Chapter 1711. That’s Enough. (6)
Im Sobyeong's mouth slowly opened in amazement.
White... no, the cliff wall stained red suddenly filled with dozens of cracks. It looked like dozens of hungry dragons were running down the cliff.
Faced with the sight of what seemed to be a personification of the word 'collapse,' Im Sobyeong couldn't help but scream in terror.
"Retreat! The cliff is collapsing!"
Like him, those who were staring at the cliff in astonishment retreated with all their might. Although the area was filled with members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, they posed no great obstacle at this moment.
They were not the only ones trying to escape after seeing the cliff's condition.
Crumble! Crumble!
The red cliff literally twisted. The rocks cracked and rubbed against each other following the web-like fissures, producing a horrendous sound that made every hair on the body stand up.
And finally...
BOOM!
With a celestial roar, the cliff collapsed.
Everyone fled in terror in the opposite direction of the cliff.
Rumble! Rumble!
Rocks fell, hitting the ground and shattering into fragments. All of this covered the lower cliff with a mantle of fear.
"Back! Retreat further back!"
Moyong Wigyeong shouted at the top of his lungs.
Although he had already witnessed hell in Hubei, this collapse instilled a different fear in him.
"Damn it, fall back more!"
The collapse of the cliff was inevitable. Those who had moved away in time would not be harmed. But even though they knew this, seeing the monumental collapse prevented them from staying calm. Everyone was stunned, with pale faces.
"Aaaargh!"
"Aaaah!"
The roar of the collapse mixed with human screams. Falling rocks and humans being crushed together formed a scene of horror.
BOOM!
A huge rock broke off and hit the ground with a crash. Even those far from the cliff felt the tremor under their feet and shuddered.
And this was just the beginning.
Larger and more numerous rocks fell like hail. Hundreds of people on the cliff were literally swallowed up.
Im Sobyeong, watching the terrifying scene, looked up.
'Please...'
He unconsciously clenched his fan tightly. His knuckles turned white.
Namgung Dowi moved restlessly.
Although he had escaped the cliff before the collapse, his mind was still trapped on that crumbling cliff.
Rumble! Rumble!
The collapse was so large it could be engulfing Mount Hua. But for now, he could do nothing but watch. He bit his lips hard.
"This...!"
"No, Dowi!"
Namgung Myeong grabbed Namgung Dowi's shoulder tightly.
"Aaaaargh!"
Namgung Dowi's eyes turned bloodshot.
Amid this, something else tormented him.
People fell from the cliff like rain. Namgung Dowi's sharp vision, despite the surrounding dust, captured their expressions as they fell.
Disbelief, despair, and deep resentment.
Those who couldn't believe they would be abandoned until the end were now facing certain death. It was a heartbreaking scene.
"For the love of..."
Not far away, Lee Songbaek's stunned voice was heard.
The magnitude of the collapse exceeded their expectations.
Although this might be just a fraction of the collapse planned by the Evil Tyrant Alliance, the impact of seeing this massive destruction did not fade. Lee Songbaek seemed frozen, unable to move.
Could people survive in that chaos? There was no need to think about it. No human made of flesh and blood could survive this. None...
"Don't move recklessly, Jin Geumryong!"
At that moment, Jong Rigok's sharp voice pierced Lee Songbaek's ears. Startled, he turned to see Jong Rigok pushing Jin Geumryong's shoulder with the sheath of his sword.
Not only did Jong Rigok's violent action surprise him, but also Jin Geumryong's contorted face.
"Jin Geum..."
"I know, Sect Leader!"
Jin Geumryong shouted, interrupting Jong Rigok. His lower lip was bleeding from how much he had bitten it.
Although he knew he couldn't do anything now, he just had to wait. Jin Geumryong understood that.
But...
After a moment of silence, Jin Geumryong clenched his fist.
"I just feel miserable seeing us escape the cliff while others are trapped!"
"Fool...!"
Jin Geumryong stared at where the cliff top used to be.
If they... if they had been there, they would have escaped the cliff. Mount Hua was not a sect that would be caught so easily.
'...Jing Dongryong.'
It had to be, it had to be.
Rumble!
Gwak Hoi collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
With the impact, Jo Gul, who was on his back, shuddered and opened his eyes.
Forcing his heavy eyelids, he looked around and grabbed Gwak Hoi's shoulder. That small movement caused a groan of pain.
"Ugh..."
The cliff, where they had been fiercely fighting, had transformed into a grotesque shape.
The top of the cliff, which once rose to the sky, was now deeply dug out as if a giant claw had pierced through it.
And those who had been on top had also disappeared.
Crrrrumm!
The noise from below, invisible, and the intense vibration that coursed through their bodies were the only explanations of what was happening.
"My God..."
The disaster was much greater than they had clumsily predicted. Jo Gul could only tremble, slack-jawed, at the magnitude of what had occurred.
A new void had opened before them. Right in front of the warriors of the Southern Sea Sun Palace blocking their retreat.
Jo Gul felt a chill run down his spine. He broke out in a cold sweat.
What did this mean? A little later and they all would have fallen along with the cliff, without exception.
‘It’s a miracle…’
He realized their escape was practically a miracle. But he couldn't sigh in relief.
On both sides of the collapsed cliff, only a narrow space remained. In that space, exhausted and collapsed, were some members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance.
They had escaped death, which was impossible to avoid by human means, by pure luck.
But those who had the luck to be chosen were less than half of those who had climbed the cliff.
The hundreds of members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance who were not chosen fell into the void and became wandering spirits. Not because of the enemies, but because of their comrades' strategy.
Grunts.
The sound of someone grinding their teeth in contained fury was heard. There was no need to check who it was. Everyone witnessing the scene felt the same.
“It seems those below managed to hold off those playing on the cliff a bit. If not, the entire cliff would have collapsed.”
The words muttered by Tang Gunak caused a bitter laugh to escape Jo Gul's lips.
That meant the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance who should have all died according to the plan survived thanks to the efforts of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, even if they were less than half.
How should they assess this situation?
“Sir, those men…”
“The battle is over.”
“...Pardon?”
Tang Gunak stared beyond the collapsed cliff. Cold anger boiled deep in his eyes.
“That… whoever caused this knows best.”
Ho Gakmyung observed the collapsed cliff with a stony expression.
He didn't move, as if he had turned into a rock instead of the cliff. He said nothing, not even letting out a sigh.
His subordinates, seeing his expression, spoke with difficulty.
“Commander, and now…?”
Ho Gakmyung closed his eyes in silence. After a moment of deep breathing, he slowly opened them and let out an unexpected laugh.
“What follows…?”
As if those words had been stuck to his tongue, they finally flowed with feigned calm.
“Retreat.”
“C-Commander! Did you say retreat?”
“...Yes.”
“B-But, still…”
“The battle here is over.”
“B-But, Commander. We still have forces above the cliff. Our forces can still…”
“That’s why.”
“...What?”
Ho Gakmyung looked at the partially collapsed cliff. There was enough space left for about half of the men to survive.
Thinking in simple terms, it meant they preserved their strength, but thinking coldly, it was like having a bomb about to explode.
They weren't fools. They had to know what had happened to them. If anger took over in the middle of the battle, there would be no way to control the direction of their fury.
The Heavenly Comrade Alliance, stationed under the cliff, would not miss that opportunity.
If they had to risk everything to win here, they would take the risk and continue the attack. But this battle had no such grand meaning.
Despite everything, he couldn't help but feel a bit of regret.
‘If only…’
If the entire cliff had collapsed, turning everyone on top into wandering spirits…
‘No, no.’
Ho Gakmyung shook his head.
This had already happened. The fact that they stopped the collapse up to that point was proof of their skills. That couldn't be denied.
Ho Gakmyung, and his Evil Tyrant Alliance, were defeated by the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. That was all. There was no room for more regrets that would be excuses.
“Send the signal to retreat. We are retreating.”
“Commander…”
“How many times do I have to repeat it?”
“I’ll go right away, Sir!”
His subordinates quickly sent the signal. Soon, those present fired flares in all directions.
Ho Gakmyung remained silent for a moment, letting out a wry smile.
“Defeated by novices…”
They had been defeated by those novices. No excuses.
The Evil Tyrant Alliance, which had even crushed the Shaolin Temple, had been defeated.
Although they used Jang Ilso, their strongest card, to lure away the Plum Blossom Sword Demon, they couldn't handle the Mount Hua Sect and the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
“I just…”
Ho Gakmyung murmured as he stared at the cliff. As if he wanted to merge with it.
After a long time, he finally turned around.
With the collapsed cliff behind him, he descended the mountain with a solemn expression on his face.
