It Wasn’t a Martial Arts World, but the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 26: Peerless Warrior and Martial Artists (2)

“Brother, look at that…”

Haryeong, who had been waiting beside me, whispered.

Indeed, Gongsun Zan was retreating.

At first, it seemed like he was holding his ground well.

He even managed to exchange several blows with Lü Bu, which might have led some to optimistically imagine that he could actually win.

However, I knew better.

That woman, Lü Bu, was not someone to be underestimated.

Sweat gathered in my palms.

I didn’t want to fight, yet here I was, feeling a surge of excitement.

Even I couldn’t understand why.

At that moment—

– Kwoang!

A loud explosion echoed across the battlefield.

Both Haryeong and I immediately turned toward the source of the sound.

“…Lady Zhang Fei?!”

Haryeong gasped, covering her mouth with both hands in surprise.

To Haryeong and the other soldiers, what was happening might have seemed like madness.

In a way, it made sense.

After all, I had stolen the glory of slaying Hua Xiong from Guan Yu, so there was no reason for them to place any trust in me or our side.

However, one strike, two strikes—

Their clashes rang out in harmony.

Lü Bu’s graceful attacks were all blocked.

Zhang Fei was even countering her with skillful moves.

“What in the world…”

A soldier beside me muttered in astonishment, his face pale with awe.

A warrior who could take on tens of thousands alone.

One day, she would be known by that title, and her martial prowess was indeed extraordinary.

Zhang Fei wielded her famous eight-foot snake spear against Lü Bu’s Fangtian Huaji.

Their fierce battle eventually paused as the dust settled.

“Who the hell are you, girl?!”

Lü Bu shouted.

Zhang Fei rested her spear on her shoulder, a refreshing smile on her face.

“Looks like the great Lü Bu isn’t all that special after all.”

“Ha! Don’t make me laugh!”

With that, Lü Bu charged forward.

But this time, the atmosphere was different.

A menacing aura began to emanate from around her.

Hwaaak!

As Lü Bu swung her halberd, a sandstorm erupted.

Zhang Fei managed to block it, but she was clearly struggling.

Unlike me, Haryeong, who couldn’t fully see the fight, just watched in disbelief.

Then came a series of strikes.

They moved in a trajectory so mysterious, it was difficult to follow.

Though Lü Bu’s halberd should have stayed at the upper level, it smoothly aimed for Zhang Fei’s side.

Zhang Fei retreated, barely dodging the strike, but she clutched her side.

“You’re strong enough. Lü Bu acknowledges you. But this is the end.”

– Kang!

Zhang Fei gritted her teeth.

Sweat now poured down her face as she struggled to hold her ground.

At that moment, another figure burst onto the scene.

“Yide! Are you alright?”

“Sister!”

It was Guan Yu, who swung her massive guandao with ease, much larger than her own frame.

Even against the sudden strike, Lü Bu defended effortlessly.

“You damn brats… one after another… all of you are just making desperate moves!”

“Girls!”

Finally, leading with twin swords in hand, Liu Bei stood at the forefront and pointed her blade at Lü Bu.

A tense silence filled the air.

Even Lü Bu, no matter how powerful, seemed hesitant to face Zhang Fei, Guan Yu, and Liu Bei all at once.

She didn’t charge recklessly as before.

Instead, she lowered her stance and silently observed them.

“You, who have mocked the Han Dynasty and plundered the powerless people—I, Liu Bei, will personally judge and punish you.”

The tide had turned.

Yes, this was it.

Finally, things were proceeding according to the proper flow of history.

Lü Bu likely realized she had no chance of winning now.

If so, she would surely retreat.

As I had expected, she clicked her tongue in frustration and turned her back on them.

Zhang Fei immediately grabbed her reins, ready to give chase, but Liu Bei stopped her.

“If we pursue any further, we’ll end up surrounded by Dong Zhuo’s forces. Let’s retreat for now.”

“Let the fish go after you’ve caught it?!”

“Yide, Sister is right. Our goal is Luoyang, not Lü Bu’s head. We must stay calm and assess the situation.”

“…Fine, I get it.”

Zhang Fei reluctantly lowered her head, displaying a gloomy expression.

Soon after, Zhang Yang raised the blue banner high.

The momentum was entirely in our favor now.

All that remained was to put the finishing touch on the battle.

“They’re… amazing… Those people, against Lü Bu…”

Indeed.

The world was still full of powerful warriors.

Some, even stronger than me.

No matter how much I trained in martial arts or built my internal energy, there were still masters I could not surpass.

For some reason, my heart began to race.

With that, I charged toward the left wing where Unsam was stationed.

But something felt off.

Lü Bu, who should have been retreating, suddenly stopped.

Then she grabbed her reins and started heading somewhere.

What was happening?

I squinted to see where she was going.

And there, in the middle of a fierce battle, was Unsam.

***

Lü Bu clenched her teeth and tightened her grip on the reins.

“Damn brats…”

“Do they have no pride?”

Next to her, Zhang Liao, who had been standing silently, let out a heavy sigh.

“We should retreat. The tide has completely turned. The morale that had sunk so low has risen again. It won’t be easy to change the course of this battle.”

“…You’re right.”

Though Lü Bu was often fiery on the battlefield, she could still calmly assess the situation.

Her interest had waned.

The coalition army had been a disappointment, filled with nothing but cowards.

They each spoke of noble causes, but in the face of danger, they all abandoned their ideals.

Survival.

It was the most basic human instinct that Lü Bu was all too familiar with.

She knew it well.

After all, she had betrayed and killed countless times in order to survive.

Whether such actions were deemed evil didn’t matter. Humans only cared about their own safety.

She simply became aware of that truth once again.

“Let’s retreat.”

Lü Bu slung her halberd onto her back and spoke to Zhang Liao.

“Understood.”

With that, they began to pull back.

How boring.

There wasn’t enough excitement.

Her heart still didn’t race.

In the past, she used to feel her blood boiling when she rampaged across battlefields, but now, not even a hint of that excitement remained.

It felt as though her heart was hollow.

She would have to drown her lingering frustration in wine when she got back.

“Charge, men! Don’t let them escape!”

At that moment, she heard a familiar voice.

Lü Bu unconsciously turned her head.

She didn’t recognize the face, but the voice was unmistakably that loudmouth from the tavern…

“Ha ha…”

“Sis?”

Zhang Liao tilted his head, puzzled by Lü Bu’s sudden laughter.

“You’ve come. Of course, you couldn’t stay away.”

“Sis, what’s going on?”

Sensing something was off, Zhang Liao tried to grab her shoulder.

But Lü Bu had already turned her reins.

“Sis, where are you going?!”

Lü Bu didn’t bother to respond.

Her body tingled with excitement.

She didn’t have time to explain.

He’s here. He’s here. He’s here.

Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.

How long had it been since she’d felt this exhilaration?

How could she describe this sensation, which was even more thrilling than a life-and-death duel?

One thing was certain—he was here.

She didn’t know exactly where he was hiding, but Lü Bu knew how to draw him out.

After spending days by his side, she knew him well enough.

“…You!”

A filthy vagabond looked up at her in terror.

Without hesitation, Lü Bu swung her halberd.

*Boom!*

Unsam was thrown from his horse by the unexpected attack.

He tumbled across the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

“Damn it… What brings someone as important as you here…”

Unsam, covered in blood.

But despite his condition, there was no fear in his eyes.

He was nothing more than a piece of trash.

Ah.

Yes, this was it.

Lü Bu grinned widely, her mouth stretching into a crazed smile as she raised her halberd high.

Unsam, barely managing to crawl, gripped his sword, but his body, having just experienced a fall from his horse, was in no condition to fight.

His limbs were dislocated, and he was bleeding heavily.

His vision began to blur.

‘Come with me if you want to live.’

‘What the hell do you think you are to make me follow you?’

He suddenly remembered the day he first met his brother.

The day when his brother took in a worthless thug like him without asking for anything in return.

The nostalgia of that moment filled his chest.

“Yeah, you bastards were always like that. Those eyes. Are you not afraid of death?”

Lü Bu asked.

Unsam merely chuckled.

His life was already something he should have lost long ago.

If his brother hadn’t taken him in that day, he would have continued down a miserable path, meeting a wretched end.

“Shut up… I’m not planning on dying… I’m going to take your head.”

“Are you done spouting nonsense?”

He knew better than anyone how absurd that claim was.

But sometimes, a man has to stand his ground and refuse to give up.

At the very least, he couldn’t show his brother such a pathetic sight.

So, Unsam watched as the halberd descended upon him.

Death was approaching.

But as death neared, rather than fear, a strange sense of regret filled him.

‘I said I’d follow my brother to the end, but it looks like that won’t happen in this life.’

As he braced for death, holding his head high to the very end—

A sword interposed itself between him and the incoming halberd.

And then—Kaang!

The sharp sound of metal clashing filled Unsam’s ears.

He turned around in disbelief.

“Still alive, huh? Stop lying there like that and get up.”

“Brother…”

Unsam stared in shock at Unryong, who had come to his rescue.

Unryong merely smiled at him.

“…You’ve arrived, Unryong!”

A voice, filled with excitement, rang out from Lü Bu, uncharacteristically high-pitched.