Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1294

“That’s incredible.”
Hwang Seok-tae clicked his tongue.

With his exceptionally keen eyesight, he could see most of the battle unfolding far away on the coast, even the gunpowder explosion at the shoreline.

“It’s the most spectacular battle I’ve ever seen. Truly, a master of the Supreme Path [a high level of martial arts cultivation].”

Though he said that, he knew this wasn’t simply because the Supreme Path had struck first.

“Everyone, prepare. The land battle will begin soon.”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The thousand members of the Iron Cavalry clashed their spears, burning with fighting spirit.

That wasn’t all.

The Black Emperor Fortress troops, forming a line at the front, also exuded killing intent. Their silence was even more terrifying.

It was a deliberate act.

In terms of simple combat or local skirmishes, the White Path martial artists were no match for the Black Path [a martial arts faction known for its ruthless methods]. For them, every day was a struggle, and battle was their life.

That’s why they knew how those with nowhere to retreat would act.

Most would either give up or surrender. But if the enemy pushed in, they would fight to the death.

However, an army led by a commander with strong morale or a sense of responsibility would display abilities beyond their normal limits.

The righteous martial forces at the front line were all filled with fighting spirit. Moreover, their core troops were small in number, but each was a well-trained warrior of the Yeon family.

In Gangso Province, the Yeon family’s influence was absolute. Although their family laws were strict, their dedication to the common people had even moved other martial sects within Gangso Province.

Furthermore, the Yeon family had built an immense reputation, now called the greatest family under heaven.

The eldest son, Yeon Ho-jeong, was known as the Black and White Emperor and had risen as a martial arts hero. His younger brother, Yeon Ji-pyeong, was a genius who had surpassed the Martial Ancestor [a legendary figure in martial arts] at a young age. Even the family head, Yeon-wi, had surpassed the Supreme Path and was called the Sword King.

It was rare for a family to achieve such great fame. Moreover, they weren’t just expanding their power; all three were traversing the world to protect the Central Plains [the heartland of the country]. Thus, the entire Gangdong martial world, beyond Gangso Province, respected and followed the Yeon family.

The troops at the front line were composed of such individuals. Although their numbers were fewer than the Black Emperor Fortress, their morale was greater than any other organization in the world.

Behind them, the Black Emperor Fortress was exuding killing intent. The Black Path martial forces’ killing intent would fuel their morale.

Those with nowhere to retreat, those who would protect this land even in death.

The killing intent of the rear guard, constantly reminding them that there was nowhere to retreat, was giving immense strength to the front-line troops.

“The battle will begin soon.”

Hwang Seok-tae glanced to his side.

Surprisingly, Yeon Ji-pyeong was there. Yeon Ji-pyeong’s eyes, sitting calmly on his warhorse, were composed.

“Shouldn’t you go? You haven’t even greeted your father.”

As he said, Yeon Ji-pyeong, who had come here with the Black Emperor Fortress supply unit, hadn’t even greeted Yeon-wi.

Yeon Ji-pyeong spoke in a calm voice.

“We are in the midst of battle. He is my father in private, but in public, he is the commander of the Gangso Province battle. We each stand in different places.”

His tone was incredibly mature.

Hwang Seok-tae was impressed by Yeon Ji-pyeong but also worried.

“Although it won’t happen, if either of you were to die in battle, it would be a great regret.”

He spoke bluntly, as was typical of a Black Path member.

Yeon Ji-pyeong didn’t waver.

“Even if it becomes a regret, this is the right thing for the battle. And if I go to my father, it will only be a hindrance.”

“A hindrance?”

“You may not see it, but my father is more sentimental than you think. Even if he tries not to, he might make unreasonable moves to save his son from danger.”

“……!”

“I will prepare for the second battle here. That is my role.”

Hwang Seok-tae thought,

‘He’s just like his lord’s brother.’

He had felt that Yeon-wi was very different from Yeon Ho-jeong. But he also felt that their strange free-spiritedness was identical.

Yeon Ji-pyeong was the same.

Yeon Ho-jeong was a passionate strategist with a rough temperament, combined with straightforwardness and coldness. In contrast, Yeon Ji-pyeong was a calm, kind-hearted young man with a lot of affection.

However, now, facing a major battle, Yeon Ji-pyeong was observing the situation with a coldness equal to Yeon Ho-jeong, even though the target was his own father.

‘They are truly amazing brothers. It’s a blessing to meet such people.’

Hwang Seok-tae turned his gaze back to the front.

“With that level of composure, I can fight alongside you with peace of mind. It will be difficult for you to understand our formation, so you’ll have to adapt to us. Can you do that?”

“I can.”

Overwhelming confidence.

It sounded as if he could do it with his eyes closed. Considering that the Yong-a Iron Cavalry’s formation was one of the most sophisticated and powerful in the Black Path, his words sounded not just bold but arrogant.

However, Hwang Seok-tae trusted Yeon Ji-pyeong.

He trusted his talent and composure, the blood of his lord.

“Good.”

Yeon Ji-pyeong, with his cold eyes, stared at the distant front line.

For a moment, his eyes trembled slightly.

‘Father.’

He saw his father rushing through the flames. He was heading to a distant, isolated hill, seemingly to circulate his energy, but his left arm was stained reddish, as if he had been injured.

‘You must not fall.’

His father had always been strict with him.

But after his martial arts had grown and he had experienced the world, his father had praised him more than ever.

At that moment, Yeon Ji-pyeong realized that his father was someone who could give his life for him.

It wasn’t just because he had praised him. It was because his experience had grown enough to see his father’s true feelings.

‘Neither my brother nor my father can fall in this dirty fight.’

Shortly after.

Uwaaaaaa!

With bizarre shouts, the Evil Sound Cult’s soldiers broke through the flames and entered the coast.

* * *

Muk Bi, who had arrived first and organized the ranks, immediately took a pill that was effective for recovering internal energy and deployed the archers.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the soldiers appeared.

“Fire!”

Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!

The imperial archers, thoroughly protected by the martial artists, fired their arrows.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The soldiers hit by the arrows fell on the spot.

Surprisingly, not a single arrow missed. Arrows aimed at the upper body pierced the heart, and those aimed at the head struck the space between the eyebrows without fail.

Without saying who they were targeting, each killed one person. Those who watched couldn’t understand how that was possible.

Then it happened.

Boom! Thud! Boom!

Fierce roars echoed from beyond the flames.

Muk Bi’s eyes trembled.

‘A desperate charge with no retreat.’

The coastline was wide, but the land route they could enter was only half as wide due to its narrowing shape.

It was an advantage for the martial forces. But they didn’t seem to care about that.

They didn’t disembark or settle down. They charged in without slowing down and threw themselves forward.

Many ships crashed and broke or tilted as they hit the shore. It seemed they had no intention of returning.

‘The command ships and warships won’t be able to do that. They must have brought a lot of supplies. They wouldn’t give that up like this.’

But the ordinary soldiers could. That was the Evil Sound Cult.

Whoosh!

The already fierce military discipline became even more intense.

Even after traveling on ships for a long time, they didn’t seem to feel any discomfort. The Evil Sound Cult members’ footwork, appearing through the fading flames, was incredibly stable.

“Fire! Fire more!”

Besides Muk Bi and the imperial archers, there were quite a few archers. They were selected from the Gangdong martial world.

Hundreds of arrows flew in arcs, falling on the heads of the cult members.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Ting! Ting!

“Kuaaaak!”

“Aaaak!”

There were far more unharmed than dead.

Muk Bi’s eyes flashed.

‘Shields?!’

That’s right.

The Evil Sound Cult members charging at the front were carrying large, round shields that covered their upper bodies. Among them, the soldiers wore a pair of shields slightly larger than their faces on the backs of their hands.

They were clearly not ordinary items. Thanks to those shields, there were fewer casualties.

Cling!

Muk Bi immediately drew a steel arrow and pulled the bowstring.

Whoosh!

The steel arrow, shot with a whirlwind, approached as if the face of the shield-bearing Evil Sound Cult member was being magnified.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The steel arrow pierced through the shield and the face, killing three Evil Sound Cult members before stopping.

It was a truly terrifying penetrating power. The archers and even the surrounding martial artists were surprised and looked at Muk Bi.

But Muk Bi’s face was serious.

‘Only three.’

Two shields, three heads.

It was a strike imbued with the full power of the Crimson Heaven Energy, developed from a fragment of the Yellow Dragon Divine King Art [a powerful martial arts technique]. She had even used a steel arrow instead of an invisible projectile.

Yet, it was only three.

Normally, it would have pierced through ten people in a straight line.

‘The shields’ strength is that great. Each shield must have the durability of at least two or three human bodies.’

Muk Bi placed another steel arrow on the bowstring.

The first shot was a preliminary shot to test the shield’s durability.

Whoooooosh!

The fiercely gathering energy vibrated the Crimson Lotus Bow and the entire steel arrow.

Muk Bi’s ultimate technique, the Nine Dragons Breaking Heaven Bow, was being deployed.

Whoooooosh!

The surrounding air swirled as if it was madly gathering at the tip of the steel arrow.

‘Dragon Claw Flash.’

Whoosh!

The shot steel arrow instantly multiplied into five.

It wasn’t that they actually multiplied. It was that two invisible projectiles were moving alongside the central arrow, one on each side.

It was a move of the Nine Dragons Breaking Heaven Bow with five claws. Its power wasn’t particularly outstanding, but it was powerful because it deployed invisible projectiles that were difficult to see.

Those who couldn’t properly use invisible projectiles couldn’t even begin to learn it. Because the main arrow was visible to the naked eye, it was difficult to block even if one sensed the presence of the invisible projectiles.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The steel arrow blew off the heads of three Evil Sound Cult members and pierced the thighs of four others.

The faces of the cult members whose thighs were pierced turned pale. It had completely penetrated their muscles, bones, nerves, and even the main arteries.

Muk Bi continuously placed steel arrows. There were hundreds of steel arrows prepared as supplies, and even more wooden arrows.

‘The control of internal energy is important. I don’t know how long the battle will last.’

Each time the bowstring was pulled, two or three, or even up to five, Evil Sound Cult members were killed.

The imperial archers who followed her were also highly skilled, and the martial archers’ shots were also a great threat to the Evil Sound Cult members.

‘If this continues, we can greatly reduce the enemy’s strength. But…’

Muk Bi’s eyes blazed.

‘It won’t be that easy.’

Her premonition was accurate.

Rumble.

An ominous sound.

Beyond the fading flames, most of the Evil Sound Navy’s front line stopped near the coast.

Gok Gyeong’s eyes flashed.

“They’re going to push in! Everyone, prepare for battle!”

Then it happened.

Whoosh!

An arrow shot from the left front flew in a huge arc, heading towards Muk Bi’s forehead.