Of the two, the younger-looking man stepped forward first, clasped his hands in greeting, and bowed.
“I am called Sotae, from Shaanxi. I have long held the Divine Cult in the highest regard, and by chance formed a connection with the Demonic Lord, which has led me to meet you like this. This person here is my master.”
The old man followed with a greeting of his own.
“I am called Jongmak, from Shaanxi. It is a pleasure to meet the heroes of the Divine Cult.”
There are no martial brothers named Sotae and Jongmak living in Shaanxi. There never have been, and there never will be.
Their true identities were the ones known as the Yunnan Twin Fiends.
As masters of disguise, deceiving others about their age was child’s play; sometimes they appeared as beanpoles, sometimes as fat men, as merchants, monks, and even women.
In reality, the young wretch who had greeted first was the First Fiend of the Twin Fiends and was actually older than the Second Fiend disguised as that old man over there.
They deceived people by disguising themselves as all manner of folk, committing countless evils in the process. They looted the wealth of merchants and killed people they had just met simply because their faces annoyed them.
Their lust was equally strong; if a beautiful woman caught their eye, they inevitably violated her, and they murdered anyone who tried to stop them—truly vicious men.
The Martial Alliance declared them Public Enemies of the Martial World but ultimately failed to capture them.
This was because their martial arts were powerful, and they were masters of disguise, so they could not easily be caught.
They enjoyed full natural lifespans. Once, this saying was popular:
“Heaven is not heartless. Because they are already dead.”
It was a saying that came about entirely because of these bastards.
And decisively, these bastards had ruined my life as well.
The First Fiend, disguised as a young man, stepped forward and spoke.
“If you, Second Young Master, whom I have always respected, would teach me a move, it would be the greatest honor for my family.”
What is meant to happen, happens.
In my life before the regression, the same event had occurred around this time.
Back then, I was truly an idiot. The worst of idiots, a complete and utter moron.
Why on earth had I accepted the duel?
Of course, at that time it had not been here but in a different situation where I crossed blades with this bastard.
Even then, they had followed Mabul. Mabul had introduced those Yunnan Twin Fiends at a banquet attended by the demonic members of the main cult and fanned the flames so that I could not refuse.
He had exploited my psychology flawlessly. Instead of urging me to teach him a move, he scolded the First Fiend.
“Who are you to challenge such a noble person to a duel? This is not your place. Should you make one wrong move and the Second Young Master be injured, you will not keep your life.”
He had spoken those very same words back then, just as he did now.
Just as telling a man to “flip the table like a man” is less effective than asking, “Would that coward dare to flip it?”, the twenty-year-old me, who lived and died by the judgment of others, had fallen for that shallow provocation.
Moreover, back then I had lost a duel due to sand poison in the contest between the Divine and Demonic, and was burning with desperate need to restore my fallen reputation.
I had proven with my own body that the lower one’s self-esteem, the more easily one falls for an opponent’s taunts.
The result had been devastating.
I had foolishly believed there was no way I would lose to someone my age, but we were not the same age at all.
My arm was broken, my ribs cracked, and my face bruised so badly that I could not go outside for a time.
The problem was not my wounds. My pride had crumbled at losing to a supposed peer, and the self-loathing of having so easily fallen for the provocation tormented me.
My father, as well as the demonic members of the main cult, had been disappointed in me. Having been thoroughly thrashed by an outsider, my authority and prestige had fallen into the dust.
The Yunnan Twin Fiends had fled that very day, so at the time their true identities had not even been revealed.
And now those very bastards had appeared before my eyes again. So when they followed Mabul into my room, just how excited do you think I was?
“Of course, we can’t have this precious body getting hurt. These days, rising experts are so frightening.”
I could simply back out like this. The more confident one is in one’s skills, the more leisurely one acts. Of course, I had no intention of doing that today.
“But it would be unmannerly to refuse when someone asks so earnestly, would it not?”
I was curious. Did my brother know what kind of people these were that associated with Mabul? Brother, this is a problem whether you know or not.
“Thank you for accepting the duel. Truly, you live up to your renowned name, Second Young Master.”
“However, you have been flattering me to my face from the start. Have you heard anything about my reputation? If you know of anything I have done recently, name just one.”
Apparently not expecting me to ask so bluntly, the First Fiend was flustered.
“My memory is poor, so I cannot recall. I am uneducated and lacking in manners. I hope you will understand, Second Young Master.”
“I thought as much. Asking for a duel the moment we meet shows you had no manners to begin with, and the fact that this idiot acts this way without knowing my personality or strength shows your head is indeed quite rotten. Still, it is a small mercy that you know yourself.”
At my mockery, the Twin Fiends’ expressions stiffened simultaneously. I could feel them forcibly suppressing the malice they could no longer hide.
“Since your head is rotten, enjoy a round with your body instead, Second Young Master.”
“Let’s do that.”
And so we went outside and stood facing each other in the courtyard. Everyone who had been inside followed.
“You will use fists and palms?”
“Yes.”
“I use the sword, so be careful not to lose both your hands to my blade.”
“You should also be careful, Second Young Master. From now on, you may need to hold that sword in your left hand.”
As he tensed his eyes to heighten the tension, the Blood Heaven Demon Blade stepped forward.
“I shall take my leave first. As I have grown old, I sleep more in the evenings.”
He appeared to have no interest in the duel’s outcome and seemed unwilling to remain long where the Eldest Young Master and I were together.
At that, the Ilhwa Sword Venerable followed suit.
“I shall also take my leave. If I don’t sleep, my skin becomes dry.”
As the two bid farewell, Geom Muyang respectfully greeted them.
“Then please retire. I shall visit you separately later.”
Mabul asked the question my brother had wanted to ask.
“You do not seem worried about the Second Young Master.”
The Blood Heaven Demon Blade did not even glance at me as he tossed out a word and walked away.
“Worry my ass.”
The Ilhwa Sword Venerable followed behind him. At least in this moment, they were of one mind.
They were the type to know well that it was best to avoid the scandal of having been present at such a fight, and more than anything, they did not have so much as a speck of concern for me.
Surprisingly, Jangho followed as well.
“Then I also have business to attend to, so I shall take my leave.”
As the quick-witted bear made to leave, the nine-tailed fox followed.
“Then I shall also take my leave.”
I spoke to Ian.
“Ian, you’re leaving too?”
“Yes. I must go train.”
“If anyone should stay and at least pretend to worry, it’s you. You’ve changed!”
“Of course I have. Because someone kept singing in my ear that I had to change, had to change.”
As she walked, she turned to Seo Daeryong.
“Aren’t you going?”
“I will stay and watch. I think it will help with my martial training.”
Then the Blood Heaven Demon Blade, walking far away, shouted at him.
“Watching won’t help you one damn bit. Go get some sleep.”
With his master having spoken, he could not stay. Seo Daeryong grinned at me.
“So he says. How sharp his ears are.”
Once even Seo Daeryong had left, the Wind Heaven Cult Leader moved as well.
“If everyone leaves and I stay, I’ll look like an idle person, won’t I?”
And so they all left, each leaving a parting word.
“You’re all too much!”
No one turned back at my hollow cry.
I understood. Their reasons for leaving were all different, but it was an act filled with respect for me. A show for my brother.
We trust the Second Young Master this much.
By leaving, they had demonstrated their loyalty to me in a manner that was, in its own way, quite sophisticated.
Now only Gowol, who stayed with me, remained.
“You are truly my most loyal subject.”
“I was about to tell you that I would retire first as well. I do not enjoy watching fights.”
“That won’t do. At least one person must stay and watch.”
“Then please finish it quickly.”
“I shall.”
All who watched this looked on with expressions of shock and disbelief.
Perhaps feeling thoroughly ignored, the Yunnan Twin Fiends openly revealed their displeasure, and even Geom Muyang, who rarely showed emotion, could not completely hide his surprise at the situation.
The First Fiend stepped forward and spoke.
“The spectators have left, so the excitement has died down, but my fists have not lost their strength. Let us have a round.”
He was anxious, perhaps fearing the duel might be canceled.
Do not worry, evildoer.
“Let’s do it. This is a fight I have long waited for.”
Far longer than you could ever imagine.
I accepted this duel partly for revenge, but more so to pass judgment on the evils they had committed.
They were included among the absolute evil of which I spoke.
There are those called absolute evil because they are too strong, but there are also those like them who are absolute evil because they are cunning and wicked.
Those skilled in disguise who, once they hide, are impossible to find. Those who treat others’ lives like flies yet treasure their own lives dearly, desperate to preserve them at all costs.
Therefore, those who live comfortably until they die of old age—these, too, are absolute evil.
Perhaps Heaven grew displeased with the popular saying that it was dead. Seeing as it sent them before me.
“Now, I will not hold back against you just because you are the Second Young Master, so be careful!”
The First Fiend showed no mercy from the first move. Whatever happened, their mission was to beat me and vanish.
How much had they received from Mabul? Coming all the way to the main cult to face me, they must have been paid handsomely.
I dodged the flying fist and lightly seized his wrist.
The bastard was shocked, never having imagined his wrist would be caught on the first move.
He tried to shake free, but the moment his tightly gripped hand would not budge—
—Could it be? The moment the bastard’s eyes flew wide open, my sword was drawn like lightning.
Shhk!
In a single move, his wrist was severed.
“Ugh!”
A short scream burst out, and he instinctively tried to stanch the bleeding.
Shhiiik! Shhk!
Without a moment’s hesitation, I cut off his other wrist as well.
“Aaaaaaaagh!”
He screamed in agony, flailing his severed hands and spraying blood like a fountain.
Blood poured down around us like rain. I did not dodge, and neither did my brother.
Amidst the gushing blood, we simply looked at each other.
Then the Second Fiend ambushed me from behind. He likely intended to subdue me and then treat the First Fiend. I began to turn to block, but when I saw my brother draw his sword, I simply stayed put.
Swhaaaaaaack!
A ferocious sword aura burst forth in an instant, brushing past the side of my face, but I did not even blink and kept looking at my brother.
The sword aura that had brushed past me bisected the Second Fiend, who had been rushing from behind, cleanly in two.
In an instant, that place became a sea of blood.
I asked Mabul.
“Just what were you expecting?”
It was a question laden with meaning. My brother had distanced himself, but you have heard and seen everything about me.
Did you think those Yunnan Twin Fiends could beat and humiliate me? Did you think, as in the past, that I would fall victim to them and hide in the corner of my room?
I stripped the face mask from the unconscious First Fiend.
Scriiiitch.
And revealed the face of a middle-aged man beneath.
“Who are you?”
I deliberately tried to reveal his identity to gauge my brother’s reaction.
The First Fiend only glared at me with resentful eyes and said nothing.
“I’ll cut off your ankles too.”
When I raised my sword to sever his ankles, the bastard shouted.
“…We are the Yunnan Twin Fiends.”
Thud!
At that moment, the First Fiend’s head exploded. Golden light settled around the flowing blood and then vanished. It was Mabul who had killed him.
Mabul’s eyes flickered with golden light, and an immense energy pressed down on the surroundings. This was not the Mabul who argued with the Wind Heaven Cult Leader. He exuded a fiercer spirit than anyone and spoke coldly.
“You asked what I was expecting? I wanted to show your brother reality clearly. Your competitor is someone who can cut down the Yunnan Twin Fiends in a single move. I wanted to show him you cutting them down with the Demonic Sword that the Cult Leader did not give him. This is the reality you now face.”
He was not speaking to me. He was speaking to my brother.
This man, Mabul! He is certainly a wicked man, but his feelings for my brother are genuine.
My gaze turned to Geom Muyang. Blood splattered across his face was streaming down, just as it was on mine.
Geom Muyang asked me in a calm tone.
“Are you hurt?”
“Thanks to you.”
“Seeing your martial arts improve like this makes me glad. It is a good thing for the main cult as well.”
“My martial arts have improved, but your acting has improved, Brother.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are not the type to associate with just anyone, are you?”
“If you are asking whether I knew they were the Yunnan Twin Fiends, I did not. See you tomorrow morning when we greet Father.”
And so my brother and Mabul left that place as well. Seeing him maintain his composure even in this situation, I acknowledged my brother. I could understand why the Blood Heaven Demon Blade had supported him in the past. It made sense.
I walked toward the corpses of the Yunnan Twin Fiends sprawled on the ground. I had killed them easily because I did not want to imbue their deaths with any meaning. Allowing them so much as a single last word was too good for such men. The cold rice served in the dungeon was too good for them. Killing them like bugs and erasing their very existence was the greatest punishment.
I searched the two corpses and found promissory notes. They each carried one note worth one hundred thousand nyang.
“Remember this. Two hundred thousand nyang is enough to get the Second Young Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult beaten.”
Gowol smiled faintly at my jest. I handed him the notes.
“Use them for the work you are undertaking. Or do you think it is dirty money that came from their pockets?”
“Money bears no name. Its worth is determined by how it is used.”
Gowol does not make me regret [recruiting him]. That is why I went to such lengths to bring him here as my strategist.
“I will dispose of the corpses. Please go inside and wash off the blood first.”
I looked up at the sky and spoke as if to myself.
“With my brother’s return, blood rain falls from the heavens at once.”