Emperor of Steel

Wheeing! Wheeing!

Guando near Luoyang.

There were around 20 warriors running at a fast pace.

They were so fast that it looked like they were flying. They were none other than Hwang Bo-kwang and his men, who managed to escape from the Red Pine Forest.

After moving to a city that came on the way to Luoyang, they ran toward the Hwang Bo clan with all their might.

Hwang Bo-kwang, who was moving at the same pace as his men, ground his teeth with an angry face.

‘I will definitely repay him a thousand times for what happened to me today!’

The damage he suffered was enormous. It was all because of the ambush of the Symphonia Kingdom’s troops, who were hiding in the Red Pine Forest.

He had lost a lot of the hired Salmek assassins and the Hwang Bo clan warriors who followed him.

Where did he end up?

He ended up fleeing from the ambush without even thinking about saving his nephew, Jo Won-gyun, who was supposed to be the emperor of the new capital Luoyang.

A gloomy situation unfolded. A situation which he never thought would happen.

Yet, there was something in him. Something which persuaded him to believe in his goal.

‘I still have a lot of pieces left!’

It was Arsene.

He thought that if he had the power and ability similar to Arsene, the entire Southern Continent would be filled with darkness.

Until then, Hwang Bo-kwang hadn’t actively placed the warlocks of Arsene.

It was all because he felt that the warlocks had too much power.

Just one drop of the liquid in the vial and hundreds of humans could be turned into Kangshi.

If he decided to pour the contents of the vial into a river, in just a few days, all the cities could be destroyed. In a year, the entire Southern Continent would be done.

What Hwang Bo-kwang wanted was to be the emperor of a great and unified Southern Continent, the first one in the history, not a puppet master to the land of death where no living creature lived.

However, things changed.

If things went ahead like that for him, he decided that he would rather throw away his family under the wheel than sacrificing himself for them.

‘Looking at all these things… even if it means to sell away my soul to the devil, I will change things!’

Hwang Bo-kwang, who made up his mind, decided to actively borrow the power of Arsene, even if it meant dyeing the Song Empire and the entire Southern Continent in blood.

How long did he run?

The eyes of Hwang Bo-kwang, who was looking at the back of his men, began to see the Hwang Bo clan.

The Hwang Bo-clan was located on the outskirts of Luoyang. It boasted a tremendous size, showcasing the family’s fortresses.

In the middle of the tall wall was a door with engravings of the ascending phoenix, reaching ahead. A warrior with Hwang Bo-kwang yelled, “The chief has come! Open the door right away!”

A shuddering voice rang around, but no one responded.

As a result, the aide tried to shout once more. However, Hwang Bo-kwang stopped it.

“Something is weird.”

“Weird, like how?”

“They always keep the front door open, and there would always be ten guards outside, but no one is standing here now, right?”

It did seem weird.

Except in the past when the fight with the Apostasy was going on, the clan’s doors were always kept open.

It was a sign, showing the dignified side of the Moorim’s prestigious family, asking either their friend or foe to enter their homes without any restrictions.

Such a door was firmly shut, and there were no guards either outside or above the wall.

Not just that, even the visitors who would stand and walk around the clan’s walls were nowhere to be found.

“No matter how much I think about it, something is wrong…”

“I see. We might have to withdraw and come back…”

It was when Hwang Bo-kwang and his aide were having a conversation…

Piing! Puck!

“Kuak!”

“P-protect the chief!”

Suddenly, an arrow was shot from the door, and dozens of people surrounded them.

While the men tried to deflect the arrows and protect Hwang Bo-kwang, the main door of the Hwang Bo clan opened and warriors poured out.

In addition, warriors began to come out from the trees and bushes close to the wall. They were all aiming their weapons at Hwang Bo-kwang.

“What is all this?”

Hwang Bo-kwang frowned and yelled.

The old man, who appeared among the warriors, stared at him and answered, “Hwang Bo-kwang, we are putting you under arrest for causing a war within the nation, attempting to kill your relatives and committing the great sin of touching the dead.”

“Wh-what did you say? How dare you Jin-cheon?!”

Hwang Bo-kwang looked at the old man, well, Jin-cheon.

Jin-cheon was a man who called himself the guardian of Hwang Bo-sung, and he was also Hwang Bo-kwang’s uncle.

He too was someone Hwang Bo-kwang had always thought of removing, but he left the man alone because he was old and didn’t seem to have enough power to play a major role in the clan.

It was also because he became depressed and was alone after the news of Hwang Bo-sung’s death spread.

However, that man appeared in such a moment and stabbed his back!

“Kuek! Did you hear that Hwang Bo-sung is alive? Is that why you are all making things up like this?”

“Huh! Do you think that I would stoop to your level to get something done?”

Jin-cheon snorted and stepped aside.

From the back, people began to appear.

Hwang Bo-kwang was surprised to see them there.

One of them was the man whom he had bribed so he wouldn’t be involved in their matters, and the other person was a figure who was regarded with great respect.

“F-father!”

The appearance of the former chief, Hwang Bo-in, made Hwang Bo-kwang surprised.

As soon as Hwang Bo-in saw his son, he sighed deeply and fell to the floor.

“A great sinner was born out of our family!”

“Father, help me out. It isn’t over yet. There is still an opportunity for us to rise…”

“Shut up, bastard! How much more should this nation suffer before you find peace?!”

Hwang Bo-kwang was stunned at what he heard, but he yelled back with anger in his eyes, “Why do you think I had to do this?! Isn’t it because all of you did something wrong to me?! O-only if you didn’t favor the other kids… I-I wouldn’t have done this!”

“Don’t talk nonsense! What are you all doing?! Imprison the traitor right away!”

Warriors approached them and captured Hwang Bo-kwang, who was trying to run away.

Hwang Bo-kwang’s men didn’t rebel. They threw their weapons. It was because they thought everything would be fine if they did it willingly.

“It was you who drove me into madness, Father! You are the original sinner!”

At the words of his eldest son, Hwang Bo-in closed his eyes. Jin-cheon stepped forward and ordered the warriors, “What are you doing? Go ahead and drag those sinners away!”

“Fa-father! Father!”

Immediately after Hwang Bo-kwang was taken away by the warriors, Hwang Bo-in spoke with a very sad face, “I misled my child’s path.”

“Where is the chief’s fault in that? It was because of the other men who didn’t support him.”

Jin-cheon shook his head at Hwang Bo-in’s apology.

“I am not going to get involved in this anymore, so I’ll leave you to take care of this.”

“Understood, Chief!”

Jin-cheon bowed his head as Hwang Bo-in moved away. He decided to straighten out the child.

In that way, Hwang Bo-kwang fell to the ground before he could draw the last trick up his sleeve. With this, the war that struck the Song Empire had come to an end, leaving behind a lot of problems yet to be solved.