I Became A Playwright In Medieval Fantasy-Chapter 36

"The ultimate mastery of martial arts?"

"But there are only 28 soldiers left! How is he going to break through?"

"Yeah, techniques like Three Flames and Lightfoot won't be enough this time."

The audience, gripped with anticipation, exchanged worried glances.

Though Xiang Yu had been driven to the brink, he was still the protagonist of this web-novel-like epic, one whom the audience had followed and rooted for since the beginning.

Whatever happened, everyone wanted to see him overcome this dire situation and rise again as he once had.

Shing! Shing!

Xiang Yu drew two more swords before the astonished eyes of the audience.

According to Chinese legend, Xiang Yu possessed three legendary swords in his lifetime: the Dragon Spring sword, the Tai’e sword, and the Gongbu sword.

In the next moment, the audience erupted in excitement.

"What the—?!"

"Huh?! What’s happening?!"

"The—the swords?!"

Cornered but still growing stronger with each passing day, Xiang Yu had finally achieved the unity of sword and self—Body and Sword as One.

In the world of martial arts, this marked the pinnacle of mastery.

Ironically, it was only when everything had become irreparable that Xiang Yu reached the highest level a swordsman could attain.

And now, having reached this mastery and gained full control over his internal energy, Xiang Yu could display transcendent abilities beyond imagination.

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["Sword Control through Qi!"]

Shing! Shing!

The Tai’e and Gongbu swords, aside from the Dragon Spring sword that Xiang Yu wielded himself, began to fly through the air autonomously, slaughtering the Han soldiers one by one.

["Retreat! Retreat!"]

["The swords! The swords are flying on their own!"]

["Xiang Yu is truly a monster among monsters!"]

["Behold! I will take the head of the enemy general for you!"]

Roaring like a lion, Xiang Yu charged at the Han army, which was thrown into chaos. With his sword control technique in full display and the ferocious beast known as the Conqueror rushing toward them, the Han army fell apart.

Having slain the enemy general in one blow, Xiang Yu raised the Dragon Spring sword high and proclaimed,

["Did you see it? The power of this Conqueror?!"]

But it wasn’t the extras who responded—it was the audience.

"Whoa! Xiang Yu! Xiang Yu! Xiang Yu!"

"The strength to uproot mountains! The might to cover the heavens!"

"Even in defeat, a hero remains a hero!"

In modern martial arts, Sword Control had lost some of its appeal due to power creep. However, in this otherworldly setting, where martial arts were a foreign concept, the sight of such a technique left the audience wide-eyed in amazement.

"Xiang Yu! Xiang Yu! Xiang Yu!"

Even the most despondent among the audience, those who had lost hope in Xiang Yu’s survival, now found their spirits rekindled.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Xiang Yu and his remaining 28 soldiers slashed their way through the Han army, advancing forward with relentless fury.

In nine consecutive battles, the Han army lost nine generals and nearly 1,000 soldiers, while the Chu army only lost two men.

Finally, they reached the Wu River, which marked the border between Zhongyuan and Jiangdong.

["Conqueror! Cross the river to Jiangdong and regroup!"]

["Yes, once we cross the Wu River and burn the boats, the Han army won’t be able to follow!"]

["You are the hero favored by the heavens! If we rally our forces, we can surely defeat Liu Bang!"]

Inspired by their lord’s incredible display of martial prowess, the soldiers urged Xiang Yu to fight once more.

The audience echoed their sentiment, shouting their support.

"Yes! Keep going, Western Chu Conqueror!"

"It’s not over yet! Return home and gather your strength!"

"Yu Ji’s sacrifice gave you clarity! Just reflect and start anew!"

["No... I cannot."]

But Xiang Yu simply shook his head.

Turning to face the audience, Balthazar, the actor playing Xiang Yu, spoke with a bitter voice.

["All 8,000 of the young men of Jiangdong who rose with me are dead, leaving only 26 survivors. How could I return to Jiangdong and face the people?"]

"What? No! The soldiers said it's fine! Go home and regroup!"

"You just mastered sword control! Don’t give up now—fight Liu Bang again!"

The audience, filled with both admiration and frustration, shouted over the tragic yet resolute decision of the Conqueror.

But Xiang Yu’s determination was firm.

["If I return to Jiangdong, war will soon follow and bring destruction to our homeland. Today, I will fulfill my destiny by sending you all home."]

["Conqueror... but..."]

["Enough! Do you dare defy my command? Get on the boat! I, Xiang Yu, will hold off the Han army myself!"]

["W-We obey, Conqueror!"]

And so, the remaining 26 soldiers boarded the boat and crossed the Wu River. Xiang Yu had given them his prized horse, the Black Mare, to take with them.

But as the boat reached the middle of the river...

Neighhh!

Splash!

The Black Mare, seeing its master left behind, neighed in anguish and leaped into the river, swimming frantically to return to Xiang Yu.

"What the—?!"

"The Black Mare!"

The majestic warhorse thrashed in the water, desperately trying to reach its master. But no matter how swift it was on land, even this legendary steed could not overcome the river's powerful currents.

It wasn’t long before the Black Mare sank beneath the waves.

["Ah, Black Mare!"]

Watching his beloved steed disappear beneath the water, Xiang Yu cried out.

["Indeed! You were a dragon born into the body of a horse! You have simply returned to your true form, so there is no need to grieve!"]

"Sniffle! Who knew I’d be crying over a horse? This is tearing me apart."

"Phantom truly is a genius. How can he make the death of a horse feel so tragic?"

But there was little time for the audience to mourn the death of the Black Mare.

["There he is! The traitor Xiang Yu is over there!"]

["Form the Arhat Formation! We cannot let him escape!"]

The Han army, which had been relentlessly pursuing the Chu forces, had finally caught up to the Wu River.

Soon, the red-clad Han soldiers swarmed the stage like a flood. Glaring at the Han banners with disdain, Xiang Yu scoffed.

["So, I hear Liu Bang has placed a bounty of 1,000 gold pieces and a fiefdom of 10,000 households on my head?"]

Then, raising the blood-stained Dragon Spring sword, Xiang Yu roared,

["Come forward, if you dare! Whoever wants Xiang Yu’s head, step up and claim it!"]

Naturally, no one stepped forward.

After all, what use was wealth and power if it came at the cost of one’s life? Neither soldier nor general dared to challenge the might of the Conqueror.

Even cornered, Xiang Yu remained a living legend.

And when no one moved to claim the bounty on Xiang Yu’s head...

["Archers! To the front!"]

Liu Bang himself, accompanied by countless archers, stepped onto the stage.

["Ready your crossbows! When the order is given, fire!"]

At the general's command, the soldiers loaded their crossbows and took aim, awaiting the signal to release.

Liu Bang stood silently, exchanging one final gaze with Xiang Yu, his sworn brother. Though they were now enemies, they had once raised their cups together, vowing to overthrow the Qin Dynasty.

The tragic irony of their friendship, now lost in the chaos of war, was palpable.

["The green river laughs as the waves rush to the shore, sweeping away the dust of the world~♪"]

From the back of the stage, the elf musicians plucked their zheng and played the bamboo flute. In unison, they sang the melody composed by Phantom and Professor Gabi.

["Let us remember today as we watch the flowing waves~♫"] ["The sky above is clear, and we forget the troubles of this chaotic world~♬"] ["Who wins and who loses, only the heavens know~♫"]

It was the theme song from the 1990s martial arts film Swordsman, A Laugh in the Blue Sea.

The lyrics perfectly captured Xiang Yu’s descent from a conquering hero (霸者) to a defeated one (敗者).

As the elf musicians' mournful tune faded into silence...

["Kill him."]

Liu Bang gave the order with a sad smile.

Thwip! Thwip!

Swoosh!

Arrows, represented by lights and sound effects, rained down on Xiang Yu.

So many arrows flew that they turned the clear sky pitch black.

Seeing the incoming barrage, Balthazar, playing the role of Xiang Yu, closed his eyes.

In a final homage to Zhang Yimou’s 2002 film Hero, Xiang Yu met his end as arrows pierced him from every direction.

“Alright, great work, everyone!”

“Good job, everyone! Let’s keep this up for the rest of the performances, haha!”

After the curtain call, the cast gathered to clean up the stage and remove their makeup.

Everyone shared a hearty laugh, celebrating the successful performance.

But today, most of the praise was directed at me.

And of course, at my co-star, Rosaline-senpai, who had delivered an exceptional performance.

“You did amazing, Balthazar. Your acting’s improved even more since the first part.”

Isabella, the theater manager, patted my shoulder with a satisfied smile.

Once a renowned actress herself, she grinned as she teased me.

“Just like Professor Gabi said, you’ve got a real talent for this. What do you say? Ever thought about pursuing acting as a side gig? We’re always looking for young, talented people like you.”

“Haha, thank you, but I’ll have to pass.”

As tempting as the A+ midterm grade was, I had no intention of starting an acting career. Being a playwright was already bringing in more than enough wealth and fame.

“I-I, um... Balthazar...?”

At that moment, I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

It was Rosaline-senpai, who had been receiving just as much praise from the other actors until now.

“What’s up, senpai? Is something wrong?”

“I-I, uh... about earlier, before the show started... the, um, revised script you mentioned...”

...Ah. Just as I thought.

It turned out she really hadn’t received the final revisions.

Originally, there hadn’t been any suggestion of a kiss scene between Xiang Yu and Consort Yu.

In the second draft, the script had only called for Xiang Yu to cry over his lover’s body. But during rehearsals, someone suggested we heighten the emotional impact by adding a more intimate farewell between the two.

As the playwright, I had approved the revision and then rushed back to my dorm to change.

I’d hoped the information would be passed on to Rosaline-senpai before the performance started, but clearly, that hadn’t happened.

"They must’ve been too busy coordinating at the last minute to communicate properly."

“I’m really sorry, senpai. You must’ve been caught off guard. I had no idea the final revision hadn’t reached you.”

“...”

“Senpai? Are you really mad? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

How angry was she? Her face was so flushed that it almost looked like she had a fever.

We might be close friends, but she was still the daughter of a duke—noble ladies lived in a time when purity and modesty were held in high regard. A man making unsolicited physical contact could easily be seen as an insult.

Just then, Rosaline-senpai muttered something quietly.

“...I’m not.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not mad. I just... I mean...”

She trailed off, her expression a mixture of confusion and uncertainty.

For the first time, her usually calm, green eyes flickered with turmoil.

She covered her mouth with the sleeve of her still-ornate costume, looking every bit like a demure dancer from the East.

“Sorry.”

After a long pause, she clenched her eyes shut.

Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and bolted off.

“I-I’ll talk to you later. See you later, Balthazar.”

“Huh? Senpai?”

I was left standing there, bewildered, watching her retreating figure.

Why was she apologizing? Shouldn’t I be the one saying sorry?

Honestly, Rosaline-senpai is just too kind for her own good—always so thoughtful of others.

With her cheeks still burning red as if they might explode at any moment, Rosaline touched her face lightly as she hurried down the hallway.

Of course, she hadn’t actually kissed Balthazar.

The curtain had fallen just before their lips touched, and they had awkwardly stood there, frozen, waiting for the scene to end.

But still...

“...”

She couldn’t forget the scent of fig lingering around him, or how close their lips had come.

She couldn’t shake the curiosity about how it would’ve felt if they had actually kissed.

It was just acting...

Surely, Balthazar had just been following the script.

So why was her heart pounding as if it might burst out of her chest? Why did simply thinking about her junior make her head feel so hot?

She had never given her first kiss to anyone.

...But somehow, it felt like she had just lost it to him.

“Ugh.”

For the first time in her life, Rosaline was experiencing the sweet, bewildering sensation of romantic longing.

As she walked past the massive curtain, her thoughts swirling with confusion, she was suddenly interrupted.

"Excuse me, miss? I’m afraid we need to clear the theater now."

It was the voice of one of the staff, asking a lingering guest to leave.

Curious, Rosaline peeked through the curtain to see who was still sitting in the theater.

And there, in her line of sight, was a figure with a sword strapped to their back, their yellow eyes glowing like a predator’s beneath a hood.

"Excuse me? The show’s over! We need you to leave now!"

"......"

Despite the staff’s repeated requests, the hooded swordsman remained motionless in his seat.

Rosaline couldn’t help but wonder—had this person been so moved by Phantom’s Farewell to the Conqueror that they couldn’t bring themselves to leave?

I felt the same way after seeing Admiral Li for the first time.

The sheer creative power that left a vivid and delicate impression, the immersive pull that blurred the line between reality and fiction, and the noble, poetic story that reminded her of her father’s exile to the north...

She, too, had skipped meals and classes just to keep returning to the Killigrooger Theater, captivated by its magic.

Perhaps this hooded figure was feeling something similar.

Just as she was lost in thought, though...

“Rosaline-senpai? What are you doing?”

“Eep! B-Balthazar?!”

Rosaline jumped as her junior’s voice startled her from behind.

Balthazar, still in his Xiang Yu costume, had somehow managed to sneak up on her.

For some reason, he looked even more dignified and handsome than usual.

“Is someone still out there? Why are you hiding like that...?”

“N-no, it’s nothing! I just... there’s someone who hasn’t left yet...”

"Someone hasn’t left?"

“Y-yes, over there.”

Rosaline stammered, trying to maintain her usual smile despite feeling like she was about to suffocate. Just standing next to Balthazar in her Consort Yu costume brought back the strange, stormy feelings from before.

“......”

At that moment, Balthazar and the hooded figure locked eyes across the theater.

Like a bird of prey watching its quarry, the swordsman’s sharp gaze fixed on the actor playing Xiang Yu.

And then, without a word, the swordsman stood up and left.

"Huh? He’s gone now."

"S-seems like it."

The hooded figure disappeared, walking away with an unsteady gait, as if deeply affected by what they had just witnessed.