When Geom Mugeuk returned to his quarters after meeting the Poison King, Seo Daeryong was waiting in front of the door.
“Young Cult Leader!”
“My right arm!”
Geom Mugeuk greeted Seo Daeryong warmly. Seeing him welcome him with such a bright face dispelled all the worry he had felt while waiting, wondering if he had come for no reason when the man was so busy.
“I know you are busy, but I still wanted to see your face, so I came.”
“You did well to come. Let’s go inside.”
“No, it’s all right. I’ve seen your face, so that’s enough.”
“It’s not enough for me. Come in.”
When Geom Mugeuk went in first, Seo Daeryong had no choice but to follow him inside.
“Yeongha is growing well, isn’t he?”
Seo Daeryong was deeply grateful that Geom Mugeuk remembered his son’s name like this.
“He’s growing bigger by the day. If you saw him, you would be shocked.”
“I can still see that little fellow’s eyes. You should have brought him.”
“It’s good that I love my son, but I need a little freedom too. You wouldn’t know this, would you? Young Cult Leader, you may be someone who doesn’t have a single thing in the world you don’t know, but you won’t know this.”
Seo Daeryong exaggeratedly drooped his shoulders as he spoke.
“Raising a child is harder than training in martial arts.”
At those words, Geom Mugeuk burst out laughing.
“At first, he kept waking up at night and wouldn’t let us sleep. Now, if I look away for even a moment, he gets into such trouble. Bumping into things, falling over, swallowing things. Young Cult Leader, was this perhaps how you felt watching us?”
Then Seo Daeryong gave an awkward look.
“I said something unnecessary in front of someone who isn’t even married, didn’t I?”
“No. In this field, you’re my senior, aren’t you? Pass on all your information to me. Now, sit down first.”
After seating Seo Daeryong at the table in the courtyard, Geom Mugeuk brought out wine from a box placed in the corner. Each time a bottle of wine disappeared from the box, the person sitting before Geom Mugeuk changed.
“This is special wine given to me by the Drunken Demon. The taste is incredible.”
Seo Daeryong glanced at the bottles left in the box. There were only a few remaining. He thought that even if Geom Mugeuk only took care of the Demon Supremes, there would not be enough wine.
“I’m fine without wine.”
But how could Geom Mugeuk fail to notice Seo Daeryong being considerate?
Without hesitation, Geom Mugeuk opened the stopper and poured him a cup.
“Drink.”
“Is it really all right to give such precious wine to me?”
“It’s because it’s precious that I’m giving it to you.”
Seo Daeryong spoke in heartfelt emotion.
“When I think of the grace you have shown me, you may curse at me every day until I die.”
“The moment you actually hear even one harsh word, the first thought that’ll come to you is: How could you do this to me!”
Seo Daeryong laughed and emptied his cup.
“The taste of this wine is truly intoxicating.”
As the Drunken Demon had said, good wine had its own power. It made one feel even better, making him say two things where he would have said one.
In that way, Geom Mugeuk heard news of Seo Daeryong’s wife Dana and her younger sisters, and also heard that, thanks to the victory in this battle, his father’s and his own popularity within the cult were soaring to the heavens.
As they spoke of this and that, Geom Mugeuk asked casually.
“Daeryong, if Yeongha grows up and strongly opposes something you want to do, how do you think you would feel?”
“My son?”
It was not any other time, but these days, when he was suffering from the hardships of raising a child.
“My son, whom I’ve raised like gold and jade? My son, whom I’ve raised without being able to sleep properly or even eat properly? I would gladly give my life for that boy. After raising him like that, if he says, Father, I hate it. That isn’t right! If he does that, I’ll drag him to the sparring stage and just—!”
Seo Daeryong, who had been raising his voice, soon let out a light sigh. What he truly wanted to say began now.
“I would be hurt, but in the end, I would understand my son and follow what he says.”
“Why?”
“Because if my son opposes it, there must be a reason worthy of it.”
“Your son could be wrong, couldn’t he?”
“No, he won’t be wrong. I’ll raise him well enough that I can trust him like that. Like you, Young Cult Leader.”
Geom Mugeuk asked with a slightly self-deprecating smile.
“Do I look like a good son?”
“Of course. Do you know how much I hope my son grows up to be a son like you? It’s my wife’s and my wish.”
Soon, Seo Daeryong let out a light sigh and said.
“Even if I tell my child a hundred times, You must grow up like the Young Cult Leader! he is still my child, so he’ll probably grow up like Seo Daeryong. That’s why I’ll try to become more impressive myself.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled.
Certainly, Seo Daeryong, now a father, had become more mature than before. He could feel Seo Daeryong’s change as clearly as he had felt the Poison King’s.
Geom Mugeuk patted Seo Daeryong on the shoulder.
“You’re impressive, my right arm. Today, drink all that wine with me. For today, you’re completely escaping from childcare! What can they do? Daddy is going to get a little drunk. Miss Dan, your husband belongs to me today!”
Seo Daeryong looked at Geom Mugeuk. He was saying they should drink all that precious wine together. There must still be Demon Supremes and other important people left who should be drinking it.
If someone were to look inside his emotions, they would probably grimace in boredom.
—Are you moved by the Young Cult Leader again? Is being moved the only emotion you can feel toward him?
But what could he do? The emotion Geom Mugeuk gave him was this unchanging.
If it had been him, he would have chosen and chosen among people, weighing who would be of the greatest help to him before attaching them as his right arm.
Yet this precious man had taken him, who had been shabby and nothing at all, as his right arm until the very end.
When Geom Mugeuk went to the wine box, saying he would bring more wine,
Seo Daeryong sprang up from his seat and hurriedly ran to the entrance.
“Ah! I completely forgot that my wife told me to buy something. I’ll be going first, Young Cult Leader!”
* * *
The next day, the person Geom Mugeuk visited with a bottle of wine was the Fist Demon.
“Master!”
When Geom Mugeuk arrived, the Fist Demon was training in fist arts in the courtyard with his upper body bare.
“Master, do you still have more training left to do?”
“If I didn’t, the Heavenly Killing Star would have died by my fist, wouldn’t he?”
Seeing the Fist Demon still absorbed in training, Geom Mugeuk set down the bottle he had brought beside him.
“This wine was a gift from the Drunken Demon. Put it aside and later drink it with Ian. It tastes incredible.”
He stood at the side and watched the Fist Demon train for a while.
“When you swing your fists, Master, I simply can’t resist. I’ll join you.”
Geom Mugeuk took off his upper garment and leaped into the training.
Two Thunderclap Asura Fists that had reached the realm of mastery created art in the air.
Throwing his fist in the same motion, Geom Mugeuk suddenly said,
“Father told me about Mother.”
In that instant, he felt the Fist Demon’s fist flinch.
“Did he?”
“Yes.”
He could have asked the Fist Demon about his mother. But Geom Mugeuk did not. The Fist Demon’s fists did not stop and continued on.
When the training ended, for whatever reason, the Fist Demon took Geom Mugeuk to that cliff.
Looking up at the cliff, Geom Mugeuk said,
“This cliff hasn’t changed.”
“What do you think? Do you think you can now bring it down with one punch?”
Strength entered Geom Mugeuk’s fist. If he poured all his internal energy into this fist, could he not bring down that cliff with a single blow?
The Fist Demon asked in a calm tone,
“What meaning does this cliff hold for you?”
How should he answer? Geom Mugeuk could not answer easily.
Rather, the Fist Demon knew that better than he did.
“Even if you could bring this cliff down with one punch, you probably wouldn’t. You’re not the type to boast of your skill, and more than anything, you’d think that if this cliff collapsed, the trees and animals living here would all die. You’d think that if it were simply left alone, they would go on living in harmony.”
Geom Mugeuk readily admitted it. Even if he could bring it down, he would not.
“Now, let’s go up.”
“Didn’t you say this cliff wasn’t meant to be climbed, but meant to be destroyed?”
The Fist Demon did not answer and launched himself forward. His massive body lightly rode up the cliff and began to soar.
Tap.
The two stepped on protrusions in the cliff to leap upward, flying up in an instant. Now Geom Mugeuk could fly all the way to the top without any midair steps, but he followed exactly the places the Fist Demon stepped on and ascended.
In that way, the two stood atop the cliff.
Looking down from there, not only the Eastern Fist Gate but the scenery of the main headquarters could be seen clearly. Even the Heavenly Demon Hall could be seen in the distance.
“How long has it been since you came up here?”
“Since I resolved to bring this cliff down, I have never climbed it.”
Geom Mugeuk could once again confirm that the Fist Demon had now completely abandoned that resolve. This change was also proof that the Fist Demon had grown stronger. It meant his goal had changed from the cliff to something within his heart.
Whoooosh.
The wind that blew in fluttered the hems of their clothes.
As they stood there for a while, unexpected words flowed from the Fist Demon.
“To the Cult Leader, the unification of murim must have held the same meaning as this cliff did for me.”
“!”
Geom Mugeuk looked at the Fist Demon standing beside him. The Fist Demon continued speaking with a blunt face.
“It must have been something he always thought about and set as his goal. He must have thought every day that he would surely accomplish it someday. As much as my longing to bring down this cliff.”
Geom Mugeuk had no intention of persuading the Fist Demon. No, even if he could persuade him, he would not.
Even if he succeeded in persuading all the Demon Supremes, he wanted the Fist Demon, at least, to stand beside his father. Of course, he was someone who would not be moved by any persuasion to begin with.
Suddenly, Geom Mugeuk recalled something.
“Long ago, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon once told me this. Back in the old days, when Father roamed the Central Plains fighting alongside you, Master, one day Father returned to the cult and said this to the old Saber Demon.”
Geom Mugeuk repeated the words of his father that the Blood Heaven Saber Demon had conveyed to him.
“I think I shall take this murim for myself.”
Perhaps that day had been the first time his father had conceived the dream of unifying murim.
“Do you know why Father said that?”
The Fist Demon, who had been standing silently, slowly nodded. As expected, the Fist Demon knew.
Soon after, an astonishing fact was revealed from his mouth.
“It was because of your mother.”
“!”
Geom Mugeuk looked at the Fist Demon with a startled face. As if telling him to ask the Cult Leader himself if he wanted to know more, the Fist Demon said nothing further.
After silently gazing for a long while at the distant Heavenly Demon Hall, Geom Mugeuk broke the silence.
“Master, leaving aside all other reasons, there is one reason you should not bring down this cliff.”
Geom Mugeuk looked around and spoke pleasantly.
“The view here is too beautiful.”
* * *
Among the subordinates of the Eight Demon Supremes, the ones who welcomed Geom Mugeuk most fervently were those strange people who were perfectly normal when alone but became odd the moment they gathered together—the Faceless Guests of the Valley of Villains.
Since they had once carried out an operation together, they liked Geom Mugeuk more than anyone.
The Faceless Guests crouching in the trees, the Faceless Guests passing along the road, and the Faceless Guests gathered with their heads together doing who knew what, all welcomed Geom Mugeuk with bright smiles.
Receiving such hospitality from the Faceless Guests, Geom Mugeuk arrived at the residence of the Extreme Evil Soma.
“Lord Soma! I’m here!”
The Extreme Evil Soma welcomed Geom Mugeuk gladly.
“Welcome, Young Cult Leader.”
Geom Mugeuk set down the wine bottle.
“This is wine I received from the Drunken Demon. It truly tastes excellent.”
Now, in the Extreme Evil Soma’s room, there was even a table at which they could sit together and drink. Of course, the only person with whom he could drink or eat anything was Geom Mugeuk.
“How was your closed-door cultivation?”
Geom Mugeuk told the Extreme Evil Soma about the Shicheon Secret Art. He also did not hide his martial achievement.
“So this time, I spent quite a long time together with Father. In the end, I also achieved great completion of the twelfth level of the Nine Flowers Demonic Art.”
The Extreme Evil Soma was delighted as if it were his own affair and offered a courteous congratulation.
“Achieving great completion of the twelfth level at your age, Young Cult Leader, will remain a legend in the history of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Truly, congratulations!”
“Thank you.”
“We must drink a celebratory cup today.”
“Of course.”
The two sat facing each other at the table.
“How was it with the Cult Leader?”
“It was good.”
Such an opportunity would not easily come again.
“The longer I spent with Father, the weaker my heart became. I had this thought. When Father says, Let us go to war, can I really say, I cannot go?”
To the Extreme Evil Soma, he conveyed honest feelings he had not shared with the other Demon Supremes.
“To be honest, I began to feel that I did not want to go against Father. So I kept rationalizing it like this. If he unifies murim, might murim not become happier than if it remains divided into the Demonic, Orthodox, and Evil factions and continues fighting? Could one great sacrifice prevent even greater sacrifices in the future? I also had this thought. Is this murim truly a place worth protecting even if it means standing against Father?”
The Extreme Evil Soma nodded as if he understood.
“To be honest, I still don’t know what I should do.”
He had heard various pieces of advice and made plans for what he should do, but his worry came first: could he truly change his father’s mind?
The Extreme Evil Soma, who had been quietly gazing at Geom Mugeuk, removed the mask he was wearing. It was the Extreme Evil Soma’s face, one Geom Mugeuk had not seen in a long time.
“How do I look with my mask removed?”
“What is there to say? It makes me feel ashamed for insisting that I’m first among the Four Handsome Men.”
As if he had not removed it simply to drink, the Extreme Evil Soma asked again,
“Am I, with my mask removed, still the Extreme Evil Soma?”
“Though it feels awkward and unfamiliar, you are still Lord Soma.”
After a brief pause, the Extreme Evil Soma said something astonishing.
“It is time for you to remove your mask as well, Young Cult Leader.”
“!”
“The mask of being a good son.”
The Extreme Evil Soma’s eyes were more serious than ever.
“The reason this matter feels so difficult is because you are trying to fight without removing that mask.”
The Extreme Evil Soma looked at Geom Mugeuk and asked,
“Are you afraid to remove the mask?”
Geom Mugeuk let out a sigh and said,
“I can remove it.”
The Extreme Evil Soma immediately understood Geom Mugeuk’s heart.
“You are afraid of seeing the Cult Leader after he removes his mask.”
Geom Mugeuk nodded, honestly admitting it. Yes, perhaps he did not want to see that face.
“It is unfortunate, but this fight was never one that could be fought with masks on from the beginning. Nor should it be.”
The Extreme Evil Soma was usually a man of few words, but at this moment, he did not spare his advice.
“Rather, you must make the Cult Leader remove his mask as well. If even one of you fights without removing your mask, then it will become a fight where one side yielded, and that fight will leave behind a lifetime of regret and resentment. Far in the future, at the moment of death, you will recall that matter. So do not fear the Cult Leader’s unfamiliar face.”
As if to say that the celebratory wine should be drunk when the true battle was over, the Extreme Evil Soma put back on the mask he had set down on the table.
“And do not forget that I am behind you, Young Cult Leader.”