CLS-Chapter 642

Chapter 642:

Can the Palace Guard fight against martial artists?

Hmm, you’ve probably never seen such a sight even once.

In fact, even in the martial world, this was an extremely difficult problem. It’s common knowledge that those who haven’t learned martial arts pose no obstacle whatsoever to those who have learned them.

Wouldn’t that be the case?

Those who can shatter rocks with their fists and cross rivers in a single step are merely wearing the same skin as ordinary people—they can hardly be called the same humans, given the enormous difference between them.

If we joined forces, couldn’t we even overthrow a country?

Everyone has had such thoughts.

It’s an immoral and impious thought, but what’s wrong with just thinking? It’s not like we actually put it into action.

What?

Treason?

Hey, man. That’s why I said it was just a thought.

If that’s treason, then everyone who’s gotten drunk and said ‘Let this whole damn world go to hell!’ would be guilty of treason!

Come on, I haven’t actually done anything! I just thought about it! Just thought!

Huh?

No, it’s not that I’m excited…

Come on, that’s a sensitive word, isn’t it! Be careful, be careful!

I may not have many days left to live so I’m not afraid of dying, but if the [chief beggar] gets branded as a traitor, all the [little beggars] will die along with him.

You’re someone who studies history, so you casually mention such words. Scary, truly scary.

Anyway…

Of course, the Palace Guard aren’t those who have learned martial arts. While the imperial guards do learn martial arts, ordinary soldiers can’t all learn them. They do learn their own forms of combat, but martial arts without internal energy can hardly be called true martial learning.

Even so, they are strong.

You don’t understand?

Fine. Then think about it. How many arrows flying at you do you think you could block?

Ten?

A hundred?

A thousand?

Listen here.

Have you ever seen tens of thousands of arrows falling from the sky, blocking out the sun? Have you ever seen arrows falling like rain?

That’s a sight completely different from imagination.

You think you can block them all?

Of course there might be. There might be those who can block them.

But here’s the thing—is there just one arrow?

Think about how many arrows ordinary archers carry with them. What do you think would happen if they kept shooting arrows until their quivers were empty?

That’s right, it rains.

If you can block every drop of a downpour, you might be able to survive against a great army.

And naturally, that’s not all there is to it.

Have you ever seen cavalry charging in formation? Have you ever seen trained war horses charging forward, foaming at the mouth?

That sight would be better described as a raging torrent.

It’s not just individual cavalrymen. A single cavalryman isn’t frightening. But a cavalry unit is. The sight of those horses charging forward in perfect unison at full speed is like a torrential flood suddenly rushing into an empty riverbed.

Before such a sight?

Body-protecting techniques and whatnot are all useless.

Of course, you might handle two or three. You might even be able to face ten.

But how could you possibly stop ten thousand cavalry?

Do you know why cavalry is frightening? Once that many cavalrymen start charging at those intervals, they can’t stop at will.

Then what happens?

Those in the front ranks might somehow manage to block them. But regardless of what happens to the front ranks, the rear ranks keep charging. Horses and horses become entangled like rushing muddy water.

You think you can handle that?

No, no.

Those who haven’t directly witnessed such a sight can never know its power. A great army is truly overwhelming.

One person can face a hundred. If they’re strong enough.

But ten people facing a thousand is a somewhat different problem.

A hundred people facing ten thousand is an even more different problem.

But ten thousand facing a million?

Not a chance.

People who say such things don’t even know what ten thousand represents. If they saw ten thousand people lined up before their eyes, intent on killing them, anyone would wet themselves without fail.

Huh?

Did you wet yourself?

…A little?

Ah, no, that’s not what I meant!

Anyway, the Imperial Guard is stronger than you think. Though not all million imperial troops have come, the Palace Guard is also strong. They are, after all, those who guard the imperial palace.

Among the million imperial troops, only the absolute elite are gathered to form the Palace Guard.

How strong were they?

Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.

***

Thud thud thud thud thud thud!

The earth shakes.

The world trembles.

Horse hooves struck the ground and human feet pounded the earth. Each individual step was nothing significant, but when those steps gathered and gathered again, a tremendous tremor that shook the heavens covered the earth.

A black river surges forward.

Cheon Ryu-geom’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

‘So it’s the Palace Guard.’

The imperial palace!

The imperial palace’s intervention was certainly beyond his expectations.

It wasn’t that he had never thought about having to face the imperial palace someday.

But unlike the Demon Cult, which clearly considered the imperial palace an enemy, Baek Geom-seong had no desire to fight the imperial palace. Their enemy was only the Central Plains’ martial world.

They too were Central Plains people.

They had no desire to bear the infamy of defying the Emperor. If the imperial palace sided with the Central Plains martial world and tried to punish them, they would have no choice but to draw their swords in resistance, but they didn’t want to actively antagonize the imperial palace first.

But it seemed the imperial palace felt differently.

The way they were charging was clearly the formation used against enemies. The only forces here were the Righteous Martial Alliance and Baek Geom-seong. So it was all too clear whom they were targeting.

At the same time!

‘Inspector?’

He already knew that Wei Yan-ho had received a government position from the Emperor.

Wasn’t it their idea from the beginning to use the eunuch to overthrow the imperial family and completely exclude them from this affair? But he never imagined that position would be more than honorary and would actually wield real power.

‘Does His Majesty favor that fellow so much?’

Why!

Now that he thought about it, it wasn’t just His Majesty.

Most people who know Wei Yan-ho seem to cherish him. Why do they all protect that self-centered fellow who has no trace of manners!

At that moment, Wei Yan-ho stepped forward.

Wei Yan-ho reached into his clothes and drew out something shining.

‘A golden sword?’

“By the name of Inspector Wei of the Censorate, I command!”

The golden dagger in Wei Yan-ho’s hand glinted brilliantly in the sunlight.

At this moment, even Baek Mu-han’s white sword seemed unable to match the majesty of that Inspector’s golden sword.

“Deal with those who dare plunge the realm into chaos and disturb His Majesty’s peace as traitors!”

His resounding voice spread out.

Wei Yan-ho’s voice, imbued with internal energy, denounced the world.

“Sweep them away!”

Wei Yan-ho pointed his hand forward.

Whether it was a natural breeze or wind stirred up by the great army, a sudden gust made his clothes flutter. His appearance—dyed head to toe in blood, extending the golden sword forward while shouting—was like a painting.

“Ah…”

“Ahh!”

Wei Jeong-han, Shin Gi-sua, and even Jang-il, who was desperately trying to view Wei Yan-ho with disdain, were all mesmerized by that sight at this moment.

Truly, it was the bearing of a great general commanding a great army.

But the reality was somewhat different.

“What’s that bastard saying?”

“I don’t know. Seems like he’s babbling something?”

“Hey, he’s still an Inspector, so you shouldn’t talk like that.”

“Ah, I made a mistake.”

General Yuk-ui glanced back at Wei Yan-ho and shouted.

“Annihilate the wicked!”

“Oooooh!”

At his voice, the entire Palace Guard became one and charged forth.

‘What a ridiculous fellow.’

Yuk-ui had clearly heard what Wei Yan-ho uttered. He kept wanting to burst into laughter. It looked as if Wei Yan-ho was giving commands.

That couldn’t be possible.

The Censorate is an inspection agency. If inspectors held military authority, the country would be overthrown. The Censorate is merely one agency of the imperial palace. Military authority belongs only to the General’s Bureau and the Emperor. Or perhaps governors managing individual provinces hold small military authority.

Even if it were the Director of the Censorate rather than an Inspector, they wouldn’t dare give orders to the military.

‘I can’t stop the charge now and say no over such a trivial matter.’

With the troops already charging with great momentum, he couldn’t stop the army for such a petty reason. If he did, even as a general, his head would roll.

“Hehe, really.”

To those martial world ruffians, it would look like they were earnestly fighting under the Inspector’s orders.

“Fine. I’ll accept your command.”

It was already beyond salvaging anyway. It was more comfortable to fight with spirit.

“Let’s go!”

Yuk-ui raised his spear and kicked his horse’s flanks.

His beloved mount, letting out a war cry, charged forward with foam at its mouth. In his eyes, the traitors of Baek Geom-seong were clearly visible.

Wei Yan-ho’s words had some truth to them.

These were people who dared wage war in His Majesty the Emperor’s country, disturbing His peace. And weren’t they the ones who dared join hands with the Demon Cult?

The fact that they had joined hands with that wicked and immoral Demon Cult alone was enough to seal their fate. Then what followed was quite simple.

They had to kill them all to spread His Majesty the Emperor’s majesty throughout the world.

“Chaaaaaarge!”

Yuk-ui’s thunderous voice shot up to the heavens.

His lion’s roar, having commanded great armies countless times, made even the Righteous Martial Alliance, who didn’t need to heed his orders, tense up.

“Advaaaaaaance!”

The long spears that had been pointing upward were all aimed forward at once.

“Kill them!”

The golden torrent charged toward the white army all at once.

“E-evade!”

“No!”

Before that tremendous force, Baek Geom-seong turned pale.

Even if their opponents were the Demon Cult rather than the Righteous Martial Alliance, they wouldn’t have shown such a reaction. But their opponents were the Palace Guard.

For those who had lived in the Central Plains, having the Palace Guard charge toward them was a tremendous shock. Moreover, these were people who had spent their lives training to face a small number of strong opponents.

Where in the world would they have seen tens of thousands of cavalry charging toward them simultaneously?

Having encountered a sight they had never experienced or anticipated even once, they couldn’t hide their confusion.

And the Palace Guard struck precisely at that confusion.

Tremors and noise that shook the earth’s axis.

With an impact like lightning striking from a clear sky, the Palace Guard pierced straight through Baek Geom-seong’s formation.

Screams.

And war cries.

They were sent flying.

Those who couldn’t withstand the overwhelming impact were sent flying like fallen leaves in a storm.

“Don’t slow down!”

General Yuk-ui wielded his spear at the very front.

Though the Palace Guard’s level might be inferior to Baek Geom-seong’s, Yuk-ui’s strength bridged even that gap. His appearance, wielding his spear like a demon at the very front, was worthy of being called a war god.

“Kill them all!”

The momentum shifted to the Righteous Martial Alliance and Imperial forces in an instant.

Baek Geom-seong began melting away like snow before the sun.