The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 197 Scholar Juyul (20) - Fighting with One's Back to the Water "There is nowhere to retreat, so we can only fight prepared for death." *** To put it bluntly, Heaven-Breaking Alliance's leadership were not all idiots who couldn't distinguish between shit and soybean paste. They realized they could no longer achieve their original goal of winning an overwhelming victory without significant losses, and knew that continuing the fight would only consume their own flesh. Finishing things through negotiation with only the loss of a wrist. Losing an entire arm, or perhaps even more, to gain only a pyrrhic victory. Even a snot-nosed kid could tell which was more rational. However, all worldly affairs don't necessarily operate on such numerical logic alone. "Lose and retreat to mere lowly scum like them? Are you joking?" "Worthless vermin!! I will definitely make pickled seafood from those bastards' internal organs!!" "End it here? Then what about our boys who died getting hit by stones without even properly swinging their swords once?" Rage burned hot. Vengeance festered. Pride convulsed at the thought of being humiliated by lowly things. Heaven-Breaking Alliance's martial artists were already in a state of blind rage, and the moment someone said 'It's only a loss to continue, so let's just withdraw here!' all that anger would turn toward the leadership. On top of that, the issue of prestige was significant. Heaven-Breaking Alliance, which had raised the banner of unifying the heretical path, would decorate their first move with defeat? Against the Hao Sect and wandering martial artists and commoners who were treated as lowly even within the martial world? And this while overwhelming them in numbers? After this, no force would acknowledge Heaven-Breaking Alliance as the leader of the heretical path. Even those belonging to Heaven-Breaking Alliance would feel shame rather than pride in the banner they belonged to. That would be destruction as an organization. "─Intensify the offensive. There will be no further halt to the attack until the moment we eliminate their nest." Following Heaven-Breaking Lord's command, Heaven-Breaking Alliance's martial artists began charging in with truly desperate tenacity. The exchange ratio was disastrous due to the effectiveness of the defensive tactics Juyul had designed, but the enemies were also people with brains, so even in hell they had gradually found and used solutions. "Masters of Peak level and above, don't step forward but wait in the rear!! First-class and below masters, advance!! If there are any dawdlers, not only the individual but the entire group moving together will be punished!!" "Don't try to force your way through cutting the barbed wire!! Just cover it with corpses and cross over!! No matter how sharp blades and thorns are, they can't pierce human bodies!!" "Divide the troops into four groups: A, B, C, and D!! The four units will rotate between rest and offense, so don't allow those bastards even a moment's respite!!" Personnel with relatively inferior skills were driven forward as meat shields. True to the heretical path that was united by selfishness and greed, they naturally rebelled against orders to sacrifice their lives, but that rebellion was crushed under even greater violence and coercion. Those who attempted to flee or resist were all brutally slaughtered, so they had no choice but to continue advancing reluctantly while crying and eating mustard. With skilled fighters who could block or avoid various throwing attacks waiting in the rear, the damage to the front lines was much greater, but the elites could preserve their stamina and energy accordingly. Numerical superiority. Relentless wave attacks. Originally a situation where victory or defeat being decided in an instant wouldn't be strange. Yet even so, the momentum of the battlefield did not easily shift to Heaven-Breaking Alliance's side. "Fuck, why are these bastards so damn stubborn?" "Were those lowly Hao Sect bastards this strong?" Heaven-Breaking Alliance's martial artists couldn't help but feel doubt and confusion. Juyul's forces were gaining great advantage through trap and throwing tactics, but naturally, something like 'a fight where only I hit unilaterally' was impossible on the battlefield. There were times when obstacles like barbed wire were neutralized faster than expected and paths opened, and moments when they misjudged the time to retreat and had to engage in close combat with the enemy. Cowardly and base fighting aside, in a contest of blade against blade, there was no way they would be pushed back. Heaven-Breaking Alliance's martial artists who held such confidence had no choice but to change their minds after actually crossing blades. Clang! Thwack! Scrape! The swords wielded by Juyul's forces were sharp, their movements overflowed with strength, and there was almost no unnecessary waste. They didn't emit dazzling sword aura or show off advanced techniques that would make eyes flash open, but since their basic abilities themselves were high, even the same techniques felt much more fierce. Body Enhancement and Energy Restoration Formula. A movement technique and mental cultivation method created by Juyul that had the characteristic of automatically accumulating internal energy and strengthening the body through that energy once learned, even if the practitioner couldn't feel or control qi, and even without sitting cross-legged in circulating qi and breathing exercises. Stamina and vitality enhancement. Vigor strengthening. Disease suppression. Aging prevention. Since this martial art's basic philosophy lay in nourishing life rather than killing, it had almost no effects toward harming others, but for Juyul's forces that were full of second and third-rate martial artists who couldn't even properly feel internal energy, there was no other martial art that fit as well. Even without being able to draw out sword aura, simply being able to not tire easily, get hurt less, and move nimbly itself displayed terrifying power on the battlefield. Moreover, it wasn't only beginners who had experienced Juyul's benefits. The ordinary students of the academy and general disciples of the Hao Sect learned and mastered the Body Enhancement and Energy Restoration Formula, but those who already possessed sufficient basic abilities received personal instruction from Juyul instead of the formula. How to grip a sword, how to step, how to regulate breathing, how to broaden one's vision, even how to emit qi. Each piece of advice that seemed trivial at first glance held value equal to a thousand gold for martial artists, and was a feast of fortune that had personally come before their eyes. Even those who had initially grumbled about what a mere scholar could know, after receiving Juyul's advice a few times, would take on all sorts of menial tasks just to hear one more word from him. The Seven Hegemons of the heretical path were no exception to this either. For example, it was common opinion that Drunken Dreamer Yayul Jae originally lagged behind Nine Kill Sword by about half, but when the two actually met on the battlefield, they displayed equal skills without either yielding even an inch. "Kugh. You're lacking strength today, you killing ghost!! How about changing your alias from Nine Kill Sword to Eight-Tenths Sword!!" "Drunken Dreamer!! Even with your gaping mouth you babble well! Today I'll cut your throat and slaughter even your relatives!!" (E/N: I thought he had no relatives? Lol. Those martial artis just don't know how to threaten properly) "Do it if you can!!" Nine Kill Sword's sword aura was like a fiercely rampaging bull, and Drunken Dreamer's movements were unpredictable like fluttering cloth yet contained sharp killing intent within, so whenever their sword and staff clashed, tremendous force erupted along with eerie bursting sounds. Meanwhile, Oh Ga-myeong the Chivalrous Man of the Five Masses and Ghost Mountain Strategist, who served as strategists for both forces, were also facing off. "...Hah. Indeed, it's a waste for such skill to remain in something like the Hao Sect. If you wished to soar high, there would be plenty who would offer themselves as stepping stones, yet I don't understand why you hold such attachment to incompetent and lowly things." "What can I do? Those lowly things are my family. More than that, haven't we done enough? Why don't you stop and withdraw? Don't you think about the orthodox sect bastards pushing in while we kill each other?" "Hahaha. Were you hoping for that? Then let me inform you. The orthodox sects will not move. Absolutely not. We're not the only ones displeased with the current situation. So how about surrendering now?" "Fuck off, you son of a bitch." "The saying about being near ink making one black isn't wrong." The shabby-looking short sword stealthily aimed for the enemy's vital points, while the feathered fan adorned with all manner of gorgeous decorations turned the surrounding area upside down with each swing, as if that roughness and splendor proved the paths the two had chosen. The current situation where these two, whose skills originally couldn't be called very high compared to Heaven-Breaking Alliance's Seven Hegemons, were engaging in an equal contest was truly an achievement and great accomplishment that Juyul had brought about. However, even these achievements of theirs paled before one particular person. —Kwaaaaaaang! "Kyaaaaaaak!!" "Mon, monstrous bitch...!!" A terrifying heat wave swept through. Whenever flames reminiscent of crimson lotus surged, martial artists caught in the aftermath screamed and rolled on the ground. It was movement reminiscent of flying insects near a bonfire, but in fact even this belonged to a relatively better situation. If the master of the flames had decided to burn them in earnest, it was clear they wouldn't have been able to let out even screams or curses. The reason they hadn't had their lungs cooked instantly was obvious. Fiercely burning flames. The woman at the center, Zhang Hualing's target simply wasn't them. "Cough...!" On the opposite side from Zhang Hualing. A woman who had collapsed half-way to the ground let out a dry, parched cough. Her beautiful face that would have received praise from countless passersby on the street was utterly haggard, and her clothing, whose price alone could have fed an ordinary family for over a year, was filthy with soot. Corpse Demon Flower. The demon cult that had formed one pillar of the alliance alongside the heretical path when Samaryeon was established. The woman who could be called the only surviving lineage from that place, where most of its legacy had been severed by the imperial family's long persecution, couldn't help but raise a great question in her mind. '...Why?' When she first plunged into the battlefield, Corpse Demon Flower's heart had been full of leisure and boredom. Her realm was a proper Transformation Realm. Though it was an achievement gained through offering all manner of sacrifices and performing gruesome great rites in a cult united by vengeance toward the world, the realm she had achieved was nonetheless not false. Though they were bound together under the name of the Seven Hegemons of the heretical path, among them only Corpse Demon Flower herself and Heaven-Breaking Lord had reached the complete Transformation Realm. No matter how much they talked about the Chivalrous Man of the Five Masses, Drunken Dreamer, or Lady of Trampling Fire, before her they were nothing more than candles before the wind. Believing that if she completely crushed one of them, the stagnant flow of this battlefield would instantly reverse, she threw herself forward without hesitation after discovering Lady of Trampling Fire's flames. And about one hour later, she was rolling on the ground like this. Despite not hearing it from someone else but experiencing it directly herself, Corpse Demon Flower couldn't easily understand this situation. Perhaps she didn't want to understand it. The fact that she had been pushed back by Zhang Hualing, who was evaluated as the most inexperienced and least skilled even within the Seven Hegemons. "How dare...!" Corpse Demon Flower's hands turned pure white. Bare Hand Demon Technique. One of the extremely dangerous and cruel demon cult martial arts that used extreme yin energy to freeze not only the skin of those it touched but also their internal organs and blood vessels, causing them to perish in agony. Since even a graze allowed the cold energy to penetrate deep into the body, those facing this technique had to be extremely careful with their movements and continue fighting cautiously. That was the orthodox approach. "—Shut up." And as if she didn't care about such orthodox methods, Zhang Hualing charged straight at Corpse Demon Flower in a straight line without the slightest hesitation, her body wreathed in flames. Corpse Demon Flower hastily scattered palm techniques to try to stop Zhang Hualing, but Zhang Hualing didn't care whether she took the attacks or not and approached directly before ramming into Corpse Demon Flower. Whoooosh! Hissssssss! It was a terrible impact, terrible heat, and above all, terrible poison. Despite offsetting the impact with palm techniques and protective energy, Corpse Demon Flower fell backward and glared at Zhang Hualing with gritted teeth and venomous eyes. "Are you trying to die together or what...!?" The Bare Hand Demon Technique was one of the demon cult's ultimate skills. No matter how sturdy Zhang Hualing's body was and how protected by extreme yang heat, it wasn't the kind of attack one could simply endure. Indeed, various parts of Zhang Hualing's body that had been struck by the palm techniques were turning not just pale but almost bluish. Evidence that the cold poison of the Bare Hand Demon Technique was penetrating beneath the skin. Though terrible pain must have been tormenting her body, Zhang Hualing showed not even a flinch and only prepared her next attack fiercely. Corpse Demon Flower was stunned by the momentum that seemed to say she would kill her before dying herself, even if it meant her own death. Objectively speaking, Corpse Demon Flower's martial prowess didn't fall behind Zhang Hualing's. Even if Zhang Hualing had reached the Transformation Realm, she had only barely set foot on that threshold, whereas Corpse Demon Flower was already a master who had reached the complete Transformation Realm. If one were to assign scores to elements like attack, defense, and technique, her total score would undoubtedly be superior to Zhang Hualing's. However, fights aren't necessarily won by the side with the higher total. The very fact that Zhang Hualing had reached the 'Transformation Realm' was an enormous burden for Corpse Demon Flower now. Even if a transcendent master charged with the resolve for mutual destruction, a Transformation Realm master could handle it without much damage. But if another Transformation Realm master charged without regard for their own body, even a Transformation Realm master would be in danger. An ending where she survived as a cripple after defeating Zhang Hualing was something Corpse Demon Flower didn't want in the slightest. So naturally she had no choice but to focus on defense rather than attack, and the result was her current one-sided disadvantage. In the end, the stunned Corpse Demon Flower retreated and shouted. "What are you doing!! Don't just watch, attack now!!" At her command, Heaven-Breaking Alliance martial artists who had been cautiously watching from the surroundings surrounded Zhang Hualing and charged. Each of them was at least Peak level, and some were transcendent level experts. Facing the net of blades descending like an encirclement, Lady of Trampling Fire's flames roared. Even in this life-or-death crisis, Zhang Hualing's attention was entirely focused not on this place but somewhere else. On Juyul, who would be fighting elsewhere at this very moment. 'Please, you must be safe. Master...!!'