Chapter v17c5

Even the usually arrogant Oh Ma-kwang was shocked. He hadn’t expected those young whippersnappers to push him this far. Their combined attack was precise and deadly.

But his nickname was “Double Axes.” It wasn’t just because he used a double-headed axe.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

He had a hidden move, a trump card befitting a master of the evil path. His other axe was strapped to his back. It was smaller, and therefore faster. There was no such thing as “fast axe technique.” Axes were inherently slow and cumbersome weapons. But the way Oh Ma-kwang wielded his smaller axe defied that notion.

He had the strength to wield a ten-chi axe with ease. And with a smaller, lighter axe in his hand, his speed and agility were astonishing.

His axe flashed, intercepting Yu Eun-seong’s sword, which was aimed at his forehead.

Clang!

The sword, struck from the side, flew upwards. Before it could land, his axe was already attacking Jin So-ryeong. His eyes glowed red, like a demon from the abyss.

Her swordsmanship crumbled before his relentless assault.

“Aah!”

She lost her grip on her sword, her hand bleeding. Her internal organs felt like they were being churned, her vision blurring, her mind going blank.

His axe disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, returning to its sheath on his back. And then, her slender neck was in his grasp.

He could snap her neck like a twig.

His eyes burned with rage as he looked at her struggling form. He had intended to savor her death, to torture her slowly, but he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to kill her now.

“No! Miss Jin!”

Yu Eun-seong screamed, but he was unarmed, helpless.

“Die!”

Oh Ma-kwang’s hand tightened, ready to claim another life.

Yu Eun-seong closed his eyes.

It took a while for Yu Eun-seong to realize something was wrong. He hadn’t heard Jin So-ryeong’s death scream. And he hadn’t heard the villain’s triumphant laughter.

Facing reality was terrifying. But he forced himself to open one eye. Jin So-ryeong was still in the villain’s grasp, but her neck was intact. He could sense that she was still alive.

“Th-This…”

Oh Ma-kwang’s face was red with exertion.

His arm was bulging with veins and tendons. He was trying to tighten his grip on Jin So-ryeong’s neck, but his hand wouldn’t move.

What was going on? His eyes widened in confusion. Yu Eun-seong, who had sharp eyes, noticed it too.

“Is… Is that a hidden weapon?”

There was something thin and black protruding from Oh Ma-kwang’s thick wrist.

“Who dared to attack me with a hidden weapon?”

But it wasn’t a hidden weapon. It wasn’t a poisoned needle. It was something else.

Yu Eun-seong’s eyes widened. Oh Ma-kwang’s eyes widened too. It was something they had seen many times before, especially above their heads or fluttering in the wind.

“Is… Is that a hair?”

He rubbed his eyes, but it was still there.

It was a single strand of hair.

Clap! Clap!

“That’s enough!”

A calm, gentle, but firm voice spoke. The man in the straw hat stood up.

Yu Eun-seong, and everyone else, was bewildered by what happened next. It happened so fast that it took a while for their brains to process the information.

“Who are you? You’re about to die!”

Oh Ma-kwang’s right hand, still free, swung at the man, unleashing a fierce attack. And then, everything froze. It was as if time had stopped.

The massive axe, capable of shattering boulders, was frozen in midair, inches away from the man’s face. The man in the straw hat had casually raised his hand, effortlessly neutralizing the attack.

“What can you do with a toy like this?”

Crack!

He clenched his hand, and the axe crumbled into pieces, falling to the ground. He closed the distance between them in an instant and twisted Oh Ma-kwang’s right arm. The arm, which had seemed as strong as iron, twisted like a wet rag.

“Aah!”

The master of the Thousand Horses Fort, who was used to inflicting pain on others, screamed in agony.

Oh Gyeong, the second-in-command, still somewhat conscious, drew his blood-dripping Sawtooth Saber and charged at the man, trying to help his master. He had earned his nickname, “Bloodtooth Saber,” by being the first to shed blood in every battle. But his saber, imbued with the resentment of countless victims, snapped like a twig against the man’s casual wave of his sleeve, and his body was ripped apart, as if clawed by a wild beast. He flew backwards, spraying blood. Jin So-ryeong, who had been suspended in midair, floated down into the man’s arms, as if guided by an invisible hand.

“Are you alright, little miss?”

The man asked, a kind smile on his face, as he gently caught her. Jin So-ryeong blushed, nodding her head, unable to speak. She was still shaken, having been rescued from the brink of death.

Clutching her pounding heart, Jin So-ryeong looked up at her savior. But his face was hidden by his straw hat and his long hair. Slightly disappointed, she replied,

“I’m not a little miss.”

“Oh, my apologies. I must have made a mistake. I’m getting old, and I sometimes make these mistakes. I forget that age and wisdom aren’t always correlated. There are plenty of people who live their entire lives with their eyes covered in mud. Please forgive me.”

Throughout history, the ignorant masses have never been enlightened. Jin So-ryeong blushed and nodded.

“But I’m sure you haven’t wasted your time. I forgive your mistake. And thank you for saving me. May I ask you to put me down now?”

Jin So-ryeong, still in the man’s arms, said, blushing.

“I’m sorry. Not yet. I may have remained a bystander until now, but now that I’ve intervened, I have to see this through to the end. It seems like he hasn’t learned his lesson yet. Otherwise, he would have realized who he’s dealing with.”

They both looked at Oh Ma-kwang, who was roaring like a wild animal.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

Oh Ma-kwang, snapping out of his momentary shock, screamed in rage. Fueled by his thirst for revenge, his seventy-seven men, who had been waiting on horseback, charged forward. A tidal wave of hooves threatened to crush the man in the straw hat and the small bird in his arms.

“Such futility.”

The man said quietly, taking a step forward, still holding the girl.

“Now, Why didn’t I help you sooner? I had the power to protect you from harm from the very beginning. I could have rescued you from danger. I could have spared you from this suffering. Why did I wait until now to save you?”

Jin So-ryeong shook her head silently. He continued.

“Because I am not you. You have to fight your own battles. You were thrown into this world, and you have to struggle to survive. That’s life. That’s your life. Life is about defining yourself. I’m just a stranger in your life. I can offer advice, I can lend a hand, but ultimately, you have to fight your own battles. I’m not your nanny. I can’t always be there to save you.”

She listened quietly. The ground trembled beneath the horses’ hooves, but his gentle, soothing voice calmed her. She felt a surge of strength, of confidence, of certainty.

“This is just a coincidence!”

He said firmly.

“A very special, rare, and unexpected coincidence. Not fate. I met you by chance, and I helped you by chance. It’s one of many coincidences. A coincidence of coincidences. I guess you could call it luck. But don’t rely on luck. There’s no such thing as convenient coincidences that happen whenever you need them. You have to rely on your own strength. You have to fight your own battles. That’s why I didn’t help you sooner. Out of respect for your life, for your struggles. To prevent my will from interfering with your path. So forget about this coincidence. Pretend it never happened.”

He walked towards the charging horses, his pace leisurely, as if he was taking a stroll in the park, still holding the girl in his arms.

“All things are in constant flux. Nothing stays the same. Change is the only constant in this world. The endless dance of change, the eternal flow, the constant interaction and transformation… That’s what sustains this world. And combat is no different. It’s just a clash of wills, a struggle for dominance.”

He was now within striking distance of the horses. A well-trained horse wouldn’t hesitate to trample a human. But he didn’t want to harm the horses. They were just tools, extensions of their riders’ will. Breaking a mirror wouldn’t change the person reflected in it.

“Of course, the changes that occur between relationships are more complex. But no matter how complex the changes are, if you can grasp the core principle, you can control the entire situation. It’s called ‘achieving harmony.’ Like this.”

It wasn’t a very effective demonstration. The girl didn’t see what happened. If a flower wasn’t called a flower, it wasn’t a flower. If it wasn’t perceived, it didn’t exist.

None of the riders could touch him. He was still cheerful, his movements effortless, his arms still protectively wrapped around her. And she realized that he wasn’t just sharing some life lessons. He was sharing a profound insight into the nature of martial arts, a secret transmission, a vision. She was witnessing the resurrection of a dead technique, its embodiment in a living form. As he had said, it was a coincidence, a serendipitous encounter.

When he finished his short stroll through the midst of seventy horses, none of the riders were left on their mounts. The former bandits, who had charged at him with their weapons drawn, were all lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Some had been trampled by their own horses, their ribs broken, their legs shattered, their ankles crushed, their guts spilled, their testicles squashed. May they rest in peace.

They were wide-eyed, but they couldn’t comprehend what had happened. It was like a dream, a fleeting glimpse of another dimension.

“Wha… Wha… Wha…”

Oh Ma-kwang, stunned by the display of divine power, gasped for air like a fish out of water.

A chilling silence descended. Only the man in the straw hat stood calmly, holding the girl in his arms, a small bird with infinite potential.

“Um… Can you put me down now? It seems like you’re done.”

The girl whispered, her face buried in his chest.

“Of course, Miss.”

He smiled kindly, complying with her request.