The evil energy released by Baek Ja-gang dominated the space.
The ultimate evil energy.
Feeling the evil energy made one’s whole body feel confined, as if trapped in a narrow box.
Goosebumps rose all over, and a chill spread through him.
While his exterior grew cold and his movements slowed, his heart burned hot.
Fear and pressure, anger and hatred—truly, every negative desire began to run rampant.
It was a situation where he should have been crushed by that energy alone, but Hwa Mugi took a deep breath and savored it.
“This is the first time I’ve felt such powerful evil energy.”
Ju Gasin, who resided in his body, had never revealed such an energy.
Hwa Mugi expressed it this way.
“The man inside me is quite insidious, you see.”
Baek Ja-gang recalled his earlier conversation with Ju Gasin.
That insidious man had tried to save him.
Thinking he might be listening, Baek Ja-gang said to Hwa Mugi.
“Still, thank you for the offer.”
It was a sudden remark, but everyone could guess.
It was likely a continuation of their previous telepathic conversation, a comment meant for the Unorthodox Alliance Leader from three hundred years ago.
The Fist Demon silently stared at Baek Ja-gang standing beside him.
He found it surprising that he had stepped forward like this.
Since Jin Pae-cheon had fought alone, he had expected Baek Ja-gang to also fight alone.
‘The Martial Alliance Leader fought alone, so how can I, the Unorthodox Alliance Leader, attack with another?’
He had expected him to think that way, but Baek Ja-gang chose practicality over pride.
That wasn’t all.
The Fist Demon read this will in Baek Ja-gang’s eyes.
‘Let’s end this fight between the two of us!’
In that moment, the Fist Demon’s fists clenched tightly.
It was what the Fist Demon had hoped for.
If this dangerous fight didn't fall to the Cult Master, there was nothing more he could wish for.
The Fist Demon began to emit his demonic energy in earnest.
His demonic energy was also different from usual.
It was not a demonic energy that spread out and erupted.
It was a demonic energy that pressed down like Mount Tai.
Something massive and unbreakable began to crush Hwa Mugi.
Baek Ja-gang’s evil energy and the Fist Demon’s demonic energy.
The two energies pressed down on Hwa Mugi simultaneously.
It was an energy so powerful that it was difficult to even stand, but Hwa Mugi was perfectly fine.
“These energies are not unfamiliar to me.”
As he spoke, Hwa Mugi acted as if he were a hero about to catch a real villain.
“Yes, you two are villains worth catching!”
Hwa Mugi’s gaze turned to the Fist Demon.
“More than anyone else, I wanted to fight you.”
Hwa Mugi sheathed his Black Sword.
“With these fists.”
Hwa Mugi clenched both his fists as if to show the Fist Demon.
There was no stronger provocation.
He was proposing a fistfight with the Fist Demon right now.
“How about it? With me, using fist techniques…”
Before Hwa Mugi could finish his sentence, Baek Ja-gang’s form cut through the air.
Swiiish!
In an instant, Baek Ja-gang’s sword surged forward, flying toward Hwa Mugi’s chest.
It was an unexpected attack.
Who would have imagined Baek Ja-gang would charge in like this while Hwa Mugi was proposing a fistfight with the Fist Demon?
Swiii!
Baek Ja-gang’s sword grazed past Hwa Mugi’s body.
As Hwa Mugi twisted his body to dodge the sword, the blade that had flown past changed its angle.
Gagak!
Once again, Baek Ja-gang’s sword grazed past his face.
It was an attack that couldn't be dodged easily, so Hwa Mugi used Ju Gasin's World-Illuminating Heavenly King Steps, which he had displayed earlier, to evade the attack.
Baek Ja-gang continued his assault as if he wouldn't allow Hwa Mugi to draw his sword again.
Baek Ja-gang’s attack was different from Jin Pae-cheon’s or the Sword King's.
Baek Ja-gang didn't just aim for vital points.
He struck upwards at Hwa Mugi's chin, then slashed diagonally again.
This time he aimed for the shoulder, and next, the thigh.
Arms were fine, the waist was fine too.
It didn’t matter where, as long as he could cut his opponent.
That made it even more threatening.
Hwiiik.
In the end, Hwa Mugi used the World-Illuminating Heavenly King Steps to leap back.
It was the first time he had retreated since the fight began.
“This is you ignoring the Fist Demon…”
Once again, Hwa Mugi couldn't finish his sentence.
This time, a fist wind unleashed from the Fist Demon’s punch came flying at him.
Hwaaaaaang!
While Hwa Mugi and Baek Ja-gang fought, the Fist Demon had raised the inner energy in his fist to its absolute limit.
Therefore, it wasn't just any fist wind.
It was a fist wind with enough power to turn a boulder to dust.
Kwaaaaaang!
Swept up by the fist wind, Hwa Mugi was thrown back, crashing through the tavern wall.
He had tried to endure it with his protective energy, but Baek Ja-gang and the Fist Demon had charged in simultaneously from behind the fist wind.
Hwa Mugi went outside the Flowing Wine Tavern, and Baek Ja-gang and the Fist Demon surged after him.
The two pressed on without giving Hwa Mugi even a moment to breathe.
Sword Qi and fist wind flew towards him at the same time.
Hwa Mugi soared into the air.
Kwaaaaaang!
The building across from the Flowing Wine Tavern was swept away by the Sword Qi and fist wind, obliterated entirely.
Now, the stage for the battle was no longer the Flowing Wine Tavern, but Demon Family Village.
Hwa Mugi landed on the roof of an adjacent building.
“Fist Demon, I wanted to have a great fight with you. Are you going to be as uncool as that Unorthodox Path bastard?”
It seemed Hwa Mugi wanted to fight the Fist Demon no matter what.
“Why? Not confident?”
His provocation seemed to go beyond confidence to the height of arrogance.
But to Baek Ja-gang, it looked different.
-He is trying to avoid a joint attack.
If the Fist Demon engaged Hwa Mugi in a close-quarters fistfight, the two would become entangled.
In the end, it would become difficult for Baek Ja-gang to join the attack against Hwa Mugi.
The Fist Demon immediately understood what Baek Ja-gang meant.
-Let's not fight according to his wishes.
Jin Pae-cheon, who was watching, also read Hwa Mugi’s intentions.
He interpreted the reason for avoiding a joint attack like this.
—It seems he has started to regulate his inner energy.
At Jin Pae-cheon’s telepathic message, Geom Woojin nodded in agreement.
The Heaven Killing Star, who had showcased his strength by enduring attacks with his protective energy, had now begun to dodge.
Yes, no matter how much of a Heaven Killing Star he was, as long as he was human, he couldn't possibly possess infinite inner energy.
Also, he did not possess the strength to completely overwhelm everyone.
He inflicted an external wound on Jin Pae-cheon and an internal wound on the Sword King.
Jin Pae-cheon had his Gentleman’s Sword, and the Sword King had the Wind Heaven Sect Leader.
The power Hwa Mugi had shown so far was just slightly stronger than two people attacking together.
This meant that if they attacked together properly, an even fight was possible.
On the other hand, the fight had become much more dangerous.
If the Heaven Killing Star ran low on inner energy, he might use a single-strike killing move.
Just as in the previous fights, the situation could end before anyone could intervene to help.
In the end, Baek Ja-gang and the Fist Demon had to help each other.
To what extent would they help each other?
Because he couldn't know, Geom Woojin was paying closer attention to this fight than any before.
The Fist Demon looked up at Hwa Mugi standing on the roof and spoke.
“You want to fight me with fist techniques?”
The Fist Demon gestured for him to come down.
“Come down. A fistfight should be fought with feet on the ground.”
It was the very moment Hwa Mugi leaped down from the roof in front of the Fist Demon.
Baek Ja-gang's sword, which had been waiting for that moment, cut through the air.
Tyrant Heaven-Piercing Sword Technique.
First Form—White Heaven Form.
A pure white force raged toward Hwa Mugi.
But as if he had been waiting, Hwa Mugi’s Black Sword cut through the air.
Bright Martial Sun Sword Art.
Second Form—Birth of the Great Sun.
Kwaaaaaang!
When the two supreme martial arts, impossible to rank, collided, the surroundings vibrated as if an earthquake had struck, accompanied by a deafening explosion.
Hwa Mugi had already anticipated the surprise attack.
Swiiish!
Hwa Mugi surged through the rising dust.
Kaang! Kang! Kaang!
The moment their swords clashed, Baek Ja-gang felt the same impression as those who had fought before him.
‘Strong.’
Hwa Mugi’s Black Sword was imbued with such powerful inner energy that it felt as if his wrist would break.
“It should be time for his power to diminish.”
Hwa Mugi was still powerful.
After exchanging a dozen moves in an instant, Hwa Mugi’s final strike was properly imbued with inner energy.
He tried to break Baek Ja-gang’s sword with that one move, but the sword did not break.
Kwaaang!
Baek Ja-gang was pushed back.
The attack was so powerful that he dispersed and scattered the opponent's force by retreating.
‘Yes, keep using your inner energy like that!’
Meanwhile, Hwa Mugi attacked, aiming for the Fist Demon’s vital points.
Shikshikshikshik!
The Fist Demon’s large build made it seem difficult to dodge the attack.
But surprisingly, the Fist Demon’s large body dodged all of the consecutive attacks.
His footwork was brilliant.
In fist techniques, footwork is more important than the fist.
This was what the Fist Demon always emphasized to his subordinates.
In other words, dodging is more important than hitting.
Because one had to face armed opponents with bare hands, footwork and physical techniques to dodge and deflect attacks were most important.
How does he dodge with such a large body?
The Fist Demon showed everyone the answer through his actions.
Moreover, Hwa Mugi couldn't only attack the Fist Demon.
From his left, Baek Ja-gang had launched an attack.
Hwa Mugi dodged Baek Ja-gang's sword and thrust his own.
Swiiish!
Dodging the incoming blade, Hwa Mugi thrust his sword.
The two crossing swords were instantly aimed at each other's hearts.
In the moment the two swords missed.
Teong!
The Fist Demon’s fist struck his side.
The moment his fist directly struck, the Fist Demon could feel it.
It was a protective energy unlike any he had felt in his entire life.
It was a different feeling from when he had first hit his face.
Back then, there was a proper sense of impact, but now it was different.
The sound was loud, but the moment the fist hit the body, it felt like hitting water.
And he felt the inner energy contained in his fist scatter into the water.
‘So this is the protective energy that blocked everything!’
Hwa Mugi thrust his sword toward the Fist Demon.
Swiiik.
Chae-aeng.
Baek Ja-gang intercepted and blocked the attack aimed at the Fist Demon.
At that very moment, the Fist Demon launched an unexpected attack.
One he never thought would be launched from such close range.
The Fist Demon’s signature martial art, Thunder Asura Fist.
First Form, Black Cloud Asura.
Kwaaaang!
With an explosion, Hwa Mugi was pushed back.
Even though he took a direct hit from the Thunder Asura Fist, he did not fall.
The two did not miss this opportunity.
This time, Baek Ja-gang’s signature martial art flew forth again.
Tyrant Heaven-Piercing Sword Technique, Fifth Form—Annihilation Form.
Sword Qi split from all directions with Hwa Mugi in the center.
There was nowhere to escape.
Shukshukshukshukshukshukshukshukshuk!
The Sword Qi flying from all sides struck Hwa Mugi’s body directly.
The ground shook and an explosion erupted.
Amidst the rising dust and dirt, Hwa Mugi still stood in his spot, not having fallen.
Swaeeeeek!
The Fist Demon’s punch flew in again.
Peoeok!
For the first time, Hwa Mugi was sent flying back and tumbled across the ground.
The heaviest of the Fist Demon's punches, the Third Fist Form, Heavenly Thunder Asura, had landed a direct hit.
Kwarururung!
The sound of thunder that shook heaven and earth followed.
As Hwa Mugi shot up, the force emitted from Baek Ja-gang’s sword struck him repeatedly.
Kwaaang! Kwaang! Kwang!
The Fist Demon was the same.
Thinking he couldn’t miss this chance, he poured out his fist force.
Hwa Mugi was unable to dodge the attacks and was taking all of them.
It was a chance to kill him.
The Fist Demon prepared to unleash the final move he possessed.
The final Sixth Fist Form, Yama Thunder Asura.
It was the final form that could only be used once, as it poured all of his body’s inner energy into a single strike.
Baek Ja-gang was the same.
With the determination to cut him down this time, he was raising his inner energy to unleash the most powerful move of the Tyrant Heaven-Piercing Sword Technique.
Just then, someone stopped them.
“Wait!”
It was someone completely unexpected.
It was Geom Woojin, who had been watching the fight silently until now.
As the attacks stopped at his command, the dust settled, revealing Hwa Mugi’s form.
He was still standing, not having fallen.
A rough killing intent poured out from Hwa Mugi’s body.
If the killing intent until now had been one that gradually intensified, the killing intent now was one that tore out of him.
An uncontrollable, unrestrainable killing intent.
Finally, the Heaven Killing Star was beginning to break.
The Fist Demon couldn’t understand.
‘It was a golden opportunity. Why did the Cult Master stop us?’
Geom Woojin’s gaze turned to Hwa Mugi.
The crimson light flowing from Hwa Mugi’s eyes, it was the first time he had seen a killing intent with such a red hue.
Geom Woojin looked at him and spoke calmly.
“Stop the act now.”
At the word ‘act,’ not only the Fist Demon and Baek Ja-gang, but everyone else looked back and forth between Geom Woojin and Hwa Mugi with startled expressions.
Geom Woojin said to Baek Ja-gang.
“That man’s protective energy doesn’t seem ordinary.”
Geom Woojin had been watching Hwa Mugi fight this entire time.
In his earlier fights with others, he had blocked avoidable attacks with his protective energy.
At first, he thought it was to show off his power.
But seeing him allow the Fist Demon’s and Baek Ja-gang's terrifying attacks to land squarely, Geom Woojin felt an unexplainable sense of unease.
Hwa Mugi could have definitely dodged.
The attacks were truly powerful, but considering the footwork he had shown earlier, there was no way he would allow himself to be hit consecutively like this.
Wasn’t he the one who tried to fight the Fist Demon with fist techniques to manage his inner energy?
So why was he taking the hits like this now? The consumption of inner energy must be extreme.
Why would he deliberately put himself at a disadvantage?
Surprising words flowed from Geom Woojin’s mouth.
“It seems his protective energy absorbs external attacks into inner energy.”
“!”
It was a shocking statement, and everyone stared at Hwa Mugi with wide eyes.
Geom Woojin asked Hwa Mugi.
“Isn’t that right?”
Ssssss
Then, the killing intent that had been rising like mad began to subside.
It was a killing intent that had seemed uncontrollable, yet it subsided in an instant.
Surprisingly, he could control his killing intent.
Simultaneously, a look of ease spread across Hwa Mugi’s face, which had been filled with anger.
“As expected! You noticed.”
Hwa Mugi allowing the attacks wasn’t just to show off his protective energy.
“The Heaven-Defying Demon Absorption Art, a martial art of my own creation.”
To be more precise, it was a martial art he created with the help of the souls inside his body.
“You all thought you were draining my inner energy until now, but I was the one draining yours.”
“…”
On their side, two were injured, and everyone had exhausted a great deal of inner energy.
“My inner energy is fully replenished.”
If Geom Woojin hadn’t noticed, Baek Ja-gang and the Fist Demon would have also had their inner energy completely depleted.
Taking the hits from the beginning was to make everyone believe that he had blind faith in his protective energy.
That way, they wouldn’t suspect anything even when he took such hits.
Hwa Mugi was by no means an arrogant man.
He had been pretending to be arrogant while fighting a certain and perfect battle.
The moment Hwa Mugi was truly arrogant was right now.
“The only one who can kill me is myself.”