Chapter 383: Self-Immolation (4)
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“Must you really go that far?”
Sama Ye asked. Ever since Su Je-heon became the Martial Alliance Leader, countless positions within the Martial Alliance had been replaced, yet the Chief Strategist, Sama Ye, had never been replaced even once. That was how well Sama Ye suited Su Je-heon, and they were close enough to speak casually to each other from time to time.
Even Sama Ye, the Chief Strategist of the Martial Alliance, had become the strategist of the Vice Palace Lord’s office once Su Je-heon moved to the Palace of Heavenly Worship. The two were still together.
“Answer me, Alliance Leader. Do you truly wish to do that?”
Even so, Sama Ye’s form of address for Su Je-heon remained ‘Alliance Leader.’ Su Je-heon nodded.
“That is right.”
“Why?”
Sama Ye asked repeatedly. He wore an expression as if suffocating from sheer frustration.
“Just why? Have you lost your mind?”
“I have not lost my mind in the slightest.”
“You always spoke insane nonsense with an expression that looked completely sane. And right now, your face looks more tranquil than anything else.”
“Are you saying I am speaking nonsense that is just as insane?”
“You understand quite well. I suppose you haven’t gone entirely crazy yet?”
Sama Ye sneered with sarcasm. Even so, Su Je-heon’s expression remained tranquil.
“Think about it, Strategist. Right now, the Palace of Heavenly Worship cannot undertake the vanguard of the new martial world. Has it not already lost the trust of many? The Palace of Heavenly Worship, and naturally myself as well. Who would call the Ink Sword Hero a chivalrous hero now? They only see me as a traitor who delivered the jianghu into the hands of the imperial palace.”
“Outcomes differing from one’s intentions is something that happens often in life. No, almost all of life is like that.”
“No. I have always moved according to my intentions, and created the outcomes I intended. Do you, who stayed by my side, not know that best?”
“That was true until the Palace of Heavenly Worship. No, since the time of the Great Toad of the Eastern Sea. From the moment you became entangled with the New Justice Association Leader in earnest. Ever since he came back alive, everything changed.”
Though Sama Ye was the Chief Strategist, he was closer to someone who respected Su Je-heon’s intentions. Therefore, rather than devising strategies directly himself, he largely took on the role of complementing and supporting Su Je-heon’s choices.
In truth, even when stabbing fellow orthodox martial artists in the back during the incident with the Great Toad of the Eastern Sea, Sama Ye had followed without a word of complaint. That was because he had been persuaded by the logic that the Nine Great Sects were unnecessary in the new martial world Su Je-heon spoke of.
“Of course, I am someone who must take responsibility for this situation. Failing to assist the Alliance Leader is the responsibility of the Chief Strategist, after all.”
“No. You assisted me more than well enough. You were the finest strategist among everyone I ever met.”
At Su Je-heon’s words, Sama Ye shook his head.
“No. I am the worst strategist. Did I not drive my master into a dead end? Yet the responsibility of a strategist is not yet finished. Even if driven into a dead end, is it not the duty of a strategist to keep their master alive by any means?”
“I have already rejected your proposal.”
“There is no other way for you to survive besides that method.”
Sama Ye’s proposal was an immensely humiliating one for Su Je-heon. It was to abandon everything, flee, and go into hiding. Su Je-heon could never follow such a proposal.
“My friend. Until now, I have acted in accordance with my convictions. I am not ashamed of that. Even if everyone curses me over the results, I am proud of it and have no regrets. However, if I were to follow your proposal here, the convictions I have safeguarded until now will turn worthless. I would become someone who slaughtered his comrades for no reason and delivered the martial world to the imperial palace.”
“Did I not say so? Intentions and results can differ. Let us humbly acknowledge our failure. Is living not better than dying?”
“If I flee, my soul will be dead while only my body drifts through the world. I would rather have my body die and let my soul soar.”
From Su Je-heon’s words, Sama Ye felt absolute sincerity. When Su Je-heon spoke in such a tone, he had never once bent his stubbornness. That was something Sama Ye, who had spent a long time with him, knew better than anyone.
“I am already prepared to die.”
“I see.”
Sama Ye gave up on persuading him.
“Then if you step out on this journey, I will no longer be able to see you.”
“That is so.”
Su Je-heon’s conviction, in the end, was creating a new martial world. The reorganization of the martial world centered around the Nine Great Sects. In truth, the Nine Great Sects had collapsed because of the Palace of Heavenly Worship. Unorthodox factions, orthodox factions, and the Demonic Cult had all become intermingled.
In the midst of such chaos, Su Je-heon did not doubt for a moment that a new orthodox faction would be born. For it was in the dark that true shining jewels could be seen.
However, that light simply did not belong to him. The person meant to hold that light was someone else. And Su Je-heon had to become the person who carried that light to him. That was how he could safeguard his conviction until the very end.
Having met in their youth, they had now passed fifty years of age and were covered in wrinkles. It was the final moment with a close friend with whom he had spent half his life.
“It was fun. Every moment I spent with you.”
Sama Ye said. Su Je-heon smiled.
“If so, that is a relief. What will you do?”
“How could a strategist who failed to protect his master wish to remain alive?”
“Are you telling me to live while planning to die along with me?”
Su Je-heon spoke as if feeling regret. Sama Ye nodded.
“If your conviction was a new martial world, my conviction was protecting you. I, too, lack the confidence to live on with my soul annihilated.”
“…I see. I am sorry. Had I bent my stubbornness, I could have saved you.”
Su Je-heon continued.
“It seems I am selfish until the very end.”
“It is fine. Where in the world is there a lord who acts with consideration for his strategist?”
Su Je-heon patted Sama Ye on both shoulders.
“I shall take my leave now.”
“Farewell.”
Su Je-heon left the Vice Palace Lord’s office. Compared to the time the two had spent together, it was an excessively hasty farewell. Yet with just that brief farewell, their emotions were conveyed in full. Long-winded words often lacked emotion, while short words were often filled to the brim with it.
After Su Je-heon left, Sama Ye, who stood dazed for a brief moment, calmly prepared his own end in the Vice Palace Lord’s office.
* * *
I looked at Su Je-heon. Sometimes, there were things visible only when facing someone directly. Something like the madness visible within their eyes.
However, even when looking at Su Je-heon head-on, not the slightest trace of madness could be found in his eyes. On the contrary, he appeared to harbor neither the slightest guilt nor doubt regarding his actions.
“You haven’t lost your mind.”
“As expected, you understand me. Even though everyone else told me I had gone crazy.”
I shook my head.
“Being crazy would at least serve as an extenuating circumstance.”
“I have no desire for extenuating circumstances either. What need is there for extenuation in my actions?”
Su Je-heon laughed heartily. It was true. Right now, Su Je-heon was clearly aware of what he was doing. That was precisely the point that puzzled me.
“Just what is your reason for doing such things?”
“That is something you have no need to know.”
“Of course there is no need for me to know. But I am simply too curious. Just what thoughts must you have to go around slaughtering innocent commoners like this?”
Even at my question, Su Je-heon did not answer. It was roughly what I had anticipated.
“Dying as quickly as possible would be the best way for a bastard like you to help this world.”
He was truly an incomprehensible person. Just when I thought he was an enemy, he hid the fact that I was the Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult and gave me advice, making it seem not entirely so.
However, even if I had received such favor from Su Je-heon in the past, that did not mean I could forgive his current actions.
Right now, I was in a somewhat transcendent state, so in truth, I was not easily shaken by someone killing someone else. Nevertheless, Su Je-heon’s actions crossed the line to the point of touching the very last remnant of humanity remaining within me. Regardless of what the motive for those actions might be.
In Luoyang, many soldiers and commoners gathered and watched us. Among them, there was no one capable of intervening in our battle. In the first place, even expanding the scope to the entire Central Plains, there were not many who could join a battle between the two of us.
Su Je-heon drew his sword first and charged. His black-stained blade was even more brimming with energy than before.
“Everyone get back!”
Sensing Su Je-heon’s extraordinary energy, the soldiers controlled the onlookers.
When I drew my sword and clashed with his, our astral qi spread out in a circular ring.
“Aaaaargh!”
The ring-shaped astral qi swept through the surroundings simultaneously. Spreading wide, the astral qi severed the waists of the soldiers keeping order and sliced through several commoners as well.
Looking at Su Je-heon, he had a smile on his lips. Normally, in a battle between masters, the astral qi displaced by impact could be controlled so as not to bounce outward. That was because it only required both sides to twist their energy slightly.
“Crazy bastard… No, you’re not crazy. You’re just a piece of trash.”
Thus, I realized that Su Je-heon had deliberately generated the wave of astral qi to slaughter the people around us.
“Just why are you doing this!”
I shouted and demanded. Truly, it was the first time I encountered such an incomprehensible human being.
“I am merely burning my body for the last time.”
Yet Su Je-heon merely spouted incomprehensible nonsense. Because the answer itself was nonsense, no matter how much I possessed the Heavenly Eye, I could not even tell whether he was lying or telling the truth.
No matter how strong I had become now, I lacked the power to control the shockwaves when colliding with someone of Su Je-heon’s caliber. Was he trying to shake my composure by deliberately killing people? He was truly someone worse than the Blood Cult.
Su Je-heon charged at me like a madman. It was purely an all-out offensive. People screamed and fled.
No matter how curious I was about the motivation of a man named Su Je-heon, I could delay no further here.
I, too, began launching attacks at Su Je-heon. Our martial prowess was neck and neck. Right now, my objective was not defeating Su Je-heon through martial skill. My objective was killing him as quickly as possible to minimize damage.
Once again, it did not feel entirely real that I had risen to the skill level of the Five Great Sword Masters Under Heaven. And conversely, seeing Su Je-heon match me evenly despite my possessing talent that surpassed ordinary humans, I could not help but say that the Five Great Sword Masters Under Heaven were truly extraordinary.
Right then, Su Je-heon compressed his astral qi and swung fiercely at me. It was pitch-black astral qi. In response, I too compressed my astral qi and swung with full power. Even as I sent my sword flying, I braced for the impact. For colliding with astral qi of that magnitude, there was no way shockwaves would not be generated.
“…?”
And just before our swords made contact.
I saw the astral qi on Su Je-heon’s sword rapidly vanish. Su Je-heon had withdrawn his astral qi on his own.
However, because I was swinging my sword with full force, I could not stop it. In the end, when a sword without astral qi collided with a sword heavily compressed with astral qi, the outcome was self-evident.
Su Je-heon’s Ink Sword was sheared clean through, and along with it, his body from shoulder to waist was simultaneously sliced diagonally.
“What are you…”
I could not even finish asking. Because a crimson line formed across Su Je-heon’s severed body, and soon, his body collapsed.
Shortly after, a torrent of blood erupted fiercely from Su Je-heon’s cleaved body. That spray of blood drenched my face and my entire body.
Likely none among the people here saw Su Je-heon withdraw his astral qi. That was how instantaneous the moment had been. That Su Je-heon had withdrawn his astral qi was a truth known only to me.
Still in a daze, I gazed at Su Je-heon, who had become a corpse.
“Just what… did you want to do?”
Su Je-heon, naturally, did not answer.
And only after several days had passed was I able to figure out what Su Je-heon had intended.