Chapter 1825. No Matter How Insignificant the Fertilizer (1)

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'Kugh….'

The first to sense the change was none other than Red Dogs. Especially those at the very front, who had to drive the enemy back alongside the elite, felt it the most.

One of the Red Dogs warriors, unable to withstand the overwhelming aura, unconsciously took a step back.

Kaaang!

As he parried the sword flying toward him in an instant, Red Dog's expression twisted grotesquely. A mix of humiliation, self-loathing, and disbelief contorted his face.

'Am I being pushed back by this brat?'

He couldn't comprehend it.

If it were any other time, even if it meant being run through by a sword, he would have shattered that brat's skull. He had never feared adding another scar to his body, which was already covered in them.

Then why had he instinctively chosen to retreat instead of pressing forward? Could it be that he was intimidated by the mere presence of this brat?

'Ridiculous….'

He had witnessed countless desperate struggles. Since taking the name Red Dogs, the sects he had trampled numbered in the dozens. The wails of those who perished then could not have been any less sorrowful than the cries of his foes now.

Then why?

At that moment, a realization struck Red Dogs, and he instinctively turned his gaze. His eyes twitched in shock.

"We're…."

Kaaaang!

He swung his sword with all his might at the incoming sword. The tip of his sword shattered, and fragments sliced across his lips, leaving a long cut.

"…being pushed back?"

He hadn't seen wrong. The battle lines were shifting dramatically.

Like cracks spreading across a dam holding back a flood, a massive rupture was becoming increasingly evident on the battlefield.

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A faint heat flickered in Yoon Jong's eyes. It was an emotion close to exhilaration.

He couldn't explain it clearly, but he could undeniably sense the shift. It was a momentary awareness, something only those who had risked their lives countless times on the battlefield could perceive.

If they pushed forward with full force at this moment, that once-impenetrable fortress would surely collapse—completely and all at once, as if it had never stood firm to begin with.

Yet, Yoon Jong hesitated to shout the order. Could he be certain that what he had seen was real? Could he trust that his instincts weren't mistaken?

Perhaps it was just a fleeting illusion, born from his desperate hopes. If he gave the wrong command, he would be leading his sahyungs to their deaths.

Yoon Jong instinctively turned to his side.

'Geol-ah….'

There was no one beside him. The one who had always shoved him forward with loud shouts had already rushed ahead without hesitation, fulfilling his duty.

'Sasuk….'

Baek Cheon, who had always led the way. Cheong Myeong, who always strode ahead. Yoo Iseol and Tang Soso, who had always watched over him with calm eyes. None of them were here.

In that moment, Yoon Jong realized. Amidst the chaos of this battlefield, he was utterly alone. And he alone had to make the judgment.

A sudden fear gripped him.

But he shook it off in an instant.

Failure was not what he should fear. Everything he had gone through until now had been to prepare him for this realization.

"Mount Huaaaaaaa!"

At last, Yoon Jong's voice erupted like a thunderclap. It was the loudest he had ever shouted in his life.

"The enemy is retreating! Charge and seize victory in one strike!"

"Ooooooh!"

Even before Yoon Jong's words had fully left his mouth, the disciples of Mount Hua let out a powerful battle cry. Without a moment's hesitation, they surged toward the enemy as one.

Yoon Jong, too, kicked off the ground and shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

That command had been his final one. Yoon Jong was a swordsman of Mount Hua. If everyone was risking their lives, he would stake his own as well.

"Mount Hua is here!"

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The tension in his body slowly drained away. As he unconsciously lowered his raised sword, he felt a firm grip on his shoulder and turned his head. The hand was rough and thick.

When he lifted his gaze toward its owner, a man with a warm expression was smiling at him.

"Look at that."

"…Sahyung."

Un Geom murmured in a near-sigh.

A moment ago, Un Geom had seen it clearly. Though brief, it had been unmistakable hesitation. And because he had watched over his disciple for so long, he had recognized it immediately.

He had been about to rush toward him—whether to rebuke him sharply or encourage him warmly, he wasn't sure.

If not for Un Am's hand gripping his shoulder, Un Geom would have run straight to Yoon Jong.

"Sometimes, it's better to trust them."

"..."

"Haven't they already proven themselves? More than nobodies like us ever could."

Un Geom let out a bitter chuckle and shook his head.

"It would be shameful to even compare."

"Exactly."

He knew. And yet, his eyes kept following them. He couldn't help but feel a pang of concern and heartache.

Whether in strength or experience, his disciples had grown beyond comparison. Yet he still felt anxious and worried, like a parent watching a child by the water's edge.

But Yoon Jong… No, all of his disciples had proven themselves perfectly in this moment. They no longer needed someone to push them forward or fret over them anxiously.

Even without Cheong Myeong taking the lead, even without Baek Cheon guiding them, Mount Hua was still Mount Hua.

The flowers they had bloomed shone so brilliantly that his eyes stung.

'And yet….'

Strangely, he also felt a tinge of sadness. As if he had just confirmed with his own eyes that there was no longer a place left for him.

"What are you doing?"

At that moment, Un Am stepped forward, gripping his sword. Un Geom frowned slightly.

"What are you planning…?"

"Do you know something?"

"What?"

"Even fertilizer has its pride."

Un Am glanced back at Un Geom with a bright smile.

"No matter how insignificant the fertilizer may be, without it, how could such beautiful flowers have bloomed?"

[tl note: that's the titlee.]

"..."

"Isn't that right?"

Un Geom stared at him silently for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"You're right… Sahyung."

"So stop hesitating and let's go. We have our own role to finish."

They might end up being nothing but a hindrance. Their skills, once part of the Un disciples generation, could no longer even match the Cheong disciples generation. No matter how much they trained anew, time was something they could never reclaim.

But it didn't matter.

Because as Un Am said, even fertilizer has its pride.

"If anyone is to die first, it should be us."

"Of course. That's how it should be."

"Let's go."

"It's been a while since we fought together."

"But, Sahyung… do you still remember how to use a sword?"

"…I thought I had long outgrown your insolence."

"There are no kids here to hear it."

"...Well, damn."

Un Am chuckled as he clicked his tongue and forcefully pushed off the ground.

Beside him, Un Geom followed. Seeing this, the few remaining Un disciples also rushed in behind them.

'Pride, huh.'

A small smile played on Un Geom's lips. He gripped his sword tightly with his one remaining hand.

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Kwaang!

"You, you bastards!"

The Red Dogs warriors' faces were filled with shock and confusion.

Those damned Wudang disciples, throwing themselves forward without hesitation, were now being followed by the relentless Mount Hua fighters. As if spurred by this, even the Zhongnan disciples were rushing in one after another.

"How dare you…!"

The Red Dogs warriors growled in anger, swinging their weapons violently.

Normally, the front line must be carefully maintained. To maximize effectiveness, the number of fighters must neither be too great nor too few.

But now, Heavenly Comrade Alliance had completely shattered that rule.

"RAAAAH!"

Everyone was charging in.

Some with pent-up rage, some with burning passion, and and some with chivalry, they leaped past those before them, unleashing their swords upon the enemy.

"I'll take this one!"

"Step aside!"

Mount Hua, Wudang, and Zhongnan.

Three sects that once fought to claim the title of the greatest sword sect, rivals who could never truly stand side by side, and competitors locked in an eternal struggle for supremacy in the Nine Great Sects.

[tl note: yeah, it just says gupa-ui, not gupailbang, that's why it's 9 great sects]

And yet now, their swords were raining down upon the enemy, as if competing with each other.

They were still not fighting as one, but looking toward the same goal was no longer difficult. Their swords proved this truth as they intertwined and clashed on the battlefield.

Kaang!

The swords of Zhongnan broke the enemy's momentum, Mount Hua's blades dazzled and misled their foes, and Wudang's sword delivered the killing strike.

One after another. One after another.

The momentum they had built up surged beyond even their own control. If one faltered for a moment, another immediately stepped in to take their place.

The once carefully maintained battle lines crumbled in an instant.

Of course, Heavenly Comrade Alliance wasn't the only one caught in the collapse.

"This damn-.... Ugh!"

The ever-shifting storm of different sword styles was overwhelming. The exhausted Evil Tyrant Alliance fighters could no longer hold their ground against them.

Slash! Slash!

Hot blood splattered through the air.

"Press Forward!"

Sensing the moment of collapse, the swordsmen from the three sects poured out every last ounce of their strength.

They didn't need anyone to shout orders. No one had to rally them with words. They all knew. This was the moment.

"You bastards…!"

The Red Dogs warriors, unable to withstand the onslaught any longer, were pushed back—further and further. The Evil Tyrant Alliance fighters, failing to keep pace with them, found themselves overwhelmed by the surging momentum of the three sects.

The sight of Heavenly Comrade Alliance swordsmen continuously leaping over the shoulders of those ahead, endlessly pouring in like an unstoppable flood, resembled nothing short of a massive landslide. It was an overwhelming catastrophe, impossible to stop by human strength.

"This.…"

Ho Gamyeong bit his lip so hard that it bled as he watched the scene unfold.

Even though there was no actual sound, he heard it loud and clear—

The sound of something cracking.

The sound of an irreparable fracture forming in the very fate of this battlefield.

'No!'

If the front line collapsed now, there would be no victory. Ho Gamyeong knew this better than anyone. Just as he was about to do something—anything— 

'That…'

His eyes locked onto an unbelievable sight.

Beyond the warriors pouring their everything into this battle, as if rising from a mirage, a single figure soared into the air.

Ho Gamyeong stared blankly, his mind lagging behind his instincts, which already knew the answer.

Before his mind could even realize it, his instincts recognized the other person's identity first. So he ended up recalling a name he didn't even want to say.

"Plum Blossom…"

A name filled with nothing but hatred and loathing, and yet unforgettable for eternity.

Ho Gamyeong spat out the name in a voice seething with rage.

"Plum Blossom Sword Demon!"

Fwoooooosh!

As if in response, crimson plum blossoms bloomed across the battlefield sky.

Carried by the wind, a single petal multiplied, expanding into a crimson river that soon became a roaring, unrelenting torrent.

"Cheong Myeong-yaaaa!"

In that instant, Cheong Myeong's sword descended.

And with it, the crimson torrent transformed into a massive waterfall, crashing down upon the crumbling battle lines.

Kwaaaaaang!

Swept away by the overwhelming wave of red sword energy, the enemies couldn't even scream before being torn apart and hurled away.

"Uh…"

Both Evil Tyrant Alliance and Heavenly Comrade Alliance warriors froze for a split second.

Then, a fierce battle cry shattered the silence.

"What are you waiting for?! NOW!"

"BREAK THROUGH IN ONE GO!"

A path had been carved—

A path opened by the Plum Blossom Sword Demon.

Through it, the swordsmen of the three sects surged forward like a flood bursting through a shattered dam.

Rrrumble.

In Ho Gamyeong's ears, the sound of heaven collapsing echoed, signaling that everything had crumbled.

[tl note: I enjoyed reading this while being a little scared because the anguish mentioned by the Dalai Lama hasn't appeared yet, I'm scared ugh... But you're doomed Ho Gamyeong!! hahaha]