Hoshin-ganggi: True (2)
Kwaaang! With a thunderous explosion, my fist collided head-on with the Orc Warrior's. In that instant, the surrounding air trembled as dust and dirt erupted outward in all directions. The ground beneath us cracked, and the rocks that flew up shattered into powder, scattering with the cloud of debris.
“Khh… Ugh!?” Unable to withstand the impact, my body was driven backward. But I knew it for certain.
“Got it.”
The thought that had surfaced unconsciously became action, and seeing the result confirmed it. I had succeeded.
I immediately looked down at the hand that had struck the Orc Warrior's fist. Two fingers were broken and the skin was torn, but compared to before—when I had been utterly overwhelmed—it was far better. At least my bones hadn't been pulverized on impact, nor had muscle and flesh been torn apart wholesale.
I used Heavenly Fate at once to heal the wounds on my hand. Chik? The Orc Warrior stared at me with a puzzled expression. It couldn't be helped. Just as the shock of our head-on collision had sent me flying backward, the Orc Warrior had also been pushed back. Blood even trickled from its fist. It was only a shallow scratch, yet it proved my attack had landed properly.
For the creature, this was an utterly unexpected situation. The insignificant being that had been reduced to rags without even managing a single proper resistance had now wounded its body with some inexplicable power.
Realizing the unforeseen turn of events, the Orc Warrior curled its lips into a vicious grin. Chik.
“It's smiling.”
Strangely, I felt nothing. Until moments ago, the sight of those fangs and the menacing aura they radiated had made my entire body tense. Yet now…
“…Fine. Let's do this.”
Far from being afraid, I clenched my fists tighter, steeling my resolve. My weapon had long since vanished. All I could rely on was my own body and the mysterious power of Heavenly Fate. But right now, that power was the very hope that gave me absolute faith and certainty.
There was still a problem. Just as the Orc Warrior's fist had been wounded, mine was undeniably torn as well. 'Much better than being completely crushed, though…'
The reason I couldn't perfectly block the Orc Warrior's attack was simple. 'My timing was late, and my control was crude.'
The Hoshin-ganggi that had manifested according to my will needed more precise adjustment. Simply imagining clothes draped over my body wasn't enough.
'Stronger. More solid.'
What I pictured in my mind wasn't thin fabric, but thick, unyielding steel armor—an invisible suit of armor that protected my body without physical form. I expanded my senses further, feeling the Heavenly Fate enveloping not just my fists but my entire frame. I accelerated the circulation of Heavenly Fate flowing through the meridians within my body.
The moment I finished my preparations and took my stance, the Orc recognized it. Chik! As if it had been waiting for me to ready myself, the creature charged without the slightest hesitation. Every time its feet struck the ground, a thunderous roar followed. Like a massive boulder rolling forward, it rushed at me with overwhelming force—an utterly unreasonable violence.
I waited quietly for the Orc Warrior to close the distance to the interval I had in mind. The size difference between us exceeded twofold; its reach was incomparably greater than mine. As long as it wielded that halberd, a weapon with superior range, and I stood empty-handed after my sword had broken, a preemptive strike was impossible.
Uwooooooooh! From its gaping maw came a monstrous roar that shook both earth and sky. The air itself trembled at the sheer volume of the cry. Then the Orc Warrior, closing the gap with a boar-like charge, kicked off the ground and leaped high. With acceleration and its enormous weight, the muscles of its arms—thick as pillars—delivered a strike containing everything it could muster.
The instant that embodiment of violence entered my range, I thrust my fist forward from my ready stance. Pure strength alone would see me overpowered. 'But—'
[It's not about swinging with your body alone. It's about reading the flow.]
I recalled Lee Sunho's advice, the one who had taught me the fundamentals of swordsmanship. Whether with sword or bare fists, what I sought was the same. People relied on weapons because they were harder than the human body. The human physique was so frail that it could only suffer helpless defeat before overwhelming power. My own sword had been no different—shattered by a single blow without even being allowed to deflect the force.
Swordsmanship or hand-to-hand combat made no difference. What mattered was what I desired. So I wished for it: a weapon capable of withstanding any attack. I wished to become that weapon myself.
'The flow.'
Another sensation stirred within my body—a sense honed through thousands of battles, endured hardships, and brushes with death. The trajectory of the enemy's attack, its breathing, the point where its power reached its peak—all of the Orc Warrior's movements unfolded in my mind like a painting. As if time had stopped, the creature's motions slowed before my eyes. In that fleeting eternity, only my reason perceived time in its entirety.
'Now. This timing. It's coming from the left.'
I twisted my body on instinct. My right foot planted firmly on the ground while my left pivoted half a step backward. The Orc Warrior's halberd sliced through empty air, grazing past me. Kwaaang! The terrifying mana gathered on the halberd struck the ground and erupted violently. Earth shattered, fragments flew, and disaster-like violence scattered in every direction.
Chik? From within the dust raised by the impact came the Orc Warrior's puzzled voice. It hadn't felt the impact through its fingertips, so it couldn't be certain the attack had landed. Before the creature could resolve its confusion, I extended my arm through the swirling sand and seized the arm holding the halberd. Chik! Before the Orc Warrior could react, I swung my fist first.
'With everything I have.'
Just as I had swung my sword with the single-minded intent to cut down my foe, pouring every ounce of strength from the soles of my feet through my legs and into my hips, I drove my punch forward. Crack! The arm the Orc had used to grip the halberd snapped. I felt the impossibly sturdy bone shatter and the limb bend beneath my fist.
Kraaaaaah! A moment later the Orc Warrior thrashed in agony, letting out a piercing scream. 'That strike had been meant to tear the flesh clean off.' Yet the Orc Warrior's arm merely swelled purple from the fracture while retaining its shape. It was absurdly durable. 'Still…'
It wouldn't be swinging that halberd with this arm anymore. Just as the thought crossed my mind—
Uwooooooooh! With a ferocious roar, a massive shadow lunged at the side of my face. 'Th-this…!' Before I could dodge, the Orc Warrior's opposite fist slammed into my head. Thud! My head snapped sideways as my body floated upward. By the time I regained my senses, I was rolling across the ground.
“Kuh, hck…!” I tried to stand, but staggered and collapsed again. My mind spun and my vision whirled. The aftereffects of the blow to the head—I couldn't maintain my composure. 'What… just happened?' My thoughts couldn't keep up. The sensation of the world slowing around me felt like a lie; my senses were in chaos and refused to obey.
'Did I let my guard down?' No. That wasn't it. It wasn't carelessness. The expanded perception that had slowed everything around me had reached its limit, and the concentration I had maintained was suddenly shattered. I had hit my ceiling. “Kuh, hck…!” Only after coughing up blood did the dizziness in my head begin to ease. Wiping the blood from my lips with effort, I stared at the Orc Warrior. It was staring back at me.
“Hah…” A dry laugh escaped me. If this had happened before, my head would have been torn clean off and I would have lost consciousness—perhaps even died. Enduring it proved my growth. Was this something to be pleased about? The fact that I could laugh in this situation meant I wasn't normal either. Something inside me had twisted unnaturally along with my senses.
Chik. While I inwardly lamented my own absurdity, the Orc Warrior was also smiling. That thing wasn't normal either. Thinking back, it had never been normal since the moment we first met. 'Ah.' The sense of dissonance I had been feeling since earlier was finally taking shape. From the very first moment I saw the Orc Warrior, I had known it was different from a monster that simply swung violence on instinct. It had led its subordinates as their leader. It had possessed the intelligence to identify Arisha, the commander, and target her. It had consistently displayed the bearing of a true warrior. The creature was closer to an intelligent being awakening its reason. Was this the beginning of its race's evolution, or the personal growth of an individual awakened by instinct? Either way, it was a question without an answer. One thing I could be certain of—
“…Yeah. You're enjoying this right now.”
The Orc Warrior was enjoying itself. Kraaaaaah! It let out a roaring cry. A powerful roar that scattered an overwhelming presence in all directions. But this roar was different from the ones it had unleashed before. I could faintly read the emotion contained within it. 'Excitement. Elation. Joy.' Even with one arm broken and unusable, its gaze remained fixed squarely on me. Thud! Thud! Thud! It stomped the ground several times. It was a preparatory motion—an announcement that it would attack me once more.
“…At least try to hide it, you monster.”
It was less a warning and more a declaration. Its attitude was openly triumphant, as if saying “Try and block this again,” with no intention of concealing its intent. Then the monster—
Uwaaaaaah! Let out another ferocious roar and charged.