His adjutants once again advised Li Zi-song to retreat, but even then, Li Zi-song dismissed their opinions. And just like that, he gathered all remaining forces and marched toward Guisui.
One week after that...
They had arrived at the current situation.
If things had flowed according to the plan when they first commenced the expedition, they would be leisurely besieging Guisui Castle by now, but many things had changed.
According to news sent by messengers, the Datong Military Command had already been completely surrounded by 20,000 enemy cavalry and was on the verge of falling. In other words, they might lose the expedition army's main camp.
Nevertheless, they couldn't withdraw from here. With the epidemic raging seriously within the encampment in this situation, there was no telling how many soldiers could return to Datong alive.
If in such circumstances Timur Khan opened Guisui's gates and struck at the rear of the retreating allied forces, while the cavalry surrounding Datong swiftly blocked the allied forces' front in timely fashion...
Then...
The result would be obvious without further consideration.
But continuing the siege in this manner without any gain was also burdensome.
Dozens died daily from the epidemic. Moreover, hundreds lay sick, only waiting for the day of death. Even though there had been no proper battles at all... soldiers were falling into combat incapacity just from epidemic, epidemic, and more epidemic.
Naturally, the morale of the entire army had hit rock bottom, and deserters fleeing due to the epidemic were even appearing.
Naturally, Li Zi-song had no other path remaining.
"Guisui! I just need to capture Guisui!"
If they could just topple that place, that castle, he could save his own life and ultimately even establish a foothold for recovery!
Aaaaaahhh!
Even as he shouted, arrows flew like rain from Guisui Castle, killing over a dozen soldiers. Yet Li Zi-song's voice only grew louder. To him, his own life and success were tens of thousands of times more important than the trivial lives of soldiers, so he absolutely couldn't lower his voice.
The madness of the epidemic was gnawing away not only at the soldiers' lives but already at Li Zi-song's entire body and even his mind.
"Fire! Keep firing!"
At Li Zi-song's continuously issuing orders, attacks continued endlessly and soldiers grew increasingly exhausted.
Still, from Guisui Mountain Castle, there was no particular response except shooting arrows at those approaching closely and at the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners.
Was this what it felt like to throw stones into the vast Yellow River trying to build a dam? Li Zi-song and the soldiers were exhausting themselves.
'He already knew about this entire situation...'
Li Zi-song thought that Timur Khan might have orchestrated all of this. The way things were going certainly seemed that way. Perhaps the reason they deployed 20,000 cavalry without relieving Liangcheng or Manhan Mountain was because they knew about the epidemic's outbreak?
"Damn it!"
He cursed to himself. It wasn't as if a sharp strategy would come to mind by doing so, but if he didn't do at least that, he felt like he'd go mad.
What should he do? He was the one laying siege... yet he was the one in crisis!
It felt as if he were surrounded in three or four layers by invisible enemies.
"This damn..."
Now even Li Zi-song's curses lacked much vitality. Was that why? Even though the entire army was attacking, all the troops looked powerless.
Unless a miracle occurred, they would head down the path of annihilation like this.
In that state, just as Li Zi-song was about to issue another attack order—
"Commander, the mercenaries are now entering the encampment."
A soldier approached, knelt before Li Zi-song, and informed him of Dong Bong-su's arrival.
A glimmer flickered in Li Zi-song's anxious eyes for the first time in a while.
"Ear Ghost has come?"
"Yes, Commander."
Ear Ghost had come. Yes, that man, perhaps that man...
"Bring him to the command post. I will personally meet him."
With those words, Li Zi-song spurred his horse toward the command post.
***
Dong Bong-su had already arrived at the command post. He had walked here without rest for the past several days. Fortunately, it seemed to still be the incubation period, but no one could know when it would manifest.
If it manifested in him...
No one could predict what would happen here. Except that the event would be a disaster for everyone present here, excluding Dong Bong-su...
That much was certain.
Shrrrk—
The curtain hanging at the command post entrance was pulled aside as Li Zi-song appeared. His face had become even more gaunt in just a few days, and deep shadows were cast beneath his eyes. As always, Adjutant Dang followed behind him.
Dong Bong-su and Li Zi-song's eyes collided with Dong Bong-su's long hair between them. But Li Zi-song still couldn't tell at all what he was thinking. Not because he couldn't see his eyes.
Just... he just couldn't tell.
Why not? When you look into a deep well, you only see an empty darkness and can feel nothing, can you not? It was like looking down such a well, one that seemed to be thousands of meters deep.
"You must have heard and know well about the situation here. I'll ask directly. What should I do?"
Not 'what should I do?' or 'what would be good?' It was a question demanding a definitive answer of what he should do.
Dong Bong-su stared at Li Zi-song for a moment.
That inexplicably oppressive aura. Li Zi-song had no choice but to turn his head slightly. Still, he couldn't tell the cause.
Then Dong Bong-su's flat voice pierced his ear.
"Give me control of the catapults."
'Perhaps in what remains of my life, it will be hard to meet again...'
Could there be another person in the world to whom such a tone suits so well? Before the content of what Dong Bong-su said, such a thought flashed through Li Zi-song's mind.
"Catapults? You mean the Whirlwind Artillery?"
Whirlwind Artillery was a siege weapon used in the Central Plains for the past several hundred years. As equipment greatly developed from the primitive form used during the Spring and Autumn period, it was designed as a long-range weapon where a pillar called a sky-piercing column was driven into the ground to stabilize the whole, then main components were placed on top allowing it to rotate.
As one could tell from its ability to rotate, this artillery's advantage was that it could swiftly change firing direction. It also had the additional advantage of being very simple in structure and assembly, so one could carry just the components and easily assemble and use it whenever needed. For this reason, during large-scale expeditions, Whirlwind Artillery Gunner units that specialized in operating them were separately deployed. Of course, for this Guisui expedition as well, close to 5,000 Whirlwind Artillery Gunners had come along.
Right now, Dong Bong-su was asking to be allowed to freely operate that Whirlwind Artillery.
"That's right. And immediately withdraw the position here back to the Yellow River behind us."
Even just the matter of the Whirlwind Artillery was quite unreasonable, but Dong Bong-su's words didn't end there.
"Withdraw the position all the way back to the Yellow River in the south? Are you now telling me to prepare for retreat?"
"No. Only withdraw the position backward and kill or thoroughly wash all animals within the encampment. The soldiers are no exception. Kill all those confirmed to have contracted the disease and immediately have those not yet diseased wash their bodies clean in the Yellow River."
"..."
Li Zi-song couldn't tell at all why he was saying such things, but somehow he felt trust. Moreover, now the only lifeline Li Zi-song could grasp was Ear Ghost, Dong Bong-su. If there had been another rope, it would have been a consideration, but now he wasn't in a position to be selective.
He pretended to think for a moment, then answered that he would do all of it.
Dong Bong-su's words immediately continued.
"Lastly, don't bury or burn the corpses of soldiers who died from the epidemic in the ground, but move them all to the vicinity where the catapults are placed."
This time too, Li Zi-song said he understood.
'As expected...'
This eccentric was different. Seeing how he spoke all of this without hesitation as soon as meeting him, as if he'd been waiting—he must have thought about it beforehand!
What Dong Bong-su requested wasn't particularly difficult. It wasn't like he was asking to hand over command authority, just to hand over control of the catapults, and to move the position slightly backward.
When the conversation ended, Dong Bong-su walked past Li Zi-song toward the command tent's entrance.
Shrrrk—
It was strange. The sound of the curtain being drawn, which had sounded gloomy until just moments ago, now sounded quite cheerful. Li Zi-song perked up his ears and spoke toward Dong Bong-su's back as he was about to go outside.
"Are you confident?"
There was no need to explicitly state the subject or object of that question.
Halt.
Dong Bong-su's steps stopped.
The curtain strips that had risen while pushing against his face now swayed downward, tapping Dong Bong-su's cheek and chin. If Li Zi-song saw that sight as resembling how the Whirlwind Artillery projectiles had helplessly pounded Guisui's castle walls, would it be his imagination?
"It will be as you wish."
Not much different from the answer he'd heard when first meeting him in Datong before. Even then, he'd been like this.
[I merely gave the answer you desired.]
With those words as the last, Dong Bong-su disappeared from Li Zi-song's sight just as he had back then.
Rustle.
The curtain that had roughly struck Dong Bong-su's cheek now only noisily chattered amongst itself.
Li Zi-song remained still until the curtain strips completely stopped, then leaned his waist backward and smacked his lips as he spoke.
"Will it truly be as I wish...?"
And do you know the real answer I desire...?
His empty inner thoughts shattered against the curtain, unable to proceed further.
-x-X-x-
Li Zi-song immediately fulfilled everything Dong Bong-su had requested.
He transferred all hundred or so Whirlwind Artillery pieces to Dong Bong-su, withdrew the position to where the southern Yellow River's shore was located, and had all the corpses who died from the epidemic moved to the vicinity where the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners were stationed in front of Guisui Castle where Dong Bong-su had gone out.
He also exterminated the rats hiding in supply goods and such, and boldly killed soldiers who clearly showed signs of having contracted the disease. Moreover, he ordered all living soldiers to immediately bathe.
The disgusting smell of rotting corpses overflowed throughout the encampment, but as already promised, Li Zi-song helped with everything Dong Bong-su had requested. He even allocated the 5,000 gunners who operated the Whirlwind Artillery under Dong Bong-su's command.
Now Dong Bong-su had become a general leading 1,000 mercenaries and 5,000 artillerymen.
He kept his Status Window open without closing it. This was to respond urgently if even the slightest change occurred in the Status Window. While doing so, he immediately implemented the work he had conceived during the past several days coming here.
"Immediately disassemble all the Whirlwind Artillery."
If Li Zi-song had been present at this place and heard Dong Bong-su's order, he would have been horrified. Dong Bong-su, who they thought would use the Whirlwind Artillery to attack the castle walls, was disassembling the Whirlwind Artillery? As a commander, it was behavior difficult to readily understand.
However, Li Zi-song was currently overseeing the work of withdrawing the position backward, and at this place there were only Dong Bong-su and the 700 mercenaries accompanying him—about 300 had fallen into combat incapacity due to the disease on the way here—and the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners who had to operate the Whirlwind Artillery.
Although the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners couldn't understand at a glance, they didn't disobey Dong Bong-su's order. After all, soldiers had no choice. They were just soldiers who had to do what they were told and, if not told, must not do it even if they died.
Thud. Shrrrk. Thud. Shrrrk...
The area was bustling for a while with the sound of joints being loosened and each part being disassembled.
Since the Whirlwind Artillery itself had been assembled here, and the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners who specialized in it were doing it directly, the disassembly work was all finished before long.
There were now 100 Sky-piercing columns and wooden beams, along with various components and ropes connecting the two.
Dong Bong-su again ordered them to move all of those things to a place much farther from Guisui Castle. Though they couldn't tell why he was ordering such a thing, the gunners and mercenaries faithfully carried out his command.
The work was quickly finished, and Dong Bong-su immediately began the next task.
"From now on, watch carefully what I do and reassemble these items in a new way."
Dong Bong-su said that and immediately went into action without even hearing the soldiers' reply. Right now, time for him was like the fuse attached to a bomb. The biggest problem was not knowing the bomb's power or the fuse's length.
Since he didn't know when it would explode, there wasn't a moment to waste.
Thud. Slip. Clack...
By Dong Bong-su's fast and precise touch, the Sky-piercing columns and wooden beams were mechanically woven together. The item that had been assembled dozens and hundreds of times in his head over the past several days was rapidly taking shape.
It was an item that looked considerably more complex than the Whirlwind Artillery. Rather than simply driving and fixing one pillar called a Sky-piercing column into the ground, he organically connected several pillars at diagonal angles and fixed them to the ground, then attached the wooden beams vertically where the ends of the pillars met. He also overlapped two wooden beams instead of one, making it much larger and sturdier than the existing Whirlwind Artillery's wooden beam.
Critically, the difference between the Whirlwind Artillery and the item Dong Bong-su was making was that at the end, instead of connecting 40-50 trailing ropes, he attached a large basket. Dong Bong-su devoted particular effort to making that basket more than anything else.
As the apparatus gradually took shape, only then could the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners roughly guess what Dong Bong-su was making. Though they had never directly seen such a thing, the principle was easy to understand at a glance.
Unlike the Whirlwind Artillery where 40-50 people pulled ropes at once and used that force to launch stone projectiles, that item would fill the basket with objects like stones and use the force of dropping them to rotate the wooden beam and launch stones. They had seen many similar items back home. The water wheels in every village operated on a principle similar to that.
Thud. Slip. Clack...
If there existed beings called divine craftsmen, wouldn't they look just like that?
The Whirlwind Artillery Gunners could only stand there with their mouths agape, watching Dong Bong-su make 'some kind of machine.' Setting aside the amazing dexterity, the strength to bind and tighten wooden beams reaching about six meters alone was something they couldn't even imagine.
Thud. Slip. Clack!
Exactly half an hour.
That was the time it took for Dong Bong-su to assemble that thing, the 'trebuchet,' alone. He tied the final knot by pulling hard on the end of the rope, then looked around at the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners and said,
"Did you watch carefully?"
"..."
The Whirlwind Artillery Gunners still only had their mouths open, unable to answer easily.
"I asked if you watched carefully."
Dong Bong-su's characteristically low voice spread throughout the area again.
Only then did the gunners come to their senses and give a proper answer.
"Y-yes...!"
Dong Bong-su looked around at the senior gunners surrounding him one by one and spoke slowly yet clearly:
"I'm giving you exactly thirty minutes from now. After that, if even a single wood chip is lying around this vicinity, you will all die."
Gulp.
Someone among the senior gunners who heard Dong Bong-su's words swallowed dryly, and that became the signal.
Thud. Shrrrk. Clatter…
The trebuchet assembly began in earnest.
Trebuchet.
A catapult widely used in the medieval West of that other world. This was the siege weapon that displayed the greatest power until cannons using gunpowder were developed.
Compared to the Whirlwind Artillery that launched stones by human power, it boasted a range of as much as 3-4 times greater, and the weight of stones it could throw was also much heavier. Since it was mechanical, its accuracy was also very good.
Perhaps there were similar items in the Central Plains as well. But he couldn't be certain. Seeing that they were still using Whirlwind Artillery in this frontier battle, either they hadn't developed into such sophisticated devices, or early-form cannons using gunpowder were already being used within the Central Plains.
However, there was no reason for Dong Bong-su to consider such things. Such things weren't here right now, and he had never seen them once in the past year's harvests. If so, it was the same as them not existing.
To carry out what he planned, he needed a siege weapon with a much longer range than the Whirlwind Artillery. So he chose the most primitive form of trebuchet. It was the best option he could make as long as he couldn't create gunpowder weapons.
The trebuchet Dong Bong-su made looked very sophisticated at first glance, but in reality it wasn't that complex. The original trebuchet had pulleys attached, but Dong Bong-su deliberately omitted that part. If pulleys were included, the device's shape would become very messy. Of course, with pulleys, raising the counterweight would become much easier.
On the other hand, the device would become complicated and the assembly time would take long. In his view, using the manpower here or the mercenaries' strength, pulleys weren't particularly necessary. Unlike ordinary people, those who had learned martial arts could combine their strength to raise counterweights reaching several hundred kilograms or even several tons without difficulty even without pulleys.
That didn't mean he made it roughly at all. Every part except the pulley section was precisely calculated.
Over the past several days coming here, Dong Bong-su had thoroughly conceived the trebuchet, and he also had its range and form clearly drawn in his mind. Even if Li Zi-song hadn't handed over command of the Whirlwind Artillery Gunner unit to him, he had intended to move the mercenary corps separately and cut down trees from the Yinshan Mountain Range around here to make this item.
Thud! Thud!
The disassembled Whirlwind Artillery components were rapidly transforming into trebuchets. Since they were completely basic forms of trebuchets, it really didn't take long to make them. Just as Dong Bong-su had proclaimed, after thirty minutes passed, 32 trebuchets had been created. Whether because they didn't want to die, the gunners used methods like fitting in wood pieces whenever they found even slightly insufficient parts, utilizing every last small wood chip.
When all the work was finished, Dong Bong-su went around one by one examining the completed trebuchets.
There were no major problems. Slightly inaccurate parts were visible, but right now he didn't have the luxury to nitpick such details. He judged that as long as they operated properly, there would be no particular difficulty in carrying out the plan.
Having finished checking the forms, Dong Bong-su checked whether the direction aiming was done properly. However, since they had assembled them targeting Guisui Mountain Castle from the beginning, there wasn't much need to newly adjust the direction. Unlike the Whirlwind Artillery, trebuchets couldn't easily adjust direction, so when first assembling, the direction had to be well set like this. There were slightly askew parts here and there, but when Dong Bong-su exerted strength while using the skill [Circulating Energy], he could adjust the direction to precisely face Guisui Castle without much difficulty.
When that task was finished, Dong Bong-su immediately began transferring the round rocks brought to use as projectiles into the baskets attached to the ends of the trebuchets' wooden beams. Each projectile seemed to weigh roughly 2-3 kilograms. When calculated based on the basket's size, it seemed hundreds could be loaded. Then the total weight of the counterweight, including the basket's weight, would easily exceed several tons.
If the potential energy generated when a counterweight of this degree soared high into the sky then fell to the ground was entirely converted to kinetic energy...
'It's sufficient.'
Having finished setting up the trebuchets, Dong Bong-su turned his head to the side and looked at the black mound rising distantly in the distance.
Whiiish—
When the north wind blew, the smell the mound emitted spread all the way here. Though they were over 100 meters away, that smell was so nauseating that everyone except Dong Bong-su frowned.
The black mound.
Its identity was precisely the pile of corpses of soldiers who died from the Black Death. The mound was still continuously expanding its territory, the reason being that soldiers were ceaselessly carrying corpses there.
While the mercenaries and gunners all contorted their expressions looking at that, Dong Bong-su indifferently tossed out a remark:
"All preparations are complete."
-x-X-x-
What was he saying? After putting all the stone projectiles meant to be used as ammunition into baskets? What on earth was he planning to shoot?
Dong Bong-su's words were difficult to understand.
However, some noticed where Dong Bong-su's gaze was directed and realized what he was trying to do.
It was chilling, but...
This was a battlefield.
A place where anything was acceptable in order to win.
And.
The fact that the commander was Dong Bong-su was nothing short of a disaster for the opposing side.
"If they won't come out, I'll make them come out."
Dong Bong-su's low voice mixed with the foul smell and flowed all the way to Guisui.
The real war was only beginning now. Because Dong Bong-su had come here.
***
Thud.
Timur Khan, who had been ravenously tearing into the hindquarters of horse meat, placed the meat noisily on the table.
Then he raised his head. Before him stood a giant of inhuman height. The one who had come during Timur Khan's mealtime, which no one in the Northern Plains could interrupt, was none other than Mamorota.
Timur Khan looked at him and said,
"What did you just say?"
"I said the Central Plains bastards who set up camp in front of the fortress are dismantling their artillery and making something strange."
He hadn't misheard. The enemy was truly dismantling the Whirlwind Artillery. Timur Khan's Wren Eyes opened slightly and then closed again. In that brief moment, one of his azure eyes glowed intensely.
"Right now, immediately mobilize all the catapults and crossbows installed on the ramparts and fire at the enemy in unison."
He didn't know what they were making, but the very fact that the enemy was attempting something new displeased Timur Khan. The reason he had left them alone while they fired the Whirlwind Artillery until now was because he knew well that it posed no threat to Guisui.
The Whirlwind Artillery was already known to him, and new things were literally new things. When something new appeared on the battlefield from the enemy's side rather than ours, it was always a precursor to something bad. According to military strategy, such things should be eliminated before they became a threat.
However...
"Brother. But the place where they're dismantling the artillery is three hundred meters away from the fortress. Our catapults can't reach where they are. Crossbows and arrows did reach them, but there are shield bearers, so it wasn't very effective."
"...!"
Upon hearing Mamorota's words, Timur Khan's face instantly hardened.
Three hundred meters? They were dismantling and building something new from that far away?
He stopped moving his mouth. His instincts sensed danger.
Whoosh!
A strong wind suddenly blew in the windless inner chamber. It occurred as Timur Khan used his supreme Lightness Arts to leave the office.
"...!"
Mamorota also sensed something ominous and quickly followed behind Timur Khan.
***
"Huihui Cannon...!?"
Having climbed the ramparts, Timur Khan saw the 'new catapult' that the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners were assembling. He didn't know much about that thing, but he knew something about it.
A device that threw stones using the power of a falling counterweight. He also knew that its range and power far exceeded the Whirlwind Artillery and Tiger Preparation Cannon used in the Central Plains.
"If it's a Huihui Cannon, isn't that what those hook-nosed bastards from the Western Regions use? But what good will it do them to make that now? These Guisui ramparts are not only incredibly sturdy, but the fortress gate is made of solid metal. I don't know what you're worried about, Brother, but from what I can see, there doesn't seem to be much need for concern."
However, despite Mamorota's words, Timur Khan's expression remained tense. His eyes were so narrow that it was impossible to tell exactly where he was looking, but judging roughly by the angle of his face, he was looking not at the catapult the enemy was making, but much further back.
When Mamorota frowned and enhanced his vision, there was definitely something where Timur Khan was watching.
A small hill formed by something piled up in large quantities. Mamorota could easily identify what they were.
"Hmm!? A pile of corpses? Why did those bastards pile them up there?"
"Mamorota."
"What is it?"
"Right now, take the Gray wolves and go out to destroy all of those things."
Mamorota's expression didn't change at all despite the sudden sortie order. Rather, judging by the strange smile forming across his entire face, he was clearly pleased.
"Can I take them all out?"
Timur Khan nodded while still looking at the pile of corpses.
"Hahaha! My body was getting itchy from just being stuck in the fortress anyway, so this works out well! I'll smash all of those to pieces and return..."
Mamorota's last words were barely audible. He had already gone to gather the 'Gray Wolves.'
At that moment, Timur Khan's eyes saw some of the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners approaching the pile of corpses.
"Brother. Didn't I tell you? There's nowhere on this grassland where you can avoid that monster anymore, and they have no eyes. The moment you head to the grassland, you can never return. If you do come back..."
I'll close my eyes and swing my sword at you.
***
Rrrrrrumble.
An earthquake? Suddenly, white dust rose from the foundation directly beneath the Guisui ramparts.
The dry ground split roughly, revealing the hidden innards of the grassland. The sight of small round sand grains to large angular pebbles shooting up into the air was both bizarre and magnificent.
It wasn't ground trembling from an earthquake.
It was a phenomenon caused by several straight legs falling from atop the ramparts and pressing down on the ground.
Ladders. Moreover, iron ladders made of steel like the Guisui fortress gate. Dozens of those heavy things fell at once onto the dried and twisted earth, so naturally the ground cracked open.
Normally, the attacking side places ladders against the ramparts. Of course, the defending side tries to push over or remove those ladders to block the enemy from inside the fortress, and they must do so.
The defending side lowering ladders down from the ramparts? That's something that normally couldn't happen.
But it happened. Timur Khan's Northern Nomad army, the defending side, set up ladders on the Guisui ramparts.
But why?
Clang! Clang-clang!
This was the answer.
The sound of dogs barking? No. Similar, but with a clear difference.
Wildness, their inescapable nature, and the clear killing intent bubbling up from their very core.
It was revealed without reservation in the sounds emitted by hundreds of canine beasts.
Aooouuuu—!
A terribly long howl followed. It put a period on the identity of the sound's owners.
They were none other than wolves.
They appeared one by one atop the Guisui ramparts. The creatures were much larger than ordinary wolves—easily twice the size—and their fur was completely gray, as if they had been covered in the ashes of thoroughly burned wood.
On their backs also rode armored soldiers carrying long weapons like spears and halberds. The aura emanating from each of them was extraordinary, undoubtedly elite troops.
Especially the wolf standing at their very front was much larger than the other creatures, its bulk appearing twice the size of a tiger, and the force it emitted easily overwhelmed what all the other wolves were pouring out combined. The creature had a cross-shaped scar on its left eye, making its appearance even more terrifying.
The man riding atop it was also a head or two taller than the other armored soldiers.
War Giant Mamorota.
He had led the Gray Wolf War Squad, on a mission by Timur Khan's order.
Nightmare of the Grasslands.
That was the Gray Wolf War Squad's nickname. The worst existences that no one on the grassland wanted to encounter. That was the Gray Wolf War Squad.
"Let's go! Kaiji! Go and pour out your ferocity to your heart's content! Hyah!"
When Mamorota lightly tapped the nape of Silver Fang Kaiji, the creature raced down the ladder like an arrow.
Although now tamed by Timur Khan and Mamorota, becoming like their loyal hounds, the creature had once been the hegemon of this great grassland. As such, it demonstrated incredibly fast movements unbefitting its bulk. If Timur Khan was the supreme being of the Northern Nomads, this creature was the emperor of the Northern Plains.
Clang, clang! Clang...
The iron ladder shook as metallic sounds befitting Kaiji's weight spread toward the grassland. Hundreds of Gray Wolves followed in its wake. All were so agile that they had no hesitation in descending the tall, steep ladder even with people on their backs.
Mamorota descended in front of the ramparts and waited for a moment for all the other wolves to come down. Meanwhile, he turned his eyes toward the target, which was now somewhat closer than before.
Due to the distance effect, people looked like ants. Not just in appearance, but the people were actually moving diligently like worker ants. Those ants were, of course, the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners.
There appeared to be a few hundred more than Mamorota had thought, but it wasn't a major problem. After all, a few more ants didn't mean they weren't ants, right? Ants were ants whether there was one, a hundred, or a thousand.
"Let's go, Kaiji."
Mamorota lightly pulled the reins wrapped around Kaiji's neck. The direction was where the ants were.
An attack order.
However,
Strangely, Kaiji didn't move.
The creature showed absolute obedience to Timur Khan and Mamorota.
After being subdued by them, something like this had never happened before.
Grrrrrrr...
Kaiji was growling lowly. The creature's mouth contorted, revealing its teeth viciously.
What on earth was this creature seeing to act like this? Its head was clearly facing the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners.
"Whoa, whoa."
Mamorota stroked the nape of its neck to soothe it.
'Hmm?'
The fur...?
It was strange. Every single hair on Kaiji's body was standing completely erect. Like when a hedgehog meets a natural predator?
Mamorota had only seen Kaiji's fur stand up like this once before.
'Does this mean there's a master as strong as Brother over there? Or...'
Was there something that terrifying?
-x-X-x-
Kaiji was a Spirit Creature among Spirit Creatures. It had ruled the grasslands intelligently, placing all living things on the grassland except humans beneath its feet. There was no way it would act like this without reason.
There was definitely something over there.
'The black monsters? Is it because of that?'
That might be it. Its terribly sensitive sense of smell must have caught the scent of death wafting from that pile of corpses over there. That must be it.
Mamorota thought so. It was difficult to think otherwise.
"Don't worry. We won't go anywhere near the corpses. We just need to destroy those Huihui Cannons."
Mamorota gently stroked Kaiji's neck once more.
Trembling.
Kaiji trembled as if saying that wasn't it.
However, Mamorota didn't know. Or rather, pretended not to know. If it was afraid of the black monster, how could they go over there? Either way, they had to go there to destroy the Huihui Cannons.
He pulled the reins again. The second departure signal.
Huff.
Kaiji snorted loudly once, then as if having made up its mind, began slowly walking forward.
One step, two steps...
Kaiji quickly picked up speed as if it had never hesitated.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
Was this what people meant by storm-like momentum?
Storm charge! Kaiji raced forward like mad.
Rat-a-tat!
The Gray Wolf War Squad ran right behind it.
Currently, in the direction they were heading, there were only seven hundred mercenaries including Dong Bong-su, five thousand gunners, and a few soldiers moving corpses.
Timur Khan hadn't recklessly sent out Mamorota and the Gray Wolf War Squad. He had carefully observed the surrounding situation and had finished assessing how Li Zi-song's entire expeditionary force was currently moving.
The enemy's main force was relocating their position to the Yellow River bank, somewhat distant from Guisui—though Timur Khan couldn't understand why. Naturally, there had to be a power vacuum among the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners in front of Guisui, and he knew well that if he missed this moment, the black monsters would fly over the ramparts into Guisui.
However, there was one fact he didn't know.
That the actual commander of the enemy right now was not Li Zi-song but Dong Bong-su—that was it.
Dong Bong-su had stopped all work and been watching that direction from the moment the Gray Wolf War Squad descended the Guisui ramparts.
Rat-a-tat! Clang! Clang-clang!
Noisy wolf sounds spread widely across the wilderness in front of Guisui. Those sounds were carried on the harsh wind and spread completely across the wasteland. Of course, where Dong Bong-su was located was also part of that whole.
Huuuu—
The white vapor leaving Dong Bong-su's mouth scattered in the wind and soon dissipated.
"So he knew about the disease and Trebuchet quite well after all."
A voice full of certainty.
It was clear that the enemy leader Timur Khan already knew very well about the disease and had definitely masterminded this entire plan. In addition, it was certain he also knew about the Trebuchet. Otherwise, how could he have reacted so swiftly?
Well.
Given the nature of the nomadic people as a warrior race, even if not a Khan from that other world, they would have gone on expeditions far to the west. Naturally, there was no way they wouldn't know about those two things, was there? After all, the established theory was that the disease first originated in this Mongolian region.
Whether that world or this world, they would be similar.
But even so...
He hadn't anticipated such a combination even for Dong Bong-su.
A combat unit that rode wolves. He had expected at most that the cavalry would open the fortress gate and sortie out a bit.
For cavalry to sortie, they had to open the fortress gate. From the defending side's perspective, that was never a light burden. Therefore, even in a situation like now where the encirclement was somewhat loose, absolutely many couldn't come out. At most a few hundred.
However, who would have thought the sortie force would be a Wolf Cavalry Squad rather than cavalry?
Because of that, over a thousand came out of the fortress without even opening the fortress gate. As a bonus, a thousand wild beasts together.
Wolves were wild beasts that didn't tame well. Yet to breed this many wolves, to use them so well in war like that...
Certainly surprising, but he wasn't actually surprised. Dong Bong-su didn't even really know what the emotion of being surprised was in the first place. However, he found it novel. Should he say that an extremely slight interest arose?
Especially that Giant Wolf with one eye that didn't even look like a wolf, running at the very front, recognized him. From that far away. And with one eye at that. Animals were much more sensitive than humans, so sometimes they would tuck their tails after seeing his hidden nature.
The creature recognized him at once. Despite that, it didn't tuck its tail but bared its teeth.
It was a predator. A terrifying beast confident enough to bare its sharp teeth at him.
However, it seemed not to know that sometimes knowing how to hide one's teeth was even more frightening.
As expected, being a beast, it couldn't be helped.
Well, it was an interesting creature.
Because the creature was being watched with interest not only by Dong Bong-su but also by the New Murim Online system.
Dong Bong-su's eyes, or more precisely the system's cursor, was surrounding the creature's entire body and diligently analyzing something. Strange characters and Arabic numerals constantly appeared and disappeared in the upper right of Dong Bong-su's field of vision. The system was trying to analyze that wolf, but this error was probably occurring because analysis was difficult.
'Why was the system suddenly taking interest in that creature?'
Various inferences were possible, but Dong Bong-su had no choice but to pause his thoughts about it there for now.
"Sweep them all away! Make it so their traces can't be found anywhere in the east, west, south, or north under heaven—chew and eliminate them down to every last bone fragment!"
Awooo—!
Because Mamorota and the Gray Wolf War Squad were already almost upon this place where the Trebuchets were.
Simply looking at numbers alone, this side had several times more, but among the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners, the majority were non-combat personnel. Their combat capability was truly pitiful. In reality, it would be the Mercenary Corps versus the Gray Wolf War Squad.
"Everyone in double horizontal formation."
Dong Bong-su said.
It was a voice that fell flatly, but it was engraved in the minds of all the mercenaries.
Rumble.
The formation that had been gathered in a square quickly changed into two horizontal lines.
"All gunners surround the artillery."
The Whirlwind Artillery Gunners surrounded each Trebuchet in a circle while dilly-dallying.
The soldiers who had been carrying corpses in the back were already carrying out another order without Dong Bong-su's command.
They threw away the corpses they were holding carelessly and were running toward the Yellow River bank where the new position was. Naturally, upon receiving this news, Li Zi-song would lead the main force and soon come to help.
Now the span of that time interval would determine the success or failure of this war...
Dong Bong-su stood at the front of the rightmost side of the formation. It was to secure an escape route in preparation for an emergency.
Clang-clang! Crash!
Thud-thud-thud!
"Kyaaaah—!"
The wolf sounds and their footsteps, the shouts of the Gray Wolf War Squad suddenly grew much louder in an instant, and the size of them, which had looked like beans, also grew large enough that their forms were now distinct.
Along with that, the ground trembled. The bodies of Dong Bong-su and the mercenaries with their feet on the ground also swayed along with it. Tension shook everyone's bodies.
'They're stronger than the Northern Ghost Group.'
It became even clearer now.
Each and every Gray Wolf War Squad member was the finest elite. The Mercenary Corps couldn't handle them. In the worst case, all personnel here except himself might be annihilated before Li Zi-song's main force came to rescue them.
"Heh heh heh."
How long had it been since he'd made such a meaningless grumble?
Dong Bong-su found it rather welcome.
Because it was proof that the higher the enemy's strength, the higher the experience points he could gain.
Whoosh!
Dong Bong-su's figure flew forward lightly like a soaring hawk.
Slash!
Clang! Crunch!
With a single simple horizontal slash, two Gray Wolf War Squad members running at the forefront of the enemy's left side were cut in half.
Of course, the two Gray Wolves they had been riding were still alive. They continued running forward without knowing their masters had died.
The upper and lower bodies of the bisected Gray Wolf War Squad members naturally separated. The bones and flesh of their upper bodies had already lost their connecting link, but due to inertia, they continued moving forward. Organs and intestines spilled out and scattered disgustingly through the air.
At that moment!
Crash—BOOM!
Finally, the Mercenary Corps and Gray Wolf War Squad collided. As expected—no, more than expected—the Gray Wolf War Squad was strong.
No one except Dong Bong-su could properly block the Gray Wolf War Squad's attacks.
Even though they had the momentum from charging, they were no match from the start. A single clash. The power difference between the two was starkly revealed.
Mercenaries having their heads torn off in the Gray Wolves' jaws, gunners with their sides pierced like skewered meat by Gray Wolf War Squad members' spears, soldiers turned to pulp by Mamorota's Iron Club.
They were trampled. To borrow the mercenaries' crude expression, the mercenaries were being... by the Gray Wolf War Squad that moved as one with the Gray Wolves.
Raped.
It was merciless gang rape.
Rip-rip-rip! Thud!
Time enough to take a few breaths passed.
Aaaagh! Ugh! Ghk!
Hundreds died.
Was this indeed the Northern Plains' greatest military force? The Gray Wolf War Squad was thrilling. Unlike herbivorous animals such as horses or camels, the Gray Wolves' movements were incredibly elastic, so the mercenaries' attacks didn't work at all.
Even though Dong Bong-su had all the mercenaries prepare spears in case there might be a cavalry attack, it had little effect. Had they been horses, they would have been unable to overcome their charging speed and been pierced like skewered meat on the spears.
However, the Gray Wolves lightly avoided all the mercenaries' spears through direction changes or crouching. Moreover, since the Wolf Cavalry soldiers—the Gray Wolf War Squad members—were also masters each, the burden on the mercenaries increased several-fold.
Slash! Clang! Aaaagh!
Disjointed and annihilated.
What other expression was needed? The mercenaries and gunners were scattering in all directions and being swept away. Some attempted to flee, but even that didn't go well. The Gray Wolf War Squad was literally a combat unit riding wolves. With the mercenaries' pathetic Movement Techniques, they could absolutely never escape.
Thud! Thud! Whoosh—!
Battle lines everywhere collapsed in an instant.
-x-X-x-
Following that, the Trebuchets in the front line were destroyed. Some were smashed by the Iron Club, while others burned.
The mercenaries fought valiantly, but they were no match.
Slash.
"Guh!"
Even in the midst of this, Dong Bong-su was steadily eliminating the Gray Wolf War Squad members one by one.
The Wanderer's Sword moved once and two corpses were created.
Piece by piece.
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
[Player has succeeded in 5 Consecutive Slashes. All abilities increased by 5%.]
[6, 7, 8, 9, 10]
[Player has succeeded in 10 Consecutive Slashes. All abilities increased by 10%.]
It didn't take long for [Consecutive Slash Lv.2] to activate.
Not a single Gray Wolf War Squad member could stop Dong Bong-su.
Crack! Slice!
Once again, a pair of Gray Wolf War Squad member and wolf vomited blood, brain matter, and intestines profusely as they ended their lives.
Meanwhile, dozens more mercenaries and hundreds of Whirlwind Artillery Gunners died. Since the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners had no combat troops to begin with, it was even harder to hold out against the Gray Wolf War Squad. At best, only the shield bearers occasionally succeeded in defense.
Naturally, the Trebuchets they were guarding also fell one by one. Whether burning in flames or crumbling to pieces from Iron Club strikes.
Despite such circumstances, Dong Bong-su steadily held his position and blocked the enemies.
Dong Bong-su, if all the Trebuchets are destroyed... what will you do?
'If they're all destroyed...?'
What to do? Just rebuild them.
But!
It was at that very moment Dong Bong-su thought so.
Flames shot up from the mountain foothills spread wide on both sides of Guisui in the distance.
"...!"
As if mocking Dong Bong-su's thoughts, Timur Khan had set fire to the forest at just the right time.
Autumn in the dry steppe region.
The flames quickly spread across the entire mountain even without strong wind.
Even on Dong Bong-su's face, which rarely showed expression, a very faint smile appeared and spread across his entire face.
Following the combat unit using wolves, he even set fire to the mountains.
As if the opponent was mocking him, staying one step ahead. Dong Bong-su found that so delightful. He might die because of this, but at least for this moment, wasn't it enjoyable?
Facing predators...
Slash.
Crunch-crunch.
It was always something that pleased him.
Dong Bong-su lowered his eyes indifferently and moved his sword mechanically.
At the same time, Mamorota's Iron Club was also moving fiercely, turning mercenaries into bloody pulp.
The two didn't clash but were rapidly dispatching their respective opponents. However, Dong Bong-su was at a distinct disadvantage.
Dong Bong-su was alone, while the Gray Wolf War Squad—not only Mamorota but the other squad members as well—were thoroughly tasting blood.
Dong Bong-su alone was insufficient. Every member of the Gray Wolf War Squad was an elite capable of taking on a hundred opponents, and the mercenaries were inferior to them. Not to mention the Whirlwind Artillery Gunners and soldiers moving corpses. They weren't completely terrible, but compared to the Gray Wolf War Squad members, they were a ragtag mob.
Eventually, even the Trebuchets in the rear line couldn't hold out and crumbled. Now fewer than five Trebuchets remained. And even those were all only around Dong Bong-su.
Despite being overwhelmingly numerous, the mercenaries and gunners were instead surrounded by the Gray Wolf War Squad. They circled around, slaughtering allies.
"Kill that bastard! If we kill him, it's over!"
As that situation continued for a while longer, Dong Bong-su was finally separated from the other allies. Naturally, Dong Bong-su was also surrounded by the Gray Wolf War Squad.
Timur Khan's intention hit perfectly. By sending out the Gray Wolf War Squad, he had destroyed almost all the Huihui Cannons—that is, the Trebuchets—without even opening the fortress gate. A few still remained, but their complete destruction was now only a matter of time.
Slash. Slash.
Dong Bong-su slashed two more Gray Wolf War Squad members.
At that moment, several other Gray Wolf War Squad members swung their Iron Clubs to attack the Trebuchets.
Dong Bong-su's body was one, and his hands and feet were two. Meanwhile, the enemies were hundreds with thousands of hands and feet. He couldn't stop them.
Running east and west. But outnumbered.
Another Trebuchet collapsed.
The enemies, judging it difficult to kill Dong Bong-su directly, were focusing on destroying the Trebuchets.
The battle unfolded fiercely, and finally Li Zi-song's main force, which had gone to the Yellow River bank, appeared in the distance.
'If I can just hold out a little longer...'
Couldn't he at least protect one Trebuchet?
What could be done with just one?
That was a problem to think about later.
'Protect it for now.'
Slash.
Dong Bong-su's sword once again soundlessly slashed a Gray Wolf's throat. Just because it was a wolf didn't make it different from a person. Without even managing a death cry at Dong Bong-su's sword, it departed straight for the Yellow Springs.
Thud. Crash. Crumble.
At the same time, Mamorota's Iron Club toppled the thirty-first Trebuchet.
Immediately after, Gray Wolf War Squad members holding torches set fire to it.
After that, looking at Li Zi-song's main force running toward them raising dust clouds in the distance, he said,
"There's no time. Finish quickly and return to the fortress!"
However, Dong Bong-su was still tenaciously blocking the Gray Wolf War Squad. Regardless of what others thought, everyone here felt he was an Undefeatable General Against Ten Thousand.
Mamorota actually hadn't really thought of stepping forward directly. He knew his subordinates would handle things well on their own anyway, and annihilating the enemy wasn't the objective.
The objective was only one.
Total destruction of the Huihui Cannons.
However, the sight of Dong Bong-su fighting ignited his fighting spirit.
'How can he move like that?'
He had roamed battlefields for decades and met and slain that many generals. Among them, Han Chinese generals were the most numerous.
Their swords were uniformly flashy and full of formality. To put it nicely, they were beautiful swords, and to put it badly, they were formal—no, merely formal swords trapped in forms and styles. In a word, shall we say dead swords?
But that fellow was different. Very, very different. So much so that he wanted to describe it as wrong.
Clearly, there seemed to be some form and style yet there wasn't. Moreover, there wasn't a single superfluous movement within it. When thrusting, he only thrust; when cutting, he only cut. It seemed easy, but it was a realm no one could easily attain.
This wasn't a realm that could be reached simply by handling a sword for a long time.
"Is he... attacking weaknesses?"
Somehow, there was a 'reason' in each and every movement. When the sword was first extended, one couldn't tell, but at its end, it definitely had a certain 'conclusion.'
That precisely struck or slashed the opponent's opening.
Mamorota couldn't do that. No, no one in the Northern Plains could do that. It wasn't a question of whether one could win or not.
A question of whether one could do it or not.
And that developed into contemplation about whether he could win.
However...
'Will there even be time to fight?'
Mamorota's gaze briefly turned toward Li Zi-song's main force. People looked as small as mosquito eyes. They were still far from arriving here. His head turned back toward Dong Bong-su.
He brushed off the blood on his body and loosened up.
"There should be time to tear off a slice or two of meat."
Grrrr—!
As if reading Mamorota's mind, Kaiji was already starting to snort.
Mamorota stroked Kaiji's nape.
'Hmm?'
The creature's fur was standing even more erect than before—no, more than before. Where Kaiji's gaze was directed stood a blood-covered madman. Kaiji was definitely!
Looking at Dong Bong-su.
Only then did Mamorota realize. That the target Kaiji had shown hostility toward earlier beneath the ramparts wasn't the black monster, but Dong Bong-su.
'Was that it...?'
That was it. Yes. I see.
The path from doubt to certainty was instantaneous.
Intense fighting spirit emanated from Mamorota's body.
And.
Having read his yearning, Kaiji charged at Dong Bong-su like lightning.
Dong Bong-su had already known that Mamorota and Kaiji were staring at him.
'Come on then.'
In fact, he had been waiting. To Dong Bong-su, Mamorota was the biggest chunk of experience point here.
Hummmm—
A hazy heat shimmer rose above the Wanderer's Sword. It was the skill [Sword Energy]. He didn't stop there and even used the skill [Circulating Energy] he'd been saving.
Clang—clash!
The Wanderer's Sword and Mamorota's Iron Club clashed, producing an intense bursting sound. The collision was so intense that a circular energy wave formed, flinging all the other Gray Wolf War Squad members nearby several meters away, and the last Trebuchet behind Dong Bong-su tilted slightly.
Though it was only a single collision, Dong Bong-su was certain. That Mamorota was a master one level above Paitan, the Northern Ghost Group leader he had crossed swords with a few days ago.
Clang—
The sword and Iron Club scraped against each other, stimulating both their ears with an unpleasant friction sound.
Mamorota opened his mouth, revealing his yellowed teeth.
"Mamorota. Name?"
Awkward Chinese with context omitted. However, it was sufficient to convey the meaning.
"Ear Ghost."
It wasn't a name, but it was likewise an adequate word choice.
"Name?"
Dong Bong-su said exactly the same as Mamorota. Except his eyes were directed downward.
"Kaiji."
Mamorota understood immediately and answered.
"Kaiji..."
Dong Bong-su repeated Mamorota's words again.
The original Dong Bong-su wouldn't have said something that seemed meaningless like that. If he opened his mouth to say something, that itself meant it had meaning.
The reason he deliberately repeated the pronunciation 'Kaiji' was because the system's 'peculiar error' had now gained substance.
The system, which had been sending only the message [Error! Error...!] for a while, was displaying a different message.
[Spirit Creature ??? discovered.]
[Spirit Creature Quest has been activated.]
Probably because he had encountered the creature up close?
The system recognized the wolf that Mamorota was riding, Kaiji, as a [Spirit Creature].
A peculiar quest obtained in a peculiar situation.
The Quest Window blinked as if clamoring to be opened immediately. Dong Bong-su's eyes turned toward it for just a very brief moment.
That was the moment.
"Hyaaah!"
Suddenly, Mamorota's Iron Club began spinning like a top. It was a technique called Great Force Hegemon Rotation, which emitted energy waves from the hands instead of Club Energy to add rotational force to the club.
Kreeee—!
The powerful rotational wind pressure generated by the Iron Club sent Dong Bong-su sharply bouncing backward.
Mamorota seized that opportunity!
Thud! Crunch!
He broke the Base of the last remaining Trebuchet that Dong Bong-su had been protecting.
Dong Bong-su had no chance to block it. He had never seen or imagined a technique that rotated weapons. Of course, the biggest mistake was probably taking his eyes off the situation even for a moment while weapons were locked with a strong enemy.
'Interesting. As expected.'
When on earth would he see the end of it?
This was a world of endless beasts, the edge of the Central Plains. Indeed, how many more interesting monsters must inhabit the Central Plains, which was at its very center?
Dong Bong-su lifted one corner of his mouth slightly even though the launch platform—the Base—of the last remaining Trebuchet had been destroyed. Then he dismissed concern for the blinking Quest Window.
The Spirit Creature was Kaiji. Not Mamorota.
The Spirit Creature Quest wouldn't be too late to think about after dealing with Mamorota. Moreover, right now, it was time to save the one remaining Trebuchet first.
Dong Bong-su gripped the Wanderer's Sword familiarly. Now, holding a sword felt far more natural than picking up a spoon or chopsticks. All too naturally.
Whoosh—!
Mamorota rotated the Iron Club again and swung it toward the final Trebuchet. This time, the target was the Main Support that supported the entire Trebuchet. If the Main Support was crushed, the Trebuchet would essentially lose its function.
Bap-bap-bap—!
Dong Bong-su used [Lightness Arts Lv.8] to rush toward Mamorota as fast as a bullet.
"...!"
Mamorota's bulging eyes grew even larger. The speed at which Dong Bong-su was covering him was much faster than expected. Such speed without any preparatory movement. For Mamorota, it was impossible to understand or even imagine.
He hastily released the Iron Club that had been extending toward the Main Support. It was already too late to retract the technique.
The Iron Club flew toward the Main Support with its extending momentum and rotational force still alive, but as a trade-off, Mamorota couldn't completely retreat backward.
A moment of mortal danger!
As if sliding, Mamorota's body pulled back and evaded Dong Bong-su's sword.
"Huff… huff…"
Kaiji, who had become one with Mamorota, had retreated at a dramatic moment. If not, he would have been struck by Dong Bong-su's sword without fail.
'That was close. But now all the Huihui Cannons are destroyed...!'
His life had been precarious, but there had been gains. No, he had been certain there would be.
However!
The Iron Club flying while rotating at high speed was flying toward a completely unexpected place. Normally, by now it should have completely broken the waist of the Main Support...!
"...!"
Slash! Aaargh—!
The Iron Club sliced through 'empty air' and passed by, turning five or six Gray Wolf War Squad members in its path into bloody pulp.
"It... it disappeared!?"
That's right. Just as Mamorota said, the Trebuchet had evaporated a moment before being pulverized. Instead, Dong Bong-su stood indifferently in that spot.
He looked at him and said quietly,
"As expected, there are limits with just skills alone?"
"..."
Skills? He couldn't understand what he was talking about. However, one thing was certain: just before his Iron Club crushed the Main Support of the Huihui Cannon, Dong Bong-su had grabbed the Main Support with his hand.
And then...
It disappeared. The whole thing.
"I didn't want to use Inventory Divine Art in places with lots of people if possible."
Inventory Divine Art? Mamorota still couldn't understand what Dong Bong-su was saying.
However, Dong Bong-su had no obligation to explain such things to Mamorota in the first place.
Thud—!
Following that, Dong Bong-su's turn began.
Shrrrrrk—!
The Wanderer's Sword drew the sword path of [Direct Strike at the Yellow Dragon] and extended straight forward.
One couldn't block a sword with bare hands. Mamorota quickly drew the Barbarian Blade at his waist and deflected it from right to left as if sweeping rain.
Clang—
The Wanderer's Sword and Barbarian Blade met violently in the shape of the character for 'person' (人). Despite being drawn hastily, Mamorota's blade had Blade Energy enshrouding it, so he could barely block Dong Bong-su's attack...!
Tssss—
A minute sound. Mamorota instinctively tilted his head to the side.
At that moment, a thin, long scratch formed on his neck. Had it not been for his Energy Sense tempered by long years of war, he would have died without fail.
The attack just now—when the Wanderer's Sword and Barbarian Blade met and the distance between Dong Bong-su and Mamorota narrowed, Dong Bong-su had shot an Iron Piece from his mouth.
Truly a battle method only Dong Bong-su could employ.
However, somehow Mamorota had blocked Dong Bong-su's move.
Now Mamorota's side was advantageous. If it was close range...
Mamorota and Kaiji—they were two, and Dong Bong-su was alone. Moreover, Dong Bong-su had already wasted movement to use his trump card, and his extended sword was twisted to the side, pushed by the Barbarian Blade.
"SkraaaaC!"
As expected, Kaiji reacted immediately. It wasn't a creature that would miss a piece of meat that had come right up to it.
Kaiji thrust its large maw wide open toward Dong Bong-su's thigh. Then it immediately closed its mouth.
Crunch—Snap!
The sound of Kaiji's teeth, sharp as if honed, digging into Dong Bong-su's thigh was pleasant to... hear...?
Something did get pierced.
However!
It wasn't Kaiji's teeth. The one injured wasn't Dong Bong-su either.
"Skreee—!"
Kaiji howled and hastily retreated backward.
Splurt—
Blood spurting from the creature's palate and tongue eerily soaked the ground.
The attacker was injured instead.
'Why?'
Mamorota couldn't understand the reason this time either. What his eyes saw was only Kaiji suffering with two sword fragments lodged in its mouth. He didn't hesitate much and pulled out the two Sword Fragments lodged above and below in Kaiji's mouth.
"Skreeee—!"
Pulling out hurts much more than being pierced. Mamorota knew that well, but there was no time to hesitate. Because he knew full well that Dong Bong-su would follow up immediately.
Swish—
As expected, not missing the opening, Dong Bong-su followed up again.
Whoosh—
This time it was [Sweeping Away a Thousand Soldiers].
Even while suffering, Kaiji raised its front paw to sweep Dong Bong-su's lower body, and Mamorota raised the Barbarian Blade vertically to block Dong Bong-su's technique.
Like the previous attack, this type of combat method was called Man-Wolf Death Method in the North.
When the wolf blocks, the person attacks; when the person defends, the wolf pounces on the opponent. Depending on the situation, both could go on the offensive, or both could focus on defense. As long as they moved organically, they could fight in far more diverse ways than fighting alone, and their power didn't simply double but their offensive and defensive capabilities improved tremendously.
In the current situation too, if Dong Bong-su didn't retract his sword and retreat backward, he could only take a hit himself without any gains.
Because Mamorota had blocked his sword, and right now there would be no way for him to block Kaiji's claws...!
No. No.
Mamorota still didn't know Dong Bong-su well.
Bang—!
Mamorota, who had blocked Dong Bong-su's attack, was flung from the saddle.
[2 Consecutive Strikes Failed. Player powerfully pushes enemy backward.]
The skill [Consecutive Strike] had activated.
Thus, Man-Wolf Unity was broken.
That didn't mean the crisis facing Dong Bong-su had ended. Because Kaiji's claws were still covering his lower body, aiming for him.
Although Consecutive Strike had activated at an excellent—precisely calculated—timing to fling Mamorota away, Dong Bong-su was also too late to retreat backward.
That moment!
Whoosh—!
Dong Bong-su disappeared. And Kaiji's paw sliced through empty air without gains, just like Mamorota's Iron Club earlier. Literally, a futile kick!
Dong Bong-su had used the [Consecutive Strike]-[Footwork] combination technique like when he had killed Paitan before.
Two birds with one stone.
With this single move, he avoided Kaiji's attack and got behind Mamorota, who was floating in midair.
"...!"
Mamorota's mind was completely blank. Though he had fought countless battles on the northern grasslands for decades, this kind of fight was completely unprecedented in his life.
When he first started fighting Dong Bong-su, he couldn't imagine this form of combat at all. No, who on earth would fight in this manner? Techniques that absolutely couldn't exist and combat abilities beyond common sense.
However, he too was a northern warrior seasoned in battle. Since his first combat at fourteen until becoming a veteran of a hundred battles, he had combat senses engraved in his body like instinct.
Though surprised, Mamorota dealt with it calmly.
The moment Dong Bong-su disappeared, he felt the presence of something behind him, floating in midair. The cold killing intent climbing up his spine put all his senses on alert. How Dong Bong-su had done it no longer mattered. What mattered was simply that Dong Bong-su had appeared behind him.
He immediately twisted his body backward and swung the Barbarian Blade, gathering all his power. That appearance was like a great dragon coiling and uncoiling to strike with its tail. It was a technique called Great Dragon Tail Sweep and the Great Force Hegemon Rotation technique was added to it, greatly increasing its power.
Boom—!
Dong Bong-su's sword and Mamorota's blade met once more in the air. As expected, a tremendous explosion and energy wave occurred, sending them flying in opposite directions.
The direction Mamorota flew was naturally the side he had come from, where Kaiji was located.
He swiftly used the force of being sent flying to mount back on Kaiji's back.
Meanwhile, Dong Bong-su ended up flying over the battlefield, far from them. He flew like a bird and mercilessly swung the Wanderer's Sword toward several Gray Wolf War Squad members in his path. His sword, enhanced with the momentum of flight and skill power, was terribly fierce.
Shrrrraaak—!
Could old rag scraps tear so easily? The Gray Wolf War Squad members were shredded to pieces in an instant.
"Aaaaagh!"
Several Gray Wolf War Squad members who didn't know their place rushed at Dong Bong-su as he landed, but they too soon became more rag pieces.
When no more Gray Wolf War Squad members rushed at him, Dong Bong-su turned his body and charged toward Mamorota and Kaiji again. From over there, they were already charging fiercely toward Dong Bong-su as well.
Bang! Clang clang—!
The superficial skill levels of Dong Bong-su and Mamorota were roughly evenly matched. However, Mamorota's side had Kaiji. Dong Bong-su couldn't use [Footwork] for 5 minutes now, and the duration of [Circulating Energy] was gradually decreasing, so in reality, he was at a much greater disadvantage.
The reason Dong Bong-su could hold out at all was because he had Inventory Divine Art. Strange weapons popped out constantly through the tears in his clothes, so it wasn't easy for Mamorota and Kaiji to deal with.
However, such unorthodox methods soon fell apart.
Thoom—!
Kaiji's claw struck Dong Bong-su's left thigh directly.
While Mamorota blocked the Wanderer's Sword and the Sword Fragments fired from Dong Bong-su's mouth, Kaiji exquisitely clawed at Dong Bong-su's opening.
Dong Bong-su hastily summoned a defensive Steel Plate using the gap in his torn pants, but completely offsetting the terrifying power of Kaiji's claws was impossible from the start.
"Ghk—!"
The Steel Plate was completely crushed and Dong Bong-su was sharply pushed backward. Although the Steel Plate was quite thick, the area of objects that could be sent out through the torn pants was limited. Moreover, these were Kaiji's front paws that could easily tear a tiger's hide, so it would be strange if there was no impact.
"Graaah! Krak!"
Kaiji didn't miss the timing and followed up on Dong Bong-su with an additional attack. Red liquid still flowed from the creature's mouth, but its momentum was incomparable to a fierce tiger.
The creature raised the claws of its right paw fully and swung them as if scraping from right to left.
Dong Bong-su hastily gripped the Wanderer's Sword in Reverse Grip to block the creature's claws.
Thud—!
A dull sound rang out. Simultaneously, an equally heavy feeling assaulted Dong Bong-su's entire body. Every bone in his body rang out. Terrible pain squeezed him down to the tips of his hands and feet, to the ends of his hair and cells, but his eyes became even more indifferent.
"Die!"
As Dong Bong-su was flung to the left while blocking Kaiji's attack, Mamorota's Barbarian Blade swung from the opposite direction, drawing a half-moon.
Dong Bong-su immediately retrieved the Wanderer's Sword he was holding in his left hand into his Inventory, then immediately pulled it out in his right hand.
Clang—!
He was able to block Mamorota's rotating Barbarian Blade by a hair's breadth, but he couldn't fully absorb all that power. Because the force of being pushed by Kaiji's attack combined with Mamorota's Blade Force was tremendously strong.
"Kuk—!"
A stifling groan. However, this time it didn't end with just a short groan like before.
Shhhk—
Streams of blood spurted from Dong Bong-su's mouth. If he had bathed in the enemy's blood before, this time he was showering in his own blood.
"Heh heh heh! I don't know how you fight, but that's over now too! Hyaaaah!"
Mamorota and Kaiji attacked again to finish him off completely.
However...
They didn't see it. Dong Bong-su's pupils maintained indifference even in a situation where he had suffered internal injuries. Their misfortune was that it was even harder to notice because of the veil of blood covering them.
"...That's enough. Now."
Boom—!
Once again, a thunderous sound rang out and Dong Bong-su flew backward like a kite with its string cut. Mamorota was no longer listening to Dong Bong-su's mutterings. He was almost certain that even if this attack didn't kill him, he would never rise again.
There, at the location where Dong Bong-su was flying, sprawled like a corpse, Gray Wolf War Squad members were massacring mercenaries and Whirlwind Artillery Gunners. Several of them spotted Dong Bong-su flying toward them.
"It's him! He's flying toward us!"
"Kill him—!"
"Die!"
They waited to kill Dong Bong-su with bloodshot eyes, and the Gray Wolves licked their lips.
The vicious curses of the Gray Wolf War Squad drew closer and closer, but Dong Bong-su was still smiling.
"Blood. I've shed too much blood. I need blood."
Dong Bong-su muttered lowly but of course, no one could hear.
The altitude gradually decreased.
4m, 3m, 2m...
The things covering Dong Bong-su's body, which had seemed to have lost all strength, changed one by one as the distance between him and the ground decreased.
Blood-colored Heavy Armor, blood-colored Leather Shoes, and blood-colored Bamboo Hat.
Finally, the blood-colored Wanderer's Sword that became even redder after absorbing his blood.
Dong Bong-su gripped the sword, raised [Sword Energy], and struck downward with all his might.
Boom!
Splurt.
Blood Rain, Meat Fragments flew.
Everyone at the spot where Dong Bong-su fell was slaughtered in an instant. Dong Bong-su had gathered all his remaining strength and exploded [Sword Energy].
Dong Bong-su slowly rose to his feet while being struck by blood and chunks of flesh.
If the battlefield had a soul, it stopped as if its soul had briefly left. However, that time wasn't very long.
"Kill him!"
"Kill that son of a bitch!"
"That attack just now must have been his last! He won't even have the strength to hold a sword now! Strike all at once!"
However, that was their misconception.
Schlorp….
Dong Bong-su became even faster.
[Wanderer's Leather Shoes]
Additional Ability: Movement increases by 1% when equipped.
He became even more reckless.
[Wanderer's Heavy Armor]
Additional Ability: Returns 1% of damage taken from enemies back to the same enemy.
He used even more merciless techniques.
[Wanderer's Bamboo Hat]
Additional Ability: Converts 1% of damage taken from enemies into JP.
Above all...
He became even more vivid. The more he swung his sword, the more he killed, the more vitality gradually returned to his body.
[Wanderer's Sword]
Additional Ability: Upon successful attack, absorbs 1% of damage dealt as player's health.
He became stronger. Clearly, Dong Bong-su's sword had grown stronger.
[Survival Instinct (Passive) Lv.2 Proficiency: 0.00%]
To survive in the merciless Martial World, the more a Wanderer faces difficulties, the more tenaciously he clenches his teeth and fights desperately.
—When health drops below a certain level, all abilities except health increase due to a strong desire for survival.
Current Health: 26 / 100 (%)
—When health drops below 50%, all abilities increase by 5%. (Lv.1 activated)
—When health drops below 20%, all abilities increase by 10%. (Lv.2 activated)
※Even if health drops and then recovers to exceed a certain level, the effect of Survival Instinct persists for 1 minute.
His health had dropped below 50% and was rapidly recovering.
It made no sense to others, but the more people he killed, the more his wounds and damage disappeared.
"...What... the hell... is... that bastard...?"
Mamorota was so dumbfounded that he couldn't move for a moment.
A sword technique that became more lively the more you killed.
He had heard that something called Power Absorption Great Method was passed down in the Central Plains, but it didn't seem to be such a martial art.
What Dong Bong-su was absorbing wasn't power, but blood itself.
However, he couldn't stay like this forever. If he stayed still like this, the Gray Wolf War Squad could suffer severe damage. He had to attack and finish him while Dong Bong-su was still not fully recovered. If he dragged out more time, he might be the one to get hit instead.
"Hyaaah!"
Mamorota struck Kaiji's reins to rush toward Dong Bong-su.
However, for some reason, Kaiji didn't move.
When he lowered his head to look at Kaiji, Kaiji's eyes were dead. The eyes that had glinted viciously were half-closed, and the fur that had stood stiffly was completely wilted.
The only wounds Kaiji had suffered were the 'two' wounds from biting Dong Bong-su's thigh earlier. And those were two wounds that weren't very deep. With just that, the Great Gray Wolf Kaiji couldn't be like this.
'Is it poison?'
That was the only way Mamorota could deduce.
However, it wasn't poison.
—Upon 2 consecutive strikes, causes 'Bleeding' to the enemy.
It was one of the effects of the skill [Consecutive Strike Lv.1]. If the status abnormality [Hemorrhage] is inflicted, the target slowly dies. If a Healer immediately treats it, it's not a big deal, but unfortunately, there was no healer here.
Slump.
In the end, Kaiji's health completely dropped and it collapsed to the ground.
"..."
Mamorota could only watch Dong Bong-su mercilessly killing Gray Wolf War Squad members.
He couldn't make sense of it at all. Bizarre hidden weapon techniques and poison arts, unimaginable mystical arts, uncanny swordsmanship, and above all, monster-like stamina that grew stronger the more he fought.
'Is this what an Asura's manifestation would be like?'
Mamorota turned his head to look toward where Li Zi-song's main force was advancing. They were clearly closer than before. If they delayed like this for about one moment more, it was obvious their retreat would be cut off and they would be surrounded and annihilated.
"Eeeek!"
The screams didn't cease. The remaining Gray Wolf War Squad members had somehow gathered around Mamorota one by one, avoiding Dong Bong-su.
"General! We, we must retreat!"
The fearless Gray Wolf War Squad members were stuttering. It was clear who was to blame without saying.
"Everyone retreat."
Mamorota's order fell.
"Retreat! All Gray Wolf War Squad retreat!"
"Return to the fortress! Move!"
Repeating commands was a fairly efficient means of communication on the battlefield. Soon, the Gray Wolf War Squad members began retreating to Guisui one by one.
However, Mamorota, who had given the order, didn't leave.
"General! You must leave quickly...!"
Thud.
Mamorota raised his large hand and smashed the head of the Gray Wolf War Squad member chattering right beside him.
"My, you're terribly noisy. They can just go among themselves. Isn't that right?"
With that single move, the remaining Gray Wolf War Squad members also began hastily leaving the battlefield. They had guessed what Mamorota's state of mind was.
Slop—slop.
Dong Bong-su approached. Due to the brief but fierce battle, blood was abundant everywhere. Even his footsteps had become viscous.
He approached to one meter in front of Mamorota and said,
"Only a few seconds left now."
Incomprehensible words to the very end.
"Heh heh heh."
Mamorota expelled a dry laugh.
Then he bent down to pick up his Life-Bound Weapon, the Iron Club, which happened to be lying at his feet. The sensation of the cold Iron Club transmitted throughout his body through his palm.
"There are a few things I want to ask..."
Thruk.
Especially to his neck.
"I clearly said there were only a few seconds left."
Mamorota was probably curious even as he died.
What are seconds...? He would never know forever.
"You, you have less experience points than I thought."
What are experience points...?
Slump.
Thus, War Giant Mamorota died so futilely.
What little consolation he had was that he had destroyed most of the Trebuchets, but a large apparatus with multiple legs suddenly reflected in his dead pupils. It was a Trebuchet.
Mamorota wouldn't have known, but one Trebuchet was preserved intact inside Dong Bong-su's Inventory.
Dong Bong-su's turn wasn't over yet.