Beneath the blazing sunlight, the Dark King was wavering perilously, as if she might vanish at any moment.
But Geom Mugeuk knew. She was not an opponent who would simply disappear into nothingness like this.
“It cost an enormous sum to save that man. What a shame.”
Even in this situation, she maintained her composure.
Geom Mugeuk looked at Geugak Soma and said,
“I should have blown off only half his head and sent him back alive. So they’d go bankrupt trying to save him.”
As he joked, Geom Mugeuk’s hand naturally touched Geugak Soma’s back.
Wooooong.
Internal energy began to flow stealthily into Geugak Soma. He was trying to share a portion of what remained of his internal energy with him.
Geugak Soma did not refuse and accepted the energy. The Dark King might target him now that his internal energy had run out. If so, Geom Mugeuk would try to protect him.
If that energy was going to be spent that way, it was better to pass it to him instead. As always, he trusted the Young Cult Leader’s choice.
“We wouldn’t have saved him twice. Even that one time, our opinions were divided.”
“Which side were you on? Ah, of course you must have been on the side that wanted to save him.”
The wavering shadow shook her head. Though she had come with the Fighting King, it seemed she had hoped he would not be saved.
“You were the one who rescued him, weren’t you?”
“I was only following orders.”
It was likely not a lie. To her, who lived in the world of night, all those who lived in the day would hold no meaning.
Was the one who gave the order Hwa Mugi? Or someone else?
Geom Mugeuk wanted to ask directly about Hwa Mugi. What was he doing now? Was he still the leader of these people at this point in time? What was he thinking?
But he had no intention of mentioning Hwa Mugi at all. Many things had already changed in this life, but even so, he would not touch that matter to the end.
Because he hoped that Hwa Mugi, at least, would appear at that future time according to his original fate. Because the ones who should face him were not the present them, but the future them.
Instead of asking about him, he asked about the Dark King.
“If you disappear from here, what happens to your true body? Does it die in the palanquin?”
Geom Mugeuk thought her real body must be inside the palanquin.
“Why do you assume I will lose to the Young Cult Leader?”
“Because we have no intention of losing.”
“The Demon Venerable’s internal energy must be exhausted, and you, Young Cult Leader, should have little internal energy left to maintain this Space-Time Transposition Art, no?”
Indeed, the sunlight that had been shining fiercely was gradually losing its brilliance. Unable to maintain the blazing sun, he was now allowing time in this place to flow.
“To be honest, even this much is truly astonishing. No matter if you are the successor of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, how did you gather such internal energy at your age?”
Geom Mugeuk truly displayed profound power that seemed without end.
“I am the incarnation of greed. So I had thought this much would be enough, but from now on, I intend to gather much more. I made up my mind after meeting you. When it comes to internal energy and martial arts, I must not be the incarnation of greed, but greed itself. Only then will I be able to face you people.”
In the meantime, all the internal energy had been transmitted to Geugak Soma. Even while conversing, Geom Mugeuk had displayed the divine feat of passing on internal energy without his opponent noticing.
Geom Mugeuk drew the Black Demon Sword. As though it had been tempered by the Fighting King’s fist, an even sharper edge of killing intent flowed along the blade.
“Now, let’s finish this. I have a banquet appointment with my friends.”
Geom Mugeuk did not lose his composure.
Geugak Soma, too, gazed at the Dark King with calm eyes, both arms hanging at his sides.
The Dark King’s gaze turned toward the two of them, then toward the sun behind them. In that brief time, it had descended quite a bit more.
The moment her eyes grew intense, black smoke whirled around her and rose into the air.
Where the smoke vanished, a woman stood. Astonishingly, the Dark King had been here, not in the palanquin.
“It won’t be a banquet. It will be the memorial day for all of you.”
A woman dressed in black martial robes.
Her appearance was the complete opposite of her voice. Her features protruded, were torn and unbalanced; she had, in truth, looked far more beautiful when she had been wavering.
Her voice was different as well. A grating, shrill voice that jarred the ears.
“You damned son of a bitch Young Cult Leader!”
As if this were her original personality, her two eyes were filled only with deep hatred.
“I think I understand why you descended into that person’s body to fight.”
Killing intent flashed through the Dark King’s eyes. She had expected mockery that it was because of her appearance, but Geom Mugeuk was looking at something else.
“You are someone with a strong desire to live.”
She did not deny it. When she descended into someone, even if that vessel died, she herself did not. But now that her body was revealed, it was different. She could truly die.
“Even if I die, I won’t die in this filthy world of yours!”
The Dark King launched a surprise attack, striking out with both palms.
Shwaaaaaak.
She thought Geom Mugeuk would dodge, but Geugak Soma, who had no internal energy, would not be able to.
Yet Geugak Soma evaded her attack and even counterattacked.
Shuk!
She barely avoided the Blood Calamity Finger that flew at her.
She had been the one to launch the surprise attack, yet she was the one more startled. The Dark King shouted irritably,
“You monstrous bastards! Where the hell does your internal energy come from?”
Shwaaaaaaak!
The ground overturned beneath her palm technique. The cliff they stood on shook as if it might collapse at any moment.
But the martial arts she displayed in a place that was not darkness were nothing more and nothing less than “impressive.” Merely impressive was not enough to catch Geom Mugeuk and Geugak Soma.
Compensating for her lacking skill with internal energy, she continued the fierce battle.
And from the very beginning of this fight, the moment she had been waiting for arrived.
As Geom Mugeuk approached her, he suddenly looked at his hand. A reddish hue was seeping into it. In the distance, the sunset had begun to fall—the hour of dog and wolf, when day and night crossed.
And this moment was the hour of the wolf.
For an instant, it seemed a white rim formed once more around her pupils.
Then her body changed back into a shadow of darkness.
Srrrk.
In that instant, she vanished from sight.
Geom Mugeuk was startled. He had never seen movement this fast before.
“She seems to have used the Dark Path Return Art!”
He had thought she would not be able to use it here!
Geom Mugeuk turned toward Geugak Soma, then flinched in shock.
Geom Mugeuk’s eyes sank coldly. She had not used the Dark Path Return Art.
The Dark King’s face was wavering over Geugak Soma’s mask.
The Dark King had descended into Geugak Soma’s body.
From the moment the fight began, she had aimed for only this single instant. The instant when the light disappeared and she could use the Dark Descent Art.
It would have been better if she could have descended into Geom Mugeuk’s body, but she could not descend into the body of Geom Mugeuk, who had trained in the Nine Flowers Demon Art and the Heavenly Demon Body-Protecting Art.
Geom Mugeuk stared at Geugak Soma in shock. Geugak Soma’s eyes were also startled. It meant that though his body had been controlled, his mind had not. Even with the Fighting King, the two had remained separate.
“One cannot use the Dark Descent Art twice in a single day.”
Her voice had once again become alluring and beautiful.
“If one does, a curse descends. What curse might that be?”
She continued with shocking words.
“It is the curse of never being able to escape the body one has descended into. I will be with Geugak Soma forever.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Geom Mugeuk did not believe her. If such a curse existed, she would never have used the descent art.
Her clear, ringing laughter echoed out. She truly laughed like a madwoman.
“That’s right, it is nonsense. I simply cannot leave this body for the next three days. Until then, we live together and die together. That is more than enough time to kill all of you.”
Geom Mugeuk looked into Geugak Soma’s eyes beneath her wavering gaze. Rather, the eyes of the one directly involved were calm.
But his body was being controlled by the Dark King.
Shuk!
Blood Calamity Finger shot from Geugak Soma’s finger. His hand and the wavering shadow of the Dark King overlapped as they moved. Geugak Soma could not control his own body. That was because the internal energy of the descended Dark King was greater.
Geom Mugeuk threw himself aside and avoided the Blood Calamity Finger. He had never imagined a situation would come where he had to dodge Geugak Soma’s Blood Calamity Finger.
Shuk! Shuk!
Geom Mugeuk threw himself aside again. The Blood Calamity Finger grazed past his side.
“No!”
Despite Geugak Soma’s cry, the Blood Calamity Finger instead split apart and aimed for Geom Mugeuk.
Pak! Pak!
Blood burst from Geom Mugeuk’s shoulder. Once the Dark King descended into Geugak Soma, the power of the Blood Calamity Finger became even faster and stronger. For Geom Mugeuk, whose internal energy was exhausted, it was nothing short of a calamity.
“Do not worry, Lord Soma! I will find a way!”
Even while dodging the Blood Calamity Finger, Geom Mugeuk instead reassured Geugak Soma. But no method came to mind.
He could not release the Space-Time Transposition Art.
He could not know the situation outside, and even if Jin Hagun and Bisain were waiting for him, he could not attack Geugak Soma.
What worried him more than anything was the possibility that she would disappear with Geugak Soma using the Dark Path Return Art.
If Geugak Soma were dragged away by them like this?
They would kill Geugak Soma miserably. And if they kept him alive, his fate would be more wretched than death.
Puh-uk!
The Blood Calamity Finger bent and split apart, spraying blood from Geom Mugeuk’s body once more.
Geugak Soma shouted,
“Release the Space-Time Transposition Art, Young Cult Leader!”
He meant for him to join forces with the comrades outside.
‘At this rate, the Young Cult Leader will die.’
But Geom Mugeuk did not release it.
Geugak Soma thought there was only one way to resolve this situation.
“Young Cult Leader, you must kill me.”
The Dark King laughed and said,
“I know how much the Young Cult Leader cherishes you. The Young Cult Leader will never be able to kill you.”
Geom Mugeuk nodded and admitted it.
“I would rather die myself than do that. Please wait. I will find a way!”
Of course, Geugak Soma believed in Geom Mugeuk.
But right now, there was no time and no internal energy.
At this rate, he would die here. The killing intent of the Dark King lodged in his body was firm, and Geom Mugeuk would never attack him.
Geugak Soma’s eyes deepened as he resolved himself to something.
Shuk shuk shuk!
Puk! Puk!
Because he was using his remaining internal energy to maintain the Space-Time Transposition Art, Geom Mugeuk continued to be wounded. He avoided fatal injuries, but Geom Mugeuk’s entire body was soaked in blood.
Whiriririk.
Black smoke rose from beneath Geom Mugeuk’s feet like vines and bound his body. Injured and exhausted, Geom Mugeuk could not shake off that energy. Even in this situation, Geom Mugeuk did not release the Space-Time Transposition Art.
“Now, I’ll finish you with the very move that blew off that man’s head.”
The moment she raised her hand to unleash the Demon Extreme Berserk Palm.
The Dark King’s eyes widened in shock.
“!”
Only her wavering arm had stretched forward.
Geugak Soma’s arm remained where it was. His body had rejected her.
‘He can withstand the command of descent? How?’
It was something the Dark King had never experienced even once.
The Dark King tried to control him again and make him move. But Geugak Soma did not budge. Red veins burst in the two eyes within the mask.
And that was not all.
Geugak Soma’s arm began to rise slowly. He was not merely rejecting the Dark King; he was moving on his own.
Geugak Soma’s mind was filled entirely with white. He was now standing in his room. Standing there, staring at the long line drawn across the wall. The power of darkness could not invade the mind of Geugak Soma, who stood in the midst of pure white.
The place Geugak Soma’s hand was headed was not toward Geom Mugeuk. It was rising toward his own head. Since she had said she could not leave this body for three days, he intended to die together with the Dark King.
“No! Lord Soma! You mustn’t!”
Despite Geom Mugeuk’s cry, Geugak Soma’s arm continued to rise.
“Lord Soma! Soma, no!”
Though Geom Mugeuk shouted, the arm kept rising.
The Dark King was desperate as well. If Geugak Soma died, she too would die.
Black energy flowed out and tried to stop him, but it could not overcome Geugak Soma’s will.
The power Geugak Soma displayed now surpassed human will.
“Release this! Hurry!”
Without hesitation, the Dark King released the energy binding Geom Mugeuk. First, she had to survive.
The very instant the palm was heading toward Geugak Soma’s white mask—
Grip.
Geom Mugeuk seized his arm and turned the palm toward himself. By a hair’s breadth, the Demon Extreme Berserk Palm was not unleashed.
Geom Mugeuk and Geugak Soma’s gazes tangled in midair. The two asked and answered with their eyes.
Are you truly going to do this?
Yes. If it means I can save the Young Cult Master, I will.
Yes, he would. Just as I will not give up on him, he will not give up on me. That is why I have to find another way.
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned to the Dark King’s wavering shadow.
‘If only I could grab that!’
Geom Mugeuk seized that arm.
But it slipped through his hand like smoke.
He grabbed and grabbed again, but the shadow could not be caught.
‘Please! Please!’
When that desperation reached its peak, Geom Mugeuk’s body responded.
Wooooong!
With a deep vibration, something that had only been sleeping within his body until now awakened.
The energy that Bigwe had absorbed began to move. Among it, the energy now stirring was none other than the Black Crystal’s power.
As the Black Crystal’s energy rushed into Geom Mugeuk’s hands, black energy began to ripple around them as well.
Clench.
The next moment, the Dark King’s wrist was caught in Geom Mugeuk’s hand.
The Dark King was shocked, and so was Geom Mugeuk. The Dark King’s astonished expression rippled over the white mask. Beneath it, within the eyeholes, Geugak Soma’s eyes also shone with surprise.
“I caught you!”
Geom Mugeuk gripped the Dark King’s hand tightly. The Dark King tried to shake him off, but how could Geom Mugeuk ever let go of that hand? He pulled with the resolve that he would not release it even if his arm were severed.
Riiiiip.
Her body began to be dragged out of Geugak Soma.
“Lord Soma! Back!”
Geugak Soma exerted force in the opposite direction, trying to free himself from her.
“……Impossible!”
The dark energy flowing from her shocked body clawed at Geom Mugeuk’s arm.
Pak! Pak!
Blood sprayed from his arm, but Geom Mugeuk did not let go of her hand. Fortunately, the supreme-grade Heavenly Silkworm Thread wrapped around his arm prevented it from being cut.
Geom Mugeuk had only one thought: if he let go of this hand, Geugak Soma would die.
“Just a little more! Just a little more! Uaaaaaaah!”
Riiiiip.
Little by little, she was pulled out.
And the very moment the Dark King was completely separated from Geugak Soma’s body—
Hwaaaaak! Sarak!
The Black Crystal’s energy devoured that darkness in an instant, as if swallowing it whole.
“Aaaaaagh!”
At the same time, her original form was revealed.
“You! What in the world are you!”
Geom Mugeuk was just as shocked as she was. Her dark energy had already been absorbed by the Black Crystal’s power, and then, as if nothing had happened, it lay dormant within his body.
“……No!”
Her face, having completely lost its dark energy, turned pitch-black in an instant.
Psssss.
She became black ash and scattered into the air.
Geom Mugeuk, who had been staring blankly at the sight, collapsed onto his back as if falling.
Geugak Soma also lay down where he was.
“Haa, haa.”
Only the ragged breathing of the two echoed through that place.
When this fight had begun, neither of them had ever imagined it would end like this.
Once their breathing settled, Geugak Soma asked,
“How did that happen?”
“There’s a pitch-black hole in my heart too. I suppose it ate her.”
It was half true, but Geugak Soma took it as a joke.
“Is your body all right?”
“No. It hurts so much I could die.”
Geugak Soma was the first to sit up.
Blood was flowing down Geom Mugeuk’s arm. He remembered the moment that arm had pulled him free to save him. If not for the supreme-grade Heavenly Silkworm Thread, it would have been cut off.
Without a word, Geugak Soma pressed the acupoints on his arm to stop the bleeding. Geom Mugeuk exaggerated his pain and complained.
Now it was Geom Mugeuk’s turn to ask.
“Are you all right, Lord Soma?”
Geugak Soma’s gaze as he looked at Geom Mugeuk deepened. He felt that the moment had come to do what he had resolved to do for quite some time.
“Whether I am all right…… please see for yourself.”
Geugak Soma slowly began to remove his mask.