Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: One Rider Against Ten Thousand
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So Gun-ak rode atop Mu-yeong as he inspected the open field where the archers and mages lay in ambush. He then gave stern instructions once more to the cavalry divided into three units of a hundred riders each.
Standing outside the city's south gate, he kept his eyes fixed on the horizon. Horant and Macaron stood beside him.
"Oh, here they come."
The crows sharing their vision with Horant scouted the orcs' approach. Even So Gun-ak's keen eyes could make out the dust cloud kicked up by the orcs.
Dududududu.
The ground rumbled from the march of four thousand troops, the sound carrying far. So Gun-ak's heart raced with a thrill he hadn't felt in ages, but he calmed his mind and focused ahead.
Having already grasped the enemy's rough composition through crow reconnaissance, he knew there were 120 luk riders. If he hadn't preemptively taken out the luk riders embedded in their scouting parties—ten per group—the number would have neared 200.
Behind those luk riders followed orc infantry, each wielding mismatched weapons. About a thousand were armed with bows.
The orc horde, which had been charging full speed, suddenly slowed. The wide plain was littered with orc corpses.
Having lost their advance scouts entirely here, even these brutish orcs proceeded with caution.
Several hundred orcs pushed forward, perhaps to investigate the fallen scouts, rummaging through their comrades' bodies.
So Gun-ak nudged Mu-yeong's side.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"Yes, Master. Leave it to me."
Horant bowed respectfully. So Gun-ak nodded and charged ahead.
As Mu-yeong shot forward like an arrow, the orcs were baffled by the sudden appearance of the black knight. But the confusion was brief—five luk riders soon rushed to eliminate the suspicious intruder.
So Gun-ak slotted the spear assembled from rod and shaft under his right armpit.
The biggest obstacle is the luk riders.
120 luk riders formed a formidable force. If the relentless luks, who charged even unto death, broke through, the pre-dug traps would be useless. Stone structures would crumple under their impact, yet they'd barrel on undeterred—the luks were that strong.
Moreover, a dense formation charge by luk riders outmatched even cavalry, making it impossible to counter with his own horsemen.
Eliminating those luk riders fell solely to So Gun-ak and Horant.
"Kurrrr."
The five luks thundered toward him, shaking the earth. So Gun-ak spurred forward to meet them, brushing his breastplate. In his left hand were now five flying daggers.
Thutututututu.
Only about ten meters separated Mu-yeong, bearing So Gun-ak, from the five luk riders.
"Chu-a."
Whoosh.
Feeling the wind spirit's energy imbued in the daggers, So Gun-ak channeled his inner energy. The daggers quivered, saturated with power.
"Cha!"
Five streaks of light shot from So Gun-ak's hand.
Soul-Stealing Flying Dagger Art
Extreme Spear Ten Principles → Black Dragon Corps Signature Technique
Shushuk.
The five daggers flew in a straight line, embedding into the luks' crowns. At that instant, So Gun-ak clashed with the luk riders.
Kwajik!
One orc warrior impaled on So Gun-ak's mounted spear flew into the air. The now-dead luks continued forward by momentum. Mu-yeong deftly weaved past them without colliding.
In that moment, the luks with daggers buried deep in their skulls collapsed like puppets with cut strings, skidding across the ground.
"Kur?"
Luk riders were the elite among orc warriors. The orc warriors leaped from their falling mounts and turned back.
"Kuuk?"
Kwajik!
The destructive power of a charging mount was terrifying. But once halted, cavalry became prime prey for infantry. Cavalry tactics relied solely on piercing charges, as turning was cumbersome.
Yet Mu-yeong was different. In a mere instant after crossing the luk riders, it pivoted on a dime and wheeled back.
The spear tip, now reversed, pierced an orc's chest.
Kwajik!
"Kurruk!"
In a flash, five luks fell inexplicably, two warriors slain. The remaining three gripped massive cleavers and charged, fearsome at a glance.
So Gun-ak seized the axe from his saddle and hurled it.
Kwak! Kwajik!
The orc warriors crumpled before reaching him, axes buried in their skulls.
"Chu-a."
He called her name, but issued the command through will alone—no, more a request. Without a word, Chu-a retrieved the daggers from the luks' skulls and the axes from the orcs' heads.
Whirlic.
Watching the daggers and throwing axes return to his hand, So Gun-ak smirked. The utility of spirits was endlessly impressive.
Dudududu!
With the five luk riders dispatched so anticlimactically, a volley of arrows rained from the orc lines.
Shushushushuk!
The black cloud of arrows blotted the sky, countless in number. Inaccurate and spread wide, it left nowhere to flee.
"Mu-yeong!"
At So Gun-ak's shout, Mu-yeong darted behind a fallen luk, flattened to the ground, and tucked its head. Such a move was possible only for a hell horse linked in will with its master.
Even reinforced, Mu-yeong's hide wasn't yet fully hell horse caliber—direct hits could prove dangerous. So Gun-ak stood tall in the saddle, drawing his longsword from his waist.
Dididadadang.
The blade danced brilliantly, batting arrows aside in droves. He couldn't block them all, but the Magic Suit ensured none harmed him.
Whiric, whik.
Chu-a flapped her gossamer wings ceaselessly, deflecting incoming arrows and veering them off course.
Dududu.
When the orc barrage ceased, Mu-yeong's vicinity bristled with snapped and embedded shafts. Unscathed amid the storm, So Gun-ak prompted the orcs to drastic measures.
Dududududududu.
The earth quaked as luk riders charged en masse—easily a hundred. Excluding about ten bearing commanders, they came on all at once.
Hiiing.
Mu-yeong rose again, and So Gun-ak landed back in the saddle.
"Alright, round two."
As So Gun-ak readied for another charge, a rumble shook the ground behind him.
Duduk.
Turning, he saw dead luks strewn about rising. He'd left orc scout corpses ahead but placed the luks nearer the stronghold.
At the center of the resurrected zombie luks stood Horant, with the headless knight Macaron atop one.
"Krara rara!"
Macaron spun his severed head like a flail, eager for battle.
"Go!"
At Horant's command, 50 zombie luks charged. Lacking their former vigor, their recent deaths preserved their hefty mass.
Slowed but substantial, they were ample reinforcements for So Gun-ak.
The zombie luks thundered past So Gun-ak toward the fray. The 100 orc luk riders, spotting them, surged with fury.
To use their allied luks even in death!
"Krack! Kill them all!"
"Kwaaak!"
The orcs bellowed, whipping their mounts into a frenzy.
Kwakwakwang!
50 zombie luks clashed with 100 luk riders. At first impact, luks toppled and skulls shattered in droves.
Ranks crumbled instantly, mingling zombies and riders. Charges meaningless now, the luk riders swung spears and swords to grant rest to the undead—or preserve themselves.
"Hiyat!"
Dadak, dadak.
So Gun-ak spurred Mu-yeong into the melee.
Having battled several orc scouts, his spear intent had sharpened further. In that brief span, So Gun-ak wondered if the Black Dragon Corps might shine brighter here than in the Central Plains.
Heat haze rose from his spear, infused with spear ki.
Having reached the realm of sword mastery unnoticed, So Gun-ak surged his aura. Beyond deflecting arrows, the Magic Suit invigorated his inner energy.
Power brimmed uncontrollably; he felt he could take anyone. Not his prime Central Plains body, but half that prowess at least.
The Magic Suit was a true treasure.
"Hap!"
His spear began piercing the chaos.
4. One Rider Against Ten Thousand
Mu-yeong circled the battlefield's edge. So Gun-ak was absent from its back, but with the mounted spear fixed to the saddle, it ably played assault cavalry on its own.
A hell horse through and through, despite hasty forging. Orcs flung to the periphery met Mu-yeong's hooves or the spear's straight thrust unto death.
So Gun-ak wove freely through luk gaps. A stray hoof might doom others, but his footwork had ascended realms.
Aided by the Magic Suit, he slipped most attacks with a mere twist.
Kwakakak!
"Keuruk."
His greatsword thrashed the field like a fish in water.
Shuaaaak, tututuk.
His hand would brush his breastplate, and daggers already pierced orc brows. Darting busily, severing necks—So Gun-ak's form was godlike.
As busy as he was Chu-a, enhancing dagger speed and precision, then retrieving and returning them.
"Kro rara!"
Macaron whirled his head adeptly, gripping it by the hair like an iron-wire flail that refused to snap.
His feats awed the orcs into flailing panic. No instant kills, but his tankiness and erratic strikes disrupted lines masterfully, drawing eyes.
Meanwhile, So Gun-ak wielded longsword in right, shortsword in left. Dual-wielding identical blades was hand-dual-swords; longsword and shortsword, great-small dual-blades.
The cult preserved dual-sword arts, chief among them Secret Cult's pinnacle: Yin-Yang Heavenly Demon Dual Sword Style, fiendishly hard to master but unbeatable in melees against hundreds upon great attainment.
Even in Secret Cult's long history, only founding lord Yin-Yang Heavenly Demon reached 12th perfection; just two others hit 10th great success.
Back in the Central Plains, So Gun-ak favored longswords and knew but never trained it. Here, after days' practice, he'd reached a mere 2nd stage.
Yet the founding lord's art overwhelmed orc warriors. Every swing severed necks.
The watching soldiers and mages hidden away cheered quietly at his exploits. Defense captain Bolt especially felt shame anew.
"He is a true warrior. I ran rampant, blind to it."
Bolt's lament drew nods from fellow knights.
"Indeed. Charging solo against 100 luk riders... no ordinary valor."
Who would charge 100 luk riders alone? That'd be foolhardy, not brave.
Yet So Gun-ak charged valiantly, facing them squarely. None could match such courage and prowess; knights and soldiers watched in awe.
Short and long blades danced freely, orc blood soaking the earth. So Gun-ak targeted not just warriors—keen edges struck luk vitals, thinning their numbers one by one.
"We'll win. A miracle unfolds now, doesn't it?"
A cavalryman spoke; all agreed, thrilled. Participating in this bard-worthy miraculous battle would be a lifelong glory.
Bolt quietly relayed the order.
"Prepare, all! The promised moment is nigh."
Cavalry checked their lances.
The Red Wolf mercenaries following So Gun-ak were stunned too. Capone trembled, knuckles whitening on his prized great axe.