Chapter 1631: Before Everything Disappears (Part 1)

Swish, swish.

At a glance, the liquor in the expensive glass appeared to be amber-colored, seemingly out of place in the rather ordinary room.

The liquor, its quality evident from its aroma alone, flowed abundantly.

Swish, swish.

Yet even after filling the cup, the liquor continued to pour out incessantly. Eventually, the spilled liquor reached the tray.

Some onlookers cast uneasy glances. The tension was palpable.

An elderly man, unknowingly sweating profusely, cautiously spoke, observing the gaze of the person holding the liquor bottle.

"Palace... Lord..."

Crack!

As if the voice were a signal, the liquor bottle shattered into pieces, scattering fragments in all directions.

"P-Palace Lord!"

The old man exclaimed in terror. However, the expression of the one who caused this situation remained unchanged.

"How many days has it been since the war ended?"

The man observing the flowing liquor reached out and grabbed the cup with rough hands.

"Blood has boiled as much as it can, victory has been firmly secured. Yet... all we do is indulge in liquor in this pitiful room."

"...I apologize, Palace Lord."

"Such nonsense. This is not why I came here."

The eyes of Jinpyeong, the Sun Sovereign of the Southern Sea Palace, narrowed ominously.

There wasn't a single aspect comfortable to him.

He felt as out of place as this cup. Just as the cup didn't fit this shabby room, he too wasn't meant to linger in a place like this. If he hadn't been someone who traversed the land of the Central Plains in rough and tumble, there would have been no reason for him to come all this way.

Yet here he was, the king of the Southern Sea Palace, living in this shabby hut! What would the royal family members who had hoped he would trample over the Central Plains think if they knew this fact? How they would ridicule him!

The Sun Sovereign emptied the cup in one gulp.

Though the fragrance filled his mouth, he couldn't even properly sense it due to his anger.

"Is such inconsistency the norm in the Central Plains?"

The more he thought about it, the less he understood.

The one who achieved great victory was confined to a room, doing who knows what, and the one who suffered great defeat was locked away in his base, engaging only in petty struggles?

Of course, after a great battle, a period of peace inevitably follows. But to him, this was hardly a period of peace.

Just irresponsible silence. Nothing more, nothing less.

The old man, trying not to show his extremely discomfort, spoke.

"It's only natural to feel frustrated, Palace Lord."

"What are you talking about?"

"The power of the Central Plains may be stronger than Imeup's, but that is only comparing countries to countries, and regions to regions. How many figures like the Palace Lord are there among them?"

"..."

"It's only natural and fair that the actions of these incompetent people don't meet Palace Lord's eye. So please don't be too frustrated. They are, at best, survivors of the previous battles fought among these lowly sects. Can we even discuss them deeply just because they have power and reputation?"

How flattering.

It was natural. After all, the value of their existence lied solely in that. Under normal circumstances, Jinpyeong would have quickly relaxed and laughed it off. After all, what would those pathetic Evil Sect guys or the delusional Righteous Sect guys know to satisfy his eyes?

But now, even that didn't come out as a joke.

Probably because he knew that his current situation was not much different from this glass of wine. Like a glass waiting for someone to pour liquor for it, though it was in an unfitting place, unable to do anything itself.

The Sun Sovereign's eyes sank heavily.

- What a good child.

The glass trembled.

A good child. Had he ever heard such words in his life?

Born into royalty, he was always revered since childhood, unable to speak properly. If he hadn't entered the Sun Palace, he could have at least grasped the position of a ruler of some land, if not becoming the ruler of all people.

Such a Sun Sovereign, bowing down to a mere commoner...

"Palace Lord, you need not concern yourself with them. They are simply ignorant at the moment."

"...Be silent."

"Soon they will realize how magnificent and great Palace Lord is and bow their wretched heads..."

Thud!

At that moment, the old man fell backward, accompanied by a loud noise.

Bang. Thud.

The jade liquor glass fell to the floor. But contained within it wasn't the amber-colored liquor from a moment ago... It was filled with a crimson liquid.

Clank!

The Sun Sovereign slammed it hard enough to make it distinctly audible.

"I told you to close your mouth."

Those who were agitated by the obvious hostility quickly bowed their heads. Afraid to even make eye contact.

The Sun Sovereign brushed his face with trembling fingertips.

'Paegun...'

Had he ever felt such humiliation in his life?

What was even more humiliating was that despite Jang Ilso's incomprehensible actions, he couldn't even reprimand him.

Why?

Originally, the Sun Palace didn't submit to the Evil Tyrant Alliance. Even if they did, it wasn't to the extent of losing the right to speak in such abnormal situations.

But why was he lying down here? Why?

The Sun Sovereign groaned. He was angry and desperate.

Because he knew the answer, better than anyone else.

"Bring more liquor."

"..."

"Immediately!"

"Yes! Yes, Palace Lord!"

Those who were bowing quickly rushed towards the door. The moment they desperately opened the door, frozen, they all stood still. Because there was someone standing in front of the door.

"Paegun..."

With splendid red robes, a face so white that it seemed powder would seep out with a touch, jet-black hair, light-colored irises, and lips as eerily red as blood. 

Facing Jang Ilso up close like this, they froze like a herd of mice encountering a snake. His gloomy eyes swept over them once.

"Hmm."

A slightly intoxicated tone flowed from slightly twisted lips.

"Would you mind stepping aside?"

But not a single person moved. Even though they clearly heard the words, it didn't reach them as a 'request' as much as it did as 'intimidation'. It was simply fear.

When Jang Ilso slightly furrowed his brow, a voice came from behind.

"Let him in."

Those who barely regained their senses at the Sun Sovereign's voice flinched and turned around. Eventually, they hesitantly stepped aside. Along the opened path, Jang Ilso slowly entered the room.

Tap. Tap. Squelch.

His crimson flower shoes hit the ground, eventually sinking into a puddle of blood-mixed liquor. Jang Ilso glanced briefly at the fallen figure on the ground before raising his head.

"Oh dear... so extreme."

Then his gaze turned to the Sun Sovereign.

"Feeling stifled?"

"Thanks to whom?"

The response was short.

"Well, it's understandable. But... to vent that frustration to your subordinates? Tsk tsk. How pathetic."

The Sun Sovereign clenched his fist.

Whether it was that man's intentions or simply his presence, every word, every expression, turned his insides upside down.

"Perhaps so. But after seizing victory, indulging in revelry and wasting time with jesters hardly seems fitting for one who has triumphed, does it?"

"Hmm?"

Jang Ilso's eyes sparkled with a faint glimmer at the Sun Sovereign's rebuttal. A sinister aura passed through. But at this moment, the Sun Sovereign also faced his eyes without flinching.

However, Jang Ilso's eyes softened immediately. His tone seemed mocking, even provoking.

"Wine and women (酒色)... No, not quite. No, no. It would be better to call it elegant and free (風流). Doesn't that sound more refined?"

The Sun Palace Lord unconsciously bit his lips.

It would have been better if the other had openly expressed his anger and vented his frustration. But now, Jang Ilso was smiling constantly. As if the Sun Palace Lord was not his opponent at all. It was like dealing with a grown adult facing a young child, not bothering to openly engage in a confrontation.

This kind of gaze was unfamiliar to him. No, it wasn't something he could get used to, nor should he.

"It seems you have many complaints against me. So... what would our esteemed lord like to do?"

The Sun Palace Lord's brow furrowed.

"Do you not know?"

"Then should I tell you even though I know?"

The Sun Palace Lord couldn't say anything.

It was understandable that he retreated from there. That was certainly the right decision.

But enemy has lost, and their command structure itself collapsed. In such a situation, it was only natural to take advantage of such vulnerability and continue the attack.

The reason why the Sun Palace Lord remained silent was because Jang Ilso surely knew that fact.

As the Sun Palace Lord bit his lip, Jang Ilso let out a slight laugh.

"Victory... there's nothing to worry about. Victory hasn't disappeared as you fear. Or perhaps, one might say that now there's an even clearer opportunity to seize victory."

"...What are you saying?"

"Do you want to know?"

Jang Ilso took a step closer to the Sun Palace Lord.

At that moment, the Sun Palace Lord felt a sensation as if his breath was being choked.

'What... something... different.'

Indeed, something had clearly changed from what he had seen before.

How should he express it? If the previous Jang Ilso was someone who concealed a dagger in his embrace and laughed, now he seemed like someone who would thrust that dagger directly in front of his throat. The tension made every muscle in his body taut with the fear that one wrong move could cost him his life.

"It's not difficult to tell you. But before that, there's one thing I need to confirm."

"What... is it?"

"What do you want?"

Suspicion flickered in the Sun Palace Lord's eyes at the ambiguous question.

"Tell me what you want. Then, I'll tell you how to get what you want. In return... you just need to give me something very small."

"Ryeonju..."

"I do not have time."

His words brought a very brief silence into the room. It was fleeting, but it felt like time had stopped, creating an eerie stillness.

And in that moment, the Sun Palace Lord saw it. The intense, murderous intensity in Jang Ilso's face that was always smiling faintly. As if there was a sinister edge that could cut through everything in sight.

"Now, we need to hurry. Before it all collapses. Before everything I need to take and everything you need to take disappears."

"Yeon..."

"Isn't it better this way? There's no need to worry about the future anymore. Even if we lose everything, it wouldn't be a waste, right? Isn't that right? Haha. Hahaha. Hahahaha!"

As Jang Ilso's words poured out rapidly, the Sun Palace Lord's face turned pale.

'What on earth...'

Jang Ilso was laughing with a bright smile. Unlike usual, he seemed precarious and somewhat uneasy.

He glanced at the Sun Palace Lord as if he were licking his lips.

"Quickly, tell me. Because you shall be the one who should set off the fireworks."

The Sun Palace Lord's mouth slowly opened as if he were under a spell.

The eyes of Ho Gakmyung, who had been observing all of this from the threshold, sank very heavily.