The female Dark Elf lunged at Tae-geon.
"You seem confident, taking your eyes off me like that."
[SWISH! SWISH! SLASH!]
Her twin swords lashed out like a storm. The blades cut through the wind, a rapid series of thrusts flashing past his eyes like lightning. Tae-geon reflexively retreated.
'She's fast.'
He was struggling just to keep up. If he let his guard down, his body could be filled with holes.
"You're faster than I thought."
The Dark Elf's lips curled up in amusement. Her red eyes narrowed sharply.
[SQUELCH… SQUELCH…]
Tae-geon lowered his stance deeply. As if attempting a judo grip, he extended his hands forward and slowly dragged his feet, closing the distance. He regulated his breathing and didn't blink.
'One step... no, half a step is enough.'
"Trying to find an opening to counterattack?"
She scoffed. Before she could finish her sentence, casually raising her swords, her toes kicked off the ground.
[WHOOSH—!]
She instantly lunged forward. As if he had been waiting, Tae-geon also moved in, a half-beat faster.
'Now!'
[BAM!]
—But, she vanished from his sight.
"…!"
Suddenly, her trajectory changed. The straight line of her charge bent at a right angle.
[FLASH!]
She wasn't coming from the front, but from the side. She drove her blade up, aiming for the gap just below his ribs.
'Damn it—'
Tae-geon instinctively twisted his body.
[WHOOSH!]
The sound of flesh being cut. The skin on his shoulder split open, and a burning sensation accompanied the crimson blood that welled up.
"Tch..."
Tae-geon frowned and glanced down at his wound.
'This is a bad match-up for me.'
She was the type to constantly keep her distance, thrusting and retreating. She was an incredibly difficult opponent for a style like judo, which required close contact.
'…I have to bind her legs.'
Tae-geon lowered his stance again. Sweat streamed down his forehead and into his eyes, but his hands were steady. The Dark Elf raised her swords again, circling around him. Her steps were light and bouncy, sharp enough to exploit any opening at any moment.
"You're quick to react, but slow to learn."
Instead of answering, Tae-geon swiftly swung his right leg.
[THWACK!!]
An unexpected low-angle attack. A calf kick landed squarely on the outside of the Dark Elf's lower shin.
"GAH...!"
With a short grunt, her posture was thrown off-balance, and both her feet left the ground.
'Got her.'
Tae-geon's eyes flashed.
The moment the Dark Elf, who had lost her balance from the calf kick, had both feet in the air—Tae-geon charged forward without hesitation.
[CRACK!]
He quickly recovered his stance and closed the distance, grabbing her roughly by the scruff of the neck.
"What...!"
Her surprised eyes met his, but it was too late. Tae-geon's shoulder twisted sharply.
[WHOOSH—!!]
Drawing a massive circle, the Dark Elf's body spun around. At the end of her trajectory in mid-air—
[BOOM!!]
With a bone-jarring impact, her back collided with the ground and bounced back up.
"Gahhh...!"
The swords flew out of the Dark Elf's hands, and her body convulsed. Tae-geon immediately mounted her. Lying across her, he pulled her left arm between his legs.
"This is... our style."
Tae-geon muttered softly, arching his back and putting pressure on her forearm.
[SNAP!]
"Agh!"
A scream erupted as the sound of her elbow twisting echoed. The Dark Elf gritted her teeth and writhed, but there was no way to escape the grip he had on the ground.
Just then—
"ARDEN!!"
As the arm of the Dark Elf fighting Tae-geon was twisted, the one fighting Do-yoon screamed her name.
The man, who had a middle-aged feel to him, was tied up by Do-yoon.
[SCRAPE.]
The sound of something scraping the ground. His gaze returned to Do-yoon.
"Hah... I'm screwed."
With a wide stance and his center of gravity as low as possible, Do-yoon sighed and muttered.
His opponent was a speed-type Dark Elf with a rapier. He lightly held the long, thin blade over his shoulder, crouching like a fencer.
'What do I do... That guy looks really fast.'
Sweat beaded on Do-yoon's forehead. The fight hadn't even started, but the distance was already a problem. He was a grappler, his opponent a speed swordsman. If he lost the distance battle—he was dead.
"The one who moves first loses."
Do-yoon muttered quietly, narrowing his eyes. Simulations of possible scenarios ran through his mind at high speed.
Just then—
[SHINK!]
A thrust that seemed to stretch out. The rapier aimed diagonally at his thigh.
Do-yoon, startled, ducked his upper body as if to fall forward. At the same time, he pulled his leg back, narrowly avoiding the tip of the blade.
"Hah... Mister, isn't that cheating, human-to-human?"
But his opponent followed up with an expressionless face.
[SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!]
A continuous series of thrusts that pierced through the air. The tip of the sword, which had been a dot, swelled into a spear as it flew toward his face.
"Eek!"
Do-yoon twisted his back, barely protecting his face.
[WHIZZ! WHIZZ!]
However, the sword tip that followed grazed his arm and side. His clothes were torn, and crimson blood splattered.
"Wow... I almost became a skewer."
Do-yoon seemed to be laughing, but his eyes were cold and focused.
"Fast..."
His opponent, who thought he had a clean hit, opened his mouth in surprise when Do-yoon barely evaded him.
"You're really fast, mister."
Do-yoon's tone was still light, but his eyes were not smiling. He quietly took a breath and slowly relaxed his stance.
'I need to create an opening. Just one time is enough—a gap to close in.'
[SHINK!]
There was no hesitation. The Dark Elf thrust his sword straight ahead. This time, he was aiming for the center, the heart.
[SPIT.]
Do-yoon twisted his waist and barely avoided the tip of the blade. Then, he deliberately flailed his hand out.
[CLATTER!]
The Dark Elf reflexively jumped back. He created distance and secured his field of vision.
'Now!'
[FLUTTER!]
Do-yoon lifted his foot high, as if to do a front kick. Something flew up from below.
'A throwing knife...?'
The Dark Elf instinctively tilted his head back. A object flying past his face came into his sight.
'A shoe...?'
His mind went blank. He quickly checked in front of him, but Do-yoon was nowhere to be seen.
'He's gone.'
His eyes darted left and right. But no matter where he looked, Do-yoon was nowhere to be found.
[SCRAAAPE!]
A low scraping sound from the ground. In that moment, Do-yoon slid in, feet first, scraping the ground.
Kanibasami. Scissor takedown.
[THWUMP! THUD!]
His legs split like a pair of scissors, wrapping around the Dark Elf's hamstrings and pelvis simultaneously. The moment Do-yoon twisted his waist—
[CRACK!]
The Dark Elf lost his balance and fell backward. His knee twisted at a bizarre angle and slammed into the ground.
Do-yoon didn't miss his chance, grabbing his ankle and rotating it.
[CRUNCH!]
"Mister, this is called Kanibasami."
Do-yoon smiled as he looked at the Dark Elf, who was sitting on the ground with his leg in a hold.
Meanwhile, on the other side—
"A man's got to strike first!"
Young-ho shouted as he leaped up. His opponent was a Dark Elf with a longsword.
[WHOOSH—!]
His body shot up into the air with agility. Just as the Dark Elf instinctively put his hand on his sword sheath—
[THWACK!]
Young-ho's left knee flew towards his face. The Dark Elf quickly blocked it with his scabbard—
[BANG!!]
The knee hit the scabbard squarely. His arms were thrown up from the impact, and he lost his balance.
Just as he was about to take a step back—
[BAM!!]
Young-ho's right knee shot up in a successive attack, hitting him precisely in the chest.
[COUGH! GURK!]
The Dark Elf's breath was caught in his throat. He clutched his chest and bent over, staggering.
[THUMP.]
At that moment—the sensation of a thick palm pressing down on the back of his head. A shiver ran down his spine.
'Danger...!'
He instinctively pulled a dagger from his waist and swung it violently in a diagonal line in front of him.
[WHOOSH!]
The knee that shot up like lightning, the pressure on the back of his head—all disappeared as if they were a lie.
"You've got good instincts."
Young-ho was standing a good distance away, grinning.
The Dark Elf immediately backed away, drawing his longsword. Young-ho stood his ground, with both fists raised in front of him.
"I'll cut off both your legs."
A moment of silence—and again, it was Young-ho who moved first.
[SCUFF. SCUFF.]
As he shuffled his feet and slowly approached, the Dark Elf's blade slashed down, aiming for his chest.
[SWISH!]
[WHOOSH!]
Young-ho evaded by leaning back as if lying down. He slowly, deliberately lowered his stance and approached again.
[SCUFF. SCUFF.]
'Is he measuring the distance... This is it.'
The moment the Dark Elf made his decision—Young-ho's foot entered the range of his sword.
In that instant, the Dark Elf took a step forward and swung his sword.
[THWACK!]
[CRUMBLE!]
"Gah! You coward...!!"
The Dark Elf, who had lost his sight from the dirt kicked into his eyes, stumbled and swung his sword wildly.
"There's no such thing as 'cowardice' in a fight. Winning is all that matters."
Young-ho had been pretending to measure the distance, but he had kicked up the dirt with his foot.
"You said you'd cut off my legs? Then I'll break both of yours."
[CRACK!]
Pushing off the ground, the Dark Elf, unable to open his eyes properly, swung his sword at the air.
But—Young-ho wasn't the kind of person to be hit by such a clumsy swing.
[SMASH!]
[SMASH!]
Low kicks landed in succession. The impact struck precisely above the knee, on the outside of the thigh. The Dark Elf's leg bent at an unnatural angle.
"Gahhh!"
He collapsed helplessly.
Young-ho caught his breath and looked around. He turned his head toward Do-yoon and blurted out.
"Do-yoon, finish him off."
But just then—what caught Young-ho's eyes was the Dark Elf who had been taken down by Do-yoon.
[CRACK...! CRUNCH!]
Black-covered veins bulged on his skin, crawling up along the fractured areas. The unnaturally twisted knee and ankle—were slowly returning to their original position in an impossible way.
[CRACK... CRACK!]
Young-ho turned his head. The Dark Elf he had just defeated was also starting to move, and his unnaturally bent leg was slowly regaining its original form.
An abnormal 'healing' was taking place right before their eyes.
Young-ho let out a short sigh and muttered.
"...This is crazy."
At that moment, the female Dark Elf, Arden, shook her now-healed arm and said to Tae-geon.
"You thought it was over, didn't you? But... I admit, you're strong. So—I have to cut off unnecessary buds now."
[SWOOSH.]
With her words, her body shimmered like black smoke and seeped into the darkness.
"Don't let your guard down!"
[RUSTLE. RUSTLE.]
As soon as Tae-geon finished his sentence, a strange sound brushed past them. He instinctively tensed his body.
[FLASH!]
He tilted his head back at the chilling sensation, and his bangs were cut away, scattering into the air.
'This time... I might be in real danger.'
A moment later, the two Dark Elves who had been standing in front of Do-yoon and Young-ho also disappeared with black smoke.
"Goddammit..."
"This is just ridiculous..."
[RUSTLE. RUSTLE.]
Soon, a presence was heard from somewhere in the forest. The sound seemed to be coming from all directions at once—it was impossible to pinpoint their location.
"It's already dark, and this situation is too disadvantageous."
Tae-geon muttered in a low voice, scanning his surroundings with sharp eyes. He had no idea which direction they would come from or when.
[SHINK!]
The sound of air being sliced from the left. Followed by—
[SLASH!]
Young-ho staggered, clutching his leg. Red blood dripped from his thigh.
"Everyone, gather up! Form a triangular formation!"
At Tae-geon's shout, the three men stood with their backs to each other, scanning their surroundings.
"Hyung-nim, are you okay?"
"Don't you worry. It's just a scratch on the leather, isn't it..."
But contrary to his words, the wound was deep. Blood was bubbling out from between the gaping flesh.
"Tae-geon hyung, is there a way?"
"That technique of theirs... it can't be infinite. If it was, they would have used it from the start."
"Then what should we do?"
Following Tae-geon's gesture, the three men slowly backed away toward the valley.
"Either we give up flesh to take the bone, or we die together trying to take the bone. For now, let's back into the valley and reduce their attack routes."
Maintaining the triangular formation, Tae-geon and Do-yoon blocked the front while Young-ho fell back.
[CLATTER.]
Ten steps ahead, the sound of a rock being stepped on stimulated everyone's nerves.
[CLATTER. CLATTER.]
[THWUMP!]
Young-ho picked up a rock and threw it in the direction of the sound. A small spark flew in the air.
"I'll keep them busy."
A moment later, the opponent's footsteps became frantic.
[CLATTER! CLATTER!]
[THWUMP! THWUMP!]
The presence grew closer.
"That way...!"
Tae-geon shouted in a low voice.
[SWISH!]
[STAB!]
At the same time, a shadow that shot out from the air thrust a sword at Do-yoon. Tae-geon instinctively reached out his hand—
The rapier pierced his left hand.
"Tae-geon hyung!"
"Hyung-nim, comrade!!"
[CRUNCH.]
Tae-geon gritted his teeth and gripped the handle of the rapier with his pierced hand. He put his opponent's elbow on his shoulder as a lever, and ducked his body.
[CRACK.]
The sound of a breaking arm echoed. But he didn't stop.
'I'll slam their head into the ground.'
Just as he was about to slam his opponent onto a large rock—
[FLASH!]
A black murderous intent erupted from behind him. He twisted his body—but it was too late.
[BAM!]
Young-ho pushed Tae-geon away, taking the twin swords with his own body.
[WHOOSH…]
He staggered backward, and as he clutched his stomach, blood flowed out like a stream between his fingers.
Tae-geon's vision became distorted. It was blood. Not his own, but Young-ho's.
And—on Young-ho's face, a ridiculous smile remained. That smile hurt even more.
"Do-yoon, Hyung-nim, comrade... take care of him well..."
[SPLASH!]
Young-ho fell backward without a fight, tumbling into the stream below. The clear stream water turned red. A trail of blood flowed, and Young-ho drifted silently away.
"Young-ho!!"
"Young... Young-ho hyung!"
Tae-geon and Do-yoon's screams echoed in the darkness. Thankfully, the stream was wide, and the current wasn't strong.
[SPLASH. SPLASH.]
Tae-geon and Do-yoon immediately jumped into the stream.