Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1308

“Damn it.”

Kwaaaang!

A thunderous sound echoed as a member of the Sancheon Unit staggered.

That was all. Despite the consumption of internal energy, the power of the Formless Bullet hadn’t diminished. Yet, that massive shield had blocked the seemingly invincible archer.

And that wasn’t all.

Flash!

A long-range attack, as threatening as archery, came flying.

Surprisingly, it was a hidden weapon. Hand arrows, slightly longer than an adult male’s middle finger, flew from between the ranks of soldiers, their speed truly remarkable.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The hand arrows embedded themselves into the ground.

Muk Bi, having barely glimpsed the tips of the hand arrows, couldn’t help but feel a sense of alarm.

‘They’ve poisoned them.’

They were a group dedicated to killing people. This much was to be expected.

Rather, from Muk Bi’s perspective, the righteous martial artists of the White Path were strange. They valued justice and righteousness, yet they hesitated to poison their swords, making them a truly peculiar group.

Of course, now she fully understood their feelings.

Swish!

She pulled out two steel arrows from the quiver fixed at her waist.

‘Let’s see if you can block this too.’

Whoosh!

The arrows were already flying the moment she drew. The series of actions of pulling and releasing the bowstring was so fast it was invisible to the eye.

Thud! Thwack!

Finally, casualties occurred.

One arrow pierced the enemy soldier’s forehead, and the other pierced through a shield and into a heart.

However, Muk Bi couldn’t be happy.

‘At least four should have died.’

They weren’t direct shots but curved shots that veered left and right.

‘They instinctively read and dodged them. Except for the one whose shield was pierced, three should have died, but two dodged the arrows.’

Their ability to react was astonishing. Their level of mastery was high, but their practical experience and reaction speed were also extremely impressive.

‘They’re on par with the Yong-a Iron Cavalry of the main castle. Their defensive formation is superior to the Iron Cavalry, and if they were determined to block, they would boast an iron wall of defense.’

She quickly grasped their characteristics.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

They launched more hand arrows from that far distance.

It was an attack that couldn’t be ignored. Muk Bi had no choice but to keep moving while thinking.

‘Even if I double the distance, my arrows will still reach them. But the power will decrease, and the speed will slow down. Even now, I’m not getting the desired lethality, and if I increase the distance, I won’t be able to kill anyone.’

Muk Bi glanced up at the hill.

Kugugugung!!

The entire hill was shaking, indicating the intensity of the battle taking place. It felt as if it would collapse at any moment.

‘Incredible.’

Even here, the force of their energy was palpable.

Yeon-wi’s pure and stern energy seemed to be wavering precariously. The overwhelming evil energy that dominated the surroundings was more vicious than demonic energy.

‘Father.’

He was the one who had stepped directly into the dangerous battlefield.

Even his energy was precarious. Although she hadn’t seen it directly, it was clear that he was in a dangerous situation.

‘He knew the risks when he came here. Father also knows that if he falls here, it would be a huge problem. He came because he’s confident.’

That belief was firm. However, she also knew that there were countless variables in a fight.

That made her anxious.

‘Let’s not worry. What I need to do now is to hold them back as much as possible.’

It was then.

Thwack! Thwack!

She saw several enemy soldiers finally climbing the hill.

They wouldn’t be a threat to Yeon-wi. But their hidden weapon techniques were a concern.

In this place with many enemies, having many variables might be advantageous for Yeon-wi, but these guys were clearly an elite group. Even if they created variables, they would make them advantageous for themselves, not for Yeon-wi.

‘Danger!’

A sharp glint appeared in Muk Bi’s eyes.

Whoooooosh!!

Instinctively, she loaded a steel arrow and drew the bow, infusing it with a simplified version of the Yong-a Cannon’s power. [Yong-a Cannon: A powerful archery technique]

The Yong-a Cannon, shot out with a swirling motion, was about to directly hit the enemy soldiers climbing the hill when…

Kwaaang!

Some of the enemy soldiers who had jumped up blocked the Yong-a Cannon with their shields.

The soldiers who blocked the Yong-a Cannon were flung left and right, rolling on the ground. One died, and two were seriously injured.

That was the end of it.

‘Damn it!’

A unit that didn’t waver even at the death of their comrades.

Chiriring!

The Sancheon Unit, scraping their shields with long spears as if performing some kind of ritual, advanced one step forward, their momentum fierce.

Muk Bi shouted.

“Sama Hyeon!!”

“……Damn it.”

Sama Hyeon, who had been trying to break through the Sancheon Unit’s formation in the darkness, gritted his teeth and flew towards the hill.

Swish! Swish!

With a chilling sound, the heads of the enemy soldiers climbing the hill were severed.

It was an assassination technique as impressive as Muk Bi’s archery. He was the ultimate killer, capable of killing anyone with a single short sword.

Swoosh.

Sama Hyeon, who had once again concealed himself in the darkness, frowned for a moment.

Kwakwakwang!!

Each of them planted their massive shields into the ground, lowered their stance, and aimed their spears in all directions.

They had been forming a living formation, moving one step at a time, but now they had stopped in place and formed a static formation. As a result, Sama Hyeon’s efforts to break through the formation had been in vain.

“It’s okay!”

As if understanding Sama Hyeon’s feelings, Muk Bi drew the bowstring of the Hongryeon Bow. [Hongryeon Bow: Muk Bi’s signature bow]

“It’s better this way! If they don’t move, we don’t need to attack recklessly!”

Sama Hyeon inwardly nodded.

‘That’s right. But would an elite unit like this not know our intentions?’

His prediction was accurate.

Tuk. Tuk. Tuk.

Dozens of beads rolled on the ground around the Sancheon Unit.

Instantly, Sama Hyeon shouted.

“Dodge!”

Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof! Poof!

The beads exploded simultaneously, covering the area with thick green smoke.

It wasn’t a fire bomb but a poison bomb. And the poison was beyond imagination.

Even Sama Hyeon, who had combined the Yin Fire Red Flow and Yin Cold White Flow [Yin Fire Red Flow and Yin Cold White Flow: Advanced martial arts techniques], was usually immune to most extreme poisons. Yet, even he felt a momentary dizziness.

‘These are some nasty bastards.’

In reality, this level of poison was mild in the assassination world.

The problem was that these guys were a combat unit. Combat units organized to annihilate the enemy and assassins trained solely for killing learn completely different methods of killing.

These guys were a combat unit, yet they were using methods similar to those of assassins.

‘They’ve laid down a poison fog, so we can’t approach. Of course, they’ll be immune to this poison, and at this moment, they’ll send troops to support the hill.’

Sama Hyeon inwardly sighed.

‘No choice, I guess.’

He took out a small bead from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

It was a top-grade poison-avoidance bead. With this, he could withstand the deadly poison for about an hour.

‘I’ll strike at their weakness. Even if it’s just for an hour!’

It was then.

Krrrrrr.

A terrifying sound echoed.

At the same time, the air shook as if an earthquake had occurred. An enormous force was being drawn into one place.

Sama Hyeon was startled.

‘This power?!’

A force that was being condensed and condensed again.

“Divine Bow!!”

Whoooooosh!!

The sound of the bowstring being released was more resonant than ever before.

And the power that was unleashed with it was heavier and more formidable than ever before.

Kwarururung!!

The Yong-a Cannon, shot out with a thunderous roar, cut through the air with a heavy force.

The unique speed of the Yong-a Cannon was nowhere to be seen. It seemed like even a normal arrow would be faster.

That’s why Sama Hyeon was surprised. To shoot out that enormous force, creating a vortex while controlling its speed, was impossible without an unimaginable level of internal energy.

‘It’s not something that can be done with internal energy alone. One must reach the pinnacle of enlightenment in Qi cultivation.’

Sama Hyeon involuntarily looked towards Muk Bi’s direction.

Muk Bi’s figure, which had been obscured by the thick green smoke, was gradually becoming visible.

‘I knew she was strong, but had she reached such a great level of mastery?’

Moreover, this attack wasn’t just a display of power.

Whoooooosh!!

The dense poison was being sucked into the vortex created by the Yong-a Cannon, and the poison fog that had covered the area was dissipating.

It was a truly bold and unconventional method. The Yong-a Cannon, having absorbed almost half of the poison, even began to slowly turn to the right.

Sama Hyeon’s eyes flashed.

‘Sword Control?!’

To change the direction of such a full force with just willpower.

This was the enlightenment of sword control. Although her specialty was a divine curved shot, the enlightenment of sword control was necessary to twist such a massive force.

‘This can’t be.’

Sama Hyeon looked at Muk Bi once again.

The world was brighter, and Muk Bi’s pale face was visible.

Splash!

The amount of blood she was spitting out was alarming. It was because she had overexerted her internal energy and twisted the Yong-a Cannon with sword control that wasn’t even complete yet.

Sama Hyeon felt awe.

‘She’s a natural talent. I understand why the Lord values that woman so much.’

Even the iron-clad Sancheon Unit members were visibly flustered. They were shouting incomprehensible words and rechecking their formation, but they weren’t showing the same flawless appearance as before.

Sama Hyeon’s eyes gleamed.

Muk Bi had cleared the darkness, so it was his turn to assassinate the enemy in the light.

Whoosh!

He charged forward, still holding the poison-avoidance bead in his mouth, and instantly plunged into the midst of the enemy soldiers.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

In an instant, the heads of five enemy soldiers were severed.

“Assassin! An assassin has infiltrated!”

“Tighten the formation! Raise the Iron Soul Demonic Art!”

Whoooooosh!

Although they were flustered, they were still an elite unit. Their movements, quickly tightening inward, were truly a work of art.

‘Damn it.’

Thwack! Thwack!

Sama Hyeon, hastily retreating from their midst, suddenly felt a sharp killing intent.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Instinctively, he swung his sword to block the incoming hand arrows. Some of the enemy soldiers, having managed to read his movements, had launched hand arrows.

‘Difficult.’

He had cut down five soldiers twice, a total of ten. He had infiltrated with the intention of cutting down at least fifty, but the pride of the world’s greatest assassin was in tatters.

It was then.

‘……?’

Sama Hyeon’s sensitive senses picked up a subtle vibration.

‘What is it?’

From far to the north, someone was approaching at high speed.

‘It’s a unit. A cavalry unit.’

The number was unknown. It could be as few as two or three hundred, or as many as a thousand.

Of course, it wasn’t the Yong-a Iron Cavalry. For them to come here, they would have to break through the enemy lines. Above all, they were waiting for the final moment, so there was no reason for them to come here, ignoring strategy.

The answer was one.

‘More enemies.’

He was the one who had been infiltrating and assassinating in the middle of the battle. He couldn’t properly grasp how much the enemy’s strength was.

‘Those damn bastards. Did they even bring cavalry by ship?’

Whoosh!

Sama Hyeon, quickly approaching Muk Bi, said.

“Can you move?”

“Of course.”

“We need to retreat to the right. Another enemy unit is coming.”

“They’re not enemies.”

“What?”

A smile spread across Muk Bi’s pale face.

“They always appear at the crucial moment. Although they’re late, they always come at the moment when the worst is avoided.”

“What are you talking about?”

It was then.

Beyond the remaining green smoke, a fluttering flag confused Sama Hyeon’s eyes.

‘Justice(義)……?’

Muk Bi shouted.

“You’re too late!”

At the same time, someone from the cavalry unit shouted in an incredibly loud voice.

“There! I hear my sister’s voice from there!”

It was a voice as loud as thunder. It was clear that the one who wielded such a powerful voice also possessed formidable martial arts.

Whoooooosh!

Five hundred cavalry units, avoiding the green smoke and revealing themselves.

Surprisingly, they were the Righteous Army.

Peng Man-Ho shouted.

“Should we attack the rear of the enemy lines?!”

“No!”

Muk Bi drew her bow again.

“Once the poison fog is cleared, destroy those turtle-like bastards first! Then, attack the rear!”