The Essence of Martial Arts
Following the vibrations that grew stronger with every step, a place presumed to be the Sanctuary came into view at the end of the path. A passing glance revealed brick houses, the same torches I had seen in the previous village scattered here and there, and figures hurrying about, clutching the poles that connected those torches together.
"It seems I have not arrived too late."
Fortunate, then, that I seemed to have arrived before any damage was done. They appeared to be preparing for war in earnest, so lending a hand would be the right thing to do. The only question was how to approach.
"Rushing here with only my body and leaving my wits behind — now that has caused a problem."
Perhaps I truly should have carried Clara here on my back...
DOOOONG! DOOOONG!
"So the bell tolls."
Had the monsters drawn near already? Very well. If it was difficult to approach while they prepared for war, then I could simply assist mid-battle. That was, after all, why I had come.
"The view from the watchtower is rather fine, is it not? As befits a place called the Sanctuary, there is hardly any blizzard here. How agreeable."
Truly, it was my first time seeing this landscape without the blizzard obscuring it... and yet.
"I am not peeping. I am merely observing how these people live."
If one insisted on distinctions... whether this was truly a Sanctuary, what manner of life its residents led, whether they appeared happy. That sort of thing. Clara had certainly brimmed with pride when she spoke of the Sanctuary, so there was little need to doubt it.
Even so, if hidden circumstances were involved, it would be no different. Just how many things could be done by deceiving one small, innocent child?
"You people keep trying to make me out to be a villain..."
To have my intentions so thoroughly misunderstood. But I suspected I would not have the leisure to keep observing them.
"The vibrations grow larger."
What had been a faint tremor before now shook the watchtower itself. Ah — so that was the source of these vibrations.
The enormous bulk slowly revealing itself between the sheets of the blizzard made everything clear.
"Honestly, what on earth does a creature have to eat to grow that large?"
Behemoth, is it. That thing could probably fill a small apartment building on its own. What had it eaten to grow, and what did it eat to sustain its life? This really was a game, after all...
Drawing my gaze down from the Behemoth, I saw those who watched it — a vanguard, it seemed, firmly clad in armor dyed white, standing in disciplined ranks and waiting.
But could those spears and swords of theirs so much as wound that enormous bulk?
"Even if they stabbed and hacked with those things, it would feel like no more than a prick of thorns."
Aura Knights? Now that I thought of it, I recalled Clara mentioning something about "knights who had ascended to a higher realm." Then what realm, I wondered, had an Aura Knight attained?
A paladin, then, would presumably be a knight wielding divine power on a level similar to an Aura Knight. I was capable of at least that much reasoning, after all. But from what these people were saying, this monster wave was apparently a scheduled event. Which meant something significant must have occurred to pull the schedule forward... Ah.
"So it was me."
"You, it seems, were the one who advised me to capture the Spider Queen."
"The outcome was right in the end, so I shall not blame you for it. Worry no further."
The goal of meeting people, and the solution you had offered — and had the result not turned out well enough? So beware of being hunted as a witch. Those viewers of yours sometimes dragged people along regardless of cause and effect.
"And besides, that is not the problem at hand."
The present problem was the enormous beast before my eyes, and the countless monsters advancing behind it.
"If there is any mercy to be had, it is that their pace is a little slow."
Even so, the wave of monsters was advancing steadily, close enough now to make out individual shapes. It was time, then, for me to approach them as well.
"I have even considered how to approach them naturally, for what it is worth."
"Would one not wish to avoid suspicion? This is war. In other words, it means dying to a blade is an ever-present possibility."
Well, the odds of a blade finding me were slim, but I could hardly escape suspicion itself.
"It is hardly the time to be cracking jokes at one's leisure, is it not?"
"Hah. I would sooner hold a conversation with a dog."
This was as far as I would indulge them.
Rising from the watchtower, I straightened my attire and ran toward those who still maintained their ranks in solemn formation.
"Who goes there?!"
A man shouted at the top of his lungs, visibly startled by the sudden presence bursting into view. Judging by the armor surrounding him, the sword, and his bearing, this one was an Aura Knight.
"Could you not use some assistance?"
"We have no need of help from some suspicious stranger."
What a frigid answer. According to Clara, the Empire placed great importance on the duty of rescuing people — but apparently that, too, varied from person to person.
"That one will be of little use, then."
Was he not excessively rigid? And yet his ears were sharp, quickening his formation at a moment's notice — his character was not entirely bad, it seemed.
"Is there anyone here who knows a girl named Clara?"
I would play my opening move before things truly turned hostile. If I mentioned Clara's name, someone was bound to react. It need not be someone of high rank — it would be enough to simply convey that I had come to join them.
"Clara...? You know Clara?"
The hook I cast had landed a big one. It was someone equipped with armor and a sword of quality comparable to the unknown Aura Knight. Though the helm concealed any expression, the bearing of a priest clung to him.
Indeed, I wondered the same. Why would a paladin appear?
"I came by way of that child, but the ground was trembling, so I arrived ahead of them. They should reach this place before long."
"I see... May I ask if they are unharmed?"
"They are perfectly fine. Worry not."
Though knowing her, she was probably practicing dance moves instead of what I taught her.
"By the way, that lady you carry with you..."
"Ah."
Was that not going a bit too far...
"She has passed away now, but she was said to be the Queen of Amsia."
"...What?"
"We don't have time for that kind of nonsense. Can't you see that calamity right before your eyes?!"
"Which is precisely why I have come to help."
"Ha! If one more person joining could solve this, we wouldn't be standing here like this!"
"Sir Dave, please maintain decorum."
"My apologies."
The hierarchy between them was abundantly clear.
"If Clara sent you, then there is no further need to verify. Assuming you truly were sent by her."
The glare piercing through the helm stung. Clara must be precious to him. She was a lovable child, deserving of all the affection she received.
"Hmm, I have nothing that would serve as proof, as it happens. But I did receive this sword."
And this was why I had pondered how exactly to offer my aid. What a bother. Arriving amid a crisis of this magnitude with no reputation, no standing whatsoever — truly.
"Then I will believe you."
"Is it wise to believe so easily? It is merely an ordinary practice sword."
"I don't know what they told you, but this sword is not so simple a thing as that. Might I have your name?"
So this sword, too, carried some story of its own. Just how many hidden tales were tangled into everything I touched? And the ability to uncover those truths seemed to be that child's own unique power... honestly.
"This one is called Cheon Seojun. The child calls me Seo Jju."
"Seo Jju... forgive me..."
"Think nothing of it."
There would be nothing more to say between us.
"I will take the vanguard."
"...Pardon?"
Who knew how long that rigid fellow would stand there frozen, but it was time to go hunt that thing whose only virtue was its size.
"What do you believe martial arts to be?"
"Techniques for fighting against people. Correct."
"And wasn't it originally just imitating animals or something?"
"That, too, is correct. Then I shall ask you this: why do they imitate?"
Tigers, bears, lions, rabbits, turtles — whatever the animal, what was the reason for mimicking it? What lay at the very origin of it all?
Martial arts are techniques for killing.
Humanity was lacking in far too many things.
They had no sharp fangs and claws with which to hunt. No explosive speed with which to run down their prey. No durable hide with which to withstand an attack.
"That is why we imitate."
To supplement what was absent, to create what was missing.
Techniques to stand in place of fangs and claws; stances and breathing to reach the fastest possible speed; training to endure as much as could be endured.
"Martial arts have no limits. The limits you speak of are limits you have set for yourselves."
Remember this: martial arts are techniques for killing.
"Whatever the opponent may be, it will die."
Through hide thick as a fortress wall, and into the heart itself.
"I will kill it."