The villagers were watching from afar.
They were cheering for that old man,
Master…
"Kill him!"
"Teach that bastard a lesson!"
Maybe in their eyes, I was the villain.
Yes... a villain!.
The villagers didn't know the real reason behind any of this or,
(They never cared about what was right, only about who was stronger. The poor were always seen as guilty,) I thought
That man gathered all his energy, forming it into a ball of lightning.
And then,
Boom!
I didn't even see it coming, the force struck like lightning. Just the sound,
Blast!, as it struck me.
The force of the impact blasted the ground around us into dust.
For a moment, I saw nothing.
Everyone thought I was finished.
The villagers murmured,
"He's done."
"That's the end of him."
But in that cloud of dust, I charged.
His eyes widened in fear and shock,
Bang! Right in his face.
This time, he couldn't dodge.
He never saw it coming, maybe because of the dust, or maybe…
He let his guard down.
He was blown back like a ball.
I heard his facial bones shattering.
And when the dust cleared,
the villagers stared in disbelief.
Silence.
Like there were no people at all.
No one moved, No one spoke.
Then I heard it, the sound ground shaking beneath my feet
Thud... Thud... Thud...
I turned around, blood was covered in my hands, my face and my clothes.
They all stepped back and no one came near me.
It was a whole…army!
The Army of Pine Valley.
Thousands of soldiers.
Some rode a horse and one man dismounted and walked forward. He bowed once, then raised his eyes. "I am General Wei, Second General of Pine Valley," he announced. His voice carried like a bell. He looked at me with a smile,
"Young one, what is your name?"
I met his gaze, cold as ice. "Why do you want to know? When you came to support this man."
General Wei's smile didn't falter. "We came to hear the truth. Why did you start this fight?"
I sat in silent didn't say words.
Again general said,
"You didn't answer my question."
"You did," I said, "Your men killed innocents, an old man and a child."
A murmur rose from the villagers gathered beyond the tree line. "They stole gold from Young Master Wen Yu, they deserved it."
The general turned toward me with hatred, and General Wei's eyes darkened. Even from here I could feel the weight of his aura.
"That gold…was given to an old man by me" I said loudly, "He will die today. I will take his head."
General Wei voice became like a steel and said,
"It is our duty to protect Young Master Wen Yu, right or wrong. If you stand in our way, I will not hesitate."
"I have nothing against you, General," I said. "But if you step between me and Wen yu, I won't spare anyone."
Around him, the army straightened, General Wei smiled faintly and said,
"You are strong, but do not forget you are alone and would face a thousand blades."
"I don't need to beat a thousand," I said. "I only need to take Wen yu."
From the center of the ranks Wen yu raised a hand and said,
"Stop wasting words! Kill him and bring me his head. Whoever brings it will have one hundred thousand taels of silver!" The money hung in the air like a command.
General Wei lifted his sword and addressed his men,
"We fight not for money or fame but to keep our villages safe so mothers can sleep, so children may run without fear." He continued, "…so our loved ones may live in peace," and the soldiers nodded.
(The old man and kid were human, too) I thought.
Shields clanged. A dozen voices banged steel against wood in a drumbeat of war,
"hu… hu… hu…"
The very ground began to shake under the weight of a thousand marching boots,
"grum… grum… grum…"
For a moment, I thought I would need a sword, but this time, it changed into a sword though not a normal one. It was thick, not sharp, with both sides looking the same. Cracks ran from bottom to top, and lightning flowed through the crack.
I ran forward,
I saw faces frozen in fear and rage. I didn't want to kill them, but when I saw Wen Yu smiling in the distance, the anger grew in me.
Slash!...
I heard the screams… wherever the blade touched, bodies turned to ash and blew away like dust. I cut through the first wave of soldiers, heading straight for Wen Yu. He backed away, hiding behind his guards as they tried to stop me.
Then General Wei stepped forward. I jumped and swung my blade down with all my strength. Our weapons crashed together, then my stone blade cracked his sword in half. His weapon shattered in a burst of light and the blade passed through the general's head and cleaved the horse beneath him and the general turned into ashes.
The other soldiers went wild. "Revenge! Kill him! Justice for the General!" they shouted, charging at me.
I moved like lightning. One swing, dozens fell. The battlefield became a storm of fire and smoke. Anyone who got in my way was turned to ash as the blade drank their life force. Wen yu ran, fear twisted his face. I chased him, cutting down everyone who tried to stop me. They all vanished into smoke.
Finally, I reached him. He turned, his face full of panic. "I'm so…" he started to say, his voice cracking.
The blade fell into his neck. Silence.
Blood poured from his eyes like ink. Then his body crumbled to ash.
The army froze, shocked by how fast it all ended. Nothing moved, carrying the smell of smoke and something burned. All around me were fallen shields and drifting ash.
I looked up at the sky, finally feeling some satisfaction remembering the faces of the old man and his grandson… "Rest in peace," I muttered.
None of the soldiers had the guts to step forward as I walked, my sword clanging against the ground,
"Tshar..."
The sound of the sword hitting the ground made a small spark, and the soldiers moved aside, creating a path for me.
Out of nowhere, a lightning bolt struck from behind. I blocked it with my sword, but this time I was exhausted. The power was too strong, and I was blown into a nearby wall, destroying it,
Drung!...
I stood up again, one hand holding my sword, the other on my knee to support myself so I wouldn't fall.
The soldiers bowed and said, "Elder..."
He was flying on a sword.
I had never seen anyone fly on a sword before. It was beautiful in a way, but I knew he had come to kill me, especially after what I'd done to their city.
"Do you think you can walk away after everything you've done?" the elder asked.
One of the soldiers shouted, "Elder, this man killed our beloved friends, our general, and the young master of Pine Valley."
When the elder heard this, he threw a large silver sword at me. I blocked it with my sword, but he was too strong. I began to step back under his force. I raised my left foot and pushed against the wall behind me, but the elder made a hand gesture, doubling the force and sending me crashing through the wall. His sword pierced my body,
"Kharrk…khak,"
I coughed up in blood,
The sword disappeared from my hand, turning back into a stone, which seeped into me and regenerating my wounds. But I was still exhausted.
In the blink of an eye, the elder reached to me, grabbed my neck, and sent me flying through another wall,
"I'm going to die today," I thought.
He raised his hand aga
in and sent a hundred lightning swords toward me. I just smiled, thinking about how i will end up today.
At that moment, I saw my master, who teleported me to another place.