Chapter 1579
Take it where you want. (4)
Thousands were gathered.
Even though the space was vast, there was no way there would be a lack of commotion. No, rather, in a place where people gathered to fight for their lives, one would expect deafening roars to erupt.
But not a single sound could be heard.
The only thing dominating this land bathed in twilight was an abnormally thick and heavy silence.
And that silence was created by the two people standing at the forefront of each side. They were the two giants who dominated this era.
Beop Jong.
The Abbot of the Thousand-Year-Old Shaolin and the towering figure of the righteous path who had led Gupailbang for the past several decades.
The criteria for determining the greatest in the world might vary from person to person, but no one could discuss the greatest of this era without mentioning Beop Jong.
And Jang Ilso.
The leader of Maninbang and Ryeonju of Sapaeryeon. A rare genius who unified the Evil Sects, achieving the monumental feat, which had seemed impossible.
Opinions on him varied, and there were still those who doubted his abilities, but no one in the world could deny that he was the foremost figure of the Evil Sects of this era.
They were the leaders of the greatest forces in the world, and the two pillars that moved the world. These two giants stood facing each other across a desolate plain.
The tension created by their confrontation naturally made those gathered here hold their breath.
“…Amitabha.”
Beop Jong chanted softly.
‘Jang Ilso.’
Though the distance was incredibly far, in his eyes, it was as if he could reach out and touch it. The dazzling figure of Jang Ilso, as if from another world.
Even with the imminent battle where countless lives would be lost, there was still a deep sense of boredom in his eyes.
In the eyes of Beop Jong, who sought to see the essence of people, the flashy attire of Jang Ilso didn’t even register. He focused solely on the person, Jang Ilso, who was incomprehensible even to him, who had evaluated numerous people before.
Beop Jong realized anew.
Though he was undoubtedly familiar with Jang Ilso, having fought against him for quite some time, he had never actually faced him and had a conversation like this.
Beop Jong’s heavy voice resonated grandly across the earth.
“Paegun. How many more sins do you intend to commit?”
At those words, Jang Ilso’s eyes rounded in surprise.
“Because of your greed, the world was plunged into despair. Countless lives have been lost, and blood has drenched the ground like rain. Isn’t that enough?”
Jang Ilso only smiled and looked at Beop Jong without saying anything. There wasn’t even a hint of hostility in his gaze.
“I advise you. Although there is no way to wash away the sins you have already committed, there is certainly a way not to commit greater sins. Realize that all your greed is but emptiness, and restrain yourself here. If you do so, you may at least avoid accumulating greater karma.”
“A-Abbot!”
Jongli Hyeong stammered in surprise, involuntarily opening his mouth.
“What are you saying? The sins that man has committed…”
“Amitabha.”
But when the heavy Buddhist chant echoed, Jongli Hyeong involuntarily closed his mouth.
Beop Jong, suppressing any objections, turned to Jang Ilso with a much lower voice instead of facing Jongli Hyeong.
“Believing that you can hold something in your hand is nothing but the delusion of a common man. In the end, just as a person is born empty-handed, so shall they die. How can you not understand that what remains in those hands is neither honor nor wealth, but the karma accumulated over countless lives?”
“…”
“If you know contentment and seek to cleanse your sins, Shaolin will gladly assist you. The teachings of Buddha are open to all, even to the most heinous of sinners.”
His heavy, earnest gaze turned to Jang Ilso.
Although the monk’s words momentarily confused everyone, no one doubted the sincerity embedded within them. Beop Jong was an Abbot who had dedicated his entire life to following Buddhist teachings. Even in such a moment, he did not forget his duty.
However, the noble words of the old monk were met with a great burst of laughter.
“Ha… haha. Hahahaha! Hahahahahah!”
Jang Ilso, who had been silent all along, burst into loud laughter.
Unlike the dignified appearance of Beop Jong, who resembled a withered ancient tree, Jang Ilso’s appearance, as he clutched his stomach in laughter, was nothing short of frivolous. It was a demeanor far too light for the leader of a faction.
“Oh dear, oh dear.”
After laughing for a while, Jang Ilso wiped the corners of his eyes with his long, trimmed nails. He had laughed so much that even tears had showed up.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I have never imagined I would hear a sermon in such a situation. So, I don’t think this is entirely my fault…”
Jang Ilso’s elegantly curved eyes turned towards Beop Jong.
His mockery was evident. He was ridiculing Beop Jong, those who followed him, and even the Buddhist path that Beop Jong believed in and followed.
“Isn’t that right?”
Jang Ilso’s gaze swept over everyone beyond Beop Jong.
Though it had become awkward to call them Gupailbang, they were still the ones protecting the Central Plains under that name.
“When Gangnam fell beneath my feet.”
The faces of those who felt Jang Ilso’s gaze slightly flushed.
“When Sichuan burned in the hands of my people.”
Gnashing.
The sound of someone gritting their teeth was heard.
“Even when countless people were dying in your very own territory in Gangbuk, all you did was stand by and watch… and now you speak of compassion and the Buddhist path…”
Though his voice was calm, it was truly a biting sarcasm.
“It seems I must be ignorant, right? The Buddhism I know seems different from the one you talk about.”
“Pageun.”
“Well, I wonder what Buddha would think? Would he prefer those of you who merely talk about Buddhism and compassion, or the fools who are running around Gangbuk right now saving people? Hm?”
He was referring to Cheonumaeng.
Jang Ilso knew. He knew exactly what they, what Beop Jong least wanted to hear right now. He knew what they were being pursued by.
Beop Gye’s gaze reached Beop Jong’s back and then touched his hand.
Beop Jong’s back remained as composed as usual, but the hand holding the long rosary was trembling slightly with tension.
The slight tremor that only Beop Gye, standing right behind, could see hinted at Beop Jong’s inner turmoil.
“Amitabha.”
Regardless of his inner feelings, the chant that emerged was simply devout.
“Indeed, we are lacking. But the cause of all this is not us, but you. I will say it one last time. If you intend to stop, now is the time.”
“Now, you say.”
A soft and gentle voice pierced everyone’s ears. Small, yet oddly distinct.
“If I say I will stop, what happens then? Will you just let me go?”
Jang Ilso’s bright red lips twisted.
“No. You won’t. You can’t. Then what will you do? Will you kindly escort me, sever my tendons, and imprison me in a dark dungeon? To rot away in a moldy cell, listening to the disgusting endless chants of bald monks until the day I die?”
“Pageun.”
“Hahahahaha.”
Jang Ilso shook his head as if in disgust.
“They say Shaolin monks are merciful, but this… even the demons of hell are not this cruel. The Evil Sects are more merciful – at least we grant a clean death, don’t we?”
“The only way to repay the sins you have committed is that.”
“Hahaha.”
Jang Ilso laughed shortly.
Soon, a chilling aura began to emanate from Jang Ilso’s pale face.
“I’m not someone with a weak stomach, but I can’t bear to listen to this any longer.”
At his sudden change in demeanor, even Beop Jong momentarily held his breath.
“Repentance… Aren’t you curious?”
His eyes, cold as ice, pierced through the old monk.
“Who here most desperately wants me not to repent? Who most fervently wishes this war doesn’t end in vain? Who is the one, hiding behind the flimsy mask of Buddhism, who is pursuing their desires more fiercely than anyone else?”
“Jang Ilso!”
Beop Jong’s voice erupted in a roar.
“I’ve been patient… That’s a good excuse, isn’t it? Sounds plausible and impressive. But there’s one thing you must understand. Do you know what you call patience that endures no pain?”
Jang Ilso’s eyes bore into Beop Jong and those standing behind him.
“Avoidance.”
This one mere word caused Beop Jong’s face to flush.
“It’s strange, isn’t it? You didn’t pay the price, so how is it that you call it patience? All you did was stand by and watch. And now you stand before me, spouting nonsense as if you made some noble decision, hoping someone would recognize you for it.”
“Enough of your evil words!”
“Disgusting…”
Jang Ilso’s gaze, which fell upon Beop Jong, was filled with disdain, as if he were looking at an insect. Beop Jong met that gaze, biting his lips.
“Repulsive.”
Jang Ilso laughed. The contempt in his eyes remained unchanged.
“But… despite that, I don’t particularly hate you or your kind. People are inherently disgusting and repulsive, aren’t they?”
Jang Ilso smiled broadly. The childlike, innocent smile spread across his entire face.
“Shall I tell you an easier way?”
A hint of confusion flashed across Beop Jong’s face at Jang Ilso’s question. Jang Ilso spoke gently.
“Surrender.”
“Jang Ilso!”
“Then no more blood will need to be shed. I’m not interested in unnecessary bloodshed. I promise, if you bow before me and lick my feet, I will be satisfied with merely ‘dominating’ and not kill anyone here. How about it? That way, we achieve peace without any sacrifices.”
Beop Jong’s beard quivered.
“Isn’t it an easy choice? If you truly want to avoid bloodshed. But… is that really what you want?”
Seeing those malicious eyes, Beop Jong felt it deeply.
There it is.
The complete embodiment of evil, someone impossible to move by any words or persuasion, stood right there.
How could one call such a being human?
“No, that’s not what you want. I know what you want. What you truly desire is…”
Jang Ilso slowly drew his fingernail across his throat.
“Right here.”
At that moment, his bright red lips twisted.
“What you desire. What will fulfill your purpose. The trophy that will forever etch your name into the history of Gangho. To elevate the name of Shaolin once again above all under the heavens, and to ensure your humble Buddhist name is remembered as unmatched in Shaolin’s history.”
His voice, though not loud, echoed in Beop Jong’s ears like thunder.
Now, Jang Ilso’s gaze was gentle, devoid of any trace of hostility once again.
“Go ahead and take it.”
“…”
“Stain your hands with blood, drive countless people to their deaths, and fight again and again until this land is soaked dark red. Get what you so desperately want.”
“Amitabha.”
This was the inevitable conclusion from the beginning.
Both giants knew that dialogue was meaningless.
They were not ones to be persuaded but to persuade. No one could have reached their positions without absolute confidence in themselves.
Thus, they had to bring down their opponent. Their opponent’s beliefs, goals, power, and even their very life.
“In the end, words cannot bridge this gap.”
“A long way to come for an obvious conclusion.”
Jang Ilso’s gaze turned to the sky.
The sunset had grown thicker, as if to obscure the blood that was soon to spill.
“Everyone, listen!”
The gates to a battle that would shake the world were opened by Beop Jong.
“No longer can we condone the heinous acts of this wicked enemy. We did not wish to see bloodshed, but we will not fear it! Today, here, I, and we, will punish this evil and restore peace to Gangho!”
His lion’s roar burst forth like the cry of a deity.
At that, the bodies of those standing behind him tensed. The extreme inner strength they had been honing surged around them.
“If not me, then who will go to hell! Ah-mi-ta-bha-!”
Riding on this momentum, Beop Jong let out a thunderous Buddhist chant and stomped the ground.
“Follow the Abbot!”
“Woooooo!”
Gupailbang’s forces, unleashing everything they had suppressed until now, charged towards Sapaeryeon with terrifying momentum.
It was like a colossal tidal wave crashing down. Even the warriors of Sapaeryeon, who had fought without knowing fear, momentarily froze at this overwhelming force.
“Hmm.”
Then, the calm, almost nonchalant voice of Jang Ilso reached their ears. At that moment, the members of Sapaeryeon were reminded of who they were.
Jang Ilso tapped his chin with his fingertips and said.
“How unnecessarily noisy. Handle them appropriately. Make them realize that this is no longer their playground.”
The first to react were, of course, the Red Dogs, Jang Ilso’s fearless hounds.
“Protect Ryeonju!”
As they surged forward with a menacing aura, the warriors of Maninbang and Black Ghost gritted their teeth and followed.
The vast plain, with nothing to obstruct it, was now filled with hostility, twisting and trembling like a ship tossed into a storm.
The sun, hanging low beyond the western mountains, seemed to bleed into the sky, scattering red as it was engulfed by the encroaching darkness.
Just and Evil.
Gupailbang and Sapaeryeon.
Beop Jong and Jang Ilso.
The curtain had finally risen on the decisive battle that would determine the fate of the world.
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