Cornered (1)
A greatsword had been driven into the ground upside down. With its long crossguard and hilt, it almost resembled a cross planted atop a tombstone. Nearby, on the open path, several deep gouges marred the earth as if a firebomb had detonated, alongside shallow cuts left by sword strokes. The scene painted a clear picture in my mind. Someone had fought here—and from the traces, they had been overpowered and defeated. If they had won, they wouldn't have left their sword behind.
"Do you know where they took her?"
When I spoke while glancing behind me, an armored military officer emerged from the shadows. Following him, large shields locked together to seal off every direction, with spears and halberds bristling above them. A military formation.
Ordinarily, even the elite troops under the Ministry of War could rarely execute techniques that sliced through the air without touching the blade. In terms of martial realms, they were barely first-class at best. Even so, if pitted against a true first-class martial artist in single combat, they would struggle. Human time and energy were finite; once soldiers learned to form ranks and fight in coordinated walls, they naturally grew less accustomed to dueling blade-to-blade in open spaces.
Yet the court had never invested such vast resources merely to boast against martial artists. The Central Plains were vast, and enemies had surrounded it since ancient times. Nomadic tribes watched hungrily from the northeast, while the northwest—once home to the Hui kingdoms—was now occupied by the Demonic Cult, which defied the Heavenly Mandate. To the southwest lay Tibet, and to the southeast, the Yue Kingdom, which sparked war whenever it was convenient, alongside the Eastern Ying that ceaselessly raided the eastern coast.
Cleanly settling matters through single combat was only possible when both sides regarded each other as worthy opponents. When each viewed the other as beasts, the method of fighting was not duels or sparring, but war.
I surveyed the tightly packed formation. In each of the eight directions, three men with large shields stood with three others gripping simple halberds pressed close behind them, while two spearmen at the very rear extended their weapons over the shields. The cramped arrangement looked uncomfortable—but it would be far more uncomfortable for anyone forced to charge into it.
Eight men occupied a space barely wide enough for a single swordsman to display his skill. Even a frontal clash would feel like facing eight opponents at once. This was why martial artists stood no chance against the court's elite troops in direct battle, and why the Central Plains could hold its ground against the mounted and seafaring barbarians who excelled at mountain warfare.
The principles of military formations had been established since the era of Zhuge Wuhou, and the square formation before me had changed little in three hundred years. Back then, I had committed no crimes against the state, nor had I properly cultivated the martial path. If I fought here now, it would be my first time facing soldiers arrayed in formation.
Despite my usual insatiable greed for martial knowledge, my heart did not stir with anticipation. The officer spoke again.
"The reason I told you is because the Noble Ghost wishes for you to come find him."
"Ah..."
It was an obvious trap. If I followed, they would surely have prepared even more troops and mechanisms. If the Noble Ghost had confidence in his own strength, he might rely on that. Otherwise, he might simply bury the entire Prince Han's Palace along with me. Yet it was a trap I could not avoid.
I drew a slow breath. Though this was my first time in Luoyang and I did not know where Prince Han's Palace stood, the scents, the traces on the road, and countless other clues allowed me to roughly guess where Cho Yak had been taken.
I took a few steps before a row of upright spear shafts blocked my path. I placed a finger on one of them and asked, "Prince Han's Palace is not in this direction?"
"It is."
"Then move aside."
"I cannot."
I turned my head and stared at the officer. His rigid face made reading his expression difficult.
"If you don't move, how am I supposed to go or not go?"
"Break through."
He continued, "The Noble Ghost ordered us to hold you here as long as possible. So try it—if you can."
"Hah."
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh. What was the point of telling me the destination only to block the way? If he hadn't said anything, he could have at least hoped I would wander lost. Yet he had practically invited me to come, prepared an elaborate trap, and now insisted I not arrive too quickly. The conclusion came quickly.
"She hasn't gone far, has she?"
"..."
"Tell me, do you truly not understand what this means?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The Noble Ghost regards you all as nothing more than decoys. If he truly believed you could stop me, he wouldn't have told me where Prince Han's Palace is. Stop wasting your breath and move aside."
"Don't bluff."
Concerned about his soldiers wavering, the officer answered immediately. "Of course, I know you're an extraordinary expert. But there are a hundred elite troops here, and you're surrounded. Even an Absolute Master would find this fight difficult. Aren't you saying this because you want to avoid combat at all costs?"
"No."
Avoiding combat was indeed my intention. But none of his other assumptions were correct. I raised my head and looked at them. Sixty-four men, eight in each direction. Adding the thirty-six crossbowmen on nearby rooftops and those waiting to fill gaps in the encirclement, the total was clear. The eyes gleaming beneath their helmets belonged to living people with reason—not corpses. They were human. Not beasts.
Judging by his past deeds and ideology, the Noble Ghost was clearly more harmful than beneficial to the world. But whether these hundred men were the same, I could not say. They might have been deceived into believing they were doing the right thing, or forced into it to protect themselves and their families. Or perhaps they were simply continuing their duties without much thought.
I squeezed my eyes shut. Even as a coward and a fool, what was the best I could do? To avoid shouldering an unbearable responsibility, what must I do? How could I ensure I would never add another regret to my life?
If I followed the path I had walked until now, my first task would be to persuade them. Though I lacked eloquence, I would explain that the Noble Ghost was an undeniable villain and serving him was evil. Those who still chose to follow him despite this—whether out of necessity or distrust—would be subdued, while those who turned a blind eye to evil would be killed, and then...
I parted my lips quietly.
"I have one question."
"Speak."
It was something I should have asked immediately, yet tangled thoughts made it take far too long to voice.
"...Will Cho Yak still be alive by the time I arrive?"
"I don't know. The Noble Ghost said nothing about that."
I let out a long sigh. In truth, even the time for this was precious, but being a cowardly, foolish, and indecisive person, I needed time to steel my resolve. I raised my head again and met his eyes.
"Do you know?"
"...Know what?"
"That man called the Noble Ghost is truly vile. But explaining why he's vile, how he's vile, and how vile he is would take..."
Time I don't have.
I muttered. No answer came. In the silence, the wind swept across the path. Luoyang lay on a vast plain, and the wind blew fiercely. When it died down, I added one more line.
"So I'm sorry, but if you don't want to die, move aside."
"Still bluffing."
"That is..."
I started to speak, then stopped and shook my head. What was the use? In truth, even I wouldn't find it easy to be surrounded on all sides by a hundred elite troops in formation, stabbed by spears and shot by crossbows. That didn't mean I had no way to fight them with my sword—but it would take at least an hour, and I had no such luxury.
So, though it wasn't the proper answer, I chose the one that was easiest right now.
I pressed my index and middle fingers tightly together inside my left sleeve. With a soft chick, a sharp heat flared. The officer finally noticed my left hand and narrowed his eyes, but it was already far too late.
Before the breath could even leave his lungs and reach his throat, a thunderclap bomb with its fuse lit streaked forward on a current of inner force. His voice was swallowed by the thunderous explosion and never reached its end.
His mistake had been becoming an officer while remaining ignorant of military strategy. As Sun Tzu said, when you win a battle, you change the flags on the chariots—victory makes an army stronger. Since I had already escaped the Fire Moon Pavilion and reached this place, it was no surprise I had taken one of the firebombs meant to be detonated there.
Every rooftop I stepped on bore obvious traces, so tracking Cho Yak and the Noble Ghost was not difficult. Yet my thoughts remained in turmoil, tormenting me without end. Memories from over a century ago rose vividly, filling my mind, and I desperately pushed them away while cobbling together plausible excuses.
Strictly speaking, I hadn't truly killed them. It was the Noble Ghost who had deceived and bound them, driving them to their deaths. Besides, how many among them could truly be called innocent? If they had joined him despite sensing his evil deeds, hadn't they already committed crimes worthy of death?
...It didn't seem very convincing.
I could be certain of one thing: if even a single innocent person had been among them, I would regret this for the rest of my endless life. Still, it was better than regretting Cho Yak's death because I had been too late.
Recalling that reason anew, the seething in my heart seemed to settle, if only a little.