Chapter 179: Five Skies (1)
Chapter 179: Five Skies (1)
During the following month, the Eight Bolt Blade King concentrated all his time and energy on healing. He was given numerous elixirs and his torn meridians were soon repaired.
The medicine was not enough to heal everything, but he focused on restoring the many large and small injuries.
As a result, although not all wounds were gone, he was able to repair one of his arms.
That meant he was able to maintain strength in the level of Absolution for about half an hour.
From these results, it could be seen how generous Woon-seong and the Cult of the Heavenly Demon had been in their support of the Bolt King’s recovery.
The Eight Bolt Blade King was not the only one recovering.
Soldiers from the Southern Army filled the Eastern Army’s ranks. As a result, despite suffering losses, the Eastern Army was able to regain its massive size and strength.
A large platform was erected in front of these soldiers.
Woon-seong slowly walked to the top.
As Woon-seong appeared, the more than 10,000 soldiers gathered there greeted in unison:
“Hail the Heavenly Demon!”
“Hail the Heavenly Demon!”
Woon-seong nodded.
Burning with the Divine Flame, he looked at those standing in front of him and shouted, “Do you know why we are here today?”
Sheer flames seemed to pour from Woon-seong’s eyes. His voice was carried to all of the 10,000 soldiers.
There was not a single soldier who could not hear his voice, and so they all responded:
“We are gathered here to wage war!”
“We are gathered here to wage war!”
Woon-seong shook his head. “Wrong!”
All the demonic soldiers went silent at the same time.
Woo-seong looked at them and said, “We are not here to wage a war.”
The Divine Flame burned in both of his eyes and his fangs flashed brightly whenever he spoke.
Kung—
He stomped his foot and the platform trembled.
“Today, we are gathered here not for war, but for a memorial service!”
The demonic soldiers twitched at the words ‘memorial service’. The recent defeat was still fresh in their minds.
Woon-seong continued to shout at these demons.
“Look around you! Look at the face of the person next to you!”
Listening to him, the demonic soldiers looked at each other with puzzled expressions. Then, their faces hardened, as if understanding what the Heavenly Demon meant.
“Is that the same face you saw the other day? I am asking, are they the same comrades who stood by you on the battlefield?!”
No one could answer him easily.
Soldiers from the Eastern Army and the Southern Army had come together, mixing with soldiers from the West.
Of course, there were faces who had not changed, but that was a minority.
Many new faces had appeared; others had disappeared and new people filled those spaces.
The Western Army’s morale was at an all time low. Even those who were newly joining seemed affected by the mood.
“Your brothers-in-arms from the Cult are still lying on that cold ground. Those who are willing to abandon their identity as Demons and wish not to avenge their brothers, you may leave here.”
The demonic soldiers were silent.
Then someone raised their sword up high and shouted, “We will raise a memorial service!”
That was the signal.
Soldiers all around him drew their swords and yelled, “We will avenge our brothers!”
Like ripples on the surface of a lake, the soldiers drew their swords and shouted. Each person lifted their weapons high.
And they shouted together:
“Avenge their spirits with blood!”
Woon-seong nodded with satisfaction.
He then stomped again.
Kung—
It echoed and the platform cracked.
Standing atop it, Woon-seong commanded: “Look behind you!”
The soldiers turned in unison.
A wide open plain appeared in their sights.
“The enemy is at the end of this plain!”
The soldiers stared at the wide rolling fields.
They could not see it, but Woon-seong could.
Enemy barracks, enemy movements!
It was blurry, but visible.
Woon-seong roared:
“Do not think of this as war. It is merely a memorial service. No one is going to die in the midst of holding a memorial service!”
The demons shouted:
“There is no such fool!”
“There is no such fool!”
Woon-seong nodded and stomped again.
Kung—
The platform collapsed with a groan.
Woon-seong still stood high.
He was standing on air.
Woon-seong roared, pointing at the enemies from the air, “Then, let’s go!”
Kuaa-
Woon-seong’s roar echoed and rippled.
Rough sand and dust swirled from the fields.
“Let us hold the memorial service!”
“Hail the Heavenly Demon!”
“Hail the Heavenly Demon!”
Bang, bang, bang.
The drums boomed, echoing across the ground.
That was a signal.
The Cult of the Heavenly Demon began to advance across the land.
At the forefront of the advancing army were Woon-seong, the Eight Bolt Blade King, the Senior Strategist, and Cheon Ah-young.
“I see them.”
As Woon-seong said, the enemy was beginning to appear. Previously, they might have been blurry, but they were now clear as day.
Woon-seong glanced at them and asked the Bolt King and Cheon Ah-young, “Do you see either of the two masters?”
Cheon Ah-young and the Bolt King shook their heads.
Nothing.
It was all just ordinary soldiers. But if that was all there was, the Western Army would not have suffered so.
The Eight Bolt Blade King swallowed as he remembered, “That day, too…” He gripped his blade. “They did not intervene at first, but suddenly appeared in the middle.”
“So they may appear today.”
Cheon Ah-young and the Blade King nodded.
“You have not forgotten the signal, have you?”
The Blade King and Cheon Ah-young rolled up their left sleeves. To their arms were tied bamboo containers.
Those were the signals.
At the critical moment, if they saw the masters, they would fire off the blue firecrackers.
Woon-seong nodded his head in confirmation.
As the Demonic Army advanced, the Martial Alliance had seen them and was now moving to engage.
If we keep going like this, there will be a collision halfway.
Woon-seong stepped forward.
Kuung—
The ground trembled as an earthquake shook the area.
Woon-seong roared once more,
“Do not forget. We are raising a memorial service!”
Hehehehehehehehe!
His voice reached even those in the back, touching even the weary.
“We will not forget!”
“We will not forget!”
Soon after, the blue and dark red waves collided with another, just as Woon-seong predicted.
Without hesitation, the two sides roughly slammed into each other.
Waaaaahhh!
It was a vicious struggle.
In the middle of the violence, one of the Orthodox soldiers shouted: “Do not retreat! It is merely a person called a demon! We have already defeated them once! Do not lose!”
Cheon Ah-young, offended by these words, frowned. She gripped her sword and moved her other hand.
It was clear that the voice had come from somewhere near the center of the Martial Alliance formation.
Cut down the leader to demoralize the enemy.
Cheon Ah-young, who had practiced martial arts, thought that way.
She immediately restrained the man and moved her sword.
Puchi—
Blood splattered and the enemy’s head was cut in half.
“Huff!”
With her making a move, several soldiers shouted, “Kill her!”
Someone swung at her.
Cheon Ah-young had already retreated.
Again.
She would fight someone, back up to stabilize, then fight again. She repeated that inhalation and exhalation.
At the same time, she thought about what Woon-seong had said ten days ago.
I won’t let you down twice.
Cheon Ah-young’s sword began to slash enemies more ruthlessly.
Puchi—
The Eight Bolt Blade King grasped his own blade. He may not have fully recovered in such a short amount of time, but he left a field of electricity in his wake.
Zzzt—
Bang!
Pure thunderstorms of chaos, carrying lightning that separated the earth and sky amongst the enemies!
The blade in the Eight Bolt Blade King’s hand erupted with the intensity of lightning. An eight-branched blast swept through the enemies in a fan shape.
“Ah!”
“Stop him!”
Enemies were dismembered, electricity crackling at their wounds.
Those who prevented serious injuries were not better off.
Zzzt-zzzt!
“Cough!”
Once the Orthodox soldiers had been paralyzed by the electric currents, other demonic soldiers would slash through them ruthlessly.
The Demons’ eyes were filled with venom.
To avenge my comrades!
To avenge my brothers!
Let’s raise a memorial service!
As black waves surged, the demonic soldiers poured through. Between them, swords, spears and more washed through their enemies.
Fwa-bing—
Blood sprinkled the air and Cheon Ah-young danced through the enemy lines.
If the Eight Bolt Blade King was a wave sweeping through the enemy, Cheon Ah-young was an eagle who grabbed her prey.
The rising waves instantly brought fish to the surface and the eagle rushed to catch them.
And what was the fate of a fish caught in an eagle’s claws?
Was there a need to say more?
They were torn apart by the eagle.
And thus was the fate of enemies caught in the hands of Cheon Ah-young.
Her sword seemed to divide into five, creating a sword aura and enemies were split apart.
Woon-seong watched Cheon Ah-young and smiled. My words seemed to have helped.
He then turned to face his own enemies.
Woon-seong was currently surrounded by soldiers.
No one slackened their wall around him.
Even without the Black Dragon Robe, they knew who he was.
“Heavenly Demon, prepare to die!” someone yelled.
Woon-seong smiled coolly looking at the riffraff. “None of you are attacking me, what a waste of those swords in your hands.”
It was a taunt.
Nevertheless, the soldiers did not attack. It was because fear of the Heavenly Demon was stronger than anger.
“If you don’t want to come…”
Seeing such enemies, Woon-seong said,
“Then I will go to you.”
Kuakuakuakua!