Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Blood Battle
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Yi Hwan surveyed the battlefield.
Bloody battles were raging at various points along the defensive line built using the gorge as a shield. One section was already on the verge of being breached.
‘Those bastards.’
Yi Hwan spotted the Blood Ghosts unleashing fierce attacks and his eyes gleamed. Each one was overwhelming the Yeon Kingdom warriors.
At that moment, he saw warriors from the Hebei Paeng Family and Young Tiger Clan heading there.
‘For now, I have no choice but to cheer them on.’
Song Hoe approached.
“Give the order, Great Prince!”
“We move to where General Hwang is.”
“Understood!”
“Move out!”
Yi Hwan led the Dragon-Tiger Army toward the central defensive line. It was the heart of the battlefield, supporting the left and right flanks while blocking the enemy’s main force.
Clang!
“Argh!”
“Gah!”
It was a bloodbath.
Especially where enemies and allies were tangled in close-quarters melee—it was no different from hell. In the chaos, warriors were falling to friendly blades one after another.
“You bastards!”
Song Cheon-mu’s rough voice shook Yi Hwan’s ears.
Yi Hwan smiled faintly.
‘He’s still getting angry in a situation like this? If he builds his skills and gains enough experience, he might actually become useful.’
Moments later, Yi Hwan arrived at Hwang Ho’s side. Hwang Ho was commanding his troops without leaping into the fray himself.
“The enemy seems dead set on this.”
“The Zhao Kingdom bastards have always been like that. Though today, they do seem different from before. So be careful, Great Prince.”
It was then. A group of enemies veered toward Hwang Ho’s position. They had recognized him.
“Hwang Ho’s over there!”
“Kill him!”
“Block them!”
Warriors stepped in front of Hwang Ho.
Clang!
“Urk!”
“Grah!”
Blood and flesh sprayed right before his eyes, yet Hwang Ho did not lose his composure.
Yi Hwan inwardly admired the sight.
‘The Crown Prince is reliable.’
Swoosh!
A chilling aura surged in.
At the same time, Hwang Ho’s sword whipped up a blade barrier.
Clang-clang-clang!
The deflected hidden weapons scattered amid sparks, raining down on the surrounding warriors.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
“Guh!”
A few flew toward Yi Hwan, but a casual flick of his hand sent them flying away.
Yi Hwan did not leap into the battlefield. For now, reading the overall flow took priority.
Just then, the Hebei Paeng Family and Young Tiger Clan charged into the fray. For Yi Hwan, it was the most intriguing development.
Crunch!
Boom-boom!
The Hebei Paeng Family’s greatswords spat fire. The Young Tiger Clan’s swift blades cleaved dozens of enemies in half in an instant.
“Grah!”
“Argh!”
It was then that Yi Hwan saw it. The Blood Ghosts retreating.
‘They must not have had any intel on the Young Tiger Clan. But even so, pulling back like that is strange?’
At first, Yi Hwan thought the Blood Ghosts had recognized their numerical disadvantage and fallen back. But looking at the terrain where the fighting was happening, it didn’t feel right.
Yi Hwan stared toward the rear.
He soon narrowed his brow.
‘They were deliberately buying time.’
From the back, Zhao Kingdom troops were swarming in like a black tide.
Yi Hwan turned to Hwang Ho.
“It might be best to pull the front line back.”
“No. We need to hold here longer. The terrain behind is unfavorable for our forces.”
“Look over there.”
Yi Hwan gestured with his chin toward the rear. Hwang Ho’s face hardened as he finally spotted the black mass of enemies surging forward.
“Pull the troops to the north side of the gorge. It’s narrow and steep—there’s no better spot for a small force to hold off a larger enemy.”
“The north side of the gorge could leave us completely cut off if the enemy surrounds it! Better to make our stand here!”
“You’d rather fight valiantly here and all die? Do you really think that would be a meaningful battle?”
“……!”
“You have to survive to plan for what comes after. Hold for now. I’ll find a way to turn the tide.”
“……!”
In that moment, Hwang Ho realized it. Yi Hwan’s eyes were colder than ice, deeper and calmer than a lake.
‘To stay this composed in such a situation.’
“Delay too long, and you’ll leave regrets for ages, General.”
Crunch!
Hwang Ho bit his lip. His teeth sank in, turning it dark red and dead.
“Sound the retreat horns! Fall back to the north side of the gorge!”
“Sound the retreat horns!”
Toot!
* * *
“Retreating?”
The Blood Ghosts’ leader scowled as he watched the Yeon Kingdom forces pulling back.
“If we’d tied them down just a bit longer, we could’ve wiped them out easily…….”
“Hwang Ho doesn’t seem like an ordinary man. He retreated at just the right moment, and now the plan’s falling apart.”
The Blood Ghosts’ leader glared toward the Hebei Paeng Family and Young Tiger Clan. They were pulling back too.
Twitch!
His eyebrows curved like blades, and a icy voice slipped through his lips.
“Didn’t account for the Young Tiger Clan joining in. What kind of intelligence operation is this?”
It was then.
Whoosh!
A general dropped down beside him. He was one of the Zhao Kingdom Commander’s most trusted fierce generals.
He bellowed in rage.
“Didn’t we agree to pin the enemy down!”
“What can we do? Whether they caught on or not, they’re retreating in plain sight. How do you expect us to hold their feet?”
“If you were so confident taking the vanguard, you should’ve done it properly!”
The leader coldly shot back at the general’s successive roars.
“This isn’t the time to argue right and wrong—so hurry up and pursue. And watch your words. If you were so confident, your side should’ve volunteered for the vanguard. I don’t get why you sat idle then and complain now.”
“What did you say!”
“We’ll settle this at camp. Let’s go!”
Boom!
The Blood Ghosts’ leader kicked off the ground and leaped forward. The other Blood Ghosts and thousands of warriors followed.
The general ground his teeth, glaring at their receding backs.
“Arrogant bastard. Riding on His Majesty’s favor, and now he thinks he’s untouchable!”
“General! Give the order!”
“Pursue! Chase them down and annihilate every last one!”
“Yes!”
Raaah!
* * *
Paeng Mu-wi and Young Ho-chung ran side by side.
The two glanced back at the pursuing enemies and patted their chests in relief.
“I really didn’t expect even more enemies to pour in!”
“I nearly got trapped without a move, plunging in blindly! General Hwang’s experience is truly something to admire!”
“He’s someone the general must overcome.”
“…….”
Paeng Mu-wi suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
Thanks to Hwang Ho’s sharp judgment, they had escaped the crisis. If he had decided to retreat just a moment later, it could have left eternal regrets.
‘Can I really oust that man and become the Southern Legion’s Commander?’
It was the first anxiety he had felt since arriving here.
“Move to the north side of the gorge!”
“To the north side!”
Shouts erupted from various spots.
‘The north side of the gorge?’
Paeng Mu-wi’s face twisted for a moment.
“The north side will just invite isolation—why retreat there of all places!”
“Is that true?”
“From what I’ve seen, yes!”
Paeng Mu-wi grabbed a retreating warrior and demanded.
“The order really came to fall back to the north side of the gorge!”
“Yes. It was clearly ordered—to the north side!”
“This…….”
Paeng Mu-wi couldn’t understand it. Abandoning the vast encampment to retreat into an area that invited isolation.
Young Ho-chung stepped forward.
“If things go wrong, it’ll all be on General Hwang, so there’s no harm in it.”
“Get isolated, and we could all die!”
“To gain something big, you have to take that much risk. Besides, with the general and his retainers’ prowess, even if we’re cut off, we can break out just fine.”
“…….”
Paeng Mu-wi didn’t like it.
But he had no choice but to obey. The Commander’s order was military law—disobey, and no one escaped punishment. Depending on the situation, it could mean immediate execution.
‘The retreat timing was perfect, but the location is all wrong.’
It was then.
“The enemy’s pursuing!”
A warrior shouted urgently.
Looking back, Blood Ghosts were cresting the ridge.
Twitch!
Paeng Mu-wi’s eyebrows twisted into an inverted eight.
“These pathetic things dare…….”
“Fighting here would just hurt us, so let’s pull back, General.”
Grit.
Paeng Mu-wi clenched his molars and followed Young Ho-chung’s words.
* * *
The Blood Ghosts’ leader cut down every Yeon Kingdom soldier in his path as he pursued. He mercilessly slew even those who surrendered.
Many Yeon Kingdom warriors, relatively weaker in lightness skill, met gruesome ends at his and the Blood Ghosts’ hands.
How much time passed?
“Master! Paeng Family bastards!”
At his subordinate’s shout, the leader looked up toward the ridge.
His eyes locked exactly with Paeng Mu-wi’s.
Smirk.
“It wasn’t fear of you lot that made us pull back earlier, you hulks. Heh heh heh.”
Sizzle.
His sword brimmed with sword energy.
“Kill every Paeng Family and Young Tiger Clan bastard you see! We need to slaughter as many as possible here to make retaking the camp easier!”
“Yes!”
The Blood Ghosts’ leader launched himself first toward the Paeng Family and Young Tiger Clan. When they fled over the ridge without fighting, he sneered coldly.
“Pathetic fools.”
He soon issued another order.
“Scatter and kill everything in your path!”
* * *
The Blood Ghosts were strong. Even when several Yeon Kingdom warriors rushed them, they couldn’t handle a single one.
The Blood Ghosts, scattered for the pursuit, were nothing less than grim reapers to the Yeon Kingdom forces.
“Argh!”
“Urk!”
One Blood Ghost who severed two heads suddenly flashed his eyes. Not far off, he spotted Yi Hwan and Hwang Ho retreating.
Having sent their troops ahead first, the pair had only a handful of guards around them.
“Hwang Ho’s there! Go take his head!”
“Yes!”
Five Blood Ghosts burst through the woods.
The warriors blocking their path fell gruesomely, and soon the distance closed to within thirty paces.
Sizzle.
The Blood Ghosts’ swords all turned blood-red at once.
Up to now, the fights hadn’t required drawing up energy, so they had barely expended any inner power. Thus, the Blood Ghosts were confident they could take Hwang Ho’s head.
They simply didn’t recognize Yi Hwan’s face, unaware he was the Yeon Kingdom’s Great Prince—having joined the Zhao Kingdom camp late.
‘Take Hwang Ho’s head, and this battle’s as good as over. Heh heh heh.’
One Blood Ghost kicked off the ground and leaped.
It was right then.
Flash!
From beyond the woods, a streak of blue light shot toward the Blood Ghost’s waist.
“Huh!”
The leaping Blood Ghost cried out in surprise and twisted his body midair.
Thud!
“Grah!”
The Blood Ghost fell to the ground, bisected.
Those who emerged behind him were Cheol Mu-ok and Gong Son-tae.
“You bastards dare target who?”
“Kill anything that moves.”
“Yes, sir!”
No sooner had the two appeared than they pounced on the other Blood Ghosts.
One Blood Ghost shrieked toward the pair who had suddenly appeared and killed their comrades.
“Experts! Be careful!”
Clang!
The first attack was blocked by the Blood Ghost’s defense. The second failed too.
But on the third, two Blood Ghosts spewed blood and collapsed, and on the fourth, two more fell.
Cheol Mu-ok looked down at the dying Blood Ghost spilling blood, his gaze steadying.
“These must be the ones with the demonic aura we saw on the corpses.”
“Really? They don’t seem that strong.”
“They’re not to us, but to the other warriors, they’re grim reapers.”
“Ah, right.”
Cheol Mu-ok stared down the ridge.
Zhao Kingdom troops were swarming up in a black mass. At the forefront were Blood Ghosts dressed like the ones he had killed.
Cheol Mu-ok’s eyes fixed on the Blood Ghost coming up from the center.
‘That one must be the leader.’
“There’s too many—let’s go.”
“…….”
“We can’t handle them alone!”
Cheol Mu-ok turned his gaze upward along the ridge. Yi Hwan had just vanished beyond it.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir!”