Who Gave You Permission to Do Such a Thing?
Yeop Hyeon looked up to see a massive man leading a group of soldiers rushing toward them in haste.
They weren't officials of the fortress—they were private soldiers of the Jiang Kingdom.
More precisely, they were the private guards stationed at Yanggye Fortress.
And that burly man boasting such a hefty build was none other than the fortress lord himself. Standing before his men, the lord bellowed furiously at Yeop Hyeon and the woman.
"Who gave you permission to do such a thing!"
Yeop Hyeon's eyes narrowed sharply.
The lord turned his rage toward the woman and shouted.
"Seize that wench!"
At his command, the soldiers advanced on her. The woman instinctively shrank behind Yeop Hyeon. In that instant, he raised his hand and slapped the cheek of the approaching soldier.
Crack!
With a dull thud, the soldier flew through the air and tumbled to the ground.
The lord, his fat-rimmed eyes bulging in shock for a moment, soon flew into a rage.
"You bastard! Are you plotting rebellion?!"
Strength gathered in Yeop Hyeon's right hand.
"When the fortress officials barge in, loot goods, and kidnap women and children, you lot don't show so much as a nose hair. But the moment I step in to help, you come charging like mad to stop me? Just what country do you people belong to?"
The lord snapped back in anger.
"Who'll take responsibility if you kill him?! There's a Black Armored Cavalry camp not far from here. If you kill him, they'll use it as an excuse to slaughter even more people. Don't you know that?!"
Yeop Hyeon scoffed.
"Isn't it just that you don't want to die?"
His words twisted the lord's face.
"Cut the nonsense! This Yanggye Fortress is under my watch, so..."
Ignoring him entirely, Yeop Hyeon turned to the woman.
"Stab him."
She glanced at Yeop Hyeon once, then approached the Black Armored Cavalryman.
The lord roared in fury.
"Capture them all!"
Right then, Yeop Hyeon's figure blurred and closed in on the lord in an instant, seizing him by the throat. His soldiers froze in place, not daring to move a muscle at the sight.
Yeop Hyeon glared at the lord with murderous eyes.
"You know what I hate most? Cowards like you who bully the weak and cower before the strong. Utter one more word. I'll snap your neck."
Terrified by the threat, the lord fell silent.
It was then. A scream echoed from behind them.
Gurk!
Yeop Hyeon turned to see a saber plunged into the Black Armored Cavalryman's throat. The woman's face was splattered with his blood as she gripped the blade.
Having slain him, she slumped against the fortress wall like a puppet with cut strings. Her eyes stared blankly into the distance, unfocused.
"Y-You... you've gone and caused an incident after all!"
The lord trembled violently as he yelled at Yeop Hyeon.
Ignoring the lord's words, Yeop Hyeon pulled out a few gold coins and pressed them into the woman's hand.
"Survive."
She stared dazedly at Yeop Hyeon's retreating back as he walked away after those words.
Then, the thunder of hooves began from beyond the fortress walls—not a dozen riders this time, but countless.
The faces of everyone inside the fortress changed in an instant.
Lu Xiaoruan's expression darkened rapidly as well.
The lord glanced outside, his face draining of color.
"It's over... all over. The Black Armored Cavalry are coming... the Black Armored Cavalry..."
Suddenly, he jabbed a finger at Yeop Hyeon with a furious glare.
"This is your fault! You're getting us all killed!"
As he said, the fortress folk glared at Yeop Hyeon with resentment, their eyes accusing him of meddling needlessly and making things worse.
In that moment, the Heavenly Maiden's voice echoed in Yeop Hyeon's mind.
"You mustered the courage to do a righteous deed, yet this is the reception you get. How does it feel?"
"Everything I do is for myself alone—not to look good for others. So it doesn't matter how they look at me."
The Heavenly Maiden fell silent. Yeop Hyeon slowly made his way toward the fortress gate.
"Oppa!"
He turned at Yeop Ryeong's voice.
"Ryeong-ah, order one more bowl of noodles? I'll be right back!"
Yeop Ryeong watched her brother head for the gate with worried eyes.
Stepping outside, Yeop Hyeon glanced back to find the woman from moments ago following close behind.
Right then, with a boom, the fortress gates slammed shut.
Before the sealed gates stood a pair of man and woman.
Charging toward them was a force of thousands of Black Armored Cavalry. Even Yeop Hyeon couldn't help but gasp at their overwhelming might.
He sensed intuitively that they wouldn't be easy to stop. Even a peerless expert like An Ranxiu of the Soaring Realm might struggle against thousands of these Black Armored Cavalry.
'Even so, I won't dodge!'
Though plunged into such peril, Yeop Hyeon didn't regret his good intentions. All he could think now was how to hold them off.
"My name is A Yu."
The woman said from behind him.
Yeop Hyeon nodded lightly.
"Yeop Hyeon."
"I won't forget that name. Not in this life, nor the next!"
Yeop Hyeon didn't hear her. He was already advancing toward the oncoming cavalry. Fear washed over him as he faced their charging momentum.
At that moment, he felt a tremor from the Spirit Water Sword within his body.
He feared death, of course. But some things had to be done, even at the cost of life.
He didn't grasp grand national affairs. He simply knew himself as a citizen of the Jiang Kingdom.
Flawed as it was, it was his homeland, and he couldn't stand by while it was invaded.
War!
This battle wasn't for his sister or himself.
Yeop Hyeon's steps quickened. No trace of fear remained on his face as the Black Armored Cavalry loomed ahead—only soaring battle intent!
"Hahaha!!!"
Yeop Hyeon laughed madly and shouted.
"Come on!"
Suddenly, his entire body shuddered as a mighty formless energy surged within him.
"Wh-what is this?!"
The Heavenly Maiden's voice came from within the Gyeok Ok Tower.
"Battle intent? A sword cultivator who hasn't even properly awakened sword intent comprehending battle intent! What have I been teaching you all this time!?"
Realm of Intent!
The world held countless realms of intent.
Sword intent, spear intent, fist intent, killing intent, battle intent, and more.
Achieving any realm of intent was like plucking stars from the sky. Across the entire Jiang Kingdom, only one—the kingdom's sole sword master—had comprehended sword intent.
The reason was simple: these realms couldn't be reached through mere training. There were no set methods; one had to gain personal enlightenment.
Once attained, one's combat power soared dramatically, opening doors to higher martial dimensions.
What had sparked such fierce battle intent in Yeop Hyeon now was unknown.
But one thing was clear: even faced with thousands—nay, tens of thousands—of cavalry, he showed no intent to retreat!
War!
Yeop Hyeon's steps accelerated into a near-run toward the cavalry. Wherever his feet struck, battle intent whipped up like a gale, stirring sandstorms. Soon, a massive sand vortex swirled around him!
Yet the thousands of Black Armored Cavalry exuded a majesty several times more terrifying.
No fear showed in Yeop Hyeon's eyes.
A Yu watched the scene—a colossal black aura about to engulf the youth—her gaze beginning to waver.
When the distance had shrunk to about a hundred zhang, the lead man suddenly raised his right hand, halting the cavalry.
Despite the abrupt command, their formation remained flawless.
The man's gaze shifted not to Yeop Hyeon, but to his right. There, a woman approached slowly on horseback.
Clad in silver soft armor, her long hair tied back to her waist, she wore a curved golden saber at her hip. Not a kingdom-toppling beauty, but her eyes gleamed sharply like a masterfully forged blade.
Silver armor, golden saber!
At her appearance, the pupils of the thousands of cavalry dilated.
In the entire Jiang Kingdom, only one wore silver armor and wielded a golden saber: the 9th Princess, Gu Jiu, supreme commander!
She was the one the fortress officials feared most.
Not just them—her infamous reputation spread to every neighboring land.
Gu Jiu, alongside An Ranxiu, was hailed as the Jiang Kingdom's peerless twin prides!
The middle-aged leader's eyes finally turned to Yeop Hyeon. After staring piercingly for a moment, he raised his hand, ordering the Black Armored Cavalry to withdraw.
The middle-aged man and his thousands retreated across the horizon as swiftly as they'd charged.
Yeop Hyeon was the one caught off guard now.
'What? Did they get scared of me?'
As he puzzled, the Heavenly Maiden's voice rang out.
"Your face is thicker than the earth!"
"......"
The silver-armored woman rode up to Yeop Hyeon and stared intently at his face. He realized then that she'd been the one to make the Black Armored Cavalry retreat.
Yeop Hyeon met her curious gaze with his own. She lacked An Ranxiu's dazzling beauty but exuded a unique aura. Especially her eyes—fierce enough to make one avert their own.
Yet Yeop Hyeon didn't flinch.
He respected those worthy of it, but feared no one.
That was why her gaze didn't overwhelm him.
Their stares differed starkly: hers sharp and aggressive, his serene as a blue hill stirred by a gentle breeze.
The silver-armored woman withdrew her gaze and spoke curtly.
"Inside the fortress!"
With that single command, she wheeled her horse toward the gates.
Yeop Hyeon turned to A Yu.
"Let's go."
A Yu nodded and followed.
Soon, the three reached the gates. The silver-armored woman eyed the firmly shut doors, and multiple afterimages flickered from behind her. In a flash, they splintered the gates into five pieces before vanishing.
Yeop Hyeon flinched at the sight.
'Terrifying.'
He looked at her with brimming curiosity.
'Just who is she?'