Return of the Mount Hua Sect (HTL 1634+)

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They had to strengthen their resolve. At the very least, they needed to steel themselves. 

Such was the stance of those in the righteous sects who stood against those plunging the world into chaos. 

"Th- they're cominggggggg!" 

Yet, hearing his own voice escape his lips, he realized something—he was afraid. 

The attackers surged forward like an unstoppable tide. They looked disorganized, with no sense of unity or belonging. And yet, that very chaos was even more terrifying, like standing defenseless before a turbid current devouring everything in its path. 

Faced with such a raging torrent, could the comrades beside him really be of any help? Could they offer any support? 

He felt utterly isolated, as though those standing next to him and the ones guarding his back had vanished.

His vision was consumed by the illusion of a ferocious current that seemed capable of toppling towering cliffs. 

Before such immense power, the sword he gripped with trembling hands began to lose its strength, and his resolve slowly ebbed away.

"Hahahahahahahahaha!" 

Amidst it all, the maddening laughter of Jang Ilso, imbued with internal energy, echoed chaotically. 

Where is this place? What is he standing here for?

'I... I am...'

His thoughts, lost in confusion, crumbled before they could even take shape. 

"Hwaaaaaahhhhh!" 

With a roar, the Evil Tyrant Alliance surged forward, suddenly right before his eyes. Before he could fully register the heat rushing toward him, a fierce strike rained down overhead. 

He drew his sword in an instant, pouring all his internal energy into blocking the attack. 

Claaaang!

"Ugh!" 

A cough escaped him involuntarily. The force on his sword was overwhelming, far beyond what he had expected. Despite trying to hold his ground, he was pushed back two or three steps. 

Of course, it was only two steps. 

A trivial result, insignificant in deciding the outcome of this war. 

But what if it wasn't just one person pushed back, but ten? A hundred? Hundreds? 

Those retreating steps would form ripples, and those ripples would swell into a massive wave, engulfing the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

A single clash had already left a distinct crack in this war with no retreat. 

"Hwaaaaah!"

"Do, don't get pushed back!"

"If we fall back, it's all over! Hold your ground!" 

Realizing the situation was taking a dire turn, voices rose in desperate cries. 

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"What... what's happening?! Why are we being pushed back?" 

Jo Geol's eyes widened. 

The frontline was visibly faltering. Though it might seem minor, it was undeniable that Heavenly Comrade Alliance was showing weakness in this initial clash. 

"This can't be happening!"

Of course, the Evil Tyrant Alliance outnumbered the Heavenly Comrade Alliance—it was obvious. 

But if mere numbers decided the victor, this war wouldn't have even started. The martial prowess of each individual in Heavenly Comrade Alliance should have far outmatched that of the Evil Tyrant Alliance. 

And yet, those in the forefront were being pushed back in a ridiculous display.

Gripped by a foreboding sense of doom, Jo Geol seized Yoon Jong's shoulder and shouted.

"Sahyung!"

"Calm yourself!" 

Yoon Jong gritted his teeth and shouted back. 

'That damned bastard...'

This wasn't something that could be explained by momentum or morale alone. 

Strength was like a fortress built with blood and sweat—while it could waver slightly due to morale, it couldn't be completely overturned by it.

"They've intentionally placed their elites at the forefront."

At that moment, Im Sobyeong's calm voice rang out. Hearing it, Jo Geol quickly turned to observe the Evil Tyrant Alliance's frontlines. 

'What...'

They didn't seem particularly special. At a glance, they looked no different from the other fighters of the Evil Tyrant Alliance. However, gauging the force behind their strikes, Jo Geol's expression hardened. 

They were strong. 

Jo Geol wasn't inexperienced when it came to dealing with the Evil Sect. He quickly realized that those at the forefront were among the top-tier members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance. 

"No, why would they do this?!"

In a large-scale battle, it was basic strategy to conserve your elites, deploying them at decisive moments. Using them in a frontal clash where they could be wasted was simply inefficient.

That was why Mount Hua's disciples were anxiously waiting at the rear.

"A foolish tactic."

"Exactly..."

"But only to those who understand it."

"What...?" 

Im Sobyeong let out a bitter laugh. It was indeed a nonsensical tactic—by the book of war.

However...

"How many here truly understand the situation?"

"What do you mean?"

"When they see their comrades being pushed back, most people will think this: 'Those opponents...'"

"...are far stronger than expected."

Yoon Jong completed the sentence, and Im Sobyeong nodded.

The people gathered here weren't soldiers.

If they retreated, they wouldn't be imprisoned, and if they disobeyed orders, they wouldn't lose their lives. In a disciplined army, even when the tides turn against them, soldiers might endure, holding out for a chance to reverse the situation. But could such a reversal be achieved on this battlefield?

"Then this is serious! We need to do something, Sahyung!"

Jo Geol's voice grew urgent as he pressed Yoon Jong for action.

"He's right, Sahyung! If this continues, we won't even have a chance to intervene!" 

Tang Soso chimed in, supporting Jo Geol's concerns. Yoo Iseol and Hye Yeon also gave silent but pressing looks to Yoon Jong.

But Yoon Jong remained silent, lips tightly sealed. Unable to hold back any longer, Jo Geol shouted again.

"Sahyung!" 

Finally, Yoon Jong grimaced and spoke.

"We hold this position."

"What?"

Jo Geol blinked, doubting his ears. His gaze trembled with disbelief.

"What are you saying, Sahyung? We need to do something..." 

"Stop spouting nonsense! We're neither extraordinary nor remarkable!" 

"But..."

"There's no way the lord (gaju-nim, he means Tang Gunak) doesn't know what we know. If action is needed, we'll receive orders. If everyone acts on their own whims in a battlefield like this, everything will fall apart. That might be exactly what Jang Ilso is aiming for. Do you understand me?" 

"...I do."

"So grit your teeth and hold the line. Orders will definitely come down!"

Jo Geol stared at his senior brother in stunned silence, then shifted his gaze to Im Sobyeong, as if silently asking whether Yoon Jong's judgment was truly correct.

Im Sobyeong shrugged his shoulders leisurely, a demeanor completely out of place in such a dire situation.

"It seems like a reasonable judgment. If everyone acts independently, it will only cause bigger problems."

"That's..."

Even Im Sobyeong agreeing left Jo Geol unable to argue further. His shoulders slumped in resignation. Meanwhile, Im Sobyeong unfolded his fan, half-covering his face as he murmured to himself.

"Logically speaking, it makes sense, but..."

His gaze wandered far into the distance, landing on Tang Gunak's position.

'But that's assuming the command center is capable of managing this situation.'

His eyes, which had been shining with a sense of ambiguity, became heavy.

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Crack!

A blade swung violently, tearing through flesh and splintering bone. Blood sprayed everywhere like an explosion. 

"Khahaha!"

Manic laughter, soaked in heat, mixed with the screams erupting from every direction. The heat radiating from the people pressed on their throats, while the qi waves surging from the front pounded against their hearts.

"Aarghhhhh!"

It was unbearable.

The enemies rushing right up to their nose were far stronger than expected. Struggling to hold the line led to flanks collapsing, and soon they had to endure attacks from three sides. Alone, they couldn't handle it.

As they painfully realized the danger of yielding momentum, a spear suddenly thrust into someone's side. 

"Gah!" 

They fell. They crumbled.

Like a meticulously built sandcastle eroded by relentless waves, the formation of Heavenly Comrade Alliance steadily and irrevocably disintegrated under each assault.

Recognizing the disarray, the command center desperately tried to salvage the collapsing lines.

Zhuge Zain shouted with all his might, his voice carrying the force of his internal energy.

"Hold your ground! I said, hold your ground! They're not stronger than us—this is all an illusion!"

His voice, bolstered by desperate fervor, reached no one. Even his cries were swallowed up by the chaos of the battlefield, scattered into futility. 

"Just a bit longer..."

"N, no! This is absolutely not possible!"

At that moment, Zhuge Zain caught sight of an ally turning their back on the enemy. 

"What are you doing?! Don't run!"

Zhuge Zain bit his lips so hard they bled.

'Damn it!'

Cowards exist everywhere. It was just one person fleeing, and the Heavenly Comrade Alliance hadn't entirely fallen yet.

But Zhuge Zain knew better than anyone that even the most formidable fortress could begin to crumble from a single crack. 

"Fight back! Just hold your ground and fight! We have the advantage! Damn it all!"

Despite Zhuge Zain's desperate shouts, they were drowned out by the wails echoing from all directions. Finally, abandoning all pretense, Zhuge Zain grabbed his hair in frustration.

There's always a gap between knowing and doing. No matter how brilliant your strategies are, they're meaningless if you can't implement them. Zhuge Zain knew this well.

But this... this was too much.

'Why….?'

No one was listening to Zhuge Zain.

Even if the enemies had placed elites in the front lines to seize the initiative, was Heavenly Comrade Alliance such a fragile force that it would collapse so quickly? 

Hahahahahahaha!

The piercing laughter of Jang Ilso drilled into Zhuge Zain's ears. 

He wanted to shut that mouth—or at least cover his own ears. But Zhuge Zain couldn't do either.

"We have to do something!"

At last, Zhuge Zain turned to Tang Gunak and Jong Ligok.

"If this continues, our lines will collapse in no time. Once that happens, it'll devolve into a melee. Do you understand what that means against these enemies?"

Zhuge Zain's usual composure was absent, replaced by urgency. However, Jong Ligok merely chuckled bitterly.

"And what do you suggest?"

"Take command—"

"After scattering the forces of my sect across this battlefield, now you want me to?"

Zhuge Zain faltered, his gaze trembling.

"….If all of Zhongnan's forces were gathered here, perhaps something could be done. But they aren't, are they? You, gunsa (military commander), who created this coalition because you believed it was a better solution."

That decision wasn't Zhuge Zain's but Cheong Myeong's. But now wasn't the time for petty debates.

"Are you saying we should just stand by and do nothing?"

"I'm not saying we'll stand by. I'm saying there's nothing we can do. Will the members of the Zhuge family risk their lives on my word?"

For a moment, Zhuge Zain was speechless.

"The strength we wield only holds meaning within our sects. Here, we lack the authority to command this coalition."

"Ah..."

Zhuge Zain finally realized what he had misunderstood.

Power comes from structure, and structure is maintained by authority—or so Zhuge Zain had thought.

But that was only true in times of peace.

No one entrusts their life to an abstract 'authority'. The hastily assembled Heavenly Comrade Alliance had no time to instill the kind of authority that could wield power effectively.

"Then..."

Zhuge Zain's eyes wavered. The strong sense of dissonance he had felt earlier was finally becoming clear.

"That's why... no one looks back."

Even though the command center was here, no one turned toward it. No one in the alliance awaited orders.

How could he not understand the implications? Shadows of despair clouded Zhuge Zain's face.

And at this moment.

There was someone else experiencing despair… no, perhaps even deeper than Zhuge Zain's.

On the opposite side, far from where Zhuge Zain stood, was a man who should have been among the Heavenly Comrade Alliance but instead found himself surrounded by enemies.

Baek Cheon's eyes were filled with inescapable despair he could no longer hide.