The Sword King was moved.
It was a touching moment he had never expected.
Geom Woojin had blown away the wall for his sake.
To think he had noticed that he was concerned about the second-floor wall just by watching the fight that unfolded in an instant.
He was once again struck by how incredible Geom Woojin was.
Of course, blowing away the wall wasn't just for him.
It was a message for everyone to fight without holding back from now on.
The Sword King politely cupped his fist and showed his respect to Geom Woojin.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Geom Woojin nodded as if it were nothing.
Hwa Mugi silently stared at the gaping hole in the second-floor wall.
His face was smiling, but it was a little different from his previous smiles.
The reason he had fought using only basic martial arts, without fully utilizing the Martial Emperor Divine Sword or the Heavenly Will Palace Master’s signature techniques, was to take advantage of that wall.
Because he knew this place held meaning for them.
'But he blew it away himself? As expected, he's not an easy opponent.'
Meanwhile, Jin Pae-cheon stopped the bleeding from his injured shoulder and arm.
He had been cut in an instant.
He had keenly experienced the saying that life and death are separated by a single moment.
After examining his wound, Jin Pae-cheon walked over to where Geom Woojin and Baek Ja-gang were.
“I've caused you unnecessary worry.”
Jin Pae-cheon did not insist on fighting anymore.
It is often said that knowing when to retreat is harder than knowing when to advance, but Jin Pae-cheon knew.
He knew it was time to step back.
Geom Woojin was glad he was safe.
“It was a splendid display of martial arts.”
This fight was fought with only sword against sword, with basic skills.
However, it was a more fierce and magnificent battle than one filled with countless displays of Sword Qi and Sword Force.
Baek Ja-gang expressed his feelings more honestly.
"Honestly, I was worried.”
If he had heard those words in the past, he would have surely thought he was being looked down upon.
But now, the words didn't sound offensive.
"Thank you."
Jin Pae-cheon accepted it as it was.
He should thank the person who worried for him.
Hwa Mugi did not let Jin Pae-cheon's withdrawal go unchallenged.
“Are you just going to end it like this?"
The Gentleman’s Sword was still in Jin Pae-cheon's hand, so he provoked him again.
“Still, a Martial Alliance Leader who barely survives with someone else's help. Aren't you ashamed?”
Jin Pae-cheon calmly accepted the ridicule and sheathed the Gentleman’s Sword.
"You're right, I am deeply ashamed.”
He admitted it honestly, but there was no mental blow.
He felt relieved, if anything.
He had done all he could.
If he survived and recalled this day a few days later, he would surely feel regret.
I should have used that form then, I should have responded like this at that moment.
And that's not all.
I should have replied like this when the Heaven Killing Star said that.
He would lose sleep over all sorts of thoughts.
But for now, he had no regrets.
He might have been able to fight better than this, but he felt he couldn't have fought well enough to kill Hwa Mugi.
This was his best.
He had fought with all his might, so there was nothing to be regretful about.
Just then, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader, who had been listening, interjected.
“Ashamed? What's there to be ashamed of? He's the one who should feel shame.”
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader spoke on Jin Pae-cheon's behalf.
“Alliance Leader Jin is a gentleman, so he's letting it slide. Using the martial arts of many and the inner energy of many."
"You're the one who should be ashamed. If you used only one person's martial arts and only one person's inner energy, then I'd acknowledge you.”
Hwa Mugi smiled as he looked at the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
His smile held a killing intent that seemed to say, "I will definitely kill you," but the Wind Heaven Sect Leader was completely unfazed.
“You should be glad the Young Cult Master isn't here. If he were, a coward like you would have already collapsed from anger.”
Everyone listening agreed with the part about collapsing from anger.
Then, one person stepped forward.
“This time, please give me the opportunity."
It was the Sword King.
Now that the Cult Master had freed him from his restraints, he wanted to fight to his heart's content.
After gazing at him for a moment, Geom Woojin nodded, giving his permission.
There was a trust that the man named Ak Gun-hak inspired.
An inexplicable belief that he must have a reason for stepping forward like this.
Indeed, the Sword King had not stepped forward out of mere competitiveness.
He did not overestimate his own abilities.
Knowing he could not face Hwa Mugi alone, he asked for one person's help.
“Would you watch my back one more time?”
The person he asked was the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
He was asking the one who had stepped forward to save him earlier.
“You use Formless Force, and my martial arts also have formless energy. We should complement each other well.”
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader, too, had confirmed through Jin Pae-cheon's fight that killing Hwa Mugi alone would be no easy task.
Earlier, Geom Woojin had made his intentions clear.
He told them not to think about honor or face in this fight.
Only winning mattered.
“He has many souls while I am just one person, but I must help.”
With another jab at Hwa Mugi, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader stepped forward to help.
Geom Woojin made one request to the Sword King.
“Don't forget your promise."
The promise to help Geom Mugeuk in the future.
In other words, he was telling him not to die, no matter what.
“Yes, I will not forget.”
The Sword King had stepped forward partly out of a personal desire to fight him, but the more important reason was to deplete as much of his inner energy as possible.
He intended to make him consume as much inner energy as he could.
Only then would the person who faced him at the end have a chance of winning.
The Sword King sent a telepathic message to the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
-It would be best if we could kill him, but if that proves difficult, I think we must make him exhaust his inner energy as much as possible.
—I think that is a wise choice.
Just then, Jin Pae-cheon, who was watching, said to the Sword King.
"Be careful."
The Sword King looked at Jin Pae-cheon and slightly bowed his head to express his gratitude.
Watching Jin Pae-cheon's special concern for the Sword King, Baek Ja-gang thought to himself.
‘Even if you give him the Gentleman’s Sword at your waist, he is already a man who has left.'
Separate from how Geom Woojin had spoken as if he had already secured him.
Judging by his desire to protect the second-floor wall earlier, he was completely Geom Mugeuk's man.
Then again, seeing such a man would only make one covet him more.
With his ponytail swinging, the Sword King walked forward, and the Wind Heaven Sect Leader stood one step behind him.
Of course, two people fighting together didn't mean they were twice as strong.
If they hadn't trained in joint attack techniques, they could even get in each other's way.
They would have to react and fight instinctively as the situation demanded.
Hwa Mugi folded his arms and spoke haughtily.
"By whose authority! Did you think I would fight you just because you want to?"
Bang!
Hwa Mugi swung his sword to block the formless force that flew silently toward him.
Bang! Kwaang! Kwaang!
Hwa Mugi blocked all the consecutive blasts of formless force while standing his ground.
He blocked the powerful attacks without taking a single step back.
The person who had launched the continuous stream of formless force at him was the Sword King.
“Still not in the mood to fight?"
It was impossible to tell from his expression whether he was angered or not.
But his killing intent had clearly grown stronger.
“Not a single one of you is to my liking.”
Among those unlikable fellows, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader was second to none, and he couldn't hold back this time either.
“If everyone around you is like that, could it be that the problem is with you?"
Hwa Mugi smiled and nodded.
“From now on, it will be a problem for all of us.”
The moment he finished speaking.
Shwaaaaaak.
Hwa Mugi rushed not toward the Sword King, but toward the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
It must have been because that mouth was more annoying than the force that had flown at him.
The Black Demon Sword cut through the air, truly as fast as light.
Paaang!
Human-shaped dummies appeared in an instant, blocking the space between the two.
Illusory Human Wall.
It was the moment the Wind Heaven Sect Leader’s signature martial art, the Outer Heaven Blood Demon Art, was unleashed.
Peng! Peong! Peong! Peng!
Hwa Mugi cut down the dummy-shaped obstacles blocking his path and pushed forward.
They were not supposed to be cut and disappear so easily, but before Hwa Mugi's Black Demon Sword, they vanished like smoke.
Behind the dummies, the Sword King was already standing.
“Me first!"
The Sword King tried to take the lead in the fight.
It wasn't because he thought he was stronger than the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
Due to the nature of their martial arts, it was not easy for the Wind Heaven Sect Leader to face him.
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader fought with his bare hands, but Hwa Mugi's sword was too fast and powerful.
Facing him bare-handed was incredibly difficult as he would instantly close the distance and thrust his sword.
One could only block if the attack was manageable.
That's why he stepped forward first.
Thinking that it no longer mattered if the building was destroyed, the Sword King immediately unleashed his signature martial art.
Formless Divine Sword, First Sword, Formless Return to Void.
Hwiiiiing!
As the Sword King thrust his sword, a whirlwind swirled around Hwa Mugi's body.
Papapapapapak!
A tremendous whirlwind of force twisted Hwa Mugi's body.
Normally, his bones and flesh should have been separated and vanished into the whirlwind.
Hwa Mugi's body did not twist.
His protective energy turned this whirlwind into a spring breeze.
Shwaeaek!
Peong!
In that state, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader's palm technique struck his body.
But Hwa Mugi withstood both of their attacks as if to show off.
In that moment, Hwa Mugi truly looked like a monster.
Shhhk.
Then, Hwa Mugi instantly escaped the whirlwind.
“Careful!"
By the time the Wind Heaven Sect Leader's shout erupted, Hwa Mugi was already rushing toward the Sword King, thrusting his Black Demon Sword.
Bright Martial Sun Sword Art, Third Form, Extreme Yang Breaks Heaven.
Hwa Mugi's force, which flew through space, was no ordinary force.
Hwarururuk!
A tremendous force of flames, seeming to melt everything, erupted toward the Sword King.
It was an attack that could not be blocked directly.
Formless Divine Sword, Third Sword, Formless Reverse Heaven.
A dark space appeared in front of the Sword King.
Hook.
It instantly sucked in the approaching flames.
Hwarururuk!
The space burst open, spitting the flames it had absorbed back at Hwa Mugi.
Hwarururururuk!
Hwa Mugi took the searing heat head-on.
Chwaaaaaak!
He pushed forward, parting the hot flames he had created.
With a terrifying momentum, Hwa Mugi thrust his sword.
Kaaang!
Even though the Sword King blocked it by raising his inner energy to its limit, a shock that felt like it would break his wrist surged through him.
He had braced for the impact, but he couldn't get used to it.
And such attacks poured down like rain.
Kaang! Kaang! Kang!
As the two exchanged blows so fast they were invisible to the eye, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader couldn't intervene.
In the blink of an eye, the two had changed positions several times.
The Sword King did his absolute best.
But with every clash, he felt it.
I can't win.
He was fast and strong, and his forms had no openings.
It felt like fighting against a giant wall.
And what made this extreme fight even harder was the innate killing intent Hwa Mugi emitted.
His energy's movement was affected by that killing intent, which had now far surpassed human limits.
In the end, the Sword King could not withstand Hwa Mugi's fierce attacks.
Bang!
Unable to withstand the attack, the Sword King was sent flying into the back wall.
Leaping up from the floor, the Sword King suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
He had suffered an internal injury after continuously blocking the powerful attacks.
Was it because his killing intent had grown stronger?
Hwa Mugi was stronger than when he faced Jin Pae-cheon.
He was getting stronger and stronger.
Shwaeaek.
Hwa Mugi rushed forward as if to finish off the Sword King.
But the Wind Heaven Sect Leader blocked his path a step ahead of him.
Shashashashashashashak!
Blue threads flew at Hwa Mugi from all directions.
It was the Blue Blood Net of the Outer Heaven Blood Demon Art, capable of slicing a person's body with a mere touch.
Dozens of blue threads cut through the air.
Papapapak.
Hwa Mugi broke through the threads with his body.
The Blue Blood Net was blocked by his protective energy and could not pierce his body.
Shwaaaaaak!
Hwa Mugi pushed straight through.
Tok.
Just then, a small dot appeared in the air, then suddenly grew larger.
Hwirururururu!
A black hole pulled at Hwa Mugi.
But Hwa Mugi was not sucked in; he resisted by using the Thousand-Catties Drop.
He was enduring the Annihilation Vortex of the Outer Heaven Blood Demon Art, unleashed by the Wind Heaven Sect Leader, with sheer force.
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader was truly surprised.
It was possible to break out of the Annihilation Vortex after being caught in it.
But he never imagined someone could resist it with pure strength.
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader raised his inner energy to its limit and even unleashed a palm strike.
Shwaeaek! Peoeok!
But despite the impact, Hwa Mugi, far from being sucked in, walked forward.
Kung! Kuung!
As if showing that no trick could stop him, he approached step by step like a summer night's nightmare.
Hwirururururu
The Annihilation Vortex pulled at him more strongly from behind, but he continued to walk forward.
Hwa Mugi approached until he was right in front of the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
He thought perhaps Hwa Mugi was approaching in this manner precisely because the Wind Heaven Sect Leader had been making annoying remarks the whole time.
Go on, run your mouth again!
Even though he was now close enough to have his heart pierced if a sword was thrust, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader did not move.
The moment Hwa Mugi thrust his Black Demon Sword.
Shwiiiik.
Before the Black Demon Sword, the White Flower Sword cut through the air.
The internally injured Sword King had dramatically recovered himself.
Chaeng!
The moment he diverted his inner energy to block the Sword King's sword!
Hwiriririk.
Hwa Mugi was sucked into the black hole created by the Annihilation Vortex.
Ssok.
As if it had sent him to another world, the black hole vanished in an instant.
But the Wind Heaven Sect Leader was not relieved.
Considering Hwa Mugi's skill, which he had faced directly,
“That won't hold him for long.”
As soon as those words were out.
Puuuk.
The Black Demon Sword tore through the air and emerged.
Jjiiiiik.
Hwa Mugi stuck his head out from the torn space.
“I don't like dark places.”
Immersed in a space that could annihilate anything, Hwa Mugi was smiling.
Looking at that astounding divine might that went beyond bizarre, the Sword King asked the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
“Why did you go so far to protect me?"
A moment ago, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader had risked his life to save him.
If he had been even a little late, the man would have been pierced by Hwa Mugi's sword.
Curious about the reason, Hwa Mugi also listened, his head still sticking out from the darkness.
There are five other people here, someone will save him.
He had expected a joke like that.
But the Wind Heaven Sect Leader gave an unexpected reason.
“The problem is always because of the Young Cult Master."
Everyone's eyes turned to the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
“If you die, even if we win this fight, it will be a loss for the Young Cult Master.”
“A loss he would grieve for a very long time, perhaps for his entire life.”
The Sword King didn't know the Wind Heaven Sect Leader was thinking that way.
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader's gaze turned to Geom Woojin.
He thought Geom Woojin would understand his heart better than anyone.
Because he would know better than anyone what his son was feeling when he entrusted this fight to them.
Because his own heart now was the same as Geom Woojin's when he blew away the second-floor wall.
His heart to save everyone and let them leave their words on a new wall.
“I want to give the Young Cult Master a proper victory.”
A nightmarish existence was sticking its head out towards them, but the Wind Heaven Sect Leader was not afraid at all.
“So, not a single one of us can die."