Chapter 233

“……”

Hoeun stared at the spherical mass trapped inside the pit.

Whatever the Sikgoe had desperately hidden.

Protected.

Guarded.

He prayed that sphere was their weakness.

The monsters inside the pit writhed like insects trapped in a basket.

Yet even amid that chaos, the structure remained perfectly intact.

A flawless sphere.

They had fallen unprotected from above.

Parts of it should have collapsed.

Split apart.

Shown cracks.

Instead—

it somehow looked even sturdier.

At this rate, there was no choice.

They would have to tear apart the creatures forming the sphere one by one.

“……”

How were they supposed to break that thing apart—

Just as Hoeun inhaled sharply—

Shiiiik. Shiiik.

Sharp objects sliced through the air.

From Hoeun’s position on the mountainside, it looked like hundreds of needles flying.

Arrows.

Taemuk and half of Jeokudae’s soldiers had hidden below the mountain.

The arrows came from there.

They traced long, graceful arcs through the sky.

Each arrow was nearly as long and thick as a spear.

Combined with the force of gravity and speed—

their power was terrifying.

The arrows pierced straight through the heads of the Sikgoe that had crossed onto their land.

KIEEEEEK!

Monsters screamed in every direction.

Not a single arrow was wasted.

Every one found its target.

Jeokudae’s archery was astonishing.

Though many archers had died in the tragedy at the fir forest—

even those who weren’t official archers were highly skilled.

Spears.

Swords.

Bows.

Most of Jeokudae excelled in all of them.

Byeonguk once said Taemuk personally ordered that training.

Not to kill monsters.

But to protect themselves.

And now that training shone brilliantly.

Among the thousand monsters that had crossed—

two hundred fell instantly.

The rest looked around in confusion.

Then another volley came.

Again, arrows pierced heads with perfect accuracy.

Another two hundred died.

Jeokudae continued firing without pause.

They had to kill as many as possible while the enemy was disoriented.

Then—

as the third volley rose—

Kiik…

Kek…

The panicked Sikgoe suddenly froze.

As if struck by lightning.

Then all at once—

their heads turned.

Toward the mountain.

Toward Jeokudae’s hidden position.

One of them must have spotted where the arrows came from.

That wasn’t all.

The monsters watched the incoming arrows.

And at the last moment—

they twisted their bodies and lowered their heads.

Arrows aimed for skulls slammed into backs instead.

Some monsters even swatted arrows away with their hands.

Once the rain of arrows ended—

countless red eyes glowed.

Then—

they charged.

KIEEEEEEEEK!

KAAAAAK!

The ground shook as the monsters ran on all fours.

Their speed was terrifying.

They closed in on Jeokudae rapidly.

Then—

hundreds of Jeokudae soldiers emerged from below the mountain.

“Let’s gooooo!”

“Kill them!”

“AAAAAAAH!”

Without hesitation.

Without fear.

They charged straight at the monsters.

Both sides rushed toward each other.

The distance vanished rapidly.

Like waves crashing from opposite directions.

“……”

Goosebumps raced up Hoeun’s spine.

His body turned cold.

His face trembled so violently it shook side to side.

It wasn’t fear.

It was excitement.

The same exhilaration he felt when he killed a Sikgoe for the first time.

Even just watching from here made his blood boil.

What must the soldiers charging below feel?

Hoeun couldn’t imagine.

He watched with naked eyes.

Then raised the telescope.

Left.

Right.

Up.

Down.

Searching.

For Taemuk.

Finding him was easy.

He was always—

at the front.

Even among the Sikgoe, leaders didn’t charge first.

But Taemuk always stood at the vanguard.

Today was no different.

He ran at the very front, long legs eating up the distance.

From above, he looked like an eagle soaring.

The Jeokudae soldiers formed a massive triangle behind him.

Taemuk at its tip.

The Sikgoe charged chaotically.

But their sheer size and speed were overwhelming.

And finally—

they collided.

AAAAAAAH!

KIEEEEEEEEK!

Under the darkening sky, black-skinned monsters and soldiers in black uniforms crashed together.

Chaos erupted.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

Screams filled the air.

Hoeun squeezed his eyes shut.

* * *

KIEEEEEK!

The monsters shrieked and lunged at Taemuk.

The shrill cries made his ears ache.

His mood instantly soured.

Just before battle, Hoeun had run to him.

“General…”

Whining softly.

Taemuk had carefully etched that voice into his mind.

And now—

these disgusting cries ruined it.

“So annoying…”

Taemuk frowned deeply and swung his fist.

BOOM!

A Sikgoe’s skull caved in.

Its body flew backward.

Crashing into other monsters.

Soldiers rushed in immediately.

Spears plunged into exposed skulls.

Taemuk turned and used the momentum to strike another.

BOOM!

A sharper crack echoed.

This time the creature’s helmet-like skull shattered completely.

Brain matter burst from its eyes.

Dead.

Taemuk moved like a beast.

Though arrows had killed hundreds—

far too many remained.

Facing enemies twice Jeokudae’s number—

or even more—

wasn’t new.

But this battle felt different.

No—

worse.

He was worried.

Key members were missing.

Byeonguk had gone to Hanyang.

Gilsang was in another village.

Dongja noona remained beside Hoeun.

The burden of those three now rested on the remaining soldiers.

Taemuk had to carry as much of that burden as possible.

Grinding his teeth—

he slaughtered monster after monster.

He tore off arms.

Crushed teeth.

Ripped apart skulls.

Even while fighting, his gaze constantly checked his soldiers.

Thankfully—

they fought expertly.

Fast.

Precise.

They dodged bites.

Used openings.

Split throats.

Crushed jaws.

There were horned types.

Fan-antenna types too.

But none could unleash their full strength.

As expected.

Unless terrain, ambushes, or traps were involved—

combat in an open plain came down to raw power.

And Jeokudae excelled there.

Taemuk watched his soldiers butcher monsters with satisfaction.

Yes.

This was Jeokudae.

What happened at the fir forest—

that wasn’t because they were weak.

The enemy had ambushed them.

They were careless.

That was all.

Today—

they would win.

This battlefield was theirs.

They had prepared the traps.

The ambushes.

The strategy.

KAAAAAAK!

A monster lunged.

Taemuk grabbed its upper jaw.

Then shoved upward.

Its own teeth pierced through its brain.

Dead instantly.

He tossed the corpse aside.

Blood drenched his hands.

As he shook it off—

he glanced across the river.

Beyond the roaring current—

countless monsters gathered at the bank.

Shrieking.

Raging.

A few leapt recklessly into the river—

only to be swept away.

Watching their kind being slaughtered clearly enraged them.

The sight was threatening.

But Taemuk didn’t care.

As long as they couldn’t cross—

they couldn’t reach him.

“……”

Then a monster seized its chance.

It lunged.

Taemuk sidestepped.

Kicked its calf.

The creature stumbled forward.

As it fell—

he ripped off its skull.

CRACK—

Brain matter splattered.

“Tch.”

Taemuk clicked his tongue and wiped blood from his face.

Hoeun hated it when he got covered in blood.

That thought made him glance toward the mountain.

Darkness had swallowed it.

He couldn’t see anything.

Still—

he could feel it.

Hoeun was watching him through the telescope.

Don’t get hurt.

If he did—

those beautiful eyes would fill with tears again.

Time was precious.

He’d rather spend it holding Hoeun.

Not soothing him while he cried.

Though…

Taemuk smirked.

Even his crying face was beautiful.

Another monster came.

Taemuk smashed its skull.

Blood poured out in streams.

He stepped through it without pause.

The metallic stench of blood felt disgustingly familiar.