Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1089

Even Jihuma couldn’t ignore Tang Gwan’s presence.

No, rather, she had to avoid fighting him as much as possible. This was enemy territory, and the Jihuma Divine Legion had been breaking through the front lines from the fourth to the second line without proper rest.

They needed to reorganize their forces. If they fought to the end here, the damage to their own side would be immense, not just to the enemy.

‘It’s already immense enough.’

The three thousand Jihuma Divine Legion had been reduced to eighteen hundred.

Of course, the enemy’s losses were more than double that. Especially the damage to the Gungdong Sect, the pillar of the Gansu martial world, was significant.

That alone meant this battle was as good as won. It was a battle they had already won, but if they pushed to the end, retreat would become difficult.

Jihuma shouted,

“Everyone, fall back to the rear! Retreat formation!”

The Jihuma Divine Legion was a well-trained unit.

It was difficult for anyone to suddenly retreat while charging at the enemy. Even for a unit made up of top experts, changing the direction of their formation in an instant was difficult.

The Jihuma Divine Legion was a unit that could do that. The moment Jihuma’s order was given, they retreated without hesitation, trying to shake off the enemy.

Cho Geomja shouted,

“They’re trying to retreat! Charge unconditionally…!”

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Jihuma and five unit commanders appeared between the retreating troops and the front line forces.

The unit commanders’ martial arts were impressive, but of course, there were no warriors who could stop Jihuma. Rather, as a gap opened on the battlefield, they moved in a straight line from one end to the other, attacking the front line troops, and seventy or eighty people were killed in an instant.

Their internal energy consumption was severe, but it was still the power of the Third and Fourth Commanders. Fear clouded the faces of the front-line warriors who were chasing the enemy.

Cho Geomja shouted,

“All troops, stop! Fall back!”

Whoosh!

They had to stop Jihuma at all costs. Cho Geomja charged forward without hesitation.

“Elder! No!”

“Cho Geomja!”

The swordsmen and sect leaders shouted wildly, but Cho Geomja did not listen to them.

The enemy commander was right in front of him. He tried to be cautious, but that caution had melted away even the second-line troops that could have been saved.

‘I’ll kill her!’

Cho Geomja, who had lost his reason, emitted a terrifying killing intent that made even Jihuma’s skin crawl.

Jihuma grinned.

“Good!”

A killing intent that made even a master who had reached the level of a demon feel chills.

This was something that was impossible outside of a battlefield. That’s why she loved war. It was only in the chaos of killing and being killed that she felt alive.

The moment she gripped her Great Demon Sword and tried to cut Cho Geomja into pieces.

Boom!

A soft force that flew from somewhere blew Cho Geomja’s body to the rear.

Flash!

Jihuma’s strike, which had cut through the air, grazed Cho Geomja. If he hadn’t been blown to the rear, his legs would have been severed, but Jihuma’s blade only slightly cut his side.

Jihuma turned her head.

Tang Gwan had already penetrated within ten yards.

‘Fast!’

His movements were much faster than expected.

It wasn’t a difference in internal energy or realm, but the level of his movement technique itself was different. There were only a few movement techniques this fast even within the Blood Demon Church.

Jihuma looked at the many stars twinkling behind the enemy.

They were hidden weapons of different shapes. She didn’t know where he had hidden so many hidden weapons, and seeing the hidden weapons that seemed to be alive, it was clear that he was a master who had trained the manipulation of objects in the air to the extreme.

Tang Gwan’s index and middle fingers pointed at Jihuma.

“Myriad Sky Cannon.”

Chiriririring!

The hidden weapons that had been floating in the air were instantly bound together and shot towards Jihuma.

It was an attack of hidden weapons that emitted light in all directions. It was a strike like a cannonball with a rich thickness.

A reddish demonic energy surrounded Jihuma’s Great Demon Sword.

‘Dragon Slaying.’

Flash!

A diagonal downward strike evoked a massive sword energy.

Kwaaaang!

The cannonball of hidden weapons shattered and scattered.

A powerful sword strike, truly the martial art of a supreme master.

But Tang Gwan was not at all flustered, and Jihuma also did not think that she had gained the upper hand in the first exchange.

Charrrrrr!

The shattered hidden weapons became smaller cannonballs and were shot at various parts of Jihuma’s body.

It was a divine upper dantian operation [a technique focusing on energy manipulation]. It was as if he had truly created soulless creatures by gathering the hidden weapons.

Jihuma swung her sword continuously.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jihuma, who was blocking the many hidden weapons with her heavy Great Demon Sword, and Tang Gwan, who was pouring out tremendous internal energy to make the deflected hidden weapons explode on the ground, were truly worthy of being called martial gods.

Whoosh!

Jihuma, who had been playing with the handle of the Great Demon Sword with her fingers like chopsticks, approached Tang Gwan’s face.

Tang Gwan’s movement technique was faster, but Jihuma was faster in the instantaneous movement speed of closing short distances.

Tang Gwan’s fist moved quickly.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Thud! Thud!

A hundred strikes exchanged like lightning.

The handle of the Great Demon Sword struck Tang Gwan’s side, and Tang Gwan’s fist struck Jihuma’s chin.

Whoosh!

Jihuma, who was about to launch another attack, quickly widened the distance.

Chiiiiik!

That quick judgment saved her. The poison flowing around Tang Gwan’s body instantly burned a part of the ground.

Srrr.

The poison that had been released disappeared as quickly as a lie.

Behind him were allied troops. If this poison spread to them, they would be annihilated. It was only used as a decisive move because the enemy commander had approached and engaged in close combat.

Whoosh!

Jihuma, who had retreated, swung her Great Demon Sword.

A crimson sword energy that traveled a long distance. The burning sword strike was flying towards Green Wind and Green Water, who were trying to target the rear of the Jihuma Divine Legion.

Tang Gwan shouted,

“Dodge it!”

Kwaaaang!

The sword strike struck the ground, creating a thick cloud of smoke.

From the beginning, it was not a strike intended to kill Green Wind and Green Water. It was a strike intended to make them retreat. Of course, if they had not reacted to Tang Gwan’s shout, four or five members of the unit would have died from that strike.

Hwaaaaaak!

Tang Gwan and Jihuma glared at each other, emitting killing intent.

The battle was temporarily suspended. The battle itself had entered a lull due to the two supreme masters who were competing with their god-like martial power.

Jihuma chuckled and slung her Great Demon Sword over her shoulder.

“Shall we call it a day?”

“Shut up.”

“If we continue, we’re welcome, but it won’t be good for you either, will it?”

Tang Gwan smiled coldly.

“Are you scared?”

“That kind of pointless provocation won’t work. Honestly, you guys are having a hard time too, right? Fighting more will only be a waste of each other’s lives. You know that, right?”

Of course, Tang Gwan knew it too.

If they fought with determination, he was confident that they would win. However, Green Wind and Green Water were units specialized in ambushes and surprise attacks, so it was difficult for them to utilize their abilities in such a large-scale frontal battle.

They could be used, but there was a high chance that allies would also be injured by poison and hidden weapons.

The Green Jade Corps was not the only problem. The elite first-line troops had also lost two hundred men, leaving only eight hundred. The second-line troops, who were fighting even after losing morale, numbered three hundred, but nothing could be expected from them, as they were exhausted.

On the other hand, the enemy?

More than fifteen hundred, almost seventeen hundred troops remained.

That was enough for a fight. In the end, Jihuma would be taken care of by Tang Gwan, and the two forces would try to kill each other with all their might.

If that happened, no matter what the outcome, both sides would suffer near-annihilation damage. Considering the future, it wouldn’t be bad to end it here.

“Can’t you shut up!”

Cho Geomja, who appeared bleeding, shouted with killing intent.

“The anger of the Gansu martial artists who have suffered at your hands is piercing the sky! Even for the sake of their faces wandering in the heavens, we can never stop!”

Jihuma smiled coldly.

“That old man, make sure to put him as the enemy commander next time too. He’s so easy to deal with.”

It was a sharp mockery. Cho Geomja, as well as the Gungdong Sect swordsmen, had their faces flushed with anger.

At that moment, Tang Gwan raised his hand.

“Wait a moment.”

“As long as you want.”

Tang Gwan approached Cho Geomja.

“Let’s stop here.”

“Sect Leader Tang!”

“War is about annihilating the enemy with minimal damage, not fighting to die together.”

“Even so!”

“This time, we were the ones who were attacked. We missed their surprise attack. At that point, we could no longer discuss victory or defeat.”

Cho Geomja bit his lip.

If they had listened to Tang Gwan’s message and immediately headed south, they could have pushed back the enemies with the second line. Since Tang Gwan had arrived on time, they could have truly achieved victory then.

In the end, a moment of wrong judgment had turned a battle they could have won into a defeat. Cho Geomja found it hard to forgive himself.

“Let’s stop here. Prepare for the future.”

Cho Geomja, who was grinding his teeth, took a step forward and glared at Jihuma.

“The next time we meet, I will send all of you to Bukmang Mountain [a traditional burial ground].”

“I don’t know where Bukmang Mountain is, but well, try your best.”

Jihuma led the Jihuma Divine Legion and retreated to the left. They were trying to escape to Qinghai and head north.

Tang Gwan’s eyes flashed.

‘So that’s it.’

Tang Gwan, who was watching the direction of the Jihuma Divine Legion’s movement, said to Cho Geomja.

“Gather the Gansu troops. Many people have died.”

“Sect Leader Tang, I’m sorry.”

Cho Geomja lowered his head.

“What else can I say? If I had listened to the Sect Leader’s message and immediately headed south, this would not have happened.”

“Now is the time to prepare for the future, not to regret the past. Fortunately, we killed more than three thousand of the enemy’s five thousand troops, so there were some achievements.”

“If the Sect Leader hadn’t come, Gansu would have been destroyed by this attack.”

Cho Geomja bowed his head.

“I sincerely thank you for the Tang Family’s participation.”

Tang Gwan waved his hand.

“Let’s gather the troops first.”

“Let’s do that.”

“But before that.”

Tang Gwan looked at the retreating Jihuma Divine Legion.

“Are there informants from the Gansu martial world spread out in the northeastern part of Qinghai?”

“Of course, there are.”

“That’s a relief. It seems we can at least hold a memorial service for the dead warriors.”

“What do you mean?”

The corners of Tang Gwan’s mouth curled up.

It was an evil, murderous, and terrifying smile.

And a trustworthy one.

“There is no clean war. What kind of fool in the world would just let a retreating enemy go quietly?”

“…?!”

“We have to torment them as much as we can while we can.”

* * *

On the way to Mount Hua.

Mok Won could suddenly hear shouts echoing from a distant mountain range.

“What is that?”

Cheon Hyo-Rak and Hwa Hyang also turned their heads.

It was a shout of joy. It was too far away to know the details, but Mok Won could feel the joy contained within it.

“Senior?”

“It seems we need to go that way.”

Mok Won stroked his chin.

“Mount Hua and the Southern Sect must know that the enemy is coming. Of course, they would have known faster than us, so they would have set up a front line first.”

“I don’t know much about Shanxi… Is that location a good place to block the enemy?”

“It’s not so much about blocking, but it’s not a bad place to use as a battlefield.”

“Shall we go back there?”

“We should.”

It was then that the group was about to change direction.

“…”

This time, even Cheon Hyo-Rak did not notice what Mok Won had felt.

“Senior?”

“Wait here.”

Mok Won even handed Cheon Hyo-Rak the White Lightning Spear.

“I need to scout ahead. The ground just shook a little.”