It was not a presence he felt simply because he knew the other party was the Heavenly Demon.
Even if he had run into him on the road, he would have felt the same. Even amid a crowd of hundreds, he would have recognized him at once.
A presence that could not be hidden. No, a presence he simply did not bother to hide.
“Father, your son has returned after going out from the cult!”
When Geom Mugeuk greeted him in a loud voice, for some reason, the Sword King put on the shoes he had been carrying at his waist.
“Come, Brother Ak. Let’s go.”
He was as bright as ever, but Geom Mugeuk was more tense than he had ever been.
First, how would his father react to his Bone Rebirth?
Next, would he accept the Sword King? If he did not, what should he do? It was too much to simply say, He’s just my ponytailed friend, so please don’t mind him, when the Sword King’s skill and very existence were so immense.
Geom Mugeuk and the Sword King walked side by side along the Path of Blood and arrived below the grand chair.
The Sword King cupped his fist respectfully and paid his respects.
“I am Ak Gunhak. Thanks to your son, I have the honor of meeting a venerable figure of the murim. It is an honor to meet you.”
There was neither goodwill nor hostility in Geom Ujin’s gaze. His impassive eyes turned toward the Sword King’s feet.
“I heard you mostly go about barefoot?”
It seemed Geom Mugeuk had spoken about him.
“I put them on because I thought it would be discourteous to meet an honored person barefoot.”
It was not that he was watching himself because the other party was stronger than he was.
Originally, he had intended to take them off before entering, but when he heard Geom Mugeuk calling for his father, he changed his mind.
It was courtesy he showed not because the man was the Heavenly Demon, but because he was Geom Mugeuk’s father. Putting on shoes was the utmost courtesy he could offer.
Geom Ujin and the Sword King’s gazes tangled in midair. No matter how strong the Sword King was, he could not compare to his father. But he was skilled enough to provoke his father.
That was why Geom Mugeuk’s heart trembled even more as he watched from the side.
The friends he made were Bi Sain and Jin Hagun—every single one of them probably not to his father’s liking.
‘Father, this man is also my friend. Please look kindly upon him.’
Geom Ujin’s gaze, which had been fixed on the Sword King, turned to Geom Mugeuk.
At last, what was to come had come.
After silently looking down at his son, Geom Ujin rose from his seat.
He slowly descended the stairs. He was neither fast nor slow, and not a single footstep sounded.
To Geom Mugeuk, he was the father he always saw, but for the Sword King, it was different.
With every step Geom Ujin took closer, the Sword King’s heart pounded. Each step felt as though the presence of the Heavenly Demon struck his heart with a fist—thud. If he had moved according to instinct, he would have retreated one step for every step the man approached.
Geom Ujin came right up in front of Geom Mugeuk.
Even the Blood Heaven Blade Demon had recognized his Bone Rebirth, so there was no way his father would fail to notice.
Sure enough, a sneer formed at his father’s lips. The sneer Geom Mugeuk liked so much.
The emotion contained in that sneer today was this:
Now you’ve gone so far as to undergo Bone Rebirth and show up?
Yes, if he was going to sneer, he would sneer. His father was not the sort of man to feel jealousy.
Geom Mugeuk raised his hand high and confessed.
“I’ll say this in advance, but I really am your son, Father. I may be an unfilial son who underwent Bone Rebirth before you, but I am definitely your son!”
Then Geom Ujin reached out his hands.
Srrk. Grip.
Geom Ujin seized both of Geom Mugeuk’s arms with both hands.
It was an unexpected action, and Geom Mugeuk flinched in surprise.
“If you wish to test whether a body that has undergone Bone Rebirth can be torn apart or not, please stop! If you tear me, Father, I will be torn!”
Fortunately, there was no test of whether a body that had undergone Bone Rebirth could be torn apart.
Srrk.
Geom Ujin’s hand touched Geom Mugeuk’s shoulder. Starting from there, he began to examine his son’s body.
His arms, shoulders, waist, back, and even his legs—he touched and checked every part one by one. Not roughly, but with great care.
How much his bones had grown, how his skin and muscles had changed, what the balance of his body was like.
Geom Mugeuk found his father’s touch unfamiliar. Thinking back, aside from when he had been very young, his father had never laid a hand on his body.
His father’s touch was like that of a physician examining a patient, and it held affection. He was personally confirming whether anything had gone wrong.
Even knowing that feeling, Geom Mugeuk was inwardly tense. His father might suddenly attack him. And then he would say this:
You underwent Bone Rebirth, so I thought you could dodge at least this much.
His father was more than capable of doing that. When he thought of the time he had told him that he had mastered the Flying Heaven Sword Art and a gust of finger wind had flown at his face, he had to be ten times more tense today.
But what came flying at him today was a hundred times more shocking than that finger wind.
After examining his son’s body, Geom Ujin’s gaze turned toward the Sword King.
“This man…”
Then, looking back at Geom Mugeuk, he said coldly,
“Kill him.”
It was an order to kill the Sword King.
Not only Geom Mugeuk, but even the Sword King was startled. He had expected that the Heavenly Demon would not welcome him, but he had never imagined he would tell his son to kill him.
“No, Father. We may like killing people, but we’re not so far gone that we kill someone who has just arrived and greeted us warmly, are we?”
As if to show that it was not an order given by mistake, Geom Ujin said nothing.
“He’s uglier than you, Father, so there’s no way he stole a woman from you. Was he perhaps someone who ran off with your money when you were young?”
Of course, neither flattery nor jokes worked.
The Sword King wondered how Geom Mugeuk would deal with this situation. Like his father, the son was someone who could astonish people.
Geom Mugeuk let out a deep sigh.
“Brother Ak, if it were an order from someone else, that would be one thing, but I cannot disobey my father’s order.”
What? So he was going to kill him?
As if he truly intended to carry out the order, Geom Mugeuk drew the Black Demon Sword.
At this unexpected turn of events, the Sword King stared at Geom Mugeuk with an incredulous expression.
“Young Cult Leader, I even put on shoes, and this is how you mean to treat me?”
Because he was before the Cult Leader, the Sword King spoke to Geom Mugeuk more respectfully than usual. Even though that Cult Leader had given the order to kill him.
“What can I do? It is my father’s order.”
Realizing that Geom Mugeuk standing before him was utterly serious, the Sword King soon accepted the situation.
After looking once around at Geom Ujin and the Heavenly Demon Hall, the Sword King looked back at Geom Mugeuk. To die by Geom Mugeuk’s hand in the Heavenly Demon Hall, with the Heavenly Demon watching?
“Yes, this is a fine enough end.”
The Sword King also drew his sword. He had already tried to die for him beneath Mount Cheonmok. That death had merely been delayed a little. Thinking so, his heart grew at ease.
The two stood facing each other, swords leveled.
“Young Cult Leader, you must never let your guard down. I intend to display every bit of my skill.”
Geom Mugeuk could feel it. The Sword King was willingly prepared to fight him and die.
Yes, was the reason he liked the Sword King merely because he tied his hair back and went around barefoot? It was because of this manner of his—so detached even before death, despite possessing such tremendous skill. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to die like that simply because my skill would be too precious to waste.
For a moment, taut tension flowed between them.
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze, which had been fixed on the Sword King, turned to Geom Ujin.
“You should say it now. ‘My son, that is enough. I have fully understood that you value my order even over friendship.’”
Geom Ujin still only looked at Geom Mugeuk without a word. He was truly pushing through the order to kill him.
“Then please tell me the reason you want him killed.”
But Geom Ujin did not tell him the reason either.
“No, this really is too much!”
Geom Mugeuk returned the Black Demon Sword to its sheath.
“You know I cannot kill him, don’t you?”
“If you disobey, I will make you step down from the position of Young Cult Leader.”
His father’s eyes were sincere no matter who looked at them. The Sword King looked at Geom Mugeuk with a tense heart. Surely he would not give it up.
“I will give up the position of Young Cult Leader.”
At that, the Sword King quickly interjected.
“Young Cult Leader, I am not a man worth that much.”
“Of course not.”
“What?”
“I am not giving up the position of Young Cult Leader because Brother Ak is worth as much as that position. This position, which determines the fate of countless people in our cult, is not something that can be compared to any other value. Even my life is not worth as much as this position.”
If those words were for his father, the next words were for the Sword King.
“I wish to kill him, but I do not have the confidence to kill Brother Ak.”
Geom Mugeuk did not put forward his relationship with the Sword King here.
How could I kill a friend? He could not approach it with such sentiment. It would only have the opposite effect on his father.
Also, this choice preserved the Sword King’s dignity.
It was not that he could not kill him because they were close; it was that he could not kill him because he was strong.
It was consideration for the martial artist known as the Sword King.
“Father, this man is the strongest enemy I have ever fought. I have not even seen his final move yet.”
Even before his father, the Sword King was still the man who had become the First King of the Twelve Zodiac Kings.
If his stature as a martial artist fell and his pride was wounded, he could not remain by Geom Mugeuk’s side. Especially not in front of him. If such a thing happened, he would leave.
“Your son might die, Father!”
Even after he went this far, his father did not back down.
“You have your older brother, so it will be fine. I will avenge you.”
“I refuse. I cannot bear to see my brother become Cult Leader. It would make my stomach twist.”
“If you do not kill that man, you will not become Cult Leader anyway.”
Geom Mugeuk looked at his father. Now it was time to ask.
“Why are you testing me?”
“Testing?”
“Yes. Because you are not someone who would give such an order, Father. If you truly wanted this man dead, you would have killed him yourself.”
Astonishingly, it truly had been a test. And the reason was something he had never imagined.
“I had to confirm whether you were still the same.”
“What?”
Unexpected words followed. It was something even Geom Mugeuk had not known.
“When it comes to Bone Rebirth, the changes to the body are not all that important.”
Geom Mugeuk looked down at his own body.
“You say that after seeing this smooth skin and smelling this fragrance? And is that all? My frame has changed, and my whole body feels as light as if it could fly. What on earth could be more important than this?”
Geom Ujin stared piercingly into his son’s eyes and answered.
“Your mind.”
“!”
“Bone Rebirth completely changes even the blood vessels inside your head. Do you know why there are so few people in this gangho who have undergone Bone Rebirth? Because even if they endured the pain of the flesh, during the process of their minds changing, they either became madmen or died.”
His father was usually a man of few words, but when it came to martial arts, he was a father who spoke without stinting.
“Has nothing changed about you?”
“It feels as if my mind is clearer than before. My thoughts move better, and my memory seems to have improved too.”
He thought that might have been why, during the first move of his spar with the Sword King, he had sunk into thought.
“What matters is how you changed. Separate from your mind becoming clearer, you may have changed into someone with a strange personality. But seeing your pathetic response…”
Having finished his explanation, Geom Ujin’s expression softened.
“Fortunately, it seems nothing has changed.”
It meant that his Bone Rebirth had been perfect.
In truth, Geom Mugeuk guessed that his father’s test had not been for that reason alone. There were many other ways to confirm whether his mind was intact.
And yet, he had specifically ordered him to kill the Sword King. Why? He had wanted to confirm how the Sword King would react.
Had the Sword King’s response passed his father’s test?
And since their relationship had already become entangled, had he not deepened that relationship even further?
At his father’s order, the Sword King had willingly offered up his life, and Geom Mugeuk had shown that he would give up the position of Young Cult Leader.
His father must have known that Geom Mugeuk would never kill the Sword King.
Geom Ujin turned and walked back up to the grand chair as he said,
“Congratulations, my son.”
“!”
Geom Mugeuk stared at his father with a dazed face.
Congratulations, my son.
Those mere four words shook Geom Mugeuk’s heart. He could feel that the congratulations were sincere.
“Thank you, Father.”
Geom Mugeuk bowed his head and expressed his gratitude.
‘I had no intention of marrying in this life either, but Father keeps shaking my resolve.’
Geom Mugeuk did not let this good mood pass him by.
“Father, in celebration of my Bone Rebirth, please grant your son one request.”
With an incredulous expression, Geom Ujin asked,
“What request?”
It was truly both shameless and bold.
“Please bestow the White Flower Sword upon me.”
For an instant, silence flowed.
“You mean the Baekhwa Sword, one of our cult’s Four Great Treasured Swords?”
“Yes.”
The Baekhwa Sword ranked fourth among the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s Four Great Treasured Swords, alongside the Heavenly Demon Sword, the Black Demon Sword, and the Death Spirit Sword.
If the Black Demon Sword was rough and destructive, the Death Spirit Sword harbored a dark and wicked energy, while the Baekhwa Sword possessed a gentle and noble aura.
“I would like to give the Baekhwa Sword to Brother Ak here as a gift.”
The Sword King was startled. When he had heard that a treasured sword would be found for him, he had never imagined it would be one of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s Four Great Treasured Swords. He himself knew of the Baekhwa Sword.
“Young Cult Leader, that sword is far too much for me.”
The Sword King politely declined.
“On the other hand, it’s also a sword that suits Brother Ak very well.”
“I am not such a noble person. I will accept only your feelings, Young Cult Leader.”
Just then, his father gave an order into the empty air.
“Bring the Baekhwa Sword.”
At those words, the Sword King was taken aback, and Geom Mugeuk looked up at his father with a smile.
‘I’m in trouble too. I’m already worried about how I’ll stand in Father’s way when that day comes.’
But for now, the Sword King came first.
“Please don’t give some new order like, ‘Kill this man with that sword’!”
Even as he heard Geom Mugeuk’s joke, the Sword King was flustered.
He had truly never once been flustered even before the Dark Palace Lord, yet today, because of this father and son, he had no idea how many times he had been startled and thrown off balance.
‘So? They’re really giving me that precious Baekhwa Sword? One of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s Four Great Treasured Swords?’
Fine, if he conceded a hundred times over, Geom Mugeuk might give it to him. He was the sort of person who could do such a thing.
But the Heavenly Demon was giving him the Baekhwa Sword? When he had even met the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult as an enemy.
Meanwhile, Hwi appeared there carrying a sword case.
Geom Mugeuk exchanged a greeting with Hwi with his eyes.
‘Uncle, it’s been a long time.’
Hwi’s masked eyes curved slightly in a smile. Those eyes seemed to say:
‘Congratulations on your rebirth, Young Cult Leader.’
After handing over the sword case, Hwi vanished without a sound.
When Geom Mugeuk received the case containing the Baekhwa Sword, Geom Ujin said,
“It is a congratulatory gift.”
“Thank you, Father.”
After bowing his head respectfully in gratitude, Geom Mugeuk handed the sword case to the Sword King in front of his father. Of course, he did not forget to add a joke.
“Open it carefully. It might explode.”
The Sword King silently looked down at the sword case he had received. He felt dazed. He had never dreamed he would come into possession of such a precious sword so easily.
“Why are you bestowing such a gift upon me?”
When the Sword King asked Geom Ujin, Geom Mugeuk cut in.
“No, I’m the one giving it to you. Why are you asking Father? Look at me!”
But the Sword King was still looking at Geom Ujin.
Geom Ujin answered with eyes that showed neither favor nor hostility, as ever.
“Let us say it is because you looked good wearing those shoes.”
“No, I’m the one who gave him those shoes too!”
You are all madmen. He could not bring himself to say it outright.
The Sword King bowed his head politely and conveyed the sentiment in a refined form.
“I now understand well how someone like the Young Cult Leader could have been born.”