Unyielding Strike
Splat! Splatter!
Everything in sight twisted and changed in the blink of an eye, leaving no time for recognition.
“He shouldn’t have been late.”
Just as the council of princesses was drawing to a close, the imperial palace where the meeting had taken place came under attack by some unknown rogue force.
It was aimed at the emperor of the Empire, yet their surprise assault had been quelled without a single casualty, thanks to swift action.
Attacking a gathering place of over half the Seven Pillars was simply madness, so the outcome felt almost inevitable.
In the end, once the minor disturbance was resolved, Feltics summoned Lan aside and gave his request.
“You must hurry and do something for me.”
“What is it?”
“You know where my clan’s settlement lies, don’t you? If my hunch is right, it will probably be under attack as well. So hurry there as fast as you can. I’ll stay behind to protect the emperor in case of any unforeseen disaster.”
Lan flew across the vast distance from the imperial capital to the village at full speed, as requested by Feltics.
After rushing for some time, familiar buildings finally came into view on the horizon.
With senses far beyond the human norm, Lan could see clearly into the village even from afar, knowing every detail of its interior.
Yet unlike Feltics’ prediction, the place that appeared before his eyes was quiet and peaceful as ever, much like before the attack.
Aside from a few people busily packing their belongings, it was no different from days earlier.
‘I heard that anyone who wishes to leave the village will find a new home elsewhere and never return. This must be them preparing to do just that.’
Satisfied that the village was still safe, Lan turned his gaze away from it.
‘But if an attack was coming, why is it so unnaturally quiet? He couldn’t have been wrong. Or perhaps the assault hasn’t even begun yet?’
Relieved, Lan focused his eyes and instincts on searching the surroundings.
In the middle of that survey, something strange caught his eye after not too long.
The corpses of the rogues he had found moments ago, all slain by a man.
Lan immediately headed toward the spot without delay.
Upon closer inspection, the rogues shared one common trait: they all looked monstrously out of place.
Compared to humans, they were far larger, covered in hair from head to toe, and their hands were sharp like claws.
Moreover, every one of them had been brutally cut in half at a slight diagonal angle.
‘What on earth happened here? The cuts were clean, the angles perfectly parallel, so it was definitely a sword. And one strike wiped them all out. That takes more than just raw power—impossible without overwhelming skill. Still, who exactly are these creatures…?’
In the midst of his deep thoughts, Lan suddenly sensed something whipping toward him at blinding speed and jerked his head aside.
He had thought he dodged it perfectly, but a couple of drops of blood still trickled down his cheek.
Splat. Splat.
When he turned to see what had attacked him, a man slowly walked out from beyond a thicket of thorn vines.
The very same man who had slain the rogues who had come to attack the village of Lan’s clan.
Wearing a conical hat that hid his lower face, he wore the traditional hanbok of Lan’s clan, which was already unusual in itself.
Strapped at his waist with two swords on his back, he looked like an immortal who had left the mortal world behind.
“Oh? You managed to dodge it. Those yokai were sliced down in one blow.”
While uttering those words of admiration, the man’s lips held no trace of emotion whatsoever.
‘Yokai? How does he know about them? Are they from the same clan? No, he doesn’t have black hair, so that’s impossible. Who exactly are these people?’
Lan narrowed his eyes and offered a polite greeting first.
“It seems the time has finally come. You are quite resilient.”
Though the words were courteous, the man simply stared into empty space and muttered something incomprehensible to himself.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Answer my question.”
Despite being ignored, Lan maintained his composure.
Yet beneath it, his words carried a sharp edge.
He hadn’t been deliberately ignored; his instincts had simply flagged the man before him as dangerous.
“If you refuse to answer, what will you do?”
“This place is off-limits to anyone. I cannot simply pass by a stranger whose identity is unknown.”
“A stranger.”
Lan’s words echoed back, and the man’s voice underneath the hat sounded strangely sorrowful.
But the man quickly concealed any emotion and let out a soft sigh.
“Hmph.”
A faint smile curved the corner of his lips as he exhaled.
The slightest change sent an overwhelming pressure crashing down on Lan.
“…If you refuse to reveal your identity, I have no choice. I will discover it myself.”
“You? Me? Go on, then. How?”
The man’s dismissive attitude only stiffened Lan’s reply.
“With strength.”
Lan answered briefly, his expression grave, as the man slowly drew one of the swords from his waist.
It was rusted and looked ready to snap at any moment.
“I’ve heard that the Seven Pillars protect the continent today. You must be one of them. So let’s see if you’re worthy of the title.”
A desolate forest under the dead sky, where the sun had been swallowed and darkness had fallen.
The two figures facing each other vanished at the same instant.
Lan struck from behind in the blink of an eye, trying to pin the man down, but…
Whoosh!
The moment he grabbed him, a brutal slash came flying at his neck.
Dodging it, Lan gave up the advantage of attacking from behind and stepped back instead.
‘…This is a disaster.’
He had swung his sword in defense, yet it was he who had retreated.
As the distance opened, terrifying slashes rained down once more.
Uwaaack! Gwaaaang!
Lan dodged and twisted to evade, but every tree and rock in his path was sliced clean through like tofu.
When he glanced back, the slashes continued their relentless destruction along their path.
Lan rolled across the ground several times before springing up and chasing after the man.
Yet somehow the distance never closed.
‘The more we exchange blows, the more suspicious he becomes. Who exactly is this person? Besides, that’s not the real issue. I can’t seem to touch him at all.’
“Huff!”
The man moved leisurely and unleashed another barrage of slashes, and Lan steadied his breathing before charging again.
Finally catching up, Lan launched several attacks, but…
Kwaak! Kaang!
Every strike either missed or was deflected like water.
Lan couldn’t help but click his tongue in admiration at the man’s strength.
‘Close combat gives me no opening, and keeping my distance makes those slashes unbearable. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. This feeling is new to me.’
After blocking all of Lan’s attacks, the man decided to test his strength further and spoke bluntly, feigning boredom.
“Close-range fighting is enough for now. How about we open the ‘gate’ instead?”
Crack!
Who on earth dared speak such words to the Seven Pillars?
Lan’s blood boiled at the man’s condescending tone, and he unconsciously clenched his fists.
“Fine, I accept.”
A tremendous gale erupted around Lan after his reply.
“Hoo.”
Closing his eyes, Lan took a deep breath, swept back his hair, and slowly opened them. Every gust of wind around him now belonged to him alone.
“Release.”
“Hmph.”
Whoosh. Hoo-woong.
The man casually swung his sword, testing the power of Lan’s ability.
From the rusted blade came slashes faster and more savage than anything he had ever faced, as if the sword itself was about to break.
Lan didn’t even move; he merely tilted his head slightly to dodge the incoming slashes that would have torn him apart.
The blades sliced through the air, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake.
The currents around him twisted in subtle directions, deflecting every slash.
When the attacks finally dissipated, the man finally looked at Lan with genuine interest.
“Oh?”
Seeing that his slashes no longer affected Lan, the man, who had been content to swing his sword from a distance, finally closed the gap.
Paaaaang—!
The man leaped forward with a powerful push from the ground, and the eyes at his feet exploded with a sharp crack.
In a single bound, he closed the distance to Lan.
So fast it was almost invisible, leaving Lan momentarily unable to track his form.
The arm stretched overhead, the sword held in his hand descending to split Lan’s body in two, but Lan twisted his upper body just in time to avoid it.
His view was filled with the glancing blade, the hair sheared from his head, and the spurting blood.
“Guh…!”
‘With such a twisted sword and a mere swing, you dare corner me like this? Even Five Palace wouldn’t have done this much…!’
The blade that had already pierced Lan’s skin once more tried to tear into his flesh as he twisted away and created a small vortex in his palm.
No larger than a fist, the vortex carried a deafening roar and inhuman speed that threatened to shred everything it touched.
“Hmm?”
Even as his stance broke from the impact, Lan slammed the vortex into the man’s body with all his might.
Kwaang! Kakakakang!
The collision of vortex and sword sent sparks flying in all directions as an explosion erupted.
The vortex that engulfed the man triggered a chain of explosions, and the shockwave sent him hurtling backward.
Lan gave no quarter, pressing the advantage without pause.
Paaaaang!
Soon a savage gale swept over the man along with the snow and ice that swirled around him.
It was as if heaven and earth had reversed; the elements rose from the ground to the sky, blocking the man’s vision.
Within the enclosed space, the man looked up at the overwhelming force descending from above.
“Haap!”
Unbelievably, a lion’s roar erupted from Lan directly above, where he had gathered his power in the air.
The shockwave from the roar shook the air and the earth, and the very ground screamed in agony.
Lan’s vision blurred, and everything within reach of the lion’s roar shattered into pieces.
The fierce wind stripped away the man’s conical hat, finally revealing the face that had been hidden beneath it.
Long, flowing crimson hair and eyes that seemed to hold the inexorable power of a wish-granting jewel. His appearance was anything but ordinary.
‘With this much, I should have taken some damage… wait, what?!’
Lan had thought the devastation around him meant he had gained some momentum, but then something caught his eye and his pupils widened in disbelief.