Return of the Mount Hua

I’m going to show them what true despair is. (4)

ROTMHS Glossary || About page

Who wouldn’t know?

That this was nothing but mockery.

That the words spilling from that devil’s mouth existed solely to drag them down into the dust, trample them, taunt them, and sneer at them.

And yet… was there anyone who remained unshaken?

The moment the word life flowed from Jang Ilso’s lips, was there even a single person here who did not feel a flicker of hope and desperate longing ignite in their chest?

Namgung Dowi tightly shut his eyes.

‘I…’

Even Namgung Dowi, who had resolved himself to death, felt a fierce impulse the moment he heard Jang Ilso’s words.

The impulse to live.

The terror of not wanting to die.

Had there been no one around to watch him, he might have dropped to his knees before Jang Ilso, clutching at his legs.

Begging to be spared.

Saying he did not want to die.

That he still… still did not want to die.

Who would be any different?

No matter how firmly one tried to stand, would the desire to live be any less?

Jang Ilso’s single word had unearthed that deeply buried desire far too easily.

“This…”

Namgung Hwang clenched his teeth so hard he could not utter another word.

He was likely feeling the same as Namgung Dowi at this moment.

The trembling of his hand was not from anger at Jang Ilso, but from fury at himself for not being able to remain steadfast in that instant.

At last, Namgung Hwang shouted in a voice boiling with rage.

“You vile bastard!”

Jang Ilso looked at him with an odd expression.

“This time it’s ‘vile,’ huh.”

“…”

“Hmm. Well… that’s a word I rather like. Vile, despicable, cowardly… whatever you like. It’s all fine. But still…”

Jang Ilso slowly shook his head.

“Not in this situation. Namgung Hwang, this isn’t the time for you to be cursing me.”

Namgung Hwang closed his mouth. He had been trying to gauge Jang Ilso’s true intentions for a moment, but it was impossible. With his abilities, there was no way he could peer into the mind of that monster.

“It’s not something you should view purely as bad.”

Jang Ilso softly turned his body and slowly approached Namgung Hwang. Namgung Hwang kept his sword raised in vigilance, but once again, Jang Ilso remained calm and unhurried.

Standing close beside Namgung Hwang, Jang Ilso whispered quietly into his ear.

“Now… Namgung Hwang. Think about it. Hmm? You need to think desperately. Being abandoned isn’t necessarily a bad thing, you know? You become free. Don’t you agree?”

“…”

Namgung Hwang bit his lip and glared at Jang Ilso. His face, smeared with blood, his disheveled hair, and his bloodshot eyes all made for a truly desperate sight.

But did Namgung Hwang realize it?

That for a swordsman, for whom maintaining distance is crucial, allowing a fist fighter [권사(拳士)] to come this close was no trivial matter. This very act unmistakably proved that he was already wavering.

“You bastard…”

He spat out the words as if chewing them.

“Are you telling me to become one of your subordinates? Do you think Namgung Clan of the Azure Sky would become dogs of a Sapa bastard?”

He shouted loud enough for everyone, even those shaken by this devil’s voice, to hear clearly.

“Better to die than to become your dogs! Don’t be ridiculous, Jang Ilso!”

Everyone agreed with that cry.

Survival is important to anyone.

But there are values that exist – values that must not be traded away, even for life itself.

Namgung Clan of the Azure Sky. 

They were people who could accept death, but could never become Jang Ilso’s lapdogs.

If they had been the kind who could, they would not have thrown away peace and marched onto Maehwado in the first place.

Just as a strong sense of revolt against Jang Ilso threatened to overwhelm everyone.

“…Dogs?”

Once again, everyone’s gaze was forcibly drawn to Jang Ilso’s gesture, as he calmly but curiously tilted his head.

“You’re saying strange things again. I honestly don’t understand.”

Jang Ilso arched his brows and scoffed at Namgung Hwang in an exaggerated fashion.

“Gamyeong-ah.”

“Yes, Ryeonju.”

“Did I ever say such a thing to them?”

“Not once, Ryeonju.”

Ho Gamyeong answered immediately, without even the slightest hesitation, as if there were no need to think about it. His expression, in stark contrast to Jang Ilso’s lively demeanor, was so blank it was impossible to guess what he was thinking.

“Then why are they saying such things?”

“Because humans can only think within the limits of their own understanding. It’s perfectly natural that they cannot grasp your intentions, Ryeonju. There is no need to blame them for it.”

“Hmm. I see. That makes sense.”

Jang Ilso leisurely nodded, then looked at Namgung Hwang with a broad smile.

Namgung Hwang could do nothing but watch this conversation unfold, a scene so theatrical it could have been lifted straight from a Peking opera.

From the moment Jang Ilso arrived here, it seemed everyone was merely moving according to the roles he had scripted – breathing in and out, even getting angry or letting out their frustrations.

“No, that’s not it, Namgung Hwang. And moreover…”

Jang Ilso’s gaze shifted from Namgung Hwang to the swordsmen of Namgung clan.

“Namgung Clan.”

It was as if he was reminding them that the authority to decide this matter didn’t lie with Namgung Hwang alone, but also with the swordsmen of Namgung clan.

“Why do you think I’m deceiving you?”

“…”

“Is it because I belong to an Evil Sect?”

“…”

“I’m only telling you the truth, nothing more.”

They were being drawn in.

By that voice.

By that tone.

By even the slightest motion of his hand.

“I’ll say it once more. What I want isn’t something like that. You don’t need to become dogs, nor do you need to join Saparyeon. There’s only one thing I want.”

The corners of his lips twisted faintly.

“I just want to hear the words ‘Please spare us’ come out of your mouths. That’s it. Nothing more.”

Everyone stared at him, dazed.

Not just Namgung clan – even the pirates of Surochae were the same.

All the eyes fixed on him were filled with nothing but bewilderment and despair.

It was nothing short of a miracle that the faces of the many filling this island were all stained the same hue.

Was he sane? Was he truly speaking these words with sincerity?

Why? Why on earth? Why?

Standing amidst countless gazes filled with disbelief and horror, Jang Ilso chuckled quietly to himself.

“It’s not such a difficult thing to do, is it?”

“…”

“If that’s all, then that’s enough. Say the words, and I’ll spare you. The moment those words leave your lips, I’ll let you go. Over there – to Gangbuk, the place you’ve so desperately longed to return to. To your peaceful, comfortable home.”

There must surely be a deadly poison hidden within the whisper of this devil – a poison so subtle that none could even dare to fathom it.

But… even knowing that fact, nothing would change.

How could one simply ignore such sweet words?

“I’ll even let you gather your fallen comrades and take their bodies with you. Though they died here, don’t they deserve to be buried in their homeland? Right? They fought harder than anyone.”

The swordsmen of Namgung clan, unable to overcome their instincts, averted their eyes.

The images of their fallen kin and comrades, lying lifeless with their eyes still open, were seared into their vision like a brand.

“It’s not difficult.”

Jang Ilso spoke in a soothing voice, as if coaxing a child.

“Just these words. With just these simple words, everything you wish for will come true. By the name of I, Paegun Jang Ilso…”

He paused slightly, deliberately, so that everyone would wait for his next words with parched hearts.

“…I promise it.”

As those sweet yet lethal words came to an end, a heavy silence fell.

And then, someone finally opened their mouth – almost as if possessed.

“Spare…”

“Don’t!”

At that moment, Namgung Dowi, standing nearby, urgently reached out and covered the man’s mouth.

With a face twisted in fury, he shouted.

“Jang Ilso!”

Jang Ilso slightly furrowed his brows.

“Tsk, tsk. To see the mighty leaders silencing those who wish to live and driving them to death. How disgraceful. Even the Evil Sects wouldn’t stoop to such deeds.”

“Shut up, you wretch! What are you scheming?!”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t you dare look down on Namgung! We won’t fall for your tricks…”

At that moment, Jang Ilso’s eyes, which had been gentle all along, twisted into a fierce scowl. His presence turned so vicious that Namgung Dowi instinctively stopped speaking and took a step back.

From his pale eyes, a violent energy surged as if blue flames were flickering within.

“Looking down on you?

Jang Ilso ground his teeth with a sharp gritting sound.

“I’ll tell you, Young Lord. It’s not me who’s looking down on you – it’s yourselves.”

“…”

“Shaolin has abandoned you. No, the entirety of the Just Sects have forsaken you. Let me ask you – do you truly believe that among the sects arriving across that river behind Shaolin, there’s even one that would willingly shed their blood for your sake?”

At those words, no one could answer immediately. Of course, they wanted to shout it out, to scream not to underestimate the Just Sects’ solidarity.

But hadn’t they already seen it? How Shaolin, the very sect known to uphold the justice of the Central Plains, had cast them aside?

“To them, your lives are worth so little. But… no. Not even them. The ones who regard your lives as most insignificant – are none other than yourselves.”

“…”

“Life is not something to be treated that way.”

Creak.

Jang Ilso’s rings scraped against each other, producing a chilling sound.

“The value of life is something you determine for yourself. At least, that’s how it was for me. I stabbed a knife into the belly of someone called a comrade, tore at the throat of someone who babbled about friendship, rolled through filth, and when my arm broke, I bit onto a cliff with my teeth!”

“…”

“Surviving is just like that.”

Everyone knew these words were neither a threat nor persuasion. They were Jang Ilso’s true feelings.

“And yet… you tell me not to look down on you?”

Jang Ilso bared his teeth.

“If I can’t look down on those who choose death because they can’t utter a single plea for their lives, then who in this world could I possibly look down upon? Why should I show respect to those who treat their own worth as less than that of a worm? Answer me, brat! By what right do you think you can decide the death of someone whose mouth you’ve silenced?”

Namgung Dowi’s hand trembled.

Had Jang Ilso said even a word more, Namgung Dowi might have collapsed right there.

But at that moment, Jang Ilso loosened his oppressive aura. As if growing drowsy, he let his shoulders droop.

“It’s not that difficult.”

“…”

“None will remember your deaths. The so-called glory gained through death is nothing but scraps tossed by the survivors to the dead. Scraps torn from vast spoils, utterly useless.”

Someone swallowed dryly, and another clenched their fists tightly.

“Clutching those scraps as you die… isn’t that just too sad? Don’t you think?”

He almost nodded.

At those whispered words.

“So… say it.”

On Jang Ilso’s face, from which the fierce aura had vanished, once more bloomed a bright and wicked smile.

“Just beg for your life. That’s all. If you do that, you’ll be able to walk out of here alive.”

Step. Step. Step.

Jang Ilso walked toward the Azure Sky Sword Unit. And then, leaning close to the ear of a swordsman who no longer even thought of raising his sword, he whispered.

Softly, but clearly and slowly enough for everyone to hear.

“You want to live, don’t you?”

The man who heard that voice froze on the spot like a statue.

“You must want to live. Everyone wants to live. But those who seek to use your lives so sparingly speak so easily. A warrior must be ready to throw away his life for pride. For the cause of righteousness, one must cast aside life like it’s nothing.”

His eyes trembled. In the heart of the shaken swordsman, a question rose – and Jang Ilso recited it for him.

“For what?”

“…”

“No, no. You realize it once you survive. Pride isn’t anything that grand. It’s like the night that passes when you close your eyes for a moment. So… come on. Say it. Say you want to live. Say, ‘I want to live.’”

“I… I…”

In the end, tears streamed down the swordsman’s face.

A swordsman hardened by countless years of harsh training. A sword of Namgung, prepared to guard the name of Azure Sky with his life without fear of death… was now crying like a child.

An unbearable pressure.

A glimmer of hope, immediately crushed by a towering wave of despair.

Before the one who seized and twisted their very souls at the end of that tide, neither will nor duty could stand.

“Shhh. There, be good, won’t you?”

At the words flowing from those crimson lips, there was simply no way to resist.

“Now, say it. With your own mouth.”

The Azure Sky Unit member’s eyes darted helplessly. With a pitifully hoarse voice, he choked out his sobs.

His trembling, confused hands… at last, grasped the hem of Jang Ilso’s sleeve.

“Spare… me…”

“That’s enough, Paegun.”

At that moment, Namgung Hwang intervened.

It was a powerless voice, one that barely sounded like his own.

“……You’ve enjoyed yourself enough, haven’t you?”

He seemed like a man whose soul had been drained, or perhaps like someone who had aged several years all at once.

Namgung Hwang’s head slowly drooped down.

“We…”

He spoke with a voice completely devoid of strength.

“We… have lost.”

It was the moment everything about Namgung Hwang crumbled.

Next chapter >>>

________

Please, subscribe/donate on Patreon or Buymeacoffee – support my work and help me buy official cookies to purchase the chapters. My schedule is on the About page.