The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 29

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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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Enemy Dragon Slayer — Episode 29

Chapter 29 — Bloody Battle

Yi Hwan surveyed the battlefield.
Bloody battles were erupting across the defensive line, which had been constructed using the Narrow Gorge as a shield. One position was already on the verge of being breached.
‘There they are.’
Yi Hwan’s eyes flashed as he spotted the Blood Tribe members unleashing their relentless assault. Each one of them was overwhelming the warriors of Yeonná.
He watched as warriors from the Hebei Peng Clan and the Yong Ho Family descended toward that position.
‘All I can do now is support them.’
Song Hoe approached him.
“Please issue your command, Commander-in-Chief.”
“Move toward General Hwang’s position.”
“Understood!”
“Forward!”
Yi Hwan led his corps toward the central defensive line. This was the heart of the battlefield, supporting both flanks while holding back the enemy’s main force.
Crash!
“Argh!”
“Screech!”
A bloody battle raged.
Especially where friend and foe had become indistinguishably mingled in close combat, the scene was nothing short of hell. In the chaos, warriors were falling to their own allies’ blades with alarming frequency.
“Damn them all!”
Song Cheon Mu’s harsh voice reverberated through Yi Hwan’s ears.
Yi Hwan smiled faintly.
‘He still finds room for anger in this chaos? If he strengthens his skills and gains more experience, he might become quite useful.’
Moments later, Yi Hwan took his place at Hwang Ho’s side. Hwang Ho remained off the front lines, directing the troops instead.
“They seem determined this time.”
“The soldiers of Zhao have always been like this. Though I must admit, today does feel distinctly different from before. So take care, Commander-in-Chief.”
That was when a group of enemies suddenly changed course and rushed toward Hwang Ho’s position. They had recognized him.
“There’s Hwang Ho!”
“Kill him!”
“Hold the line!”
Warriors stepped forward to shield him.
Crash!
“Aargh!”
“Screech!”
Blood and flesh sprayed before them, yet Hwang Ho remained unmoved.
Yi Hwan watched, inwardly impressed.
‘The crown prince is worthy of trust.’
A piercing whistle cut through the air.
An eerie aura surged forward.
At the same moment, Hwang Ho’s blade raised a Sword Barrier.
Ting-ting-ting-ting!
Hidden projectiles rebounded in sparks, scattering across the nearby warriors.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
Several of them flew toward Yi Hwan, but a light flick of his hand sent them ricocheting away.
Yi Hwan did not throw himself into the fray. For now, reading the overall shape of the battle was the priority.
It was then that the Hebei Peng Clan and the Yong Ho Family entered the field. For Yi Hwan, this was the most intriguing development yet.
Crack!
Crash-crash-bang!
The Hebei Peng Clan’s Great Sword blazed with fire. The Yong Ho Family’s Swift Sword cleaved dozens of enemies in two in an instant.
“Screech!”
“Aargh!”
That was when Yi Hwan saw it — the Blood Tribe members retreating.
‘They had no intelligence on the Yong Ho Family. But to pull back so decisively… that’s strange.’
At first, Yi Hwan thought the Blood Tribe was withdrawing upon realizing their numerical disadvantage. But looking at the terrain where the fighting was occurring, something felt off.
Yi Hwan stared toward the rear.
His brow furrowed at once.
‘He’s been stalling deliberately.’
Behind them, the Zhao forces were pouring in like a dark tide.
Yi Hwan turned to Hwang Ho.
“I think we’d best pull the front line back.”
“No, sir. We must hold here longer. The terrain behind us favors the enemy.”
“Look there.”
Yi Hwan lifted his chin toward the rear. Only then did Hwang Ho see the enemy massing like a dark swarm, and his face hardened into stone.
“Withdraw the troops to the Northern Gorge. The narrow, steep terrain is perfect for a small force to hold back a much larger one.”
“The Northern Gorge can be completely encircled and cut off if the enemy surrounds us on all sides! We should make a Last Stand Formation here instead!”
“So you want us to fight gloriously here and die to a man? Tell me—is that a meaningful battle?”
“……!”
“We can only plan for what comes after if we survive. Hold on for now. If we do, I’ll find a way through.”
“……!”
Hwang Ho understood in that moment: Yi Hwan’s eyes were colder than ice, deeper and stiller than a lake.
‘How can he remain so composed in this situation?’
“If we’re too slow, we’ll leave an Eternal Regret, General.”
Crunch!
Hwang Ho bit his lip. Where his teeth sank in, blood bloomed dark crimson.
“Sound the Retreat Horn! Fall back to the Northern Gorge!”
“Sound the Retreat Horn!”
Whooomp!

* * *

“They’re retreating?”
The Blood Demon Leader watched the Yeonná forces falling back, his face darkening.
“If I’d held them just a little longer, I could have wiped them out easily…….”
“This Hwang Ho is clearly no ordinary man. He retreated at the most precise moment, and now our operation will fail,” one of his subordinates said.
The Blood Demon Leader’s gaze swept toward the positions held by the Hebei Peng Clan and the Yong Ho Family. They too were withdrawing.
Twitch!
His brows curved like sword blades as a cold voice slipped from his lips.
“I didn’t realize the Yong Ho Family had joined in. Just what kind of intelligence management are we running?”
It was then.
Whoosh!
A general dropped down beside him. He was among the fiercest of the fiercest commanders trusted by Zhao’s Commander-in-Chief.
He erupted in fury.
“We agreed to pin them down!”
“What would you have me do? Whether they spotted us or found out somehow, they’re withdrawing openly—what trick could possibly stop them?”
“If you took the vanguard with such confidence, you should have done your job properly!”
As the general’s angry voice poured out in succession, the Blood Demon Leader replied coldly.
“This doesn’t seem like the moment to assign blame. You’d do better to pursue them now. And speak truthfully—if you had such confidence, why didn’t you volunteer for the vanguard yourselves then? I’m curious why you held back and only voice complaints now.”
“What did you say!”
“We’ll settle this at the Base. Let’s move!”
Bang!
The Blood Demon Leader kicked off the ground and launched himself forward. Other Blood Demons and thousands of soldiers rushed after him, their bodies soaring through the air.
The general glared at their receding backs, grinding his teeth.
“Insolent dog. Riding the Emperor’s favor has made you forget yourself!”
“General! Please issue the order at once!”
“Chase them! Hunt them down and leave none alive!”
“Yes, sir!”
Roaaaaar!

* * *

Peng Mu Wei and Yong Ho Chung galloped side by side.
As the pursuing enemy approached, they caught their breath and steadied their hearts.
“I never expected so many more enemy forces would appear!”
“Had I known anything at all before taking command, I would have been trapped without a way out! General Hwang truly deserves credit for his seasoning!”
“The general is a man you must overcome.”
“…….”
Peng Mu Wei felt a sudden tightness in his chest.
It was thanks to Hwang Ho’s keen judgment that they had escaped the crisis. Had he delayed the retreat by even a moment, it might have left an Eternal Regret.
‘Can I truly drive him out and become Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Corps?’
It was the first doubt he had felt since arriving here.
“Fall back toward the Northern Gorge!”
“To the Northern Gorge!”
Shouts erupted from all quarters.
‘The Northern Gorge?’
Peng Mu Wei’s face twisted in an instant.
“Retreating to the Northern Gorge is courting isolation—why would we withdraw there?”
“Is that true?”
“From what I’ve observed, it is!”
Peng Mu Wei seized a warrior in retreat and pressed him urgently.
“Did the order truly come to withdraw to the Northern Gorge?”
“Yes. He distinctly told us to retreat there!”
“This is…….”
Peng Mu Wei could not fathom it. To abandon that sprawling encampment and retreat to a place that courted isolation.
Yong Ho Chung stepped forward.
“If things go wrong, it falls on General Hwang alone—hardly a loss for us.”
“If we’re isolated, we could all die!”
“To gain something great, one must accept some risk. Besides, with your martial prowess and that of your men, even if isolated, you’d surely find a way out.”
“…….”
Peng Mu Wei was reluctant.
But he had no choice. A Commander-in-Chief’s order is a Military Order—to refuse it brings ruin upon anyone. Depending on circumstances, one could face Immediate Execution.
‘The retreat itself came at a clever moment, yet the destination chosen is utterly wrong.’
That was when it happened.
“The enemy approaches!”
A warrior cried out in alarm.
Turning around, they could see the Blood Tribe climbing over the ridgeline.
Writhe—!
Peng Mu Wei’s brows furrowed sharply.
“Ridiculous dogs, how dare they…….”
“Fighting here would cost us dearly. Better to withdraw, General.”
Crunch.
Peng Mu Wei, grinding his teeth, followed Yong Ho Chung’s counsel.

* * *

The Blood Demon Leader slashed through all who came before him, pursuing the Yeonná army. He killed surrendering warriors without mercy.
A great many of the Yeonná warriors, whose Lightness Skill was relatively inferior, fell brutally under his blade and that of the Blood Demons.
How long had this continued?
“Lord! The Peng Clan!”
At his subordinate’s cry, the leader looked up toward the ridgeline.
His gaze locked directly with Peng Mu Wei’s.
Slash—!
“A moment ago, you dared not stand your ground out of fear, did you? Hehehehe.”
Shing.
His sword drank in Inner Strength.
“Kill every dog of the Peng Clan and the Yong Ho Family you see! The more we slaughter here, the easier it will be to reclaim the encampment!”
“Yes!”
The Blood Demon Leader hurled himself first toward the Peng and Yong Ho forces. As they fled over the ridge without engaging, his smile turned cold.
“Pathetic wretches.”
He issued another command.
“Scatter and slaughter everyone you find!”

* * *

The Blood Demons were formidable. Many Yeonná warriors charging at them could not overpower even one.
The Blood Demons scattered in all directions, launching their pursuit—to the soldiers of Yeonná, they were nothing short of harbingers of death.
“Aaahhh!”
“Krugh!”
A Blood Demon who had just severed two necks suddenly blazed his eyes wide. He had spotted Yi Hwan and Hwang Ho retreating not far away.
Since the troops had been sent ahead while these two lingered behind, there were scarcely any guards in their immediate vicinity.
“There—that’s Hwang Ho! Go get his head!”
“Yes!”
Five Blood Demons crashed through the underbrush and rushed forward.
The warriors who had stood in their path fell without mercy, and within moments, the distance between them had closed to within thirty paces.
Slip-scrape.
The Blood Demons’ blades gleamed crimson as one.
Until now, these were battles that required no drawing upon Inner Strength, so their reserves remained nearly untouched. That confidence gave them certainty they could claim Hwang Ho’s head.
Yet they did not recognize Yi Hwan’s face, and so they remained unaware he was the supreme commander of Yeonná—a fact hidden only because he had joined the Zhao encampment so recently.
‘Once Hwang Ho falls, this battle is as good as finished. Hehehehe.’
One Blood Demon pushed off the earth and leaped skyward.
That was precisely when it happened.
Flash!
Beyond the forest, a shaft of azure light erupted, streaking toward the demon’s waist.
“Huh?”
The Blood Demon, caught mid-ascent, twisted violently in the air with a start.
Crack!
“Garhhh!”
The Blood Demon fell to the ground, split clean in two.
From behind him, two figures emerged from the treeline: Cheol Mu Ok and Gong Sun Tae.
“Bastards—how dare you lay hands on them.”
“Cut down everything in sight.”
“Yes!”
The moment they appeared, they descended upon the remaining Blood Demons with lethal speed.
One of the demons, seeing his comrades fall to these two sudden arrivals, screamed out in alarm.
“Masters! Watch yourselves!”
Clang-clang-clang!
The first strike was parried. The second also failed to land.
But on the third strike, two Blood Demons sprayed blood and crumpled, and on the fourth, two more fell.
Cheol Mu Ok stared down at a dying Blood Demon, his expression hardening.
“So these are the ones bearing the Demonic Aura we sensed from the corpse.”
“Is that so? They don’t seem all that powerful, if I’m being honest.”
“They may not be to us, but to the common soldiers, they’re as good as death itself.”
“Ah, I see.”
Cheol Mu Ok gazed down into the ravine.
The Zhao forces were pouring up in a dark tide. At their head came members of the Blood Tribe, dressed identically to the ones he had slain.
Cheol Mu Ok’s eyes fixed on the Blood Tribe member ascending at the center.
‘That one must be the leader.’
“There are too many of them. We should withdraw.”
……
“The two of us cannot hold this position!”
Cheol Mu Ok turned his gaze upslope. Yi Hwan was just disappearing over the ridge.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”

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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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