Savage Divinity

After an entire month of early mornings, late nights, and a multitude of untimely disruptions to his slumber, Min Gyu wholeheartedly regretted accepting the offer to become Ryo Dae Jung’s bodyguard.

It wasn’t all bad. Living in the Ryo family manor meant he was well provided for, afforded all the minor luxuries he’d grown accustomed to during his lengthy convalescence, but had to make do without after losing his life’s savings to an embarrassing family squabble. It wasn’t as if he were sorely deprived of life’s necessities, but he missed the little treats he used to indulge in. Savoury fish-cakes imported from his home-town of Yan Tai, scented bath oils to soothe his old, drying skin, or even top-quality tea to enjoy with the delectable snacks young Rain and Charok cooked up day after day, these were things most could do without, but Min Gyu craved them all the same. This wasn’t to say Yan and her husband mistreated him or weren’t willing to spend coin on him, but rather that he lacked skin thick enough to ask for an allowance after they’d already welcomed him into their marital home. He also lacked the gall to bring up the matter of his military wages, which he had stopped the day after they took his title of Exarch and gave him a promotion to Lieutenant General out of pity. Anyone with eyes could see his rank was given without responsibility, and he would not let it be said that the crippled Du Min Gyu also needed charity. While he was most certainly earning his pay now, he didn’t know how to bring it up, since matters of coin were outside the purview of the military and firmly in the hands of Central’s Marshal’s office. A quiet word with Luo-Luo would most certainly see things quietly sorted out, but it was too embarrassing to admit to his impoverished circumstances, and he could never muster the courage to do anything about it.

More importantly than minor luxuries were the facilities he now had access to, including the Ryo family’s training grounds where they cultivated some of the finest swordsmen in the Empire, all of whom were loyal to the Ryo family first. As a sabre-wielding fanatic, Min Gyu’s Path paralleled much of what the Ryo family instructors taught, so not only did he benefit from seeing how they guided their recruits along the Martial Path, his students also benefited from exchanging moves with the Ryo family guards. Min Gyu took great pride in seeing his students match blades with many great names and improve by leaps and bounds, especially Kyung who proved more than a match for young Da’in once she finally thought to request an exchange. Even though Min Gyu loved his grandson so, the truth of the matter was that the world still saw Kyung as a slave first, so even asking his filial goddaughter to spar with him might well be seen as an insult given the vast disparity in their perceived statuses.

That being said, after suffering an overwhelming defeat at Kyung’s hands, Da’in sought him out to spar each and every day since, with both of them benefiting much from the arrangement. Given how he cared nothing for face, Kyung showed Da’in no mercy and defeated her ninety-nine times out of a hundred exchanges, and drew even on their last match, at which point the proud girl was finally willing to call it a day. Where a lesser Warrior would’ve long since stomped off in a fury, Da’in instead pushed herself even harder and spent the next few weeks familiarizing herself with Kyung’s vast repertoire of attacks and defences, unravelling his secrets only to find herself outmatched yet again as he repeatedly pushed her beyond the limits of her considerable natural talent. This forced her to rely on more than just her natural power, speed, and skill to secure victory, which thus far was all she needed to progress along the Martial Path, but the gap between Expert and Peak Expert was extensive and not so easily surmounted, especially by one who had never known defeat. Such was the danger of inborn genius, to never know struggle until it was too late, but now Kyung was able to show Da’in just how lacking she really was when it came to battling a Peak Expert.

As for Kyung, he benefited from these spars because he rarely had a chance to match blades with an opponent like Da’in outside of a life and death battle, someone skilled enough to present a challenge, but not so skilled that a single mistake spelled defeat. Thus, he could afford to test out the Movements and Forms he was less than comfortable with, those skills he hesitated to try in real battle, and Da’in was adept enough to punish him for any flaws or mistakes. What’s more, seeing their family princess struggle so fruitlessly against the ‘bully’ of a Du Scion, the various teachers and retainers of the Ryo family were lining up to teach Kyung a lesson, affording him even more opponents to test himself against. It was all in good fun, without any real enmity to the proceedings at all, just a healthy rivalry between men and women of similar age and station, a sight which warmed Min Gyu’s heart. It gave him hope that things might not unravel and fall apart for his grandson once he passed away, because while Yan had her marriage to Rain keeping her status afloat, Kyung would have nothing and no one to support him besides his sister, making him an obvious target for Min Gyu’s enemies seeking to even long forgotten grudges. Were it not for the ongoing war efforts, he might well have gone on a cleansing trip around Central to eliminate those he deemed a threat to his precious grandson, but now, Kyung would have allies and comrades to support him even after Min Gyu passed away, which was more than he had ever dreamed possible.

Despite all the benefits, he still would have been much happier if he’d turned down Dae Jung’s offer to become his bodyguard and gone about his own merry way, but Min Gyu’s conscience would never have allowed it. The only thing that kept him going was knowing that while his lot was a miserable one indeed, the Colonel General’s circumstances were not much better. At least Min Gyu could take time off to rest and recuperate every now and then after fobbing off his Wraith detection duties to Eccentric Gam, but with the Enemy stepping up pressure on the Central Citadel, Dae Jung’s life was under constant threat, leaving him nowhere to go to unwind and relax. The bedroom, dining room, bathhouse, and even the outhouse, the Colonel General had come under attack in each and every one of these locations over the past three weeks, and while Min Gyu had been able to uncover the Wraiths before the attacks began, the waves of suicidal assassins still managed to come uncomfortably close to achieving their goals.

It was easy to see where Da’in got her stubborn streak from, for where lesser men might cower in fear, Ryo Dae Jung seemed to welcome the attacks and refused to step up his personal defences. Though he increased the number of guards protecting his home, he still went about his business with the bare minimum of six Peak Expert escorts, two visible to stand at his flanks and four more lurking nearby in Concealment. Add in Min Gyu or Eccentric Gam, as well as an alarmingly undernourished taste tester checking every morsel and cup for poison, and most days, this was all that stood between the Enemy assassins and the Colonel General’s life. A most tempting target indeed, but it wasn’t until after the first two days of gruelling, non-stop Defiled attacks, that Min Gyu realized why Dae Jung stubbornly refused to increase his guard detail even after so many close brushes with death.

Though the Empire was largely focused on Shuai Jiao and his advancement to Commander General of the Outer Provinces, a self-proclaimed title not even the Emperor cared to contest, the focus of Central’s soldiers and civilians largely shifted to young Dae Jung instead. This was because Shuai Jiao was now responsible for the safety of all the outer provinces and could no longer favour Central over the others lest he lose support from North and South. Not that the honourable and impartial ascetic would, but even maintaining the mere illusion of favouritism was no longer possible, and with Mitsue Juichi’s fall from grace, Dae Jung became the face of Central’s military endeavours. Therefore, in order to prove he could shoulder this heavy responsibility, he took on the role of lightning rod for the Enemy assassins and presented himself as a target too tempting to pass up in order to alleviate the pressure on the soldiers serving under him.

Such was the style of the youngest appointed Colonel General in the last thousand years, the supremely talented and phenomenally charismatic Sword King, Ryo Dae Jung, a man who led by example and demanded nothing short of excellence, even from himself.

As for Min Gyu, he had long since left his prime years behind and was no longer able to keep up, but his stubborn pride would not allow him to admit inferiority. Every day, he dragged himself out of bed long before the sun had risen and went to bed long after it set, only to be roused from slumber before his bladder had time to interrupt his pleasant, peaceful dreams, ones which prominently featured a certain Ancestral Fox. It wasn’t any sort of youthful infatuation or melancholic pining, it’s just that working in close concert with Eccentric Gam meant his gorgeous mother was always close to mind. Restless dreams were a small price to pay however, because without Eccentric Gam to help bear the burden, Min Gyu feared he would have long since come apart at the seams.

Tonight was no different, as no sooner than he’d laid his head down to rest, Kyung roused him with word from Dae Jung’s Guard Captain. “The Defiled are attacking again,” Kyung began, his tone almost as tired as Min Gyu felt, for nary a day had passed in the last week without seeing Enemy action. “The Colonel General intends to oversee the defences from the third wall.”

“That bad, hmm?” Min Gyu muttered, while Kyung all but dragged him out of bed. “How many Defiled this time?”

“Best estimates put their numbers at close to half a million Enemy combatants assaulting the walls at this very moment, a mix of tribals and Chosen alike.” Hastily helping Min Gyu get dressed for battle, Kyung rattled off a list of details outlining the current state of affairs, news which shook the last vestiges of lethargy from Min Gyu’s mind, for circumstances were dire indeed. The canny enemy general was none other than the infamous Bai Qi himself, and his tactical acumen proved equal to his dominating Martial prowess, if not superior. Three days ago, the traitor general appeared at the head of a massive Defiled army to threaten the Central Citadel itself, ostensibly to secure a decisive victory after twenty plus days of largely ineffective raids. Although there’d been no indication a large scale attack was underway, Shuai Jiao was not caught off-guard and the Citadel rallied a valiant defence in what was quickly shaping up to be the hottest conflict of the war thus far. Two of this generation’s greatest military minds traded blows through proxy in the grandest game of human chess ever played, with tens of thousands of lives lost already and millions more at stake. Both sides brought out every trick and gambit available and added their own flair to the proceedings, which led to probing feints, lightning-fast raids, Concealed breaching actions, and more as the hours stretched into days without either side emerging with the upper hand. One day, the siege of the Central Citadel would one day be used as a textbook example for both offensive and defensive actions when teaching the military minds of tomorrow, and even Min Gyu struggled to keep up with the dynamic back and forth conflict emerging all around them.

Thus, it took a moment for Min Gyu to grasp just how dire their situation truly was and why Dae Jung would risk appearing on the battlefield in person. “The Defiled numbers make no sense,” he began, lifting his arms so Kyung could more easily secure his sash. “They are attacking five different fronts along the Western Wall, with even more forces in play to intercept possible reinforcements moving by ship or caravan, but in order to deploy so many troops at once, that would mean they’ve committed every last unit they have available in the field to this attack.” There would be no more fancy maneuvers or rearrangement of formations, for all that was left was to cycle units into the fray and let the battle play out as is.

“It appears they have, Grandfather,” Kyung replied, smoothing out Min Gyu’s collar and tucking an errant wisp of grey hair behind an ear. “Bai Qi means to stake it all on one throw, and the Commander General is readied to respond in kind. All available forces have been called in to man the Citadel defences and the Districts placed on high alert, while armies have already sallied forth from North and South and are moving into place.”

Not to support the Central Citadel against this attack, seeing how they would never make it in time to affect the outcome, but rather to retake the fortress if the Defiled were to emerge victorious. The Commander General was preparing for the worst case scenario, and the realization chilled Min Gyu to the bone, for until this very moment, he believed they still had the advantage in this all-out war, but apparently Shuai Jiao thought differently. At best, this meant even odds to the victor, a fifty-fifty split, which in essence amounted to a coin-flip to determine the fate of the outer provinces. Such a dire state of affairs was an unwelcome surprise indeed, but there was nothing to be done except put forth his best effort and hope it would be enough to sway the odds in their favour.

Min Gyu’s students were all waiting outside in the Ryo family courtyard, gathered there by Kyung’s own command. The boy had finally learned to show initiative, though he only exercised this freedom when it came to matters of Min Gyu’s safety. With the Enemy putting all their forces into play, Ryo Dae Jung was likely to become the focus of the Enemy Peak Experts’ attentions, meaning Min Gyu himself would need his students’ support to help keep the Colonel General alive. No man was an island in the Imperial Army, not even lofty figures like himself, for it was not the spear of the most formidable Warrior that proved most dangerous, but rather the dagger you did not see.

Casting his gaze over his gathered students, Min Gyu made eye contact with each and every one of them and wordlessly expressed his gratitude to these mere twenty-eight Warriors of varying skills. Though others looked down on them for serving as his loyal guards in exchange for guidance and instruction, if Min Gyu were to gather a retinue as befitting his rank, these students would form the backbone of his command cadre, with someone capable to serve at every available rank from his second-in-command to a lowly hundred-man commander. It was important to keep in touch with one’s officers, especially those serving at the bottom, for the Imperial Army was built upon a foundation of hundred-man commanders ensuring their superior’s orders were carried out without fail. The Colonel General gave orders, but it fell to the hundred-man commander to make those orders happen, which was why Min Gyu insisted Yan serve as a Third-Grade Warrant Officer on the front lines.

Those days were long past though, as Yan was now a First Grade Warrant Officer, one field promoted by Brigadier Chen Hongji himself, who had then taken her under his personal command. According to Kyung, the Brigadier’s forces were stationed at the Inner Fortress by Shuai Jiao himself, which spoke volumes to his confidence in this ‘mere’ Brigadier. Not that Chen Hongji was not deserving of such trust, for few could claim superiority when it came to matters of siege defence, and having been privy to a host of significant military meetings over these past few weeks, even Min Gyu had to admit that this promising rising dragon would go far if given time to develop. Add in his sublime mastery of Domain and Chen Hongji might well be a future Colonel General in the making, one Dae Jung wasted no effort in winning over to his side. Of course, Min Gyu was less than thrilled to have inadvertently been a part of the courting process, with the canny Sword King using their relationship and implied ties to Rain to get closer with Hongji, but it was a small matter that changed little in the grand scheme of things. Clever man that he was, Hongji had thus far refrained from throwing his lot in with anyone and instead stood firmly at young Rain’s side, even now during his lengthy convalescence and extended absence.

A loyal, upright, honourable man, this Chen Hongji, and under different circumstances, this might well have been the death of him, for politics cared not for quality of character, only calculated gains and losses.

Knowing Yan was as safe as could be under present circumstances, Min Gyu was both upset and relieved by sweet Kishi’s absence. The quin pup was still too young to be separated from her parents for long, and since young Mila was partnered with the unsociable Zabu while her own mount Atir was busy rearing her newly hatched pups, this led Yan to leave Shana and Kishi behind at the Northern Citadel. Add in Rain’s absence alongside the rest of his pets and Min Gyu was starved for animal affection, yearning to run his fingers through the soft fur of a warm and adorable creature and perhaps sneak in a snuggle if no one was looking. No quins, wildcats, bears, or rabbits to cuddle, and not even a grumpy red panda to poke and tease, this was simply no way for man to live, but alas, Min Gyu lacked the personal funds required to secure an exotic pet for himself.

It all came down to money yet again, but even if he worked out the matter of his wages, he had far too many debts to be paid before spending anything on himself. Top of the list was wages for his students, who were only being paid in room, board, and lessons, a pitifully lacking compensation compared to what they could earn by pledging themselves to a noble family or faction, any of which would welcome them with open arms just to forge a relationship with Min Gyu. Yes, that would be the best way to bring the matter up with Luo-Luo, seeking fair wages for his loyal students rather than fine leaves for his teapot...

Given the severity of the situation, there was no time for tea or snacks before Dae Jung arrived, clad in full armour and accompanied by six guards like always, two visible and four Concealed. Even though he was preparing to wade into battle and perhaps even trade blows with Bai Qi himself, the Sword King refused to expand his guard detail, a decision that would either win him accolades after he won or criticisms after he died, neither of which were any solace to Min Gyu.

“Sorry to trouble you again so soon, Comrade Du,” Dae Jung began, greeting Min Gyu and silently asking for a status update at the same time. “If only we could ever meet under less dire circumstances.”

“Nothing to fret about,” Min Gyu replied, his answer to both verbal and non-verbal statements. With his Wind Chi sweeping the premises, he had yet to uncover any unknown Concealed entities within a hundred metres. “And what dire circumstances? After such a sumptuous feast in pleasant company, there’s nothing the Enemy can do to spoil my mood.” It wasn’t even that much of an exaggeration, for their dinner had been sublime as per usual. While Rain and Charok were phenomenal cooks, they both favoured simple and pleasant fare, the sort of meals that were delicious and filling, but all too commonplace. Neither one could be called adventurous and Min Gyu did so enjoy trying new and exotic things every now and then. Urchin roe, raw tuna, fermented soy beans, bitter melon and more, the Bekhai were missing out on a whole world of delicacies they simply refused to even try, and Min Gyu lacked the funds to treat them to these exotic delights.

“I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it.” The familiar voice caught him by surprise as he recognized Dae Jung’s wife, Jeong Hyo-Lynn, dressed like a Ryo family Guard and filling in as one of her husband’s two visible escorts, with nothing to differentiate her from any other guard save for the three Spiritual Swords upon her belt. “We had the chef brought in from your hometown especially for you, but circumstances delayed his arrival until yesterday morning.”

“How kind of you to do so.” Unable to resist her charming smile, Min Gyu grinned in spite of himself, adding, “Had I known you brought in a local, I would’ve asked to speak with him in person, if only to hear the familiar accent of my home town.”

Wasting no time as they chatted, they boarded a carriage and set out for the battlefield, saving every last bit of energy they could before the upcoming battle. Using this time to settle his nerves and get into the right frame of mind, Min Gyu let his thoughts idly wander and found them fixated on the Sword King’s mysterious wife. Though there were rumours abound of her personal prowess, few were privy to the fact that she was in part responsible for Dae Jung’s meteoric rise to power. Not just by urging her husband to greatness, but also by guiding him along his Path as well, for she possessed a talent for teaching that few could ever match. With but a few simple words, she was able to cut to the heart of a question, simplifying matters in a way few others could and helping guide someone to Insight without providing too much information as to overly affect their Path, a trait Yan benefited most from in recent days. After living in close quarters with the woman these past few weeks, Min Gyu had garnered a healthy admiration for this modest and unassuming woman, one who commanded respect in her household the same way her husband commanded respect from his soldiers. There were many clues scattered about hinting at Hyo-Lynn’s place in the family hierarchy, but the most telling hint of all was how her three talented children always sought her out first for help with their Martial Path, valuing her guidance over that of their world-renowned father.

And now, her presence here at her husband’s side lent credence to the rumours of her own personal skills, which Min Gyu had previously believed were too far-fetched to be real. After all, if Jeong Hyo-Lynn were truly her husband’s match in Martial Skill, then why had she not publicly revealed her prowess to support his military career? Such a pairing would’ve made the Ryo family’s rise to prominence all but inevitable, especially in light of how talented their children had proven to be. That being said, having seen just how much the Sword King loved his queen, Min Gyu found it difficult to believe he would bring her to the battlefield if he was not confident in her ability to protect herself. In fact, it appeared like he was relying on her to protect him, which meant he was either an overconfident fool who was far too in love with his wife, or more likely, had married a formidable woman who stood alongside him at the peak of Martial Strength.

Either way, regardless of Hyo-Lynn’s level of skill or the Sword King’s state of mind, Min Gyu’s job remained the same, to guard against and give warning of Concealed assassins. It was amazing how quickly one could adapt to new circumstances, as he was now so accustomed to sweeping for Concealed individuals that he could do it without even thinking. If he had to describe it, it was a little like remembering to blink or breathe, something he never really thought about unless unable to do so. Back and forth his Wind Chi swept, revealing the familiar nooks and crannies of the Central Citadel to Min Gyu’s mind’s eye as he scanned for Concealed assassins. It didn’t take much Chi either, and he could do this all day if he had to, although he would suffer the consequences of a mild headache the next day after if he did so for more than fifteen or so hours. A small price to pay to ensure the safety a Colonel General, one of only three currently serving following Shuai Jiao’s promotion to Commander General and Mitsue Juichi’s decision to step down, though rumours abound whispered of a new Colonel General would soon be appointed, namely Akanai of the Bekhai who’d more than proven herself worthy of the rank.

Rumours were all they were though, as the Emperor had yet to issue any statement on the subject, or any other subject for that matter. While shipments of coin continued to arrive for Luo-Luo to dole out, there was no word of Shen ZhenWu’s health, mention of Commander General Shuai Jiao’s new title, or really any sort of communication at all. Not the most heartening prospect considering the odds arranged against them, but Min Gyu was confident that even without help from the Imperial Clan, the outer provinces would emerge from this calamity intact.

At which point it might become prudent to rethink their relationship with the Emperor, given his absentee status during this time of greatest need. A matter for another time, and perhaps not even one for Min Gyu to ponder, for a coordinated rebellion would take years, if not decades to put together, and he had less than a single decade left to him, at most.

It wasn’t long before their carriage came to a stop, unable to proceed any further along the barricaded roads. This was where the battle was being fought, with nothing but braziers and torches to hold back the darkness of night. The clamour was deafening even here on the outskirts of battle, with tens of thousands of warriors trading blows within earshot and tens of thousands more beyond, the sight of which took Min Gyu’s breath away. This made every battle that came before seem like nothing but a prelude to this momentous event as the Enemy poured everything they had into taking the Citadel proper. The outermost walls had long since fallen, seized in the opening move of Bai Qi’s attack, but not without first paying a hefty price. The entire Citadel had been caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a massive Defiled army outside the gates, but the Imperial defenders fought tooth and nail to keep the Enemy at bay. Alas, mere courage and determination was not enough to slow the indomitable tide of flesh, and after two hours of bloody conflict, Shuai Jiao gave the orders to withdraw from the outer walls. When Min Gyu first heard the news, his stomach threatened to empty itself onto the fine rug lining his borrowed room, but thankfully, he was able to keep his lunch down and avoid the embarrassment of scrambling to find a replacement rug. Morale struck rock bottom inside the Citadel, as soldier and civilian alike foresaw an Imperial defeat, but then, after seeing the Enemy troops were firmly ensconced within the outer wall, Commander General Shuai Jiao gave the order and the walls collapsed beneath their feet in a daring accomplishment of foresight and engineering.

It was estimated that more enemy combatants had died during this first exchange than in the next two days combined, all thanks to this dastardly trap, a secret so well kept even Dae Jung had been caught by surprise. Only Marshal Yo had been privy to all the details, which he chose to share with the Commander General, and while there was now a clear breach in the Western Wall, the Citadel was still largely intact even after evacuating and demolishing every precinct west of the second wall. Following Dae Jung as he made his way up to the command centre on the third wall, Min Gyu headed out to the overlooking balcony where they had an eagle-eyed view of the battle taking place within the Citadel, a pulsating, chaotic melee that shifted forward and back with an almost hypnotic sway all along the second wall. Whenever one section faltered beneath the Defiled offensive, reinforcements surged forward to support them, only for the Defiled to fall back and press their advantage along a different section of wall, leading to a game of cat and mouse as the Imperial forces struggled to hold back the Enemy tide. The fighting was fierce and relentless, with soldiers barely having room to breathe as tribesmen and Chosen alike spent their lives like water in an effort to secure a foothold atop the packed battlements.

Having fought his fair share of siege battles as both defender and aggressor, Min Gyu did not envy the unfortunate soldiers stuck in the thick of things, for in a conflict of this scale, Martial skill was worth far less than luck and happenstance. Though he had no desire to get stuck in again, the Heavens were not on his side this night. “Ready your weapons,” Dae Jung commanded, speaking to the elite soldiers gathered within the command room, including Min Gyu and his students. “And follow me to bolster our comrades upon the wall.”

Though Min Gyu wanted to interject and caution the Sword King against this bold action, Dae Jung wasted no time before leaping off the command centre balcony. Landing upon the second wall with his wife hot on his heels, Dae Jung’s sword flashed in the firelight and cleaved a hole through the Defiled lines, clearing an entire ten-metre section of wall with but a single swipe. Impressive as this feat was, the fearless Defiled pressed onward and filled the void left by the Sword King’s attack, only to encounter stiff resistance in the form of the Sword King’s wife. Where Dae Jung’s attack was fierce and indomitable, wielding a single sword against the world, Hyo-Lynn utilized her three swords with subtle coordination and unfathomable poise. Though she only held two weapons at any given time, she glided back and forth along the battlements in a deadly dance of death, freely exchanging one sword for another only to later recover it with effortless grace. To an outside observer, it appeared as if her swords possessed minds of their own and fought their foes without her direction, but only because she delivered each blow so quickly there was no need to even follow through, confusing the opponents around her as they struck at the shadows she left behind in her wake. By the time any given sword dealt a killing blow, the woman had already moved on to her next sword and target, her first victim yet to fall to the ground before the third was already dead, at which point she returned to reclaim her weapon from the first victim’s flesh and use it to deliver another killing blow, all of which transpired in the blink of an eye.

With such phenomenal skill and speed, to call Jeong Hyo-Lynn the ‘Sword Queen’ almost seemed like an insult to Min Gyu’s ears, for only a Sword Empress could command her weapons so, a lofty existence one could barely comprehend much less hope to compare.

As soon as he picked his jaw up off the ground, Min Gyu leaped into the fray, only a half step behind the formidable duo and somehow even further behind Kyung, yet there were still plenty of enemies to pick and choose from when he arrived. Though his skills were unworthy to be matched alongside the Sword Empress and her King, Min Gyu’s talents were far more suited to massed killing than the formidable husband and wife pair as he delivered a mighty Wind Blade with every sweep of his sabre, gales of Honed Air Chi that ignored armour to scythe through flesh and bone. That was the difference between sword and sabre, the former suited for one on one combat and the latter optimized for one against many, though he suspected he would be sorely outmatched in both categories if Dae Jung and Hyo-Lynn were to go all out. In retrospect, he felt a little foolish for not noticing the Sword Empress’s strength earlier, for it was clear their talented children had all chosen to mirror her path, given how they each carried more than one sword. Young Da’in in particular had three Spiritual Swords just like her mother, though Min Gyu had never seen her use them all in combat. At most, she would throw one before engaging with the other two, which before had seemed like a colossal waste of a Spiritual Weapon, but not anymore.

If Da’in could muster even a tenth of her mother’s skill, then she would be unmatched by anyone under the age of fifty, and that was a conservative estimate.

It took less than a minute for Min Gyu and his allies to clear a hundred-metre section of the wall, this gathering of Peak Experts and supporters too strong to be contested by mere rank and file troops. Only then did he have a chance to look around and discover that this was the area commanded by none other than young Da’in herself, though Kyung had long since noticed her presence. Her bloody hand pressed against a grievous abdominal wound, the girl bore an atypically meek expression as she leaned heavily against Kyung at her side, the half-cat standing with fangs bared and sabre bloodied over a ring of corpses lying at his feet. Piecing the puzzle together after the fact, Min Gyu realized that Dae Jung had jumped in to save his daughter, but it was Kyung who pulled her out of the fire, moving before even the Sword King himself to go to Da’in’s aid. It was good to see the boy making friends and taking the initiative to save them, though the girl seemed conflicted about having been rescued, her pride suffering wounds from which she would struggle to recover from. Ambling over to clap Kyung on the shoulder, Dae Jung offered him a small nod of approval, but said nothing, not even to his daughter who was having a silent, sheepish exchange with her smiling mother, and instead turned and Cloud-Stepped over to another section of the wall.

“Come Comrade Du,” the Sword King Sent. “Since my daughter is safe in your grandson’s hands, and my safety assured with my wife here by my side, there’s no need for you to hold back on anyone’s account. Go forth and remind the Empire and the Enemy alike why the Sanguine Tempest has remained a household name for nigh on six decades and counting.”

Blood singing with glee, Min Gyu signalled Kyung and his students to remain behind before Cloud-Stepping into the fray, unleashing yet another devastating Wind Blade as he landed next to the idle Sword King. Aside from the constant clashes against Concealed Wraiths and other assassins, this was Min Gyu’s first taste of proper battle here at the Central Citadel, and he had to admit that it was refreshing to cut loose and give it his all. Tribesman and Chosen alike died with every swing of his sabre, and when the Enemy dispatched Peak Expert Champions and Chieftains to match him, he drew his Battle-Fan and unleashed two Wind Chakrams to cut them down as they arrived. Utilizing his improved mastery to control the deadly rings with little more than a thought, this left him free to continue wreaking havoc atop the battlements as he cleared swathes of Defiled with laughable ease. Of course, none of this would be possible without the support of the Warriors around him, the Sword King’s presence alone enough to deter all but the most courageous or foolhardy of Defiled. Meter after meter, Min Gyu moved along the battlements, leaving naught but Defiled corpses and cheering Imperials in his wake, until it seemed as if all the Citadel was cheering him on, with nigh on a million voices chanting ‘The Sanguine Tempest’ as one.

So caught up in the heat of battle, Min Gyu sensed more than saw his formidable foe approaching, a commanding presence that demanded his immediate attention. A blur was all he saw, but he swung his sabre on instinct, executing a downwards movement that combined attack and parry into one. Despite putting his full strength into the strike, his sabre was blown away upon impact, and only Hyo-Lynn’s soft, steady hand between his shoulder blades kept him from crashing into the soldiers behind him and sailing off of the battlements.

Suppressing the urge to groan in pain, he grit his teeth and brought his sabre to bear, unable to still his trembling hands which were still stinging from the impact. Positioned on top of a crenellation so as to look down on him from above, Min Gyu’s foe was a younger man with a dark complexion and an ageless expression which belied his forty-eight years of age. With his namesake resting lightly over one shoulder, YuChun of Ten Thousand Spears curled his lip into a sneer before imbuing his voice with Chi for all to hear. “So this is the Sanguine Tempest? A decrepit old man unable to block even a single blow without assistance, how disappointing. Your time has passed, senior, so let this junior send you on your way while you still have some dignity left to you.”

“Brave words coming from a coward whose sneak attack just failed.” Stepping out to meet his foe, Ryo Dae Jung flourished his sword with a smirk. “You sacrificed so many lives and waited so long for Comrade Du to tire, and even then you were unable to leave a mark on his skin. Run home to your master, traitorous dog, and tell Bai Qi to wash his neck before coming out to meet me. The Sword King has no interest in fighting a cowardly mongrel.”

“Tiger Slayer or Sword King, there is no difference in my eyes.” Settling into a stance, YuChun pointed his spear at Dae Jung and said, “You will be the second Colonel General I kill, and when I am finished with you, Shuai Jiao will be next.”

“Hmph. Since the master does not see fit to discipline his dog, I don’t mind doing it for him.” And with that, the time for talk was over as the Sword King strode out to exchange blows with the Ten Thousand Spears, and Min Gyu resolved not to blink until it was over lest he miss out on the deciding exchange. What a fool he’d been, believing Hyo-Lynn to be the stronger of the two just because she had more swords. One sword or ten-thousand, it made no difference to Ryo Dae Jung, whose Domain came to life in a storm of swords, countless blades of luminescent Chi encircling him in a deadly ring of death. A single exchange sent YuChun fleeing for his dog life, but the Sword King, nay, the Sword Saint would not allow his foe to depart so easily as he dispatched a stream of glimmering Sword Chi to hunt down his foe from afar.

A spray of blood ensued, and the Ten-Thousand Spears lost an arm, but managed to keep his life intact, showcasing just how far above his peers Ryo Dae Jung truly was.

“Be on your guard,” Hyo-Lynn Sent, reminding Min Gyu he was standing on a battlefield, not in the seats of a duelling stage. “The Enemy has committed more than just a single YuChun to this attack.”

Stifling a gasp as Min Gyu took in his surroundings, he readied his sabre and battle-fan for bloody combat as countless Demons of all shapes and sizes threw themselves into the fray. Whatever their reasons, the Enemy was determined to bring down the Citadel tonight and even committed a sizable portion of their Demonic forces to battle, as if they were in a rush to end the war before it dragged out any longer. Why would this be? Did Bai Qi know something Min Gyu did not?

Most certainly, but no matter. Raising his battle-fan with a wordless cry, he summoned four Wind Chakrams and set them to hunting Demons and Peak Experts alike, taking advantage of their distraction to raise the Sanguine Tempest once more. The clash would be difficult and bloody, but he would not flinch or falter, for so long as he still drew breath, Du Min Gyu would make the Enemy pay dearly for every centimetre of ground they took. All around him, the children of Central rose up to fight alongside him, their courage and Aura joined with his as they rose to drive the Enemy from their beloved homeland, their blades and spears singing a song of battle as they fought for more than just mere survival. This was a war unlike any other before, and Min Gyu was proud to fight, and possibly die alongside these noble sons and daughters of Central.

His only hope was that Kyung, Da’in, and Yan were not counted among those who were sacrificed for the cause. A selfish request perhaps, but one he made of the Heavens nonetheless, for there was nothing Min Gyu cherished more than the strange little family he’d found in the twilight of his life.

Chapter Meme