A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 368

368. The End of the Battle

The Valley of the Moon Castle was awash in the blood of demons and Sangha soldiers.

Although the one-thousand strong army of Potala Sangha was a mighty force, the seemingly endless surge of demons was a terror that couldn’t be ignored.

*Kwaang, Kuaaak, Pung.*

The crimson blood of the demons splattered, and the lives of the Sangha soldiers dwindled one by one.

Faced with the relentless hostility and bloodlust of the demons, even the Potala Sangha soldiers suffered casualties. But their sacrifices were by no means meaningless.

Before they knew it, the Potala Sangha had advanced deep into the Valley of the Moon Castle.

“Charge!”

*Dududududu.*

At Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s voice, the sound of the armored cavalry’s hooves shook the ground.

Although the cavalry had suffered from the continuous battles, the simultaneous charge of the hardy warhorses of Xizang [Tibet] still boasted tremendous destructive power.

“Fire!”

*Pubabababak.*

A rain of arrows covered the sky. With it, the demons let out death throes of agony and tumbled onto the dirt floor.

“Next! Quickly!”

The vice-captain commanding the archers urged them to reload. They were already running short of arrows and had to recover the ones they had previously shot, but even those were broken and bent, so there weren’t many usable ones.

“Fire!”

The arrows stained with the blood of demons once again tore through the air.

—*Kuaaaang.*

A particularly large demon disrupted the ranks of the heavy infantry. The massive heavy infantrymen flew in all directions, and the demons tore them apart as if they had been waiting for this moment.

“Haa!”

*Shwiing.*

Achalanatha-vidyaraja, on horseback, threw a silver wheel that flew with an eerie sound. And the next moment, the large demon’s head fell off as if it were a lie.

*Kung.*

The demon’s crimson blood spurted like a fountain, and the heavy infantrymen were covered in it. But there was no time to worry about that.

“Don’t break the formation!”

*Tak.*

Achalanatha-vidyaraja shouted, catching the silver wheel that flew back through the air.

“Raise your shields! Aim your spears!”

*Chachachak.*

The heavy infantry formed a line with large shields and spears. A wall of spears and shields reappeared in front of the demons.

—*Kaaak.*

But the demons bared their teeth and claws at the wall and threw themselves at it without hesitation. Even if all that awaited them was death, the demons never retreated.

“These tenacious bastards…….”

Achalanatha-vidyaraja frowned under her helmet and muttered.

The number of demons the Potala Sangha had exterminated since entering the Valley of the Moon Castle already far exceeded tens of thousands. As such, the damage to the Sangha soldiers and their accumulated fatigue were also considerable.

As a result, they were able to advance deep into the Valley of the Moon Castle, but the number of demons still did not seem to decrease.

“We can see the ruins of the old palace!”

At the vice-captain’s voice, Achalanatha-vidyaraja raised her head. And she groaned without realizing it.

“That is…….”

The ruins of the old kingdom at the summit of Hwangto Mountain were covered in an ominous black mist.

Anyone could clearly tell that the eerie mist swirling around the ruins was by no means ordinary.

“A spear.”

At Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s words from horseback, the vice-captain immediately handed her a spear.

Achalanatha-vidyaraja took the spear and inhaled. And the next moment, Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s hand launched the spear.

“Haa!”

*Pueoong.*

The spear flew through the air, instantly smashing the demons that were rushing in.

“All Sangha soldiers, listen!”

Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s voice echoed through the Valley of the Moon Castle.

“That is the base of the Demonic Sect! And it is there that our Great Commander awaits us!”

*Seuk.*

Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s silver wheel, shimmering in the moonlight, headed towards the black mist of Hwangto Mountain Peak. Her figure, with her arm outstretched straight, was like a goddess of battle who would never back down.

“All troops!”

Achalanatha-vidyaraja shouted without hesitation.

“Charge! Trample the demons!”

*Waaaaaaa.*

The Potala Sangha’s cry shook the valley. Achalanatha-vidyaraja led the armored cavalry at the head.

*Dududududu.*

The demons seemed to falter at the Sangha’s soaring morale. The armored cavalry and heavy infantry advanced relentlessly towards Hwangto Mountain.

But that advance did not last.

—*Kkeueoooooooong.*

A gruesome wail echoed through the valley. That sound, as if from another world, instantly enveloped the Potala Sangha.

*Hiiiiiiing*

Even the trained warhorses were thrown into confusion. Achalanatha-vidyaraja immediately looked around and shouted.

“Hold your ground! Don’t break the formation!”

“Vidyaraja-nim [Vidyaraja is a wisdom king in Buddhism]! That!”

At the vice-captain’s cry, Achalanatha-vidyaraja raised her head. And she saw the black mist slowly flowing down, no, overflowing.

*Mungkeul, mungkeul.*

The black mist instantly covered the area around Hwangto Mountain and began to spread. And from within that mist, bizarre cries flowed out.

—*Keureureureureu.*

That eerie sound did not reach the Potala Sangha. But the sight of the demons pouring out of the black mist was clearly visible even to the Sangha soldiers far away.

‘This is bad.’

Achalanatha-vidyaraja gritted her teeth. It was only natural that incantations flowed from the mouths of the Sangha soldiers without them realizing it.

But the nightmarish events were not limited to that.

*Kwaang.*

An explosion erupted at the head of the armored cavalry. The cavalry Sangha soldier soared into the air, and the armored horse scattered into the air, spraying blood.

—*Keukeukeukeu.*

A bizarre laughter echoed.

Achalanatha-vidyaraja turned her head. On the barren mountainside on either side of the valley, black shadows stood within reach of an arrow.

*Seuk.*

The black shadow, whose identity could not be determined, lightly raised its hand. Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s complexion suddenly changed at the sight.

“Evade!”

*Kwaaaang.*

But Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s cry was already too late. An explosion erupted in the middle of the armored cavalry.

Seeing the blood of the Sangha soldiers splattering once again, Achalanatha-vidyaraja gnashed her teeth.

“Fire!”

*Pubababak.*

It wasn’t just arrows that flew towards the black shadow on the mountainside. Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s silver wheel also flew towards the black shadow with an eerie sound.

*Shwik.*

The silver wheel, flying through the rain of arrows, drew a silver trajectory and cut through the black shadow’s neck.

*Waaaaaaaa.*

The Potala Sangha cheered. But the cheering did not last.

*Seureuk, seureuk.*

Although its neck was cut off, the black shadow did not fall or disappear. Something like black mist welled up from its neck, and before they knew it, it was restoring its original form.

Even the Sangha soldiers were speechless at the gruesome and shocking sight. A heavy silence fell over the Potala Sangha, and a grating voice like the sound of metal echoed.

—Today, you.

The grotesque voice of the monster echoed through the valley. Moreover, that voice was no longer alone.

“Vidyaraja-nim! There too!”

Even without the vice-captain’s voice, Achalanatha-vidyaraja was already watching. More black monsters were appearing one after another on both sides of the valley.

—Die here.

The four monsters that appeared in front of the Potala Sangha spoke in rumbling voices.

—And this land.

Achalanatha-vidyaraja could clearly recognize that there was undisguised mockery mixed in with that eerie voice.

—Will now belong to us.

—*Kaaaaaaang.*

The sound of demons tearing their ears echoed in response. The demons’ howling, which echoed through the valley, covered the Sangha soldiers like a cold downpour.

*Eudeuk.*

Achalanatha-vidyaraja gritted her teeth. But she was already making a cold-hearted judgment.

The sight of the old palace covered in black mist meant that something had happened to Son Bin and his group. Moreover, those black shadows were blatantly revealing the power of the Demonic Sect.

The power of immortality, which was said to be the Demonic Sect’s authority in the distant past.

‘I shouldn’t have sent only them…….’

“Vidyaraja-nim!”

At the vice-captain’s cry, Achalanatha-vidyaraja raised her head. And she took off her helmet.

*Sarak.*

A beautiful face with tanned skin, stained with sweat, was revealed. Her luscious hair was stuck to her face in various places from the long battle.

*Hwik.*

Achalanatha-vidyaraja lightly shook her head.

“Yes, maybe we’ll all die here.”

Her voice, which was more sonorous than ever before, echoed through the valley. An extremely feminine and soft voice.

“But that’s not so bad either. Death is just a journey to the ultimate Dao [the absolute principle underlying the universe]. Is there anyone among us who is afraid of death?”

The Sangha soldiers, who had been in confusion, chanted mantras softly at her words. The momentary commotion disappeared, and a firm fighting spirit rose once again from the Potala Sangha.

“See? So stop with the ridiculous tricks…….”

Achalanatha-vidyaraja said, looking at the black shadow. It was a seemingly playful and light voice, but her energy was already intensely swirling around her.

*Huuuuk.*

Her hair fluttered and her clothes fluttered. The armored cavalry could clearly see that Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s tanned skin was gradually darkening.

Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s wrathful deity was opening its eyes.

“Come here and try me!”

Her voice echoed as if it would shake the valley. That tremendous energy and force were enough to rally the Sangha’s fighting spirit.

There was no cheering or shouting.

The Potala Sangha maintained a firm silence, but it was by no means out of fear. They were prepared to die with the Vidyaraja.

But for the monsters, nothing changed.

*Seuk.*

The monster raised its hand. Then, a tremendous howl erupted.

—*Kuaaaaaang*

The howl shook the heavens and the earth. The hands of the Sangha soldiers holding their spears trembled at that primal fear.

Only Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s face did not change.

—We’ll do as you wish.

With the eerie voices of the monsters, a wave of demons surged towards the Sangha.

*Dudududududu.*

The monsters’ roars, which echoed through the valley, rushed in as if to engulf the Potala Sangha in an instant. It seemed like an unavoidable fate that the blood of the Potala Sangha would soon stain the valley, but at that very moment.

*Ttjjeong.*

A heavy sound shook the ground. It was a sound that even the monsters, not to mention Achalanatha-vidyaraja, could not hide their shock at.

“What…….”

Achalanatha-vidyaraja, wondering if it was another trick of the Demonic Sect, turned her head and looked at the source of the sound.

*Ureureureu.*

The peak of Hwangto Mountain was vibrating. It was spewing out black mist like a boiling cauldron.

‘What, what is that…….’

No one understood the meaning of that sight. The sight of the black mist pouring out was perhaps an even more desperate sight for the Potala Sangha.

However, the monsters also stopped all movement and stared at the sight. It was clearly something that even the monsters had not expected.

*Kureureureureu.*

A low vibration echoed throughout the Valley of the Moon Castle. And the peak of Hwangto Mountain, which had been spewing out black mist like crazy, twitched.

—K, Kaaaaaa.

Even the sudden screams of the monsters could not turn Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s gaze away.

Because at that very moment, a streak of golden light soared through the black mist.

*Beonjjeok.*

It was like a pillar of light soaring into the sky. The light only revealed itself for a fleeting moment, but there was no one among the Sangha soldiers who did not see it.

*Kung, Kureureung.*

The pillar of light disappeared. And before the Sangha soldiers’ eyes, the peak of Hwangto Mountain began to collapse with a roar.

It was truly an instantaneous event.

“N, No!”

Achalanatha-vidyaraja shouted as if in despair. The golden flash that had soared through the black mist a moment ago was clearly the same as the one that Son Bin had shown before.

They, Great Commander Son Bin and his group, were now in the ruins of the old palace that was collapsing before their eyes.

—*Kaaaaaang.*

—*Kyaaaeng.*

—*Kkeuaaaaaaa.*

What covered Achalanatha-vidyaraja’s cry was the screams of the monsters.

The black monsters writhed in agony and screamed, then shattered as if they were being crumpled. The black mist, which had been regenerating even severed necks, was now helpless.

The demons were no exception. The bloodlust and hostility that had covered the sky until just now were now entirely covered in screams and shrieks.

“Vidyaraja-nim…….”

The vice-captain could not continue speaking in shock. Achalanatha-vidyaraja bit her lip.

*Kureureureu.*

Hwangto Mountain was still collapsing. A huge amount of rising dust soared as if to cover the sky.

She wanted to run to that place right away. She wanted to find them regardless of the danger of being buried under piles of dirt. She wanted to confirm with her own eyes that they were alive.

*Eudeuk.*

But Achalanatha-vidyaraja had something to do. If she missed this moment, she would not have the face to see him even in death.

“Potala Sangha, obey my command!”

Achalanatha-vidyaraja shouted. Her voice, filled with energy, was clearly heard even amidst the screams of the monsters.

“It is the Great Commander’s command!”

The Sangha soldiers’ eyes were shining. No one was unaware that now was the perfect opportunity.

Achalanatha-vidyaraja, holding her silver wheel high, shouted loudly.

“Trample the monsters! All troops, advance!”

No sooner had her cry ended than the vice-captains shouted at the top of their lungs.

“All troops, advance!”

“All troops! Advance!”

*Dududududu.*

The hooves of the warhorses shook the ground, and the Potala Sangha began to advance all at once.

There were no reserves, no ordered charges. It was truly an advance with all remaining forces. There were no monsters left to stand against that impact.

—*Kaang, Kyaaeng.*

The monsters, writhing in pain, began to be helplessly trampled under the hooves of the armored cavalry and the sharp spear blades.

The black mist that had covered the peak of Hwangto Mountain had disappeared, and the rising dust and the screams of the monsters filled the Valley of the Moon Castle.

That day, the tens of thousands of monsters in the Valley of the Moon Castle were annihilated under the hooves of the Xizang army. The Demonic Sect’s base was destroyed, and the black mist that had been pouring out the monsters disappeared without a trace.

But the Potala Sangha could not shout for victory.

Because they could not find the whereabouts of Great Commander Son Bin and his group, who had extinguished the source of the monsters with a golden flash.

No, the words ‘could not find the whereabouts’ were just a consolation.

It was all too clear that no one could have escaped from the collapse of Hwangto Mountain, which had collapsed before everyone’s eyes along with the massive earth and sand.

The Valley of the Moon Castle where darkness had fallen.

In this valley, where legend has it that the path to utopia opens on moonlit nights, only incantations of sorrow were now echoing.

* * *

At the moment when the golden flash shone in the Valley of the Moon Castle, people throughout Xizang witnessed a strange phenomenon.

The monsters, who had been showing endless hostility, suddenly screamed and began to writhe in pain.

The Potala Northern Army, which had been struggling against the continuous attacks of the monsters, was taken aback by the changes in the monsters, but soon launched a counterattack under the command of the Northern Vidyaraja. And only after joining forces with the Western Army in the Valley of the Moon Castle did they learn the whole story.

The situation in other regions was no different.

The monsters screamed horribly, writhed, and died. It was no longer difficult to find the corpses of crimson monsters here and there on the vast plateau.

Those terrifying monsters were lying around like the carcasses of abandoned beasts.

Occasionally, the sight of monsters staggering and fleeing to desolate places was witnessed by pilgrims, but it was clear that they could no longer pose a threat.

The danger of monsters had virtually come to an end.

People cheered. No one doubted that all of this was brought about by the Great Commander and the Potala Sangha he led.

But the news that followed soon plunged all of Xizang into sorrow.

It was the death of Great Commander Son Bin.

*Ttagak, ttagak.*

A large carriage painted entirely in red slowly slowed down. With it, the one thousand cavalrymen guarding the front and rear of the carriage also stopped in their tracks.

The one thousand cavalrymen guarded their surroundings with sharp eyes. Although it was safe now, this was the depths of the Valley of the Moon Castle, where fierce battles had taken place until recently.

*Seuk.*

A person rose from the carriage. The small figure was the owner of young Bodhicitta [the mind striving toward awakening, empathy, and compassion], soon to be the Lord of Potala Palace.

As soon as he heard the first urgent report about the death of Great Commander Son Bin, the young Lord immediately declared that he would go directly to the Valley of the Moon Castle.

He did not listen to the high-ranking monks who tried to dissuade him, saying it was dangerous. There was no time to prepare for a procession befitting the owner of Bodhicitta. Thanks to this, the high monks of the Four Great Sects were scheduled to arrive here only three days later.

“Is that the place?”

The young Lord’s gaze was directed towards the ruins of the old kingdom visible in the distance.

The appearance of Hwangto Mountain, where most of the original ruins had collapsed and only a small peak remained, was desolate.

“Yes, it is.”

A woman sitting next to him answered and quietly stood up. She was the princess of Potala, with a graceful and beautiful appearance.

When she heard the news of Great Commander Son Bin’s death, she fainted. Even after waking up, she could not escape from her sorrow, shedding tears.

When she heard that the young Lord was heading to the Valley of the Moon Castle, she insisted on accompanying him without hesitation.

Her maids tried to dissuade her, worried about her being weakened by shock and sorrow, but the Princess of Potala did not back down.

“That is the place where the forgotten palace of the old kingdom was located, and where the Demonic Sect’s base was located.”

The Princess of Potala looked at the remaining ruins of the old palace with eyes filled with complex emotions.

Even on the way here, the Princess of Potala did not stop crying. If that continued, she would have collapsed from exhaustion before even arriving at the Valley of the Moon Castle.

If it hadn’t been for the second letter that Achalanatha-vidyaraja had secretly sent, it would have certainly been the case.

Baseurak.

The young Lord raised the letter he was holding in his hand, which he had not let go of the entire way here.

A single letter that begins with a soft greeting full of affection.

The letter, written in a flowing and elegant handwriting, was Son Bin’s.