Dark clouds began to gather in the Arthdal sky. Gitoha hobbled, running to the palace.
"Niruha!" he exclaimed, falling before Tagon who gasped on his throne.
"Coup ... General Saya held a coup."
"What?" Tagon stared wide-eyed in disbelief, as did Taealha who sat beside him.
"He joined the Ago and Momo troops. Mubaek and Mugwang betrayed. There was also Tanya Niruha and Yangcha. And they were here."
Furious, Tagon hit the throne's chair.
"That lawless child ..."
"Haetuak, prepare the Hae army," Taealha ordered.
"Yes, Empress," Haetuak immediately went to carry out her orders.
Taealha went to her room, grabbed a hereditary sword of the Hae Tribe. As she passed the table, she paused, then opened the drawer and took a small bottle for her to store in the pocket of her dress.
When she was about to get out of the room, Tagon stopped her.
"What do you want to do?"
"Fighting, what else?"
"With that big belly?" Tagon pointed to Taealha's bulged belly.
"Why? Can pregnant women not fight? I was a female warrior before marrying you."
"But you are now the mother of my little prince. I don't want to harm my unborn child. So, stay in your room."
Haetuak and Hae's troops come.
"Some protect the Empress, some follow me. Haetuak, don't let Taealha come out of her room," Tagon ordered.
"Yes, Niruha."
Tagon heads to the front of the palace with the Hae army and a several of the Daekan warriors who manage to escape from the battle at the eastern fort and return to their king.
"Close the gate. Hae troops are on guard here, Daekans is coming with me."
He returned to his throne room and sat on the throne chair with a sword in his grasp.
"Who dares to take my throne?"
~~~
The sun no longer showed its light, sank in the western horizon and was covered in dark clouds. Fog began to descend and spread throughout the city. People who began to fear, hiding in their homes. But they were also curious when they heard the pace of horses and humans along the middle of the city. They ventured to take a peek, to see a swarm of troops entering the city.
At the front, a horse with red-glowing eyes split through the mist, walked gracefully and nobly, carrying Saya on its back. On the right is Tanya who rides a horse with Yangcha sitting behind her. While on the left side are Eunsom and Karika. Their troops walked behind. They all wore cloth masks that covered their noses and mouths.
"Ar ... Aramun?" A whisper began to be heard when they saw the legendary horse.
"How is that possible? Isn't Tagon Niruha is Aramun? Tanya Niruha herself who said ..."
"But Tanya Niruha is now with that person ..."
"What really happened?"
Several tribal chiefs stood on the roadside, saluting them, giving their full support to overthrow the tyrant king who had killed the chiefs before them brutally. The Bato people even took up arms.
Approaching the palace gate which was guarded by guards led by Gilsun, Tanya raised her hand, stopping the soldiers. She pulled out a star bell, then rang it.
Two girls posing as merchants threw a few small bundles at the gatekeepers. When the bundle hit the guards' swords, they burst into powder which made all of them cough and faint.
Not only outside the gate, several Shahati girls were on standby on the roofs of the palace towers, after successfully infiltrating as servants. Seena fired some arrow whose tip hung a bundle of poisonous mushroom powder, then from the other side, another arrow was fired to break the bundle and make a part of Hae's army and also guards who were on standby in the palace courtyard fainted.
Saya and his army managed to break in easily without bloodshed. Some Tagon's troops who did not breathe the powder, appeared with leather masks and prepared to attack. Bloodshed is indeed inevitable, but at least they have tried to reduce the number of fatalities.
~~~
One of Hae's soldiers drops Mugwang. He was cornered. The soldier was about to thrust the sword into his heart, he gripped the blade with both hands.
Clouds covering the moon begin to move, revealing a crescent-shaped moon. Mugwang stared at it wide-eyed.
"Is the curse not over yet?"
The palms of his hands were bleeding, making the sword continued to rub closer to his chest.
Suddenly a splash of blood splashed against his face. The soldier who was about to stab him collapsed, and Nunbyeol was already standing in front of him, holding a heart which she wrenched from the soldier's back.
"Nun ... Nunbyeol ..." Mugwang stammered, still shaken after almost losing his life, also surprised to see his pregnant wife appear on the battlefield.
Nunbyeol threw the heart away and squatted while watching Mugwang's injured hands.
"Your hand is badly injured," Nunbyeol immediately opened the bag containing the medical equipment she was carrying, then bandaged her husband's hands.
"What are you doing here?"
"I had a bad dream," Nunbyeol turned and looked at the crescent moon which was again covered by thick clouds.
"If I had not come, I would have been a widow," said Nunbyeol.
"But you shouldn't be here. What if something happens to our little Igutu?" Mugwang touched Nunbyeol's belly.
"Calm down, dear, little Igutu is fine. She just keeps kicking, maybe too excited to be on the battlefield," Nunbyeol chuckled.
"Don't be kidding! I am worrying to death!"
"Besides, I'm not alone here."
Neanthal men enter the gate and attack the Hae army with their claws. At that moment, from a distance, a soldier fired an arrow at Nunbyeol. Without turning her head, that woman caught the arrow that almost stuck in her head. A soldier approached and was about to attack. Mugwang threw his sword, right into the soldier's chest.
"Stay behind me," Mugwang said, pulling his wife behind his back while preparing his bow and arrow. Three arrows at once, fired, paralyzing the three soldiers who approached them.
Meanwhile, Eunsom and Saya began to enter the palace, together with Mubaek and several soldiers. Nunbyeol who saw that, told Mugwang to go on his duty as personal bodyguard. Mugwang was having a dilemma, he could not invite his wife to come into the palace, because there was more dangerous, but he also could not leave her in the palace courtyard alone.
Nunbyeol held her husband's hand, "Go, protect our future king!"
Mugwang pulled Nunbyeol's hand towards Yiseu who had just torn a soldier out.
"Brother ..." Mugwang handed Nunbyeol to him. Yiseu nodded in understanding. Mugwang took off his mask, then kissed his wife's belly before going to his duty.
"Come back alive, little Igutu is waiting for you!" Exclaimed Nunbyeol.
The same thing was done by Tanya when she saw Saya had disappeared behind the palace door.
"Yangcha, escort Saya, with our girls," Tanya said.
"Then you?"
"Leave two for me."
Yangcha handed the sword to Tanya's hand.
"This is just in case. Can you use it?"
Even though it felt heavy in her hands, Tanya nodded.
"Be careful," Yangcha said, hugging Tanya before entering the palace with Seena and some Shahati girls.
~~~
Tagon sat upright with authority on his throne, while the loyal Daekan warriors struggled to protect their king to the last drop of blood.
"Protect Saya Niruha!" Exclaimed Mubaek while stabing the stomach of his former colleague.
Tagon snorted, "He hasn't stepped over my corpse, you've been called him Niruha."
"Leave your throne to me, Father."
Tagon chuckled, "You still dare to call me father after being disobedient?"
Tagon gritted his teeth. The look in his eyes was full of disappointment.
"Why did everyone betray me? Even though I gave my love to all of you."
"It's because you don't sincerely give it. You love us, because you need us. But after we no longer needed, you throw us away."
"That doesn't apply to you. I love you sincerely. You are my son."
Saya was touched to hear that. The father and son without blood relations looked at each other.
"Brother!" Eunsom's call woke Saya up. "Don't let him affect you! He can kill his own biological father, do you think he can't kill you?"
Saya raised the sword. He ran toward Tagon, attacking. Tagon blocked the sword, which was about to cut his head. He pushed Saya and fought back. Nobody can ever win against Tagon. He is the greatest knight, also an Igutu.
Eunsom came to help his brother who was overwhelmed by Tagon. Three Igutu, with three pairs of eyes that light purple, now fighting. Two young Igutu are still full of burning passion. They are young and strong. But one thing is lacking, experience. Tagon's age is twice their age. And since childhood he has soaked his hands with the blood of people who accidentally saw his purple blood.
Tagon successfully dropped Saya and Eunsom. He approached Saya, swinging his sword without hesitation. Suddenly his instinct caught the sound of an arrow that was pointing at him. He turned his head and broke the arrow that was fired by Mugwang with his sword. He grabbed a small dagger and threw it at Mugwang. But someone crashed into Mugwang's body, avoiding him from the dagger that was thrown to his head.
"Rottib?"
Mugwang knows, Rottib hates him, because he also loves Nunbyeol. He did not expect Rottib would save his life today.
"I didn't do it for you," said Rottib coldly.
"But still ... thank you ..."
Tagon swung his sword back at Saya, but Eunsom, whose his stomach had been injured, hugged his brother, gave his back to be cut down by Tagon.
A chain was thrown and tied Tagon's hand which holding the sword. Tagon moved his sword to left hand. He wrapped his right hand around the chain, pulled and jerked the chain, but Yangcha persisted.
Saya took this opportunity to rise and attack, but Tagon broke his sword. Tagon turns to attack Yangcha. Yangcha dodged when Tagon's sword was about to slash him. He jumped and spun rapidly, making the chain wrap around Tagon's body.
Gitoha comes to help Tagon. He attacked Yangcha with his ax. But Seena jumped over his back. His mask was snatched away, replaced by Seena's hand containing mushroom powder. He fell, fainted.
Yangcha pushed Tagon who was unable to move because he was wrapped in chains to kneel.
~~~
Meanwhile, Tanya and two Shahati girls look for Taealha. A group of Hae troops welcomed her when she arrived near Taealha's room. Karika and her troops appear, helping to clear Hae's army, making Tanya successfully reach the door of the room and face Haetuak.
Haetuak attacks. Tanya endured with all her strength using Yangcha's sword. But because she never took up arms at all, of course she was easily defeated. Her head was about to be cut down, if Karika didn't shoot an arrow at Haetuak's neck.
In the room, Taealha could already smell the defeat. She held a small bottle in her hand.
"Nobody can put a sword on my skin."
The baby in her womb kicks hardly, as if forbidding his mother to intend to commit suicide with him. Taealha stroked her stomach.
"Son, escort mother to hell."
~~~
The door to Taealha's room was broken in from outside, right when Taealha opened the poison bottle and wanted to take a sip. Tanya took a golden display shaped like a small ball and threw it right into Taealha's hand. The poison bottle fell and broke.
"How selfish you are, inviting your child to die with you!" Nagged Tanya after two Shahati girls secured Taealha.
"Just kill me!"
"Give birth to your baby first, then die. I will care for and educate him with affection, so that he does not grow into a monster like you."
~~~
Eunsom and Saya approached Tagon who was bound by a chain.
"I should have let my father kill you twenty years ago," murmured Tagon furiously.
"To be exact, you shouldn't have kidnapped me."
Eunsom gave his sword to Saya.
"Don't ever forgive me, father."
Tagon's body collapsed and drained purple blood, after having his neck cut by Saya.
Unsteadily while dragging a sword, Saya walked to the throne and sat on it. Tears rolled as he closed his eyes. Eunsom, Yangcha, Mubaek and the whole army knelt respectfully to him.
"Niruha..."
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To be continue...