“Why do we have to step aside?”
Juwon raised his head at the sound of the grumbling voice.
As Juwon and his eyes met, the irrelevant Lycanthrope who was speaking to him and was complaining without hiding his dissatisfaction, swallowed down reflexively.
He was a henchman who had stood by Juwon since the time he was called the Mad King, so he knew well what Juwon’s vicious eyes meant at that moment.
Although history had faded through the years, Juwon was still called the Mad King even when Huwon, the former King of the Lycanthrope Tribe, was still in power.
It was because when Juwon picked a fight with anyone, not even Huwon could stop Juwon’s madness.
Juwon’s eyes now contained the violent essence of his times when he reigned freely as the Mad King.
The henchman looked at Juwon with a tense and fearful expression. Despite his vious eyes however, Juwon did not act out on his madness.
At the request of Geniella, his territory, the Snowy Plains of the North, remained vacant and still despite the trespassers that were inside of it. The henchman knew this, but didn’t further open his mouth.
He didn’t dare ask any further about why.
Because if he did, and hurt Juwon’s pride, he would undoubtedly be slaughtered brutally without having a chance to even beg for mercy.
“There must be a reason.”
Juwon slowly raised his body. Although the distance to the snowy plains that Geniella asked for was far, his eyes knew well of the location that was in question as he had lived here for hundreds of years.
He saw a carriage on the plain in question.
As his eyes focused onto the carriage… Juwon felt a presence.
It was an uncontrollable presence that oozed strength. That presence made Juwon’s heart race with excitement.
If not for Geniella’s words beforehand, he would have left and greeted SIma Ryunju immediately.
Although Juwon had dropped off due to old age from his prime after killing Huwon, the previous King and taking his position, Juwon did not lose his boiling fighting instincts as a monster who loved to massacre.
Juwon pressed down on his raging will that urged to fight.
Just this morning, Geniella had visited him, telling him certain words he listened to carefully.
She told him to temporarily leave the plains. No matter what happened or what he noticed, she told him not to get involved.
“You’re holding it in, aren’t you?”
Everybody in the room with Juwon, except for him, was surprised at the laughter and giggling voice that spoke suddenly.
Juwon turned his head sideways and gave Geniella a glance.
Geniella was standing not far away, and curtsied with her skirt as she made eye contact with Juwon.
“Isn’t it hard?”
“A little bit.”
“But you have to put up with it. If you jumped in, it would mess up the future we’ve been looking into.”
“Are you saying that my participation in the war can act as a variable?”
“If you have the power, of course you can be a variable. I don’t want that kind of thing. I’m sure you know that you have the power to make such a variable as well. So… do not cross me.”
Juwon didn’t open his mouth further. Geniella’s words were like a complete shut down. He knew how important it was to have Geniella’s future for their organization’s plans.
Geniella approached Juwon as she spoke.
“It may be more fun to watch the future than to fight in person with that man.”
“I don’t think so.”
“But you can’t. Hang in there…… Just hang in there a bit longer. There’s not much time left anyway. Are you trying to make the past 100 years of your life completely meaningless to just go and fight one person?”
“The future you want is not what I want.”
“Let’s not say anything too disappointing….shall we?”
Geniella laughed as she looked in the direction that Juwon was looking at. In the snowy plain that the two were looking at, there was a man just as powerful as Sima Ryunju running towards the carriage. It was these two presences that made Juwon so excited.
“Still, those who are at the pinnacle of their limits as human beings collide in one way or another, right? It’ll be fun to watch.”
What was about to unfold, was one of the future scenes that Geniella saw before she met Sima Ryunju.
She didn’t tell Sima Ryunju about this scene. It wasn’t that she thought he would avoid it, but she would rather have the following meeting, be an “accidental” encounter for him.
Geniella spoke in a voice that fluttered with different kinds of emotions and expectations.
“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen the power of the man known as the Martial God.”
* * *
Inside the wobbly carriage. Sima Ryunju took off his mask. Lee Sungmin, who was sitting on the opposite side and was lost in thought, was suddenly surprised when Sima Ryunju took off his mask.
“You’ve taken that thing off a lot today. What’s going on this time?”
“Hmm.”
Sima Ryunju did not answer Lee Sungmin’s question. He looked down at the mask that was in his hands and placed it into his robe sleeves.
“You haven’t forgotten what you asked for, have you?”
“I’ve never forgotten.”
Scarlett replied. Scarlett was not a fool, but she understood what it meant for Sima Ryunju to suddenly take off his mask and say such a thing.
She asked, looking at Sima Ryunju with a stiff face.
“……No way.”
“No. Not today.”
Sima Ryunju spoke in a confident voice. He slowly raised himself up. Lee Sungmin also jumped to his feet along with Sima Ryunju.
“What’s the matter?”
“Not today.”
Sima Ryunju just muttered to himself and repeated the words instead of replying.
‘Yeah, not today.’Sima Ryunju had great conviction about his thoughts.
“But still…. It would be smart of me to be at least vigilant.”
“What the hell…?”
“Don’t you know?”
Sima Ryunju laughed at Lee Sungmin, who looked at his master incomprehensibly.
Lee Sungmin recalled the time when he had seen Sima Ryunju speak with the same joyful yet expectant expression.It was the time when they were in Cron and Sima Ryunju spoke with an expectant expression when faced against the hundred-man formation.
Sima Ryunju had that look on his face, feeling both joy, excitement and expectation.
Although he was disappointed because it was earlier than he had expected ‘him’ to come. It was too late to possibly feel any kind of disappointment.
“You’ll find out.”
Said Sima Ryunju with a smile. It was as he said.
BOOOM!
Lee Sungmin gulped down at the huge and intense pressure that suddenly erupted just outside of the carriage.
If Geniella’s intense presence was one that made a human nearly lose their mind out of fear, this was a presence a notch above that and made one completely unable to lift their head up.
“Hey, this is….”
Under intense pressure, Lee Sungmin quickly grabbed Scarlett’s wrist.
It was to stabilize her. However, this time Scarlett was also preparing to respond, so she did not react as violently as she did when she encountered Geniella’s presence.
The carriage stopped.
“Ye-Hwa is going through a lot.”
Sima Ryunju muttered like that and opened the door to the carriage. Jehu muttered in an astonished voice.
“This… this presence……the presence of…him, the Martial God. Don’t tell me…?!”
“That’s right.”
Sima Ryunju nodded his head without trying to hide anything.
“I never thought I’d meet an old friend like this.”
Ye-hwa’s face in the coach seat was pale-white. Lee Sungmin rushed out of the carriage along with Sima Ryunju.
Sima Ryunju caressed Ye-Hwa’s trembling shoulders and spoke.
“I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
“Oh, no don’t …….feel…that way…please..”
“Stay inside.”
“Master.”
Lee Sungmin grabbed Sima Ryunju’s shoulder. He knew it was rude.
He had talked back to his master several times in the past, but never had Lee Sungmin never tried to force his master’s actions like he was doing now.
However, Sima Ryunju did not show any signs of displeasure. His eyes were as pure as a child’s expectations when they went into a candy store.
“I said not today.”
“But…!”
“I would have told you if it was, so don;t worry. I will not die today.”
“……Yes……?”
“It is not my fated day. I told you before. This old man will choose when and where he will die. No matter if the heavens and the earth try to take me down, I will not move to anyone else’s will , but my own. That being said, I will promise you that today is not the day I die.”
Sima Ryunju said so and gently removed Lee Sungmin’s trembling hand from his shoulder.
“Ignorance is not what will be the death of me.”
There was no need to ask any further.
Musin, who had been traveling at high speeds, stopped his advance in front of them.
It was a little surprising to feel Sima Ryunju’s presence here in the North, but the surprise was no reason for Musin to hesitate.
He strode toward the carriage.
He did not know that his fated rival would be here in the North, but it rather worked out well that he was.
Originally, he was planning on visiting Sima Ryunju after meeting the Vampire Queen in the North. It’s rather good to be able to kill two birds with one stone.
“Sima Ryunju.”
“Don’t call me by my name you weirdo.”
“Is there no affection between us?”
“Isn’t it your own belief to show such hostility towards other beings, Musin?”
Sima Ryunju slowly approached Musin, leaving Lee Sungmin behind him.
Musin gritted his teeth while looking at the smiling and haughty expression of Sima Ryunju.
After looking at Sima Ryunju’s annoying face, Musin’s eyes travleed and then locked onto the young man behind his rival. Musin stared at Lee Sungmin, who was standing behind the shoulders of Sima Ryunju.
“……Ghost Spear.”
“Is this the first time you’ve ever seen him? I guess so. If my incompetent disciple had met you earlier, he would have died already.”
“……He has been troubling me in many ways.”
The reason why he didn’t kill Lee Sungmin was because the Divine Maiden said he shouldn’t.
Because Musin did not suspect the Divine Maiden or distrust her, he kept the bastard alive until now. He did not know the reason as for why the Heavenly Spirit had told the Divine Maiden to keep such a bastard alive until now, but there had to be a good reason for it.
“I should have killed him.”
But now…..The Martial God truly regretted not killing Lee Sungmin earlier.
He did feel sorry for Qian Zun and Guan Zun’s death, but he assumed it was the will of the Heavenly Spirit.
But… Musin was furious for the death of An Zun.
Musin was not terribly cold-blooded and he knew just how much faith An Zun had in him. That was why he truly treasured An Zun and respected him despite being weaker than Musin, himself.
An Zun’s grudge against losing his daughter to a monster, and not having her die by human hands, was deeply understood by Musin. The martial arts of An Zun was worse than that of Guan Zun and Qian Zun, but Musin still cherished him more than that of the other two. It was Musin that taught An Zun the properties and powers of spatial essence when he became a Transcendent Martial Artist.
“……do you have the white blade?”
Musin stared at Lee Sungmin and asked with a murderous voice. Lee Sungmin did not understand the words, and Musin continued to shout.
“The white blade that An Zun had! Do I have to speak like a retard for you to understand?!”
Only then did Lee Sungmin think of the ominous white blade that An Zun tried to stab him with at the end. It was a long white blade without a handle.
In fact, the texture felt more like a tooth rather than a blade.
But it was a blade that Musin gave An Zun?
Since it was a very dangerous weapon that Lee Sungmin knew he could have died to if he hadn’t dodged An Zun at the last moment, Lee Sungmin knew about it. Through Lee Sungmin’s expression, Musin recognized that Lee Sungmin was indeed in possession of the white blade he had entrusted to An Zun.
Brrrrr!
A huge force began to fluctuate around Musin.
“The reason I gave that precious white blade to An Zun was for a reason. I did not entrust that blade to Guan Zun, the Spear King, Wolhu or any of the other Six Divinities. It was because of how much I cherished him as my follower!”
Musin began to stride forward towards Lee Sungmin with rage etched across his face.
“He who followed me because of his daughter’s revenge was more sincere and devoted to our cause than anyone else in our organization. But…… he’s dead. He had died without being able to see the world he had been looking forward to all his life.”
“Stop.”
Facing the wrath of Musin for his disciple, Sima Ryunju opened his mouth. He shook his head at the sight of Musin.
“Let’s not discuss revenge here. Don’t you know it’s not quite fair to discuss such a thing in front of the man you have ruined several times over?”
“I do not intend to fight you here Ryunju-ssi.”
Musin stared at Sima Ryunju and uttered.
“I didn’t put much pressure on the Sama Order even during your hiding. But you trampled on my respect. Why did you attack the Murim Alliance? Why did you kill Jehu?”
“I didn’t kill him. That Black Dragon boy is in the carriage. But he isn’t coming out because he’s afraid of you.”
“Did he betray me?”
“He betrayed you, so he is still alive.”
The shoulders of Musin trembled at Sima Ryunju’s answer.
“You’re trying to… ruin my whole life.”
“I don’t think you’ve worked too hard for your silly life.”
“Do you even know what we, Beyond the Heavens, want?”
“To prevent the End.”
“You know that, and you’re still trying to get in my way!”
“Even if we want the same thing as each other, we may have different ways of going about it.”
Sima Ryunju replied with a cynical and mocking smile to the cry of Musin.
“A ridiculous ambition of your extermination of all the monsters in this world. Yeah, I’ve heard there’s a way for you to achieve that…… I don’t really believe it though. That’s why I don’t agree with your approach even if I want to stop the end.”
“Shut up.”
“That’s great. If you think my disciple is a distraction to you, why don’t you just kill him here? I don’t know what it is you are talking about, but it seems like your favorite item is in my student’s hands. If you want it back so badly, the easiest thing for you to do is just kill him and take it back with force isn’t it?.”
“Yeah, that’s the easiest thing to do.”
Crackle!
A black and violent current of electricity splashed around the shoulders of Sima Ryunju. Musin glared at Sima Ryunju and uttered a powerful voice.
“That’s why I intend to kill that bastard here and now.”
“Everything about what you;ve said is true and all, but one thing… is wrong.”
Sima Ryunju grinned.
“It won’t be the easiest thing for you to do.”
The figure of Musin disappeared from those words of Sima Ryunju. Sima Ryunju raised his hands in an unperturbed movement.
“It will definitely be the hardest thing you’ve ever tried to do in this life of yours.”Sima Ryunju grinned and laughed at Musin’s angered facial expression.