One of the Three Sovereigns had fallen in battle, and the Central Army—which had deployed the greatest strength among the Three Elders—was annihilated.

The Second Army had deployed a total of twenty thousand—seventeen thousand five hundred government troops from Guizhou plus two thousand five hundred martial artists—and all of that was blown away as-is.

What remained of the expeditionary force was twelve thousand in the First Army plus one thousand five hundred martial artists.

And eight thousand in the Third Army—three thousand government troops and five thousand martial artists combined.

Fifteen thousand government troops and six thousand five hundred martial artists together made twenty-one thousand five hundred.

That was the strength left to us, while the enemy had one hundred fifty thousand.

No matter that we had as many as six thousand five hundred martial artists, one hundred fifty thousand was a lot.

Even if there was a difference in realms, most of those Blood Cult bastards would be martial artists who had awakened Blood Arts.

I asked urgently.

『"What is the Alliance Leader going to do about this? No—shouldn’t we retreat?"』

"Right now General Maeng Gyu-seong of the Imperial Iron Cavalry is advancing toward Yunnan with five thousand iron cavalry under his command and fifty thousand troops."

If it was General Maeng Gyu-seong, he was my acquaintance.

He was the commander of the Iron Cavalry, a unit specializing in fighting martial artists.

The Iron Cavalry were cavalry whose people and horses wore armor made using cold iron, and it was said that if you couldn’t use protective qi you couldn’t even scratch it.

So even five thousand of them, if the target was martial artists, were evaluated as one against a hundred, and the word was that he himself was moving out.

To non–first-rate and below martial artists he was a reaper, so he would be great strength.

Those who could pierce [N O V E L I G H T] the armor with qi and inflict fatal wounds on the warriors inside were first-rate or above.

Even for first-rate experts, using qi to deal fatal wounds to the warriors inside was a hard thing.

『"Martial artists from under heaven and follow-up forces are also flocking to Yunnan one after another."』

On top of that, it was said that martial artists from under heaven and those follow-up units were also flocking to Yunnan one after another.

If we fell back a little and re-formed the line, we could at least block the Blood Cult’s advance.

Even if the difference in numbers was severe, the martial-artist expeditionary force was elite composed only of first-rate and above.

Five thousand Iron Cavalry and six thousand martial artists.

Plus fifty thousand government troops.

Three times our number, but with our kids included, holding them off should be possible.

But the words followed that we could not retreat.

『"But... we can’t retreat."』

At the sudden statement that we could not retreat, my eyes went wide.

To buy time until General Maeng Gyu-seong arrived, the only way was to yield ground and buy time, yet they were saying we couldn’t retreat.

The Central Army had been destroyed, so a process of gathering the troops from the rear was necessary, and for that, retreat was needed.

Even in strategy games, this was basic.

After retreating, you had to link up with the forces coming this way to raise overall strength; if you tried to block them half-baked and the remaining force was annihilated, there would be no point in the follow-up forces arriving.

We could be defeated in detail.

『"Why!?"』

When I shouted in surprise asking why we couldn’t retreat, the reason came.

『"Right now in front of the Beast Palace it’s a human sea of people rescued from Dai Viet; the moment we retreat, all the common folk of Yunnan and these people will be swept away as they are.

It seems they intend to hold somehow until General Maeng Gyu-seong and the follow-up forces arrive.

If it were an ordinary enemy nation or barbarians, it would be one thing, but the Blood Cult will use abandoned people to increase their strength, so we can’t just retreat."』

Right, if this were an ordinary war, we could retreat as we pleased.

Martial artists could flee with lightness skill, so it was natural that ordinary people fell behind.

Though the people fell behind, in an ordinary war there weren’t many who slaughtered even the common folk.

Maybe a few as an example; across long history, records of massacring civilians are rare.

War in this era was war to seize land and people.

Both were valuable resources, so you didn’t kill them all.

Even if you plundered grain for supplies, ordinarily you didn’t harm the people of occupied land so they could become a source of tax revenue.

But the Blood Cult was different.

Because they grew stronger by drinking blood, people were directly resources and food.

If they were abandoned, the Blood Cult’s strength would only rise accordingly, so we could not abandon the people.

The moment we abandoned the people, the people, the martial artists, and the government troops would all be ruined.

Well, it was also a decision the righteous-path martial artists could not hand down.

『"Then are you saying we plan to form a back-to-the-river formation at the Beast Palace with the remaining twenty-one thousand five hundred?"』

If it was the Beast Palace, whose entrance was shaped like a gourd’s neck, and with the kids there, it seemed we could hold out somehow.

But the remaining strength was less than I thought.

『"So-ryong. The remaining force is eight thousand—three thousand government troops of the Third Army and five thousand martial artists combined."

"What about the First Army?"』

Could it be that even the First Army which moved along the coastline and invaded Dai Viet had been annihilated?

Words similar to my thoughts were conveyed.

『"Since yesterday the carrier pigeons suddenly stopped. They said they were surrounded during retreat..."

"Then how are we going to hold?"

"The strategist is laying down the Zhuge Family’s formation. We’ll be able to buy enough leeway."

"I’ll go right now!"』

Lay down a formation?

It would certainly help.

But if I was to block that together with the kids, I absolutely had to be there with them.

I was the one who could communicate with the kids and draw out all of their abilities.

Using my qi to enlarge Bini, or upgrading the other kids, creating variables—those abilities were only usable if I was there.

I hadn’t found Jimjo, but it couldn’t be helped.

We couldn’t waste time here.

As for that Blood Demon bastard, we’d have to coordinate an attack and somehow stop him.

***

As I dashed out, Cheong-yu Sojeo, who must have heard, shouted.

—Sia! 『We’re ready to go! Let’s go right now!』

Cheong-yu Sojeo had finished preparations.

If Cheong-yu Sojeo was with us, she could unfurl the Picture and would be a great help, but it was a problem.

Because Yeondu was brooding her eggs here.

"No. Cheong-yu Sojeo and Juhwang, stay here and take care of Yeondu’s children..."

—Sia. 『The eggs have already hatched, So-ryong.』

"What!?"

At the words that the eggs had hatched, I hurriedly dashed for the pavilion.

It seemed all the eggs had hatched while I’d been inside the mental landscape.

'I missed all the good stuff.'

Then the pavilion entrance stood wide open.

First I saw Cho.

"Cho?"

—Tsurur. 『The group chat was suddenly cut off, so I came back.』

I had sent Cho back to her mother, but it seemed the group chat connection had been cut and she’d returned.

Behind Cho, against the backdrop of the rising sun, my family enjoying a warm moment came into view.

Between Yeondu and Juhwang, who were lying overlapping.

There were five baby Flying Serpent Gods and Ji-yeong Snakes.

Little ones rubbing their bodies against their mother and father or biting at the tips of tails.

The baby snakes, only just born, were utter rascals.

"Gyahhh!"

I cried out before I knew it, and everyone turned toward me.

—Shi. 『It’s the uncle who was sleeping.』

—Shishi. 『Looks like Uncle woke up.』

The little ones, as if they knew me, toddled toward me.

Three were flying and two were crawling.

Two were Flying Serpent Gods.

Two were Ji-yeong Snakes.

But when I moved my gaze to the last one, I couldn’t help but cover my mouth.

The little one had been born with the color of the mother, the Flying Serpent God, on the right, and the color of the father, the Ji-yeong Snake, on the left.

Born taking half from mother and half from father.

And in left–right symmetry.

Huuuuuh! A chimera!

This was a chimera.

Originally, “chimera” was a word referring to the composite monster in Greek myth—a beast whose body is a lion, tail a snake, and with a goat’s head attached.

But in animals, chimera refers to the coexistence of different genetic information within a single body: ordinarily, in living things, sperm and egg from father and mother meet to fertilize, and that zygote divides repeatedly to form the body, but a chimera is not that.

At the fertilization stage, two fertilized eggs divide and then fuse into one, and cells with different genetic traits coexist—this is a chimera.

In other words, two zygotes have become one, and each trait appears at random in the genes.

If you think of Hwanji and Hwana, it’s easy.

Think of the two completely mixed into one body.

At the embryo stage.

A truly precious little one.

It could occur in various animals, but in my previous life it was commonly found in cats.

But that was only because cats stood out; it wasn’t that it occurred only in cats.

It was a phenomenon that could be found in all beasts.

As I looked at that child with a startled expression, Yeondu and Juhwang came over and, with worried expressions, spoke through the mental landscape.

‘—Shaaa. 『So-ryong-nim, you’re awake? Is your body all right?』’

‘Uh, I’m fine. You worked hard, Yeondu.’

‘—Shaaaa 『Thank you. But I worry that that child is a little sick.』’

‘Sick?’

‘—Sha. 『The color is...』’

‘—Skaa. 『Elder Brother, you have awakened?』’

‘Yeah. Congratulations. The ones who take after you and Yeondu are half-and-half, huh. What a trick.’

‘—Skaaa. 『Ahaha. Th-thank you. But will that child be all right?』’

Seeing the look of being exactly half-and-half at birth, it seemed they were worried whether the child was sick.

When a newborn has an unusual appearance, parents can be worried.

Smiling faintly, I said,

"This isn’t being sick. It’s because both Yeondu’s and Juhwang’s forms are inside this single body. It’s very precious, so you don’t have to worry."

—Skaaa. 『R-really? That’s a relief. Yeondu.』

—Sia. 『It’s a relief.』

At my words, the two finally showed relieved expressions.

When I asked what names they had given the children, Yeondu and Juhwang spoke at the same time.

"All right, what did you name them?"

—Siaaa 『That, So-ryong-nim must name them. You are the children’s godfather.』

—Shaa. 『Of course the names must be given by Elder Brother.』

"Me? Is that all right?"

—Shaa. 『Of course.』

At their words I lifted the little ones and looked them over.

Unlike ordinary snakes, they were very plump, short, and round and round.

"Let’s see—three females, two males. The two who take after Yeondu will be Yeon-a and Yeon-u, the ones who take after Juhwang will be Hwang-a and Hwang-u, and the princess who resembles both will be Ban."

Yeon-a, Yeon-u, Hwang-a, Hwang-u, Ban.

They were our new family members.

***

I quickly made a basket to hang on the chest.

If we were all to move together, we had to put the little ones in.

I made the basket, covered the outside with cloth, and filled the inside with soft straw.

And I strapped it to the front of Cheong-yu Sojeo.

"Cheong-yu Sojeo, ride on Cho together with Juhwang and move. I’ll move ahead with Yeondu."

—Siaaa. 『Understood.』

"Where did Hongbi go? Hongbi?"

Just as we were about to depart, I couldn’t see Hongbi, so I looked for him, and Hongbi came crawling out from inside the pavilion, ambling.

His belly was bulging.

It felt like he had eaten something.

"What’s with you looking like that?"

—Kwaaa. 『I ate it just in case.』

"Ate what?"

As Hongbi looked toward the inner part of the pavilion, I turned my head, and Yeondu’s shed skin that had been in the pavilion was nowhere to be seen.

And snake eggs are characterized not by the hard firmness of a chicken egg but by being soft like leather, yet there were no traces of them being broken out of.

This guy Hongbi had apparently eaten all of that.

"Are you going to be all right?"

—Kwaaaa. 『Of course.』

It seemed he had listened to the conversation I’d had with Hwa-eun and made preparations.

He was the sort who disliked damaging anything, so feeling thankful for his heart, I said,

"Thanks, Hongbi."

—Kwaaa. 『Stop the useless chatter and let’s go. We have no time to waste.』

"Got it!"

When Hongbi climbed onto my head, Yeondu wrapped around me.

Cheong-yu Sojeo climbed onto Cho’s back, and when Juhwang coiled around Cho, our party rose into the sky and began moving to the northwest.

Looking toward Hainan Island, I thought in my heart,

'Jimjo, I will definitely come back and catch you.'

After I handled this, I would come back and definitely catch him.

My retreat was not surrender.

It was retreat due to circumstances, that was all.