With Ope Ope no Mi in Hunter x Hunter

"You really think highly of me, huh? Sending the regular army, and even Zhao's famous archers?" Daniel Davis remarked as he stepped out of the tavern. Immediately, he noticed over a hundred Zhao soldiers clad in white and yellow light armor, forming a fan-shaped formation that surrounded the tavern.

Behind these archers stood heavy infantry, armed with giant shields and wearing heavy armor. On the outer perimeter were numerous rangers, wandering swordsmen, and others dressed in various outfits.

During the Warring States period, the military strength of various states largely relied on crossbows—Han's strong crossbows, Qin's black mechanical crossbows, and so on. Unless a state lacked the capability, they prioritized strengthening this aspect of their forces.

Crossbows were the mainstay of warfare during this era. Qin's General Wang Jian's hundred battles with armored troops demonstrated the power of crossbow formations, capable of darkening the sky with their volleys.

This was primarily due to the support of the domineering mechanical arts from the Gongshu family. Qin had already industrialized and standardized its crossbow production, and with additional industrial knowledge obtained from Daniel Davis, their military weaponry became increasingly advanced.

However, despite the dominance of crossbows in most states, Zhao was an exception. King Wuling of Zhao's policy of "wearing Hu-style clothing and practicing archery on horseback" had a profound influence, making Zhao the only state among the Seven Warring States to possess light cavalry.

The Hu-knife cavalry were not heavy cavalry but light cavalry equipped with crossbows, bows, spears, pikes, and large axes for flexibility. This setup was mainly to counter the frequent border threats from the Xiongnu, as light cavalry proved more effective against them than heavy cavalry.

Zhao had two elite archer units: one guarding Handan and the other consisting of General Li Mu's personal troops. They had invested heavily in countering the Xiongnu, and Li Mu's personal troops were selected specifically for their ability to shoot down Xiongnu warriors.

Typically, a general's personal troops would follow the general's movements and only engage on the battlefield when necessary. But Li Mu was different; he always led from the front whenever there was a battle with the Xiongnu.

In a world of ordinary people, crossbows would undoubtedly be more powerful than bows. But in the world of "Qin's Time," with the existence of internal energy and true qi, trained archers surpassed ordinary crossbows in range, power, and endurance.

Stringing a crossbow was difficult, so most cavalry carried two or three pre-strung crossbows, firing them quickly before switching weapons. In the time it took to fire two or three crossbows, the cavalry would have already charged into the enemy's formation, engaging in close combat.

There were easier-to-string crossbows, like the pulley crossbow used by Wang Yi's personal troops during the assassination of Ying Zheng. However, these crossbows were difficult to manufacture and were limited in number, reserved for generals' personal troops or important military units.

"Good evening, everyone." Dragging the black and white swords behind him, Daniel Davis glanced at the setting sun and spoke softly.

"Shoot!" Unfortunately, the other side had no intention of exchanging pleasantries, ordering an immediate attack. A rain of arrows covered the area where Daniel Davis stood.

"I've heard that the land of Yan and Zhao is home to many heroes. Is this how you treat guests?" Daniel's voice suddenly came from beside the commander, who looked on in shock as Daniel's black sword sliced his throat.

The archers were skilled, with every arrow imbued with significant true qi, but they were too slow. Daniel's voice from within their ranks caused the surrounding soldiers to scatter, but most of them blacked out and knew nothing more.

"If I kill all of you, I wonder if those behind you will cry." As Daniel spoke, he wielded his black and white swords, unleashing a massacre among the enemy. He didn't use any powerful techniques, relying solely on Taoist footwork and his swords to take lives one by one.

Once Daniel was among them, the archers were rendered ineffective. They were skilled with bows, not close combat.

"Hey, a curved arrow?" As an arrow curved towards him, Daniel was about to block it with his white sword, but at the last moment, the arrow bent around the blade.

"The State of Chu has joined the fray too," Daniel thought, dodging the arrow. Although archer units were rare, there were many skilled archers. Han Yu's subordinate Han Qiancheng's skills were no less than White Phoenix's. The Zhong family of Chu was famous for their curved arrow technique, and members of this family held high positions in Chu's Shadow Tiger Corps due to their unique archery skills.

As Daniel contemplated the origin of the curved arrow, three arrows from different directions shot towards him in a pincer formation, their sharp whistles piercing the air.

"Three archery experts, and not just one," Daniel mused with a smile as he swiftly changed his position, heading towards one of the archers.

Daniel's situation was more perilous than Gai Nie's in the past, as he was not only facing archers but also heavily armored soldiers with giant shields.

Archers and heavily armored infantry were the military's countermeasures against martial experts. Especially the giant shields, which, when a group of soldiers closed in, could significantly restrict an opponent's movement.

"Too bad I have a famous sword." Facing the heavy infantry, Daniel swung his black and white swords, cutting through the soldiers and their shields with ease.

The difference between a famous sword and an ordinary one was evident here. An ordinary sword would struggle to cut through the shields, which is why many martial artists coveted famous swords. A famous sword could greatly enhance a warrior's strength.

Of course, this applied to ordinary martial artists. For someone like Gai Nie or Wei Zhuang, even an ordinary sword could cut through shields, though it would require more true qi.

For Daniel, it didn't matter much. If he unleashed a powerful technique or used the Ope Ope no Mi, he could instantly annihilate these opponents. Numbers were meaningless to someone of his strength.

"Impressive archery, but farewell." After dispatching all the heavy infantry in his way, Daniel reached one of the archery experts and cut him down, along with his bow. He continued this until the other two archers were also eliminated, despite the numerous soldiers trying to block his path.

No matter who stood before him, be it ordinary soldiers or experts, Daniel felled them all with a single strike.

"What's going on? Why hasn't his movement or breathing faltered?" On a distant hill, several figures watched in disbelief as Daniel's actions remained steady and unchanged.

Human stamina and true qi are limited. These attackers had conducted thorough research on Daniel, and by their calculations, this formation should have worn him down, albeit with significant losses.

But so far, this Grandmaster of Qin remained unscathed, without even a drop of blood on his clothes.

"Damn it, I'll handle this myself." With a sound of a sword being drawn, accompanied by a faint tiger's roar, one of the figures on the hill prepared to jump into the fray.

"Uncle, stop!" Just as he was about to jump, a young girl's voice called out, causing the man to reluctantly sheathe his sword.

"Tian Yan, what should we do now?" the man asked again.

"It seems impossible to kill him to avenge Uncle Zhu's death. To avoid further losses, let's retreat," the girl replied, casting a deep glance at Daniel before turning to leave.

"Leaving like this is too humiliating," the man, called Uncle, said bitterly.

"Attacking now would be suicide. I don't think Lord Changping would want us to suffer too much."

"Let's go." With a low command, the group on the hill quickly departed.

"Leaving?" Sensing the retreat, Daniel muttered to himself, but he had no intention of stopping them.

With a slash of sword energy that took down three more enemies, those still standing hesitated as they looked at the scattered bodies around them.

"The Haki of Observation is indeed powerful. Too bad these opponents are too weak." As they hesitated, Daniel didn't attack further but reflected on the battle. He had refrained from using his full strength to test his Observation Haki in group combat.

The reason he was unscathed, with not a drop of blood on him, was thanks to the Haki of Observation.

"Continue?" Daniel asked calmly, spreading his arms with the black and white swords in hand, as he faced the remaining enemies.

"You Qin dogs think this will scare us? You massacred so many of our people in the Battle of Changping. Today, you must pay in blood!" a burly man shouted, brandishing a greatsword, his eyes full of hatred.

As soon as he spoke, the expressions of some immediately changed. The Battle of Changping was a permanent scar for Zhao, and Daniel suspected that Daoist Ren Zong's leader Xiaoyaozi's strong anti-Qin stance was largely due to his being a Zhao native.

The headquarters of Daoist Ren Zong was in the western part of Zhao. The lands of Yan and Zhao were home to many heroes, and Xiaoyaozi had started as a wandering swordsman before joining Daoist Ren Zong, eventually becoming its leader. In fact, many members of Daoist Ren Zong hailed from Yan and Zhao.

If not for the internal Daoist struggle, Daoist Ren Zong's philosophy of helping the common people would have been commendable. They were actively involved in assisting civilians.

Yan and Zhao were known for their heroes because they continuously fought against the Xiongnu. The conflict between the Xiongnu and the Central Plains had never ceased. It was not only a matter of the military but also of the martial world.

In large-scale invasions, the Xiongnu were always defeated. In this era, the wars against the northern tribes were a series of victories for the Central Plains, with generals like Yan Yi from the State of Yan never losing a battle. However, when it came to smaller, stealthy incursions, it was much harder for the military to detect them. That's where the martial artists came into play. Without the Great Wall to rely on, small groups of enemy elites could infiltrate, and the rugged mountain terrain could not stop skilled warriors.

"It seems you've made up your minds. In that case, I apologize," Daniel sighed inwardly before making his move. This time, he didn't hold back and unleashed a large-scale attack.

With a swift motion, Daniel swung his black and white swords, sending out two massive crescent-shaped sword energies that swept across the battlefield, wiping out all the remaining enemies in one go.

The sun had not yet fully set, and its last rays shone on Daniel, casting a desolate light over the field of corpses.

"Hmm?" Just as Daniel was about to sheathe his swords and leave the scene, he sensed a gust of wind above him. Looking up, he saw a figure descending from the sky, a longsword in hand, radiating a powerful surge of true qi aimed directly at his head.

"Mechanical Zhuque, from the Mohist School," Daniel recognized the mechanical bird flying above as he raised his white sword to meet the incoming strike.

Boom!

The collision of their swords released a powerful shockwave of true qi, and the attacker was sent flying backward, his eyes filled with disbelief. He couldn't fathom that his well-prepared strike had been so easily deflected by Daniel's hurried counter.

"Not a bad plan," Daniel muttered as he noticed a mechanical white tiger rapidly charging at him from the left. He swung his black sword.

Boom!

With a resounding crash, the mechanical white tiger was sent flying, tumbling through the air several times before crashing heavily to the ground, leaving a large crater in its wake.

"Grandmaster of Qin, don't you think your actions are too ruthless?" The man who had been sent flying earlier managed to land a short distance away, glaring at Daniel with anger. His eyes swept over the field of corpses, estimating that at least hundreds had been slain, including both soldiers and various warriors.

Daniel finally got a good look at the man. He was an exceptionally handsome individual, with a demeanor that differed greatly from that of Wei Zhuang or Gai Nie.

"And who might you be?"

"Jing Ke of the Mohist School."

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