Chapter 135 - Hunting the Hunter - 4 (2/2)

Hei pulled his left arm back. Pieces of the heart he had crushed had been stuck on his nails while his hand had turned crimson red. Suddenly he felt dizzy as he staggered backward, ending up sitting on the ground. The battle this time had been truly demanding and had consumed all his strength. Furthermore, the damage reported was undoubtedly not minor. But all this didn't matter. He had succeeded in his intent - to show Ho Ri-Na their power and decrease the fighting power of Pirate General, the Red Devil, Jin-Sang. Now all that was missing was Ho Ri-Na's response to his proposal.

Xing came to his side. The eight eyes of the divine beast spider were all focused on him as she observed his condition. Xing was worried about her big brother.

”I'm fine. It's just an effect of having exhausted my spirit power. With a little rest, I will recover. But now we have to get out of here. Here it isn't safe.” Hei consoled her little sister as he crawled to reach out and take Mok Tong-Hyo's space ring. Obviously, he wouldn't let go of his war booty.

Xing then lowered herself to allow Hei to climb onto her back. Ye instead picked up Lian with her tail. At that point, the two little divine beasts started running toward the port, where Old Tohyon was looking forward to their return. The news that Mok Tong-Hyo, one of Jin-Sang's spirit soldiers, was fighting against someone had spread like wildfire, and people anxiously awaited the outcome of the clash.

As soon as the hustle and bustle of the fighting ended, the guards went to the site of the fight. To their horror, what they found in the middle of that destruction was the corpse of Mok Tong-Hyo. On the chest, at the height of the heart, there was a huge hole, large enough to insert an entire arm inside. But the guards could only take a look when screams started spreading across the city.

The inhabitants of the city panicked as they ran away as far as possible. A spider and a snake three meters long each were running through the streets of Blue Lobster City. No one paid any attention to the two humans transported by those two beasts because they were all too busy running away and saved themselves.

Ye and Xing rushed into the city streets without worrying about the panic they were generating. In any case, they had already created a lot of fuss in the fight against Mok Tong-Hyo. There was no reason to be stealthy, not to mention that they were more concerned about bringing Hei and Lian to a safe place to rest and heal.

Old Tohyon noticed the crowd of people leaving the port. From a distance, he recognized the bodies of the spirit beasts that Hei treated as if they were his family, Ye, and Xing. Old Tohyon, therefore, began to prepare the artifact ship, and by the time Ye and Xing finally arrived at their destination, the ship was ready to sail instantly.

With gentle movements, they passed Hei and Lian to Old Tohyon, who helped them lie on the ship's deck. Ye and Xing, therefore, reduced their size, returning to their normal state. Old Tohyon then set off at full speed, moving away from the Blue Lobster City, which was full of chaos.

*

Steam City, Ho Ri-Na's Office.

”Big sister, what do you want to do?” Ho Yeon-Hong asked her sister Ho Ri-Na.

The implication behind her question was clear. Hei had ended up killing the spirit soldier sent by Jin-Sang to retrieve the map fragments. And the spirit soldier killed was none other than Mok Tong-Hyo, the third most powerful after Jin-Sang himself and the Pirate General's right arm. The fact that they killed Mok Tong-Hyo had created a massive hole in the fighting power of the Red Devil's crew.

”In the battle against Kan Na-Kim, Jin-Sang lost one of his spirit soldiers. Kan Na-Kim attempted a suicide attack before dying, trying to bring the Red Devil with him, but he failed, only ending up involving one of his enemy's subordinates. Jin-Sang tried to hide that fact, but even he doesn't have the power to hide such a thing forever. We received confirmation a little while ago from our communications network.” Ho Ri-Na revealed as she sighed. A furious battle was unfolding within her.

”Big sister, then does that mean-?”

”It means that with the death of Mok Tong-Hyo, the spirit soldiers in Jin-Sang's service fell to three. That is, we are now on a par with the number of spirit soldiers available on both sides.”

”However, even if we are on par with the number of spirit soldiers, unfortunately, it doesn't mean we are on par regarding the battle power. Jin-Sang has more troops than ours, and if only one of the four of us were to lose their fight, the irreparable would happen, Lady Yeon.” Won‌ ‌Byung-Chul‌ intervened, explaining the situation to Ho Yeon-Hong. As Ho Ri-Na's right arm, he was the only one who could speak freely without having to ask first to Ho Ri-Na.

Ho Ri-Na gave him an appreciative look because she was currently in the midst of an internal war. She had to choose the answer to provide to Hei. Inside her, she was still angry about how Hei had threatened her little sister; she couldn't forgive such an act as if nothing had happened. Furthermore, she couldn't deny that the treasure of the Pirate King Hae Seong aroused a strong appeal in her. Getting hold of it meant securing an inheritance for her and her men. But, on the other hand, she couldn't ignore the threat posed by Jin-Sang. The Red Devil wasn't the type to share power with others - he wanted everything or nothing; there were no half ways. No doubt, he wouldn't stop until he destroyed her or submitted her to him.

Ho Ri-Na would certainly have preferred death to become his slave. However, she couldn't act selfishly. She carried the weight of hundreds and hundreds of men who had died for her and were living to take her to the top of piracy's scene. Becoming the Pirate Queen was also a way to repay her debt to them. For this reason, Hei's offer was so tempting. And it had become even more so after the pair of young martial artists, along with their two spirit beasts, had managed to kill Mok Tong-Hyo, a third-stage spirit soldier. Without a doubt, it was a battle force that could turn the tables.

In the end, after many and many second thoughts, Ho Ri-Na made her decision. Such a decision would forever change the power game that has existed so far in the piracy's scene of the Forgotten Ocean.

”Call me the various groups listed on this list. Also, give our men every resource in stock unreservedly. Even if it is only a small advancement, we must do everything to increase our battle force. We will sail in a week - the destination will be the base of Jin-Sang. We will attack the Red Devil straight into his lair.”

Ho Yeon-Hong smiled instinctively at the news but recomposed herself. Inside, she didn't know if she was happy because her sister would have a real chance of victory or because Hei's proposal had been accepted. Meanwhile, Won‌ Byung-Chul‌ asked a question. Since he had learned to recognize Ho Ri-Na's thoughts, it wasn't difficult for him to guess what her younger sister, Ho Yeon-Hong, was thinking.

”What about Hei and Lian? Should we warn them? ”

”No, there is no need. People's eyes are on us now. They will immediately notice our advance when we set sail. Hei will surely understand my answer and how he should act.” Ho Ri-Na said confidently. Although she didn't want to admit it, the bastard who had threatened her little sister was really a shrewd guy.