The Strong Hold the Right (1)
The smile that spread across Jegal Mun-ho’s face as he accepted the letter from Jegal A-yeon was warm and genuine.
“As expected.”
He had known they would handle it properly. This letter was a victory report confirming that Yeon Hojeong, Dang Gwan, and Muk Bi had prevailed.
Jegal Mun-ho had believed in them. Still, no plan could ever be one hundred percent certain. Human endeavors were always accompanied by variables.
Fortunately, the three of them had proven their abilities without question. The Myeolsa Army had surely helped, but holding the line until allied forces arrived was entirely their achievement.
“They must already be heading toward the enemy’s main base by now.”
At that moment—
“Military Counselor! Urgent news from the intelligence advisor!”
“Urgent news?”
Jegal Mun-ho’s eyes widened the moment he read the letter handed to him.
“Gunpowder…?!”
Jegal A-yeon asked with a startled expression.
“Gunpowder? You don’t mean the kind I’m thinking of, do you?”
“Exactly. It seems they requested gunpowder from Lord Provincial Military Commander Yeo Sang-do to completely sweep away the enemy’s stronghold.”
Not fire bombs, but actual gunpowder.
In some ways, gunpowder was far more difficult to handle than fire bombs. Fire bombs could be fitted with safety mechanisms or given thick casings depending on their construction, but gunpowder would detonate the instant it caught fire.
It was also vulnerable to moisture—the more powerful the gunpowder, the more so. ‘They handed over gunpowder instead of fire bombs… Considering the cost and difficulty of managing it, it means Lord Yeo has staked everything on this.’
Even for a provincial military commander, leaking that much gunpowder would carry a heavy burden. Especially now, with the empire’s power weakened, getting caught could result in immediate dismissal from office.
‘Or perhaps… gunpowder is actually safer.’
When fire bombs exploded, residue remained. Gunpowder, however, left nothing behind.
If Yeo Sang-do had chosen gunpowder to avoid leaving any evidence, then he truly was no ordinary man. ‘Regardless of the reason, with gunpowder now in play, they should be able to secure victory without suffering major losses.’
The Tangma Army and Myeolsa Army were units with considerable expertise in handling explosives. He had heard they trained not only in deployment but also in calculating blast radius and infiltration routes.
What remained now?
‘The small fry can be handled by the combined Tangma and Myeolsa forces. But what about the elite warriors?’
Jegal Mun-ho’s gaze deepened.
‘We don’t know how many powerful experts might be hiding there. Of course, I believe the Eighteen Martial Generals are their limit, but…’
What if someone beyond that level had come?
What if a warrior above the Supreme Peak realm had taken up position there?
‘That won’t happen. And even if it does, our side’s forces are by no means lacking.’
Jegal Mun-ho did not yet know just how strong the Sacred Heavens Thirteen Seats truly were.
The power in that realm would obviously transcend common sense. It might even be enough to casually handle three or four family heads from the Six Great Clans.
Still, if it came down to simply retreating, their current forces should be sufficient. On that point, he was confident.
‘If there’s anyone who won’t throw themselves into an unwinnable fight, it’s Alliance Leader Yeon and Patriarch Moyong.’
Only after thinking this did he finally feel at ease.
It would be heartbreaking if any of their allies died, but those four in particular must not die in this battle. In fact, they must never die in the future either.
Jegal Mun-ho turned his gaze out the window.
It was the hour of sunset. By now, all the fighting should already be over.
How had the final battle in Henan ended?
“……”
“I pray that everyone is safe.”
The advance of the Tangma Army was completely different from that of the Myeolsa Army.
BOOM!CRAAAASH!
“Aaaargh!”
“Uwaaaah!”
It wasn’t just about cutting and stabbing.
It wasn’t only the soldiers who wore heavy armor. If the Myeolsa Army’s warhorses were agile and had excellent stamina, the Tangma Army’s mounts were massive and overflowing with raw power.
When those heavily armored beasts charged, even Supreme Peak experts found it nearly impossible to withstand the destructive force. Once skewered by countless spears and blades, the soldiers were trampled beneath the crushing hooves of the warhorses.
BOOM! BOOM!
Even though all the gunpowder had already been detonated, explosions still rang out from every direction. It was a testament to just how terrifying the Tangma Army’s charging power and the sheer weight of their horses truly were.
Moyong Woo shouted.
“Kill them one by one! These bastards have tenacious life forces!”
He gave no specific orders like “cut off their heads” or “crush their skulls.”
Yet the soldiers carried out his command with perfect precision without needing further explanation. Even as they unleashed their overwhelming charges, their eyes remained coldly sunken.
Yeo Guk couldn’t help but whistle.
“What incredible destructive power.”
THUD!
Paeng Man-ho, who had just decapitated one of the Shinwha Sect warriors, spoke calmly.
“This is the first time the entire army has been deployed excluding the Corridor Unit, yet their formation is flawless.”
“They’ve drilled real-combat training into their very bones. Without that, it would be impossible to show such movement and composure at the same time.”
“Whatever the case, they finally look like a proper military unit now.”
“You can say that again.”
BAAAANG!
Song Yeon-gyeong, who had mercilessly impaled a Shinwha warrior through the throat with her spear, shouted.
“This isn’t the time to be evaluating our allies’ skills! Keep moving!”
“Ah, of course.”
The Myeolsa Army’s attacks were fast and sharp. The Tangma Army’s attacks were heavy and overwhelmingly destructive.
The Tangma Army charging from the front and the Myeolsa Army pouring attacks from the flanks created a perfect symphony of coordinated assault. They annihilated the enemy with terrifying efficiency without ever encroaching on each other’s territory.
Of course, there was a reason for that.
“Ugh…!”
The Sixth Martial General, Go Hyuk, staggered backward.
His left side was covered in horrific wounds. Parts of his torso, crusted with dried blood, even exposed bone.
He had been caught in the gunpowder explosion without any preparation. It was fortunate that his body hadn’t been completely blown apart despite the explosive force. However, the terrible pain and the destruction of his pressure points left him unable to exert even thirty percent of his true strength.
That wasn’t all. The Ninth Martial General, Ju Chang, was in even worse condition. His lower body had been completely crushed, making it impossible for him to use any martial arts.
Go Hyuk roared.
“Form the defensive formation! Don’t panic! Throw the oil barrels from inside the headquarters and create a Fire Array!”
After commanding the Shinwha warriors in a thunderous voice, Go Hyuk approached Ju Chang.
“Are you alright?!”
“Kuuuugh!”
Ju Chang grit his teeth.
The pain was beyond description. But what was even harder to endure than the pain was the knowledge that even if he survived this place, he would have to live as a cripple for the rest of his life.
“Hold on! The Divine Lady will heal you somehow!”
It was then—
“So there’s both a Holy Maiden and a Divine Lady? I had no idea.”
The one who emerged through the thick smoke was Moyong Gun.
Go Hyuk’s face twisted.
“Who the hell are you…!”
BAAAAANG!
Ju Chang’s head exploded into pieces.
It was a truly gruesome death. Having slain Ju Chang with a single Thunder Flash the instant he drew his sword, Moyong Gun spoke in a voice dripping with killing intent.
“How dare these lowly things from beyond the border set their eyes on the Central Plains?”
“Y-you son of a bitch!”
Go Hyuk let out a monstrous roar.
“I’ll kill you!”
FLASH!
Even though he couldn’t use his full power, Go Hyuk was still a master not far beneath Moyong Gun. The fiery power of the Fierce Fire Divine Palm unleashed from his right palm swallowed Moyong Gun whole in an instant.
RUMBLE!
Go Hyuk’s strength was astonishing.
The palm force he displayed was far hotter than anything the other Martial Generals had shown.
The high-ranking Martial Generals inside the Tenth General’s circle had almost no difference in raw skill. They simply possessed different specialties.
Go Hyuk’s specialty was pure firepower itself. Excluding the First and Second Martial Generals, he was considered the best in the manipulation of fire qi.
That was also why he had survived the gunpowder explosion. The Fire Essence within his body had offset nearly half of the incoming explosive force.
‘Is he dead?’
Tension crept over Go Hyuk’s face as he stared at the front now covered in flames and smoke.
‘If he took the Fierce Fire Divine Palm head-on, he couldn’t have come out unscathed.’
He had poured so much internal energy into that strike that his head had spun for a moment. At the very least, the enemy should have suffered severe internal injuries.
Looking down at Ju Chang’s corpse with its head blown off, Go Hyuk grit his teeth and turned away.
‘I’m sorry, Ju Chang. I will definitely avenge your—!’
At that moment, a strange sound reached his ears.
Ziiiiiiing—!
A bizarre tone that could not exist in nature.
An indescribable chill ran down his spine. Go Hyuk instantly spun around and assumed a defensive stance.
CRAAAAASH!
Go Hyuk’s face went blank.
A sword qi that had flown like lightning had completely severed his right arm.
“To flee without even checking the opponent’s condition… It truly leaves one speechless. Did you really think you could take the Central Plains with such sloppy resolve?”
Fssssss.
The smoke cleared, revealing Moyong Gun.
His clothes were slightly dusty and his hair disheveled, but he was otherwise completely unharmed. The thunder qi radiating from his entire body had perfectly blocked the fiery power of the Fierce Fire Divine Palm.
To learn the Shinwha Sect’s Blazing Yang Arts, one had to drastically increase the body’s heat resistance.
The same principle applied to Moyong Gun. The Noejeonggong was an ancient supreme art. It was an extreme yang martial art that could not even be learned without exceptional talent.
Since it dealt with thunder qi, its heat resistance was in no way inferior to that of the Shinwha Sect masters. In fact, when it came purely to heat resistance, it might even surpass the Martial Generals.
“Consider it an honor, you lowly worm from the borderlands, to die by this martial art.”
Blue thunder qi exploded from Moyong Gun’s sword.
FLASH! CRAAAAACK!
A sound like lightning tearing through water erupted.
At the same time, Go Hyuk’s body was sliced into five or six pieces. It was a terrifying sword technique that could neither be blocked nor avoided.
It was the Lightning Cross Strike of the Heartless Heavenly Thunder Style, the peerless sword art practiced by Moyong Gun. The strike, which mimicked the movement of lightning, was so fast and powerful that human reflexes could not even hope to react.
Moyong Gun looked down at Go Hyuk’s corpse, now nothing more than chunks of meat, with ice-cold eyes.
It was then—
KWAAAAAAAANG!
An enormous explosion erupted from the center of the enemy headquarters in the distance.
Startled, Moyong Gun turned his gaze toward the source of the blast.
‘What is that?’
It wasn’t a simple explosion. The density of the shockwave carried within that blast was truly overwhelming.
SWOOOOOSH!
As Moyong Gun flew toward the origin of the explosion, his eyes caught sight of a staggering Yeon Hojeong and a young man filled with pure rage.
Moyong Gun’s eyes trembled.
‘And who the hell is that guy?’
Fwoooooosh!
The flames rising from the young man’s body burned with a golden hue.
It was a completely different color of flame from anything shown by the Shinwha warriors or the Martial Generals he had fought so far. It wasn’t just the color—the very ferocity of its nature existed on another level.
“What an adorable bunch of pests.”
The young man’s voice was clear and resonant, ringing vividly across the noisy battlefield.
“So that’s why the air felt strange these past few days. A swarm of bugs was aiming for this place. But how did you find out? Ah! Did that old bastard Yeo Sang-do, the one who deserves to be chewed up and spat out, tell you?”
He was a terrifying young man. A fierce madness could be felt in his voice.
Moyong Gun asked coldly.
“Who are you?”
“Is that something an attacker should be asking?”
The young man growled lowly.
“Well, it doesn’t matter if you know or not. Because all of you are going to die here.”