Chapter 642: End of the War 3
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 Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g 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 Hw.a.n.g Bo clan with all their might.
Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g, 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 a.s.sa.s.sins and the Hw.a.n.g 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 a.r.s.ene.
He thought that if he had the power and ability similar to a.r.s.ene, the entire Southern Continent would be filled with darkness.
Until then, Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g hadn’t actively placed the warlocks of a.r.s.ene.
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 Kangs.h.i.+.
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 Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g 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!’
Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g, who made up his mind, decided to actively borrow the power of a.r.s.ene, even if it meant dyeing the Song Empire and the entire Southern Continent in blood.
How long did he run?
The eyes of Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g, who was looking at the back of his men, began to see the Hw.a.n.g Bo clan.
The Hw.a.n.g 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 Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g 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, Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g 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 Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g 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 Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g, the main door of the Hw.a.n.g 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 Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g.
“What is all this?”
Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g frowned and yelled.
The old man, who appeared among the warriors, stared at him and answered, “Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g, 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?!”
Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g looked at the old man, well, Jin-cheon.
Jin-cheon was a man who called himself the guardian of Hw.a.n.g Bo-sung, and he was also Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g’s uncle.
He too was someone Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g 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 Hw.a.n.g Bo-sung’s death spread.
However, that man appeared in such a moment and stabbed his back!
“Kuek! Did you hear that Hw.a.n.g 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.
Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g 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, Hw.a.n.g Bo-in, made Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g surprised.
As soon as Hw.a.n.g 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, b.a.s.t.a.r.d! How much more should this nation suffer before you find peace?!”
Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g 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 Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g, who was trying to run away.
Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g’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, Hw.a.n.g 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 Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g was taken away by the warriors, Hw.a.n.g 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 Hw.a.n.g 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 Hw.a.n.g Bo-in moved away. He decided to straighten out the child.
In that way, Hw.a.n.g Bo-kw.a.n.g 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.