With a thunderous roar, everyone momentarily stopped what they were doing.
Even the Mount Hua swordsmen, who were struggling to penetrate the elite forces of the Sun Palace, and even the more desperate members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance.
Was it due to wounded pride, or trampled honour? The Sun Sovereign's roar seemed even more desperate than Mount Hua, which was already in a dire situation.
"You lowly wretches! How dare you challenge me! Even if hundreds of you came at me, you couldn't make me retreat! You will all die here. Those who dared to oppose me and wield their swords will be thrown into a thousand-foot chasm as punishment! Not even your corpses will remain in this world!"
As the cliff crumbled and desperate screams echoed, the Sun Sovereign's roar sounded like a declaration.
"Regret it and regret it again! Regret the audacity of your lowly attempts to defy me. Regret the foolishness of stepping foot on this mountain without knowing your place!"
The voice carried the dignity of someone standing above, a distinct sense of ease that hadn't been felt until just moments ago. The ease that came from having the upper hand ignited anxiety in the hearts of the Mount Hua disciples.
But then, a soft chuckle was heard. It was a sound completely out of place in the tense and desperate situation, drawing everyone's attention.
The sound of a curly-haired swordsman lying flat on the ground laughing resonated just as powerfully as the Sun Sovereign's roar.
"That bastard…"
The Sun Sovereign's face flushed with anger. At that moment, Jo Gul raised his upper body.
"Having a grand old time, aren't you? You who are scared and resorting to explosives."
"What did you say?"
"Did I say something wrong?"
Jo Gul, who wiped the blood from his mouth with indifference, bared his teeth at the Sun Sovereign.
"Everyone here clearly saw you whining and begging to use explosives like a frightened dog. Now you try to act all dignified? Who would acknowledge that? Isn't that right, Sahyung?"
"Indeed… It does look a bit undignified. For someone as esteemed as you."
"Exactly."
Yoon Jong, who had stepped up beside Jo Gul, chuckled and agreed.
As Hye Yeon and Yoo Iseol joined them, the Sun Sovereign's eyes blazed with fury.
"Are you all so ignorant of your own situation?"
"We know, that's why we're doing this, you fool. We know full well."
"What?"
Jo Gul drew his sword and held it defensively, sneering internally.
'This is a mess.'
His insides felt like they were being roasted from within, just by facing the Sun Sovereign's immense power. His head was spinning, and his legs were weak.
However, instead of collapsing, Jo Gul took a quick glance behind. Even now, the cliff was crumbling, engulfing the desperate members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance struggling to survive.
The desperate gazes of those being swallowed by the abyss seemed forcibly etched into his mind.
'It's almost time.'
The horrifying collapse would soon reach this place.
But no one dared to step forward. Even the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, who had rushed here in desperation to attack the Sun Palace instead of Mount Hua, merely fidgeted in their places, unable to charge forward.
The Sun Sovereign's aura was overwhelming. At least for this moment, it was a despair that was undeniable.
'Despair.'
The unfamiliar emotion was concentrated in their gazes. Whether they knew Jo Gul or not, at this moment, everyone shared the same sentiment.
Perhaps someday, Jo Gul too had looked at someone with such eyes.
Rumbling!
The unavoidable fate approached loudly from behind.
Jo Gul took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the Sun Sovereign.
"Just one chance, right?"
"Probably."
"What if it's two?"
"Then we all die."
"Damn… Can't you at least say something more pleasant? Always so cold."
One can't just chip away at the shield; it must be shattered in one strike. Even a single misstep would mean failure, leading to death not only for Jo Gul but for Mount Hua and the entire Wudang Sect.
"What about the chances?"
"…Slim, I'd say."
"Then, is this our last conversation while we're alive?"
"It's highly likely."
"Well… Then I have something I wanted to say."
"If you're just going to spout nonsense, then don't bother."
"…."
Jo Gul decided against it. Instead, he clicked his tongue.
The idea of dying if one cannot penetrate the tiny gap…
'It's not surprising.'
Their path had always been like this. Now, it's just that Chung Myung and Baek Cheon aren't in front. It's now up to him, and them, to forge the path that those two had once led.
Jo Gul lowered his stance heavily. His entire body's muscles and nerves entered combat mode.
Jo Gul's eyes narrowed slightly.
"To be honest… It's still too early for me."
The Plum Blossom Sword seemed to sense its master's inner thoughts, emitting a deep red glow. His eyes, half-closed like a meditating monk, sank even deeper.
Woo-ooh!
Jo Gul's sword howled louder. Everything he had trained in was embodied in the Plum Blossom Sword. Everything he had honed over his lifetime.
'I…'
The hand gripping the sword trembled slightly.
Even with everything contained within, there was still a trace of hesitation and burden. An emotion that clung like glue to his ankles.
Can he do it? Really?
He was struggling to breathe.
The sword handle, which had once felt so familiar it was almost instinctive, now felt strangely vivid. It should be familiar, but the sudden unfamiliar sensation made his fingertips tremble.
Can he really do it?
Jo Gul unconsciously turned around. No, he intended to turn around.
Perhaps, he thought, 'he' might be right there.
Whenever there was a situation like this, 'he' would always rush in like the wind and shatter the walls in front of them. He would open the path for them, and also their way to survive.
But even before he could fully turn his head, a calm voice brushed past his ear.
"It's not behind you. It's ahead."
"..."
It was not the person Jo Gul had hoped for. However, the owner of this voice was someone who had always been by his side, even without searching for them.
"Don't look back. Just keep moving forward."
Though the voice was not loud, it reached Jo Gul clearly.
"I'll take responsibility. I will definitely open it. Even if I have to risk my life."
Jo Gul looked at Yoon Jong.
He seemed indifferent, as if nothing was happening. His face showed neither a resolute resolve nor a firm belief.
Even though he knew he might be facing the last moments of his life, he seemed unwavering.
The trembling in Jo Gul's hand gradually stopped. After a moment of silence, Jo Gul let out a small smile.
"You weakling."
"You might get badly hurt like this."
The tension gradually eased from Jo Gul's previously stiff face. He shook his head and watched the Sun Palace Lord.
He pressed his foot firmly against the ground.
In truth, he didn't know.
The future that Chung Myung spoke of, the belief that Baek Cheon spoke of, the righteousness that Yoon Jong spoke of... all felt somewhat distant to him. Yoo Iseol's blind devotion and Hye Yeon's steadfastness were admirable, but he could not deeply empathize with them.
But one thing he knew. The world they saw was probably much clearer than the world Jo Gul saw. Compared to their world, Jo Gul's was nothing but a hazy fog, a world obscured and ambiguous.
While everyone found and opened their own paths, his path was always blurred.
It must be due to his inadequacy. Due to his shortcomings. His resolve, belief, sense of righteousness, and warmth.
That's why he could not decide anything on his own. He had only tried to hold his position. Perhaps he was the only outcast of Mount Hua.
But there was one thing....
"It's a promise."
Even so, there was a light that quietly illuminated his dark path.
Jo Gul simply believed. In the man standing behind him now. Even if he couldn't find the right path in this murky world, he believed that this man would definitely find the 'rightness' he believed in.
"So that was it."
Jo Gul murmured, perhaps unconsciously, words he had heard sometime before.
"I am... a sword."
I cannot be certain of what is right. I cannot be certain of the path I walk. But I can believe that those standing with me are right.
That is why I am a sword. A sword that does not cut anything on its own but is sharper than anything else when held.
To cast aside hesitation is only possible under unwavering belief.
"So that was it."
A small point appeared in the center of Jo Gul's world, which had been scattered and indistinct.
It was weak and insignificant. Just a small something for now.
But as this tiny focal point emerged, the world Jo Gul saw began to be dyed in the same color. No, not just the world. His body, mind, and even the sword in his hand were soon being dyed in the same color.
"You!"
Did he instinctively sense something? Or was it just a coincidence?
From the Sun Palace Lord's hands, immense force suddenly erupted. A storm-like force surged towards Jo Gul.
He felt even more terrifying heat and dreadful pressure. It was clear that a mere sword would be insufficient to handle it.
At that moment, a vivid light appeared in Jo Gul's once-dull eyes.
Kwang!
He didn't even realize he had struck the ground.
It was a moment when body, mind, and energy unified into one. Jo Gul became a sword, extending towards the intense force, reaching out towards the Sun Palace Lord standing firm beyond.
"I..."
To advance is to confront. To confront is to face.
Though the world had become exceedingly clear, Jo Gul's consciousness did not remain there alone.
Now, his consciousness pursued two things.
One was the enemy behind this dreadful flame.
The other was the steady breathing coming from right behind. The person who trusted him and leapt towards the terrible flames without hesitation.
"A sword..."
Jo Gul's eyes stood on the boundary between ambiguity and clarity, delving deeply towards somewhere.
"Just cutting."
Paaaaaah.
His sword swung. His hand swung. No, he swung.
The line he drew was not clean. It was rough and clumsy, not the mark of a skilled swordsman putting forth all their strength.
Yet the line passed through resolutely.
It cut through the wall that had blocked and threatened him, a wall that could not be cut down.
The scarlet flame that had been boiling violently seemed to part like flowing water dividing into two paths. It appeared as if it was the natural course of events.
It was something that should not have happened.
Through the parted flames, Jo Gul's slightly open eyes met the astonished eyes of the Sun Palace Lord.
And at that moment, Jo Gul's sword....
No, Jo Gul pierced through it. The wall named despair that had blocked his way.
A dull, chilling sound echoed.
Kwa-duck.
Under the name of Iron Sword, Jo Gul was driven into the Sun Palace Lord's chest.
(T/N OMG JO GUL IS THE GOAT!!!)