Clash of Alliances

by Pierre Dimaculangan

  ​They rode back to the encampment, and General Yi ordered all remaining cannons on the southern defenses to launch a volley at the path leading to one of the city’s southern gates. Horses pulled the cannons into position, and they were loaded up in haste. “All cannons, prepare to lay suppressive fire, and give our man passage into the city!” he shouted.

  ​“Fire away! Fire all cannons!”

  ​The first handful of cannons fired away, sending explosive rounds crashing into enemy positions. The enemy soldiers stationed there were forced to fall back away from the cannons’ range. The second volley fired soon after, and the path to the city was temporarily clear. The cannons up on the walls opened complementary fire as well. Sun Xin, Jirgal, Wen Xiao, and Big Bang wasted no time. They raced toward the broken entrance of the city as explosions rained down all around them. Arrows flew past their heads, and by some miracle did not land on any of them.

  ​ The entrance to the city was fast approaching, but inside it was obstructed by a large company of enemy soldiers. “Fung, NOW!” Sun Xin shouted.

  ​Big Bang laughed maniacally. “With pleasure!!” he said as he unslung his largest hand cannon from his back. Even as he bounced around on horseback, he lit the fuse and launched a cluster of rounds the size of grapes. They landed in the midst of the enemy guards creating bright, blinding light, and deafening pops that blew out their ears. While they stood there dazed and disoriented from the flash bombs, Sun Xin and the riders plowed through, and trampled them over at full speed. “Is that all they’ve got? Huh??” Big Bang shouted. “Absolutely hilarious!”

  ​They rode past the wall and were presented with city streets filled with fire, blood, and fighting. The Temple of Heaven complex had been looted and desecrated, and the establishments all around the district were riddled with signs of heavy fighting. Dead bodies lay in the streets, and the shouts and sounds of combat echoed throughout the urban landscape. Explosions shook the ground. Pockets of resistance of what remained of the Ming and Academician forces fought for control to regain the city.

  ​Sun Xin decided to cut through a large, fortified courtyard square to avoid the brunt of the fighting and chaos in the main avenues. The enclave was protected and occupied by a platoon of Ming soldiers, and to his surprise, a large assembly of Wudang and Shaolin monks working to protect and care for the civilians that have taken shelter there.

  ​The abbot whom he had met with at the Shaolin Temple some weeks prior greeted him. His robes were cut and torn and tattered in some places. It seemed that even he participated in the fighting. “Amitofu” said the abbot as he greeted Sun Xin with one praying hand raised. The Wudang monks and nuns who had recognized Sun Xin greeted him as well, delighted and elated by his presence. It was not until a familiar voice came from behind that he was truly stunned. It was sweet and very feminine.

  ​“It’s about time you made an appearance. I almost didn’t think you’d ever come,” she said.

  ​Sun Xin turned to see her. Her face was bruised and cut, but her beauty remained intact. “Meiling,” he whispered. He immediately rushed over toward her and they locked in a strong embrace. “Seeing you here now alive and well has relieved my heart and mind of a tremendously crippling worry!” He stared deep into her eyes, basking in the feeling of relief of seeing her again.

  ​“I wish there was time for us to speak. You must go to the palace immediately. I fear the emperor is in danger. One of the Pale Foreigners dressed in a large red cloak managed to bypass the first line of defense. We fought hard against his followers but we could not give chase. If he managed to penetrate the remaining defenses inside the palace, I fear the worst has yet to pass. I felt his power as he passed by. I felt the oppression emanating from his presence,” she said, her mouth quivering with each word.

  ​“Stay here with the soldiers and the monks. Do not leave this place unless survival dictates otherwise, understand? I will return,” said Sun Xin. “Xiao, Jirgal, Big Bang, stay here. Help tend to the wounded. Protect the people. That’s the final order I’m giving to you. From here on out, I release you from your duties as my companions.”

  ​“Sir, I must find my comrades. Let me fight alongside them in the streets! I’m still bound by my oaths to the League,” pleaded Wen Xiao.

  ​Sun Xin looked at her for a moment. “Go,” he said.

  ​The Wudang nun Yang approached Sun Xin. “With you in the capital, we may yet still have a chance to reclaim it. Your presence is even fiercer now than when I last saw you at the base of Wudang Mountain not long ago,” she said.

  ​“We will reclaim Beijing. Hold down the fort and await my return,” said Xin. He took to the city’s rooftops and navigated his way toward the palace at the heart of the metropolis. Scattered squads of gunners and archers from the army navigated from elevated positions as well, shooting down individual enemies on street level who had been separated from the main forces. Some of the soldiers managed to acknowledge Sun Xin as he passed by them, leaping from one rooftop to another. On the streets, many of the city’s inhabitants took cover, and tried to switch locations depending on which direction the fighting progressed. Sun Xin took advantage of the opportunity to take shots at some of the assailants whenever they got within his sights. He free ran down back to street level using vaults and lache techniques on protruding rooftop eaves and signposts only to find startled and terrified civilians looking out their windows. At least the parts of the city away from the main avenues were still relatively unscathed, but that could change at any moment.

  ​He dashed down the alleys and rounded street corners, zig-zagging across the district to avoid pockets of fighting. He was most shocked to see a nian beast casually cantering past him from the adjacent street. Its body was riddled with arrows. Soldiers were not far behind, and they yelled and barked to each other in order to finish off the beast.

  ​By the time he reached the entrance to the Imperial City district, the sun was fast-nearing the horizon. He was greeted by Buff Baby and Zuo Shilong and a company of Jinyiwei in whose presence he took great displeasure.

  ​“I- I- I cannot believe it!” shouted Zuo Shilong as he ran to meet Sun Xin. “I am greatly pleased to see you have arrived!”

  ​“Considering the circumstances, I’m pretty pleased myself,” said Buff Baby.

  ​“Why are you standing out here?? Why are you not inside protecting the emperor?” Sun Xin questioned them.

  ​Before either of them could answer, Lieutenant Shun Gen walked over to Sun Xin. “Do you not think that if we could, we’d already be there?” he said with a condescending tone.

  ​Sun Xin pointed his sword at the base of his chin. “And what, pray tell, are the eunuchs’ dogs doing in the Emperor’s city?”

  ​“Put your weapon down, swordsman. You know nothing of me or my men. Your Martial Scholar employers have granted us permission to work in the city, and if it weren’t for us, all the Academician fighters in the palace would have been dead already. As for the Scholars themselves, I cannot tell you. The Pale Foreigner has holed himself up in the square just outside the emperor’s main hall. Hundreds of the bastards have broken through the entrance and occupied that part of the palace. We have neither the power nor the resources to break through to get to the emperor. As far as we know, the defenders have failed and are most probably dead. This is where you come in. The Foreigner has explicitly demanded your presence before sundown or else the emperor dies.”

  ​Without saying another word, Sun Xin sheathed his sword and proceeded toward the first of the palace’s gates. Buff Baby, Zuo Shilong, and the Jinyiwei entourage followed him close behind. By the time they had reached the entrance to Meridian Gate, he saw them— the Martial Scholars lying lifeless in the square. He marched toward them and frantically searched for any signs of life. Pulses were weak and hardly present. Lu Guanying awoke to a fit of cough and a bloody vomit. His face was scarred and swollen and a deep gash grazed his chin.

  ​“The emperor,” he gasped.
“Go!” he said as he fought to lift his head. Again, he faded into unconsciousness.

  ​Sun Xin shook with anger. His fury once again surged through his body and he could feel the onset of the dreaded Swordsman’s Curse was creeping upon him. The temptation to allow its full entry was powerful than ever before. Sun Xin marched past Meridian Gate and through the large assembly of Shan Gui soldiers that granted his passage to reach Kurr. Buff Baby, Zuo Shilong, and the Jinyiwei stayed close behind and were allowed entry as well.

  ​There they saw Kurr, still holding his meditative position and this time, was levitating some seven chi off of the ground. As soon as Sun Xin made his presence known, Kurr opened his eyes and he dropped to the ground in a crouched position. He stood slowly, spread out his arms and grinned. “Ah, Master Swordsman, I am so very pleased you could join us. I have greatly anticipated this meeting for many nights. Our previous encounter was less than satisfactory for the both of us, I’m sure. Even I had to admit I did not expect your sudden surge of ability on that day of the battle. But today I shall make certain that it will not happen again. I guarantee it. I’m sure it will be most enjoyable.”

  ​Buff Baby could no longer suppress his anger. “You think you’re strong that you would make such arrogant claims!? I’ll show you true strength!!” He rushed Kurr full charge with his Guan Dao glaive at the ready. He swung at Kurr faster than he’s swung the weapon before but he ducked beneath the attack. Buff Baby brought the weapon spinning back around for a second strike but Kurr caught the base of the blade and locked it in his grip. Buff Baby struggled to free the weapon from Kurr’s grasp. He pulled with all the might his large body could muster but he could not set his weapon loose. Unexpectedly, Kurr released the weapon from his grasp and Buff Baby stumbled backward in a heap.

  ​“Hahah, fool. You fight like a child, nay, like an infant. Your name suits you. You are naught but a little boy trapped in the body of a large man,” mocked Kurr. Buff Baby cried out in anguish and charged at Kurr a second time, not even bothering to lift his weapon. He rammed into Kurr at full speed, pushing him back several chi, and their hands locked together. It seemed that they were at a stalemate until Kurr pushed Buff Baby back. Kurr’s hands outgripped Buff Baby’s and crushed the larger man’s palms and fingers. Buff Baby roared in agony. “For all your size and strength, nothing changes the fact that your race is weak and stupid!” Kurr rammed a forward knee into his abdomen, grabbed him by the collar, and tossed him across the square like he was nothing more than a hefty piece of meat. Buff Baby stumbled and rolled before coming to a stop and he lay on the floor motionless.

  ​“Filthy demon! You will pay for that!!” cried Zuo Shilong.

  ​“No, Monk. Stop!” barked Sun Xin.

  ​It was too late. Zuo Shilong was already on a blind rampage. He spun and twirled his staff at Kurr swinging furiously from every which way and that, looking for a killing blow as quickly as possible. He immediately exhausted his best techniques and pushed his body to the limits of his strength speed and endurance. His iron rod hummed through the air at the sheer velocity of his blows. But for all his skill, Zuo Shilong’s attacks either missed completely or were blocked by the Terukk warrior’s seemingly impenetrable defenses. Zuo Shilong leaped high into the air to bring his staff crashing down upon Kurr but was met with a fist slamming up into his abdomen. The force of the blow cast Zuo Shilong away from Kurr and crashing to the ground before Sun Xin’s feet. He too lay motionless. Blood foamed and bubbled from the Shaolin monk’s mouth.

  ​Sun Xin was stunned—speechless. Burning rage and grief coursed through his body all at once. His heart raced faster than ever. He formed a fist so tight that his palms bled. His whole body began to tremble. The full force of the Swordsman’s Curse was consuming him.

  ​From the sidelines, the Shan Gui guards watched with satisfaction at what they were witnessing. Some even laughed and chuckled at their demise. Lieutenant Shun Gen and his company of Jinyiwei unsheathed their swords and surrounded Kurr. The Shan Gui moved to respond to their maneuver, but Kurr signaled for them to stand down.

  ​“Try if you must, you will only meet the same end. Have you not learned your lesson from watching these two fighters fall by my hand?” Kurr said.

  ​“They are not us. We are the true Imperial Secret Police,” Shun said plainly.

  ​“You should have joined our cause when you had the chance, puppet. You would not be standing alone surrounded by enemies,” Kurr answered.

  ​The Jinyiwei attacked simultaneously with their unique custom blades. Kurr maneuvered around their attacks, weaving over and under their weapons with his body in complete synchronization. He ducked, parried, and deflected their attacks with his armored gauntlets and sword. His fighting was one step ahead of theirs, and he anticipated their movements fluidly as usual. One solid punch, one officer was down. He turned and side kicked another and crushed his chest. He spun around and cut down a third. The process continued until a dozen more officers fell to his superior martial ability. It was not long until Lieutenant Shun Gen was the only one left standing. Blood streamed from his lips and he clenched his abdomen. Kurr marched toward him for a killing blow, but a crossbow bolt pinged off his spaulders, leaving a dent where it impacted.

  ​“Yes, YES! Come at me!” Kurr snarled. Sun Xin had had enough of the show. He threw his crossbow at him, and unleashed his sword in the same instance. Their blades clashed with tremendous impact. Sparks flew out from between the blades. Kurr simply giggled with excitement, wide-eyed, and with sharp teeth showing through his evil grin. Sun Xin fought like he had never before. Their swords turned into blurs, too quick for the eyes to follow. Up, down, diagonal, triangular and circular, every technique was utilized to full effect. Kurr was simply enjoying the challenge as he parried and deflected Sun Xin’s attacks. Xin slashed his sword outward and spun around with a wheel kick at Kurr’s face. It connected with the foreigner’s chin, but did little to slow him down.

  ​Kurr moved to the offensive. He held nothing back as he threw the weight of his body into the sword swing. Xin parried it, but the impact jarred him to the bones, and cracked his blade. Kurr followed through with a wide round house kick that Sun Xin barely managed to duck under. They moved and circled around the square, leaping, sidestepping, and lunging at each other, with neither one willing to give in to the pressure. There was no opportunity for Xin to exploit an environmental advantage. The square was completely flat and offered no tactical options. The only structure that stood was the palace’s main hall.

  ​The duel continued without either warrior gaining a distinct advantage over the other. However, Sun Xin was pushing his limits while Kurr simply enjoyed the duel. Sun Xin fought under the influence of the Swordsman’s Curse even though it had previously caused his defeat in their first encounter. He was too blinded by fury to care. Kurr continued to feed on Sun Xin’s rage and used it to fuel himself. Sun Xin picked up the pace and increased his aggression. Sweat poured from his head and his breathing intensified with his pace. His heart and lungs strained with his body’s demands. Sun Xin flung spinning daggers at Kurr and they bounced off harmlessly against his plated armor. A few blows landed upon Kurr’s chest but left mere scratches upon them. They charged at each other with their swords taking the full impacts of their momentums. Sun Xin’s sword cracked and finally shattered to the strain. While Sun Xin was stunned by the loss of his weapon, Kurr slammed several consecutive blows upon Xin. A combination of punches and knee strikes to his body finally brought him down to all fours.

  ​“Like I said, I would not let what happened before repeat itself,” Kurr hissed.

  ​Sun Xin said nothing and strained to catch his breath. A mixture of sweat and blood dripped from his body and dripped to the stone ground. The sun had already set and the moon was becoming brighter in the night sky.

  ​“You still have one more weapon. Your master’s sword is it? Ah, yes, I remember when I landed that killing blow. He too was weak and frail,”
Kurr mocked.

  ​One last time, Sun Xin charged at him fists swinging. Kurr simply raised his guard and parried every blow. He threw multiple combinations, but Kurr checked all his strikes. The result of countless hours spent, many months invested boxing in the Shaolin and Wudang temples were executed in every strike. Crane, tiger, mantis, dragon— it mattered little. The Pale Foreigner seemed to have an answer and a defense for everything Sun Xin was throwing. In between every technique, the devil managed to land solid punches or open-handed strikes at his body. It made no effect how powerfully or quickly the techniques were executed.

  ​Kurr moved to the offensive and landed several crippling and numbing blows to his face and body. A jab to the nose stunned him. Then low body shots to the ribs and abdomen knocked the breath from his lungs. He then swept Xin off his feet, grabbed him by the neck, and lifted him up and off the ground. As his feet dangled helplessly in the air, he gagged and choked and did not even have the strength to pry the cold hands from his throat. His face swelled and turned from red to blue as the encroaching sensation of death began to cast a veil upon him. Darkness closed in and he no longer had the strength to keep breathing. He decided to cease to resist. Now, he felt completely empty, and the will to live had altogether vanished. Sun Xin released his grasp on Kurr’s hand and let his arms hang from his shoulders freely. He shut his eyes and waited for death to claim his soul…

  ​“Release him from your grasp immediately, lest you add to the severity of your judgment on the day of your damnation. Your fight… is not with him!” a voice declared from the rear.