Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 349

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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 349
It was a miscalculation.
In the throes of utter chaos, the Great Naja had forgotten about Dokgo Gun’s forces.
“Dokgo Gun…you say?”
“The ones who were chasing us have finally reached this place. The rear is already cut off.”
“Then….”
I was completely trapped.
The only opening on the left flank was as steep as a cliff face.
‘Damn it all!’
I had no idea how they discovered the plan.
But one thing was certain—the tide of battle had become impossible to control.
“Great Naja! What should we do!”
At the desperate cry, the Great Naja squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them.
Suddenly, the source of all this calamity came to mind.
‘Ji-myeol Magoon, that man.’
The one who had mobilized even the reserve forces and scouts prepared for such contingencies, throwing them all into the fray.
He was the root of this disaster.
Or perhaps everything had gone wrong from the moment an entire army moved at the words of a single tongue.
The Great Naja opened his mouth with a face turned cold as ice.
“There is no escape.”
“…!”
“We will die here.”
Having spoken such grim words, the Great Naja oddly seemed relieved.
“But we will not die in vain.”
“What do you mean…?”
“The Heavenly Kings will arrive soon. Through our deaths, we shall prepare to receive them. Move all forces to the rear and attempt a breakthrough.”
“Then the front and flank….”
“Abandon them. It matters not how many fall. Buy us as much time as you can.”
A resolute light kindled in the eyes of the Natchals around him.
“What of yourself, Great Naja?”
“I…must bear the responsibility.”
The Great Naja’s gaze turned toward somewhere on the battlefield.
“I will lead my elite and strike at that woman to draw attention.”
Where he looked, Dokgo Yeon was slaughtering the Patcheon Army soldiers.
* * *
“Whoosh, haah.”
Dokgo Yeon drew a breath so deep her lungs felt ready to burst, then exhaled in one long, shuddering release.
All manner of scents assailed her senses—blood, gunpowder, poison, and the metallic tang of steel. The smell of war and battle.
Suddenly, someone’s voice grazed her ear.
-Do not stand there covered in blood with your nostrils flaring like that. Show some dignity, if you please.
I turned my head in surprise, but there were only unfamiliar faces around me.
Dokgo Yeon calmly turned her gaze forward again. At that moment, enemies surged in.
“Tahaaat!”
Patcheon Army soldiers rushing forward with desperate determination.
No, they appeared to be Natchals. Their armor had a slightly different shape.
Clang clang clang!
Dokgo Yeon exploited the advantage of her spear’s length, deflecting the enemy’s weapon before driving her spear hard into his chest.
“Gahhk!”
The Natchal collapsed as his ribcage caved in.
Even as he died, he hurled a hidden blade. That terrifying resolve pierced through the opening and lodged itself in my shoulder.
“Are you alright?”
“It’s fine. Just a scratch. More importantly, don’t stop—keep pushing!”
In truth, it hurt. But I forced myself to appear strong and yanked the blade free, flinging it away.
-Oh dear, what shall we do. Our young lady’s scar will ruin all her marriage prospects. Are you certain you’re alright?
“Shut up! Marriage prospects be damned!”
“Y-yes?”
I had shouted out of habit, and caught the bewildered gaze of an unnamed martial artist beside me.
“Look ahead! Just look ahead!”
“Yes! Ugh!”
Why did I have to recall that pathetic wretch’s death.
By now, Jang Mu-ak was probably warming his back in the hot springs of the underworld. Well, that sly bastard who mocked his superior so cunningly would never see paradise anyway.
“Die!”
“You die instead.”
Whoosh!
The spear, which had already gleamed with a crimson light, grew even more vivid red.
“Huff, whoosh!”
Dokgo Yeon took another deep breath. The hot, metallic scent pierced through my nostrils.
There are those who find secret satisfaction in the peculiar smell that others despise. She had always found the unique aroma of the battlefield exquisite.
But ever since Jang Mu-ak departed, it had begun to feel like nothing more than a foul stench.
That wretch had occupied far more of my heart than I realized. Then again, Jang Mu-ak had been my subordinate, my trusted friend, and a nagging mentor all at once.
‘Was that it, then.’
Had he sought to teach me, foolish as I was, that war and the battlefield could never be a source of joy? Had he delivered his final lesson through death itself? This disloyal and arrogant subordinate that I was.
“Krhrhrhrhh!”
Crash crash crash!
My spear struck with even greater force.
Repaying a man already dead would be meaningless, of course.
But I would have my revenge. I would drench the spear he wielded in the blood of our enemies.
Clang clang clang!
Dokgo Yeon deflected several iron mallets bearing down on her and unleashed a lion’s roar.
“Is this all you have? Pathetic! At this rate, you’ll all become nothing but skewered meat on Dokgo Yeon’s spear!”
That was when it happened.
Boom!
A sudden explosion shook the surroundings, and I watched our formation crumble in disarray.
The momentum was fundamentally different from the enemies we’d faced before.
The Third Group’s advance, which had been pressing forward relentlessly, was halted for the first time.
That was the moment.
Whoosh!
A terrifying sword aura flew straight at me from the front.
Clang!
I blocked it immediately with my spear, but the impact sent a sharp sting through my wrist.
“That’s far enough, Dokgo Yeon!”
The Great Naja’s eyes flashed.
“You’ve got some skill, I’ll give you that. What’s your name?”
“I am the Great Naja of the Pacheonggun.”
Dokgo Yeon let out a scoff.
“Four Heavenly Kings, Natchal King, and now Great Naja? Your naming sense is absolutely archaic. Don’t you think your titles are hopelessly outdated?”
“….”
“Besides, what’s a commander doing here? Did you come seeking death?”
“We’ll see about that.”
In that instant, presences surged around her.
Whoosh.
Masters who appeared to be at the peak of cultivation followed behind the Great Naja.
A coordinated assault. These people always resort to the same tactics as us.
“Sister!”
Just then, an urgent cry erupted from somewhere.
There was only one person who would call her that—the one with the loudest voice, always complaining that I’m too noisy despite his own booming voice.
Without turning around, Dokgo Yeon spoke.
“Don’t interfere! Time is crucial!”
“…!”
“Leave the command to you! Finally, this is a fight worth having! Once I crush these fools, the enemy will collapse even faster!”
That was the moment.
Flash! Boom!
A lightning-swift sword aura shot toward Dokgo Yeon.
Clang! Scrape scrape scrape!
Dokgo Yeon skidded backward, dragging across the ground before planting her spear firmly and coming to a halt.
Dokgo Yeon grinned wickedly.
“Your manners are lacking. Seems you never received basic education about not interrupting conversations.”
“Stop your prattling and prepare to die.”
“Not a chance. It’s you lot who will die here.”
Dokgo Yeon’s crimson spear whirled, scattering a murderous aura like flames.
* * *
Whoooosh!
Ye-hwa’s signal flare cut across the chaotic battlefield.
Dokgo Myeong, who had been fighting without pause, suddenly snapped to attention.
‘Ye-hwa’s signal flare! The First Group has arrived!’
Dokgo Myeong immediately climbed onto a nearby tree and peered beyond the pass.
Boom!
Before his eyes could even register it, he felt a tremendous surge of qi energy crashing toward him.
Following that, the enemy’s wavering rear came into view.
A single blade of sword light cutting across the battle line.
Shhhhink!
Dokgo Gun’s sword strike cleaved through the enemy’s front ranks.
Crash! Boom!
It was a textbook sword technique refined to the absolute limit of restraint.
Yet its power was absolutely devastating.
‘Perfect! The rear is sealed off too!’
The encirclement was complete.
We were almost there.
Moreover, the enemy still hadn’t mounted any significant counterattack. If they continued to foolishly fall into our trap, victory was within reach.
But perhaps such optimism was premature.
Just as the Great Naja began launching a combined assault against Dokgo Yeon.
Clang! Clang-clang-clang!
The metallic sound of weapons clashing erupted like thunder.
‘The Patcheon Army’s momentum has changed.’
Dokgo Myeong, who had been hurrying toward the Third Group to fill Dokgo Yeon’s gap, suddenly widened his eyes.
He wasn’t the only one who sensed that shift.
“Captain! Their resistance has suddenly intensified!”
Yang Un-rang shouted, breathing heavily.
“With Yeon pinned down, the Third Group’s advance is blocked too! We need someone to take command and reorganize our lines!”
Namgung Sohwa cut down an attacking Patcheon Army soldier and cried out.
“Understood! I’m joining you immediately!”
“Yes!”
Since we had already broken through once, withdrawing was twice as easy.
Soon, Dokgo Myeong joined the front of the Third Group and shouted.
“From this moment, I command the Third Group!”
“Yes, sir!!”
“Don’t stop! The enemy’s morale is already broken! Spread out instead of clustering together and drive them back!”
Now Dokgo Myeong’s voice carried the authority of one who commands thousands.
The martial artists of the Third Group unhesitatingly responded to Dokgo Myeong’s momentum.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed as he rapidly surveyed the battle lines.
‘These cursed Patcheon Army soldiers are certainly troublesome.’
Despite being cornered to this extent, they refuse to surrender quietly and instead cling to our forces.
Yet we are still winning.
This battle is already won.
‘But at this rate….’
Dokgo Myeong clicked his tongue and gripped the Hyeonchul Sword more firmly.
“Push harder! Annihilate the enemy forces quickly!”
“Cheonma Sect Leader! The enemy’s resistance has suddenly intensified, and we can’t….”
“No! We must break their morale completely right now!”
“…Yes!”
Several martial artists from the Third Group, who had been flustered, nodded heavily.
‘That’s right, this is the decisive moment. When else can we push harder if not now?’
Dokgo Myeong was right. At that rallying cry, everyone drew upon their remaining strength.
Only one person.
Namgung Sohwa alone sensed that his words were not merely to boost morale.
“Why are you rushing so much? The situation already seems to be wrapping up!”
“No. We must hurry more.”
“Pardon?”
“By the time the First Group joins us, the front lines should have been completely shattered. But those bastards are reorganizing their formation and beginning to move now.”
That was when it happened.
“Captain!”
Ye-hwa and Geum Seok-du flew toward Dokgo Myeong with nimble movements.
Dokgo Myeong asked urgently.
“Perfect timing! What’s the situation?”
“The enemy forces are moving toward the rear!”
“The rear? Backward?”
“Yes, sir!”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed.
Those soldiers who had been busy defending their positions after the ambush now moved with unified purpose.
“Could they be targeting the First Group?”
“Yes, sir!”
“But the Great Naja is here… Damn it, that one was bait!”
Dokgo Myeong quickly turned his gaze toward the rear.
‘At this rate…!’
They were coming.
The enemy’s elite forces, now enraged upon realizing they had been deceived.
* * *
“Huff, gasp!”
Neungmyeong breathed heavily and roughly.
Though he had just succeeded in pursuit, he had no time to catch his breath before engaging in combat immediately.
“You fake Myeong-i! Get your head in the game!”
“I understand… Gasp! Senior! Behind you!”
“What?”
Shlick!
Neungmyeong’s expression hardened.
A Patcheon Army, Namcheon Army Soldier’s hand had pierced through his senior’s chest.
“Cough! Hack!”
Shlick!
As the hand was pulled out, a still-beating heart came with it.
“Damn it! You bastard!”
Neungmyeong squeezed every ounce of inner force into his blade and swung.
Clang! Splurt!
He deflected the enemy’s weapon and drove his strike into the chest far more easily than expected.
But in that moment, the soldier suddenly gripped the blade.
“Let’s die together!”
“Ugh!?”
The soldier let out a grotesque laugh and pulled him into an embrace.
‘No!’
The teaching that a swordsman must never release his blade became his poison. I should have dropped it and fled.
Crack!
The moment the soldier pulled Neungmyeong into his grip, a nearby Bukcheon Army Soldier swung a mace toward him.
Just as his eyes were about to squeeze shut.
Whoosh!
A sharp blade severed the soldier’s neck, and crimson blood sprayed in all directions.
“This… this is…”
Neungmyeong, who had collapsed to the ground, turned his head in surprise.
“It was you. The enemy’s momentum is beyond imagination. Be careful.”
“Yes!”
“Still, we will end this battlefield in our victory, so don’t lose your spirit and fight on.”
It was Dokgo Gun, the Left Army Captain.
Dokgo Gun passed by Neungmyeong and swung his blade again.
Boom! Clang clang clang!
With a single strike, Dokgo Gun sent two more to the afterlife.
It was a textbook swordsmanship that could have been inscribed in a secret manual. His quiet, restrained strikes seemed strangely familiar to Dokgo Gun himself, yet felt oddly out of place.
‘The First Army has suffered more losses than anticipated. And the enemy numbers aren’t decreasing.’
Dokgo Gun’s eyes grew grave.
The momentum should have broken long ago, yet their numbers were actually increasing.
There was no mistaking it now. The Patcheon Army had chosen the First Army as their companion, not the Second or Third.
‘Was there someone left who could read the tide of battle? Or was it merely coincidence?’
The First Army was one of the Left Army’s few weaknesses. It seemed that weakness had been exploited.
That was when it happened.
“Conserve your strength.”
Dokgo Hye appeared at his side.
“Aunt.”
“The situation I feared has become reality.”
“Even so, this outcome will minimize casualties. As the enemies converge here, the Second and Third Groups will annihilate them all the more brutally.”
Even in such circumstances, the way he made his judgment with such composure was truly characteristic of him.
“Then what of the First Group here?”
“We’ll simply have to hold the line as best we can.”
Dokgo Gun slowly turned his body to look behind him.
“Though they’ve arrived faster than expected.”
Boom!
A sudden explosion erupted from far behind the rear lines.
Crash! Crash! Screeeech!
The front lines began to crumble.
Overwhelming qi waves and formidable military aura engulfed the battlefield.
The Four Heavenly Kings and Jimeol Magoon had finally joined the fray.

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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
—————