Chapter 77
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Mixed Origin Great Desert God Kullui
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Only then did the men of the Gale Wind Division begin to slowly rise to their feet.
“Ow. My whole body’s stiff as a board now. Feels like I won’t last much longer. Damn it.”
“That’s why you’ve gotta die when you get old. Heh heh heh…”
They were still letting their mouths run wild, but their movements were astonishing.
In the blink of an eye, they had all mounted up and formed ranks.
Only upon seeing this did Noduk and Somyeongcho nod in approval.
These were no mere warriors in name and form alone.
They were true veterans who had endured hundreds of battles over decades.
A cloud of dust was rising from far below their feet.
Now, at last, Noduk and Somyeongcho could hear the sounds they were making.
At that moment, Kullui charged to the front of the Gale Wind Division and bellowed.
“Prepare for battle! Those aren’t men from the upper reaches!”
At Kullui’s warning shout, the atmosphere of the entire Gale Wind Division shifted completely.
First, they each pulled up the masks draped under their chins to cover everything below their eyes.
The masks were meant to shield their noses and mouths from the sand kicked up while riding, but their appearance was truly grotesque.
Crafted from actual wolf jawbones, sharp wolf fangs lined their chins, making them look exactly like ferocious yakshas.
Their horse-mounted shields, gripped in their left hands, were also engraved with wolf skulls baring their teeth.
Then, drawing their respective weapons, they formed battle lines and charged forward, their stern military bearing sending chills down Noduk and Somyeongcho’s spines.
But Noduk suddenly snapped to his senses.
“No, what do you mean they’re not from the upper reaches?”
As Noduk rushed over to ask Kullui, the man flew into a rage.
“You bastard! If something’s amiss, you two will be the first ones I hold accountable.”
“No, what are you talking about?”
“Hmph. Can’t you hear that in your ears? No creaking wheels anywhere—just the hoofbeats of hundreds of horses.”
But Noduk still couldn’t hear anything yet.
Ignoring the two men standing there dumbfounded, the three hundred Gale Wind cavalry had already positioned themselves atop the pass, facing the approaching dust cloud.
A moment later, Noduk and Somyeongcho could make out the source of the dust.
There wasn’t a single wagon, just a cavalry unit with sharp weapons glinting in the sunlight.
“What in the world is going on? That’s definitely not the Black Wolf Brigade, is it?”
Somyeongcho asked Noduk upon clearly spotting the Black Wolf Brigade’s now-visible formation.
“How should I know? I don’t get why they showed up first. We clearly just asked them to drive them this far…”
As Noduk muttered, Kullui called out to them.
“Hey! You two.”
“What is it?”
“Those are definitely the Black Wolf Brigade. If what you said is true, they shouldn’t be showing up here now, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
“One of you go down there right now, find out what’s happening, and come back to report every detail.”
“And the other one…?”
“The other stays here with his neck stretched out, waiting. If need be, I’ll cut that neck first.”
Kullui’s voice was low and measured, without a shred of jest.
Hearing this, chills ran down Noduk and Somyeongcho’s spines.
“You go check it out. I’ll wait here.”
At Noduk’s words, Somyeongcho could only nod without replying and urgently spurred his horse down the pass.
The one who greeted Somyeongcho as he hastily rode down was Seonwoyong.
The moment he saw Seonwoyong leisurely riding at the head of the Black Wolf Brigade, Somyeongcho sensed something was gravely wrong.
But this wasn’t the time to turn back without investigating.
“Who might this be? Young Master Seonwo, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s been a while. Your name was Somyeongcho, I believe?”
Seonwoyong’s response to Somyeongcho’s salute was excessively warm.
Somyeongcho had no reason to remember their encounter in Xi’an from before, so he couldn’t help but find Seonwoyong’s attitude suspicious.
“Hmph. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but your tone is awfully rude.”
At Somyeongcho’s retort, Seonwoyong glanced at Chaepil.
Chaepil’s eyebrows were already arched high in fury, their ends pointing skyward.
Seonwoyong nodded, and Chaepil urged his horse forward.
“You bastard! Get off that horse and kowtow nine times with your forehead to the ground, or else!”
Somyeongcho was utterly dumbfounded by Chaepil’s reaction.
“No, Brigade Leader Chaepil. What’s going on here?”
“Do you think you’re in any position to ask questions? Get off that horse and bow your head, or my blade will sever it first.”
Somyeongcho glanced at Chaepil’s eyes—no trace of a joke there.
Chaepil’s hand was already on the hilt of the curved sword at his waist.
Somyeongcho wasn’t just watching Chaepil.
The Black Wolf Brigade knights lined up behind Seonwoyong and Chaepil were gripping their weapons, radiating killing intent.
He knew something was seriously wrong, but couldn’t grasp the reason, so Somyeongcho turned his horse around.
“I don’t understand what’s happening, but this isn’t the atmosphere for talk. I need to inform the Gale Wind Division’s supreme commander of your intentions first. We’ll meet again later.”
He figured that invoking the Gale Wind Division’s prestige would prevent the entire Black Wolf Brigade from targeting just him.
But the instant he dug his heels into his horse’s flanks, a sticky energy bound him.
“You stay here a bit. I’ve got some business to attend to now.”
Somyeongcho’s heels had struck his horse’s sides, sending it galloping forward, but his body was caught in Seonwoyong’s internal force.
His body, floating briefly in the air, soon crashed to the ground.
Before he could even regain his senses, several rope nooses flew in, wrapping around him tightly.
“What is this outrage? I’m Somyeongcho! Didn’t you already take a hundred taels of gold from me?”
As the bound Somyeongcho thrashed and shouted, Chaepil sneered.
“You fool. You dared mock the Supreme Cult Leader—ten heads wouldn’t save you. Even ten million taels of gold wouldn’t spare your life.”
Chaepil’s words only confused Somyeongcho more.
Supreme Cult Leader? He had no idea what that meant.
Noduk and Somyeongcho had pledged themselves to the Great Cloud Bright Religion decades after Ucheonso had gone into hiding, by which time only a handful of the cult’s top leaders even remembered his existence.
So there was no way the two of them knew about this Supreme Cult Leader.
Moreover, in this situation, Seonwoyong being that figure?
Somyeongcho was left speechless, his mind blank.
Seonwoyong slowly rode past him.
As if on prior instruction, no one from Chaepil on down in the Black Wolf Brigade followed.
Kullui, supreme commander of the Gale Wind Division and the Mixed Origin Great Desert God, focused his gaze down the pass.
Tilting his head, he raised one hand and beckoned.
A rider quickly approached and reined in beside him.
“Give the order.”
This was one of the subordinates who’d been joking around with Kullui just moments ago.
But now, only respect and absolute loyalty toward Kullui emanated from him.
“Go capture that fellow. See what kind of man dares stand alone before the Gale Wind Division.”
“Understood.”
The subordinate acknowledged the command curtly and galloped off.
Kullui turned his gaze back to the scene.
The senses of the Gale Wind Division’s experts— hearing, smell, sight—were on another level from ordinary men.
Kullui had clearly seen from four hundred chang away Somyeongcho being unhorsed and bound.
And now, the opponent was approaching the front of the Gale Wind Division on a single steed— no ordinary courage.
It took but an instant for the subordinate to reach the foe.
And an instant for the foe to casually flick a hand, sending the subordinate tumbling to the ground.
Kullui doubted his eyes.
The subordinate he’d sent was Nangteu, one of the three centurions commanding a hundred men each among the three hundred Gale Wind warriors.
The opponent had effortlessly flung down a master who could easily dispatch elders from Central Plains’ famed orthodox sects—with one hand.
Kullui’s expression grew grave as he subtly raised his left hand.
At his signal, the bowstrings of the three hundred strongbows were drawn in unison.
Then, as his left hand edged forward, the three hundred arrows loosed skyward as one.
In truth, what made Mongol cavalry truly fearsome was their archery.
Moreover, these were the legendary Gale Wind Division experts.
Every arrow tip flying toward Seonwoyong shimmered with faint green energy.
All three hundred arrows targeted Seonwoyong alone.
Kullui had no doubt the foe would soon collapse, pierced like a porcupine.
He didn’t believe anyone in the world could withstand the three hundred Gale Wind Ironclad Arrows they’d unleashed.
But the opponent blocked them all by twirling an iron staff-like weapon in the air once or twice.
To the untrained eye, it looked as if the arrows were halted by an invisible umbrella and fell, but Kullui saw a white energy flickering momentarily, deflecting every one.
“Hmm. It’s been a while… since I last saw a worthy opponent.”
As Kullui muttered gravely, his subordinates had already stowed their strongbows and drawn their spear-lances, cleaver-blades, and the like.
They weren’t common soldiers needing explicit orders from their commander. They knew what it meant for the Gale Wind Ironclad Arrows to prove useless.
Kullui briefly scanned the eyes of his men awaiting only his command, then slowly spoke.
“This one’s mine. You all stand by.”
Kullui’s expression was deadly serious. His men’s faces were equally somber, but they didn’t stir.
After riding forward a few steps, Kullui suddenly reined in and turned his head.
“And if… just if…”