[Strength… back… to… this… body.]
At those words, Mumu titled his head. What did it mean by that?
He was puzzled, and the monster had smiled as it said,
[… So not a Mu.]
The monster’s voice which was stuttering until then sounded normal. At the monster’s words, Mumu looked straight ahead and asked.
[What is that supposed to mean?]
[I will see you again, my alter ego.]
And saying that, the body of the monster exploded. Hearing Mumu’s words recollected, Yang Muoh opened his mouth, puzzled.
“… It makes no sense.”
It cannot be.
The man had died.
Even after his death, didn’t the people search through the place to kill everyone for over 15 days?
Kang Mui was also unable to believe this.
“No! That man is dead! He is surely dead. If he was alive, he wouldn’t have been hiding for 17 years in the first…”
“Then who was he?”
“He is…”
Kang Mui couldn’t answer the question of Mumu. It was too much for him to say alter ego, or someone else.
Didn’t he hear about their bodies being a vessel to that man? Kang Mui, who was in denial, turned to Yang Muoh and asked,
“Is there any chance that the technique was used when he was fighting with the Four Great Warriors?”
“… There is not. To change a soul, which is something which is above the realm of sky, there is no way it can be done like that.”
Yang Muoh had personally seen the people practice it to check if it would work. The process of transferring a soul was quite a tough bit of sorcery to execute.
And he knew that it wasn’t something which could be done by skipping the process.
“Then what did he meet with?”
“I don’t know either! If that monstrous man was alive there is no way he would have been hidden, and to suddenly appear like now…”
At that time they felt a presence.
Yang Muoh closed his mouth and someone outside coughed,
“Hm. Uniformed guard’s master wishes to see master Yu.”
The one who spoke was Young Jeon, the successor of the Wicked Spear Clan. He was waiting outside and it seemed like a uniformed guard had run to him.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“I will come.”
Mumu opened the door to the room he was in and went through the gap. In the small yard in front of the library, a young government official in a golden robe was there.
Puzzled, Mumu asked,
“What is it?”
A voice which didn’t go well with the mask he had on, so the guard was a bit shocked and he asked,
“Are you master Yu?”
Mumu, who noticed the reaction, raised his voice a little and said,
“Yes.”
At this, the guy frowned more.
“Nanjin’s warrior sent me. I came to track down those who left the palace when His Majesty was in the throne room.”
At that, Young Jeon asked him,
“So you missed them?”
“No. It isn’t that…”
“Then did you catch them?”
It couldn’t be, but Young Jeon asked either way, and at that, the guard shook his head as he said,
“That is why I came to take master Yu to the scene of the incident.”
“Scene of the incident?”
“Yes. I think he should take a look at it.”
What on earth was it that they were asking for Mumu to come to the scene of an incident?
A hill in the forest to the southwest of the capital—
“Ha!”
At the scene of the hill being blown down and devastated, Kang Mui put on an expression that it was absurd.
Yang Muoh too. The surroundings were a mess, as if the place had been shelled multiple times over. However, there were no shells.
‘… Reverse Blood Demon Arts.’
He recognized this at once by looking at the traces of the destruction.
The traces of destruction, which could have killed many warriors, was something which happened when the internal energy is made to run wild.
“Muil.”
“What?”
“Seems like Muil fought.”
Kang Mui frowned at the words of Yang Muoh.
What brought about these signs of destruction?
He thought the only one who could do this was the Four Great Warriors or Mumu. But if this was Muil…
‘… Even my special trick wouldn’t save me.’
He knew that he had endless internal energy, but this showed he was a monster.
In the end, it seems that he couldn’t have ever been the Lord. However, this was not what was important.
“For a moment. He had to show such strength….”
“There is no way he would show this level of strength unless he ran into someone strong.”
Yang Muoh agreed with Kang Mui’s words. There were no warriors who could show such strength against those weaker to him.
However, the problem was that the only ones in the current Murim who could make one go this far were the Four great Warriors and the dead guardians of the imperial palace.
‘But someone did…’
At that time, the guard who guided them called for them.
“Over here.”
Mumu and the others moved there, and they found eight corpses with dead horses. But—
‘!?’
Neither the bodies or horses had external trauma inflicted on them. The faces looked pained and they were holding a hand to their chests as they died.
Young Jeon’s eyes widened as if he recognized the faces of some of them and whispered to Mumu,
“They are it.”
The descendants of the Eight Evil Families. He didn’t know all of them, but he knew three of the dead, and in response, Mumu pointed to the guards surrounding the place and said,
“Can you step aside for a moment?”
“Away from here?”
“Yes.”
“… I understand.”
When the one who guided them backed away, the others moved away as well. And before withdrawing, the man who guided them said,
“No matter how much we tried it seemed like they had human skin masks but none of the dead had theirs ripped off.”
‘Ah…’
What appeared to be a real face which was frowning in pain, seeing that Mumu’s eyes shone.
To be precise, this was not skin but a human skin mask.
Lastly, the uniformed guard said he would move away and then Yang Muoh approached it and picked up the face mask.
And he frowned,
“… I gave this mask to Musa.”
“Musa?”
“Yes. But…”
Among the corpses close by, the body of Musa didn’t exist, and more importantly, Muil wasn’t there either.
Just what happened that only Musa and Muil disappeared? He was doubtful that only they had disappeared like this.
At that time, Mumu went around to see if he could find anything.
“What? Did you find something?”
“…”
Kang Mui followed Mumu thinking he could have found something. The place where Mumu stopped was a place which had a hole dug in, and it was stained in blood.
“Bloodstains?”
“It seems to be like that, but the bloodstains here…”
“Like an explosion.”
It was that the stains made seemed like the body had exploded everywhere, and seeing this, Mumu said,
“… the same as back then.”
“Same? Wait, you mean…”
“Yes, even then the body suddenly exploded and died.”
Mumu remembered the monster who came looking for him the next day. The monster’s body, the blood splattering around, and the red marks on the ground now, they were the same.
Kang Mui’s face hardened.
“You are saying he got hurt?”
“Looks like he appeared and disappeared.”
The uniformed guards appeared before them and searched the place. However, they found no body.
Chik!
Kang Mui staggered as if he was shocked. He didn’t want this to be true.
Even when Mumu said it, he didn’t believe it.
But now something similar happened to Muil and Musa.
Now, pale-faced, Kang Mui looked at Yang Muoh.
“Really… is he really alive?”
“…”
Yang Muoh had no answer to it.
His hands and feet were already trembling just thinking about it. Goosebumps came up from his spine as he remembered all which he forgot.
‘… How did this happen…’
He thought the man was dead. No human can live past that damage.
Yang Muoh’s breathing turned rough due to the fear of what happened in his childhood. And Young Jeon asked,
“What are you talking about?”
Kang Mui nervously spoke.
“You don’t have to know…”
“Among those who died before like that, were there descendants of the Eight Evil Families?”
After Kang Mui had stopped talking. Mumu asked and to which Young Jeon answered,
“Yes. There were. Even the best of the Eight Evil Families who were known to have amazing martial arts died like this.”
Young Jeon clicked his tongue.
As he said, Heavenly Killing Valley is the best in the Eight Evil Families. And the descendants of such a place died clenching their hearts.
At his answer Mumu let out a sigh.
“Quite troublesome.”
The person Mumu wanted was of the Heavenly Killing Valley.
During the war 17 years back it was said that a person from that place knew about what happened in the palace. So he tried to find the valley, but then the descendant died?
That was the reason he came here and now he had lost his purpose for coming here.
And Kang Mui spoke,
“Now that the worst has happened, why are you asking about this?”
“I had to meet him.”
“Heavenly Killing Valley’s leader?”
“Yes. I had something to ask but since the descendant has died, it seems difficult.”
“Haa… now, he isn’t the problem…”
Yang Muoh interrupted Kang Mui,
“What were you trying to ask him?”
“They said the Great Guardian was alive and I wanted to know where he was.”
“Great Guardian? Seo Yong-chu?”
“Yes.”
At that, Yang Muoh stroked his beard as he knew about the existence of this person. He too didn’t know where he was, but he knew of them.
“I know the location of the valley though.”
Yang Muoh knew about the Heavenly Killing Valley.
“Really?”
Mumu’s face turned red.
He was back to where he had started, but if Yang Muoh knew the place, then it would be different.
“Then can you tell me where it is?”
To that Yang Muoh said with a serious face,
“I can tell you. However, if the person you are looking for is the Great Guardian, then take me with you.”
“Uh?”
“If it is the Great Guardian, he might know something, whether the man is alive or not.”
“What? Is that true?”
Kang Mui was surprised and interrupted. Yang Muoh nodded.
Rather than being certain, he was just speculating. The position of the Great Guardian was literally the one who was beside their father.
A person like that must know something, and about this situation too.
“T-then if that is the case, take me with you.”
“You don’t have to…”
“Are you going to leave me alone in this situation? Did you forget you had my help the last time?”
“…”
At Kang Mui’s words, Mumu and Yang Muoh turned to each other.
When did they form a brotherly bond?
Yang Muoh shook his head and said to Mumu.
“What do we do? If you take me I will tell you where the valley is, otherwise there will be no guide to…”
Kikik
At that time, Mumu turned the dials on the bands, and both Yang Muoh and Kang Mui looked puzzled.
Crack!
At that moment, Mumu’s muscles began to swell up and his skin turned black. They should have been used to it by now, but they all gulped at this. Mumu grabbed both of them by the waist.
Pak!
“W-what are you doing right now?”
In response to Yang Muoh’s question, Mumu said,
“I am a little busy so let’s do it right now.”
“Right now? What are you talking about? To get there…”
Kang Mui spoke with a flustered face.
“Damn it. We are going to fly.”
“Fly?”
“You will experience it right now.”
“What is that even supposed…”
Shhh!
Mumu slightly bent his knees towards the floor and soon—
Kwaaang!
He flew up into the sky with the two people in hand.
“Eukkkk!”
Thanks to that, Yang Muoh screamed, terrified. But it was only for a second.
Mumu soared high into the sky in an instant, pierced through the clouds, and moved southwest.
“Haa…”
Young Jeon, who stayed silent at the tremendous speed, lost his speech at what had transpired.