Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1090

Mojaseon stopped walking.

Muk Bi naturally raised her hand. The Jeyeong soldiers also stopped and lowered their stance.

Gang Ryang asked Mojaseon,

“What is it, Palace Lord?”

“Something…”

Mojaseon frowned.

“It’s different.”

What did she mean by different?

Muk Bi and Gang Ryang did not interrupt her.

Although their levels of cultivation were different, she was particularly sensitive to opposing energies. They still had almost half a day to go before reaching the area where the enemy was expected, but if Mojaseon felt something, it meant the enemy was gradually closing the distance.

After a while.

“Let’s proceed for now.”

“Do you sense something?”

“The air is heavy. There’s something ominous, but I can’t tell what it is.”

Muk Bi and Gang Ryang’s expressions hardened slightly.

The sensing ability of a Supreme Master was beyond imagination. If she felt something ominous, it wouldn’t bode well for their side.

“There’s no immediate danger. Let’s go.”

“As you wish.”

Thus, the group moved for another half day.

After that, they slowed down. This was partly due to the Jeyeong soldiers’ stamina, but also because they didn’t want to alert the enemy by approaching too quickly.

Another half-shichen [approximately 1 hour].

Mojaseon spoke to the group as they reached the bottom of a small hill.

“I sense an unusual fiery energy beyond this point. It would be best for the troops to rest here and prepare for a possible battle.”

“Do we need to scout ahead?”

“Of course, we should.”

Muk Bi said to Gang Ryang,

“Control the Jeyeong soldiers. I’ll scout ahead with the Palace Lord.”

“Don’t worry.”

“Then.”

Whoosh!

Mojaseon and Muk Bi dashed up the hill.

Despite traveling such a long distance, they showed no signs of fatigue. The speed at which the two women sprinted straight up the center of the hill was enough to make anyone gape in awe.

Han Bi, the leader of the Jeyeong soldiers, clicked his tongue.

“They’re truly incredible. I’d heard about it, but I didn’t expect this level.”

Gang Ryang chuckled.

“Supreme Masters are not human. Well, they’ve reached that level with human bodies, so they’re all difficult to handle.”

“I’m not talking about the Ice Palace Lord, but Commander Muk.”

“Huh?”

Han Bi shook his head.

“Even if we consider the Ice Palace Lord a monster beyond common sense, Commander Muk’s movement technique is not inferior to the Palace Lord’s. She doesn’t seem tired at all, even after traveling this far.”

“That’s to be expected.”

Gang Ryang also looked at Muk Bi’s back.

Her trustworthy red bow was strapped to her back, already far away.

“My sister is the person that Yeon Hyung-nim [older brother figure] trusts the most. Both personally and in terms of skill.”

The two women, who had reached the top of the hill in an instant, looked down.

“What is that?”

Mojaseon muttered involuntarily.

Muk Bi’s eyes widened.

‘That’s?!’

The enemy’s five thousand troops were arrayed in a bizarre formation.

They were sitting in formation, chanting something incomprehensible. It sounded like a song or a recitation of scriptures.

Whoosh!

The heat was intense, not even the cold northeast wind could extinguish it.

Looking down from above, the formation of the five thousand troops resembled a giant diagram. The outer perimeter was a square, and inside it were circular shapes and what looked like drawings or ancient characters.

‘That… it’s familiar?’

A picture flashed through Muk Bi’s mind.

The conversation between Yeon Ho-Jeong and Gi Cheon-Woong also came to mind.

‘How did you know that?’

‘It was a coincidence. There’s a smart friend in the Murim Alliance [martial arts alliance] named Jeagal Ayeon. I marked the movements of the Shin Hwa Cult [Divine Transformation Cult] on a map, and it turned out they were drawing a perfect magic formation. Well, I don’t know if it’s really a magic formation.’

‘It’s called the Solar Group Diagram.’

‘What exactly is that?’

‘The Solar Group Diagram is the foundation for those who have not reached the Fire God Pool.’

‘Fire God Pool?’

‘The Fire God Pool refers to one of the levels of martial arts in the Shin Hwa Cult. Of course, you must master the Divine Fire Martial Arts to make sense of it. According to you, some people can’t reach that level even if they become transcendent masters, while others reach the Fire God Pool even at the level of peak masters.’

‘So, what exactly is it?’

‘It means that the ultimate of Divine Fire Martial Arts, the Fire Essence, has reached the Upper Divine Realm. Those who reach the Fire God Pool achieve the Yang Energy much faster than others.’

‘Is there such a thing?’

‘There is. The Fire God Pool is an area unrelated to martial talent. It’s almost entirely based on luck. If you’re lucky, you can enter quickly, and if you’re unlucky, you can’t reach it no matter what you do. In my opinion, it seems to be determined by innate Upper Divine talent. Naturally, it’s difficult to reach the Heavenly Fire Realm if you don’t reach the Fire God Pool.’

‘I still don’t understand. Anyway, those who haven’t reached the Fire God Pool can’t escape the Solar Group Diagram?’

‘The Solar Group Diagram is, simply put, part of our cult’s techniques. It’s a ritual needed to summon the legendary Fire God. They say that if you draw the diagram with all your heart, the Fire God will recognize it.’

‘I’m not interested in that, but the guys I fought were strangely following the form of that diagram. From their martial arts to their positions and troop movements.’

‘If you reach the Fire God Pool, you can break free from the forms of martial arts that follow the Solar Group Diagram. In your terms, it’s the level of breaking the framework of moves.’

‘That’s amazing. But what does that have to do with applying it to strategy and tactics?’

‘Faith and desire.’

‘……?’

‘The Solar Group Diagram attracts the Fire God. That faith is reflected in our tactics. Furthermore, if you chant the Divine Descent Incantation along with the Solar Group Diagram, you can gather energy more smoothly than usual.’

‘Damn it, there’s all sorts of things.’

‘But that incantation is forbidden. It was too obsessive and hindered the achievement of martial arts. The same goes for the Solar Group Diagram.’

‘But why now……?’

‘The power of faith is immense. I became the cult leader and destroyed all the unnecessary forms related to the Solar Group Diagram, but this guy seems to have revived it.’

Listening to their conversation, Muk Bi thought that the Solar Group Diagram had more power than just influencing magic formations or martial arts.

‘It’s like the Gwanil Dance Song.’

When she was in Gwanil Valley, there was something called the Gwanil Dance Song.

It was a song and dance that represented love for the gods, and they performed such dances as a ritual during festivals or before important events.

There were even archers who were obsessed with the Gwanil Dance Song when fighting or hunting. They couldn’t dance, but they would chant the song while shooting arrows, and their archery skills would improve each time.

In reality, such actions couldn’t affect martial arts skills. It was a matter of faith.

The belief that the gods were watching over them.

That belief brought stability and could even lead to fanaticism.

Muk Bi believed that their Solar Group Diagram had that much power. Before it was a technique or a spell, just moving according to the Solar Group Diagram could put them in a state of mind close to fanaticism.

Mojaseon opened her mouth.

“It seems like an unusual technique. When I went scouting with Lord Yeon before, we couldn’t gauge their level of power. We were too far away.”

“…….”

“But now I understand. If the fiery energy is rising this much even from that distance, it won’t be easy to win with our current forces.”

“That won’t be the case.”

“Hmm?”

Muk Bi told her about the conversation between Yeon Ho-Jeong and Gi Cheon-Woong.

Mojaseon’s eyes deepened.

“A diagram befitting fanatics. But why didn’t Lord Yeon tell me about it?”

“It’s enough that I heard it. Palace Lord, please calm your mind and act as a decisive weapon at the crucial moment.”

Mojaseon looked at Muk Bi.

Muk Bi’s eyes were truly clear and deep. She didn’t even blink, even though the Ice Palace Lord of the North Sea was staring at her.

Mojaseon nodded.

“Yes, you were here.”

“But even the two of them didn’t think they would move according to the Solar Group Diagram even in this kind of war. It might be possible in local battles or operations, but drawing such a picture in a full-scale war is no different from revealing our weaknesses to the enemy.”

“That’s right. But they’re doing it.”

“The performance of gathering energy is increased due to the Solar Group Diagram and incantation, and thanks to that, the fiery energy of the area is gathering. Once that’s over, this overflowing fiery energy will disappear.”

“Let’s watch and see.”

The two hid and looked down at the five thousand troops.

How much time had passed?

The voices that had been humming like a song gradually began to fade.

“……!”

Mojaseon’s senses reacted sensitively.

“You were right. The density of the fiery energy is thinning at an alarming rate.”

“Yes.”

“What should we do? The enemies are closer than before. It seems like they’re trying to move little by little.”

“What’s important is how many Supreme Masters the enemy has.”

Muk Bi looked at Mojaseon.

“Even if you go further in, will the enemy’s Supreme Master not notice?”

“If he’s stronger than me.”

Her words were filled with strong confidence. She believed that he would never be stronger than her.

Muk Bi looked down at the enemies again.

They were eating after finishing their prayer-like energy gathering. Although it was a very long distance, they seemed to be moving busily.

She looked up at the sky.

‘It’s getting dark.’

They wouldn’t move at night. Unless they knew there was an enemy on the other side.

‘But they’re not stupid enough not to send out scouts.’

Muk Bi quickly finished her thoughts.

“I will have the Jeyeong soldiers eat as well. After that, I will have them gather below this hill.”

“Does that mean?”

“The battle may begin.”

Mojaseon’s eyes sparkled.

“Tell me the plan.”

“After the Jeyeong soldiers come here, and when all preparations are complete, then you will move, Palace Lord. If there is someone stronger than you on the enemy side, we will either attack immediately or prepare carefully.”

“No matter what happens, we must prepare for battle.”

“That’s right.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to rest more?”

“If we rest more and the enemies try to move, we will have to fight below the hill. If not, we will have to retreat, and if we retreat with this force, we don’t know when we can launch a surprise attack.”

“Hmm.”

Mojaseon’s eyes turned cold.

“If the enemies don’t recognize me? Then will we continue to wait here?”

“That’s unlikely, but if that happens, you and I will have to go wild.”

The corners of Mojaseon’s mouth turned up.

She liked this archer.

“Prepare. I will prepare as well.”

“Yes.”

Muk Bi quickly went down to the Jeyeong soldiers.