A Show of Force
Thud! Thud!
The members of Yebaek’s team stood frozen, unable to close their mouths at the bizarre spectacle unfolding before their eyes. Each time Blanser extended a single fist, the sound of fireworks exploded across the enemies’ faces, and they dropped one by one, flicking away like flies.
The one who looked strongest—a gorilla-like humanoid—stepped up to block Blanser, but it was clearly outmatched. If the gorilla was one side, Blanser was like a Roland gorilla. The more their fists crashed together, the paler the orangutan’s complexion grew. “What kind of brat has such a spicy punch…”
Thwack!
“Fighting while your mind wanders? You still have leeway? Good, good. Very good.”
The continent’s Grand Dukes were among the rare few who could hold their own against an entire nation single-handedly. Blanser was the disciple of one such duke; even if it wasn’t a simple teacher-student bond, that was forgivable. But what truly astonished everyone was that Maru was also performing beyond her years. Without a flicker of change in her expression, she swung a massive hammer and fought the enemies—nothing like the gentle beauty she usually was. The team members, who had been fiercely battling their own leader Yebaek until now, secretly tucked their weapons back into their belts. “As expected, the Arirang clan is the Arirang clan.” “We can just stand by, right?” “Heh, it probably won’t take too long, so let’s just watch from the side.”
* * *
In the first joint, Teraden had the upper hand against a swarm of yokai. Ten in total. Though they outnumbered him, none of the yokai matched Teraden’s skill, and they couldn’t even use their darkness-ambush advantage. “Sneaking in the dark to attack? Too bad for you—I have Hwigwang.” He was bluffing, but Teraden’s Hwigwang was already on its last legs. Early in the engagement it had burned brightly with no room for attack, but as the battle dragged on, the light dimmed and Teraden’s wounds multiplied. Even though more than half the yokai were already on the ground, the remaining few were still full of vigor and left no room for comfort. “I can’t keep blasting Hwigwang forever. Damn, I should’ve just grabbed a torch. Using it right at the entrance caused all this trouble.”
Boom!
“Kueup…!”
The final two yokai’s coordinated assault was anything but easy. “This one and that one. They’re a bit tougher than the others. But if we take care of just these two…” Teraden had barely enough time to come up with a plan. One of them was . He remembered the tactic from some free meditation-sparring class long ago—offering his own flesh to harvest an opponent’s bones. But the thought of giving away flesh brought no pain, so he discarded it cleanly. Plus, even without that, plenty of ways to win existed. “If I use another besides Hwigwang…”
Teraden extinguished his flickering Hwigwang. The surroundings plunged into complete darkness. “If we’re in the dark, no one will see what we’re doing, so no problem.” Teraden, Maru, and Haru were Arirang descendants. Their clan was special. Facing clear enemies and hatred, they had grown explosively without realizing it. Crack! Thud. One yokai fell, leaving only one. It stared at Teraden and the corpse, then turned its back and fled. “Eh? Hey, man! Where are you going while fighting?! Come back!” “….” It didn’t even hear the shouts and kept running. Teraden clicked his tongue while watching the yokai’s retreating back. “Tch. Even if it was, there are worse ones outside. Lying down here and getting hit would’ve been better.” “Kiyoo!” Crunch! Just as expected, a strange scream echoed from the passage, as if someone had been boiling and eating train boxes. The yokai that had been fleeing came charging back. The yokai rolled around Teraden’s feet and collapsed powerlessly. “It couldn’t hold back and came running. Huh, how did you get injured this badly?” Boom! Boom! Boom! “I want to learn that too…” “Kiyoo!” Crack! The passage was plunged into darkness, making it hard to tell friend from foe. Blanser, mistaking Teraden for a yokai, let out another beastly roar and unleashed a merciless strike. “You crazy bastard!” “Huh? Oh, Oppa! I thought you were a yokai, so I stopped! Sorry!” “You little shit…? You’re stuttering like you’re talking nonsense—did you really not know?” “…Where’s Oppa Haru?” “This guy’s pulling words out of nowhere. Speaking of which, his Cheneung is seriously monstrous. My arms are aching from looking at them.” Teraden glared at Blanser without backing down. He flicked his chin toward the opposite passage. “The rest went that way, so they’re probably still fighting the other yokai hard by now.” “Eh? Alone, Oppa?” “Hey, man. Can’t you see? I fought alone too.” Blanser scratched his head after spotting the scattered yokai. “Uh, now that you mention it, yeah.” “Even if it’s just one, I thought Haru would lose, but we might need help. Let’s go.” While Teraden and Blanser babbled uselessly, the passage grew louder and brighter at the same time. Soon, Yebaek and his team, led by Maru, appeared from the passage. The team that had gathered in the first joint finished preparations and set off for the next joint where Haru was. “Haa. By the way, how much was the quest reward? Maybe over forty silver coins?” Teraden tilted his head, then shook his head side to side. “No way. The numbers just don’t add up. We need more.” “This is the pay and you’re complaining? Typical Teraden.” * * *
Boom!
The flames, confined to the corner, grew stronger and spread in seconds, filling the entire joint. Hundreds of exchanges passed before anyone noticed the surroundings were enveloped in fire. Crackle. Hiss! In the pitch-black smoke that made even the next inch invisible, a yokai’s leg thrust through the flames and came charging at him. Smash! “Ugh…!” The acrid smoke from the burning material blocked his vision and messed up his breathing. His eyes burned red from the intense heat, and sweat poured like a waterfall. The bandages wrapped around his wounds, stained with blood from the continued battle. But the people locked in the iron cage worried him the most. What if they suffocated in this smoke…! Without time to finish the thought, the yokai swung its long limbs wildly. Both sides were exhausted and at their limits, so even if the attacks landed, they couldn’t deal fatal damage. The yokai stopped, panting heavily. “Even in this situation, worrying about those humans? Pathetic. Tears in your eyes.” “….” Yes. The guy was right. Right now, I’m too focused on protecting the yokai opponents and the people, so I’m stuck. Haa. Don’t get impatient. There’s no guarantee. First, knock down the yokai in front of me, then save the people. I can do it. No, I have to. After calming their breathing through short conversation, we prepared for the final strike. Boom! “Kyaah!” The yokai, face twisted like a beast at the signal of the rising flames, charged with killing intent, snarling. Whoosh! Its sharp right hand shot toward his face. He turned his head and the fist grazed him, but the left foot immediately targeted his chin. “Kuk…!” He lowered his upper body to the left. The yokai’s foot slashed the air with a whoosh. All his attacks were parried, so the yokai’s face distorted. “W-what…!” Finally, an opportunity had come. This time he struck her unprotected side. Smash! “Kya, aa…” The yokai, legs giving out, sat down and laughed madly. All the graceful tone was gone; her voice was frantic and sharp, like a madman. “Hee hee! Soon reinforcements will arrive, but can you fight them all tired out like that? You won’t save anyone. Not even yourself…” The yokai fell unconscious after barely finishing her words. “Save no one…? Who decides that.” Haru stepped toward the iron cage, leaving the fallen yokai behind. If the statement was true, he had to save them quickly. But his body was wrapped in severe fatigue, leaving no strength to even move a finger. “Haa, haa.” He barely took steps and finally grasped the cage again when a friendly presence came from the passage. “What’s with that dazed face?” “You…? How did you get here?” “Hahaha! I was worried about sending Oppa alone, so I came to help.” “Uncle! Maru’s here too!” Crunch! Boom! While Haru was exhausted, Blanser ripped the iron cage door open. The remaining members entered one after another, supporting the people. Seeing that, Haru half-raised the unconscious yokai and put her arm behind his neck. “What are you doing? Why her?” Teraden looked at him with incomprehension. “We have to bring this yokai too.” “What? Why her?” “I can’t just leave her to die. She shouldn’t die so pointlessly.” “Then what should we do?” “She has to pay for her sins.” “Tch. Do as you like.” Teraden grumbled but followed the plan silently. “Let’s hurry. We don’t know when the other enemies will arrive.” * * *
A blood-soaked hand slowly carved through empty space with a dragging motion. “Uwoh! M-monster…” Thud! The hand that had been twitching failed to reach Jubern and collapsed sideways with the body. A battle in an uninhabited forest. The yokai who had come to support Haru against the fighting yokai were wiped out without touching even a single hair of Jubern’s. “This one is definitely different from the others. If he had come, the two of you would’ve been in big trouble.” Jubern pulled back the robe of the fallen yokai with his sword, revealing a silver star. “Only one silver… The guy from Seo-Wangdo had two, so this is lower rank.” After searching the bodies, Jubern sheathed his sword, but his eyes met his own reflection in the blade. His entire upper body was soaked in blood. The long, curly gray hair he had was drenched in blood and extended far enough to prick the eyes. Looking down, the lower body was no different. “A monster.” Suddenly noticing his surroundings, the sight of the carnage he had caused entered his vision. Countless people split in two and dead. If they had drowned in , it would’ve been considered a proper death. “How amusing. I only killed a yokai that harmed humans. For my lord and those two, I’ll gladly become a monster to you.” After cleanly washing the congealed yokai blood from his body, Jubern sorted the traces and left the scene. * * *
“Haa, haa.” Stepping out from the darkness, intense sunlight burned his eyes. Placing his palm on the ceiling, he rested his forehead on it, and the world slowly regained its shape. A group in neat uniforms entered his sight. Whoosh! “What is this…” The uniformed group was stabbing swords into the bodies of those lying on the ground. When we emerged from the cave, they stopped what they were doing. Among them, the one in pure white uniform made eye contact with him, unlike the others in dull clothes. His eyes were torn and his thin mustache was distinctive; he didn’t look particularly kind. Discovering them at the entrance, he smiled softly and swung his sword upward toward Haru, who stood at the front.