Ch.8Buh (4)

“Daichi! Daichi!”

“Daichi Tengri has manifested himself!”

“Woooah! Long live Batur!”

People sending enthusiastic cheers my way.

I looked at them and waved to each one.

It felt like being at a wrestling tournament.

Like being at the Ssireum festival I used to watch with my family every Chuseok when I was young.

“Everything’s fine except this outfit is a bit tight…”

The Bokh wrestling outfit had a high level of exposure, as expected.

A top made of camel leather called jodak and a bottom piece called shodak that was closer to a triangle brief.

And that was it, along with traditional Mongolian shoes called gotal.

It almost made me feel like I was wearing a costume for some kind of roleplay.

Of course, having such thoughts would be disrespectful to the Mongolian people.

But my name… or rather, the original owner of this body had such a unique name that I couldn’t help my thoughts drifting in that direction.

“Don’t think strange thoughts. Don’t think strange thoughts…”

The reason I was participating in this life-or-death wrestling match.

I reminded myself that it was to become the legitimate Khan of the Khamag Mongol.

My mind gradually began to calm.

And then I started to see things I hadn’t noticed before.

The three large rivers flowing through the body.

The pectoral muscles standing firm like mountains.

The clearly defined abdominal muscles.

And thighs as thick as a woman’s waist.

Yesugei’s nearly perfect body came into view.

“You’ve worked hard, Yesugei.”

A truly remarkable transformation.

I felt proud of myself for creating such a body in just half a year.

While I was thinking this, two people approached me.

Juchi and Ambaghai, who had humiliated me at the Kurultai half a year ago, were awkwardly approaching.

“…”

“…”

Their physiques seemed smaller than before.

I rubbed my eyes and looked at them again, wondering if I was mistaken.

“What’s wrong, Ba…Batur. If…if you’re afraid of the life-or-death Bokh, apologize to the elder now. Then at least your life…”

“Did you become much smaller while I haven’t seen you?”

“…”

“Y-you bastard!”

Ambaghai and Juchi immediately flared up at my words.

And for good reason—in Mongolia, the land of real men, having a small physique was humiliating.

Additionally, hearing such words from Yesugei, who was lower in the family hierarchy… it was only natural for them to be upset.

“I’ll teach you how to respect your family, elders, and ancestors!”

Juchi growled like a wolf.

I looked at him and nodded.

“Fine by me.”

It was an arrogant thought, but…

Honestly, I felt like I could win even if both of them attacked me at once.

It seemed completely impossible that the Juchi and Ambaghai standing before me could defeat me.

While I was thinking this, Bulqa Khan appeared before us.

As the referee for this match, he addressed me, Juchi, and Ambaghai.

“This Bokh is a legitimate contest to settle the matter raised at the previous Kurultai, and I ask you to swear that even if you lose your life in this match, you will not appeal to Tengri god with resentment.”

From my perspective, I thought it didn’t matter what I swore if I died anyway.

But for Mongolians who believed in the afterlife, this oath was an important ritual that had to be performed before starting Bokh.

“I swear.”

“I swear.”

“I swear.”

The three of us looked up at the sky and made our oaths.

As soon as the oath was finished, Ambaghai, the eldest among us, stepped forward and began jumping up and down with his arms flapping and legs spread wide.

Juchi followed suit.

I watched them, sighed inwardly, and followed their traditional dance.

A dance that had to be performed before starting Bokh.

It was a dance honoring Hangarid, a legendary bird in Mongolian mythology.

A dance with magical significance, promising to keep the oath made to Tengri.

When the dance ended, Bulqa Khan looked at everyone and shouted in a loud voice.

“Then in the name of Tengri and Daichi Tengri, honoring the spirits of our ancestors, I declare the start of this Bokh to determine who will uphold the laws of the steppe!”

And so the Bokh began.

As soon as it started, Ambaghai and Juchi rushed at me.

* * *

It was a tense match that had everyone on the edge of their seats.

Since this match would determine the official leader of the Khamag Mongol, everyone was holding their breath watching the three men.

Yesugei with his enormous body.

Juchi and Ambaghai who rushed at him to take him on.

Though both were known for their strength in their respective tribes, they were no match for pushing back Yesugei.

“Haaaaaah!”

Yesugei even managed to fling them away.

Then he stretched out his leg and tripped Juchi.

“Oops!”

Juchi fell face-first onto the ground.

Seeing this, Yesugei mounted him and began choking him with his arm.

“Grrrrk… gak…!”

Juchi’s face turned bright red from the powerful chokehold.

As his face turned so red it looked like it might burst, a panicked Ambaghai kicked Yesugei in the side.

Thud, thud, thud.

Despite the repeated kicks to his abdomen, Yesugei didn’t budge.

Instead, he extended his other arm and grabbed Ambaghai’s leg as it came in for another kick.

“Wh…what?!”

Then Yesugei pulled hard and knocked him down.

“Is that really strength a human can possess?”

“Even Xiang Yu from the Central Plains would struggle to overcome Yesugei’s strength.”

“It’s almost as if Daichi Tengri has borrowed the body of the Kiyat Khan to appear on this earth.”

People couldn’t hide their amazement at Yesugei’s incredible strength.

Again, since both Juchi and Ambaghai were known for their strength, people couldn’t help but be amazed at Yesugei’s power as he handled them like children.

Unlike the spectators’ exclamations, Juchi was on the verge of death.

As his face began to turn dark, Ambaghai finally stopped kicking and decided to choke Yesugei instead.

“Let go of Juchi, you bastard!”

“Kak… kak!”

No matter how well-trained one’s body is, it’s difficult to endure being choked for a long time.

So Yesugei had no choice but to let go of Juchi and back away.

“Haaack… huff… hack… kak…”

Juchi, who had barely escaped from Yesugei’s chokehold.

He retched repeatedly with his face planted on the ground.

He had nearly gone to join Tengri and his ancestors.

Juchi couldn’t hide his anger toward Yesugei who had pushed him this far.

“How dare you…! Me…!”

Juchi gritted his teeth.

Then he openly pulled out a knife he had hidden in his sleeve.

“Th-that’s a weapon!”

“Drawing a blade in the sacred Bokh!”

“What a coward!”

“Shut up! You lowly scum!”

Juchi hurled insults at those who were jeering at him.

He had completely lost his reason.

“Yesugei! You may be my nephew, but not only have you openly insulted me, you’re also trying to take my position as Khan of the Khamag Mongol!”

Juchi’s angry words.

His voice was filled with indescribable rage.

But Yesugei had no time to listen to Juchi’s words.

His priority was to escape from Ambaghai’s chokehold.

“Grrk… gak…”

“Yes! Cry out in pain! And I’ll kill you in front of everyone.”

Juchi approached slowly.

As he was about to kill his nephew and fellow clansman Yesugei with a knife during the sacred Bokh, the referee Bulqa Khan stepped in to stop him.

“This Bokh is void! Juchi! You have insulted Daichi Tengri, tradition, and our ancestors!”

“Ha! It’s too late, Bulqa. Before you can stop me, this bastard’s belly will already be split open!”

With those words, Juchi began to run.

Bulqa belatedly rushed to stop him, but Juchi moved faster.

It was a critical moment.

Juchi shouted loudly with a maniacal laugh.

“Hahaha! You’ll wish you had been poisoned by the Tatars instead—that would have been an easier death!”

Juchi thrust the dagger toward Yesugei’s abdomen with all his might.

At that moment, a scream pierced through the cheers and excitement of the Bokh.

* * *

“Huff… huff…”

A man bleeding.

Looking at him, I thought I had nearly died.

“Wh-what is… what’s happening…”

“Ne-nephew… wh-why did you…”

Ambaghai staring at Juchi with a blank expression.

The spark of life in his eyes gradually faded and soon began to turn dark.

Shocked, Juchi looked at the sword stuck in Ambaghai’s back and stepped backward.

I had no intention of letting Juchi escape so easily. So I stretched out my hand to grab his shoulder, preventing him from running away.

“Kak… kak… whew… barely survived.”

Ambaghai, whose arm strength had failed after being stabbed.

Watching him collapse like a puppet with cut strings, I belatedly realized that the knife Juchi had thrust was coated with deadly poison.

“Not only did you draw a knife in the sacred Bokh, but you also tried to poison me?”

“N-no… th-this is… this is…!”

Juchi was stammering.

Because he had just killed his own relative and uncle Ambaghai with his own hands.

Strictly speaking, it was a killing caused by an accidental moment, not his intention.

However, in the minds of all those watching the Bokh, it was already imprinted that Juchi had killed Ambaghai.

The background of how this happened.

It was entirely a coincidence.

Before Juchi thrust his dagger, I was being choked.

In this state, with Juchi approaching with a dagger, I had to somehow avoid Ambaghai’s attack.

So I chose to slam him.

Using Yesugei’s strength, I planned to throw Ambaghai, who was choking me from behind, forward to avoid the attack…

By sheer coincidence, Juchi’s knife perfectly stabbed Ambaghai’s back as he was falling in front of me due to my throw.

In a way, Ambaghai had blocked the poisoned dagger for me.

Divine providence.

If heaven hadn’t helped me, it could have been me rolling on the ground instead of Ambaghai.

“You bastard…”

“S-stop! Stop! I-I am of a higher family rank than you…”

“Clench your teeth, you vile bastard.”

With those words, I slapped his cheek hard.

When my hand, as large as a pot lid, hit his face, his neck twisted halfway.

“Kugh… kak… st-stop… st-stop…”

“You’ve only been hit once and you’re already whining to stop.”

Slap! Slap!

I delivered two more slaps in succession.

His face turned bright red and began to develop bluish bruises.

“Sp-spare me… if you spare my life… I’ll give you my tribe, the position of Khan, everything! Just spare me!”

Juchi begging pathetically for his life.

Hearing the famous line known for being fabricated in online communities coming from Juchi’s mouth made it feel even more disgusting.

“I will stain Daichi Tengri’s cloak red with your blood.”

Mongolians traditionally considered dying without bloodshed an honorable death.

Therefore, I intended to give Juchi, who had not only acted dishonorably but also killed his own relative, the most shameful death possible.