The Lord of the Zhuge Family, Jegal Jain, stared blankly at the desolate battlefield before finally collapsing to the ground.
"Oh... oh..."
His voice came out like the sky collapsing. It was inevitable, with bodies strewn everywhere his eyes could reach.
"What... what is happening..."
His strong shoulders began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Ugh... ugh... ohhh!"
Suddenly, he started tearing at his own hair, and Moyong Wijing, the Lord of the Moyong Family who had come with him, tried to restrain him, holding onto his arms.
"Lord Jegal... It's not your fault."
"What... what have I done..."
A sense of despair overwhelmed him.
Jegal Jain felt as if all of this was his fault. If only they had arrived a little earlier, this worst-case scenario wouldn't have happened.
Even if they couldn't change the outcome of the battle, they could have saved more than half of those lying on the plain.
But their mere one-hour delay had twisted everything.
"Aaahhh!"
Jegal Jain screamed like a madman.
As a family lord, he shouldn't show such a sight, but Moyong Wijing couldn't stop him anymore.
Could anyone understand the self-blame he was feeling? The scene before them was indeed grim.
"How many... how many have survived?"
Moyong Wijing couldn't bear to look any longer and tightly shut his eyes.
Certainly, not everyone would have perished. Some might have escaped. But that was hardly a consolation in such a situation.
"Four Tyrants Alliance!"
In Jegal Jain's bloodshot eyes, he could see the army of the Four Tyrants Alliance dwindling in the distance.
"Jang Ilsooo! You will face divine punishment... divine punishment!"
Jegal Jain screamed, and Moyong Wijing trembled, his hands hidden within his sleeves.
If even remnants of the enemy remained here, they would have charged without concern for their lives to vent their anger. They would have provided solace for those who died in such a way.
But here, all they faced were the cold corpses.
Moyong Wijing sighed with a heavy heart.
'What should we do now?'
It was a devastating defeat.
It was unclear how much damage the Four Tyrants Alliance had suffered. They might have retrieved their fallen comrades and left.
But regardless, the Nine Sects and One Union had suffered almost complete destruction. The damage to the Four Tyrants Alliance might not have been greater than this.
Moyong Wijing sensed it. The long-standing reign of the Nine Sects and One Union had finally come to an end.
Shaolin would never regain its former glory. And the Cave and the Peng Family would now have to worry about extinction.
Now, only Wudang, Southern Edge, and Kunlun, secluded in the distant mountains, remained among the sealed sects.
Could they still be called the Nine Sects?
Most importantly, the collapse of Shaolin was catastrophic. Shaolin didn't just represent the strongest sect among the Nine Sects; it symbolized the entire martial arts world.
For such a Shaolin to fall into the hands of an evil sect held immense significance.
'What should we do?'
Moyong Wijing was engulfed in a sense of helplessness and despair.
It felt like wandering in the darkness with no end in sight.
"Oh... oh..."
Jegal Jain still hadn't escaped from his agony.
There was a reason why he was in such agony.
It was Jegal Jain who had planned, along with Beok Jeong, to tie their enemies' feet so they couldn't escape and then strike from behind.
It would be difficult for him to shake off the guilt of feeling responsible for all these deaths.
As Jegal Jain continued to sob, he looked at Moyong Wijing with bloodshot eyes.
"We... we must chase."
"Lord Jegal..."
"It's not too late yet! They must be exhausted from the fight! So even now..."
A deep sigh escaped Moyong Wijing's lips.
"Please, calm down, Lord of the Zhuge Family. We cannot lose our sanity."
"But... but there's still a chance, isn't there?"
Moyong Wijing shut his eyes tightly.
If they had arrived even a moment earlier... Jegal Jain's words would have made sense. But not anymore. It was too late now.
At that moment, another martial arts group approached them.
'Heavenly Friendship Alliance.'
Just like them, they were late... No.
"We can't compare ourselves to them."
It was their plan, after all, to prevent the Heavenly Friendship Alliance from coming here.
Moyong Wijing finally realized. How arrogant they had been. All of this was the result of their arrogance, nothing more and nothing less.
That's why he couldn't bring himself to meet the approaching figures. He simply bowed his head.
"Moyong-sir, family lord."
"...Tang Family Lord."
The familiar face at the head of the Heavenly Friendship Alliance, Tang Gunak, looked at the two of them with an unreadable expression.
Tang Gunak seemed to want to say something, but he soon closed his mouth.
Of course, what could he say? Given the devastation of the battlefield, this scene would be clear to anyone with eyes.
Jegal Jain sobbing, Moyong Wijing bowing his head, and Tang Gunak lost for words. A thick despair settled among the three of them.
*step*
At that moment, they felt someone approaching.
Moyong Wijing confirmed the identity and closed his eyes again. The unfamiliar face was familiar enough to recognize.
There was simply nothing to say to the person before them.
If they blamed him for not calling them, if they asked how they could have been so arrogant, if they asked who would take responsibility for all these deaths... what on earth could they say in response?
Even imagining that question weighed heavily on their minds, suffocating them. The presence of Hyeon Jong approaching step by step. No, perhaps he felt as if he were being crushed under the weight of the guilt he had cultivated.
Hyeon Jong spoke with a somber tone.
"I am Hyeon Jong of Mount Hua."
"...Moyong family's... Moyong Wijing."
The countless times they had introduced themselves felt so heavy this time.
"What... happened?"
Hyeon Jong asked.
It was a question that had to be asked. Compared to the horrific battlefield, Moyong Family and Zhuge Family seemed too unscathed. Coming late was nothing but a feeble excuse.
At least the Heavenly Friendship Alliance, which had rushed here from Huaying, had the right to ask this question.
But they were at a loss as to where to start or how to explain.
"Well..."
"They were ambushed!"
Jegal Jain almost shouted out like he was having a fit.
"Those bastards! If they hadn't blocked us!"
"..."
"That... ugh... ugh..."
Instead of Jegal Jain, who began to sob again, Moyong Wijing sighed and spoke.
"The abbot planned to set a trap here. Well, it was natural to expect them to set a trap, so instead of falling into their trap, he wanted to trap them here."
"Hmm... And then the two families..."
"Yes. But..."
Moyong Wijing lowered his head slowly.
"They already knew. Unknown masked individuals lay in ambush and appeared to block our way."
"Masked individuals, you say."
Hyeon Jong's face hardened. Tang Gunak, listening nearby, asked with a puzzled expression.
"Moyong and Jegal families were blocked by them? Them?"
"...I'm ashamed to say it, but yes."
"How...?"
The two families were not to be underestimated. Of course, they might be considered inferior to the Nangong or Tang Family, but weren't they still part of the Five Great Families?
But to have those two families blocked...
Tang Gunak, lost in thought for a moment, asked.
"Are you saying that because they blocked us, we didn't arrive on time?"
His gaze momentarily turned to the members of the two families standing with solemn expressions. They didn't seem like they had just fought fiercely to come here.
Reading suspicion in Tang Gunak's eyes, Moyong Wijing flushed with anger.
"Are you doubting us now?"
"That's not my intention."
Tang Gunak denied calmly. But Moyong Wijing, already on edge, glared coldly at him.
"If it's really like that, then shouldn't the Heavenly Friendship Alliance be thanking us?"
"What did you say?"
"Given the situation, isn't the Heavenly Friendship Alliance rather fortunate?"
"Are you saying that now...!"
"At a time when Moyong family is suspected of aligning with an evil sect, is that really such a big mistake?"
Both Tang Gunak and Moyong Wijing's faces stiffened.
They knew. The fact that none of those present were at fault.
However, it wasn't a situation where they could calmly assess each other.
The carnage was too overwhelming to even contemplate intervening, and their relationship had deteriorated to an irreparable degree. Everything seemed to be pushing them to extremes.
"Enough."
At that moment, Hyeon Jong's commanding voice cut through the tension between them. Tang Gunak and Moyongwi, who had no reason to heed Hyeon Jong's words, also faltered.
With a solemn expression, Hyeon Jong recited a Taoist prayer and gazed out at the battlefield.
Once vibrant lives now lay scattered in a pitiful state. Hyeon Jong closed his eyes briefly, then spoke with a sigh.
"We may have much to say to each other, but let us first attend to the dead. That is..."
"Attend to them?"
Jegal Ja-in laughed mockingly, sounding almost deranged. It wasn't exaggerated malice; his laughter truly reflected madness.
"Very well. Attend to them!"
Then he abruptly turned to glare at Hyeon Jong.
"We don't know when the Four Tyrants Alliance might return, or what mischief they might get up to while they're gone! Yet here we are, attending to corpses! Is that the punishment a ruler should bear?"
His voice dripped with venom.
"Now that you're no longer the Lord of the Heavenly Friendship Alliance, who will give orders? Command it! Go bury them. Let us feel the weight of our sins with our own eyes and bones! Command it!"
"Lord of the Zhuge Family!"
Moyongwi exclaimed in shock. Ignoring him, Jegal Ja-in continued to shout.
"Is it attending to corpses that you bring so many here for? Is that the way of Mount Hua, of the Heavenly Friendship Alliance?"
Moyongwi trembled, inadvertently glancing at Hyeon Jong.
It was a vile insult, and even though the Heavenly Friendship Alliance had traveled this long road without asking for help, they had still come.
"No."
Hyeon Jong's eyes, previously closed, slowly opened.
They held a deeper conviction and sadness than before.
"This is neither the way of the Heavenly Friendship Alliance nor of Mount Hua."
"Then?"
Hyeon Jong remained silent for a moment, gazing at the battlefield.
Eventually, a voice filled with both sorrow and remorse flowed like the wind.
"It's just... the way of humanity."
For a moment, everyone felt compelled by his profound words, unable to speak.
"I implore you."
Hyeon Jong politely bowed his head towards Jegal Ja-in and Moyongwi.
After a moment of silence, the two finally nodded.
Despairing, grieving, worrying about the future ahead.
Regardless of their positions, all of them understood that the first thing they must not forget is human decency. That simple principle moved them despite the despair looming over them.
"...We'll help."
Moyongwi instructed the members of the Moyong family. Jegal Ja-in also rose from his seat.
"Forgive the rudeness..."
"No need."
Hyeon Jong interrupted Jegal Ja-in's words with a nod.
"There are more pressing matters."
"....Understood."
With a gentle reprimand from Hyeon Jong, Jegal Ja-in complied, and now, Hyeon Jong, turning into a vast grave, walked towards the battlefield. Tang Gunak followed behind.
*step* *step*
Hyeon Jong's footsteps led not to where the bodies were gathered, but slightly off-course. After walking in silence for a while, Hyeon Jong finally stopped.
He sighed softly as he looked at the figure in front of him.
Just gazing at it felt as heavy as lifting a burden with his fingertips.
Bearing the weight of these countless deaths as a living person was truly a sorrowful thing.
That fact tormented Hyeon Jong, perhaps more than the carnage that had occurred here.
"Chung Myung..."
Addressing Chung Myung, whom he couldn't tear his eyes away from amid the carnage, Hyeon Jong spoke with sympathy.
"It's not your fault."
Chung Myung, who had been as still as a statue until now, finally turned to look at Hyeon Jong.
His vacant eyes pierced a corner of Hyeon Jong's heart.
"Then..."
Chung Myung asked emotionlessly.
"Whose fault is it?"
"...."
"The sect leader's."
A deeply buried resentment simmered from within. In that deep despair, Hyeon Jong wished he could just close his eyes.