Chapter 252: The Art of Fighting (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 252: The Art of Fighting (1)
Boss once told me,
"There are two ways to win a fight."
How our conversation ever drifted to that topic, I still have no idea.
Imagine a Japanese restaurant owner teaching his apprentice how to win a fight, of all things. Honestly.
"With that foul temper of yours? You look like the type to get stabbed to death in some dingy alleyway. So I'm telling you this out of concern."
The core tenets of the "Introduction to Fighting" preached by a man who claimed to be a former gangster—but was actually the Hero of the Origin—boiled down to two things.
"First, strike first. Throwing the first punch means you've already won half the fight. It works even if you're outnumbered. A fight is all about taking the initiative. Even if you're outmatched in weight class, you hit them first."
Good grief, "First Strike Wins."
I was an idiot for expecting something grand.
At the time, my cheek twitched at such a textbook philosophy. It was so absurd I couldn't help but laugh.
Still, I held my tongue and kept listening. Definitely not because there was a knife sitting right next to him.
"Second, and last. And perhaps the most important point is..."
Boss had said it with a look that combined severity, dignity, and solemnity.
By now, I couldn't help but realize: Boss knew I would cross over to this world.
And he knew that a day like today would eventually come for me.
I felt a bit tricked by the old man, which irritated me, but...
I always carried gratitude and respect for him in my heart.
After all, I've been putting the advice he tossed out so casually to very good use.
He might be annoying, but there were mitigating circumstances.
That was the kind of relationship Boss and I had.
He was my mentor in life, the only adult who had rescued me from the depths of the abyss.
And my adoptive father.
Even now, at this very moment, I am putting his teachings into practice.
"Sword Control."
First Strike Wins. This is where it starts.
* * *
The dust cloud had yet to settle. Neither the state of the battle nor the exact enemy numbers were known. However, the magic power surging out as the gate exploded was...
Vast.
Terribly, overwhelmingly vast. It was quite literally on a completely different level from any magical beast or Majin they had faced so far.
Everyone froze, gripped by a chilling dread. This was the magic power of the 4th Corps Commander, Permush. Exposed to merely a fraction of it, their minds were already growing dizzy.
Can we... really win this?
Everyone trembled before the enemy's presence, which was far more overwhelming than imagined. Their legs wobbled, and the strength slowly drained from the hands gripping their weapons. Before they were heroes, they were human.
Clang, ring.
The sound of ringing metal resonated. Everyone's eyes instinctively traced the source of the noise. At first, they lowered their heads. But just as they tried to look down at the vibrating ground, their heads snapped back up. Their gaze turned toward the slate-gray sky. Then, they blinked in disbelief. Wide eyes opened wide between fluttered lashes.
Thousands of sashimi knives floated in midair. Sunlight split through the cracks in the clouds, and the will of a single human settled upon the blades. They looked like a cluster of glittering stars against the ashen sky.
Everyone turned their eyes back to the front. At the focal point where all attention converged, a White Robe emblazoned with two characters fluttered in the wind.
The sword that slashes the sky—the Heavenly Sword.
Just then, the hovering blades began to dye a pale blue. It wasn't just one. Thousands of sashimi knives suspended in the sky became bathed in a deep blue aura.
"Aura..."
Just as gasps tore from their throats at the unbelievable sight, the blades blanketing the sky fired all at once.
Swooooosh!
Trailing deep blue tails of light, they surged toward the dust cloud. A miraculous speed comparable to subsonic flight. It was a mystical sight—resembling a shower of falling meteors.
Thuuuuunder!
The blades struck the enemy lines like thunderbolts. Their paths wove freely between straight lines and curved arcs. The dust cloud was riddled with holes like Swiss cheese or chopped into fine pieces. The crumbling remnants of the gate that had barely been holding on collapsed into ruins.
Snap.
Kang Geomma snapped the fingers of his left hand while waving his right arm through the air. It was a gesture of elegance reminiscent of an orchestral conductor. Yet the result was pure destruction and slaughter.
"Good heavens."
The eyes of the Sword Emperor and the Spear Saint drifted toward Kang Geomma. Their reactions were no different from those of the other heroes.
'We must strike first.'
Kang Geomma had emphasized this last night.
'Before the fight even begins, our side's morale will drop to rock bottom. So before the main act starts, I will take the initiative and hit them first.'
A preemptive strike. Everyone in the meeting had agreed to it.
But still...
"Who could have known it would be to this extent?"
The Sword Emperor almost let out an ill-timed chuckle. Unforeseen scale aside, the technique Kang Geomma was displaying was difficult even for the Sword Emperor to fathom.
"Heavenly Sword... you really are..."
The taste in his mouth was bittersweet. A realm that he himself hadn't stepped foot in even past the age of seventy had been achieved effortlessly by that boy. Envy was simply a swordsman's natural instinct.
Life was absurd like that. But if that absurdity belonged to an ally rather than an enemy...
"There is no one more reliable."
The Sword Emperor stamped his foot. Trailing a pure white light, his figure shot forward.
The Spear Saint, momentarily dazed by the sight, hastily shouted to the Top lane forces, "Top, protect the Heavenly Sword!"
"What about you, Vice Association President?!"
The Spear Saint burst into a booming, chieftain-like laugh. "I shall advance alongside Nibelung!"
"Vice Association President!"
"Mid and Jungle, follow Nibelung and me into enemy lines! We'll clear a path, so just fall in right behind us!"
Before anyone could stop him, the Spear Saint also stomped hard. With a loud blast, the ground exploded beneath him.
BOOM!
A single leap. To the eyes of the man standing closest, the Spear Saint seemed to stretch out into a blur.
After a brief moment of bewilderment, the man's face lit up with excitement. Veins bulged on his neck as he roared, "The Seven Stars! The Great Heroes are with us!"
"Wroooooooar!"
Meanwhile, at the rear, General Remi gave her command: "All Ranged Attackers, prepare to fire! Supports, assist the directional adjustments of the ranged units on both sides. Ensure our comrades fighting at the front aren't hit!"
General Remi took the lead and nocked an arrow to her bowstring. Behind her, the troop formed a fan-like wing around her. The Crane Wing Formation—so named because it resembled a crane spreading its wings. It was a great tactical formation devised by a certain Holy Hero.
"Fire!"
At Remi's command, thousands of arrows left the hands of the ranged attackers. The rain of arrows arced through the air and poured down like a torrential storm, while exquisitely avoiding the positions of their allies. This was thanks to the auxiliary Blessings of the Supports.
Ranged Attackers and Supports. This was why the combination was inseparable. Bound by trust, the two were as one.
"..."
Standing a step back, Director Seong observed the entire scene. He placed his prosthetic hand over his thumping chest. It felt as though he could feel every beat directly through it.
"Has humanity ever launched a preemptive strike against the demons before?"
They had always been cowering in fear, suffering blow after blow. But what about now? The enemies couldn't even step out from the dust cloud. The Demon King's Army was halted, and humanity was advancing.
'Striking first doesn't guarantee victory. Nor am I pushing hard early on in hopes of winning right away.'
Those were the words spoken by the Heavenly Sword near the end of the meeting at dawn.
'What matters here is seizing the initiative. By doing so, we show everyone the hope that we stand as equals against them. That is the primary reason to pour out everything from the very beginning.'
Director Seong cast his gaze far ahead.
Hope.
Thinking of that person leading the vanguard at the very front lines.
'Let us engrave into the people the hope that even if we lose today, we can win tomorrow.'
Pressing hard on his stinging eyes, Director Seong muttered softly, "You are truly a hero sent by heaven."
* * *
Landing right in the middle of enemy territory, the Spear Saint immediately dropped into a low stance. The dust cloud was thick as ever, painting his entire field of vision in dark brown. However, shadows were visible here and there.
"So you are Permush's toys hiding in the dust!"
Grasping the bottom of his spear shaft, the Spear Saint swung it in a wide arc. Imbued with the [Demon-Breaking Blessing], the spearhead drew a full moon arc along the ground.
The surrounding shadows lost their balance and fell. The Sword Emperor's blade did not miss that split second. Manifesting the [Blessing of the Sword Spirit], his sword drew a trail of pure white aura, slicing the shadows into pieces right along with the swirling dust.
In the next moment, the Sword Emperor and the Spear Saint stood back-to-back. Maintaining that formation, they moved while smashing approaching golems into pieces. Though they swapped front and rear positions depending on the situation, they kept their combined stance intact.
Their surroundings were still thick with haze. To reduce blind spots in their vision, they had to stay glued together.
The Spear Saint knitted his brows. The golems were not a major threat. What bothered him far more was something else. "This dust just won't clear up. Yellow dust in the winter of all times, ridiculous."
The Spear Saint snorted, then spat onto the ground. After doing so a few times, he tore off a strip of his white robe to cover his mouth, moistening the cloth with bottled water. "Much better."
The Spear Saint tore another strip of cloth and handed it to the Sword Emperor. The Sword Emperor took it while keeping his eyes fixed straight ahead. "It feels as though it's getting progressively worse. What do you think, Nibelung?"
"It's likely Permush's earth-attribute magic," the Sword Emperor replied, hooking the cloth over his ear. "The only saving grace is that the Heavenly Sword and the rear fire support have drastically reduced the number of golems. However..."
"The leadership of the enemy army has yet to show itself."
The Sword Emperor continuously scanned his eyes around. Though the heavy dust dried his eyes and forced him to squint, he extended his perception outward in a wide radius. He kept his muscles taut, ready to react to the slightest sign.
"Are we advancing deeper?" asked the Spear Saint behind him.
The Sword Emperor caught his breath for a moment and stared at the blade of his sword. Reflected in the polished steel was an old man. His eyes looked hollow and faint.
When had he aged so much? It felt like only yesterday that he had lost three close friends on this very ground half a century ago.
The Sword Emperor let out a soft chuckle. The old man reflected on the blade chuckled as well.
"If we go deeper, the chances of dying are high. You know this, don't you, Myura?"
"Of course I do," the Spear Saint answered without hesitation. "That's why I'm asking. Nibelung, if you were against it, I was planning to charge in alone."
"You still prefer brainless frontal assaults as always."
"Born a man, isn't that how one ought to be? Even if I go down, I'm leaving at least one scratch on Permush's face. That way she'll lose her composure, which will make it easier for the Heavenly Sword when he slays her."
Standing back-to-back, the Spear Saint's face was out of sight. Yet the Sword Emperor could feel that he was smiling.
You rascal, even at the very end, all you think about is getting into Kang Geomma's good graces.
The Sword Emperor leaned his head back and tapped the top of his head against the Spear Saint's back. A faint smile spread across his lips.
"Wicked bastard."
It wasn't as if he suddenly found this fellow Myura charming. What was there to like about a hot-headed fool who treated people differently based on personal bias? Still, as a companion to the underworld, he wasn't half bad. At least it wouldn't be boring.
Just as the two men aligned in spirit prepared to take another step—
Ssssss.
The yellow dust hanging thick in all directions settled low to the ground, and their field of vision gradually began to clear.
Yet the two men could barely open their eyes, which were bone-dry and stinging. Flakes of skin peeled from their parched lips. In a single instant, every drop of moisture seemed to be drained from their entire bodies.
"It truly was worth coming to the Human Realm in person."
Permush, the 4th Corps Commander of the Demon King's Army.
"To think such magnificent materials would be prepared for me."
She chanted in a voice as desolate as a desert.
"[Earth Shift]"
Simultaneously, the Sword Emperor and the Spear Saint watched the world shake.