When Tears Fall From Our Eyes (3)
The final words left by Galsaryang were decisive.
“Then I’ll take it that you understand my intentions and withdraw. Let’s meet outside later.”
To Magungtae, it seemed as though Galsaryang and Mayanghwa were conspiring together.
Moreover, the formation had been activated, trapping them in this place.
Magungtae glared at Mayanghwa with a fierce look. He knew well that Mayanghwa was someone who always looked out for her own interests and never engaged in anything that would cause her loss.
Their relationship had started with suspicion and wariness, so a true alliance had never existed from the start.
“I’m sorry for not telling you, brother… but please believe me. I only came out to hear what Galsaryang had to say.”
But Magungtae’s heart had already turned cold.
“Fine. I’ll believe you. Just get us out of here.”
“I told you, I don’t know how to get out!”
Magungtae scoffed. Galsaryang had clearly said before leaving, “Let’s meet outside later.” And now she claimed not to know the way out?
The betrayal that made his blood boil led him to one conclusion.
‘They’re stalling to kill me.’
It was clear that the time and place of this meeting had been deliberately leaked to kill him.
Magungtae sent a telepathic message to Mujungsipgaek and Shinbichang.
Sensing a change in the opponent’s intentions, Dokangom sent a telepathic message to Mayanghwa.
Mayanghwa was at her wit’s end. It was then she realized.
‘It was a trap. A trap to create this very situation.’
But there was no time to persuade Magungtae, nor did she have the means. The sense of impending doom, that they would die if they didn’t kill, enveloped both factions.
Feeling the urgency in the opponent’s intentions, Dokangom urged her.
In the end, Mayanghwa gave the order she should never have given.
Half a shichen later, when the formation disappeared, the place was filled with nothing but corpses.
The only survivor was Magungtae.
Though Mayanghwa’s side launched the preemptive strike, the battle was evenly matched. In the end, the masters on both sides fought fiercely and perished together.
The last one standing, Magungtae, tortured Mayanghwa, and unable to endure the pain, she took her own life.
“You bastard! You’re on her side too, aren’t you?”
An enraged Magungtae charged at me and Galsaryang. Covered in blood, he was out of his mind.
Swish.
I swiftly swung my sword, severing his neck.
Even if he had attacked with all his focus, he couldn’t have won against me. Charging in a half-crazed state, he was no match for my skill.
I didn’t even use the techniques of the Chuhonsuragum, just ordinary swordsmanship.
Now, there was no one left alive here. When the Murim Alliance came to investigate, it would appear as if they had all died fighting each other.
Galsaryang and I erased all traces of the formation, like stones and twigs, and left the place.
“Damn it! Those fools!”
Upon hearing the news that Mayanghwa and Magungtae had destroyed each other, Maryeongin was furious.
No matter how greedy and pathetic they were, how could they die fighting each other with the enemy right in front of them?
He checked several times to see if it was a trap, but the inspectors’ opinions were unanimous. They had indeed died fighting each other.
Moreover, since Mayanghwa’s cause of death was suicide, there was even speculation that she might have taken her own life out of guilt at the end.
‘That greedy woman would never do that!’
In any case, it was decided that their deaths would be announced after the inauguration ceremony.
Whether it was Galsaryang’s trap or their own foolishness, the operation had failed completely.
Killing Galsaryang was supposed to be the fourth way to learn about becoming the leader from Cheonsoseon.
“Damn it!”
What made him even angrier was that the outcome of this incident was beneficial to Macheolgun. He would have wanted to get rid of those two anyway.
In the end, it was as if he had done the troublesome and difficult task for him. It was like giving a commemorative gift for the leader’s inauguration ceremony tomorrow.
Maryeongin realized that only one option remained.
“I’ll have to handle this myself.”
Just then, a voice came from behind.
“That won’t do.”
Startled, he turned around to find Cheonsoseon already in the room.
“How did you…?”
Maryeongin hadn’t sensed Cheonsoseon entering the room at all.
“Stay away from Galsaryang for now.”
Cheonsoseon spoke as if giving an order.
“What do you mean?”
“This was his doing.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
If that were the case, calling it a masterpiece wouldn’t be an exaggeration. In such a short time, he had made Mayanghwa and Magungtae destroy each other.
“He’s truly on another level.”
“Yes, he’s showing what kind of person the commander who unified the world is. We’ve forgotten what kind of person he is, overshadowed by the great shadow of Cheonhajin.”
“Damn it! So I won’t get to hear about the fourth method after all.”
“You might still hear it.”
“Even after failing?”
“Everyone fails sometimes, don’t they?”
Maryeongin looked at Cheonsoseon with a puzzled expression.
He had just used the phrase “on another level” for Galsaryang, but in truth, it applied to Cheonsoseon as well.
He was young, and so was Maryeongin. He prided himself on his strategic mind, but Cheonsoseon always made him feel inexplicably small. Maryeongin considered it a difference in level.
“Have you ever thought about why I’m trying to save you despite your mistakes?”
“Because I’m useful?”
“I’ll say it again, you’re not that useful.”
“You don’t have to crush my spirit like that.”
“Haha. Sorry if I offended you.”
Maryeongin asked seriously.
“Then tell me why.”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Damn it! If you bring it up, you should explain! That’s a nasty habit!”
Cheonsoseon stood up first.
“Be patient. Those who aim for great things must also know how to wait.”
A white light seemed to flash from Cheonsoseon’s eyes, and then he vanished from the room.
Bang! Bang!
Maryeongin slammed the table repeatedly. The shattered table lay scattered on the floor.
“You bastard, you must enjoy being so composed and mysterious.”
Chilho suddenly sat up. She had been dreaming. The last words still echoed in her mind.
“Our lady is engaged to Byeokgongja.”
She rarely dreamed, but it had been a long time since she had one.
“Sigh.”
Chilho let out a small sigh.
Her mind had been a mess lately, but she thought it was just as well.
‘He was never meant for me anyway.’
The strange thing was the tears she had shed that day.
Of course, they weren’t the first tears she had ever shed. She had cried countless times during training. She had cried in secret to hide from others, and she had cried when things were too hard and painful.
But those tears were different.
They weren’t from pain, sadness, or loneliness like before.
They had fallen without any change in emotion, and watching them fall had made her feel good. It was embarrassing to have cried in front of Byeoklidan, but the tears themselves had been pleasant.
How should she put it? It made her realize she could cry for other reasons too. That she wasn’t someone who only cried over bad things.
Just then, Imyeonjeong’s voice came from outside.
“May I come in?”
“Yes.”
Imyeonjeong entered the room.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh?”
“It seemed like you were having a nightmare.”
Had she screamed? Her voice must have reached the next room.
“No, I’m fine.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No.”
Chilho felt like telling Imyeonjeong about that day. She wanted to share her feelings and be comforted. She wanted to talk about the tears too.
But she didn’t. Sharing such things was as unfamiliar to her as liking someone.
Though she hadn’t said anything, Imyeonjeong spoke as if she had heard it all.
“Even if you regret it, don’t deceive your heart.”
As she turned to leave, Chilho suddenly asked.
“Unni…”
Imyeonjeong smiled brightly at the word “unni.” It was like a massive iron door creaking open just a little.
“Did you not deceive your heart?”
It seemed like what she had said earlier was from her own experience.
“I didn’t deceive it. I followed my feelings.”
“Do you regret that decision?”
“No, I regret it.”
Their eyes met in the air.
Imyeonjeong spoke.
“It might sound strange, but I don’t regret regretting my choice.”
Chilho replied briefly.
“It doesn’t sound strange at all.”
I attended the leader’s inauguration ceremony with Songhwaryeon and the others.
Suran glared at me with disapproval, but I pretended not to notice. It was only natural from her perspective, as she cared deeply for Songhwaryeon.
“There are so many people. I’ve never seen such a crowd in one place before.”
Just as Songhwaryeon said, an enormous crowd had gathered. We stood at a distance, not bothering to get too close.
Though fewer in number, there were still many people here. They were all in a state of excitement.
“When Madyup becomes the leader, he’ll wipe out all those demonic cultists.”
“Of course, he has to avenge his father.”
“Damn those cursed cultists! We need to wipe them out for good this time!”
“It’s finally starting!”
Bang! Boom! Bang!
Fireworks exploded in the sky, and the sound of smaller firecrackers echoed all around, accompanied by cheers from the crowd.
Gwangdu glanced at the distant stage and remarked, “It must feel good to become the leader of the martial alliance, right?”
“Probably.”
But that feeling would be fleeting. The position of the martial alliance leader comes with endless responsibilities and tasks. Of course, if one doesn’t do the job properly, there’s no better position to have.
How Ma Cheol-gun chooses to lead will determine his mood.
This time, Song Hwarin turned to me and asked, “Do you have any ambition to become the leader?”
“I do.”
“What?”
She looked at me in surprise, and even Gwangdu and Suran turned to stare at me, equally shocked.
“Why are you all so surprised? It’s a position any martial artist would dream of, isn’t it?”
Gwangdu nodded. “True, but hearing you say it makes me think you might actually pull it off.”
Song Hwarin gave me a similar look of belief.
I feigned indifference and gazed at the stage in the distance.
The leader of the martial alliance.
I have no desire to become the leader again.
But there was one possibility left. If it ever came to needing the alliance’s power to eliminate them? Well, that’s unlikely, but still.
As Ma Cheol-gun began his inaugural speech, I moved to stand behind Galsaryang.
Galsaryang, looking at Song Hwarin standing ahead, commented, “I’ve heard she’s the most beautiful in Shandong, and she truly is.”
“She is indeed.”
“You two make a great pair.”
Hearing that didn’t bother me.
After some casual conversation about Song Hwarin and me, the topic naturally shifted to the forces behind the scenes.
“Do you think they took our warning seriously?”
“I believe they did.”
They must have realized we were involved in their demise.
“At least now, they won’t rashly try to kill us.”
In my past life, this was how I dealt with villains.
Crush them with overwhelming force.
Reforming and persuading villains to genuinely repent? That’s just idealism.
Most villains I’ve encountered never changed. Sure, maybe one in ten might turn over a new leaf.
But considering the harm the other nine would cause in the process, it’s better to ignore that one potential redemption. That’s my conclusion.
That’s why they called me the Iron-blooded Leader, the Leader of Retribution.
When dealing with villains, getting hurt is due to handling them clumsily. Being only half-strong.
Now that I’ve regained my former martial prowess, I will deal with them as villains. Properly.
“If tears fall from our eyes, blood will pour from theirs.”