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Episode 1028. Just Understand. (3)
Sunken, sunken eyes, cracked and chapped lips, skin reminiscent of a rough old tree, and a bloodless face.
All of this spoke of the hardships that Man-geum-dae-bu had endured.
But even without seeing his face, it wasn’t that hard to guess what he had been through. Above all, the fact that his arm was cut off just below the shoulder clearly explained his situation.
Man-geum-dae-bu looked at the person sitting across from him with a haggard face. The person sitting half-lying on the throne was looking down at Man-geum-dae-bu with his legs crossed. His gaze was extremely arrogant.
I couldn’t tell if the look in his eyes was contempt, concern, or even a sneer. Maybe it was everything.
Man-geum-dae-bu consciously straightened his shoulders. Otherwise, they would keep hunching on their own.
Because he committed a crime?
Of course, that may be the case, but that’s not all.
The Jang Il-so he met after three years was not the Jang Il-so he knew.
In just three years, Jang Il-so had become someone who was perfectly suited to the throne. Even the great man of the world was overwhelmed by his momentum.
“… … That’s a boring joke.”
Jang Il-so said in a languid voice.
“It hasn’t been long since the Black Dragon King lost his arm on Plum Blossom Island, and now Man-geum-dae-bu has shown up with his arm cut off… … If this continues, I’ll have to recruit a technician to make prosthetic arms for Sapae-ryeon.”
“… … .”
When there was no answer from Man-geum-dae-bu, Jang Il-so shook his head. There is nothing more boring than talking to someone who doesn’t understand jokes.
“Okay. Let me tell you something.”
At those words, Man Geum Dae Bu’s empty pupils stared at Jang Il So.
“Try making excuses or persuading them. I don’t know if it will be a good thing that I lost my arm and came back fighting the Demonic Cult without permission.”
A cruel gaze mixed with a hint of laughter pierced through Man Geum Daebu. It was quite different from Man Geum Daebu’s gaze, which was almost like a corpse.
But the current Man Geum Dae Bu didn’t particularly feel fear in those eyes. What he had experienced was too shocking to be afraid of those eyes.
“……bishop…….”
Man-geum-dae-bu forced his lips, which would not open, to open.
“That is… …not a person.”
Jang Il-so’s eyes sank gloomily.
“You’ve learned something truly amazing in return for giving up one arm.”
“… … I’m not trying to make excuses, Yeonju.”
The lips of the great lord began to tremble slightly, as if even thinking of that bishop was difficult and painful.
“Nothing worked. Nothing… …not even the sword I thrust into the monster’s chest could harm it.”
The moment those words came out, Jang Il-so’s eyebrows twitched.
Even if we put aside our personal feelings toward Man-Geum-Dae-Bu, his Gui-Wang-Sip-I-Ryu is a masterful swordsmanship that even Jang Il-So cannot help but acknowledge.
But is there anyone in this world that even that rich man can’t hurt?
‘That’s not realistic.’
Jang Il-so leaned his body forward slightly from the backrest.
“Tell me more.”
“In my life… … it was the first time I’d encountered something like that. It’s not something that people can do anything about. Nothing works… … really, nothing.”
“There is nothing in this world that humans cannot do anything about.”
Jang Il-so said calmly.
“Gangho already destroyed that so-called demonic cult a hundred years ago. And now? What a crappy joke.”
“… … Is this a joke?”
At Man-geum-dae-bu’s question, Jang Il-so’s eyes momentarily turned irritated.
I still thought it was nonsense, but I couldn’t ignore it, so it made me feel even more uncomfortable. The reason is very simple. It was none other than Man-Geum-Dae-Bu who was saying that joke.
If the person who told this was the Black Dragon King or the Thousand-faced Investigator, they could have just ignored it as the ramblings of a scared man.
But he is not the Man Geum Daebu. The Man Geum Daebu that Jang Il So knows is the one who will not lose his senses even when his neck is cut off.
“… … I didn’t even understand it. No… … . To be honest, I was just scared.”
“therefore…….”
Jang Il-so opened his mouth in a very serious tone.
“Is it so strong that even someone like you can’t do anything? That author called the bishop?”
Man-geum-dae-bu hesitated instead of answering right away. It seemed as if he too needed to organize his thoughts.
“… … a little different.”
“Different?”
“He was definitely strong. It was unbelievable. He fought against me and the hundred or so elite soldiers I led at the same time without getting hurt.”
Man Geum Dae Bu shivered as if recalling that scene.
“But… … yeah. Now that I think about it, it’s definitely strange.”
“Stop mumbling to yourself and talk properly. Unless your head is also crazy.”
When Jang Il-so urged him, Man-geum Dae-bu hesitated for a moment and then spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.
“… …I failed to demonstrate my skills.”
When Jang Il-so heard those words, a strange light flashed in his eyes.
“More details.”
“There was nothing wrong with my body. I can’t deny that I was overwhelmed by the momentum, but that alone doesn’t explain it. Even though I did my best, my sword didn’t feel like my sword. It was like… … yes, it was like I was swinging my sword in very deep water.”
Jang Il-so slowly licked his lips.
“It’s magic… … .”
The legends about the Demonic Cult are always absurd.
The most absurd thing of all is that they always pushed the entire Central Plains back, even though their numbers were never the majority.
No matter how fanatic they may be, if they are born from the same ship, there won’t be much difference in what they learn.
But now that I’ve heard what Man Geum Dae Bu has to say, I feel like the secret behind that strangeness has been somewhat revealed.
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The rich man added.
“… … It felt like I had hit a wall. A wall that I couldn’t get over with anything.”
Jang Il-so sat with his face hardened, lost in thought.
Looking back, there is no Sapha who has gained fame in the battle against the Demonic Cult. In the last war against the Demonic Cult, Sapha was simply swept away helplessly against the Demonic Cult.
Is it natural for Sapha’s physiology to submit to the strong?
That’s not even funny.
Surrender only makes sense when you are guaranteed survival in return. What is the point of surrendering to a cult that does not allow those who surrender to survive?
At that time, the absolute rulers of the Sect would have also responded to the Demonic Cult. However, strangely, these people, who were clearly not far behind the righteous faction, had no record whatsoever against the Demonic Cult.
If so, the interpretation becomes quite obvious.
“It’s a question of compatibility.”
“……maybe.”
Jang Il-so pressed his temples.
According to what Man-geum-dae-bu said, the Demonic Cult’s lack of knowledge may be a kind of compatibility for the Sapa.
‘No, not just for us.’
If that were the case, the evil hand of the Demonic Cult would not have been able to sweep away the entire martial arts world. It should be seen as something that swallows up most of the Central Plains martial arts.
‘But how?’
Is that realistically possible?
Who on earth could create something like that? If it were possible, then the ability would have already been beyond human capabilities.
“… … No.”
Jang Il-so’s fingers, which were constantly pressing on his temples, gained strength.
‘No. This is not it.’
People like Jang Il-so, when faced with a situation, try to understand the cause and effect and principles of the situation. This is because they feel uncomfortable with things that are not accompanied by understanding.
But sometimes it is better to focus on the phenomenon itself rather than understanding it. If you deny what you cannot interpret, you may eventually fall for your own tricks.
‘Interpret it as it is.’
Even if it doesn’t make sense, even if it’s something he can’t understand, in this situation, acceptance is going to produce better results than denial.
“How many of them are there?”
“I didn’t understand it properly.”
Jang Il-so frowned.
“But it is certain that they are not the majority. I do not think there were any other bishops besides this one that I saw.”
“… … So it means either the advance party or the group that broke away. No, maybe that’s all that’s left of the Demonic Cult.”
Man-geum-dae-bu nods as if in agreement.
“Then the solution is simple. We just have to kill that bishop by any means necessary.”
“Pushing through the water won’t work. His ignorance seems to be extremely specialized for massacres of the majority.”
“If you say it the other way around, it means that he ran away after having his arm cut off by that guy. You really are good at saying things like that. You don’t seem to know shame, sir.”
“You will understand.”
Jang Il-so’s eyes suddenly became dim.
But Man-geum-dae-bu muttered, staring blankly into space as if he could not see his reaction.
“If you face that monster directly… … you will understand that shame is a luxury… … you will definitely… … .”
“Tsk.”
Jang Il-so clicked his tongue as if he was annoyed. Then he leaned back in his chair again.
‘Why Hangzhou of all places?’
The most important thing in war is military funds. And the place where the Demonic Cult has set fire to is the wealthiest land in Gangnam. If that place is turned into a scorched earth, it is obvious that there will be a great deal of trouble in the money collected by the Sa-pae-ryeon.
No matter what, we have to solve this as quickly as possible.
He closed his eyes quietly and calmly assessed the situation.
‘The solution is… … .’
How much time has passed like that?
Jang Il-so opened his eyes again and his eyes shone coldly.
“… …the way of the immortals.”
“… … .”
“The leader.”
Jang Il-so smiled crookedly as if he had finally found a solution.
“If those guys really possess powers that defy common sense, then the only ones who can break them are either Taoism or Buddhism. I never thought I would come to believe in something as ridiculous as the power of destroying evil.”
He looked up at the ceiling in despair.
“But… … Rather than just denying what happened, I think it would be better for me to become a stupid fanatic.”
Jang Il-so, who had been staring at the ceiling with his head down, finally slowly got up.
Man-geum-dae-bu asked, following his movements with his eyes.
“What are you going to do?”
“I need a knife.”
Jang Il-so’s eyes shone coldly.
“The situation is not so easy. It doesn’t seem like an easy enemy to take on with two cripple-armed men. The worst thing that could happen is if I step forward and fail. Then everything falls apart. I must never fail.”
“… … .”
“Then I need to get my hands on a proper sword. A sword that can definitely cut off that monster’s head.”
Man-geum-dae-bu is a man of extraordinary intelligence. Even without a detailed explanation, he clearly knew who Jang Il-so meant by the ‘sword’.
“Do you think they will respond?”
“Huh. You’re talking nonsense, sir. I’m not asking you to comply. I’m making you comply.”
“… … .”
A strange light kept flashing in Jang Il-so’s oily eyes.
“The world is such a funny place. Who would have thought that I would end up reaching out to them? Hahahaha.”
His loud laughter shook the city.
After laughing like that for a while, he started walking forward without hesitation, making a loud clanging sound.
Behind him, Man-geum-dae-bu simply looked at Jang Il-so’s back with eyes filled with both concern and anticipation.