Chapter 1563: It's Different From Back Then (Part 3)

"Where are they heading?"

"...Su Lo Chae."

Tang Soso's face turned pale.

"What kind of foolish idea is this?"

"...That person is the enemy of his father. It's understandable. I should have looked into it in advance."

"He's already dead! Is it okay to kill a living person for the sake of a dead person?"

Tang Soso's sharp voice echoed.

The person she was talking to sighed awkwardly. Tang Soso, realizing she had lost her temper, bit her lips tightly.

"Wait! What about Mount Hua? And Baek Cheon Sasuk?"

"According to the recent report, the Namgung Family seems to be moving in that direction."

Tang Soso closed her eyes tightly. She had expected it, but the answer was not one she wanted to hear. It was even more disheartening after confirming.

'War.'

Although not a perfect force, Namgung and Mount Hua were colliding with Su Lo Chae. Imagining the scene in her mind, Tang Soso became desperate.

"Then the medical team we have now won't be enough! Reinforce it! Deploy all reserve forces!"

"Understood."

"Tang Family! What about the Tang Family's teams?"

"...Orders to support that area haven't come yet, so we're continuing our mission."

Tang Soso clenched her fist tightly.

It was a clear and accurate judgment. But why did it feel so cruel compared to her thoughts?

"Please relay to each team. Send medical personnel from each team to that area."

"Um. Understood."

Even though she gave all possible orders, her face remained dark. It was not enough.

'I should have trained more medical teams. Why didn't I do it a little faster...'

Regretting, she bit her lips. Then she tightly grasped the needle in her sleeve.

"It won't work. I'm going too."

"No!"

Suddenly, a thunderous voice burst out and held her back.

"Have you forgotten? You are currently in charge of all medical teams! "

"I know. But..."

"Noisy! Aren't the people there everything? If the person in charge leaves the position without proper instructions, who will trust the superiors? Your actions alone could be a big blow to Heavenly Comrade Alliance. And!"

Tang Soso's uncle, Tang Gok (當鵠), sternly emphasized.

"This is you destroying everything you've built. You must prove that what you claimed was not just for the safety of a few people but for the sake of Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Kangho! "

There was not a single wrong word.

Tang Soso lowered her head deeply.

The burden on her shoulders was incredibly heavy. She had never had to think about such concerns before. Such weight was always carried by someone else.

"I understand. I'll stay here."

"Good thinking."

Tang Soso lifted her head again.

"But please hurry with the support! Quickly!"

"Understood!"

Tang Gok moved quickly. Tang Soso, who was relieved, looked toward the distant south. It was so far away that it couldn't be seen from this high mountain.

'Sago... Sasuk, Sahyung.'

Please. Please be safe.

* * *

Chuil Gae's face was pale.

The situation was clear. It couldn't be cleaner than this.

The Su Lo Chae landed in Gnagbuk, the Namgung Family rushed there for revenge, and Chuil Gae and his group went to the Yangtze area to assess the situation. Could it be any simpler?

The problem was...

"Look at this, Chuil Gae. What the hell happened here?"

"..."

"No, why are all these Mount Hua disciples gathered here? Why is the situation getting so out of hand?"

Questions kept pouring in, and Chil Gae's face contorted in frustration.

'How am I supposed to know!'

He turned around with a stiff expression.

'Ugh!'

His heart skipped a beat. Behind him, dozens of Mount Hua disciples in black robes were running fiercely, pounding the ground.

"Did the higher-ups order Mount Hua to support Namgung?"

"I, I didn't hear such words, but..."

"Then why is everyone heading to Yangtze RIver as if it's obvious? Shouldn't we wait for instructions for now?"

The answer here were too obvious.

'Because it's the Mount Hua Sect.'

Thinking that the 'Mount Hua Sect' would quietly wait for orders from above was a mistake from the beginning. When have they ever waited for someone else's judgment?

"Shouldn't we stop them now?"

"How can we stop...what Mount Hua's Deputy Sect Leader has decided? What talent do we have?"

"That..."

Maybe he wanted to express doubt, or perhaps he decided to keep his mouth shut. 

Among the four Mount Hua units gathered here, each one consisted of only about ten people, including one person from the Tang Family who joined for medical purposes and a member of the Beggar's Union.

In other words, there were only about thirty people from the Mount Hua Sect here.

With that power, they were going to confront the entire Su Lo Chae? To assist the Namgung Family?

"Unless they're crazy..."

Chuil Gae, muttering as if absent-minded, closed his mouth again.

Come to think of it, every time he heard news about Mount Hua from a distance, he used to chuckle and say, 'Those crazy bastards.'

But now that he was directly involved in their crazy actions, there was nothing to laugh about.

Among the swordsmen in black robes, there was a man who stood out, dressed in white. Baek Cheon, the Deputy Sect Leader of the Mount Hua Sect.

His presence felt distinctly different from Yoon Jong, whom Chuil Gae had admired at first. However, there was undoubtedly an aspect of his presence that surpassed Yoon Jong.

"Damn it... I have to believe. What choice do I have!'

People like them wouldn't do crazy things without reason. That was the last bastion that Chuil Gae could believe in... No, that he must believe in.

As the beggars kept glancing at him, Baek Cheon, feeling their lingering gazes, spoke.

"Is there still a long way to go?"

"...Sahyung. We've already passed the target we set."

"Other than that distance."

Baek Sang's face hardened a little.

"If you mean the distance to where the Namgung Family and the Black Dragon King might clash... We're not far away now."

"Understood."

"Are you really going to keep going, Sahyung?"

"I have to."

"No, that's..."

Baek Sang was about to say something but closed his mouth. Because saying it would be the same as taking Yoon Jong's side.

However, in this situation, that would be proof that Baek Sang considered Yoon Jong's words to be correct.

"...This is Namgung's arbitrary decision."

"I know."

Baek Cheon nodded lightly and added.

"And it's clear that the one who has made the most arbitrary decisions so far is our Mount Hua Sect."

"..."

"Do you know what I thought every time?"

"I don't know."

"It's our deeds, so it's right for us to bear it. It's natural for us to rectify our mistakes. Because those choices were mine. But..."

Baek Cheon closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again.

"I thought it would be good if at least one person understood me without judging right or wrong. There was no need to prove that there was a reason for it."

"That's not just you, Sahyung, that's all of us."

"Yeah. That's how it was."

Baek Cheon casually mumbled as if it was a slip of the tongue.

"Right. It was us."

Yoon Jong, who had been running a little ahead, glanced back at Baek Cheon's profile.

Soon, Yoon Jong's gaze, now facing forward again, was complicated.

"Aren't the Su Lo Chae bastards coming out soon?"

"Yeah."

"Then we're going to fight them! The Namgung Family got involved with those bastards!"

"Probably."

"But even knowing that, are you still going? With only thirty people?"

"Yeah."

"Ugh!"

Jo Gol grabbed his chest, feeling not only frustrated but also painful.

He couldn't tell whether it was because of this situation or because of Yoo Iseol's way of speaking.

He missed Yoon Jong, who was running a little ahead. He had been acting a bit strange lately, but at least he was someone he could talk to, right?

"No, is it really okay like this? If we continue like this, all the Mount Hua members who formed units will end up fighting the Su Lo Chae!"

"Well."

"Sago!"

Jo Gol bit his lips.

Things were getting bigger. If there was a problem, someone may have to take responsibility for this arbitrary decision.

But whose arbitrariness was this? Was it Baek Cheon's arbitrariness? Or was it Yoon Jong's arbitrariness?

At times like this...

As Jo Gol unconsciously tried to turn his head, an indifferent voice, devoid of emotion, pierced his ears.

"No."

"...What?"

"He will come. But."

Yoo Iseol fixed her gaze forward and calmly spoke.

"He was far away from here, last time I heard. No matter how, he won't come faster than us."

"..."

"And he is your Saje."

Jo Gol inadvertently stiffened his face.

Because Yoo Iseoll's words sounded like telling him not to rely on Chung Myung like a child whenever something happened.

"...I was just curious. I'm afraid that damn bastard is going on a rampage to slit the Black Dragon King's head before we do! Isn't he enough of a guy to do that?"

Jo Gol also knew. That his words are getting longer. Probably because of the embarrassment of revealing his inner feelings.

"We need to be prepared."

"...What kind of preparation are you talking about?"

Yoo Iseol didn't answer. What kind of preparation was needed and for whom? Instead, she pointed forward with her chin.

"Get ready."

"Yes?"

Only then did Jo Gol see it in his eyes.

Corpses scattered all around. They had been brutally destroyed by someone's strong sword.

"Su Lo Chae...!"

Namgung Dowi seemed to have already collided with Su Lo Chae.

This meant that a fierce battle was already taking place here, where life and death were at stake.

'Namgung Sogaju!'

At the moment when Jo Gol's whole body muscles tightened, Yoo Iseol stopped abruptly where she was standing.

"Sago?"

Her eyes, endless as a still lake, gazed ahead.

* * *

"Black Dragon King! They're breaking through!"

At the urgent report, the Black Dragon King Jaeksekwang let out a sinister laugh.

"Should I say they're excellent?"

The white robes that were once neat were now stained with a reddish hue, and Namgung's swordsmen were rushing towards them.

In their eyes was a mixture of determination and an intense murderous aura.

"Let alone an evil sect, they should be called a demonic sect."

The Black Dragon King let out a low laugh.

It wasn't a bad judgment for those foolish Namgung guys. After all, the Su Lo Chae was a martial sect that couldn't exist without the Black Dragon King. The moment he lost his life, it would lose its power and disintegrate.

Thus, didn't Jang Ilso keep him alive instead of killing him?

"Black Dragon King! You have to take cover..."

Kwahng!

As someone next to him was about to speak, he was hit by the Black Dragon King's fist and flew out, spraying blood.

"Stupid guy! Are you telling me to run away from those midgets?"

A frenzied spirit overflowed.

"Even if I lose my arm, I am still Jaeksekwang! I won't be defeated by the likes of dogs!"

The Black Dragon King clenched his scimitar tightly.

Retreat was not an option.

He had to prove himself. To the day-old puppies rushing at him, and even to the doubtful gazes of those watching him.

The Evil Sect only acknowledged the strong. To become the Black Dragon King, he still needed to prove his strength.

The Namgung Family's head might serve as a useful means.

"Clear the way. I'll personally deal with..."

The moment the Black Dragon King was about to shout,

"JAEKSEKWAAAAAAAAANG!"

A lion's roar exploded.

As Jaeksekwang reflexively raised his gaze, a figure descended terrifyingly against the backdrop of the blue sky.

The once refined face was now stained with blood, contorted like a demon.

The swordsman, to which the term "puppy" would no longer be suitable, aimed for the neck of the Black Dragon King Jaeksekwang.

"Haha!"

The Black Dragon King's scimitar shot upwards, clashing with Namgung Dowi's descending sword.

As black and white blades clashed fiercely, two energies seeking martial mastery collided with mutual hatred.

Kwaaaah!

The tremendous explosion that erupted hurtled toward the word 'Finale.'