Duel with Sun Ce (2)
A short time before all this happened.
As they plunged into the burning Xuzhou Castle, a truly horrific scene unfolded before them.
Roarrrrr!
Flames raged everywhere, and soldiers were looting the surroundings. It was the everyday landscape of war. Armies back then cost a fortune to maintain, after all. Plunder during battles was just par for the course. There wasn't even a proper system for paying soldiers their salaries, so they had to loot just to eat rice.
Sure, history books and novels talked about armies that punished looting harshly, but claiming they never looted at all? Total bullshit. It was just a matter of degree.
Cho Seon, Choi Yeom... and Cai Yong. The soldiers might lose their minds at the sight of those two beauties. And old man Cai Yong didn't have the strength to protect them. He was a pure scholar who couldn't handle a sword to save his life.
"Everyone!! Follow me for now!!!"
Heading straight for Liu Bei made sense, but Sun Ce and Tai Shici would be there. Clashing with the main force in their current state would be like smashing eggs against a rock.
They needed some kind of scheme.
"You're trying to rescue Lady Cho, Lady Choi, and Elder Cai Yong, right?"
At that moment, Yong Hwa said it with her eyes narrowed slyly.
"Ah..."
Guan Yu's expression hardened too.
Yeah. Spot on.
"Seriously... you're endlessly soft when it comes to women."
Yong Hwa grumbled.
"But saving people in this chaos is the righteous thing to do. Let's go."
Guan Yu invoked justice to agree, though a faint jealousy flickered in her eyes.
"...Lady Cho? Lady Choi? Kim visits Xuzhou often... does he have another concubine here...?"
Yeo Po muttered, racking her brains furiously. Yeo Po, you're trying to squeeze out a scheme in this mess, but no one's gonna listen to your ideas anyway. Your intelligence stat's too low.
"That's not the only goal!! We're heading to the outskirts first to regroup!"
He threw out a rough justification and galloped through the burning streets.
He half-expected someone to cause trouble, but everyone followed smoothly. His own men, sure—but even the Xiliang soldiers trailed him without complaint. Maybe because Yeo Po was leading them after him.
"Over there!! Xuzhou troops!!"
"Center!! Kim's there!! Confirmed Guan Yu and Yeo Po too!!"
Their different uniforms had drawn the Sun Jian army's attention.
"Get out of the way!! You don't wanna die like dogs!!"
Behind him were Guan Yu, Yeo Po, Jang Liao, Go Sun, and the rest. Honestly, it was a lineup that boosted his confidence out of nowhere. This was peak Infinite Challenge member tier.
"Hah!! Kill them!!"
"Take a head and you're a company commander!!!"
Jiangdong soldiers, blinded by glory, charged in.
Spuuuurt!! Stab!!
He cleaved through the oncoming enemies one by one, carving a path.
Soon enough, they reached the residential district of Xuzhou. The Cai family's main home was there too. Scary as it was, half the real estate in this place belonged to Mi Zhu.
The Cai family home, where he used to go regularly to study writing.
"Kyaaah!! Let go!!"
"Please..."
As expected, Choi Yeom, Cho Seon, and Cai Yong were caught by the soldiers.
"Th-they're... really pretty."
"C-Commander. These women..."
The soldiers stared at Choi Yeom and Cho Seon, eyes rolled back in lust. This was a dangerous situation.
"N-No! Stop! We'll take them to the Lord first..."
One with some rank seemed torn between offering the women to his superiors for promotion or letting his eager lower half climb the ranks.
Still, things hadn't gone too far yet. They'd arrived just in time.
"Hey!! You fucking dogs!!"
He bellowed and charged straight at them.
"E-Enemies?!"
The soldiers fumbled for their weapons in panic.
But blinded by the beauties, their movements were sluggish.
After some routine wartime butchery, he swiftly rescued the three.
"Kim Gong...!"
Choi Yeom and Cho Seon burst into tears and threw themselves into his arms.
"You... you've saved our lives again."
Cai Yong teared up and hugged him too. Uh. Old man hugs were a bit much.
"Everyone, let's escape!! Things have gone south!"
He'd thought peaceful life in Xuzhou was possible... but prime real estate like this always attracted disaster. Who knew Sun Jian would invade.
"Y-Yes... we'll follow your lead."
Cai Yong clung to him without letting go. Same with Cho Seon and Choi Yeom.
Liu Bei's group was in danger right now too... They needed rescuing. But their numbers were thin. Most of Yeo Po's prized Xiliang soldiers were dead.
Pondering that, he recalled a legal game exploit.
Disguise.
Wearing enemy uniforms to hide identity. Not foolproof—get too close or act hostile, and you're busted—but it drastically slowed enemy detection.
It worked for sneaking into wars or, in cities, swapping clothes after becoming a wanted criminal or prisoner to evade pursuit. He'd used it plenty in criminal playthroughs. He knew its value.
"Everyone. Change into Sun Jian army uniforms."
He issued the order immediately.
"Ah, such a clever ploy...!"
Guan Yu's eyes sparkled.
"As expected of Kim! Your head turns fast!!"
Guan Yu said, shaking her flowing locks.
"After disguising, approach Sun Ce's main force and hit 'em from behind!"
That was the plan.
"Why not just bulldoze with brute force...?"
Yeo Po said with a frustrated look.
"No. Don't."
He immediately pinched Yeo Po's cheek. That could've gotten them all killed. Raw power like that dulled the brain. She'd survived without thinking because brute force always worked—hence the one-trick pony.
"Fine. Whatever."
Yeo Po accepted surprisingly quick and grabbed a bloody outer cloak from a Sun Jian foot soldier.
Rustle rustle.
They all quickly changed clothes.
They couldn't prep uniforms for other soldiers, so they adjusted: the disguised group would ninja-strike Sun Ce and Tai Shici from behind, while the rest waited nearby and joined the fray. Perfect if it worked.
Back to the present.
Claaaang!!
His and Sun Ce's swords clashed.
"This Sun Ce!! To glorify the great Sun clan's name!! I challenge you to single combat!!"
Sun Ce pulled back, then pointed his sword at him.
Sun Ce has challenged you to a duel.
A duel, huh. Classic Three Kingdoms content where generals break from the chaos for one-on-one.
If you were a general, you could challenge or accept often.
Win, and ally morale skyrockets. Lose, and it plummets.
You could refuse if it seemed unwinnable, but morale tanks just the same.
"Tai Shici!! Pull back the army!! Xuan De!! Have your men withdraw too!!"
Sun Ce made a proposal that worked in their favor.
While he and Sun Ce dueled, everyone else would spectate.
"This is a sacred duel between warriors!! Any who interfere will be punished by this Sun Ce under military law!!"
Sun Ce declared firmly.
...Like bushido or something. He didn't hate the emphasis on sacred warrior duels. Men, born with dicks dangling, couldn't resist knightly honor, samurai codes, chivalry—that shit hooked 'em.
He didn't mind a fair fight between warriors either... but...
If things go south, rush the soldiers immediately. They were the ones pulling a fast one in Xuzhou. If needed, he'd smash through and open an escape route. No one'd call it cowardly. Jiangdong's kitten.
"Fine!! Just what I wanted!!"
He raised his sword and advanced forward. Sun Ce had singled him out—no one else could go.
Smart bastard. Among Guan Yu, Yeo Po, Jang Liao, Go Sun, and heavy hitters like Zhang Fei or Zhao Yun in Liu Bei's main force, he was the weakest.
Unlike the game, facing Sun Ce up close revealed the duel’s other meaning. He caught the faint tremble in Sun Ce's eyes.
Pointing me out to rack up achievements too, huh. As the eldest son, inheriting power from Sun Jian was natural. But people wouldn't follow just because he was daddy's boy. Turbulent times valued ability over blood.
Sun Ce had chosen him to show his heroics and climb the merit ladder. Beating or killing a warrior like him would prove his worth.
"A great lord cherishes his generals—that's true after all."
He opened with verbal initiative before the fight.
"What do you mean...?"
Sun Ce eyed him warily.
"Cheng Pu, the general who served your Sun clan? I killed him. You gonna follow that loyal general to the grave? Touching."
Straight provocation at Sun Ce, plus words to crush enemy morale.
Persuasion 61
Taunt Success
Intimidation Success
His built-up persuasion paid off immediately.
"G-General Cheng...?"
"Wh-what...!"
The soldiers looked their way in confusion. Half-believing, but definitely hesitating.
"D-Don't lie...!! Uncle Zheng... no!! Cheng Pu can't be dead!!"
Sun Ce visibly wavered.
Age couldn't be ignored. Still a mid-to-late teens boy, he rattled easily at small things.
"You'll find out when you hit the afterlife."
He flicked his sword and said.
At Sun Ce's current level... I can take him! Sun Ce was a greenhorn in his first big battle. He could suppress him. Worst case, move the troops.
"You bastard...!!"
Sun Ce charged in fury, sword raised.
Whoooosh!!
The diagonal overhead slash was threatening, but its trajectory was visible.
Clang!!
Using the near-mastered essence of Taiji Sword, he deflected the attack.
Ting! Claaang! Chaang!!
But as a named character, one deflection didn't turn the tide. They clashed swords chaotically, closing and widening distance repeatedly.
"..."
Everyone around held their breath, watching.
Twitch.
The Jiangdong troops fidgeted, dreading if Sun Ce died.
Sun Ce was impressive. Incredible skill for a teen.
But he was already rattled.
Pressure to win absolutely? He couldn't control his habits.
His vision had narrowed. Fixated on landing a cut, he wasn't watching himself.
Common in sword matches.
Swing a sword, and habits show. Foot twitches before a head strike, wrist flicks—unconscious tells if unfocused.
Get read in a match, especially even skills, and it's over.
He'd already spotted Sun Ce's rattled habits.
Flick.
Before head strikes, a slight wrist-up to gauge distance—nailed.
Right leg stepping first—nailed. Tiny pre-measure with leg and arm.
Whoooosh!!
Head strike incoming. He braced confidently.
"Die!!"
Sun Ce swung for the head, as predicted.
Whooosh.
He pulled back distance and raised his sword.
One target. The extending wrist.
Perfect angle visible for wrist-counter during head strike.
Whung.
Sun Ce's sword a hair from his head. He swung Nam Un Geom at the outstretched wrist.
"...!"
Sun Ce saw the merciless blue slash homing in and yanked back—but too late. Retracting a swung sword took time.
Chaaang!!!!
Nam Un Geom's blade neatly sliced Sun Ce's wrist armor. Leather and plates shattered, scattering fragments.
"Kuhuk!!"
Sun Ce clutched his bleeding wrist and dropped his sword.
Clang.
The sound of Sun Ce's sword hitting the ground echoed in the silence.
Shing.
He immediately pointed his sword at Sun Ce's throat.
"Kuh...!"
Sun Ce stared in shock.
Duel victory.