Sun Ming swept his gaze across the warriors lined up before him.

“Remember. The last ones standing will be us,” he said.

Their purpose was clear: seize control of the new world that was about to begin. To survive, and survive again, until they could rebuild One China. That was the mission and very reason for existence, shared by all twenty-two of them. That was the sacred goal that had driven them this far, backed by the party’s unwavering support and countless sacrifices.

At the center of that rebirth stood the star of the continent, Wei.

“A child of the Han must stand at the center of the world. That young soul will shine, not just as the star of the continent, but as the star of humanity.”

The party had chosen him as the emperor of the new world. There had been other candidates, but they were all dead now. Only Wei remained and he had to be protected, even if it meant the rest of the world burned.

“The world will lie beneath your feet, Wei,” said Sun Ming.

However, before that could happen, there could not be two suns in the sky. Since the Korean bloodline was just like one of China’s minorities, subjugation was only natural, as it had always been.

“We’ll start with Korea. Crush the rebels,” Sun Ming ordered. “The rest, we absorb into our ranks.”

Wei said quietly, his voice barely audible, “... But Korea is strong. They’ll fight back fiercely.”

Sun Ming clicked his tongue, slightly irritated about Wei’s timid tone. Even though the boy would end up following orders anyway.

Children really are hopeless sometimes.

“Eliminate Lee Eun-Ho, and the resistance will collapse,” he said. “The rest are just stragglers.”

“But...”

“If we want to stand against the Western powers, we must unite as one. It’ll hurt for a while, but in the end, they’ll thank us for it.”

His tone left no room for argument, and Wei said nothing more. He simply moved his fingers across the Go board like a machine.

Tap!

As the black Go stone clicked onto the board, a message shimmered into view.

[Siege has been initiated by the ROK District!]

[Special orders have been activated.]

“Special orders?” Sun Ming lifted his head and scanned the holographic screen.

- Destroy the city gate (+10 points)

- Occupy the top floor of the central tower for over 30 minutes (+10 points)

- Capture the magic circle (+30 points)

- Eliminate the defending soldiers (+5 points)

- Defeat the defense commander (+100 points)

“... Killing rewards?”

Then his eyes widened. “Look at this, Wei! If we wipe out two thousand of them with a single strike, that’s ten thousand points in one go!”

The day they would place the world beneath their feet no longer felt far away. Greed glimmered in Sun Ming’s eyes.

“Don’t worry and keep playing,” he said. “I won’t let anyone lay a finger on you.”

However, Wei only murmured in his usual flat voice, “... We’ll see.”

He could at least look pleased. For someone with such keen intellect, Wei had a frustrating lack of fire. Sun Ming nearly clicked his tongue again, but restrained himself.

“Are you afraid of that man’s abilities?” he asked. “Invisibility and teleportation look impressive, but in real combat—”

“Teleportation?” Wei interrupted suddenly, his expression stiffening.

Sun Ming blinked, surprised at the interruption, but nodded. “Yes. Still, there’s nothing to fear. I’m the one with the sword.”

Wei said nothing more.

One of the warriors in formation raised a question he’d clearly been waiting to ask. “What about the flying woman, sir? Wouldn’t she cross over here?”

“She will,” Sun Ming replied without hesitation. “If it’s them, they’ll come.”

His gaze shifted to the translucent system window before him. He knew the same trial message had appeared before their enemies.

“But they won’t gain a thing,” he said coldly. “Not as long as we hold this place.”

“Sir, what about the city gate?” another asked.

“The gate doesn’t matter,” Sun Ming replied. “If they’re sneaking in, they won’t be able to destroy it anyway.”

The subordinate nodded quickly. “Ah, I see!”

Another warrior asked, “What if they teleport straight into the magic circle and take control?”

“Then we drag them out before ten seconds pass,” Sun Ming said with a thin smile, his eyes meeting those of his men.

“Cut off their limbs or take their heads. Whatever it takes.”

“Yes, sir!” the twenty-one warriors shouted in unison.

Then, the interior of the central tower flashed crimson as the alarm lights began to pulse.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

[Enemy intrusion has been detected.]

“Enemy?” one of the warriors asked.

“Could it really be Korea? Already?” another muttered.

[Defense has been initiated from the CN District!]

[Special orders have been activated.]

- Defend the city gate (+10 points)

- Defend the top floor of the central tower for over 30 minutes (+10 points)

- Defend the magic circle (+30 points)

- Eliminate assault troops (+5 points)

- Defeat the assault commander (+100 points)

As the crimson lights flickered in tandem with the red holographic markers, the warriors tensed, raising their weapons instinctively. A mix of determination and anxiety painted their faces.

Sun Ming scanned each of them before saying softly, “Do your best.”

Whether it was teleportation or time-stopping, both required revealing themselves, even if just for a moment. The key issue was that casting a sword energy attack took a fraction of a second.

“Just hold them off for one second, and I’ll handle the rest.”

If they could buy him that instant, he could cut through anyone. Even a superhuman would die if severed.

“As soon as they show their face, I’ll take their head.”

With that confidence, he positioned himself to guard the magic circle.

Bang—!

A sudden vibration made his legs buckle involuntarily.

“A bomb?!”

“There! On the other side!”

The deafening explosion tore a section of the outer wall apart. They had assumed the enemy would come through the window and focused all attention there.

“... So they’d break through the wall instead of the window.” Sun Ming gritted his teeth and shouted, “Hold them back!”

“Yes, sir!”

“We don’t know where they’ll come from! Stay alert and protect Wei!”

Half of the warriors rushed toward the breached wall, and Sun Ming shouted again, “Remember! Just hold on for one second!”

“Yes, sir!”

He dove into the formation, gripping his sword tightly.

“Wait! The window too?”

Clang!

From the empty sky, a boulder soared and the window shattered.

Crack!

Besides, shards flew like arrows. Wei’s quick-thinking subordinates had already surrounded him, shielding him from the debris. Sun Ming let out a quiet breath of relief and focused on timing his next move.

Woosh—!

A sudden gust of wind blew through the broken wall and window. Cold air surged straight at them, sending shivers down their spines. Every hair on Sun Ming stood on end. He froze instantly, staring down the sword aimed at his own neck.

***

“Where’s Wei?” Eun-Ho asked.

“What?” Sun Ming replied.

“I wish he’d just stop whatever construction he’s doing.”

Sun Ming, China’s only swordsman, glared at the speaker. “... Did you think I’d answer that?”

“No,” came the quiet reply.

Then, with his blazing Flame Sky-Shattering Blade, he swung down at Sun Ming’s right shoulder. In an instant, his arm fell pathetically to the ground.

“Kuuuugh!”

His eyes widened, pupils dilated, and blood surged uncontrollably. Red droplets splattered across his face, leaving a crimson trail. An ordinary person would have frozen entirely at that sight.

Thwack!

However, he clutched his severed arm, gripping his sword with his remaining hand. It was so fast that an ordinary eye could barely track him.

Clang—!

Two blades met in midair, and an unexpected message flashed.

[The Third Eye’s special effect has been activated.]

[You can observe the core techniques of an outstanding predecessor.]

[The proficiency of the skill Basic Swordsmanship(Lv.4) has increased significantly!]

[+5%]

Huh. So that means I can learn just by watching? Eun-Ho thought.

Eun-Ho exhaled. He had intended to keep this short and move on as quickly as possible.

“Well, I guess I can’t just let you walk away,” Eun-Ho said.

“... What?”

“Let’s take our time and play.”

Clang! Clang!

[The proficiency of the skill Basic Swordsmanship(Lv.4) has increased significantly!]

[+5%]

Then, there were two more clashes, giving Eun-Ho another five percent in proficiency.

Sun Ming lifted a single brow, asking tauntingly, “... Relaxed, aren’t you. About to teleport or go invisible any time soon??”

However, Eun-Ho shrugged instead of answering.

I know what you’re thinking, but I don’t want to end this so quickly, Eun-Ho thought.

He closed the distance in a flash.

Fwoosh—!

Then, Eun-Ho’s sword thrummed against his palm with a stronger-than-usual vibration, excitement humming through the metal.

“Block him!” barked Sun Ming, inviting men forward to take the blows in his stead. “Grab and hold him!”

“Yes, sir!”

When Eun-Ho lunged for his right leg and drove his blade in, another leaped up and clung to that same leg.

Thunk!

When he tried to cut down a man clinging to his left arm, a different attacker sprang at the wound to rip at the same limb.

“Endure it for the nation!” Sun Ming shouted.

“Yes, sir!”

Over and over, they threw human shields at him.

Are these meat shields or what? Eun-Ho thought, watching them fling themselves toward his blade as if they were worth less than Sun Ming. Besides, they didn’t even guard their vital points.

“Aaaaah!”

Of course, casualties followed.

[You have defeated Subject Zhang Wei.]

[You have earned five Training Points.]

“Next! Stop him quickly!”

There was no hesitation, nor sign of exhaustion in their voices. Except for a few warriors tasked with handling incoming allies, almost everyone surged forward. They charged like moths into flames, heedless of anything behind them.

“We must never lose the fortress! Our lives do not belong to us!” Sun Ming cried.

“... Then whose are they?” Eun-Ho asked.

Sun Ming readily answered, “They belong to the nation and the people.”

The certainty in the reply carried no doubt whatsoever. Eun-Ho scoffed at such blind fervor. “... Yeah right.”

Then, finally, the line he had been waiting for burst out.

“It’s over now! Sword Force!”

The blade’s steel blazed with a blue-green heat at last. At the same moment, an unknown energy enveloped the blade, burning like blue flames.

So this is it.

All Eun-Ho’s cells screamed. He could tell that if he got too close, he'd be cut. Even a hand reaching in would be shredded by the icy light. The threat was that sharp.

Thump!

His heart raced.

So that’s the Sword Force.

A violet mist unfurled like a serpent’s tongue. The energy surged violently, trying to overwhelm him. Any ordinary person would have been crushed by the sheer force and fled.

My Basic Swordsmanship rose by five percent just from a normal clash. Then the Sword Force must give me more...

Swoosh—!

Instead of dodging, he charged forward. He trusted his blade, the rush of his own excitement, and his sturdy armor.

Vrrrr!

The sword vibrated in his hands. Contact with the enemy blade unleashed an urge to shatter, to destroy the opponent even if it’d cost him his blade. He fully embraced that self-destructive force.

Click!

Eun-Ho pressed down, forming a pillar of flame.

Vwwwwr!

The opponent’s crescent blade radiated its eerie energy without restraint. It was sharp and chilling. To keep looking was to risk being cleaved along the curves of blade and sword energy. The reddish energy shot toward the top of the tower, almost reaching it.

But I can do this! Eun-Ho thought.

Clack!

Two swords that seemed similar, yet traveled entirely different paths, collided.

Fwoooosh—!

Red flames and sword energy twisted together, rising like serpents coiling around each other.

[Analyzing the Sword Force in progress!] 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

[Observing the secret techniques of the blade!]

[The proficiency of the skill Basic Swordsmanship(Lv.4) has increased significantly!]

[+20%]

It all happened in an instant. One surged, only to be met and almost consumed by the other.

[A strong attack has been detected on you!]

[Defense system etched into chest armor has been activated!]

There was a sharp tingle. Fragments of sword energy struck invisibly, sparks flickering across his chest.

[Electric Surge has been activated!]

Flaaaash!

The blinding light overwhelmed the vision.

“Aaaaaaah!”

The smell of burning flesh filled the air as the opponent twisted like a dead cockroach.

The one-armed swordsman fell to his knees. “W-what is this!”

“I have a question.” Eun-Ho just smirked as he sat beside the man. “How did you acquire the Sword Force?”

“I’d rather die than tell you that. Kuk!”

Smoke rose from Sun Ming, followed by a sudden gush of blood. His sword, face, and eyes all drained of color.

[You have defeated Subject Sun Ming!]

[The proficiency of the skill Basic Swordsmanship(Lv.4) has increased significantly!]

[The level of the skill Basic Swordsmanship has increased (Lv. 4 to Lv. 5).]

[You have earned five Training Points.]

[You have acquired the relics of Swordsman, Sun Ming.]

Amidst the cascade of items, a magic circle etched with countless patterns emitted a blue glow. From the ground beneath Eun-Ho’s feet, light spread gradually, strand by strand, as if drawn with a single brushstroke.

Fwoosh—!

[You are attempting to capture the magic circle.]

[Countdown has been initiated!]