Martial Arts Returnee’s Game Broadcast

Chapter 223

1.

Rough strategies cannot defeat equal enemies.
Generic strategies cannot defeat superior enemies.
Even brilliant strategies cannot defeat overwhelming enemies.

Strategy is always one step behind brute force.
And when it comes to the brute force of monsters, that gap is even wider.
Beasts that are not human.
Monsters of incredible strength.
How could beings that defy history and myth, those who wear the burdens of legends with the power of ancient victories, be overcome by mere common military strategy and wisdom?
Now, something more is needed.
The high-ranking official has awakened to the concept of "tailored strategy."

"Silent Swordsman. We must learn about her past. Bring in the prisoners we captured during the battle."

The monstrous fallen demons, with their hulking frames, were tied loosely with brittle, old ropes, following the soldiers.
One fallen demon, fearing the rope might snap at any moment, nervously followed the soldiers, while most of them rebelled wildly or struggled, with the ropes already broken.

"Look up."

The fallen demons were now face-to-face with the high-ranking official.
The smooth face of the creature, with no distinct features, resembled an egg-headed ghost.
There was nothing where there should have been something.
The being, which resembled a human yet was grotesquely different, towered over them with a large ceremonial headdress, exuding a strange, overwhelming presence.

This pressure.
The tension that seeped into the skin.
The fear that the heart produced.

The fallen demons understood through experience.
The master of the mountain of suffering.
The king of all losers.
It was the same feeling they had when facing the King of the Abyss.
The being before them was just as threatening, perhaps even more so.

"A long time ago, the county magistrate's soldiers, seeing that the country was in crisis and there were too many prisoners to be confined, asked what should be done."

This dangerous being suddenly began telling a strange story.

"In response, the magistrate used his marvelous wisdom. He said that those who cut the rotten rope and tried to escape were those who had not repented for their sins, and were evil that could not be reformed, so they should be executed without mercy."

The fallen demons who had broken the rope trembled with fear.

"No, no! We weren’t trying to escape!"
"The rope... it was rotten!"
"We should have been tied with a bigger rope for our size!"

The fallen demons who had broken the rope shouted in protest, but the high-ranking official unfurled a large, long scroll.

"Those who tried to escape and deceived others, those who deceive the people and the king, are clearly traitors. Cut off their feet and throw them into the thorny pit."

The soldiers grabbed one fallen demon and threw them into a large pit.

"Ahhhhh!"
Before the miserable scream could even end, the high-ranking official’s cruel verdict continued.

"Those who have grown large through excessive greed, whose pride is so inflated that they cannot be controlled by law, should have their inappropriate body parts cut off using a heated model."

"Ahhhh!!"

"Next. Those who were swayed by the temptation of others and cut the rope should be blindfolded and placed in the thorny path. Let the soldiers shout to guide them."

"I’m sorry, sir! Please, just one more chance! Just once, please!!"

After the brutal verdicts, only the fallen demon who had been careful not to let the rotten rope break remained.

"Listen. Though you have led the people into suffering and joined in sin, you have endured the discomfort of the rotten rope and repented your sin. You have not mocked the law’s weakness and have shown the true repentance of a sinner."

"Uh...?"

"I will ask you a few questions. If you answer sincerely and truthfully, I will release you without punishment. Will you do this?"

"Yes, I will!"

"Good. Now tell me about the history and achievements of the commanders and rulers who lead your invading army."

As the magistrate's office filled with blood and the cries of prisoners dwindled, the fallen demon, amidst the stench of death and the cold ground, shared everything they knew.

"Release him."

"No! Are you really going to release these traitors who have harmed our soldiers? Think of the resentment of the monsters who rose to defend the village!"

The high-ranking official’s eyes glowed, and the soldier who had raised their voice had their head smashed to the ground.

"Leave! If you cannot forgive a repentant sinner, the law will bear the shame of being an unjust law. Do you believe that your petty grudge comes before the justice of the state and the mercy of our king!?"

"Cough, cough, I... I was wrong..."

"Take back that soldier's command token and strip him of his rank. If he earns merit as a slave soldier at the frontlines, he will be reinstated, but if not, that will be his grave!"

The strict standards, indifferent to friend or foe, meant no one could defy or ignore the high-ranking official’s orders.
In one corner of the magistrate’s office, a huge thorn pit had already been filled with the bodies of those who had disregarded the high-ranking official’s authority or revealed corrupt desires.

"Fallen demons with immense strength, the knight of the ruined fortress, the Silent Swordsman of Massacre."

Know your enemy, know yourself, and you will never be in danger.
If you know your enemy but not yourself, you will win some and lose some.
If you do not know your enemy and do not know yourself, you will be in danger in every battle.

"Sun Tzu’s words are true. In the last battle, we didn’t know the Silent Swordsman, and that’s why we alternated victories and defeats."

But not anymore.
The high-ranking official, through the fallen demon's testimony, now understood his enemy.

"Now I know her."

The first strategic hero-class boss monster of Ban-Yo-Gok.
A brilliant strategist who had overturned the battlefield.
The high-ranking official's eyes gleamed with a blue light.

"I have a foolproof strategy. Release one thousand soldiers and immediately carry out my orders."

Strength and intellect.
The collision of these two titanic forces had begun.

2.

The Silent Swordsman tilted her head.
She had heard that it was a small city, just a commercial hub for common monsters.
But the scene before her was different.

"Heeek! This is incredible construction! They’ve stacked earth to build a fortress and created a massive maze!"

The entrance of the enormous maze, 20 meters high, was blocked by an iron gate.
It wasn’t just a commercial center; it looked more like a labyrinth or a gigantic dungeon fit for a Minotaur.

"I’m sorry, my lord! We were too slow to block their defense line. If we had hurried, we could have reached before the fortress was completed."
"Tch. I am frustrated by our defeat on the battlefield, but to be delayed like this by slow feet is unacceptable!"

The enemy knight and the powerful fallen demon bowed their heads in apology, regretting their delay.
Ha Eung Eung looked at them and, instead of using her whip, lightly struck their heads with the sword sheathed.

Thunk!!

"?!"

Ha Eung Eung was even more surprised than the two soldiers.
For some reason, the sword sheath felt extraordinarily heavy.

‘This wasn’t a heavy sheath. Why does it feel so weighty now? Why does it feel so solid even though I didn’t put any force into it?’

While she was bewildered, the enemy knight and the fallen demon, their heads bleeding and faces on the ground, shouted in joy.

"Oooh!! Even after making a mistake, you spare our lives and do not cut off our heads or arms! We are deeply moved by your mercy, my lord, as vast as the ocean!"

"This mercy, we will take as a sign to make up for our mistakes on the battlefield!"

• "Not sure, but they seem to misunderstand. She's totally flustered."
• "Even though they speak nonsense, the soldiers understand perfectly."
• "How loyal are they, haha."

The enemy knight and the fallen demon’s reactions were awkward, but Ha Eung Eung nodded in approval.
The ocean-like mercy, Ha-hae, was the perfect expression to calm her mind as the leader of Ha Nam Pa.
Flattery may smooth the relationship between a lord and their subjects, but the fortified walls and complicated maze of the fortress were not something that could be undone by flattery alone.

"My lord, if you entrust the vanguard to me, I will lead 3,000 demon soldiers and rush into the maze, breaking through faster than the traps can activate."
"Just occupying the high ground is not enough. My lord, give me the chance to avenge this, and I will break through the fortress walls and climb to the high ground."

The soldiers, eager to lead the vanguard, eyed each other with tension, each wanting the honor of being chosen by their lord.

"This can’t be!"
"My lord...!"

Ha Eung Eung’s steps did not falter.
She did not choose either of them.

‘It’s good to leave it to the subordinates, but watching from the sidelines doesn’t suit my temper.’

The Silent Swordsman.
The lord herself would take the vanguard.
What method would she use to conquer the fortress?
What would her lord show this time?

The soldiers' expectations would soon become reality.

‘A maze? It’s simple. Just cut through it in a straight line.’

If a martial artist had resolved to face the magistrate, the fortress lord, and even the imperial palace,
there’s no way she couldn’t pierce through the gates and walls with a single stroke.

Martial Arts Master’s Sword Technique
Sun and Moon Divine Sword
Siege Technique
One Strike that Defeats the Sun

A strike aimed at the sun, a guaranteed blow.
A supreme blow honed to assassinate the emperor.
The strike that destroyed the Great Ming Empire’s capital city gates.
The blow that toppled the imperial palace, where the orthodox and unorthodox martial artists ruled.
The strike that brought down the emperor, the long-time adversary of every martial artist, who had indoctrinated her with countless lessons.

A maze hastily constructed in a day couldn’t withstand such a weighty blow.