Beopjeong's face had turned completely pale.
"H-How..."
Even though the approaching fleet was clearly visible, he wished to deny this entire spectacle.
How could this be happening?
Why, of all times, did Shaolin arrive here? And why did Myriad Man Manor arrive here at the same time?
'Coincidence?'
Was it a coincidence?
If it was, there was no other way to explain it except as a cruel twist of fate orchestrated by the heavens, eager to witness just how much despair he could endure.
But Beopjeong believed that none of this was mere coincidence. The reason was simple: the person revealed at the helm of that fleet was none other than the infamous Paegun, Jang Ilso.
Jang Ilso.
The man who had shown chilling cunning during the Yangtze River Disaster. Wasn't the chill he felt when he heard about the Yangtze River's news all the way from Hanam still fresh in his memory?
Coincidence? There could be no coincidence involving Jang Ilso. Absolutely not!
"Bangjang!"
"..."
Even as Beopjeong stared at the approaching ships, they were getting closer to Plum Blossom Island.
"Bangjang!"
In his urgency, Beopgye called out to Beopjeong once more. His voice, full of anxiety, pierced Beopjeong's ears.
"If we wait any longer, we really won't be able to turn back! If those ships reach Mount Hua Island..."
Beopje didn't need him to finish the sentence.
Namgung had already reached his limit. Even a breeze in his face would have seemed calm compared to the current state of Namgung. In such a situation, if Myriad Man Manor arrived at Plum Blossom Island before SHaolin, the outcome was quite obvious, wasn't it?
They had to head to Plum Blossom Island immediately. They had to reach there before those ships, which were undoubtedly fast. But there was still a distance. If they plunged into the water right now, they could arrive before the ships. And the enemy forces that could hinder them were still marooned on Plum Blossom Island, right?
So they hadn't missed their chance yet, at least that's what Beopgye believed.
But...
"...When we arrive?"
"Yes?"
At that moment, Beopjeong's words caused Beopgye to turn around as if asking what he meant.
Beopjeong, with an icy face, gazed alternately at the ships and Plum Blossom Island.
"...What if we arrive at the island first?"
"Well..."
Beopgye couldn't easily respond.
Did Beopjeong not know what he was talking about? No. It was because Beopjeong's voice contained something that Beopgye had not felt so far.
"...Why did Namgung end up like this? Is it because he couldn't escape from that island?"
"But, Bangjang! If we leave it like this, Namgung will be wiped out!"
Wiped out.
That word clearly conflicted with Beopjeong. The trembling shoulders of Beopjeong confirmed this fact.
But...
"Ugh..."
Beopjeong bit his lips as if he couldn't resist it. Blood seeped from his teeth and trickled down his chin. The toes, which had been tensed with strength, were digging into the ground. Then he said.
"Retreat."
"Bangjang!"
"Retreat, I said! All Shaolin disciples, get away from the river! Wait here!"
"Bangjang! What are you..."
"Can't you keep that mouth of yours shut?"
Beopgye let out a cry, but Beopjeong, on the contrary, suppressed him.
"Uh…."
It was a role that he couldn't resist, so Beopgye's mouth was filled with an inescapable groan.
Namgung was not just a faction of the Five Great Families. He was a comrade who had endured disgrace together during the shameful Yangtze River Tragedy. Yet now, Bangjang was simply instructing him to watch the killing of such a comrade.
Beopjeong's hand trembled.
It seemed that he, too, was not finding it easy to make this decision.
"… If we continue toward Plum Blossom Island like this, we'll fall into that Paegun's trap. Maybe all of this is just a scheme by the Paegun to lure us into it,"
Beopgye sincerely wanted to ask.
If the Paegun had planned such a stratagem, why did the Shaolin reveal their presence before launching an attack on Plum Blossom Island? However, Beopgye couldn't bring himself to say these words aloud. It was because the disciples around him were afraid of hearing his words.
And perhaps, he thought that saying it might reveal Beopjeong's true intentions under the bright sky.
He didn't want to know. He didn't want to confirm.
"We... Shaolin..."
With lips stained with blood, Beopjeong made his decision.
"We will... observe the situation from here."
The last words faded, barely audible. However, it was clear to everyone that Beopjeong had made a decision.
"…Amitabha."
In contrast to that voice, the painful question of Shaolin disciples who couldn't bear to look straight at the island pierced the ears.
"…"
Namgung Hwang looked across the river with bewildered eyes.
Shaolin, which had seemed like it could rush across the water at any moment to rescue them, hesitated and retreated, clearly reforming their ranks.
"What... are they doing?"
Why have they stopped there? What could they possibly be doing over there?
"Why...?"
Someone's murmur was heard distinctly.
Silence fell.
The deafening silence that had descended upon the island was so profound that it was hard to believe that just moments ago, mad beasts were tearing each other apart here.
"Why... Why aren't they coming?"
"What on earth...?"
Up until then, Namgung Sect's swordsmen had clung to a faint glimmer of hope. There had to be some reason. Right now, they were hesitating a bit, but soon Shaolin would cross the river to support them, they believed.
No, there was no other way to believe. Even Namgung Hwang himself did not doubt for a moment that Shaolin would cross the river to save them at this moment.
But...
"What is that ship over there?"
A single word that flowed from someone's lips spread like a ripple. The gazes that were entirely focused on Shaolin, which had suddenly appeared and occupied their vision, turned to the side. At that moment, everyone understood what was happening here. It was a judgment made by instinct rather than reason.
Namgung Hwang's eyes widened. Full of disbelief and fear, he slowly turned his gaze back across the river. He seemed to be unable to muster the courage to face the reality, and he trembled as if he could not face it.
But the moment to face the truth inevitably arrives at some point.
When the uneasy gaze finally returned to Shaolin, they saw nothing. Not Shaolin's feet, which had retreated one step, as if they had given up on coming here.
What truly plunged them into despair wasn't Shaolin's withdrawal. It was the absence of their eyes.
The eyes of Shaolin monks who should have been gazing intently here with burning determination were nowhere to be seen.
Because they weren't looking.
Shaolin, known as the supreme martial arts sect, the backbone of the martial world. The Shaolin disciples who would not bow their heads to any sect in the world were now bowing their heads like sinners.
It's as if they can't bring themselves to face us.
The guilt is too great, even from this distance. It's like they're avoiding us, as if they can't bear to see us.
No wonder, how could it be otherwise!
We can surely figure out what's happening right now, even from this far away.
They... have abandoned us.
"Uh…"
"Uh…"
What pushes people into the greatest despair is always hope.
Humans don't despair in a place where there's no hope at all. It's because they consider it natural.
But when a person discovers the faintest glimmer of hope, they will do anything to grasp it.
And when they realize that the hope is nothing but an illusion, that's when a person crumbles.
"Ugh… uh…"
Unfathomable, immense despair began to engulf the Namgung Family.
The fact that they had been abandoned by their trusted allies, the fact that Shaolin had turned their backs on them, plunged them into a despair they had never experienced before, like a bottomless pit.
"Ugh…"
The groans of a wounded beast escaped their lips.
It may not be much different. In reality, they were wounded animals, and now all that was left was death. With the Shaolin connection severed, all that remained was an endless fall.
There was no longer the will to wield a sword, nor the desire for evil. Their limbs felt heavy as if they were someone else's. They just wanted to let go of everything.
What makes despair terrifying is that it makes people sit down. Everyone was being sucked into a profound abyss where even the faintest glimmer of light seemed impossible to reach.
But in that moment, one person raged with anger instead of despair.
"Beopjeo-o-o-o-o-ong!"
A wounded beast, Namgung Hwang, let out a desperate scream.
"Beopjeo-o-o-o-o-ong! Uwaaaaaaaah!"
A boiling howl erupted from his throat.
Every vein in his eyes burst, and his exhausted throat let out a twisted, monstrous cry.
Beneath such immense despair, the kind they had never experienced, everyone was groaning at that very moment.
Finally, someone reached this land. A person who treated all this chaotic despair as mere entertainment.
Kuuuuuuuuuck!
A large battle ship crashed into a sandbank.
Namgung, Su Lo Chae, and even the Sword Emperor and the Black Dragon King watched the scene.
"Hmmmm."
A low, nasally, voice gently flowed. It was a very soft sound, but strangely, it spread clearly throughout the entire island.
Eventually, one person revealed their presence with a quiet step.
"…"
Namgung Hwang stared at that figure with bloodshot eyes.
Three years ago, the one who had mocked and ridiculed them at this very Yangtze River.
He had not changed at all.
Extravagant red silk with bizarre embroidery. Snow-white skin, hair meticulously arranged so not a single strand fell out of place, a flamboyant headpiece, and overly adorned jewelry.
Thud.
Jang Ilsu, who had lightly jumped from the ship to the ground, straightened his body slowly.
Ling ling.
The sound of the jewelry he wore colliding with each other brought back the memories of three years ago, forcibly awakening the nightmares and fears.
Namgung Hwang's gaze reached Jang Ilso's lips.
"It's so strange."
Jang Ilso spoke gently with an all-too-familiar face.
"I haven't seen you in quite a while, but that doesn't seem like a welcoming face."
His lips, as red as blood, traced an eerie smile. The words that poured from his mouth felt terrifying.
Namgung Hwang closed his eyes tightly.
"I'm very... pleased to see you. Hahahahaha!"
And he thought.
Perhaps it would have been better to die at the hands of the Black Dragon King.
Rather than being debased by this devil...