill him instantly.

Han Cheon Seon scratched desperately at the demonic spirit’s arm that gripped his collar, but… there was no escaping its foul breath.

Is this… how I die…

Just as Han Cheon Seon tightly closed his eyes…

Slash!

The arm holding his collar was severed.

The clean cut at the end was the mark of a sharply honed blade.

Thud!

“Gah, ugh…! Ugh…!”

Han Cheon Seon fell to the ground. He clutched his throat as he coughed and sneezed.

Feeling as if he had just returned from the brink of death, his strength almost left him, but he quickly gathered himself and shouted.

Standing before him was… Grand General Seong Sa Wook who was gripping a sharp sword in the rain.

“General Seong…!”

“I seem to have arrived the quickest. It is truly fortunate that my residence is nearby.”

Grand General Seong Sa Wook.

He was one of only five people in Cheongdo Palace who had received the blessing of the divine fever.

He was already an old man, nearly a hundred-years old.

His aged body had become thin, leaving him a mere shadow of his former self.

His gaunt arms, bones protruding beneath the skin, and a hollowed face made him look like an elderly man on the brink of death.

He wore a simple nightgown made of cotton and he looked like he had just come from his chamber. The loose sleeves and flowing fabric were not suited for battle.

Only the sword he had hurriedly brought with him was sharply honed.

Despite his frail body, he still stood as the Grand General, the highest-ranking warrior in Cheongdo Palace.

Among those holding military positions, none in Cheongdo Palace ranked higher than him.

Though his strength and reflexes had waned significantly compared to his prime, there was only one reason he could still maintain his position as Grand General.

He had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

The precision and experience in each of his sword swings were at a level that even the most talented warriors, no matter how hard they trained, could not easily attain.

The reason he could still cut down a monster the size of a house with trembling hands and a frail body was because his mastery of swordsmanship had reached a divine level.

“General Seong…!”

“Go to the palace and report all of this in detail.”

The Cloud and Mist Sword that was drawn from its sheath was filled with the shape of clouds. It was the thin, long sword that symbolized Grand General Seong Sa Wook.

The eyes of the Sun Demonic Spirit glaring down at Grand General Seong Sa Wook were filled with killing intent.

Its severed arm convulsed as it started to regenerate.

“I will cut down that monster.”

***

Boom! Boom!

Whoooosh!

The demonic spirits began to rise across the palace.

In this unprecedented crisis, the likes of which had never occurred since the founding of the Cheongdo Kingdom, the masters of each palace were thrown into confusion.

The same was true for the four great palaces. The headmaids of the Azure Dragon Palace, White Tiger Palace, Vermilion Bird Palace, and Black Tortoise Palace found themselves tested in this extraordinary crisis.

There’s nowhere to escape…!

Headmaid Hyeon Dang of the Vermilion Bird Palace quickly reached a conclusion.

In this kind of national crisis, the top priority is to ensure the safety of the mistress she served by getting her to a safe place.

However, it was impossible to determine where within the palace would be safe.

Running out of the palace wasn’t a realistic option either, as it would take far too long to flee through the vast expanse of the grand palace. Could they really push through the sea of demonic spirits blocking their way?

Moreover, given the nature of the Vermilion Bird Palace, the majority of its members were women and this made it difficult to expect a huge combat strength. While a strong adult man might manage to deal with one or two lower demonic spirits… except for a few senior maids, most of the Vermilion Bird Palace’s staff were maids who focused on internal management.

They lacked the necessary strength and had no clear escape route.

The only option left was… to hold their ground.

After reaching this conclusion, Hyeon Dang led the maids and started to barricade all the entrances of the Vermilion Bird Palace.

Crash! Boom!

Rumble! Rattle!

As if the heavens were warning of the impending disaster, lightning struck down from the sky.

In the midst of the raging storm, Hyeon Dang and the maids blocked all the paper doors of the Vermilion Bird Palace with furniture and nailed shut the doors leading outside.

Though it made the Vermilion Bird Palace feel like a huge prison, at this moment, it was the best course of action.

Judging from the fact that there was no news coming from anywhere else, it seemed that the people of the Black Tortoise Palace, Azure Dragon Palace, and White Tiger Palace were also defending their palaces independently while waiting for rescue.

“Vermilion Princess, for now, you must go to the deepest part of the Vermilion Bird Palace and hide.”

“In such a crisis… you want me to just hide?”

“Your life is our life, Vermilion Princess. So… please, keep in mind how precious your life is and stay as safe as possible.”

Though the Vermilion Princess wanted to go out and slay the demonic spirits, it was reckless considering the importance of her status.

Just like Hyeon Dang had said, if the Vermilion Princess were to be seriously injured or die, the maids of the Vermilion Bird Palace who failed to protect her properly would be dragged to her grave with her.

The Vermilion Princess gritted her teeth, clutched her robes, and moved into the depths of the Vermilion Bird Palace.

– Kyaaaaaaah!

But soon enough, the maids outside the Vermilion Bird Palace began screaming as they encountered demonic spirits.

The Vermilion Princess who was striding endlessly deeper into the inner chambers hesitated and her fingers started trembling, but Hyeon Dang pushed her forward.

“You must go in, Vermilion Princess!”

The Vermilion Princess was grinding her teeth so hard it wouldn’t have been surprising if they bled, but she had no choice but to be led away by Hyeon Dang to safety.

***

“General! If this continues, the damage will be severe! How can human strength possibly kill that higher demonic spirit?”

“We must distinguish between courage and recklessness! Please give the order to retreat now!”

In Anhyang Province, the subjugation forces were fighting against a higher demonic spirit.

Vice General Jeong Seo Tae, who was leading tens of thousands of troops, sat quietly in the camp with his eyes closed.

Since there was still no news of the disaster at the main palace, the most important task for the vice general was to subdue this higher demonic spirit right in front of him.

However, the higher demonic spirit’s strength was far greater than expected, and his subordinates were consumed by fear.

Indeed, the power of a higher demonic spirit was terrifying, but the biggest issue was the soldiers who had lost their morale.

How could they kill a demonic spirit that had taken on such a fearsome form that was beyond anything they had imagined?

Caught in this dilemma… the vice general silently kept his eyes closed.

If they had brought Seol Tae Peong along with them, the troops wouldn’t be trembling in fear like this.

Though he showed signs of regret… he wondered what the warriors of the main palace were doing.

Swoosh

Clop, clop

Meanwhile, Seol Tae Pyeong was riding swiftly through the storm toward the main palace with Jang Rae.

The scene at Cheongdo Palace with the thunderous roars…. it looked anything but ordinary even from afar.