“Brothers and sisters, we will fight shoulder to shoulder with our fellow soldiers. Individually we may fall, but united we will prevail! We will take down each enemy one by one, we will win back our land step by step, and we will drive these demon scum back into the deepest darkest hell from which they came!”
The cheers of the soldiers was deafening. They began to chant “Demon Slayer” over and over as they marched up the ridge.
Kira grinned. For the first time ever, what had always been a pejorative term for her was now a source of power, one that soon raced across all the divisions of the Iron Army to become a rallying cry.
Now she was the Demon Slayer. She was ready.
24
The Kang siblings and Prince Taejo stood on the ridge overlooking the plains. The First and Second Divisions kept to the ridge below them, waiting their command. On the northern ridge, the Third and Fourth Division officers held their positions. The soldiers were still chanting “Demon Slayer” when the officers waved for quiet. They watched and waited as the Kudara and Yamato forces acknowledged them.
Four large barrel-shaped war drums were carried out to the front lines by eight red-uniformed Kudara soldiers. Soon drumbeats began to boom across the plains.
The repetitive drumming was an infectious call to arms. Their soldiers banged their spears into the ground and against their shields. Louder and louder they got until they let off a sheer cacophony of noise.
The Iron Army’s response began with a piercing whistle. Then they marched up the ridge and over it as their drummers began a strong but steady beat, countering the Kudara’s. It built to a crescendo as the soldiers picked up the beat, banging their spears, shields, swords, and armor in time. More and more of the Iron Army and its allies marched over the ridge, beating their weapons until the sound swallowed up the noise from over the plains. The Kudara stared at the massed armies before them.
As the Iron Army’s drums grew louder, more drummers appeared. The Second Division once again chanted “Demon Slayer” along with the pounding rhythm. Their battle cry caught quickly with the other armies. As the massive Iron Army and its allies marched over the ridge and into the plains, the drums and the chanting sent the enemy into disturbed chaos. By the time they stopped marching, the enemy was silent. Before them was a force of well over one hundred thousand men. When King Eojin had marched down from Guru, he had commanded an army of the same size. After their victory in Wonsan, he’d split the army, taking half to Hansong while the other half swept down the eastern coast and chased away all of the Yamato. Although they’d lost a lot of men in the battles, they’d picked up more volunteers and more displaced soldiers from the other kingdoms. Now the unified Iron Army was bigger than ever before.
Their infantry and cavalry was more than double the size of the enemy’s.
“Look at them! They’re scared,” Jaewon said with a satisfied chuckle. “I bet they’re gonna run!”
Kira eyed him and shook her head. “Do not underestimate the daimyo,” she said.
Mounted officers raced in front of the vanguard, preparing them for battle. The drums quieted and the fields were silent except for the cries of the officers. All was still until Kyoung raised his arm and gave the signal. The drums began a fierce beating and ten thousand bowmen stepped forward. Kyoung bellowed and the vanguard of infantrymen charged forward. The bowmen sent off a hailstorm of arrows on the enemy. After the first wave of arrows, ten thousand more bowmen stepped forward and let loose another wave of arrows. Each group firing until the vanguard clashed with the enemy.
The enemy was already in disarray, showing a severe crack in their formation.
“Calvary forward!” Kyoung shouted.
Kira led the Dragon Fighters into battle, while Taejo and Kwan led the saulabi. All the cavalry descended upon the infantrymen. It was a bloodbath. Within minutes, the cavalry were past the enemy front lines and making short work of the Kudara and Yamato soldiers.
The enemy was now in full retreat. With a wild deafening roar, the cavalry gave chase, cutting down the retreating men. Now that they were within enemy territory, Kira’s sole mission was to find the daimyo. Her nose led her through the tangle of tents toward the southwest corner, where she spotted a large black structure. It was unlike any building she’d ever seen. The wooden beams that it was made from were pitch-black, as if painted and lacquered over for dramatic effect. There were no windows, only a small door with no visible latch. She was almost overwhelmed by the stench of demon magic it exuded.
“There he is,” she said. She signaled the location to the others and called over her first in command.
“Captain Ha,” Kira said, “I need half of our men on foot while I seek out the daimyo. You will take the rest and hold this perimeter.”
The captain gave a curt nod and led half the guerrilla fighters to form a large perimeter around the black structure. As the others dismounted, Kira turned to Taejo and her brother Kwan.
“We will keep this area secure,” Taejo said.