A Day of Good Fortune
It was a day of good fortune that had been long in coming.
The grand trading caravan stretched out before their eyes.
To plunder something of such immense scale, the bandits had mobilized nearly their entire force here, leaving only a minimal contingent to guard the camp.
Including the leader, numbering in the hundreds.
They were savoring the prey before them one last time before the assault.
“Master?”
“Mm… Indeed, it’s magnificent. I don’t even know how long it’s been since I’ve feasted on such a bounty.”
The sheer amount of food stacked in the wagons alone was staggering, and when combined with the estimated value of the treasures, it was enough to make one’s eyes water.
A large-scale trading caravan that had become almost impossible to see after the Heavenly Demon’s rampage.
Watching it, a fierce ambition began to burn in the bandits’ hearts.
“If it’s this much, I can live comfortably for a while without doing any banditry.”
“All this incredible wealth will be ours.”
“To have such an opportunity appear today of all days, it’s truly a stroke of good fortune.”
The bandits felt intense exhilaration as they gazed upon the prey before them.
Although the forces guarding the caravan were also formidable, and many of them appeared to be martial artists,
at this moment, the bandits set aside any concerns about that and focused solely on the treasures before their eyes.
The being who accompanied them, who guaranteed victory in any situation, possessed absolute power.
With his strength, they were confident they could easily sweep away the forces before them with a single swing.
“Good. Then let’s begin. Make sure none of them escape the encirclement.”
“Yes, Master! Attack!”
The moment the leader’s command fell, the bandits leaped up from their positions and charged forward.
Simultaneously, the guards who had been escorting them formed their formation and immediately assumed a defensive stance.
“Bandits! Stop them!”
“Don’t let them touch the wagons! Protect the wagons!”
The battle between the hundreds of bandits who had launched their assault and the hundred or so guards trying to repel them had begun.
Although numerically the bandits were overwhelming, the individual skills of the soldiers far surpassed those of the caravan guards.
Thud!
“Gah!”
The bandits were sent flying by a single punch from the guards.
The strike carried the force of a weapon, shattering their weapons and then crushing their bones and internal organs.
The martial arts used by those here were mostly fist techniques, not weapons.
In contrast, the bandits all carried weapons, but the vast difference in skill between martial artists and ordinary people was clearly demonstrated in this moment.
Every time the guards swung their fists, the bandits were sent flying, while even when the bandits swung their weapons, they were blocked by the guards’ hands or broken in return, not causing much damage.
“Th-this guy is strong!”
“Damn it! If we get close, we don’t stand a chance! Shoot from afar with arrows…!”
“U-useless! With arrows like that, we can’t… Aaaah!”
By leveraging their individual superior combat prowess, the guards were keeping the tide of battle even.
However,
Despite their efforts, the seemingly balanced situation quickly collapsed, and the guards began to be pushed back further and further, with no chance of counterattacking.
“Damn it!”
“The enemy numbers are too great!”
“My qi is running out… If this continues…!”
The numerical disadvantage, which had been hidden despite individual strength, was now clearly revealed.
The frenzied offensive based on overwhelming numbers had drained the guards’ qi to the last drop.
As a result, the formation the guards had maintained began to crumble from the weakest points,
and once a crack appeared in the formation, it quickly spiraled into a desperate situation.
However,
The atmosphere changed abruptly at that moment.
“Capture that woman!”
“Kill the men and take the women! Today, let’s enjoy ourselves wildly at the camp!”
As the guards’ formation broke and the rear of the caravan was exposed, another group appeared.
Despite the women being veiled, the bandits could see the beauty of the women and the young girl, drooling as they rushed forward.
But…
“Kyaaah!”
“Aaaah!!”
“!!”
In the next moment, the bandits were vomiting blood and dying amid the cries of agony.
Nearly two-tenths of the bandits there instantly died.
“What… what is this?”
“Wh-what is happening right now…”
The sudden death of a comrade they had been fighting with moments ago.
The bandits were gripped by instinctive fear, their momentum faltered, and they retreated a step.
And right after.
Before their eyes,
A woman wearing a black veil, completely concealing her appearance, appeared.
Holding a sharp, bloodied sword, she radiated an ominous presence.
Seeing the figure before them was fundamentally different from the other guards,
the bandits felt instinctive fear but, thinking nothing of it, began swinging their weapons at her.
After all, even if they couldn’t win, they had dozens to hundreds against one.
So they attacked the woman before them…
and the result was devastatingly tragic.
“Kyaaah!!”
“Aaaah!!”
Before their attacks even landed, the bandits were torn apart as if sliced by an invisible sword, dying.
Watching this from the front, the bandits felt their bodies freeze for a moment and could no longer advance.
“Will you come out? Or shall I go?”
Her voice was polite yet chillingly cold.
The bandits could not respond at all…
and their gazes began to move toward the person walking through their midst, the only one who could stand in such a situation with such composure.
“This… isn’t the world supposed to be easy?”
“!....”
“To think we’d meet such a master here. This is a rare chance to have some fun.”
The figure who had appeared among the bandits.
However, at this moment, the person standing before them did not match the other bandits there at all.
She was a woman dressed in the light, flowing robes of a dancer, completely different from the bandits.
Moreover, not from the Central Plains, but a Celestial Chu (Indian) from the southern region.
Her hair was like black ink, her skin a deep bronze, her eyes purple, giving her a mysterious yet strikingly beautiful appearance.
However, at this moment.
As Hyangbi looked at the Celestial Chu dancer before her,
Hyangbi automatically furrowed her brows slightly.
“This… who is this woman…?”
Wearing extremely light clothing that exposed a lot of skin, radiating an unusual aura.
Then, she took out a small dagger from her bosom, twirled it lightly, and held it in both hands.
And…
“!”
Suddenly, the dancer disappeared from Hyangbi’s sight.
Hyangbi felt a chill run down her spine and moved her sword urgently.
And…
Clang!”
“Guhk!”
In an instant, Hyangbi managed to deflect an attack aimed at her nape by a paper’s width.
Feeling the chill of an attack she had barely avoided, Hyangbi could gauge the strength of the person before her.
“This woman… she’s strong. Extremely so…”
Thinking this, Hyangbi watched the dancer smile at her and then back away as if performing a trick.
At this moment, Hyangbi could clearly confirm one fact from the previous strike.
Hyangbi, who was at the very end of the First-Class rank and looking toward the Peak realm.
With her current strength, she could easily sever the necks of dozens of men who hadn’t trained martial arts, and if the situation aligned perfectly, she might even be able to face a Peak martial artist.
However, seeing the arrogant smile on the woman’s face before her, Hyangbi realized.
With her current strength, no matter what she did, she could not defeat this woman.
Of course.
The woman before her had already surpassed the Peak realm…
“Hwagyeong…”
A top-tier master, fewer than 100 in the entire Central Plains.
The fact that one of them was here was more than enough of a shock to Hyangbi.
However.
“Haa… In the end, this is what it’s come to.?”
“…”
Nevertheless, at this moment, the emotion Hyangbi felt was not simple surprise, just that.
She didn’t feel despair or a serious crisis.
Of course not,
“Switch.”
At this moment, behind her back was the person who would immediately step up if a crisis befell her.
“Yes, Master.”
The strongest in this world.
Because her master was standing there.