It Wasn't a Martial Arts World, but the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 121. The Defense of Hongnong Commandery (5)

What is war?

War is a game of words.

When the enemy’s strategist devises a scheme, we respond to it, and when our strategist proposes a plan, the enemy defends against it.

There must be a sense of justification in the process.

For instance, if a strategy involves encircling ten thousand enemies and blocking their retreat, would it work if you only had a thousand troops?

Some would answer:

What a ridiculous notion.

Don’t spout nonsense.

It’s the same now.

The ones blocking Sun Jian’s retreat are just two people.

A woman and a man.

How could just two individuals block the retreat of an army numbering over ten thousand?

This isn’t even worth considering. If you think about it simply, they’re no different from insects crawling along the roadside.

However, these two were Lü Bu and Unryong.

Lü Bu was the Peerless Warrior of the World.

In terms of sheer strength, no one dared compare to her.

The weight of the title “Peerless Warrior” was that heavy.

And Unryong was a nightmare—to Sun Ce, to Sun Jian, and to their soldiers.

Even now, when they closed their eyes, the nightmare of that day would resurface.

The dark crimson aura, the blood and the blade, and death.

It was just one person.

Due to this one person, Sun Jian’s army suffered unimaginable and massive losses.

Corpses piled up like mountains, formed paths, and altered the landscape.

These scars remained deep in their hearts, still gnawing at their minds.

Thus, a ludicrous situation unfolded today.

Though only two stood on the hill, merely taking a step forward, Sun Jian’s army swallowed nervously, unable to move recklessly.

Sun Jian and Sun Ce could not take any particular action.

Instead, they too were tense, preparing for what was to come.

As if it were the natural course of action.

They treated those two as if they were an army led by Sima Yi herself.

Watching them trapped from all sides, Sima Yi simply smiled while fanning herself.

Time passed.

Sun Jian and Sun Ce divided their army in half to form their positions.

Sun Ce led fifteen thousand of their total twenty thousand troops to face Sima Yi’s forces, setting up a defensive line.

He declared in a rage that he would cut down Unryong, but he was forced to comply with Sun Jian’s firm order.

“…Father.”

Sun Ce closed his eyes tightly.

‘I, Sun Jian, will slay that man.’

Sun Jian was always a rational and cold-headed commander.

However, Sun Jian today was far from his usual self.

Had his father’s eyes ever been so full of life?

His lips remained calm, but his eyes were unfamiliar.

Sun Ce slowly opened his eyes.

He gripped his reins tightly.

The war was nearing its end.

***

At some point, my body felt light.

I didn’t know why.

It just felt endlessly light.

It seemed it had been this way since I returned here.

The closer I got to the source and essence, the hotter my body became, and my heart pounded loudly.

“What are you going to do?”

Lü Bu asked, holding her halberd, baring her fierce teeth in a smile, seemingly ready to unleash her fury.

However, in front of us lay an army so vast that people looked like ants.

Even Lü Bu, perhaps slightly tense, trembled her legs ever so slightly.

“I’ll take the right, Yeo takes the left. What do you think?”

“Then it’s a continuation of the last bet. Whoever takes down the most of those trash wins; the loser becomes a slave for life. Got it?”

“Yeo, you really hold grudges. Didn’t that bet end with my victory anyway?”

“Nonsense, I was just tired back then.”

“Sure.”

I shrugged.

Even if we joked around, trying to downplay the difference in strength, the numbers were overwhelming.

The two of us clicked our tongues and split left and right, waiting for them to approach.

After some time, Sun Jian’s forces finally came into view.

He was holding his reins in his teeth, wielding his sword with his right arm.

That missing arm was my doing.

After closing the distance between us, he spat out the reins.

“You’re still alive?”

“Yeah, I thought I was done for back then.”

That was the truth.

I had really thought I was going to die. Just being alive felt like a miracle.

“You’ve managed to heal your wounds. They didn’t seem like injuries that could heal easily.”

“I had my methods. You must feel a bit empty on your left side.”

“It’s not the best feeling.”

“Well, that’s good.”

I tapped my shoulder with the back of my sword.

In response, Sun Jian raised his sword towards me.

“There are many things I want to ask.”

He once again clenched the reins between his teeth.

He had always been like a machine.

Even when betrayed by Yuan Shu or when he clashed swords with me.

He rarely showed his emotions.

But now, he was consumed by exhilaration.

I didn’t know why.

But the fragments of emotion in those eyes were too familiar.

He wasn’t looking at me right now.

I raised the corners of my mouth.

Likewise, I gripped my sword with one hand, pointing it at him.

The wind blew.

The black flag planted beside me fluttered in unison.

Led by Sun Jian, the cavalry began to move.

Lü Bu was the first to charge.

She leaped into the air, slamming her halberd downward.

A massive sandstorm obscured the view.

It felt as if a bomb had exploded.

Judging by the power, she seemed to have become somewhat accustomed to qi.

I calmly rolled my eyes, scanning the flow of qi around them.

One step to the right.

Ten steps behind.

Eleven steps ahead, about fifty people.

My vision was awash with blue.

I gripped my hand tightly, feeling the qi coursing through my body.

My senses sharpened, perhaps even more than before.

I swung my sword.

In one strike, the blood of over ten foes splattered.

The sword aura shimmered brilliantly.

My body was hot.

My heart still pounded, and my blood flowed rapidly.

The sandstorm cleared.

My eyes met Sun Jian’s.

The heat in my body cooled.

I smiled.

I didn’t know why.

Was it that I found his audacity pleasing?

Sun Jian continued to command his soldiers with precision.

Each unit was difficult to deal with.

The constantly shifting formations were dizzying to watch.

Even so, I swung my sword leisurely.

– Hwaak!

The sword aura rippled more violently.

The sword felt heavy.

It wasn’t that I had reached my limit.

It was just that the qi flowing through my body had grown incomparably greater than before.

As I practiced Circulation of Qi, harmonizing with nature, there were times when my understanding of qi deepened.

Qi was like the principles of nature. It was akin to the changes of the four seasons: spring, summer, fall, and winter.

When life ripens across the world, winter recedes.

As the golden waves of sunset ripple, summer hides away.

When pure white blankets the sky, fall quietly passes.

All things circulate.

I defined this as Linked Illusion.

The turbulent sword aura gradually took form. It became concentrated and solidified.

Everything circulates, including qi. Qi is everything, and it should not seek to control all things.

Just let it flow.

“…Ah.”

A sigh escaped.

I turned my head.

It was Sun Jian.

His eyes trembled.

Following his gaze, I saw the sword was surrounded by a blue aura, forming another sword.

Sword Aura.

If sword qi was merely a flicker, the light emitted by Sword Aura was dazzling. It felt as if one could go blind.

I gripped my sword and swung it.

With a thunderous crash, the sword aura tore through the air.

Dust rose in the distance.

The expressions of my enemies turned blank.

They seemed unable to comprehend what had just happened.

“…Fire!”

But Sun Jian was no pushover.

He quickly regained his composure and gave the command.

A rain of arrows fell.

In that moment, I melded with the scenery.

Phantom Soul.

I roamed the battlefield as a spirit, piercing and cutting through anything in my way.

– Thud!

A giant boulder flew toward me.

It was launched from a catapult at Sun Jian’s rear.

Normally, being hit by that would be fatal. The body would be crushed like tofu.

However, I merely raised my sword.

– Scrrr!

The strength of Sword Qi and Sword Aura were on different levels.

The qi, maintaining its perfect form, defied even the laws of physics.

The perfectly split boulder slammed into the ground on either side of me without losing its speed.

Silence filled the air.

I still didn’t stop walking.

With one hand behind my back and the other brushing the blood off my sword, I gazed at the terrified faces of the enemy.

“Heh.”

Only Sun Jian stood firm, meeting my gaze without trembling.

“Not taking your head that day… has become the greatest stain of my life. Even if it meant losing my life, I should have killed you then.”

He led his horse forward through the trembling soldiers.

“I, Sun Jian, wanted to restore this Han Dynasty. But my cause will lose its momentum here.”

Heaven’s Extreme.

The edge of the sky.

He and I now stood at opposite ends, facing each other.

Essence and origin.

Though we looked in different directions, we stood under the same sky.

Finally, I understood why the heat in my body had subsided.

I approached him.

“So, are you going to kneel here?”

He too approached me.

“That will not happen.”

I raised my sword.

“You will die.”

He clenched his teeth even harder.

“There are things worth more than life, sometimes.”

“Admirable.”

I raised my sword high.

The horse approached.

I swung my sword.

Blood splattered.

Thud!

Sun Jian fell from his horse.

He rolled on the ground.

The end of a warlord was hollow. But Sun Jian didn’t seem to care.

“…That light… I quite like it.”

He gazed at the reflection of his sword on mine with faint eyes.

Then he turned his head. His gaze fixed on Sun Ce’s forces, locked in fierce combat with Sima Yi’s troops.

“…Haah.”

He was on the verge of his last breath. But he stubbornly lifted his head, taking in the scene.

“Truly beautiful…”

– Thud.

At last, Sun Jian’s head drooped. He had stopped breathing.

I placed my hand over his eyes. His gaze was pure.

They were the eyes of a child, filled with joy at just watching the stars in the night sky.

Everything circulates, and eventually moves forward.

Though the purpose differed, the essence remained the same.

For humans, life was about striving for a better world.

I quietly closed my eyes.

I felt my skeletal structure and muscles shift.

At some point, with every swing of my sword, my body had been reconstructing itself.

“Da-jaaaaaang!”

I opened my eyes.

The lament and sorrow of those who had witnessed Sun Jian’s death echoed.

Thousands of enemies still remained.

Yet, I still had a smile on my face.

I didn’t feel like I was going to lose at all.