Karma 5_2

Sheriff Juraki seethed at the convict's defiant demeanor. He raised a finger toward the young man, and at once, a constable stepped forward and struck him with a club. The youth cried out in pain, his body twisting on the floor. Juraki then waved his hand, signaling them to stop.

How dare this lowly wretch challenge me in my own court?

Looking down at the man writhing on the ground, Juraki felt a cruel satisfaction swell within him. With a solemn voice, he intoned,

"You, Doha! You assaulted a drunken man who could not even stand. I ask you again—what grudge did you hold against the victim, Danyu?"

The young man, barely past his teenage years, struggled to rise and fell again to his knees. Blood dripping from his head, he replied, voice trembling but clear,

"This is unjust! How can you call him a victim when he was the one wielding a sword, trying to kill a woman in broad daylight? I have never even met that man before."

This wretched fool should be grateful that I, the honorable Sheriff, have granted him a fair trial. Yet here he stands, spitting upon my justice. Juraki thought bitterly, though his face remained stoic.

"Nonsense!" Juraki barked.

"Doha! You dare still lie before this court? We have five witnesses. All of them testified that while the victim did indeed hold a weapon, he was too drunk to even stand upright. Even a child could have subdued him. Yet you beat him nearly to death!"

Despite his wounds, Doha held his ground.

"Those so-called witnesses were bought by his rich father! None of them even live in my village. They live miles away!"

Juraki chuckled coldly.

"Ah… so they are not from your village. But how does that prove they weren't there to see what happened?"

He sipped his tea with a satisfied smirk.

"Such loquacity. You think you can dishonor a court presided over by me with clever words?"

Juraki lowered his cup and gestured again to the constables. Just then, an old man stepped forward, falling to his knees.

"Please, great sir—Sheriff Juraki! Look again. The great Dangun taught us to act with benevolence. And Samul Gaya's own laws command us to protect human life above all else."

Juraki's eye twitched. How dare this frail old fool lecture me? Still, he maintained his composure, setting his cup down with a measured clink.

"Indeed, moral virtue must be upheld. However, that does not mean we can excuse excessive force. Danyu suffered a severe spinal injury—he can't even walk. The physician says he may be crippled for life. This is not defense—it is brutality."

Doha, despite his wounds, turned his sharp gaze toward Juraki and then to Danyu, who still lay slumped, feigning weakness.

Hah… Stare all you like. Justice will be carried out, whether you accept it or not.

Then his eyes flickered toward the back of the court. Hmm? Who is that?

A man was walking toward him. A stranger. And he carried two swords.

How amusing. Juraki barely suppressed a sneer. A vagabond dares to step into my court armed?

The guards reacted swiftly, spears raised in warning.

Swish!

In a blur of motion, the stranger drew his steel blade and sheathed it again. The guards' spears fell to the ground, neatly sliced in half.

The stranger's voice was calm, yet it sent a chill through the room.

"I came here hunting a demon." He flicked his blade back into its sheath. "And yet, I find something even fouler than a demon."

Juraki shot up from his seat. "How dare you desecrate this sacred court! Arrest him at once!"

The guards obeyed instantly, charging at the intruder. Juraki smiled, pleased with his soldiers' loyalty.

This fool has committed high treason. My wife will certainly enjoy him.

But then—Danyu moved.

The so-called "crippled" man was now on his feet, fleeing in terror.

That spineless coward! Juraki scowled. He was supposed to act injured! What an idiot.

Amid the chaos, Doha, still kneeling, shouted, "Look! Danyu is running! He was never injured to begin with!"

Juraki blinked. I saw nothing… Are there more coming? Rebels? Or just… him? Just that one man?

As he turned his gaze again, half of his guards were already sprawled across the floor. The warrior's gaze locked onto Juraki, and the Sheriff felt something he hadn't in years. The warrior was now rushing straight toward him.

Juraki panicked and ran.

Juraki was sprinting toward his residence. His mind raced, as the man's words echoed in his mind: Demon… something fouler than a demon….

He's not here by chance. He knew. He knew everything…

Juraki burst through the gates of his home, shouting for his wife.

"Darling! My love! Quickly!"

A stunning woman stepped onto the wooden porch, her expression calm but alert.

"Take the children and run! Now!" he screamed.

But the steel blade was already swinging toward him.

Then, impossibly, the woman dashed forward—closing twenty steps in an instant. With one bare arm, she intercepted Goi's sword mid-swing; with the other, she seized Juraki and yanked him away from danger. Her strength was so overwhelming that Juraki went tumbling across the ground, rolling several times before finally coming to a halt.

Goi attacked again, six times in quick succession. The woman blocked them all with her bare hands, deflecting each blow like steel meeting steel.

Goi smiled and leapt back lightly, landing atop the courtyard wall.

"And why does a righteous official protect a beast?"

Juraki trembled. The woman retreated toward him.

"My lord, are you unharmed?"

"I'm fine… You must flee."

From the wall, Goi slowly drew his bronze gladius, studying her reflection on the blade. "So… you're a tiger." Then he looked down at the woman. "What have you done with the sheriff's real wife?"

The woman crouched into a defensive stance. "My lord, this one is no ordinary foe."

Juraki whispered, "Then run. I'll try to buy us time…"

"No," she said. "You can't stop him. He hasn't even begun to use his true strength."

Juraki stood, shielding her. "She's my wife. You dare raise your sword against her?"

Goi descended into the courtyard. "So… you mean to say… This monster has always been your wife?"

She stepped forward. "How dare you insult my husband! I am his wife!" she shouted, now rushing forward to strike. Her arms, harder than steel, shattered stone and wood as she attacked, but Goi dodged effortlessly. Juraki prayed she would end it quickly.

But both she and Juraki could see it in Goi's eyes—contempt.

He wasn't even trying yet.

Despair became reality the moment the sword swung back.

The bronze blade cut through the air, and the golden wind it left behind brushed against her side. Where it touched, her skin sprouted tufts of tiger fur.

Realizing her power was draining, the tiger-woman turned and fled. But Goi followed, relentless. After three full circles around the courtyard, he stopped.

She stood frozen, no longer a woman—now a trembling tiger demon, her strength half gone.

She looked at Juraki one last time. "My dear… I'm sorry."

Juraki collapsed to his knees, holding up his arms toward Goi.

"Please! I beg you—spare her! She's the mother of my three sons!"

Goi sneered. "Yes… I knew all along. It wasn't the beast that was the problem. It was you."

Just as he raised his sword for the final strike, the tiger-woman surged forward, throwing her arms around Juraki to shield him with her body.

Goi declared, "Cleansed!" Then swept his blade through the air.

The golden wind passed over them both.

The woman was hurled away, her monstrous form dissolving as she hit the ground—a mere tiger now, stripped of power. And Juraki, meanwhile, knelt motionless, staring into the void as if blinded by the light.