Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1076

“Haha! Hahahahaha!” Jang Il-So’s loud laughter filled the air. He stood tall, laughing wildly. In front of him, another man stood with his head down, looking completely defeated. Usually, everyone looks at the winner. But this time, even though Jang Il-So was laughing, people were watching the sad figure of Great Lord Man-Geum.

Great Lord Man-Geum, also called Gong Ya-Wol, was a powerful man. He was the leader of the Black Demon Clan and controlled western Gangnam. He was also a leader in the Shinju Ohpa group and a famous swordsman from the Demonic Faction. His name used to be famous and respected in the Jianghu world. But now, his power was breaking down. His glory and the fear he caused would soon be just old stories. The Jianghu world is a place where power changes quickly.

Great Lord Man-Geum slowly lifted his head. He looked at Jang Il-So, who was standing over him. Man-Geum’s eyes were empty. There was no anger, no hate, not even regret. Only a question filled his gaze. His dry lips moved, and a weak, tired voice came out. “…From the start,” he whispered. “Did you know all of this from the beginning?”

“Of course,” Jang Il-So replied.

“…How?” Man-Geum asked again, confused.

Jang Il-So smirked, like Man-Geum was asking a stupid question. “Isn’t it obvious?” he said. His voice was not kind like a winner, and not even showing pity for the loser. “Because you are Great Lord Man-Geum.”

Man-Geum was silent, trying to understand.

“Do I need any other reason?” Jang Il-So added. It wasn’t really an answer. But Man-Geum seemed to understand.

“…I see,” Man-Geum said, and laughed weakly, without joy. “There was no other reason needed, right?” He thought about it. To attack when someone is weak. It was a normal thing for the Demonic Faction, and especially for him, Great Lord Man-Geum. Looking back, it was so simple…

“…Was this a trap from the very start?” Man-Geum asked.

“Of course not,” Jang Il-So sneered again. “Even I didn’t know those crazy Demonic Cult people would go so wild.”

“From then on…” Man-Geum looked at Jang Il-So with empty eyes. “How did you get the Thousand-Faced Investigator here?”

This was Man-Geum’s last question. Even if Jang Il-So had planned everything, Man-Geum thought he wouldn’t have lost so badly if the Thousand-Faced Investigator wasn’t here. Man-Geum had been very careful. He checked many times if Jang Il-So had hidden soldiers from the Myriad Man Clan. He was as careful as walking on thin ice, making sure Jang Il-So wasn’t secretly strong. But he never thought the Thousand-Faced Investigator from the Hao Clan would be here. He knew that the Investigator didn’t usually work with Jang Il-So.

Jang Il-So turned his head slightly to look at the Thousand-Faced Investigator, who looked like Wi-Chung. “He really wants to know. You should answer him.”

“It’s easy to explain, Clan Lord,” the Investigator replied. His voice showed respect for Jang Il-So, but not too much. He looked down at Man-Geum with cold eyes, very different from how he looked at Jang Il-So.

Man-Geum bit his lip hard. He knew this wasn’t Wi-Chung, but he still looked exactly like him. If it wasn’t for those cold eyes, he might have thought Wi-Chung had betrayed him.

“Me, who didn’t want to work with the Clan Lord… why am I here?” the Investigator said, repeating Man-Geum’s question. He slowly shook his head. “Great Lord Man-Geum, you are not stupid. You know that nothing lasts forever in the Jianghu world. Friends become enemies, and enemies become friends.” He chuckled softly. “And wasn’t it you, Great Lord Man-Geum, who made me come here? I didn’t plan to help the Clan Lord before.”

“…Me?” Man-Geum asked, confused.

“Didn’t you and the Black Dragon King both lose an arm?” the Investigator asked.

Man-Geum was silent.

“Before that, I could just wait. But when you two became weaker, my situation became dangerous.” The Investigator clicked his tongue, as if he couldn’t believe it himself. “The Demonic Martial Alliance is run by the four big clans in Gangnam. If you and the Black Dragon King are weaker, who will the Clan Lord pay attention to? So, I had to choose. Either fight against the Clan Lord, who would now be suspicious of me… or promise to be loyal to him.” The Investigator shrugged slowly. “Then, the Clan Lord asked me to come and kindly offered me a place by his side. What could I do? I know my own weaknesses, so I had to become loyal.”

“Inside you…” Great Lord Man-Geum, who had been biting his lip, finally spoke, like he was spitting out blood. “Was there really nothing else you wanted? If you just killed Jang Il-So, you could have become the top leader of the Demonic Martial Alliance!” This was what he couldn’t understand. Even if the Investigator planned this, Jang Il-So was almost dead. If Man-Geum was the Investigator, he would have waited for Jang Il-So to die and then attacked Man-Geum. Man-Geum knew he was going to die anyway, but he could have taken Jang Il-So with him.

“Of course, I thought about it. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted,” the Investigator said, even with Jang Il-So right there. He spoke easily about wanting to kill Jang Il-So. And Jang Il-So didn’t seem angry at all.

“…But why?” Man-Geum asked, confused.

“Would it make sense if I wanted to be even more powerful than you?” the Investigator asked back. Man-Geum stared, not understanding. “I don’t want to go back to fighting over small things in Gangnam. I’ve seen that even that good land is not really that important.”

“That can’t be all you want!” Man-Geum said, surprised.

“Is that a problem?” the Investigator replied casually. “I want to be the second most powerful person, not just the ruler of some small, unimportant place. It’s not a strange choice.” He looked back at Jang Il-So. “Also, the Hao Clan is not meant to be number one. Information is only useful if someone else uses it.”

“…Heh heh,” Man-Geum laughed sadly to himself. The Investigator was just saying his reasons, but to Man-Geum, it sounded like he was being blamed for wanting too much.

As if he understood Man-Geum’s feelings, the Investigator smiled and added something extra. “And there was one more, very important reason.”

“…Reason?” Man-Geum asked weakly.

“If I have to serve someone, it should not be you. My pride wouldn’t let me.”

Man-Geum was silent. “Maybe that’s the biggest reason,” the Investigator finished.

Man-Geum bit his lip again. He didn’t really know why the Investigator chose Jang Il-So. Maybe he would never know. People’s hearts change easily. It’s impossible to fully understand what someone else is thinking. But in the end, Jang Il-So had won, and Man-Geum had lost. That was the main difference.

Man-Geum looked away from the Investigator and back at Jang Il-So. “Did the Mount Hua Sect also know about this?”

“Of course not,” Jang Il-So said.

“Then…” Man-Geum was even more confused. He had so many questions. How did they work together so well without even talking?

But Jang Il-So’s next words stopped all his questions. “You still don’t understand, Gong Ya-Wol,” Jang Il-So sneered. “The fact that you are asking these questions shows you were never good enough for this game. A person can guess what a dog is thinking, but a dog can’t know what a person is thinking. Do you understand?”

Jang Il-So’s words hit Man-Geum harder than any sword. They destroyed everything Man-Geum thought he was. He thought he would at least have a proud defeat. But now, Jang Il-So had taken even that away.

“I see… From the start… I wasn’t good enough,” Man-Geum said, giving up completely. He looked one last time at his Black Demon Clan members, who were just standing there. These were the people he had trained like his own family, but no one was trying to help him. They were just watching, confused. He had seen this scene many times before.

The only difference was that Man-Geum, who was always in Jang Il-So’s place, was now in the place of the people he had killed. What was the difference? Yes… that was it.

“…Kill me,” Man-Geum whispered.

Jang Il-So was silent for a moment.

“The winner has the right to kill the loser, right? I admit I lost. Kill me, Jang Il-So.” Man-Geum closed his eyes, waiting.

Jang Il-So slowly bent down and looked at him. His long eyes became narrow. Man-Geum had almost killed Jang Il-So. If he had pushed just a little more, his sword could have reached Jang Il-So’s heart. He had lost, but he was still strong. He had given up everything now. Even though he was losing everything he had, he was calm and accepting it.

“Excellent,” Jang Il-So nodded, as if impressed. “Yes, you are Great Lord Man-Geum.” He gently touched Man-Geum’s shoulder. Man-Geum flinched at the touch. “I have to admit it. You, Gong Ya-Wol, are different from all the weak people I’ve seen.”

Man-Geum slowly opened his eyes and looked at Jang Il-So. When he saw a slight smile in Jang Il-So’s eyes, a small hope grew in his heart. Maybe…

“So…” Jang Il-So’s face suddenly changed, becoming cruel. “I don’t like you.”

Jang Il-So grabbed Man-Geum’s face hard. Freezing energy, like the cold wind from the North Sea, came from his fingers and went into Man-Geum’s head.

“Ugh… Kraaah!” Man-Geum screamed in pain as the energy rushed through him. Jang Il-So’s eyes were wild as he looked down at Man-Geum. “Yes… this is right. This is what death is, Gong Ya-Wol. If you lose when you bet your life, you should die in pain and shame. You shouldn’t talk about honor. Huh?”

“Ugh… Grrr… Grrr…” Dark red blood poured from Man-Geum’s mouth. His body shook weakly. Anyone could see how much pain he was in.

“Why? Did you hope for something good for a second?” Jang Il-So mocked.

“Grrr…” Man-Geum could only groan.

“You need to understand, Gong Ya-Wol. There is no good death for people like us. We either live and become monsters, or we die in pain and shame. Only those two choices. You knew that, didn’t you?” Fierce energy burned in Jang Il-So’s eyes. “So… don’t blame me too much.”

*Thwack!* Man-Geum’s head exploded. His body fell to the ground, lifeless. Looking at the broken body, no one would remember the powerful Great Lord Man-Geum, leader of the Black Demon Clan and one of the Shinju Ohpa leaders.

Jang Il-So stared at the red blood on his hand and muttered quietly. “In the end… everyone’s blood is the same. Yours and mine.” He shook the blood off his hand and turned away. The cold Gangnam wind blew across Man-Geum’s dead body, which lay still on the ground.