Chapter 300. If King Yama Asks Who Killed Him.

The Death Saint Supreme continued speaking with a smile.

“That I resemble a snake? It’s a tale I’ve grown accustomed to, so I’m glad to hear it, but everyone who spoke those words is dead. Lord of Haomun, do you understand?”

The snake-like bastard seemed to have gotten angry. I answered in a flat tone.

“I don’t think so?”

“I accept your one-on-one challenge.”

“Oh.”

“But the ranks must match.”

“Rank?”

“You will face the Dongho First Sword. Then I shall accept the Sword Demon’s challenge. The rest will simply die according to the outcome.”

To the Death Saint Supreme’s proposal, the Dongho First Sword answered in a humble tone.

“I shall do so.”

The two of them beat the drum and matched the rhythm among themselves.

The drumming was foul and the rhythm was off, so I glared at the Death Saint Supreme, a scoff curled on my lips.

The Death Saint’s crowd would fight a proper one-on-one?

I didn’t believe it.

A bastard who had hidden away while pushing his own subordinates off a cliff, now?

I couldn’t believe it.

If he had been a man who fought one-on-one properly, he would have accepted the proposal back then.

In other words, while I fought the Dongho First Sword, I would get struck by the Death Saint Supreme’s ultimate technique, and the other three Great Evils would be surrounded by the Death Saint Alliance’s lieutenants and forced into an even more disadvantageous battle.

The evil one’s intentions hidden behind his snake-like gaze were all too obvious.

The Dongho First Sword spoke to me.

“Lord, surely you are not suddenly afraid? Come forth.”

I scratched my nose lightly and answered.

“Hey, you shameless snake bastards.”

“……”

“I can’t trust you. You are the ones who should have died first, so the Demonic Cult must have attacked the Death Saint Alliance the moment they arrived in the Central Plains. Precisely because anyone could tell you deserved to die, the Martial Alliance probably didn’t help you either. There must have been even more things like the Dark Incense back then. There was no reason for the Martial Alliance to help. And *you* want a one-on-one?”

The Dongho First Sword asked.

“What is it that you want to say?”

“What else? You will all simply die here on White Snake Island. I wondered how you could be so shameless peddling that Dark Incense, and it turns out it’s because a bastard like the Death Saint is your leader. Finally found him. You bastard….”

The Death Saint Supreme nodded and ordered the Dongho First Sword.

“Fine. Kill him. I will join at the appropriate time.”

I retorted immediately.

“And when is that appropriate time? The moment your subordinates are dying? Truly the mindset of a great commander. Splendid. Even in this situation, more of your subordinates have to die before you step in, is that it? Right? Because only then will our stamina and strength wane. I wish you a long life free from illness, you snake bastard.”

I looked around at the Death Saint’s subordinates.

“Truly a pack of rat bastards serving a magnificent leader. You must be proud. Hey, you fucking idiots. Serve him with all your loyalty. Because you have to survive until you shit on the walls.”

The Death Saint Supreme finally snapped.

“Silence!”

I answered with a puzzled expression.

“No? Lastly….”

The moment I drew my wooden sword, I unleashed sword qi in a flying sword form, targeting a lieutenant’s torso.

Swish!

As the lieutenant tried to dodge the shooting sword qi, his arm flew off, and a short scream erupted.

With a smiling face, I warned the other Great Evils.

“It’s a free-for-all now. Survive.”

Because the pit at our center had filled with water, even though the battle had started, no one clashed head-on immediately.

The Death Saint Supreme rebuked the subordinate whose arm had been severed.

“Noisy. Fall back before you are killed. If you let out another scream, I will kill you first.”

Ridiculously, the lieutenant covered his mouth and retreated.

While babbling on about things that might help the Great Evils analyze the enemy’s strength, I openly explained our strategy.

“…Think of the middle-ranked lieutenants as being around the level of Bigaek, whom I killed before. Above them is the Dongho First Sword. One tier above him is Snake Eyes. Snake Eyes will launch a sneak attack. Be careful. For now, ignore anyone who runs away.”

I wondered if anyone would actually flee, but I waged psychological warfare anyway. The killing intent of dozens of men shot into the sky, threatening the vengeful spirits of White Snake Island.

I continued to face them while spouting nonsense throughout.

“Since the Six Harmonies is the strongest among us, take the Death Saint bastard first.”

The Ghost Demon answered in a composed tone.

“Understood.”

The gazes of those present focused on the Ghost Demon. They seemed surprised by the abrupt words.

The Ghost Demon drew his Six Harmonies Sword and spoke to the Death Saint Supreme.

“Snake Eyes, come here. How dare someone uglier than me point out my looks? Absurd.”

The Death Saint Supreme’s head tilted crookedly, and he glared at the Ghost Demon.

“I will kill you with my own hands. What are you all doing? Attack simultaneously. I will provide support.”

The dozen or so lieutenants standing around the pit simultaneously shot into the air and flew over the pit in an instant. It was a reckless attack, but they seemed to have something they trusted in.

The moment they all exposed the weak points of their lower bodies.

The Dongho First Sword lowered his stance, drew his sword, and unleashed a massive crescent-shaped sword qi with a sword projection.

Swhaaaaack!

We four simultaneously retreated with our feet planted firmly, each blocking the sword qi. In an instant, the Death Saint Alliance lieutenants who had landed where we stood scattered widely and began charging.

I retreated while continuously observing the situation.

The Lust Demon began pouring out cold energy with twin palms.

The Sword Demon charged at three or four men and swung his Radiant Sword. The Sword Demon had apparently had his eye on someone; he hadn’t even swung his sword a few times before a lieutenant’s scream erupted.

“Graaaaaah!”

I savored the scream.

“Excellent. Scream louder.”

In the meantime, the Dongho First Sword and the Death Saint Supreme, who had lightly leaped over the pit, were watching for another opportunity.

‘Ah, truly annoying bastards.’

There were two of them still watching for a chance while making the lieutenants die first.

I retreated once more, pretending to survey the battle situation while formulating a strategy.

The Sword Demon was fighting four men at once, the Ghost Demon three, and the Lust Demon three. Someone must have underestimated the Lust Demon; the moment he took a palm strike, he staggered backward and fell forward face-first. It seemed Ice Qi had spread through his body.

The Lust Demon moved with a spiteful smile.

“Heh, heh, heh.”

I took no action until this battle settled into a stable flow. Instead, I kept my eyes on the Dongho First Sword and the Death Saint Supreme.

“You pathetic bastards, are you just going to watch like me? Let’s do it this way. Have both of you attack at once.”

But the Death Saint Supreme completely ignored my words and suddenly sat cross-legged, staring at the battlefield.

It was a situation in which, if that bastard threw out a technique at the appropriate moment, the Lust Demon, Ghost Demon, and Sword Demon could be in danger.

The First Sword of Dongho grinned when our eyes met.

“……I said one-on-one, you stupid bastard.”

“Is that so?”

“Come.”

I sheathed my sword, then strode toward the First Sword of Dongho. To my right, the Lust Demon was running wild, and to my left, the Ghost Demon was fighting, but I simply walked past them.

As I drew closer and closer, the Foremost of the Evil Path narrowed his brow.

“Stop him.”

The instant the First Sword of Dongho shot into the air and came toward me, I unleashed my lightness skill and joined the nearest one, the Lust Demon, with the Cloud Ladder.

It was a surprise attack a hundred times faster than Cha Seongtae’s.

I drew my wooden sword and lopped off the head of a man whose back was turned, then immediately released cold qi with my left palm. The moment two men were engulfed in the cold, the chill bursting from the Lust Demon’s twin palms overlaid it, and they froze solid.

In the blink of an eye, the three men who had been fighting the Lust Demon were dead.

I said to the Lust Demon,

“To Eldest Brother.”

The Lust Demon joined the Sword Demon without a word. In the meantime, I calmly clashed swords with the First Sword of Dongho, who had arrived. As sparks burst from the blades in an instant, I put up an iron wall defense and said,

“Why were you so late? Three are dead.”

While I was deflecting the First Sword of Dongho’s blade, the Foremost of the Evil Path suddenly sprang up from where he sat and flew toward the Ghost Demon at high speed.

Only then did he seem to realize the Ghost Demon was the weakest opponent and go to tear into him. Ridiculously enough, it was the exact same method as my own surprise attack that had killed three men first.

As I blocked the First Sword of Dongho’s offensive, I said to the Ghost Demon,

“Second, retreat.”

The Ghost Demon, who had been facing the executives, replied calmly.

“Acknowledged.”

Swinging the tip of the Six Harmonies Sword as if scoring the ground, the Ghost Demon poured out sword winds mixed with chunks of stone one after another.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!

In that instant, in the left side of my vision, I saw the Ghost Demon kick off the ground once and begin to flee. Because we had fought together all this time, his movement showed he understood perfectly what I meant.

At that moment, the First Sword of Dongho’s blade narrowly grazed my shoulder, tearing my clothes. I scattered the palm force of the Moon Shadow Heartless Art before me to obscure his vision, then quickly retreated.

Then I heard the Sword Demon’s low voice.

“Take over here.”

The Lust Demon answered.

“Yes.”

The Sword Demon shot into the air, spun his body, and then pursued the Foremost of the Evil Path, who was pursuing the Ghost Demon.

The Ghost Demon fled, and the Foremost of the Evil Path pursued him.

And behind that Foremost of the Evil Path, the Sword Demon chased him in turn. It was an absurd arrangement.

Of course, the three masters the Ghost Demon had first been facing were also closing in. I unleashed the Long Sword Form of the Boundless Heavy Sword, forcing the nearby First Sword of Dongho to fall back, then used the Cloud Ladder and joined the Lust Demon once again.

I shot into the air, sheathed my wooden sword, and then released the palm force of the full moon with both palms.

“Lust Demon.”

The Lust Demon was also within the range of the palm force I released.

The Lust Demon, who had been fighting with his back turned, immediately shot into the air, then, lying at an angle, spun while pouring out his ice art.

The palm force of the Jade Flower Ice Art and the palm force of the Moon Shadow Heartless Art overlapped, covering the four men’s entire bodies in an instant.

Since each of them had also swung their swords fiercely, sword qi pierced through the white, fluttering palm force and shot out like the spines of a hedgehog. But at the same time, they had been struck by the ice art, and their movements had slowed.

I left the finishing blow to the Lust Demon, turned around, and dodged the First Sword of Dongho’s blade in succession with mere tilts of my head.

I wanted to mock him somehow, but his sword was so fast it was difficult even to speak. I drew my wooden sword with the Sword-Draw Form and responded.

Clang!

As soon as I blocked the First Sword of Dongho’s blade, I swung my left hand and exchanged palm force.

Booooooooom!

I received the palm force without trying to hold my ground, then, the moment I flipped my body in midair, charged at the men who had been hit by the ice art and swung my sword wildly. In an instant, screams erupted on top of one another.

As I cut down everything in sight, arms and torsos were severed.

At the same time, the Lust Demon burst one man’s head with his right palm, then charged straight at the First Sword of Dongho.

In an instant, the Lust Demon and the First Sword of Dongho exchanged attack and defense.

Now the First Sword of Dongho’s expression was filled with bewilderment.

After killing every last man who had been fighting the Lust Demon, I asked the First Sword of Dongho,

“Why were you late again? They’re all dead. Why are you always like this?”

As I spoke, I joined the Lust Demon and pressed the First Sword of Dongho. Since the situation was urgent, I unleashed attacks at the highest speed I could manage.

In truth, it did not matter if I was injured, so I cast life and death aside and unleashed the Dugu Heavy Sword. The Lust Demon was originally a sly bastard, so with finger techniques mixed with ice art, he persistently targeted the First Sword of Dongho’s instep, calves, knees, lower body, and genitals. It seemed he meant to make him a eunuch.

But the moment I judged that I could kill the First Sword of Dongho on my own, I said to the Lust Demon,

“Join Second.”

“Acknowledged.”

The Dugu Heavy Sword I unleashed was all offense.

I drove the First Sword of Dongho back with perilous attacks, as if I intended mutual destruction. Thinking about it, this First Sword of Dongho was not the sort of man who could resolve himself to die together with me.

He was definitely a bastard who would do anything to survive.

Why?

Because he had been influenced by a snake-like leader. That was why the Dugu Heavy Sword worked on the current First Sword of Dongho as if it were an invincible sword art.

Would this bastard truly understand such a profound principle?

Seen that way, the Dugu Heavy Sword was a sword art that needed to be reevaluated. In other words, it was a sword art to which psychological warfare applied thoroughly. Against a bastard who worried about his own safety the moment a fight began, it had been an unbeaten (不敗) sword art from the start. There is a man who attains martial achievement while fighting, and of course, that man is me.

I pressed the First Sword of Dongho with the Dugu Heavy Sword. As I kept up the pressure, striking with my left palm became far too easy. I pressured him with a mixture of ice art, Flame Realm, and lightning qi, while with the wooden sword in my right hand, I used only techniques aimed at mutual destruction.

In that instant, I felt the crown of my head grow hot, and the White-Clad Scholar came to mind. Then, falling into a trance, I extended three fingers toward the First Sword of Dongho.

A focus like something burning in my mind took hold……

From my fingers, beams of full moon, Flame Realm, and lightning qi burst forth respectively.

Sweeeeeeeek!

The instant the three beams rushed toward the First Sword of Dongho, I drew my sword vertically, as if imitating the One Slash Severing Both that Im Sobaek had unleashed.

The First Sword of Dongho, who had been struggling to block the three finger techniques, was split into two in an instant, and blood shot high into the air.

Spurt!

I sheathed my sword, then roared at the Foremost of the Evil Path, who was locked in battle with the Sword Demon.

“You snake bastard, I’m still alive. The First Sword of Dongho just died. You son of a bitch, he definitely died because of you. I’ll avenge the water bandits. It may sound strange for me to avenge them after I killed them myself, but that’s who I am. Everyone who died on Baeksa Island died because of the Foremost of the Evil Path, because of that crippled old messenger who was lucky enough to survive. They must all have become water ghosts. I’ll lead those water ghosts to you. Die. You die today too. If King Yama (閻羅) asks who killed you, recite the titles of the Four Great Villains.”

I cackled and laughed.

“That is who we are.”

When I suddenly came to my senses, the officers who were still alive were harrying the Ghost Demon and the Lust Demon.

“Huh?”

Swept up in the madness that had been my nature in my days as the Mad Demon, I cursed, my temper flaring, then raised both hands as if pointing my fingernails toward the sky and wrapped them in the White Lightning Ten-Stage Art.

Pajijijijijijijijik!

In that instant, as I focused my mind and internal energy as if breaking through the limits of the White Lightning Ten-Stage Art, my entire body was enveloped in white lightning qi. I charged first at the bastards fighting the Ghost Demon, swinging my hands, wreathed in lightning qi, like a mad wild beast.

The bastards were already terrified out of their wits.

Because I had won the psychological battle. With fingers infused with lightning qi, I tore and clawed at the men fighting the Ghost Demon, then seized their heads, twisted, and ripped them free. Lightning qi burst endlessly from my whole body, the enemies’ blood burst as well, and madness surged upward.

Ah…….

To think the memories would be this vivid.

Yes.

It wasn’t as though my past self had always fought with extraordinary martial arts.

I had simply fought like a madman and killed even those stronger than me.

After a long time, I was reunited with the Mad Demon of my previous life.

When you fight…….

Things like that can happen.

I tore to death, one by one, the men who had been harassing the Ghost Demon. Covered in blood, the moment my eyes met the Ghost Demon’s, I cackled and laughed.

The Ghost Demon looked at me as well, then smiled more brightly than ever before.

The Lust Demon, who arrived after beating another officer to death, let out a sigh.

“You’re truly the very image of the Mad Demon. You lunatic, stop laughing.”

The Ghost Demon nodded.

“The Mad Demon, indeed.”

I had given the Lust Demon the sobriquet Lust Demon, and the Lust Demon gifted me the sobriquet Mad Demon.

Call it one of the mysteries granted to a man who has returned through life.

On Baeksa Island, I regained my sobriquet.