Who wouldn't know?
It iswasnothing more than a mockery. The words that came out of the mouth of that devil were simply meant to degrade, trample, mock, and scorn them to the ground.
But... was there anyone who didn't waver?
When the word "lives" flowed from Jang Ilso's mouth, did anyone here not harbor some hope and longing in their hearts, even for a moment?
Namgung Dowi closed his eyes tightly.
'I... '
The moment he heard Jang Ilso's words, even Namgung Dowi, who was prepared for death, felt a strong impulse. An impulse to live. A fear of not wanting to die.
If there were no onlookers, he might have knelt in front of Jang Ilso, held onto his legs, and begged for mercy. To be spared, to not want to die. At least... at least he didn't want to die yet.
Who could be different?
No matter how upright they stood, would their desire to live be different? Jang Ilso's words easily exposed the desire that had been deeply hidden.
"This..."
Namgung Hwang couldn't say anything with a bitter smile.
Perhaps he felt the same as Namgung Dowi at this moment. The trembling of his hands wasn't anger towards Jang Ilso; it was anger at himself for not being resolute at that moment.
Eventually, Namgung Hwang shouted angrily.
"This wicked bastard!"
Jang Ilso looked at him with a strange gaze.
"This time, I'm wicked?"
"..."
"Hmm. Well... I like that word. Wicked, mean, cowardly... Anything is fine. I like it. But..."
Jang Ilso slowly shook his head.
"Not in this situation. Namgung Hwang, now is not the time to curse at me."
Namgung Hwang fell silent. He couldn't fathom Jang Ilso's inner thoughts, and he was aware that his abilities couldn't pierce through the monster's innermost thoughts.
"It's not necessarily a bad thing."
Jang Ilso leaned in slowly, approaching Namgung Hwang. Namgung Hwang's sword was still on guard, but Jang Ilso remained calm and leisurely this time.
As Jang Ilso approached Namgung Hwang, he whispered softly into his ear.
"Think about it, Namgung Hwang. Hm? You need to think very carefully. Being abandoned doesn't have to be a bad thing, you know? It makes you free, doesn't it? Isn't that right?"
"..."
Namgung Hwang bit his lip and glared at Jang Ilso. His face, covered in bloodstains, with his scattered hair and sharp eyes, showed his fierce determination.
But did Namgung Hwang know?
What it meant to maintain a distance as a swordsman is that he's showing this distance to a gwonsa (high-ranking martial artist). Just by maintaining this distance, the fact that he was wavering was clearly proven.
"Are you saying we should your subordinates? Does you think that the Namgung, Heaven's Friend, will become the dog of the Evil Sect?"
"If we die, we die, but we will never become your dogs! Don't make me laugh, Jang Ilso!"
Everyone agreed with those words. Survival was essential to everyone, but there was undoubtedly a value that cannot be exchanged for survival.
Heaven's Friend Namgung Family.
While they could accept death, they could never become Jang Ilso's subordinates. If they were capable of that, they wouldn't have attacked the Plum Blossom Island in the first place, instead opting for peace.
At that moment when a strong resentment towards Jang Il-so began to engulf everyone:
"… Dogs?"
Jang Il-so, with a calm yet somewhat curious gesture, slightly tilting his head, once again drew everyone's attention forcibly.
"Another... strange word. I don't understand it."
Jang Ilso raised an eyebrow and exaggeratedly mocked Namgung Hwang.
"Go Hakmyung."
"Yes, Lord Ryeonju."
"Did I say those words to them?"
"No, you did not."
Go Hakmyung's face, in contrast to Jang Ilso's face, showed no sign of emotions. It was impossible to guess what he was thinking.
"So why do they say such things?"
"Because people think within the limits of their own understanding. It's perfectly reasonable that they cannot fathom your thoughts. Blaming them isn't the answer."
"I see. You make a good point."
Jang Ilso smiled broadly while looking at Namgung Hwang. From the moment Jang Ilso arrived, it seemed as if everyone was merely following the script he had laid out. Breathing in and out, expressing anger, frustration, or pity, it was all part of his theatrical performance.
"No, that's not it, Namgung Hwang. And..."
Jang Ilso's gaze shifted from Namgung Hwang to the Namgung Family's Elders.
"Namgung Family."
It seemed like he was emphasizing that the authority to decide on this matter also belonged to Namgung Family's Silence.
"Why do you think I would deceive you?"
Silence.
"Because of the Evil Tyrant Alliance?"
"..."
"I'm merely speaking the truth."
They were sucked in.
That voice. That tone of voice. With that one hand gesture.
"So, once again, I'm not interested in that. No need to become dogs, or join the Evil Tyrant Alliance. All I want is one thing."
His thin mouth twisted.
"All you have to do is ask, 'Please save me', from your mouths. Yes, just that. Nothing more."
All eyes were fixated on him, and not just the Namgung Family, but also the Su Lo Chae. Their faces were all pale and full of hopelessness.
"Isn't that simple? Right?"
"..."
"That's it. That's all it takes. If that request comes out of your mouths, I'll just let you go. Straight to that place. To the North, where you wanted to return so desperately. To your comfortable and peaceful homes."
There must have been a fatal poison hidden in the whisper of the devil. However, knowing the truth wouldn't change anything.
How could anyone ignore such sweet words?
"Let me help with the remains. Even though they died here, they have the right to be buried in their hometown, don't they? Right? They fought harder than anyone else."
Namgung Family's elders instinctively averted their eyes. The bodies of their disciplines and their comrades, unseeing and lifeless, were imprinted in their eyes.
"It's not difficult."
Jang Ilso spoke as if soothing a child.
"All it takes is one word. Just one word, and everything will come true. In my name as the Commander of the Paegun..."
He paused briefly, making everyone eagerly anticipate his next words.
"...I promise."
As the sweet yet deadly words came to an end, there was a moment of silence. Then someone, as if possessed, opened their mouth.
"Save..."
"No!"
At that moment, Namgung Dowi hurriedly reached out to cover the person's mouth. He shouted with an angry face, "Jang Ilso!"
Jang Ilso raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh, dear. To see a high-ranking official blocking the mouth of someone who wants to live and driving them to their deaths. How pitiful. Even the Evil Sect wouldn't stoop to such tactics."
"Shut up, you dog! What kind of performance is this?"
"Hmm?"
"Don't underestimate Namgung! We won't fall for your tricks..."
In that moment, Jang Ilso's gentle expression suddenly contorted with an intense anger, and Namgung Dowi took a step back, startled.
A fierce energy surged in his pale eyes, resembling blue flames flickering.
"You think we're beneath you?"
Jang Ilso sneered.
"Let me enlighten you, young master. It's not me who sees you as beneath me, it's all of you."
"..."
"Shaolin has abandoned you. No, the Righteous Sects have all abandoned you. I will ask you. Do you think any of the sects that followed Shaolin to the other side of the river will be willing to shed blood for you?"
Silence followed. No one dared to respond.
Of course, they all wanted to shout, no, to tell them not to underestimate the unity of their sects, not to scorn the power of the Righteous Sects, but hadn't they already seen how the Shaolin of the Righteous Sects abandoned them?
"They consider your lives so insignificant. But... no, not even them. You consider your lives even more insignificant."
"..."
"Life isn't that simple."
As Jang Ilso spoke, the rings on his fingers created a sinister sound as they rubbed against each other.
"The value of life is determined by oneself. At least, that's how I see it. Thrusting a sword into the belly of a comrade, tearing out the throat of a friend, crawling through filth, chewing on your own arms when they break, and scaling cliffs with them!"
"..."
"Survival is just like that."
Everyone understood that this wasn't a threat or persuasion. It was the essence of Jang Ilso.
"However... don't look down on me, saying that."
Jang Ilso revealed his true intention.
"If you are unable to look down on those who choose death because they can't say a single word of mercy asking for their life, how can you look down on anyone else in the world? For people who regard themselves as worth less than insects, why should I be the one to show them kindness? Answer me, youngster! By what right do you get to decide the death of the person whose mouth you sealed shut?"
Namgung Dowi's hand trembled.
If Jang Ilso had said just one more word, Namgung Dowi might have crumbled right then and there. But Jang Ilso relaxed his posture at that moment.
"It's not difficult."
"..."
"Nobody will remember such things as your deaths. The glory you get from death is just scraps thrown from the living to the dead. Worthless, useless scraps, taken from a great treasure."
Someone swallowed hard, and someone else clenched their fist.
"Holding onto those scraps and dying... it's too sad, isn't it?"
They were about to nod.
To the whisper-like words.
"So... tell me."
The harsh demeanor disappeared from Jang Ilso's face, replaced by a bright, disarming smile.
"Please beg for your lives. That's all you have to do. If you do that, you can all go free."
Step by step, Jang Ilso approached the Changgung Sword Corps. Now, he whispered in the ears of the Changgung warriors, who could no longer think about raising their swords.
Softly, but clearly enough for everyone to hear.
"Do you want to live?"
The voice struck the listeners like a bolt of lightning, and the Changgung warriors stood frozen in their tracks.
"Everyone wants to live, don't they? But those willing to give up their lives for their own pride are not so simple. For the sake of an alliance, you should be willing to toss your life aside like a piece of trash."
The eyes of the Changgung warriors trembled. The question that came to the minds of the warriors, Jang Ilso voiced.
"What for?"
"..."
"No, no. You'll know when you've lived. Pride isn't as great as you think. It's like a fleeting night of sleep when you close your eyes. So... tell me. Say that you want to live. I want to live."
"I, I..."
Finally, tears flowed from the eyes of the Changgung warrior.
A warrior, toughened by years of rigorous training and hardships. The warrior who feared not death and was prepared to sacrifice their life to uphold the name of Changgung... now wept like a child.
Unbearable pressure.
Hope offered like a thread, followed by overwhelming despair.
In the face of the person who had the soul in a stranglehold, will and resolve proved powerless.
"Calm down. There, there."
They could not resist the newly offered words.
"Now, say it with your own mouth."
The eyes of the Changgung warrior had nowhere to go. With a pitiful voice, they sobbed and whimpered.
Helplessly, their trembling hand reached out and grabbed Jang Ilsu's sleeve.
"Please, let us live..."
"Stop it, Paegun."
At that moment, Namgung Hwang intervened.
The voice had no strength in it, as if it was not even his own.
"... Stop it, please. If you've enjoyed it this much, that's enough."
It felt as if his soul had been sucked out, as if he had aged years all at once.
Namgung Hwang's head slowly dropped.
"We... we lost."
In the weakest voice as if it was not his own.
"We... we lost."