Who didn't know?
This was nothing but a joke. The words coming out of that devil's mouth were nothing more than dragging them down to the ground, trampling on them, mocking them, and laughing at them.
But… was there anyone who didn't waver?
The moment the word "save" came out of Jang Ilso's mouth, was there even a single person who didn't harbor even a little bit of hope and longing in their hearts?
Namgung Do-Wei closed his eyes tightly.
'I…'
The moment he heard Jang Ilso's words, even Namgung Do-Wei, who was prepared to die, felt a strong impulse. The impulse to live. The fear of not wanting to die.
If there weren't people watching him around, he might have knelt before Jang Ilso and held onto his legs.
Begging for his life. Not wanting to die. Not yet… death wasn't right yet.
Who would be different from that?
No matter how upright you tried to stand, how could your desire to live be different? Jang Ilso's one word easily dug up that desire that was hidden deep inside.
"This…"
Namgung Hwang clenched his teeth, unable to say anything.
He must have felt the same way as Namgung Do-Wei right then. The trembling of his hand wasn't in anger at Jang Ilso but anger at himself for not being righteous at that moment.
In the end, Namgung Hwang shouted in a seething voice.
"You evil bastard!"
Jang Ilso's eyes looked at him oddly.
"This time, evil."
"…"
"Hmm. Well… that is what I like to say. Evil, mean, cowardly… well, whatever. Nice. But…."
Jang Ilso slowly shook his head.
"Not in this situation. Namgung Hwang. Now is not the time to curse at me."
Namgung Hwang went silent. He had intended to briefly understand Jang Ilso's real thoughts, but it wasn't enough. With his skills, he could never see into that monster's true feelings.
"It isn't something to think only of as bad."
Jang Ilso gently turned his body and slowly approached Namgung Hwang. Namgung Hwang's sword still hadn't let down its guard, but Jang Ilso remained calm and relaxed.
Jang Ilso leaned in and whispered softly in Namgung Hwang's ear.
"Now… Namgung Hwang. Think about this, okay? You have to think desperately now. Being abandoned isn't necessarily a bad thing, right? You are free now. Isn't that true?"
"…."
Namgung Hwang bit his lip and glared at Jang Ilso. His blood-stained face, disheveled hair, and bloodshot eyes were nothing short of brutal.
But did Namgung Hwang know?
What did it mean for a swordsman, who must maintain his stance, to lose himself to words? That this action alone proved beyond doubt that he was wavering.
"You people…."
He spat out.
"Are you telling me to be your subordinate? Do you think the Blue Sky Namgung family will be the dogs of the Evil Sect?"
He shouted so that everyone shaken by the devil's voice could hear it clearly.
"If we die, we die, but we will not be your dogs! Do not make me laugh now, Jang Ilso!"
Everyone agreed with that statement. Survival is important for everyone. However, there is clearly a value that cannot be exchanged for the sake of survival.
The Blue Sky Namgung family.
They could accept death, but they could never become subordinates to Jang Ilso. If they could, they would not have thrown away peace and invaded Plum Blossom Island.
At that moment, when strong antipathy towards Jang Ilso was about to engulf everyone.
"… dogs?"
Jang Ilso's calm yet puzzled gesture, as he slightly tilted his head, forcibly drew everyone's attention.
"Again… you speak of strange things which I don't understand."
Jang Ilso raised his eyebrows and exaggeratedly laughed at Namgung Hwang.
"Ga-Myung."
"Yes, Alliance lord."
"Did I say that to them?"
"You said nothing, lord."
Ho Ga-Myung answered right away as if he didn't have to think about it. His face, in stark contrast to Jang Ilso's, was so expressionless that it was impossible to guess what he was thinking.
"Then why do they say such things?"
"Because everyone thinks within their own limitations, lord. It is only natural that they cannot keep up with the Alliance Lord's thoughts. It isn't something we can blame them for."
"Hmm, right. It makes sense."
Jang Ilso nodded leisurely and looked at Namgung Hwang with a big smile.
Namgung Hwang could only watch the conversation, which was like an opera.
From the moment Jang Ilso arrived there, everyone seemed to be moving according to the roles Jang Ilso had set up. Even breathing in and out, getting angry, and expressing frustrations.
"No, that isn't it, Namgung Hwang. And…"
Jang Ilso's gaze turned from Namgung Hwang to the Namgung family swordsmen.
"Namgung family."
It seemed to tell him that the authority to decide this matter wasn't just Namgung Hwang's but also the family's swordsmen.
"Why do you think I am deceiving you?"
"…."
"Because I am from the Evil Sect?"
"…"
"I am just telling the truth."
They were drawn in.
To that voice. That tone. With that one gesture.
"I will tell you again. That is not what I want. You don't have to be a dog, and you don't have to join the Four Precepts Alliance. There is just one thing I want."
His thin lips twisted.
"Just let the words' please save me' come out of your mouths. Right. That will do."
Everyone stared at him, lost in thought.
Not only the Namgung family but also the pirates were the same. Their eyes were filled with bewilderment as they looked at him.
The faces of many people filling this island were dyed in the same color; it was truly a miracle.
Were they in their right mind? Is the man really saying such things now? Why? Just why? Why!?
Jang Ilso stood there among those eyes filled with disbelief and shock, giggling.
"It isn't so hard, right? Is it?"
"…."
"That is fine. I will spare you the moment you say it. I will just simply let you go. Right there. To the north of the river, where you so desperately wanted to return. To the comfortable and cozy place where your home is."
The devil's whisper must have a deadly poison that they could not even guess.
But… even if they knew this fact, nothing would change.
How could they ignore such sweet words?
"I will even let you collect the bodies and take them away. Even though they died here, they deserve to be buried in their homeland, right? Right? Because they fought harder than anyone else."
The Namgung family's swordsmen turned their gaze, unable to overcome their instincts. The sight of their family and comrades dying without even having the chance to close their eyes was etched into their minds.
"It isn't difficult."
Jang Ilso said as if soothing a child.
"Just say one word. Just say one word, and everything will come true. In the name of mine, Jang Ilso, the Hegemony Lord…."
He paused for a moment.
Everyone waited for his words with thirst.
"… I promise."
After the sweet and fatal words came, there was a brief silence.
And then someone spoke as if possessed.
"Save m…."
"NO!"
At that moment, Namgung Do-Wei, who was close by, reached out and covered the man's mouth. Then he shouted with an angry face.
"Jang Ilso!"
Jang Ilso frowned slightly.
"Now, now. How dare such a great warrior close the mouth of someone who wants to live, only to send them to their death. How shameful, even the Evil Sect doesn't do something like this."
"Shut up, you fucking moron! What nonsense are you even talking about!"
"Hmm?"
"Don't make fun of the Namgung family! We will not fall for your…."
At that moment, Jang Ilso's eyes, which had appeared gentle until then, contorted immediately. The presence was so surprisingly fierce that Namgung Do-Wei unconsciously stopped talking and took a step back.
The pale eyes were as fierce as if blue flames were rising around them.
"You think I am a fool or something?"
Jang Ilso clenched his teeth.
"I will tell you, young lord. It isn't me who is being a fool; it is you."
"…"
"Shaolin has abandoned you. No, the Justice faction has abandoned you. I will ask now. Do you think any of the sects that followed Shaolin across the river would be willing to shed blood for you?"
No one could readily answer that question.
Of course, he wanted to shout. He wanted to yell and curse at them not to look down on the Alliance of the sects.
But hadn't he already seen how the Shaolin sect, which protected the factions of the Central Plains, had abandoned them?
"Your lives are so insignificant to them. But… no, not them either. It is you who consider your lives as even more insignificant."
"…."
"Life isn't like that."
Keeik.
Jang Ilso's rings rubbed against one another, making an eerie sound.
"The value of life is something you decide for yourself. At least, that is how I am. I stabbed a knife into the stomach of someone I called a comrade, bit the neck of someone who called himself a friend, rolled around in filth, and bit the cliff with my teeth when my arms broke!"
"…."
"That is what it means to survive and live."
Everyone knew that these words were neither persuasion nor threats. This was Jang Ilso's true nature.
"But… you are telling me that I am being ridiculous here?"
Jang Ilso bared his teeth.
"If you don't make fun of those who choose death because they couldn't utter a single word to be saved, who else in the world can ridicule your actions? Why should I treat those who consider their worth lower than insects any better? Answer me, boy! What right do you have to decide the death of someone whose mouth you silenced?"
Namgung Do-Wei's hands trembled.
If Jang Ilso had spoken one more word, Namgung Do-Wei might have collapsed right there.
But Jang Ilso relaxed his force at that moment. He slumped his shoulders as if exhausted.
"It isn't difficult."
"….."
"No one remembers your death. The glory gained through death is nothing more than crumbs that the survivors throw to the dead. Useless crumbs taken from enormous loot."
Someone gulped, and someone clenched their fists at that.
"It is so sad to die holding onto those crumbs… isn't it?"
He almost nodded.
At those whispered words.
"So… tell me."
Jang Ilso's eyes, filled with momentum, took on that bright and mysterious smile again.
"Fight for your life. That will work. That will be enough for you to survive."
Step. Step. Step.
Jang Ilso walked towards the Blue Sky Sword troops. He whispered in their ears, those who couldn't even think of using their blades.
Softly but clearly and slowly so that everyone could hear it.
"Do you want to live?"
Those who heard that voice froze in place.
"You want to live. Everyone wants to live. But those who try to use their lives sparingly say it easily. A warrior must know how to throw away his life for pride. He must discard life like a rag toy for the sake of his side."
Both eyes trembled. Jang Ilso recited the question that came to the minds of the swordsmen whose hearts were trembling.
"For what?"
"…."
"No, no, you will know when you live. Pride isn't as great as you think. It is like the night that passes when you close your eyes for a moment. So… tell me, I want to live. I want to survive."
"I-I…."
In the end, tears flowed from the eyes of the Blue Sky Sword troops.
A swordsman who had been trained through countless years of harsh trials, a member of the Namgung family, who was not afraid of death and was prepared to protect the name of Blue Sky with all his life, was crying like a child.
It was an unbearable pressure.
A glimmer of hope followed by great despair.
At the end of that, hope, will, and harmony were powerless in front of the one who grabbed their souls and twisted them.
"Rest now. Right?"
Red lips couldn't resist the words.
"Say it now, with that mouth."
The eyes of the swordsman, who didn't know where to go, cried out pitifully with a hoarse voice.
His hands, trembling and unable to find their way, finally grabbed Jang Ilso's sleeve.
"Save me…."
"Stop now, Hegemony Lord."
At that moment, Namgung Hwang intervened.
His voice was weak as if it wasn't his at all.
"… you have enjoyed it enough."
It felt as if his soul had left him as if he had aged several years at once.
Namgung Hwang's head slowly dropped.
"We…."
He spoke in a voice that showed no sign of pressure.
"We… lost."
It was the moment when everything for Namgung Hwang had collapsed.