Chapter 3
Capture
The weather in the mountains was unpredictable.
When clouds collided with the high peaks, rain inevitably followed, and if strong winds joined in, they had no choice but to stop moving and take shelter in the forest indefinitely.
Swoooosh!
Whooooosh!
Yi Hwan stared into the fierce downpour, mentally reviewing what he needed to do next.
There wasn’t much to contemplate.
‘First, find the descendant of the Sword King.’
Yi Hwan believed that the Black Tiger Unit, which had attacked him, must be the heir to the Sword King.
He gazed at Jeong Cheon, who was conversing with his officers up ahead.
Though Jeong Cheon was a general universally acknowledged for his brilliance, to Yi Hwan’s eyes, he looked like nothing more than a green pup.
Just then, one of the guards approached.
“Would you like some?”
The man held out a piece of jerky.
“I’m fine.”
“We’ll soon be entering enemy territory. You won’t get a chance to eat for quite a while.”
At those words, Yi Hwan took the jerky and bit into it.
‘Once the battle begins and the Black Tiger Unit appears, I move on my own.’
Boom!
Craaaaack!
Thunder webbed across the sky, crashing down nearby.
“Damn it. This place is hell no matter when you come.”
“Fits those gloomy bastards from Jo perfectly, haha.”
Even with the enemy camp close by, the warriors showed no sign of nervousness.
Soon after, the wind and rain died down, and the march resumed.
It had taken longer than expected. Though it seemed they’d arrive soon, it was already evening by the time the Yan army reached their first destination.
‘Jeong Cheon prefers night attacks, doesn’t he?’
Yes. Jeong Cheon had gained his fame by executing repeated successful night raids.
Moreover, he had earned his reputation by securing victories while sustaining far fewer casualties than any other unit.
That was likely why Hwang Ho had assigned Yi Hwan to Jeong Cheon’s forces.
‘So that’s why he only brought around five thousand troops.’
Mobility was key in night raids. The more soldiers you had, the slower you moved. It was far more efficient to operate with the minimum necessary force.
Jeong Cheon had specialized strategies and tactics for such situations, and he had built a strong record of success.
‘Which means there’s still about two hours to go until the attack begins…’
That much time was needed before it would be deep night.
But then—
‘Thankfully, I won’t have to wait long after all.’
Yi Hwan spotted something and smiled faintly.
Fweeee!
Thud-thud-thud!
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
After the piercing war cry came screams from all directions.
“Enemy ambush!”
“Form battle lines!”
“Form ranks now!”
Yi Hwan’s eyes gleamed. He had spotted shadows rushing at them from beyond the darkness.
Those were what he had noticed just moments ago.
‘They’ve been hit with night raids multiple times—they were bound to prepare. Whoever’s commanding them isn’t a complete fool.’
Jo had already suffered several night attacks from Jeong Cheon’s unit.
Jeong Cheon’s reputation was well known even within the Jo kingdom, so it was only natural for them to prepare accordingly.
Of course, Jeong Cheon would’ve moved cautiously with that in mind, but it appeared the Jo commander was a step ahead.
Jeong Cheon gritted his teeth.
“Our position’s been exposed—retreat quickly! Move!”
“Yes, sir!”
In the midst of chaos, Jeong Cheon’s unit began to fall back slowly.
But Yi Hwan remained calm and moved with composure.
Clang!
Crash!
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
The first clash began on the left flank.
It was relatively close to Yi Hwan’s location. The guards formed a tight wall around him.
“Your Highness! Please don’t leave our side!”
“Got it. Just focus.”
Yi Hwan waited leisurely for the Black Tiger Unit to appear.
Then, some Jo soldiers charged toward his position. The guards stepped up and formed a defensive line.
Clang!
“Aaagh!”
“Grah!”
Combat erupted right beside him, with blood and flesh flying, but Yi Hwan’s eyes darted across the battlefield, scanning quickly.
Yet nowhere did he see the Black Tiger Unit.
“Urgh!”
One guard let out a groan and stumbled.
An enemy lunged toward the staggering guard. The others couldn’t help in time, and at this rate, the guard would lose his life.
That’s when Yi Hwan moved.
He merely stepped forward and lightly swung his sword—but the enemy’s head split in half, blood and brain matter spilling out.
“Gah!”
The guard turned to Yi Hwan with wide eyes.
“If you’re grateful, fight harder.”
“…!”
“Cut them down!”
“The bastards have no fear!”
The Jo soldiers charged more fiercely toward the guards.
“Don’t fall back!”
“Push them harder!”
Jeong Cheon’s troops lived up to their reputation. The carefully selected five thousand elite soldiers had shaken off the initial confusion and were now pressing the Jo army back.
Additional forces that had moved out in another direction returned quickly and joined in, putting the Jo army in an even tighter spot. Because they hadn’t yet penetrated deep into enemy lines, reinforcements could arrive swiftly.
“Charge!”
“Crush those stinking Jo bastards!”
Then—
Crash!
“Argh!”
“Aaagh!”
“It’s the Black Tiger Unit! They’re here!”
A commotion erupted from the right flank. Yi Hwan’s eyes lit up.
‘Finally, they’ve shown up.’
The right side, where the Black Tiger Unit appeared, began to collapse rapidly. As expected, they were strong.
“Head that way.”
“Your Highness! That’s far too dangerous!”
“Is there any safe place on a battlefield? Follow me.”
Yi Hwan dashed forward. The guards, startled, hurried to catch up.
“Hurry! Don’t lose sight of His Highness!”
Yi Hwan pushed through the center of the battlefield, sharply scanning for traces of the Soul Severing Technique.
Then, at a certain point, his eyes gleamed.
‘Found it!’
Three streaks of bloody light flashed across the field.
Even in the pitch-black night, they stood out vividly.
A commander approached Jeong Cheon and shouted,
“There aren’t that many of them. Let’s circle around and descend on the camp!”
“Be careful, General.”
“See you at the camp!”
Some of the Yan forces broke off from the field.
Jeong Cheon watched them briefly, then turned toward the right flank where the Black Tiger Unit had appeared.
And then his eyes widened in shock.
“No way!”
Jeong Cheon couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Yi Hwan, who he believed lacked any courage, who had acted impulsively only during the strategy meeting, was now charging straight into the battlefield.
Even while Jeong Cheon’s veteran troops were flustered and struggling to fend off the enemy, Yi Hwan was moving alone and fearless.
Jeong Cheon turned and shouted,
“All units to the right! Quickly!”
“Yes, sir!”
‘Too fast!’
The guards chasing after Yi Hwan were stunned.
He wasn’t just fast—he was impossibly fast. In just a few leaps, he had created a gap they couldn’t close.
‘Was he always like this?’
‘What is going on? He’s absurdly fast!’
As everyone panicked, one guard cried out urgently,
“Your Highness! Look to your left!”
From Yi Hwan’s left, a member of the Black Tiger Unit charged at him. The attacker moved so quickly that it seemed inevitable Yi Hwan would be hit.
“Ah!”
A sharp gasp escaped the guard’s mouth.
Then his eyes widened further.
The terrifying Black Tiger’s head was cleanly severed—by a single strike.
“No way…”
“What are you doing?! His Highness is in danger!”
“We must catch up, now!”
As the guards chased with all their might, Yi Hwan headed straight toward the member of the Black Tiger Unit who had used the Soul Severing Technique. Along the way, several more enemies charged at him—only to lose their heads to his blade.
“Argh!”
“Ugh!”
They fell like autumn leaves in the wind.
“Charge!”
Jeong Cheon’s unit stormed in. Realizing they were outnumbered, even the Black Tiger Unit began retreating.
“Your Highness! Please fall back!”
Jeong Cheon’s shout rang across the battlefield.
But Yi Hwan had no intention of retreating.
Then, he saw the Black Tiger who had used the Soul Severing Technique withdrawing. By sheer luck—or perhaps good fortune—he was somewhat separated from his allies.
‘That works for me.’
“Die!”
Two blades flew toward him. Yi Hwan leaned sideways and thrust both arms.
Thud!
“Gah!”
“Ugh!”
With minimal movement, he took them down and charged toward his target.
Their eyes met across the darkness.
Did the Black Tiger recognize Yi Hwan? Or was he simply shocked by his presence?
He turned and fled into the forest.
‘Yes. Keep running deeper.’
Yi Hwan chased him into the woods.
In the chaos of battle, Jeong Cheon and the guards lost sight of him.
Jeong Cheon’s face hardened like stone.
“What am I supposed to do now?!”
The death of a royal prince—
Jeong Cheon could not help but dread the political aftermath.
“Find His Highness! Now!”
“Yes, sir!”
Snap snap!
Broken branches whipped at Yi Hwan’s face.
But they bounced off harmlessly, blocked by his protective aura.
“I’m not trying to kill you, so why don’t you stop running?”
Who in their right mind would believe that in this situation? The Black Tiger ran even harder.
But the distance between them rapidly closed to less than ten paces.
After a few more breaths, a cliff blocked the Black Tiger’s path.
“Shit!”
He glanced around, but there was nowhere else to go. So, he turned and faced Yi Hwan, readying his stance.
“Come on, you bastard!”
Yi Hwan dropped down in front of him.
Swish!
He sheathed his sword.
Click.
“I won’t kill you. Drop the sword.”
“Shut up! If you weren’t going to kill me, why chase me this far?!”
“I have some questions. Just trust me.”
“Stop spewing crap and get in here, you bastard!”
Yi Hwan sighed and furrowed his brow.
“All right, I’m coming in.”
