A rain of arrows poured through the breached wall.The enemy fired wildly down from the ramparts, and the allied forces advanced forward under the cover of that arrow storm.There was no wind, yet the arrows curved through the air.There were that many of them.Blood and iron churned the air together.
"Shoot! Fire! Shoot!"Hwang Hyun-pil's shout spread like waves.The veteran archers fired in succession toward the collapsed gap.Arrows punched through the narrow opening and poured inside, piercing both bricks and people within the fortress.Enemy bodies were pinned to the wall like nails, then slid down limply.
But the enemy did not retreat.Even after being struck by arrows, even when covered in flames, they piled stones again.They were hit by arrows and fell while stacking stones.With bare hands, they dragged up a wall that was already half-collapsed.They placed stone upon stone atop the rubble and filled the gaps with bloodstained hands.From within those heaps of stone, a sound seeped out."Maitreya is coming… Maitreya is coming…"It sounded like a moan, and like a prayer.
Watching them, Seong-jin felt his body tremble.Those who rebuild what has collapsed.Only then did he realize that this was not mere bravery, but the despair of people who had lost every place to return to.
At that moment, the general's command rang out."Break through! Commit the troops!"Iron armor surged into the breach.Heavily armored soldiers raised shields and led the way, followed by spearmen and archers.Troops poured into the broken wall.Like a river bursting its bank, it was a flow that could not be turned back.
"Continue forward!"The general's voice was strangely clear amid the stench of blood.It carried.
Park Seong-jin raised his shield and joined the surge.As he stepped between burning stones, the ground beneath his feet shimmered with heat.Smoke forced its way into his lungs, and his fingertips were already slick with blood.The sky inside the fortress burned crimson with firelight.
From behind, Oh Jin-cheol shouted,"Once you cross, it's the end! Don't look back!"It sounded less like an order than a prayer spoken to himself.
Seong-jin clenched his teeth and stepped on the rubble.His eyes burned, his breath came ragged.Enemies atop the wall loosed their final arrows, but they had already lost direction.The allied troops had closed in to the base of the wall.Arrows scattered into the air, and all that remained was the sound of iron striking iron.
Thus the wall of Liaoyang Fortress fully collapsed.Through the breach, the Goryeo army surged in.No one shouted.Fire and dust swallowed the cries in their place.
The wall collapsed.Boulders rolled down, and flames rose above them.On the morning of the assault, Liaoyang Fortress was hell.Park Seong-jin raised his shield and charged into the flames.
Why order archers to storm forward—because more than half of the Goryeo army were archers.It would be more accurate to say that there were none who were not archers.Beyond the sixty to seventy percent who were dedicated bowmen, all carried bows.Spearmen and cavalry were rare, and those who could fight had to shoot arrows and then advance as they were.The moment they cast aside the bow and drew the blade, they were no longer archers—just soldiers.The smell of burning oil mixed with blood stabbed at the nose.Eyes burned, breath scorched.
Ahead, spearmen opened the way, and shield-bearers crawled up over the collapsed stones.The foot archers split into two groups.Seong-jin held a small shield and drew his saber.Firelight leaked from the cracks in the wall.From within that light, a shadow leapt out.
"He's alive!"Before the shout even finished, several spear thrusts flew in.One man's neck snapped, another's shoulder burst open.The screams were swallowed by the flames.Seong-jin swung his saber by reflex.The first cut was shallow.He hit, but the enemy did not fall.The scrape of flesh, a hot breath brushing his face.The second strike came down hard.His hand shook, and only on the third did he press down properly.He closed his eyes.The blade bit into flesh, and hot blood ran down his wrist.It felt as if it would burn the back of his hand.
Above, stones rolled down and flaming arrows poured like rain.Seong-jin climbed the rubble as if crawling, forcing his way through the gap."Stick together! Stick!"Someone shouted, but he could not hear it.His heart had grown larger than his eardrums, and the world was nothing but breath, fire, and the smell of blood.
He swung his blade wildly at whatever came before him.Block, strike, twist, thrust.There was no sword technique.What he had learned was useless here.In this place, a single breath's gap was life itself.
Few allies had crossed over.If he did not open space, those behind could not enter.He had to advance.Fear froze his feet, but still he had to move forward to live.A shoulder struck his.It was Oh Jin-cheol.Soon Oh Sun-geun pressed in close.The three moved as one.Block—clear—cut.As their rhythm connected, a brief margin appeared.And at last, they crossed the wall.
Inside Liaoyang Fortress.Seong-jin halted for an instant.The streets were already burning.Within the flames stood followers of the White Lotus Sect.They held swords, but not in a fighting stance.They stood as if chanting."Maitreya is coming…"Multiple mouths moved at once.
Why would Maitreya come to a place like this.
The words surfaced in Seong-jin's mind before anything else.Faces clinging to those words, even knowing he would not come.That wish was pitiable—and therefore even more frightening.At the same time, blades rose.Seong-jin lowered his body.A soldier beside him was beheaded and fell.Blood spurted like a fountain and splashed across his face.With no time to wipe it away, he lunged forward.Iron collided, hands slipped, flesh tore.That vivid sensation remained in his rough palms.
Then Oh Jin-cheol's shout exploded."Behind you! Behind!"As Seong-jin turned, another group was pouring in from within the wall.There was no fear on their faces.They were smiling widely.Faces welcoming a holy presence.
Seong-jin set his blade.His body was already hollow, but his fingertips were still alive.The saber he brought down split the firelight.Burning cloth flew up into the sky.Flames covered the air inside the fortress.
The living and the dead, faith and rage, all burned together.That day, the wall of Liaoyang Fortress glowed red.Whether that light came from blood or from fire could not be told.Red scattered across the ash-gray earth wrapped the world whole.