At last, you shall see it. (3)

“Aaaaaaaaah!”

It was like a nightmare.

At the moment when devils [마귀] – their origin unknown – jumped out and went straight for the back of his neck, intent on tearing it off, Moyong Wigyeong quickly realized.

Him and the ones here were no match for them.

Because they were exhausted? Because they were ambushed? That wasn’t the reason. Even if they had been fully prepared, they wouldn’t have stood a chance against these enemies.

Especially…

Crunch.

The dark-stained hand of the one clad in black seized an Alliance’s warrior’s head and ripped it off. It looked as effortless as if he were handling a toy. Then, without even so much as a small exclamation, he immediately closed in on another one.

“Aaaaah!”

A hand brimming with black energy mercilessly pierced through the flesh.

Crunch!

In a single motion, the black-clad figure pulled out a heart, then casually tossed it aside and pressed down on the face of the convulsing Alliance’s warrior.

All of this happened in the span of a single breath. In such a situation, what meaning could resistance possibly hold?

‘Where on earth did such monsters come from?!’

He had never even heard of bastards like that being a part of Sapaeryeon..

Even Red Dogs, direct subordinates of Jang Ilso, weren’t this merciless. In fact, a subtle fear crept into the eyes of the red-clad figures, who were clearly on the same side.

“You… you monstrous bastards! Uaaaah!”

One warrior of the Alliance swung his sword with all his might at the black-clad figure, surrounding the blade with a powerful, surging sword energy.

Clang!

But the black-clad figure’s pitch-black hand grabbed the incoming sword.

“Huk!”

A sword brimming with energy – no further explanation was needed as to how sharp it was. Yet it failed to leave even the slightest scratch on the black-clad figure’s hand.

Kaaaang!

The moment the black-clad figure’s hand twisted, the captured sword broke into two pieces in an instant. The black-clad figure swung his hand like a bolt of lightning and struck the blade that broke off away.

Thunk!

The broken blade returned to its owner.

“G…g…”

Because of the broken blade lodged in his neck, the member of Cheonumaeng couldn’t even manage a proper shout and only let out a gasp filled with shock. But from his wide-open eyes alone, it was clear he couldn’t believe what was happening.

Boom!

Before his astonishment could even turn into fear, another fist came flying. The Alliance warrior’s head was crushed in a single blow.

“Urgh…”

It was truly a gruesome and horrifying sight. It was enough to shatter the fighting spirit the Alliance’s warriors had barely managed to muster.

“Everyone, fall back! Fall back!”

Moyong Wigyeong, without hesitation, gave the best order he could.

“Don’t try to fight them – just run! Don’t even look back, just get out of here! Now!”

It was impossible to stand against them. They wouldn’t even be able to stall the enemy and would only lose their lives in vain. In that case, it was a hundred times better to minimize the sacrifices and plan for the future.

Any sense of shame about fleeing from these Evil Sects’ forces wasn’t even worth considering.

Moyong Wigyeong was never one to sacrifice his subordinates’ precious lives for worthless pride. Even if most of them hadn’t been vassals of Moyong Family, he would have made the same choice.

“Did you not hear me? I said run! Hurry!”

But unfortunately, Moyong Wigyeong’s desperate command could not be carried out.

It wasn’t because the warriors ignored his order. Having seen with their own eyes that they were no match, they were about to turn and flee the moment the order was given.

It was simply that the enemy’s attack swept over them far more quickly.

“Gahk!”

“R-Run… urk!”

Confronting a beast you cannot face head-on and leaving your back defenseless came with a harsh price. To make matters worse, they had already depleted their inner strength while pursuing the fake Jang Ilso, leaving them unable to flee at full speed.

Crunch!

A black hand pierces through a heart. The withered fingers, like branches of an ancient tree, ended with sharp nails that severed the blood vessels without a shred of hesitation.

“Aaaaaah!”

It was a one-sided slaughter [살육], close to a massacre [학살]. Witnessing the horror unfolding before him, Moyong Wigyeong trembled as though gripped by a raging fever.

‘It’s because of me.’

They shouldn’t have chased him.

He knew perfectly well that the one he was chasing was likely a fake, yet he couldn’t let go of that slim possibility. He couldn’t discard these damned ambitions.

What’s more, hadn’t he already fallen for it once?

Shaolin was lost. Paeng family was lost. Kongtong was lost.

So intoxicated by the situation and strategy, he never doubted victory, and in the moment he least expected it, he was struck, losing what should have never been lost. Even after such a bitter lesson, why did he repeat the same mistake?

If there was anyone who should have been the most wary of how meticulous and ruthless the enemy was, and who should have raised the alarm first, Moyong Wigyeong was surely among them. Yet, spurred on by a worthless sense of honor, he committed the same grave mistake.

If the price to pay had been only his own life, Moyong Wigyeong could have accepted that. Even as he lamented his fate bitterly, perhaps in the last moment, he might have managed a hollow laugh, dismissing it simply as bad luck.

But what crime did these people commit?

Who would take responsibility for the deaths of the subordinates who died so pointlessly, simply because they followed a fool like him?

Everything – every last bit of it…!

“Uwaaaaaaah!”

Moyong Wigyeong, tears of blood streaming down his face, stomped on the ground. Ferocious sword energy surged from his blade. Even through the bloody tears, his gaze frantically searched for a certain man not too far away.

Not the fake, but the real one. The one Moyong Wigyeong had been so desperately seeking.

“Jang Ilsooooooo!”

Yes, it was all because of that man.

The earnest desire he felt while chasing him earlier could not be put into words. How he had wished for Jang Ilso to stand before him.

Yet the moment that wish was granted, Moyong Wigyeong could only weep tears of blood.

“Jang Ilso! Jang Ilsooo! Uaaaah! Jang Ilsooo!”

Having lost his mind, Moyong Wigyeong hurled himself at Jang Ilso, as if he no longer cared about his life, pouring forth every last drop of his inner energy.

But Moyong Wigyeong’s sword could not harm Jang Ilso. In fact, it couldn’t even reach him.

Fwoosh.

From somewhere, a pitch-black hand suddenly shot towards his face.

Moyong Wigyeong twisted his head with all his might, but that devilish black hand changed direction like a venomous snake and ended up gripping and tearing at his face.

“Guh…!”

Before he could even register the pain, another hand flew in succession and seized his arm.

Crack!

“Aaaaaaah!”

His shoulder joint was twisted violently. It felt as though his entire arm would be ripped from its socket. Then, a powerful strike slammed into his knees with a thunderous crash.

Crunch.

Simultaneously, hands struck from both sides, digging brutally into his ribs. The pain was so excruciating that he couldn’t even let out a groan. Moyong Wigyeong’s mouth hung open.

Thud.

His legs, unable to support his body any longer, gave way, and he collapsed onto the ground.

“Jang Ilsooooo!”

Then, unbelievably, Moyong Wigyeong suddenly surged upwards again, as if propelled forward.

His bloodshot eyes, red with rage, caught sight of Jang Ilso charging in this direction.

“Ooooooooh!”

Boooom!

In a single burst, Moyong Wigyeong tore through the air towards Jang Ilso, pouring every last drop of strength into a single strike. It was the most powerful blow he would ever unleash in his entire life.

Kaaaaaaang!

His sword clashed with Jang Ilso’s rings, producing a sharp, metallic sound. From the impact, the skin on the back of Jang Ilso’s hand split, spraying blood.

“Hhhuaaaah!”

Moyong Wigyeong unleashed a flurry of follow-up strikes. The sword energy, so sharp it looked nearly transparent, poured forth, slashing repeatedly into Jang Ilso’s body.

Slash! Slash!

The sword energy cut through Jang Ilso’s flesh in quick succession.

Yet instead of retreating, Jang Ilso moved even closer to Moyong Wigyeong.

Kaaang!

Jang Ilso tightly grasped the bracelets that had been clattering on his wrists and swung his arm, effortlessly deflecting the incoming sword energy. Then, he spoke casually.

“Try to understand.”

Fwoosh.

Jang Ilso’s hand shot towards Moyong Wigyeong’s chest. The moment a bluish flame shimmered, Moyong Wigyeong instinctively jerked his body back.

But at that instant, several rings from Jang Ilso’s fingers shot out like lightning bolts, embedding themselves deep into Moyong Wigyeong’s flesh.

Thunk! Thunk!

“Ghk…!”

The indescribable pain froze Moyong Wigyeong in place. Right then, Jang Ilso’s hand pierced through Moyong Wigyeong’s lower abdomen.

Crunch!

Moyong Wigyeong’s entire body went rigid, and his fingertips trembled.

Jang Ilso leaned in close to his rigid face and smiled gently.

“My, my… that must hurt.”

Moyong Wigyeong’s body completely collapsed. Pulling his hand out from the lower abdomen, Jang Ilso slowly raised his foot and pressed down on Moyong Wigyeong’s wrist, where his hand still gripped his sword.

“Jang Il… …”

“How foolish of you. If you’d cast aside your pride and fled, perhaps you could’ve at least saved your own life.”

“You… you bastard…”

Moyong Wigyeong mustered every ounce of strength to raise his head. Someone tried to force it down, but he used what little power he had left to look up at Jang Ilso.

Just as Jang Ilso smiled faintly at Moyong Wigyeong-

“Ptui!”

Moyong Wigyeong spat a thick gob of bloody spit right at Jang Ilso’s face.

“R-Ryeonju!”

The members of the Blood Palace were panicked. They didn’t manage to stop it. The thick, blood-tinged spit trickled down Jang Ilso’s cheek. As everyone froze in shock, Jang Ilso casually wiped his cheek with his sleeve.

“Doesn’t seem like you’re going to beg for your life.”

Moyong Wigyeong bared his teeth, stained with blood, in a grin.

“I’ll… be… waiting… in hell…”

“Sure. You do that.”

Fwoosh!

A golden bracelet embedded itself in the middle of Moyong Wigyeong’s forehead.

“Guh… …”

Even in his last moment of life, Moyong Wigyeong glared at Jang Ilso before finally letting his head fall. His limp head thumped against Jang Ilso’s foot.

Jang Ilso casually nudged Moyong Wigyeong’s head away with his foot, lifting the corners of his mouth.

“Aaaaaaaaah!”

By now, the cleanup around them was nearly complete.

“That’s enough.”

At Jang Ilso’s curt command, those who were about to continue their slaughter of the fleeing stragglers stopped in their tracks.

“Leave the rest alone.”

Jang Ilso glanced at the figures scrambling away in the distance and shrugged. If he wanted, he could chase them down and kill them all. But now was not the time to waste energy on such meaningless matters.

In the blink of an eye, the surrounding land had become a massive graveyard. It took less than half a gak* to erase the lives of nearly a hundred people who had been here just moments before.

“Now, let’s be on our way. We need to keep moving – after all, that scary Taoist is bound to be closing in on us.”

Jang Ilso kicked off the ground without hesitation. Right behind him, the members of the Blood Palace and the Demonic Cult swiftly followed.

“Ryeonju?”

As if he knew exactly which direction to go, there wasn’t a trace of uncertainty in Jang Ilso’s movements. The Blood Palace Lord couldn’t help but harbor doubts.

Now, there was no such thing as distinct factions – everyone had become a tangled mess. The battlefield itself had grown so vast that no one could truly grasp its scope. There was simply no way to tell where their other enemies might be.

Yet, Jang Ilso moved as if he knew precisely where to go – as though certain that his steps would lead directly to his foes.

“Of course.”

As though reading the Blood Palace Lord’s thoughts, Jang Ilso spoke calmly.

“I’m the one who scattered them in the first place. I know full well where they’ll be.”

Even as he spoke so calmly, Jang Ilso’s speed was terrifying. It was as if the wide plain had been compressed, rushing past their view in a blur. The Blood Palace warriors could only muster their utmost just to keep up.

But the payoff was immediate and clear.

“Look.”

The Blood Palace Lord’s eyes widened in shock. Where Jang Ilso’s gaze fell, there indeed stood a group of warriors.

‘How could this…’

Did that mean Jang Ilso truly knew the positions of Cheonumaeng’s members scattered across this vast battlefield? Was he simply hunting them down, one by one, like prey already trapped in the palm of his hand?

‘Someone is coming after him?’

Who would even dare? How could anyone track down someone like this?

No matter how otherworldly Maehwa Geomgwi’s abilities might be, was such a feat even possible?

Suddenly, an image flashed through the Blood Palace Lord’s mind: a colossal beast, its abdomen torn open by enormous fangs, panting in its final moments, waiting only for death.

And the predator that possessed those fangs stood right here. Now, it would feast upon the wounded prey while it still drew breath.

“Half a sichen*.”

Jang Ilso bared his white teeth in a grin.

“In half a sichen, I will wipe the name of Cheonumaeng from the face of this world.”

A chill of dread pierced the Blood Palace Lord’s very bones. Alongside it, from deep within, rose an overwhelming and uncontrollable fear.