Chapter 329
Chapter 329
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 329
Chapter Title: Overwhelm
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hwaaak!
A blazing aura erupted from Gwak Chi's entire body.
Yi Hwan's single remark had set him boiling. It fueled him with fiery courage, but in exchange, it stripped away his cool-headedness.
What Yi Hwan desired was naturally the latter, and Gwak Chi, oblivious to it, pressed forward.
He shoved aside the black-cloaked guards surrounding him for his protection and took the lead once more, bellowing.
"Never fall back! Anyone who retreats with the enemy right before them will die by my blade!"
"Do not retreat!"
The warriors of Gwak Chi's unit, who had faltered momentarily at the sudden appearance of Jeong Cheon's forces, began to rally their momentum again.
But war was not won by momentum alone.
Gwak Chi's decision to ignore the Dragon-Tiger Army and concentrate his forces on Jeong Cheon's unit led to disastrous results.
Kwajijik!
"Ugh!"
"Graaah!"
The Dragon-Tiger Army pierced through the vanguard in one breath and charged straight toward Gwak Chi.
"This is..."
Gwak Chi's face twisted in horror.
"General! Prepare for impact!"
"Brace for collision!"
Kwajijik!
* * *
Kwajijik!
"Graaah!"
"Kuugh!"
Wherever the Dragon-Tiger Army passed, the corpses of fallen Zhao Kingdom soldiers piled up.
Yi Hwan moved toward the formidable masters that they struggled to handle.
Amid the dust clouds kicked up by the thundering cavalry, Yi Hwan's qi shot forth.
Puk!
"Argh!"
"Guh!"
The heads of two commanders flew off cleanly.
Obscured by the dust, they met their futile ends without even knowing what struck them. As the commanders fell one after another, Gwak Chi's unit plunged deeper into chaos.
At that moment, Jeong Cheon's forces clashed with the Zhao Kingdom soldiers.
Kwajijik!
"Graaah!"
"Ugh!"
The damage was far greater than from the collision with the Dragon-Tiger Army. Jeong Cheon's unit, long renowned as the strongest in the Southern Legion, lived up to its reputation without fail.
Specialized in mobile field battles, they swooped in instantly and began severing the necks of the Zhao Kingdom soldiers.
Jeong Cheon's command boomed across the battlefield.
"Keep them from advancing!"
"Charge!"
Woooah!
Kwajijik!
"Graaah!"
"Ugh!"
Wasn't group combat fundamentally a battle of morale?
In large-scale engagements, the morale of the initial clash was a decisive factor in victory or defeat.
In that sense, the Zhao Kingdom forces yielded the momentum with that single collision. And their foe was none other than the famed general Jeong Cheon.
"Target Jeong Cheon!"
"Concentrated assault!"
At the commander's shout, the masters moving from the rear charged toward Jeong Cheon.
But blocking their path were the warriors of the Hebei Paeng Family.
The Paeng Family warriors stationed in the Southern Legion numbered a hundred in total. Half were with the Dragon-Tiger Army, the rest with Jeong Cheon's forces.
"What bullshit."
"Come at us if you dare, you bastards!"
The Paeng Family warriors, handpicked by Commander Paeng Mu-wi, were strong—too strong. The destructive power of their great blades was fearsome enough, but their coordinated movements, moving as one, made them an impregnable fortress to the Zhao Kingdom martial artists.
Kwaak!
Kkagang!
"Ugh!"
"Graaah!"
Jeong Cheon barreled through the scene of spurting blood and flesh, charging toward the Zhao Kingdom soldiers.
Kwajijik!
"Graaaah!"
* * *
The light departing Yi Hwan's body mercilessly pierced the black-cloaked guards. Even knowing what it was, evading it in the melee was impossible.
Especially when they didn't even know what it was—the outcome was plain as day.
Pukpukpuk!
"Guh!"
"Keurk!"
"Damn it! What the hell is flying at us from where!"
"W-Watch your heads above!"
Flash!
Pukpuk!
"Graaah!"
"Argh!"
The Zhao Kingdom martial artists belatedly realized that the light was slaughtering their comrades.
But in the chaotic melee where friend and foe were indistinguishable, it was akin to the inescapable grasp of the reaper.
Puk!
"Guh!"
A black-cloaked guard fighting right beside Gwak Chi spewed blood from his forehead and toppled backward.
"General! This is impossible! Order a retreat at once!"
A commander rushed over, shouting desperately.
But his head was cleaved off by Gwak Chi's sword.
Puk!
"Argh!"
Having decapitated his own subordinate commander, Gwak Chi roared furiously at those around him.
"Anyone who retreats will not be forgiven by me!"
"Attack!"
Though they had suffered massive losses in the initial clash, the Zhao Kingdom soldiers were valiant.
But the tide of battle had already surpassed what valor alone could salvage.
Kwajijik!
"Argh!"
"Uwaaak!"
The Dragon-Tiger Army and Jeong Cheon's forces pierced through the gaps in the Zhao Kingdom formation. Gwak Chi's unit fragmented, its lines collapsing rapidly, and before long, they found themselves surrounded on all sides and under attack.
"Graaah!"
"Ugh!"
Each agonized death cry stabbed into Gwak Chi's ears like daggers. He acutely felt the disadvantage, every scream seeming to come from his own men.
'Damn it...'
He wanted to deny reality.
To surpass his brother Gwak Beom, the upper general and overall commander of this enemy subjugation, he had poured blood and sweat into his efforts. Finally, he had earned Jo Yun's recognition.
If he continued this streak of victories, he believed—no, he was confident—he could catch up to his brother soon enough.
But defeat at the hands of the Dragon-Tiger Army, known as the Southern Legion's lowest unit, would shatter that future like bubbles.
Of course, Jeong Cheon's intervention had tilted the battle irreversibly, but such excuses would never fly with Jo Yun.
"General! Be careful!"
"......!"
Gwak Chi instinctively hunched down.
Tang!
Following the metallic clang, a shock hit near his head. His helmet then soared high into the sky.
As Gwak Chi unwittingly brought a hand to his head, he spotted Yi Hwan charging toward them through the black-cloaked guards.
And the beams of light departing his body, mercilessly blowing off the black-cloaked guards' heads.
Pparur...
'To think such a martial art exists in this world...'
Watching the black-cloaked guards die so futilely sent chills racing across his skin, every hair standing on end.
"General! It's too much!"
"We'll hold them off—escape the battlefield now!"
The few remaining black-cloaked guards cried out.
Gwak Chi, who had just beheaded his subordinate commander moments ago, now found his mind blank.
"General!"
Puk!
The head of the shouting black-cloaked guard exploded like a watermelon right before Gwak Chi's eyes. Blood and brains splattered across his face.
"......!"
* * *
Puk!
"Argh!"
Song Cheon-mu's sword severed a commander's neck.
The one beside him fell to Cha Jung-kyeong.
Though ranked as captains, their skills rivaled commanders'. From the battle's outset, they fought more valiantly than anyone, each claiming three commanders' lives.
The Dragon-Tiger Army warriors fighting alongside them were valiant and strong. Though individual prowess varied, their unified movements generated destructive power no less than Jeong Cheon's elite unit.
But the greatest asset was Yi Hwan himself.
His mere presence filled the warriors with sky-high morale, translating directly into combat strength.
"The Great Prince is over there!"
Song Cheon-mu raised his sword, pointing ahead.
Cha Jung-kyeong charged first. Song Cheon-mu spurred his warhorse's flank without hesitation.
Dududu!
Meanwhile, Song Hoe moved close to Yi Hwan, covered in enemy blood. He maintained distance while commanding the unit.
Yi Hwan knew Song Hoe was nearby but issued no orders, hoping he would lead the Dragon-Tiger Army on his own.
Puk!
"Argh!"
After beheading an enemy officer, Song Hoe exhaled heavily and glanced at Yi Hwan.
Yi Hwan was still indiscriminately attacking the black-cloaked guards around Gwak Chi. Amid their desperate resistance, he couldn't press deeper inward.
'Where the hell did the escorts go?'
Ju Tae and the others, whom he expected soon, were still nowhere in sight.
"Great Prince! Don't go too deep!"
Song Hoe shouted with infused qi.
That was when Song Hoe's eyes caught sight of Gwak Chi slipping away from the battlefield.
'That bastard!'
As Song Hoe turned his mount to pursue.
"Do not chase."
Yi Hwan's voice flowed in, binding him like a spell.
Song Hoe looked back at Yi Hwan, who was now withdrawing. Seizing the gap, the few surviving black-cloaked guards leaped after Gwak Chi.
"This is enough. Do not pursue further."
"......"
Pwoooong!
A long trumpet blast echoed. It was the Zhao Kingdom forces' signal for retreat.
"Great Prince!"
Song Cheon-mu and Cha Jung-kyeong dismounted beside Yi Hwan. Drenched in blood, they grinned broadly.
"Are you hurt?"
"No, sir! We're fine!"
"You've improved considerably."
Yi Hwan patted their shoulders and surveyed the battlefield.
The routed Zhao Kingdom forces scattered in all directions.
Only those at the rear had barely escaped; the majority, encircled by Jeong Cheon's unit, died without even thinking of flight.
The Dragon-Tiger Army began assembling.
Yi Hwan turned to look at them. Despite the fierce battle, they stood proud and imposing, every one.
Song Hoe approached.
Their gazes met across the space.
"With this battle, the Dragon-Tiger Army must be reborn as a completely new force."
"Yes, Great Prince."
Dududu!
Jeong Cheon arrived like a gale. The Zhao Kingdom warriors who hadn't fled had all discarded their weapons and surrendered.
Hwiririk!
Jeong Cheon landed before Yi Hwan and bowed his head.
"I see you, Great Prince."
"No injuries?"
"I am unharmed."
Song Hoe asked.
"Where are the others?"
"There."
Yi Hwan pointed to the canyon entrance. Go Mi and Hwa Ryeong were arriving first.
Yi Hwan turned to Jeong Cheon and said.
"Until I return, keep the Zhao Kingdom's Third Prince in the Southern Legion."
"Where are you going?"
"I have business at the enemy camp."
"Is it important?"
"Quite."
"Understood. The fighting is fierce, so please take care, Great Prince."
Yi Hwan looked at the Dragon-Tiger Army.
All breathed heavily, eyes fixed on him.
"You all fought well."
Chung!
Woooaaah!