Chapter 1794. That’s the Answer (4)

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"This is…" 

Ho Gamyeong gazed upon the battlefield with an indescribable expression. 

How could one even describe such a scene? 

In truth, he knew the answer, but he didn't have the courage to voice it aloud. 

"It writhes."

How could a military strategist utter something so absurd?

Yet no other words came close to capturing the sight before him.

The massive army seemed to pulsate like living muscle, shifting and flexing.

Where one flank faltered, reinforcements poured in like a tide, and vacant gaps were filled in an instant.

'This is…..'

To the untrained eye, it might seem like the young fighters surging forward were the stars of this effort. But Ho Gamyeong, as a military strategist, focused on something else—the seamless movements of the rear lines, swiftly repairing and realigning the formation disrupted by the bold young warriors.

'How is something like this even possible?'

Strictly speaking, it wasn't impossible. Ho Gamyeong could achieve something similar given loyal subordinates who obeyed his every word without question, coupled with months of preparation. Under those circumstances, an even more refined maneuvering could be orchestrated.

But this? This was being accomplished without absolute loyalty or time for training. It went beyond 'impressive'—it was extraordinary.

"Ryeonju-nim…"

"What's with that surprised look?"

Jang Ilso chuckled, clearly amused.

"I told you, didn't I? Dragging out a battle with those people is like tightening a noose around our necks."

"….."

"It was us who made them like this."

That remark pierced Ho Gamyeong's heart like a dagger. 

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"Left flank is exposed, you idiot!"

"Damn it, this is impossible! Hey, Sasuk! What are you doing? I said the left flank!"

"You! I swear, after this battle, I'm going to kill you!"

Baek generation disciples screamed curses at Jo Geol, then signaled furiously to the left before deciding it wasn't enough and leaping into the fray himself.

"Hmm, Jo Geol dojang, It seems the direction of the Tiger hour [in, 인 (寅)] is getting quite dangerous, doesn't it?"

"Which way is the Tiger hour?!"

[Tl note: in, (인)寅, corresponds to the Tiger in the zodiac and represents the traditional way of telling time in ancient East Asia, where each hour spans two modern hours. The Tiger hour is from 3 AM to 5 AM. On a compass, 寅 points to the southeast direction].

"It's in the southeast. Gosh, so ignorant."

"Why didn't you just say that from the start! Evil sect people is pretending to be educated! Especially when you failed the exams!"

"I told you! I passed the exams!"

"Yeah, right. Got any proof?"

"Stop talking nonsense and just give the damn orders already, idiot!"

"Why am I always the one getting yelled at? What about sahyung? Doesn't he have hands?"

Jo Geol yelled furiously, but he still quickly signaled with hand signs.

"Ah, damn it! I should've brought signal flags!"

"There wasn't time for that. Hand signals work just fine."

"They're hard to see! Hey! Sasuk idiot over there! Can't you see me? Hey!"

"....You really need to go to the repentance cave once."

Jo Geol sent another flurry of signals, prompting a nearby disciple of Mount Hua to shout commands. In an instant, those around him moved to fill the gap.

"You're going in the wrong direction again!"

"It's wrong, Sasuk!"

".... Just drop dead already, just die."

Jo Geol collapsed in frustration. Im Sobyeong, watching him, chuckled softly.

'They're actually pulling it off.'

To the uninformed, it might not seem impressive, but to anyone with knowledge of military strategy, this was an astonishing sight.

Discipline is the cornerstone of any army. Training is essential to ensure soldiers respond swiftly and correctly to commands.

But the Heavenly Comrade Alliance was a hastily assembled force. Its members came from disparate backgrounds and held differing ideals. Yet here they were, with just a simple hand signal, moving as if they'd trained together for years.... no, even better.

If this wasn't a miracle, what was?

'Only Mount Hua in the world can make this possible.'

Mount Hua possessed the two crucial elements needed to make such a miracle possible.

The first was a flawless system. They had already proven in past battles in Hangzhou that they could respond to commands with perfect coordination. And since then, they'd continued to refine and reinforce those methods.

The second, however, was what truly set Mount Hua apart—something no other group could replicate.

"Hey, you crazy bastard! The front is exposed! Right in front of you! Are you blind?"

"Ah, just do it yourself, yourself!"

Jo Geol shouted profanities while signaling to the left again. This time, the swordsmen of Mount Hua immediately rushed forward to fill the gap.

'That's it.'

Thought Im Sobyeong as he unconsciously clenched his fan tightly.

These were people who, until recently, had ignored even the commands of the Zhuge Family Lord. Yet now, they didn't hesitate to hurl themselves into the blood-soaked frontlines at the behest of a nameless Mount Hua swordsman.

What Mount Hua had, and Jeongal didn't, wasn't mere strength.

'It was absolute trust.'

Mount Hua never abandoned its allies to the slaughter. They would fight to the bitter end alongside them. They had always stood against te Evil Tyrant Alliance and knew better than anyone how to confront them.

The majority of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance thought of Mount Hua that way. This is what is important.

Mount Hua proved it not with words or reasoning, but with actions and deeds. That proof has now turned into the absolute trust of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance members toward Mount Hua.

"No! At this rate, we might as well go fight at the front!"

".....Amitabha! If you have time to complain with that snout, send another signal, Jo Geol siju."

"Did… did you say 'snout',monk?"

"Oh! Hand, hand! Your hands are not working!"

"….."

Yoon Jong chuckled quietly.

His feelings weren't so different from Jo Geol's. He, too, wanted to charge into the fray and fight. Watching others bleed was far harder than shedding his own blood.

But Yoon Jong also understood. His role, and Mount Hua's role, was not to recklessly throw themselves into battle.

"Yoon Jong."

"Yes, Sago."

"Do you see it?"

Yoon Jong nodded.

"Yes, I see it."

Though nothing was explicitly said, Yoon Jong answered without hesitation. He knew what Yo Iseol meant—because they felt the same.

'They're fighting.'

At the very front, where blades clashed, the most dangerous and desperate spot. That was Mount Hua's place.

Yoon Jong had once wondered why.

Why was it always Mount Hua at the forefront?

Even after choosing to stand there himself, he sometimes resented others for not taking that place, for accepting their sacrifices as a given.

But now, others were filling that space. They charged forward, shouting with all their might.

Keuuuuung!

From somewhere came a deafening roar as wild beasts tore mercilessly into their enemies.

"Let go, let go! How dare a filthy beast like you touch me…!"

"Hahaha! And yet you spin such words with that mouth, you vermin no better than beasts. Today, I'll toss every one of you to the wolves!"

The previously silent Beast Palace finally stepped forward. Despite his massive build and booming voice, his predator-like eyes were icy cold. With a firm nod, he gave his orders.

"Don't let those faltering fools escape!"

"Yes, Palace Lord!"

The Ice Palace wasn't far behind.

From every direction, white sword energy surged like a biting frost, utterly different from the techniques of the Central Plains. The freezing, transparent blade aura seemed to bring the North Sea's relentless cold, numbing and stiffening the enemy as it cut into them.

"Crush them completely!"

Han Yimyeong and Seol Sobaek's shouts echoed in Yoon Jong's ears.

'Now that I think about it… despite fighting together all this time.'

They had always stood slightly behind the Mount Hua Sect. Yet now, without orders or requests, they had voluntarily stepped to the front, facing the enemy head-on.

Yoon Jong's gaze drifted toward one side.

"You didn't think about it, did you? Even for someone like you, this outcome…" 

"Well."

Yoo Iseol responded in her characteristic calm tone.

"But I think I know. One thing."

"....What do you mean?"

"Someone found meaning in it. Even in the sight of our backs."

Yoon Jong bit his lip.

The taciturn Yoo Iseol likely wanted to say this:

Just as they had been inspired by Chung Myung's back to press on, others must have drawn strength from watching the Mount Hua Sect.

While the Mount Hua disciples grew from saplings into mighty plum trees, those who followed them had also undergone their own transformations.

"Whether it was intentional or not doesn't matter. What's important is that it turned out this way."

"….."

"When a great tree grows, it naturally attracts beasts, and eventually, a forest is born. That forest may not have been the tree's intention, but it all began with that single tree. 'Even a tree that can be embraced with both arms begins as a tiny sprout.' [合抱之木 生於毫末]. Isn't that a teaching of your sect?"

[Tl note: This is a quote from Laozi's Tao Te Ching. The saying highlights that even grand, towering achievements or entities start from the smallest and most humble beginnings.]

Im Sobyeong snapped his fan open with a practiced motion.

"Shaken or broken, it will still grow. That is the way [tao, 도(道)]."

Yoon Jong remained silent for a moment. Then, after roughly running his hand over his face, he pressed his palms against his eyes.

"Don't preach to me. You are a bandit."

"…. And here I thought I was being kind."

"Oh? Are you crying right now sahyung...."

"That side's wide open, you idiot!"

"….Go to hell, you miserable fool."

Suppressing his frustration, Yoon Jong's reddened eyes focused.

'We can win!'

There was no way they could lose. Fighting like this, united in purpose, there was no chance of defeat.

"Today, we will put an end to this, Jang Ilso!"

A fiery determination ignited in Yoon Jong's chest.

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The tide of battle had unmistakably turned against the Evil Tyrant Alliance.

To think the situation could change so drastically in such a short time—it was utterly absurd.

If Ho Gamyeong had been commanding alone, he would have devised new strategies long ago. But with Jang Ilso present, he couldn't dare issue orders on his own.

"Ryeonju-nim."

Ho Gamyeong finally broke his silence, unable to hide his impatience.

"Hmm."

"The enemy's momentum is solidifying…"

"Is this all they have?"

"…. Yes?"

Startled, Ho Gamyeong glanced at Jang Ilso, who stood half a step ahead of him. A faintly amused expression adorned his face.

"This is too predictable, isn't it?"

"Predictable…?"

"Isn't it obvious? If this is the best they can do, it's disappointing."

Jang Ilso's eyes narrowed into a chilling crescent moon as he smiled.

"At this rate… it would seem my enemies failed to grow because they didn't have a worthy adversary in me. It's hurting my pride."

"Ryeonju-nim…?"

Even Ho Gamyeong, who understood Jang Ilso better than anyone, found his words hard to grasp.

What exactly was he thinking? How could he joke so casually in a battle that risked not only his life but the fate of the martial world?

"But, Ryeonju-nim, now is…"

"Ah, ah."

As Ho Gamyeong tried to press further, Jang Ilso lazily waved him off.

"There's no need to rush, Gamyeong-ah."

".... Yes?"

"They're not the only ones desperate. We have no way out either, do we?"

Ho Gamyeong's confusion deepened. Shouldn't that mean they needed to act immediately?

At that moment, Jang Ilso propped his chin on his hand and casually tapped his fingers.

"So, they'll move. Even those who hoping for my downfall."

"…What are you talking about…?"

BOOOM!

A massive explosion suddenly erupted from the frontlines.

Instinctively turning toward the deafening noise, Ho Gamyeong's eyes widened in shock.

A middle-aged man clad in resplendent golden robes stood imperiously amidst the chaos.

"…The Sun Palace Lord."

"The one with the shortest temper has stepped in."

Jang Ilso grinned.

"Well then, let's see how many survive today."

As Ho Gamyeong watched the confident, almost playful smile on Jang Ilso's face, an icy chill ran down his spine.