Return of the Mount Hua

If there is such a thing as fate. (4)

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The dazzling radiance of a white sun that had fallen to earth swept over the cultists.

It was a force closer to a terrifying palm-strike force [장력(掌力)] than to mere sword energy [검기(劍氣)]. To draw forth such enormous power with a single razor-sharp blade was surely a miracle only Namgung of Azure Sky [창천남궁(蒼天南宮)] could display.

Yet that did not mean Namgung’s unique sword energy was invincible.

“Grrr……..”

The cultists, their jaws clenched tight, let out rare groans. The sword energy that surged and exploded like a sudden tide, caused even those whose bodies were tainted by fanaticism [광신(狂信)] to nearly cry out in agony.

Whooom!

They were flung away, like pebbles at the riverside kicked by a child. Into the space thus cleared descended Namgung Dowi.

“Huff! Huff!”

He was wounded. Yet, with merely a single swing of his sword, he had severed the relentless momentum of the charging demons. There was hardly a need to emphasize how impressive his prowess was.

A fleeting hope passed over the faces of Cheonumaeng’s members who could neither flee nor fight back.

If it were those people, perhaps they could find a path even in this hopeless situation. After all, they were none other than trusted allies of Hwasan Geomhyeop.

Yes, such hope briefly embraced them.

But the reality they confronted was too merciless to be overcome by a little hope.

Thud.

The cultists who had been sprawled on the ground slowly rose again.

It might not have been perfect, but Namgung Dowi had clearly poured out all the power he had left into that strike. Moreover, he had not swung his sword even once while pursuing the fake Jang Ilso. This was an attack unleashed by squeezing out all of his restored inner energy.

Yet the enemies were getting back up as if nothing had happened.

Crack.

From the bodies of the cultists rising like ghosts came the sickening sound of bones twisting. Namgung Dowi bit down hard on his lip.

‘Damn it. I gave it everything I had.’

He had believed he could at least bring one of them down, yet every single cultist rose again without exception. Their bodies might twist, but their flesh was not cut. They might bend and break, but they wouldn’t be severed or snapped.

Namgung’s sword sacrifices the very foundation of the blade – its sharp edge – in pursuit of the ultimate sword force [검력(劍力)]. For that reason, the cultists’ grotesque bodies were all but natural enemies to him.

In the eyes of the cultist fixed on Namgung Dowi, there was no particular anger. They were always enraged, always ready to vent their hatred.

Allowing a single attack was no reason to harbor any new emotion towards Namgung Dowi.

Whoooosh.

The demonic energy they emitted began to swirl like a storm. As the torrent of energy poured in, squeezing the breath out of his lungs, Namgung Dowi’s dantian churned and twisted.

Namgung Dowi bared his white teeth in a feral grin.

“Fine… So this is how strong you bastards are.”

The outcome he faced was despair itself. Yet that was no reason to flounder in despair; he was still alive, sword in hand.

Of course, the result of that last strike told him that one foot was already in the grave. Standing before these demons, he was racing towards the certain future called death.

Even so, Namgung Dowi’s heart did not waver. He knew a man who had never despaired until the very moment he died.

‘If I falter in a place like this, how could I ever face Father in death?’

He laughed, full of bravado, to steady his trembling legs.

“…At this rate, it’s going to be difficult.”

Jongnam’s swordsman’s remark, who apparently lacked any ability to read the atmosphere, slightly diminished Namgung Dowi’s smile, but it didn’t matter. Lee Songbaek wasn’t the only one here.

“Still, you stopped them.”

Tang Soso spoke calmly.

Indeed, Namgung Dowi’s single strike had subdued the momentum of enemies that had burned without limit like wildfire. Even if none had fallen, it was by no means meaningless.

The only regret was that the moment their momentum subsided did not last very long.

Fwoosh.

Those bastards started moving again.

An indescribable pressure surged towards them. Yet no one hesitated. Hye Yeon, Namgung Dowi, even Lee Songbaek – without any need to decide who would go first, they all charged straight at the cultists.

Show the slightest sign of being pushed back even for an instant, and you would be devoured. This was an instinct and sense honed through countless encounters with death – a natural decision to achieve the best possible outcome.

Seen from another angle, their actions might bring to mind a single word.

‘Courage.’

“Oooooh!”

There was no certainty they could block the onslaught.

The enemy was strong, and they were far too exhausted. Even had they not been weary, these foes would have been hard to face.

Yet ironically, this very reason drove them forward. Knowing the challenge was equally daunting for all, standing back was never an option from the start.

Hye Yeon’s fist shot forth.

The golden Buddhist light was beyond auspicious. The power that emitted the light of Purging Evil [파사(破邪)] poured straight towards the cultist.

Yet even when confronted by a force totally opposite to theirs, the cultists did not shrink in the least.

To some, death is frightening; to others, death can feel like a welcome guest.

The cultists understood that precious things existed in the world, but they had never learned that their own lives were among those treasures. So, without a trace of hesitation, they leapt into the path of Hye Yeon’s fist force [권력].

Kwoooong!

With an impact like dozens of temple bells ringing at once, cultists were knocked into the air. But the number of demons charging at Hye Yeon still easily doubled those thrown back.

The reason the cultists were terrifying was not merely because they were strong.

They lacked the dignity that the strong ought to possess. Even though three – perhaps just two – of them would have been enough to decide the outcome, they did not hesitate to charge in packs of dozens.

“Haaaap!”

From behind, Tang Soso scattered the hidden needles in her hand.

After deciding to live as a swordsman of Hwasan, these needles had been used only for patients. Yet now they flew towards the cultists’ eyes and vital points at a fearsome speed.

Thunk! Think!

Like Tang Gunak’s flying daggers, Tang Soso’s hidden needles bored into the cultists’ flesh. Yet she knew from the start it was impossible to halt the demons with these thin needles alone.

After giving them a moment’s inconvenience, she swung her sword without a trace of hesitation.

Clang!

A hand wrapped in a current of black energy caught her sword outright, blocking it.

Beyond the slanted blade, an eye stained crimson entered Tang Soso’s field of view, along with a thick stench of blood and a murderous aura so intense it was suffocating.

A terror that seemed capable of stopping her heart in an instant swept over Tang Soso. Yet she remembered the words her Sasuk used to repeat like a habit.

– It is not that you feel no fear.

‘You succeed even while afraid!’

Slash.

Even amid terror, she was someone who could wield her sword.

Tang Soso twisted the blade. Crimson blood spurted from the cultist’s palm, hard as steel. Their blood was no different from hers.

Fwash!

With all her strength she swung the sword and severed the cultist’s fingers. Those countless hours spent relentlessly practicing swordsmanship, endlessly destroying and recreating herself, were enough to forge her into a full-fledged Plum Blossom Swordsman.

Thud!

Instead of hidden needles, Tang Soso sent out Bamboo Leaf Hand [죽엽수(竹葉手)] with her left hand to shove the cultist away, then drew her sword across like a flash of lightning.

A red line was drawn across the enemy’s neck. Without stopping there, Tang Soso bit down harder and scattered Plum Blossom sword energy.

Swish!

Countless plum blossom petals of the same red hue blossomed, yet unlike the cultists’ eyes they carried a warm feeling.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Through the profusion of petals the cultists’ palm force thrust in, but Lee Songbaek desperately blocked them all.

Hwasan and Jongnam.

A sword that abandoned everything to attack, and a sword that sacrificed much for defense.

These two sword styles were fundamentally different, seemingly incompatible, yet precisely because of this, their swords finally blended in flawless harmony here.

“A-mi-ta-bha!”

And over it all Hye Yeon’s Arhat Divine Fist rained down.

“Hmm……”

Meanwhile, Jang Ilso clicked his tongue softly in disapproval. His gaze rested on the youngsters who were desperately holding the cultists at bay.

By now, it would be no exaggeration to say he was used to it. It was not the first time he had seen it with his own eyes, and he had heard of it even more often.

Yet, it still seemed inexplicable.

Those youngsters’ strength could never match that of the cultists. The power bestowed by the one called ‘Heavenly Executioner’ was formidable enough to send chills even down Jang Ilso’s spine. It wasn’t something exhausted fledglings could possibly handle.

And yet they were accomplishing that impossible feat. How such a wondrous – no, bizarre – thing was possible, Jang Ilso could not fathom. Still, he did not disregard the fact that such impossible phenomena had occurred repeatedly and could occur again.

‘Especially…’

Jang Ilso’s gaze fixed on one person.

Among those peculiar youngsters, one felt particularly out of place. To put it bluntly, that individual seemed too weak to even stand among the others.

Yet that person was fighting more bravely than anyone else, almost as if leading the others.

‘Hwasan… no, Tang Clan?”

The answer was obvious. It was both.

The one making this impossible feat possible was none other than that person – a swordswoman of Hwasan who carried the bloodline of the Tang clan.

Jang Ilso felt a spark of interest. Instinctively, he licked his lips.

He had never intended to waste strength in a place like this. He still had many things to do, so even the power to crush a bug had to be conserved.

But if that bug disrupted the house too much, shouldn’t he act before it caused further trouble?

Jang Ilso’s eyes narrowed like a waning crescent moon. Almost at the same moment that a smile spread across his face, he lightly stamped the ground with his foot.

In an instant, the bracelet grasped in his hand snapped shut like the jaws of a fierce beast, biting down upon the sword thrust towards him.

Clang!

A sharp, ringing sound erupted, and Tang Soso’s eyes widened in shock.

When Jang Ilso suddenly appeared before her, it was only natural that the courage she’d summoned against her fear wavered.

Instinctively, she guarded her upper body. Because the opponent was Jang Ilso, she thought those storm-like rings might burrow into her flesh at any moment.

But what Jang Ilso extended to deal with her were not rings.

“Hmm.”

Meeting Tang Soso’s eyes, Jang Ilso let out a faint snort.

“Indeed… it seems the saying is true – blood is thicker than water indeed.”

In that instant Tang Soso felt as though time had stopped. The turbulent world had fallen into stillness the moment Jang Ilso appeared.

In that suffocating silence she saw Jang Ilso’s crimson lips curl into a chilling smile.

Perhaps in that moment Tang Soso already sensed what words would come out of that mouth.

Tang Soso twisted her wrist frantically, desperately trying to silence him, but Jang Ilso’s fist was just a bit faster.

Crack!

When the heel of Jang Ilso’s palm struck her wrist, Tang Soso’s own hand slammed harshly into her face, knocking her backward in a total disgrace.

“Ugh…!”

Before her back had even fully hit the ground, Tang Soso sprang up again. Even in that instant, Jang Ilso looked down on her arrogantly. The mockery in his eyes briefly flickered with pity.

“Tsk. No, no. You shouldn’t be angry. You should be curious.”

Confused by his enigmatic words, Tang Soso was about to curse him back. But Jang Ilso leaned forward and whispered first.

“Aren’t you curious?”

Like a demon crawling straight out of one’s heart.

“About how your father died.”

“What…?”

“I could tell you, you know.”

For a moment Tang Soso stared blankly at Jang Ilso, her mind empty.

Initially, she couldn’t comprehend what he meant – or perhaps she simply didn’t want to. But she couldn’t ignore his words forever. She was far too perceptive for that.

“No……..”

A trembling voice slipped out.

“No. No. It can’t be. Father, to someone like you… to someone like… someone like you!”

She shook her head frantically, like someone losing their mind. She could never accept it. It was the serpent’s whisper meant only to deceive her – a lie. She denied it desperately, again and again.

Yet in one corner of her heart she could not help but know the truth.

Jang Ilso was fully capable of lying, but right now, he had no reason to do so. Wouldn’t it be too bothersome for him to fabricate something like this merely to crush someone like her?

Sadly, Tang Soso realized that fact.

“Noooooooo!”

A roar like thunder burst forth. She howled like a beast, tears streaming down her face, yet she did not collapse. Instead of drowning in despair, she chose to do what she had to.

There was not a shred of hesitation.

“Jang Ilsoooooo!”

Clutching her sword so hard her knuckles went white, Tang Soso charged straight at Jang Ilso with no thought of defense.

Watching her, Jang Ilso let out an eerie laugh.

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