Red String (Series #1) \\ Ateez ✔

ix. malevolent charm

JANGMI

The lilac-haired man snorted at my rebuttal, and I could feel the weight of skeptical eyes from the soldiers who had been eavesdropping.

I watched as he tightened his grip on his sword, seemingly angered by my challenge. I had to suppress a scoff. Were the men in this palace really so easily rattled?

Amid our intense standoff, the soldiers in the background began cheering and chanting, "Go Wooyoung!"

Raising an eyebrow, I watched as Wooyoung tossed his sword aside and met my gaze with fiery determination. "Then that's settled. Don't blame me for being ruthless."

He extended his arms and in that moment he infused an archery weapon with his energy. Alarmed, I tore off my sheer dress, not too much that I would flash my undergarments but enough to make my legs move to their own accord.

I heard my servants scream in horror. It can be either because of the torn dress or the fact I'm about to spar with a decisive fighter. Either way, there are thousands of dresses inside the palace and I have trust in myself.

I extended my arms and at that moment I created a fiery, Qi sword out of thin air— Qi stands for vital energy, an intangible flow of power. It is the sole source of all the strength everyone had in this world of martial arts.

Wooyoung was the first to advance, infusing his archery bow with energy and taking aim at me. Swiftly, I deflected his arrows with my sword and evaded his kicks with strategic moves.

Playfully sticking out my tongue after dodging another attack, I saw his eyes widen in fury.

"You vixen!"

His attacks grew more aggressive with my taunts, but I had no intention of backing down. Neither of us could break through the other's defense, turning our friendly spar into a genuine duel.

A sharp pain seared through my shoulder from a small wound, causing me to hiss. I pressed forward, my eyes locked onto a stone behind him. Smirking, I dodged another arrow; he was so focused on defending himself that he didn't notice he was inching backward, struggling to maintain his stance.

Finally, his feet reached the stone, causing him to stumble backward as anticipated. His archery bow slipped from his grasp, and as he reached for it, I swiftly struck it with my sword, causing it to vanish into thin air.

Wooyoung's eyes widened, and as he attempted to rise, I used my remaining energy to exert pressure on him, preventing him from moving or standing.

Approaching him, I positioned my feet on his stomach and deftly placed my sword under his chin. His face twisted with bitterness upon realizing his predicament.

Raising an eyebrow, I waited for him to speak, the soldiers in the background falling silent.

"Coward!" Wooyoung struggled to rise but failed miserably.

"Do you know how much the First-Ranking Concubine favors me? You only won because of that Qi weapon!" His attempt to appear intimidating was betrayed by the red flush on his ears. Poor soul. But I wasn't about to let him off that easily.

"Me? A coward?" I laughed, finding his accusation amusing. "I'll forget the fact that you also fought using a Qi weapon. If you want a fair fight, let's do it again."

I did not take my eyes off him as I kneeled to be on the same level as him. "I'll keep my Qi weapon back and you'll keep yours too, and watch who's the coward between us, what do you say?"