Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1094

Thwack! Thwack! The cannonballs fired from the small cannons landed not at the front, but just behind it. The bodies of the Shinwha [Divine Harmony] followers, caught in the explosions, were horribly mangled. Though each of them had mastered the Scorching Yang Art, even a supreme master could not survive a direct hit from a cannon without any defense. Moreover, their small cannons, though small in size, had iron fragments embedded within the iron balls. The financial resources required to produce just one cannonball were measured in gold. Truly, a weapon befitting the imperial palace. Their firepower, compensating for their lack of martial prowess, displayed a power that even the Shinwha Cult could not withstand. As soon as they fired the cannons, the first line of troops moved them behind the hill, then connected two short staffs and a short spear to create an assembled long spear. The cannon unit instantly transformed into a long spear unit. The hundred Jeyeong [Imperial Guard] soldiers holding long spears lowered their stances just below the hill, and immediately the second line moved up, followed by the third line, which reloaded. ‘Fire!’ Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Systematic, fast, and powerful. The Jeyeong soldiers’ cannon formation, moving up in the second, third, and even fourth lines, was far faster and more organized than anyone had imagined. From the Shinwha Cult’s perspective, there was nothing they could do. The five thousand troops had already climbed to the mid-upper part of the hill. No matter how skilled they were in martial arts, there was no way they could retreat properly in such a situation. Geuk-Il, the leader of the Red Flame troop, shouted. ‘Rear troops, fall back! Front troops, advance at full speed!’ If everyone retreated, they would be swept away by the cannons and annihilated. The small cannons were powerful, but they had already suffered a huge loss in the terrain battle. Still, Geuk-Il’s judgment was correct. The surviving cultists at the front gritted their teeth and climbed the hill, while the rear troops retreated madly. Muk Bi’s eyes flashed. ‘Gang Ryang!’ Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! The sixth line of Jeyeong soldiers, who had fired cannons at the retreating rear troops, moved behind the fifth line and took out their hand crossbows. Though not as powerful as arrows shot by a master archer, these were special imperial weapons that could fire ten shots in a row thanks to their mechanical devices. Their range was not long, but their ability to fire ten shots in rapid succession and their portability made them incredibly powerful in small-scale battles. Pa-a-a-ang! The first to third lines were long spear units, the fourth and fifth lines were sword units, and the sixth and seventh lines were crossbow units. While the seventh line aimed the small cannons, Gang Ryang unleashed merciless sword strikes on the cultists rushing forward. Puhwaaaak! From the very start, he unleashed relentless sword strikes. The Ghost Fire Demon Sword Style, created through Yeon Ho-Jeong’s teachings, the enlightenment passed down by Yeon-Wi, and training with Jin Yang, exploded. Chwaaak! Chwaaaaak! The faces of the first line of Jeyeong soldiers, now a long spear unit, turned pale. Even in the tense and urgent battle, where blood was rushing to their heads, Gang Ryang’s swordsmanship, as he charged ahead alone and danced with his sword, was so brutal that it instilled fear in everyone. The curved, black sword energy was like a scythe harvesting grain. Each time the massive scythe swung left and right, the enemies at the front spurted blood and were cut in half. It was a particularly brutal attack, but it was necessary. The masters of the Shinwha Cult had mastered a technique called Hwajeong [Fire Essence], which allowed them to survive unless their heads were blown off or their internal organs were severely damaged. Gang Ryang’s swordsmanship had to be so brutal because he was prepared to cut them from head to torso. Then it happened. Jjeoooong! Geuk-Il, the leader of the first troop who had charged forward, blocked Gang Ryang’s sword strike with his long blade. ‘You damn infidels!’ ‘What did you say, you son of a bitch!’ Crack! ‘Cough!’ Geuk-Il staggered back. Pushing away the blade with his sword, Gang Ryang headbutted him in the nose. Geuk-Il, who had not expected a headbutt in this urgent moment, felt like his soul was leaving his body. Two swords slashed through the air. Flash! Geuk-Il’s blade grazed Gang Ryang’s shoulder, and Gang Ryang’s sword deeply cut into Geuk-Il’s side. Gang Ryang immediately moved to the next target. He considered his fight with Geuk-Il to be over. Geuk-Il shouted. ‘Hey, you bastard, where do you think you’re going!’ Geuk-Il, glaring at Gang Ryang with furious eyes, suddenly realized that he could not speak. ‘Huh?’ His vision began to tilt. And so, Geuk-Il died. Without even knowing why he was dying. The reason was simple. The moment he clashed with Gang Ryang, Muk Bi’s iron dart pierced through the back of Geuk-Il’s head. It was truly terrifying archery. Anyone who knew anything about the battlefield knew how terrifying an archer could be. Of course, even with the most powerful archery, there were limits to what one person could do, but Muk Bi’s archery was unrivaled. Her arrows, flying through the chaos of the battlefield, could bring even a master, or even a supreme master, to the brink of death. The string of the Crimson Lotus Bow twanged in rapid succession. Peobeobeobeok! Divine rapid-fire. The five iron darts, flying straight and curving, selectively pierced the heads of the most prominent masters in the melee. One of them was Geuk-Sam, the leader of the third troop. ‘Damn it!!’ Geuk-O, the leader of the fifth troop, shouted. ‘Geuk-Sa! We need to pull back the troops! We’ll be annihilated at this rate!’ Even as he called out Geuk-Sa’s name, Geuk-O felt his stomach churning. He didn’t know why he was thinking this in such an urgent situation, but… ‘That damn commander! Why did he give us such stupid names?!’ He had always been dissatisfied. He had a wonderful name, Horip-Pa. He had not lived under his own name for even three years since joining the cult. He was always Geuk-O, and he would always be Geuk-O. The reason was clear. Peoeok! The formless projectile, curving like a snake, struck and instantly blew off a part of Geuk-O’s left head. ‘Shit…’ He sensed his own death. From the moment he made eye contact with the archer woman far away, he knew that he would die no matter how he tried to avoid it. ‘Geuk-O!’ ‘Don’t call me, you bastards. I am Geuk-O…’ With that thought, Geuk-O’s body collapsed. The valiant warriors who had rampaged under Geuk-Pae were dying one by one. In particular, the five troop leaders were all those who had pioneered the Hwanshinji [Returning Spirit Realm], masters who were comparable to the supreme masters of the Central Plains. Who would have imagined that such masters would die so futilely? Geuk-I shouted. ‘Retreat! Retreat!’ Muk Bi shouted. ‘The enemy is retreating! Press the attack!’ Hearing her words, Han Bi stood at the front of the first line of long spear troops and drew his golden sword. ‘Jeyeong seventh line, advance!’ Krrrrrr! The Jeyeong soldiers’ speed as they descended the hill was incredibly fast. Of course. Whether the slope was steep or gentle, the speed of descent was naturally faster than the speed of ascent. At the front, Gang Ryang was cutting down the cultists, and the cultists, scattered like beasts, lost their lives to the Jeyeong soldiers’ long spear units, sword units, and then the crossbow units. The reserve troops from the eighth to tenth lines had not even fired their cannons yet. They were the troops reserved for the final moment, and judging by the battle situation, the tide had already turned. Muk Bi, who had been thoroughly assassinating key figures and commanding the entire battlefield. Finally, she kicked off the ground. Pa-a-a-ang! It was a refreshing leap, but her figure instantly flew to the center of the enemy. It was the pinnacle of lightness skill. It was the majesty of the first-class divine technique, Dragon Flight Instant Movement, which even the Black Blade Emperor had admired. Her eyes locked onto Geuk-Sa. Geuk-Sa’s face turned pale as he sensed Muk Bi’s ominous aura. ‘Kuaaaah!’ Tuh-eong! Geuk-Sa stepped on the shoulder of a cultist and soared into the air. But it was too late. Muk Bi’s speed in drawing her bow was as fast as lightning, and the difference in internal energy between the two was considerable from the start. The crimson energy surged into the Crimson Lotus Bow. It was as if a huge whirlwind had formed in the air. It felt as if all the air in the area was being sucked into the Crimson Lotus Bow. It was Muk Bi’s strongest archery technique, unleashed after a long time. The Dragon Fang Cannon, a technique of the Nine Dragons Destroying Heavens Bow. Peoeoeoeong! Kwang! The moment the Dragon Fang Cannon was fired, Geuk-Sa swung his sword, attempting to cut down the massive shockwave in one stroke. With a roar, the Dragon Fang Cannon split apart. The split Dragon Fang Cannon did not lose its momentum and rained down like hail, crushing more than a dozen Shinwha cultists. Geuk-Sa felt a pain that made him feel like his wrist and shoulder would break. But he had still managed to block it. That made him happy. ‘It’s nothing!’ Unfortunately, he had underestimated Muk Bi’s abilities too much. Peok! An iron dart pierced Geuk-Sa’s forehead. From the start, Muk Bi had not fired the Dragon Fang Cannon at full power. To truly unleash its maximum power, both feet had to be on the ground. She had fired the Dragon Fang Cannon while suspended in the air, and used the recoil to fly even higher. Geuk-Sa thought she had launched a fatal attack, but it was not even an attack, so the speed of her next shot was incredibly fast. Muk Bi, who had killed Geuk-Sa in an instant, looked around the world. It was as if she was flying in the sky. Allies and enemies looked as small as ants. She felt infinite freedom. For a brief moment, she thought how wonderful it would be if she could fly around with this momentum. Of course, that was not possible. She did not have the ability to do so, and besides, they were in the middle of a war. Pa-ba-ba-bak! As she fell, she frantically used Dragon Flight Instant Movement left and right to reduce her speed. It was a technique close to walking on air. She created shockwaves with the power of her divine technique and her outstanding internal energy, rather than enlightenment, and moved. Muk Bi’s Crimson Lotus Bow spat fire. Peobeobeobeobeok! The enlightenment she had learned from Tang Gwan had become even sharper. The sharp, formless projectiles indiscriminately killed the Shinwha cultists. ‘Whew, how flashy.’ Muk Bi’s martial arts, dominating the sky and killing the enemy. Gang Ryang smiled and swung his iron sword. He did not have Muk Bi’s fraudulent archery skills, but he had a wonderful swordsmanship that he had honed for a long time. ‘Come here, you bastard!’ Puhwaaak! Gang Ryang, who was charging while bathing in the enemy’s blood, was now chasing after Geuk-I. He did not know how many enemies had died. But he knew that only that one enemy commander remained. ‘Damn it! You infidels are so cowardly!’ ‘Where is there cowardice in war, you moron!’ Pa-a-a-ak! Gang Ryang, approaching Geuk-I with a ghostly divine technique, unleashed a series of sword strikes. Jjeojeojeojeojeong! Even if they were of similar skill, the one who retreated while blocking was bound to be at a disadvantage. Geuk-I’s body was pushed back madly. Huuuuuung! The fragmented sword energy swelled like a wave and enveloped Gang Ryang’s body. Gang Ryang, who had summoned six sword energies in an instant, flew like a drill and aimed for Geuk-I’s body. Jjeoooong! Peok! Peok! Clashing swords, exchanging blows. Geuk-I shouted. ‘Do you think I’m a joke!’ Peok! Three sword energies that had enveloped Gang Ryang’s body pierced Geuk-I’s side. ‘Yeah.’ Puk! The iron sword pierced Geuk-I’s heart. Geuk-I gritted his teeth and struck Gang Ryang’s head with the hilt of his sword. Gang Ryang’s forehead cracked and blood splattered. If his heart meridian had not been torn, his skull would have been crushed. The Ghost King True Energy carried by the iron sword exploded. Pa-ba-ba-bak! Geuk-I’s body was torn into dozens of pieces and scattered in all directions. And then, Mo Ja-Seon came from the rear, pressuring the enemies with her chilling martial arts. Gang Ryang gasped and muttered. ‘Th-this is possible.’ The battle on the blood-soaked slope. Half an hour later, not a single Shinwha cultist was alive below the hill.