Even If I Die Here, I Won’t Back Down! (3)
Crack.
"Hm?"
Hyun Jong’s gaze drifted to the teacup in his hand. A long crack had split across what had, only moments ago, been an unblemished cup, as if it had been cleaved in two with the very plum blossoms delicately carved into it.
A shadow slipped over Hyun Jong’s face, which had been struggling to remain calm.
It was an ominous sign, indeed.
Of course, a teacup could crack at any time. But for him, already weighed down by worry, it was not something he could dismiss lightly.
"Hmm."
Hyun Jong slowly set the cup down and turned toward the window. A knife-cold wind was seeping through the narrow gap in the frame.
North Sea must be several times colder than this.
In more ways than one.
"Sect Leader."
Hyun Sang, seated across from him over tea, spoke gently.
"Are you worried about the children?"
"Mm."
Instead of answering, Hyun Jong rose slowly to his feet. He crossed to the window and opened it.
The cold wind rushed in, but he paid it no mind, lifting his gaze to the towering peak of Mount Hua.
No.
More precisely, he looked at the ancient tree growing at the very tip of that peak.
Hyun Jong knew.
More than half of the newly budded plum blossoms never survived Mount Hua’s bitter winter; they withered before they could bloom.
His lips parted slowly.
"A plum blossom that has endured winter is beautiful beyond compare."
He half-closed his eyes and murmured softly.
"So winter may be a trial necessary for blooming. But…"
Then he turned his head and looked at Hyun Sang and Hyun Young.
"Would the plum blossom itself truly desire such a trial?"
"Pardon?"
Hyun Sang asked cautiously, and Hyun Jong gave a faint shake of the head.
"A tree only needs to bloom. It is people who find the flower beautiful, and people who wish for that flower to survive a harsh winter and become even more radiant."
"…"
His gaze returned to the world beyond the window.
"Perhaps even our wish for those children to grow by overcoming hardship is nothing more than our own selfish desire."
Wasn’t it all a matter of where one stood?
The Dao of the elders could never be the same as the Dao of those children.
Wanting Mount Hua to flourish was only natural for them, but for the disciples, there might be another road entirely.
Would it not be happier for them simply to be content with the present and live joyfully here at Mount Hua?
Hyun Jong thought that perhaps it was their own petty greed that was tormenting the children.
"My heart is uneasy."
The worry that had long clouded his face deepened still further. At that moment, Hyun Sang spoke quietly.
"Sect Leader, that would be the Sect Leader’s arrogance."
Hyun Jong turned his head slowly to look at him.
"It is not as if you forbade those children, is it? They chose to go to the North Sea of their own accord."
"But…"
"Mount Hua does not belong to us alone."
Hyun Sang cut him off with resolute finality.
"You think that way, Sect Leader, because you still believe we are the ones leading Mount Hua, while the children are merely helping us according to your will."
Hyun Jong’s eyes trembled faintly at those words.
"Mount Hua belongs to everyone in Mount Hua, Sect Leader."
"…"
"You must not judge those children’s happiness however you please. They are disciples of Mount Hua, yes, but they are also martial artists in their own right. They are no longer children tucked inside your sleeves, Sect Leader."
At Hyun Sang’s words, Hyun Jong gave a bitter nod.
"I know."
The thought of them as children in his arms had long since been abandoned.
Still…
"We must not try to measure those children by our own petty standards. Are they not already better martial artists than we are?"
"They are. Yes, they are. I only…"
Before Hyun Jong could finish, Hyun Sang turned to Hyun Young, seated beside him.
"You too. Say something."
"What am I supposed to say?"
But Hyun Young snorted coldly.
"Who can stop the old man from worrying? If we told him everything, he’d just start worrying that the weather is bad next."
"…"
"Just let him worry. There are always people who are better suited to taking things easy."
"…You really do know how to speak, don’t you?"
Hyun Jong let out a quiet sigh.
The children chose hardship…
That was true enough.
Chung Myung, naturally, and Baek Cheon and the rest of the disciples were all children driven by the desire to grow stronger. No matter what reason he had given to stop them, in the end he would never have been able to keep them from going to the North Sea.
However.
They might have chosen the hardship themselves, but no one could know how severe that hardship would be. All Hyun Jong could do was hope that the disciples who had left for the North Sea would not be forced to endure trials beyond their ability.
I ask for nothing. So please, just come back safely.
He repeated the words inwardly, as he had countless times before. At the end of Hyun Jong’s gaze, the cracked teacup sat motionless.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Sahyeooooooong!"
Dang Soso’s shrill scream rang out over the freezing ground of the North Sea.
It was burned into the eyes of every Mount Hua disciple—the sight of Chung Myung being sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth.
"Chu… Chung Myung!"
"Chung Myung sahyung!"
Of course, this was not the first time they had seen Chung Myung driven back by an enemy’s attack. But everyone here knew instinctively that what they were seeing now was fundamentally different from anything before.
Even from the way Chung Myung’s body hung limp, the situation was all too clear.
Gritting his teeth, Jo Gul’s bloodshot eyes widened in fury.
"You bastard! I’ll kill you, you bastarddddd!"
A ferocious sword aura burst forth. As he charged straight at the Bishop, his eyes blazed with a malice and killing intent he had never shown before.
"Aaaaargh!"
More scream than battle cry, he swung his sword, flooded with poison.
Red plum blossoms.
In the darkest of nights, blood-colored plum blossoms bloomed and scattered with a killing edge so dense it was hard to believe they came from a righteous sect’s sword.
"You…!"
Beside him, Yoon Jong bared his teeth and leaped in.
Normally he would have been busy trying to rein in Jo Gul whenever the younger man lost his temper. But now his sword was even more destructive and violent than Jo Gul’s.
"I’ll kill you!"
Watching the plum blossoms filling his entire field of vision, the Bishop smiled with apparent delight, his face whitening in a grin.
"Fools!"
Fwooooosh!
Black demonic qi burst from both of the Bishop’s hands like gathering storm clouds.
The pitch-black energy swelled in an instant, knocking down every flying plum blossom. Even the blossoms the two brothers had formed with all their strength could not pierce through that demonic power.
It was nothing less than a wall of despair.
And once it had blocked the two of them, the demonic qi was still not satisfied; it writhed violently and began to swallow the bodies of Jo Gul and Yoon Jong whole.
Jo Gul and Yoon Jong stared wide-eyed into the darkness. With demonic qi filling their vision, it felt as though the entire world had been painted black.
"Fall back!"
At that instant, Baek Cheon shot forward like a bolt of lightning and threw himself between Jo Gul and Yoon Jong.
Crackle!
His sword split into dozens in an instant. Then tens, hundreds of plum blossoms bloomed. Layer upon layer, they stacked together to form a massive wall of petals before them.
Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Art, Plum Blossom in Full Bloom.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga!
When the maehwageomgi created by Baek Cheon collided with the Bishop’s demonic qi, a sound like countless iron masses grinding violently against one another tore through the air.
Plum petals were blown everywhere, and Baek Cheon’s iron sword bent and warped as though it might snap at any moment.
"Kkh…"
Under the overwhelming force that felt as though it could crush his entire body, the tips of Baek Cheon’s fingers began bursting open one after another.
It felt as though a mountain were being pressed onto his head. Yet he drove more strength into his bloodied fingertips.
Then—
"Amitabha!"
With a fierce roar, Hye Yeon sent a burst of Buddha light flying into the wall of plum blossoms, striking it hard.
"Ooooooooooh!"
Once! Again! And again!
After firing three Hundred-Step Divine Fists to support Baek Cheon, Hye Yeon brought one hand before him in a half-clap and pressed the other against his side.
Goooooooooddddddd!
From his flank, Hye Yeon’s hand slowly extended outward. At the same time, terrifyingly concentrated fist force began surging from his knuckles.
Shaolin Seventy-Two Supreme Arts, Arhat Fist!
Normally, when he unleashed his martial arts, Hye Yeon wore a kind and gentle expression. But there was no mercy on his face now. Twisted like that of a wrathful demon, it held nothing but the will to crush the enemy beneath him.
As Hye Yeon’s fist power joined Baek Cheon’s sword aura, the surging demonic qi hesitated for a moment.
"Aaaagh!"
"Goddamn it!"
Yoon Jong and Jo Gul did not retreat; instead, they rushed forward and unleashed their own sword aura as well.
"Oh?"
A gleam of surprise flickered in the Bishop’s eyes.
These kids, barely past their twenties if that, were showing skills beyond his expectations.
Look at this.
Even though the four of them were fighting together, his force still had not broken through.
No matter how young they are, they’re still from the Central Plains, huh.
That was what made the Central Plains dangerous.
Even the one who had just been struck by his power and coughed blood had, for an instant, sent a chill through his heart. And even the remaining ones he had dismissed as nothing were proving far from easy to handle.
Still.
"You’re nothing but rabble!"
His eyes blazed with a bloody light. He poured even more terrifying power into his palm force, intending to sweep away everyone in front of him.
"I’ll kill you all—"
But then—
Swish!
Above the wildly churning storm of colliding energies, a swordswoman in black martial robes leaped like a ghost and vaulted over the dangerous space. Then she shot straight toward the Bishop.
The moment he met the glacial eyes of that swordswoman, even the Bishop had no choice but to stop moving for an instant.
Fwoooosh!
The chilling sword aura unleashed by the leaping Yu I-seol flew straight toward him. At the same time, Dang Soso, who had already shifted to the opposite side, hurled her hidden blades with all her strength, as though firing a barrage.
Shwaaaak!
Fierce sword aura and throwing blades from both left and right.
Terrifying fist force and plum blossom sword qi from the front.
There seemed to be no way to avoid the attacks raining in from every direction.
I’ve got him…
But at that exact moment, the Bishop brought both hands together before his dantian. The black demonic qi that had been pouring out in a mighty torrent abruptly changed direction and surged back into his palms all at once.
"You pathetic things!"
The demonic qi gathered in his hands spun furiously, then exploded outward in all directions.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A massive detonation of demonic energy engulfed heaven and earth.
"Aaaagh!"
"Aaaahhh!"
The Mount Hua disciples screamed as they were blasted backward like cannon shot. They went rolling across the ground as if they had been hammered into the earth.
Rumble-rumble-rumble!
The released demonic qi overturned the land in an instant and shook the mountain range itself. Unable to withstand the force, the cliffs cracked open with sharp, splintering sounds and began collapsing.
It was a truly monstrous display of power.
How could such force, enough to alter the terrain itself, be called human strength?
"Cough!"
Spitting blood as he slammed into the ground, Baek Cheon looked at the Bishop in disbelief.
Like a dragon’s whirlwind, the demonic qi wrapped around the Bishop’s entire body and surged skyward without limit.
It was a sight that defied belief even while looking at it. It was as if a colossal black dragon were ascending into the heavens.
Within that dragon-like vortex, the Bishop let loose a blood-red glare and spoke.
"Dirty infidels, acting as if they know their place."
His voice, echoing through the valley like a tyrant’s roar, pressed down like a weight on the heart.
"I’ll let not a single one of you live! Not one!"
The black whirlwind he had created grew even denser. Broken stones were swept up, spinning, then sent soaring into the air.
With such things happening—things that seemed impossible in the mortal world—it was hard to imagine anyone keeping their will to fight.
"I’ll start with you!"
The Bishop’s gaze passed over the Mount Hua disciples, who were struggling to get back to their feet, and over Hye Yeon, and landed on Chung Myung.
Even while distracted by the demonic qi and beginning to lose his reason, he had not failed to instinctively identify the most dangerous one.
Just as he was about to launch his demonic qi and end Chung Myung’s life in a single blow, he paused.
"Hm?"
Baek Cheon, who had somehow dragged himself upright, was staggering forward with his sword as a support. With great effort, he placed himself between Chung Myung and the Bishop.
His face was so colorless that he looked as though he might collapse at any moment.
His gaze and the Bishop’s, seething with murderous intent, met in midair.
His grip on the sword was weak.
The blood rising back into his throat showed no sign of stopping.
And yet there was not the slightest tremor in Baek Cheon’s eyes.
Then, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, the Mount Hua disciples came staggering to stand behind him.
The Bishop’s bloodthirsty gaze stabbed into them.
"Listen here, old man."
Baek Cheon, still staring ahead with a pale face, bared his teeth in a grin.
"You won’t lay a finger on that bastard before you kill me."
Behind him, the scraping of swords against the ground rang out, answering his voice.
Baek Cheon slowly raised his sword.
"No one gets past me. I’m Baek Cheon of Mount Hua!"
His voice, wrung out of sheer desperation, spread upward—to the sky, and beyond it.