Chapter 252: The Technique of Combat (1)

My Master used to tell me.

“There are two ways to win a fight.”

To this day, I don’t know how we ended up talking about that.

A guy who runs a Japanese restaurant giving his apprentice a lecture on how to win fights what a scene.

“Don’t you realize what you provoke? With that damned temper of yours, you look like you were made to get stabbed in a dark alley. So just in case, let me tell you this.”

He claimed to be a former gangster, but in reality, he was a legendary hero from the era of the founders. His theory of combat boiled down to two points.

“First, strike first. If you land the first blow, you’ve already won half the fight. Doesn’t matter if there are many of them. In a fight, what matters is establishing dominance from the start. Even if you’re weaker, strike first.”

God Really, “he who strikes first, strikes twice”?

I had expected something profound and felt like an idiot. It was so basic I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Still, I listened till the end. Not because I was scared, not at all. It’s not like he had a knife nearby. Definitely not.

“And the second. The last. And maybe the most important…”

With a solemn, serious, and stern look, my Master stared straight at me.

And by this point, I had no choice but to admit it. My Master already knew I’d end up in this world.

He knew something like today would happen. And even if I’m angry he kept it from me I still respect and thank him.

After all, I still use every single thing he taught me.

I dislike him, yes, but I can forgive him. That’s our relationship.

My life’s teacher. The only adult who pulled me out of the abyss.

And my adoptive father.

Even now, in this very moment, I’m applying his teachings.

“I am the sword that wins.”

‘Strike first, win.’ Let’s start with that.

***

The dust still hadn’t settled.

We didn’t know the exact situation or how many enemies there were.

But the magic that burst forth with the portal’s explosion…

‘It’s immense.’

Immense and overwhelming. It couldn’t be compared to any beast or demon I’ve faced before.

Everyone was tense from the sheer force of it. The magic of the Fourth Corps Commander, Fermush.

Just feeling a fraction of it was enough to get dizzy.

‘Can we win?’

His presence was so overwhelming, it paralyzed. Legs trembled, grips on weapons loosened. Before they were heroes, they were human.

Clink.

A metallic sound rang out. Everyone turned toward it.

They looked down first. Seeing the ground tremble slightly, they looked up again. Their eyes narrowed, then opened wide.

Thousands of sashimi knives floated in the air.

Sunlight pierced the clouds, and the will of a man settled on their blades. From the gray sky, they looked like a swarm of stars.

All eyes turned to the center, where a white cloak fluttered with two characters inscribed.

『Heavenly Sword』

At that moment, the knives began to glow deep blue. Not just one. All of them were enveloped in a fierce blue aura.

“Ah…”

Someone whispered, unable to believe their eyes. And then, all the knives dropped at once.

Fwoosh!

Trailing behind a blue streak, they tore through the dust cloud at nearly sonic speed.

An astonishing sight.

Like a meteor shower.

Kwa-ba-ba-ba-bam!

The blades fell like thunderbolts. Their paths straight and curved at will. The dust was punctured like cheese, sliced, diced.

Even the portal’s remnants still standing collapsed.

Tack.

Kang Geom-Ma snapped his fingers with his left hand and moved his right like a conductor.

With grace. And the result was pure destruction.

“My god…”

The eyes of the Sword Master and Changseong locked on him. Their reactions weren’t different from the others’.

‘We need to strike first.’

That’s what he said last night.

‘Before the battle begins, our morale will sink. That’s why I must make the first move.’

Everyone agreed. But still…

“Who could’ve imagined this?”

The Sword Master let out a dry laugh. What Kang Geom-Ma displayed at that moment, not even he could fully grasp.

“Heavenly Sword… you truly…”

The taste was both bitter and sweet. That young man had reached a peak he himself hadn’t touched in seventy years.

As a swordsman, it stung. But if that monster was on their side…

“He’s more reliable than anyone.”

The Sword Master stepped forward firmly. A white light enveloped him and he dashed forward.

Changseong, momentarily stunned, shouted.

“Top! Protect the Heavenly Sword!”

“What about you, Vice President?”

Changseong let out a hearty laugh.

“I’ll follow Nibelung!”

“Vice President!”

“Mid and Jungle! Follow us up front! We’ll clear the way, just keep behind us!”

Without giving anyone a chance to stop him, Changseong charged forward.

With a crash, the ground cracked beneath his feet.

BOOM!

One leap. To the nearest soldier, Changseong stretched like a lance.

And the soldier’s face soon lit up. He shouted loudly.

“The Seven Stars are with us!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

From the rear, General Remi also sprang into action.

“All marksmen, prepare to fire! Supports, help adjust trajectory! No friendly fire!”

She herself nocked an arrow. Her squad formed a semicircle behind. A fan-shaped formation known as the Crane Wing.

“Fire!”

At her signal, thousands of arrows flew into the sky. They traced perfect arcs, raining down like a storm.

And not one hit an ally, thanks to the support units.

That’s why marksmen and supports are inseparable. Trust is everything.

“……”

From a distance, Director Sung watched everything. He placed his prosthetic hand over his chest. He could feel his heart pounding.

“Has humanity ever struck first against demons?”

Always on the defensive, always afraid. But now, demons hadn’t even stepped out of the dust, and humanity was already advancing.

‘Striking first doesn’t guarantee victory. And we’re not doing it out of ambition.’

That’s what Kang Geom-Ma said before ending the meeting that dawn.

‘What matters here is seizing the initiative. Showing that we can stand against them. That’s the reason for this first strike.’

Director Sung looked ahead.

‘Hope.’

Thinking of the one leading, at the front of everyone.

‘Even if we lose today, we must leave behind the hope that we’ll win tomorrow.’

He rubbed his eyes hard and murmured,

“You are, without a doubt, a hero sent by the heavens.”

***

Changseong landed in the middle of the enemy field and immediately dropped into a low stance. All around him, a cloud of dark brown dust covered everything. Even so, amidst the haze, some shadows could be distinguished.

“Those things hiding in the storm must be Fermush’s toys.”

Changseong gripped the lower part of his spear and swung it in a wide arc. The blade, imbued with the Blessing of Demon-Breaking, traced the curve of a full moon just above the ground.

The shadows around him lost their balance and fell. The Swordmaster didn’t waste the opportunity. Activating the Blessing of the Sword Spirit, his sword enveloped the area in a white aura and dismembered the shadows along with the dust.

In the next moment, the Swordmaster and Changseong stood back to back.

They advanced like that, cutting down the golems in their path. Although they alternated between leading and covering the rear, their formation remained solid.

The surroundings were still completely clouded. To reduce blind spots, staying close together was the most effective approach.

Changseong frowned. The golems weren’t much of a threat. There was something far more troublesome.

“The dust isn’t clearing. A sandstorm in winter? Ridiculous.”

He sniffed the air and spat on the ground. After doing it a few times, he tore a piece of his white tunic and covered his mouth. Then, he moistened it with a bottle of water.

“Much better.”

He tore off another piece of cloth and handed it to the Swordmaster, who took it without looking away from the front.

“It seems to be getting thicker. What do you think, Nibelung?”

“Probably Fermush’s earth magic.”

The Swordmaster replied while hanging the piece of cloth from his ear.

“Luckily, thanks to Heavenly Sword’s offensive and the supporting fire from the rear, the number of golems has dropped significantly. But…”

“The enemy commander has yet to show his face.”

The Swordmaster kept his eyes narrowed from dryness but expanded his senses to catch any sign. His body was ready to react at the slightest hint.

“Should we advance further?”

Changseong asked from behind.

The Swordmaster stayed silent for a few seconds, gazing at his sword. In the clean reflection of the blade, he saw an old man. His expression was bitter.

When had he aged so much? It still felt like yesterday that he lost three comrades in this very place, half a century ago.

He let out a brief chuckle. The reflection in the blade smiled back.

“If we go any further, the chances of dying increase. You know that, don’t you, Mura?”

“Of course.”

Changseong answered without hesitation.

“That’s why I’m asking. If you didn’t want to, I was planning to go alone.”

“You’re still as stubborn and straightforward as ever.”

“A man must act like one. If I’m going to die, I’ll at least leave a scratch on Fermush’s face. That’ll be enough to rattle him, and that’ll help Heavenly Sword when he faces him.”

Even though Changseong had his back turned, the Swordmaster could tell he was smiling.

“Look at you, still trying to impress Kang Geom-Ma even to the end.”

The Swordmaster bumped him on the back with his head. A smile crossed his face.

“Damn bastard.”

It’s not that Mura suddenly seemed endearing. That impulsive, selective type wasn’t charming in the least. But as a companion on the road to the afterlife, he wasn’t bad at all. At least he wouldn’t be bored.

Just as the two were about to resume their advance, something happened.

Swoosh!

The dust storm that had blanketed everything began to settle slowly. Visibility gradually improved.

However, both their eyes were so dry they could barely open them. Their cracked lips were beginning to bleed.

They felt their entire bodies drying out.

“It was worth coming to the human world.”

It was the voice of the Fourth Corps Commander, Fermush.

“I never imagined I’d find such magnificent ingredients waiting for me.”

Her voice, dry as a desert, chanted a spell.

「Earthshift.」

In that instant, the Swordmaster and Changseong saw the world tremble before their eyes.