Chapter 1841 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

 

Chapter 1841. In the end, you will witness it. (1) ❀ ❀ ❀

Heavenly Executioner, who had opened his mouth, firmly shut it again. His eyes, reminiscent of a bottomless abyss, seemed to suffocate those who met his gaze.

Amid an atmosphere so tense that it felt like something would explode at any moment, Heavenly Executioner finally spoke again.

“Let go.”

Jang Ilso’s eyes curved gently, almost mockingly.

“My, my… You’re quite considerate, more than you look.”

“I won’t say it twice.”

A deep murderous intent filled Heavenly Executioner’s gaze. Jang Ilso, seemingly unimpressed, tilted his head slightly before releasing his grip on the Blood Palace Lord’s neck.

Thud.

“Ugh!”

The Blood Palace Lord collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Clutching his throat, his trembling eyes darted between Jang Ilso and Heavenly Executioner.

His whole body shook. Just being near these two and feeling their overwhelming presence made him feel like his soul was being crushed.

“Step aside, you worthless thing.”

Strangely, Heavenly Executioner’s cold command felt more like salvation than an insult. Without even sparing a glance at the retreating Blood Palace Lord, Heavenly Executioner fixed his gaze on Jang Ilso.

“How did you know?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“How did you know I was here? There was no way you could’ve noticed.”

“Ha? Hahaha. Hahahahahaha!”

Jang Ilso burst into laughter. He clutched his stomach, throwing his head back as if it were too amusing to contain.

“That’s what you’re asking? That’s all?”

Even as Jang Ilso laughed uncontrollably, Heavenly Executioner remained completely still.

“…Haa.”

Jang Ilso finally managed to subdue his laughter, his eyes glistening with tears as he looked at Heavenly Executioner.

“My, my. It seems that proud ego of yours has taken a hit. Such a lofty man… How did you end up skulking around like a rat?”

Heavenly Executioner’s eyes twitched. A suffocating killing intent began to seep out.

“Guh…”

The surrounding Blood Cultists couldn’t withstand the force and began collapsing one by one.

“U-Ugh…!”

Some even coughed up blood, suffering internal injuries just from the intensity of his murderous aura. Even those seasoned in demonic energy and bloodlust were unable to endure it.

Yet, Jang Ilso remained unbothered. Standing in the storm of lethal intent, he simply smirked, his slitted eyes gleaming with a sinister glow. In some ways, it even seemed as if he was overpowering Heavenly Executioner.

Twitch.

Heavenly Executioner’s fingers flinched ever so slightly. He was barely holding back his surging desire to kill. Seeing this, Jang Ilso’s smirk deepened.

“What’s the matter?”

He tilted his head leisurely, exposing his pale, slender neck provocatively before Heavenly Executioner.

“If you’re that angry, why not just break me? Snap! Just like that.”

He tapped his own neck with his fingers.

“Go on. I won’t resist.”

Heavenly Executioner’s expression hardened even more.

“Come now, do it. Huh? Why are you hesitating so much? Hahahahaha!”

Jang Ilso laughed wildly once again. Watching this madness unfold, the Blood Palace Lord trembled.

‘He… He’s insane…’

No matter how he looked at it, Jang Ilso was not in his right mind.

The Blood Palace Lord did not deny Jang Ilso’s greatness. He was undoubtedly an extraordinary man.

But that assessment was made considering everything about him. In terms of pure strength alone, he was no match for Heavenly Executioner.

Heavenly Executioner was a figure who stood apart even among the Bishops of the Demonic Cult. Even during the Great Demonic War, few could rival him. There was no telling how much stronger he had become since then.

Jang Ilso surely knew this as well. He must have sensed the overwhelming difference in power. And yet, he acted as if he had no regard for his own life. There was no way he was sane.

“How odd. Why won’t you do it?”

“Enough.”

Heavenly Executioner’s voice was cold and firm.

“My faith is unwavering. But in the end, I’m also a being who has not yet shed the skin of a human, prone to wavering and temptation. There is no need for you to remind me of that.”

“So old-fashioned.”

Jang Ilso waved his hand dismissively as if he had lost interest. While the Blood Palace Lord saw nothing but the actions of a madman, Heavenly Executioner saw something else.

“Answer me. How did you know?”

When Heavenly Executioner asked again, Jang Ilso’s eyes sharpened, his lips curling into a cold smile.

“There was no need to notice. You were bound to be here.”

“…Why?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t be able to look away.”

“…”

“What would you do if there was something you desperately wanted but could never have? Would you turn away because it’s too painful to see?”

Jang Ilso shook his head.

“No, you wouldn’t. Even if you force yourself to look away, the moment you glance at it again, you won’t be able to take your eyes off it. And you…”

“You’ve already laid eyes on it once more.”

“That’s right. You understand, don’t you?”

Jang Ilso sneered openly and continued.

“It must be frustrating! A position you should have, but can’t claim. So you skulk in the shadows, pretending to be noble while using rats to do your bidding, suppressing your raging desires as if you’re unaffected.”

“…”

“Like a pathetic pig.”

Grit.

Heavenly Executioner clenched his teeth. His eyes brimmed with an icy, northern fury.

They had met before. It was during the execution of a fledgling bishop who had not yet become wise.

But back then, they had never truly spoken. And yet, in such a short time, this man had predicted Heavenly Executioner’s every move.

‘A genius.’ [귀재(鬼才)]

There was no other way to describe it. But his arrogance was intolerable.

How long had it been? Since he had felt such genuine, murderous intent toward a foolhardy unbeliever?

Perhaps not since ‘that man’ a hundred years ago.

Heavenly Executioner’s gaze bore into Jang Ilso like a dagger as he asked.

“…So, why did you summon me?”

“I despise people who ask questions they already know the answers to. No, I loathe them to my core.”

“…”

“Fine. I’ll be kind and answer you. I’m giving you a chance to withdraw.”

Heavenly Executioner’s eyes twitched.

“You expect me to help you?”

“Yes.”

Heavenly Executioner’s voice sank, heavy as iron.

“Then answer me, unbeliever. Why should I help you?”

“…”

“Just talking to a loathsome unbeliever and breathing the same air as you is enough to make me feel like I’m chewing on insects. So why should I help you? The mere fact that I haven’t slit your belly open and strangled you with your own intestines is already an act of boundless mercy.”

“A reason? The reason is simple.”

Jang Ilso’s face twisted into a bizarre expression.

“Because that’s what you want, isn’t it?”

Heavenly Executioner remained silent, showing no reaction. Jang Ilso continued as if he had expected this response.

“Why did you come in person? It was just a young bishop, after all. It might have been a grave threat to the Central Plains, but to you? Hardly something worth your attention. And yet, what was so important that you dragged yourself all the way there? Were you simply bored?”

“You bastard……”

“No. You wanted to see it. With your own eyes.”

“……”

“While you wretches lived like insects in your dark caves, you wanted to see how much this world had changed.”

Kwaaaaaah!

A violent aura of bloodlust erupted around Heavenly Executioner. Even Jang Ilso, infamous across the world, found it daunting—it was an overwhelming killing intent.

“Watch your tongue.”

But Jang Ilso still wore a mocking smile.

“Your faith is unshaken, just as you say. But… having faith is something only possible because you are human. And humans can never be free from desire.”

“……”

“Tell me. What is it that you truly want?”

Heavenly Executioner closed his eyes slowly.

He wanted to rip apart that snake-like mouth spewing venomous words. To flay the flesh from his bones, scatter it to the winds, and make him pay for daring to question his faith.

But he could not.

To do so would be the clearest proof of his own doubt.

He had no choice but to acknowledge it.

If His descent required a vessel of strength… then this man was among the closest to Him. His body, his soul—both were unyielding.

And so, Heavenly Executioner had no choice but to reveal the truth he had long kept hidden.

“I am filled with hatred.”

“……”

“For everything in this land that still dares to draw breath.”

Heavenly Executioner’s eyes gleamed with madness.

“Those who survive, those who forget, those who know, and those who are ignorant. My mission will be to tear them all apart and cleanse the world.”

“But that mission may not be granted to you. Isn’t that right?”

At Jang Ilso’s composed voice, Heavenly Executioner’s expression twisted for the first time. Jang Ilso gazed at him with an almost affectionate look.

“Yes. So entrust it to me.”

“……”

“I will accomplish everything you desire.”

Heavenly Executioner felt a wave of pure revulsion.

An unbeliever had no right to speak such words before him. It was as if he were staring at a demon preaching heresy, and his stomach churned.

And yet, at the same time…

“Unbeliever.”

Heavenly Executioner asked, as if unable to comprehend.

“Tell me, what is it that you seek?”

“……”

“When all is over, all that will remain is nothingness [mu, 무(無)]. Do you truly wish to be an empty lord [ju, 주(主)] of an empty wasteland?”

A desert has no lord. No one desires to claim ownership over it. Nothing exists there.

And yet, this man wished to rule over the ruins of a dead land. He sought to burn his own life away in pursuit of a hollow throne, where no one would kneel in worship.

What could possibly be driving him to such madness?

But Jang Ilso only sneered.

“Hahahaha. You really are a fool. It doesn’t matter whether anyone acknowledges it or not. The only thing that matters is that I desire it. What else could possibly be necessary?”

Even Heavenly Executioner felt a chill at the sheer, unshakable madness in Jang Ilso’s eyes.

“Value is something I define for myself. Only I can speak of its worth.”

Heavenly Executioner’s gaze drifted toward the sky.

“Desire…” [갈망(渴望)]

A hollow laugh escaped him.

It was an unexpected answer, yet at the same time, perhaps it was the very answer he had been waiting for all along.

Meaningless. Yet meaningful. Because it is something he desired.

Heavenly Executioner’s eyes took in the land of the Central Plains. A filthy world, stained with every detestable color imaginable. And yet, it was dazzlingly brilliant.

A land of pure faith is colorless.

To despise that dazzling light, or to long for it… So long as it exists, he could only yearn.

“…Then take it.”

Heavenly Executioner snapped his fingers lightly. From the shadows that stretched long beneath him, a group of figures emerged.

“I give it to you, unbeliever.”

“Hmm.”

Jang Ilso nodded, satisfied.

“But remember. What you gain is nothing more than a fleeting throne. A hollow triumph, to be savored only until the true lord returns. In the end, you will witness it—everything you built crumbling into dust.”

“There’s no need for such words. I already know.”

After staring at Jang Ilso for a long moment, Heavenly Executioner finally turned away.

What he desired was singular—Descent.

And for that descent, purification was necessary.

There was no one more fitting than this man to be the blade of that purification.

“Burn it all.”

Whether it be himself, or the world.

With those brief words, Heavenly Executioner vanished as if swallowed by the void.

“…Ah.”

Only then did the Lord of the Blood Palace let out the breath he had been holding. It felt as if a crushing weight had finally lifted from his body. A deep exhaustion wrapped around him.

“Hmm.”

But before he could even recover, Jang Ilso’s languid voice rang out.

Glancing briefly at the figures Heavenly Executioner had left behind, Jang Ilso turned his gaze upon the Blood Palace Lord.

The moment their eyes met, the Blood Palace Lord instinctively lowered his head.

“Well then… shall we go?”

Jang Ilso smiled brightly, his lips curling upwards.

“Let’s burn it all. I have nothing left to lose anyway.”

His eyes traced a gentle arc, his expression soft.

And yet, there was something eerie, something tragically unsettling about that very smile.

Next Chapter

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