Mamorota had died.
Bato, one of the Squad Leaders of the Gray Wolf War Squad, had remained without retreating until that point. Whether enemy or ally, all others were leaving the battlefield, but he alone couldn't leave. Because there was something like a sense of mission that he had to witness Mamorota's final moments, even if alone.
"You, you have less experience points than I thought."
The enemy commander, whose bangs hung down enough to cover his eyes completely, said that toward Mamorota's corpse.
Naturally, the corpse didn't answer.
He raised his head and swept his gaze around once. Everyone was scattered in all directions, busy surviving, and as if seeing that, he casually turned his head here and there again.
Then he naturally came to see him.
His body stiffened. It was common knowledge that this man was stronger than himself even without fighting, and Bato felt it better than anyone.
However, Dong Bong-su didn't look at him for very long. He must not be interested.
Dong Bong-su soon lowered his head and examined Kaiji, Mamorota's wolf. To Bato's eyes, it seemed already dead, but apparently it wasn't in reality.
No, it definitely wasn't? As Kaiji, who had been dying, made eye contact with Dong Bong-su, the eyelid of one eye, which had been dropping like a thousand weights, flickered while turning blood red. Hostility. Eyes full of it.
"Yes, to become my Pet, you need to be at least that much."
Dong Bong-su said while lifting the corners of his mouth wickedly. Like Mamorota, Bato also couldn't understand what his words meant at all.
His hand moved bizarrely in the air. Was it Bato's misconception if it looked exactly like he was pressing something?
Hummmmmm—
Suddenly, a strange sound rang out and an unknown subtle purple Auspicious Energy appeared throughout Kaiji's entire body. It was a sight Bato had never seen in his life. One thing certain was that the energy emanating from that Auspicious Energy was far too sacred.
The opposite of the smile on Dong Bong-su's lips.
It was an inauspicious energy to the degree that the Gray Wolf Bato was riding unconsciously retreated backward a little.
'Is it one of the strange martial arts he used before?'
There was no way to know. That simple inference was all he could do.
Having witnessed Mamorota's end, Bato had no more reason to remain here. What more would there be than getting killed by Dong Bong-su if he stayed here for no reason?
However, he couldn't easily leave. He didn't know the reason, but he just felt like he should stay at this location longer. Rather, this feeling that he would die if he left.
Bato decided to just stay there. Although there was a very uncomfortable presence nearby.
'Hmm?'
When the auspicious energy disappeared, Kaiji rose from its spot. He thought it was dead... but looking now, it was too healthy.
What was that auspicious energy?
That wasn't the only thing that changed. The hostility toward Dong Bong-su had already disappeared from the creature's eyes.
That... what should he say? There was nothing. If something remained, only emotionlessness. Not even a hair of emotion visible, like that kind of meaningless glisten you could only see in the rotten, decayed eyes of a corpse?
Dong Bong-su stared intently at Kaiji's eyes like that, then stroked the creature's head and said,
"This is also pleasing in its own way. Just like me."
Having finished his work up there, Dong Bong-su rose from his spot. Then he looked at him. No, it wasn't. Looking closely, he was looking not at him but at a much more distant place behind.
Bato unconsciously turned his head to look back. It was the path he should have taken long ago.
The path toward Guisui. The remaining Gray Wolf War Squad members except him were hastily returning.
And Li Zi-song's main force, which had been heading here, was advancing to surround Guisui by modifying its march route.
From what Bato could see, it seemed the Gray Wolf War Squad members would still arrive at Guisui just a little bit faster. Perhaps they could enter inside the fortress even if barely? If only they would open the fortress gate...
"A futile hope."
Flinch.
When had he approached? Dong Bong-su had come right behind him. Even in that situation, Bato instinctively reached his hand toward the Blade Hilt, but he had to stop his hand before long.
Because Dong Bong-su was already gripping his hand.
And somehow, impossibly, he was mounted on Kaiji.
Kaiji was the monster of the North that no one except Mamorota or Timur Khan could ride? How did he tame it? They had been enemies, and in the time of barely one moment that had passed?
"Do you understand my words?"
It must mean whether he knew Chinese. Bato immediately nodded. His father had been a merchant belonging to Ortoq (a large merchant group of the Northern Plains). Like all frontier merchants, most of their Main Customers were Han Merchants. Naturally, the basis of trade was Chinese, and learning Chinese was an extremely natural thing for children who would inherit that occupation.
Dong Bong-su spoke again.
"Timur Khan has already abandoned you all."
"...?"
"The moment you all left the fortress, you were abandoned."
"What does that..."
"Because I would have done the same."
Incomprehensible words. But they felt believable. Well, what could he do if he didn't believe? His lifeline was already in this man's hands.
"You just need to help with one thing."
It was a brief statement, but Bato understood. He didn't know what kind of task it was, but it must mean that if he helped with that one thing, his life would be spared.
Bato nodded again.
Dong Bong-su pulled the reins to turn Kaiji's head back again. His back was visible, but Bato didn't move at all. He was the one who killed Mamorota. An opponent that a small fry like himself couldn't do anything about.
Squelch—squelch.
The sound of the ground forming streams of blood being stepped on by Kaiji's feet was sticky.
Soon, Dong Bong-su and Kaiji arrived at where the last remaining Huihui Cannon was. From what Bato could see, the Huihui Cannon wasn't intact. It must be that Huihui Cannon whose base Mamorota had broken earlier. Still, the base wasn't completely destroyed, as it was dangling at the end of the joint but was stubbornly attached.
Dong Bong-su picked up ropes rolling around randomly on the ground, erected the broken part, and tied it with string. It wasn't perfect, but at that level, it would be able to fulfill its role for a few launches. That's what Bato thought.
Squelch—squelch.
Dong Bong-su rode Kaiji and moved again. This time toward where the corpse hill was.
He touched the foul-smelling corpse masses without any concern. Then, like how the Huihui Cannon had disappeared before, the corpses disappeared.
It wasn't surprising anymore. It was only considered a peculiar technique. Well, he had heard that in the Central Plains there were plenty of people who used martial arts beyond imagination. Wasn't this man one of them?
Bato unconsciously felt around his body here and there. Although unlike Dong Bong-su, no changes occurred.
Having gathered all the corpses, Dong Bong-su returned again to where the Huihui Cannon was.
He immediately approached the Ammunition Pouch containing Stone Projectiles attached to the Front of the Huihui Cannon.
Then he pulled half of the Trailing Rope attached to its end and tied it to Kaiji's neck, tied the other half to his own torso, and dismounted from Kaiji.
Finally, he looked at Bato and said,
"Come here."
Bato approached him without much reply. He knew it was time to fulfill what he wanted to ask.
"When this creature and I mount the Base, cut the Trailing Rope then."
Bato nodded again without knowing what Dong Bong-su was saying.
Creeeak—
Having received the answer, Dong Bong-su suddenly began pulling the Trailing Rope with all his strength.
Kaiji also exerted itself in sync and pulled the Trailing Rope.
Then the Ammunition Pouch, whose weight was unimaginably heavy, was lifted into the sky, and the base, which was the launch platform, began descending downward.
"..."
At first, Bato had thought the task Dong Bong-su wanted help with was pulling the Trailing Rope to lift the Ammunition Pouch. But apparently not.
Screeeech—
When the Ammunition Pouch was pulled up to maximum height, Dong Bong-su tied the end of the Trailing Rope tightly to the Launch Post stuck in the ground. They had finished alone what fifty soldiers should do, but Bato wasn't particularly surprised. For some unknown reason, it felt natural.
Twang—twang.
Like a musician checking an instrument's strings, Dong Bong-su lightly flicked the middle part of the Trailing Rope with his finger. He was probably checking whether the Trailing Rope was pulled taut enough to launch.
The sound cut off briefly. The string's vibration was so slight that anyone could tell it was pulled very well.
After pulling the string two or three more times, Dong Bong-su mounted Kaiji's back again and stood at the end of the Base. Because Kaiji was so large, the creature's front legs reached the middle part of the Base, but it wasn't problematic enough to affect launching.
Bato now seemed to understand well what Dong Bong-su wanted. And that he could only survive by doing this. However, he couldn't predict what would happen to Guisui by doing this.
Nevertheless, he had no choice but to do it. Even if he didn't do it, Dong Bong-su would cut all those Trailing Rope strings in some way anyway. Then shouldn't he at least save his own life?
"Cut it. Right now."
Whoosh. Snap—! Whii—!
Finally, Bato brought down his blade toward the Trailing Rope, and Dong Bong-su flew toward Guisui.
Bato watched that sight, then quietly rode his Gray Wolf and disappeared far away.