Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1777

The air was thick with fear. A young boy lay still on the dusty ground, his small body twisted at an odd angle. Jang Il-So spoke calmly, his voice smooth and uncaring. “There’s no need to shout. He’s not dead.”

Jang Il-So glanced down at the child with a slight frown, as if annoyed by the interruption. “Just a little blood. If he cries this much over a scratch, where’s the fun in playing?”

Jin Song-Won’s eyes were bloodshot and wide with horror. He stared at the boy’s chest, seeing it rise and fall weakly. The child was alive, yes. But what did that even mean now?

This one move made it clear: That man is a demon. He could smile and sever the life of a helpless child.

No, perhaps a demon who gleefully harms people would be better. That would be less terrifying.

The reason Jin Song-Won was uncontrollably terrified was not because Jang Il-So enjoyed killing the child, but because he showed not even a flicker of emotion while crushing the child’s chest.

Like chasing a bug off his arm, like a farmer cutting rice with a scythe, as if doing something utterly natural. He simply swung his hand without a thought.

So, he understood. For that man, this situation was nothing special. And therefore, that man was capable of anything.

“Now that you seem to understand the situation… let’s begin.”

Jang Il-So smiled faintly. But to Jin Song-Won, the expression on that face no longer looked like a smile.

Silence filled the space between them.

Jin Song-Won stared blankly at Jang Il-So, and Jang Il-So met his gaze with a faint smile. When Jin Song-Won remained frozen and unable to speak, a hint of annoyance quickly flickered across Jang Il-So’s face.

“What are you doing? I don’t have all day.”

Hearing those words, Jin Song-Won’s eyes trembled greatly.

Was he saying that the one who should initiate something was not Jang Il-So, but him?

“So foolish….”

Jang Il-So sighed deeply. Then, he gestured slowly.

Jang Il-So’s underlings dragged forward another young disciple. Having clearly witnessed what had happened to the previous child, his face was deathly pale.

“Ah… Aah….”

Jang Il-So slowly grasped the hand of the child, who was too terrified to even speak properly.

“As you saw, this isn’t my fault. Blame your esteemed sect leader.”

The moment Jang Il-So tried to twist and break the child’s arm, Jin Song-Won hurriedly shouted.

“Wait, stop! Stop right now!”

“Hmm?”

Jang Il-So, still holding the child’s arm, turned his gaze. Jin Song-Won’s face was drenched in cold sweat.

He had stopped him in his haste, but… what was he supposed to say now? What could he possibly do in this situation?

“I… I….”

There was nothing he could do. But he had to do something.

Jin Song-Won was not cold-hearted enough to ignore the young disciples trembling in mortal fear.

“Spare… spare the disciples!”

“……”

“The children did not fight the Four Evil Sects. No, they are children who don’t even know what it means to oppose the Four Evil Sects! There’s no need to kill such children!”

“Hmm.”

Jang Il-So silently stared at Jin Song-Won with an unreadable expression. Jin Song-Won pleaded even more earnestly.

“The children are innocent. So please….”

“Tsk.”

Jang Il-So clicked his tongue as if displeased. That small sound cut off Jin Song-Won’s words.

“You truly don’t understand.”

Crack!

“Jang Il-Soooo! Dan Ye-Myeooooong!”

It was a child he had personally initiated into the sect.

Dan Ye-Myeong’s arm, who always smiled so brightly whenever they met in the sect, was twisted in a grotesque direction. His once smiling face was now contorted in pain.

Each time Jin Song-Won screamed, blood gushed out. It was a truly miserable sight.

But Jang Il-So paid him no attention, and simply stroked the head of the sobbing child with leisurely movements.

“Now, now. You must stop. You mustn’t cry.”

“Hic. Uh….”

“It’s strange, you see. I get angry when I hear children crying. Do you want me to get angry?”

The child trembled and desperately shook his head. Tears were streaming down, but no more sobs escaped. He was clenching his mouth as tightly as possible.

Watching this, Jang Il-So smiled faintly. Then, as if praising him, he tapped the child’s head.

“Good little boy. Yes, I like that. But… it seems your sect leader still doesn’t understand. That’s a big problem.”

Jang Il-So spread his hand in the air, examining his fingertips, then glanced at Jin Song-Won.

“Such words don’t interest me at all.”

Soon, Jang Il-So gently grabbed the neck of the child who was barely holding back tears. The child’s body convulsed as if touched by fire.

“So fragile. It feels like it would snap with just a little force.”

“Stop! Please stop!”

Jin Song-Won cried out with a completely distraught face.

“What do you want! What can I do for you!”

“No.”

Again, Jang Il-So shook his head coldly.

“You are the one who makes the offer, not me. I simply decide whether or not the conditions are to my liking.”

“……And if they aren’t satisfactory?”

“You ask knowing the answer.”

Jang Il-So smiled brightly. It was a pure, unblemished smile.

“The death I give won’t be much different, no matter who the recipient is. I’ve already shown you, haven’t I? Right?”

Jin Song-Won, who had been listening blankly, looked around as if possessed.

Miserable corpses were scattered everywhere his gaze landed. Bodies mangled beyond recognition. Jin Song-Won’s eyes began to fill with even greater terror.

“Ah, I haven’t told you this yet.”

“Uh….”

“For your information, your turn is last. You’ll get to watch everything, without missing a single detail.”

Jin Song-Won began to tremble uncontrollably, like an aspen in a storm. He had to watch? Watch the innocent young disciples being mangled before his very eyes?

He couldn’t. It was not a pain that a sane person could endure. It would be better to gouge his own eyes out.

“Now, tell me. I am a busy man.”

“I… I….”

“Do you want an easy ending?”

Jin Song-Won, like a man possessed, groped at the blood-soaked ground and cried out.

“I… I will not resist.”

“Hmm?”

“No… no one will resist! If you spare those children, you can kill us all without any harm to yourselves.”

“Oh dear, oh dear.”

Jang Il-So sighed with a somewhat weary look.

“I can never understand why righteous sects always overestimate themselves so much. Think about it. That’s something we can do even without your help.”

At that moment, Jin Song-Won saw it clearly. The hand holding the child’s neck was tightening.

Jin Song-Won’s reason vanished in an instant.

“Wait, wait! Then, then!”

Even in his dazed state, Jin Song-Won squeezed out everything he could.

“I will give you everything in Mount Hua! The sect’s secrets and everything else that outsiders can never find…!”

“Keep such trash for yourselves.”

“We will commit suicide! We will all kill ourselves! So that you don’t have to dirty your hands, we will die on our own!”

“Hmm, that would certainly be an interesting sight. But it’s not what I want.”

Snap!

The gruesome sound echoed indifferently.

“Uh….”

Plop.

A child fell to the ground like a falling flower.

“Ugh… Ugh, aaaaaaargh!!” Jin Song-won screamed. He was like a man going crazy, scratching at his own face with his nails. He didn’t even feel the cuts or the pain. He felt like he was losing his mind. No, he *wanted* to lose his mind.

Jang Il-so made a clicking sound with his tongue. He watched Jin Song-won and didn’t care at all.

“Tsk, tsk,” Jang Il-so said. “Not dead yet. I told you I wouldn’t kill you like this, right? You just won’t ever walk normally again. It’s not a big deal, really.”

Red blood trickled down from the torn flesh around his eyes as his fingernails dug in. It looked like tears of blood.

“It’s time you made a decision.”

Jang Il-so grinned.

“You knew it from the start, didn’t you? That you only had two choices.”

Jin Song-won slowly lifted his head. His eyes were red and blurry, and he saw many things. Jang Il-so was smiling brightly. Jang Il-so’s men were staring at him, looking like they could kill anyone at any second. The children were caught in the middle, their faces white, trying not to cry. Buildings were burning in the distance.

But Jin Song-won didn’t really want to see what was in front of him. He wanted to see what was behind him.

Slowly, he turned his head.

What were his friends’ faces like? And what did *his* face look like to them?

“…Senior Brother,” one of his friends said. His lips were shaking, and his face was as pale as a ghost. Jin Song-won felt sure he had never seen Hyun Yeon-baek look like that before. He guessed his own face looked the same.

The other disciples were the same way. Some were so angry they couldn’t hide it. Some were in shock, not moving. Others bit their hands hard, trying to hide how sad they were.

But none of them could decide what to do.

If they fought, they would keep their honor, but they would have to watch the children suffer and die because of the Demonic Sect. If they gave up, they could save the children, but everyone would look down on them forever.

What was the right thing to do? What was the best choice?

“I… I need to ask something.”

“…”

“Do we have to let people die just to protect our pride?”

“Sect Leader…”

“I would die for my pride, and I would be okay with that. But can I let *others* die for my pride? Can I let these children die?” Tears started to run down the disciples’ faces.

“What should I do…? I…” This was the most desperate hope Jin Song-won had ever had in his life. But no one answered him. No, they *couldn’t* answer him.

Jin Song-won looked at them for a moment, then looked forward again. All he could see were the young children, shaking with fear. *What was it all for?* he thought. Why had he held a sword? Why had he kept living? What was he even trying to do?

“…Listen!” Jin Song-won shouted, still not turning around. Maybe he was too afraid to face them.

“Yes, Sect Leader?”

“Mount Hua is gone.”

“Sect Leader!” The disciples cried out in horror. Loud noises started behind him, but Jin Song-won just made his fists tight and didn’t turn back.

“It hasn’t fallen. But from now on, Mount Hua is finished in this world. And I am not your Sect Leader anymore. There are only two kinds of people here now: those who will die to keep their honor, and those who will live like dogs.”

Jin Song-won stared at Jang Il-so. His eyes were red with blood. He bit his lip so hard it tore open again, and more dark red blood ran down.

“So you decide,” he said. “Will you become a dog that crawls on the ground, or will you die like a warrior?” Jin Song-won had already decided for himself.

*Thud!* Jin Song-won’s knees hit the ground hard.

“No! Sect Leader, please don’t!”

*Thud!* Jin Song-won put his hands on the ground too.

“Please! Please, Sect Leader! Please…!”

This wasn’t a formal bow. Jin Song-won was lying flat on the ground, and he slowly reached his hands out. He started to crawl towards Jang Il-so, like a dog with its tail between its legs.

“Sect Leader!”

“Stop him!” He pushed his face, covered in blood and tears, hard into the dirt. He wasn’t brave enough to look up at the sky. He wasn’t brave enough to look at anyone. He felt like he was less than human now.

“Ugh, uaaaaaaaargh!” Some of the disciples couldn’t take the shame and boiling anger anymore. They grabbed their swords and ran at Jang Il-so. But before they could even get close, many spears flew through the air. They killed the disciples quickly.

Blood everywhere, tears, faces twisted with sadness even as they died… Jin Song-won couldn’t see any of it clearly. He felt like he was someone who could never look up at the sky again.

*Scritch. Scritch.* The sound of Jin Song-won’s clothes dragging on the ground got louder.

The distance was short, but it felt like forever to Jin Song-won. All he could see was Jang Il-so’s foot, not moving, right in front of his face. Slowly, he looked up. Jang Il-so was smiling brightly, like he was watching something very funny. Jin Song-won looked like he was carrying all the pain in the world. Jang Il-so was proud and Jin Song-won was ashamed. Jang Il-so was calm, and Jin Song-won was desperate.

“You promised…”

“Of course,” Jang Il-so said. Jin Song-won stopped thinking. He forced his shaking lips open and stuck out his tongue.

He could hear the screams of some disciples dying, who couldn’t hide their anger, but he didn’t turn around.

“Sect Leader!” He closed his eyes and covered his ears. He licked Jang Il-so’s shoe. At the same moment, Jin Song-won didn’t know what was coming from his eyes. He didn’t even know what was breaking inside him. He couldn’t understand anything anymore.

It was all over. Even the worst thing he had imagined was better than what was really happening.

“I will be your dog. I will do anything. So please, save the children…” But suddenly, Jang Il-so put a finger to his lips. Then, he whispered, “No.”

“…”

“Have you ever seen a dog that can talk?” Jin Song-won just stared blankly at Jang Il-so. There was no anger left in his eyes. He saw Jang Il-so, but all he really saw were the crying children.

“…Woof,” Jin Song-won made a sound. Then, louder, “Woof woof! Woof!” He barked like a dog. He bowed his head and did what he was told. Like a dog.

“Woof! Woof woof! Woof!” Jang Il-so heard him barking and laughed out loud.

“Haha! Yes, that’s right!” He patted Jin Song-won’s head very gently.

“Such a good dog,” he said. “Don’t forget. You have to live like a good dog forever.” The eyes Jin Song-won saw that day were not human eyes. They were like a devil’s eyes. No, even a devil would be scared and run away from those eyes.