Chapter 291
Chapter 291
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 291
Chapter Title: Kim Mu-gwan's Martial Prowess
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The bloodbath raised its curtain once more.
As they had done until now, the Qin Kingdom forces focused on defense, while the Dark Heaven Cult—as Yi Hwan had predicted—charged in diagonally from both flanks, targeting the edges of the Qin army.
Crunch!
Clang!
“Argh!”
“Gaaah!”
“Hold your positions! Don’t take a single step back!”
“Wipe them all out!”
The battlefield instantly devolved into a chaotic melee as enemies and allies became hopelessly entangled.
“That way, Great Prince.”
Baek Woo-kyeong pointed to one side. It was where the Heaven-Earth Twin Demons and other experts were moving.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
Yi Hwan charged ahead first.
To reach the Heaven-Earth Twin Demons, there was no choice but to break through the thick wall of enemy soldiers.
Cheol Mu-ok, Ju Tae, and Kim Mu-gwan followed close behind Yi Hwan, while Baek Woo-kyeong and the warriors plunged straight into the enemy ranks.
Flash!
Thud thud thud!
“Argh!”
“Gurk!”
Yi Hwan and the others were like tigers leaping into a flock of sheep.
No one could withstand even a single strike from them, and those who somehow blocked the first were bisected by the second, crumpling to the ground.
“General! Look over there!”
At a commander’s shout, Yeo Mun-chu turned his head toward where Yi Hwan and his group were advancing.
Grit.
Yeo Mun-chu clenched his teeth.
‘The prince of another kingdom fights with such valor, yet what is our imperial house doing?’
Shing!
Yeo Mun-chu drew his sword as if venting his frustration and bellowed.
“Switch to attack formation!”
“Switch to attack formation!”
“Attack formation!”
The commanders’ shouts spread rapidly, and the central and rear troops who hadn’t yet engaged swiftly reorganized their lines.
Yeo Mun-chu took position at the forefront.
“Attack!”
“Charge!”
Raaah!
* * *
The chaotic melee that the Heaven-Earth Twin Demons had intended rendered the Qin Kingdom’s tactics and strategies meaningless. Now, it was pure hand-to-hand combat where victory depended solely on individual skill and resolve.
With Yeo Mun-chu’s central army refusing to yield ground and counterattacking head-on, the battle plunged even deeper into disorder.
A triumphant smile crept across Kunma’s lips.
“This should be enough.”
He turned to Gonma and their aides, issuing orders.
“We’re all pulling out of here.”
“Understood.”
“Yes, Elder!”
The Heaven-Earth Twin Demons and those shadowing them like ghosts turned as one.
Then, a green-robed man standing a short distance away cried out in surprise.
“Where are you going?”
“We’ll swing around the flank and strike the enemy command. Keep up the fierce assault so they don’t notice!”
“Yes!”
No one doubted them.
To everyone present, at least, the Heaven-Earth Twin Demons were heaven and god incarnate.
“Argh!”
“Gaaah!”
Leaving the agonized cultists dying behind them, the Heaven-Earth Twin Demons headed west across the battlefield. But with the troops so densely packed, their escape was agonizingly slow.
Twitch.
“These pests!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Gonma drew his sword in fury.
As Gonma showed signs of slashing not only the obstructing Qin warriors but even their own cultists, Kunma grabbed his wrist.
“What are you doing? We can slip away slowly enough—don’t do anything needless.”
“Damn it!”
* * *
‘Heading west?’
Yi Hwan spotted what seemed to be the Dark Heaven Cult leaders and his eyes gleamed. At first, he thought they were circling to the Qin camp from the flank.
But their direction was off. If they meant to flank, they should have turned much earlier.
‘No way…’
A thread of suspicion pierced his mind.
He turned to Baek Woo-kyeong and said.
“Their ringleaders seem to be trying to slip away from the battlefield.”
“You saw it too?”
“Otherwise, there’s no reason to head that way. They planned from the start to treat this war as their last stand, using their remaining forces to whittle down your kingdom’s strength as much as possible.”
“……!”
“If we charge in here, the others might join them, so we need to shadow them discreetly to an isolated spot.”
“Understood.”
Yi Hwan and his group veered left. Any who lunged at them during the pursuit sprayed blood and fell.
Baek Woo-kyeong followed Yi Hwan, praying his hunch was right. If things played out as predicted, the Dark Heaven Cult’s chaos that had plagued Qin could be said to end here.
Grip.
‘I won’t let a single one escape!’
Baek Woo-kyeong loved Qin more than anyone. To him, the fanatics’ leaders were blood enemies who had to be slain at any cost.
It was then.
“Calm your excitement.”
Yi Hwan’s voice drilled into his ear.
Baek Woo-kyeong was inwardly shocked.
‘Even in this chaos, he was monitoring my breathing…’
* * *
How far had they traveled?
The agonized death cries and clashing swords no longer reached them.
A satisfied smile spread across Kunma’s face.
“A perfect success, eh? Heh heh heh.”
“Shame we couldn’t burn the whole Imperial Palace.”
“That was impossible from the start. Didn’t you see? Wi Ji-gwan’s Golden Army elites standing stock-still before it.”
“Cowards.”
“Not Wi Ji-gwan’s fault. No doubt the Emperor or Crown Prince’s Palace ordered palace defense as top priority. If Qin had someone like Yeon Kingdom’s great army here, we wouldn’t have made it this far. Lucky for us.”
“Still a pity. Seeing it right there and having to slink away like this.”
“There’ll be another chance later—don’t fret.”
Reaching the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, the Heaven-Earth Twin Demons eased their pace leisurely.
How much farther did they go?
The path leading to the northwestern mountainous terrain of the city gradually came into view.
At its end, several green-robed men stood with dozens of horses grazing idly. They were the mounts for the Heaven-Earth Twin Demons and their group.
Kunma halted and gazed at the capital. Black smoke still billowed skyward like rising dragons from various spots.
“We’ve left it in that state, so they won’t dare attack the main headquarters for a while. Heh heh heh.”
“With the Qin Emperor’s indecisive nature, we might not have to worry for at least a decade. The Crown Prince doesn’t seem all that impressive either.”
“We’ll devour them before then. Alright, let’s head back to headquarters!”
The Heaven-Earth Twin Demons resumed their steps.
Right then.
“Argh!”
“Gaaah!”
The green-robed men tending the horses ahead screamed in agony, spewing blood as they collapsed.
As the startled horses bolted in all directions, figures dropped into their midst.
The Heaven-Earth Twin Demons’ eyes changed in an instant.
“……!”
* * *
Yi Hwan gazed impassively at the Heaven-Earth Twin Demons.
Stunned by the sudden turn, they had already drawn swords and were forming ranks.
Their gazes clashed across the empty air.
Kunma asked Yi Hwan coldly.
“Did someone from Yeon Kingdom die at our cultists’ hands? Is that why you chased us all the way here for revenge?”
“Let’s say so.”
“You’ll regret it, oh great prince.”
Rumble!
A storm of qi erupted around the Heaven-Earth Twin Demons, kicking up clouds of dust.
But the one they focused on wasn’t Yi Hwan—it was Baek Woo-kyeong.
Rumors swirled that Yi Hwan was an incredible master, but they figured he couldn’t match Baek Woo-kyeong. And wasn’t Baek Yeon, who was nearly his equal, absent?
Baek Woo-kyeong turned to Yi Hwan and said.
“Leave these to us.”
“Very well.”
Yi Hwan readily agreed. Baek Woo-kyeong and Baek Yeon stepped forward together.
Screee!
Their swords unleashed streams of sword energy.
Killing intent blazed in Baek Woo-kyeong’s eyes.
“I’ll sever your heads and avenge the miserable deaths of our people and warriors.”
“Hmph! You latecomers who were off playing elsewhere shouldn’t talk like that. If it was so agonizing, you should’ve stayed in the capital.”
Kunma shot back coldly, then raised his left hand in a signal pointing ahead. His followers behind him kicked off the ground and leaped forward as one.
Whoosh!
Baek Woo-kyeong and his brother, along with the Qin warriors, charged ahead simultaneously.
Cheol Mu-ok asked.
“What’s the plan?”
“Kill whatever’s in front of us.”
“Got it.”
Clank clank!
Cheol Mu-ok’s sword transformed into a massive blade. Ju Tae’s blade gleamed blue, while Kim Mu-gwan summoned fist energy from the start.
Whoosh!
Yi Hwan soared into the air first. The three followed, spreading out to his left and right.
Boom!
Baek Woo-kyeong clashed with Kunma. A massive shockwave swept the surroundings after the explosion. Almost simultaneously, Baek Yeon tangled with Gonma.
Kabloom!
“Strike!”
“Kill them all!”
The warriors from both sides collided.
Were their skills evenly matched? Not a single one fell in the initial exchange.
But as Yi Hwan and his group joined, the tide swiftly turned toward Qin.
Thud!
“Guh!”
Yi Hwan’s sword cleaved a green-robed man’s head.
Cheol Mu-ok, Ju Tae, and Kim Mu-gwan struck the flanks of the tightly packed Dark Heaven Cultists. Kim Mu-gwan’s fist slammed into an opponent’s chest.
Thud!
“Argh!”
Blood gushed from the hole in the flying man’s chest like a severed puppet.
“Shit!”
Enraged by his comrade’s death, a Dark Heaven Cultist swung at Kim Mu-gwan’s waist.
But Kim Mu-gwan had already pivoted, slapping the incoming blade aside with his left hand before smashing the man’s jaw.
Crack!
“Gah!”
Half his face exploded in a gruesome death.
What was astonishing was that the fist energy bursting from Kim Mu-gwan’s punch pierced straight through to the man behind him.
Thud!
“Urk!”
Having felled three in an instant, Kim Mu-gwan’s next target was a hulking brute. Despite Kim Mu-gwan’s terrifying prowess, the giant charged like an enraged bull, swinging a massive blade.
“I’ll smash your skull, you bastard!”
Unfortunately, Cheol Mu-ok was right beside him. Before the brute could close in, his sword-arm was severed clean off.
Thud!
Ju Tae beheaded the brute and plunged fearlessly into the clustered foes.
“Rats huddling together?”
Flash!
“Argh!”
The Qin warriors stared in stunned disbelief.
They were all acknowledged masters themselves. Yet Cheol Mu-ok and the others’ skills froze them solid. Especially Kim Mu-gwan’s fist energy—its destructive power was unlike anything they’d ever seen.
Ju Tae grinned at Kim Mu-gwan.
“You’re really fired up. Heh heh heh.”
Meanwhile, Yi Hwan paused his attacks and fell back. He watched Kim Mu-gwan’s every move like a connoisseur.
‘Was he always this strong?’
Even Yi Hwan was amazed.
Thud!
Another cultist’s head exploded formlessly under Kim Mu-gwan’s fist.
Those splattered with blood and brains lost vision momentarily, flailing until Cheol Mu-ok and Ju Tae took their heads.
“Worthless scum!”
“Don’t get careless, Ju Tae.”
“I could get careless. These weaklings!”
It was then. A streak of light flashed toward Ju Tae.
Ju Tae, lunging at yet another foe, twisted aside just in time. By a hair’s breadth, the flash struck the ground where he’d been.
Thud!
Ju Tae’s eyes turned to the attacker.
It was a blood-robed man who’d been facing the Qin warriors from the rear until now.
Cheol Mu-ok’s voice transmission pierced Ju Tae’s ear.
[He’s no ordinary foe. Focus, Ju Tae.]