I Have Won This War (2)
Outstretched hands and tightly clenched lips.
Every eye was fixed on Heo Do-jin-in.
Not only the Mount Hua Five Swords, but even the Gupailbang behind them—and the Sapa fighters as well—stared at him with eyes wide in shock.
Among them, the only one whose expression did not change was Jang Il-so.
"Huff... huff, huff..."
Harsh breaths spilled from Heo Do-jin-in's mouth. He drew back the hand he had thrust out, clenched it into a fist, and wiped the sweat from his face.
"Y-you insane bastard!"
Baek Cheon ground his teeth and sent out a killing intent so intense it looked as if he might lunge at Heo Do-jin-in at any moment.
"What the hell did you do? What the hell were you thinking? You—!"
His head was so full of rage that he was willing to spit curses at the Sect Leader of Wudang and scream until he lost his voice.
But Heo Do-jin-in gave no response to his shout. He merely glanced at him and then slowly walked toward Jang Il-so.
He didn't bear any special grudge against Chung Myung.
No, even if he did, this was not the time to settle it. There was only one reason Heo Do-jin-in had attacked Chung Myung.
He could not sit by and watch anyone turn this cliff into a battlefield again by attacking Jang Il-so.
Heo Do-jin-in stopped in front of Jang Il-so, then drew a deep breath.
Even at this very moment, there were people still climbing the cliff—people whose bodies were a wreck, whose eyes trembled in panic as they looked up.
Looking at them, Heo Do-jin-in bit down hard on his lip, then finally met Jang Il-so's gaze head-on. His eyes were bloodshot. Jang Il-so took that hateful stare with nothing more than a smiling face.
All attention gathered on the two of them.
"Paegun... no, Saperyeon Lord."
And then, from within that crowd, Heo Do-jin-in spoke.
"As the Sect Leader of Great Wudang..."
His voice was pressed down so tightly it sounded as though he were forcing back something with all his strength.
"As the Sect Leader of Great Wudang, on behalf of Wudang... no, on behalf of Wudang and the righteous factions of the world..."
The corners of Jang Il-so's mouth curled higher and higher.
The instant that wicked smile spread across his face, Heo Do-jin-in spat the words out as if vomiting them.
"...I request a truce with Saperyeon."
A deathly silence fell over the cliff.
Everyone stared at Heo Do-jin-in without even daring to breathe.
What did I just hear?
A truce?
Did he just say truce? Wudang was making a truce with Saperyeon?
No one could understand it, even though they had heard it clearly. Wudang, Saperyeon, and the word truce simply refused to fit together. The faces of those confronting, in front of their eyes, something they had never once imagined went pale one after another.
It was Jang Il-so who broke that deathlike silence.
"Hm..."
His low hum sounded amused, almost pleased.
"A truce, is it..."
He looked at Heo Do-jin-in for a moment, then spoke in a voice laced with laughter.
"I never thought those noble lips of Wudang's Sect Leader would ever speak such words. My, my, how gracious of you."
"... "
Despite Jang Il-so's mockery, Heo Do-jin-in kept his mouth shut. He looked as though he would endure any humiliation to the end.
"So... what are the terms?"
"One year!"
Heo Do-jin-in bit the words off.
"For the next year, the Odaesega, along with the Gupailbang, will not cross the Yangtze. No, they will not even approach the Yangtze. If you only agree to a truce here and let us leave like this!"
"Heo Dooooojin-iin!"
At last, Namgung Hwang, who had climbed up to the cliff top, let out a desperate shout.
"Have you lost your mind? What nonsense are you spouting!"
The rage filling his eyes seemed ready to spill over at any moment.
How could someone say such a thing unless he had gone utterly mad? The Gupailbang and the Odaesega making peace with Saperyeon—this was nothing less than overturning the very foundations of the orthodox world.
"Have you gone insane with fear? Is this your surrender to those filthy Sapa bastards? And you call yourself Wudang's Sect Leader? Have you no shame?"
Namgung Hwang's voice was truly tragic, but Heo Do-jin-in's expression did not change at all as he replied.
"...Shut up."
"What did you say?"
"I said shut up."
Heo Do-jin-in stared at Namgung Hwang calmly, murder in his eyes.
The ferocity in that gaze was so terrible that even Namgung Hwang, stunned, closed his mouth. Even if he were facing a mortal enemy, he would not have looked at him with eyes like that.
"...What a fool."
Heo Do-jin-in ground out through clenched teeth.
But he was not the only one who failed to understand what he was doing. Beop Gye, who had only just managed to climb up the cliff, was just as confused.
"Sect Leader! What exactly are you trying to do? Shaolin cannot simply stand by and watch this."
His face looked almost bewildered.
Then Heo Do-jin-in questioned Beop Gye in a voice full of cold air.
"Stand by?"
"... "
"And if you don't stand by?"
"...Amitabha."
Under Heo Do-jin-in's forceful presence, Beop Gye unconsciously murmured the Buddha's name and fell silent.
"Can you take responsibility for it?"
"...For what...?"
"I asked whether you could return to Shaolin after losing every disciple here and report to the Abbot. No, can you bear it if even you die and there is no one left to give the report? Can you take that responsibility?"
"... "
Beop Gye could not answer.
Who in the world could take responsibility for something like that? More importantly, he was not even Shaolin's Abbot, just a mere elder. He would never be able to bear such a calamity.
When Beop Gye failed to answer, Heo Do-jin-in snapped coldly, "Then step back."
"But... Sect Leader."
"Did you not understand what I said?"
"... "
"I said step back."
Heo Do-jin-in growled.
"If you don't have the resolve to take responsibility and you don't have the ability to resolve this situation, then at least learn to keep your mouth shut. What use is barking like a dog?"
Blood dripped from his lip, which had been bitten open, down his chin in tiny drops.
Humiliation?
Pride?
What did any of that matter?
Right now, his beloved disciples were dying here. After exhausting every last ounce of strength climbing the cliff, they had no way to deal with the wolf-like Saperyeon bastards stationed atop it.
Even if they somehow won, what would be left for them?
Victory would leave only a handful alive. That would mean the destruction of Wudang.
Was he supposed to accept annihilation as the price of driving out the Sapa?
What a load of dogshit.
If they drove out the Sapa and perished in the process, the remaining achievements would simply be divided up by the other members of the Gupailbang and the Odaesega. Wudang, Shaolin, Namgung, and Qingcheng would never recover; they would lose their strength and sink into ruin.
Just like Mount Hua had in the past.
Mount Hua had miraculously recovered, but there was no guarantee such a miracle would happen to Wudang. No, as Wudang's Sect Leader, he could never allow Wudang to be placed in a position where it had to pray for miracles.
"A truce, Saperyeon Lord!"
Heo Do-jin-in opened his mouth, his eyes bloodshot.
"In exchange for this truce, we will sign a one-year non-aggression pact. Those who call themselves righteous will not set foot in the lands south of the Yangtze for one year."
"Hmmm."
Jang Il-so tilted his head slightly, as if he found it less than interesting.
"South of the Yangtze, huh... I don't see what meaning that has. The south of the Yangtze is already ours."
"You know better than anyone that isn't the case."
"...Oh?"
Jang Il-so smiled in a slow, winding way.
But Heo Do-jin-in could not afford such leisure. He bit his lip in agitation and hurried on desperately.
"Saperyeon is a hastily assembled organization. If it suffers a little more damage here, it will collapse in an instant. That's not what you want."
"... "
"A year would give you enough time to reorganize Saperyeon and secure complete control over the south. Wouldn't it?"
Seeing Jang Il-so's strange expression, Heo Do-jin-in drove the nail deeper.
"If not, then we should simply keep fighting here until we destroy each other. Is the annihilation of all five sects here, along with Saperyeon, truly the outcome you desire?"
At that, Jang Il-so smiled with satisfaction, his white teeth flashing ominously.
"You're overestimating yourself."
"At the very least, you won't want to hand the others a chance to reap the benefits after doing all the work."
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!"
Jang Il-so burst into laughter.
Reap the benefits after the battle—that was exactly right. If they wasted their strength here, the remaining Gupailbang and Odaesega would seize the opening and march south.
Even if they won a complete victory over these five sects, they would never be able to withstand the assault that followed. A rat cornered will bite the cat. Stripped of their strength, those people would cling on and bite to the bitter end.
"You're smart, Heo Do-jin-in."
"... "
"But you're also pathetic, filthy, and sneaky. Ah, and vicious too. Yes, just like..."
The mocking words drifted slowly toward Heo Do-jin-in.
"Sapa."
Utter humiliation crushed Heo Do-jin-in from head to toe. His body trembled faintly. But he could not dare resist those words, because Jang Il-so was the one holding the knife now, not him.
"Yes, I like people like you. Hahahahahahahahaha! To think the great Sect Leader of Wudang is begging for his life! Hahahahahaha!"
Jang Il-so's wild laughter rolled across the cliff.
Gritting their teeth until their jaws ached, the disciples of the righteous factions standing atop the cliff bit down on their lips to hold back their rage.
The humiliation was too great to bear. None of them had ever imagined they would one day have to beg the Sapa for their lives just to survive.
They should have fought and died.
That was righteousness, that was what they had learned. But no one could step forward and say, I will die.
If one died, it would not end there. Fighting here would mean death for all. Who could possibly bear such a weight?
"But first, I need to know one thing."
Cutting off his laughter, Jang Il-so looked straight at Heo Do-jin-in.
"Do you even have the qualifications? The power to represent the righteous factions in a truce and make them keep it?"
"If Wudang cannot do it, then no one can."
"... "
"We are people who live and die by legitimacy. A pact made in the names of Wudang and Shaolin cannot be ignored. And if Shaolin, Wudang, and Namgung do not step forward..."
Heo Do-jin-in hesitated for a moment, then bit down hard and continued.
"...then no other sect will dare set foot in the south of the Yangtze. The land that Saperyeon governs..."
Jang Il-so nodded as if there was merit in that.
"But that's not enough."
"...I will stake my own head if I must."
"Hm."
Jang Il-so laughed softly through his nose.
"How pitiful."
At those words, Heo Do-jin-in's fist clenched so tightly it went white. His nails dug into his palm, and bright red blood began to drip through the cracks of his knuckles.
"That life of yours has no value to speak of, and yet the famed Sect Leader of Wudang is begging so disgracefully... I suppose it would be cruel not to listen."
"... "
"But remember this clearly. This is not a non-aggression pact—it is a non-crossing truce. The only ones who may not cross the Yangtze are you. Saperyeon will not be restricted from crossing north. And the period is not one year, but three."
Heo Do-jin-in's bulging eyes trembled violently.
Who could fully understand the heart of a man who had bitten down and endured everything to stand here? Yet Jang Il-so smiled as though he could see through every last inch of him.
"If you accept that..."
Then, with a slimy smile, he whispered,
"I will be gracious enough to let you live and return with that pitiful life of yours."
"... "
Heo Do-jin-in silently turned to look behind him.
The faces of Wudang's disciples came into view, all of them grinding their teeth.
In every one of those eyes burned a cold determination that seemed to shout: even if we die here, do not endure this humiliation.
And yet, because of that, the thing he had to do was already decided.
Heo Do-jin-in slowly raised his hand.
The faint trembling at his fingertips revealed everything to everyone else. The shaking hand met the air and formed a salute.
Slowly bowing toward Jang Il-so, Heo Do-jin-in lowered his head so far that it seemed he could not bear to look at the sky, and in a small voice—barely more than a whisper—said,
"...I accept."
"Hmmm."
Jang Il-so nodded, then slowly swept his gaze over everyone gathered atop the cliff. From his mouth burst a voice both mighty and utterly wicked.
"I, Jang Il-so, hereby declare in the name of the Saperyeon Lord that Saperyeon, the Gupailbang, and the Odaesega have signed a non-crossing treaty for the south of the Yangtze. For the next three years! Neither the Gupailbang nor the Odaesega may set foot on the land south of the Yangtze! In exchange..."
Jang Il-so slowly traced his lips with an index finger and smiled softly.
"Go back alive. Preserve that pitiful little life of yours."
"... "
Those words became daggers, stabbing into the hearts of everyone on the cliff.
"Hahahaha."
Jang Il-so looked everyone over once more, then turned away.
"Let's go. Watching the faces of the defeated is far too painful. Hahaha. Ahahahahahahahaha!"
As if the rest were not even worth a glance, he strode away in a peal of manic laughter.
Every disciple of the righteous factions heard that laughter and could not lift their heads.
They wanted to resent him, to spit curses and rage.
But they already knew, with excruciating clarity, how shameful they themselves were.
No one had stepped forward.
Even as something impossible unfolded right before their eyes, not a single person shouted, not a single person tried to stop Heo Do-jin-in by raising their voice.
So all they could do was lower their heads.
"Hahahahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!"
Bloody tears spilled from Heo Do-jin-in's eyes.
It was a defeat beyond excuse.
A complete defeat, like a dagger driven straight into the bones.