At the words that he had become a monster, the Battle King laughed at first.
Even he thought the expression was fitting.
But soon, an unbearable rage surged up within him.
Originally, he was the man who should have become the leader of the Sado Alliance. Yet now, he was spewing poison from his entire body and being called a monster.
‘And whose fault is all this!’
An aura in which fighting spirit and killing intent mingled erupted from his body with overwhelming force.
Whoooooosh!
At the energy that flew toward them as if it would pierce through body and mind alike, the martial artists of both the Murim Alliance and the Sado Alliance drew up their internal energy and steadied their hearts.
As if he had not yet shown the full extent of his skill, the Battle King revealed an even stronger presence.
For now, as if they intended to watch the battle between the Battle King and Geom Mugeuk, the other enemies did not move.
He did not know when the Dark King would order them to attack, but Geom Mugeuk focused only on the Battle King.
If he followed his heart, he wanted to use the Ninefire Demonic Art immediately. But inside Cheonhwaru, there were far more martial artists on their side than enemies. Outside the wall were the Faceless Guests as well. If he used it carelessly, their own people could be swept up in it.
If he used anything, it would have to be the Human-Extinction Form or the Darkness Flash, something aimed at a single person.
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned toward the palanquin behind the Battle King.
That cautious Dark King had surely anticipated that he would use the Ninefire Demonic Art. That was why he had to be as careful as possible. There was no telling what preparations they had made.
Hiding those thoughts, Geom Mugeuk showed ease.
“Doesn’t hanging metal off those fists make you slower?”
“It’ll hurt more instead. Every time I look at these chains, I’ll remember you. You, reduced to a handful of bloody pulp on these fists.”
Then Geom Mugeuk said something unexpected.
“After I kill you, I’m thinking of taking those chains as spoils.”
To remember me? Naturally, that was what the Battle King thought. Of course, Geom Mugeuk did not live up to that expectation.
“We can’t hold ourselves back when we see chains made with ten-thousand-year cold iron.”
It was something he had once said about Gowol’s chains.
“I’m going to melt them down and make daggers with these friends as a keepsake this time. Ah, I suppose I’ll think of you now and then when I peel fruit.”
An even deeper killing intent flowed through the Battle King’s eyes.
“You’ll have to melt these chains in the fires of hell!”
Shwaaaaaak!
When the Battle King’s fist struck the air, a strand of fist aura was unleashed.
Kwaaaang!
The aura, stretching out like a beam of light, slammed straight into Geom Mugeuk.
Whoooooom!
A whirlwind raged around Geom Mugeuk, and dust burst up in a cloud.
Rumble, rumble.
Far behind where Geom Mugeuk had been standing, a wall collapsed outright.
Then, farther back, the wall of the building behind it collapsed, and again the force pierced through the inner building and brought down the wall of the rear courtyard. It was a terrifying power that seemed as though it would have pierced on endlessly if there had been more buildings behind it.
Fist wind swept through the surroundings, fiercely whipping the hems of the watching people’s clothes.
Everyone’s gazes turned toward Geom Mugeuk. Bi Sain, Jin Hagun, Jin Haryeong, and Yeo Jeong all looked at him with eyes full of worry. That last move had been so powerful that the thought he might have suffered a grave injury arose naturally.
Only the Extreme Evil Soma stared at the place where Geom Mugeuk stood with an unchanged gaze.
The rising dust settled.
Geom Mugeuk was standing there with his arms crossed before him.
He had blocked it without taking even a single step back.
The Battle King had expected this scene—Geom Mugeuk suddenly coughing up blood.
Instead of blood, Geom Mugeuk spat out an irritating remark.
“Those chains—what’s so impressive about them that we’d have to go all the way to hell to melt them? Artisan Gwak of our cult’s iron workshop would melt them down just fine.”
The Battle King’s expression turned grave.
‘His internal energy overwhelms mine?’
When he had come back to life this time, his internal energy had also improved greatly in the course of the treatment. On top of that, the Dark Heaven Night Divine Art was being displayed as well, so blocking that last move in place should only have been possible for someone on the level of the Demon Cult Leader or the Alliance Leader.
In the Battle King’s two eyes, the desire to defeat Geom Mugeuk swelled into madness.
“Looks like I’m not the only monster here.”
At the Battle King’s words, Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,
“It wouldn’t be any fun if there were only ugly monsters like you, would it? I’m the peerless handsome man of the monster world, the peerless beautiful monster.”
He calls that talking? The Battle King had truly never seen such a powerful expert make people so furious with words.
At that very moment!
Whoosh!
Geom Mugeuk crossed the space in an instant with the Nether King Step. In a fight against a formidable enemy, when Geom Mugeuk made jokes to provoke his opponent, it was always to unsettle their mind.
Geom Mugeuk’s sword, which had rushed in instantly, thrust toward his face in a surprise attack.
Shiiiiik!
The Battle King twisted his body to avoid the sword and threw a punch. The Battle King was certainly strong.
Whoooom!
Geom Mugeuk’s sword grazed the Battle King’s ear, and the Battle King’s fist grazed Geom Mugeuk’s jaw.
Skaaaak!
The Black Demon Sword immediately changed direction and tried to strike the Battle King’s neck, while the Battle King’s fist flew toward his side.
Geom Mugeuk did not dodge and sent his sword forward as it was. The one who gave up his attack and evaded was the Battle King.
Leaping back, he asked with a startled expression,
“Were you prepared for mutual destruction?”
Though it had only been his side, if he had taken that power head-on, it meant he would not have survived.
“No. I knew you’d dodge.”
“Why were you so sure?”
“If you didn’t have that much attachment to life, would you have come back looking like that?”
At Geom Mugeuk’s provocation, the Battle King surged with killing intent and charged.
Chang-chang-chang-chang!
The Battle King blocked the Black Demon Sword with his fists. The chains wrapped around his fists were not cut even by the Black Demon Sword.
Every time sword and fist collided, sparks flew with sharp metallic sounds.
They were two men whose experience in battle could be said to have reached the extreme.
They were a volcano and a sea, each trying to swallow the other whole.
If the Battle King’s fists were exploding lava, then Geom Mugeuk’s sword became a tidal wave that crashed down upon him.
The two, who had been exchanging sword and fist in one spot, charged forward together as they fought.
They fought their way into Cheonhwaru. From the first floor to the second, from the second to the third. Only the sounds of their battle could be heard. They were not visible, but the sounds were so intense that it felt as vivid as if they were fighting right before one’s eyes. The higher they climbed, the faster the sounds of sword and fist colliding became.
Bang!
The two broke through the roof and soared into the night sky.
Chang-chang-chang-chang-chang-chang-chang-chang!
Sword and fist embroidered the sky.
It looked as though dozens of people were fighting at once.
To the eyes of those watching, dozens of swords and dozens of fists appeared in the night sky at the same time.
The lines created by sword and fist were truly art.
A wonder beyond admiration.
The gazes of the Faceless Guests were also turned toward the sky, and the eyes in the darkness looked up as well.
At least in this moment, everyone watched not as enemy or ally, but as a single martial artist.
The emotion that arose in Jin Haryeong’s heart was this:
‘Beautiful.’
Jin Hagun felt regret. He wanted to show this scene to every martial artist of the Murim Alliance. Originally, he should have said, These are the enemies you face, but—
He wanted to tell them this: This is the path you must walk. This is what you train to unfold. That was how perfect the battle between the two appeared in Jin Hagun’s eyes.
Chang-chang-chang-chang-chang-chang-chang-chang!
As sword and fist collided, brilliant sparks bloomed.
Thus, new stars appeared and vanished in the night sky.
Bi Sain felt two conflicting emotions.
First, he was glad. Glad that a Geom Mugeuk this strong was his friend.
At the same time, he was afraid. He was looking at the future Demon Cult Leader. He was already this strong now, so how strong would he be once he became the Demon Cult Leader? To match this cult leader, how hard would Bi Sain have to work?
He was sincerely glad, and yet his chest grew heavy at the same time.
Shwaaaaaaak.
The two fell back down to the ground and fought.
As the wall collapsed with a rumble, the Faceless Guests confronting one another outside and the eyes in the darkness came into view.
Gradually, the number of martial artists in the darkness increased, so the number of eyes became countless, but the Faceless Guests showed no sign of fear. As the standoff dragged on, they left only a few people in front while the rest sat perched on the wall or squatted on tree branches.
Thus, as the two exchanged sword and fist, they passed between the Faceless Guests and the eyes in the darkness.
Thud!
Geom Mugeuk was shoved backward, sliding all the way back into Cheonhwaru.
The gazes of the Faceless Guests all turned at once toward the inside of Cheonhwaru. There, Geom Mugeuk was grimacing as he rubbed his chest.
This time, the Faceless Guests looked in the opposite direction.
Though he had driven a blow into Geom Mugeuk’s chest, the Battle King did not rejoice. Blood was streaming down from the deep cut on his arm.
The Battle King strode once more between them and walked into Cheonhwaru.
The Faceless Guests watched him pass with strange gazes.
Thus the two stood facing each other again.
“You! What the hell are you?”
No matter that he was the Young Cult Leader of the Demon Cult, no matter that he was a genius of martial arts—
The Battle King glared at Geom Mugeuk with an expression that said he could not possibly understand.
Still wearing a pained expression, Geom Mugeuk rubbed his chest and said,
“If they made you, who were dying, this strong, it must have cost an enormous amount of money.”
For a moment, it seemed unclear why he was saying that all of a sudden.
“I want to send you back alive again.”
“What nonsense is that?”
The Battle King still did not understand what he meant.
“If I send you back half-dead, your organization won’t be able to do anything else while they’re busy bringing you back to life again, will they?”
“You lunatic! You get hit and still spout nonsense!”
Just then, as blazing rage exploded in the Battle King’s eyes—
The Dark King’s voice came from the palanquin. She had stepped in to calm the Battle King’s excitement.
“I heard this many times. That the Young Cult Leader was far stronger than we expected. I thought it was an excuse for failure, but it seems it was true.”
Bi Sain and Jin Hagun both agreed with her words. Geom Mugeuk grew stronger every time they met him. Realistically, there was no way to understand how that was possible.
Having confirmed Geom Mugeuk’s ability firsthand, the Dark King introduced a change into this evenly matched fight.
“Shall we begin the hunt?”
It was an order given to the Dog Seller.
If a chaotic melee broke out on all sides, the one whose concentration would be shaken would naturally be Geom Mugeuk. The Battle King would not care in the slightest about the lives of his comrades, but Geom Mugeuk would care more than anyone.
Sure enough, Geom Mugeuk looked at everyone. His eyes said, Hold out until I come save you! but the words that came from his mouth were the exact opposite.
“Hurry up and kill them, then come save me.”
A faint smile formed at the corners of Bi Sain’s mouth. Yes, even in this urgent moment, I must learn from that composure.
Bi Sain said to the Thirteen Wolves of the Sado Alliance lined up before him,
“You heard him. Let us dispose of them quickly and go help the Young Cult Leader.”
“Yes!”
The Thirteen Wolves of the Sado Alliance answered vigorously.
The four black-masked figures standing before them spread out to the left and right, creating distance. They displayed an unusual lightness skill, as though gliding over ice.
It was the same for Jin Hagun.
“Did everyone hear that?”
At his powerful question, the Demon Annihilation Squad answered resoundingly, as if refusing to lose to the Thirteen Wolves of the Sado Alliance.
The Heavenly Monster faced them alone, yet for some reason his expression was relaxed. It was clear that something had been prepared.
The hellhounds looked up at the Extreme Evil Soma and growled. Red light blazed and rose from both their eyes.
Shuk!
At that very moment, the Blood Calamity Finger was unleashed in a way no one had expected.
The finger wind was not headed for the hellhounds.
Thud!
The place where the Blood Calamity Finger struck, stretching out as fast as light, was the Dog Seller.
A hole was pierced through the forehead of the Dog Seller, who failed to dodge in time.
The Dog Seller’s slowly toppling body vanished with a puff, turning into black smoke.
The Extreme Evil Soma’s eyes seemed to have anticipated this situation.
“As expected.”
The weakness of sorcery that summoned beasts like these was that the opponent would aim for the one controlling them.
The Dog Seller had also anticipated that the Extreme Evil Soma would aim for him and had put forth an illusion.
The Extreme Evil Soma could tell where he was hiding. Since he was facing the Extreme Evil Soma, he would not be able to control these creatures delicately from far away.
The Extreme Evil Soma’s gaze turned toward the hellhounds.
He had hidden by becoming one of those hellhounds.
From the two eyes behind the Extreme Evil Soma’s mask, pure white demonic energy poured out.
The air around them began to grow heavy and stifling.
The Extreme Evil Soma’s unique demonic energy, the Laughing Evil Heart, had been unleashed.
Graaaah!
A nearby hellhound grew excited and leapt up toward the roof where the Extreme Evil Soma stood.
Thud!
The Blood Calamity Finger pierced through its body, but it continued to charge.
As the hellhound lunged to tear out his throat, he seized it by the scruff of the neck and slammed it repeatedly into the floor.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sssssss.
The hellhound began to vanish into black smoke.
This, too, was not a real living dog, but sorcery created by the Dog Seller.
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk’s and the Extreme Evil Soma’s gazes met.
The Extreme Evil Soma leapt down into the middle of the hellhounds and said,
“Do not worry. I am damn good at dogfights!”
From all sides, the hellhounds charged at the Extreme Evil Soma in unison.
As the Extreme Evil Soma’s battle began, the four black-clad men holding lanterns, dragging long shadows connected to the palanquin, flew toward Bi Sain.
Jin Hagun and the Demon Annihilation Squad did not see that sight.
At the very moment they were about to attack the Heavenly Monster—
All of them disappeared from that place.
Geom Mugeuk could tell. They had all entered the formation created by the Heavenly Monster.
As everyone entered battle like that, the Dark King’s enchanting voice came from the palanquin.
“I can feel the Young Cult Leader’s heart trembling with fear that he might lose his friends.”
How could Geom Mugeuk not know she was trying to shake him? Even so, Geom Mugeuk readily admitted it.
“You saw correctly. I am a man who lives with the anxiety that a friend might die in a place like this.”
“Then if we take your friend hostage, we can kill the Young Cult Leader easily.”
Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
“That is not true either.”
“Why is that?”
“Because I am selfish. Truly selfish, so I want to save all my friends. For my own sake. Because I want to become someone who saved them all.”
“……”
“So it won’t work. Because I know all too well that it is my weakness.”
The Dark King fell silent for a moment, then soon spoke calmly.
“It is not easy to understand a person like the Young Cult Leader.”
“Then I will teach you one thing.”
Geom Mugeuk brought up something she had not expected at all.
“Because of my anxiety that I might lose someone I must not lose, I also underwent a Grand Art. Every day, at that.”
He could feel both the Battle King and the Dark King inside the palanquin being startled.
“My Grand Art will be no less formidable than yours.”
“What Grand Art is it?”
Because of the ability he had shown earlier, and because of his status as the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the thought that he truly might have undergone some sort of Grand Art would occur to them.
It had been a conversation begun to shake Geom Mugeuk, yet instead, the two of them were now thrown into confusion.
Geom Mugeuk did not tell them and drew the Black Demon Sword again. It was something he had done every day, from his life before his regression until now.
“Taste my Grand Art for yourselves.”
The name of that Grand Art was effort.