Chapter 1835 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

 

Chapter 1835. Should I Say It’s Nice to See You? (5) ❀ ❀ ❀

Im Sobyeong unconsciously bit his lip. The unease growing inside him only intensified as time passed.

‘What is this?’

He carefully observed the battlefield. The scene was beyond complicated—chaotic would be a more fitting word. Yet, amidst the disorder, he did not miss the existence of two distinct flows.

Those scattering and fleeing, and those pursuing a clear target.

‘It's just as I expected.’

Figures dressed in red and white caught his eye. Red Dogs, Jang Ilso’s dogs. Like loyal hounds picking up their master’s scent, they swiftly crossed the battlefield. Not all of them moved in perfect unison toward the same location, but upon closer inspection, more than half were heading in the same direction.

If it weren’t for Im Sobyeong.… No, even if it was Im Sobyeong, if he hadn’t forced himself into the middle of this, it was a flow that he wouldn’t have been able to predict.

Now that he had identified the flow, he was certain he could find the real Jang Ilso. Im Sobyeong was convinced of this—there was not a shred of doubt in his mind.

And yet, the sense of unease did not disappear. Instead, it grew stronger. Im Sobyeong bit his lip harder.

‘Why? Why do I feel this way?!’

The unease clouding his thoughts swelled into an overwhelming presence, like a monstrous entity ready to consume him. It felt as though a massive beast had opened its gaping maw beneath his feet.

Im Sobyeong eyes were bloodshot.

“Nokrim King?”

Crack.

Im Sobyeong snapped irritably.

“We need to move faster!”

Jongli Gok let out a faint groan before nodding. Im Sobyeong forced himself to keep his expression neutral, unwilling to let his emotions show.

‘No.’

He denied it in his mind and forced himself to keep moving, even as his steps threatened to falter. There was a simple reason for this—he was a strategist.

“Huft!”

A strategist, one who commands tactics and warfare.

A strategist must never be swayed by instinct. Their decisions must be guided strictly by military strategy and solid reasoning. The moment intuition influences judgment, they become no different from those who pray for rain until it finally falls.

Any true student of military strategy would avoid such a situation at all costs. For Im Sobyeong, this was even more critical. To rely on intuition rather than logic would be a denial of his very identity. It would be the same as erasing his own worth.

Kwaaaaaang!

A massive explosion echoed from a distance.

One of the fake Jang Ilsos had detonated the fire bombs wrapped around his body, killing himself.

‘As expected.’

Since his predictions were proving correct, his confidence should have strengthened. The fakes existed solely to lure in the Heavenly Comrade Alliance and self-destruct. The real one would use the ensuing chaos to slip away.

Im Sobyeong gritted his teeth, eyes locked ahead.

The battlefield’s movements were becoming clearer. Just as he had predicted.

Even so, his heart pounded louder, as if it would burst from anxiety. It was not excitement at the thought of capturing Jang Ilso. He knew himself well enough to be certain of that.

‘Damn it. What the hell am I missing?!’

Everything was going as predicted, so he couldn’t stop now. If the chances of being right were greater than being wrong, then Jang Ilso would be at the end of this path. He had to be.

But if he stopped now…?

‘I’ll let Jang Ilso slip through my fingers!’

That was unacceptable. Not because he feared the scorn of his fellow alliance members. He didn’t even consider that in the first place. But losing Jang Ilso now would mean even more unnecessary sacrifices in the future—sacrifices he could not bear.

A strategist sees people as numbers. This does not mean they devalue human lives. Rather, it means they consider each life with meticulous precision. They understand the weight of those numbers, knowing that once lost, they can never be regained.

Fear, that sense of dread, pushed Im Sobyeong forward. And yet, the unease he tried so desperately to ignore tightened its grip around his ankles.

Kwaaang!

Another explosion rang out. Somewhere far away, another fake Jang Ilso had either self-destructed or triggered a trap.

It didn’t matter which. Whatever the cause, the explosion served as further proof that Im Sobyeong’s judgment was correct.

However, Im Sobyeong’s feet became slower and slower.

“Nokrim King?”

Countless warriors rushed past him. In the end, Im Sobyeong stopped.

“What are you doing?”

Jongli Gok turned to him, bewildered. Im Sobyeong had no explanation to offer. He couldn’t even understand why he had stopped.

This was different from the unease he had felt before. There was something… something he had overlooked. Something he absolutely should not have missed.

At that moment—

“…I don't know if it's just my old-age feeling that’s making me feel this way, but—”

At the sound of a voice, Im Sobyeong turned his head.

Following behind him was the Beast Palace Lord, Maeng So, wearing a strangely uneasy expression.

“—doesn’t it feel like we’ve come too far?”

“…Too far?”

Im Sobyeong repeated dully, almost as if talking to himself.

“No, it’s probably nothing. Just ignore me.”

Maeng So shook his head as if dismissing his own thoughts.

But Im Sobyeong couldn’t ignore it.

“Too far…”

From what?

To be “far” from something, there must be a reference point. But this battlefield was an open plain, engaged with the enemy. There was no concept of “distance” in this context—one could get closer to the enemy, but there was nothing to move “away” from.

Unless there was something they were supposed to protect.

“There was nothing.”

When the battle began, they had nothing to protect. The burning Wudang might be Wudang's responsibility, but it was not the Heavenly Comrade Alliance’s burden to bear. The Alliance was not Wudang itself.

“…There was nothing.”

But now there was. Something they must protect. It wasn't there when the battle started, but it is now. It has come into being.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Im Sobyeong frantically turned his gaze.

His eyes landed on the distant spot from where they had started.

“No…”

His face went pale.

The worst possible scenario stabbed into his mind like a dagger.

“N-no! No!”

❀ ❀ ❀

“We need to take care your internal injuries first.”

“I’m fine.”

Tang Gunak shook his head firmly.

Tang Pae cast him a worried look, but now was not the time for concern over his own body.

It wasn’t out of some grand sense of responsibility. Anyone in this situation would do the same.

‘How sorrowful.’

It was truly a gruesome sight. All that could be seen were countless corpses strewn across the field.

And their conditions were horrific. Decapitated bodies, spilled intestines, gaping wounds torn through flesh….. Severed limbs were strewn everywhere, enough to make one nauseous.

Tang Gunak stared blankly at a corpse that had died with its eyes wide open. Eventually, he had to look away, unable to bear the emptiness in those lifeless eyes.

Even calling this a massacre would be an understatement.

The living had long since moved on, leaving behind only the dead—victims of a meaningless battle. Now, only flocks of crows remained, drawn to feast on the bodies.

A deep sorrow crossed Tang Gunak’s face.

Most of the dead were from the Evil Tyrant Alliance.

But the losses suffered by the Heavenly Comrade Alliance were by no means insignificant. 

Was there ever a reason to bury these precious lives here? If they had lived, they could have achieved so many more dreams. What was so important that they had to throw away their lives to protect it?

“The Lord was not wrong.”

Tang Gunak turned to look at Tang Pae. Tang Pae met his gaze with unwavering eyes.

“If we had not fought, even more people would have suffered. Their deaths were not in vain.”

Tang Gunak slowly nodded.

“…That's right.”

At that moment, he realized how much his son had grown. Or perhaps, it was he himself who had become weary and weak. Either way, it made no difference.

“We should hurry, Lord Tang. There is no benefit in staying here for too long.”

“Yes.”

At Zhuge Zain’s words, Tang Gunak looked at those who followed him.

The wounded, barely able to move, and those who had willingly stayed behind to protect them. Tang Gunak’s last duty in this battle was to lead them all safely and catch up with those ahead.

That way, they could defend against any unforeseen enemy schemes.

“Wouldn't it be better to rest for a while? Everyone already looks exhausted from moving this much.”

At Tang Pae’s worried remark, Zhuge Zain frowned.

“That’s....”

Before Zhuge Zain could say anything, Tang Gunak firmly cut him off.

“Do not be stubborn, Pae.”

“….Father.”

“I understand your concern, but Jang Ilso is not someone who would collapse so easily. We must prepare for everything.”

Tang Pae bowed his head in silence. Tang Gunak ignored his son’s concern and remained tense.

‘This isn’t over yet.’

He was not well-versed in military strategy. But precisely because of that, he could not bring himself to believe that the war was already won.

‘There must be something more.’

Jang Ilso was not someone who would fall like this. If anything, his certainty came from the trust forged through countless life-and-death battles.

Yet, Tang Gunak also believed this.

No matter what traps Jang Ilso set, his comrades would overcome them. It was a different kind of trust—one built from fighting side by side.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

And now, Tang Gunak carried that trust on his shoulders. He had to see this mission through, even if it cost him his life.

“L-Lord!”

But that firm resolve shattered like a cracked mirror at the sound of a voice from behind.

“Behind us! Behind—!”

Tang Gunak whipped around. The vast plains still stretched endlessly behind them.

‘What is it?’

His expression hardened with tension. A moment later, he spotted a group rapidly approaching from the distance.

“That’s… Blood Palace?”

Tang Gunak bit his lip slightly.

“…Did they come down from Mount Wudang?”

Zhuge Zain and Tang Gunak instantly assessed the situation. The enemy who had been climbing Wudang Mountain so that everyone could see them had not wasted time and had instead bypassed the mountain, heading straight for them.

“E-enemy approaching!”

“W-what do we do, Lord Tang?”

The followers erupted in panic, but Tang Gunak remained calm and composed.

“Stay calm.”

His deep voice resonated in everyone's ears.

“We expected this much. If it’s Evil Tyrant Alliance, they were bound to strike from behind. Keep your composure. No matter how strong they are, we are not defenseless.”

The warriors exchanged glances.

There were hundreds of wounded, but they were still warriors of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Moreover, over fifty fighters had stayed behind voluntarily to protect them.

‘We can hold our ground.’

There was fear, but they were not so weak as to crumble easily. And this wasn’t necessarily a fight they had to win—only one they had to endure. Reinforcements would come eventually.

Realizing this, the warriors' faces shed their fear and ignited with fighting spirit. They had been left behind because they had fought without regard for their own lives. A mere ambush would not break them.

“Damn Evil Tyrant Alliance bastards!”

“I was getting bored anyway—this is perfect.”

A few warriors smirked at their own bravado. Seeing this, Tang Gunak nodded.

“Believe. If we endure, the Alliance will crush Evil Tyrant Alliance.”

“Yes!”

Chaang!

The sound of swords being drawn echoed across the field.

Tang Gunak's face showed both resolve and relief. It was dangerous. It was terrifying. But if this was the extent of the enemy’s strategy, it was far from the worst-case scenario.

‘We will definitely win.’

It was the moment when Tang Gunak was burning with fighting spirit—

“Hmm.”

—a faint sound reached his ears. Tang Gunak froze in place. No, not only him, everyone froze.

The sound was so faint that one had to strain to hear it, yet it rang through their ears like thunder.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Tang Gunak turned his gaze. Like someone who had no choice but to witness the thing they least wished to see.

He prayed, desperately, that what he had heard was merely an auditory hallucination.

His gaze came to a halt. At its end lay a massive mound of corpses, piled like a grotesque grave.

‘No….’

Before his ominous premonition could even settle, a voice emerged from within the pile. This time, it was painfully clear—so clear he wished he could tear his own eardrums apart. A voice he knew all too well that it made him sick.

“Oh my, oh my. How touching.”

Rustle.

The pile of corpses shifted.

Rustle. Rustle.

As if birthing destruction itself.

Bodies slid away, revealing the form beneath. A figure, drenched in blood, exuding a faint, nauseating stench.

There was no crown, no extravagant makeup, no crimson robe. And yet, Tang Gunak knew exactly who it was. He had no choice but to know.

Watching the pristine white garment slowly stain with deep crimson, his certainty turned into raw fear.

“Well then…”

The figure moved a hand leisurely, its unnaturally long fingers wiping away the blood streaking down its face. The blood smeared, and its pale eyes gleamed ominously.

He, drenched in blood, eventually raised the corners of his mouth. A ghastly grin, with white teeth gleaming unnervingly.

“Should I say... it’s nice to see you?” [note: this is the title too. This was said twice, previously CM said it to Ho Gamyeong.]

Tang Gunak shut his eyes. The despair that had come for them pressed down on the world itself.

Next Chapter

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