Chapter 557:
“Don’t touch?”
Sa-ma laughed lowly.
A mouse trapped in a trap was bluffing that it could escape at any time.
“What if you don’t accept?”
“Then what choice would there be? I’d have to run away.”
Shin-Gi-sua spoke casually with a playful tone. Even knowing that there were two bishops right in front of him, he didn’t waver in the slightest.
Sa-ma expressed pure admiration at the sight.
“Indeed, Shin-Gi-sua is Shin-Gi-sua. Time has passed, but you haven’t changed.”
“What’s changed isn’t me, but you all. In the past, you people didn’t know how to devise such schemes.”
“If it hadn’t been a scheme, you wouldn’t have been caught?”
“On the contrary. Since I was caught by a scheme, there’s no room for excuses. I’m someone who uses his head. Since someone who uses his head was outwitted by brains, what can I say? I can only acknowledge defeat.”
Sa-ma chuckled.
“There’s no need to try so hard to drag out time. Those small fries are outside my interest. There’s only one reason I came here—to take your head. If I accomplish just that one thing, I don’t care if all the other bastards live.”
Sa-ma’s eyes glinted coldly.
His two eyes were filled with the will to never let Shin-Gi-sua escape, no matter what happened.
Even while receiving that bone-chilling gaze, Shin-Gi-sua didn’t waver in the slightest. Whatever his inner thoughts might be, at least his outward appearance was utterly composed.
“As a condition for easily capturing Shin-Gi-sua, you’ll spare the other youngsters?”
Sa-ma let out a low laugh.
“You’ve been cornered, Shin-Gi-sua.”
“Aren’t you being too harsh? No matter how bad my situation might be, shouldn’t I be able to expect some degree of respect from you all?”
“Of course.”
Sa-ma stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.
“I respect you, of course I do. That’s why I’m following along with your intentions like this, isn’t it?”
Shin-Gi-sua laughed heartily.
“I’m fortunate that I can communicate with you. If Gwang-ma or Gwi-ma had come, I’d have been rotting with worry by now.”
“Even so, you would have died peacefully.”
A cruel smile bloomed on Sa-ma’s face.
“If it had been those guys, they would have chopped off your head first, no matter what you said. But I’m different. I have no intention of letting you die peacefully.”
Sa-ma’s eyes began to glisten with murderous intent.
“Because of that wicked head of yours, countless cult members were sacrificed. Just hearing your name was enough to make people bolt upright from sleep. Today is finally the day to repay that grudge, so I can’t kill you easily.”
Geu-geu-geuk.
The fingernails that sprouted from Sa-ma’s blackened fingertips scraped against each other, creating an eerie sound.
“My personality is a bit twisted, you see.”
Shin-Gi-sua let out a low sigh.
He had thought Sa-ma would accept this deal. But it couldn’t exactly be called profitable business for him. Sa-ma was renowned as the most cruel among all the bishops of the Demonic Cult.
If he entrusted himself to Sa-ma’s hands, he would never die peacefully.
‘My final years aren’t looking good.’
Shin-Gi-sua smacked his lips.
Since entering this path, he hadn’t expected a good ending. Military strategists in troubled times always meet such fates.
Even if all those he had killed were evil people, it would be shameless to hope for a peaceful death after killing that many people.
‘Even so, it’s regrettable.’
For this war, he had prepared many things. But those preparations would disappear like bubbles without ever having a chance to shine. The Righteous Martial Alliance that lost him would fall into terrible chaos.
He wasn’t overestimating himself. There would be others with such abilities. But as he had been in the past, the world doesn’t move on ability alone. Without reputation and achievements, no one would listen to the words of some scholar nobody.
Even the Zhuge Family head wouldn’t.
Thinking of how much damage the Righteous Martial Alliance would suffer from losing him, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to close his eyes even in death.
‘Stupid fool.’
He had been caught up in the arrogance of shaking the world with just his own head. Yet he couldn’t detect even this simple scheme, putting not only his own life but the fate of the entire Jianghu into an abyss.
How would posterity remember him?
History would probably remember him as a hopeless fool. Taking on a military position that didn’t suit him, only raising his voice loudly, yet unable to do anything at the most crucial moment and being caught like this.
‘I chased after empty fame.’
Shin-Gi-sua squeezed his eyes shut.
He had wanted to become someone who could leave this world with a smile at the moment of death, but dreams were just dreams.
“Have you finished enjoying all your reflections?”
Hearing Sa-ma’s voice, Shin-Gi-sua quietly nodded his head.
Though he wanted to drag out more time, he shouldn’t provoke Sa-ma here. Bishops were fickle.
“Do as you please.”
“Keul-keul-keul, Shin-Gi-sua… Shin-Gi-sua Jo-hyeon. You’ve ended up looking pathetic. Don’t worry. I’ll present you with a fitting death. I’ll make you wail for three days and nights.”
As soon as Sa-ma finished speaking, someone who had been watching the situation opened their mouth.
“Sa-ma.”
Sa-ma frowned and turned around.
“Don’t interfere, Dok-ma.”
“No, I must interfere. Our mission is to quickly clean up the main base. Giving up all of them and dragging out time isn’t within your authority.”
“Wasn’t the handling of the main base entrusted to me?”
“You were given command, yes. But do you have such authority?”
“Whether I have the authority or not, I could let you know through your body right here and now.”
“Your mouth is still alive.”
“This bastard?”
Sa-ma and Dok-ma glared at each other.
But unlike Sa-ma, who was showing anger, Dok-ma appeared relaxed.
“You look angry.”
“Keep babbling. It wouldn’t be bad to rip your mouth apart before killing Shin-Gi-sua. If you don’t want to spill that precious poison of yours through seven holes, you’d better watch your tongue.”
“You seem to misunderstand. I have no intention of stopping whatever actions you take.”
“You know your place.”
“I’ll simply report everything I see and hear here directly to that person.”
When the words “that person” came up, Sa-ma’s body trembled.
Shin-Gi-sua’s eyes also shook violently.
‘Trembling in fear?’
He blinked several times, but he definitely hadn’t seen wrong. Right now, Sa-ma was clearly afraid.
‘That person?’
Shin-Gi-sua’s prediction was correct.
Right now, someone was in the Demonic Cult. Someone who made even those bishops tremble in fear.
‘Who on earth could it be?’
In the past, when the Great Demon Emperor led the Demonic Cult, even that Great Demon Emperor hadn’t become an object of fear for the bishops. They respected him, yes. But that was all.
But wasn’t the reaction Sa-ma was showing now clearly fear?
Whether he knew Shin-Gi-sua’s complicated inner thoughts or not, Sa-ma ground his teeth several times, then glared at Shin-Gi-sua with reddened eyes.
“The plan has changed.”
“……”
“Forgive me for not being able to enjoy this for long. But don’t worry. Even in this short time, I’ll present you with the greatest pain.”
Sa-ma walked without hesitation and approached Shin-Gi-sua.
Shin-Gi-sua resigned himself to everything as he watched the scene.
The bluffing was over.
Escaping from their hands was impossible. They knew that fact too. The reason they had bothered to accept the deal and continue the conversation was because they wanted to play with Shin-Gi-sua.
Toys that became boring were destined to be discarded. Just like Shin-Gi-sua’s current situation.
Sa-ma approached right in front of Shin-Gi-sua and reached out his hand. At the tips of his blackened fingers were jet-black fingernails.
‘Black Demon Claw.’
How many people had died to those black fingernails?
Sa-ma’s Black Demon Claw, called the devil’s fingernails, slowly approached Shin-Gi-sua’s neck. Sa-ma’s Black Demon Claw, which had led countless people of the Central Plains to their deaths, was now trying to make even Shin-Gi-sua its sacrifice.
The Black Demon Claw dug into just below Shin-Gi-sua’s Adam’s apple.
When the fingernail dug in about half an inch, the flesh split and blood trickled down.
Shin-Gi-sua bit his lips tightly.
Strength entered his entire body.
Pain.
An terrible pain that couldn’t be explained by just being stabbed by a fingernail spread throughout his entire body.
But Sa-ma didn’t stop there.
The embedded fingernail slowly scraped downward. Starting from the neck, to the chest, and then to the stomach.
Right up to just before the peritoneum… he was precisely cutting away only the skin.
“Is it painful, Shin-Gi-sua?”
“……”
“Thinking of those who died because of you, this much pain would be nothing. Isn’t that right?”
Shin-Gi-sua’s eyes widened.
Was he talking about sacrifice?
Sacrifice?
Were only the Demonic Cult’s sacrifices considered sacrifices?
More people of the Central Plains had died than Demonic Cult members. By these very hands. Yet these people were talking about the dead?
The rage rising from his stomach was greater than the physical pain. Shin-Gi-sua ground his teeth. As if all his teeth would break and fall out.
Chwa-ak!
Five distinct claw marks appeared on Shin-Gi-sua’s body.
Sticky blood flowing down, and pain unbelievable for mere surface wounds.
Even in the midst of that pain, Shin-Gi-sua kept both legs standing straight.
He would not submit.
Even if he gave his life to these people, he would not submit. Dying while maintaining his dignity as a military strategist of the Righteous Martial Alliance to the end was the minimum resistance he could offer.
“Laughing?”
Sa-ma’s face twisted.
“Good, that’s how it should be. That’s what makes you Shin-Gi-sua. It wouldn’t be fun if you cried and wailed from the start. It has to be made fun like this. Now, don’t miss it. I’ll show you how many bones your body has. You can’t die until you count them all.”
Sa-ma’s fingernails dug into Shin-Gi-sua’s shoulder.
Eu-deuk.
Shin-Gi-sua’s teeth broke and fell out.
It wasn’t just cutting the skin like before. The fingernails dug into the flesh and scraped the bone.
The pain of having teeth extracted while alive.
Shin-Gi-sua’s body trembled in that terrible pain.
But his expression remained unchanged.
“You think you’re Guan Yu or something. Well then, shall we recreate that historical tale here? It’s a pity there’s no Go board.”
Shin-Gi-sua’s eyes turned toward the sky.
‘Jianghu doesn’t end here.’
He too was just one among countless Jianghu people. Though Jianghu would fall into chaos by losing him, another hero would take his place.
Shin-Gi-sua believed in Jianghu’s underlying strength.
“Let’s see how long you can remain composed.”
Sa-ma’s fingernails dug into Shin-Gi-sua’s bone. Then he scraped downward in one stroke…
“What? Why is this place like this?”
“It’s all destroyed?”
“Did someone attack?”
Very composed.
And completely carefree voices could be heard.
Even Sa-ma stopped what he was doing at that composure and looked back blankly.
“……”
“……”
The eyes of those walking casually through the main gate met Sa-ma’s.
“Huh?”
“Hmm?”
The eyeballs of the young man at the front rolled around.
“Wei, Wei Yan-ho……”
Shin-Gi-sua identified the guy’s identity instead.
Hearing that voice with even a slight moisture mixed in, strength entered Sa-ma’s entire body.
Wei Yan-ho? That guy is that Wei Yan-ho?
Why is that guy here?
What should he do? While Sa-ma was pondering, Wei Yan-ho came into view scratching his head with an awkward expression.
Confident.
With an utterly confident voice, Wei Yan-ho said decisively.
“I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. Well then, I’ll be going now.”
“……”
“……”
The life drained from Shin-Gi-sua’s body, who had been enduring steadfastly.
It was the first moment Sa-ma felt sympathy for Shin-Gi-sua.
