995——————==

Soul of the Evil God

The bombardment from the Man Gwangpo continued.

Boom!!

Boom!!

Occasionally, the enemy’s artillery would spit fire, but since the range of Man Gwangpo was far greater than that of the enemy’s cannon, we didn’t suffer any damage. If it were a fair exchange, both sides would fall back or perish together, but for now, we could attack unilaterally. Maybe that’s why the enemy was hastily retreating their artillery units.

‘Looks like there’s at least a threefold range difference…’

No, in reality, even more range was possible, but Hwang Yeon mentioned that we hadn’t yet adapted to the new weapon, preventing us from extending its range further. The performance of the new weapon surpassed human proficiency.

It’s an incredible piece of equipment. While it utilized the powers of the crystal stele and scientific technology, it felt almost unacceptable for this era. Even our side hesitated to approach the enemy’s walls, fearing the bombing from our own Man Gwangpo might hit us.

Bang!!

Thud…

Eventually, part of the enemy fortress crumbled. It wasn’t just a simple stone wall but a sturdy fortress built triple-layered, yet it fell apart like a house of cards. Along with that, cheers erupted from our side.

Waaah—

Especially the soldiers with more combat experience cheered the loudest. For them, they had probably never conceived that a few cannon fire could so swiftly bring down such a solid fortress. Usually, breaking through that wall would cost at least 50,000 lives, which made them even more excited.

Hwang Yeon seemed to calm the soldiers while giving further orders.

Kiriick!!

Kiriick!

The artillery unit leading the Man Gwangpo gradually began to advance, accompanied by the Gui Luepo units. Out of 1,500 new weapons, only about 270 were Man Gwangpo, while the rest were all Gui Luepo. In fact, Hwang Yeon had only deployed about 30 of the Man Gwangpo for today’s battle, calculating that it would be sufficient. He believed he could lead us to victory without wasting any more ammunition for Man Gwangpo; the rest of the battlefield would be handled by the Gui Luepo.

Boom…

Boom!!

Once again, Man Gwangpo fired at a high angle. Looking through enhanced vision, I saw the inner city walls breaking, and simultaneously, what seemed to be an observation tower crumbled with the rocks.

Hwang Yeon did not rush forward but chose to safely neutralize the defenses of the inner city first. And with this attack, the enemy seemed to lose a lot of morale, as I could see the soldiers gathered between the outer and inner fortresses in panic, running around chaotically.

Upon enhancing my hearing, I could make out some commanders from Goryeo shouting.

“Focus yourselves!”

“Charge! Prepare for the assault. Those cannons take considerable time to reload. We’ll neutralize the enemy artillery with individual commands from ten battalions! There’s no other way.”

The deputy commanders were aghast.

“It’s impossible! The enemy’s great army is lined up in the plains; there’s no way to break through their defenses and strike their artillery.”

“There is! The Commander will pave the way; risk your lives.”

“…Yes!!”

The Commander?

I had been listening to that conversation from several miles away, stroking my chin.

‘So something’s about to go down.’

In a typical war, with the moment Man Gwangpo shattered the enemy fortress walls, the battle would already have been decided in our favor. Once a wall is down, it’s no different from a plain; all that’s left is to ravage. But the enemy, knowing that, wasn’t giving up and was attempting to neutralize Man Gwangpo. That insinuated they might create an opportunity to break through our 240,000-strong defense to approach Man Gwangpo.

Should I inform Hwang Yeon…?

I glanced at the Master of the White Lotus Sect beside me. He seemed to be listening closely to the situation inside the fortress as well.

[You don’t need to relay it to Hwang Yeon. He will handle it himself.]

“Aren’t we supposed to keep an eye on that Commander?”

[Have you forgotten the advisors’ words? Whether one [makes a move] first is crucial… Regardless of how strong that Commander is, the two of us can suppress him if we work together, but that would just be brute force clashing with brute force, gaining nothing. Even with immense power, if you don’t cleverly seize the opportunity, you’ll ultimately find yourself at a disadvantage… Besides, wasn’t the Eight Immortals country keeping tabs on us?]

“Hmm…”

[For now, let’s watch. We can intervene when they overstep their bounds; it won’t be too late.]

That’s sound advice. I decided to simply observe from the vantage point. Even if I had sufficient power to sweep through the battlefield, swinging it recklessly would only give the Celestial Realm ample reason to interfere. It was best to leave it in Hwang Yeon’s hands.

Whoooosh!!

Moments later, over thirty thousand troops poured out from within the fortress in ten different directions. They spread out to minimize damage from Man Gwangpo and deployed into the plains, with all their killing intent directed at the Man Gwangpo units.

‘Hmm, reckless!’

It seemed I wasn’t the only one thinking this, as the 240,000 troops did not react much upon seeing the cavalry rushing from afar. Wasn’t that like throwing eggs against rocks? Yet, even if thirty thousand of them had to die here, causing some damage to the Man Gwangpo units would be strategically beneficial for Goryeo, which explained their choice.

At that moment, a great Lion’s Roar resounded across the battlefield.

[Those who invade this land!! You shall not return safely!]

In an instant, it seemed several thousand soldiers in line were agitated by that booming voice. Even I was quite startled upon hearing it from afar.

‘… Incredible internal power!!’

Was there such a master among the enemy? Shortly after, I saw someone rushing ahead on horseback from the vanguard, and my eyes widened.

“Cheok Jun-gi!”

The Fighting Father!

Along with Master Zhu Yi and Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, he was one of the top three experts among the Twelve Joules!

I had faced Cheok Jun-gi once each during my peak expert days, so I knew him well. Back then, I had been utterly toyed with and defeated without even landing a strike.

If I were to quantify his martial prowess, he had reached the pinnacle of peak experts! If he dedicated his life to training, there was a high possibility he would reach the Absolute Realm later on, firmly placing him among the greatest martial artists of the martial arts world in reality. The cries of Goryeo generals following Cheok Jun-gi revealed the situation.

“Follow General Cheok Jun-gi!!”

“The Commander opens the way!”

Could it be that the Fighting Father was the Goryeo Commander?

But I quickly realized that it made sense. The Fighting Father was originally a sect charged with protecting the country. It wouldn’t be strange for their leader to serve in a military capacity as Commander. Now that the nation was in peril, the Fighting Father was leading the Goryeo army into battle.

At that moment, Man Gwangpo unleashed its fury.

Boom boom boom!

Boom!!

Aaaah-!

The Man Gwangpo units poured cannon fire upon the charging Goryeo troops, and each barrage claimed at least a hundred lives. The Goryeo soldiers had hardly emerged from the wall yet were being annihilated from five miles away.

Crash!!

“No!!”

“This can’t be!”

Yet the valiant charge led by Cheok Jun-gi was different. As Cheok Jun-gi, riding at the forefront, swung his elongated sword, his Sword Qi cleaved through the air and split the projectiles from Man Gwangpo mid-flight. The speed at which the cannonballs were fired surpassed the sound barrier, yet Cheok Jun-gi made it look easy to break them apart.

Boom!

“Don’t let them approach! All units, rapid fire!”

Tat tat tat tat!!

The Man Gwangpo commander must have gotten anxious and ordered rapid fire. In reality, Man Gwangpo could shoot twenty times in quick succession using one gun, so there wasn’t much time needed to reload. However, Hwang Yeon had deliberately ordered slower firing to prevent the troops from becoming lazy by displaying such an overwhelming weapon’s performance.

[These cannonballs are nothing!]

Even as rapid fire rained down from all around, Cheok Jun-gi showed no signs of panic. His eyes glowed fiercely as he emanated immense energy.

Thud!!

Cheok Jun-gi’s new form leapt into the air, and he created a massive, formless Sword Qi.

Ooooooh!

Great King Seven Star Sword!

Chi You Sword Technique!!

Zing—

It was as if time stood still. The ultimate technique of the Great King Seven Star Sword, one of the strongest sword techniques from Goryeo, was unleashed. The formless Sword Qi drew several hundred arcs in the air, slicing through hundreds of cannonballs, causing them to explode before even reaching half the distance.

Boom!!!

“Aaaaah!!”

“Unbelievable.”

Seeing that explosion, the Man Gwangpo units were thrown into confusion. It seemed they felt that this couldn’t possibly be the work of a human.

“Ugh…”

I let out a sound of astonishment as I watched from a distance.

‘Chi You Sword Technique… Impressive.’

Back when I lost to Cheok Jun-gi in my previous life, he had finished me off with that same technique. At that time, he had merely used it to sense my bloodline, but now it seemed optimized for destruction. Even as I was now, I couldn’t envision easily defeating Cheok Jun-gi. I had never expected his internal power to rival that of Grand Master Myung-ho. Back when I challenged him to a spar, he must have gone extremely easy on me.

Truly one of the three great experts of the Twelve Joules.

However, in that moment, I caught Hwang Yeon’s voice, filled with disheartenment, cutting through the chaos of battle.

“What a pity… But I have no choice but to kill him.”

“What will you do, Commander?”

“Capturing him alive is impossible. Fire the Gui Luepo.”

“Yes!”

Rumble…

Rumble…

Moments later, when Cheok Jun-gi and his troops got close to the effective range of Man Gwangpo, the Gui Luepo units stationed behind the Man Gwangpo began to move. The Gui Luepo commander cast a chilling gaze at Cheok Jun-gi and barked orders.

“Set up a fire net to prevent that commander from dodging! Fire the Gui Luepo!”

Cheok Jun-gi must have sensed something unusual when he approached within forty paces. He shouted to the soldiers behind him.

“Retreat!!”

“Commander, what are you…”

“Failed…!!”

And in the next instant, the Gui Luepo unleashed their fire.

Tat tat tat tat tat!

Tat tat tat tat tat!

Tat tat tat tat tat tat!

Burp burp burp!

Boom!!

In an instant, more than twenty commanders around Cheok Jun-gi were blown to pieces with their steeds. Even the general clad in iron armor felt no protection, as they were turned into nothing but a bloody mist.

Tat tat tat tat tat!

Tat tat tat tat tat!

Once again, dozens in formation fell dead. In that fleeting moment, the scene became engulfed in blood fog, sending the charging troops into utter chaos, as Cheok Jun-gi cried out with a grieved voice.

“Retreat!!”

Tat tat tat tat tat!

Seeking to avoid further slaughter, Cheok Jun-gi summoned a sword barrier. However, the barrier only briefly blocked the fire net, and in the next moment, over a hundred more were turned into mince. Even Cheok Jun-gi himself showed visible wounds on his arms and legs.

Grinding his teeth, he surged forward.

“Uoooooh!!”

He charged forward and swiftly eliminated several ten of the Gui Luepo troops with his sword. Now that a peak expert had invaded our ranks, it seemed fatalities were imminent, but another fire net poured down mercilessly where Cheok Jun-gi was.

Tat tat tat tat tat!

Ting ding!

Cheok Jun-gi utilized his peak expert capabilities to deflect and bounce away countless projectiles, yet no matter how strong he was, there were limits, and gradually his body became drenched in blood. Harnessing the Protection Energy Technique, he wielded the Invincible Sword to slash down more than fifty troops in one go.

“Ugh! Ugh…”

Cheok Jun-gi attempted to cut through comrades while slowing the formation of fire nets, yet from afar, it became evident his movements were growing sluggish. That was understandable, as he was surrounded by over five hundred Gui Luepo, caught in a concentrated fire.

Had he chosen to retreat earlier, he might have escaped using a Divine Technique, but he misjudged the situation. Even the strongest expert couldn’t survive if they dove into the fire net of Gui Luepo. Either resigning himself to death or igniting his fighting spirit, he pressed forward into the Gui Luepo’s ranks.

“Uaaaaah!!”

He leapt into the fray, slashing away with his Sword Qi and the Invincible Sword, continuing to wreak havoc among the new weapons, but each time he did so, the fire nets reliably inflicted wounds, slowing him down further. Being a seasoned commander of warfare, Hwang Yeon had thoughtfully spaced out the deployment of Gui Luepo to make it hard for a peak expert to recklessly charge in.

Tat tat tat…

After a while, Cheok Jun-gi’s movements halted. He had ultimately slain over five hundred troops and died gloriously in battle. Standing as he died, Cheok Jun-gi’s body was a mangled mess, unrecognizable as human. It seemed the Man Gwangpo and Gui Luepo had also incurred substantial damage, as corpses were scattered everywhere.

“……”

I stood far away, watching the scene, speechless.

‘The Fighting Father of the Twelve Joules, and he could only… perish with five hundred.’

He was a top-tier martial artist even by the standards of the martial arts world.

Had I not reached the Absolute Realm yet, I might have found it extremely challenging to deal with him. But even when he risked his life, he didn’t inflict significant damage in return. Out of 1,500 weapons, only about ninety were destroyed at his hands, and such damage could be swiftly replaced by training the remaining manpower.

Seeing that, Hwang Yeon let out a brief sigh and said.

“Oh! A hero has fallen…”

“What should we do?”

“The Goryeo charge will be executed; kill those who resist and accept those who surrender. And advance. Now that their Commander is dead, they should yield.”

As he predicted, upon confirming Cheok Jun-gi’s death, the Goryeo troops could not put up any effective resistance, and after two moments of hesitation before the inner city, they soon emerged waving a white flag. It seemed a decision made to save the remaining twenty thousand lives. Whether they resisted or not, they would only be subject to slaughter.

With that, we seized Goryeo’s foremost stronghold and I slowly walked into the city, addressing Hwang Yeon.

“Commander, congratulations on the victory.”

“I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty.”

“…That new weapon is truly terrifying.”

“……”

Hwang Yeon spoke with a bitter expression.

“Your Majesty… the age of swords and spears is coming to an end. Please be a wise ruler.”

Even victorious, Hwang Yeon didn’t show much joy. It was understandable; who wouldn’t feel a tinge of bitterness upon witnessing the brutal death of a martial artist? I pondered.

‘Zhuge Sa. So that’s why you were smiling?’

Zhuge Sa had been smiling and laughing quite a bit while developing this new weapon. He had always mentioned, as if a mantra, that he anticipated the end of martial masters by Gui Luepo, and now I understood what he meant. A superhuman reaching the limits of energy being butchered by mere war machines suited his taste quite well.

Hwang Yeon stated.

“After a day of organizing the troops, we shall cross the Yalu River and advance inland immediately.”

“I understand.”

I nodded at Hwang Yeon’s words, then suddenly became curious and asked.

“Hwang Yeon, the [Dan Clan] hasn’t shown themselves. I also wonder if General Cheok Jun-gi is part of the [Dan Clan]. What do you think is the reason they didn’t deploy the peak experts and Grand Sorcerers in this war?”

“If I may offer my perspective, there could be two possibilities.”

“Two possibilities?”

“One is that they’ve judged it would be hard to win this battle anyway and are saving their strength for the next one. However, it’s hard to believe they would have the luxury to think that after losing 50,000 troops…”

“Hmm. And the other?”

Drawing in a breath, Hwang Yeon responded.

“Your Majesty, perhaps… if that Twelve Joules exists, he might be intending to abandon this war.”