Chapter 72 : The Fist of Freedom

[Avenge us!]

[Why did we have to suffer like this!]

[Don’t forget our grudge!]

[You are our sword.]

[■■■, you are our revenge and resentment that we wield.]

[Your blood, your bones, your flesh. Everything is made of our grudge.]

[Let them know.]

[No matter what price you pay!]

[Our grudges and favors…!]

‘Our grudge…’

Lee, the magical girl of [Sword], came to Beijing for the first time in her life. The city her masters had told her about while mumbling with bony teeth pulled out from chewing tree branches in a dark cave.

“The place we must take revenge on.”

Lee’s sense of self was shattered by the waves of grudge and obsession that 100 masters whispered every day.

As soon as she was born, when her parents, who occasionally called her by name, no longer called her by name, she forgot everything except her surname Li. From the day even her parents were buried in the desire for revenge, her name was ‘Successor’.

“Revenge.”

The huge city spread out before her was majestic and enormous, as if embodying the spirit of China advancing to meet a new era. Those who lived here lived expecting China’s tomorrow, which they believed without doubt would shine brilliantly.

“I’ll let you know.”

The malice of the Black Sword Sect that slowly grew in a cave 40 years ago where your hope doesn’t reach.

What you deliberately let flow to the other side of history.

What you let flow to the other side of oblivion.

The world of black swords created by martial artists who continued miserable lives in caves with their limbs’ tendons cut.

All that remained for the girl was martial arts.

“Be born as you please. Forget as you please. Die as you please.”

Die caught up in unreasonable grudges and favors.

The malice of the Black Sword Sect will cover the concept of nation.

That was the only meaning of existence left for Lee.

“…”

[Sword] Magical Girl’s Unique Skill

Ten Thousand Sword World

‘That place.’

‘That place!’

‘The place where we were unjustly wronged!’

‘The place where our lives were trampled!’

‘Destroy that place!’

The screams of ten thousand black swords digging into Lee’s ears were directed at the orange castle built in the center of Beijing. In front of that huge castle, 100 martial artists had their limbs’ tendons cut while being mocked in front of tens of thousands of people.

‘They mocked us, calling us old-fashioned!’

‘They threw us away, calling us useless vermin!’

The Forbidden City.

Lee slowly flew towards it, standing on a black sword.

The groups that had been interfering with her couldn’t handle the Ten Thousand Sword World and hid somewhere in this huge city. The soldiers who tried to stop her like in Shanghai retreated, unable to overcome their fear.

Thud

Lee took one step at a time, taking in the huge appearance of the Forbidden City she had suddenly arrived at.

The black swords that had been floating around Beijing hunting down interferers gathered one by one, following behind the successor.

Ten thousand swords cried out for the forgotten world of martial artists behind the successor, just like in those glorious times.

‘Why did we have to become sacrificial lambs!’

‘Could we not decide our own end!’

‘We deny the history built upon our blood!’

“…”

Since awakening the Ten Thousand Sword World, the voices of lamentation, despair, and resentment that 100 masters, or parents, had cried out endlessly echoed in her mind. It was the single milestone and sword path that her life was heading towards.

Stop

“…”

“Hey, you can’t just cut off someone’s arm and leave so heartlessly.”

A girl hiding her severed arm with a bright green robe blocked Lee’s path.

“I challenge you to a duel! You bastard. Let’s fight again!”

Ichika said confidently, wiggling her right hand.

‘Is it recklessness?’

Lee couldn’t understand her confident expression. Someone of her level should know that she was no match for herself. Everything she said felt like a waste of time.

“You cannot stop me.”

“We’ll only know that after we try.”

Under the hazy sky filled with smoke from collapsed buildings, a girl in an ink-colored robe and a girl in a green robe faced off. Following behind the ink-colored robe were ten thousand black swords screaming, and spread out behind the green robe was the sky faintly visible through the rising smoke.

Qishi Six Harmonies Fist.

The basic fist technique corresponding to heaven, earth, and four directions that Ichika first learned from the old monk in the dilapidated temple in Osaka.

Qishi Black Dog Fang.

The beginning of revenge taught by a toothless mother in some dark cave.

Ichika’s stance was stable, with her lower body sinking heavily as if carrying a thousand pounds, while Lee’s stance was calm but surrounded by a threatening killing intent like a dog’s fangs ready to bite at any moment. The two girls fell silent, preparing the initial forms placed at the starting point of their lives, guessing that this fight would be a battle to the death.

“…”

“…”

The standoff between the two girls who had maintained silence for a moment was broken with a roar.

The first to strike wins.

Ichika’s green fist rushed in, becoming a pillar of clear light flying over the white stone floor of the Forbidden City. The two legs visible under the sailor uniform skirt swiftly closed the distance with minimal steps through strong movements.

Boom! Bang! Bang! Boom!

With each of Ichika’s steps, the stone path leading to the Forbidden City shattered, creating thick stone dust. As if an archer made of stone dust was shooting green arrows.

Lee slightly raised her black sword in the same calm stance standing on two legs and thrust it towards the empty space Ichika was approaching, and dark gray starlight gathered and suddenly rose up over the black sword.

As the green fist and black sword collided, there was a roar that shook heaven and earth. The two girls, close enough to see each other’s pupils, unleashed their most threatening attacks that could take each other’s lives.

Red Mist Divine Palm.

A palm technique containing the subtle principles of subduing demons used by Emei Sect nuns to subdue enemies wielding evil powers.

Ichika, with her only remaining right hand straightened, emitted a faint and warm green energy like a fading red sunset, driving away the dark gray starlight. The evil starlight that had grown by feeding on others’ blood wavered under the palm technique resembling a sunset containing the enlightenment of nuns from long ago.

Faint yet intense like a sunset on the horizon.

Ichika’s strike, extending through the wavering energy due to the demon-subduing palm technique, was faint yet warm and resolute.

Black Ghost Kill.

Lee’s black sword scattered the starlight dimmed by the Red Mist Divine Palm into the air and danced erratically. The dark gray starlight fluttered chaotically, completely dispersing Ichika’s green energy and dancing erratically.

Like a shaman’s dance to drive away ghosts.

Like the mindless dance of a woman possessed by ghosts.

What was evil and what was good?

In a world full of chaos, it was enough to just dance once.

The dance of a sword ghost who had let go of even its own soul to fight the concept of nation.

The viscous killing intent contained in the sword dance dispersed hazily, pushing back the faintly flowing demon-subduing energy. The black sword that had been dancing as if mad naturally changed course and advanced towards Ichika’s neck.

“Ha!”

The soul of a mad swordsman rushing towards Ichika, who had pulled her body back hard with a shout of effort to avoid the killing strike.

Black Bear Eyes.

Have you ever seen the eyes of a mother bear who lost her cub?

That viscous killing intent.

Those resentful eyes.

The most intense killing intent realized by a heartless person who deliberately killed bear cubs and called out the mother bear to awaken a resentment stronger than anyone else’s. In a single streak of viscous killing intent contained in Lee’s sword was the soul poured out by 100 martial artists who had their lives taken away.

“Li Na!! Now!!”

At Ichika’s shout, the magical girl of [Dagger] who had been hiding appeared from the darkness.

“Take this!!”

Lee’s posture, spraying the most viscous killing intent ever, was paradoxically in the most vulnerable stance, and threatening daggers completely occupying all directions of that opening poured down.

Poison.

Lee sensed the faint scent of poison from the daggers and withdrew the killing intent she had been extending towards Ichika, raising her hand to call out the black swords. Ten thousand black swords deployed in the direction Li Na was attacking.

Whoosh!

“…What?”

Lee looked up, feeling a sudden roaring in her head.

Mortars pouring down.

“Your head’s empty!!”

Li Na’s daggers relentlessly striking the ten thousand swords.

Ichika’s Jade-Breaking Fist Technique striking towards the suddenly empty flank.

Mortars falling on Lee’s head, which had been focused on the duel.

‘Were they trying to surround me?’

Realizing the scheme that had aimed for the moment she was concentrating on one person in a fixed location for the first time, Lee quietly let go of the black sword.

Boom!

Dozens of mortars exploded, creating a thick dust cloud, and with a ringing in the ears that felt like they would burst, a terrible sight was revealed.

The stone path of the Forbidden City was completely covered in black gunpowder smoke, and all the stone path fragments shattered, creating a huge crater.

“…”

What appeared as the smoke cleared was Li Na, who had flown far away in tatters and collapsed unable to move.

Ichika, covered in blood with her knees completely bent, her special combat uniform for fighting torn to shreds even though it was wrapped for protection.

And the magical girl of [Sword], who had quietly raised her hand blade towards the sky.

Mind Sword.

For [Sword], who could freely deploy sword paths wherever her mind went, surprise attacks coming from all directions didn’t work.

“Damn it.”

Ichika felt truly bleak as their final scheme was blocked.