Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 255

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 255
“Commander.”
“….”
“Commander, wake up.”
“Commander….”
In my drowsy state, I heard someone calling out to me.
As I took a deep breath, various scents flooded my nostrils.
The metallic stench of blood and iron, the damp earth and grass, the acrid smell of smoke and gunpowder.
Scents that were difficult to distinguish no matter how much I smelled them—the familiar aromas of a battlefield.
But amid all that, a pungent liquor smell suddenly rushed in.
“What’s gotten into this fellow, passing out like that?”
“Right? And he’s supposed to be someone who can hold his liquor.”
“Is now the time? Could this be our chance to throw a punch?”
“Hold off. The moment you raise your fist, his eyes will snap open.”
Familiar voices circled around my ears.
Only then did my eyes suddenly open.
“…?”
I looked around in confusion.
Numerous distinctive faces surrounded me, looking down at me.
Familiar faces.
People I missed, felt sorry toward, and was grateful to.
The Cheonma Sect, the Cheonma Sect disciples.
“Ha, look at this stubborn fellow. The moment we mention hitting him, his eyes pop open.”
The drunk Cheonma Sect disciples grinned down at me.
“…What? What is this?”
I struggled to my feet and blinked my eyes.
“What do you mean what? It’s been so long since we’ve had a drink, and you pass out like that?”
“Drink? I drank alcohol?”
“Why is he acting like this? Didn’t the Grand General hit him on the head earlier?”
“The Grand General?”
“Hmm, something’s really off. Geum Seok-du! Check the commander’s head!”
Suddenly, a head appeared before me.
Geum Seok-du.
He tilted his head and flipped my eyelids back, tugged at my ears, and even poked my face repeatedly.
“Something does seem wrong. I’ve done all this, but why aren’t you clenching your fists?”
“Has he finally lost it….”
I raised my hand and brushed Geum Seok-du’s arm away.
“I was just tired and rested for a moment. Now get those ugly faces out of my sight, you lot. I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Well, you’re back to yourself.”
I lifted my head and looked around.
In the midst of the chaos, the Cheonma Sect disciples had gathered in small clusters, drinking heavily.
I stood there dumbly, cup in hand, watching the scene unfold when someone approached with light, graceful steps.
“You’ve worked hard. Please, have a drink.”
“…Sohwa?”
“What? Our commander is being unusually affectionate today. How rare.”
Namgung Sohwa laughed and filled my cup.
“Now that we’ve defeated the Grand General, surely some of us can return to the Central Plains?”
“Probably.”
They could return, but few would actually make the journey.
Fools. Those who leave are the ones who win.
“You’ve endured much hardship.”
“Yes, you too.”
Then someone else approached.
“Well done, boy. Let me pour you a drink too.”
“Gwak, I’m the commander now. Why do you keep speaking informally?”
“…Damn it, you can’t forget when you were just a tadpole.”
“Hehehehe.”
I accepted a drink from Gwak Dae-ryong as well.
Then Cheolmu-baek personally brought out some mare’s milk wine with a fishy smell he’d fermented himself, and Geum Seok-du poured the finest commander-grade kumquat wine he’d stolen from headquarters, one after another.
That’s when it started.
“What? You’re giving the commander a drink?”
“Huh?”
“Then what about me?”
“Yeah, sure. You’ve worked hard.”
“You’ve endured much, sir. Please accept my cup as well.”
“Uh, well….”
From that moment on, the Cheonma Sect disciples began vying to pour drinks for me.
I, who had been gulping down drinks carelessly, suddenly opened my eyes wide.
“Ah, you bastards are plotting to send me off, aren’t you? Stop it, all of you!”
“Hehehehe!”
The atmosphere was quite pleasant.
So I continued drinking.
Like a farewell toast, like a celebration, as if I were draining every drop of wine I’d missed and every drop I’d drink in the future—I drank endlessly.
“Ugh, I’m getting drunk.”
Having accepted every drink offered, the intoxication was overwhelming.
As my vision grew hazy, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.
When I did, the appearance of all the Cheonma Sect disciples had changed.
Their grimy forms, caked with blood and dust, had vanished somewhere, and now they stood in clean clothes, grinning and laughing.
“What? When did you all change clothes?”
One of the laughing men opened his mouth to speak.
“Commander, it’s time for us to leave.”
My throat suddenly tightened.
Dokgo Hyeon spoke in a slightly strained voice.
“Leave? Where would you go? If you just disappear, that’s desertion. You don’t know that?”
The Cheonma Sect disciples burst into laughter, wa-ha-ha!
“Isn’t it time for us to make a fresh start as well?”
“That’s why I’ve been running around frantically like this.”
“I know. I understand. I’m truly grateful. That’s exactly why things turned out this way.”
“We still have a long way to go. I’m going to drag you all through hardship again.”
“We don’t see it as hardship. If you hadn’t looked after us, our lives would probably be at rock bottom again.”
“…At least your words are appreciated.”
At my murmur, the Cheonma Sect disciples grinned widely.
“So now we should be on our way.”
“Hey, but still…”
“One must know when to depart. Isn’t that what you’ve always told us, Commander?”
“…”
“Now you must let go as well, Commander. The past is the past, and the present is the present. Just live as your heart desires.”
My breath caught sharply.
‘Were they telling me to leave?’
Something felt strange.
Amid the haze of intoxication, I watched the Cheonma Sect disciples turn away one by one and asked blankly.
“Leave?”
“Shouldn’t we be going now?”
“I’ll make sure things don’t turn out like my past life.”
“You’ve already done more than enough—overflowing with excellence.”
The Cheonma Sect disciples chuckled.
I lifted one corner of my mouth as well.
“I’ll be counting on your continued support.”
What kind of farewell was this, asking for continued support when they were leaving?
At that strange parting, I—no, Dokgo Myeong—chuckled softly and answered briefly.
“Just trust me.”
* * *
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“This guy’s smiling right now.”
“Smiling? He was just talking in his sleep and shedding tears.”
“Should we wake him?”
“Leave him be. Maybe he’s having a good dream.”
At that moment, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes snapped open.
As I drew a deep breath, fragrant scents filled my nostrils.
“He’s awake?”
“He’s awake.”
The managers surrounded him.
They were handsome and tall, the kind of men who commanded respect wherever they went.
I blinked a few times, then let out a long sigh.
“…These fools have no idea it’s thanks to me.”
The managers tilted their heads at my cryptic remark.
“Are you still half-asleep?”
“Is this our chance? Should I smack that mouth of yours?”
“Why are you so obsessed with mouths, Manager Ak?”
I shook my head vigorously and sat up.
“Mmm! That was a good sleep.”
As I stretched, the drowsiness seemed to melt away.
Namgung Sohwa opened her eyes slightly and asked.
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re the one who usually snaps awake at the slightest approach, yet you slept so soundly while completely surrounded….”
I closed my mouth.
“Everyone has moments like that. Why can’t I sleep?”
“What kind of dream were you having anyway? You were talking in your sleep.”
“Just a meaningless dream.”
I simply laughed it off.
Truth be told, I didn’t think it was meaningless. But I also didn’t want to assign some grand interpretation to it.
That was when it happened.
“Why are you so late? Everyone’s been waiting.”
Jo Ryang-ui approached with a puzzled expression and looked around at us.
“Ah, let’s go now.”
I glanced around at the managers.
Then I smiled slightly and walked out.
As we exited the hall and arrived at the inner courtyard, countless men and women stood in formation to greet us.
Eighty-seven Cheonma Sect disciples.
Some stood with their chests out proudly, some waited with tension, some shifted their weight from one leg to the other—all waiting for us.
Nothing about them was uniform. They had no ceremonial robes, their weapons differed, and their appearances and bearing were all completely different. It was as if someone had deliberately gathered the most disparate individuals possible.
Thud, thud, thud.
As footsteps echoed through the courtyard, the murmuring gradually subsided.
Soon all eyes turned toward the source of the footsteps.
“Grrrowl.”
A divine beast with a magnificent golden mane led the way, followed by five master cultivators escorting a man who walked forward.
It was me, Dokgo Myeong.
My stride was confident and unhurried, and those gathered gasped in admiration, their gazes fixed upon us.
“Commander Jo. Let’s begin.”
Jo Ryang-ui nodded and opened his mouth.
“I shall now proceed with the inaugural ceremony of the Cheonma Sect.”
* * *
The ceremony was brief and straightforward. In keeping with Dokgo Myeong’s usual character, all pretense and formality were stripped away, leaving only simplicity.
“…With this, I hereby proclaim to the world that the Cheonma Sect has officially been established.”
With those words, silence descended.
The Cheonma Sect members gazed upon me. Their eyes held the look of those awaiting something.
In that profound silence.
My lips slowly parted.
“I’ll speak plainly.”
“….”
“Whatever expectations you harbor, I have no intention of meeting them.”
“…?!”
In that instant, the air around us stirred.
I continued without hesitation.
“I am a greedy and selfish man. I know not what manner of person you expected Dokgo Myeong to be, but I have gathered you here solely for my own purposes.”
As murmurs rippled through the crowd, my voice grew stronger.
“So use me as well.”
“…!”
“I shall be the lord you serve. But I will not dangle your desires before you like bait and demand loyalty in return. For that would be no different than placing a leash upon a beast and expecting obedience.”
“….”
“What of you? Are you slaves content with the scraps I throw? If so, leave this instant. There is no place here for slaves who would boast of their chains.”
The Cheonma Sect fell silent.
I nodded.
“Only you can forge your own chains. This shall be the first iron law of the Cheonma Sect.”
I met the eyes of each Cheonma Sect member standing in formation as I spoke.
“Some among you came seeking wealth or advancement.”
“….”
“Yet I know others came to provide for their families as true men, burdened by the injustice of their birth, driven by circumstances they could not escape.”
The Cheonma Sect members, who had been standing in various postures, now straightened their legs and spines.
Among them were those I had known in past lives, those I had met in this life, and those with whom I had no prior connection but would forge new bonds now.
“Set down those tales and pasts here and now.”
“…!”
“I shall not judge by age, gender, past, status, origin, or the merit of your talents. Is it not unjust? Why must you abandon and surrender your desires because of things you did not choose to be born with, mere unavoidable mistakes?”
If the air could take on color, it would be burning red by now.
Heat began to kindle in the eyes of the Cheonma Sect members.
They gazed up at their lord, who spoke of a boldness they had never before witnessed.
“If you desire it, seize it for yourselves. That is what you must do henceforth, and it is what I shall do as well! This is the second iron law of the Cheonma Sect.”
Uuuuuuuung!
The Cheonwae Yeongdan slowly rotated, its momentum beginning to dissipate.
Dokgo Myeong’s martial prowess, already hurtling toward its zenith, laid bare a technique that overwhelmed all who witnessed it.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept across the assembly, leaving devastation in its wake.
“For that to come to pass, we cannot leave the martial world as it stands. We—and I—must transform it into a realm worthy of our ambitions. This shall become the Cheonma Sect’s foremost objective.”
It was the world those foolish men had yearned for, lacking even the opportunity to dream. Yet their leader, who could not abandon that dream even after one lifetime, now carried it anew into this second life.
“We shall ignite a transformation the martial world has never witnessed. I shall lead the way.”
“….”
“Speak. Will you follow?”
At those final words.
Thud!
The managers knelt on one knee first, their voices rising.
“We greet the Lord of the Cheonma Sect!”
Boom!
The assembled Cheonma Sect disciples followed, dropping to their knees.
“We greet the Lord of the Cheonma Sect!”
Their thunderous cry seemed to shake the very heavens.
Thus, defying time and transcending life itself, the new Cheonma Sect revealed itself to the world.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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