Dan Sojin, the head of the Baekchong Family.
At last, the moment had come when his identity was revealed. Truly, he was a man of a status no one had ever imagined.
There was a family that managed the tombs of the successive leaders of the Sado Alliance?
It was a fact even Geom Mugeuk had not known. This was something he would have to ask the Sado Alliance Leader, Baek Jagang, in person to know for certain.
However, judging by Dan Sojin’s expression now, the Sound King’s words seemed to be true.
After all, Dan Sojin, who had been so adept at playing his part among people with shameless ease, was not denying anything.
The Sound King looked at Dan Sojin and spoke. He was still courteous.
“So I finally have the honor of meeting you. From your bearing, I can feel a will and spirit like steel.”
Now that Dan Sojin no longer intended to hide his identity, his bearing had already changed. It was not an aura that stood out because his martial arts were strong. The vitality dwelling in his eyes clearly revealed his upright character.
Geom Mugeuk asked the Sound King.
“Why were you looking for him?”
The Sound King answered without hiding anything.
“To enter that tomb, of course.”
“What’s in there?”
“It is the tomb of the successive leaders of the Sado Alliance. Would it not contain all manner of divine weapons, rare armaments, and secret martial arts manuals?”
Geom Mugeuk quietly stared at the Sound King, then smiled as he spoke.
“For someone like you, who loves music, harboring such greed somehow doesn’t seem to suit you.”
The Sound King’s expression changed subtly. It was similar to the expression he had worn earlier when he was mistakenly accused of having arranged poison in the skeleton.
I am not that sort of person!
He was not someone who could completely hide his emotions.
Yes, people like you wouldn’t cause all this chaos for a reason like that. Divine weapons and secret manuals are all things that exist in this world. There must be something in that tomb that does not exist in the world.
At that very moment, words flashed through Geom Mugeuk’s mind.
—If the Sado Alliance Leader does not die, the murim will be destroyed.
What if the Sado Alliance Leader died?
The Baekchong Family would inter him in the tomb, and no matter how secretly they moved, they would not be able to avoid the surveillance of those determined to follow them.
If that Sword King tailed them, they would definitely have the location of the tomb exposed.
‘So that’s why they tried to kill the Sado Alliance Leader!’
He thought that their attempt to kill the Sado Alliance Leader using the World’s Greatest Beauty Contest had ultimately been for the sake of entering that tomb.
At the end of all those thoughts, one conclusion naturally emerged.
‘The last bead is hidden there!’
They were the ones who, in their earlier scheme, had tried to steal the energy within his body. Now, with that final bead, they intended to target his energy once again.
What became certain from this fact was that they could not simply take this energy away. They could only absorb it if they had another energy.
If so, this opportunity was their last chance!
Because they valued this energy so much, what Geom Mugeuk had to do was naturally decided.
Since they would surely try to obtain that energy, he had to obtain the energy of the final bead first.
Geom Mugeuk slowly walked over to Dan Sojin and stood in front of him.
“If your identity’s been exposed, you should’ve quickly hidden behind me. Why make me come to you?”
Dan Sojin’s answer came from behind him.
“I believed you would protect me even from afar.”
“Look at the three people over there. Which one of them looks easy enough that I could protect you from all the way over there? Even now, when I’m blocking your path like this, they’re not reacting at all, are they? That means they’re confident they can kill us either way. Especially that man over there, barefoot with a sword at his waist. See him? That bland-looking fellow—I’ve fought him once, and I know he’s no easy opponent.”
The Sword King still stood there with an impassive expression.
Let’s see how long you can keep refusing to react, Brother Ak.
Geom Mugeuk trusted the Sword King. To trust someone completely was always to accept the risk of betrayal.
But if it was the Sword King, he could gladly accept that risk. It did not matter even if the shoes at his waist were not the ones he had given him as a gift. It would be fine even if that old iron sword had been replaced by a dazzling treasured blade.
‘Brother Ak, I trust you.’
The Sword King merely received Geom Mugeuk’s gaze in silence.
Watching that sight, the Blade King sent a sound transmission to the Sound King.
—You must not trust Ak Gunhak.
He did not like it, as it felt like sowing discord, but it was something he absolutely had to mention to the Sound King.
—I know.
—Then that is enough.
The Blade King had requested that the Dark Palace Lord entrust this matter to him.
The Sword King had returned without killing the Young Cult Leader, so he could not be trusted, and the Sound King did not have the temperament to lead this affair.
However, the Dark Palace Lord had named the Sound King as the one in charge of this matter. There was surely some reason he did not know, but the Dark Palace Lord had not told him. He had only said to trust the Sound King.
‘I hope the Palace Lord’s judgment was correct.’
Geom Mugeuk turned back to Dan Sojin and suddenly asked.
“By the way, you are on my side, aren’t you?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m asking whether I have any reason to help you.”
Dan Sojin struggled to hide his bewilderment.
—You say that after taking my antidote?
—Ah, right. There was the antidote.
—I have staked the fate of my family on you.
—When have we ever even met? Aren’t you placing too great a burden on someone you’re meeting for the first time?
—That… I admit.
Dan Sojin clearly looked as though he had many things he wanted to say to Geom Mugeuk, but there was no leisure for such a conversation now. All that remained was how Geom Mugeuk would answer this sudden trust.
Geom Mugeuk continued the conversation from before the sound transmission.
“Why are you silent? If I help you, what will you do for me?”
“Is there something you want?”
“Grant me one request.”
Dan Sojin’s eyes flashed sharply. He had anticipated what request Geom Mugeuk would make. There was only one thing the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would ask of him.
‘Young Cult Leader, not even you can enter that place.’
That was why he attached a clear condition.
“If it is a request I can grant, I will grant it.”
He was a clever man, so one might have expected him to alter the condition Dan Sojin had set, but for some reason, Geom Mugeuk readily accepted.
“Good. You’ve promised.”
Geom Mugeuk turned back toward the Sound King and asked.
“Then why did you drag me into this?”
Of course, Geom Mugeuk knew it was to absorb the energy inside his body. He asked to probe how the Sound King would answer.
The Sound King gave an unexpected answer.
“Because we want you to persuade that man to tell us the location of the tomb.”
Geom Mugeuk felt it. Surprisingly, those words were sincere. They intended to use him to learn the tomb’s location. Then, after entering together, they would steal his energy there.
“Couldn’t you just take him away and torture him, or use soul-capturing arts?”
There was a reason they could not.
“They do not work on him.”
The gray gaze that had been looking at Geom Mugeuk turned toward Dan Sojin.
“Torture and soul-capturing arts do not work on the bloodline of the Baekchong Family. If they fall under soul-capturing arts, or if they feel pain beyond what they can endure, the restriction implanted in them activates, severing their meridians and killing them.”
That was how they had thoroughly guarded their secrets.
Only now could Geom Mugeuk clearly understand why both sides were trying to use him.
One was an opponent hard to escape from, and the other was an opponent hard to uncover.
At least one thing was certain.
Entering the tomb through Dan Sojin would be harder than dealing with those before him. Judging by that resolute gaze, he was not someone who would ever allow outsiders into the tomb.
“And you want me to persuade him?”
The Sound King nodded.
“Young Cult Leader, if it is you, you will find a way. That is why we called you.”
“You overestimate me too much.”
“From what you have shown until now, I believe you can do it. Look at the puppets outside. Look at whom you have been facing.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled pleasantly.
“How did you know I’m weak to praise?”
“Let us divide the treasures in the tomb in half.”
“You even know I’m weak to material greed! You really did investigate me thoroughly.”
Dan Sojin, standing behind him, stiffened despite himself. He had thrown his decisive move by trusting Geom Mugeuk, but what if his judgment had been wrong? What if the Young Cult Leader really did join hands with them? Geom Mugeuk was more terrifying than they were.
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk abruptly asked about an unexpected person.
“By the way, why did you leave that Sado Alliance martial artist alive?”
When the Sound King did not answer, Geom Mugeuk asked the iron-masked man.
“You left him alive, so you must know the reason, right?”
But the iron-masked man also gave no answer.
Geom Mugeuk saw through the impure intent they could not voice.
“Could it be that you need someone to testify that the one who did this was the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?”
He asked as if joking, but a silence flowed as though he had struck the mark. From that momentary reaction alone, Geom Mugeuk could tell his guess was correct. If that was not the case, there was no reason to keep that man alive.
“After getting what you want, surely you’re not planning to kill us all, use some high-level evil art on that martial artist, and have him report that the one who plundered the tomb was the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, are you? Surely someone who plays such beautiful melodies would not have prepared such a vile method?”
When music was mentioned again, the Sound King’s expression hardened. His opponent knew exactly what sort of words offended him the most.
“What happens if I refuse your offer?”
For that reason, the answer to Geom Mugeuk’s question could not come out gently.
“All of you will die. Today, the Eight Demon Supremes will become the Six Demon Supremes.”
At this blatant threat, the reactions of the two Demon Supremes were opposite. The Blood Heaven Blade Demon glared at the Sound King with utmost coldness, while the Ilhwa Sword Sovereign instead wore a faint smile. Of course, the meaning contained in their reactions was the same.
“That won’t do. Only the people who like my father the most are gathered here. If they all die on the same day at the same hour, my father would be far too saddened.”
The Sound King misunderstood Geom Mugeuk’s words.
“Mentioning the Heavenly Demon will not change the outcome.”
It seemed he thought Geom Mugeuk was trying to resolve the situation with the Heavenly Demon’s prestige.
“Even if the Heavenly Demon were here, the outcome would not change.”
At that truly arrogant confidence, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Ilhwa Sword Sovereign looked at each other. There was no need for them to be angry at those words. They were words that would anger Geom Mugeuk the most.
Geom Mugeuk was not excited at all.
“While taking on this task, you must have looked into me. So I thought you might know me even better than I know myself.”
Geom Mugeuk slowly walked over and stood in front of the Sado Alliance martial artist.
“What is your name?”
“Just call me Pung.”
“Did you come under the Alliance Leader’s direct orders?”
Pung hesitated slightly before answering.
“If you were someone worthy of receiving direct orders, I believe you likely know the relationship between the Sado Alliance Leader and me. You probably have a rough idea of my relationship with Young Alliance Leader Bi as well. So you may answer at least that much.”
“I left the Alliance under orders to investigate this treasure map incident.”
“From now on, Warrior Pung is definitely on my side.”
When Pung looked at him with a surprised expression.
“If you die here, wouldn’t I have no face to show the Alliance Leader and Sain? Let’s be on the same side for now.”
Geom Mugeuk turned back to the Sound King.
“This is the kind of person I am. Even this man, whom I met for the first time today, must not die here.”
Geom Mugeuk moved again and walked to stand before Jihan.
“He was my enemy during this journey and then became my subordinate. I still don’t know much about him. I took him as my subordinate simply because I had such a good feeling about him.”
A smile formed on Jihan’s lips. More than words like because he was capable or because his martial arts were outstanding, hearing that it was because he had a good feeling about him sounded far more pleasing.
Geom Mugeuk quietly stared at Jihan and spoke as if making a declaration.
“I intend to absolutely keep this man from dying as well.”
This time, Geom Mugeuk stood before Taesu.
“This man is the thief who had the treasure map. He is a man with a good father. He probably had no idea this journey would turn out like this, so he must be very shocked right now.”
Taesu’s eyes trembled as he looked at Geom Mugeuk. Now that he knew Geom Mugeuk’s identity, he no longer dared to make even a single joke.
“He has not yet formed a relationship with me, but I will bring this man out alive too. After all, he succeeded in stealing my heart.”
Taesu was deeply moved. To the Young Cult Leader of the Demon Cult, it was nothing at all, something he could have simply ignored and been done with, yet he was making it into something so meaningful.
Watching this, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Ilhwa Sword Sovereign understood. It was because Geom Mugeuk was this sort of person that he had become so strong. Because he had fought battles where he survived even while dragging along hostages one after another, he had become far stronger.
On the other hand, the Sound King could not understand Geom Mugeuk at all.
“Why are you trying so hard to keep everyone alive?”
No matter how politely he asked, the tone of his words made it clear that something had been omitted.
Even such insignificant people.
“There are characters that cannot be hidden even by beautiful melodies, I suppose.”
When music was dragged into it again, the Sound King finally shouted as if exploding.
“Shut your mouth!”
Then Geom Mugeuk roared.
“You shut yours!”
Everyone’s gaze focused on Geom Mugeuk.
“You dare spout nonsense in front of me about being able to kill my father? You dare threaten to kill my Demon Supremes?”
Even though he had not fully revealed his aura in earnest, Geom Mugeuk’s force was tremendous.
“Yes, you truly are one who cannot see ahead. Seeing you say such things in front of me, you are a man who sees nothing at all.”
Geom Mugeuk’s cold gaze slowly looked over the Sound King, the Blade King, the Dark Blood Death Apostle, and the iron-masked martial artist.
“None of you will enter that tomb. Because you’ll all die here and now.”
Geom Mugeuk spread his wings. As if they had been waiting for it, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon and the Ilhwa Sword Sovereign simultaneously drew the Heaven-Destroying Great Saber and the Ilhwa Sword at his left and right.
The place where Geom Mugeuk’s gaze finally stopped was the Sword King.
“Brother Ak, step outside.”