Chapter 339

The sudden noise abruptly interrupted Jin-Seo and Sun-Woo’s conversation. While she didn’t know about Sun-Woo's reaction, Jin-Seo hadn’t even brought up half of what she wanted to say.

After the loud noise, a brief silence followed. Sun-Woo glanced briefly at Jin-Seo, hardened his expression, and then left.

Soo-Hyun exclaimed, "Cult Leader, The Holy Army—!"

The first person to appear in front of Sun-Woo was Soo-Hyun, followed by Chorong, the director of the Ravens Mercenary Corps. Behind them were many people who had gathered after hearing the noise. Among them were those who had long been part of the Voodoo Cult, those who had converted to the Voodoo Cult after the Holy War, and members of the mercenary corps who were against the Romanican Church. They all felt anxious from the sudden attack of the Romanican Church’s Holy Army.

Sun-Woo calmly scanned each of their faces, then raised his staff high. Their gazes all turned toward Sun-Woo's staff.

Slam!

Sun-Woo's staff struck the ground. His actions were accompanied by a tremendous noise incomparable to the one that had just resounded. The disturbance caused by Sun-Woo was significant, making both the earth and the air tremble. People looked at Sun-Woo with eyes filled with awe. Instead of unsettling them, the disturbance he caused calmed their agitation and shaking eyes.

"Please be quiet for a moment," Sun-Woo said, raising his staff again.

A faint blue light circled his fingertips. Sun-Woo bowed, brought the light to the ground, and closed his eyes. People silently stared at Sun-Woo's figure. Not one of the countless people who had gathered uttered a word. A deep silence spread throughout the area.

"..."

Sun-Woo held his hand to the ground for a while. Then, he suddenly opened his eyes, picked up his staff, and stood up. There was no hint of hesitation nor fear in his eyes and expression as he looked around at the people. He appeared as composed as he had always been.

"The enemy is coming from the northwest... They are making their way here through the mountain path. They may be large in numbers, but they don’t have a lot of regular clergymen." Sun-Woo paused momentarily before continuing, "The sound may have seemed close, but it will take them half a day to reach our location. The distance is farther than expected. It seems like their tanks are slowing them down.”

“We will gather our forces and prepare for battle. Since they are coming through the mountain path, we can use the terrain to our advantage for an ambush..." Soo-Hyun said.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Half a day was enough time to gather forces and prepare for battle. Moreover, the enemies were approaching through the mountains, which provided ample opportunities for the Voodoo Cult to utilize. The Voodoo Cult’s spells and the power of the Loa that Sun-Woo wielded were most effective in secluded terrains like the mountains. If they could adequately gather their forces for an ambush, they might win the first battle against the Romanican Church.

However, Sun-Woo shook his head. "There is no need for everyone to go out. Some must stay here to guard this place.”

"But, it's the first battle..."

"They have a special unit that seems to be tasked with rescuing the hostages. If all of our combatants leave, we won't be able to protect the hostages," Sun-Woo said.

Soo-Hyun understood and fell silent.

Sun-Woo continued, "Let’s have... some of Yuk Eun-Hyung’s mercenary corps remain here to guard this place. We can hand over Ha-Yeon and Jin-Seo to the enemy, but the Pope's Proxy must be secured at all costs. If there is a risk of the Pope's Proxy being taken by the Holy Army, or if you hear the news of defeat, kill them immediately. Following that, abandon this place and retreat."

The others listened quietly to Sun-Woo. The temporary barracks built in the Gyeongsang Branch’s underground chapel were, literally, ‘temporary.' Therefore, they did not need to defend the underground chapel to their last breath. They would defend it if possible, but they could afford to abandon it if the situation was unfavorable.

"Executive Soo-Hyun, aim for their supply route. If you can capture the tanks in the rear, do so. If not, disable them."

"Yes, understood," Soo-Hyun replied with a nod.

Sun-Woo shifted his gaze to Chorong, the head of the Ravens Mercenary Corps. "Oh, and Chorong."

"Ye-yes!" Chorong replied in a disciplined tone.

"You will come with me. Call the Ravens Mercenary Corps and instruct them to prepare the masks."

"Yes, Cult Leader!”

Booom―!

In the distance, another roar echoed, but no one paid attention to it anymore. They were busy following Sun-Woo's orders to prepare for battle.

***

Thud, thud.

The Holy War Knight Order advanced with Dae-Man at the forefront. Although the mountain path was rugged, no one fell behind or left the formation due to the difference in speed. The Holy War Knight Order was formed by gathering combat-capable individuals without distinguishing between mercenary corps and regular clergymen. Despite that, their marching speed was incredibly rapid.

It was all thanks to Dae-Man. He skillfully navigated the mountain paths and subtly boosted the members' morale. He treated members from mercenary backgrounds and regular clergymen backgrounds alike. By referring to all of them as the Holy War Knight Order, he instilled a strong sense of belonging.

He had learned the skill from Han Dae-Ho in the Eastern Paladin Order. Dae-Man admired Han Dae-Ho and aspired to become a director to lead a Paladin Order like Han Dae-Ho one day. So, he taught himself how to lead and command skills by observing Han Dae-Ho.

"..."

Dae-Man suddenly stopped walking. The members following behind also stopped in unison. Dae-Man raised his head and looked at the sky.

The sunny sky was now covered with dark clouds. The already dark mountain path had turned several shades darker as the sunlight could no longer penetrate through. A few raindrops fell. Ominous thunder rumbled faintly from above. The sky was covered with dark clouds. Rain fell, and thunder roared. The Cult Leader was nearby. It also meant that the location of the Holy War Knight Order had been exposed to the enemies.

The Cult leader had appeared earlier than expected. However, Dae-Man did not waver. It was expected, as they had previously fired cannons and made noise to draw the Cult Leader out.

"Get ready for battle! The Cult Leader is coming–!" Dae-Man shouted.

His voice rang so loud that even the members behind the formation could hear it. The army's fearful eyes, shaken by the sudden dark clouds, turned serious.

They each raised their weapons. There were various weapons, such as holy artifacts and firearms, but most of the members held guns. Weapons lined with silver were effective when facing demons and demonic beasts, but there was no need to use such traditional weapons when facing the Voodoo Cult.

"..."

Dae-Man held his breath and looked around. Although it was completely silent, his body quivered from the dangerous energy. Dae-Man couldn’t hear or see him, but he knew instinctively that he was there.

Rustle!

Something rustled, and Dae-Man and the members' gazes all turned in that direction. There stood the Cult Leader. More precisely, a man presumed to be the Cult Leader. The person wore a mask and poncho while holding a staff. The members aimed their guns at him without hesitation.

"Wait," Dae-Man instructed.

However, Dae-Man quickly stopped them. In the meantime, the figure disappeared. The members looked at Dae-Man with puzzled faces.

"That's not the Cult Leader," Dae-Man said solemnly.

Everyone knew Sun-Woo's face. It was also equally well known that Sun-Woo’s right arm was practically useless. The Holy Army knew everything about Sun-Woo—his face, body, personality, and voice. So, Sun-Woo had no reason to hide his face and body with a mask and poncho. Instead, if Sun-Woo had worn a mask and poncho, the risk of being exposed to the Holy Army would have increased due to their distinctive features. Sun-Woo wouldn't have appeared in front of the Holy Army despite those risks.

Dae-Man knew Sun-Woo. He was smart, and he was also cunning in a way. Therefore, Dae-Man was sure that the person who had just appeared wearing a mask and poncho was definitely not Sun-Woo.

"From now on, assume that every enemy you meet is wearing a mask and poncho," Dae-Man said.

The regular clergymen nodded. Although the mercenaries didn’t quite understand what Dae-Man said, they nodded too.

Dae-Man looked around at the ranks following behind him. He took a deep breath. His neck veins stood out tautly. The people beside Dae-Man quickly covered their ears.

"The one wearing a mask and poncho is not the Cult Leader! Do not leave the ranks!" Dae-Man shouted.

His voice boomed throughout the area. The army members relayed Dae-Man's instructions to the rear of the ranks. There might be a Cult Leader among those wearing a mask and poncho, but for now, it was better to reduce the confusion by saying, 'The one wearing a mask and poncho is not the Cult Leader,' and focus on maintaining the ranks.

Under no circumstances should the ranks be allowed to crumble. That would be the worst scenario for the Holy War Knight Order and the best scenario for the Voodoo Cult.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, making the mountain path so dark that it was hard to make out what was immediately in front of them. If the ranks were disrupted amid this chaos, each scattered member would obviously be annihilated by the hiding Voodoo Cultists in the mountains.

It must have been a part of Sun-Woo’s plan to provoke the disturbance of the ranks by deliberately showing the masked and poncho-wearing figure in front of the Holy War Knight Order.

"He hasn’t changed," Dae-Man muttered.

In the past, Dae-Man would have lost his mind and rushed at the masked and poncho-wearing man. But Dae-Man had changed—he now knew how to make rational and cold judgments. He held up his Burning Bush Twig.

As he infused divine power into it, the trembling twig caught fire.

Dae-Man brought his lips to the flames and instructed, "Inform the priests of each division to use the pillar of fire immediately."

Whoosh!

Before Dae-Man could finish his sentence, light infused with divine power erupted from various places in the ranks. The priests dispatched to the Holy War Knight Order skillfully unleashed divine power to replicate a miracle. The divine power they emitted roared and soared into the sky...

Pssssssh!

And then divine power crashed toward the ground as pillars of fire.

The pillars of fire from the miracle dispelled the darkness of the mountain, revealing numerous enemies that had emerged from the shadows. Just as Dae-Man had anticipated, they all wore masks and ponchos while holding staffs.

"Fire!" Dae-Man hollered.

The Holy War Knight Order members aimed their guns at the many masks.

Bang, bang!

Boom-!

Gunshots rang out. Some of the masked figures watching the movements of the Holy War Knight Order were struck by bullets and fell out of the trees onto the ground. Their lifeless bodies littered the ground.

Gunshots continued to echo, and the masked fled. As they ran, they left behind a spell array. From the cracked ground, Voodoo mist seeped out.

"Wear your anti-Voodoo mask!" Dae-Man shouted.

His voice was booming, but some members failed to heed his command amidst the gunfire. They inhaled the mist and collapsed.

Those who quickly followed Dae-Man's order and wore their anti-Voodoo mask remained conscious. They aimed their guns at the fleeing enemies and fired wildly.

Booom–!

Then, a loud rumble reverberated through the air. Dae-Man recognized the sound. It was the sound of the Cult Leader striking the ground with his staff.

Along with the rumble, the ground shook, and the numerous plants on the mountain began to wriggle and move.

As the plants grew larger, they began to obscure the pillars of fire that blazed in various places. The darkness, which the pillars of fire seemed to extinguish, began to creep in once more.

TLN WonSuk:

Thanks for reading ;)