What had they been talking about down below before coming up?
At the Sword King’s confidence, Geom Mugeuk had made him a proposal.
“Let’s make a wager. If the two of them are on the dueling platform!”
“On whether we become friends?”
That was naturally what he had expected, but Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
“No. We can’t decide such an important matter through other people’s affairs.”
“Then what are we wagering on?”
“The loser grants the winner one request. Separate from whether we become friends or not.”
The Sword King looked at Geom Mugeuk suspiciously, wondering what sort of scheme he was trying to pull this time, but how could he know what was inside that head?
“But you must grant it, no matter what.”
Normally, this was where the Sword King should have said something like this:
How can I make such a promise without knowing what you’ll ask?
He should have asked what it was, set conditions. I can’t grant this sort of request; don’t even bring up that sort of request.
But the Sword King asked nothing.
“Fine. Let’s do it.”
Perhaps that was why one was drawn to a man called the Sword King.
“Then tell me your request first.”
“Are you admitting you’ve already lost?”
“Of course not. I won’t have any occasion to grant your request anyway, Instructor, so I’m just curious what it is. If you lose the wager, you won’t tell me, will you?”
The Sword King snorted.
“Then shall I make one request in advance?”
“Go ahead.”
Geom Mugeuk had said it in jest, but the Sword King answered seriously.
“When you confirm the Demon Venerables’ deaths, don’t try to take revenge. Just leave today.”
The once-light atmosphere grew heavy.
“Are you afraid you’ll end up killing me?”
The Sword King did not answer and changed the subject.
“Let’s go up. Ah, before we go, there’s something I need to take.”
The Sword King walked over to the bookshelf, chose one secret manual to give to Yeon Baegin, and tucked it into his robe.
“You even keep your promises. I told you, you’re admirable.”
“Is that really so?”
For some reason, the Sword King’s gaze carried an unfathomable meaning.
The two of them left the final room. They left the secret chest for the time being. They could bring it out after matters above were settled anyway.
The two retraced their path through the trials they had passed and the places where they had dismantled mechanisms, until they arrived beneath the chair that led up to the surface.
“I’ll go up first.”
At that, the Sword King stopped Geom Mugeuk and stepped forward.
“No. I’ll go up first.”
“Surely you’re not worried about me?”
“I’m worried about our people.”
But Geom Mugeuk could tell. The Sword King was worried about him. If there truly was an expert up there capable of killing two Demon Venerables, as he was so certain, then he would not be worrying about them, at least. He was worried that Geom Mugeuk might rampage in revenge and attack him.
Without another word, the Sword King activated the mechanism.
“Ah, I should be the one going up first. Don’t fight—just greet each other!”
And so he sent the Sword King up first.
Geom Mugeuk followed after him and, once he had reunited with the three, turned to the Sword King and said,
“Now then, let’s continue the conversation we were having.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, the Fist Demon and Ilhwa Sword Venerable looked at each other. The two of them felt much the same.
As expected! The Young Cult Leader is the Young Cult Leader!
They had learned more than enough from the aura he had shown moments ago just how extraordinary a master the Sword King was.
And yet he had come up together with such a formidable opponent and was asking to continue the conversation they had been having? It seemed they had been fighting with their mouths down below rather than with swords.
Ian expressed exactly what the two of them were feeling.
“At the very least, our Young Cult Leader has not had his soul stolen by anyone.”
At her quiet words, the Fist Demon and Ilhwa Sword Venerable smiled faintly.
At last, the Sword King opened his mouth.
He readily admitted that he had lost the wager.
“What is your request?”
It had clearly seemed like a wager made because Geom Mugeuk had something to ask of him. But Geom Mugeuk did not answer right away.
“It is a request I will make of a friend.”
It meant he would say it after they became friends.
At that, the Sword King spoke as though all the rapport they had built had crumbled and they had returned to the starting point.
“Then you’ll never be able to make it.”
Geom Mugeuk understood. Yes, it must feel different now from when they had been alone.
His comrades had died, and Demon Venerables were standing in that place. He must feel as though he had returned to reality.
The remaining persuasion had to be done within this reality.
Persuading him in the presence of Demon Venerables would be twice as difficult. After all, becoming friends with someone so ridiculously young while others were watching would truly not be easy.
Geom Mugeuk sent a sound transmission to the Sword King.
—I would like to send those three away and speak with you alone, Instructor, but because they are worried about me, they will never leave.
It meant that they would have to finish the conversation they had been having with the Demon Venerables present.
It was right then.
“I need to go wash up.”
The Fist Demon turned away first.
Geom Mugeuk shouted at him urgently.
“Master! You’re leaving me here by myself?”
At the title “Master,” the Fist Demon now treated Geom Mugeuk not as the Young Cult Leader, but as his disciple.
“I haven’t washed for days waiting for you. I feel utterly grimy.”
With those words, he strode off.
Ilhwa Sword Venerable followed behind him.
“Young Cult Leader, I’ll go on ahead to the safe house. Finish up here and come.”
“What if someone else appears while I’m here alone?”
Ian, who was following after them, answered that.
“Then that someone will have a hard time too.”
As Ian passed by, she bowed politely to the Sword King.
“You have it hard.”
With an expression that seemed to say, So you understand how I feel, the Sword King silently nodded.
Geom Mugeuk shouted at Ian.
“You should be saying that to me.”
Ian pretended not to hear and followed Ilhwa Sword Venerable.
The Fist Demon, Ilhwa Sword Venerable, and Ian knew well what kind of person Geom Mugeuk was.
If he said he wanted to continue the conversation he had been having, then they now understood that giving him space was the way to help him.
“Bring wine and good side dishes when you come!”
With Ian’s final words, the three of them moved away.
Watching them, the Sword King said to Geom Mugeuk,
“We should have wagered on whether they would leave or not.”
Though he said that, the Sword King could tell.
They understood this Young Cult Leader better than anyone. At the same time, they truly, sincerely cared for him.
How could he not know? He had seen the momentum the Demon Venerables had shown earlier, and the loyal way they had behaved when reunited with Geom Mugeuk.
And so, in that place, only Geom Mugeuk, the Sword King, and Yeon Baegin remained.
In truth, the person most pleased by the Sword King’s appearance was none other than Yeon Baegin.
He had no idea how long he had waited for this moment. For this moment, he had even cast aside heavenly bonds of kinship.
Even after the Demon Venerables had left, Yeon Baegin stood awkwardly, watching the two men’s expressions. The Yellow Dragon Martial Hall had collapsed, he had made enemies of Demon Venerables, and in truth, he was no longer in his right mind. Now his only remaining hope was the secret manual.
Since he had learned that Geom Mugeuk was the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he did not dare even meet his eyes.
At that moment, the Sword King took the secret manual from his robe and tossed it to him.
“What I promised you. Here it is!”
Like something thrown with a here, take it, Yeon Baegin flung himself forward and caught the secret manual.
Yeon Baegin’s mouth split wide in delight.
‘I endured everything for this moment. Once I learn this peerless divine art, I will repay this humiliation without fail. You’re all dead now!’
The moment Yeon Baegin saw the title of the secret manual, he flinched. He hurriedly checked the contents, and his face stiffened at once.
“Isn’t this a spear art manual?”
“It is. Once you achieve great mastery in that spear art, Hall Master Yeon, no one will dare treat you lightly.”
For someone who had practiced swordsmanship, learning spear arts from the beginning would not be easy. Moreover, at his age, when would he learn it anew and achieve great mastery?
“You! Are you mocking me?”
The Sword King paid no mind to him, even as he shouted so fearlessly.
“I am someone who does not keep promises. Do you want to become friends with such an untrustworthy person?”
When the Sword King asked as if testing him, Geom Mugeuk gave an inscrutable answer.
“This side is no pushover either.”
Flash!
Puaaaak!
The sword energy that flew in an instant struck Yeon Baegin, and he collapsed, blood spraying from his heart.
“What do you think? Of such a heartless friend?”
In truth, he had not killed him because he was heartless.
Yeon Baegin had committed many crimes worthy of death. Among them, the one that had especially enraged both Geom Mugeuk and the Sword King was this:
Fearing that the officials from the martial hall who had emerged from the underground would spread rumors about the underground treasury, he had tried to hire an assassination organization to kill them and silence them.
The moment he made that decision, his fate had already been sealed as death. It had merely been a question of when.
Now only two people remained there.
Only the Sword King and Geom Mugeuk stood atop the dueling platform.
Whoooooosh.
A gust of wind blew between the two of them.
Geom Mugeuk thought that perhaps standing face-to-face with him on this dueling platform like this was his fate with the man.
If this was fate?
But he would not accept it exactly as fate handed it to him. He would knock on it, pull at it, push it. He would shout that this was not right. Only after doing everything he could would he say it.
If this is fate, then I must accept it.
“In the end, I’ve come to stand alone with you on this dueling platform, Instructor.”
The Sword King nodded. Just when he thought the outcome of this fight would determine whether they became friends—
“Let’s use this dueling platform in a way that suits us.”
Geom Mugeuk desperately shoved aside the enormous wheel of fate that had come rolling toward him.
Because he knew better than anyone that even a slight change in direction here would lead it to arrive somewhere completely different when it rolled far into the distance.
“In a way that suits us?”
“Yes, in a way that suits us.”
Geom Mugeuk did not have the slightest desire to wage a life-and-death blood battle with him.
“We met as instructor and trainee, did we not?”
To the Sword King, who still did not understand his intention, Geom Mugeuk said something astonishing.
“Please teach me swordsmanship.”
The Sword King was startled. Earlier, during class, it could be dismissed as a class, but he had never expected Geom Mugeuk to ask him to teach him swordsmanship here.
“You are mad to the very end.”
“How bad must it be for the Demon Venerables to abandon the Young Cult Leader and all run away? Even my own heart has fled.”
The Sword King silently stared at Geom Mugeuk.
“Fine. I’ll teach you one move.”
The Sword King slowly walked toward Geom Mugeuk.
He approached to a distance where, if he thrust his sword, it would barely reach, then slowly drew his blade.
And then, at a speed neither fast nor slow, he thrust his sword forward.
Shhk.
There was no trick, no technique, no dazzling form contained within it. It was a movement found in beginner sword manuals read by those learning swordsmanship for the first time.
The Sword King had simply drawn his sword and thrust it forward.
As Geom Mugeuk watched the sword flying toward his heart, he shouted inwardly.
‘A perfect thrust!’
It was a single move containing the essence of the Sword King’s swordsmanship, and that one move seemed to say this:
All forms of swordsmanship originate from this movement.
Paat.
The Sword King’s sword stopped before Geom Mugeuk’s heart.
A brief silence flowed between them. He did not ask why the man had not killed him when he could have. They had already passed that stage.
Geom Mugeuk respectfully bowed his head to the Sword King and said,
“I have learned well.”
It was not an empty phrase. The single move the Sword King had just shown him would have an immense influence on Geom Mugeuk as he continued to learn swordsmanship in the future.
Clack.
The Sword King returned his iron sword to its sheath and said,
“Becoming friends with you is… a losing bargain for me.”
At last, the word “friend” came first from his mouth.
“Between friends, what loss or gain is there?”
“That’s not what I mean…”
He did not mean that Geom Mugeuk was lacking or insufficient.
“One person is your master, and another is a Demon Venerable. But I’m just a friend, aren’t I? I’m losing out too much.”
He was comparing himself to the Fist Demon and Ilhwa Sword Venerable.
Emotion surged in Geom Mugeuk’s heart. The man was saying it. Just a little more. Hold on to me a little more tightly.
“The Demon Venerables are losing out more.”
“Why?”
“Because no matter how long they live, they can never become friends with the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. They will probably be truly envious of you, Instructor.”
Geom Mugeuk took one step forward, gazed at him, and said,
“If fate is pushing us this far, should we not accept it?”
“It wasn’t fate… You were the one pushing.”
Then, in a small, indifferent voice, he said,
“…Let’s do it.”
“Yes? What did you say?”
It was slightly louder than before, but still no louder than the sound of an ant.
“I said, let’s be friends.”
Even after hearing the words he had so desperately wanted to hear, Geom Mugeuk asked again in a louder voice.
“I can’t hear what you’re saying. What was that?”
In the end, the Sword King shouted loudly.
“I said let’s be friends, you bastard!”
Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
Geom Mugeuk knew full well how difficult a decision he had made. That was why he was so delighted he practically jumped for joy. He was so happy that he found himself wondering what he would have done if the man had refused.
“But even when you become the Cult Leader, we’ll still be friends.”
“When you think of it that way, it’s no loss at all, is it?”
The Sword King nodded.
“If I’m friends with the future Demonic Cult Leader, it doesn’t seem like a bad bargain.”
“But you’ll have to live a long life. My father is terribly hale and hearty.”
“Even if I have to return to youth, I’ll be friends with the Demonic Cult Leader.”
With a pleasant smile, the Sword King bid him farewell.
“I’ll be heading back now. I have to repay my debt first.”
“You’re not going to tell me where that place is, are you?”
“No.”
“And you won’t take me with you either.”
As expected, the Sword King nodded and began to walk away.
“I’ll retrieve the secret chest myself.”
He did not say he would come back. Nor did he say they would meet again.
Looking at the shoes dangling from the man’s waist, Geom Mugeuk brought up the words the Sword King had forgotten.
“Now that we’re friends, I’ll use the favor I’ve been saving.”
The Sword King stopped in his tracks and answered as if he already knew what the request would be.
“I absolutely won’t die. Don’t worry.”
Whoooosh.
A solemn wind blew between the two of them.
“That’s not the favor.”
The Sword King turned back with an awkward expression.
“Why not? Isn’t this exactly the situation where you’d ask for something like that?”
“My friend is this strong—how could anyone kill you? Just don’t go around killing people because they annoy you for no reason.”
At those words, the Sword King finally burst into laughter. It was a statement that showed just how much Geom Mugeuk trusted him.
“Then what is the favor?”
The request he had promised he could never refuse was this.
“I have a friends’ gathering, you see? If it’s held later, you must attend! It’s mandatory. We drink, sing, and even dance.”
Before he knew it, the Sword King had taken the shoes in his hand and was about to throw them.
“Just try inviting me!”
And so, as he walked away into the distance, the Sword King looked back at Geom Mugeuk. Had he ever turned back to look at someone like this while walking away?
His newly made young friend was standing there in silence, watching him go.
Was it because he stood alone atop the sparring stage? Those clear, deep eyes looked lonely.
The Sword King called out in a loud voice.
“My name is Ak Gunhak.”
Those two eyes that had seemed lonely lit up in a bright smile.
It was a name Geom Mugeuk already knew.
Ak Gunhak, the First King of the Twelve Zodiac Kings.
This was the Ak Gunhak he had known.
But in this new life, Ak Gunhak would live on with a different meaning.
As Geom Mugeuk’s friend, Ak Gunhak.
“It’s a truly wonderful name.”