Chapter 1567: A Walk Is Good On Days Like This (Part 2)

"Um, that... "

"Jang Ilso! It's Jang Ilso!"

The beggars who were monitoring the Evil Tyrant Alliance, who were camped in Zhang Jia Jie, opened their eyes wide. What they saw before them was unbelievable.

"What on earth..."

A man with a dazzling red robe, leading the way. It was Jang Ilso, the leader of the Evil Tyrant Alliance. He walked at the forefront, followed by the full force of Myriad Man Manor and the Black Ghost Castle.

The Evil Sect presented a military force boasting a perfect formation, almost too perfect to believe in the saying that it was a shabby army whose strength came from numbers.

However, the beggars were not shocked by the military discipline.

"Why is Jang Ilso in the lead?"

"Did he lose his mind?"

Dumbfounded voices flowed from the mouths of the Beggar's Union beggars.

Jang Ilso was the Ryeonju. He was not only the center of the Evil Tyrant Alliance but embodied everything within it.

For someone like him to lead the army was an action that went beyond common sense.

Of course, it may boost morale. In truly desperate situations, even an emperor might boldly embark on a punitive expedition for that reason.

However, neither an emperor leading a punitive expedition nor a leader at the forefront of the final resistance stands at the head of the army. There is no reason to take the most dangerous action when everything will end if that one person dies.

"...Maybe he's a fake?"

"A fake?"

"Didn't Jang Ilso once deceive (計) us with the Golden Cicada Transformation (金蟬脫殼)? This Jang Ilso might be fake too..."

"Yeah, that could be possible!"

"Then, let's report first..."

As a beggar was about to vigorously nod at the suggestion of reporting.

Pow!

The head of the beggar in front exploded.

Hot blood splattered all over the beggar's face that was nodding.

"What... what?"

Momentarily stunned by the unfolding tragedy, the beggar dumbly let out a confused sound.

Crack!

At the same time, something pierced both of his knees.

"Ugh..."

Losing balance, he collapsed, and the pain from the pierced knees was not even noticeable in his overwhelming confusion.

What on earth was happening?

In front of his eyes, there was a strange object that had fallen.

"... A ring?"

Even at a glance, it looked sophisticated, a ring intricately carved with jade. It was an item that did not belong in this desolate land.

Because of this, the beggar immediately understood who was behind all of this and why he had collapsed.

Creak.

As if confirming his guess, a sinister sound came from behind.

The ring, half-buried in the ground, floated into the air and flew over his head to the back.

"Hmmmm."

At the same time, a strange voice echoed.

Instantly, reason and instinct engaged in a fierce battle in the beggar's mind.

Reason urging him to turn his head and confirm the person behind him, and instinct not wanting to see that face with his own eyes.

The intense struggle between these two forces contorted the beggar's face even more in agony.

Unfortunately, he was not the one deciding what would happen next.

"Now, have you confirmed it?"

To the friendly voice, the beggar remained frozen, as if holding his breath.

His head turned back. It seemed like he was being controlled against his will.

Indeed, it was the appearance of someone both unfamiliar and familiar. Jang Ilso, dressed in a red silk robe, was smiling brightly.

"You were curious, right? Whether I am Jang Ilso or not."

"Um..."

Jang Ilso's laughter became even more cheerful.

"Is this enough for an answer?"

The beggar's body, soaked in blood, trembled like a bamboo in the wind.

At most, this was where he would die.

Didn't he resign himself to death when he took on the mission to monitor the Evil Tyrant Alliance?

But why was he trembling like this? It was just dying.

Jang Ilso's red silk shoes leisurely approached.

Thump.

The sound of footsteps treading on the ground lightly echoed in the beggar's ears like thunder. 

"Or do you need something more? How can I convince you that I am Jang Ilso?" 

"Uh... ugh..."

The color drained from the beggar's face. 

Watching this, Jang Ilso suddenly burst into laughter. 

"Hahaha! Your face is so amusing. Hahaha! You look like an actor in a play!" 

He was laughing as if entertained by something truly amusing.

If it weren't for the lifeless body missing a head right in front of them, the pure and clear laughter could have been seen as a joyful and peaceful scene.

However, the corpse remained, still not cold, spouting blood—a truly eerie and insane sight. 

Then Jang Ilso abruptly stopped laughing and reached out to grab the beggar's collar, forcibly lifting him up. 

Even though he looked bizarre from a distance, witnessing Jang Ilso up close was even more peculiar than one could imagine.

Skin powdered so pale that even a woman would say it was excessive, blood-red lips, long and dark eyelashes cascading down, and...

The beggar's body trembled.

The eyes beneath those eyelashes.

Like a beast, like a woman, and perhaps like a child, those seductive eyes seemed to pierce through the entire body like blades.

"Speak."

"Uh..."

"Do you still need something more?"

The beggar vigorously shook his head, his desperation manifesting in even more intense movements.

"Is that so?"

Jang Ilso chuckled.

"I know it. I know it all. The reason you doubt me is because of me, right? I've done things that can't be undone. But... well. Even if that's the case, it doesn't feel good to be doubted. Don't you think so?"

The beggar nodded hastily, not fully comprehending what he was agreeing to. He sought approval first, hurriedly nodding in agreement.

"You're a good kid."

And his intention seemed to have satisfied Jang Ilso's heart.

"Alright. Now you must believe that I'm Jang Ilso."

Jang Ilso, speaking calmly, released the hand that had been gripping the beggar's collar. Then, with a sly smile, he said.

"Well then, go."

At that moment, the beggar looked at Jang Ilso as if questioning his own ears.

"...How?"

"Do you really want to go, even if...?"

At that moment, Jang Ilso clicked his tongue and slightly shook his head.

"I have no interest in beggars."

It was an incomprehensible statement to the beggar. Jang Ilso added.

"What's the point of bothering someone who has nothing to lose or take? It would only dirty my hands."

He even seemed uncomfortable with having held the beggar's collar and nonchalantly brushed his hands.

"So, go."

"...."

"Hmm. Maybe you don't want to go?"

"Oh, no... No! Thank you..."

The beggar couldn't complete his sentence, awkwardly closing his mouth.

Regardless of the situation, as a member of a righteous sect, the absurdity of expressing gratitude to the leader of the Evil Sect left him speechless.

Turning his body like someone whose soul had departed, the beggar lost his balance and fell down.

"Oof!"

Having forgotten the fact that his knee was pierced due to the overwhelming confusion, he contorted once more.

"Oh, my, oh, my. With a mind like this... Tsk, tsk."

Jang Ilso, who had turned away, glanced back and playfully clicked his tongue.

"You should be careful. If you can't even walk, it'll be a struggle to get to a place where you can beg. Well... Nevertheless, being a Beggar's Union fellow, you might manage with your two good arms, wouldn't you?"

It was the moment when the terrified beggar, driven by fear, desperately stretched his arms, clenched the ground, and attempted to move forward.

"Come to think of it…"

The beggar's blood chilled in an instant.

He instinctively sensed that Jang Ilso's voice coming from behind had subtly changed.

Trembling, the beggar forcibly turned his head to look at Jang Ilso. Instead of continuing to turn around, Jang Ilso was casually glancing in his direction.

Unlike a little while ago, it was an infinitely chilly gaze.

"You still have something left."

Paah!

Something pierced through the beggar's back as he cowered.

"Ah... ugh... Hnggh...."

Blood surged out from the beggar's mouth. The ring worn by Jang Ilso, seen earlier, flew again, piercing through his Dantian.

Of course, having his Dantian pierced wouldn't result in death. However, he could no longer use martial arts. What would the world call someone who had lost both martial skills and legs?

"A beggar should be true to his nature, shouldn't he?"

Jang Ilso, who had contemptuously observed the beggar writhing like a bug, turned his body with a sly smile.

"You've wasted my time. I should hurry since someone is waiting."

"Yes!"

Leaving the groaning figure behind, Jang Ilso took another step forward. Now, all that remained in the place were a headless corpse and one person who had lost everything but their life.

"...Commander. Is this alright?"

"What do you mean?"

A lieutenant, with a somewhat concerned tone, cautiously spoke to Ho Gakmyung.

"I mean, he's leading the way."

As Ho Gakmyung turned his expressionless face, the lieutenant spoke again hesitantly.

"Even though Ryeonju-nim is undoubtedly stronger than anyone else...is it necessary to emphasize that he is the real leader? In my opinion, it's not a good approach. It might be better to cause confusion among the enemies..."

Ho Gakmyung's gaze sank coldly. Unaware of this, the lieutenant continued speaking.

"Or maybe, wouldn't it be better to cut off that beggar's life now? It's obvious what will come out of his mouth, and killing him to block information might be more beneficial..."

"Purposely sparing him."

"Yes? W-Why..."

"Just as you said, he spared him to deliver a message to them. That the true Ryeonju-nim is here. That Ryeonju-nim is not fake."

"Why go through such trouble for no apparent gain..."

Ho Gakmyung slowly turned his head to face the lieutenant.

"Do you know why people die?"

"Huh?"

"Because they engage in irrelevant actions. They think themselves clever."

The words made the lieutenant's face turn pale.

"Sorry, Commander."

"Ryeonju-nim spared you. If I hadn't considered the impurity of shedding blood in front of him, your head would be in my hands right now."

It was a voice that didn't sound murderous. Just like claiming the sky was wide when looking up at it, it was an almost too natural tone. This further disturbed the lieutenant's already constricted heart.

Ho Gakmyung withdrew his cold gaze and quickly lost interest. He turned his attention to Jang Ilso, who was walking at the front.

"Do you know why he wears red clothes on the battlefield?"

"...I'm not sure about that."

Ho Gakmyung, with an expressionless face, turned to look at the lieutenant.

"Even though it's well... Hm."

Ho Gakmyung looked at Jang Ilso's red cloak, on which a black dragon was embroidered.

'You wouldn't know.'

- Leader! They're targeting Leader. You must avoid them!

- Hahaha! Really? They're targeting me? That's good news.

He had experienced countless battlefields.

Sometimes he survived, sometimes he barely clung to life.

But Ho Gakmyung remembered it clearly.

- Leader! Why...!

- This way, they will know exactly where I am, won't they? Call them. Once the purpose is clear, people naturally become blind.

In the midst of a battlefield teeming with wolves, Jang Ilso laughed, wearing a red cloak taken from a corpse. He vividly recalled the intense madness in those eyes.

That day, the two crawled up from the bottom of the pit of inevitable death.

Since then, Jang Ilso always wore a red cloak or a white one stained red with blood.

At any moment, enemies should be able to recognize him clearly.

"It will be clearly visible to their eyes."

That red cloak doesn't allow the opponent to turn away as if nothing happened.

Now the world must forcibly realize that Jang Ilso was here, that this Jang Ilso was coming to set their world ablaze.

If that happened, could they still keep their eyes cast down to the ground like they were doing now?

Ho Gakmyung's dark eyes glowed sharply.

'He's right here. The one you've been targeting. The one who will set your world on fire.'

Jang Ilso's red cloak fluttered in the wind. As if hinting that the blue sky would soon be covered in blood.