Chapter 1682
That’s not my concern! (2)
“Earnestness, huh…”
Jang Ilso’s fingertips fiddled with the liquor cup.
His movements were extremely slow. It was an ordinary action without anything special, but somehow it was hard to take one’s eyes off those fingertips.
“An interesting word.”
Jang Ilso leaned back slightly. Despite sitting on a chair without a backrest, he appeared as if he were reclining fully.
“Isn’t it strange?”
“…What’s strange?”
“Earnestness… As you said, earnestness might be another name for faith. But if that’s the case, earnestness might also be another name for something else.”
Jang Ilso curled up the corners of his lips.
“Desire, that is.”
“…”
Jang Ilso’s gaze pierced Chung Myung.
“To earnestly wish for something, to earnestly want something – the world calls that desire.”
“And so?”
“So it’s strange, isn’t it?”
Jang Ilso chuckled softly.
“The so-called scum of the Evil Sect speaks of duty in the name of responsibility, and the supposedly great hero of the Just Sect speaks of desire in the name of earnestness.”
“…”
“Doesn’t it feel… like something has changed?”
Chung Myung’s gaze sank heavily.
“What are you trying to say?”
“Haha! Don’t make such a scary face. It’s just interesting, that’s all.”
Jang Ilso’s eyes glimmered mischievously.
Those eyes mocked everything – Wudang trying to defend the mountain, Sapaeryeon attacking them, Cheonumaeng doing everything they could to save them, and even Chung Myung, who was trying to stop Jang Ilso here… or perhaps even himself, sitting here and laughing.
“It just made me think.”
“Think about what?”
“If you were sitting in my place right now, what would you say?”
“…”
“And if I were in your place, what would I be saying? Would I also be discussing that ridiculous sense of righteousness?”
Jang Ilso’s sneer pierced Chung Myung’s ears.
“What do you think?”
“…”
“Isn’t it interesting?”
That smile was vividly etched into Chung Myung’s eyes.
❀ ❀ ❀
“We’ve broken through!”
Jo Geol retrieved his extended sword and thrust it again. He could see Baek Cheon and his party charging forward in the lead.
“Get out of the way!”
Swoosh!
As the enemies, startled by his sword energy, scattered left and right, a clear path opened up in front of Jo Geol.
“Alright, everyone, just keep going…”
About to charge forward as usual, Jo Geol flinched and quickly turned around. Sapaeryeon’s members who had been pushed aside on the left and right were cautiously closing the distance behind the members following him.
“Keep going! Just keep going!”
Jo Geol shouted, stopping in his tracks and turning around.
The old Jo Geol would have been the most excited to charge forward once the path was clear, but the current Jo Geol was different from before.
“Get back, you bastards!”
Swoosh!
His sword unfolded in a different manner than before. He held the sword in reverse and swung it wide horizontally. It was a technique aimed more at creating space through intimidation than at piercing the enemy.
It felt awkward, like wearing clothes that didn’t fit, but its power was not inferior to his specialty – stabbing.
‘Think! More!’
In the past, Jo Geol would have just charged ahead. Then his Sahyeongs would handle the situation behind him. But here, there were no Sahyeongs to understand his intentions and adjust accordingly. Jo Geol had to take on their roles as well.
However.
“Where are we going, vice-leader?”
“Should we follow Hwasan’s Vice Sect Leader?”
“Which way should we go?”
“Huh?”
Jo Geol quickly turned his head.
“W-What’s this!”
The ones who had stepped forward to lead were splitting up. Some were heading towards Baek Cheon’s direction, while others were running straight toward the mountain peak.
As a result, those following them began to hesitate and slow down in confusion.
“No! Follow Baek Cheon Sasuk! Follow Hwasan’s Vice Sect Leader!”
“You have to tell us!”
“What?”
Jo Geol’s eyes wavered. Had he not said anything?
No! Even if he hadn’t said anything, wasn’t this obvious?
“F-Follow Vice Sect Leader! Hwasan’s Vice Sect Leader! Quickly!”
Jo Geol shouted loudly. But his voice was drowned out by the roar of the battlefield and couldn’t spread effectively.
For a moment, conflict was written on Jo Geol’s face.
‘Should I return to the front? But what about the rear?’
When the group pierced through, the enemy would surely pursue them from behind, and he couldn’t just leave the rear unguarded.
‘What should I do…?’
Just as Jo Geol’s sword hesitated, Sapaeryeon’s warriors, noticing the hesitation, charged at him.
“Wait a minute!”
As Jo Geol was about to swing his sword to deal with them, someone stepped forward and struck first.
Startled, Jo Geol nearly swung his sword in response but managed to stop it when he saw a golden flash.
Voooom!
A golden fist swept away the charging enemies, sending them flying back. The sheer intensity of the attack was astonishing, as always.
“Amitabha. Jo Geol Siju, were you surprised…”
“Hey! How can you just jump in like that? If I hadn’t seen your bald head, I might have slashed your back!”
“…”
Hye Yeon looked at Jo Geol with a twisted expression.
“…I’ll take care of things here, so go ahead.”
“What?”
At that moment, another explosion pierced Jo Geol’s ears.
Boom!
A large boulder-like sword energy from behind crushed the momentum of those preparing to pursue.
“Who would’ve thought Jo Geol Dojang would think of blocking the rear? My father’s saying that even someone who seems hopeless will grow eventually was right.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“Go! Jo Geol Dojang! You have things to do!”
“Oh, right!”
Jo Geol turned and charged forward.
“Then I’ll leave the rear to you!”
“Yes!”
Watching Jo Geol quickly pick up speed toward the front, Namgung Dowi chuckled.
“Siju.”
“Yes, Monk.”
“Did your late father really say that?”
Namgung Dowi grinned.
“No, I just made it up.”
“…”
“Is there a problem?”
“Amitabha… No, nothing.”
Hye Yeon smiled gently. Well, if it’s Jo Geol… he deserves it.
“It wasn’t a bad thing to say. I was genuinely surprised.”
“I agree.”
The saying ‘the position makes the man’ wasn’t entirely empty, it seemed. Who would have thought Jo Geol would start considering the rear? But still, that wasn’t something Jo Geol was particularly good at.
“Shall we stop them?”
“Yes.”
Hye Yeon and Namgung Dowi gathered their internal energy. Their task was to break the enemy’s will to pursue. This was something they, leading the group, had to do.
And it was what they did best.
“Sasuk! Sahyeong!”
“You’re late, you idiot!”
“Why are you so slow! You can’t even do what you used to!”
Jo Geol, looking like he was going to die of frustration, pounded his chest. He acted thoughtfully, but these people didn’t appreciate it.
“Move forward!”
“What?”
“Break through the front!”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“What do you think, you idiot!”
Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong simultaneously pointed toward the mountain’s peak. More precisely, they indicated a white cliff, which was visible in the distance.
“There it is!”
“That’s the place!”
“…”
“We’re going to break through in one go. There’s no time to drag this out.”
“Destroy everything in sight!”
“W-What, me? Those guys are already rampaging!”
Jo Geol’s eyes caught sight of Yu Iseol and Jin Geumryong, who were literally crushing the enemy at the front. While Jin Geumryong was one thing, Yu Iseol was a few steps ahead.
“Don’t hesitate!”
Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong grabbed Jo Geol’s shoulders from both sides and pushed him forward. Baek Cheon, forcing him to the front, spoke in the most serious tone.
“Breaking through the front is your job. There’s no one who can do it better than you.”
“…”
“If we’re late, Wudang is in danger. Can you do it?”
Jo Geol’s face took on a peculiar expression upon hearing those words.
“Can I do it?”
“Yes!”
“What are you saying?”
Jo Geol gripped his Plum Blossom Sword and grinned.
“Just try not to fall behind, old men!”
Boom!
Jo Geol pushed off the ground with enough force to break it and charged forward.
“Get out of the way! You’re too slow!”
With confidence brimming to the tip of his sword, that glowed red as it caught the flare of the blazing flames.
“They’ve broken through!”
“They’re entering the mountain! Commander!”
The subordinates’ faces turned pale.
The enemy had gotten behind them. Even if they could somehow manage that, the problem was that Sapaeryeon’s forces entering the mountain were scattered everywhere.
Rebuild the formation?
That was impossible. How could they convey orders to those scattered across the burning mountain?
Being attacked from behind while operating with only the single goal of annihilating Wudang in the shortest time was beyond horrific.
Now that those left as a defensive line had been easily breached, they were left to be attacked from behind.
“We have to do something!”
“Their target is Wudang! We must eliminate Wudang before they arrive.”
“But the damage will be immense! What about the aftermath?”
“Those who lose their objective will inevitably lose their will! We must break their morale now!”
“Even if they’ve entered the mountain, there’s nothing to fear! They can’t move on the burning mountain as if it’s flat land! Instead, since they’ve entered the mountain…”
“Silence.”
“…”
With a single word, the subordinates, who had been thrown into confusion, fell silent.
Unlike their evident agitation, Ho Gamyeong’s expression was unwavering.
Ho Gamyeong observed their movements with calm eyes for a moment and nodded.
“Typical of Cheonumaeng.”
“What?”
“Relay orders to everyone possible. Block their advance route as much as possible.”
“A-Advance route? How can we know that?”
“There’s no need to worry.”
Ho Gamyeong’s fingertip pointed at Cheonumaeng and then moved to point directly below him.
“Straight line to here.”
“…”
“The opponent is Cheonumaeng. They’re not the type to look back in this situation. They’ll come straight.”
“Such a reckless method…”
While impossible for ordinary people, it’s feasible for martial artists. Especially with Cheonumaeng Ho Gamyeong knows, they’ll definitely choose the shortest, not the best, path.
“But, Commander! It’s not only difficult to relay orders, but even if we manage to do so, it’s impossible to block them in time. We’ll end up merely chasing their tails.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“What?”
At that moment, Ho Gamyeong turned to look at the subordinate who had questioned him.
Meeting his gaze, the subordinate immediately realized his mistake and quickly lowered his head.
“I will carry out the order.”
“Quickly. Immediately.”
“Yes!”
As the subordinate hurried off, Ho Gamyeong watched him for a moment before turning away again.
‘They’ve gained momentum.’
It was evident at a glance how excited and confident they were.
They were entitled to be. Even Ho Gamyeong felt a tingling sensation in his fingertips, unlike when he faced Wudang. This wasn’t because of any bad memories he had of Cheonumaeng. It was clear that their strength itself was a direct threat to him.
“It’s fine for now. But… they will soon realize.”
Ho Gamyeong’s gaze deepened.
A fox that mistakes a tiger’s strength for its own will only die a miserable clown.
Just like Cheonumaeng now.
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