"Akah."

Samaak dropped the sword he was holding. The mark left on his hand lingered, slow to fade.

Sama Gon laughed.

"There’s no need to force yourself to do something you can’t. It’s unnecessary to try so hard."

"I want to be like you, Grandpa."

"Your heart is admirable, but you don’t really love the sword, do you? From what I see, you love sitting down more than you love wielding a sword."

That might be true. He had never really loved the sword.

Even moving his body felt honestly unpleasant. He had tried to follow his grandfather by taking the sword, but he quickly grew tired of it.

Yet, he still swung it, following his grandfather's footsteps.

Samaak sighed.

"As the future head of the Sama family, I think I must at least learn a little about martial arts. After all, the Sama family is a martial family."

"How mature of you. Not words that should come from someone who is only ten."

"I didn’t have parents, so I had no choice but to grow up fast."

"Ah. My grandson is so clever. What more could I wish for?"

Sama Gon lifted Samaak onto his back and casually walked around the garden while carrying him.

"To be the head of the Sama family, that’s a great reason. Akah. But you don’t need to be perfect at everything."

"If your mind isn’t strong, your body will collapse."

"That’s true. But conversely, if the body is strong, won’t the mind remain unbroken?"

"......."

"They are interconnected, Akah. The parts you lack will be filled by the Sama family members."

"But the Sama family is a martial family."

"Yes, it’s a martial family. All the prominent families here are martial families. But that doesn’t mean the head must be strong."

Sama Gon took up a sword.

"Now, watch. Do you know why the Sama family’s sword ends with only one strike?"

"...I don’t know."

"It’s because it’s believed that one strike can end everything. But that’s wrong. The Sama family’s sword is the Sama Swordsmanship, because when the head swings the sword, just one moment is enough."

"Really?"

"You haven’t read the family history carefully. Well, you do like new things, but old things... not so much, right?"

Sama Gon drew the sword lightly.

It was a light sword. At the same time, it was clean.

"Though the Sama family is a martial family, the head wasn’t always strong. In fact, many who were physically weak had brilliant minds. The Sama Swordsmanship... though it lost some of its meaning when I received it, back in my time, it was a title for a single strike."

"...What does that mean?"

"Does the head really have to be strong? As I said earlier, the parts you lack can be filled by others. The Sama Swordsmanship represents the whole of the Sama family. Akah, even if that meaning has faded, you will reclaim it in your generation."

Sama Gon looked up at him.

"You’re my smart grandson, so I’m sure you can do it. Right?"

"......."

Samaak held his tongue. He just asked.

"Grandpa... do you think I can be a family head like you?"

"That’s a foolish thing to ask."

Sama Gon smiled.

"You’ll be a much better family head than I ever was. I have no doubt about that."

***

He had no talent for martial arts.

But instead, his mind was sharp.

Studying was enjoyable. This sharpness would bring back tenfold from learning just one thing.

So, he learned everything he could.

From Beigak's intelligence gathering.

How to manage the funds of Jaegyeonggak.

How to govern as the head of the Sama family, and how to survive in the main sect, he learned all of it.

But there was one thing he couldn’t learn. The only connection to the former head.

The Sama Swordsmanship (司馬一劍).

That was the one thing he couldn’t grasp.

He understood it with his mind, but his body wouldn’t follow. No matter how much he swung the sword, it never reached its target.

His grandfather had said it was fine, but Samaak knew it wasn’t fine at all.

He respected him.

He respected him so much that he wanted to be like him.

Yet, there were things he couldn’t do. It felt as though his fate had been decided from birth.

...But then.

---Is it true that I can never wield a sword?

No.

That was exactly why he sought to learn more.

So much so that he would teach it to the entire Sama family.

"Sama Sword Formation (司馬劍陳), deploy!"

His first real battle.

The first time he properly used the Sama family sword formation.

Upon his command, the Beigak warriors took up their swords. They formed the same positions as before.

Samaak stood at the center. Chueuigyeong swung his sword.

"What’s the point of using such a basic sword formation without any real combat experience?! I’ve already broken it once! I’ll crush it the same way!"

They clash. They break.

In an instant, the formation collapses because of a single expert.

But it’s not over. What seems broken is merely shifted.

The movement of the formation changes.

What is the sword formation?

It’s not just about occupying a favorable position. Within it, the competitors share their energy, sometimes weakly, sometimes strongly, to pull each other along.

A method created by weaker beasts to devour the strong.

That is the sword formation.

"Trickery...!"

Just a moment ago, they collapsed. But not anymore.

Those who held their swords with the resolve to sacrifice their lives firmly take their positions. They wield their swords with the intent not to move, even if their heads are severed.

As their spirits change, the situation changes.

And as the situation changes, the sword formation finally shows its true power.

Energy flows into the newly arranged formation. Samaak, at the center, quickly steers the direction of the energy.

Like a beast pulling a heavy load. Like a beast galloping forward endlessly.

This is something he could do. After all, he was merely the conduit.

When moving forward, he pushes forward with all his strength.

When retreating, he retracts it just as quickly.

He moves his brain. Through complex gestures, he sends signals to the warriors.

Five retreat, three charge.

The remaining two push the energy to him, flooding him with power.

---Kaaaang!!!

The swords clash and sing the song of iron. Entangled, they rain down from all sides.

Chueuigyeong’s expression falters. The arrogant look on his face twists.

The peak of the fight.

The one who reached the level of invincibility strikes three incoming swords in one move.

"A meaningless struggle!"

The sword energy cleaves through the air. The Sama family’s martial arts reside within it.

The complex yet simple formation of the Sama Swordsmanship attempts to slice through the three at once.

But immediately, Samaak exerted his strength. He sent the accumulated energy all at once, sustaining the three warriors.

---Kkkkrrrrr!

In the ominous sound, the veins in the eyes of the three warriors bulge. But the three swords that collided for the first time deflect Chueuigyeong’s sword.

"What?!"

"Move! Beigak Chief!"

Beigak Chief Jin Sanwol struck the ground. He dove into the gap created by Chueuigyeong’s collapse.

Chueuigyeong immediately reacted, but the narrowly missed sword tip came back with just enough impact.

Chueuigyeong grabbed his shoulder. A faint trickle of blood seeped between his fingers.

"What’s the point of a basic sword formation...?! You can change it like this...?!"

"It depends on who leads."

He couldn’t directly wield the sword, so he continued to study and research.

To keep the Sama family from falling, he spent every moment learning the sword formation.

Each individual formation was insignificant. But when he, the one who understood the direction, commanded it, the story changed.

What seemed like simply forming a formation became a living, moving entity.

He would twist, turn, and whirl.

Like a flood, it would pour out, only to be retracted in one swift motion.

The freely moving blade.

The martial art that only he, with his sharp mind, could execute.

That was his sword. The sword formation taught to all the warriors in the Sama family, but one he could handle as if it were a sword freshly drawn from its scabbard.

"Ugh...! But...!"

Chueuigyeong, wounded, raged.

"This is nothing more than childish games!"

In an instant, the formation crumbles. Two warriors are slammed against the wall.

That’s true. In the end, sword formations are hard to dominate against true masters.

So...

He had no intention of being satisfied here.

He grabs the sword hilt. He grips the Muhyeolgeom.

This sword doesn't suit him. No matter how much he swings the Sama Swordsmanship, he could never reach its end.

He probably never would. No matter how long he swung the sword, he would never reach it.

He never truly loved the sword.

He wasn’t desperate enough to go that far.

It was merely an unattained desire.

But now, it’s different.

There’s a reason to grasp the sword. The Sama family never forgets its grudges.

He must move forward. Towards the one who will endure the Talhongeom alone.

Just once.

Just once is enough.

"You don’t need to force yourself to do something you can’t."

But still, there are times when you must hold the sword. Grandpa.

There are times when you must take the sword and swing it.

The first one to extend his hand was him. Since taking this position, he had never received an extended hand before.

It doesn’t fit with the main sect. He knows this better than anyone.

But...

Now that he’s taken the extended hand, he must offer his hand back.

"Training isn’t the responsibility of a bodyguard..."

He imbues the blade with his will.

Yes.

It’s always been like this.

The head’s sword is enough with just one swing.

A Beigak warrior strikes with his sword. It rebounds.

A Beigak warrior strikes with his sword. It shatters.

A Beigak warrior strikes with his sword. It breaks apart.

Chueuigyeong approaches him like a wounded beast. But the ones who have fallen, without dying, continue to channel their energy into him.

They feign death according to the signal.

Following his command...

---For just one moment...!

"The Sama family is busy, so I must fulfill two roles."

It approaches. Death.

The sword is right in front of him. His legs tremble, and the first real battle confuses his head.

But even then, he exhales. Gripping the hilt of the Muhyeolgeom, he aims for just one moment.

That person taught him. He supported him, and at the same time, allowed him to take hold.

He received it.

For the first time, he received pure kindness from someone.

He was trusted, and at the same time, he learned the sword.

It wasn’t fitting for the sect members. He knew this better than anyone.

But...

Since he took the outstretched hand, he too must extend his own hand back.

"Grandpa... Do you think I can be a family head like you?"

As a child.

The fleeting moments he only remembered with his mind are now contained in the tip of the sword. The filled energy complements this and steps forward for just one moment.

Unable to bear it, the veins in his hand burst. His body deteriorates for that single strike.

"You fool."

The last warrior falls. At the same time, Chueuigyeong’s sword glints before him.

"It’s over! Samaak!"

Time mixes reality and the past.

In that moment, Samaak sends the final signal.

The fallen bodies rise, warriors throwing their lives away.

For a brief moment, Chueuigyeong’s body becomes stuck. His movements slow, and his pupils widen.

"Tricks...!"

The intersecting blades. Countless swords gathering for just one moment.

In that brief moment, Chueuigyeong flounders in the air. The Muhyeolgeom, never missing the opportunity, bares its teeth.

Blood falls. The warriors scream.

Amidst it all, Samaak gritted his teeth.

There’s only one chance. With that one moment, everything must be unleashed.

Using all the gathered energy to the fullest. It may seem vulnerable, but to surpass that solid sword...

---With everything!

"What...?!"

Chueuigyeong distorts. From his hands, the Sama Swordsmanship unfolds late.

Blood vessels and muscles. In the situation where everything bursts, Samaak lets out a cry, as if in anguish.

No need for much.

"You’ll be a far better family head than I ever was. I have no doubt about that."

Just one moment is enough for the sword.

That is mine...

"Sama Swordsmanship (司馬一劍)."

If it had been before, he couldn’t have done it.

With the teachings of someone who had learned the sword from the very bottom, the form is grasped in a single moment.

Carrying the name of the Sama family.

Glowing brightly.

---It even devours the death in front of him.

"...Huh?"

The sword that Chueuigyeong had been holding wavers. His eyes, filled with disbelief, tremble.

He stumbles back, repeatedly changing his grip on the sword, then opens his mouth.

"How can someone like you... wield that sword...?"

"...Because my mind is sharp."

His writhing hand finally releases the sword. The sound of it falling fills the air.

"I knew about the secret techniques from the start. Unlike you, the fool."

"...This... this doesn’t make sense..."

A diagonal line is drawn across his trembling body.

Samaak spits blood onto it.

"I told you to be quiet. You bastard."

The red line starting from his neck.

The sword, breaking through, swallowed Chueuigyeong’s neck entirely.

***

"Tch."

The Talhongeom speaks.

But the words don’t come through clearly.

It’s just muttering. That’s all.

"It’s almost broken, isn’t it? Samsipho. Do you want to keep going?"

He grips the sword.

He grips the sword.

He grips the sword...

"...Yes."

He clings to life.

To keep his vow.

"It’s not... broken yet."

"...Heh heh!"

He laughs.

I can’t laugh.

He grips the sword.

He does what must be done.

...That’s all.

I stretch out my foot again.

Into the distorted, crumbling, blood-soaked battlefield.