Bölüm 416: Işık (3)

Bölüm 416: Işık (3)

Chapter 416: Light (3)

The ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍following morning, the combined Shaanxi and Gansu forces marched out of Xi'an in two massive columns.

This division was not based on Shaanxi and Gansu lines; rather, due to the low morale of the Shaanxi troops, the two forces were mixed and restructured into new units. After forming the new units, they split them into two divisions with fifty thousand heading to Ankang, and thirty thousand marching toward Hanzhong.

The supreme commander of the fifty-thousand-strong force marching on Ankang was Left Guardian Il-mok, while the thirty thousand heading for Hanzhong fell under Right Guardian Dokgo Ryong.

Strategically speaking, Hanzhong was of greater importance, but because it was also a natural fortress, it was easier to defend, which explains the smaller numbers.

In theory, the strategy should work just fine. But there was one glaring wildcard that kept Il-mok up at night.

‘I’m afraid that old madman Dokgo Ryong will fling the gates wide open and charge out instead of defending the fortress.’

They all know of Dokgo Ryong’s temperament.

‘All I can do is pray that those who went with him can hold him back. Third Brother went with him, so it'll work out somehow.’

Among their allied forces in Shaanxi, there were currently five masters who had reached the Realm of Truth.

Right Guardian Dokgo Ryong. Left Guardian Il-mok.

Head of the Hwangbo Family, Hwangbo Ak.

The Dark Shadow Pavilion Lord, Seo Wan-pyeong.

And lastly, Il-mok's personal maid, Jin Hayeon.

Of those five, Dokgo Ryong and Seo Wan-pyeong had gone with the Hanzhong garrison.

Seo Wan-pyeong had become more reliable these days, so Il-mok hoped he could keep a lid on Dokgo Ryong's streaks of insanity.

‘Actually, you know what? Maybe I should just pray the entire Central Military Command attacks Ankang instead.’

For his own sanity, Il-mok genuinely preferred facing the enemy's two hundred thousand-strong main force himself rather than leaving Dokgo Ryong to his own devices.

Of course, if any of the ordinary soldiers had known what their commander was wishing for, they would have fainted on the spot.

***

‘Are we seriously marching into a real battle?’

The soldiers who had originally come from the Shaanxi army were struggling.

The Gansu army's near-maniacal morale had calmed the Shaanxi men somewhat. But the moment they marched out, the anxiety came flooding right back.

With stiff faces and even stiffer legs, the Shaanxi soldiers moved awkwardly through the ranks as the drumbeat found its way into their ears.

It was a rhythm they knew all too well.

Almost without thinking, they found their steps matching it, and from somewhere in the surrounding columns came familiar lyrics of the song the Gansu soldiers had been belting out nonstop since yesterday.

What did they call it again? A hymn?

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored."

The Gansu soldiers singing it looked like they hadn't a care in the world, as if the war hadn't even registered in their minds.

Just then, a Gansu soldier walking alongside one of the Shaanxi men grinned and gave him a nudge with his elbow.

"Give it a try yourself. All that worry just melts right away, I'm telling you."

It sounded like something a snake oil salesman would say.

But standing there in silence only let the anxiety creep right back in.

Hesitant and muttering, the Shaanxi soldier tried humming along to the hymn.

“Glo~ry! Glory! O ’ Divine Cult!!”

It felt awkward as hell, but the Gansu boys had been screaming it without pause since yesterday evening, so at least the rhythm and lyrics had stuck.

The pitch was anybody's guess. They'd all been belting it out at full volume in whatever key suited them, so any semblance of actual melody had long since been thrown out the window.

Even so, his heart felt a little lighter than when he'd been standing there in silence.

"Ha! That's the spirit! Even louder now! Come on!"

The Gansu soldier beside him let out a delighted shout, feeding him the next line of lyrics.

And it wasn't just them. The same scene was playing out across the entire advancing column.

Maybe it was because more and more voices were joining in around them. Maybe it was because there were too many people egging each other on.

“Glo~ry! Glory! O ’ Divine Cult!!”

Before they knew it, the Shaanxi conscripts were singing the hymn at the top of their lungs just to keep their panic at bay.

"Hahaha. That's more like it!"

The veteran Gansu soldiers looked on with satisfied smiles, their eyes gleaming with that particular fervor.

***

The fifty-thousand-strong army that had left Xi'an marched for five days before arriving at Ankang.

By all accounts, marching day in and day out until their feet were covered in blisters should have broken their spirits, and yet the troops' morale never cracked.

Not only did it hold, it actually climbed.

With each passing day, the hymns only grew louder with each passing day.

As those voices echoed from every direction around the column, Il-mok stared blankly into space as a thought popped into his head.

‘Is this actually okay?’

Although Il-mok had previously introduced various methods to proselytize back in Gansu, he had not done anything particularly special since arriving in Shaanxi. 

So why is the number of believers kept multiplying despite him doing nothing?

‘Well... whatever. Morale is through the roof right before a war, so I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.’

He'd just about managed to shove that useless line of thought aside when the Vice Provincial Commander came hurrying over with urgency in his step.

"Left Guardian! A signal has come in from the advance scouts we sent ahead!"

"The Central Military Command is heading this way?"

"Yes, sir!"

Il-mok wasn't entirely sure whether to be relieved or disappointed about that.

But this wasn't the time to sit around mulling it over.

"How far out are they?"

"Based on the signal's origin point, they'll arrive by sunset tomorrow at the fastest. But if they pace themselves to conserve the troops' stamina, we're looking at around noon the day after."

Il-mok clicked his tongue lightly and spoke.

"A shame we can't give the men more rest, but there's nothing to be done. Start repairing the walls immediately, and get the war supplies moved up to the battlements."

"Understood."

The Vice Commander gave a military salute and strode out to relay the orders down through the mid-level officers.

Before long, Il-mok's orders reached the troops.

The soldiers who had just arrived in Ankang had barely had time to catch their breath before leaping back to their feet and executing the orders.

***

By the afternoon of the next day, a massive city of tents had sprung up just ten miles away from Ankang.

Deep inside the command tent at the heart of this giant army of two hundred thousand men, the Central Military Commander and Eunuch Bang was holding a war council in the central command tent.

"If we break camp in the morning and move out, we should reach the outskirts of Ankang around noon." One of the Vice Commanders attached to the Central Command pointed to the map and made his report.

The Central Military Commander nodded, then turned to look at Eunuch Bang.

"Has the Supreme Eunuch passed along any instructions through you?"

Since Eunuch Gong from the Forbidden City hadn't arrived yet, there were no official directives to speak of.

But Eunuch Bang had spent decades at the Supreme Eunuch's side; he didn't need a written letter to know what his superior wanted.

"What the Supreme Eunuch wants is the total annihilation of those martial rabble who call themselves men of the martial world. Beyond that, he wants every last soul who dares defy the government and the Imperial Family wiped out without a single exception."

Eunuch Bang raised a finger and pointed toward Hubei.

"In other words, this war's primary objective isn't just the Demonic Cult. It's sweeping up the Central Plains’ martial artists right along with them."

The Central Military Command had already received reports that the orthodox sects had gathered in Hubei to clash with the Demonic Cult’s allied forces.

"Hmm. If our goal is to bait the Demonic Cult and the orthodox sects into tearing each other apart, we shouldn't waste our own troops in direct combat."

The Commander's reasoning was sound enough, but Eunuch Bang shook his head.

"That may be true, but we still need military merit to show for this, don't we?"

Greed swam openly in his eyes. Ever since a massive blunder had cost him his position as the Director of the Eastern Depot, he had been desperate for merits.

"Completely wiping out the Demonic Cult bastards in Shaanxi would merely be doing a favor for those martial world’s scums, so what say you to marching only as far as Xi'an?”

The Central Military Commander raised an eyebrow at the suggestion.

"Oh? You mean to say we should march to that point, and then stage a siege defense before the walls of Xi'an.”

"Correct."

Despite being a general sworn to defend the realm, the Central Military Commander had long since sold his soul to line up behind the Supreme Eunuch.

He'd already risen to one of the highest ranks among the empire's commanders, but he had no intention of stopping there.

He wanted the very top seat.

And for that, he needed results that would satisfy the Supreme Eunuch.

"Hehehe. We must punish these Demonic Cult bastards who have misled the public and deceived the people to instigate rebellion, and thereby restore the majestic authority of His Imperial Majesty.”

A general and a eunuch—two men who should have had nothing in common—stared at each other and smiled sinisterly.

***

By noon the next day, the heavy thrum of war drums and the sharp blast of horn trumpets echoed across the battlements of Ankang. 

The soldiers moved with crisp discipline, packing the battlements until there was barely a gap between them. Some stood with bows drawn, ready to rain arrows down on the enemy. Others held shields raised against the blind shots that would inevitably come arcing over. And still others gripped spears, braced to shove back anyone trying to scale the walls.

Gulp.

Somewhere among the soldiers lining the battlements, someone swallowed drily.

These were the Shaanxi provincial troops.

During the march to Ankang, singing that hymn had helped keep the fear at bay. The same had been true while repairing the walls and drilling for combat.

But now.

‘Th-that many? We're supposed to fight that many people?’

The moment they saw the massive imperial army of two hundred thousand, the confidence they thought they had built up evaporated, replaced by a dread twice as heavy as before.

Starting from just over a half kilometer from Ankang's walls and stretching far beyond the edge of sight, the land was swallowed whole by an ocean of men.

The walls that had felt so solid and imposing just a moment ago now looked so small.

Il-mok himself felt no fear, but even he was mentally clicking his tongue out in disbelief.

‘If just two hundred thousand looks like this, what the hell did a million-man army from the history books look like?’

But he made sure not to let a single shred of his thought show on his face.

If the commander looked even slightly overwhelmed, it would ripple straight through the troops.

Il-mok fixed his gaze on the enemy and drew his internal energy to the surface.

He was planning to unleash a speech to fire up his own men and shake the enemy’s resolve before they could even clash.

But the imperial army didn't play by his script.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The enemy force had barely reached the walls before the drums thundered and their front line launched into a full charge.

They apparently had no intention of resting.

‘Crazy bastards.’

As the enemy vanguard rushed forward behind raised shields, scaling ladders and battering rams meant to breach the gates could be seen interspersed among them.

"Left Guardian."

The Vice Commander's voice came from beside him, asking when to open fire with the bows and cannons.

Il-mok swept a quick glance over the battlefield.

‘Hmm. If I set it off here, I'll take out our own walls along with them.’

He turned it over for a moment, then something came to mind.

He turned to the Vice Commander and gave his order.

"I'll send the signal first. It’s going to be loud, and it’s going to be flashy. Once I go, I’m leaving the rest of the tactical command to you.”

The Vice Commander stared at him with a thoroughly baffled expression.

Tap!

Il-mok launched himself off the wall with a burst of lightness skill and took off across the open sky, his feet carrying him through the air in a display of Sky Walk.

Though he was heading toward the enemy, his trajectory was rather strange.

Rather than charging straight ahead, his path curved upward like he wanted to ascend to heaven.

Meanwhile, someone in the tense line of soldiers staring down at the enemy suddenly let out a shout.

"The Left Guardian is flying!"

At that wild shout, some of the soldiers who had been watching the enemy snapped their heads up toward the sky.

“Holy crap!!!”

Some gasped in awe at Il-mok's almost celestial movement, but others felt their anxiety spike harder than ever.

‘What is wrong with these people?!’

An overwhelming enemy force was charging straight at them, but instead of watching the damn enemy, everyone was staring up at the sky.

But then.

The Left Guardian who seemed to keep rising higher and higher suddenly stopped and began to fall straight down toward the heads of the charging enemy.

Immediately, a deafening shout ripped through the battlements.

“Light! IT’S THE LIGHT!!!”

The veterans who had survived the Gansu and Qinghai campaigns knew exactly what was coming. They recognized the two glowing spheres of energy swirling in Il-mok's hands as he plummeted from the heavens.

The Shaanxi troops forced themselves to peel their eyes from their enemy and look up.

“Wait, did he say... 'the Light'?”

It sounded like the ramblings of a lunatic.

But at the same moment, a particular rumor that had spread through Xi'an not long ago surfaced in their minds.

It was the most absurd, over-the-top story of the Left Guardian's legendary exploits.

—If our Lord commands, 'Let there be light,' the sky literally splits and fills the world with brilliance.

Just as that exaggerated rumor flickered through their heads, the two forces of energy in Il-mok's hands began spiraling around each other until they merged into one enormous orb.

—And that light, my friend, is a light that destroys evil.

Like a shooting star that fell from the heavens, the glowing orb drifted downward to the heads of the charging army below.

The bright orb sailed peacefully, completely at odds with the sight of two hundred thousand soldiers barreling toward the walls. And yet, every single soldier on those walls found their eyes pulled to it.

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

Then, with a sound like thousands of birds taking flight all at once—

Light came into the world.