EP.153 A Tale from Afar. Sword and Spear - 2
Unlike Shei who had foreseen this situation, Tirkanjaka looked quite tense.
Though it was only to the extent of slightly furrowing her delicate brow, it was different from the indifferent attitude she had shown while crushing armies until now.
"An extraordinary presence. It seems to be calling us."
"Not us. Probably me."
Shei answered while picking up Cheonang and Jijan.
"Watch over Azi and Nabi here. I'll go alone and come back."
"Isn't it dangerous?"
"I have to. There's something I need to finish."
After letting out a deep sigh, Shei leapt through the narrow window. And ran straight toward where the presence was felt.
As expected, General Patraxion was standing there. Patraxion welcomed Shei, standing majestically as if he had never doubted he would come.
"Hey. Boy. It's been a while."
He held not his beloved weapon but an ordinary standard-issue spear. A spear with nothing special about it, barely meeting the minimum requirements.
However, his strength had long transcended weapons. The fact that he was an extremely dangerous existence regardless of what spear he used remained unchanged.
An appropriate tension came over Shei. Shei greeted him.
"It's been a while, Absolute Spear."
"Still a brat with no manners. Tsk, though I thought you at least had some potential."
No further introduction was needed. The two were acquaintances.
Shei had used Patraxion to fall into the Abyss.
This cycle, Shei decided to infiltrate Tantalus. However, in the early days when he hadn't yet regained all his strength, there were few means available to force out the method of reaching Tantalus.
So Shei called out Patraxion, one of the Six Generals.
The method was simple.
Take a spot in a moderately busy city. Propose gambling duels, and defeat all the customers who approach out of curiosity.
Keep defeating them like that, and the army comes to stop it. Because the military nation doesn't tolerate private duels. Defeat them too.
At some point, the military nation stops sending troops. Instead, one of the Six Generals, excited by the news of an untimely duel, comes running in a breath and clashes with Shei.
After fighting moderately, Shei said he wanted to clash with stronger opponents without interference. General Patraxion highly valued that intention and kindly guided Shei into the Abyss.
"Your skill was sufficient. I thought you were at least general material. Perhaps you could have become the youngest Six General... no, the youngest was Murin. Anyway, I expected that the Six Generals could become Seven Generals."
Boom. Patraxion swung his spear long. The sound of cutting wind was chilling.
"But you committed something quite grand. Killing a general, cutting off Jiseon's right arm, and then leading the other prisoners out?"
Patrexion, gripping his spear with both hands, was filled only with deep disappointment and hostility.
"That guy Ebon, even if I didn't like the way he talked, he was my comrade. My comrade died because of me, so settling this is my duty. I shall honor his spirit with this duel."
He had no intention of refusing the fight. However, Shei didn't want to invite unnecessary misunderstandings either. Shei retorted.
"Even though he tried to kill me first?"
"What? Why would Ebon go all the way into Tantalus to kill you?"
"That guy, he's the pinnacle of all creation."
"What?"
Taken aback, Patraxion leaned his spear on the ground again and asked back.
"The pinnacle of all creation?"
"Yeah."
"Him?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Letting out a groan, Patraxion scratched his head as if troubled.
"Aah. So that's why that guy kept replacing his subordinates. Hmm. I thought the mortality rate was overwhelmingly high for some reason."
His contemplation was brief. Patraxion steadied his mind along with his spear.
"But! Cutting off Jiseon's arm is an atrocious act with no room for excuse!"
"I tried to reattach it. They refused."
Patrexion asked back dumbfoundedly.
"...Reattach? Is that possible?"
"If done well."
"Then why didn't you?"
"What can I do if they refused?"
"How can I believe that?"
"If I intended to kill, I would have decapitated them."
"That's true too."
Ugh. Patraxion, who had only scratched his head in vain, shouted in irritation.
"Now. Anyway. I've learned that you roughly have a justification. Still! Your criminal acts haven't disappeared!"
"I don't intend to explain pathetically. I just don't like being wrongly accused."
"But, it's not like there's no room for compromise."
Patrexion, leaning his spear on the ground again, asked slyly.
"Do you want to become a general?"
It was a rather plain statement for a recruitment offer. Shei asked back as if he had misheard.
"Hah?"
"With power like yours, the military nation would welcome you too. Besides, you're not a pure martial faction, right? The military nation is always looking for asymmetric forces like you."
The military nation was a country built after destroying the kingdom of knights. Gathering soldiers, handing them guns, and pulling together military power from all directions.
However, such quantitative improvement in war... doesn't help much.
When strength reaches a certain level, power transforms from a property of magnitude to a property of intensity. Even with a thousand foot soldiers, they cannot defeat one strong person who has reached that level. They'd call it a success if they just bought time.
What's needed in such times is asymmetric force. A trump card that changes situations and overturns the board.
The military nation with its short history lacked such mysteries and secrets, and was gathering such existences to expand its military power.
However.
"I refuse."
Shei refused outright. General Patraxion's expression clouded at that firm attitude.
"...Is that so?"
Patrexion let out a deep sigh and scratched his head.
"I have a daughter. She's about your age. A truly cute child, you know. Maybe it's because I'm getting old, but I don't want to fight a child with their whole life ahead of them."
Once, Patraxion was a hot-blooded youth. Challenging the kingdom to a duel was an impossible feat without considerable audacity.
But as time passed, as he rose to the position of general, as he fought several wars, he aged. The more responsibilities he had, the heavier his actions became.
Patrexion, who had lived more youthfully than anyone, missed those days.
"Above all, I like your attitude. I can see the will to fight against everything in the world. It's kids like you who change the world."
"Are you bragging about yourself?"
"I'm envying my lost youth, you brat. Tsk, I'm on leave, and I can either capture you or not. Hearing that you haven't killed anyone until now, I could just let it slide."
Even while saying that, Patraxion kept glancing with an expectant expression. Catching that meaning, Shei smiled challengingly and raised his dual swords.
Cheonang in his right hand, Jijan in his left.
The two treasured swords held their breath in one human's hands.
"That's a shame. You received a lesson last time, aren't you curious how much stronger you've become in the Abyss?"
"...Right. This is why I like you."
Swish, click.
Patrexion happily gripped his spear with both hands. Emitting qi from his entire body, he aimed the spearhead with a voice full of ecstasy.
"Don't worry. I fight quite well. I'll somehow make sure you don't die."
"I'm not good at holding back. You might die."
"Hahaha! That arrogance! I absolutely love it!"
And immediately after, a flash of light cleaved the void. Shei dyed his eyes purple and raised Cheonang.
A heavy weight loaded onto both arms. The moment it caught on the blade, the spearhead changed direction like a snake and aimed for Shei's neck.
He said he'd make sure I don't die.
Grumbling, Shei clenched his teeth and deflected the spear. Their qi collided and bright red sparks scattered.
Patrexion stepped lightly and retreated far back. The spearhead had clearly aimed for the neck just a moment ago, but he was already more than ten paces away.
Stamping the floor once with the spear shaft, and planting his rear foot firmly. Patraxion shouted loudly.
"Good! Greetings are done, let's fight! Is there any need for further conversation!"
"Hmph. Yes. That's exactly what I wanted!"
Shei shouted boldly and raised Cheonang above his head.
Jijan is a shield. More precisely, terrain advantageous only to Shei.
Kang, a harsh metallic sound. Even the Absolute Spear's spear couldn't push away, pierce, or deflect Jijan. Patraxion's spearhead wrapped in qi had the power to cut and break steel, but Jijan didn't have a single scratch.
Faced with the iron wall defense, the general clicked his tongue.
"An amazing treasure! I didn't see it back then!"
"I picked it up down there!"
Placing Jijan between the spear and his body to limit its path, Shei immediately charged in and swung Cheonang. The supersonic sword targeted Patraxion, but Patraxion grinned and flipped his spear and body.
Clang, the spear shaft blazed long. The spear and sword, full of qi, frictioned with sparks flying.
Shei utilized Cheonang's lightness and flipped his wrist. He intended to aim for the hand gripping the spear shaft.
The Heavenly Compass warned.
Feeling a sudden chill, Shei hid his body behind Jijan.
Kiing. The spear precisely pierced a trajectory that grazed both Cheonang and Jijan simultaneously. It was a movement squeezing through gaps like a single snake.
"I see your intent. Trying to force a speed battle with a light sword? Hey, the spear is the most defensive weapon in the world. Except for shields, since they're armor!"
It didn't end with blocking once. The spearhead split into dozens. At a distance where the blade couldn't reach but only the spear tip could, Patraxion repeatedly struck and retreated to an extent that could be called cowardly.
The spacing was too long and fast. Shei couldn't easily approach and was busy retreating.
"Distance itself is the finest defensive measure! This is how you utilize a weapon's advantage!"
Whether trying to approach or trying to distance himself, neither was easy.
It was bizarre footwork. Without lifting his feet, his feet and legs glided lightly across the ground. Yet when he wanted to, he planted himself like roots and thrust his spear fiercely.
The spear that pierced even the wind made no sound. If not for the Heavenly Compass, he would have at least two holes in his body by now. Patraxion continuously pressed Shei and shouted.
"Haha! How is it, I don't know about guns! But a spear is better than a sword!"
"Heavenly Sword Technique, Dragon-Slaying Slash!"
"Huh?"
Over such Patraxion, a giant blade that seemed to be at least 10 meters long fell.
Cheonang, expanded by stretching space as much as possible, was like a sword wielded by a giant. The moment he blocked the blade trying to split his waist with the spear shaft, a fierce recoil surged and Patraxion's body slid backward.
"Wait. Then what about the spear's advantage?"
If it grew bigger, there should be openings, but the endlessly light Cheonang only weighed as much as air of the same volume at most. Patraxion lost his advantage in reach and retreated swiftly.
Shei didn't stop his attack. As the distance opened, instead of swinging Cheonang, he drove Jijan into the ground. Crack, the ground split as if a meteor had fallen and Jijan sank in.
"Earth Kun Style, Sharp Fang!"
And swept it widely just like that.
Patrexion's footing shook. Immediately after, a giant thorn surged from underground and sent him flying. It was Jijan's divine power, earth magic.
"Wahat! What an incredible weapon!"
As Patraxion, who had absorbed the shock by bending his legs momentarily, steadied his posture in midair, Shei also lengthened Cheonang and thrust it into Jijan.
The unity of Cheonang and Jijan. A secret technique making Jijan the gun barrel and Cheonang the cannonball.
"Heaven Earth Sword Kun, Secret Technique."
Horizon Splitter.
An invisible slash cleaved Patraxion vertically. Sensing danger, he held his spear at an angle to block, but was soon fiercely deflected and flew far away.
Shei let out a deep breath. Steadying the swirling wind, he glared beyond the darkness with red eyes.
He hadn't gone all out. He didn't want to deliberately kill General Patraxion and completely fall out with the military nation, and if he used up all of Cheonang's space, it would cause difficulties in the battles to come.
...And, if Patraxion truly felt a sense of crisis, he would have responded with some kind of measure.
Because he had touched upon the Principle, even if only a little.