Chapter 579

Chapter 579 – The Lazy Farewell (4)

Waking up from a dream is never a pleasant thing. Especially for Wei Yanho. Never in his life had he enjoyed the moment of waking up.

He would always open his eyes reluctantly, with the desire to sleep a little more, just a little more.

But today his awakening was different from all the others.

With a dazed expression, Wei Yanho pushed aside the blankets. Then he sat up and sat on the bed.

“……”

After silently staring into the distance, he finally spoke.

“It’s over.”

Emptiness, and then desolation.

It was the feeling of watching the sand he held in his hands completely slip through his fingers. No matter how hard you squeeze it, in the end the sand will end up falling.

The Dream Training was like that sand.

No matter how much you try to prolong it, it eventually comes to an end. You can’t dream forever. In the end, people must wake up from the dream. Even if that dream is so sweet and comforting that you don’t want to wake up.

There is no eternal night. In the end, morning always comes.

“The end…”

The melancholy that the word “end” brings is sad.

If the first farewell, lived in ignorance, had caused Wei Yanho intense pain, this farewell crushed him with an oppressive weight.

It was a farewell that sooner or later he would have to face.

A pain that he would eventually have to experience.

He knew this day would come. But knowing it did not lessen Wei Yanho’s pain.

Wei Yanho slowly turned his head and looked out the window.

The sunlight shining outside remained the same.

The wind that was blowing also remained the same.

Although Baek Muhan’s existence had completely disappeared from the world, it had not changed in the slightest. It was not easy to accept that fact.

I must cheer up.

If Baek Muhan saw this pathetic spectacle, he would undoubtedly kick Wei Yanho’s butt immediately.

But now he can’t do it anymore.

Only when you have a master who scolds you and gets angry with you can you afford to act capriciously. But without a master, you can no longer afford it.

Because the master who watches you from heaven would be frustrated.

With two sighs, Wei Yanho said goodbye to Baek Muhan for the last time.

“Hey!”

Bang!

At that moment, the door burst open and Jangil ran in.

“Hey, Wei Yanho! The strategist… are you crying?”

Jangil took two steps back with an expression as if he had seen a ghost.

‘What the hell is going on?’

It would have been easier to digest if the master was lamenting loudly. So shocking was the image of tears in Wei Yanho’s eyes.

‘Or is he yawning?’

But that didn’t seem to be the case either.

His face showed sadness. Jangil, who had survived by reading the atmosphere, could not help but notice it. Intuitively, he knew that something monumental had occurred and began to retreat slowly.

“The strategist what?”

Seeing Wei Yanho respond in a low voice, Jangil’s face also turned serious.

‘This is not the usual Wei Yanho.’

The usual Wei Yanho would have thrown a pillow loaded with internal energy at him for waking him up over something trivial, or would have said some nonsense like “if you’re not busy, you come.”

But the Wei Yanho of now was reacting sensibly.

Sensibly.

Realizing how little the words “Wei Yanho” and “sensibly” fit together, Jangil’s skin crawled.

It was like having a normal conversation with a normal person. But since the person was not normal, that normality was abnormal.

“T-the strategist said to go see him.”

“Why?”

“I’m not sure, but it seems something urgent happened.”

“Mmm.”

Wei Yanho nodded.

Then he got up and started picking up his clothes.

“…Are you going?”

“You said he was calling me, right?”

“Y-yes.”

“Then I must go.”

My God.

Jangil covered his mouth with his fists. How long had it been since the last time he had a normal conversation with him?

If they call you, you go.

How much he had suffered to make Wei Yanho understand this simple logic. Now that he finally saw the fruits of his effort, Jangil could not be entirely happy.

‘Did something really happen?’

Although Wei Yanho’s face was already impassive, he could not hide the air of discouragement that surrounded him.

“Hey, Wei Yanho.”

“Yes?”

“Is something wrong?”

“What could happen to me?”

Wei Yanho let out a mocking laugh.

“I simply lived what I had to live.”

Jangil looked at him with a strange expression.

People can mature. But not overnight. Someone who until yesterday was the usual Wei Yanho cannot become a normal person in a single day.

“Let’s go.”

Wei Yanho, who had dressed lightly, adjusted his belt and urged Jangil.

“Mm.”

Jangil nodded and took the lead.

‘Something is very wrong…’

Jangil kept looking at Wei Yanho with eyes full of doubt.

“You came?”

“Yes.”

“Take a seat.”

“Yes.”

When Wei Yanho headed to the empty seat, the Master of Divine Abilities looked at him curiously.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

Strange.

Why is he obediently sitting where he is told?

He was already mentally prepared. The Wei Yanho he knew would have started complaining from the moment he walked in. He had made solid preparations, but seeing him sit in silence left him bewildered.

Also, why did he arrive so early?

Waking up Wei Yanho and bringing him usually took at least half an hour, wasn’t that the usual?

That norm has just been broken.

The situation was so urgent that they had even considered going as a group to Wei Yanho’s room to hold the meeting there. That things were resolved so naturally made him uneasy.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

He shot a furtive glance at Jangil, but he shrugged as if to say he didn’t know either.

“Ahem.”

The Master of Divine Abilities cleared his throat to dispel the tense air. He didn’t quite understand the situation, but there was no time to find out now.

“Since everyone is present, we will begin.”

Jo Hyun looked around.

The makeshift meeting room was full of people. They could be divided into two groups: the leaders with real power who led the Righteous Martial Alliance, and Wei Jeonghan’s group.

They were the most important people currently in the Righteous Martial Alliance. Due to the nature of the Alliance, where the elders delegated their positions to the various factions, there were not many important people apart from the leader. They were the ones who made the crucial decisions.

“Let’s get to the point: we have received a red alert.”

The Master of Divine Abilities raised a red envelope he held in his hand. Those present tensed at the sight of it.

Recently, Wei Jeonghan had been using red alerts frequently, which had diminished their importance, but in reality they were only used in matters related to the survival of the Righteous Martial Alliance.

A red alert meant that something extremely important had occurred, and in the current situation, there was only one place it could come from.

“Anhui?”

“Correct.”

Wei Jeonghan nodded gravely.

If it was news from Anhui, it was about the war. News had finally arrived about the situation at Baekgeom Fortress, which they had been waiting for so long.

“The result?”

“……”

The Master of Divine Abilities said nothing.

But everyone present understood the meaning of his silence.

“H-how…?”

They could not finish the question about how severe the defeat had been.

The Master of Divine Abilities briefly looked at those present and spoke in a grave voice.

“The situation… is very bad.”

The Great Sovereign, who had been listening in silence, raised his hand.

“Speak.”

“I know it is difficult to speak given the gravity of the situation. But as time is of the essence, please explain it to us briefly.”

“…I will.”

The Master of Divine Abilities closed his eyes for a moment.

Then he spoke in a restrained voice.

“The red alert does not contain all the details. It seems to have been written with great urgency. It only mentions two things.”

“What two things?”

“The first is a crushing defeat.”

The weight of the word “crushing” fell on everyone. In a war, that term implies that barely any damage was done to the enemy and that one’s own losses were close to annihilation.

But…

“That… that is possible?”

Wei Jeonghan jumped to his feet.

His face was flushed. Everyone knew that Baekgeom Fortress was not an easy opponent. But it was not possible for the forces personally led by the Supreme Sovereign to suffer a crushing defeat.

Even if they lost, it should have been a hard-fought battle. But a crushing defeat?

“The leader is there! With the leader there…”

“I will give the second news.”

The Master of Divine Abilities interrupted Wei Jeonghan and mentioned the second news, causing those present to pale.

It was too obvious what would follow.

But no one wanted to hear those words with their own ears. With the Supreme Sovereign present, a crushing defeat was impossible. But it had happened. So what did that mean?

‘It can’t be.’

Wei Jeonghan’s eyes trembled.

But the Master of Divine Abilities, in a cold and implacable voice, spoke the words that no one wanted to hear.

“The leader has died.”

“……”

A mournful air enveloped everyone.

“You’re joking, right?”

At the Great Sovereign’s question, the Master of Divine Abilities shook his head.

“I would like to deny it, but it is the truth. Unless whoever sent the alert is playing with us.”

Those who knew the meaning of a red alert in the Righteous Martial Alliance, and those who had access to it, would not send information that they had not personally verified.

If he said “dead” and not “missing” or “unknown whereabouts”, there was no room for doubt.

“How…?”

Wei Jeonghan slumped into his seat.

He wanted to deny it, but he couldn’t. And now was not the time for denials. It was time to face reality and take action, not to deny it.

The fact that he couldn’t even express his grief over the death of the leader he admired tormented him.

“Is that all they have reported?”

The Great Sovereign remained calm.

“Yes.”

“Then our spies in Anhui have not yet sent news.”

“Neither.”

“Then… something so big that not even our spies could avoid has happened in Anhui… I can’t imagine what it could be. We need more information to discuss a plan.”

“That is true, but…”

The Master of Divine Abilities let out a frustrated sigh.

They had tried everything to obtain information. But neither those sent to Anhui nor those already there had sent news. They had no way of knowing what had occurred in Anhui.

“That is why I have gathered you. Please share your opinions.”

That the Master of Divine Abilities, a pillar of the Righteous Martial Alliance, was asking for opinions showed how serious the situation was. Those present felt overwhelmed.

Although they were asked for their opinion, no one spoke. If not even the Master of Divine Abilities had a plan, what could they do?

They could only suggest increasing surveillance and sending more people to Anhui.

It was the obvious thing to do. But the Master of Divine Abilities would not have gathered them for that.

So they had no choice but to remain silent.

“Could it be…?”

Jegal Munin, who had been observing in silence, spoke.

“That the Demon Cult is involved?”

All eyes focused on him.