Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1295

Muk Bi’s face turned cold.

Whack!

Her martial art of snatching the arrow with a single swing of her left hand was truly divine.

A technique close to catching a white blade with bare hands, it was an amazing feat of hand movement that only those who had reached the pinnacle of eyesight and reflexes could use.

‘Strong.’

Hisss.

A wisp of smoke rose from the hand that had caught the arrow.

Even with Hong Cheon-gi’s [a type of internal energy] inner energy, she felt considerable heat. The inner force itself was Yang-type [a type of energy associated with heat and activity], and the rotational force was also tremendous. An arrow of this caliber could easily pierce through a rock.

‘There’s an archer of this level, huh?’

The power of the arrow was one thing, but to accurately target her from that distance was another.

Moreover, it wasn’t a downward curve from above, but a curve that came from the left and turned to the right.

It meant that he was a strongman who could freely shoot arrows from any direction. There were only a handful of archers in Gwanil Valley who could shoot such precise and unconventional arrows.

“Stand by!”

Uwaaaaaaa!

Behind the Evil Sound Cult members with shields, cult members with huge greatswords lined up.

Even though it was only half the width of the coast, it was still a vast area. The momentum of the Evil Sound Cult members marching in formation was truly enormous.

However, the front-line troops of the Murim [martial arts world] did not feel any fear.

Their faces were filled only with the excitement and tension of battle, and no fear of the enemy could be found.

“Just a little more!”

Gok Gyeong’s shouts began to take on a demonic quality. He, too, was fired up at the prospect of a bloody battle.

And the moment the Evil Sound Cult members approached within ten yards of the Murim forces.

“Now!”

Crack!

With an ominous sound, large and thick anti-horse spears emerged from under the ground.

The anti-horse spears, which were densely packed for their size, were as wide as thirty yards. It was almost the width of the entire front line.

The Evil Sound Cult members were startled.

Of course, they could have stopped. No matter how dense they were, there were gaps between the sharply cut logs, and they could have avoided a terrible fate simply by jumping over them.

The problem was that they had been running in formation, maintaining their ranks.

“Dodge!”

“Jump!”

Flap flap flap!

Dozens of cult members jumped over the anti-horse spears. Some of the more agile ones even managed to jump on the iron plates between the anti-horse spears.

However, most of them could not. They knew that something unusual was happening, but those behind the front line, whose vision was blocked, had no choice but to run blindly.

Moreover, their allies were pushing in from behind, so they could not stop. The moment they stopped, they would be trampled to death by their allies, and even if they weren’t, it was obvious that the formation would be broken.

The result was horrific.

Crack crack crack!

“Aaaaaaah!”

“Aaaah!”

A shower of blood erupted with gruesome screams.

The number of cult members who were pierced and killed by the sharply cut logs reached one hundred. Subsequently, hundreds more were killed or injured as the formation broke down due to those who tried to stop, those who tried to jump over, and those who tried to break through the gaps.

It was the result of the combined power of the Murim and the military organization. The anti-horse spears, which were mostly designed for cavalry defense, had turned into more gruesome weapons when faced with the Murim’s rushing power and speed.

There were also cult members who managed to jump over or survive.

However, they were not unscathed.

“Kill them!”

“Kill!”

The Murim forces finally began to wield their swords.

The front-line troops unleashed powerful and simple slashes at the cult members who had jumped over the anti-horse spears.

That was enough. It was impossible to train the Murim people, who had all trained differently, into one unit now. So, they just had to make them do what they were best at as a group.

That was ‘swinging’.

From top to bottom, from bottom to top, from left to right, from right to left.

A simple slash could kill anyone if it was executed at the right moment. In this kind of infantry battle, the Evil Sound Cult’s vanguard cult members lost their lives in vain in front of the Murim forces, who had even mobilized anti-horse spears.

At that moment, Shinmo, the leader of the Spear Response Unit, shouted.

“Don’t even think about reorganizing the ranks!”

His voice, which had broken through the Martial Sect [a term for a martial arts school or group], shook the area.

“If it’s scattered, it’s scattered! Just don’t rush in first! We are strong enough!”

It was a simple message, but Shinmo’s shout came at the exact moment, like the front-line troops’ sword strikes.

All the front-line troops roared.

Following Yeon-wi, Gok Gyeong, and Muk Bi’s valiant efforts, the gunpowder attacks and the anti-horse spears, as well as the simple attacks, had killed many enemies.

Now, all that was left was a no-holds-barred melee, but it was more than enough to ignite the already high morale to the extreme. From the naval battle to now, the Evil Sound Cult’s casualties had already exceeded a thousand.

“Kill!!”

“Uwaaaaaaa!”

They shouted, but never charged. They became a solid wall, thoroughly holding their ground and cutting down the cult members who rushed at them.

Of course, the Evil Sound Cult members were not fools.

Ting! Thud!

“Cough!”

One cult member, who had deflected a sword with his shield, broke the necks of two Murim members in the front line with a leg technique.

Thwack!

On one side, a soldier shattered the chest of a Murim member with the edge of his shield.

Although they had been pierced by Muk Bi’s abnormal arrows, their shields, which were more solid and elastic than any ordinary iron shield, were weapons in themselves.

Moreover, the anti-horse spears had only been effective once. Due to the ground conditions, they could not be buried in a row, and even if they were pulled out one after another, the enemy was not foolish enough to be hit by them continuously.

The anti-horse spears, covered with countless corpses, were no longer visible. They had literally become a hill made of corpses, and the Evil Sound Cult members were jumping over them to attack the front-line troops.

A woman watching the scene from afar had a glint in her eyes.

‘Not good.’

The battles from the naval battle to now had unfolded admirably.

It was not just beyond expectations, but beyond imagination. They had killed the enemy so efficiently that it made one wonder if the Evil Sound Cult was actually stupid.

However, the unconventional tactics, which took into account the terrain and the state of the enemy and allies, were creating a flow, even if they were clumsy. To those who saw that flow, the current result was not so surprising.

The problem was what came next.

‘Morale can be a decisive factor in battle, or it can be nothing. The bigger problem is excitement.’

The woman, Bu-seon’s eyes, were cold.

‘They’re getting excited.’

Even though Gok Gyeong had told them to hold their ground, some of the troops in the front line were twitching and stepping forward one step at a time.

The spirit to protect this land, even at the cost of their lives, was good. However, that spirit should not become so excessive that it ignores the orders of the commander.

‘It’s enough to just receive the enemy’s attack in the first battle. But they have never fought as one before. Even if they are skilled, there are not many people with experience in large-scale battles.’

There are many people who perform their duties well without experience. However, if even a few people do not properly follow the military discipline, the army’s foundation will be shaken.

‘It was unavoidable, but it shouldn’t be like this already.’

She had come to this war after training like a dead person in the Black Emperor Fortress.

At first, she had poured out blood and sweat to train only in martial arts, and then she had spent the remaining half of the time reflecting on herself and completing her training through self-examination.

That self-examination had made her much more calm and composed than before.

Self-examination and enlightenment alone do not change a person, but it was possible for her. Because she was freed from the terrible burden of her life so far, she was finally able to look back at her true self.

And now, Bu-seon was complete as a ‘Black Path’ martial artist.

“Black Panther Unit!”

“Yes!”

The Black Panther Unit was one of the units that Yang Cheon had carefully trained during the Mukryongbu era. Although they were not as good as the Yongacheolgi Unit, they were an organization that was worthy of being called elite.

The biggest advantage of the Black Panther Unit was its flexibility. Each of them was a master of Kwonjang [a type of martial art] and a combat unit capable of assassination, and they also performed the role of a strike force.

“Follow me to the front!”

“Yes!”

At that moment, Hwang Seok-tae shouted.

“Where are you going!”

“The front is dangerous.”

With those words, Bu-seon and the Black Panther Unit slipped into the front-line troops.

Hwang Seok-tae clicked his tongue.

‘Is it unavoidable?’

He couldn’t stop Bu-seon, even if he could stop others.

It wasn’t because she was Yang Cheon’s disciple. It was because he recognized her abilities.

‘She’s always been second to none when it comes to sneaking in and cutting off the enemy’s breath.’

She was even the one who infiltrated and destroyed the Bota Hermitage in three years.

She couldn’t do it now, but she was born with the ability to shake the masses. She was hidden by the monstrous Yeon Ho-jeong, but Bu-seon was also a talent worthy of praise anywhere she went.

‘Let’s see if you can take the flow.’

As Bu-seon and the Black Panther Unit were spreading into the front-line troops, Muk Bi was fighting an enemy that could excite her for the first time in a long time.

Peeeeeeng!

The sound of the bowstring being plucked was one, but there were five arrows flying.

It wasn’t like the Dragon Claw Flash of the Nine Dragons Breaking the Heavens [a martial arts technique]. It was literally five archers simultaneously firing arrows, each targeting a different direction and threatening Muk Bi’s life.

Flap flap flap!

Based on her solid lower body, she moved only her upper body to dodge three arrows, and deflected or caught two arrows to neutralize the enemy’s attack.

‘Archery battle, huh?’

The existence of an archer, especially one who had mastered inner energy, was enough to change the course of the battle. Knowing this, they were targeting her.

Of course, Muk Bi had to target them as well. If those with such archery skills came in droves, the initial advantage would be reversed in an instant.

The Red Lotus Bow spat fire.

Peeeeeeeeeng! Thwack!

Muk Bi’s eyes sparkled.

‘One.’

She put one arrow in her mouth and placed two iron arrows on the bowstring.

Peepeeng!

The arrows, as if waiting for her, were shot at her forehead, heart, and thigh.

There was nowhere to hide on the upright rock. Muk Bi responded with divine martial arts.

Flap flap flap!

She lightly jumped up, kicked away the lower arrow with a leg technique, and tilted her upper body to dodge the remaining two.

With the eyes of a divine archer that could spot the enemy even while rotating, the Red Lotus Bow once again sent out iron arrows.

Peepeeng!

Two iron arrows shot in a curve to the left.

“Aaaah!”

One missed, and one hit accurately.

‘They’re skilled after all.’

It was the moment she put the arrow in her mouth back on the bowstring.

‘……?!’

Muk Bi’s eyes looked at the center of the Evil Sound Cult members who were advancing in formation.

She saw people with strange movements. They were moving with the formation, but there were people here and there who had the light footwork of trained archers.

Only then did Muk Bi realize. They had mixed archers among the infantry and devised a plan to capture her while she and the imperial archers were focused on this side.

‘They’re brave.’

If she hadn’t known, she would have been caught. She had to concentrate to hit those skilled people.

But now that she knew, their trick had become a foolish one.

Muk Bi shot an arrow.

Peeeng! Thud!

The arrow pierced the head of one of the archers mixed among the infantry.

At that moment, those who turned their heads or showed different movements were spotted in various parts of the formation.

Muk Bi shouted.

“Twenty-four! There are twenty-four archers mixed among the infantry! Imperial archers, shoot at the ones I point out!”