Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 149

The Gyo-gu Stronghold, located in northern Hubei, was the youngest of the Green Forest strongholds.

Yet, surprisingly, Gyo-gu Stronghold, with less than a decade of history, had grown into a bandit group rivaling the San-gun Stronghold for the title of the best in the Green Forest [a collective term for bandit groups].

This was entirely thanks to Do-chil, the master of Gyo-gu Stronghold, the Blood Shark Death Blade.

Blood Shark, that is, a shark stained with blood. He was originally a successful pirate captain of the Yangtze River Waterway Stronghold.

No one knew why he became a bandit. However, what mattered was that his martial arts were outstanding, and his skills were remarkable.

He was even skilled in military strategy. It was not easy for a bandit who made a living by piracy to be proficient in land warfare, yet he knew how to use tactics.

Do-chil, the best martial artist and strategist of the Green Forest.

Disaster struck such a Do-chil.

Clang!

“Ugh!”

Do-chil had to grit his teeth and retreat from the powerful, storm-like sword strikes.

“You little brat!”

“Shut up.”

The young man, who immediately followed up with sword strikes along with a cold remark, was Jang San.

Whoosh!

A refreshing sword wind blew with a loud sword cry that seemed ready to burst at any moment.

If you didn’t avoid it because it felt refreshing, you wouldn’t escape death. The sword Jang San wielded was the Pine Wind Sword, and the Pine Wind Sword was a technique of the Qingcheng Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects [major martial arts schools].

Do-chil’s straight sword was wielded chaotically.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew as the swords collided.

Surprisingly, Do-chil’s sword strikes were stronger than Jang San, a disciple of the Nine Great Sects. The explosive sword techniques were a perfect blend of power and skill, making it seem difficult for even a seasoned expert to respond easily.

However, Jang San was backed by the martial arts of Qingcheng, which had been one of the pillars of the righteous sects for hundreds of years.

Chirring! Swish!

Do-chil’s eyes wavered.

‘This guy again!’

The Blood Shark Killing Sword technique, which was pressing the attack, once again cut through the air.

It was a dazzling evasion. It wasn’t particularly fast or exquisite, but he had somehow slipped to the side rear.

‘What kind of ghostly trick is this!’

It was the Azure Cloud Step, a secret technique of the Qingcheng Sect.

Like a flowing blue cloud, the footwork made it easy to lose the attack line. If properly executed, it was a footwork that made the offense and defense extremely solid.

“Ugh!”

Bang!

Do-chil, having taken a stance, scattered his straight sword with a shout.

Clang!

Jang San retreated once again.

Surprise flickered in his eyes.

‘He’s strong.’

Although not the best, he had honed his sword at Qingcheng for over ten years.

Do-chil was a true master with the power to surpass those ten years. He was not someone to be underestimated just because he was the leader of a mere bandit group.

‘If I hadn’t improved my practical skills by mixing the Azure Cloud Step and sword techniques, I would have died already.’

And that wasn’t all.

Each of the bandits at this Gyo-gu Stronghold was a master who had learned martial arts. It was questionable where they had gathered such people to make them bandits.

Clang! Clang! Bang! Thud!

“Kuaaak!”

“Left! Push from the left!”

“Yeon-gyeong! We need to stick together!”

“Rear attack coming! Block from behind!”

It was a complete pandemonium.

About fifty men and women were scattered, attacking the bandits of Gyo-gu Stronghold. They were the soldiers of the Myeolsa Army.

Thud!

“Eek!”

Dong-ho, having cut off the heads of two bandits with three swords, gritted his teeth.

He had beheaded the enemy. The gruesome sensation made his fingertips tingle.

‘No! Don’t hesitate!’

Gritting his teeth, Dong-ho charged again and forcefully extended his hand.

Thud!

Another bandit fell, spitting blood. The Hwasan Sect’s ultimate martial art, the Bamboo Leaf Hand, had struck directly.

“You little brat!”

Whoosh.

A bandit, who had leaped high and flown in, swung a huge sword.

It was an overwhelming killing intent. The killing intent was so strong that it seemed to block out the sunlight.

Yoon-ho shouted.

“Danger!”

At that moment, a cloud-like force struck the side of the bandit wielding the great sword.

Thud!

“Cough!”

The man lost his balance in mid-air.

Dong-ho roughly swung his sword at the falling man.

Slash! Splatter!

The bandit, with his neck half-severed, fell, scattering blood.

“Huff! Huff!”

Dong-ho’s breathing became ragged.

If this guy hadn’t allowed the force, his life would have been in danger.

Even if your martial arts are strong, you will be defeated if you don’t broaden your vision. He was newly realizing the ferocity of real combat.

“Thank you, Brother Yeo!”

“This isn’t the time for greetings!”

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Yeo Guk, who had approached at a terrifying speed, grabbed Dong-ho’s collar and pressed him down.

Naturally, Dong-ho’s upper body was tilted diagonally. Yeo Guk extended his sword as if he had been waiting.

Thud!

“Gurgle!”

A sword that accurately pierced the throat. It was a quick and precise strike.

“Get a grip! You’ll die if you’re spacing out!”

“Yes! Don’t worry!”

“Don’t make me worry, you brat!”

Yeo Guk, Dong-ho, and Yoon-ho rushed out in three directions, swinging their swords.

Splatter!

The continuous spurts of blood made the sunlight flicker, and the death cast upon the earth created a shadow of emptiness.

The fifty soldiers of the Myeolsa Army were attacking Gyo-gu Stronghold in separate groups.

Although they had undergone three months of hellish training, they were still not complete. Some showed gaps in their defenses from time to time, and others shuddered at the sensation of piercing the enemy’s flesh.

Moreover, the opponents were bandits who had even trained in martial arts, from who knows where. There were three hundred of them, and they were people who had been killing as if it were a daily meal.

Decisively, this was the enemy’s main base.

Even for the Myeolsa Army, who had trained rigorously, they were not easy opponents. It wouldn’t be strange to die in a moment of carelessness.

A deadly melee that required extreme concentration.

Of course, there were some who displayed flamboyant martial arts as if they were fish in water.

Thud!

A bandit fell, spitting blood from a powerful kick.

One kick, one kill. The Flying Bow Trampling Wave Kick of the Jeomchang Sect, Cheok-gang’s merciless strike, had landed squarely on the opponent’s abdomen.

“Gang, aren’t you being too brutal? Eek!”

“Be careful on the left!”

Slash!

“Kuaak! Hey! You said the left!”

“It’s the left from my side! Aish!”

Whoosh! Ting!

Another bandit died from a sword strike that shot out like a ray of light.

One way or another, the Myeolsa Army was still weak in real combat. They were not coordinated, and they were not calmly observing the situation.

However, they now had one weapon they didn’t have before.

It was guts.

Flash!

A sharp blade passed right in front of her nose.

If it had come in just half an inch more, both of her eyes would have been cut and flown away. Yet, Song Yeon-gyeong didn’t even blink.

“This much is.”

Thud!

The advancing strike of the Demon Subduing Spear pierced the bandit’s chest.

“Compared to the Commander’s axe.”

Crack!

The spear shaft, which was swung down as if striking, shattered another bandit’s collarbone.

“It’s like a breeze.”

Crack!

A bandit’s neck was broken by a single strike of the Unbreakable Divine Leg.

The Emei Sect [a Buddhist martial arts school] worships Buddha. The level of their martial arts is worthy of discussing the world, but there is no such interpretation filled with killing intent.

The Emei martial arts that Song Yeon-gyeong and the spear wielders were using were different.

They were lay disciples, yet they were so talented that they could unlock the secret techniques of the main sect. When they were determined to kill, each strike became an unstoppable killing move, ravaging the enemies.

It was the most noticeable achievement on this battlefield. The spear techniques of the Emei Sect disciples, centered around Song Yeon-gyeong, became a moving iron fortress, defeating the bandits.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Clang!

They had already entered the center of the enemy lines.

They advanced, crushing all approaching enemies. They were the ones who had grown the most during the training.

“Not bad.”

Yeon Ho-jeong, who was looking down at the Myeolsa Army from a hill overlooking the battlefield, nodded.

“For this level after three months of training, it’s not bad.”

“…Jeong-ah.”

Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Jeagal Ayeon.

Her face was slightly pale.

“What on earth did you do?”

“What?”

“Who in the world would imagine that those are the martial arts of the Nine Great Sects…”

She was so surprised that she couldn’t even speak properly. And Peng Man-ho was the same.

‘Is this hell?’

Dong-ho’s clumsiness? The Qingcheng disciples’ unagile responses?

None of that mattered.

The Myeolsa Army, having opened their eyes to real combat, was displaying truly terrifying power. It was said to be a bandit stronghold aiming for the best in the Green Forest, but Gyo-gu Stronghold had the power to turn any minor sect into ashes overnight.

The Myeolsa Army was pushing them back. Without a single death.

“In the end, it’s this, this.”

Yeon Ho-jeong thumped his chest with his fist.

“The guts to advance and attack rather than retreat even when swords and spears are flying in front of you. The determination to die after crushing the enemy.”

“…”

“That’s what those guys learned over the past three months.”

Yeon Ho-jeong sighed.

“Those guys couldn’t eat or sleep properly for the first few days. Some of them were actually cut.”

“Gasp! Really?!”

“Ok-cheong is among them. Look, his movements aren’t detailed. The external wounds have healed, but it’s evidence that the internal injuries he suffered on the first day still remain.”

The two were startled.

“The internal injuries haven’t fully healed either?”

“Yes.”

“And you still deployed them? What if they get chronic illnesses!”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes turned cold for a moment.

“The enemy’s sword has no eyes. Where is there a kind enemy who will look at my condition one by one while fighting?”

“… !”

“If they die even after receiving sufficient training? Then that’s their limit. It’s not anyone’s fault, it’s their own fault, and it’s just luck.”

Yeon Ho-jeong said bitterly.

“That’s real combat and war. Those who will live will live, and those who will die will die.”

It was a statement filled with deep weight.

It was because he himself had lived that way. Even after learning the Death God’s Martial Arts and descending the mountain, he was just a naive novice who knew nothing about real combat.

The reason he became infamous as the worst dangerous figure in the Black Path in just a few years was because he had desperately killed enemies and survived.

Yeon Ho-jeong suddenly looked up at the sky.

Why? Seeing the Myeolsa Army fight, he was reminded of the days of the Black Emperor Fortress.

The true warriors who risked their lives with him to pacify the Black Path.

Among them, only seven people, including himself, survived until the establishment of the Black Emperor Fortress.

“They will live.”

“…?”

“They will survive. At least, they are not the kind of guys who would die in a place like this.”

“…How do you know that?”

“It’s not just them who risked their lives. I also risked my life while teaching them.”

“…”

“If there were any guys who seemed like they might die, I called them directly and engraved the fierceness of life and death into their bones. If they know that sincerity, they can’t die easily.”

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.

“They will do well. Because they have to go back and do great things when the Myeolsa Army is disbanded in the future.”

Jeagal Ayeon, who had been quietly watching Yeon Ho-jeong, smiled faintly.

The fingertips of Yeon Ho-jeong, who had his arms crossed, were trembling slightly. The tough guy, who was not afraid of any enemy, was getting anxious watching the Myeolsa Army fight.

“Don’t worry.”

“Huh?”

Jeagal Ayeon grinned like a hero.

“You told me to be the strategist of the Myeolsa Army, right? Even though I look like this, I’ve been called a genius in that field.”

“Is that so?”

“I won’t let my friends die. Absolutely.”

There is no such thing as absolute in the world. Not in fighting, not in martial arts, and not in human relationships.

However, Yeon Ho-jeong didn’t want to ruin Jeagal Ayeon’s spirit with unnecessary words.

“Okay, I’m counting on you.”

“Hehe.”

“Don’t smile so slyly.”

“Sly!”

At that moment, Muk Bi said.

“It’s over.”

The fight ended with Jang San of Qingcheng cutting off Do-chil’s head.

It took longer than expected, but no one died.

Jeagal Ayeon took a deep breath.

“Whew, my heart was pounding the whole time.”

“There’s no time to be surprised one by one. We’ll treat them roughly and move on to the next target right away.”

“Gasp! Again, again?!”

“Yes.”

Yeon Ho-jeong looked up at the sky again.

“By the time this autumn comes, we will clean up as much of the Black Path as possible.”