The Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Lu Bu is good at being filial - Chapter 60



＜ The Three Heroes Battle Lu Bu (1) ＞

If you know your enemy and know yourself, you can surely win.

In that sense, I already know myself well.

How much strength this body can exert.

The weapon I hold is not the familiar halberd, but through the battle with Sun Jian, it has become well accustomed to my hand.

The condition of the horse is also good.

It can’t be called the best, but it is sufficient to support me when I wield my weapon.

Then what remains?

Knowing the enemy.

If there had been a way to gather information beforehand, I would have responded accordingly, but unfortunately, there is no prior information about this Guan Yu.

If there is anything, it is that he is one of those who suppressed the Yellow Turbans.

Therefore, as always, I have no choice but to fight with all my might given the situation.

‘Even so, a single brush with death.’

Vroom!

The crescent blade passes over my head.

If I had tilted my head back a little later, it would have been severed.

‘Dragging out the reconnaissance battle is impossible.’

Of course.

The master anticipates that the opponent will evade the attack and swings the weapon.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Just like right now.

A follow-up strike after the initial blow.

If it were me—

‘Follow-up!’

A rapidly continuing assault!

Guan Yu’s halberd comes flying.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

To the left shoulder. I block it.

I counter the follow-up with the spear.

Straight ahead. I evade.

I deflect the spear to the side, avoiding the blade.

The final blow.

I place the spear on my shoulder to meet the halberd flying toward it.

Ku-woong!!

The halberd lands on my left shoulder.

“Hah, hah…!”

It feels heavy, as if a boulder has lodged itself in my shoulder.

Even though I managed to deflect the blade, the shock travels through my shoulder and into the bones of my entire body.

“Mm?!”

Guan Yu is taken aback.

He seems not to have anticipated that I would block the attack aimed at my shoulder by wedging the spear between my shoulder blade and the halberd.

The pain is momentary.

However, the instant I forcibly suppress that pain, my counterattack has already begun.

Puh-uck!

I swing the end of the spear like a club, striking Guan Yu’s side.

Guan Yu tries to block it by lowering his arm, but I flick the end of the spear upward from below even faster.

“Hmph…!”

Despite the attack precisely targeting his ribs, he remains unfazed.

Clearly, the spear had dug deep, yet Guan Yu’s expression did not change at all.

“Pain is just a moment!”

As expected.

The pain that cannot kill ‘us’ only makes us stronger.

Unless it’s an injury that would lead to death or prevent us from fighting, this level of injury is merely a drain on our stamina.

“Ugh!”

Guan Yu attempts to wedge the spear between his armpit with a shout.

“If you don’t have that, you’ll bring the Hwaguk!”

“I can handle it without Hwaguk!”

While saying that, he actually tries to grip the Lunar Blade with his other hand, so I grabbed the Michumdo spear and slid to the side.

“If you want to take it, go ahead!”

“!!”

Adding the weight of a person, the force of gravity pulls me down as my body turns, falling beside the horse.

“Instead, your Lunar Blade is mine!”

“Ugh!”

Even as I grasped the top of the Lunar Blade and tried to pull it away, Guan Yu made a quick decision.

Swaaa!

The Michumdo returns.

The Lunar Blade swings back, and I dismount, grabbing the tip of the spear that was about to fall.

From below, the only target to aim at is the rider on the horse.

“Hah!”

I push off the ground with both feet, channeling strength into my lower body, and swing the Michumdo high to strike.

Boom!

“Hmph!”

Guan Yu grips the reins and disappears as he swings his leg over to the other side.

My Michumdo sliced through the air above Guan Yu’s saddle, and I immediately turned my gaze toward Guan Yu’s horse.

It’s not behind.

It’s not visible in front either.

Then.

‘Behind!’

A wide swing, a powerful strike.

Beyond the rapidly turning gaze, a colossal dragon opens its maw, its teeth bared as if to swallow me whole.

Kaang!

I deflect an attack aimed at my back with my short sword, pivoting my body.

“Take this!”

Fast.

Not only has he dismounted, but he instantly circles to my side, assaulting my rear.

Kang, Kang, Kaang!

I parry Guan Yu’s successive thrusts, stepping back.

As if unwilling to relinquish his momentum, he points the end of his crescent blade at me, launching a rapid series of strikes.

Shoulder, elbow, thigh.

Rather than aiming for vital points—

“Do you think you can incapacitate me?!”

Attacks aimed at subduing.

Without the intent to kill, neither power nor speed can reach full potential.

“Imbue your strikes with killing intent!”

“Kuek…?!”

I forcefully deflect the crescent blade aimed at my clavicle, sending Guan Yu reeling.

“This sudden power…!”

“Hwaap!”

I close the distance, then break his arm, driving my elbow into his solar plexus.

Too late to wield his crescent blade.

“Useless!”

Guan Yu hastily protects his solar plexus with one hand.

With the single-minded intention of shattering his hand and solar plexus, I drive my elbow in, twisting it once more at the end.

Koo-ung.

Contact.

“Kruek…!!”

Guan Yu groans, staggering back two large steps.

The center of his chest twists in a vortex, and blood flows from Guan Yu’s mouth.

“Strong General, Lu Bu.”

One breath.

A deep breath is inhaled.

“Indeed. This Guan Yu was foolish. Already, his entire body is a weapon.”

Only Guan Yu is visible.

Only the sound of Guan Yu’s slow, sideways steps is heard.

“Matching blades with you, I understand.”

“Understand what?”

“Saving Lu Bu? Foolish talk. You are not one to be deceived.”

Guan Yu lowers the blade of his crescent moon blade.

“One who fights like this, would never be deceived.”

“Then, you? Do you believe the words of the feudal lords?”

“To uphold my ideals, a minor provincial post is insufficient.”

“That’s… a pity.”

From noble mtl dot com

I saw in Guan Yu a reflection of myself when my position was lowly and I was manipulated by Zheng Yuan.

“Ultimately, for a warrior to protect his beliefs, a suitable position is necessary.”

“I understand. I was once the same.”

This Guan Yu, too, likely found the reality too harsh to assert his will through ideals alone.

“Do you intend to become a general of the court?”

“I appreciate the offer, but I serve my elder brother as my lord.”

Guan Yu, without changing his expression, lowers his posture further.

“You may be upright, but Dong Zhuo is different.”

“…….”

“I will overthrow the tyrannical Dong Zhuo and create the world my elder brother desires. If you stand in that path, I will strike you down, and that will be our honor.”

Guan Yu lightly stamps his foot.

*쿵!*

Dust flies.

“Guan Yun Chang, I will hesitate no longer!”

The blade of the crescent moon blade, which had been pointed downwards, suddenly points upwards.

Simultaneously, Guan Yu leaps towards me, his foot extending forward to meet mine.

(Note: All characters are fictional and above the age of 21.)

The trajectory of the blade.

From below, upwards, like a dragon ascending.

That dragon’s claw now aims precisely at my neck.

“Then, overcome it!”

Holding the spear horizontally, I deflect the blade.

“This undefeated general’s countless battlefields!”

The crescent blade glides, brushing upward over the spear shaft.

As if to block it, I deliberately relax my strength, leaning back, causing the spear shaft to spin and slide towards me.

All that remains is to regain my posture and swing the spear.

But Guan Yu’s battle robe billows, concealing his body.

A feint.

It’s a preliminary stage to hide a larger movement.

Guan Yu’s body rises higher than expected.

‘A mistake?’

It’s too late to see the blade’s trajectory.

‘No, deliberate!’

The robe is too thick to see through.

Then.

‘The shadow?’

Under the sun.

The shadow flutters.

Resembling hair, it’s as flowing as his beard, as long as my own hair.

If I follow the trajectory of that beard, the direction of his body—

‘A downward strike!’

He’s whirling, making a reverse upward slash towards the void.

The semi-circular strike, soaring heavenward, doesn’t stop in the sky, but plunges downward like a dragon riding the wind.

Ka-ang!!

I place the spear horizontally and extend the shaft upwards.

It’s too late to parry with a swing.

“Huuup!!”

The blade of the lunar halberd strikes the center of the spear precisely, but the impact is absorbed and mitigated by the two arms that spread out to the sides.

A step back.

Twisting my ankle to plant my feet on the ground, I lean my upper body back significantly without letting go of the spear.

Thud.

The spear is severed.

Unless it’s a solid iron pole of the fire spear, it cannot withstand that heavy lunar halberd, which is like the fangs of a dragon.

Then.

“Hmph.”

“What…?!”

If I move under the assumption that the spear will be completely severed, then that’s it.

‘Blocking an attack isn’t just about the weapon.’

Screech!

The lunar halberd of Guan Yu glides down and scrapes across the armor on my left thigh.

“Ugh…!!”

It cut in quite deeply, making my thigh burn, but—

‘It fell just right!’

I brace my lower body and endure the pain, gripping the severed blade of the spear tightly.

What I trust is the durability of the armor.

And the strength that flowed through the spear.

It cut.

But it only grazed the armor on my thigh.

It didn’t slice through the flesh.

Then it’s my turn now.

I see it.

The gap in the Azure Dragon, who felt a sense of defeat after embedding its nails into the opponent’s body but failing to cut the flesh.

“!!”

Noticing the lunar halberd thrusting forward, I twist my shoulder, but I calculate the angle and thrust the spear forward decisively.

Whoosh!

The green fabric splits, and a short splash of red droplets shoots up into the sky.

“……!”

It was shallow.

I thought I had thrust deep enough, but the habits ingrained in my body led me to make a mistake.

“If it had been the moon of the Fire Extreme, it would have dug deeper. To the shoulder blade.”

Guan Yu said, his eyes trembling.

“If you had come wearing your armor properly, wouldn’t it have ended with the armor being damaged?”

“…And.”

“…Huh.”

Guan Yu’s gaze landed on the broken spear I was gripping tightly.

“If you had meant to kill me, could you have done so?”

“…From the moment I didn’t stab, the attack was already futile.”

Cut cleanly, its end sharp as a point, I aimed the spear I was holding at Guan Yu’s abdomen.

“……Huh!”

Ka-ung!

Guan Yu swung his halberd to push me away, and I also threw the blade of my sword forward, leaping back significantly.

Whirling—

The sword soared into the sky, embedding itself in the ground.

“The outcome—”

Waaah──!!

Before Guan Yu could say anything, a roar erupted from the direction of the allied forces.

“…It hasn’t happened yet.”

Guan Yu grimaced fiercely.

“At least eighty exchanges more….”

“By then, it would likely end in a draw.”

“With just a broken spear? …Not having armor is a regret for a thousand years.”

The armor protecting Guan Yu is made of muscle, skin, and pride.

“My defeat.”

“What?”

“You will persistently seek my openings and stab in.”

“That’s true.”

“You know well that weakening me to the point of not being able to cut with the halberd and receiving it with armor was not by chance.”

“…….”

As expected.

“Guanyu. Are you not thinking of coming to the capital?”

“I will only follow where my brother goes.”

Persuasion does not work.

“Fine. There have been many who have broken weapons against this Lü Bu, but no one has ever fought to the end and defeated him.”

At the very least, this man is armed enough to exchange a hundred strikes with me.

“You are the same.”

It is impossible to defeat him by mere luck.

In every single attack, the one who loses focus even once will die.

“I didn’t want to bring this out…”

Just as I was about to step back from Guanyu and turn my body.

Bwooo–!!

The horn sounded.

I wondered if Dong Zhuo had sent a signal, but there was no need to turn my head to confirm that.

Waaa──!!

“What…!!”

Behind Guanyu.

The allied lords are charging in on horseback.

Even those who wielded the spear are riding in with their weapons raised.

“Not yet…!”

“If it were a duel between generals, they wouldn’t have rushed in.”

“……!”

Interruption.

Guanyu broke Lü Bu’s weapon.

Now is the chance; push Lü Bu and capture him.

It’s quite a distance, but I can see everything being said through their mouths.

“What…! We are still fighting…!”

“Guanyu.”

I approached the horse that was coming up behind me.

“Next, let’s make sure to fight on a larger battlefield where no one can interfere.”

Bwooo─!

A horn sounds behind me.

At the same time, the door to the watchtower opens.

“Go ahead and chase if you dare.”

As I reach out to the side.

“Zhang Liao!!”

Thud!

Something flies from the direction of the castle walls and lands precisely in front of me.

“As soon as you pursue, you’ll be facing not the ‘War God’ Lu Bu, but ‘General’ Lu Bu.”

I grasp the military banner and then turn my horse’s head towards the approaching lords.

“Soon.”

Guan Yu’s face turns crimson as he trembles with clenched fists.

The cut parts of his green armor gradually darken, but Guan Yu’s face reddens even more.

Is it because he realizes that if we fight to the end, there’s a high chance he will be defeated after half a day’s battle?

No.

“When you return, go drink some wine to cool off.”

Incomplete combustion.

I wanted to fight one-on-one, and I could have fought more, but those damned lords dared to interfere.

And their reckless advance ultimately meant Guan Yu—

“The archer has broken Lu Bu’s weapon!!”

“Chase Lu Bu! The military merit is mine!!”

Since I hold a position that is ignored by everyone due to its insignificance.

“Charge!”

I turn away from Guan Yu, who is trembling with his beard quivering, while I thrust my halberd into the ground.

Guan Yu does not pursue.

Fortunately.

“Well done.”

Hee hee hee.

As I pat Hu Yong’s shoulder, I scan left and right as soon as I cross the castle gate of the watchtower.

“General!”

“As always.”

“Yes!”

Swish, swish.

Cavalry commander to the left.

General Zhang Liao to the right.

Flap.

With a great flourish of the military banner, signaling fearlessly, the soldiers waiting behind the archer immediately follow right behind me.

“General, are you alright?!”

“Ah, yes. It was intense. If I had fought with all my strength, I should have at least been able to rest for three days.”

“The outcome of the battle…”

“I’m not interested. Those foolish enough to charge in, believing that a broken weapon means defeat, have a narrow view.”

Due to Guan Yu breaking my weapon, the allied forces gained the audacity to charge.

“Guan Yu alone understood. Just because a weapon is broken doesn’t mean the battle is lost.”

“Yes, that’s right. …You only realize it once you experience it.”

Zhang Liao swallowed hard, still gazing at the broken spear shaft I clutched.

“What should I do? Shall I take the lead? Would you like to catch your breath?”

“No. From now on, it’s the turn of the cavalry.”

As I threw the broken spear shaft down and planted the military banner into the ground, the cavalry commander immediately followed suit.

“The moment they step into the trap, we form ranks and counterattack immediately.”

“Understood.”

The cavalry commander quickly signaled backward, and the cavalry spread out like a fan.

Waaah!!

Passing by Guan Yu, the soldiers sent by the lords come surging over the archer.

Only looking at my back through the gap in the gates, they are blinded by the prospect of military merit, gazing at me with a narrowed view.

And the moment they pass through the archer’s position.

“Huh?”

In the instant their vision clears and they can see left and right, they behold it.

The wooden fence, slanted towards the entrance.

Tied precariously to the rope hanging from the city wall, a pile of wooden stakes at the height of the wall seemed ready to topple forward at any moment.

“If you don’t know, you’ll have to suffer. Jangryo. Draw your bow.”

“Yes.”

Jangryo raises his bow.

I, too, quickly drew the bowstring after receiving a bow from the cavalry commander.

Pah-ANG!

Jangryo shoots an arrow, hitting the rope precisely.

The taut rope snaps.

The ropes that were barely holding on break one after another, and the left fence slides toward the entrance of the watchtower.

“Is it fortunate that Guan Yu is too enraged to come in?”

Ta-ANG.

“If he had come in, he would have been trapped and died.”

I shoot an arrow at the rope holding the opposite fence.

Kkiiiik.

With a sound like scraping the ground, the fence falls down.

“Uaaah!”

Those who were trying to enter are crushed under the wooden fence.

Since there were no blades attached to the fence, they wouldn’t be stabbed to death, but if they couldn’t escape in time, it would be the same as dying.

“General. The entrance has been blocked.”

The cavalry commander appeared, holding a torch.

“Good. Jangryo. Kill them all.”

“Understood.”

After tying the bow to his back, Jangryo grips his dual blades and charges forward.

“St-stop!! I am the true governor of Sangdang, Jang Yang! I am—”

Puhwaak!

Before Jang Yang could finish his words, his head was sent flying by Jangryo’s dual blades, and the soldiers who followed him in gaped in shock.

“Not that I asked you to open your mouth to be hit.”

I pulled an arrow from the quiver extended by the cavalry commander.

The arrowhead was not steel, but an old cloth soaked in oil.

“I’ll let you have the watchtower for a moment.”

Flame.

“But you won’t be able to cross over easily.”

Whoosh.

An arrow of fire flew over the soldiers of Jangyang, arcing gracefully before embedding itself into the fallen fence.

“Invincible in Battle.”

Whoosh.

In an instant, flames ignited the fence.

Since the pile of wood was already soaked in oil, the fire spread rapidly, sealing off the entrance.

“It is the victory of our army.”

A wall of fire.

Amidst the blazing flames, I saw a man on horseback among the burning soldiers.

Guan Yu.

Though the lords followed him closely, Guan Yu clutched his wounded shoulder with his hand, staring only at me beyond the flames.

– Next time will be different.

“……Ah.”

He spreads his hand.

“It’s the same on this side.”

His palm is torn, blood flowing.

As he slightly lifts the armor protecting his thigh, the fabric is ripped in the shape of a blade, revealing a thigh marked with deep bruises.

“The world is vast.”

* * *

The blazing archery range.

While some lords and generals tried to snuff out the flames, others rushed to climb the ladders onto the ramparts.

“…….”

Guan Yu, focusing solely ahead, closed his eyes as he watched the distant figure of Lü Bu disappear.

He draws a line.

The moment he struck the spear shaft.

He thought he had won.

However, the instant he saw Lü Bu’s eyes when he severed the spear, Guan Yu realized.

Even the shattering of weapons was something that man had considered.

Yue Fei gripped the blade part of the halberd like a great sword as soon as the spearhead split, holding the shaft like a short spear.

If he had applied more strength to the hand holding the lunar blade and cut deeper, could he have split the thigh?

Not at all.

That distance was one that Yue Fei had allowed.

The fact that he could scrape the armor with the lunar blade was due to the distance Yue Fei had permitted for his attack.

The moment the halberd broke and weapons appeared in both hands, that short distance was already within Yue Fei’s domain.

“This is the best in the world.”

He released the grip on his shoulder.

His palm was not only sweaty, but blood from his shoulder had spread all over.

“Truly high indeed.”

Guan Yu quietly closed his eyes as he looked up at the sky.