Chapter 51 The Great Southern War (3)

Chapter 51: The Great Southern War (3)

“By now, the main force should have cut off all supplies entering Namcheongung.”

“Namcheongung will likely try to wage all-out war.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because they’d rather die fighting than starve to death. They might even think they can win.”

He chuckled.

Whether he liked my answer or not, North Palace White gave a small smile.

“Correct. Can you predict the outcome?”

“Victory is certain, of course.”

That was true.

Namcheongung’s numbers, scraped together, barely reach a thousand. Even if they throw in some remnants from the previous generation, they won’t reach fifteen hundred.

Moreover, the main force has the Qinglong Sect Leader, a peerless swordsman, stationed there.

Namcheongung, unable to mobilize the tribesmen, is no longer a match for Guryongseong.

The problem is.

“Many sacrifices will follow.”

The fact that those with no escape route left would fight like men living only for today, fighting to the death.

Given their reputation as the defeated champions of the Southern Martial World, they must still possess some latent strength. It was obvious that Nine Dragons Fortress would also suffer heavy casualties.

“To reduce those sacrifices, Mun Sang proposed a strategy.”

“······?”

Bukgung Baek pulled a small piece of paper from his robe and unfolded it.

Capture the bandit, capture the king.

“We strike at the moment their forces are weakened and sever the head of the Lord of Nancheon Palace.”

* * *

The Moksryong Hall, positioned at the very center of the Nine Dragon Fortress camp.

Wee Jipung, leading the disciples of that Moksryong Hall, surveyed the front lines.

At a glance, there were over a thousand warriors.

Their aura was so menacing that the killing intent reached right to where he stood.

Gulp.

The sound of a Moksryongdang disciple beside him swallowing his saliva reached his ears.

His tension was obvious, so Wei Jifeng raised his hand and placed it on the disciple’s shoulder.

“The bandits of the Heretical Sect can never overcome the sword of the Pointed Blade.”

“······Yes, Master!”

His deep, resonant voice, infused with a hint of inner strength, carried to the surrounding warriors, easing their tension considerably.

As Wei Zhifeng looked back at his disciples, he recalled his conversation with Wujian.

‘When bored, they capture women to commit vile acts, of course. And what’s more, they train their martial arts by eating the raw livers of children, you say? There are even those who eat human flesh.’

He clenched his teeth and gripped his sword.

‘I will slaughter them all.’

And this wasn’t just about them.

“The moment those bastards move, you charge out faster than anyone and cleave them in two! Got it?!”

“Yes!”

The warriors of the Hwaryongdang, shields slung over their backs, displayed their characteristic thick muscles and a mountain-like presence.

Shhhhh. Sssss.

The assassins of the Jikryongdang gripped small daggers called sosalgeom, radiating a murderous aura.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The warriors of the Silver Dragon Sect slammed their shields into the ground, building up their momentum.

Beyond them, every member from the Green Dragon, White Dragon, Gold Dragon, and Blue Dragon Sects maintained a battle stance beyond mere readiness.

Facing the enemy, this was only natural, but today it felt especially deadly.

Because Wei Zhifeng had spread the news of Nantian Palace’s atrocities throughout the Nine Dragons Fortress camp.

[Those unworthy creatures must be struck down immediately!] ······ accompanied by a remark somewhat unbecoming of a Taoist master.

Even in this martial world where righteousness and loyalty had faded, the warriors of Guryongseong were still human and could not help but be enraged by Namcheongung’s atrocities.

As a result, morale was higher than ever.

The warriors of both sides glared at each other for half an hour.

Dong-dong. Dong.

With the thunderous beat of a great drum, the roar of the Blue Dragon Sect Leader, commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, erupted.

“Slay them!”

Waaah!

The killing intent directed at each other filled the plain.

* * *

Half a day later.

“Huff. Huff.”

Wei Zhifeng stood in the center of a pool of blood.

A fierce battle had claimed countless casualties on both sides.

Corpses littered the ground, proof of the carnage.

Crossing the field of death, Wei Zhifeng paused briefly, then bowed his head to look down at his feet.

“Qingyun…”

His eyes filled with sorrow as he gazed upon the body of the young disciple who had followed him more devotedly than anyone.

And he wasn’t the only one.

“Disciple! Open your eyes!”

“Ah, no!”

“Waaah!”

Amidst the wails echoing everywhere, the warriors of the Eight Arms faction began to show signs of grief, one by one.

Watching this scene, Wei Zhifeng began to replay the battle moments earlier with a murderous expression.

‘An abnormal flow of the fight, sword energy filled with treacherous intent, and above all, movements that seemed to feel no pain.’

He stared straight ahead with eyes full of conviction.

‘It’s the boatman.’

No doubt about it.

Sagong, thought to be dead, had reappeared.

He must have used the method of the Heretic Path, as the radio transmission had warned.

Because of that, the damage to Guryongseong was severe.

The leaders, including the head of the Blue Dragon Hall, stepped forward, but they couldn’t reverse the accumulated damage.

‘Tomorrow will be different.’

A flame ignited in Wei Jifeng’s eyes as he gazed upon the enemy camp.

* * *

One day after pushing through the Namman Jungle.

In the distance, Namcheon Palace stood tall midway up a sheer cliff face.

The problem was, the only bridge leading there had been severed.

They’d likely cut the bridge while diverting forces outward, preparing for any possible invasion.

“……This completely traps us.”

First, they had to get inside to capture either the Namcheon Palace Lord or the cockroach.

While staring at the isolated Namcheon Palace, a hopeful thought occurred to him.

‘Wait, what if we use this as an excuse to turn back?’

Maybe we wouldn’t have to risk our lives fighting? ······That’s what I thought.

“There is a hidden path.”

That single sentence from the Great Clan Chief, who had joined to help defeat the Namcheon Palace Lord, shattered my hope into pieces.

“Please lead the way.”

At North Palace Lord Baek’s words, the Great Clan Chief took the lead with his men.

Seeing his shaved head reminded me of Yongmasan, left behind at Guryongseong.

‘I should have brought back some intelligence.’

If I’d known we’d enter Namcheongung like this, I would have at least tried to get a map.

Following the Great Clan Chief’s guidance, we bypassed the mountain and advanced toward Namcheongung.

Perhaps because most of their forces had been drained, they had no energy left to set up defenses; no one blocked our path.

Thanks to this, we reached the very edge of Namcheon Palace in less than half a day.

Immediately, North Palace Baek’s voice boomed out.

“The Deputy Chief, cause as much commotion as possible to draw the enemy’s attention. In that moment, I and the Black Mountain Tigers will strike the Namcheon Palace Lord’s neck.”

I silently nodded at the grim plan.

“······Understood.”

“I’ll do my best.”

After Garip and I answered in turn, North Palace Lord asked in a puzzled voice.

“Shouldn’t the First Commander follow me? Where are you going?”

Seriously, why is it always me?

Though flustered, I maintained my composure and countered.

“I was thinking perhaps I should stay behind to protect the squad members?”

“Garip, the deputy squad leader, will handle that well enough.”

He didn’t buy it for a second.

“Heh heh, but I have squad members who trust only me and followed me… how could I…”

“A superior’s orders on the battlefield are absolute.”

“……Understood.”

In the end, my brief resistance was futile, and I was assigned to the suicide squad.

And then.

“Let’s go.”

At Baekgongbaek’s single command, the 130 Oedang warriors and the 30 Heuksanho stepped forward.

Simultaneously, I immediately sent a telepathic message to the Great Chieftain.

[You’ve already fulfilled your role sufficiently up to this point. Please don’t get involved any further. You may hide wherever you wish. When Tagon returns home, how heartbroken would he be to find his father gone?]

I feared he might lose his reason, driven by vengeance for the tribe’s enemies, and charge recklessly.

“······!”

At the mention of his eldest son’s name, the Great Chief flinched, then quietly nodded.

Yes, I’ve done all I can do.

So, Tagon, once you graduate from the Ascension Pavilion, you must come to the Outer Hall.

And the assault began.

Thud. CRASH!

The moment North Palace White’s strike landed, the iron gate split apart like a log struck by an axe.

Waaah!

Taking the battle cry of the Outer Court warriors as their signal, the life-or-death fight commenced.

Following North Palace White, the Black Mountain Tigers charged in alongside him.

“Die!”

The warriors of the Southern Heavenly Palace guarding the gate swung their weapons at them.

Thwack!

They became headless corpses, struck down by the Black Mountain Tiger’s lightning-fast sword swing.

Kuuu.

Simultaneously, a powerful aura surged.

Three elderly figures were flying toward us at incredible speed from the front.

Powerful martial prowess, advanced age.

They were clearly the elders of the Southern Heavenly Palace.

Their target was painfully obvious.

“Lord!”

It was Beopgungbaek.

It seemed they aimed to swiftly quell the situation by eliminating our leader.

After all, the Golden Seal Golden King’s technique isn’t exclusive to us.

But North Palace Bai, known as the Ten Thousand Defeats, stands at the pinnacle of the peak.

Though not among the top ten masters, he is a battle-hardened warrior whose promotion is reserved should a vacancy arise.

Clang!

True to his status as a reserve challenger, he sensed their approach and swung his black sword, blocking the elders’ attacks.

Kwaaang!

A huge explosion sent the elders scattering in all directions.

The Black Coral warriors charged toward them.

Thanks to this, the enemies the Black Coral Warriors were facing became the prey of the Outer Sect members who had rushed in from behind.

And I.

Kwoong.

Unfolding the Zhenwangbo, I flew in faster than anyone.

“What?!”

The elder, who had been focused on blocking the Black Coral Warriors’ swords, swung his twin blades in shock.

Crackle. Boom.

With my hand brimming with the power of the Zhenwang Sword, I parried his strike and closed the distance even further.

A space barely wide enough for two fists.

It was the perfect space for my specialty: ultra-close combat.

He tried desperately to create distance.

Crunch.

My fist, piercing through his defensive aura, drove into his collarbone first.

“You bastard!”

After a moment of pained expression, he twisted away and swung his sword at my waist.

It seemed aimed at splitting my torso to create distance.

But.

Thud.

I possessed the Dragon Scale Armor, an A-grade rare item capable of blocking sword energy.

Using the item’s power to parry his sword, I unleashed the martial art I knew best.

Park Ryong’s Thirteen Piercing Strikes.

No, now that the King’s Might was infused, it should be called the King’s Thirteen Piercing Strikes. The fist technique erupted.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Guh!”

The flustered old man, clearly not expecting me to be wearing protective armor, foolishly exposed his side.

Crunch.

I felt the sensation in my hand as the sound of breaking bones echoed.

After that, there was nothing left to see.

As I withdrew, the Black Mountain Hoes, already prepared, thrust their swords, saturated with black sword energy.

Five swords, no less!

Clang. Thud. Thud. Thud.

“Hmph!”

The elder parried the first two, but the three that followed pierced his body clean through.

His eyes bulged wide as he died instantly.

A death so utterly futile.

But there was no time for sentimentality.

To save even a few more of the Oedang warriors struggling behind us, I had to sever the Namcheongungju’s neck as quickly as possible.

Whether Bukgungbaek shared my thoughts, he charged straight inside after dispatching the elders, and I and the Heuksanho followed close behind.

The clanging of weapons behind us sounded precarious.

* * *

The interior layout of Namcheongung was simpler than expected.

It consisted of just a few tall, spacious halls.

The problem was.

“……Wh-what the hell is this?!”

The sight unfolding before my eyes.

No way… I thought, picking up the round, white object in front of me.

Crunch.

Realizing what it was, I couldn’t help but drop it from my hands.

It was a skull. Presumably that of a very young child.

In that instant, the lie I’d blurted out to Wizifeng came flooding back.

‘They say to train martial arts, they eat the raw livers of children, right? Some even eat human flesh.’

While talking with the Great Clan Chief, I had suspected something was amiss.

But not in this form.

At most, I’d thought they might be sold as slaves to Wa.

Just as I was flustered.

“As I thought.”

Bukgung Baek’s voice, sounding like he knew something, reached me.

“Do you have an idea?”

“There’s no time now. We’ll talk after this is over.”

“Yes.”

The breakthrough began again.

We started a fierce battle with the remaining masters still in the palace.

One fortunate thing was that their numbers weren’t large.

As we approached the Palace Lord’s Chamber, strange creatures blocked our path.

Eyes tinged with deep crimson.

An aura of chaos.

“Kyaa! “

The creatures radiating insane madness were clearly abnormal even at a glance.

There were easily over a hundred of them.

”Ki… Hey. You… made it this far, huh…“

Behind them, the ruler of Nanman, known as the absolute sovereign, Namcheon Palace Lord, revealed himself.

”Long time no see, Cheol-o.”