Chapter 1679
Just believe. (3)
The tension in the air was so taut it felt like it could rip the skin at any moment.
Paegun and Hwasan Geomhyeop.
Two people who couldn’t be more different bared their teeth at each other without yielding an inch. Even the Red Dogs, who were feared across the world, couldn’t dare to breathe in the face of this terrifying clash of killing intent.
It seemed as if Chung Myung’s sword would be drawn at any moment, and Jang Ilso’s energy would drive into Chung Myung’s heart.
Suddenly, it became clear. No matter how leisurely they shared drinks, these two could never coexist. One must stop breathing for this relationship to finally end.
Amid the intense clash of murderous intent that felt as if it would make hearts explode, Jang Ilso spoke first.
“Do you think that reckless faith…”
“…”
“…can change anything?”
“…”
“Hmm? Hwasan Geomhyeop?”
Chung Myung, who was facing Jang Ilso’s mix of killing intent and mockery, turned his gaze. He remained composed even in front of the formidable opponent like Jang Ilso.
And where his gaze landed was none other than Wudang.
The burning Mount Wudang.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Aaaaah!”
“Sahyeooooooong!”
Screams are always dreadful.
But when those screams belong to someone close, dread alone cannot describe it.
Crunch!
Mu Jin gritted his teeth so hard it seemed they might break.
Jin So’s body, pierced by the enemy’s sword, convulsed violently. That much could be endured. After all, everyone here was prepared to die.
However, the ensuing horror was too atrocious to endure with mere resolve.
Slash!
Thud!
The sword swung down, repeatedly sliced through Jin So’s body. Jin So’s body, no longer able to channel inner energy, couldn’t withstand the brutal slashes. His limbs were severed and scattered.
“Aaaaaah!”
It wasn’t just Mu Jin. All the disciples of Wudang who witnessed the scene let out beastly cries and swung their swords in a frenzy.
They are human too. No matter how they opposed each other as enemies, they are humans wearing human faces. So how can a person be so cruel to another?
The cruelty of stabbing a lifeless body and tormenting the injured before killing them was a world unknown to Wudang swordsmen who had spent their lives in training.
“You damn bastards! Aaaaaah!”
“Sajeeee! Don’t lose your reason… Sajeeeee!”
A spear pierced the body of the one who had swung his sword in rage.
“Ugh… ah…”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The body, impaled in the abdomen with one strike, was bombarded with countless weapons. Even after being pierced and torn to shreds, reducing it to rags, the weapons weren’t satisfied and shredded the falling body further.
Where is the valor?
Where is the nobility?
‘No…’
Mu Jin bit his lips until they bled.
Their decision to fight here was not wrong. Even if he had to choose again, Mu Jin would take this path without hesitation.
But this is different. This battle is different from what he imagined.
There is no nobility in risking one’s life to uphold honor, nor is there valor in dying gloriously for the world.
What exists here is merely cruelty. It is cruelty and brutality that cannot be encapsulated in the few words of praise passed from mouth to mouth.
Did those who died ever imagine their end would look like this? Even knowing their end, could they have fought like this?
“Hold your ground! Don’t let the formation collapse! We must not panic!”
A voice shouted out.
The same words. The same words they had been hearing all along. But everyone listening to that voice knew that there was now a different unease and fear in it.
It’s not just that fighting without breaking formation is advantageous. The moment the formation collapses, everyone will die. Everyone will die miserably, without even leaving behind an intact corpse.
“Aaaaah!”
Another life comes to its end.
The number of enemies climbing onto the cliff is steadily increasing, and Wudang’s disciples facing them are falling one by one. It was becoming more difficult to hold out as time went on.
Everyone must have already sensed the outcome of this battle.
Perhaps they might become a legend. All Wudang’s disciples resisted Sapaeryeon and perished while defending Wudang atop of the White-Faced Cliff. Even leaving behind a single line of text like that could be considered worthwhile.
But…
‘Was it really here?’
Mu Jin’s heart filled with sorrow.
Was the honor they tried to protect, the glory they tried to preserve, and the pride and dignity they tried to grasp in their final moments really here?
Was that pride really so significant that it was worth everyone here throwing away their lives for? Did anything in the world truly exist that was worth protecting through such horrific deaths?
“Aaaaah!”
A sword pierced the chest of someone who had been like family. The inhuman enemies laughed viciously at the sight of death. His sword felt utterly powerless to stop such a dreadful scene.
Mu Jin’s hand, which gripped the sword, trembled.
Perhaps it wasn’t those enemies who created this scene. Perhaps it was his own arrogance and stubbornness that created this hell.
That realization… that reality filled Mu Jin’s eyes with a cloudy haze of tears.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Faith is a nice word.”
Jang Ilso drained his glass in one gulp and set it down with a thud. A vicious smile played on his lips.
“But it’s also… another word for irresponsibility.”
“…”
“Do you understand?”
The mocking gleam in his eyes pierced through Chung Myung.
“Those who are truly capable don’t rely on faith. They do what can be done and make the impossible possible. They don’t mix half-baked hopes into their plans.”
Jang Ilso’s gaze shifted to Heo Do Jinin, who was lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.
“That fool over there is the same.”
“…”
“Isn’t it ridiculous?”
Jang Ilso chuckled and shook his head.
“Even so, he was someone who knew how to make decisions. If it weren’t for the choice he made at the Yangtze River, many more would have died. But… isn’t it strange that such a person is now doing something so absurd? As if he’s become an idiot in a few years.”
Chung Myung silently glared at Jang Ilso.
“Do you know what he said?”
“…”
“He said he couldn’t stop his disciples. That he couldn’t break their will! Hahahaha!”
Jang Ilso spread his arms in an exaggerated gesture.
“Look. This is the result. It’s the tragedy created by someone who lost his reason over such nonsense.”
“…”
Chung Myung’s eyes turned to Heo Do Jinin.
Heo Do Jinin looked like he could stop breathing at any moment, but his body trembled slightly, indicating he was still conscious. He must have heard Jang Ilso’s words.
“If you truly wanted to accomplish something, you should have taken responsibility yourself. You should have held on to cold reason instead of reckless bravado. Those who can’t even do that, those pig-headed fools, eventually end up…”
Jang Ilso’s hand hung loosely.
“…in a state like that.”
Jang Ilso slowly shook his head.
“And yet… you’re saying the same things as that pig. I’m more than a little disappointed.”
Chung Myung, who had been silently watching Heo Do Jinin, picked up the liquor bottle with an indifferent expression. Then he slowly poured the liquor into Jang Ilso’s empty cup.
Trickle.
Chung Myung, having filled the glass with liquor, put the bottle down and stared directly at Jang Ilso.
“If you’ve finished talking, drink.”
“…”
Jang Ilso and Chung Myung’s gazes briefly clashed in the air.
Jang Ilso, who had been staring at Chung Myung, reached out and emptied the filled cup again. As Jang Ilso did so, Chung Myung slowly began to speak.
“You said that faith is another word for irresponsibility.”
“……Yes.”
“I’m a bit different.”
“…”
“I call faith…”
Chung Myung continued in a voice without a trace of hesitation.
“…earnestness.”
❀ ❀ ❀
“Raise your swords!”
A roar like that of a beast echoed across the White-Faced Cliff.
Heo Gong shouted at the top of his lungs.
“There is no room for despair! If I can’t wield my sword, it’s not me but my brothers who will die!”
His sword pierced through the neck and chest of the attacking enemy in quick succession.
“Regret and despair belong to the survivors! Don’t forget why you picked up your sword! Don’t fight to save your own life! The lives of your brothers depend on your sword!”
Mu Jin’s eyes wavered.
And at that very moment, something suddenly rose before his eyes.
A sword, sharpened and gleaming bright blue, and the vivid killing intent surrounding it, froze Mu Jin in place.
‘Too late…’
Clang!
Before Mu Jin could even close his eyes, he vividly saw the scene of a sword reaching out from beside him to deflect the incoming blade.
“Sasuk! Are you alright?”
“…”
What Mu Jin saw was not Jin Hyeon’s sword that saved him, but Jin Hyeon’s shoulder, which was cut by the enemy’s blade as he tried to save Mu Jin while facing his own opponent.
The splatter of blood from Jin Hyeon’s shoulder painfully struck Mu Jin’s eyes.
“Not yet! Not yet!”
Mu Jin’s face twisted like a demon’s.
‘I was…’
Why on earth had he been lost in thought?
Heo Gong’s words were the truth. If he wavered, he wouldn’t be the only one to die. His sword carried more than just his own life.
“Aaaaaaaaah!”
Mu Jin’s sword flew, enveloped in fearsome sword energy.
“Sasuk!”
Where the clear sword energy extended, white and black sword energy surged.
The sword energy unleashed by Mu Jin swept away Sapaeryeon’s attackers from the front.
Agonizing screams erupted.
The presence of that overwhelming sword energy temporarily halted the unilateral momentum of the battlefield.
“Come on! Evil Sect’s scum! You cannot violate Wudang until you’ve passed over my corpse!”
There may be no nobility worth protecting here, even at the cost of life. Perhaps merely standing here was a mistake born of their own arrogance.
But…
‘Even so!’
There is still a reason to fight. There is still something to protect. Until this life is extinguished.
“You will not lay a finger on my brothers!”
Mu Jin’s sword, having cast aside bravado and righteousness, was now filled with deep, desperate resolve.
❀ ❀ ❀
“…Earnestness?”
“Yes.”
Chung Myung looked at Jang Ilso with indifferent eyes.
“What do you mean? Do you believe because you earnestly hope? Because you want someone to do something for you in your place?”
“…”
“How is that different from irresponsibility?”
“It’s different.”
“Tsk. You’re being stubborn. There’s no difference.”
“It’s different.”
“…”
Chung Myung’s eyes sank deeply.
“You might be right. But if you’re truly earnest, you must build your abilities. You must do it yourself rather than rely on someone else.”
Jang Ilso slowly nodded. No, he seemed about to nod.
“Heo Do Jinin knew that too.”
“…”
Chung Myung did not even glance at Heo Do Jinin. But his words were surely heard by him as well.
“But in the end, he chose to believe. Instead of breaking wills with force and imposing what he believed to be right, he chose a more difficult and arduous path, perhaps even a path to ruin.”
“That’s foolishness.”
“No. We call that earnestness.”
Chung Myung’s lips twisted. His white teeth showed like a beast’s fangs.
“Listen carefully, you idiot.”
“…”
“You’re right. Not a single thing you said is wrong. But that’s why you’re stupid.”
Jang Ilso’s eyes narrowed.
“Stupid?”
“Yes. If your way is to achieve everything through your own abilities alone.”
Chung Myung’s voice cut through like a blade.
“What will you do when you encounter something you can’t achieve with your strength alone?”
“…”
Jang Ilso’s face momentarily hardened.
“Will you give up? Will you let it go? Or will you just shake your head and grasp only what you can?”
“…”
“A person will inevitably face it – something they cannot achieve alone, something beyond their abilities. Yet something they cannot give up on or turn away from!”
“Hmm…”
Jang Ilso’s head turned.
Heo Do Jinin, who had never shown a proper reaction until now, was squeezing out a voice. A voice that could not be distinguished as laughter or crying.
“The earnestness of someone who must achieve the unattainable. The despair of having to reach a place you can never reach no matter how hard you push yourself. That’s what I… no, what we…”
Chung Myung bared his teeth.
“…call faith.”
❀ ❀ ❀
“Sasuk!”
“Yes! I can see it too!”
Mu Jin shouted, his voice filled with desperation.
A whirlwind of emotions surged within his voice, perhaps even those that didn’t suit this urgent battlefield.
But no one in the world could blame Mu Jin for that.
He saw it. Below the high Mount Wudang. Still distant, but visible.
A group of people rushing toward this place at an incredible speed.
He knew. Even if they were still just shapes in the distance, he knew who they were and why they were coming!
“Cheon…”
Mu Jin’s hand trembled.
No, perhaps it wasn’t his hand that was trembling but his heart.
As Mu Jin’s face twisted as if collapsing, the vague shapes in the darkness slowly but surely became clearer.
“Cheonumaeeeeeeeeng!”
Mu Jin shouted until his chest felt like it would burst.
And the moment this name, which now carried so much meaning, echoed across the battlefield, the atmosphere on the White-Faced Cliff, filled with only defiance and despair, changed as if by magic.
“Cheonumaeng! Cheonumaeng is here!”
Those who were gripping their swords and fighting, those who were preparing for the end, those who were pouring out everything they had left, even those who were celebrating having trampled the great Wudang were surprised by the shout and turned their heads.
Beyond the rising peak, they could clearly see.
Like splitting the darkness, they were rushing toward them. And leading them at the front was a figure in dazzling white robes, drawing a sword as if to guide them all.
“Baek Cheon! It’s Hwasan! Hwasan has come leading Cheonumaeng! Reinforcements!”
They would surely come, surely! If it were them.
It was the moment when the earnest wish called faith has finally come true.
Next chapter>>>
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