Black Swan Chapter 1

Late 29th century.

Reed colonies stretched on like a deep forest. Even though it was already late August, a chilly, biting wind whipped through. It was a northern wind that had arrived from distant Sybir.

Such a contradiction—a freezing winter wind howling in late summer. This Sybir north wind, which seemed like a miracle yet also felt like an ominous portent, was in truth merely an abnormal climate phenomenon occurring in this area on a seven-year cycle. It is said that when summer arrives here swept by freezing winter winds, during that same period a certain desert in Africa becomes dyed with countless flowers. Enduring heavy torrential rains all winter long, harboring and sprouting flower seeds blown in by the breeze in spring, it finally bursts into hundreds of species of blossoms all at once when summer arrives.

With the August north wind, reed leaves scattered in rustling showers. Though the night sky was clear, the inside of the dense, closely packed reed forest was as pitch-black as a stalactite cave❨鍾乳洞❩. In that thick darkness untouched even by moonlight, men were silently cutting through the reeds, pressing forward.

At the lead of the men, he walked at an easy pace. To him, as he strolled along slowly, there was actually a terrifying secret. But there is no such thing as a perfect secret in this world. The secret he was hiding had already become known to a considerable number of people as well, and as time went on, it would spread through even more people’s mouths. However, he did not care in the slightest. He knew better than anyone the flimsy nature of secrets—that no matter how thoroughly hidden, they are bound to be exposed someday.

It’ll be more amusing to blab about it with my own mouth before someone else leaks it.

He thought indifferently.

With every step he took, wet, soggy earth was tread underfoot. Most of the men were walking while carefully inspecting their surroundings, but he alone moved lazily as if taking a stroll. Unlike his companions, he was not gripped by fear.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. Following suit, the men trailing behind him froze in motion all at once. The men exchanged glances with one another. They likely assumed he had sensed some presence and was exercising caution, but that guess was actually wrong. He was merely distracted by the moonlight.

Why is the moon so big?

Tonight, the moon looked exceptionally large. It felt as though he had climbed into a high mountain region. The moon looked precarious, like a young girl standing alone and motionless on a sheer cliff.

Dozens of eagles flew past, scratching against the moonlight. They were eagles brought by the invaders. Those fierce birds of prey perch on their master’s wrist during the day to keep watch over the surroundings, and fly through the sky at night to guard their master’s safety. All of them had been starving for nearly a week. The invaders must have soothed their beloved birds, telling them to wait just a little longer since they would soon let them feast their fill on corpses.

Before long, he parted the reed field again and pushed ahead. Only then did the men let out sighs of relief and follow after him. He let out a silent, mocking sneer. Timid bastards, if they’re like this already, how do they plan to hold up moving forward?

He pushed the reeds wide open as if to show off. The men gasped. Between the parted reeds, lights beyond counting were twinkling.

The endlessly lined-up lights looked like a single, massive python whose scales glittered dazzlingly. Countless flags fluttered vigorously, as if feathers had sprouted on the python’s body. From the night sky, the birds of prey looked down upon the feathered snake and let out fierce screeches.

Staring at the countless fluttering red flags, he thought: Those are shrouds. Shrouds the invaders will drape over us.

The invaders would plant red shrouds, dark as blood, onto the chests of the corpses as a sign of having trampled this land, and laugh out loud. The birds of prey would gorge themselves, pecking at the corpses with their sharp beaks.

But such a thing will never happen.

He was firmly confident. It will never happen that the invaders drape shrouds over us. As long as the Prophet guards this place, as long as the Prophet exists here, such a thing will never happen.

The shrouds would wither and rot away shabbily without finding their owners. Exhausted by hunger, the birds of prey would ultimately peck out and devour their masters’ eyeballs. The invaders would draw their last breaths right where they currently rested, and their corpses, abandoned like fish bones, would be swallowed up layer by layer into the red earth. And so, that place would return to its original state: a wasteland where only the moonlight wandered lonely.

“Damn it, just how many of them are there?!”

The one who groaned in dismay was Captain Cho Younghyun.

“One hundred thousand.”

He answered without hesitation.

“One hundred thousand. Our army strength on this side is fifty thousand. ‘Ryun’ is forty thousand… Hmm.”

Division Commander Yoo Nanoh stroked his chin, muttering to himself. Captain Joo Miyoung then spoke up.

“The Eastern Peninsula’s army strength comes to ninety thousand, so counting sheer numbers alone, it seems roughly equal, but…”

“Equal?”

He snorted.

“The invaders are a cavalry corps that made a name for themselves across the Western Continent after enduring a long civil war as warriors who can each take on a hundred men. You all know what ‘one against a hundred’ means, right? Bastards evaluated as one against a hundred on the Continent mean that by our Eastern Peninsula’s standards, they possess the martial prowess of one against five hundred.”

Pausing his speech, he gestured with his chin toward the other side of the lights.

“Above all, behind them lies another massive army of nine hundred thousand. Even if we miraculously annihilate the force of one hundred thousand before our eyes, once reinforcements of nine hundred thousand pour in, it’s game over. We have to make those bastards give up and retreat on their own; we must never recklessly start a war. In fact, they don’t want a war either. Bloodless entry—meaning they want the politicians of the Eastern Peninsula to hand over this land to them as a colony on their own. Anticipating that, they are waiting right now.”

Silence fell.

“Look closely.”

Unsheathing his long sword, he set it against the ground and began drawing a battle formation. After drawing a massive, detailed battle formation without hesitation on the red dirt ground, the long sword stopped its movement.

“Right now, those bastards have set up camp in a Long Snake Formation❨長蛇陣❩1❩. Division Commander Yoo Nanoh will launch a surprise attack here tomorrow night at three o’clock.”

He aimed his long sword precisely at one spot in the formation.

“It’s the enemies’ 1st Vanguard Unit. Four hundred men in total. Division Commander Yoo, kill half of the targets and capture half alive, then bring them back to our main force. From here, you just need to go 5 kilometers further to the left.”

The men stared at him with bewildered eyes. In fact, for a while now, the men had been doubting his sanity.

Because the invaders had swept in so abruptly, this side had not even been able to infiltrate spies into the opposing camp yet. In other words, this meant that this side currently had not obtained any information regarding the invaders. Yet that man had not only drawn the invaders’ battle formation in granular detail as if he had observed it right under their noses, but he had even pinpointed the exact location of the 1st Vanguard Unit.

He looked straight at the men. 574 in total. They were vicious survivalists who had managed to stay alive after going through five years of fierce competition at the nation’s top institution for training licensed killers, as well as classmates of the same graduating class as him. Tragically, at present, they were the only attack dogs on this land fit to be pitted against the invaders.

One million against 574 men. It was a hopeless game. But just because one is strong doesn’t mean they unconditionally win a fight. Nobody knows how a fight goes until it’s over. Avoiding a fight altogether is best, but once it starts, you must win no matter what. That was the law of fighting.

Having organized his thoughts this far, he finally made an inhuman decision. The best defense is the best offense. Therefore, from this moment on, this side would deal with the invaders using any and all means.

“Everyone has a family, right?”

He said, meeting the men’s eyes one by one.