Should I say it’s nice to see you? (5)
Im Sobyeong unconsciously bit his lip. It was because of the sense of unease that kept swelling in his heart as time went by.
‘What is this?’
He surveyed the unfolding battlefield closely. It was a scene so complex that one would have to call it chaos, but even in that chaos, Im Sobyeong did not miss the two distinct currents within it.
Those scattering in all directions to flee, and those pursuing a clearly defined objective.
‘No different from what I expected.’
He also took note of those dressed in red and white. The Red Dogs, Jang Ilso’s hounds. Like loyal dogs that had caught the scent of their master, they swiftly crossed the battlefield. They were not all moving in perfect unity towards one spot, but if you looked closely, more than half of them were headed in the same direction.
If it hadn’t been Im Sobyeong… No, even if it was Im Sobyeong, had he not thrown himself right into the thick of it, he would never have predicted this flow.
Having confirmed these currents, he was certain he could find where the real Jang Ilso was. That was Im Sobyeong’s conclusion. He had not the slightest doubt about it, even at this very moment.
And yet, the feeling of unease not only refused to disappear – it kept growing. Im Sobyeong bit down on his lip again.
‘Why? Why like this!’
The unease that had clouded his mind was now practically a monster ready to devour him. It felt as though a colossal beast beneath his feet had opened its massive maw wide.
Im Sobyeong’s eyes grew bloodshot.
“Nokrim King?”
Snap.
Im Sobyeong shouted irritably.
“What are you doing? We have to move faster!”
Jongli Gok let out a faint groan, then nodded. Im Sobyeong tried hard not to let his expression show as he stubbornly kept his gaze forward.
‘No.’
Denying it in his mind, he forced his feet – determined to stop – to keep moving. The reason was simple: he was the military advisor.
“Huuk!”
Military advisor – one responsible for war strategy.
A military advisor must never be swayed by instinct. The decisions of a strategist must be grounded thoroughly in the art of war [병법(兵法)] and solid evidence. The moment something as vague as intuition influences a decision, he becomes no different from someone who prays for rain until it finally comes.
Anyone who deals with military strategy would want to avoid that situation at all costs. This was especially true for Im Sobyeong. For him, putting intuition before logic was tantamount to self-denial, no different from erasing his own reason for existing.
Boom!
A distant explosion rang out.
It seemed that one of the fake ‘Jang Ilso’ had detonated an explosive strapped to his body and blew himself up.
‘Just as I predicted.’
Since his prediction was right, his certainty should only grow stronger. The fakes exist to lure in Cheonumaeng and then blow themselves up. Among them, the real one will take advantage of the chaos to slip away.
Im Sobyeong clenched his teeth and stared ahead.
The flow of the battlefield became a bit clearer, exactly as he had predicted.
Even so, his heart pounded harder, thumping anxiously as if it might burst at any moment. He knew better than anyone that this was not excitement at the possibility of capturing Jang Ilso soon.
‘Damn it, what the hell am I supposed to do here!’
Everything was going as expected, so he couldn’t just stop. If the odds of being right were higher than the odds of being wrong, then at the end of this path, Jang Ilso would inevitably be there.
But if he were to stop now?
‘I’ll end up letting Jang Ilso slip away with my own hands!’
That was something he could never allow. It wasn’t because he feared the rebukes of those in the Alliance who viewed him unfavorably – he never cared about that in the first place. But Im Sobyeong couldn’t bear the countless new casualties that would appear if Jang Ilso escaped here.
A strategist views people as numbers [수(數)]. This does not mean devaluing human life. Rather, it means giving careful consideration to every single individual.
Because he knows exactly the weight of those numbers, which can never be regained once lost.
Fear, that sense of dread, pushed Im Sobyeong forward. The more it did, the more the unease he was trying to ignore clung violently to his heels.
Boom!
Another explosion rang out. From a place so distant it felt unreal came the sound of yet another fake ‘Jang Ilso’ detonating himself. If not that, then it was a trap being triggered.
It didn’t matter which. Whatever kind of explosion this was, it merely served as proof that Im Sobyeong’s judgment was correct.
However, Im Sobyeong’s steps grew slower and slower.
“Nokrim King?”
Countless people rushed past him. In the end, Im Sobyeong came to a complete stop.
“What in the world are you doing?”
Jongli Gok turned around to him, looking bewildered. Im Sobyeong could not offer an explanation. He couldn’t even clearly explain it to himself – why he had stopped.
This was different from any anxiety he had felt before. There was something… something he had missed. Something he absolutely should not have overlooked.
At that moment.
“…I’m not sure if it’s just me overthinking, but still.”
Hearing the voice, Im Sobyeong turned in that direction. Maeng So, the Lord of the Beast Palace, who had somehow caught up from behind, wore a vaguely uneasy expression as he spoke.
“Doesn’t it feel like we’ve come too far?”
“…Too far?”
Im Sobyeong repeated, sounding dazed. Or rather, he murmured to himself.
“No, it’s just a thought that crossed my mind. Don’t mind me.”
Maeng So shook his head as if it was nothing. But Im Sobyeong could not brush it off so easily.
“Too far…”
Too far from what?
Going ‘too far’ implies there is some standard or a reference point. But this place is a wide-open field, right up against enemy lines. It’s possible to talk about getting closer to the enemy, but the idea of moving away from something doesn’t exist here – so long as there is nothing they must protect.
Thus, Maeng So’s words are wrong. That is how it should be viewed.
“There was nothing.”
There is nothing here that they must protect. Even if the burning Wudang might be something Wudang needs to defend, it is not something Cheonumaeng must protect. The Alliance is not the same as Wudang, after all.
“…There wasn’t anything.”
But now there is. Something that must be protected. It didn’t exist when the battle began, but now it does. It has come into existence.
At that sudden realization, Im Sobyeong turned his head around sharply.
His gaze landed on the distant spot from which they had set out.
“No…”
Im Sobyeong’s face turned pale. The worst possibility he could imagine struck his mind like a blade.
“A-Ah, no!”
❀ ❀ ❀
“You must first tend to your internal injuries.”
“I’m fine.”
Tang Gunak firmly shook his head. Tang Pae cast him a worried glance, but this was no time to worry about his own body. It wasn’t because Tang Gunak was brimming with a profound sense of responsibility.
In a situation like this, anyone would act just as Tang Gunak did.
‘How tragic.’
It was truly devastating. All that was visible were the corpses filling the fields.
Their condition was equally gruesome: severed heads, spilled entrails, gaping holes in their bodies… limbs lay scattered in such abundance that it churned one’s stomach.
After staring blankly for a moment at someone who had died without even closing their eyes, Tang Gunak finally looked away. He could no longer bear to gaze into those empty eyes.
Even the word ‘devastation’ felt terribly inadequate. Once all the living had left, all that remained were those who lost their lives in this meaningless battle – and the flocks of crows gathering to feast on their bodies.
A deep worry settled on Tang Gunak’s face.
Most of the dead were members of Sapaeryeon, but the losses among the members of Cheonumaeng were by no means few.
Was there ever a reason to bury these precious lives here? What was it they had to protect at the cost of their lives – these people who, had they lived, might have accomplished so many more dreams?
“You were not wrong, My Lord.”
Tang Gunak turned to look at Tang Pae. Tang Pae’s gaze was unwavering.
“If we hadn’t fought, many more people would have suffered. Their deaths were not in vain.”
Tang Gunak slowly nodded.
“…Right.”
He suddenly realized just how much his son had grown. Or perhaps he himself had grown weary and weak. One way or another, it was the same.
“Hurry, Lord Tang. There is nothing to be gained by staying here any longer.”
“Yes.”
At Zhuge Jain’s words, Tang Gunak looked over those who were following him.
They were the injured, who could barely move, and those who volunteered to remain behind to protect them. The last duty left to Tang Gunak in this battle was to lead all of them forward and catch up with those ahead without delay.
That way, they could defend the rear from any unexpected enemy’s scheme.
“Wouldn’t it be better to take a short break? Everyone looks utterly exhausted just from coming this far.”
When Tang Pae spoke, worry clear on his face, Zhuge Jain frowned.
“That is…”
Before Zhuge Jain could say anything further, Tang Gunak cut him off decisively.
“Don’t be stubborn, Pae.”
“…Father.”
“I understand your concern for me, but Jang Ilso won’t be brought down this easily. We have to be prepared for everything.”
Tang Pae lowered his head in silence. Tang Gunak forced himself to ignore his son’s worry, keeping his guard up.
‘It can’t end like this.’
He didn’t know much about the art of war. Because of that, Tang Gunak found it difficult to believe that the outcome of this battle had already been decided.
‘There must be something more.’
Jang Ilso was not someone who would fall so simply. This conviction arose from the twisted trust forged by risking his life fighting against Jang Ilso until now.
Tang Gunak also believed.
No matter what trap Jang Ilso might set, his comrades would surely overcome it. It was a different sort of faith than what he felt towards Jang Ilso – this was trust in those who fought alongside him.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
And now, on Tang Gunak’s shoulders rested the trust his allies had placed in him. Even if it cost him his life, he had to fulfill the duty they had entrusted to him.
“L-Lord Tang!”
But that firm resolve was shattered like a cracked mirror by the voice ringing from behind.
“B-Behind us! Over there!”
Tang Gunak turned around swiftly to look behind. All that lay beyond was still the vast, open field.
‘What…?’
His expression grew taut with tension. After a moment, he spotted a group rushing towards them from the distance.
“That is… the Blood Palace?”
Tang Gunak bit his lip slightly.
“…Did they circle around Wudang and come down?”
Zhuge Jain and Tang Gunak quickly assessed the situation. The ones who had been climbing Mount Wudang had, without delay, circumvented the mountain and come charging straight for them.
“E-Enemies!”
“W-What do we do, Lord Tang?”
Those following him grew agitated and turned to Tang Gunak for guidance. He remained composed, his face set with calm determination.
“Stay calm.”
Tang Gunak’s deep voice rang in everyone’s ears.
“We expected something like this. If it’s Sapaeryeon, of course they’d aim for our rear. Keep calm. No matter how strong they may be, our numbers here aren’t insignificant.”
The assembled warriors exchanged glances.
True, there were hundreds of injured. But injured or not, they were members of Cheonumaeng. Plus, over fifty had voluntarily chosen to remain behind to protect them.
‘We can handle this.’
They weren’t without fear, but they were not so easily defeated. Strictly speaking, this wasn’t even a fight they had to win outright. If they held out, reinforcements would certainly arrive.
Realizing this, the fear vanished from their faces, replaced by a blaze of fighting spirit. These were warriors who had fought without a thought for their own lives, which was why they were here, injured. They would never lose heart over a situation like this.
“Sapaeryeon’s scum!”
“I was getting bored anyway – this is perfect.”
A few let out laughs laced with bravado. Tang Gunak nodded at the sight.
“Trust me. If we hold them off, Cheonumaeng will surely crush Sapaeryeon.”
“Yes!”
Ching!
The sound of swords being drawn rang out here and there.
Tang Gunak’s face showed both resolve and relief at the same time. The threat was clear – terrifying, even – but if this was how the enemy had arranged their forces, it was by no means the worst scenario.
‘We will surely win.’
Just as Tang Gunak was fanning the flames of his fighting spirit.
“Hmm.”
A faint sound reached them. Tang Gunak froze on the spot. In fact, they all did.
It was so soft and low that one would have to strain to hear it, yet it echoed like thunder in everyone’s ears.
Tang Gunak slowly – very slowly – turned his gaze, as though forced to see something he desperately wished not to.
He fervently hoped, over and over, that what he’d heard was merely an illusion.
Tang Gunak’s gaze stopped. At the end of it rose a horrendous mound of corpses, stacked like a massive tomb.
‘No…’
Before his ominous premonition could even disperse, another sound of the voice came from within the heap of bodies. It was different from before – so clear that it made one want to tear one’s own eardrums, a sickeningly familiar voice.
“Well, well. How touching.”
Shuffle.
The heap of corpses shifted.
Shuffle. Shuffle.
As if bearing ruin within it.
Eventually, the bodies slipped aside, and from there emerged the embodiment of destruction, drenched in blood that gave off a foul stench.
There was no crown, no ornate face of makeup, not even a crimson robe. Still, Tang Gunak knew who it was. He couldn’t help but know.
Watching the white garments becoming more and more stained with dark red by each passing moment, his certainty turned into terror.
“To begin with…”
The figure moved his hand slowly, using noticeably long fingers to leisurely wipe away the blood covering his face. As the blood smeared, his pale eyes gleamed eerily.
Soaked in blood, he curled his lips into a smile. Teeth, white and all the more chilling, flashed in full view.
“Should I say… it’s nice to see you?”
Tang Gunak closed his eyes in resignation. It felt as though the despair that had arrived in person was crushing the very space around them.
________
Jang Ilso in white, drenched in blood – novel cover scene is finally near!
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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