Chapter 59
Chapter 59. The Realm of First-Rate (3)
A strange atmosphere lingered.
In the battlefield where tens of thousands were entangled, only one man was holding a sword.
But what was this sense of discord?
“Stop him! We must stop that guy!”
The desperate cries of a soldier echoed.
However, instead of a strong response, all that could be heard was—
“Spare me!”
“A monster, he’s a monster!”
Voices soaked in fear and screams filled the air as the formation began to collapse.
Finally, when Unryong pointed his sword forward and shouted—
“Charge!”
The cavalry, who had finally arrived, crashed into the disarrayed soldiers.
—Boom!
A clash.
A soldier who had lost his will was no longer a soldier.
Yes, this was no longer a war.
It was simply a hunt.
Nothing more than slaughter.
The clash of iron on iron could be heard. Screams, blood, and the ground boiling with heat.
The sudden sound of galloping hooves utterly crushed the morale of Xu Rong’s forces.
To make matters worse, Zhao Yun, Xiahou Dun, and other enemy vanguards also began advancing one by one.
“Follow Brother!”
Unsam shouted.
He held his sword and gripped the reins.
This was the moment the teachings he received from General Zhao Yun finally bore fruit.
Ahead of him was a soldier with a shield.
Unsam quickly lowered his stance, altering the trajectory of his sword to strike upwards.
As a result, the soldier’s shield was flung up.
Unsam then followed up with a skillful combination attack.
“Gah!”
With the collapse of the leading formation, Unryong’s forces, who were charging alongside Unsam, pushed even harder.
It wasn’t just Unsam.
Baekrang and everyone else had also undergone rigorous training under General Zhao Yun’s guidance.
There had been times when they almost died, and more than once, they had wanted to flee.
They were no different from the ordinary enemies before them—perhaps even lower, just wretched beggars.
But they chose swords instead of cups.
There were far too many empty cups to raise.
There was no more time for hesitation.
The place they had to reach was right in front of them.
The dead do not return.
So they advance.
Carrying on their will and their aspirations.
That was how they continued to live.
I can see it.
Your back.
Have you grown that strong? Were you planning to leave us behind again?
But they didn’t just want to chase after him.
Unryong sheathed his sword and looked at his brothers passing by.
“Brother, we’re going ahead. So you do what you need to do.”
“Weaklings, always talking big.”
“Save that for later. We’ll clear the path ahead. You go cut off that bastard’s head.”
“Hey, don’t die.”
“You don’t die either.”
Unryong watched their backs as they moved on.
They weren’t just chasing after him.
They were opening the way for their brother.
Walking the path with him.
And one day, they would achieve his foolish ideal.
That was why they followed Unryong.
He slashed, stabbed, and trampled. A giant hole opened in the encirclement.
Unryong squeezed through and ran.
Occasionally, brave men would stand in his way, but it lasted only seconds.
No soldier could stop Unryong, who had reached the ranks of first-rate masters.
As he sprinted, Zhao Yun joined, clearing the way ahead.
“Master, it’s to the west! You must hurry!”
“Yeah, I’m counting on you.”
“Yes, don’t worry. I, Zhao Zilong of Changshan, will annihilate your enemies.”
Zhao Yun spoke, drawing elegant curves with her spear.
With that, Unryong did not reply further and pushed off the ground.
Accelerate, and accelerate again.
He saw him.
A man in black armor.
But the formation surrounding Xu Rong was thick.
Despite that, Unryong smirked.
“Well, damn.”
If Cao Cao were to die here, it would be a complete failure.
He couldn’t let that happen.
He carried too many promises.
Above all, if he failed here, wouldn’t it be disgraceful?
He couldn’t show an embarrassing side in front of his brothers.
That’s what it meant to be a man.
Unryong gripped his sword hilt tightly.
And then, he swung.
***
“It’s over.”
“Damn.”
Cao Cao clutched her right shoulder.
The wound she had sustained at Xuchang hadn’t fully healed.
Cao Cao’s soldiers stood in Xu Rong’s way to protect her, and she quickly mounted her horse.
If she died here, everything would fall apart.
To die without even seeing the end of the traitors—nothing could be more disgraceful for someone like Cao Cao.
Xu Rong also mounted her horse and ruthlessly cut down the soldiers blocking her path.
Her swordsmanship was crude.
But it was firm.
Her sword never wavered.
With clean, straight lines, she cut down the enemies ahead.
The distance closed.
Xu Rong was cutting down Cao Cao’s troops at a breakneck pace.
Panicking, Cao Cao tightened her grip on the reins.
Suddenly, memories resurfaced.
The sight from that day.
Luoyang burning, and the greedy eyes of those she had once believed were heroes.
When Cao Cao had confronted Xu Rong at Xuchang, there had been no one by her side.
She had carried her cause alone.
The Han Dynasty.
Though it was a decaying root, she believed that, if it were her, Cao Cao, she could transform it.
She believed that this courageous step could inspire others as well.
But all she received in return were brutal defeats and betrayal.
“A new emperor?”
“Aman, didn’t I tell you? The Han Dynasty is already rotten to the core.”
“But, Benchu. That would only lead to more chaos. Didn’t you also desire a peaceful era? A time unshaken by any storm—didn’t we long for that? Yet you’re now thinking of walking the path of a traitor?”
“Aman, listen carefully. The current dynasty is finished. So, join me. It’s not too late. We can build a new era together. With someone as brilliant as you, it’s not impossible. Now, take my hand.”
“No, Benchu. Now is not the time for that. Don’t look down; look up. The sun isn’t rising. There’s a drought, and people are starving. The Emperor is still in Dong Zhuo’s hands, and the Han Dynasty is collapsing. Our country! Our foundation!”
“That’s why Benchu and I must set the world right! How do you not understand, my friend?”
Yuan Shao.
Had you harbored treasonous intentions from the beginning?
Even when you were laughing and playing mischievous pranks as a child, or when you proposed the grand cause of forming a coalition army to defeat Dong Zhuo with me?
And you, who were supposed to manage the affairs of the state, did you never care about the revival of the Han Dynasty from the start?
Was I the only one who cared? Was I the fool?
Cao Cao gritted her teeth.
Then let me be a fool.
Nothing can stop me.
This land will never be yours.
Yuan Shao, the world you desire will never come to pass.
If necessary, I, Cao Cao, will stand in your way.
The world has always shown me the path to follow.
—Crash!
Xu Rong’s sword struck Cao Cao’s horse. Cao Cao was thrown off.
Rolling here and there, her entire body became a mess.
Her injured right shoulder prevented her from mitigating the impact.
Cao Cao placed her trembling hand on the ground.
When she lifted her head, all the subordinates who had tried to protect her were dead.
The same situation as before.
However, Yuanyang, who had once protected her, was not here.
“Xu Rong, how can someone as brave as you side with Dong Zhuo?”
Cao Cao spat out the blood pooling in her mouth and asked.
She barely managed to sit up.
Xu Rong approached without dismounting his horse, raising his sword high.
“Cao Cao, I do not deny your courage and loyalty. I, Xu Rong, do not refute your deeds.”
“Then why?”
“I am a soldier. What other reason do I need?”
“Admirable.”
Cao Cao rose on her shaky legs, raising her sword.
“It’s already over.”
“No, you seem to be mistaken.”
“Mistaken about what?”
“You cannot kill me.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Heaven will not forgive it. The world will never betray me.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
Was her mind scrambled from fear? However, Cao Cao’s eyes were unwavering.
Instead, a red light flickered in her eyes.
And those eyes were not looking at Xu Rong.
Xu Rong instinctively turned around.
At that moment, the roar of a beast echoed.
Xu Rong instinctively jumped off her horse.
—Thud!
The large horse fell, and the man pulled his sword from its hide.
“Unryong.”
Xu Rong muttered under his breath.
“In the end, you block even Xu Rong’s path.”
He pointed his sword.
“You’re mistaken about the order.”
Unryong also raised his sword.
Azure qi flowed from his blade.
“You’re the one blocking my path.”
And the two men’s swords clashed.
