The person most moved at that moment was Bisain.
Had Geom Mugeuk not killed the Poison Tyrant, there was no telling how many warriors of the Sado Alliance would have died.
And above all, he was glad that Geom Mugeuk was safe. To think the day would come when he would be glad the young cult leader of the Demonic Cult was unharmed.
The guard captain, Ingung, spat out the poison-warding bead and looked at Baek Jagang.
‘The Alliance Leader believed the young cult leader would succeed.’
As expected, his eye for people was different from his own, Ingung marveled. In truth, however, Baek Jagang had not been certain either.
He had merely felt an inexplicable sense of expectation. A baseless expectation that this young cult leader, who kept showing him a world he himself did not possess, would not die so pointlessly.
The Thirteen Wolves of the Evil Path also looked at Geom Mugeuk with great gratitude. In the past, during the fight against Seok Gwanchu and Baek Manggi, many of the Thirteen Wolves had been killed or injured, and afterward, in the process of Bisain becoming successor, a generational shift had taken place. Inevitably, their strength had weakened compared to when they had first met Geom Mugeuk. Thus, had the Poison Tyrant’s poison been released, they too would have suffered greatly.
The First Wolf’s gaze turned toward Bisain. There had been a time when he too had disliked Geom Mugeuk and had been wary of Bisain becoming close to him, but now he could say it with certainty.
— I believe the Young Alliance Leader’s choice was right.
The juniors would gradually grow under Bisain, and if they survived today’s battle, the warriors who represented the Sado Alliance would once again be the Thirteen Wolves of the Evil Path.
At the First Wolf’s sound transmission, Bisain answered with a glad heart.
— You have no idea how much strength it gives me that you came, First Wolf.
— From now on as well, I will devote this one body entirely to serving you.
The warriors of the Extreme Saber Corps felt the same. In truth, they would have suffered the greatest losses.
On top of that, their commander, Beoncheon, had one more reason to feel goodwill. He had heard from the Alliance Leader that if Geom Mugeuk had not intervened this time, he would have been made to shoulder all the blame. For that reason, his goodwill toward Geom Mugeuk was even greater.
If the warriors of the Sado Alliance were this shocked, how could their enemies not be?
The morale of the Fighting Wolves was completely broken, and the Crescent Moon Saber and the Blue Killing Ghost, who had appeared together with the Poison Tyrant, exchanged glances.
The Poison Tyrant they knew was an old man who had weathered every hardship under heaven.
‘And yet he killed him this easily?’
The Poison Tyrant was someone even they found difficult to deal with. Who here could face him comfortably?
The Crescent Moon Saber and the Blue Killing Ghost naturally looked toward the Fighting King.
The Fighting King showed not the slightest agitation at the Poison Tyrant’s death. Lingering attachment to one already dead would not help in battle in the least.
The Fighting King was calmly studying Geom Mugeuk. His first impression was similar to what the Poison Tyrant had felt. He sensed a boundless composure that seemed to come from the confidence of being the Heavenly Demon’s blood kin.
But now that it had been revealed that his composure was not of that sort, he peered deeply into what lay beneath it.
And then the Fighting King could smell it.
‘The scent of blood.’
In the Fighting King’s mind arose the image of Geom Mugeuk standing alone on a battlefield. Standing alone in a field of battle, a single sword hanging at his side.
He could feel that they were of the same breed. He could tell that youth and playfulness were concealing his true nature.
‘He is someone who must be killed today.’
The Fighting King instinctively knew that today’s battle would not be easy. What would it take to win?
In the meantime, Geom Mugeuk had approached Hyeok Sagun.
Hyeok Sagun was still in shock over the Poison Tyrant’s death. After all, the person he had trusted the most inwardly had been the Poison Tyrant.
“By the way, why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be over on that side?”
“Are you trying to slander me again?”
Hyeok Sagun had sensed that Geom Mugeuk would not leave him be.
He immediately began by needling him. Geom Mugeuk had tattled on him to Beoncheon, the commander of the Extreme Saber Corps.
“The person who framed you was this Deputy Strategist.”
“Do not believe the young cult leader’s words. It is a false accusation.”
Only after speaking did Hyeok Sagun realize it had been an inappropriate answer. He had reported to the Alliance Leader that evidence had emerged of Beoncheon colluding with the Demonic Cult, and yet now he was calling it a false accusation. What he should have said to Beoncheon was this:
Evidence has emerged that you joined hands with the Demonic Cult.
This was the first time one person had made him commit so many verbal mistakes.
‘This is all because of him.’
The reason his long-laid plans were all collapsing and falling apart. Even at this moment, the bastard was shaking him.
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“Of what?”
“You must have come this far with that man’s help. But once that man becomes leader of the Sado Alliance, do you think he’ll let you live?”
“What are you talking about? What absurd false charge are you trying to pin on me now?”
“Let’s say you became the Alliance Leader. Then would you want a strategist who forced his way up with someone else’s help? Or would you want a truly capable Chief Strategist?”
“!”
How could Hyeok Sagun not have thought of this? But he had deliberately buried it deep within his heart. The greater his yearning for success, the deeper the pit in which he buried his worries.
He trusted Hwang Seokgyeong. He would be the Alliance Leader, and Hyeok Sagun would be Chief Strategist. He had dreamed only of a shining future where they stood together by the window of the Alliance Leader’s hall, sharing memories of the past.
And now Geom Mugeuk had dug up the very thing he had buried deep inside his heart. He learned for the first time that the things one believed to have buried the deepest would pop out when prodded like this.
‘Do not drive a wedge between my lord and me!’
Hyeok Sagun nearly said that. It was something he must not say. For the moment, the fact that he was on the same side as Hwang Seokgyeong, who stood over there, could not be discovered.
“Do not try to drive a wedge between the Alliance Leader and me.”
That was the proper answer.
Once again, Geom Mugeuk struck at the heart of the matter.
“You are deceiving yourself far too much just to take the mere twenty or so steps from here to where that man is standing.”
“!”
For an instant, Hyeok Sagun could not answer.
Geom Mugeuk gave him no time to rest, shaking him relentlessly. Geom Mugeuk shouted to the Fighting King.
“If you don’t withdraw, I’ll kill your strategist here.”
But the Fighting King did not retreat a single step.
“See that man’s reaction? And you still say this isn’t being discarded after the hunt?”
Hyeok Sagun was inwardly flustered. He recalled what Geom Mugeuk had said earlier. Would you want a strategist who forced his way up? Or a truly capable strategist?
“Now then, confess clearly what you’ve been hiding as your final move, and come back to this side.”
At that, the Fighting King, who had been watching, stepped forward.
“Do not trouble yourself trying to hide your identity. The Alliance Leader already knows. He is mocking you.”
Hyeok Sagun looked at Baek Jagang in disbelief. If Hwang Seokgyeong said such a thing, Baek Jagang should naturally react to him, but Baek Jagang did not even look at him. With that, he knew.
‘He really did know.’
It was the moment when the true nature of the unease and discord he had felt the entire way here was clearly revealed. He did not even ask why Hyeok Sagun had betrayed him.
Bisain did not spare him a single glance either. Since he had tried to kill him, he should have at least hurled abuse, but instead he ignored him completely.
Beoncheon and the Thirteen Wolves of the Evil Path, following their master’s will, did not look at him at all.
Finally, he looked at Geom Mugeuk. Geom Mugeuk gave him one last remark.
“Look carefully. There may be a great cauldron hanging behind him, waiting to boil you.”
It would have been better not to hear it.
The Fighting King said to Hyeok Sagun,
“Come here.”
Was it all right to go like this? Would someone ambush and kill him?
He worried over such things, but he had no other choice.
Hyeok Sagun slowly walked toward the Fighting King.
He did not feel good. He had intended to reveal his betrayal in a far more dramatic and magnificent fashion.
He had planned to look down at the dying Baek Jagang and say this:
— I betrayed you.
Then the Alliance Leader would sigh like this.
— I cannot believe it. You were the traitor?
It would be the Fighting King who killed the Alliance Leader, but he had harbored the desire to be the final protagonist. He had imagined his final moment with the Alliance Leader countless times.
And yet, with his identity exposed in such a pathetically dull manner, he was walking toward the Fighting King.
He would rather someone had hurled curses at him, but no one paid him any mind.
Hyeok Sagun felt it in his bones: being ignored was more unpleasant than being hated.
The one who completed this worst of endings was the Fighting King.
The Fighting King gave him no meaningful words.
You have worked hard all this time. A new history will begin now. Thanks to you, we came this far.
Hyeok Sagun desperately hoped for just one such word of praise. The only thing that could sweep away this thorough disregard was a single word from the Fighting King.
“Stay behind me.”
But that one sentence was all.
The Fighting King’s gaze turned back to Baek Jagang.
Hyeok Sagun felt it. At this moment, he was nothing more than an existence that would get in the way of the fight.
Even as he understood the Fighting King, he could not help feeling hurt. Without realizing it, Hyeok Sagun clenched his fist and walked behind him. In the cauldron hanging within his heart, water began to boil.
The Fighting King asked Baek Jagang,
“Since when did you know?”
“A few days ago.”
“There should have been no evidence.”
Baek Jagang nodded. He was right. Had Geom Mugeuk not appeared, he would not have thought Hyeok Sagun had betrayed him until the very last moment.
Who would dare imagine that someone had recruited his strategist, intended to make him Chief Strategist, kill the Young Alliance Leader, and even aim for the position of Sado Alliance Leader?
Baek Jagang’s gaze turned toward Geom Mugeuk.
“He insisted stubbornly. So stubbornly that I believed the words of the young cult leader of the Demonic Cult over those of our own Deputy Strategist.”
He had called it stubborn, but in truth, the word should have been charming. The moments he spent with Geom Mugeuk had been fresh and amusing. That was why, in the end, they had managed to come this far.
At this moment, how could Geom Mugeuk possibly miss the chance to be glib?
“Ah! There truly was an effort that brought blood to the eyes. Even the young cult leader of the Demonic Cult is working this hard, so what are you doing here instead of accepting the new recruits you’re supposed to take in? Did you get tired of giving others a fresh start and decide to make one yourself?”
The Fighting King sensed that this was the sort of thing one was deceived by. His opponent was looking at him from the battlefield while covered in blood. Because the Poison Tyrant had failed to see that, he had died.
Into the heavy silence, Goeak walked forward.
“It seems the conversation to be shared by mouth has been had to some extent.”
Goeak pointed to one person.
“You. Let us have a look at each other.”
His opponent was none other than the Crescent Moon Saber, one of the Seven Great Masters of the Evil Path.
“If we have to fight anyway, fighting first would be more dignified in many ways.”
It meant that as time passed, the battle would descend into a melee. The Crescent Moon Saber accepted the proposal to fight now rather than then.
“You are right.”
As the two men stepped forward, the warriors who had been facing each other also withdrew, naturally creating space for the two to fight.
Because it was a fight between the Seven Great Masters of the Evil Path, everyone held their breath.
Bisain was worried about Goeak. He had come here today for his sake while his body had still not fully recovered.
— Senior, please be careful.
At Bisain’s concern, Goeak, with his back turned, nodded once.
The Crescent Moon Saber drew a blade curved like a crescent moon. Emitting a sharp killing edge, he launched the first attack.
The crescent moon, beautiful when floating in the sky, became savage when it descended to earth.
Shik, shik, shik, shik, shiiiik!
In an instant, dozens of lines of saber light were drawn, and Goeak found a path between the lines that divided life from death. Since he had mastered the body art, the Iron Man of Severing Strikes, he had to close the distance.
Because they knew each other’s abilities well, the fight became fierce in an instant. Saber qi flew in, and the astral qi that shot from Goeak’s entire body swept through the surroundings.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
Even watching was perilous. They fought without the slightest regard for those around them.
Those watching released sword qi to block the saber qi that spilled backward, and at times they threw themselves aside to dodge.
Swaaaaaaak!
Crescent-shaped saber qi was released in succession. It was a powerful attack that would make bone and flesh vanish without a trace from the slightest graze.
This time, screams erupted here and there. A Fighting Wolf who failed to dodge in time was swept away by the saber qi and sent flying.
Those watching retreated. Those with relatively weaker martial arts moved even farther away.
Amid that chaos, Baek Jagang and the Fighting King were facing each other. They did not watch the fight. They stared only into each other’s eyes. Saber qi brushed past the side of their faces, but neither moved a single step. They were still, as though standing in a different space.
From the moment Baek Jagang learned that his opponent had brought the Poison Tyrant, he no longer regarded him as a warrior, but as an assassin. If he was someone for whom only victory mattered, then Baek Jagang intended to deal with him accordingly. His opponent was someone who could leap into this fight at any time and launch a joint attack.
‘Try moving once.’
Because Baek Jagang was restraining him so powerfully, Geom Mugeuk could watch the fight between the two with an easy heart.
He placed himself within their battle. He became the Crescent Moon Saber, and he became Goeak.
The martial art the Crescent Moon Saber had mastered was saber technique while his own was sword technique, and Goeak’s was body art while his own was fist technique, but Geom Mugeuk perfectly overlaid his own martial arts onto their movements. If it were me, like this. If I had been there, like that.
For Geom Mugeuk, experiencing such a thing while watching a life-and-death battle between the Seven Great Masters of the Evil Path was of great help.
A single instant’s mistake would lead to defeat. They were truly engaged in a contest so close that the loser would feel wronged.
The only difference was the reason the two had entered the fight.
And it seemed Goeak’s reason was more special, and stronger.
Piercing through the flashing saber light, Goeak’s elbow struck the Crescent Moon Saber’s shoulder.
A momentary stagger. That was the end. If he were someone who missed such an opportunity, Goeak would never have risen to the position of one of the Seven Great Masters of the Evil Path.
Puh-eok! Kwajik.
Goeak slammed the Crescent Moon Saber’s chest with his own back and shoulder. The instant the Crescent Moon Saber was pushed back and vomited blood, Goeak had already sealed his paralysis point and wrapped an arm around his neck from behind.
“Do you have any last words?”
“I feel filthy.”
“Isn’t living filthily and dying filthily the way of us on the Evil Path?”
Kwaduk!
The Crescent Moon Saber’s neck bone snapped at a right angle, and he died instantly.
Goeak slowly turned and walked back. Everyone watched him in silence.
Because he had overexerted his internal energy, blood was flowing down from the corner of Goeak’s mouth.
Bisain ran out to meet him.
“Are you all right?”
Goeak nodded with a pale face.
“A fight like this was not bad either.”
It meant that he had fought only for himself all his life, and for the first time, he had fought for someone else.
“I will not forget this moment.”
At least in this moment, Bisain was Geom Mugeuk, and Goeak was Geugak Soma.
Absolute Regression, Chapter 370