Chapter 829: You’ve Worked Hard Dealing With Someone Talkative Like Me
“Father, that was truly amazing!”
Geom Mugeuk cheered with delight, while the Fist Demon King and the Poison King bowed their heads to Geom Woojin in respect. Watching the Cult Leader’s battle was a great honor for a Demon Supreme.
“Thank you, Father.”
Geom Woojin showed no change in expression, but the Fist Demon King could tell.
The Cult Leader was in a better mood than ever.
It was as if, with the slightest nudge, those emotions would come pouring out—so he was deliberately keeping a stoic face.
It was a relief. If the Cult Leader had lost to Hwa Moogi, Geom Mugeuk might not have cared, but the Cult Leader surely would have carried that burden in his heart.
‘You fought well, Cult Leader.’
Geom Woojin responded to that look.
“How was it? The skills I learned from you haven’t dulled, have they?”
The two men looked at each other and smiled.
On the other hand, Hwa Moogi’s face was deeply twisted.
‘The Reverse Heaven Demon Absorption Art… has been broken.’
That technique had a side effect.
As Jin Paecheon had said earlier, any demonic art with such overwhelming effects was bound to have a corresponding drawback.
The side effect of the Reverse Heaven Demon Absorption Art was this: when it absorbed external impacts into internal energy through the protective aura, the pain inflicted was even greater than what would have originally been felt.
Though the protective aura felt like striking water—seemingly painless—each blow delivered extreme agony.
But if that pain was endured, the opponent would despair, believing their attacks were useless.
That was the true terror of the technique.
If one failed to endure the pain and stopped midway, internal injuries would occur, and the technique would collapse.
Thus, Hwa Moogi had endured all the attacks with extreme perseverance.
Considering whose attacks they were, that alone proved he was an extraordinary martial artist.
At first, Geom Woojin’s punches were bearable.
But as they continued, the impact became overwhelming. He had endured even the combined attack of the Unorthodox Alliance Leader and the Fist Demon King—yet why did these punches hurt so much?
Forcing himself to endure, he eventually reached his limit, and the technique broke.
What he did not know was that the Reverse Heaven Demon Absorption Art was, as its name implied, a demonic art. When it had been created with the help of the souls within him, Hyeok Do-cheon had contributed the most.
In the end, since its foundation was a demonic art, it could not withstand the fists of Geom Woojin, who had mastered the supreme demonic art of all—the Nine Calamities Demon Art.
And it was not just any level of mastery.
It was the fist of someone who had achieved the Twelfth Stage Great Completion of the Nine Calamities Demon Art.
That he had endured even this much was remarkable.
Hwa Moogi’s gaze turned to Geom Woojin.
Now that the technique had been broken, his plan to exhaust his opponent’s internal energy and kill him had failed.
‘In the end… there’s only one way to defeat him!’
A single martial art came to his mind.
Meanwhile, Geom Mugeuk boasted about his father to the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult.
“You saw it, right? What my father is like when he fights.”
The Cult Leader nodded, still astonished. Just as Geom Mugeuk said, Geom Woojin had not fought emotionally for his son’s sake.
Was he the only one surprised? Jin Paecheon and Baek Jagang were also astonished.
Even without drawing his sword, Geom Woojin had overwhelmed Hwa Moogi.
More surprising was that he had identified his opponent’s weakness. If it had been them, they would have withdrawn to avoid further energy consumption.
Until now, they had only thought Geom Mugeuk was exceptional.
‘So the Young Cult Leader inherited his father’s blood.’
Such a thought naturally arose.
Hwa Moogi looked at Geom Woojin and spoke coldly:
“Now let’s fight with swords.”
There was no way Geom Mugeuk would let that pass.
“Wipe the blood from your mouth first.”
Blood was flowing from Hwa Moogi’s lips—the result of internal injuries after his technique collapsed.
“And you should keep your promise. You said the one who draws their weapon first loses.”
Hwa Moogi stood there as if he refused to accept it.
“Can someone who’ll leave a unique name in martial history really break a promise?”
“If you all die, I’ll be the only one left to remember that history.”
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk said something unexpected.
“There are others watching you here besides us.”
Who else? As Hwa Moogi and the others wondered—
Geom Mugeuk mentioned those no one had considered.
“The souls residing within you—they’re watching, aren’t they?”
“!”
“You can just kill us and be done with it, but they’re watching what kind of person you are.”
Geom Mugeuk added sincerely:
“Just like me, you should think about the life after killing us.”
Life after killing them?
Hwa Moogi had never once seriously thought about that.
Geom Mugeuk continued:
“I consider the life after killing you far more important. That’s how I’ve lived until now.”
He would not focus only on the destination and ignore the scenery outside the carriage window. He would not neglect the struggle at the foot of the mountain for the fleeting joy at the summit.
“After I kill you, I’ll go on a trip with my father and my master. I’ll gather poisonous herbs with the Poison King. I’ll send the Martial Alliance Leader on a trip with Hagon and Haryeong. I’ll visit the Unorthodox Alliance Leader and eat the dishes he personally makes. I’ll travel with the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult and Chief Strategist Go. I’ll drink all night with Unit Leader Cha and Lee Ahn. Those things are a thousand, ten thousand times more important than killing you.”
In truth, those words were not for Hwa Moogi.
They were for his father and everyone present—telling them how they should live from now on.
“Just as I have these people, you have those people, don’t you? You wouldn’t want to show them a pitiful sight of breaking your promises, would you?”
Hwa Moogi’s face twitched. He did not like how Geom Mugeuk spoke as if he understood him.
“You think those inside me mean something to me?”
The Cult Leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult, listening, almost blurted out: *Then don’t use their power or martial arts!*
He expected Geom Mugeuk to respond the same way, but—
“They mean a lot, don’t they?”
Hwa Moogi flinched, and Geom Mugeuk added with certainty:
“If they meant nothing to you, you wouldn’t have let them come out and speak freely earlier.”
Even aside from that, how could they mean nothing? Fighting, reconciling, ignoring—after everything they had been through together, both resentment and affection must have formed.
After staring silently at Geom Mugeuk, Hwa Moogi took a step forward.
“…Fine. I’ll keep the promise.”
Surprisingly, he walked back into the tavern first.
When he had first arrived, he had never imagined the fight would unfold like this. Was he going mad from associating with a madman?
Hwa Moogi sat back at the table where he had first been seated. Geom Mugeuk and the others followed and took their places as well.
In the end, it was as if Geom Woojin had beaten him down and made him sit.
“I want to hear your story too.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, the corner of Hwa Moogi’s lips curled slightly—
Then his eyes suddenly changed.
“You said you were there three hundred years ago?”
Geom Mugeuk knew immediately.
The Heavenly Will Palace Master—whom he had not yet spoken with—had appeared.
“Yes.”
“Did you see me there?”
Geom Mugeuk nodded. At the time, he had infiltrated the Heavenly Will Palace’s camp and seen him.
“At that time, you denied the Priestess’s prophecy.”
The Heavenly Will Palace Master now knew for certain that Geom Mugeuk had truly been there. That was something only he himself knew.
“As the prophecy foretold, I failed to achieve Heavenly Will.”
A deep regret passed across his face. If he had listened to her then, what would have happened? He would likely have died, and his descendants would now be striving to fulfill Heavenly Will.
“Do you know why I have endured until now?”
“I can guess.”
“What do you think it is?”
“You wanted to see whether Heavenly Will would truly be fulfilled.”
The Heavenly Will Palace Master nodded.
“As the Priestess foretold, after three hundred years, I can now finally achieve Heavenly Will.”
He spoke as if it were already accomplished.
“You think that because you are inside that body, you are achieving Heavenly Will.”
Perhaps offended, his tone turned sharp.
“Today, you will all die. Because there was a prophecy.”
Geom Mugeuk firmly denied it.
“That prophecy is wrong.”
“Prophecies do not fail!”
“You mean the prophecy you denied three hundred years ago?”
The Heavenly Will Palace Master’s expression stiffened, but Geom Mugeuk continued:
“The Dark Palace Master, who inherited the Heavenly Will Palace, is dead. His subordinates are all dead as well. All that remains is your soul and this Heavenly Killing Star.”
“As long as my soul lives, Heavenly Will is fulfilled.”
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk mentioned someone unexpected.
“The Guardian Palace Master tried to protect you until the very end—even as his arm was severed.”
The Heavenly Will Palace Master’s eyes trembled. The image of the Guardian Palace Master protecting him came to mind.
Geom Mugeuk poured him a drink.
“Have a drink for him.”
Until now, every cup and dish offered to the souls had been thrown to the ground and shattered.
Just when it seemed he might finally drink—
“That won’t be necessary.”
The Heavenly Will Palace Master refused.
Geom Mugeuk understood why.
“Do you know how he died?”
“I do not.”
Even without a tremor in his voice, it was clearly a lie. If he truly did not know, he would have asked how.
“The Dark Palace Master killed him. He killed him and obtained the bead containing your souls.”
The Heavenly Will Palace Master’s eyes shook. It was something he had long denied. In his heart, he had imagined countless times that the Guardian Palace Master had left the martial world and lived happily.
He imagined him as a martial hall master, raising children and living well.
He imagined him becoming wealthy and living in comfort.
But deep down, he had known. That he had died at the hands of the Dark Palace Master. He had denied it because accepting that reality was too painful.
“The Guardian Palace Master died without even closing his eyes.”
After a pause, Geom Mugeuk added:
“I closed them for him.”
Everyone, including Geom Woojin, looked at him in shock. It was already astonishing that he had gone back three hundred years, but that he had even closed the eyes of the Guardian Palace Master at the center of it all—
“And now, within the Heavenly Killing Star created by the descendants of those who killed him, you say you have achieved Heavenly Will. Is your Heavenly Will… Heavenly Killing?”
The Heavenly Will Palace Master was consumed by rage and emotion.
“You think all of this is my fault, don’t you? That’s why you resent me!”
“I don’t resent you. I gained far too much because of you. Instead, who do you resent?”
“I…”
He could not answer easily. Who should he blame?
The Dark Palace Master who betrayed him? The Martial Alliance Leader who brought in the Demonic Cult? The Secret Box that brought him here? The heavens? Or… himself, for chasing an empty dream?
His gaze changed, and Hwa Moogi returned.
“You think provoking them like this will let you defeat me?”
Geom Mugeuk answered calmly:
“That’s not why.”
“Then why?”
“They’ve been trapped inside you for three hundred years. They should at least know the truth before they die. They should leave behind their final words.”
Because he could feel Geom Mugeuk’s sincerity, Hwa Moogi could not understand him at all.
“What meaning does that have!”
“It matters. Speaking what you’ve kept in your heart matters.”
Still, Hwa Moogi could not understand.
“Why go this far? You’re going to kill them anyway, so why!”
“Yeah, after today, I’ll never think of you or them again. That’s why I’m letting everything be said today. If you have something to say, say it all.”
Hwa Moogi refused to be swayed.
“I have nothing to say.”
“Then say it to them. They may be your enemies, but weren’t they also your friends? Your masters? Don’t take my words the wrong way—say it while you still have the chance. Since we’re on the topic, I should say mine too.”
Geom Mugeuk truly spoke to everyone.
“As you all know, he has achieved the Great Completion of the Nine Calamities Demon Art. So if things go wrong, we might lose. In case I die without being able to properly greet you, I’ll say it now.”
He bowed deeply.
“Even though I’m a young fool who has caused trouble everywhere, thank you for being so generous with me.”
After looking at each person in turn,
his gaze finally rested on his father.
“You know how I feel, right?”
Geom Woojin replied bluntly:
“I don’t.”
“That’s too much!”
The Fist Demon King beside him smiled faintly.
“Master, you know, right?”
“I don’t either.”
The Cult Leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult, though not even asked, shook his head, saying he knew the least.
“You’re all too much!”
After greeting everyone, Geom Mugeuk looked up at the sky through the broken ceiling.
What was he thinking? His gaze was deep beyond measure.
Since fate had brought him here at the right time—
Geom Mugeuk spoke calmly:
“I will take the final fight.”
With his father here, he could focus entirely on the battle. Whatever unexpected situation arose, his father would handle it.
No one objected.
In truth, Geom Woojin had originally intended to finish the Heavenly Killing Star himself. But after seeing the conversations his son had with them, this battle belonged to his son.
His gaze toward his son deepened, but he said only one thing:
“Be careful.”
“Yes, Father.”
As Geom Mugeuk stood, Hwa Moogi also rose.
Before the fight, Geom Mugeuk poured a drink into the cup in front of him.
“If you don’t want to talk, at least have a drink.”
Drip.
He filled Hwa Moogi’s cup, then his own.
“You’ve worked hard dealing with someone talkative like me.”
Geom Mugeuk emptied his cup in one go.
“Let’s end this now.”