Chapter 1 - Emergence (1)
-Age 5, entered the Wudang Sect.
-Age 10, acknowledged for his talent and chosen as a disciple of the Wudang's Number One Sword.
-Age 15, manifested Sword Ki.
-Age 20, mastered the Taiji Wisdom Sword up to the 9th Star.
-Age 25, succeeded his master to become the Wudang's Number One Sword.
-Age 30, killed the Blood Heaven Defeated Lord, master of the Fortress of the Defeated Army, one of the Five Evils Under the Heavens.
-Age 40, ascended to a seat among the Ten Great Masters Under the Heavens, called the Sword Emperor.
-Age 45, repelled the invasion from the Borderlands.
-Age 50, repelled the invasion from the Southern Barbarians.
-Age 55, repelled the invasion from the North Sea.
-Age 60, received the title of Sword God as the Number One Sword of the Orthodox Faction.
-Age 60.5, mutual destruction in a decisive battle with the Heavenly Demon.
The Taiji Sword God, Cheong-un, age 60 at death!
-Age 5, S-rank Mana Affinity.
-Age 10, entered the Hunter Training Academy at the top of his class.
-Age 15, became the first in the Hunter Training Academy's history to graduate early.
-Age 20, rose meteorically as the youngest A-rank Hunter.
-Age 30, cleared an S-rank Dungeon, building his fame as Korea's Number One Hunter.
-Age 40, achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the first in Korean history to take a spot among the world's Ten Great Hunters.
-Age 45, repelled Japan's invasion.
-Age 50, repelled China's invasion.
-Age 60, repelled America's invasion, being called the undisputed strongest in the world.
-Age 60.5, mutual destruction with the Dungeon's Demon King.
The-One, Jeong Yeong-san, age 60 at death.
***
Ch-ch-cha-chaeng!
Twang!
Assailants surrounded the knights and soldiers.
As if trying to seize the carriage, the scene instantly devolved into a chaotic brawl.
Slashing, throwing, grabbing, stabbing, swinging.
Those who met their end and those who were wounded became entangled.
It was a bloody battle that escalated into a melee, with blood splattering in all directions.
Of the 30 people in the defensive formation, 10 were knights; the rest were soldiers and servants.
A single knight would have been enough for a mere band of thieves, but 20 of the assailants had learned Aura.
Aura Heart Methods were secret techniques of noble families, inaccessible to commoners, and one also needed the aptitude for it.
Although it wasn't an Aura Sword—where Aura is projected externally to form a shape—the very fact they had learned Aura proved they were no ordinary band of thieves.
As the tide of battle turned, a roar echoed thunderously.
It was the desperate struggle of a veteran, trying to rally morale, knowing it was the end if they backed down.
"You bastards, do you think you can touch the House of Count Leonard and get away with it… keoheok!"
"You talk too much."
The enraged Radon Ternoir was wounded by an incoming sword strike and fell back.
It had deviated from a typical sword path; for a moment, the sword's trajectory had vanished.
A shadow following the sword's afterimage.
The afterimage created by speed was augmented with a variation to form an illusion.
Following the Illusion Sword.
It was a footwork technique of a considerable level.
'…Where did guys like this come from!'
Although Radon was an old knight nearing retirement, he was a high-ranking knight of the Dawn Knight Order, representing the House of Count Leonard.
Furthermore, in terms of Aura and swordsmanship proficiency, he had served as an instructor to the other high-ranking knights.
Even to Radon's eyes, the sword strike was extraordinary.
This kind of sword style, mixing speed and illusion, was only possible for a top-class assassin.
"If you leave the carriage and retreat, I will spare your lives."
"How dare you!"
Inside the carriage was the Count's young lady, Adelia.
For a knight to abandon the master's direct lineage and flee was a dishonor that could not be washed away even by death.
The moment they retreated, their honor would be trampled into the dirt, and even their families would surely face shameful ridicule.
"You lowly bastard who knows nothing of honor, die!"
His anger flaring, Radon explosively channeled his Aura and thrust his sword.
Dawn Sword, 3rd Form, Piercing Glory.
Despite being swept by passion, he executed the orthodox sword path of the Dawn Sword.
Shwoong!
Kaang!
It was blocked, but the traces of destruction remained.
Whether the flash of light manifested by the Aura blinded them in the darkness, the opponent staggered back.
Chak!
An opportunity.
Radon should have surged forward to continue the assault, but he didn't.
An eerie chill grazed his mind, and his instincts stopped him from advancing.
"Keke, for an old fossil, your instincts are sharp!"
If he had surged forward to press the attack, his waist would have been severed by the swords of those who appeared in a surprise attack from the left and right.
The enemies had blended into the shadows, waiting for a chance to strike.
Haah.
At a touch-and-go moment, his instincts had saved his life.
Far from being relieved, Radon felt despair at the current reality.
The assassins were of no common skill, and they were also outnumbered.
He had already lost three of his men.
At this rate, it was self-destruction.
The enemies knew this too, which is why they didn't push recklessly.
As long as he was held in check, the rest could be crushed by their numerical superiority.
It was a strategy to safely subdue them without increasing their own casualties unnecessarily.
It was a tactic befitting hired mercenaries.
After all, mercenaries valued their own lives the most.
"Does the noble lady of House Leonard wish for all her knights and soldiers to die? Even though they are sacrificing themselves for her. I suppose she thinks she won't die. Pretending to be so lofty, what a truly selfish and cruel bitch."
"You bastard, will you not shut your mouth!"
Radon swung his sword in a fury, but it failed to land a single blow on his opponent.
Even that was just a stratagem to provoke him.
'This is no ordinary foe!'
He was not only provoking him but also the young lady inside.
If the soft-hearted lady reacted to his words and came out, things would get even more complicated.
Please, just pretend you didn't hear.
Deureuk.
As the carriage door started to open, Radon shouted urgently.
"Do not be swayed by his deceptive words! They won't let us live anyway! I know your heart, my lady. At times like this, you must trust us!"
The carriage was sturdy.
It couldn't be breached unless one intentionally attacked it with Aura.
For the young lady to come out in this situation would be to fall right into their scheme.
He was barely holding them off as it was; if she came out, too many openings would be created.
And yet.
He could see no way out.
He understood the young lady's feelings, but the bleakness of the situation was also reality.
The enemy's encirclement was too solid to break through.
'I shouldn't have been complacent just because we were within the fief's territory!'
The responsibility for this entire situation lay with him.
Radon had to be prepared for death.
If he must die, he must fall while protecting the young lady to the very end.
That was a knight's sense of duty.
Noticing his resolute determination, the leader of the assassin group grinned.
"Just like an old hound of House Leonard, your loyalty runs deep. But who will acknowledge that?"
"Do not insult a knight, you vermin who cannot even reveal your own names!"
"Hoh, you're getting on my nerves. Now I can't let you die peacefully. It will be your fault when this noble lady's face is carved with scars."
He engaged in psychological warfare to the very end. It was petty, but Radon couldn't bear it.
"Shut up! Do you call yourself a knight!"
"Didn't I say I wasn't a knight."
It was a blatant taunt.
He wanted him to lose his reason in anger and charge.
'Is this really the end!'
Holding out was the best he could do.
Even then, he didn't have much time.
He could feel the formation wavering, and exhaustion setting in.
Radon made his decision.
They would wither and die at this rate anyway.
In that case, the best course of action was to deal with the enemy in front of him who appeared to be the leader.
If he could just take this one down, a minimal chance might arise.
To do that, he had to risk his life.
He could only pray to God that his men would protect the carriage until then.
'Fine, I won't let this end the way you want!'
He decided to drag at least one more of them down with him.
As annoying as the man's words were, as long as the young lady was their objective, they probably wouldn't harm her.
Just as he was about to move.
Huh?
There was a knight stepping forward before him.
'...Ron!'
It was an unexpected person, and his courage was commendable.
However, it was an act that disrupted the formation.
Even if the outcome was already decided, he should have followed his superior's command.
But he was already out of his reach to be stopped.
"There was a fool…!"
Seogeok!
A flash of light cut through the darkness.
Just as he'd finished talking, the leader of the assassins had his head sent flying without even being able to state his name.
Huh?
An empty end.
Even as his head was severed and sent flying.
Why?
Only the question remained.
The two shadows who had been waiting for an opportunity from behind were just as bewildered.
Just as their view, which had been shielded as if by a screen, cleared up.
"…What did you just… heok!"
Seogeok!
"...What in the…."
Seogeok!
A knight's sword speaks in place of words.
It precisely targeted the openings created as they faltered.
It wasn't the highest form of swordsmanship, but merely fast and accurate.
Thump, thump!
The knight did not stop, following the movements of the surrounding assailants.
Every time his sword swung, drawing a line in the darkness, it was as if the enemy was coincidentally offering their neck.
The right thing in the right place.
He breaks the enemy's flow and cuts them down with his own.
He controls space and people with his sword.
Every movement was controlled, leading to an empty end.
Seogeok, seogeok!
Heads flew powerlessly into the air.
And yet, he wasn't fast.
He just walked on silently, and the assailants were invariably left defenseless.
...Huh?
Everyone was dumbfounded, and by the time they recognized reality.
10 heads had flown into the air.
Degururururu!
They rolled on the ground.
The eyes of the dead assassins were filled with questions. It was as if they had even forgotten death.
A death unrecognized might give the living a sense of futility, but for the dead, it was a peaceful rest.
10 of the 20 who had learned Aura were dead.
"…What are you?"
Seogeok!
"How could someone like you…!"
Seogeok!
No reply.
Ron refrained from unnecessary words.
They weren't in a position to ask after each other's well-being.
And the time for conversation had passed.
Did they expect an answer after turning a peaceful journey into a chaotic mess?
It was the same kind of upside-down logic as a samurai stabbing someone on the street for no reason and then asking, "Is there a problem with me stabbing people?"
Ron answered them kindly.
With his sword, not with words.
Their bewilderment was brief as the assassins imbued their swords with menacing killing intent.
Jjirit, jjirit!
Killing intent perfected through slaughter, sword will obtained through death, malice contained in Aura.
A novice knight with no real combat experience should have been affected.
But Ron was indifferent.
Though filled with annoyance, his footwork was as precise as if measured with a ruler, finding the exact distance to advance.
He was living in a different world of footwork all by himself.
He walked as if on a stroll into the barrage of killing intent spewing from the 10-man sword formation.
Seureuk!
The 1cm gap before his eyes was of no consequence.
He slipped past the blades brimming with killing intent, aiming for his head, waist, and legs from all sides, as if his body were coated in oil.
Even though it was a net of blades with no apparent gaps to escape.
Seogeok, seogeok, seogeok!
They weren't rotten trees, yet he cut them down with an absurd smoothness.
Degurururu.
Heads rolling on the ground.
On the faces of the 7 who were still alive, bewilderment and anger faded, and fear began to creep in.
The empty end of their comrades, what had they been struck by?
They too felt as if they were possessed by a ghost.
It would be more understandable if they were having a nightmare.
What in the world is that?
As if entranced by a witch, their comrades had meekly offered their necks.
They were men who wouldn't spare their own lives for their objective, but even they, who had been through all sorts of battles, could not accept such a death.
Cognitive dissonance.
When they couldn't see reality as it was, it became a distorted delusion.
"...You dirty trickster!"
"...You used a magic tool!"
"...Do you call yourself a knight, acting like that!"
Ron welcomed their idle chatter and hesitation.
They should have at least put up a resistance in that time.
They lacked the basics.
He walked steadily into the bewildered group and brought them within the trajectory of his sword.
Seogeok, seogeok, seogeok!
Just three lines were drawn, and then streams of blood formed and slid smoothly down.
Heok!
Seeing their comrades roll on the ground, the assailants were consumed by fear, denying reality.
"…This can't be!"
"…How!!"
"…We were never told someone like this existed!"
Ron once again welcomed their response.
It was easier since they weren't running away to fight another day.
'Chasing would be a pain.'
He gave no quarter to the hesitating opponents.
He limited the time they had left to live.
Thump, thump!
Even in the midst of this, he did not lose his dignity as a knight.
As they say, a nobleman does not run.
This body is the 36th generation descendant of the Chungjeong-gong branch, you know.
They made such a fuss in Dongnae, putting up placards about a world-class star being born.
In reality, he didn't need to run to reach his sword path.
The enemies were consumed by fear, their reactions a full beat too slow.
That was more than enough.
In front of a knight who has reached a high state, a single beat is different from the normal flow of time.
As if playing in a different dimension.
Ron was slow, but he steadily created his Sword Domain.
A Sword Domain referred to a swordsman's space created by the sword.
It was a unique characteristic of those who had reached a high state.
Seogeok, seogeok, seogeok!
After cutting three necks, he slashed the right arm and leg of a man with a dumbfounded expression, subduing him.
Kraaak!
As the man screamed, thinking he was alive.
Papat!
He stopped the bleeding with Aura Hold (striking acupoints).
One had to be left alive to hear the circumstances.
If he killed them all, he could be framed for destroying evidence, leading to a strange misunderstanding like, 'You were one of them, too.'
'The world doesn't run on reason.'
He knew he wasn't being conventional himself, but what could he do?
He didn't find it particularly strange.
In life, anything could happen, and any situation could arise.
He didn't want to explain every little thing to make a rational judgment each time.
Rational judgment is a huge headache and takes a long time.
He skipped the trivial details because they were annoying.
Now that the 20 Aura users were dealt with, the remaining chaff wasn't difficult.
Three kills in one path.
It was an efficient sword path that surpassed killing two birds with one stone.
Degurururu!
The number of heads rolling on the ground increased.
If even the Aura users couldn't escape, the unruly commoners could only be slaughtered.
"Save m—!"
Seogeok!
Ron didn't haggle with the enemy.
Personal circumstances should have been explained in detail before the battle began.
Trying to talk to someone while they are swinging a sword is just distracting.
That is not a wise choice.
Even if the sword path wavers, the one who is meant to die will die.
However, as much as it wavered, it won't be clean.
It's the difference between having your neck cut off in one go and having it sawed off.
He wouldn't stop them if they wanted to bring pain upon themselves.
Seogeok, swak!
The shortest distance.
The minimal movement.
An exquisite sword path.
A scene where the three elements aligned perfectly.
Dead bodies filled the ground, and only the one who lost an arm and a leg writhed, bleeding.
Hwiik, cheok!
Ron flicked his sword clean and sheathed it.
When he looked back.
Stunned!
Not just Radon, but all the knights were staring blankly, unable to grasp reality.
Their faces showed they couldn't understand what had just happened.
'Well, these things happen in life.'
Was I too much of a classic power-hiding character?
I wasn't even trying to show off.