Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 346

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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 346
“The time has come.”
At Shin Heum’s words, Dokgo Un-hak slowly opened the eyes he had kept closed.
“Are the preparations complete?”
“Yes, all forces have been deployed.”
“Then let us depart.”
Dokgo Un-hak rose from his chair.
Whoooosh!
An inexplicable aura of qi began to seep from his entire body.
‘Terrifying. So this is his true power.’
Shin Heum felt goosebumps rise across his skin.
It was like watching a coiled dragon awaken. The tangible battle qi threatened to suffocate him entirely.
Soon Dokgo Un-hak stood before the Dokgo Family’s martial artists, arranged in perfect formation.
“My blade.”
Dokgo Un-hak ascended the platform and extended his hand to a warrior of the Heavenly Sword Guard, his personal unit.
The commander of the Heavenly Sword Guard knelt on one knee and presented Geom Wang’s cherished blade, Gyeongcheon.
“The day of final reckoning has arrived.”
The Sword King stood before the assembled warriors, divine blade in hand.
“There is no need to bolster morale when facing clear inferiors. I will not waste words.”
It was arrogant speech.
Yet it was entirely befitting of the Dokgo Household’s prestige.
“The world calls our main family the greatest under heaven—today I shall prove it to those fearless fanatics and the presumptuous villains of the Moyong Family.”
Fighting spirit blazed in the eyes of the Dokgo Family’s warriors.
Dokgo Un-hak concluded in a tone devoid of inflection.
“Follow slowly behind me. I, Dokgo Un-hak, shall stand at the very front.”
His deep, resonant voice rippled outward, reaching every ear.
At the appointed hour, the Dokgo Family’s main force advanced.
Muyong Tae, the Moyong Family Head, received word of this from within Soxing’s fortress.
From the shadow cast by the platform, Mumeong, commander of the Jeokcheongseomdae whose identity remained unknown to all, delivered the message.
“The Sword King moves.”
“At last he comes.”
Muyong Tae rose from his seat.
His attire was remarkably simple—merely a dragon-embroidered robe befitting a king, and a single long sword held in his left hand.
“What word from the Grand General?”
“He gathers the final captains and elite forces of the Jeongheol Sect, standing ready to strike from the flank.”
“Are there any masters who have separately joined the enemy’s main force?”
“A contingent of reinforcements departed from Namchang where the Dokgo Family is positioned, but they have not moved toward Soxing.”
The Sword King’s reputation was indeed formidable, but not enough to hold back all enemies alone.
“So it ends at last.”
Muyong Tae gazed upon the advancing forces of the Dokgo Family.
The Yukcheon Unit wore expressions of exhaustion as the military morale soared endlessly skyward, yet to Muyong Tae, it felt like an exquisite delicacy laid before him.
As the master of the Northern Ming Divine Art, the thought of crushing and devouring that morale filled me with boundless superiority.
Yes. Superiority. It was the last fragment of humanity that remained within me.
“Prepare a victory report for the main family. I shall personally bring the Sword King’s head.”
Muyong Tae advanced to the front lines.
Moments later.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two forces collided amid an unceasing barrage of metallic clashes.
And finally, two figures met.
The Divine Sword and the Demonic Sword.
The mightiest swordsmen representing the Moyong Family and the Dokgo Family respectively.
“Muyong Tae. You’ve saved me the trouble of searching.”
“The sentiment is mutual. You’ve saved me the trouble of drawing you out.”
In the heart of the chaotic battlefield, the two stood facing each other with ease.
“Saved you the trouble of drawing me out?”
“From the moment you appeared here, the main family’s victory was assured. Do you truly not understand?”
“So it’s true—you’ve lost your reason, consumed by martial arts.”
Dokgo Un-hak laughed openly in mockery.
With a smooth whisper of steel—
He drew his blade.
The motion flowed like water, flawless in every aspect. It was a form befitting the title of King of Ten Thousand Swords.
“All soldiers of the main family, withdraw to a distance. I cannot afford to concern myself with collateral damage.”
“Fall back! Quickly! At least ten zhang away—no, twenty zhang!”
“Retreat! Retreat now!”
Even as the Dokgo Family’s forces withdrew in perfect order, Muyong Tae paid them no mind. He simply drew his blade in silence and took one great step forward.
At last, it began.
The leaders of two families crossed blades.
Boom!
The shockwave from the collision devastated the entire area in an instant.
Violent winds swept in all directions, carving out a vast empty space. Those who failed to create distance in time were caught in the shockwave, sent flying, or collapsed with internal injuries.
“Indeed, your swordsmanship is worthy of acknowledgment. Yet it remains hopelessly crude.”
“You’ve grown talkative, Sword King.”
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Countless sparks erupted into the air. Two supreme masters unleashed their martial arts without restraint.
The first exchange.
Remarkably, their sword techniques were evenly matched.
Boom!
With a thunderous sound, Dokgo Un-hak and Muyong Tae were each driven backward.
“Ugh!”
“Cough! Cough!”
“Fall back further! You’ll get caught up in it! Create as much distance as possible!”
Amid the chaos, Dokgo Un-hak spoke.
“I shall bury you along with the martial arts you’ve so painstakingly cultivated.”
“Try if you can. The martial arts of an old era cannot withstand the new age. The Northern Ming Divine Art is invincible.”
Crack! Crackle!
Though their blades never crossed, where the energy waves collided, whirlwinds erupted and stone fragments shattered.
The final battle had begun.
And the same was happening on the western battlefield, not far distant.
* * *
“Enemy assault! We’re under attack!”
Boom! Boom!
Jimeol Magoon’s soldiers launched a surprise attack on Seoho.
Slash! Crash crash crash!
Dokgo Gun’s martial prowess was truly dazzling to behold. With a single casual strike of his blade, he completely shattered the wooden palisade, and the martial artists following behind him surged forward with renewed courage, pushing back Pacheonggun’s forces.
“Young Master Myeong! Don’t get reckless—compose yourself! The enemy’s resistance will be fierce!”
“Please! Didn’t I ask you not to call me Young Master Myeong, Senior!”
Neungmyeong, called the “fake Young Master Myeong” within the Left Army, grimaced as he wielded his blade.
“Well, regardless, our Young Master Myeong. Stay focused. We must follow the path the Left Army Captain is carving and destroy the enemy barracks!”
“Yes, understood… Huh! Senior! To the side!”
“…!”
Clang clang clang!
Thus, the soldiers broke through the enemy’s fierce resistance and pushed into Pacheonggun’s main camp.
Neungmyeong soon felt bewilderment.
“There’s… no resistance?”
“What? Where did all those soldiers go?”
“Why is it completely empty?”
Occasionally, troops would pour out from what they thought were empty barracks, but even so, they were nothing but dust compared to Pacheonggun’s full military strength.
Something had gone wrong.
Why was this different from the plan they’d heard?
“You bastard! What have you done!”
“Ugh!”
Neungmyeong captured one of Pacheonggun’s martial artists who had burst out and interrogated him.
“Hehehehe! Your confusion is plain to see. We departed long ago.”
“Departed long ago?”
“To Soxing! We have already departed for that place!”
With those words, the martial artist of Pacheonggun thrust a blade into his own neck.
“…!!”
“Suicide? Such madness…”
Neungmyeong and the frontline martial artists who hadn’t received any special intelligence were taken aback by the unexpected situation.
“Something’s wrong. Even when we arrived, we didn’t sense any military discipline here!”
“It’s sorcery! They’ve deceived our senses with illusions!”
At first, I thought it was merely a miscalculation.
But as one anomaly after another surfaced, confusion began to spread among the frontline martial artists.
“Could we have been deceived?”
“The main force isn’t in danger, is it?”
“Grand General! We must pursue them at once!”
Amid sporadic voices mixing bewilderment with urgency.
Only then did the commanders of each unit begin issuing orders.
“Guigap Unit, all focus!”
“…?”
“This was all planned. The Left Army will not occupy Seho here—we move immediately.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“No time for questions; ask as we move. Discard all supplies we brought and lighten yourselves as much as possible. Everyone, prepare to run!”
Not only the Guigap Unit but all other units swiftly obeyed the command.
And in less than half an hour, when their formation was reorganized, Dokgo Gun appeared before them.
“Left Army, listen. From this moment, we pursue the enemy who fled toward Soxing.”
The soldiers stirred.
Only then did Neungmyeong grasp something.
‘Pursuit? Now that I think about it, there was a separate unit that departed early this morning.’
Neungmyeong’s mind raced swiftly.
‘Could it be deception? Did we recognize the enemy’s trap and deploy a counter-deception? Then we’re the bait?’
For Neungmyeong to reach such a conclusion from merely those brief circumstances and orders—he was indeed a formidable talent.
“From now on, we commence the true offensive. Move at full speed to strike the enemy’s rear. Begin pursuit immediately!”
In this operation, timing was everything.
How perfectly timed, how swiftly could we encircle and annihilate the enemy.
And how quickly could we eliminate the enemy masters who would follow.
“We depart!”
The soldiers began to move.
* * *
‘Something’s wrong. This is strange.’
Jimeol Magoon, who distrusted Pacheonggun and had come to the front lines once more to observe the enemy himself, widened his eyes.
‘Why are there so few of them? The losses have been considerable, but not enough to prevent them from occupying Seho…?’
The Left Army’s numbers were too small.
Far too small.
Moreover, after occupying Seho, they had wavered in confusion only briefly before quickly reorganizing their formation and beginning to move.
‘Even if the Dokgo Family are elite, can they move this swiftly?’
A chill ran down my spine. My hair seemed to stand on end.
A master of Jimeol Magoon’s caliber cultivated the Five Elements through upper dantian cultivation, allowing me to immediately sense the anomaly upon observing the enemy’s situation.
‘Most troubling of all—the Cheonma Sect is nowhere to be seen.’
Dokgo Myeong, that accursed demon, was nowhere in sight.
‘Did they redirect their forces? If so, where?’
Could it be that he devised some scheme and launched a pursuit ahead of schedule? If so, that would make sense.
Of course, even so, something felt wrong. An ominous premonition that set every nerve on edge wrapped around my entire body.
‘The die has been cast anyway. Now it’s all about positioning.’
Ji-myeol spun his body around sharply.
Clang!
The sound of armor rang out loudly through the surroundings.
From this point forward, what mattered was timing.
When the enemy succeeded in pursuing Pacheonggun, when they were focused solely on the frontal engagement, I had to strike their rear without delay.
“Fire a signal arrow and inform the Four Heavenly Kings. Tell them to depart slightly ahead of schedule.”
“Understood.”
Whoosh!
Those near Ji-myeol scattered in all directions.
* * *
“Run! Just run! And you call yourselves martial artists of the greatest household under heaven, moving this slowly!”
“Stragglers are appearing! Just a brief rest….”
“Shut it! What happens if the enemy arrives first while we’re resting!”
“Then what becomes of those who fall behind!”
“Leave them! They’re on their own! The battlefield awaits us! Khahaha!”
Dokgo Yeon’s voice rang out sharply as she drove her third army forward.
“Huff, huff! Cheonma Sect Leader! Please, say something to Lady Yeon…!”
“When I see her like this, I feel like I’m going mad myself….”
“Pardon?”
“Today, she’s not wrong. Just run as if your feet are on fire. Every moment counts. If anyone falls behind, let them catch up on their own!”
“…!”
Dokgo Myeong also seemed to have no intention of stopping Dokgo Yeon, simply focused on running.
Moving on foot instead of horseback to avoid being spotted by scouts.
Since the third army had to set up an ambush ahead of Pacheonggun, time was critical.
“Captain! Huff, huff! I’ve arrived!”
“Seok-du! Where is the second army?”
“The second army encountered enemy scouts midway and their movement has been delayed!”
“What? Then Pacheonggun…!”
“They’re expected to arrive at least half a double-hour behind!”
“Half a double-hour? Damn it, that’s fast. Too fast….”
Dokgo Myeong’s face hardened.
If the third army arrived at the designated position first but the second army arrived after Pacheonggun, it was all over.
Wasn’t the plan for the second army to block the path ahead first, the first army to seal off the rear in time, and then the third army to push in from the flank?
But things were falling apart.
Pacheonggun’s movement was too fast, and the distances the second and third armies had to cover were too great. The flaws in this hastily devised scheme were revealing themselves in this manner.
“Brother! What’s wrong!”
“The Third Army is running late.”
“What?!”
“It does seem precarious. They need to take a much longer detour to set up their ambush, so it appears they’ve fallen behind.”
“Damn these sluggish fools!”
“Don’t say that. The Third Army has to cover the greatest distance in the shortest time.”
“Then what do we do?”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed with light.
“If someone’s going to be late, you simply postpone the scheduled time.”
“Speak plainly!”
“Since we’re likely to be late, we need to make the enemy late as well.”
Only then did Dokgo Yeon’s eyes widen as she grasped my meaning.
“You mean to engage the enemy? Didn’t you say we mustn’t reveal our troop movements in this sector!”
“That’s why we can’t move everyone. Only the expendable forces will move.”
“Such conveniently disposable troops don’t just fall from the sky….”
In that instant, Dokgo Yeon’s eyes sparkled with realization.
“The Cheonma Sect?”
“We’re already known for appearing unexpectedly from all directions. I’ll go ahead, trip up Pacheonggun’s forces, and withdraw at the right moment.”
“The Cheonma Sect’s numbers aren’t insufficient! I should also…!”
“Have you truly lost your mind? Can’t you even let me make a move? Get yourself together and lead the Third Army!”
“Tch….”
Dokgo Yeon let out a dissatisfied sigh before suddenly shouting.
“Fine! I understand! I trust you won’t abandon me!”
“See you shortly! Cheonma Sect! Move with me! Seok-du, guide the way!”
“Understood!”
The Cheonma Sect immediately broke formation and departed.
The first battle of the final confrontation had begun.

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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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