“All right, show-off,” I mutter under my breath.
With a frustrated growl, General Gim swings his sword in quick succession, and Jihun at last frees his hands and dodges the blade likehe means it. Then in a lightning motion, he drops to the ground in a low, sweeping kick, throwing the general off his feet.
The general lands on his back with an oomph but immediately flips to a stand. “Enough. I’m done with games.”
“Watch ou—” Before I can get my warning out, the male throws a handful of dirt at Jihun.
“Bygames, I assume you meanfighting fair?” Jihun drawls.
The dirt falls to the ground two feet away from his face. His wings of wind glimmer in the faint light of early dawn, and his shoulder-length hair flutters as he draws his wings away from his face. Then he finally summons his long sword with a twist of his wrist.
“Now then.” He smirks. “Where were we?”
“You arrogant bastard,” General Gim snarls.
Sparks burst as their swords meet in the middle of the ring, one warrior to another, and they battle in a dance of brutal beauty. Jihun blocks the general’s blade over his head, spins out of its trajectory, and slashes his sword down the general’s side in a long, diagonal line, cutting open his armor.
General Gim stumbles back, a hand pressed to his side, before Jihun can mark anXon him. His palm comes away bloody. “You little fuck.”
“I don’t appreciate being calledlittle,” Jihun murmurs.
He has definitely upped his comedy game. I shift restlessly on my feet and notice that my legs feel stronger. I clench and unclench my fists and grunt softly in satisfaction. My strength is returning.
I’m jumping into the ring if anything goes wrong. To hell with the Code of the Realm. I will not watch another brother die.
Silver flames burst to life in the general’s eyes, and I think I hear Jihun say, “There it is.” Then General Gim slashes his sword through the air and sends lightning hurtling toward Jihun. He leaps to the side, but the lightning bolt sears a jagged line down his arm.
“Jihun,” I shout, taking a step forward. Everything happened too quickly for me to react, but even I know that use of magic in single combat violates the code.
My royal adviser gives me a subtle shake of his head. I stop advancing toward the ring, even as magic gathers in my chest.
“You have violated the Code of the Realm.” Jihun shifts his shoulder with a wince.
“Who is to know? I will kill you and every one of your soldiers.” The general flashes a slimy grin as the smell of ozone fills the air and electricity sparks along his body. “As for your king, I shall spare him, since he might prove useful. But he wouldn’t need his tongue for what we have planned for him.”
“Even if your violation of the code wasn’t punishable by death, you signed your death warrant with that threat against my king.” Steel glints in Jihun’s eyes as he sheathes his sword. “A coward like you doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as him.”
I hear the flap of his wings as wind gusts from them, gaining power until I have to shield my eyes. Jihun spreads his arms wide, and a dust storm rises in the woods.
“Y-you can’t use magic,” the general stutters like the hypocrite he is. “It ... it’s against the code.”
“You forget, I am a suhoshin. I am better versed in the Code of the Realm than you.” Jihun’s voice echoes through the woods. “The moment you used magic, you gave me the right to protect myself by any means available to me.”
Jihun slowly draws his hands together, his lips peeling back from the effort, and gathers the wind and dust between his palms until a churning, basketball-sized sphere forms in front of him.
Fear flashes across the general’s face before he throws his head back and releases a shrill battle cry. Electricity zapping through his body and in his eyes, he raises his sword high and funnels the current into his blade. With another shriek, he brings down his sword, and lightning streams out of its tip and blazes straight toward Jihun.
“No.” The roar of the wind swallows my cry. Covering my face against the flurry of dust, I take a step toward the ring, only to be pushed back by a powerful gust. “Jihun.”
Teeth clenched, I shoulder through the barrage of wind by sheer force of will. My eyes tear up as I squint to see past the dust storm.
Jihun launches the ball of wind and dust at the lightning bolt, swallowing and neutralizing it in the air. But the ball’s trajectory doesn’t slow as it spins and expands until a twister whips toward the general.
General Gim’s mouth parts in horror, but I don’t hear his scream as the tornado surrounds him and lifts him into the air. Electricity bursts and crackles inside the cyclone, lighting up the twister like an inverted Christmas tree, and the smell of burning flesh fills the air.
Jihun strains to hold his arms up in the air, silver fire blazing in his eyes. And he steps one leg behind him, both knees bent and shaking. A guttural shout explodes out of him as he leans his torso forward, and his back leg slides until his knee hovers mere inches above the ground.
At last, the lightning slows to sporadic bursts. I hold my breath until the sparks die out altogether. With a faint moan, Jihun drops his arms and falls to his knees. The tornado dissipates, and the general’s charred body lands on the ground with a dull thud.
