You Will Learn It Too (2)
Man-gum Dae-bu stared silently at his shoulder.
For a long while, he fixed that cold gaze on the hollow where his arm had been, and a bitter smile slipped across his lips.
“...What a pathetic sight.”
This was the price of arrogance.
He had believed that, if he set his mind to it, he could bargain with anyone. He had believed there was no force in the world that could not be swayed by wealth. In exchange for that realization, he had surrendered an arm.
Slowly, he lifted his hand and pressed down on the unhealed stump. The pain shot through his skull so violently that his teeth clamped shut on their own.
Not bad.
Of course, he wasn’t saying that because he had gone insane.
Losing an arm was a dreadful thing. Especially for a swordsman, losing the arm that wielded the sword was a loss beyond easy measure.
But...
It doesn’t matter.
It was better than losing his life.
So long as he lived, there would always be another chance. For the price of his arrogance, this was a bargain cheap enough.
The real problem began now.
If they failed to put the Demonic Sect down here and now, he would never be given another chance. By whatever means necessary, they had to erase those bastards.
And for that...
Thud!
At that moment, the doors of the great hall swung open, and someone walked in. Without even turning his head, Man-gum Dae-bu knew who it was.
The jangling of ornaments with every step was as much a symbol of Jang Il-so as the man himself. Man-gum Dae-bu turned his head and looked at the approaching figure.
Jang Il-so met his eyes and asked, “The situation?”
“...It seems they’re still in Hangzhou.”
“Slower than I expected. By now, I thought they would have finished with Hangzhou and started moving somewhere else.”
At that, Man-gum Dae-bu fell silent. His expression suggested disagreement, and Jang Il-so narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Go on.”
“...Go on with what?”
“Why do you think their advance is slow?”
Man-gum Dae-bu seemed to think deeply for a moment before speaking.
“It isn’t slow.”
“Hmm?”
That was an unexpected answer. Jang Il-so tilted his head.
Man-gum Dae-bu explained further.
“Their speed is actually faster than I expected.”
“They’ve been unable to do a thing about Hangzhou for a full day, and you call that fast?”
“Yes.”
Man-gum Dae-bu nodded, his face dark.
“Because their purpose is completely different.”
“Their purpose?”
“If the Evil Tyrant Alliance were trying to seize Hangzhou, our aim would be to cripple it. We’d slaughter those who resisted quickly and place the city under our feet.”
“That’s right.”
“But those bastards aren’t after that. Their goal is exactly what it sounds like: extermination. Erasing every living thing in Hangzhou.”
For the first time, Jang Il-so closed his mouth. Because he had been forced to move after receiving hurried reports, he had not been able to confirm this part precisely.
“...Extermination?”
A dry laugh escaped him.
“You mean they’re planning to kill every last living person?”
“It would seem so.”
“Then their objective isn’t ruling the Central Plains, but killing every person in the Central Plains? Is that what you’re saying?”
“I can’t say that much for certain. But...”
With a face that seemed to recoil from the thought itself, Man-gum Dae-bu continued.
“What is certain is that, whatever their purpose may be, it won’t be limited to the Central Plains. They already made enemies of both the Central Plains and the outside regions in the war a hundred years ago.”
As he spoke, the bishop’s eyes rose vividly in his mind.
“I don’t know. I can’t know for sure, but...”
Those were not the eyes of someone looking at a person. What lay in them was less hatred than contempt. Less enmity than obligation.
The fingers of his one remaining hand trembled faintly. Only now did he seem to understand why the Demonic Sect had become such an object of terror.
Jang Il-so’s response, however, was somewhat different.
“Extermination...”
He savored the word for a moment, then began to chuckle.
“I thought they were properly mad, but they’re duller than I expected.”
“...Duller?”
“Yes.” Jang Il-so’s lips curled.
“If there’s nothing to rule, then there’s no reason to fight at all. What meaning is there in a world where there’s no one left to seize by the throat?”
“...Perhaps they’re trying to create a world for only their cult members. A paradise with no one to oppose them...”
“What a foolish thing to say.”
Jang Il-so cut it off cleanly. A trace of disgust even crossed his face.
“There’s no such thing as paradise where people live.”
“....”
Man-gum Dae-bu flinched. The savage killing intent Jang Il-so had just exhaled made him draw back instinctively.
“One fool after another, all of them spouting the most ridiculous dreams.”
Jang Il-so casually brushed a hand over his face. With that gesture, the killing intent and twisted expression vanished as if washed away, leaving only his usual languid smile.
“Well, no matter. What they’re thinking doesn’t matter. They’re going to die anyway.”
“...And the righteous sects?”
Man-gum Dae-bu, who had been quiet, shifted the topic. Jang Il-so answered briefly.
“They’re coming soon.”
“...So you really did secure support.”
Man-gum Dae-bu looked at him with a faintly renewed expression.
This is no ordinary feat.
Jang Il-so was a member of the unorthodox path. More than that, he was the lord of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, the one who held the supremacy of the evil factions in his grasp. For such a man to have negotiated with the righteous sects and obtained their support was no small thing.
No. Before that... even having the idea of reaching out to the righteous sects first, no matter how necessary it might be, was remarkable in itself.
Perhaps this was something only Jang Il-so could do.
“It’s not as though I’d call this support, really. If I had my way, I’d drag every one of those righteous bastards in here and use them as arrow fodder, but it doesn’t seem like we’re in such a leisurely situation.”
“...Indeed.”
“So prepare yourself, Man-gum Dae-bu.”
Jang Il-so’s gaze turned cold in an instant.
“This was originally Black Ghost Fort’s job. The fact that I’m stepping in personally doesn’t mean you lot get to sit back and watch. You’d better do your part.”
Man-gum Dae-bu slowly nodded. He could not avoid this.
“I’m prepared.”
“Then move. Pin down their exact position, gather every remaining force, and converge on Hangzhou.”
“Understood.”
Man-gum Dae-bu bowed his head and strode off. Jang Il-so watched him leave, and the eyes he turned toward the outside were already chillingly cold.
Demonic Sect, righteous sects. And Manin Sect.
A merchant always had to think about how to profit. Even right after suffering losses so enormous they could never truly be recovered.
In Man-gum Dae-bu’s expressionless mind, the best possible courses of action were already beginning to form. His job was to choose the most realistic one among them.
But perhaps because he had fallen so deeply into thought?
Man-gum Dae-bu did not know.
He did not notice the strange gaze fixed on his back. That mocking, predatory look, as though some creature were tightening its grip around its prey.
＊ ＊ ＊
The main force of Manin Sect lined up along the riverbank.
Those who called themselves unorthodox cultivators were generally free-spirited. But the army of Manin Sect arrayed here carried a clear discipline within that freedom.
“Are the preparations complete?”
“Yes, Lord.”
Ho Ga-myeong, standing beside Jang Il-so, answered while casting a displeased glance at the river.
“...Lord. Even if control over the Water Bandits has not yet been finalized, with only these men...?”
“It’s fine, Ga-myeong.”
Jang Il-so smiled faintly.
“The numbers aren’t what matter here. Black Ghost Fort will make up the difference.”
“...I can understand that much. But must you personally head to Hangzhou, Lord? You are the pillar of the Evil Tyrant Alliance. Why would you involve yourself in something like this...?”
“Ga-myeong, Ga-myeong.”
Jang Il-so let out a long sigh.
“You really are trying to ruin me at every turn.”
“....”
“I know exactly what you’re thinking. But you must remember this.”
Jang Il-so’s eyes glimmered with a strange, seductive light.
“The moment you grow drunk on the roof that shields you from storm and rain, and the warm straw beneath you, even the wolf that once sunk its teeth into a deer’s throat becomes nothing more than a dog content with whatever bones are thrown to it.”
“....”
“Whether one is the sect lord of Manin Sect or the lord of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, what changes is only the shell. Tell me. Who am I?”
“You are, Lord...”
A subtle pressure began to bear down on Ho Ga-myeong’s entire body. Trembling at the sensation, he spoke.
“You are Jang Il-so, the Tyrant Lord.”
“Yes.”
Jang Il-so’s blood-red lips parted, revealing a row of white teeth. He looked like a wolf starved for blood.
“I am Jang Il-so.”
What more needed to be said?
Then Jang Il-so’s gaze shifted toward the river.
A boat was approaching from that direction. Jang Il-so gave a faint snort.
“Yes, it has to be me. It can’t be anyone else. No one else could handle that blade properly. It’s far too sharp.”
Ho Ga-myeong watched the boat drawing in to dock. A trace of tension entered his eyes.
A party of roughly ten people disembarked from the not-so-large vessel and approached.
Ho Ga-myeong watched them in silence.
I don’t know if it’s right to say this about our enemies, but... impressive bastards.
That was his honest impression.
This was Jiangnan. For them, it was enemy territory. And ahead stood the elite of Manin Sect. And yet they came forward without the slightest hesitation. That was not the sort of thing ordinary courage could achieve.
They were enemies, but there was no denying it.
At the head stood a man with a cool, stern face. Though somewhat unfamiliar to Ho Ga-myeong, the man walked straight up to Jang Il-so and offered a crisp salute.
“This one, Un Geom, first-class disciple of Mount Hua, greets the lord of the Evil Tyrant Alliance.”
The courtesy was respectful, but never submissive.
Jang Il-so’s gaze moved to Un Geom’s empty sleeve. With a strange smile, he spoke slowly.
“You’ve taken a hard road to get here. I offer my thanks.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Then Jang Il-so’s gaze shifted to Cheong Myeong, who stood behind Un Geom.
“So.”
A demonic smile spread across his face.
“How does it feel, stepping into the belly of the enemy, Mount Hua Divine Dragon?”
“I was wondering the same thing.”
“Oh?”
“I was thinking I might take your head back with me as a souvenir on the return trip. It’s not every day I get such a good chance, is it?”
“Hahahahahaha!”
Jang Il-so burst out laughing as if delighted.
“Yes, yes. This is why I like you.”
Just as Cheong Myeong seemed about to answer, an irritated voice came from behind.
“If we’re just here to exchange pleasantries, may I go back now?”
Jang Il-so’s eyes shifted toward the source of the voice.
“Oh? Well, this is a familiar face.”
He looked at Im So-byeong with eyes full of amusement and chuckled lightly.
“I never expected the King of the Green Forest to honor me personally. Does that mean I haven’t completely lost my charms?”
“Do snakes even have charm? I thought only people could have that.”
“My, my. You’re as foul-mouthed as ever.”
Their gazes tangled in the air.
But their brief clash was cut short by Cheong Myeong’s interruption.
“If you’re done blathering, then let’s go.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Cheong Myeong.
“Right now.”
Jang Il-so’s eyes curved as he smiled.
“As you wish.”
Jang Il-so’s gaze was boiling, while Cheong Myeong’s was icy cold.
The moment the sun rose in the east,
the elites of Mount Hua and Manin Sect kicked off the ground.
Their target was Hangzhou.
The land stained red with demonic blood.