Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1142

Rumble!

A lone cavalryman, charging in formation, suddenly unleashed a furious horizontal sweep, tearing through the enemy lines.

Yeon Ho-jeong, astride a massive steed as dark as the shaft of his giant axe, was an overwhelming force on the open battlefield.

Though they shared blood, Yeon Ho-jeong’s martial arts differed vastly from Yeon Wi’s.

Yeon Wi’s divine sword techniques thrived not on the plains, but in mountains or cities. The unpredictable nature of his swordsmanship was a terror to his foes.

However, Yeon Ho-jeong’s martial arts, which obliterated enemies with raw destructive power, were better suited to the plains than mountains or cities.

The same held true for the masters of the Divine Flame Church.

‘Different.’

Chal Geuk-pyeong, having avoided Yeon Wi and now facing Yeon Ho-jeong’s army, clicked his tongue at the martial arts of this new era’s martial god.

‘That guy’s martial arts aren’t focused on qi [internal energy]. In a way…’

Chal Geuk-pyeong’s gaze shifted to the distant right flank of the battlefield.

The divine sword and fist god, Cheol Heum-gi, was pursuing the unit led by Oh Hwa-wang.

‘It’s like combining those two.’

Chal Geuk-pyeong, with his well-developed upper dantian [energy center in the head], could see it. Yeon Ho-jeong’s martial arts were fueled by the power of his upper dantian, which had surpassed the limits of human will, before the combination of powerful internal energy and destructive weapon techniques.

‘It only looks like that, but the upper, middle, and lower are perfectly unified. Unlike us, who dream of perfection without correcting the unbalanced three dantians after ascending to the Heavenly Flower [a high level of martial arts cultivation].’

Fwoooosh!

Even while pondering, Chal Geuk-pyeong unleashed a series of Blazing Divine Palms and Hell King’s Eight Fists.

Yeon Ho-jeong didn’t miss the attack. While smashing through the enemy’s vanguard, he sent the Black and White Twin Dragon Axes like a phantom, nullifying Chal Geuk-pyeong’s attacks.

Yet, he was unwavering. It wasn’t just a metaphor; it was as if a true god of martial arts had descended, seeing and reacting to everything.

‘…’

Chal Geuk-pyeong sighed inwardly.

‘This won’t do.’

Overwhelming the enemy with superior force in one fell swoop.

That was the basic formula for victory. To overcome the enemy outside of that formula, a brilliant strategy was needed.

But right now, they had no such strategy, and it was difficult to hope for any variables.

‘This won’t do. We can’t divide our forces again.’

When he sensed defeat in the western battle, he had divided his forces to make one last attempt to capture the Imperial Palace.

‘This battle is a failure.’

Even if there were many forces left in the Imperial Palace, he was confident he could push them back if he broke through the walls. It wasn’t a battle on the plains, and he knew the inside of the Imperial Palace well.

However, if they engaged in a war of attrition like this without breaking through, it would ultimately be a pyrrhic victory at best.

‘I didn’t want to give up until the very end, but…’

He wanted to lead the first battle to victory.

That was probably the same for everyone, but among them, the Divine Flame Church had to win the first battle. The very reason this war had started was because of the Divine Flame Church.

‘In the current situation, it’s better to maintain our forces than to reduce the enemy’s numbers by even one.’

The answer was clear.

But he hesitated. That’s how important this battle was.

‘No, I can’t delay any longer.’

Chal Geuk-pyeong took out a small signal tube from his pocket and pointed it towards the sky.

Poof!

A signal tube that was neither flashy nor loud. It was a retreat order for Cheol Heum-gi.

Swoosh!

Chal Geuk-pyeong, who had been attacking Yeon Ho-jeong while mixed in with his allies, flew to the vanguard in an instant and shouted.

“Stop!”

It was a shout that poured out all of his internal energy.

The vanguard, who were about to charge, hesitated, and Yeon Ho-jeong, who had been launching a furious offensive with the Golden Sky Cavalry, also calmed his Black Blood Divine Steed.

Whoosh!

Chal Geuk-pyeong’s body was still overflowing with powerful fire energy.

Although he had suffered great losses in the fight against Yeon Wi, his skills were so outstanding that even the strongest in the Central Plains could not guarantee victory. Recovering internal energy with a few breaths was not something unique to Yeon Ho-jeong or the Saintly Heavens.

“You must be the one called Yeon Ho-jeong.”

Chal Geuk-pyeong’s voice was unusually calm. It was as if he had given up on everything.

Wiping the blood from his face, Yeon Ho-jeong replied.

“That’s right.”

“I am Chal Geuk-pyeong of the Divine Flame Church.”

“Are you trying to introduce yourself now?”

His voice was full of ease.

He was not in his best condition due to internal injuries and extreme internal energy consumption, but due to his burning momentum, he looked even healthier than Chal Geuk-pyeong.

Chal Geuk-pyeong’s eyes deepened.

“I’ll get straight to the point. We’re going to withdraw now.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes sparkled.

“Are you admitting defeat?”

It was in front of everyone. No matter how composed a person was, they couldn’t admit that.

“Of course not. You know that if the fight continues, you’ll all die too, right?”

“Therefore, we can guarantee our victory. You know, right? That the Imperial Palace is full of reserve forces.”

“Even a bleeding tiger won’t be defeated by a pack of cats.”

“Then why don’t we just take down that tiger first?”

It meant that he would definitely kill him, and in fact, Yeon Ho-jeong had led the battle so far to force Chal Geuk-pyeong to step forward.

Chal Geuk-pyeong tilted his head.

“Are you confident?”

In an instant, a murderous intent filled Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes.

“You bastards, did you come here with your troops because you were confident? And now you’re retreating quietly without even capturing your target? Is that also because you’re confident?”

“…”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Retreat? You’re all going to die here.”

Flash!

The golden aura that erupted from Yeon Ho-jeong’s body had already formed a giant dragon shape.

The giant dragon’s head, which rose up, scattering golden powder like smoke, was looking down at the Divine Flame Church’s forces like a celestial god.

The will and murderous intent that soared with anger moved the Divine King’s Qi [life force], shaping the Yellow Dragon itself. It was not something created by squeezing out internal energy to show off, but a manifestation of the internal energy itself, possessing spirituality and revealing its form.

It was the power of the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art, rooted in the Hellish Void Art, and it was real. The Yellow Dragon’s appearance, which had become larger and more majestic than before, was no exaggeration to say that it was Yeon Ho-jeong himself.

‘Amazing.’

Chal Geuk-pyeong’s eyes trembled slightly.

‘He’s not just saying that because of the momentum.’

He was more injured than himself, and his internal energy consumption was also extreme.

Chal Geuk-pyeong was confident that he could defeat Yeon Ho-jeong. He had been until he saw that form.

But now?

‘He really was confident.’

It wasn’t a mutual destruction. He was genuinely planning to kill him and annihilate the Divine Flame’s army.

It was surprising that it wasn’t a meaningless display of arrogance. A master of that level would be able to sense the difference between them at a glance, yet he had his own conviction.

Chal Geuk-pyeong knew that the opponent’s conviction was due to the unfathomable martial arts he had mastered.

And also because of himself.

‘My momentum has been broken.’

He had considered this battle, this army, as himself.

But even if he combined the five thousand cavalry led by Cheol Heum-gi and the fire spirits he led, there were less than twelve thousand left. Out of the twenty-five thousand troops he had brought, thirteen thousand had been sacrificed.

In the process, many of those who were considered elites within the Divine Flame Church, except for the five thousand in the vanguard, had died.

This was fatal. Even if they won the war against the continent later, the Divine Flame Church would have to be wary of the eyes of the Four Evils and the Blood Demon for the time being, even if they tried to expand their influence.

And… if they were to engage in a mutual destruction with the Imperial Palace forces now, that time would be extended even further.

Chal Geuk-pyeong let out a bitter laugh.

“I poked a fire starter and got a boulder thrown at me.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I don’t want to know. Are you ready to die?”

“Then how about this?”

“What?”

“If we end this battle now, we won’t touch the continent for the next three years.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s lips curled up.

“Since when did you become the sect leader?”

“Of course, I’m not the sect leader.”

“You’re not the sect leader, so why are you talking nonsense?”

“To be honest, even if I say this, the sect leader won’t allow it.”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t either.”

“But I and the forces I lead will not attack the continent. For three years.”

Yeon Ho-jeong frowned.

Chal Geuk-pyeong continued calmly.

“What do you think? Isn’t it a rather tempting offer?”

Chal Geuk-pyeong personally and the forces he led would not attack the Central Plains?

Even at first glance, it was a nonsensical statement. Even if Chal Geuk-pyeong was like that, Yeon Ho-jeong did not know what kind of forces he led.

Even if he led a large army, even if he lied that only some of them were his forces, there was no way for them to know.

In other words, the offer Chal Geuk-pyeong had made could not be a promise. That was common sense.

However, if it was limited to Chal Geuk-pyeong personally, the story would be a little different.

In fact, they could ignore the talk about invading with a large army. What Yeon Ho-jeong was focused on was the existence of Chal Geuk-pyeong himself.

Chal Geuk-pyeong was a master. How much of a master? He was a master that even the Three Armies and Four Kings, not to mention the Three Emperors, would have difficulty guaranteeing an overwhelming victory against.

The existence of such a master would affect the course of the battle. Although he had brought fifty trained cavalrymen, it was not certain what would have happened in the Shaanxi battle if the Spear King So Hyun-rip had not appeared.

The problem was that even that could not be trusted.

“Would the sect leader allow that?”

“He will have no choice but to allow it.”

“Why?”

“Because I will swear on the name of the Fire God.”

Yeon Ho-jeong snorted.

“Whether you swear on the name of the Fire God or your parents’ lives, do you think I’ll believe it?”

“It’s a word spoken on the battlefield. It’s a promise that can guarantee the lives of ten thousand people.”

“No matter how you say it, I won’t believe it. Would you believe it if you were me?”

Chal Geuk-pyeong spoke honestly.

“Yes. I know. I wouldn’t believe it either if I were me.”

Yeon Ho-jeong, who had been staring at Chal Geuk-pyeong, said to Lee Gwang.

“Move the Golden Sky Cavalry a hundred paces back.”

“Understood.”

Yeon Ho-jeong pointed his chin at Chal Geuk-pyeong’s back.

Chal Geuk-pyeong opened his mouth.

“Everyone, retreat a hundred paces.”

“Understood!”

Shortly after, the two armies that had retreated arrived a hundred paces away and took up positions.

Chal Geuk-pyeong frowned.

“Why are you moving the army back to say something?”

“Do you like it?”

“What?”

“Do you like the Divine Flame Church as it is now?”

“…I have no reason to answer that to you.”

“Although I’ve never prayed to a fire ball while groveling and calling it a god, I’m sure that when Gi Cheon-ung was the leader of the Divine Flame Church, it was much better than it is now.”

“…”

“I want to hear your answer. Was it really like that?”

Chal Geuk-pyeong’s eyes turned cold.

“Do you want to call me a traitor?”

“Is it true or not?”

“I have nothing to say to you about that.”

“I see.”

Clang.

Yeon Ho-jeong, with the Twin Dragon Axes slung over his shoulder, and the Yellow Dragon that had appeared behind him, had disappeared.

“You won’t step onto the battlefield for three years?”

“That’s right.”

“You understand that I don’t believe that, right?”