Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1087

“Damn it!” Yabaekdo cursed roughly, urging the demons forward. “Fall back! I said fall back!” The hundreds of demons at the front, who had been climbing the hill, were annihilated by a massive barrage of hidden weapons. It was a ‘Rain of Needles’ [a mass-destruction technique using numerous small projectiles]. One of the Tang Clan’s secret techniques, it was a mass-destruction weapon that, when used in conjunction with the ‘Pear Blossom Cannon’ [a type of cannon that fires thin projectiles], could not be defended against or evaded, even by a master of the highest caliber. No less than a hundred of these weapons were unleashed. The iron balls shattered in all directions, sweeping away the enemies, and these iron balls were coated with another Tang Clan secret poison, the ‘Five Deaths Poison’ [a potent poison that can cause death with even a small wound]. Even a graze could be fatal. The skin of the demons, as hard as stone, could not withstand the Rain of Needles. Just as the panicked demons were trying to retreat at Yabaekdo’s command, Kwakwakwakwang!! The Pear Blossom Cannons followed the Rain of Needles. Retreating was the worst possible move. The demons at the front of the pack, close to Yabaekdo, writhed as their bodies were pierced by the thin projectiles of the Pear Blossom Cannons. The formation began to collapse in an instant. Amidst the chaos, Yabaekdo, who had survived by using the demons as shields, screamed. “Move to the left! Don’t fight those bastards!” Their mission was to lure out and kill the enemy scouts, then move secretly to cut off the waist of Gansuk [a strategic maneuver to attack the enemy’s center]. Although blinded by rage, it was better to move quickly and attack the enemy from the flanks and rear, together with Jihuma, who was coming up from below. The chaotic demons barely maintained their formation as they moved to the left. Their aim was to cross the Seven Colored Mountain in one go, detour to Qinghai, and move above Lanzhou. Of course, Tang Gwan would not let that happen. “Sweep their flanks!” The Nokpungdae [a unit of warriors specializing in poison and hidden weapons] warriors overtook Yabaekdo’s forces along the hillside. After overtaking them, they immediately descended the mountain path and showered the flanks with poison and hidden weapons. “Kuaaaak!” “Krrr!” Although they were running as fast as they could at Yabaekdo’s command, the more demons died, the more intense their bestial bloodlust became. Yabaekdo yelled. “Run! Run, you morons! Don’t engage them!” It was an incredible order. It meant that he was willing to sacrifice his own troops to escape this place. In fact, in this situation, it would be more advantageous to retreat straight to the rear. However, Yabaekdo was too flustered and only thought of coordinating with Jihuma, forcing the demons to move in that direction. If they had chosen to fight head-on, they could have inflicted damage on the enemy, even at the cost of their own lives. Yabaekdo’s decision was a boon for the Tang Clan forces. Bang! Puhpuhpung! While Nokpung pursued and attacked from the flanks, Tang Gwan alone launched an attack from the rear. With his martial prowess, he could have charged to the front and blocked the path faster than anyone else. But he didn’t. If he blocked the front, some of the troops would inevitably slip through. If that happened, Nokpung would have to scatter to catch them all. In other words, the Tang Clan was currently herding the demon forces. Even though many demons had died, there were still over seven hundred left, and the sight of just one unit and Tang Gwan herding and killing the enemies was astonishing. Paahak! Paahak! He was consuming a tremendous amount of internal energy, but he was still Tang Gwan. The various daggers and hidden weapons that left his hands began to tear apart the demons at the rear. The weapons that killed the demons would spin and return to Tang Gwan, who would then throw them again to attack the enemies. The seven hundred or so demons that remained were reduced to five hundred after crossing one of the rocky mountains, and then to four hundred after crossing another hill through a path between the mountains. In this incredible situation, Yabaekdo finally realized that further advance was meaningless. Two thousand troops had been reduced to four hundred in an instant. The meaning of annihilation varied from organization to organization, but even for demons who attacked the enemy without reason or fear, if eighty percent of their forces were gone, it was impossible to continue fighting. That meant they were annihilated. This unit was now annihilated. Even if they continued to fight, it would be impossible to inflict significant damage on the enemy. It would be better to flee, reorganize the unit, and plan for the future. But the situation was too dire. The demons had tireless hearts, but they needed to be fed regularly. The reason they had invaded and devastated every village was to ensure they could fill their bellies. But what about now? Even if they survived here, the combat power of the starving beasts would drop to less than half. In the worst case, they might even eat each other. They usually obeyed their master’s orders, but if they were starving to the point of risking their lives, they wouldn’t listen as well. ‘What should I do? Damn it, what should I do!’ While Yabaekdo was hesitating, Paahak! In the distance, from the direction the demon forces were advancing, martial artists wearing green robes were running towards them. Tang Gwan’s eyes flashed. “Noksu!” The Noksu Unit [another unit of warriors, likely specializing in a different type of combat] had finally returned. The Noksu Unit leader shouted. “Everyone, fire your hidden weapons! We must completely break the vanguard!” They understood immediately. All the members drew their hidden weapons, waiting for the enemy to come within range. Yabaekdo’s face contorted. If they advanced in this state, they would be annihilated, not just defeated. They would all really die. “Evade! Turn back to the left! Everyone, flee!” “Kuaaaak!” The demons began to veer off wildly. It was utter chaos. It would take time to turn around while maintaining formation, so they turned on the spot and ran haphazardly. The line became a mess in an instant. Even Yabaekdo was flustered and jumped onto the back of a demon to run away. At that moment, Tang Gwan’s eyes flashed. Puhpuhpung! Three daggers, flying like lightning, pierced the bodies of six demons around Yabaekdo, in the center of the unit. Not the periphery, but the inside. Dark red blood gushed from the pierced bodies, and the demons, smelling the blood, smacked their lips even in this urgent situation. Peok! Yabaekdo, who had crushed the head of a hesitating demon, yelled. “I told you to run! Run, you idiots!” The disadvantage of a unit moving without formation was clearly exposed. The remaining demons ran into a narrow path, like a ravine. That path was the fastest and required the least stamina, so they instinctively flocked to it. “Nokpung and Noksu, to the left and right!” As the demons passed through the low path like a ravine, the Nokpungdae and Noksu Unit were already running up the left and right hills, surrounding the demon forces. Paahhaang! Tang Gwan, who flew like lightning, reached Yabaekdo in an instant. Tang Gwan, who had killed all the demons rushing from the left and right, and Yabaekdo, who was looking back. Yabaekdo’s face became more ferocious than the demons. He really wanted to rip off his head, but the difference in martial arts was too great. “You bastards! Block him!” The demons rushed at Tang Gwan. Sseueuk! At that moment, Tang Gwan’s body had already appeared above Yabaekdo’s head. Tang Gwan’s feet were on his shoulders, and his hands were on the top of his head. Yabaekdo shouted involuntarily. “Stop, you bastard!” “You should beg for mercy, you ill-mannered fool.” Kwaduk! With a strong press of both hands, Yabaekdo’s head was crushed down to his shoulders. “Kuaaaak!” “Kyaaaak!” The demons’ eyes changed when their master died. Tang Gwan instantly read their instincts. When the command system, which was like a curse, was broken, they became bloodthirsty beasts. Peoeok! Kwaduk! Surprisingly, they began to bite each other. It was a festival of madness. Some fled, but most killed their companions next to them. The sight of them tearing at the flesh and drinking the blood of their dead companions was so gruesome that even demons would be horrified. Tang Gwan shouted. “Don’t let a single one escape, bury them all!” Thus, the poison and hidden weapons that Nokpung and Noksu scattered completely annihilated the demons. Tang Gwan chased down the terrified demons who were fleeing and blew their heads off. With just Nokpung, Noksu, and Tang Gwan, two thousand demon troops had vanished. “Huk! Huk!” “Hoo, hoo.” Their faces were filled with pride after the battle and victory. They were exhausted and out of breath, but they had annihilated so many enemies without suffering major casualties. “The two unit leaders, assess the casualties!” The Nokpung Unit leader shouted. “Nokpung Unit has seven lightly wounded, two seriously wounded, and three dead!” “Noksu Unit has one death!” Even though they had fought relentlessly, some had been swept away by the demons and died due to the constantly changing distances. However, considering the damage the enemy had suffered, it was a victory that was practically free. Tang Gwan shouted. “Mourning for our fallen comrades will be done after the battle! Regain your breath and control your internal energy within half a gok [an ancient unit of time, approximately 15 minutes]! We will move to southern Gansuk!” * * * Puhwaak! Jihuma’s martial arts, as she stood at the forefront and cut down the enemies, were tremendous. She didn’t use destructive martial arts, nor did she exude a murderous intent that seemed to burn the world. Yet, no one could stop her. Her martial arts, having reached the Saintly Demonic Realm [a high level of martial arts mastery], were at a level that even several top-tier masters would find difficult to block. She cut and cut again, shot and shot again. The new generation of priests within the Blood Demon Church had all undergone hellish combat training. While the previous generation of priests specialized in various demonic martial arts, the new generation of priests were all skilled in combat. One of them was Jihuma, who had risen through the ranks the fastest among the new priests, becoming the Third Priest. “S, save me…!” Peoeok! Jihuma, who had blown off the heads of two Gwangpa swordsmen, looked around. “They used their heads a bit.” She thought the first ones she swept away were the Third Line. The forces were too small for the Third Line, but she thought they were being careless. But now she saw that the ones she had just swept away were indeed the Third Line. Their position was such. “If I had broken through a little faster, I would have almost entered between the Third and Fourth Lines. Well, I wouldn’t have lost anyway.” The resistance of the Third Line was not insignificant. About three hundred of the three thousand troops had died. However, since she had annihilated the thousand troops of the Third Line, it was a pretty good deal. If she could break through to the Second Line, and then the First Line, the Gansuk battle would be a complete victory. Jihuma shouted. “There is no time to rest! The enemy’s Second Line has also noticed the chaos here! I will kill the scouts, so follow me immediately!” “Understood!” Even though she was the commander of the unit, she didn’t hesitate to step forward and kill the scouts. This was what made Jihuma special. She was a commander, but she also took on menial tasks depending on the situation of her troops. Jihuma’s eyes flashed as she ran down the hill. ‘It’s about time they came.’ The Fourth and Third Lines had been annihilated. Nearly half of the Gansuk forces that had been gathered were gone. Unless something unexpected happened, the two thousand troops led by Yabaekdo should have been attacking from the flanks of the Second Line. ‘Did they fail to time it right? Why can’t I feel any of those morons’ bloodlust?’ Well, it didn’t matter. At this rate, she could definitely crush even the Second Line. ‘That being said.’ The Second Line’s movements were faster than expected. It wasn’t that they had noticed the chaos here and moved, but it seemed like they had already anticipated it and were responding. Moreover, seeing the Second Line running behind the scouts, raising a cloud of dust, it seemed like they were not scouts but vanguards. ‘Did they catch on? How did they catch on so quickly?’ Come to think of it, it seemed like they were already preparing for battle when she broke through the Third Line. The atmosphere was different from when they clashed with the Fourth Line. She felt a pang of unease. It wasn’t just the enemy’s movements, but a wind that made her skin tingle was blowing from the northwest. ‘Is it a master of the Saintly Demonic Realm? I don’t know. I hope not, but…’ Jihuma smiled wickedly and swung her sword. ‘It would be fun if they came.’ Seogeok! The heads of the vanguards sent from the Second Line flew into the air.