Chapter 211
Chapter 211
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 211
Chapter Title: War Against the Demons (4)
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The Ten Demon Alliance's main force moved south at speed, soon splitting their forces in two.
They had formed a kind of vanguard to repel us at the front.
Their numbers were a staggering two thousand.
They must have thought this was more than enough to handle us, confident in their superiority in both numbers and quality.
‘They took the bait perfectly.’
This was the exact situation I had hoped for before the war even began.
Facing their entire main force of over seven thousand would be difficult, but taking on a vanguard of two thousand was manageable.
Through guerrilla warfare, that is.
“Let's go!”
*Thudududu.*
Six hundred horsemen charged across the desert.
The enemy drew their weapons in response, but not one of our men showed any sign of fear.
Naturally.
Through the wars we had fought, the Iron-Blooded Vanguard had developed hearts of steel befitting their name.
*Swish. Swish!*
As expected, arrows flew toward us.
Riding at the very front, I extended my hand.
*Ping.*
The Battle Lord Arrow zipped through the air at high speed, deflecting the rain of arrows.
The enemy couldn't hide their bewilderment at this unheard-of divine skill.
*CRASH! CRACK. SQUELCH! THWACK!*
The iron spears of the Iron-Blooded Vanguard, empowered by internal energy and the speed of their warhorses, tore through their bodies.
"Kuaaaargh!"
At a rough glance, over fifty enemies hit the ground.
Screams echoed across the battlefield.
But it didn't end there.
*Fwoooosh!*
Just as our momentum was about to wane, the azure energy conjured by Yuk Hak created a massive explosion in the heart of the enemy formation.
It was a strike that demonstrated the terrifying power of a supreme master.
Thanks to him, the Iron-Blooded Vanguard's charge continued unimpeded, successfully punching a huge hole in the enemy's left flank.
“Circle around!”
Yuk Hak ordered another attack.
*Thudududu.*
The six hundred horsemen moved as one, changing direction.
At the same time, Jong Geuk-rin's shout rang out across the battlefield.
“The First Path will take the lead!”
War Dragon—!
Black saber energy billowed from his long saber.
Of course, our opponents were the vanguard of the Ten Demon Alliance, one of the Five Hegemons of the world.
They weren't about to just take it.
"Blood Demon Squad, block the enemy!"
"Iron Sword Squad...!"
"Saber Demon Squad...!"
The hole we had just punched through was instantly filled by elite warriors exuding a powerful aura.
However, there was something they hadn't accounted for.
*Crackle. Sizzle.*
My existence.
*Swoooooosh!*
Ultimate Death Force.
The blade of energy spread out, slicing through the enemies' waists.
*Shwwaaak!*
The weapons of Yuk Hak and the other Path Masters erupted with blue light, overwhelming the enemy.
“Gack!”
“Keuk!”
Enemies died without even a chance to scream.
As the six hundred riders followed up with their spear thrusts, fountains of blood erupted everywhere.
A few who belatedly came to their senses shouted and tried to fight back.
“Get a grip—! Guh.”
*Thwack!*
Each time, I channeled my inner Yondu, pointing a finger to pierce through their skulls.
Even supreme masters are caught off guard the first time they see the Battle Lord Arrow.
Against opponents far weaker than me, in a chaotic melee where death and weapons flew from all directions, it was virtually invincible.
*Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk.*
While controlling the Battle Lord Arrow, I naturally fell to the rear.
*Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.*
Riding Whitey, who was half a head taller than a normal warhorse, a demon charged at me with murderous intent, thrusting his sword.
“Hup!”
*Pang.*
I grabbed the iron spear slung on my back, swung it to block the attack, and simultaneously blew his head apart with the Battle Lord Arrow.
“Not bad.”
What was that saying? An inch longer is an inch safer, an inch shorter is an inch more dangerous?
The distance afforded by a long weapon like a spear felt reassuringly safe.
‘Hmm, this is unfair.’
As someone who uses fist and foot techniques, I felt this was somehow unjust.
I hope some martial world regulations on long weapons are implemented as soon as possible.
With me bringing up the rear, the Iron-Blooded Vanguard completed its second breakthrough and pushed forward.
The plan was to increase the distance and escape.
Of course, the Ten Demon Alliance's vanguard didn't just stand by.
“I won't let you get away!”
“You bastards!”
“Do you think you can escape?!”
Three supreme masters from within the formation shot forward.
Seeing their extraordinary movement arts, I immediately sent the Battle Lord Arrow at them.
*Kwarreureung! Fwoooosh!*
The enemy swung their energy, deflecting the Battle Lord Arrow.
A pity, but it didn't matter.
*Fwoooosh! KWA-A-ANG!*
*Swoooooosh!*
They had no choice but to stop to block the attacks launched by me and Yuk Hak anyway.
As the distance between us grew, they gave up the chase.
I raised my middle finger at them and left the battlefield.
This was on the 21st day of the war.
* * *
Day 22 of the war.
After the successful raid, the disciples' morale was higher than ever.
This is when we needed to be most careful.
A moment of carelessness could lead to annihilation.
So, we carried out our raids with the utmost caution.
It wasn't as bold a raid as the first day, so the results were less spectacular, but that was fine.
Our goal was to harass those demon bastards and buy time.
Until their food supplies ran out.
“Just die already!”
“After them!”
The second raid ended with us leaving the screaming bastards behind.
* * *
Day 25 of the war.
After several raids, the demons started to adapt.
First, the shape of their formation changed.
The long, string-like formation became a round, ball-like one.
It seemed they were concentrating their forces in the center to prevent a breakthrough.
However.
“Let's go!”
There were still plenty of ways to torment them.
We would charge as if to attack, then swerve away to startle them.
We dumped massive amounts of horse manure into water sources we expected them to use, making the water undrinkable.
And for those who couldn't contain their anger and gave chase, we gave them a taste of the Red Dragon Hall's special caltrops, courtesy of Jeok Hwa-ran.
“#$@&!!”
The way they jumped around in surprise looked just like a tap dance.
* * *
Day 28 of the war.
After repeated raids and retreats, we found ourselves pushed back to Zhengxi, south of Lanzhou.
The Ten Demon Alliance's vanguard changed their formation yet again.
Instead of marching slowly in a tight group, they began to run at full speed.
‘Fuhuhu.’
It was an expected move.
By now, they must have realized they couldn't find any food anywhere in southern Gansu.
They probably knew Lanzhou had been sacked and were prepared for that, but they likely hadn't expected to be unable to procure food from other places as well.
Procuring and transporting supplies from the rear wasn't easy either. Gansu and Qinghai were fundamentally desolate lands.
On top of that, since we were blocking their supply routes from the east, it would be difficult to find enough food for seven thousand people.
‘There’s a reason they say wars are expensive.’
In other words, they had realized they needed to conquer Hanzhong as quickly as possible.
And this movement became an opportunity for us.
“Let's go!”
Because we could now launch bold raids just like we did at the beginning.
And so, the Ten Demon Alliance's vanguard was once again shattered by the Iron-Blooded Vanguard.
* * *
Day 31 of the war.
The enemy gritted their teeth and resisted.
In the battles of the martial world, masters were supposed to protect the rear, yet they now stood at the forefront to block our charges.
Just as you'd expect from the demons of the Ten Demon Alliance—filthy, cheap bastards.
In any case, this decision by the enemy led to a noticeable increase in our casualties.
Yuk Hak and the other officers grew extremely tense.
Nearly fifty of their subordinates, men they had grown close to over a long time, had been killed.
The enemy vanguard had also been cut down by nearly half, but the Ten Demon Alliance still had their main force intact.
‘This can't go on.’
I couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
There was another problem.
As the battle dragged on, the warriors' stamina and internal energy began to run dry.
If they'd had to travel on foot without warhorses, they would have collapsed long ago.
“Hoo...”
It was a day filled with many worries.
* * *
Day 33 of the war.
A visitor arrived after a long time.
“I heard you're fighting well.”
“Is it alright for the Sect Leader to come here in person?”
“It's safer for me to come than to sacrifice innocent people.”
It was the reliable, bald Yong Ma-san.
Just as you'd expect from the leader of the Beggars' Sect, he had somehow located our garrison and found our camp in the middle of the desert as if by magic.
“By the way, are you using that hair growth tonic I gave you? It's been ages since I gave it to you, but not a single strand has grown back.”
“...As I've said before, my head isn't bald. I shaved it for my martial arts.”
“Lies.”
“Believe what you want.”
I shook my head and asked him.
“What's the situation on the other battlefield?”
“Our side is completely overwhelming them. On the surface, at least.”
“On the surface?”
You either win or you lose. What's this about 'on the surface'?
As I looked at him with questioning eyes, Yong Ma-san replied with a serious expression.
“It seems you haven't found it strange.”
“What?”
“That they're pouring all their forces into Hanzhong while ignoring the main attack on the Nine Dragons Fortress.”
“...I just thought it showed their strong determination to capture Hanzhong.”
“As the saying goes, 'First ensure your own survival, then kill the enemy.' What's the point of capturing Hanzhong if the Ten Demon Alliance's headquarters falls into enemy hands?”
“...”
I was speechless at his sharp analysis.
He wasn't wrong.
What good would capturing Hanzhong be if their headquarters was on the verge of falling?
“Why do you think they're doing it?”
“I'm not certain, but I believe there are two possibilities. Either they're waiting for outside help.”
“That's unlikely. They've completely fallen out with the Western Regions. I heard they were on the brink of war.”
The Ten Demon Alliance had made a complete enemy of the Western Regions during their last invasion of the Nine Dragons Fortress.
It all started when they used force to demand passage.
“Then there's only one answer left. The Lord of the Ten Demon Alliance himself.”
“...Himself?”
“If he has transcended the absolute realm, then making such a choice would be understandable. Perhaps if he has reached a state like that of the first Heavenly Demon, it would make sense.”
“Hmm...”
There are three great legends in the martial world.
The first Heavenly Demon.
Zhang Sanfeng.
Bodhidharma.
In particular, there's a legend about the first Heavenly Demon related to the Tian Shan mountains.
The legend says that Tian Shan, which was originally a single high mountain, was split into a mountain range by the first Heavenly Demon with his Heavenly Demon Sword.
I thought it was ridiculous nonsense, but what if, by some one-in-a-million chance, it was true?
If the current Lord of the Ten Demon Alliance has reached such a state, the main force of the Nine Dragons Fortress will not be able to avoid annihilation.
However.
“Well, there's nothing I can do about that.”
It's not a problem I can solve.
Even if I went and told them to be careful, they wouldn't retreat, and against a master of that caliber, someone at my level wouldn't be much help anyway.
The only thing I can do is eliminate the demons right in front of me.
“I did not intend to confuse you, Sect Leader Jin.”
“No, it's much better to know than to be in the dark.”
“If you say so.”
“Did you find out?”
Yong Ma-san replied with a very serious look in his eyes.
“They departed from four different locations, so I can't be precise, but they should arrive within seven days at the latest.”
“And at the earliest?”
“Three days.”
“I'll have to pray they're fast.”
“The situation doesn't look good, I take it.”
“We've managed to hold on so far, but the real problem is what comes next.”
“...It seems the numerical inferiority is the cause.”
“Looks like it.”
After a moment's hesitation, Yong Ma-san let out a low groan and spoke.
“...If things get too difficult, I can send the forces of the Beggars' Sect.”
“Don't be ridiculous.”
I let out a dry laugh at the absurd suggestion.
The elite warriors of the Beggars' Sect were, at best, second-rate fighters who had learned a bit of martial arts.
It's not that they didn't have anyone who could be called a master, but there were very few.
“Ahem, must you treat a person's goodwill with such...”
“Enough. I'll handle the battlefield. Just do one thing for me.”
“Please, ask anything.”
I looked at his bald head, which seemed particularly reliable today, and continued.
“Go right now and...”