C1699
The sword technique with its complicated history was unleashed here to save Mount Hua.
"Haah!"
Jin Geumryong swung his sword with all his might.
Lee Songbaek, who was watching with a serious face, nodded slightly.
There was pain. There were still unresolved conflicts. Perhaps they would continue in the future. As long as the names of the Southern Edge Sect and Mount Hua existed, the relations between the two sects could never be close.
But even so, now they were fighting for Mount Hua.
"I guess that's enough for now..."
"What?"
"I'll go too, Sogaju."
"Wait, it's dangerous to go alone."
Namgung Dowi tried to stop him seriously, but Lee Songbaek smiled bitterly.
He himself had climbed this cliff alone, without any plan, and now he was worried when others tried to do the same. This person was definitely strange.
"Don't worry, Sogaju."
"What?"
"We're not alone."
At those words, Namgung Dowi instinctively looked down.
Suddenly, his entire body shivered. Dozens of people were climbing the red cliff in the darkness.
Even in the dark, their gazes were clear and determined.
"Ah..."
Namgung Dowi murmured with wide eyes. Lee Songbaek smiled faintly.
"They may be a bit late, but their hearts are no less brave for it."
"Sohyup..."
"Then."
Haah!
With those words, Lee Songbaek leaped upward, leaving Namgung Dowi behind.
"I'll help you, Sahyung!"
"It's not necessary!"
"Haah!"
The powerful energy of Lee Songbaek's sword ran up the steep cliff.
The dispersed white sword energy and the dense black energy spreading like roots on the cliff mixed perfectly.
Namgung Dowi watched the combination of the two sword energies in awe.
The sword, the style, even the timing of their actions, everything was different. But... at the same time, it was not.
Crack!
Namgung Dowi gripped his sword tighter.
'I can't just stand by.'
He could still fight too.
Different but the same. At least, the thoughts of those who had climbed up here were the same.
'For now, that's enough.'
Namgung Dowi laughed softly. His eyes shone with a fierce light as he kicked the cliff with both legs and launched himself upward.
"The Namgung sword is also here!"
His voice echoed, strong and clear. From the top of the high cliff, beyond.
Jong Rigok unconsciously bit his lips.
Even though he wasn't looking down, he knew that the place he was climbing was extremely dangerous.
'This is madness.'
Doing something like this was not sensible.
The problem was that Jong Rigok was doing precisely that madness. No one had forced or asked him to do it.
Flash!
A figure passed by him at an astonishing speed.
It was a movement technique so impressive that Jong Rigok couldn't even attempt to follow it. The movement technique of Pung Yeong Shin Gae, who was once called the fastest in the world, was still impressive.
"I can't fall behind."
Encouraged by the speed, Jong Rigok kicked the cliff.
"Leader Jong!"
Namgung Myung shouted loudly. But instead of looking back, Jong Rigok decided to keep climbing the cliff.
'Why?'
He didn't know. He didn't know why he was doing this. Why he was doing something that would only bring him losses.
He carried many responsibilities.
The future of the Southern Edge Sect, the young disciples who would grow there, and perhaps even the future of the world.
Even if the cliff collapsed, someone would have to lead the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. Thinking logically, that was the right thing to do. And Jong Rigok, who should have been one of them, was risking his life here. It was madness.
But...
He lifted his head. He saw the combination of white sword energy and the black energy that was firmly embedded.
"Those guys..."
Jong Rigok bit his lips tightly.
"It's still too early for you."
Flash!
He ran up the cliff like the wind.
---------------------
"Commander!"
Ho Gakmyung's eyes narrowed slightly.
'Heavenly Comrade Alliance...'
He saw those climbing the cliff. Even at a glance, their speed was impressive. That alone was enough to infer their martial skills.
'Have they sent the best of each sect to the cliff in the midst of all this?'
The main force of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance was fighting against the armies of the Evil Tyrant Alliance at the foot of the cliff. Even so, in the midst of the battle, that considerable force had been diverted, which would inevitably increase the casualties.
They had come to save Mount Hua at the cost of their own sect's losses.
They might even be putting their own lives at risk.
'No, it's not just "might."'
They weren't so foolish as not to realize that there was a greater chance they couldn't stop the explosion than that they could.
So they were climbing that cliff literally gambling with their lives.
Ho Gakmyung bit his lips tightly.
Was this situation causing a significant impact on their strategy?
No, it wasn't. In fact, if seen in another way, this could be a good opportunity to send all those key forces to hell.
Even so, Ho Gakmyung had difficulty suppressing his dismay.
'Those guys...'
They had started acting in a completely different manner than he had anticipated.
What were the sects of the Righteous Faction?
To gain benefits, they didn't hesitate to bring other sects to ruin. In many aspects, they were even more ruthless and evil than the Evil Faction, which openly attacked.
There was no need to look far for examples; the victory of the Evil Tyrant Alliance in the Battle of Hubei had been possible due to the divisions and rivalries among the sects of the Righteous Faction.
But those cunning types were now climbing the cliff risking their own lives. Why?
"Commander, what's the plan...?"
"Shut up."
"Commander."
"I said shut up!"
Ho Gakmyung suddenly shouted. The aides, their faces pale, quickly closed their mouths.
Gritting his teeth, Ho Gakmyung stared at the cliff. His usually cold eyes were now distorted.
'Nothing has changed.'
The situation was still in their favor.
'Even without the Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword, we won't lose. No, we must not lose.'
They needed a victory, and a crushing one.
It was the only thing he could offer Jang Ilso, who had moved according to his plan. If he failed to achieve this, Ho Gakmyung would lose his value as the commander of the Evil Tyrant Alliance.
"What about Mount Hua?"
"Still no movement."
"...But they'll notice soon."
If a great battle broke out on the cliff, no matter how chaotic the situation was, they couldn't avoid noticing it.
"Tell the Southern Sea Sun Palace to detonate the explosives."
"Commander! We're not ready yet..."
"It doesn't matter."
Ho Gakmyung's eyes turned cold.
"Waiting for all the fish to escape the net is foolish; even if we only catch half, it won't be a loss. If we're lucky, we might catch them all."
"But that would mean the warriors of the Southern Sea Sun Palace would also..."
"That's the Southern Sea Sun Palace leader's problem."
Ho Gakmyung coldly cut off his aide.
"Tell them."
"Yes, Commander!"
The aides, realizing that Ho Gakmyung's decision was firm, quickly left without saying more. Ho Gakmyung didn't even look at them as he kept his eyes fixed on the cliff.
'Where did it go wrong?'
His palms were drenched in cold sweat.
Even the alliance between Shaolin and the Ten Great Sects had not gone beyond his or Jang Ilso's expectations. No, that wasn't a big deal. After all, wars are not lost because of the unexpected but because of the inability to stop what is known to come.
The only variable outside their calculations was the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
'And the core of that alliance should be the Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword.'
But even in the absence of the Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword, this had happened. Should he conclude that the Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword was not the core of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance?
Or maybe...?
Ho Gakmyung shook his head vigorously, biting his lips.
No, that couldn't be. That was impossible.
Even so, the reason he struggled to accept the current situation was because everything that was happening felt as if the Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword was there.
If the Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword were there, he would have climbed that cliff the instant the first explosion occurred. Without a plan, without worrying about safety, like a madman.
That reckless and astonishing behavior was exactly what the others were showing now. And not just one, but several at the same time.
Ho Gakmyung's eyes filled with blood.
'I must kill them all here.'
His heart was beating unpleasantly fast. He couldn't even precisely explain the cause of his anxiety. According to his usual logic, a force that acted and thought like the Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword should fall immediately.
But upon glimpsing another possibility, albeit faintly, Ho Gakmyung felt more urgent than ever.
The two words he hated the most, 'instinct' and 'intuition,' were now bombarding him with warnings.
Ho Gakmyung shouted, as if telling himself.
"There can be no mistakes! Bury them all under the cliff!"