What’s the meaning of this? (1)

Jang Ilso tapped the corner of his mouth with a clearly displeased expression.

“This is getting boring.”

His gaze was fixed on one spot.

‘Jin Songwon.’

He was the Sect Leader of Diancang, the very one who had once been forced to kneel before Jang Ilso. Now, the disciples of Diancang were gathering around him.

Of course, they hadn’t turned their blades on his side. But in the midst of this fierce battlefield, they were lowering their swords one by one. In other words, they were prepared to break away, at least to some extent.

Ho Gamyeong hardened his expression as he spoke.

“Ryeonju, if this goes on…”

“Tsk, tsk. Anyway, those who are lacking backbone…”

Jang Ilso let out a somewhat exaggerated sigh.

“There’s nothing we can do about it. We can’t just pick up the whip again now.”

“Still, shouldn’t we do something about it? I’ll go.”

“Ah, leave them be.”

Jang Ilso waved his hand as if the whole thing was too bothersome.

“I was somewhat expecting this anyway. Those who kneel so easily never see their will through to the end.”

“Then we should at least send a warning. They ought to pay the price…”

“Are you planning on making even more enemies?”

At Jang Ilso’s soft yet sharp question, Ho Gamyeong fell silent.

If they took the hostages’ lives right now, it would be the most certain punishment. But from that moment on, those people would become the deadliest of enemies, throwing their lives aside to come charging in.

“The mere fact that we have hostages keeps them from openly resisting us – even in the worst-case scenario. So just leave them be.”

“…Understood.”

Ho Gamyeong nodded reluctantly.

It was clearly a wise decision, that had been made with more foresight. He could not deny it.

Nonetheless, Sapaeryeon and Cheonumaeng will at least near the conclusion here.

Punishing them can be done at any time afterwards.

Frankly speaking, just from using them all this time, they have already reaped enormous benefits.

‘However…‘

Regardless, Ho Gamyeong felt uneasy. Because the situation was taking a turn for the worse.

Jin Songwon and Diancang breaking away was a major factor, but what was even more frustrating was that the influential figures he had deployed were failing to exert their power. On top of that, the Red Dogs – who were supposed to deliver the finishing blow – were unable to break through the enemy’s shield.

‘Those bastards……‘

Ho Gamyeong lightly bit his lip.

Hwasan. Again, Hwasan. Those bastards were stubbornly blocking the Red Dogs. He had run out of new curses to hurl at those tiresome enemies. He was sick of it.

It wasn’t that Hwasan was fighting the Red Dogs on equal footing. But whenever Hwasan showed any sign of weakness, there were always those who appeared without fail.

Those who wore a black-and-white Taiji symbol on their chests.

‘Wudang’s bastards…….’

Hwasan and Wudang are like the two great pillars of Taoism.

For that reason, one would expect them to be at each other’s throats, yet the two sects were standing side by side on the front lines, fighting together. It was truly a source of immense pressure.

‘I should have made sure to wipe them out sooner, somehow.‘

If Hwasan and Wudang were the reason they couldn’t dominate the front lines now, whose fault could it be? Despite having seized full authority, Ho Gamyeong had failed to fulfill what he’d promised, so the blame could only fall on him.

War isn’t about fighting to win – it’s about having already won before you even fight. He had failed to grasp that timeless truth.

Ho Gamyeong finally forced himself to speak, even though the words were hardly leaving his mouth.

“Ryeonju. If this continues…”

We’ll lose.

But he couldn’t bring himself to say those words out loud.

In truth, Jang Ilso must know as well. When riding a wave of momentum, the Evil Sects are terrifying beyond measure, but once the fight drags on, they fail to bring out their full strength. After all, their martial arts were never meant for prolonged battles.

If they fail to break through the front lines and create chaos, this plain will eventually be filled with Sapa’s corpses.

Jang Ilso lightly scratched his cheek. It wasn’t an anxious gesture – if anything, it felt more like he was making a joke as he muttered to himself.

“Khmmm. We’re going to lose.”

“Ryeonju…….”

“Hmm, should I step in personally?”

“That’s…”

Ho Gamyeong swallowed his words. What he ought to say was, of course, ‘No, you must not.’ But he couldn’t bring himself to say it, because there seemed to be no other solution than having Jang Ilso take the field now.

Or perhaps this was the last chance for Jang Ilso to step in. No matter how strong a trump card might be, if the tide of battle shifts too far, you can end up losing without ever getting a proper chance to use it. Such situations are more common than one would think.

Unable to shake his worries, Ho Gamyeong heard Jang Ilso’s voice.

“You seem concerned.”

Startled by how clearly he saw through him, Ho Gamyeong flinched. Although Jang Ilso hadn’t even turned his gaze away from the battlefield, it was as if he could see straight into Ho Gamyeong’s heart.

“My apologies.”

“My, my. You say such needless things.”

At that moment, Ho Gamyeong felt a sudden, strange sensation.

It went beyond being relaxed and felt almost gentle.

Until just a moment ago, Ho Gamyeong had thought Jang Ilso’s composure stemmed from certainty of victory. But now, a peculiar sense of dissonance crept in.

“Don’t worry. I’ve already made some preparations, haven’t I?”

Jang Ilso made a slight gesture with his chin towards something. With a puzzled expression, Ho Gamyeong followed his gaze in that direction, and his eyes widened.

“That is…”

“What do you think will happen?”

Ho Gamyeong momentarily lost his words. Is it a brilliant move? No, you couldn’t really call it that.

Yet, could it still be a fatal move? Yes, you could say so.

In this situation, there is no clever trick that can instantly reverse the tide of the battle. Even if overwhelmingly strong reinforcements appeared and jumped into the battlefield, it would only prolong the war of attrition, not change its overall flow.

But that might just…

“Ryeonju. Did you plan all of this from the start?”

“Do you really think so? I was just lucky.”

Ho Gamyeong silently fixed his gaze on Jang Ilso.

Perhaps Jang Ilso had foreseen all of this. Or maybe he had forced this situation into existence.

If that were the case… what does Jang Ilso envision as the end of this war? Could he even have that part mapped out in his mind? Or…

As Ho Gamyeong continued to think it over, he unconsciously bit down on the inside of his cheek. Only then did he finally realize: he had never heard Jang Ilso speak of the ‘end’ he had imagined.

❀ ❀ ❀

A swift sword energy swept through the enemy lines.

“Uaaaargh!”

Crunch!

It pierced the enemy’s heart with absurd ease – so quickly that the foe had no chance to defend.

“Argh! This isn’t right!”

But the very man who unleashed that breathtaking sword strike, Jo Geol, let out an enraged shout. He looked so frustrated he seemed ready to collapse where he stood.

His swordsmanship had clearly advanced one level beyond what it was before. It was astonishingly fast, precise, and powerful – even he found it surprising.

Yet that was all. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t regain the sense of the sword he had wielded just moments ago. He knew that the more one obsesses, the farther it drifts away, but it wasn’t easy to completely forget the sense of fulfillment that had once lingered in his hand at that moment.

Especially not for someone like Jo Geol.

Suddenly, a blade emerged from somewhere and flew at his neck.

“Watch out!”

Clang!

Before Jo Geol could even react, a sword suddenly thrust forth to block that blade. Driving his own blade into the chest of Sapaeryeon’s swordsman, Jo Geol spoke curtly.

“I didn’t need your help.”

“I wasn’t entirely sure, so… just in case.”

“Mm… Well, thanks, I guess.”

Wudang’s Jin Hyeon smiled faintly at Jo Geol’s sulky face.

‘Jo Geol, huh…‘

It had been quite a while since Jin Hyeon had last seen this man. Back then, he was merely watching Jin Hyeon’s spar with Baek Cheon.

At that time, Jin Hyeon never imagined Jo Geol would become this formidable. And it wasn’t because he’d lacked the eye to see talent. No one in the world, not only Jin Hyeon, could have predicted it.

What set Jo Geol apart from others wasn’t his effort or his talent. It was his will to carry through with his chosen path. You could feel it just by looking at this man. And…

“Be careful!”

Clang!

Jo Geol extended his sword and knocked away the blade flying towards Jin Hyeon. Then he spoke brazenly.

“I’ve repaid the debt!”

There hadn’t even been much danger.

“Ah, I was just about to do the same!”

Jin Hyeon let out a small laugh. Fate is truly strange. Back then, he never imagined a day would come when he would be fighting alongside these people.

“Hey, Jo Geol Dojang.”

“What?”

“Do you drink?”

“What kind of random question is that?”

No one yet knows if this war will end in their victory or not. Nor can anyone say for sure if Jin Hyeon will survive it.

But if both he and Jo Geol make it through alive, he’d like to sit down and have a drink with him someday. It didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Ugh, it’s driving me crazy. Tell me what you mean!”

“…I said it’s nothing.”

Of course, it won’t be easy. Even if no further harm comes to Wudang, they’ve already sunk too deep into the mire. Those who survive will have to endure a long, grueling time ahead.

But for now…

Wooong.

Jin Hyeon’s sword let out a clear ring.

Yes, for now, it’s enough to have discovered the direction forward.

One of the Red Dogs charged at him. With a chilling whistle, the fierce blade whirled through the air.

“Haap!”

Jin Hyeon responded with a graceful swing of his sword.

Kagagak!

The blade slid along the flat side of his sword. Instead of meeting force with force, he countered it with gentleness. This was Wudang’s way.

Right after letting the blade slip by, Jin Hyeon’s sword traced a circle. The fluid motion of the sword parried every consecutive strike without fail, then carved a long slash into the enemy’s shoulder.

“Wow…”

Jo Geol, who had been fighting someone else nearby, couldn’t help but exclaim involuntarily.

He felt it every time he saw it, but Wudang’s swordsmanship was beyond wondrous. To Jo Geol, it seemed less like swordsmanship and more like acrobatic performance. He couldn’t even dream of imitating it. He knew instinctively that even if he trained his whole life, he could never wield a sword like that.

“A pine caterpillar* should stick to pine needles!”

Before the enemy could fully swing his weapon, Jo Geol stabbed him in the side.

Those nearby began to let the fear show in their eyes.

“What, are you scared…”

Jo Geol was speaking with a laugh when he abruptly fell silent. Even while fighting, he had been instinctively keeping an eye on what was happening behind him. It seemed he had spotted something that froze him in place.

“Dojang?”

Sensing that something was off about Jo Geol’s demeanor, Jin Hyeon called to him in a puzzled voice. But Jo Geol didn’t answer – he just stared intently at something.

‘What is he looking at?’

What could be behind them? Beyond them lay only Cheonumaeng’s warriors who had not yet joined the battle, and the vast plains. And if one looked even further beyond that…

Jin Hyeon flinched and hastily turned his gaze. Not towards the wide plains, but beyond, towards the jagged mountain rising up in the distance.

“…What?”

Jin Hyeon’s eyes shook violently.

Though it was gradually regaining a bit of greenery, the miserably sparse Mount Wudang came into view.

Near the upper part of that mountain – somewhere close to the summit – something red caught his eye.

“Th-That is…?”

A look of shock spread across Jin Hyeon’s face.

It was too far away to be clear, but there was no doubt. A considerable number of people were climbing Mount Wudang.

Why would they climb the mountain? At this moment, what could there possibly be on Wudang…?

Jin Hyeon’s gaze drifted upwards. He could faintly make out the outlines of rooftops, and a scene he hated even to imagine surfaced in his mind.

Suddenly, an indescribable terror surged through him. His face turned pale.

“N-Nooooooooo!”

A scream filled with despair burst out.