LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 179
Chapter 179
Fate
The bandit’s eyes widened.
“An arrow?”
He didn’t know if it was an arrow or something else. The important thing was that his forearm was gone, and whatever had severed it had pierced through his thigh.
“Argh!”
The bandit screamed in pain and collapsed.
Pasaruk’s eyes wavered.
“What the hell!”
At that moment, ten flashes of light flickered.
Puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh-puh!
The beams of light precisely pierced the foreheads of the bandits surrounding the hostages.
Pasaruk whipped his head around, his eyes gleaming.
“There!”
It was a hillside about 150 jang away in a straight line from where he stood. Arrows fired from that distance had precisely targeted his men.
“What the hell is this trick…!”
Flash!
Another beam of light flickered. This time, it targeted Pasaruk directly. It was a much faster and sharper strike than before.
Pasaruk instinctively raised his palm to block it.
Bang!
The arrow, hit by the burst of energy from his palm, grazed Pasaruk’s cheek as it passed by.
Drip.
Blood trickled from Pasaruk’s cheek. Although its direction had been diverted, the arrow’s power remained undiminished.
“So strong!”
The hand that deflected the arrow throbbed with a heavy impact. To infuse an arrow with such internal energy was unimaginable. It was a skill on par with his own.
Pasaruk shouted, “Kill all the hostages!”
Moyong Woo shouted back, “Charge!”
Kurururung!
Two hundred cavalry at the forefront began their charge. The remaining two hundred cavalry lined up behind them didn’t move an inch. Instead, the soldiers of the Tangma Army atop them leapt off and charged with swift footwork.
It was an offensive combining the flexibility of the cavalry at the front and the agility of the infantry, capable of swift combat. It was a tactical formation composed of highly skilled martial artists capable of rapid combat.
“Uraaaaaaah!”
More bandits approached from behind the fallen bandits, swinging their swords at the hostages.
Puh-puh-puh-puh-puh!
Before the swords could even touch the hostages, the bandits spewed blood and fell. It was truly a miraculous continuous rapid-fire shot. How they could see the situation here from such a distance, and how they could execute such perfect archery, was astonishing.
“Damn it!”
He hadn’t expected the hidden card to be such a highly skilled archer.
“Was it not a diversionary tactic but relying on that archer’s prowess?”
It was the first time he couldn’t properly read the opponent’s hand.
Pasaruk shouted, “Leave the hostages! Retreat to the rear!”
Neigh!
At that moment, a horse let out a roar like a dragon’s cry. The one charging ahead of all the cavalry and infantry was Moyong Woo, heading straight for Pasaruk.
Pasaruk’s blue eyes blazed with fury. There was a clear hint of bewilderment in his gaze.
Moyong Woo spoke coldly, “I said I would definitely kill you.”
Tangma. The commander of the army tasked with eradicating demons spoke. His chilling voice sent shivers down Pasaruk’s spine.
“Don’t think you can die peacefully.”
Flash!
The wave-like sword energy surged forward, threatening to split Pasaruk in half.
Pasaruk’s fist gleamed with a red light.
Boom!
Moyong Woo’s face showed surprise.
“Did I underestimate the leader of the bandits?”
With a powerful advance, Pasaruk extended his log-like arm. The dark red aura emanating from his entire body looked incredibly sinister.
The aura was ominous, but the power behind his fist was immense. It was enough to push back Moyong Woo and even the horse he was riding.
“Consider yourself lucky, brat.”
Swish!
Pasaruk leapt. Despite his massive size, his footwork was incredibly swift. In an instant, he crossed the upper level of the main camp, almost as if flying.
Pasaruk shouted, “What are you all doing! Break down the northern wall! We are taking the mountain path!”
At that moment,
Swish!
Pasaruk felt his surroundings darken. A shadow had followed him to his back.
“I said it clearly.”
Moyong Woo, having leapt off his horse, had quickly closed in on Pasaruk with a raised sword.
“You will die here.”
“You brat!”
Flash! Boom!
The two of them were flung in different directions. The bandits who collided with Pasaruk fell in heaps. Moyong Woo, who had been thrown into a building wall, quickly extracted himself and charged again.
In that instant, he saw the hostages. Their faces, stark naked and trembling, were deathly pale.
“I will protect them.”
Clang! Clang!
Moyong Woo removed his shoulder and arm guards and threw his cloak towards the women. The cloak, filled with internal energy, fluttered and landed in front of them.
“The captain will protect them.”
He had instructed them not to shoot arrows until he gave the signal. In other words, Mok Bi had disobeyed his orders. But Moyong Woo had no intention of reprimanding her.
It had been a precarious situation. Without any plan, they had rushed in, leading to chaos, but thanks to that, the hostages had survived. They owed her a debt of gratitude.
Now, only the battle remained.
Bang!
Moyong Woo, stepping strongly, unleashed a powerful burst of energy. Pasaruk’s eyes glinted.
Bang!
A bandit, hit by the strong burst of energy, spat blood and fell. Pasaruk had thrown his subordinate as a shield.
It was a despicable act, but Moyong Woo was not surprised. This madman, who had killed innocent women by tearing their throats out while they were still alive, could commit any atrocity.
Bam-bam-bam!
Pasaruk gritted his teeth. Moyong Woo’s movement, closing the distance with almost divine footwork, was not practical for combat but incredibly precise. It was a miraculous maneuver that perfectly blocked any escape to the rear or sides.
He had no choice but to engage. And it would be best to end it quickly.
Rumble.
A dark red aura surged again from Pasaruk’s body. He had drawn upon the Su Mi Inverted Buddha Art, a secret technique of Xiao Lei Yin Temple.
In response, Moyong Woo also unleashed the grand sword energy of the Heaven and Earth 108 Sword Technique, his strongest swordsmanship.
The sword and fist of the two collided head-on.
Clang-clang-clang!
As the fierce battle between the leaders began, the entire Tangma Army broke through the outer camp.
Thud! Thud!
Bandits fell one by one, spewing blood.
It was a chaotic melee. If the bandits had been united, it might have been different, but in this situation, the individually superior Tangma Army had the advantage.
However, Heilangdan was not to be underestimated.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
A soldier collapsed, vomiting blood. A precisely thrown short spear had pierced his chest.
It was the first casualty for the Tangma Army. Casualties were inevitable in missions, but this was too early.
A bandit shouted, “Gather together! These guys are just a ragtag bunch!”
“Uraaaaah!”
Bandits were simple-minded. They were warriors who had accumulated experience by crossing countless lines of death, but in essence, they were still bandits.
That made them more terrifying.
Upon hearing they were facing a disorganized group, Heilangdan’s momentum completely changed. Their simplicity became an advantage comparable to the pinnacle of martial arts in such a situation.
Boom!
It was an astonishing sight.
Large bandits crashed through the outer wall of the upper camp, pushing the cavalry back with their bodies.
Their natural divine strength, combined with extraordinary martial arts, was unmatched. It was often said that the strength of cavalry was ten times that of infantry, but such numerical comparisons were meaningless before them.
“Kill! Kill them all!”
“Aaaaargh!”
At first, Heilangdan had been pushed back, but now they were gradually holding their own against the Tangma Army.
No, they were slowly overwhelming them.
Thud! Thud! Crack!
About ten cavalrymen from the Tangma Army fell on the spot.
Slash! Thud! Thud!
The bandits beheaded the fallen cavalry and stabbed their spears into the soldiers’ bodies.
Even if they wanted to move, they couldn’t. The Tangma Army soldiers were well-known in the martial world, but they had never experienced such large-scale group combat.
Without training and experience, even outstanding individual martial skills couldn’t be utilized to their fullest.
This was what collective warfare, or war, was.
Boom!
Pasaruk’s fist was intact, even though Moyong Woo had blocked it with his sword.
It was a fist technique boasting the purity of steel. Not only was the fist’s strength remarkable, but the destructive power of the ominous aura surrounding it was also tremendous.
“This won’t do.”
Clang! Thud!
Pasaruk staggered back three steps.
Even though the full power wasn’t applied, Moyong Woo had struck his abdomen with a kicking technique, yet Pasaruk only retreated three steps. His defense was incredible, as if he had mastered the pinnacle of external martial arts.
“This can’t go on like this.”
Slash!
Moyong Woo’s descending sword cut Pasaruk’s forearm.
It was a cut, but it only grazed the flesh. Pasaruk had twisted his arm at the moment the blade touched it, avoiding a complete severance.
It was a practical combat technique honed to the level of instinct. It was hard to believe that this was merely the skill of a bandit leader.
“I’ve gained enough from the element of surprise. It’s time to retreat.”
Even while fighting an opponent that couldn’t be ignored, he accurately grasped the battlefield’s situation.
However, it was a bit late. Had he realized it earlier, he could have minimized the Tangma Army’s losses.
One can’t expect perfect judgment in their first campaign, but Moyong Woo’s talent was undeniably unparalleled.
Moyong Woo shouted, “Jinpae, pull the troops back!”
Jinpae, who had been slaughtering bandits, glared.
He didn’t want to retreat. He wanted to wipe out these madmen completely.
But it was an order from the commander. He couldn’t disobey.
The order was given specifically to him, not to the entire squad, because of the trust that he would follow it.
“All Tangma Army troops, retreat!”
Clang!
The soldiers, who had been fiercely pushing back the bandits, looked at Jinpae with fiery eyes.
“But, Captain!”
“It’s the commander’s order! Retreat immediately!”
Kyubyeok gritted his teeth.
“Everyone in this squad, fall back!”
The soldiers hesitated.
They were late again. Moyong Woo’s judgment was somewhat delayed but certain, yet the soldiers didn’t immediately respond to their superior’s command.
The reason was simple.
They were heated. They knew their superior’s order was absolute and didn’t ignore it, but their martial pride made their response a beat late.
And the result was quite horrific.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Arrows from the bandits, who had been waiting for the perfect moment, poured down on the cavalry of the second squad of the Tangma Army.
Thud-thud-thud! Neigh!
They blocked more than half of the arrows, but couldn’t stop the rest. About thirty cavalrymen fell on the spot.
“No!”
“Retreat! Retreat!”
Finally, the retreat speed increased.
However, Heilangdan was relentless. They knew from experience that an unplanned retreat could greatly damage the enemy’s morale.
Clang-clang-clang!
Pasaruk grabbed Moyong Woo’s sword.
Blood dripped from his palm, but the powerful Su Mi Inverted Buddha Art prevented his bones from being cut.
“How does it feel, brat?”
Pasaruk grinned.
“Who do you think you’re going to kill?”
“…It seems things aren’t going as planned.”
“Hahaha! You only realize that now?”
Whoosh!
A powerful force pushed Moyong Woo back even further. In terms of strength, Pasaruk was clearly superior.
“This has been fun. Goodbye, young commander.”
At that moment,
Crack!
“Ugh!”
Pasaruk staggered, clutching his nose.
“What… what did this bastard just do?!”
“I decided to go all out.”
Moyong Woo wiped his forehead. He had broken Pasaruk’s nose with a headbutt.
“Now that I don’t need to worry about my subordinates, things will be different.”
“What the hell are you saying, you bastard?!”
At that moment,
Rumble!
All the trees on the southern hillside exploded. A group charged down, indiscriminately crushing rocks and trees.
Pasaruk’s eyes widened.
Moyong Woo’s eyes gleamed with killing intent.
“You’ll be captured here today.”
Roar!
With a furious roar, a white storm crashed through the southern wall of the outer camp.
It was the Myeolsagun.