The sword with such a complicated history was now being wielded here. Not for anyone else, but to save Mount Hua.
"Yaaahhh!"
Jin Geum Ryong swung his sword with all his might.
Lee Songbaek, who had been watching with a grim face, nodded slightly.
There is pain. There are conflicts that have yet to be resolved. Perhaps it will be like this in the future as well. As long as the names of Southern Edge Sect and Mount Hua Sect exist, the relationship between the two sects may never fully reconcile.
But even so, they are fighting for Mount Hua now.
"For now, that should be enough..."
"Pardon?"
"I will join as well, Sogaju-nim."
"W-wait. It's too dangerous for just you."
Lee Songbaek gave a bitter smile at Namgung Dowi's earnest plea.
He had climbed this cliff alone without any plan, and now he worried when others attempted the same. This person was certainly strange.
"Don't worry, Sogaju-nim."
"Yes?"
"It's not just us."
Namgung Dowi reflexively looked down.
At that moment, his whole body shivered. Dozens of people were climbing the red cliff shrouded in darkness.
Their eyes shone brightly, visible even in the dark.
"Ah..."
Namgung Dowi groaned, his eyes widening. Lee Song Baek smiled faintly.
"We might be a little late, but our hearts are no less determined."
"...Warrior."
"Then."
Hup!
With that, Lee Song Baek sprang upwards, leaving Namgung Dowi behind.
"I'll help you, Sahyung!"
"No need!"
"Hah!"
Lee Songbaek's powerful sword energy surged up the steep cliff.
The scattered white sword energy mixed perfectly with the deep, strong energy spreading thickly like roots trying to take hold in the cliff.
Namgung Dowi watched the harmony of the two sword energies in a daze.
The swords, the methods, even the moment they stepped forward were all different. But... simultaneously, they were not different.
Clang!
Namgung Dowi gripped his sword even tighter.
'I can't just sit idle.'
He could still fight.
Different but not different. At least, the thoughts of those who climbed this cliff were all the same.
'For now, that should be enough.'
Namgung Dowi smiled softly. His eyes blazed with fierce light as he kicked off the cliff and soared upwards.
"The sword of Namgung is here!"
His voice echoed loudly, resonating even beyond the top of the high cliff.
Jong Rigok involuntarily bit his lips.
Even without consciously looking down, he knew how dangerous the place he was climbing was.
'This is madness.'
Doing something like this, it's not sane.
The problem was that Jong Rigok himself was doing this insane thing. No one had forced or ordered him to do it.
Swoosh!
Pungyeong Shin Gae surged past him with great momentum.
His lightness skill was so tremendous that Jong Rigok couldn't even think of following. Pungyeong Shin Gae's skill, once called the best under the heavens, was indeed unparalleled.
"I can't lose!"
Encouraged by the speed, Jong Rigok kicked the cliff wall.
"Jong Rigok, Sect Leader!"
Namgung Myung's loud shout echoed. But Jong Rigok chose to climb faster instead of looking back.
'Why?'
He didn't know. Why was he doing this? Why was he engaging in something that could only cause loss?
He carried many responsibilities on his shoulders.
The future of Southern Edge Sect, the future leaders of Southern Edge, and perhaps the future of the world.
Even if the cliff collapses, someone must lead the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. It's common sense. And risking his life here was the height of foolishness for someone like Jong Rigok, who was supposed to be part of that leadership.
But...
He looked up. He saw the harmony of the scattered white sword energy and the firm, pushing energy of the two swords.
"These youngsters..."
Jong Rigok bit his lip.
"It's too soon for you!"
Whoosh!
He charged up the cliff like the wind.
* * *
"Military strategist!"
Ho Gakmyung's eyes twitched slightly.
'Heavenly Comrade Alliance...'
He saw those climbing the cliff. Their speed was extraordinary. One could gauge their martial skills from that alone.
'Did they send the elite of each sect up the cliff?'
The main force of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance was fighting the Evil Tyrant Alliance's troops below the cliff. Yet, such a strong force had broken away to climb the cliff, inevitably increasing their casualties.
They had come to rescue Mount Hua, risking their own sect's losses.
Even risking their lives in such a dangerous place.
'No, it's not a matter of risking.'
They knew the chances of preventing the upcoming explosion were lower than the chances of failing. They weren't stupid enough to ignore that.
So, they were literally climbing the cliff, putting their lives on the line.
Ho Gakmyung bit his lips.
Is this situation now causing a significant hindrance to his strategy?
No, it is not. On the contrary, it might be seen as a great opportunity to send all those major forces climbing the cliff straight to hell. Yet, even so, Ho Gakmyung found it hard to suppress his astonishment.
'Those guys...'
They had completely deviated from Ho Gakmyung's expectations.
What were the righteous sects like?
They were the kind who wouldn't hesitate to annihilate another sect for their own gain. In some ways, they were more cunning and ruthless than the Evil Sect, who openly attacked each other.
Without looking far, it was the subtle rivalry and competition among the righteous sects that ensured the Evil Tyrant Alliance's victory in the battle at Hubei.
But now, those cunning people were climbing the cliff, risking their lives. Why?
"Strategist, what is our plan...?"
"Quiet."
"But, Strategist..."
"Didn't I tell you to be quiet!"
Ho Gakmyung suddenly shouted in a harsh tone. The subordinates, who had turned pale, quickly shut their mouths.
Grinding his teeth, Ho Gakmyung glared at the cliff. His usually cool eyes were twisted in frustration.
'Nothing has changed.'
The situation was still in their favor.
'Even without Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword, there is no way we will lose. No, such a thing must never happen.'
Victory was necessary. An overwhelming victory.
That was the only thing he could offer to Jang Ilso, who had followed his plan. If he couldn't achieve this, Ho Gakmyung would lose his worth as the strategist of the Evil Tyrant Alliance.
"What about Mount Hua?"
"There are no other movements yet!"
"...But they will soon realize."
If a major battle erupted on the cliff, no matter how chaotic it was, they would eventually notice.
"Inform the Sun Palace to detonate the explosives."
"Strategist! The preparations are not yet..."
"It doesn't matter."
Ho Gakmyung's eyes cooled down.
"There's already a hole in the net. Waiting for all the fish to escape is foolish. Even if we catch half of them, it's not a loss. If we're lucky, we might catch them all."
"But that will also endanger the Sun Palace members..."
"That's the Sun Sovereign's concern."
Ho Gakmyung coldly cut off his subordinate's words.
"Relay the order."
"Yes, Strategist!"
Recognizing the firm decision of Ho Gakmyung, the subordinates sprinted off without further argument. Ho Gakmyung, not even glancing at them, kept his eyes fixed on the cliff.
'Where did it go wrong?'
His palms were damp with cold sweat.
Even the alliance of Shaolin and the Ten Great Sects couldn't deviate from his and Jang Ilso's predictions. Actually, that wasn't a big deal. War is not lost because it's unexpected, but because it cannot be stopped even when anticipated.
The only unpredictable factor was the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
'And naturally, the core of that is Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword.'
But even without him, such things were happening, so should he accept that Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword was not the core of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance?
Or...?
Ho Gakmyung bit his lip and shook his head.
That's impossible. It can't be.
Yet, the reason Ho Gakmyung couldn't easily accept this situation was that everything happening now felt as if Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword was there.
If Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword were there?
He would have climbed the cliff immediately after the first explosion. Recklessly, without a plan, like a madman.
And that surprising, unreasonable behavior was now being shown by those people. Not just one, but several at once.
Blood vessels slightly popped in Ho Gakmyung's eyes.
'I must kill them all here.'
His heart pounded unpleasantly. Even he couldn't precisely describe the sense of crisis he felt. According to his usual theory, a faction that thinks and moves like Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword should perish immediately.
But witnessing a faint possibility, Ho Gakmyung became more urgent than ever.
The two words he hated the most, 'instinct' and 'premonition,' were now incessantly warning him.
Ho Gakmyung shouted as if to himself.
"Failure is not an option! Bury them all beneath the cliff!"