Eat and be eaten (5)
“… … .”
Hatsun stopped walking.
Mukbi naturally raised his hand. Then the priests also stopped walking and lowered their posture.
Gangryang asked Mojaseon.
“Why are you doing this, my lord?”
“Something… … .”
Hatsun frowned.
“It’s different.”
What’s the difference?
Mukbi and Kangryang did not disturb her.
Although the level she had achieved in the first place was different, she was particularly sensitive to conflict. It took her almost half a day to get to where she expected the enemy to be, but if her hat line was any indication, she could safely assume that the enemy was gradually closing the distance.
After a while.
“Let’s go first.”
“Do you feel anything?”
“The air is thick. “There’s something unusual, but I can’t figure out what it is.”
Mukbi and Kangryang’s faces hardened slightly.
The detection ability of Mugeuksu is beyond imagination. If she sensed something out of the ordinary, she wouldn’t do any good to her side.
“There will be no immediate danger. “Let’s go.”
“That’s right.”
So the group traveled for another half a day.
Afterwards, the speed was reduced. There was a problem with the Jeyeongsa’s stamina, but it was also because the enemy should not notice their movements if they approached quickly.
Another half-hour examination.
The hat ship spoke to the group that had reached the bottom of a small hill.
“I can feel an unusual fire coming from beyond. “It would be a good idea for the troops to rest here and prepare for a possible battle.”
“Do you need reconnaissance?”
“Of course I should.”
Mukbi said to Gangryang.
“Control the film companies. “I will go scouting with the palace lord.”
“Don’t worry.”
“then.”
Wow!
Mojaseon and Mukbi ran up the hill.
Even though he had traveled such a long distance, he seemed to have no physical problems at all. The speed of the two women running in a straight line to the center of the hill left everyone watching with their mouths wide open.
Han Fei, the head of Jeyeongsa, stuck out his tongue.
“It’s really amazing. “I heard about it, but I didn’t expect it to be that bad.”
Kang-ryang chuckled.
“Mugeuksu are not human. Well, since we have reached that point with a human body, it is not easy to handle them all.”
“Not Bingungju, but Muk Xinjiang.”
“Eh?”
Han Fei shook his head.
“Even if you consider Binggungju to be a monster that lacks common sense, the magic of Muk Xinjiang is not inferior to that of Gungju. “Even though we traveled such a long distance, it doesn’t seem difficult at all.”
“It has to be that way.”
Kang Ryang also looked at Muk Bi’s back.
Before she knew it, her trusty red bow was tied to her back, which was far away.
“Because you are the person that Brother Yeon trusts the most. “He is both human and talented.”
In an instant, the two people who reached the top of the hill looked down.
“What is that?”
Hatsun muttered that without even realizing it.
Mukbi opened his eyes wide.
‘That?!’
The enemy’s five thousand troops were lined up in a bizarre formation.
They were sitting in a row muttering something incomprehensible, and at first glance, it sounded like they were singing or reciting sutras.
Hwaaaaaaa!
A heat that could not be erased even by the cold northeast wind boiled over.
Looking down from above, the formation of the five thousand troops looked like a gigantic shape. The outer shell was unfolded in the form of a square, and inside it was a circular figure and something that could not be determined whether it was a painting or an ancient text.
‘that… … Looks familiar?’
A picture passes through Mukbi’s head for a moment.
Furthermore, the conversation between Yeon Ho-jeong and Ki Cheon-woong also came to mind.
‘How did you know that?’
‘It was a coincidence. I have a smart friend in the Murim Alliance called Jegal A-yeon. I plotted the movements of the Shinhwa cultists on the map, and it completely depicted a single formation. Well, I don’t know if that’s really true.’
‘It’s called the solar archipelago.’
‘What exactly is that?’
‘The Sun Islands can be said to be the foundation of those who have not reached the Fire God Pond.’
‘Hwasinji?’
‘Hwashinji refers to one of the martial arts realms of the Shinhwa religion. Of course, it is only meaningful to learn the divine fire martial arts, but as you say, there are people who cannot reach that level even if they become transcendent masters, while there are people who have reached the realm of fire gods even at the level of extreme masters.’
‘So what exactly is that?’
‘It means that Hwajeong, the ultimate of Shinhwamu, has reached the top level of Hwasinji, and those who have reached Hwasinji will achieve Yeolyang Gong much faster than others.’
‘Is there such a thing?’
‘There is such a thing. Hwasinji is an area that has nothing to do with martial arts. In fact, it’s almost like luck. If you’re lucky, you’ll get there quickly, but if you’re unlucky, you won’t be able to get there no matter what you do. It seems to me that it is determined by natural top talent. Of course, if you can’t reach the Avatar, it’s difficult to climb the Heavenly Flower Sutra.’
‘I can’t tell even if I hear it. Anyway, those who can’t get to the Avatar can’t escape the Sun Islands?’
‘To put it simply, the Solar Archipelago can be seen as a part of our school’s techniques. It is a ritual necessary to bring down the legendary Avatar of Fire, and it is said that if you draw the shape with all your heart, the Avatar will recognize it.’
‘I’m not interested in that, but the guys I was with followed that shape to a strange degree. From martial arts to location and unit movement.’
‘If you enter Hwasinji, you will be able to escape from the martial arts path that took the form of the Sun Islands. To put it in your terms, it could be said to be a state of breaking the mold of herbivorous eating.’
‘That’s amazing. But what does it mean to apply it to strategy and tactics?’
‘Faith and desire.’
‘… … ?’
‘The Sun Islands attract Avatar. That faith is intact in our tactics. Furthermore, if you memorize the Gangsinjubeop (降神呪法) along with the Sun Archipelago, you will be able to achieve more smooth energy than usual.’
‘Damn it, there’s all kinds of things.’
‘But that state law is forbidden. It was because I was so obsessed with it that it interfered with my ability to achieve martial arts. The same goes for the sun.’
‘But why now… … ?’
‘The power of faith is enormous. When I became the leader of the cult, I destroyed all the unnecessary formalities regarding the Sun Islands, but it seems this guy has resurrected them.’
Mukbi, who was listening to the conversation between the two, thought that the solar archipelago had more power than simply influencing fighting methods or martial arts.
‘It’s like a martial arts song.’
When she was in Gwanilgok, there was a thing called Gwanilshaga.
It is a song and dance that expresses love for God, and rituals were performed with such songs and dances during festivals or before important events.
There were archers who were obsessed with martial arts even when fighting or hunting. Although he couldn’t dance, he muttered a song and shot an arrow, and each time his archery skills improved.
In reality, there was no way such an act would affect his martial arts skills. In other words, it could be said to be a matter of faith.
The belief that God is watching me.
That belief can soon bring stability and even cause fanaticism.
Mukbi believed that their Sun Islands would also have that much power. Before using techniques or magic, they can create a mental state close to fanaticism just by moving according to the shape of the solar archipelago.
Hatsun opened her mouth.
“It seems like an unusual technique. When we went out scouting with Yeon Seongju, we had a hard time guessing their level of military power. Because it was too far away.”
“… … .”
“But I get it now. “If the fire rises this much even though the distance is not the same as before, it will not be easy to win with the current troops.”
“I don’t think so.”
“hmm?”
Mukbi told the conversation between Yeon Ho-jeong and Ki Cheon-woong.
Hatsun’s eyes deepened.
“It’s the shape of a fanatic. But why didn’t Seongju Yeon tell me that?”
“I heard it, that’s enough. All you have to do is control your mind and step forward as a decisive weapon at the critical moment.”
Mojaseon looked at Mukbi.
Mukbi’s eyes were truly clear and deep. She doesn’t even blink an eye when the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace in the world looks at her.
Hatsun nodded.
“Yes, you were there.”
“But you two also didn’t think that you would follow the Sun Islands in a war like this. “It may be a local war or operation, but drawing such a picture in an all-out war is no different from informing the enemy of our troops’ weaknesses.”
“That is correct. But they are doing that.”
“Due to the shape and technique of the Sun Islands, the performance of the weapon is improved, and thanks to this, firearms from all over the area are gathered together. When that is over, this abundance of firearms will also disappear.”
“Let me keep an eye on you.”
The two men stayed hidden and looked down at the five thousand troops.
How much time has passed?
Their singing-like voices slowly began to quieten down.
“… … !”
Mojaseon’s energy reacted sensitively.
“You were right. “The density of firearms is decreasing at an alarming rate.”
“yes.”
“how will we do it? They’re closer than before. “It seems like they are trying to move little by little.”
“What matters is how many non-pole numbers there are on the enemy side.”
Mukbi looked at the hat line.
“Even if the palace lord enters further, won’t the opposing party’s martial arts team be able to notice?”
“If only he were stronger than me.”
His strong confidence comes out in his words. It is believing that one will never be stronger than oneself.
Mukbi looked down at his enemies once again.
After finishing their prayer-like performance, they were eating. Although it was a very long distance, it somehow seemed to be moving in a bustling manner.
She looked up at the sky.
‘The day is drawing to a close.’
There will be no night travel. Unless you know there is an enemy on the other side.
‘But they wouldn’t be so stupid that they wouldn’t even send out scouts.’
Mukbi quickly finished organizing things.
“I will also order the consuls to eat. “Afterwards, we will gather them at the bottom of this hill.”
“What do you mean?”
“A battle may begin.”
Hatsun’s eyes sparkled.
“Tell me the strategy.”
“I will have Master Je come here, and once everything is ready, the palace lord will make his move. If there is someone stronger than the palace lord on the enemy side, they will attack right away or prepare carefully.”
“No matter what happens, we must prepare for the fight.”
“That’s right.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to rest more?”
“If we rest more and they try to move, we will have to fight at the bottom of the hill. Otherwise, we have to retreat, and if we retreat with this force, we don’t know when we will be able to launch a surprise attack.”
“hmm.”
Mojaseon’s eyes became cold and hard.
“What if they don’t notice me? “Will we continue to wait here then?”
“It won’t happen, but if it does, the palace lord and I will have to go on a rampage.”
The corners of Hatsun’s mouth rose.
She liked this archer.
“Get them ready. “I will prepare too.”
“yes.”
The silence quickly went down to the priests.
