Return of the Mount Hua Sect (HTL 1634+)

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"Prepare the formation!" 

"The Evil Tyrant Alliance is coming!" 

It was as if a bomb had just exploded. 

The news that The Evil Tyrant Alliance were advancing threw the Heavenly Comrade Alliance leaders into disarray. They had barely begun to relax after escaping the threat of the Thousand-Faced Manipulator. 

"Wait, is it true? Are they really attacking now?" 

"Stop asking dumb questions and move!" 

"How many? How many are coming?" 

"All of them!" 

"What?" 

"It's a full-scale attack! They're all advancing!" 

The meaning was clear. The fate of the martial world could very well be decided here today. 

"All of them?" 

A wave of dread swept over the crowd. Hearts pounded, and lips went dry. 

"So, So suddenly...!" 

"Move quickly! If you don't want to die a meaningless death before we even form a proper defense, get moving!" 

Those frozen in shock forced themselves to move, their stiff bodies creaking as if breaking apart.

❀ ❀ ❀

Thud, thud, thud!

Rapid footsteps echoed through the camp. 

"Sahyung!" 

Jo Geol burst into the tent, practically tearing the door aside. But before he could even get his bearings, a hand shot out, grabbing his shoulder and shoving him aside. 

"Move!" 

"Ah!" 

Startled, Jo Geol turned to see Yoon Jong rushing out of the tent. 

Yoon Jong scanned the surroundings. Chaos reigned, with people scrambling in every direction like ants whose nest had been disturbed. The faces of those giving orders and those following them were pale.

Yoon Jong's face tightened as he bit his lip. 

'It's too late to move now.'

Moving a large army was no small feat. There wasn't enough time to reposition to a more favorable location. 

To avoid the worst-case scenario of being ambushed while moving, the only option is to firmly hold our ground here. 

Finally regaining his composure, Jo Geol shouted. 

"Sa, Sahyung! The Evil Tyrant Alliance guys are coming here!" 

"I have eyes and ears too!"

Yoon Jong raised his voice harshly.

'Damn it.'

They were still at war. Large-scale battles could break out at any moment, so this attack wasn't entirely unexpected. 

Even so, something about it didn't sit right. 

"…..Why now?" 

Yoon Jong couldn't understand. 

Hadn't the Hao Sect Leader infiltrated this place to sow chaos? Clearly, the enemy had another objective in mind, so why abruptly abandon their plans and... 

"Well. Does it really matter?" 

A voice interrupted his thoughts. Yoon Jong flinched and turned. Standing nearby, fanning himself casually, was Im Sobyeong. 

"The Nokrim King." 

"Wha, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you—" 

Jo Geol began, but Im Sobyeong shrugged indifferently. 

"As you know, I don't have the hobby of reading sutras to the ears of old men who can't understand what I'm saying." 

"Hah..."

"So I prefer to stick close to someone who can communicate and has some strength in his voice."

Im Sobyeong's gaze landed squarely on Yoon Jong.

"Don't you agree, Yoon Jong dojang?"

"....."

"Of course, if Baek Cheon dojang were here, I'd be with him instead. But for now, you'll do?" 

A faint smirk tugged at Im Sobyeong's lips, but Yoon Jong merely nodded, unaffected by the subtle provocation. 

Slightly deflated, Im Sobyeong sighed and waved his fan.

Yoon Jong asked.

"More than that. What do you mean by 'it doesn't really matter'?" 

"Exactly what I said. We don't need to know why they abandoned their original plan." 

"....What are you implying?" 

"Maybe they had their reasons. Or..." 

Im Sobyeong's expression darkened slightly. 

"Maybe the whole thing—sending Dam Yeohae to sow confusion—was part of their plan all along." 

"….Huh?" 

"Thanks to that, we're stuck here, aren't we?" 

Im Sobyeong gestured with his fan, sweeping it across the vast plain around them.

"It's not complicated. Just one thing has changed." 

"...The terrain." 

"Exactly." 

Im Sobyeong nodded solemnly. 

"In large-scale battles like this, the terrain is everything. I don't need to explain why, do I?"

Yoon Jong's face hardened further.

He had fought in countless battles. Whether it was leading a small group against overwhelming odds or commanding large forces, one thing was clear: the larger the scale, the more conventional strategies came into play.

".....We were outmaneuvered." 

Yoon Jong's voice was low and bitter.

Jo Geol, still struggling to grasp the situation, interjected. 

"What do you mean, sahyung? Speak plainly!" 

"….It's a matter of timing."

"Huh?" 

"If the Thousand-Faced Manipulator hadn't caused trouble here, what would we be doing right now?" 

"Well..." 

"We'd be regrouping and preparing to return to Mount Wudang. If we'd been faster, we might already be back there by now."

Jo Geol squinted in confusion.

"And what difference would that make?"

"If we were at Mount Wudang, we'd be facing them on home ground."

"...So what? They've attacked Wudang before, haven't they? Burned the forest, launched surprise attacks?"

Yoon Jong bit his lip hard.

"Exactly. That's the issue."

"What?"

"The fact that they had to go to such lengths just to attack Wudang means something. Burning forests, sacrificing hundreds of soldiers, launching sneak attacks when they were weak—it was necessary."

"....."

"They've been doing it so naturally up until now, so we took it for granted. But....." 

"When the situation is overwhelmingly in your favor, there's no need to elaborate plans."

Im Sobyeong interjected smoothly. 

"The best strategy is to create that favorable situation."

Im Sobyeong finished, his tone almost casual.

His nonchalant attitude made Yoon Jong glare at him instinctively. 

"Do you really think this is the time to act so calm?"

"There's no need to glare at me like that. I'm well aware that I've done nothing. However...."

Im Sobyeong's gaze turned cold.

"You should also consider what I could have done in this situation."

Yoon Jong was momentarily lost for words. What Im Sobyeong said wasn't wrong.

Im Sobyeong, the leader of Nokrim, who is, from the Evil Sect. No matter what he did, he couldn't escape the stigma of his origins. His ability to have a voice within Heavenly Comrade Alliance until now was largely due to his strong supporters.

Hyun Jong the Alliance Leader, Cheong Myeong the general, and Baek Cheon, implicitly recognized as the representative of Mount Hua, had stood behind him.

The loss of their guiding influence was nothing short of devastating. Hyun Jong was reclusive, Cheong Myeong was silent, and Baek Cheon was expelled. In this current state, there was little Im Sobyeong could do. 

"That's…"

"No need for apologies, though."

"….I wasn't planning to apologize?" 

"That's good. What matters is what happens from here on out." 

Im Sobyeong glanced at the vast plains and snapped his fan shut with a crisp sound. 

"Decisive battles are the kind of warfare everyone wishes to avoid. There are too many variables."

He fixed his gaze on Yoon Jong.

"So, you'll need to steel yourself now." 

"I...." 

Yoon Jong hesitated for a moment. 

He understood the implications of Im Sobyeong's words. Right now, Mount Hua was a body without a head. However, the strength Mount Hua wielded within the Alliance was still intact.

Someone now had to take on the role of that missing head. Even if that someone was just a second-generation disciple.

"It's too heavy for me."

"Because you're a second-generation disciple?" 

"...…" 

"Did you know? Someone I know once fought with their sect leader even as a second-generation disciple and ended up snatching the position of deputy sect leader." 

Jo Geol chuckled quietly and added.

"Now that I think about it, he really is crazy."

To them, Baek Cheon had been an adult figure. While the age difference wasn't huge, but when they were mere children, Baek Cheon was already a grown man. Naturally, they'd looked up to him.

Now, standing in Baek Cheon's position, they couldn't help but realize just how extraordinary he had been.

"I'm.... different from Sasuk." 

"Of course. But isn't there a reason I've come here?" 

"Huh?" 

"Baek Cheon dojang once told me, 'If a day comes when you cannot rely on me, go to Yoon Jong. He'll handle it well.'" 

"....Sasuk said that?" 

"What do you think?" 

Yoon Jong bit his lower lip hard. 

If he could avoid this, he would. The more he experienced it, the more he understood how towering the figure he had to chase truly was. 

'Was Sasuk feeling the same way?'

Did Sasuk feel this kind of despair while looking at Cheong Myeong? And yet, did he still grit his teeth and pursue him so relentlessly?

If he were to ask, what would Sasuk say?

The answer... he already knew it without asking.

When Yoon Jong finally raised his head, Yoo Iseol, Tang Soso, and Hye Yeon had approached silently, their eyes locked on him. The trust in their gaze wasn't one of pressure but of unwavering belief.

Yoon Jong slowly nodded.

If it were Sasuk, he would have said something like this.

- If I don't do it, someone else will have to.

"The Nokrim King."

Yoon Jong's steady gaze turned to Im Sobyeong.

"What do I need to do?" 

His tone was resolute, and a meaningful smile appeared on Im Sobyeong's face.

❀ ❀ ❀

A tense expression crossed Tang Gunak's face as he stared ahead. 

According to the latest report, the enemy was just beyond the horizon. 

Given the sacrifices made by Beggar Union to deliver this information, there was no reason to doubt it. Soon, the enemy would appear in plain sight.

"….Haah." 

Tang Gunak wished they'd just show themselves already. Whatever terror the enemy might bring would surely be better than the crushing pressure he felt now.

"Are the preparations ready?"

"For now."

Zhuge Zain paused briefly, his lips dry and cracked as if from extreme tension. He too was clearly burdened by the situation.

But it wasn't just him. 

The Southern Edge Sect leader, Jong Ligok, and Beggar Union former leader, Pungyeong Singae, were also equally tense.

If they failed to repel the enemy's assault, the world would fall under the dominion of the Evil Sect.

The world of evil path (sado cheonha, 사도천하 [邪道天下]). Even the name itself is unfamiliar, but it is truly unfolding.

It was difficult for anyone to fully accept that the fate of the world would soon be decided here. 

Instinctively, Tang Gunak's eyes sought the absent figure of Hyun Jong. He quickly shut his eyes, realizing what he was doing.

Then, a sigh-laden mutter from Moyong Wigyeong reached his ears. 

"If only Venerable Beopjeong were here…" 

Tang Gunak snapped his eyes open and stared blankly at Moyong Wigyeong. 

Beopjeong? Was he really talking about Beopjeong of Shaolin?

It was an absurd notion, yet none of the others seemed to find the comment strange. 

Watching this, Tang Gunak came to a realization. 

'Perhaps…'

Perhaps none of them truly feared the Evil Tyrant Alliance itself.

'They're mourning the emptiness left behind.'

The nine great sects longed for the absence of Shaolin. Tang Gunak sought Hyun Jong's shadow. Mount Hua struggled with the absence of its sect leader. Even the great families could not shake off the weight of Changcheon Namgung's legacy. 

'So, this was it?'

The anxiety that couldn't be shaken, even with their combined forces. The chaos that couldn't be fully explained by Cheong Myeong's silence alone.

But if that were the case...

Tang Gunak's thoughts were cut short.

"Th, they're coming!"

A near-scream broke the tension.

Indeed, the horizon darkened.

"….." 

Tang Gunak, the world's best, swallowed dryly. 

As expected, the sight was overwhelming. 

The sheer number, the endless waves of people, was staggering. Even from a distance, the pressure was immense.

"They're coming... the Evil Tyrant Alliance." 

The invader who claimed to be evil was rushing in like a black wave.