Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 247

“Huk!”

Kyung-san, the leader of the Four Soul Squad, was so shocked his eyes nearly popped out.

Pow pow pow!

He deflected all the scattering stone fragments and wood splinters with a single narrow-bladed sword.

It was an incredible display of swordsmanship. To deflect so many stones and pieces of wood with a narrow-bladed sword, which was specialized for thrusting rather than cutting, meant his swordsmanship had reached a master level.

And that wasn’t all.

The entire Four Soul Squad were masters of swordsmanship. Moreover, they had trained in a special internal energy technique that allowed them to recover their depleted energy with just a few breaths. They had also mastered martial arts specialized in crushing power, capable of shattering any powerful technique.

In other words, the Four Soul Squad was a martial force specialized in fighting against masters. Furthermore, the Four Soul Squad had never failed a mission before.

However, the situation was not good now.

The ones they were facing were not masters who relied solely on their own strength, but an army.

Phew-woo-woo-woong! Thwack!

It was invisible to the eye.

A single iron arrow shot through the darkness pierced the head of one of the Four Soul Squad members.

It was terrifying archery. Kyung-san shouted.

“There’s an archer! Close the distance and take out the archer first… !”

Thwack!

A single iron spear sent another Four Soul Squad member flying.

It was truly terrifying power. The charge of the warhorse, combined with the spear techniques of the fastest martial artist who had trained in the Amisan Sect’s rising martial arts, was lethal in itself.

And she wasn’t alone.

Clang clang clang!

The spear techniques of ten spearmen moving as one were incredibly destructive.

It was the charge of the vanguard spearmen, led by Song Yeon-kyung and the Amisan Sect’s spear masters. The barrage of Demon-Slaying Spears pouring down from horseback was pushing the entire Four Soul Squad backward.

Terrifying power, murderous martial arts.

“Scatter!”

At Kyung-san’s shout, the Four Soul Squad split to the left and right.

Kwarururung!

Kyung-san, who was about to give the order to attack, felt his mouth go dry for a moment.

Behind the spearmen pushing from the center, about forty mounted soldiers charged, splitting precisely in half. It was as if the warhorses knew they would be divided, their movements were so immediate.

Whoooosh!

The light illuminating the darkness emitted a chilling murderous intent.

Every single soldier had infused their weapons with extreme true energy [internal energy]. The sharp edges of swords and blades shone in the moonlight, brilliantly illuminating the wide mountain path.

Muk Bi shouted.

“Charge!”

Hee hee hee hee hee!

With the sound of horses neighing that shook the heavens and the earth, the soldiers simultaneously swung their weapons.

Clang clang clang! Kwaang!

Kyung-san’s eyes trembled.

‘They’re strong!’

The Four Soul Squad members gathered and shattered or deflected the enemy’s attacks.

Yet, they were being pushed back. The force of the onslaught was so strong that a perfect defense was impossible.

‘Damn it! The terrain… !’

They had clashed in a place where they shouldn’t have. The Four Soul Squad was climbing the mountain path, while the suddenly appearing Myeolsa Army was pressing down from above.

No matter how skilled the Four Soul Squad was, they couldn’t exert their full strength in such unfavorable terrain.

It was then.

‘Murderous intent?’

Kyung-san instinctively lowered his head.

Phew-woong! Thwack! Kwaang!

It was a spine-chilling moment.

The iron arrow that grazed Kyung-san’s hair pierced through the chest of a Four Soul Squad member and destroyed the base of the tree behind him.

Kyung-san was speechless at the truly jaw-dropping power.

‘This is too strong. How can there be such archery in the world…?!’

Kwarururung!

“Kuaaaak!”

Finally, a scream rang out.

It wasn’t from the Myeolsa Army. It was a scream from a member of the Four Soul Squad.

Swish!

Yeo Guk, having plunged his sword into the chest of a Four Soul Squad member, cleanly severed his head.

It was a clean and murderous sword strike. The martial arts of Kunlun, known as the holy land of swordsmanship, were being deployed as lethal killing techniques.

Kyung-san yelled.

“What are you doing?! If it’s a group battle, you’re not inferior!”

In an instant, the eyes of the Four Soul Squad members changed.

Paah!

They scattered at a terrifying speed.

Some members climbed trees, while others soared high into the air, and some dug deep into the ground.

The Four Soul Squad, who had lost their composure due to the sudden appearance of the enemy, finally began to show the skills befitting their name as the ‘Death Squad.’ The scattered members swung their narrow-bladed swords at the Myeolsa Army.

It was then.

Peep peep peep! Pow pow pow!

“Kyak!”

“Keok!”

Seven members of the Four Soul Squad, who were about to launch an attack from the air, were sent flying backward, spitting blood.

A coldness emanated from Muk Bi’s eyes.

“How dare you.”

Formless Bullet Seven-Shot.

It was an advanced level of martial arts that used internal energy to shoot formless arrows. Although it didn’t have the same power as real arrows, it had enough destructive force, and especially the advantage of being able to fire in rapid succession.

“Cough!”

The Four Soul Squad members who were sent flying coughed up blood again.

No one had died. But not a single one had escaped internal injuries.

Kyung-san’s face twisted horribly.

Muk Bi shouted.

“Don’t hold back, kill them all!”

Kwarururung!

After the divine archery, it was a powerful cavalry charge. The Myeolsa Army soldiers scattered and swung their weapons at the Four Soul Squad members.

Clang clang clang! Kwaang! Thwack!

It was terrifying power.

They were strong before, but the current Myeolsa Army was different from the past.

It was as if they had undergone some kind of training in the past few months. Even in mountain warfare, where mobility was a disadvantage, they were naturally overwhelming their enemies.

It was truly a case of man and horse becoming one. It was as if they had been trained for mounted combat from the very beginning, showing the battle prowess of seasoned veterans.

Kiiiiiing!

The narrow-bladed sword extended by a Four Soul Squad member collided with Yoon Ho’s shoulder guard and bounced off.

It wasn’t luck. Yoon Ho had skillfully twisted his body to block the narrow-bladed sword with his shoulder guard.

The eyes of the Four Soul Squad member widened.

Yoon Ho’s sword blazed.

Chwaaaaaak!

A chillingly sharp sword strike tore the Four Soul Squad member’s body into five pieces.

The power of the charging cavalry, combined with the trained killing techniques and the internal energy of the Hwasan Sect, made power crushing techniques useless. The strength of the Four Soul Squad was their quick reactions and strong teamwork, but scattered like this, they couldn’t exert their full power.

Thwack!

Cheok Gang’s brutal sword strike blew off the arms and legs of a Four Soul Squad member.

Kwaaang!

Dong Ho’s bamboo leaf strike, taking advantage of an opening, crushed the face of a Four Soul Squad member.

It was a series of brutal attacks.

But there was no wavering in their eyes. They had changed so much.

Cheok Gang, who had been endlessly passionate, Dong Ho, who used to vomit at the smell of blood, and Yoon Ho, who was always full of mischief.

All of them had transformed into demons of the battlefield. Regardless of their actual personalities, in battle, they moved like killing machines, only thinking about how to slaughter the enemy.

Hwaaaak!

A fiery aura, like a blazing flame, created a tyrannical storm that seemed capable of shattering mountains.

Kwaaaang!

Three Four Soul Squad members were sent flying backward by a powerful horizontal sword strike.

It was a martial art of brute force, a swordsmanship of iron and blood. It was the scene created by Peng Man-ho’s actions.

“These bastards…”

Pang Man-ho was different from the other soldiers.

His face was twisted, and his eyes burned like fire, resembling those of a demon.

“How dare you harm my brother!!”

That’s right.

Originally, the Myeolsa Army could have killed the enemy more efficiently. But now, they were focusing more on power and brutal attacks than efficiency.

It was because they were angry.

A cold anger that was not visible on the surface, but was suppressed and suppressed again. It was because the Four Soul Squad had tried to kill Yeon Ho-jeong.

Their first impression wasn’t very good, but now, Yeon Ho-jeong was more than just a superior to them. It was because of him that the Myeolsa Army existed, and thanks to him, all the soldiers in the Myeolsa Army had gained invaluable experience as true masters.

To them, Yeon Ho-jeong was truly a leader worthy of the name.

And these strange bastards, who they didn’t even know where they came from, were trying to kill him. It was only natural that they couldn’t contain their anger.

Pang Man-ho shouted.

“I’ll crush you all!”

The massive swords and spears, and the swirling power, swept over the Four Soul Squad.

Kwarururung! Kwaaang!

Certainly, the Four Soul Squad was not ordinary.

Even though they were scattered and unable to exert their full strength, they were one of the elite forces under the Mukryong Group. Even without deliberately unleashing their divine skills, they were the ones that even Yeon Ho-jeong couldn’t completely annihilate in half a shichen [an ancient Chinese unit of time, roughly equivalent to two hours].

“Kill! Kill!”

“Don’t fall back! Hold on!”

“What are you doing?! Aim for the horses!”

It was an unexpected clash. The Four Soul Squad was also a death squad that moved under Yang Cheon’s orders. They wouldn’t be easily pushed back.

At that moment, Muk Bi’s Crimson Lotus Bow unleashed a threatening flame.

Thwack! Thwack!

In such a chaotic battle, the power exerted by an archer like Muk Bi was enough to tip the scales of victory.

With a single, careful shot, she had already blown off the heads of five Four Soul Squad members.

Her attacks were so fast and sharp that there was no time to crush the power. Perhaps Muk Bi was a more difficult opponent for the Four Soul Squad than Yeon Ho-jeong.

It was then.

“You bitch!”

Whoosh!

Muk Bi’s eyes flashed.

Kyung-san was already right in front of her. It was as if he had used some kind of stealth technique, she hadn’t sensed his presence until he was so close.

“Die!”

In an instant, Muk Bi’s body moved gracefully.

Bang!

“Kuk!”

Kyung-san retreated five steps.

She had used her leg techniques while holding the reins in one hand and the horse’s head in the other. To use leg techniques of this power while on a swaying horse was unbelievable.

Soon, Muk Bi drew her bow.

Tat tat tat tang!

Five formless bullets exploded on the ground and trees.

Kyung-san was not just any leader. He dodged all of Muk Bi’s formless bullets, and his movement as he approached was so exquisite that it was admirable.

Whoosh!

Kyung-san, who had approached again, aimed for Muk Bi’s legs.

Muk Bi’s eyes blazed.

Clang!

Kyung-san’s eyes widened.

The narrow-bladed sword, which should have pierced through Muk Bi’s thigh, was blocked by something and bounced backward.

‘An arrow?’

No. This wasn’t an arrow.

Kyung-san quickly checked Muk Bi’s hand and gaped.

‘A spear!!’

That’s right.

Muk Bi, who had already put the Crimson Lotus Bow on her back, was now holding a short spear in her hand.

It wasn’t the long spear used by the Amisan Sect’s spear masters. The four-foot-long short spear looked too short at first glance, but it was light and flexible.

Muk Bi said in a cold voice.

“Did you think you’d have a chance if you got close?”

“…You bitch!”

Muk Bi thrust the short spear powerfully.

Whoosh! Clang!

Kyung-san gritted his teeth.

‘What kind of internal energy is this?!’

The penetrating power was immense.

Power crushing techniques were not working properly. Just looking at her internal energy, no, her skill itself, it was as difficult as facing a supreme master.

Muk Bi yelled.

“Don’t do useless things and kill them all! We didn’t come here to vent our anger!”

At her commanding shout, the eyes of all the Myeolsa Army members flashed.

Kwaaang!

The Myeolsa Army, changing their minds and focusing on annihilation in the shortest time possible.

With a dazzling charge, they pushed the Four Soul Squad, and the momentum of the Four Soul Squad, who had belatedly begun to respond properly, became precarious in an instant, as if swept away by a wave.

Thwack! Thwack! Swish!

The Four Soul Squad members fell one by one, losing their lives.

In the end, Kyung-san had to make a decision.

He had to give the order that he absolutely didn’t want to give.

“Everyone, retreat… !”

At that moment, a chilling voice was heard.

“That won’t do.”

Charrrrrr! Thwack!

The iron chain, flying at an incredible speed, pierced through Kyung-san’s lower abdomen.

“Keoheok!”

Kyung-san, groaning, knelt down, and a young man with a huge axe on his shoulder appeared before him.

The Myeolsa Army Commander, the Death God General.

The death general, whose brutal title suited him much better than the name Yeon Ho-jeong, had finally regained his power.

“I can’t let you live after seeing my face.”

Muk Bi immediately threw the short spear.

Thwack!

The short spear pierced Kyung-san’s chest.