Chapter 821: This War Is Mine (1)

 

Yoon Jong clenched his jaw so tightly that the muscles in his face twitched. The blood drained from his hand gripping his sword.

He felt as though he were about to be consumed by madness.

Jang Il-so's insane aura bore down on them, so overwhelming it felt almost tangible. Such raw ferocity, so vivid it was almost alive.

He couldn’t fathom that such a person could even exist. Just standing in his presence was enough to gnaw at his heart.

‘How can anyone face him?’

He looked at Chung Myung, who was standing in a standoff against Jang Il-so.

Yoon Jong could tell.

Chung Myung was at his limit. Perhaps he had even surpassed it. His slightly trembling legs were proof of that.

Yet, he didn’t back down an inch.

‘How…’

At that moment, Jang Il-so slowly ran his hand through his disheveled hair.

He pushed his sweat-soaked hair back and wiped the blood from his face, his gaze on Chung Myung carrying a strange glint.

"Calling me a brat..."

Jang Il-so’s bared teeth made him look like a bloodthirsty wolf.

The brutality in his expression was chilling, as if he might tear out someone’s throat at any moment.

“Is there anyone else in this world who would dare call me that?”

Indeed, the term “brat” was the last thing anyone would associate with Jang Il-so.

Especially not the Tyrant, Jang Il-so.

“It’s amusing, really. But I don’t even mind.”

"…"

A sinister smile spread across Jang Il-so’s lips.

The moment the Five Swords saw that smile, they felt a dread unlike anything they’d ever experienced before.

How could one describe this feeling? How could they explain the painful anxiety that even made their hearts ache?

Jang Il-so laughed softly and mockingly.

"But… I can’t just let that slide, now can I?"

A terrifying aura radiated from Jang Il-so’s entire body.

Chung Myung staggered, as if he would collapse at any moment under the force of it.

“Cough!”

A torrent of blood spilled from Chung Myung’s mouth.

He had pushed his body beyond its limits to face Jang Il-so. Drawing so heavily on his inner power had momentarily allowed him to surpass his limits, but the backlash was overwhelming.

“Ugh…”

Forcing every bit of his strength into his trembling grip, Chung Myung tightened his hold on his sword.

Thud!

Yoo I-seol stepped forward.

With a face drained of all color from withstanding Jang Il-so’s aura, she walked forward, step by step, until she was in front of Chung Myung.

Then, raising her trembling sword, she pointed it at Jang Il-so’s neck.

Jang Il-so’s eyes darkened.

It was different from when they had first charged in with bravado. Now, they fully understood that even if they all stood against him, it would be impossible to defeat Jang Il-so.

Yet, knowing this, they still stepped forward.

Thud!

At that moment, Baek Cheon, with a hardened expression, took his place beside Yoo I-seol, pointing his sword at Jang Il-so.

“Ha…”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul also stepped forward, standing protectively around Chung Myung as they faced Jang Il-so.

With a forced grin, Jo Gul spoke in a playful tone.

“Looks like this is it.”

“We have to keep Chung Myung alive.”

“Master. You should get the kid out of here. We’ll hold him off as best as we can.”

“Shut up. I’m the one who dies first.”

“You’re so stubborn, Master…”

Their voices shook, but they clung to bravado.

The jokes they cracked through trembling lips and shaking legs were a desperate attempt to mask their fear.

But…

Even the tyrannical Jang Il-so, who laughed at everything, did not mock them this time.

It’s easy to step forward.

A foolish puppy doesn’t fear the tiger. And there are more than enough such reckless puppies in the world.

But this was not the foolhardy courage of someone who didn’t understand fear.

True courage is not the absence of fear. That is merely ignorance.

Courage is knowing fear, feeling the terror of one’s enemy and the dread of death, yet still stepping forward.

It is the ability to raise a trembling sword, even with hands that shake in terror.

That was courage.

At that moment, Jang Il-so clearly felt it.

As these disciples stood in front of Chung Myung, his breathing changed. Even facing the mighty Jang Il-so, he dared to calmly catch his breath and gather his strength.

‘Do they really think they can stop me for even a moment?’

Such a clever man couldn’t be that foolish. Yet Chung Myung, without a doubt, trusted those who stood in front of him.

Those mere "brats."

"Ha, hahahah!"

Jang Il-so laughed as he looked at Chung Myung behind them.

“I’ll give you that much. You have courage. But… that’s not necessarily a good thing. Cowards survive the longest, while the brave die first.”

"…"

“So, who among you is the bravest?”

Crack.

Jang Il-so clenched his fist. With a face full of malice, he took a step forward, exerting his dominance over them.

“Now, let’s see if your courage is worth your lives.”

Jang Il-so’s aura began to crush the entire Five Swords.

It was as though a hurricane was sweeping over them, suffocating them with its overpowering presence. They all groaned under the weight of it.

Just then, a twisted voice came from behind the Five Swords.

“Talk all you want…”

"…"

Jang Il-so’s gaze turned to Chung Myung.

Chung Myung tilted his stiff neck from side to side.

“For an unorthodox scumbag, you sure do talk a lot. If you’re so confident, just come at me already. Why do you keep yapping like a scared dog?”

Chung Myung grinned, baring his teeth.

Limits? An unbeatable opponent?

What did that matter?

‘Someone who worries about that would never have climbed Ten Thousand Mountains.’

Jang Il-so didn’t know.

No matter how many battles he had fought, no matter how many scars he bore, no matter how many times he’d risked his life, that would never make him equal to Chung Myung.

He didn’t understand.

What it meant to fight against despair.

What it felt like for those who had fought, knowing they couldn’t even scratch their enemy, that they would likely die even if they gave their all.

And what it meant to overcome that despair!

“Sorry to say…”

Chung Myung laughed, recalling the faces of countless comrades who had fought beside him.

“I’ve faced far worse than this to even call this a crisis.”

"…"

“So stop yapping and come at me. I’ll show you why you’re just a brat.”

Jang Il-so silently stared at him.

By all appearances, Chung Myung had already reached his limit, barely able to hold his sword.

And yet…

‘Those eyes.’

Why did those eyes hold such unshakable confidence in his victory?

In that moment, Jang Il-so sensed it.

For the first time in his life, he was facing someone he couldn’t understand.

It was at that moment.

“Ugh…”

From below the cliff came a hand, grabbing onto the ledge.

Everyone’s gaze immediately turned in that direction.

“Ugh…”

Bloodied, battered hands began to emerge one by one. Wudang swordsmen and Shaolin monks had finally managed to climb up the hellish cliff.

“Climb up!”

“Stay focused! Once you’re up, protect those behind you!”

More and more people started to reach the top.

And coincidentally, they all naturally gathered behind Chung Myung.

Meanwhile, the Hao Gate's elite forces and Black Ghost’s assassins quickly regrouped behind Jang Il-so, their killing intent seething.

A tense atmosphere filled the cliff’s summit.

Chung Myung slowly turned to look at Jang Il-so.

“Well…”

A smirk, clearly mocking, played on his lips.

“You talk big, but it looks like things didn’t go as planned. What now? They all made it up here.”

"…"

“If you’d shut up and fought instead of talking, things might have turned out differently.”

Jang Il-so couldn’t deny it. His plan to eliminate them at the cliff’s edge had failed completely.

Everyone looked at Jang Il-so’s face.

They were curious, eager to see his expression now that his plan had gone awry.

But in the next moment, when they saw the expression on his face, they were all struck speechless.

A broad, bright smile spread across his face, the widest they had seen yet.

“I acknowledge it.”

"…"

His slow words sounded strangely delighted.

“This battle…”

He paused, licking his lips as he looked at Chung Myung. Then, very slowly, he continued.

“…is yours.”

"…"

Chung Myung stiffened, glaring at Jang Il-so with a hard expression.

Then, with a voice laced with frustration, he growled.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Just what I said.”

Jang Il-so shrugged, his face once again reflecting his original composure.

“Getting bogged down by you all wasn’t part of my plan. You’ve definitely twisted the picture I had in mind. So, I’ll admit it.”

"…"

“This is my loss. This battle is yours. A fight isn’t always won by the stronger side. It stings, I’ll admit that. Gamyeong will probably laugh at me.”

Chung Myung glared at Jang Il-so, unshaken. He knew Jang Il-so wasn’t finished yet.

“But…”

Sure enough, a sinister grin crept across Jang Il-so’s face, baring his white teeth.

“This is only the battle.”

"…"

“This war… is mine, Mount Hua’s Dragon.”

Had he been his usual self, Chung Myung would have ignored such words.

But now was different. Hearing Jang Il-so’s statement, spoken with such conviction, an instinctive sense of wrongness overcame him.

“You don’t get it.”

Jang Il-so’s lips curled mockingly.

“You, who should know this best, don’t understand at all. That, too, is strange. Truly, you are unique.”

“Cut the crap…”

“I’ll tell you.”

Jang Il-so interrupted, his gaze soft as though he were instructing a cherished pupil.

“Let me tell you, Mount Hua’s Dragon. Just like in battle, the strongest does not always win in war. In war… the one with something to protect loses.”

Jang Il-so tapped his head with his finger.

“That’s why you’ll never beat me. Do you understand?”

Chung Myung gripped his sword.

“You bastard…”

Crunch.

His muscles tensed as he prepared to charge, his feet digging into the ground.

He didn’t know exactly what Jang Il-so meant by those words, or what his true intentions were. But at the mention of “something to protect,” faces flashed through Chung Myung’s mind, from the Five Swords to Mount Hua and Hye Yeon.

And one thing was certain.

He had to shut Jang Il-so up before he could do whatever he was planning!

Chung Myung lowered his stance like a starving wolf, but Jang Il-so just smiled and shook his head.

“You really don’t understand, Mount Hua’s Dragon. This war…”

Jang Il-so spread his arms wide, as if making a proclamation.

“…is already over.”

“Shut your mouth, you bastard!”

With a mighty leap, Chung Myung flew at Jang Il-so, his sword blazing with fierce energy.

But Jang Il-so merely watched, grinning with eerie calmness.

As though he knew that sword would never reach him.

‘What…?’

A sense of dread washed over Chung Myung just as—

Whoosh!

Chung Myung’s eyes flew wide open as his head snapped to the side.

BOOM!

He had no chance to react. A powerful force struck his side.

“Chung Myung!”

Yoo I-seol’s scream tore through the air as she prepared to dash forward, horror flooding her face.

“Chung Myung! Chung Myung!”

Chung Myung, like a kite with a snapped string, was flung through the air and crashed into the ground.

The Five Swords cried out in anguish as they ran toward him.

But one of them, Baek Cheon, turned his head with a face like a vengeful spirit, looking elsewhere.

The person who had launched the unexpected attack on Chung Myung.

The one he could never have anticipated or stopped.

“This…”

Baek Cheon’s teeth ground together, and blood vessels burst in his eyes. A low growl escaped his throat, like the rumble of a beast.

“Heo… Do…”

Finally, a voice, raw with agony, erupted from his lips.

“Heo Do-jin!”

The leader of the Wudang Sect, Heo Do-jin, was staring back at them with an expression twisted in malice.