Chapter 795: Even Now, the Troublesome Matter
Geom Mugeuk continued onward toward the direction where the aura of darkness was growing stronger.
After undergoing Full Body Transformation, not only his five senses but even his sixth sense and survival instincts had awakened far more keenly than before.
That was why, no matter how thick the fog of darkness was, it could not slow Geom Mugeuk’s steps.
Shik!
At that moment, a sword suddenly sprang up from the floor and tried to pierce the sole of Geom Mugeuk’s foot.
As Geom Mugeuk instinctively evaded and leapt over it in one motion, swords burst out from both walls as well.
Shiiik, shik!
This time as well, he lightly avoided them and retreated backward.
It was not just the blades that had emerged. Arms gripping the swords had come out along with them.
The arms holding swords were not just one or two.
Arms filled the corridor. Not only the walls on both sides, but even the ceiling and the floor sprouted arms. It was truly a grotesque corridor packed full of sword-gripping arms.
Hoo-woong!
Geom Mugeuk sent out a light palm strike, as if to see how they would react.
As if crabs hiding their eyes, the sword-gripping arms vanished into the walls in an instant. Once the force of the palm passed, the arms holding swords revealed themselves again. They looked just like living arms.
Geom Mugeuk could tell. What was unfolding before his eyes was not a simple mechanical trap.
‘Among the Dark Demonic Art, this was a formation spread by a master of the Dark Summoning Art.’
Just looking at it sent chills down one’s spine and evoked fear, yet Geom Mugeuk liked it instead.
“Seeing how hard they’re trying to block the way, this must be the right path.”
Geom Mugeuk dashed straight ahead. It was a reckless charge that made one wonder how he intended to deal with those countless arms.
But Geom Mugeuk gave his answer with skill.
Shik! Shiiik! Shiiik! Shik!
Paak! Pak! Papak! Pak!
Each time sword light flashed, arms were severed. The arms gripping swords were no ordinary opponents either.
The swords lunged toward Geom Mugeuk, stabbing in truly bizarre angles.
Because the attacks came from directions and angles rarely encountered in fights against people, they were troublesome strikes.
It was a movement as if several sharp-minded masters’ brains had been attached to them.
However, they had simply met the wrong opponent.
Papapapapapapapak!
Geom Mugeuk broke through head-on. The speed of the Black Demon Sword was so fast that within the fog, only sword light flashed, and severed arms flew in all directions.
When Geom Mugeuk reached the end of the corridor in an instant—
Hudududududuk.
The floor of the corridor became littered with severed arms.
Pung! Pungpung! Pungpungpungpungpung!
The arms turned into black smoke and vanished.
Amazingly, through that entire process, they failed to tear even a single edge of Geom Mugeuk’s clothing. It was truly overwhelming martial might.
At that moment, the door positioned directly at the end of the corridor opened.
Deolkeok.
Beyond it was a room where gambling was in full swing.
Geom Mugeuk peered inside. Despite all the commotion outside, the place was still packed with gamblers deeply engrossed in their betting. The fervor there was even hotter than when Geom Mugeuk had first arrived on this ship.
‘The Greed Annihilation Art is sucking up all of their energy.’
They were so absorbed in gambling that they did not even realize Geom Mugeuk was watching them.
Among the gamblers were those squatting in corners with their heads buried between their knees, or others sprawled out on the floor, having completely lost consciousness. Those with weaker bodies had begun to feel the effects first as their vitality was drained away.
At that moment, one person caught Geom Mugeuk’s eye.
The old man watching over the gamblers was, astonishingly, the Dark Palace Master. Just like before when he had appeared, it was clear this was an illusion.
On the other hand, the gamblers did not even perceive that the onlooker beside them was an illusion.
The Dark Palace Master looked at Geom Mugeuk and spoke.
“How is it? Would you not like to test your luck?”
“I have never had much interest in gambling, but I do know one secret technique.”
“What secret technique would that be?”
“A surefire method that guarantees victory in gambling.”
The Dark Palace Master waited for Geom Mugeuk’s answer with curious eyes.
“The only way to win at gambling is to not step beyond this gambling hall’s door.”
Geom Mugeuk slammed the door shut with a bang and walked off along his path.
From outside the door, Geom Mugeuk’s voice was heard.
“I won.”
At that action, the Dark Palace Master’s illusion wore a dumbfounded expression, but the door had already closed. Truly, Geom Mugeuk never acted according to anyone’s expectations.
As Geom Mugeuk walked swiftly down the corridor, the Dark Palace Master’s illusion appeared directly in front of him this time.
“What if I get angry and kill all of them? What will you do if you just leave like that?”
“So did you kill them all?”
The Dark Palace Master gave no reply.
“Right, I figured as much. You’re maintaining this grand art by sticking tubes into their desires, so you can’t just kill them recklessly. Each and every one of them is precious, isn’t that right?”
“Even now, I could go back and kill everyone who was in that room.”
“Then kill them.”
When Geom Mugeuk brazenly called his bluff, the Dark Palace Master fixed him with a piercing gaze to grasp his true intent. Yet still, he could not reach Geom Mugeuk’s heart.
“Why? Because I protect the people of Maga Village as if they were my own, did you think I’d be flustered trying to save those gamblers? If I were that kind of person, do you think I could have come this far?”
Geom Mugeuk strode forward in long steps until he stood right before the Dark Palace Master’s illusion.
Rather than the illusion probing him, it was Geom Mugeuk who was digging into the truth beyond it.
“Shall I guess why you showed up before me again?”
Geom Mugeuk stared straight into the Dark Palace Master’s eyes as he asked.
“Things didn’t go well outside the ship, did they? You tried to take Lee Ahn hostage or kill her, and you failed, didn’t you?”
For an instant, the Dark Palace Master’s face twitched.
“So you wondered whether you could at least take those gamblers hostage, whether that would work on me, and came to test the waters?”
The Dark Palace Master neither affirmed nor denied it.
“Or are you trying to keep appearing like this to stall for time? Am I coming at you faster than you expected? Why? Do you still need more time to unfold what you prepared?”
From the moment he had boarded this Ship of Wealth and Honor, Geom Mugeuk had been moving in ways beyond expectation.
“I’m going to run from now on.”
Geom Mugeuk passed straight through the illusion and truly began running.
When the illusion turned back, Geom Mugeuk had already rounded the corner at the end of the corridor and disappeared.
Geom Mugeuk ran. If, as he had guessed, the Dark Palace Master was trying to slow his arrival, then arriving even a moment sooner would give him an absolutely advantageous fight.
As Geom Mugeuk dashed through the fog like that, his figure came to a halt.
Something was filling the corridor ahead.
Red pupils gleaming in the darkness.
By instinct, he knew. They had humanoid shapes, but they were monsters summoned through Dark Demonic Art.
There were not just one or two. They completely packed the corridor. The dark aura they exuded alone was enough to terrify a person.
‘They’re the monsters summoned earlier by that master of the Dark Summoning Art.’
Judging by the opponent’s presence, they were stronger summons than the sword-gripping arms before.
“Kraaaargh!”
The monster at the front let out a shrill roar and charged toward Geom Mugeuk.
Shiiik! Seoguk!
Following the Black Demon Sword’s slash, drawn diagonally as fast as lightning, the monster’s body split apart.
And that was when the monster’s attack truly began.
Chiiiiiiik.
The black blood that sprayed out melted the floor and walls.
The Bone Disolving Poison used in the martial world to dissolve corpses was the creature’s blood.
That was not all. Even though its body had been sliced lengthwise, it did not collapse and continued charging.
Shikshikshikshikshikshik!
The Black Demon Sword moved with lightning speed, shredding it to pieces. Only then did the monster turn into black smoke and vanish.
Chiiiiiiik.
A noxious smoke rose from the Bone Disolving Poison splattered everywhere.
Monsters that sprayed Bone Disolving Poison filled the narrow corridor. When one died, the others did not rush in, instead waiting.
It was a situation that first inspired the thought of how to break through this, but Geom Mugeuk did not spare his martial arts.
“If you’re going to come at me like this, then I have no choice either.”
Sseuk.
A reliable back appeared before Geom Mugeuk’s eyes.
Nine Calamities Demon Art, Second Form — Great Annihilation Form.
It was a small Great Annihilation Form that had split into just two.
But its power remained unchanged. The two demonic ghosts that filled the corridor pushed forward as they advanced.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwaak!
The monsters charged in, trying to endure, but they were not opponents they could handle. Their entire bodies burst apart.
Peopeopeopeopeopeopuk.
Chiiiiiiik.
Bone-Melting Acid was scattered, but to the demonic ghosts of the Great Annihilation Form, it was no different from being soaked by rain.
When the two demonic ghosts pushed all the way to the end of the corridor—
A scream erupted from there.
“Aaaaargh!”
Just before even the screamer was swept away, the demonic ghosts stopped.
The person who looked about to faint from shock was none other than Yang Dong, the ship owner. He had been catering to the whims of the VIP guests lost in gambling, and when he heard strange noises outside and opened the door, he came face-to-face with the demonic ghosts.
Yang Dong fell straight back onto his backside.
The terrifying demonic ghosts were coldly looking down at him.
“……Please spare me!”
Ssssss.
From beyond the demonic ghosts slowly fading away, Geom Mugeuk’s words were added.
“Do not be afraid. At least for today, they are guardian deities who will protect you.”
---
Bih Sa-in leapt onto the largest giant wolf statue in the Inner Compound.
Baek Jagang, the Alliance Leader of the Unorthodox Alliance, was standing atop it. From there, the entire view of the Unorthodox Alliance could be seen at a glance.
“I heard news that a Demonic Flame has risen in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. Is that true?”
Bih Sa-in had been carrying out an operation outside when he heard the news and hurried back. He could not even describe how shocked he had been by it.
Baek Jagang silently nodded.
“What matters is not that a Demonic Flame was ignited.”
What Baek Jagang was focusing on was this.
“What matters is that Geom Woojin allowed it.”
The Geom Woojin Baek Jagang knew was never someone who would raise a Demonic Flame. He knew well how strong his pride was. If such a man had sealed off the main body of the cult—
“If it isn’t a ruse meant to kill all of us.”
Baek Jagang’s gaze gleamed sharply.
“Then something truly dangerous is heading that way.”
Bih Sa-in’s expression hardened. Of course, it would not be a ruse meant to kill both the orthodox and unorthodox factions. This incident occurred after Geom Mugeuk had emerged leading numerous Demon Supremes. If it were an attempt to start a war, that would mean Geom Mugeuk was involved as well—and that was impossible.
“If he were truly aiming for us, he wouldn’t have ignited Demonic Flame.”
That was why Bih Sa-in was worried about Geom Mugeuk.
“Is it because of the Heavenly Killing Star?”
How could the Unorthodox Alliance not know what the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult knew and what the Martial Alliance knew? The Unorthodox Alliance too had been on high alert over the appearance of the Heavenly Killing Star.
“That must be it. Because of this incident, the Martial Alliance has entered a wartime posture.”
“How do you plan to respond?”
“We have no choice but to move while watching both sides.”
Even though it was something that could have wounded his pride, Baek Jagang said it lightly.
Bih Sa-in respected and liked this aspect of his master. His master took the greatest pride in walking the unorthodox path and had high self-esteem as the Alliance Leader, yet he never belittled others or exaggerated the Unorthodox Alliance.
“If it were you, what would you do?”
“First, we should at least strengthen vigilance in the Main Alliance to a minimum level.”
“No, not that. If you were the Alliance Leader, what would you have done?”
“Are you asking me to assume that the Demon Cult Leader was Geom Mugeuk?”
When Baek Jagang nodded, Bih Sa-in answered honestly.
“If Mugeuk had raised the Demonic Flame, I would have gone to help him.”
“What if he stormed the Main Alliance? Would it be fine if the entire Alliance was destroyed because of your friendship?”
At those words, Bih Sa-in lowered his head and spoke.
“This disciple made a foolish judgment, letting personal feelings come first and failing to consider the greater cause.”
However, it seemed Baek Jagang had not spoken to reprimand him. A trace of regret passed through his eyes.
“I have never had such a friend in my entire life.”
Bih Sa-in looked at his master in surprise. It was something he had never said before.
“It’s because you devoted your entire life to the Alliance.”
No, there was another reason. The ability to tell when someone was lying was, at the very least, a curse when it came to making friends.
In addition to distrust of people, there was yet another reason.
“Because it’s troublesome.”
“…Pardon?”
“Just look at you right now. Isn’t it a dilemma? He’s your friend—should you go save him or not? I hated even thinking about it.”
Baek Jagang did not bring this up because he wanted his disciple to live the same way. Rather, it was the opposite. His gentle gaze turned toward his disciple.
“Keeping the door shut is comfortable, but you end up trapped inside as well.”
Bih Sa-in understood. It meant that he should cherish and protect his friendship with Geom Mugeuk. It was the moment his master acknowledged that friendship.
“I will not consider it troublesome.”
Baek Jagang read the purity dwelling within his disciple’s fearsome expression.
Then, a startling decision flowed once more from Baek Jagang’s lips.
“I’ve avoided it my whole life, so shall I try doing something troublesome, just this once?”
“!”
Bih Sa-in was startled. He could tell that those words meant he intended to go help the Demon Cult Leader.
“Why? Are you surprised that I’m going to help, even though he’s not my friend?”
Baek Jagang looked like an emotional man, but he was not someone who made decisions emotionally. That was why his master’s decision made him all the more curious.
“May I ask your reason?”
“If the Demon Cult Leader dies, wouldn’t I lose my chance to take revenge on him?”
Not the Heavenly Killing Star, but revenge on the Demon Cult Leader? What did that mean? As he wondered, the reason turned out to be something utterly unexpected.
“At the three-way summit, didn’t the Demon Cult Leader and that old man from the Martial Alliance brag endlessly about how they each had two children? I have to show them that one well-raised child can beat both of theirs.”
At the word ‘child,’ a surge of emotion swept through Bih Sa-in’s chest. There was nothing more moving than when his master treated him not as a disciple, but as a son.
“If that prideful man raised the Demonic Flame, then this is something I have to go see. It’s no different from lighting a fire and calling me over.”