Chapter 161: Odds of Victory?
Moonlight draped over the wild mountains as Yeop Hyeon raced through the forest, carrying Gu Jiu in his arms.
The Black Flame Cavalry is here?!
The moment he heard the news, Yeop Hyeon's heart pounded fiercely.
The Black Flame Cavalry was one of the Daeun Empire's most powerful trump cards. They were elite veterans handpicked from the empire's strongest, then forged through special methods into something even deadlier.
Their combat prowess was on another level entirely compared to ordinary soldiers.
In Qingzhou, it was said that no one could stand against them once they appeared.
Sending the Black Flame Cavalry now meant the Daeun Empire was dead set on annihilating Ganguk.
Yeop Hyeon arrived at Canglan Academy at breakneck speed. He handed Gu Jiu over to Ji An Zhi and immediately summoned every student in the academy.
Not long after his call to assemble, around forty students and thirty demon beasts gathered before him. Under Bai Ze's control, these beasts had grown accustomed to mingling with the students—a feat possible only because they possessed true intelligence.
With everyone assembled, Yeop Hyeon shouted,
"If we leave now, we might never return. Is everyone prepared?"
"We're ready!"
The students' resounding response echoed through the entire Canglan Academy.
Yeop Hyeon nodded in satisfaction.
"Move out!"
With that command, his group descended the mountain and vanished into the dense forest in the blink of an eye.
Before one of the grand halls in Ganguk's imperial palace.
Gang Won, the lord of Ganguk, stood clad in golden armor with a longsword at his waist. Arrayed before him were three thousand heavily armored imperial guards facing his direction.
Gang Won swept his sharp gaze across the hall before speaking.
"Word has come that the Daeun Empire's Black Flame Cavalry has already reached the vicinity of Gaeyang Fortress. Tell me—do you fear them?"
Black Flame Cavalry!
At those three words, the soldiers began exchanging glances.
No one in Qingzhou was ignorant of the Black Flame Cavalry. They were a living legend—a force that had once razed an entire nation with just a hundred riders.
"Yeop Hyeon the National Scholar has already set out for Gaeyang Fortress with all of Canglan Academy's students!"
The hall erupted in excited chatter at the news of Yeop Hyeon's involvement.
One soldier shouted,
"With the National Scholar fighting alongside us, what do we have to fear from those Black Flame Cavalry scum? We're ready to fight to the death at Gaeyang Fortress!"
"Wah—!"
"Wah—!"
The thunderous roar of thousands of elite imperial guards shook the palace to its core.
At that moment, a cloud ship descended from above, slowly settling into the imperial city.
Gang Won drew the sword from his waist and thrust it skyward, bellowing,
"Board ship!"
The thousands of soldiers swiftly embarked. Gang Won was the last to step onto the deck.
Moments later, the cloud ship lifted into the air. Gang Won bowed his head, gazing intently at the palace. A tumult of emotions swirled in his eyes.
This might be the last time he laid eyes on the palace where he had grown up over decades.
Pushing aside his regrets, the cloud ship vanished into the darkness.
In the Ganguk imperial family's Yangsim Hall.
Gang Wol-cheon sat cross-legged, a small puppy sprawled at his side with its legs stretched out. Across from him sat O Ru-ju of Chwiseonru.
Gang Wol-cheon stroked the puppy's head and asked,
"What are the odds of victory?"
O Ru-ju said nothing.
"Speak freely—it's fine."
"...Less than twenty percent."
"And if the Sword Immortal steps in?"
O Ru-ju gazed out of the hall with a complicated expression.
"If she intervenes, the situation will only grow more tangled."
As he said, war had already broken out, but so far it had been a clash among the younger generation. No Myriad Laws Realm experts had appeared yet.
If the Sword Immortal entered the fray, it would signal the end of the youth's war—and the prelude to an all-out emergence of Myriad Laws Realm powerhouses.
In short, all of Qingzhou would be reduced to ruins.
But could Yeop Hyeon and the young generation repel the enemy without her?
A flicker of worry crossed Gang Wol-cheon and O Ru-ju's eyes.
News of Canglan Academy's students and Gang Won's imperial guards heading to Gaeyang Fortress spread like wildfire across Ganguk.
The lord of Ganguk was personally joining the war.
That fact alone made it clear to the people just how dire the situation had become.
In a word, if Gaeyang Fortress fell, Ganguk was finished.
As a result, everyone in Ganguk who could wield a blade converged on Gaeyang Fortress.
Among them were those fearless of death for their country, but even many who had never shown much patriotism before now joined the throng.
Deep in the mountains, a cavalry unit thundered forward on horseback. Wherever they passed, black flames erupted in their wake.
Their numbers were modest—about a hundred strong. Each wore black armor and helmets shimmering with golden hues, their faces concealed behind ghost-like masks.
They all gripped black spears laced with gold, longer than standard lances, with razor-thin tips flickering with flames. Slung over their shoulders were longbows, quivers on their backs holding just ten arrows each—their triangular heads inverted and razor-sharp.
Additionally, they carried two daggers at their waists each: shorter than typical daggers, longer than needles.
Remarkably, all their gear was mid-grade Mingjie level.
Per rider, the total value exceeded ten billion nyang in gold.
Their mounts were equally striking: heads a full size larger than ordinary horses, bodies covered in pitch-black fur, ankles scaled with sharp protrusions. The horses too were clad head to tail in golden-black armor.
Each step scorched the earth in black flames.
Their speed was blinding.
These were the Black Flame Horses.
Fetched at great expense from Jungto Sinju, no beast in Qingzhou could outpace them. Once at full gallop, even a peak Divine Fusion Realm warrior couldn't catch them.
The Black Flame Cavalry was the Daeun Empire's undefeated elite mounted force, forged with untold wealth.
And now, they marched to conquer Ganguk.
Gaeyang Fortress.
The city remained on high alert, but the soldiers' hearts had steadied somewhat.
Gang Gu the princess was still there. Her presence meant Ganguk hadn't abandoned the fortress.
They couldn't afford to. If Gaeyang fell, Cho Country's hundred thousand troops could reach the capital in half a day.
Gaeyang was Ganguk's final frontline.
Atop the watchtower, Gang Gu in silver armor gazed into the distance with heroic resolve.
Exhaustion etched her face. Since arriving, she hadn't rested properly once.
Her eyes fixed on the Cho Country army's camp.
Her pupils gleamed cold as ice.
She sensed the decisive battle approaching.
This fight hung not just her life, but the fates of countless Ganguk citizens.
Just then, Gang Gu's eyes widened. She spotted movement in the Cho cavalry.
They're coming! They're here!
Soon, the wall's soldiers snapped to alert.
The Cho cavalry didn't charge recklessly. They advanced slowly, oppressively toward Gaeyang. Each step of a hundred thousand horses shook the earth.
Faces darkened as the black tide approached.
At a thousand zhang from the fortress, the Cho army halted. No siege engines deployed—they simply waited, as if for someone.
At the vanguard stood I Mok of Changmok Academy and the Dark Shadow lord.
Gazing at Gaeyang, I Mok said calmly,
"The Black Flame Cavalry will arrive in less than half a shichen. When they do, our hundred thousand and the Dark Shadow Dao Soldiers will advance together. Taking the fortress will be a matter of time."
The Dark Shadow lord asked in a sinister tone,
"Who handles Yeop Hyeon?"
I Mok sneered.
"Don't worry. Besides I Mok-rim and that archer, a warrior from Jungto Sinju is en route. With those three, plus your Dark Shadow Dao Soldiers, even Yeop Hyeon will meet a miserable end. And even if he slays them all, how will he stop a hundred thousand troops and the Black Flame Cavalry?"
The Dark Shadow lord met I Mok's eyes.
"What if he flees?"
"Flees? Hahaha! He won't. Have you forgotten? His weakness is his excess of loyalty and righteousness. Yeop Hyeon will die in Gaeyang before abandoning his soldiers!"
Confidence radiated from I Mok's face.
The Dark Shadow lord pressed,
"The Sword Immortal—what if she appears? Any countermeasures?"
The Sword Immortal intervenes?
I Mok narrowed his eyes, slowly clenching his fists.
A cold smile flashed across his face.
"If she does, then we no longer need to follow the rules..."
I Mok's lips curled viciously.
"If it comes to that, we'll kill her no matter the cost!"
The Dark Shadow lord fell silent.
Changmok Academy and Dark Shadow hadn't yet bared their fangs at the Sword Immortal. A direct clash would cost them dearly too. Though many of their warriors had fallen, it was negligible.
Their core Myriad Laws Realm experts remained intact.
As long as those endured, all was well. Still, they hoped the Sword Immortal stayed out.
Tonight's battle would be the final push for Changmok and Dark Shadow.
Thus, the two armies maintained their silent standoff.
Gaeyang's soldiers stood in grim formation atop the walls. The air was heavy, but their eyes burned with resolve.
No retreat.
One step back meant plummeting into the abyss. Only desperate resistance remained.
Gang Gu's expression was serene. She'd wrestled with doubts for a time.
But she'd reached a simple conclusion.
Even in the worst case, death was all that awaited. With death embraced, nothing frightened her anymore.
Meanwhile, a faint smirk tugged at I Mok's lips as he eyed Gaeyang.
"They're almost here. Time to advance."
His voice cut through the still air, reaching the ears of a hundred thousand soldiers.
"Advance!"