Chapter 75: Chapter 963: You Didn't Let Me Down (Part 3)
Several dozen large ships simultaneously turned their bows. The impact was truly tremendous, enough to disrupt the calm surface of the Yangtze River.
The raft swayed in the oncoming waves, but atop it, Jang Ilso stood as if on solid ground. He glanced at Shaolin and Kongtong, who were powerless and spoke.
"Pathetic..."
A look of blatant contempt appeared on his face. Ho Gakmyung quietly observed his expression.
If Shaolin, the leader of the Ten Great Sects and the "North Star of Murim" was this pathetic, then the day when Jang Ilso's grand plan would come to fruition should come sooner rather than later.
However, the fleeting emotions on Jang Ilso's face at this moment seemed closer to annoyance than joy.
"You don't seem to be in a good mood."
"Good mood...?"
Jang Ilso replied with a disgruntled tone.
"When I was struggling in despair without a sliver of hope in sight, what fueled me was..."
A ghostly look flashed across his face for a moment.
"The promise that one day I would take everything they had and make it mine."
"..."
"However..."
Jang Ilso paused for a moment and cast a disdainful look at Shaolin.
"The reality of those who manipulate Kangho, it's just this."
A self-deprecating laughter escaped his red lips.
"Human beings hide their true intentions in logic. Perhaps by now, they've created dozens of reasons why they shouldn't step forward. They'll present such logical arguments that seem plausible and hardly refutable."
Jang Ilso's laughter grew even darker.
"But in the end, when you peel back the layers, it's just fear. Those who have never shed blood and never tried to conquer something will feel the value of what they're losing more than the value of what they could gain."
If anyone else had said such words, Ho Gakmyung would have easily dismissed them as arrogance. Shaolin may not have been the rulers of the world, but they were the masters of Kangho, and the evaluation of such individuals was overly simplistic.
But Jang Ilso had the right to speak such words. Ho Gakmyung understood better than anyone else how painfully he had climbed to this position.
"In the end, they'll understand."
Jang Ilso muttered quietly.
"Those who fear losing the small things will ultimately lose everything. I will make it so."
Ho Gakmyung slowly nodded.
"When they realize that, they will have already lost everything."
Jang Ilso chuckled upon hearing that statement.
"True. It's possible."
He tilted the wine bottle in his hand, took a sip, and then poured the remaining wine onto the Yangtze River as if he had lost interest.
"Well, it's okay. I've gained everything I needed."
The members of the righteous sect were still eyeing them as if they could tear them apart at any moment, but Jang Ilso seemed indifferent.
Right now, their minds would be clouded by anger towards the Evil Tyrant Alliance and Jang Ilso. However, once that anger subsided, they would soon realize what they had done. How would humans who felt remorse for their actions act?
Reflection? Atonement?
'No way!'
Such people were few and far between. Even when they were clearly at fault, they would find excuses and blame others. Wasn't that the essence of human nature?
Jang Ilso had created the crack, but they would be the ones to open it wider. All he had to do now was wait. The wounds he had inflicted would fester and rot the flesh, dissolve the bones.
He had already achieved everything he wanted in this place. All that was left was...
"A feast."
Jang Ilso's gaze turned towards Plum Blossom Island.
"Come..."
He lightly tilted his head, and the accessories that covered his body jingled, sounding like cheers.
"Now is the time to adorn the stage of this grand finale with the blood of the pitiful Namgung."
"We shall prepare it."
Ho Gakmyung was about to steer the ship toward the Black Dragon Ship when Jang Ilso stopped him with a raised hand. When Ho Gakmyung looked back with a suspicious look, Jang Ilso raised the corners of his mouth.
"The Black Dragon King has become too boring to watch, so let's return to our ship now."
"...Yes, Ryeonjul."
Though a small doubt arose, Ho Gakmyung didn't press for reasons. Jang Ilso's actions always had a hidden calculation. This time, there must have been a reason that Ho Gakmyung couldn't fathom.
As the makeshift boat moved through the turbulent waters, Jang Ilso looked back with a troubled expression. His gaze extended beyond the members of the Evil Sect on the riverbank, reaching farther.
"Is that so?"
His incomprehensible question echoed into the distance.
"Kuk kuk."
A faint laugh escaped Namgung Myung's lips, but his eyes revealed deep regret.
"It's finally... over."
The last sunset had come. Any hopes had long been discarded. They hadn't watched from a distance until things reached this point, thinking that the righteous sects, including Shaolin, would have tried to save them at least a little.
That's right. They hadn't expected anything, not really. However, as this moment drew near, Namgung Myung couldn't help but admit that he hadn't completely let go of his lingering feelings for them.
No, perhaps it wasn't a belief in them but rather a persistent delusion about the path they had walked, revering two characters "Beop" and "Jeong". It was a feeble hope that what they had believed in all this time wouldn't turn out to be a complete lie.
But at this moment, everything in his life had been proven wrong.
'Why did we come here?'
What further infuriated Namgung Myung was the blatant lingering regret he could see in their eyes .
If you're not going to help, then why not turn your back resolutely? Why continue to stand there and watch their deaths, hoping for some solace in your heart?
"...Daeju."
In the tumultuous waves of emotions, Namgung Myung responded to the call by tightly shutting his eyes. He couldn't bring himself to turn his head.
What should he say, anyway? After shouting repeatedly to endure until the end, was this the best he could offer to them? To be abandoned by comrades he believed walked the same path, and to be toyed with by a horde of Evil Sect members?
As Namgung Myung was about to bow his head, overwhelmed by the horrific surges of emotions, the call came again.
"You must form the frontlines, Daeju."
Surprised by the unexpected words, he clenched his trembling jaw and turned around. Everyone was standing.
Those tending to the wounded, those trying to recover their exhausted bodies for the final stand, even the injured who had been wandering moments ago.
Everyone was standing, aligned with military precision. Struggling to support shaky legs, trying to steady their minds, fearing their consciousness would snap, they all stood united.
"...Isn't it the end, anyway?"
Namgung Pyeong looked at him and chuckled softly.
"I don't have a hobby of lying down and waiting for the enemy's sword. I'll fight until I die, even if I die."
"Pyeong-ah..."
"That's true."
Laughter erupted from those behind him.
"Since we have an audience watching, we should show them how the Namgung Sect goes down."
"Are you talking about those cowards?"
"Yes, exactly."
Namgung Myung closed his eyes tightly. The mistakes of Namgung Sect's leadership, including Namgung Hwang, had led them to this situation. Despite facing a situation where their lives might be forfeit due to these mistakes, none of them blamed their leaders.
Could he be as dignified if he were in their shoes? Namgung Myung had no confidence. That's why he felt even more guilty and grateful.
"But still, I'm grateful."
A voice mixed with laughter came from someone's mouth.
"At least Sogaju is not here."
"That's right."
"If Sogaju were here, we would have been in deep trouble."
Namgung Myeong, momentarily confused, hurriedly added, "That's not it. Sogaju..."
"We know, Daeju-nim."
Smiling at Namgung Myeong's bewildered face, the Namgung family burst into laughter.
"Sogaku didn't take care of us to save himself, but we all know he didn't leave just to save himself."
"So, isn't that fortunate?"
"At least the family name will continue."
The members of the Namgung family shared a resolute determination and fierceness in their eyes.
"We don't wish for revenge either. But I hope that Sogaju will at least take care of our spirits."
"Sure, sure. That's enough."
Namgung Myung nodded.
Who would want to die? Who wouldn't beg for their life, clutching at the enemy's pants' hems? But they couldn't.
Thinking of Namgung Dowi, who embarked on a life-threatening escape to save them, Namgung Hwang hidden beneath the icy waters of the river, and the elders who had died without even screaming, he couldn't lower his head, even if it meant dying.
Was it because he was the leader?
No, it's because they were his family who fought together.
He couldn't bow his head to those who survived here, knowing that those who died in order to save them had done so.
"You foolish guys."
Namgung Myeong turned his body quickly. He was afraid he might cry if he continued looking at them. It was true that this was their last stand. So, at least they shouldn't show an unsightly appearance.
"It will take time."
"..."
"Perhaps hundreds of years, maybe even more. No matter how many descendants the family has, it will take that long to restore the status of the Namgung name."
With the sword clenched firmly, everyone stared through Namgung Myung's back.
"So, let's become a guiding light."
Namgung Myung slowly drew his sword.
"For the descendants who have to endure through that long period in the future, that time will be as dark and difficult as wandering in the wilderness. So, make sure your deaths can be a source of pride to those descendants who must endure that long time. Prove here that the Namgung family's members are never cowards!"
Everyone gripped their swords.
Death was the way to truly prove oneself.
It was only when the end had come that everyone understood what those words truly meant.
With determined eyes, they gazed at the approaching enemy forces, leaping from the ships onto the island.
"Form the front lines!"
"Ho!"
The surviving members of the Changgung Sword Corps, the Namgung Clan's elite warriors, shouted their throats raw as they took the front lines.
Heaven's Friend Namgung Family.
People die. But their names live on.
If this death could transmit their determination, it wouldn't be just any death.
"In the names of Heaven's Friend and the Namgung Family!"
Namgung Myung roared as if he was spitting out blood.
"Annihilate these evildoers!"
With a resounding battle cry, the members of the Namgung Family hurtled towards the enemy troops.
Holding their ground had no meaning. What they needed to demonstrate was not just tenacity but their indomitable will.
'Sogaju!'
Namgung Myung, sword in hand, charged forward like a streak of lightning.
"Survive! You must survive!"
Let the will they showed here resonate with Namgung Dowi.
And let it reach the descendants of the Namgung Clan for generations to come.
Blood gushed forth.
The blood that sprayed from the bodies of the Namgung Family members at the front and the blood that spurted from the severed throats of the enemy combatants painted Namgung Myung's vision in red.
But no screams came out. Among those who bore the name of Namgung, none of them let out a feeble cry.
Even as their chests were pierced, or their arms were severed, they clenched their teeth and swung their swords at least one more time.
Death. And one more life.
Among these numerous deaths, Namgung Myung's life would be added.
"Namgung Myung of the Namgung Clan is here! You bastards!"
Unknowingly, Namgung Myung had surged ahead of the foremost members of the Changgung Sword Corps and had leaped powerfully through the midst of the enemy. The sword he held caught the sun, emitting a blinding light.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Bagel_Seeds
Bagel_Seeds i want to know ilso's backstory so bad, but I'm also too scared...bro probably got his entire family destroyed like Chung Myung or something lol
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone