The Ash Prince's Defeat

In medieval times, there were people who hunted with swords. They would charge at wild boars or bears, accompanied by a few hunting dogs and a few swords in hand.

Of course, swords are not ideal weapons for taking down such large animals.

Swordmasters do not train their swordsmanship specifically to fight beasts. Therefore, hunting beasts is a difficult task even for a skilled swordsman.

However, that does not mean that people who hunt with swords are always superior to skilled swordsmen. The refined swordsmanship used against humans and the skill required for hunting beasts are different methods.

And during Gaon's time in the other world, most of the enemies around him were monsters close to beasts. The enemies he had to fight with his sword were not humans.

So, when training swordsmanship, Gaon did not learn complex techniques. He simply repeated swinging and thrusting.

By stabbing and slashing monsters to death with these basic movements, he became a Swordmaster. Unlike other Swordmasters who diligently trained their swordsmanship and fought humans to reach the pinnacle.

Now, facing the traditional Swordmaster Hyungtun, Gaon is being pushed back.

White energy surges like darkness, crashing into each other. Grayish ash waves collide.

Light and ash mix and scatter in the darkness.

Hyungtun thrusts. A white ray tears through the darkness.

Gaon, as a Swordmaster, does not need to see the intense white to perceive the path and target of the attack. His combat sense accurately grasps the trajectory and landing point of the strike.

Thanks to that, it is not difficult to block the attack.

However, the moment the swords clash and lock in a struggle, Hyungtun uses the principle of leverage to twist the tip of his sword.

White brilliance mixes with the grayish ash.

It wraps around his sword, a technique good for binding.

It is a technique Gaon learned not long ago and has not yet mastered.

It does not get blocked immediately. He responds appropriately with only his instinctive sense.

The ash suppresses the white brilliance, scattering ash powder in all directions. He presses down with his sword and counters with a thrust.

However, Gaon's appropriate response is Hyungtun's trap. Hyungtun knows the method of countering a counter, and the counter to that counter. It is a sophisticated system that swordsmen have developed over centuries. Based on that, he weaves long-term tactics and fights.

Hyungtun counters the counter with another counter. He sweeps away the opponent's sword and thrusts along the same path.

A white ray piercing the ash eyes Gaon.

Gaon evades the counter with only his instinctive sense.

It was the best move in the situation, but not a move to improve it. By moving his body greatly to dodge, he fell into a disadvantageous position.

White light conquers all directions. The ash is buried in the brilliant light, losing its presence.

Hyungtun's offensive continues.

Gaon grits his teeth.

As expected, he is being pushed back. Just like when fighting Hago.

But there is one difference from fighting Hago.

When fighting Hago, Gaon could not understand why he was being pushed back.

Gaon did not lose in any single clash. He would match equally in each clash, but ultimately lose.

At the time, it was thought to be luck or that Hago was using some trick due to his experience.

Now, it is clear that was not the case.

He can roughly understand why he is losing. Although not much time has passed, Gaon has learned swordsmanship. The German long sword style taught by the instructor.

Techniques at a certain level become similar. Just as the practical Ryuha of Japanese swordsmanship and the basic stance of European long sword are surprisingly similar.

Similarly, there are many similarities between German long sword and Karse long sword.

Thanks to that, Gaon can detect the swordsmanship he learned from Hyungtun's sword.

He can understand what Hyungtun intends with the sword movement not by instinct but by reason.

Gaon discovers rules and irregularities in Hyungtun's sword.

He sees the sword tip made by decades of training and extreme instinct. The harmony of principle and sense, a geometric art.

At the moment he understands its greatness, the desire to win disappears. Nevertheless, he fights stubbornly to see a little more of all that.

To absorb all that into himself.

He seems to understand how Lee Mi-ri felt when she rushed at him blindly...

Unfortunately, he could not continue the fight.

The white light is still brilliant, but the fading ash is getting weaker and weaker.

The sword qi is energy maintained by magic power, and in this game, the substitute for magic power, MP, is decreasing.

Eventually, MP runs out. The sword without sword qi is cut like a bean the moment it collides with the sword qi.

The Swordmaster's sense saves Gaon's life again. Gaon rolls back to avoid the sword that was about to cut his neck.

Gaon who has fallen back looks up at Hyungtun. Whether Hyungtun has reason or not, it seems he has realized that the opponent is neutralized.

Given the hole drilled in the back earlier, bleeding is severe, and without hurry, he approaches slowly.

Gaon sees the approaching death.

Quiet before death...

No, no. There is something disturbing the quiet.

Whoosh, a sound vibrating the air. It was coming from far away in the sky.

Gaon guesses what the sound is.

'Plane?'

A plane is flying over here. It does not seem like just passing by.

Something is dropping from there.

Aerial bomb? Missile? Anyway, something deadly.

As a result of the collision, light. An extremely intense light is created.

Then sound.

A tremendous explosion intensity that numbs Gaon's hearing, invading the surroundings. So it's not that the sound is loud, but it feels like nothing is heard.

Meanwhile, the light is still not going out. The intense light is felt even beyond the concrete wall.

Vibration like an earthquake.

Hyungtun stops advancing to steady his body.

At this moment, Gaon knows what will happen next.

'Oh, Gaon.'

Gaon uses the power of the goddess he worships. He spends all remaining MP to turn it into sacred power.

The power of the owner of all warmth, the Goddess of Fire and Hearth, spreads over the skin.

Now, the heat cannot harm Gaon's body. Amazing protection that even Earth's firefighters become believers in the goddess.

Thanks to this, he can see the subsequent process.

After light and sound, the heat rushes in.

An extremely intense heat comes like a mad wave.

Devastating energy crashes into the reinforced concrete building. Just before the building collapses, but luckily it doesn't completely pierce the wall.

However, the heat doesn't bounce back when blocked, but finds another way and charges.

Soon, heat enters through all the pierced spaces and fills the building interior.

At this point, it's not hard to guess what the plane dropped.

The sun god created by Earthlings. Nuclear bomb.

In front of the gods, humans are powerless. Even superhumans are no exception.

'Oh...'

Gaon sees Hyungtun losing shape. Terribly, his whole body is melting and evaporating.

Meanwhile, even Gaon himself protected from the heat is not fine. Terrifying pressure and vacuum. Blood flows from all body orifices, and blood vessels are bursting everywhere.

In a situation where he can't steady his body, another nuclear bomb explodes.

This time, it seems to have exploded nearby.

Devastating shockwave. It destroys even the concrete walls here, scattering debris everywhere.

With intense light and explosion, vision and hearing numbed, using imagination to guess the situation...

The whole world would be flying in pieces.

The American imperialists called that amazing feat, the historical revenge of detonating the reactor, terrorism. They called him a terrible terrorist, wanting to belittle him.

After he returned alive, they called him differently.

Yes, dictator.

Now, the American imperialist trash call Hyungtun the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Great the dictator. They say he trampled the democracy that he helped create at great cost. They say he acts like he was elected president and then became emperor.

It's an absurd slander. There was no more legitimate act than his ascension to the throne.

Hyungtun's lord was the Margrave of Karse Empire, the Elector. He had both the right to elect and be elected.

During that time, he became a Swordmaster.

At that time, the current Emperor was an old man, and the next Emperor election was approaching. Of course, all the Electors knew that voting for a Swordmaster would bring peace to the Empire and their own territories.

The result of the next Emperor election was too obvious. It was said that the first Emperor could be born unanimously.

Yes, if time just flowed, Hyungtun could have become Emperor. Extremely legal and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠peaceful.

But time did not flow that way. That damned Archmage! That damned Great Dimensional Gate!

The Earth trash invaded, and everything changed.

While Hyungtun went on a distant expedition to defeat more enemies, the wonderful democracy was delivered to the Karse Empire.

Why did they deliver democracy first to Karse, leaving other places?

The American imperialists say it is the result of the citizens' will of Karse winning. They only supported that will.

Who would believe that?

The small rebel force of only a few thousand succeeded in a coup not because of the spirit of freedom, nor because of the people's support.

It was because of the guns and howitzers generously given by the American imperialists. Things enough to slaughter the halberd-wielding royal guard.

The reason the democracy fighters Nari gave them those weapons for free was obvious. Not because they highly valued their spirit of freedom. It was because the Karse Emperor refused to cede the Arin Plains.

After Karse, the target was Hugin, right? Why was democracy delivered there?

Ah, right. Because the Hugin King sent support troops for the long-time ally Karse Empire...

Trash guys.

All that process was trash, and the republic and democracy are also trash.

Hyungtun the Great only recovered the legitimate rights that should have been his in that trash heap.

Always and now, the legitimate leader of Karse is only one person. The legitimate lord of the Arin Plains who is currently occupied by the American imperialist trash and not returned is also that person.

Long live Hyungtun the Great.

Glory to Karse, the homeland of dragons and Swordmasters, Arin.

Gaon, upon waking, first did international calling.

"Hey, can you look up Lee Mi-ri's phone number? Why? Ah, yes..."

"What? Who is this?"

"You bastard, did the Asin tell you the phone number? Why? To make it a duel-less thing?"

"That's not possible. The tradition of duel is absolute."

"Then why. Did you call to tease me?"

"No. I want to recommend a place to go after leaving the city. A place that would help with sword practice."

"A place that helps with sword practice?"

"You know, fighting North Korean army? Arin Plains."

"Arin Plains? Ah... the place where North Korean army is forced to use cold weapons and do medieval war?"

"Yeah. There, since no one shoots guns, it's good for sword wielders to go wild?"

"I heard that if sword wielders go there, it's not good for activity. Especially Gaon the Swordmaster picking off sword wielders who teleport 0.4 seconds at a time and fight well..."

"I won't kill you personally. I might ask someone else to kill you, but..."

"Why do you have that confidence? You are a Swordmaster? Speaking of which, Gaon from Hugin, that..."

"Of course not. There are many people with the same name. You don't know how beautiful and wonderful the Ash Prince Gaon is? There is even a fan cafe for him on Naver. You should join quickly too..."

"Enough with the worship of the worst of the worst. Anyway, going there would be good for practicing sword cuts, right?"

Gaon sighs.

"Yeah."

"If I hang out with the North Korean army, won't I get caught under the National Security Act..."

Lee Mi-ri seems eager despite the muttering.

The game world Karse Empire's Margrave, Arin Plains.

If he can survive, there is no better place to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fight with swords. Certainly a paradise of cold weapons.

It is the place where a Gray Elf demigod fights at the front line, where the use of firearms is banned within a 2.4km radius.