Chapter 421 : The Tide of War (5)

Dawn ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍broke over the stone walls of Ankang in Shaanxi Province.

Even before the sun had risen properly, the booming sound of war drums and the shriek of horns rolled across the open land.

About three kilometers away, the Central Military Command was on the move again.

They'd been through this enough times by now, and the soldiers of Ankang fell into formation without a word wasted.

The enemy halted just outside the reach of arrows and fire cannons, and the defenders on the walls watched them with confidence that they would successfully defend the walls once again.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The drums rang out again, and the enemy's front line raised their shields and began to advance.

That's when a few sharp-eyed soldiers tilted their heads.

‘Wait, are there more of them than usual? Or am I imagining it?’

The column of shield-bearers did look a bit thicker than normal, almost like it had on the very first day of the battle.

As the enemy drew closer, the city's own war drums answered them.

On the first beat, a thousand archers raised their bows.

On the second beat, arrows bloated the sky.

Fwooooosh!

A black rain of arrows came pouring down. Screams tore through the air as shafts buried themselves in flesh, but the shield wall kept advancing toward the walls.

Even with the imperial army approaching, the men on the wall didn't flinch.

If anything, their first thought was almost one of mild disappointment.

‘Hm. Is the Left Guardian not going to make an appearance today?’0

As if to answer that unspoken wish, a resonant chant began to ripple along the wall.

The sorcerers of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Eight Trigrams Hall and the An Family had taken their positions.

Save for the Head of the An Family himself and the bare minimum of people needed to support him, the sorcerers had all come out to the Central Plains for this war.

When the last syllables of their incantations were completed, they swept their talismans and ritual implements through the air, and the wall erupted in a storm of sorcery.

"By my command, vanquish the enemy!”

First the arrow storm, now this.

The defenders watched as the combined assault tore through the enemy ranks, and for a moment, it looked like another routine. But the soldiers realized that today was different from usual.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Central Military Command's drums and horns sounded again, and fresh troops surged toward the wall this time.

‘They're actually going all-in this time.’

The calm that had settled over the defenders cracked just a little as waves of humans kept marching on despite the rain of arrows and sorceries.

Clack.

Ladders for scaling the walls began to be hooked along various sections, and the heavy boom of a battering ram came from the city gates.

And then someone shouted.

“The Left Guardian has arrived!!”

It was absurd, really.

Even as enemy soldiers were scaling the walls and hammering at their gates, every single defender stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky. 

Just like he had on the first day, Il-mok walked out into empty air above the battlefield before plunging straight down into their midst.

Two swirling orbs condensed into one glowing ball and then—

BOOM!!!!

A blinding flash of light and a shockwave that threatened to tear the sky apart erupted. 

When the dust cleared, there was a gaping hole in the center of the enemy's formation.

“YEAAAAAHHH!”

“THE ENVOY OF GOD IS WITH US!!!”

Just like that, the fear evaporated.

The soldiers on the wall transformed into screaming fanatics. The drum corps and horn-blowers hammered and blew until their hands bled and their lips cracked under the influence of the madness.

“PUSH THE LADDERS!”

“BOILING OIL! DUMP THE OIL!”

“CRUSH THEM WITH THE STONES!”

The generals and officers scattered along the wall barked their orders in time with the drums.

Stones and burning oil cascaded onto the climbers below, and the laboriously placed ladders toppled and fell. The enemy troops who had somehow clawed their way through the arrow storm and the sorceries were swept back.

Meanwhile, in the massive crater he had carved in the battlefield below, Il-mok stood entirely alone, holding the line against the next wave of reinforcements like the legendary Zhang Fei at the Battle of Changban.

But something was different this time.

The Central Military Command drums sounded again, and the soldiers who had been shrinking back from Il-mok's presence steadied themselves and started moving forward.

On top of that, tens of thousands of additional troops broke from the main force and rolled toward Ankang.

"Haa."

Il-mok swallowed the blood rising in his throat and the sigh he was about to breathe out.

He swung the Ascension Sword at the men walking willingly into their own deaths.

Not one of the defenders on the wall flinched at the sight of tens of thousands bearing down on them.

“THE DIVINE LIGHT GUIDES US!”

“PURGE THE EVIL!”

Their morale alone would have put a well-trained professional army to shame.

Some of them dumped oil and rocks on the enemies clawing at the base of the wall, with some kicking the ladders away. Others nocked fresh arrows and loosed volley after volley in time with the drums. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's sorcerers never stopped chanting.

Swoosh!

Then a handful of martial artists vaulted off the wall and dove straight into the enemy's ranks to back up Il-mok. These were elite powerhouses like Hyeokryeon Seon-ah and Hwangbo Yeon.

As the brutal melee ground on and the air filled with the deafening symphony of screams and clashing steel, Il-mok carved through the enemy’s formation in a sword dance-like movement.

Suddenly, a flying dagger came at him out of nowhere and aimed at his throat.

Clang!

He twisted just barely in time and deflected it with his sword.

His eyes narrowed.

The attacker was dressed like an ordinary soldier, but the aura coming off them was anything but ordinary. Moreover, the face was far too old to belong to any regular infantryman.

"You hid well like the rats you are."

The old man gave a wicked grin and came at him again.

Il-mok stepped aside from the blow without much difficulty, but the moment he did, a sword came flying in from his flank.

"Two rats, even."

Clang!

He'd already sensed the second presence drawing near, so he swung the Ascension Sword around and knocked away that attack too. The second attacker was also an old man in a soldier's uniform just like the first.

The two of them radiated the same Qi and temperament.

They were the two eunuchs who had been traveling with the Central Military Command.

Eunuch Bang and Eunuch Gong.

“Hehehe... I’m going to enjoy peeling that pretty face right off your skull today, boy.”

This siege had been aimed at Il-mok from the beginning.

They had disguised themselves and waited among the troops while waiting for the exact moment Il-mok would be isolated and exhausted after using his divine art.

Under the combined assault of the two old eunuchs, Il-mok was slowly being pushed back.

"Ugh."

The internal injuries from blocking the backlash of the World-Destroying Primordial Jade Palm caused his internal energy to run low.

—Use my power this instant! Why are you running like a coward?!

The Raging Demon Sword Art howled at him from somewhere deep inside.

Thanks to all the Blood Qi it had absorbed, the Yin Qi of the White Hand Demonic Art had been nearly depleted while a fair amount of Yang Qi still remained.

‘Shut the fuck up.’

While Il-mok barely held his ground against the coordinated assault of the two eunuchs while suppressing the Raging Demon Sword Art's tantrum back under control, a sudden explosion erupted from the direction of the city walls.

BOOM!!

It was a Wooden Boxed Thunder Bomb detonating.

Low-ranking officers equipped with Wooden Boxed Thunder Bombs were interspersed among the reinforcement units dispatched by the Central Military Command.

A few of them had managed to get close enough to hurl them at the battlements.

The blast caught several defenders directly and killed them outright, and more than a few soldiers nearby flinched hard at the sight.

While Il-mok was being pushed back by the two eunuchs and the enemy was pressing harder against the walls, the seed of doubt planted itself in the minds of the soldiers who had been howling with fanatical certainty just moments before.

‘Wait... are we actually going to lose?’

That’s when the faint smile curved onto Il-mok's lips.

Seeing that smug grin, the two eunuchs attacking him had completely different reactions.

‘This bastard's finally lost his mind.’

That was Eunuch Gong's thought, the one who had risen to become the Director of the Eastern Depot.

‘Or he has something up his sleeve.’

That was Eunuch Bang's thought, the one who had been displaced from that very position.

And with it came a chill he couldn't quite explain.

Eunuch Bang's instincts were right.

Two figures tore through the Central Military Command soldiers surrounding Il-mok and came charging straight at them.

"Wha, what the—!?"

It was Hwangbo Ak and Jin Hayeon, who were supposed to be at Mount Wudang.

Eunuch Gong's face went pale with shock while Eunuch Bang clicked his tongue.

"Finally got you, you slippery bastards!!"

Hwangbo Ak plowed into Eunuch Gong like a battering ram, and Jin Hayeon fell into a rapid exchange with Eunuch Bang.

"Phew."

Il-mok had deliberately kept Hwangbo Ak and Jin Hayeon's return a secret and used himself as bait to lure the eunuchs out into the open.

The strain of it had taken its toll.

He let out a long breath and pushed back the Heart Demon that had clawed its way nearly to his chin.

But this wasn't the time to rest.

‘If I let them slip away now, these rats are going to crawl into some hole and disappear again.’

He steadied himself as best he could and moved to support Jin Hayeon and Hwangbo Ak.

Jin Hayeon had only just entered the Realm of Truth and was being slightly outpaced by Eunuch Bang, but Hwangbo Ak was a different story entirely.

Cloaked in Force Qi Armor, he was hammering Eunuch Gong like a man possessed.

"Ugh."

With Il-mok joining the fray, both eunuchs found their footing getting messier by the second.

Cornered on both sides now, the two of them arrived at the same conclusion almost simultaneously.

‘This is getting dangerous!’

True to their nature as men who valued their own skins above all else, they decided and acted in the same breath. They grabbed the nearest friendly soldiers and used them as human shields to cover their retreat.

"You sons of bitches!!"

Hwangbo Ak bulldozed straight through every soldier in his path and Jin Hayeon's hands swept left and right to flash-freeze anyone who came near.

"Tch."

Il-mok clicked his tongue lightly and hurled his Ascension Sword at the fleeing eunuchs. With a gesture of his hand, the Hand-Controlled Sword came into action and hounded the fleeing eunuchs.

As the three of them cut through the soldiers at terrifying speed, panic finally crept into the eunuchs' eyes.

And between the two of them, Eunuch Bang's reaction was just a hair faster.

"Ha!"

He shot his palm out in a sudden burst of action and the force of the blast sent Eunuch Gong stumbling directly into the path of the incoming Ascension Sword.

"What are you—!?"

Eunuch Gong shouted in stunned disbelief, then his expression twisted into fury the moment he saw it.

It was the smile on Eunuch Bang's face as he turned to look back over his shoulder.

"Farewell."

‘This actually works out for the best; if that fellow dies, I can reclaim my seat as the Director of the East Depot.’

In the end, the easiest way to take any seat wasn't to climb to it yourself. It was to drag down whoever was already sitting in it.

Just like this.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!"

Realizing Eunuch Bang's intent a beat too late, Eunuch Gong screamed with everything he had and managed to block the Ascension Sword by wrapping his weapon in Force Qi.

Clang!!

He deflected it once, but Hwangbo Ak was already right in front of him with a fist cocked back.

"How dare a bunch of thugs like you—!!"

Consumed by the betrayal, Eunuch Gong swung his sword in a chaotic barrage, but piercing through Hwangbo Ak's Force Qi Armor was no easy task.

In the middle of all that, Jin Hayeon arrived a step behind and began striking at him with both hands wrapped in Yin Qi.

Clang!

"Kgh."

He was already struggling to hold off Hwangbo Ak alone and barely got his sword up in time to block her hands, but the moment the blades touched, the Yin Qi crept along the steel and slithered into his acupoints.

He desperately pumped his internal energy to block the Yin Qi, but Hwangbo Ak took the advantage and threw another punch.

"HAAA!!"

His defense was shattered now, and internal injuries kept piling up.

As the freezing energy spread deeper through his acupoints, his limbs grew heavy and sluggish.

Thud.

Jin Hayeon’s twin palms slammed directly into his chest.

Thump.

Without even a scream, Eunuch Gong crumpled and fell along with his frozen heart.