Far from worship, laughter burst out.
The one laughing was Jungak. Even after being singled out as having taken bribes, he did not look flustered in the slightest.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been going around impersonating the Young Cult Leader?”
Even Hogyeong, who had been listening gravely, let out a hollow laugh. But Hogyeong had clearly heard what Juyang had said earlier.
—The one who took a bribe from Jeokpae and said he would kill you is that man, the Leader of the Demonic Sword Unit.
If those words were true, then this Juyang had now become someone he had to protect.
Hogyeong asked Jungak,
“What brings you here, Unit Leader?”
“Since the opponent is an expert, I thought you might need support.”
Hogyeong did not believe him. If that had truly been his intention, he would have made a show of offering to lead the Demonic Sword Unit from the start.
He had appeared the moment his own name was about to come out of Juyang’s mouth. It was obvious he had come to pressure him into keeping silent.
“As you heard, Unit Leader, that man has named you. So it would be best for you to withdraw for now.”
“Surely you do not believe his words?”
“Of course not. However, since he testified in front of everyone, we must at least conduct a formal investigation.”
“That man runs a Yeomwangchae operation.”
At that, Hogyeong asked Juyang,
“Is that true?”
Juyang shrank under the cold question.
“It is, but what I told you is the truth.”
Hogyeong did not trust those who ran Yeomwangchae.
Seeing his expression harden, Juyang realized anew just how extraordinary Geom Mugeuk was. Everyone frowned at him like that, everyone looked down on him, yet no one stepped forward to get rid of him.
Just then, Geom Mugeuk slipped into the conversation.
“When one cannot refute the contents, one attacks the messenger.”
At those words, Jungak’s eyes turned fierce.
Hogyeong placated Jungak.
“If it proves false, I will punish him severely for false accusation. Do not worry.”
Outwardly, Jungak looked composed.
But he was searching for any chance to eliminate Juyang. If they returned to the branch and began a proper interrogation, the fact that he had taken bribes would become public knowledge. If the other bribes were exposed as well, he would not only be forced to step down as unit leader, but be locked in the dungeon.
Jungak’s gaze turned toward Geom Mugeuk.
“And how will you deal with our Young Cult Leader?”
“I will handle him personally as well.”
“Would that not be treason?”
No one laughed at his joke.
In the midst of it all, Juyang looked at Geom Mugeuk. Even if everyone else mocked him, Juyang did not. He had already resolved himself for death anyway.
“Young Cult Leader, what do you intend to do now?”
Fine. Since he had started this, he would be the Young Cult Leader to the very end.
As if he had been waiting for that very moment, Jungak drew his blade.
“How dare you put the Young Cult Leader’s title in your mouth!”
Just as he was about to rush in and cut Juyang down on the spot,
Hogyeong stepped in front of him.
“Stop.”
“Step aside. I cannot stand by and watch someone dare impersonate the Young Cult Leader so insolently.”
“I cannot allow that.”
The two men glared at each other. It was the moment the rift they had hidden until now was laid bare in all its depth. In truth, Jungak had expected Hogyeong to block him.
—Kill that bastard!
A sound transmission flew to Chahoe, his trusted limb. This was the perfect opportunity, while Hogyeong was blocking him.
Chahoe launched a surprise sword qi strike.
Shiiiing!
A rough streak of sword qi flew toward Juyang. It was a powerful sword qi that swept toward even Geom Mugeuk, who was standing with him.
Boom!
Startled by the explosive sound, Juyang fell backward onto his rear.
He saw Geom Mugeuk’s back. Geom Mugeuk had remained where he stood and lightly dispelled the incoming sword qi with a swing of his sword.
“Attack together and kill him!”
At the order of First Squad Leader Chahoe, the demonic practitioners of the Demonic Sword Unit drew their swords all at once.
At the same time, Hogyeong shouted as well.
“Stop them!”
The demonic practitioners belonging to the branch also drew their swords in unison. A taut tension settled between the two groups as they aimed their blades at one another. If they clashed like this, the branch warriors would be no match for the elite Demonic Sword Unit.
It was at that very moment.
Geom Mugeuk walked forward and released his aura.
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
Geom Mugeuk’s aura spread in every direction.
A massive wave came crashing toward them.
There was nowhere to avoid it, and they could not avoid it.
All the demonic practitioners sank into the water. The abyss dragged them endlessly downward.
They resisted. They struggled with all their might not to be pulled in. But Geom Mugeuk’s aura allowed no resistance.
Their entire bodies felt as if they would burst, and their breath was choked off.
‘Uaaaaaaaah!’
They screamed, but no voice came out.
And at the end of that abyss, they saw it.
The figure of Geom Mugeuk, standing alone and shining within the pitch-black darkness.
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk’s aura vanished.
The Geom Mugeuk of the abyss became the Geom Mugeuk of reality, standing before them.
Everyone exhaled with difficulty, aghast. Even without drawing swords, they could tell. Geom Mugeuk’s martial arts were overwhelmingly beyond comparison with theirs. They also understood that what had been constricting them was demonic energy.
Geom Mugeuk said to Hogyeong,
“It has been a long time. At the celebration for your appointment as Branch Master, you greeted everyone like this, did you not? That you would carefully examine the small things and prevent great calamities.”
Hogyeong remembered it vividly. It was the greeting he had given at the celebration after receiving his first appointment as Branch Master. How could he ever forget that day?
“You were there?”
Geom Mugeuk nodded.
“Who are you, young hero?”
At that moment, someone appeared there.
When Hogyeong saw the newcomer, he was startled.
“Branch Master Lin!”
He was Lin Qing, the Jiangxi Branch Master of Tongtian Pavilion.
A man who did not show himself unless it was important had appeared here.
“What brings you here?”
Before coming here, Geom Mugeuk had met a warrior of Tongtian Pavilion and, through him, had asked Lin Qing to handle this matter.
“I have come to convey an order that every warrior belonging to the Jiangxi Branch is to serve the Young Cult Leader with utmost sincerity.”
At the mention of the Young Cult Leader, everyone was shocked. Had they not been mocking the fake Young Cult Leader just moments ago?
“Surely not!”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward Geom Mugeuk, and Lin Qing spoke loudly.
“That is correct. This person is the Young Cult Leader.”
Silence fell in shock and astonishment.
The first to come to his senses was Hogyeong. He observed proper etiquette and prostrated himself.
“I greet the Young Cult Leader!”
At that, not only the demonic practitioners of the branch, but Jungak and the Demonic Sword Unit as well all paid their respects at once. Under any circumstances, reverence toward the Cult Leader and the Young Cult Leader was absolute.
“We greet the Young Cult Leader!”
The voices of the demonic practitioners rang out thunderously.
In truth, even if Lin Qing had not confirmed it, the grand aura he had already shown was enough to know that he was the Young Cult Leader.
Now the only person standing there blankly was Juyang.
Geom Mugeuk looked at him and smiled faintly.
“You believe me now, even without the Demon Venerables standing behind me, don’t you?”
Juyang, belatedly coming to his senses, shrieked and threw himself flat on the ground.
“I failed to recognize your noble self and committed a discourtesy.”
“Discourtesy? You were the only one who believed I was the Young Cult Leader.”
Juyang was overwhelmed with emotion. He could not believe this was real. Then did that mean he had met the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult all this time, received interest from him, and conversed with him? He had even called him a madman.
“You will have to suffer a little from now on.”
Only now did he understand. The source of that absurd confidence.
How could he possibly neglect the matter of Tongjeonso when it was an order from the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult?
“I will work for the rest of my life with a heart of atonement.”
What more could he ask for when his life had been saved? Until just a moment ago, he had been floundering in the sea, but now he had begun floating comfortably again. Warm sunlight poured down on him.
By contrast, a great wave was raging in Jungak’s heart.
‘Why in the world is the Young Cult Leader here?’
The one targeting him had been Hogyeong, had it not? Could Hogyeong have joined hands with him to target him? But judging from Hogyeong’s startled reaction, it was clear he too had not expected the Young Cult Leader’s appearance.
“Now, everyone rise!”
Every demonic practitioner there rose from their place. They still gazed at Geom Mugeuk with eyes full of shock and awe. He was the man who would become Cult Leader. If he commanded, “Die!” they would have to die on the spot.
Geom Mugeuk walked toward Jungak.
“Unit Leader Jung, you accepted quite a lot of bribes.”
Before Jungak could feign ignorance, Lin Qing spoke first.
“It has been confirmed that gold from Tongjeonso was divided and stored in several money houses under Unit Leader Jung’s name. The investigation is ongoing, so we expect other evidence to emerge soon as well. In addition, investigations have begun into places other than Tongjeonso.”
If someone else had said it, he could have insisted it was fabricated, but these were the words of a Branch Master of Tongtian Pavilion.
Even so, Jungak held his head high and spoke as if it were nothing.
“I did not extort it by force. They offered it voluntarily.”
“Would they have given you money even if you were not the Leader of the Demonic Sword Unit?”
“It was their choice.”
Because his subordinates were watching, he stood firm. The moment he showed servility, his subordinates’ respect would vanish.
“Did you share that money with your men?”
A silence flowed through the air. The only person he had shared money with was Chahoe, his trusted limb.
“I intended to share it.”
He would have been better off not saying that. At that shabby excuse, the gazes of the Demonic Sword Unit members turned cold.
“I believe the authority of the Demonic Sword Unit should not be damaged over such a trivial matter.”
Jungak was trying by any means to get through this moment. But his opponent was Geom Mugeuk.
“That is exactly why.”
Geom Mugeuk looked at the demonic practitioners of the Demonic Sword Unit.
“Because you are the Demonic Sword Unit. Even if the Martial Alliance or the Evil Dao Alliance pushed us all the way back to the main headquarters, if we heard that you were still alive, we would not lose hope. We would believe that you would break through the enemies and come to save us. That is the faith our cult places in you, the Demonic Sword Unit.”
Pride bloomed on the faces of the Demonic Sword Unit’s demonic practitioners.
“That is why you must be different from others. You cannot simply take bribes because they are offered. You might think, ‘This much should be fine, shouldn’t it?’ It is not fine. If you are the kind of people who take bribes and think nothing of it, then we will not wait for the Demonic Sword Unit. Because we will think you compromised with something easier instead of choosing to break through the enemy. You will not come, and we will not wait.”
Jungak’s expression twisted, but the demonic practitioners of the Demonic Sword Unit were sympathizing with Geom Mugeuk’s words.
Jungak shouted as if protesting.
“Why are you worrying in advance about things that have not even happened?”
“Because I am the one who will become your Cult Leader. Even if no one else does, I must worry about that.”
Jungak could not refute him.
And another crime was added on top.
“The reason I cannot forgive you is not the bribes. Today, here, you hoped Branch Master Ho would die or be injured.”
At those words, a stir ran through the surroundings.
“That is not true. If that were the case, why would I have come here?”
“Because the task of finding the one who harmed the Branch Master would fall to you anyway. You likely intended to finish everything here. Kill Branch Master Ho and take revenge as well.”
“Why would I have done that?”
The one who answered was Hogyeong.
“Because you found out I had been investigating you.”
Only now could Hogyeong be certain.
“That was why you came to me and guided me into personally taking on the mission.”
Jungak was about to shout that they should not frame him, but then his eyes met those of his subordinates. In those eyes, which had once feared him, there was now distrust and disappointment. Their respect was disappearing.
“If you lose me, it will be a great blow to our cult’s fighting strength.”
“If we consider the possibility that your sword might be pointed at us because of money, it might actually be a gain.”
“That would never have happened.”
“Who knows? What might happen if you were offered too much money to refuse?”
To Jungak, whose face was full of resentment, Geom Mugeuk spoke calmly.
“That is why. That is why you should not have accepted it from the beginning. Whether your words are true or not, everything ends up a mess like this. You become someone who looks as if he would sell me out for a few coins.”
Geom Mugeuk spoke sincerely.
“Pay for your sins and start again. When that time comes, I will give you another chance.”
For the first time, Jungak let out a long sigh.
How many years would he have to live in the dungeon? Five years? Ten?
“I do not wish to do that.”
What Jungak chose was to kill Hogyeong and die himself. He needed someone to resent, and the target of that resentment was not himself.
‘This is all your fault!’
He hurled himself at him and drew his sword.
Flash!
Just as his swift blade was about to cleave through Hogyeong’s body.
His sword, which could slice through even a massive boulder, was blocked by something—and snapped.
Clang!
The instant Jungak confirmed his opponent, his eyes bulged wide.
Pwaaaagh!
The one who had broken his sword and cut open his chest again was a terrifying evil spirit.
Slice! Slice! Slice!
From the left, the right, and behind him, the swords of evil spirits came flying in. As his entire body was carved apart, Jungak breathed his last.
Those watching were so shocked they could barely breathe.
Knowing that the Young Cult Leader’s demonic art that summoned evil spirits could only be the Guhwa Demonic Art, they all bowed their heads at once and showed their respect. This time, it was not courtesy toward Geom Mugeuk, but toward the Guhwa Demonic Art.
Seizing that moment, Chahoe, who had been Jungak’s hands and feet, tried to fulfill his dead leader’s will, but he was cut down by Hogyeong’s sword and collapsed lifelessly.
The warriors of the branch were astonished by Hogyeong’s skill. With his meticulous nature, they had only ever seen him sitting at a desk, shuffling through documents, yet Hogyeong was far more of an expert than they had imagined. Because he had never once shown off his abilities, their admiration was all the greater. If they had known this, they would have grumbled less about the increased workload.
Unlike the branch warriors, whose morale had risen, only gloom hung over the Demon Sword Squad. Corrupt warriors though they had been, they had lost their commander and their First Unit Leader.
Geom Mugeuk soothed their hearts.
“By now, at the tavern in Maga Village I often visit, everyone will be drinking. Worries about money, worries about children, worries about work, worries about people. They’ll have all kinds of worries, but at least they won’t worry that warriors of the Sado Alliance will open the tavern door, walk in, and kill them. Why? Because you are protecting this Jiangxi Branch.”
Geom Mugeuk spoke with sincerity and honesty.
“I know we give you the best treatment, and I know even that is not enough. With your skills, you could go out and earn ten times more. But in return, you would not gain the honor of being the elite Demon Sword Squad of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. You may ask whether honor puts food on the table, but you must live on honor. Because you are the people who, with that honor, let others eat their meals in peace.”
After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk added one last thing.
“Even if no one else recognizes it, I will.”
Pride and resolve entered the eyes of the Demon Sword Squad warriors. So what if it was merely comfort in words? It was comfort given by none other than the man who would become the Cult Leader.
“I will devote this one life to loyalty.”
The comfort for them was not over. It had only just begun.
“Now, everyone follow me.”
Both the Demon Sword Squad and the branch warriors followed behind Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk also spoke to Juyang.
“Lead the way.”
“Me?”
“This is where you will be the protagonist, so you should go.”
Juyang understood. He intended to take all of them to Jeokpa’s manor. It was not because he held Jeokpa in high regard.
Because Geom Mugeuk had said this to Im Jeong of the Tongcheon Pavilion.
“Send word to the Sado Alliance. Tell them it is the Jiangxi Branch’s day of unity, so they are not to bother us for today.”