That’s why it’s no fun. (5)
The Blood Palace Lord’s eyes, visible through the bandages wrapping his face, narrowed. His gaze was fixed on the one running half a step ahead.
‘Jang Ilso.’
The one who stained his white robes dark crimson with blood.
Just what could be going on inside that man’s head? What thoughts occupied him, enabling him to commit such absurd acts so calmly – and even succeed?
“Ryeonju.”
At the Blood Palace Lord’s call, Jang Ilso slowly turned around.
The moment their eyes met, an icy chill coursed down the Blood Palace Lord’s back. Fear wrapped around his entire body. This was different from the fear he felt when facing ‘him.’ It wasn’t the terror brought on by overwhelming power, but a primal fear that arises when confronted with the unknown.
Before he even realized it, the Blood Palace Lord lowered his head.
Jang Ilso stared intently at him for a moment, then turned away again. Then he looked down at the small dagger in his hand.
Though it wasn’t completely worthless, ‘crude’ would be the right word for it. He slowly scraped the blood off the blade with his fingernail.
‘…Tang Gunak.’
Jang Ilso’s gaze sank into darkness.
❀ ❀ ❀
Crack!
Tang Gunak blankly stared at the dagger lodged in his chest. The corners of Jang Ilso’s lips twisted into a smirk.
“A gift. Do you like it?”
Though Jang Ilso asked, Tang Gunak simply kept his gaze fixed on the dagger, offering no reply. Jang Ilso let out a laugh that was almost a sneer.
“An eccentric old man handed it to me the day the Tang Clan fell. Should I call it a keepsake? Quite amusing, isn’t it?”
Tang Gunak’s shoulders trembled slightly.
“Did that old man ever imagine that his keepsake would pierce your chest? Did he ever think the last thing he left behind would be used like this? Even knowing that, would he have given me this pathetic dagger?”
“…”
“Whatever he hoped for, I doubt this was what he intended… right? Hahaha.”
Jang Ilso slowly ran his hand down his face with a bizarre expression that suggested both delight and disgust.
“This is why I despise these kinds of silly notions. Talk of fate, sincerity, or the Tao – those meaningless words people spout so carelessly crumble this easily before the slightest whim of a single person.”
That old man must have wanted Jang Ilso to feel something through that dagger. But Jang Ilso answered by plunging it into Tang Gunak’s chest.
What would that old man think now? Would he regret it, or would he weep?
He was dead and gone anyway, but just imagining the look on his face if he saw this scene made Jang Ilso unable to hold back his laughter.
“Still, you should be grateful. At least you get to die by the weapon of the Tang Clan you were so proud of. Think of it as my final gesture of kindness.”
Jang Ilso smiled in the gentlest, almost affectionate way.
“After all, we’re at least that close, aren’t we? Hmm?”
Twitch.
Right then, Tang Gunak’s hand, which had been motionless until now, slowly moved and grabbed the dagger lodged in his chest.
Jang Ilso’s smile vanished, and his eyes narrowed coldly as he watched.
“Poison King?”
Puuk.
Tang Gunak pulled out the dagger. The tightly coiled by internal energy muscles instantly loosened, leaving a small hole gaping in his chest. Blood gushed freely from the dark wound.
“Tsk.”
Jang Ilso clicked his tongue. Tang Gunak must have known that removing the dagger would only hasten his death – did he want to die that soon?
Was it out of wounded pride? Or did he want to maintain his dignity even in death? Either way, wasn’t it pitiful?
But what Tang Gunak did next was not what Jang Ilso had expected.
Tang Gunak showed no interest in the fatal wound on his chest, instead staring fixedly at the dagger he gripped. He looked awestruck, almost entranced – as though the crude dagger was some ancient treasure.
“…Here…”
“Hmm?”
A strange gleam appeared in Jang Ilso’s eyes.
“So it was here. Right here…”
Tang Gunak looked at the dagger, smiling softly.
For what was supposedly the final masterpiece left behind by his great-uncle – who had reached the pinnacle of craftsmanship – it was extremely shabby. And maybe because of that, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from it.
“Right, so it’s no wonder I couldn’t find it….”
Tang Gunak chuckled, his shoulders shaking. It was a laugh tinged with emptiness.
“…”
Yet to Jang Ilso, it somehow looked as though Tang Gunak was relieved. It might have been a ridiculous thought, but still.
Then, Tang Gunak hurled the dagger he was holding at Jang Ilso.
Tap.
Jang Ilso, who had instinctively raised his guard, casually caught the weakly thrown dagger with his hand. There was no trace of internal energy in it. The lack of power only made its intent all the more inscrutable.
“Take it.”
Tang Gunak’s calm voice reached Jang Ilso’s ears.
“Because it’s yours.”
Jang Ilso stared intently at Tang Gunak, dagger still in hand.
Tang Gunak’s face was deathly pale. Even without anyone laying another finger on him, he had only one path left – death.
Which made it all the more strange.
This was Tang Gunak, of all people. He couldn’t possibly fail to grasp the meaning of his own defeat and Jang Ilso’s presence here. So how could he remain this calm?
“Hmm.”
Oddly enough, it irritated him. Even Jang Ilso’s usual mocking tone now carried a subtle note of displeasure.
“Well, well. Have you lost your mind?”
“…”
“Not that I hate a little bravado. If you’re going to die anyway, better to keep your head high than fall pathetically. But… if you overdo it, it becomes rather ugly.”
It was a blatant mockery with not a hint of subtlety. Yet Tang Gunak paid it no mind. He simply continued to watch Jang Ilso with an inscrutable gaze.
“What do you see?”
“What?”
“In that dagger – what do you see?”
Jang Ilso lowered his gaze slightly.
No matter how many times he looked at this dagger, it was just crude and misshapen. For all its rough appearance, its hardness and sharpness were strangely impressive, but that was all. There was nothing else particularly remarkable or noteworthy about it.
He’d merely carried it around with the malicious intent of one day lodging it in Tang Gunak’s chest. For Jang Ilso, it was never an object that held any special meaning.
So what exactly was there to see in this toy-like thing?
“My great-uncle… he was an artisan. But he… he never studied any martial arts.”
“…”
“In other words, he spent his entire life making things meant only for others.”
Jang Ilso’s eyes flickered with confusion. He couldn’t fathom why Tang Gunak was suddenly spouting such vague nonsense.
“That dagger carries a message for me. And for you as well. I’ve heard his words clearly. What do you hear?”
“Stop spouting nonsense…”
“You don’t know.”
Tang Gunak cut off Jang Ilso mid-sentence.
“If you don’t know, you will be defeated, Paegun.”
Jang Ilso’s expression grew rigid.
It was hard to dismiss it as mere curses of a dying man – there was a force and certainty in Tang Gunak’s voice that surpassed his own.
Having said all he intended, Tang Gunak calmly faced Jang Ilso. The moment Jang Ilso saw that expression, he felt a surge of inexplicable displeasure.
“Hmm.”
Jang Ilso let out a soft nasal sound and smiled faintly.
“So that’s it?”
Then, for an instant, his face twisted like a demon’s.
Paaang!
A burst of energy slammed into Tang Gunak. He couldn’t even scream – he was sent flying, spraying blood.
“So the bastard who’s about to die just won’t shut up.”
With a derisive snort, Jang Ilso turned away without hesitation. Even then, for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, a bitter taste lingered in his mouth.
He forced himself to look straight ahead instead of glancing back, taking one step after another – clutching the dagger tightly in his hand.
❀ ❀ ❀
Scrape.
Jang Ilso’s fingernail scraped down the rough dagger.
‘How ridiculous.’
What could anyone possibly see in a dagger like this? It was nothing more or less than the nonsense of a dying man.
Jang Ilso intended to throw the dagger away without a second thought. But in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Biting the inside of his cheek so no one could see, he irritably shoved the dagger back into his robes. It settled into place with a heaviness so prominent it was hard to ignore.
“Ryeonju.”
Just then, the Blood Palace Lord’s voice rang out again. Jang Ilso, pushing down an instinctive surge of murderous intent, curled his lips into a smile.
“Speak.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“Hmm?”
“I know what you were aiming for, and just pulling it off is impressive. But you do realize, don’t you? With this force alone, it’s impossible to bring them all down.”
“…”
“At best, it’s maybe a half. Isn’t that so? With only that much, you can’t turn the tide.”
Even the Blood Palace Lord had to admit that Jang Ilso’s latest move was undeniably brilliant.
But that alone couldn’t completely reverse the situation. Attempting further action was already too costly in terms of losses on their side. No matter how impressive, wasn’t it ultimately a wasted effort?
Jang Ilso asked softly in return.
“Is that what you think?”
“Is it not?”
“You’re right.”
When Jang Ilso agreed, the Blood Palace Lord’s face hardened. Then what on earth…?
Just then, Jang Ilso’s eyes curved like a waning moon.
“But why should I be the one concerned about that?”
Jang Ilso came to a stop, and naturally, so did the Blood Palace Lord.
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Why should I be the one to worry about that?”
“No, that’s ridiculous…”
Crack!
All of a sudden, Jang Ilso’s hand shot out like a venomous snake and seized the Blood Palace Lord by the throat.
“Ghk!”
The pressure was so fierce it looked as if his neck might snap at any moment. With eyes bulging and teeth clenched tightly, the Blood Palace Lord’s body was slowly lifted off the ground.
“Grrk… urgh…”
“In my opinion, there’s someone else who should be worrying about that. Don’t you agree?”
It happened so swiftly and unexpectedly that it was beyond one’s imagination.
The Blood Palace Lord’s entire body trembled. Yet it wasn’t because he was in pain.
“Rye… Ryeon…ju… why…”
“Why?”
A strange gleam flared in Jang Ilso’s eyes. A deep terror settled over the Blood Palace Lord’s face.
‘Th-This madman…!’
If Jang Ilso wished it, his neck would be broken in a heartbeat.
And given the man before him, it wouldn’t be surprising in the least if he twisted his neck this instant.
“You know, don’t you? Hmm?”
“Guh…”
“You know why I’m doing this.”
The Blood Palace Lord’s pupils shook as if in an earthquake. Jang Ilso smiled, his voice cold.
“I don’t even hate rats scurrying for their lives. There’s a certain fun in watching them struggle to survive. But if that rat dares to hold its head up too high, that changes everything. A rat should behave like a rat, shouldn’t it?”
A chill ran down the Blood Palace Lord’s spine.
He knew. Jang Ilso knew that he had betrayed him.
But then – why now?
The Blood Palace Lord had anticipated that Jang Ilso might be aware of his betrayal. Still, wasn’t it beyond reason to eliminate him here and now?
“How about it? If I snap your neck right now, it feels like there’d be a way forward.”
“W-What…?”
“No. I’m sure of it.”
Jang Ilso smiled brightly.
“That’s exactly how it’ll be. I guarantee it.”
“Khrrk…!”
Jang Ilso tightened his grip on the Blood Palace Lord’s neck. Not merely poised to break it – he looked ready to tear his head clean off. The Blood Palace Lord’s spine cracked in protest.
“So just die quietly. It’s a cheap price for betrayal, wouldn’t you say?”
The Blood Palace Lord’s mind grew hazy at the sight of those ominously glittering eyes.
What else could one call that but madness? That rolling wave of insanity threatened to devour him at any moment, enveloping everything in sight.
Unable to withstand the pressure, his tongue lolled out limply, and blood-tinged saliva began dripping from his lips.
Just as Jang Ilso prepared to deliver the finishing squeeze.
“Interesting.”
A deep, unfamiliar voice cut in.
Jang Ilso swiftly turned his eerily shining gaze around. At some point, someone he had encountered in the past had drawn near.
“Could it be… that the ‘someone else who should be worrying about that’ you mentioned refers to me?”
Jang Ilso licked his lips slowly, narrowing his eyes.
“Hmm, so you couldn’t stay hidden like a rat to the very end, could you?”
“…”
“Well, let me at least say it’s nice to see you again. We’ve met before, after all.”
Heavenly Executioner smirked with a murderous gleam in his eyes as he stared at Jang Ilso.
________
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Return of the Mount Hua 
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