"It's not personal; none of this is." Jun walked toward Hou Ken, who was breathing heavily, staring at the blood spilled on the ground.
"Your purpose…" Hou Ken murmured, his eyes narrowing.
This time, Jun responded sincerely: "The war will never end; it won't be us who can change that. But I assure you, my vision is far greater than yours."
"I can stop these wars and unify China. I'll do it so that my children, and my children's children, can live their lives without having to bleed and kill."
Jun removed his mask and cloak, revealing his identity to all. "It won't be us, nor our children or future grandchildren, but we can make a difference if you step back now."
"No one among us needs to die today; trust that it will be worth it."
All the soldiers hesitated; their swords trembled in their hands as they seriously reconsidered if it was worth continuing the fight after witnessing how one of the world's strongest men had been defeated by an unknown warrior.
The god of martial arts was kneeling, while Jun stood before him, still holding his sword.
"This is the end." Hou Ken was unafraid of death; at last, someone with a similar purpose but a different spirit had come to face him.
Jun was different from others in that he wouldn't shed blood unless it was necessary. His actions were compassionate toward those who simply wanted to live and die in peace.
In his world, the strong protected the weak, and there was no slavery.
Criminals were punished harshly; rapists were castrated and forced to work in mines, while murderers were handed over to the families to satisfy their thirst for revenge. As for thieves, their hands were severed.
The balance of life was what everyone needed, but today, Hou Ken had crossed paths with Jun, who needed the strength of killers to command a great army and end wars once and for all.
He had no enemies; he bore no resentment, and if he could win this battle, he would finally go home.
"Let our blood be the only blood spilled today; there's no need for more to die." Jun lowered his gaze and looked at Hou Ken, an enormous man who pushed his glaive toward him.
Without fully understanding Hou Ken's intentions, Jun frowned.
"Have you surrendered?"
"The kindness in your words, the cruelty in your actions—you are the best version of my path I've ever encountered. In your eyes, I saw the caution in your movements, the purpose in your goal, and the importance of an ending."
In that moment, Jun hesitated to end Hou Ken's life, recognizing that he, too, only wanted to end wars, even if his methods were not the most suitable.
"Take my glaive, claim my life, and become the next God of Martial Arts." Hou Ken closed his eyes, ready for his end.
But just then, as Jun bent down to take the glaive, a powerful voice roared from the enemy ranks.
"Kill Jun, avenge Hou Ken!"
In an instant, without warning, thousands of arrows were launched toward Jun's position, ignoring the fact that Hou Ken was standing right in front of him.
The one who had given the order likely assumed that Hou Ken would be dead by the end of the day and thus ordered the attack to take Jun's life as compensation.
'Too late…' Jun was about to react, but with his broken ribs and injured shoulder, his speed wouldn't be enough.
"Is this where I'll die?" This question flashed through Jun's mind as he faced the oncoming storm of arrows.
"Kyou Kai…"
Crack! Crack! Crack!
"You…"
But at the last second, Hou Ken stood up, his enormous back shielding Jun as he took dozens of hits from his own allies.
For the first time in his life, Jun's eyes lost focus, unable to believe that the one he had come to kill was now protecting him.
"Claim your title."
Jun gripped his sword tightly, frowned, and shouted, "Kill all the enemies."
At the same time, his sword pierced Hou Ken's heart, who took his last breath and fell in front of Jun, who held him in his arms.
Without delay, the assassins moved like bloodthirsty shadows toward the soldiers, who had no idea who had given the order to attack the assassins.
But knowing the enemies were approaching, they had no choice but to fight and die here, bound by a foolish order.
…
On a hill, Ri Boku stood in disbelief; his calculations hadn't accounted for such a powerful figure he hadn't considered.
If his plans continued, Jun would definitely be a problem, so by all means, he decided Jun must die on this battlefield.
No one should know that the god of martial arts fell at Jun's hands, who until now was a complete unknown.
"They're being slaughtered."
"I see that, but that man must die no matter what." Ri Boku had his own plans that couldn't be derailed.
Right now, Hou Ken's death was a massive blow to Zhao—no, the worst-case scenario for the invasion of Qin, planned to happen in a few months.
"Ahhh!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
But at that moment, from the surroundings, countless cries of pain were heard, followed by a shout: "Enemy attack!"
From the shadows, hundreds of figures emerged, throwing knives at the necks of unsuspecting soldiers who didn't know where the attacks were coming from.
"You must leave, Ri Boku-sama," cried a woman, drawing her sword.
But Ri Boku, shocked by what was happening, murmured with regret, "It's too late."
Crack!
As he said this, the body of a standard bearer was thrown in front of Ri Boku, and two enormous twin figures appeared, followed by hundreds of black-cloaked figures.
"Who are you?" Ri Boku had left a hundred soldiers stationed here, all martial arts experts, but it seemed they had been slain.
"My name is Trevor, commander of my lord's forces, and I've come to politely request that you give the order for your soldiers to withdraw from here." Trevor had been tracking Ri Boku all this time, who had only just appeared.
Ri Boku closed his eyes and asked, "Why would I give that order?"
"It's that or you die here, Ri Boku."
"It seems you know me."
Trevor smiled and said, "Of course we know you; we know everything about you. We also know you were the main instigator behind all the nations planning to attack Qin."
"What did you say?!" This time, Ri Boku couldn't maintain his composure. How did these men know about the attack on Qin?
"As I said, give the order to withdraw. Leave these mountains and tell Zhao's foolish king that we have massacred you."
Ri Boku, still sweating coldly, asked, "Is that all?"
"Also, announce that Jun Asura killed Hou Ken. If you do that, we promise not to kill you—at least not for now." Trevor's words assured Ri Boku that he could kill him whenever he wished.
Ri Boku knew he had no choice; for the first time, after reaching a position of power, he was at someone else's mercy. But that could change, and if it did, he would seize the offensive again.
"Fine, I'll make the announcement," Ri Boku said, sighing.
"Five minutes. If you don't, everyone will die." Ri Boku then disappeared into the darkness, leaving everyone dead except his messenger, a woman who hadn't been able to speak since they'd been surrounded.