Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Duel with Chiron
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In the martial world, what made imperial cavalry units or nomadic horsemen who treated their mounts like extensions of their own bodies so terrifying stemmed from their unparalleled horsemanship.
A horse was inherently larger, tougher, and faster than any human—practically a chariot in itself that could sweep across the battlefield. And when mounted soldiers flanked it from all angles, striking with spears or bows, they became the natural predators of ordinary infantry.
Even for martial artists, how many in the jianghu could truly cut down an entire army charging in formation on horseback, not just one or two steeds?
If he could recover even half of his power from his past life, this size difference wouldn't be such a glaring weakness.
A warrior's upper body fused with a horse's lower half.
And this man wasn't merely riding the horse—he was the horse. What kind of prowess had he built up?
Judging by the faint demonic energy in his still-weak dantian and this frail body, this duel was going to be a grueling one.
"Pick any weapon you like."
At Chiron's gesture, two centaurs—no, two horses—no, two... anyway, two of them hauled over a stand bristling with all sorts of weapons and set it down in front of us.
It was a full arsenal, from every kind of sword to blunt weapons, spears, axes, even whips and bows.
"Hmm... in that case, this spear."
"A wise choice. Then I'll take a spear as well."
There was no weapon I couldn't handle.
Back in my previous life, the twelve demonic gods who kidnapped me from the banks of the Samdochon River had generously passed down their signature martial arts without reservation.
Swordsmanship was basic. Spears, axes, blunt weapons, bare-handed combat, even whips for ranged attacks and fans for advances.
Among them were defensive arts and curses, even physiognomy, astronomy, fortune-telling, and all sorts of miscellaneous techniques.
'The ones who taught me ended up getting mocked endlessly by the others for snatching the cult leader's seat not with demonic arts, but with those parlor tricks.'
Surprisingly, they came in handy for showboating in front of cult followers or righteous faction fools.
In any case, the spear I readily grabbed was much lighter than the ones I'd used before, but it still felt hefty in this slender frame.
'Not bamboo, but it's flexible and whippy—not bad at all. The spearhead's edge is finished cleanly too.'
-Whoosh!
I swung it lightly to test it out, and out of habit, I flowed straight into the basic forms of the spear art I'd mastered.
The spear technique I knew was the Mad Wind Shredding Horn Spear, the signature style of Jang Cheon, the Gale Wind Divine Spear who once dominated an era like a ferocious storm.
That spear struck like a raging typhoon in an instant, flipping between strong and weak, feint and strike so swiftly it stole the enemy's soul, dropping their guard before sweeping through a million-strong army and sending them fleeing in terror.
-Whoooosh!
As I casually executed the foundational forms, a responding breeze stirred gently, kicking up dust from the ground before dying down the moment I halted the spear.
"...This forest doesn't have any divine relic blessed by Zephyrus, does it?"
"If you're thinking of calling this the work of a spear or some god's blessing, I'll have to teach your body otherwise."
"Haha, it's been ages since I've received instruction from anyone."
"Even the wise learn from children, and every passing dog's step holds enlightenment.
Whether you grasp it is solely up to the receiver. I'm overjoyed that my teacher possesses such open insight."
"Haha."
"Heh heh."
A bit of verbal sparring.
Yet within it, the half-man half-beast and I quietly probed each other's true intentions while sizing one another up.
A frame far larger than mine.
Skill honed over godlike years.
And the power to wield a horse's mobility and destructive force at will—this was a tricky foe for me, who'd only ever fought humans.
[If you must fight a life-or-death battle against an unfamiliar opponent, there's only one surefire way to win.]
"...First strike!"
-Whoosh!
The step I took, the spear I thrust sharply—it rode the wind in an instant, splitting into fragments.
Every motion a feint, every motion a killing blow.
Scattering in all directions, the Mad Wind Spear targeted ten vital points: his heart, solar plexus, throat, wrist crooks, and more.
"What is this!?"
Perhaps startled by a martial art unseen by the tutor of Greece's heroes, Chiron stamped his forelegs and swung his spear wide in response.
-Clang clang clang clang!!
The sound of wood clashing rang out repeatedly. Seizing the brief pause as my spear halted, hooves like hammers smashed toward my head.
Blocking was impossible. Burrowing in or dodging sideways was blocked by the spear sweeping down in a fan shape.
-Boom!
Soon, a pair of hooves tore up the earth, dust exploding upward like a bomb—but I'd already slipped through the obscured vision and pulled back swiftly.
"Tch... not easy, as expected."
My hands still tingled from the recoil transmitted through the spear shaft moments ago.
We'd only clashed spear-to-spear, yet the impact felt like swinging at a lump of iron. And then those earth-shaking hoof stomps.
Luckily, I'd let the wind pressure carry me back instead of resisting.
Had I braced even a little, I'd have been sent flying.
"Tsk, that thick hide blocked my counter completely."
As I'd retreated, I'd gripped the spear long and slashed at Chiron's flank as hard as possible.
I'd felt the impact in my hands and was certain it had landed, but the spear tip held only a few coarse hairs, not blood.
No sooner had I confirmed it than an ominous vibration rumbled from straight ahead.
-Thud thud thud!
"!!"
Vision obscured by dust, but the heavy tremors vibrating up through my soles sent chills down my spine.
"Hahaha! My turn now!"
-Whoosh!
In an instant, the half-man half-beast scattered the dust cloud and charged straight at me.
His charging form screamed intent: no matter where I dodged, he'd gore me through.
A normal cavalryman couldn't attack from the front like that with the horse's head in the way.
Only because he was the horse could a centaur pull this off.
It eliminated all options but a head-on clash—a crude tactic only a master like him could force.
"Hahaha! What now? Show me more!"
As that reckless charge bore down, Jang Cheon's words echoed in my mind.
'The wind flows. Flow is the wind, and the wind is you.'
The flow of all things is mine.
The thought was brief; the movement swift.
About two hundred paces to the wall behind me.
I invoked the Mad Wind Spear's footwork, the Flowing Breeze Step, circling the spearhead to draw a ring. My form absorbed Chiron's momentum whole, drifting back like a leaf on the wind.
-Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Thrust, slash, strike.
Vertical, horizontal, left, right.
I retreated lightly on the wind while the half-man half-beast pursued relentlessly.
Clashing spears between charger and evader kicked up dust and whipped gusts.
"Kiyaaah!!"
"Hoo, hoo, hoo..."
Stay calm.
Keep your head cool, your heart hot, your muscles supple, your breaths short and quick.
Martial arts begin with breath and end with breath.
Lose your rhythm in any situation, and it leads straight to death.
"Ho... Truly flawless, movements so fluid they're beyond reproach."
Chiron's admiring voice cut through the explosive clashes as he cornered me nearly to the wall.
But the flow didn't seem poised to stop here—it felt like one final blow was coming.
Where had that kindly, intellectual image gone? Chiron grinned ferociously now.
"However, it seems you still have more to show?"
-Boom!
He stamped his forelegs powerfully, and with a detonation like a bomb, his five-meter bulk reared up on hind legs right before me.
"You won't die, but... if you don't take it seriously, you might be in danger."
-Groooar!
The massive equine body reared on two legs, the human torso atop it gripping the spear with both hands and drawing it back amid an unearthly rumble.
Like a hammer poised to strike, he twisted every muscle and vein, gathering his full power in one spot.
At the same instant, a massive aura like thundering hooves battered my entire body.
'Aura!'
Now it was my turn to be shocked.
In a world without martial arts, to crush all directions with sheer pressure from heightened momentum.
This old centaur was going all-in.
'If I hold back now, I'll end up in the hospital at best.'
That instinct hit me, and I mirrored him, assuming my stance with the spear aimed.
-Whooooosh!
My own aura whipped up a gale that shoved back Chiron's, locking us in a battle of wills.
If he was an earthquake, I was a storm.
If he was a hammer, I was a bow.
Chiron couldn't hide his astonishment at the pressure I exuded.
"Ooh...! Aura! You're a warrior who's awakened aura too!"
"Aura? Ah, so that's what they call qi over here."
In Eastern tales or wuxia, it was qi.
In Western or fantasy stories, aura or ora.
To nitpick, Eastern qi was a deeper system, while Western aura was closer to killing intent manifest—but no need to correct him.
-Groooar!
-Whoooosh!
We were too locked in this fierce aura clash for further chit-chat.
The moment balance tipped, victor and loser would be decided.
Opponent spread wide like a line; attacks crossing was unlikely, so whoever moved first or showed an opening would lose.
"Hahaha... this boils the blood of an old half-beast like me."
"....."
The clashing auras surged toward their peak.
Cold sweat beaded on my brow as steam rose from Chiron's body amid the heat. Without warning, our two spears crossed paths.