For a moment, silence hung over the arena. Only the sound of the wind and the occasional cry of birds circling overhead broke the stillness.

Dan Hwachul and the swordsman’s expressions grew grim in the lengthy quiet.

They had failed to defeat one person with three of them attacking, and now, with just the two of them left, it felt pointless to continue trying. Yet, they were already committed to a life-and-death duel. If they wanted to back out now, they would have to beg for their lives in front of all these people. And begging an enemy for mercy …