Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 688

Boom!

Hwang Seok-tae, Dong-gwon, Shin-hyu, and Yongho Jin-in’s attacks were incredibly fast and powerful.

However, they couldn’t capture Squad Leader Lee and Squad Leader Sa. If it were a life-or-death arena with all sides blocked, it might have been possible, but they were in the middle of a war.

Squad Leader Lee and Squad Leader Sa leaped off the cliff without hesitation, and the four masters’ attacks cut through the air meaninglessly.

It was then.

Boom!

A fierce sonic boom was heard along with a chilling sound of tearing through the air.

Hwang Seok-tae shouted,

“Evade!”

Shwaaa!

Shin-hyu, instinctively swinging his sword, immediately realized his judgment was wrong.

Shhh!

A small, translucent wire mesh wrapped around Shin-hyu’s body.

It was called a wire mesh, but the thickness of the net was only slightly thicker than a thread. Moreover, due to some treatment on the surface, the wire mesh that wrapped around Shin-hyu’s body showed no sign of coming off.

“Kuh!”

Shin-hyu staggered.

That was also a mistake. Every time he moved his body slightly, the wire mesh dug deeper into his flesh and muscles.

Dong-gwon shouted,

“Junior Brother!”

“Don’t touch him!”

Hwang Seok-tae stopped Dong-gwon with his Red Dragon Spear.

“It’s too late!”

Bubbling.

Shin-hyu’s entire body was bound in the net and covered in blood.

He belatedly tried to gather his inner energy, but it was already too late. It seemed that the wire mesh that had dug into his flesh was coated with a potent poison, and Shin-hyu’s face quickly turned dark.

A moment later.

Thud thud thud!

With a gruesome sound, Shin-hyu’s body was shattered into pieces and scattered on the ground.

“……!!”

It was a horrific sight that even seasoned masters rarely witnessed.

Shock spread across Dong-gwon’s face, and Yongho Jin-in gritted his teeth.

It was then.

Bang! Thump thump!

The Blood Wolf Squad’s relentless offensive was exquisite.

As soon as one of the enemy’s commanders died, they fired fire arrows as if they had been waiting for it. Unlike before, their targets were Hwang Seok-tae and Dong-gwon, the leaders of Cheongmok Cliff.

Their ability to read the rhythm was monstrously sharp. Even without the squad leaders’ orders, they acted as one and employed proactive tactics. It was a tactical prowess rarely seen in any of the Central Plains’ sects.

Dong-gwon cried out in a tearful voice,

“You bastards!!”

At that moment, Yongho Jin-in hugged Dong-gwon and rolled on the ground.

At the same time, Hwang Seok-tae’s spear erupted in flames.

Thump thump thump thump!

A spectacular explosion occurred in the air.

The spear techniques of the Iron Cavalry Commander, the strongest unit of the Black Dragon Army, were invincible and could change in a myriad of ways as needed.

Most of the fire arrows lost their way and exploded due to the wide-ranging spear strikes.

Thud! Bang!

Some of them lost their power due to the formation pressure of the swordsmen in the rear, and some exploded on the cliff, creating large flames.

Hwang Seok-tae shouted,

“Don’t panic! Absolutely do not let them come up here!”

Kwaaang!

No sooner had he spoken than Squad Leader Hwahan reappeared.

Hwang Seok-tae and Hwahan’s eyes met in the air.

At that moment, both instinctively realized that they were destined to face each other in this battle, that one of them would surely die in a life-or-death struggle.

The two’s spears and swords clashed head-on.

Clang!

With a loud explosion, the two staggered back.

Hwang Seok-tae took another step back, but considering that Hwahan was the one who attacked first, it could be said that their martial arts were equal.

Hwahan shouted,

“Everyone, come up!”

The low, resonant voice was that of an experienced wolf pack leader.

Hwang Seok-tae and Yongho Jin-in swung their spears and swords at Hwahan.

There was nowhere to avoid. It was burdensome to block, and to evade, they would have to go back down the cliff.

However, Hwahan made a surprising decision.

Clang!!

He swung his massive sword with his inner energy pushed to its limit, managing to block the two’s martial arts.

Although he blocked it, he suffered considerable damage. His complexion turned pale, and blood was visible at the corners of his mouth. He had suffered internal injuries.

Hwang Seok-tae’s eyes deepened.

‘This guy!’

He was not someone who cared about his own safety.

If he had retreated from this attack, the enemy’s momentum would have been broken once again. Hwahan endured the attacks of the two masters, even at the cost of internal injuries, buying time for the Blood Wolf Squad to climb while preventing their morale from dropping.

Swoosh!

Finally.

The Blood Wolf Squad members began to appear one by one on the cliff.

Yongho Jin-in asked,

“What are we going to do?!”

Hwang Seok-tae swung his Red Dragon Spear and shouted,

“We must stop them until the end! Our advantage remains unchanged!”

“Wouldn’t it be better to bring more troops and overwhelm them…?”

“We don’t have any troops to deploy!”

“How can that be? The Plum Blossom Swordsmen and the Spear Masters are still here, aren’t they?”

“The Spear Masters are in charge of defending the main camp! The Plum Blossom Swordsmen have been sent elsewhere!”

“Sent elsewhere? Where to?!”

Thud!

Hwang Seok-tae, having blown off the head of a Blood Wolf Squad member, said with a grim face,

“To the most important place.”

* * *

“It’s over there.”

A cold aura emanated from Blood Wolf Squad Leader Habok’s eyes.

He had quietly led four hundred troops to the secret paths of the Jongnam main mountain [a famous martial arts sect].

Myeong Geuk and Habok had identified most of the secret passages and side paths near Jongnam Mountain, and Habok had deployed troops to search each path.

Currently, fifty troops followed Habok. The remaining three hundred and fifty were thoroughly searching the area around the main mountain.

However, as expected, the first to discover it was Habok. His wild instincts were far sharper than his subordinates.

Swoosh.

Habok, relaxing his stance, raised his scabbard.

Flash!

The eyes of the fifty Blood Wolves following him gleamed with a fierce light.

In the dark night, a group with red eyes glowing fiercely in the thick bushes. From a distance, it would not be strange to mistake them for a pack of hungry wolves.

‘I’ve found them, but…’

Habok’s eyes deepened.

‘Look at these guys?’

His mission was to eliminate the Jongnam Sect’s young disciples and novice Taoists.

Specifically, it was to cut off all their heads and rush to the main mountain. Their role was to throw the heads of children and Taoists who had not learned martial arts to break the enemy’s morale.

In other words, they had the most important mission in this battle. Especially in a fight against the Nine Great Sects, who were considered the embodiment of the righteous martial world, such tactics would have a tremendous impact.

But.

‘It’s not Jongnam.’

The breathing sounds of children could be heard. That alone was enough to tell their mental state. The children and novice Taoists were all terrified.

And mixed with the rough breathing, there was also the stable yet heated breathing of masters.

‘They must have just arrived.’

Habok clicked his tongue.

‘I have no choice.’

Habok snapped his fingers.

Immediately, one of the Blood Wolf Squad members behind him howled towards the sky.

Woo-oo-oo-oo!!

A loud yet sharp wolf howl.

The howl, mixed with inner energy, was a signal to allies and also a sonic attack to break the enemy’s morale.

Swish swish swish!

From all directions, and from beyond those directions.

The Blood Wolves who heard the sound began to move quickly.

Habok gestured with his hand.

“Move out.”

A moment later.

Habok and fifty Blood Wolves emerged into an open space.

“Huk!”

“Kuh!”

The novice Taoists hid the young disciples behind them. The young disciples all covered their mouths.

And in front of them.

One hundred and fifty Plum Blossom Swordsmen and Yongguk Jin-in glared at Habok with cold eyes.

Habok spoke calmly,

“Even if you just arrived, if you had moved quickly, you wouldn’t have encountered us here.”

His calm voice was filled with unbearable violence.

“Hic!”

“Waaah!”

Upon hearing Habok’s voice, dozens of young disciples began to sob or cry.

The novice Taoists comforted the young disciples. But the children’s cries grew louder.

In an instant, Habok’s eyes turned fierce.

“Shut up!!”

Zzzzzzzzzzz!

It was not only the roar of a tiger that could shake the mountains and forests.

The cry of a wolf, larger and more ferocious than a tiger, silenced the young disciples’ cries in an instant.

Habok frowned.

“I hate the sound of children crying. If you don’t want to be torn apart and die, keep your mouths shut.”

It was not something that should come from a human’s mouth.

Yongguk Jin-in said in a chilling voice,

“I have seen all kinds of villains in the world, but I have never seen a demon like you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Even in the midst of war, there are lines that should not be crossed. How can you try to harm young children who have not learned any martial arts? How were you raised?!”

“You called me a demon, didn’t you?”

Swish swish swish!

The sound of rustling bushes was heard eerily. The scattered Blood Wolves were gathering quickly.

“Aren’t you asking too much from a demon?”

“You bastards! You are beasts who don’t even know the minimum of decency…!”

“That’s why you’re weak.”

Habok’s voice turned cold.

“To seek decency in the midst of war, you must be living in a very sweet dream.”

“You bastard!”

“I don’t like it. It’s a waste that soft things like you are occupying good land.”

Swoosh.

Habok drew his sword.

His sword was in the shape of a scimitar, but it was a jagged, serrated blade.

If you were cut by such a sword, flesh and muscle would be roughly torn. The bleeding would be severe, and recovery would be slow. It was much more fatal than a simple cut.

Tension rose on Yongguk Jin-in’s face.

‘This won’t be easy.’

The number of enemies gathering from all directions was enormous. It seemed like there were easily three or four hundred.

On the other hand, there were only about one hundred and fifty on their side. There was the current leader of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, who was mentioned as a future elder, but even including himself, there were only two supreme masters.

On the other hand, there was only one supreme master on the other side, Habok, but Habok’s presence was overwhelmingly powerful. His aura seemed to overwhelm even the sect leader, Yongseon Jin-in, and his martial arts were reminiscent of the Shaolin abbot.

A look of determination appeared in Yongguk Jin-in’s eyes.

‘Even if we all die, we will protect the children until the end.’

There was a reason why they had set up camp here.

There was a side path behind the young disciples. And the left and right sides of that side path were quite steep. It was a path that was difficult for the enemy’s troops to follow.

It was better to fight the enemies here and slowly send the young disciples and novice Taoists down that side path.

Habok pointed his serrated blade at Yongguk Jin-in.

“Too much talk on a moonlit night. Shall we begin?”

Yongguk Jin-in shouted,

“You bastards! Come at me whenever you want!”

It was then.

Whoosh!

Yongguk Jin-in’s face noticeably hardened.

‘What is that?!’

A powerful aura was felt from the distant path, the one leading to the side path.

It wasn’t just one or two. There were as many approaching from beyond the side path as there were swordsmen from the Hwasan Sect who had set up camp here.

Yongguk Jin-in’s face turned pale.

‘This can’t be! Could it be that those guys knew about this path too?’

It was then.

‘……?’

Yongguk Jin-in’s expression became strange. He saw that Habok’s expression, revealed in the moonlight, had also slightly hardened.

‘……They’re not the enemy?’

At that moment.

A hurried yet sonorous voice heated up the cool night air.

“We are from the Beggar Clan! Who’s there? Is that Hwasan!”

Yongguk Jin-in’s face brightened.

The distance was far, and they were very tense. That’s why he couldn’t properly read their aura.

Yongguk Jin-in shouted,

“It’s the Beggar Clan! Reinforcements have arrived from the Beggar Clan!”

Uwaaaaaa!

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen simultaneously drew their swords and shouted.

The faces of the young disciples and novice Taoists brightened, and the morale of the Hwasan swordsmen rose at a terrifying speed.

Habok growled,

“Kill them all!!”

Woo-oo-oo-oo!

The hungry Blood Wolves began their attack.