Chapter 1698 - Then That's Enough (8)

"Misunderstanding?"

Thud.

The empty cup is placed on the table.

How many rounds have there been already? Empty bottles are increasing one by one, but the two people continued to gaze at each other with cold eyes, their expressions unchanged.

It was quiet, but despite that, it could not be called peaceful. The tension between the two sitting across from each other was even more intense than a life-and-death battle with swords clashing.

"Did you say misunderstanding?"

"Yes."

Jang Ilso's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"Hmm, well. What exactly is the misunderstanding? It doesn't seem like there's anything wrong."

"That's why you can't understand me."

Chung Myung said with an emotionless face.

"Knowing well and understanding are similar but different realms. You may know me well, but you can't understand me. Probably forever."

Jang Ilso curled the corners of his mouth up, as if amused.

"Well, that's a sad thing to say. But... it didn't seem like that was what we were talking about? What exactly did I misunderstand?"

"They think like I do, and the things I want to do are being carried out through them."

Chung Myung said this and then chuckled, as if finding it funny.

"That's not a funny thing to say."

"...Is it not?"

"You can only think that way. Because that's who you are."

Jang Ilso narrowed his eyes. An unpleasant expression was evident. But Chung Myung continued unperturbed.

"To you, the world is likely an imperfect and incomplete thing made up of only imperfections."

Chung Myung's gaze was on the sky, not on Jang Ilso. He stared at the stars that still shone brightly through the hazy smoke.

"So you can't believe it. Not even one person among the humans who are lacking and pathetic compared to you."

Jang Ilso's crimson lips slightly parted. Eventually, he showed his white teeth and smiled brightly.

"Oh, oh. You said you couldn't understand, but you understand it so well?"

Jang Ilso slowly rose to his full height. He then looked down at Chung Myung sitting in front of him, and at the same time, grabbed the bottle of alcohol on the table.

"Let me ask you in reverse. Do you find these people so trustworthy?"

He turned and began walking slowly in the direction where Heo Dojin was collapsed.

"Look."

Standing right in front of Heo Dojin, who was barely managing to breathe, Jang Ilso looked at Heo Do with a mix of contempt and scorn. No, he was looking at Chung Myung.

"This is reality."

"...."

"He must have believed so too. That he had improved, that he was different from the past, that with his current self, he could do anything."

Chung Myung's face grew cold.

"Whether it's a sense of mission or righteousness... Whatever the basis may be. But...."

Jang Ilso slowly tilted the bottle of alcohol.

*Drip, drip, drip.*

The flowing alcohol poured over Heo Dojin's head. His blood-soaked head became drenched in the clear alcohol.

Chung Myung's eyes, which were glaring at Jang Ilso, grew even colder. Jang Ilso smiled triumphantly.

"And this is the result, isn't it? It's sad and pitiful, but this is reality. This is the result of that great belief."

*Drip, drip, drip.*

"So, you can only mourn. Alive but dead...."

*Crash!*

At that moment, the bottle Jang Ilso was holding shattered into pieces. The alcohol that hadn't been fully spilled drenched Jang Ilso's sleeve and pants.

The Honggyeon, who had been silently standing by, flared up.

"How dare...!"

"Tsk."

But with just a clicking of his tongue, Jang Ilso silenced them and quietly looked at his wet clothes. He then picked up the broken bottle, which was now only the neck remaining. He even shook it as if it were a child's toy.

"Oh, will this be enough? What I really want to cut is my own neck, you know?"

A hint of madness began to appear on his painted face.

"Rather than making foolish statements about trusting those people and beating around the bush, how about...."

Jang Ilso's long fingernail slowly traced a line across his own neck.

"Why don't you try it yourself?"

Chung Myung's gaze became chillingly calm.

"You must think that's a more certain method too, don't you?"

He stared intensely at Jang Ilso's white neck. It could be split. Just as Jang Ilso said.

Even if there are numerous enemies here, it is possible.

If he braved all sorts of dangers and was prepared to risk his life, perhaps he could create a moment where his sword would reach Jang Ilso's neck.

But instead of picking up his sword, Chung Myung picked up his cup.

"The wine is empty."

For a moment, Jang Ilso, who had been silent as if at a loss for words, sighed deeply as if he had forgotten about the madness.

"It doesn't work."

Then he trudged back to sit on the opposite side of Chung Myung. Resting his chin on his hand and staring intently at Chung Myung, he asked.

"Then what about it?"

"What?"

"Is the world you see different from the world I see? Is the world as you see it perfect and beautiful?"

Even as he asked the question, the scorn on his face deepened. As if he was ready to mock any answer that came.

But Chung Myung's expression didn't change, nor did he even blink.

"It can't be."

"...Hmm?"

"It's the same for me. The world is still absurd, and the people filling that absurd world are unreliable and even pathetic."

Jang Ilso frowned, as if he hadn't expected this. Chung Myung continued.

"But I've only just realized that."

"Realized what?"

"That the me who thought I was more perfect has failed completely."

"...."

"I failed to protect what I intended to protect and couldn't defeat what I aimed to defeat. The final goal I was striving for crumbled, leaving only scars."

"I don't understand what you're talking about at all."

A hint of displeasure began to cloud Jang Ilso's eyes. It was a deep discomfort, different from the confusion born from not understanding. It was an intense, inward anger.

"So, is it through them that you plan to achieve your goals?"

"You're wrong, you fool."

Chung Myung's teeth ground together with irritation. Anger and hostility flickered in his eyes as he looked at Jang Ilso.

"They are not my tools. They are not something that will fulfill my dreams. They are just who they are."

"...."

"All I know is that those whom I thought could not achieve what I could not, they can."

Jang Ilso seemed about to say something, but Chung Myung cut him off sharply.

"That's your limit—being unaware of that. Someone like you, the moment you hit a wall you can't overcome, can't do anything but eventually throw yourself away. You don't have the courage to challenge things that cannot be obtained through effort and struggle."

Jang Ilso's face momentarily hardened.

"But not me. Even if I face something I cannot overcome, I won't despair. I may be frustrated and pained at times, but in my heart, I believe. I believe that even things I can't overcome with my strength will eventually be surmountable."

The expression on Jang Ilso's face seemed to fade away, leaving a moment of calm. But soon, his eyes softened again.

"So they are...."

With a deep sigh, he shook his head.

"If your jokes are that terrible, it's hard to even smile out of courtesy. Don't you think?"

Chung Myung closed his eyes. What he was about to say was not his own. It belonged to the person who conveyed this meaning to him—a person who was greater than anyone else, stronger than anyone else.

"Only those who know their own inadequacies can move forward."

"...."

"It was what my Sahyung said."

At that moment, Jang Ilso's complexion took on a strange hue—a mix of disgust and confusion, an emotion truly difficult to discern.

After staring at Chung Myung in this odd manner for a while, Jang Ilso muttered lazily.

"You're quite... a pathetic person. Seeing you spout such nonsense."

Chung Myung let out a small laugh. It was as if he were looking at an idol. It didn't mean that they were the same or similar. None of his words would ever reach Jang Ilso. Perhaps until the moment of his death, his words would remain beyond reach.

It was like conversing with someone in an unreachable ideal.

What meaning could his words have for Jang Ilso?

"You asked. What would I do if they betrayed my faith."

"Indeed."

"I'll answer. No, I promise."

Chung Myung's lips, which had been calm, twisted into a sinister smile. Even Jang Ilso, the great, momentarily stopped breathing, so chilling was the smile.

Swish!

In an instant, a sword was drawn from Chung Myung's scabbard like a bolt of lightning. The guards, who had been tense and protecting their master, could not even react to the blinding speed.

Clang!

The sword's blade met Jang Ilso's hand, right in front of his face.

Grind!

The rings on his fingers screamed. Chung Myung, with his teeth bared, glared at Jang Ilso while revealing his white teeth, growling.

"So you will die here."

"Hah... Hahaha! Hahaha!"

A loud, resonant laugh echoed. Jang Ilso's eyes, wide open, gleamed with madness.

---

Snow began to fall unexpectedly on the blood-soaked cliff.

The sight of the pure white snow swirling gracefully was truly beautiful. It was a scene that naturally made one think of the term 'elegance.'

However, as soon as one realized that the delicate-looking snow was actually scattered sword energy, the elegant scene transformed into a horrifying scene of massacre.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The sword energy, like white snow, ruthlessly sliced through and pierced the bodies of the Sun Palace guards.

"Damn it!"

As the enemies appeared suddenly, the Sun Palace guards began to collapse helplessly. One of them, in a fit of rage, increased the intensity of his energy manipulation.

But no matter how much energy he raised to protect his body, it was impossible to block the sword energy falling from the sky.

"That sword..."

"Regain your composure."

The Namgung envoy, startled and mumbling, was jolted back to reality by a strong hand gripping his shoulder. He clung tightly to the cliff, solidifying his position.

Even if elegance was impossible, there was still time to catch his breath. For him now, that was a significant help.

But he couldn't hide all his doubts.

"Plum Blossom..."

"It's a sword with quite a complicated history."

As he infused his vital energy into the Namgung envoy, Lee Song Baek spoke with a hint of bitterness.

"The Twelve Plum Blossom Swords."

It was a sword that was painfully familiar to the Southern Edge Sect. Once believed to open the future for them, it had now become a symbol of disgrace.

But while those who knew the circumstances were busy avoiding and hiding the sword, Jin Geum Ryong was not. He did not discard the sword.

He sneered coldly.

- Does it disappear just because you ignore it? That would be convenient.