“Father, you were truly magnificent!”
Geom Mugeuk cheered in delight, while the Fist Demon and the Poison King bowed to Geom Ujin in courtesy. For a Demon Venerable, watching the Cult Leader fight was a great honor.
“Thank you, Father.”
Geom Ujin’s expression did not change in the slightest, but the Fist Demon could feel it.
The Cult Leader was in better spirits than he had ever been.
He could tell that if someone so much as poked him, those emotions would come pouring out, and that was why he was acting even more blunt than usual.
He felt relieved. If the Cult Leader had lost to Hwa Mugi, Geom Mugeuk might have been perfectly fine, but the Cult Leader surely would have kept it in his heart.
‘You fought well, Cult Leader.’
Geom Ujin answered the look in the Fist Demon’s eyes.
“How was it? The skill I learned from you has yet to rust, has it?”
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Hwa Mugi’s face, on the other hand, was badly contorted.
‘The Heaven-Defying Demon-Absorbing Art has been broken.’
The Heaven-Defying Demon-Absorbing Art had a side effect.
As Jin Paecheon had said earlier, a demonic art that produced such astonishing effects was bound to have an equivalent side effect.
The side effect of the Heaven-Defying Demon-Absorbing Art was that when an external blow struck the protective astral qi and was absorbed as internal energy, a pain even greater than the pain one would originally have suffered was transmitted.
It looked as though the protective astral qi was being struck like water, making it seem as if it would not hurt at all, but in truth, every single blow inflicted excruciating pain.
But when that pain was endured, the opponent despaired, believing their attacks were of no use whatsoever.
That was the true terror of the Heaven-Defying Demon-Absorbing Art.
If one could not endure the pain and stopped midway, the art would be undone along with internal injuries, so Hwa Mugi had endured every attack that had flown at him before through extreme patience.
Considering whose attacks those had been, that alone made Hwa Mugi a truly remarkable martial artist.
At first, even Geom Ujin’s fists were bearable.
But after being hit again and again, the impact was anything but ordinary. He had withstood the combined attack of the Evil Alliance Leader and the Fist Demon earlier, yet he could not understand why these fists hurt so much.
After forcing himself to endure the pain, the Heaven-Defying Demon-Absorbing Art had finally shattered.
He did not know. As its name implied, the Heaven-Defying Demon-Absorbing Art was a martial art belonging to the demonic arts. When he had created it with the help of the souls within his body, Hyeok Docheon had given him the greatest assistance.
In the end, because the foundation of the Heaven-Defying Demon-Absorbing Art was based on demonic arts, he could not withstand the fists of Geom Ujin, who had mastered the Guhwa Demonic Art, the supreme demonic art above all demonic arts. And it was not merely the Guhwa Demonic Art.
They were the fists of Geom Ujin, who had achieved great completion of the twelfth stage of the Guhwa Demonic Art.
The fact that he had endured that much could instead be called astounding.
Hwa Mugi’s gaze turned toward Geom Ujin.
Now that the Heaven-Defying Demon-Absorbing Art had been broken, the method of killing his opponent by completely exhausting his internal energy had fallen through.
‘In the end, that is the only way to defeat this man!’
Hwa Mugi called to mind one martial art.
Geom Mugeuk boasted about his father to the Pungcheon Cult Leader.
“Did you see that? That is what my father is like when he fights.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader nodded with a stunned expression. Just as Geom Mugeuk had said, Geom Ujin had not fought emotionally because of his son.
And was he the only one surprised? Jin Paecheon and Baek Jagang were surprised as well.
Though it had been a fight in which he had not drawn his sword, Geom Ujin had overwhelmed Hwa Mugi.
Even more astonishing than that was that he had found his opponent’s weakness. If it had been them, they would have retreated to avoid consuming any more internal energy.
Until now, they had only thought Geom Mugeuk was special.
‘So the Young Cult Leader inherited his father’s blood.’
That thought came to them naturally.
Hwa Mugi looked at Geom Ujin and said coldly,
“Now let us fight with swords.”
There was no way Geom Mugeuk would simply let that pass.
“Wipe the blood from the corner of your mouth first.”
Blood was flowing from the corner of Hwa Mugi’s mouth. It was blood he had coughed up from internal injuries when the Heaven-Defying Demon-Absorbing Art was broken.
“And you should keep your promise. You said whoever drew his sword first would lose, didn’t you?”
Hwa Mugi stood there as if he refused to acknowledge it.
“Can a man who is going to leave a unique name in the history of murim go back on his promise?”
“If all of you die anyway, it will be history remembered only by me.”
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk said something unexpected.
“There are people here besides us watching you, aren’t there?”
Who else is here? Just as Hwa Mugi, as well as the others, were thinking that, Geom Mugeuk mentioned people no one had expected.
“The souls dwelling in your heart. They are watching, aren’t they?”
“!”
“If you kill us, that will be the end of it, but they are watching what kind of person you are.”
Geom Mugeuk added with a sincere look in his eyes.
“Just as I do, you should think about your life after killing us.”
His life after killing them? Hwa Mugi had never once seriously thought about that.
Geom Mugeuk continued.
“I consider my life after killing you more important. I have lived that way until now as well.”
He would not think only of the destination and miss the scenery flowing past the carriage window. For a brief moment of joy at the summit, he would not neglect the time spent gasping for breath at the foot of the mountain.
“Once I kill you, I’m going to take Father and Master on a journey. I’ll go digging for poisonous herbs with the Poison King, and I’ll send the Murim Alliance Leader on a trip with Hagun and Haryeong, just the three of them.
I’ll visit the Evil Alliance Leader and eat the food he makes for me himself, and I’ll go traveling with the Pungcheon Cult Leader and Strategist Go, the three of us.
I’ll drink and have fun all night with Team Leader Cha, who likes my friend over there, and Ian. Those things are a thousand, ten thousand times more important than killing you.”
In truth, those words were not meant for Hwa Mugi. Geom Mugeuk was saying them to his father and to everyone here. Let us live that way from now on.
“Just as I have these people, you have those people, don’t you? You don’t want to show them the laughable sight of yourself not even keeping a promise, do you?”
Hwa Mugi’s face twitched. He did not like Geom Mugeuk speaking as if he knew him.
“Do you think those within me hold some great meaning to me?”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader, who had been listening, nearly blurted out, If you look down on them, then don’t use their internal energy or martial arts! He naturally thought Geom Mugeuk would retort the same way.
“They do hold great meaning, don’t they?”
Hwa Mugi flinched, and Geom Mugeuk added with conviction.
“If they were people who meant nothing to you, you would have made sure they couldn’t come out freely and speak earlier.”
Even if not for that, how could his relationship with them be meaningless? They must have fought, reconciled, ignored one another, and gone through all kinds of things, forming bonds both hateful and fond.
Hwa Mugi, who had been quietly staring at Geom Mugeuk, began walking and said,
“Fine. I will keep the promise.”
Amazingly, he was the first to walk back inside the tavern.
When Hwa Mugi had first come here, he truly had never imagined this fight would proceed in such a manner. Was he going insane as well because he was keeping company with a madman?
When Hwa Mugi sat at the table where he had first been seated, Geom Mugeuk and the others all went back inside and sat in their original seats. In the end, it was as if Geom Ujin had beaten him back into his seat.
“I would like to hear your story as well.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, one corner of Hwa Mugi’s mouth seemed to rise slightly.
Then Hwa Mugi’s eyes changed in an instant.
“You said you were there three hundred years ago?”
Geom Mugeuk could tell. The Lord of Cheonui Palace, with whom he had not yet conversed, had appeared.
“That is correct.”
“Did you see me there?”
Geom Mugeuk nodded. At the time, Geom Mugeuk had infiltrated the Cheonui Palace camp and seen him.
“At the time, Palace Lord, you denied the Divine Maiden’s prophecy.”
The Lord of Cheonui Palace could tell for certain that Geom Mugeuk’s claim of having been there was true. That event was something only he knew.
“Just as the Divine Maiden prophesied, I failed to fulfill Heaven’s Will.”
Deep regret passed across the face of the Lord of Cheonui Palace. What would have happened if he had listened to her back then? He would probably already be dead, and a descendant of Cheonui Palace would be trying to fulfill Heaven’s Will.
“Do you know why I was able to endure until now?”
“I can guess.”
“What do you think it was?”
“Because you wanted to see whether Heaven’s Will would truly be fulfilled.”
As if to say he was correct, the Lord of Cheonui Palace nodded.
“Just as the Divine Maiden prophesied, only now, three hundred years later, has it become possible to fulfill Heaven’s Will.”
He spoke as though Heaven’s Will had already been completely fulfilled.
“Since you are inside that body, you think you are the one fulfilling Heaven’s Will.”
Perhaps those words displeased him, for his reply was sharp.
“All of you will die today. There was a prophecy.”
Geom Mugeuk firmly denied those words.
“That prophecy was wrong.”
“Prophecies are not wrong!”
“Do you mean the prophecy you denied three hundred years ago?”
The expression of the Lord of Cheonui Palace hardened, but Geom Mugeuk continued speaking.
“The Dark Palace Lord who inherited Cheonui Palace is dead. All of his subordinates are dead as well. Now all that remains are your soul and this Heavenly Slaughter Star.”
“As long as my soul lives, Heaven’s Will has been fulfilled.”
At that, Geom Mugeuk mentioned someone unexpected.
“The Guardian Palace Lord tried to protect you until the very last moment, even as his arms were cut off.”
The eyes of the Lord of Cheonui Palace trembled. The image of the Guardian Palace Lord trying to protect him came to mind.
Geom Mugeuk poured him a drink.
“Have a cup for him.”
Until now, he had continued to offer drinks and food to the souls, but every cup and dish had been flung to the floor and shattered.
Just when it seemed someone would finally drink a cup.
“No need.”
This time, the Lord of Cheonui Palace refused.
Geom Mugeuk guessed why he was not drinking.
“Do you know how he died?”
“I do not.”
Even if his voice had not trembled, one could tell those words were false. If he truly did not know, he would have asked how he died.
“The Dark Palace Lord killed him. After killing him, he obtained the orb where your souls resided.”
The eyes of the Lord of Cheonui Palace wavered. It was something he had tried so hard to deny. In his heart, he had imagined many times that the Guardian Palace Lord had left murim and lived happily until his death.
He had imagined him living as the master of a martial hall, having children, and dying after a good life; he had also imagined him becoming rich and dying after living in luxury.
But the Lord of Cheonui Palace had guessed it too. That he had died at the hands of the Dark Palace Lord. The reason he had struggled to deny that fact was because accepting that reality was too painful.
“The Guardian Palace Lord died with his eyes still open.”
After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk added,
“I closed his eyes for him.”
Geom Ujin, as well as everyone else, listened to Geom Mugeuk’s words with astonished expressions. It was already astonishing that he had gone three hundred years into the past, but to think he had been at the center of that incident and had even closed the Guardian Palace Lord’s eyes.
“And now you say you have fulfilled Heaven’s Will within the Heavenly Slaughter Star created by the descendants of those who killed that Guardian Palace Lord. Is your Heaven’s Will heavenly slaughter?”
The Lord of Cheonui Palace was swept up in agitation and rage.
“You think all of this happened because of me, don’t you? That is why you resent me, isn’t it?”
“I do not resent you. Thanks to you, I gained far too much. And you—whom do you resent?”
“I…”
The Lord of Cheonui Palace could not answer easily. Whom should he name?
The Dark Palace Lord who betrayed him? Or the Murim Alliance Leader who drew in the Demonic Cult? Bigwe, who dragged him into this? Or the heavens above? Or perhaps… himself, for dreaming a futile dream?
The eyes of the Lord of Cheonui Palace changed, and Hwa Mugi returned.
“Do you think provoking them like this will let you defeat me?”
Geom Mugeuk answered with calm eyes.
“That is not why.”
“Then why?”
“They were trapped inside you for three hundred years. They should know the truth before they die. They should leave behind their final words before they die.”
Because he felt that Geom Mugeuk was speaking sincerely, Hwa Mugi simply could not understand.
“What meaning is there in such nonsense?”
“It is important. Saying the words you have kept in your heart.”
Hwa Mugi still could not understand.
“Why go this far? They are enemies you will kill anyway, so why?”
“Yes, after today, I will never again think of you or those people. That is why I am doing everything I can today. If you have anything to say, say it all.”
Hwa Mugi, at least, had no intention of being swayed by Geom Mugeuk.
“I have nothing to say.”
“Then say it to those people, not to me. They may seem like your enemies, but were they not your friends and your masters? Do not take offense at my words, and say it while you have the chance. Since we are on the subject, I should do it too.”
Geom Mugeuk truly spoke to everyone.
“As you know, that man has achieved great completion of the Guhwa Demonic Art. Therefore, if things go wrong, we may lose. In case I die without being able to offer my farewells, I will say this in advance.”
Geom Mugeuk bowed his head politely.
“Thank you for looking upon me generously, even though I was a green young fool who went around stirring up trouble without knowing better.”
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze turned to each person in turn.
The last place it went was to his father.
“You know my heart, don’t you?”
Geom Ujin said curtly,
“I do not.”
“No, that is too harsh!”
The Fist Demon beside him smiled faintly.
“Master, you know, don’t you?”
“I do not either.”
The Pungcheon Cult Leader beside them, though no one had asked him, shook his head as if to say he knew least of all.
“You are all too much!”
After offering his greetings to everyone like that, Geom Mugeuk looked up at the sky through the gaping hole in the ceiling.
What was he thinking? The look in Geom Mugeuk’s eyes as he gazed up at the sky was deeper than anything.
Since fate had let him arrive on time.
Geom Mugeuk said calmly,
“I will fight the final battle.”
With his father here, he would be able to devote himself entirely to the fight. No matter what unexpected situation arose, his father would handle it.
No one opposed him.
In truth, Geom Ujin had originally intended to finish off the Heavenly Slaughter Star himself. But after his son arrived and he saw the conversations he had with them, this fight was indeed his son’s fight.
Geom Ujin’s gaze as he looked at his son was deep, but he said only one thing.
“Be careful.”
“Yes, Father.”
When Geom Mugeuk rose from his seat, Hwa Mugi rose as well.
Before fighting, Geom Mugeuk poured liquor into the cup placed before Hwa Mugi.
“If you do not want to speak, then at least have a drink.”
Drip, drip.
He filled Hwa Mugi’s cup, then filled his own.
“You had a hard time dealing with a talkative man like me.”
Geom Mugeuk emptied his cup cleanly.
“Now let us end this.”