Chapter 604:
"...Damn it."
Only after entering the vast training ground of the Righteous Martial Alliance did his tension finally ease. Song Hyeon cursed—harsh words unfitting for a Taoist and collapsed right where he stood.
The strength drained from his legs.
His entire body was soaked in sweat from how tense he had been while running. While the physical strain wasn't too severe since he had to match pace with the weaker disciples, mentally it had been utterly torturous.
A battle they absolutely had to win—and they couldn't win it. With enemies before them, they couldn't face them and fled instead.
And they even lost their Alliance Leader.
The fact that they could escape thanks to his sacrifice tormented Song Hyeon. It was shameful and guilt-ridden.
But what tormented him most was the crushing absence of hope.
Though Wudan was fleet-footed and could escape without suffering great damage, it was obvious how much damage those who fell behind in the rear would have suffered.
Moreover, the forces lost at Hefei were at an enormous level.
When the core members of the Righteous Martial Alliance had suffered such a blow, what were they supposed to do going forward?
Of course, with the remaining forces alone, they could still adequately handle the Hundred Sword Castle. If they could somehow solve that strange sorcery that caused seizures, the Righteous Martial Alliance still held a clear advantage over the Hundred Sword Castle.
But what about the Demonic Cult?
What about the Demonic Cult that was pushing into the Central Plains even at this very moment?
'Original Heavenly Honored One.'
The world was being dyed in darkness.
What was even more sorrowful was that he couldn't find light anywhere to illuminate this darkness.
'How on earth are we supposed to handle this?'
The Gong-mu of Shaolin next to him was also sitting collapsed on the ground. Even the Abbot of Shaolin, called the support and North Star of the martial world, couldn't find hope.
Where would the fate of the martial world go from here?
'Alliance Leader, why did you have to leave like that?'
Song Hyeon bit his lips tightly.
It should have been him who died and Kwon Geuk who lived instead. No matter how dire the situation, if Kwon Geuk were alive, they wouldn't have let go of the thread of hope.
Because they could just trust and follow him.
But now Kwon Geuk was gone. And only after losing him could Song Hyeon realize how great a pillar of support Kwon Geuk had been. Even he, the Sect Leader of the great sect of Wudan, couldn't get his bearings without Kwon Geuk.
So how much more so would it be for the others?
Perhaps they should have saved Kwon Geuk even if it meant everyone there being annihilated. Then they could have tried for a reversal with those who remained.
But now they had lost their center, lost the leader who could guide them.
The more he thought about it, the more dismal the situation became.
'This isn't the time to be doing this.'
He needed to reorganize as quickly as possible. There was no telling when the Hundred Sword Castle might come charging here.
Somehow…
"Sect Leaderrrrr!"
Song Hyeon raised his head. Someone was rushing toward them from inside the building.
"Ah…"
Shin Gi-sua was running toward him at full speed. Seeing that sight, Song Hyeon unconsciously frowned.
'What could be so good about this?'
He should know how the situation had turned out by now. And he should already know that the Alliance Leader had died. So why was he running over so brightly?
Song Hyeon bit his lips tightly.
It was nothing significant. But perhaps because his mood was twisted, everything was starting to look unfavorable.
Song Hyeon, who let out a low sigh, looked at the approaching Shin Gi-sua.
'Getting angry at someone who's happy about survival.'
What a twisted state of mind this was.
He had spent decades cultivating to maintain a pure heart. But all that training felt pointless now. How could someone who couldn't even manage his own heart work for the world?
"Sect Leader!"
Shin Gi-sua ran up and grabbed Song Hyeon's hands.
"You've truly suffered greatly. How severe were your hardships?"
"Please don't do this, Military Strategist…"
Song Hyeon bit his lips hard.
"I'm a sinner who returned after losing the Alliance Leader. A coward who couldn't even inflict damage on the enemy and showed his back while trying to save only himself. I don't deserve such treatment."
"What are you saying?"
"If given the chance, I would serve as a common soldier in white clothes. I would lay down everything. It would be good if that were possible, but… No, this isn't the time to be saying such things. The Hundred Sword Castle must be charging here right now. So…"
"The Hundred Sword Castle has retreated."
"Yes. Of course they retreated, but the crisis is still… Huh?"
Song Hyeon's head snapped up.
Had he heard wrong?
Shin Gi-sua nodded at Song Hyeon's reaction.
"The Hundred Sword Castle has retreated. They're currently pursuing the remnants."
"Re-retreated?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Why?"
"Wei Yan-ho stopped them."
Confusion arose in Song Hyeon's eyes. That confusion quickly changed to doubt, then immediately transformed into anger. Then it changed again to shock. His emotions fluctuated wildly in an instant.
"St-stopped them?"
"Yes."
"The Hundred Sword Castle?"
"That's correct."
Song Hyeon's lips trembled.
'It can't be a lie.'
What kind of person was Shin Gi-sua to speak falsely in such a situation? The Shin Gi-sua he knew wasn't that kind of person.
No, even if it weren't Shin Gi-sua, it would be the same. If someone made such an absurd joke in this situation, they'd lose their head on the spot with no room for excuses.
So it must be true.
"We-Wei Yan-ho?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Wei Yan-ho, Wei Yan-ho…
Of course he'd heard of him. Anyone in the current martial world who didn't know Wei Yan-ho should be suspected of being a Demonic Cult spy. No, that wasn't even right. Wei Yan-ho might be more famous in the Demonic Cult than in the Central Plains.
But Wei Yan-ho stopped the Hundred Sword Castle?
"Alone?"
"It's a bit much to say alone, but similar. Since he stopped them together with his companions."
Song Hyeon, recalling the lineup of those known to associate with Wei Yan-ho, said blankly:
"That's alright."
"…Yes."
Stopped them.
That Hundred Sword Castle. And alone at that.
'This is completely absurd…'
Though the circumstances and situation all claimed it was true, his mind couldn't accept that truth. The entire Righteous Martial Alliance, including Kwon Geuk, had been smashed.
They had abandoned even their own people and fled here. But he alone stopped that terrifying Hundred Sword Castle?
Alone?
"No, no…"
He didn't know what to say.
"Is that really true?"
Gong-mu had also approached at some point. Seeing that gentleman who had seemed completely drained of strength come running panting, this news must have been equally surprising to him.
"It's an undeniable fact."
"Huh huh, truly marvelous, marvelous…"
Gong-mu kept shaking his head. He was probably feeling similar to Song Hyeon right now.
"So what is Wei Yan-ho doing now?"
"He's currently tracking the enemy. He says he'll go to Hefei for rescue as soon as he finishes the pursuit."
"He-Hefei?"
Song Hyeon's face went blank.
"What is he going to do at Hefei? The ones remaining there are just…"
"Yes. Those who had seizures from the strange disease."
"Th-that's right."
Shin Gi-sua smiled lightly.
"Wei Yan-ho already has experience treating a similar strange disease at the Tang Family. Whether it's possible or impossible is unknown, but no matter who in the world goes, they won't come up with a better solution than Wei Yan-ho."
"Ah…"
Song Hyeon and Gong-mu kept nodding.
'What kind of situation is this?'
It made no sense.
What Kwon Geuk and all of them together couldn't accomplish despite being smashed, Wei Yan-ho was solving one by one by himself.
Was Wei Yan-ho alone superior to all of them combined?
"Is this possible?"
"Sect Leader."
Shin Gi-sua looked at Song Hyeon with a strange expression.
'He can't purely rejoice.'
When people have leeway, other thoughts arise. When desperately fleeing for their lives, they would have been desperate, but now that survival was secured, calculations would begin.
Shaolin and Wudan suffered great defeat and fled.
But Wei Yan-ho not only repelled the Hundred Sword Castle that made them flee, but was currently pursuing them.
If this fact became known, people would think Wei Yan-ho was above Shaolin and Wudan. From their perspective, this was definitely not a good thing.
'Even in the midst of all this…'
He wanted to click his tongue but forcibly held it back. Now wasn't the time to stir up discord.
And these people were human too.
Those who abandon their own interests and follow the greater cause are called saints. Conversely, that means ordinary people are much more sensitive to their own interests than to the greater cause.
He could encourage them to follow the greater cause, but he couldn't blame them for not being able to do so.
"Don't judge Wei Yan-ho by common sense. When that guy pulls something off, just accept that fact. And anyway, he's someone who can't be controlled. Right now it's wartime so he's running around like a madman with his tail on fire, but once the war ends, even if you beg and plead, he'll return to Guangdong and lock himself in his room to sleep."
"Mm, mmm…"
He subtly leaked information that Wei Yan-ho had no intention of building his own force even after the war ended. Whether they understood, Song Hyeon's face relaxed a little.
'Even in the midst of all this, I have to explain such things.'
Shin Gi-sua sighed and raised his head.
The exhausted people were all lying sprawled on the ground, panting. It was a scene he'd witnessed countless times in the past. As that scene began to unfold again, his heart grew a little heavy.
Fortunately, thanks to deliberately speaking with emphasis, everyone learned of the situation, and the atmosphere didn't become despairingly bad.
"So, so what should we do now?"
"We must counterattack."
Shin Gi-sua's eyes sank low.
"The damage is great. Though we managed to handle the situation, things will only get worse if we continue like this. They must suffer the same damage."
"But how?"
"I have something in mind. Thanks to that guy Yeon-ho stirring things up, a path has opened. So please reorganize quickly. You must save the martial world."
Solemnity appeared on Song Hyeon and Gong-mu's faces.
Having succeeded in appeasing them, Shin Gi-sua turned his head toward the entrance.
'At least I've handled the situation.'
Since he said he'd give them a chance to achieve merit, they would now charge forward enthusiastically. When people see hope, they think of victory, and when they think of victory, they become obsessed with the benefits that will come after victory.
When the war ended, they wouldn't want to hear that Wei Yan-ho had accomplished everything. Now they would definitely engage in battle more enthusiastically.
'Especially that gentleman.'
Shin Gi-sua's eyes caught sight of Namgung Jo-hwi entering through the main gate with a deathly pale expression.
Shin Gi-sua's lips curled upward.
'Now, how shall I manipulate that gentleman?'
Thanks to Wei Yan-ho laying the groundwork, he could now spread his wings. And Shin Gi-sua had no intention of missing this opportunity.
'Just run wild a little more, just a little more. Then we can win.'
Shin Gi-sua had finally found hope at the end of despair.