"Namgung Hwang?"
"Sword Emperor?"
The Five Swords, following Chung Myung down the mountain, were wide-eyed with surprise.
"Namgung Hwang lead the Changgung Sword Corps to Gugang?"
"Shaolin called, but instead of going to Shaolin, he's attacking Plum Blossom Island?"
"It seems so."
Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung with a dazed and bewildered expression. Baek Cheon was usually quite adept at maintaining his composure, but this shock was simply overwhelming.
"Why?"
Chung Myung chuckled lightly.
"Sasuk. When you want to lead people in the future, there's one thing you need to know for sure."
"What's that?"
With an uneasy expression, Chung Myung asked, and Chung Myung replied nonchalantly.
"There's nothing more pointless than trying to find the reason why a madman does crazy things."
"..."
"I don't think you understand, so let me explain it again..."
"No, Chung Myung. I understood right away."
"...Really?"
Yoon Jong quickly nodded from the side.
"I understand too."
"Me too."
'...But these bastards? Why are you talking while looking at me?'
Well, who else would they talk to?
It's your story.
Yoon Jong, who seemed to be choosing his words for a moment, spoke.
"When you think about it, there is a reason for it. Even though we've only seen him briefly if he's the Sword Emperor Namgung Hwang..."
"Right. He must have been sharpening his sword all this time."
Everyone shuddered at the thought of Namgung Hwang's incredible swordsmanship, which couldn't be expressed adequately with just the term "swordsmanship."
"So, what now..."
"Yeah."
Chung Myung nodded with a mischievous smile.
"They are probably going crazy right now. Hehehehe."
* * *
"Kwaaaaah!"
One of the shells were completely blown away. [???]
It was an impossible scene that wouldn't have happened even if dozens of artillery pieces used by the military fell. However, what created this scene was, absurdly, an iron sword that was less than four feet tall.
"These cunning Evil Sects bastards!"
A roar like a lion's burst from Namgung Hwang's mouth.
"Dare to set foot in the northern lands without fear! Drive those water rats out of this land!"
"Chung!"
Upon Namgung Hwang's command, the Changgung Sword Corps turned into streaks of light and darted out in various directions.
Just by looking at their determination as they rushed out, one could guess how diligently they had honed their skills during the past three years.
Namgung Hwang's eyes emitted a fierce glare.
"Black Dragon King!"
Three years.
For someone, it was a long time, and for someone else, it was short. For Namgung Hwang, this time felt like an eternity.
It was a time filled with humiliation, disgrace, and daily self-disappointment. He endured the painful moments, which felt like cutting out his organs every day. The only hope that kept him going was the belief that enduring for just three years would allow him to use his detestable Jang Ilso and Black Dragon King's neck with his sword.
While going through this agony, he heard the news that Black Dragon King, that wretched bastard, was leading Su Lo Chae into the northern territories.
"This damned bastard!"
Swish!
Namgung Hwang sharpened his sword. If he hadn't heard the two characters 'Nam Gung' in his name, the Black Dragon King wouldn't have dared to cross the Janggang River, not to mention the northern territories.
He regained his composure, as he realized that fury overtook him.
"Dowi!"
"Yes! My lord!"
Namgung Dowi.
The son of Namgung Hwang, who endured three years of literal bone-breaking training, responded with a resolute voice.
Three years was enough time to transform him from a novice with potential into a true swordmaster, and a proud heir to the title of the future leader of the Namgung family.
"Lead the Changgung Sword Corps and turn these pirates into fish food! Let everyone know that the name Heaven's Friend still upholds principles and justice even after facing disgrace!" Namgung Hwang ordered.
"Yes!" Namgung Dowi replied as he rushed forward, and Namgung Hwang's eyes focused on the path ahead.
"Ha!" The Shaolin scouts must have received the message clearly, but Namgung Hwang had no interest in its contents.
"Cowards!" A person should know when to flee for their life, but a warrior should never retreat. Especially for someone who upholds righteousness and justice, sacrificing their life is preferable to retreating and losing everything.
"I should have died there." If those Wudang bastards hadn't engaged in nonsense, if Shaolin and Qing Cheng hadn't joined them, Namgung Hwang would never have engaged in such a pitiful plea for his life, and the glorious name of the Namgung family would not have been tossed in the trash.
Kwung! Namgung Hwang's foot struck the ground. "No. It's all just an excuse." If Namgung Hwang truly had the determination to sacrifice his life, if he had truly desired the name of Namgung as much as he did Heaven's Friend, he could have wielded the sword in that situation. His feebleness caused the sword to become heavy, a symbol of Namgung Hwang's weakness, and that fact made him even more unbearable.
"You can't collect spilled water, but you can gather fresh water." Today, Namgung Hwang was determined to reclaim his name. At that moment, he saw a group of pirates charging towards him with overwhelming force.
"Stop them!"
"Damn it, do these guys even know where they are?"
"They're nothing to the Namgung Sect! Kill them all!"
Namgung Hwang clenched his sword as he watched the oncoming mob, his eyes burning with fierce determination.
"This..."
Namgung Hwang stomped the ground once again, and simultaneously, a white energy emitted from the handle of his sword. This energy was so dense that it hardly resembled sword energy, completely enveloping Namgung Hwang's sword and emitting a dazzling light.
Kwung!
He took the Emperor's step, and his sword was the Emperor's sword.
"Ohhhhh!"
Namgung Hwang's sword, raised high above his head, came crashing down.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
The sound created by his sword swing was unbelievable, resembling an explosion of cannon fire. However, the most astonishing aspect was not the sound his sword produced but the immense size of the sword energy it generated.
From the tip of his small sword, an energy wave, the size of a small house, was released. The faces of those who witnessed the enormous energy wave that blocked their entire field of vision lost all color in an instant.
"Dod…ge!"
Before they could even utter the word 'dodge,' the white energy wave crashed into the approaching demons. Not only that, it left behind a massive scar in the center of the main road and continued to extend forward, even further and further.
Kwakwakwakwakwa-kwaaang!
It was a sight that forced one to understand why the Namgung family was called the Heavenly Namgung family and were able to maintain the position of the head of The Five Families, and why the head of the Namgung family was always proudly nominated as a candidate for the world's best swordsman.
"You insignificant demons! Do you dare to block my path?"
Namgung Hwang swept away the front with a single strike, and he stood alone, roaring. His appearance was beyond what the term "God of War" could convey.
"Wowww!"
"It's the Namgung Family! The Namgung Family has come to save us!"
"Heaven's Friend Namgung Family!"
"The Five Great Families have come!"
Those who had been hiding in the relatively safe palace grounds and only watching watched the scene and finally ran outside and cheered. Although the Namgung family had shown a disappointing side in the past, he was incomparable to the pirates.
Seeing him come directly to the gateway and witnessing his determination to annihilate the pirates, all past resentment washed away, and faith began to fill that place.
"Don't come outside! There are still filthy enemies out here! I will make sure you can relax soon!"
Those who heard his words quickly nodded and rushed back inside. They sensed that their long wait was almost over.
"Hmm!"
As Namgung Hwang nodded and began to stride forward confidently, a person who approached him carefully spoke up.
"Hyung-nim."
"What is it?"
Namgung Hwang turned his head to look at the person standing by his side.
It was Namgung Myung, his younger brother and the leader of the Changgoong Sword Corps.
"I understand your feelings, but I have a feeling that you might be acting too recklessly. What if this situation gets out of hand?"
"Namgung Myung!"
Namgung Hwang's voice was like a roaring cannon.
"Since when did you become such a coward?"
"It's not that, but..."
"Listen carefully!"
Namgung Hwang looked at Namgung Myung with intense eyes and continued.
"In a world where fools are treated as wise and the wise are treated as fools, it's only natural for the wise to be considered foolish."
"Alright?"
"Why do you need more reasons when the one who wields the sword must defeat the enemy sect?"
Namgung Hwang's voice held absolute conviction, without a trace of doubt.
"It's because we couldn't acknowledge the obvious as obvious that we suffered so much! We couldn't speak the truth as truth, and we couldn't call wrong as wrong!"
"G-gajunim, I'm just..."
"Noisy!"
Namgung Hwang glared at Namgung Myung as if he would devour him.
Of course, Namgung Hwang understood Namgung Myung's concern for the safety of Namgung Sect due to this situation. But now, he knew.
"Sects that weigh only immediate gains are bound by merely a hundred years. To endure beyond that time, to preserve the value for thousands and tens of thousands of years, one needs more than just profit and loss. Those who are blinded by small matters and cannot see the bigger picture are bound to perish eventually."
At that moment, a single person's image appeared in Namgung Hwang's mind.
A young swordsman covered in scars.
A person who stained their entire body with blood and shouted loudly.
Back then, Namgung Hwang couldn't meet the young swordsman's eyes. He couldn't even gather the courage to face those eyes. When the young swordsman turned to look at him, he unconsciously averted his gaze.
The real agony that had pushed Namgung Hwang into despair over the years was the shame he felt for avoiding that young swordsman's gaze.
"Never again..."
Namgung Hwang clenched his fist.
"Never again will I shy away from someone's gaze. I will never engage in actions that I cannot be proud of. I am Namgung Hwang! Namgung Secta's leader, Sword Emperor Namgung Hwang!"
"Hyung-nim..."
"If you have time to worry, then pick up your sword. Namgung Sects' swordsmen express themselves with their swords, not their mouths!"
"I understand, Sect leader!"
In no time, Namgung Myung's eyes were also filled with determination.
Right and wrong might still be uncertain. However, one thing was certain—his leader was staking everything on this moment.
Therefore, as his younger brother, a member of Namgung Family, and the leader of the proud Changgoong Sword Corps, he had to respond to that determination.
"Let's go!"
"Yes!"
Looking at the horde of enemies rushing from the pier, Namgung Hwang firmly grasped his sword.
"Defeat the enemy sect!"
The white sword energy emanating from his sword reached the sky.
Up to the boundless blue heavens.