‘This is the second time he's eaten with me?’
Not just Hwa Mugi, but everyone else at the table was startled.
All eyes turned to Geom Mugeuk.
"What nonsense is this?"
In response to Hwa Mugi's baffled reaction, Geom Mugeuk’s demeanor toward him became polite.
"It has been a long time."
As Geom Mugeuk bowed respectfully, Hwa Mugi could tell the greeting was not meant for him.
"Alliance Leader, you lied to me."
Everyone could tell.
Geom Mugeuk was speaking to one of the two Alliance Leaders residing within Hwa Mugi's body.
Who was he trying to talk to?
"Do you remember the question I asked that day?"
Of course, the person Geom Mugeuk was addressing was the Martial Emperor Divine Sword.
When he went back three hundred years, Geom Mugeuk had asked the Martial Emperor Divine Sword.
"Is there a way for us to win?"
He still didn't remember Geom Mugeuk.
"Back then, you answered like this. 'There is no special method. We have no choice but to fight and win.'"
For a moment, Hwa Mugi's eyes wavered.
Geom Mugeuk drove the final nail into his wavering memory.
"You promised to give a congratulatory speech at the squad leader's wedding. I suppose you couldn't keep that promise either."
Hwa Mugi shot up from his seat.
His gaze had already changed.
The one who stood up was the Martial Emperor Divine Sword.
"How are you...?"
He finally remembered that day.
Around the time before the final battle, after he had finished his speech and stepped down, there had been a young martial artist who asked him a question.
In that solemn atmosphere, he had asked boldly.
-Is there a way for us to win?
Looking at his face now, he remembered clearly.
As the young man said, it turned out he had lied to him.
He had said there was no special method, but he had brought in the Demon Sect and the Unorthodox Alliance.
That martial artist from back then is the Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect from three hundred years in the future?
At this unbelievable fact, the Martial Emperor Divine Sword was flustered and shocked.
Geom Mugeuk looked at him and spoke calmly.
"Please sit. Let us eat together today, just like we did back then."
Still wearing a shocked expression, the Martial Emperor Divine Sword slowly sat down.
Yes, we did eat together.
Hwa Mugi could have forced the Martial Emperor Divine Sword's soul back inside, but he was also curious about the situation and simply let it be.
"How are you, whom I saw three hundred years ago, here now?"
Geom Woojin turned his head to look at his son.
It was the first time he had seen him wear such a surprised expression.
He hadn't been this surprised even when the Heaven Killing Star appeared.
It was the same for the others.
Geom Mugeuk had a knack for surprising people, but this was beyond surprise; it was a shock.
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader thought, 'I knew it,' and barely suppressed the urge to joke, 'I lost to you because you're three hundred years old.'
Geom Mugeuk revealed the truth honestly.
"It may be hard to believe, but the Secret Vessel, a divine relic of the Heavenly Will Palace, sent me back three hundred years."
The only person who knew this fact was the Sword King.
When he returned through the Secret Vessel, he had told him the truth, as he was the one guarding it.
At those words, the Martial Emperor Divine Sword let out a gasp of 'Ah!'.
He could believe Geom Mugeuk's words because it was this mysterious divine relic that had absorbed them.
"I was also there that day."
Geom Mugeuk looked at his father.
Without needing further explanation, Geom Woojin gave a single nod, his expression showing he understood what had happened.
He realized that Geom Mugeuk had gained another incredible opportunity.
The reason Hwa Mugi hadn't felt Geom Mugeuk was a stranger was likely because of the memories lingering in the Martial Emperor Divine Sword's subconscious.
Staring silently at Geom Mugeuk, the Martial Emperor Divine Sword let out a long sigh, like a lament.
"I regret what I said to you."
He meant it.
It would be a lie to say he regretted it all these years, but the young man would come to mind from time to time.
He was such an impressive person that he was hard to forget, and above all, the fact that he had lied to him weighed on his mind.
"I am sorry."
"There is no need to be sorry to me. I am a person from three hundred years in the future, and someone from the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect."
That fact was also the thing the Martial Emperor Divine Sword found hardest to understand.
"Why did you come to me? Was it your choice?"
"No. The Secret Vessel sent me to you, Alliance Leader."
If he was a descendant of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, shouldn't he have gone to the Heavenly Will Palace Master?
Was it because he had brought in the Demon Cult Master?
‘I do not know the reason either.’
It was likely related to his regression, so it wasn't something he could speak about here.
"The reason you called me must be because you have a favor to ask of me."
The Martial Emperor Divine Sword's gaze turned to Jin Pae-cheon, who was sitting silently.
The future Martial Alliance Leader, who had respected him more than even the Young Cult Master, weighed more on his mind.
He was still listening to the conversation between himself and the Young Cult Master without a word.
The Martial Emperor Divine Sword felt he had to do something, if only for him.
The Martial Emperor Divine Sword's gaze returned to Geom Mugeuk.
"What is it you want from me?"
It was the moment Hwa Mugi might interrupt the conversation.
He could ask him to interfere with the fight, or to reveal the Heaven Killing Star's secret.
But Hwa Mugi did not.
It was as if he was confident no matter what they did.
However, what Geom Mugeuk wanted completely shattered their expectations.
"I called you not as the Heaven Killing Star, but to have a meal as the Martial Alliance Leader.”
"It will fill the Heaven Killing Star's stomach either way, but please, eat as the Alliance Leader."
The Martial Emperor Divine Sword's pupils wavered.
“Is that all?”
"Yes, that is all."
Not just Geom Woojin, but all who were listening knew those words were Geom Mugeuk's true feelings.
Their own hearts had been moved by that sincerity, which seemed almost like a lie.
But there was no way the Martial Emperor Divine Sword could know such feelings.
“Do you not want my help because you are looking down on me?”
“It is the opposite.”
Geom Mugeuk's gaze and expression were perfectly calm and serious.
“Back then, I felt that you truly cared for your subordinates, Alliance Leader. I also felt your sorrow and anguish for not being able to end the war sooner."
"At the time, I never imagined I would meet you again like this, but seeing you now, I wanted to treat you to a meal.”
Geom Mugeuk glanced at Baek Ja-gang and added.
“This dish, made by the Unorthodox Alliance Leader, is delicious. Please, try it."
The Martial Emperor Divine Sword silently stared at the food before him.
Geom Mugeuk did not press him further and began to eat the food in front of him.
After a while, the Martial Emperor Divine Sword brought out what he had held in his heart for a long time.
It was a statement meant for Geom Mugeuk, but at the same time, for Jin Pae-cheon.
“The reason I was absorbed by the Secret Vessel was not because of bad luck."
It was a hidden truth that had pained him for three hundred years.
“I was absorbed because I was the same kind of person as the Heavenly Will Palace Master, the Demon Cult Master, and the Unorthodox Alliance Leader.”
It was a matter of wounded pride and anger just to think about it, but in the end, he believed it was the truth.
“The moment I chose to bring them in, I became one of them. I am also a villain."
That was why he could not pick up his chopsticks.
“I am not worthy of accepting your food.”
Geom Mugeuk swallowed the food he was eating, took a sip of water, and asked calmly.
“Why do you try so hard to be perfect?"
The unexpected question made the Martial Emperor Divine Sword flinch.
Geom Mugeuk looked at Jin Pae-cheon.
"By the standards of the Martial Emperor Divine Sword, Alliance Leader Jin over there has also made a great mistake. He came here all alone to help the Demon Sect."
"By your standards, Divine Sword, that must be an even bigger mistake, wouldn't you say?"
That's why he had told Jin Pae-cheon at the beginning.
That associating with them would lead to ruin.
This time, Geom Mugeuk asked Jin Pae-cheon.
“Do you think coming here was a mistake?"
Jin Pae-cheon could tell what Geom Mugeuk's intention was in asking him this question.
Yes, the Martial Emperor Divine Sword's matter was his own matter as well.
“It was a mistake. A very big one.”
Contrary to his words, Jin Pae-cheon's expression was at ease.
Looking at the Martial Emperor Divine Sword, Jin Pae-cheon saw his former self.
He felt that he, too, had once been like that.
Becoming a perfect Alliance Leader had once been his entire life.
But now, he was a little different from back then.
He could think such thoughts, and he could say them.
“I'm only human, so what if I make a mistake? I lived my whole life without making one, so it's okay to make one just once.”
As if expecting such an answer, Geom Mugeuk smiled and replied.
"Your subordinates will like it even more. They will think, 'So our ever-perfect Alliance Leader has a side like this,' and, 'He makes mistakes just like us.'"
Geom Mugeuk's gaze returned to the Martial Emperor Divine Sword.
Comforting him was also a way of showing his respect for Jin Pae-cheon.
“You say you are the same kind as them, Divine Sword? No, I believe you are completely different.”
The Martial Emperor Divine Sword's eyes trembled.
“You are someone who lived his entire life for justice and righteousness, who sacrificed himself to protect the peace of the Martial World, are you not? On the other hand, the Demon Cult Master of that era was notorious for his cruelty. Who on earth are you comparing yourself to!"
Even though he knew the Demon Cult Master, Hyeok Do-cheon, was listening to this conversation, Geom Mugeuk was relentless.
“If the Secret Vessel had not absorbed the Demon Cult Master, I believe the history of our Main Sect would have been very different."
"The history of the Main Sect would have surely taken a turn for the worse, and with fate changing again and again, my father might not have become the Cult Master. I might not even be here before you."
It was another way of saying that the event from three hundred years ago and the events of the present were intertwined by a single great fate.
The Martial Emperor Divine Sword had never once thought about such things.
He had never dreamed he would meet the Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect and have such a conversation.
“Even so, it does not erase the sin of bringing in the Demon Sect and the Unorthodox Alliance. I said it was for the Martial World, but in the end, it was a choice for myself."
“If you had not made that choice for your own sake, Alliance Leader, the war might have dragged on for much longer. You might have even lost the war. Far more people would have died. Your greed, Alliance Leader, saved the Martial World.”
The Martial Emperor Divine Sword's pupils wavered.
Those words... he had said them to himself hundreds, thousands of times.
But he had wanted to hear those words from someone else's mouth.
That your choice was good in the end.
He wanted to hear the thought he had repeated countless times in his own mind from someone else.
One time from another was better than a thousand times in his own mind.
And now, after three hundred years, he was finally hearing it from the Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.
“If you were truly the same kind as them, you would not be having this conversation with me now. They would have forgotten all about it by now. It is because you are someone who has carried this burden in your heart for three hundred years that we are having this talk. You have truly suffered all this time.”
Geom Mugeuk picked up the chopsticks that were on the table and offered them to him.
“Now, please forgive yourself.”
An unknown passion surged from the Martial Emperor Divine Sword's chest.
He felt as if something that had been stuck somewhere in his heart for the past three hundred years was finally being released.
The Martial Emperor Divine Sword accepted the chopsticks with a trembling hand.
Jin Pae-cheon looked at him and nodded.
His eyes were still filled with respect for him.
Just as his chopsticks were about to pick up some food.
Crash.
He suddenly picked up the bowl in front of him and threw it.
The bowl hit the floor and shattered into pieces.
His gaze had changed.
He had returned to being Hwa Mugi.
Geom Mugeuk did not get angry at him.
Although the Martial Emperor Divine Sword had not been able to eat, he believed his feelings had been sufficiently conveyed.
"Since we've seen the Alliance Leader, tell the others to come out too.”
Hwa Mugi did not hide his sneer.
“Why? Are you going to spout some nonsense to entice the others, just like you did to force the Martial Emperor Divine Sword to like you? Do you think they'll change their minds and try to harm me?"
Geom Mugeuk, on the other hand, was calm.
“That's not why.”
“Then why?”
It was for a reason Hwa Mugi could not have imagined.
“Because they will all want to talk.”
"What?"
“You, I heard you were sealed away for a long time. Inside you, you always spoke only with them, right? Then wouldn't they also have something they want to say to others, to their descendants, instead of just the same old boring people?"
Hwa Mugi did not relent easily.
“You're just trying to deceive them to get what you want.”
After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk asked Hwa Mugi.
“Do you know why you didn't fight outside and obediently came in to eat?"
It was because Geom Mugeuk had piqued his curiosity.
“Because I can kill you all whenever I want."
But Geom Mugeuk gave a different reason.
“It's because you also want to tell your story.”
“...”
“Not to those tiresome people inside your body, not to the Darkness Palace Master who tried to use you. You have something you want to say to me, to my father, to the people here. Whether it's a boast or pent-up anger, whatever it may be."
Geom Mugeuk's eyes were clear and deep.
"You can't really only have the heart of a Heaven Killing Star who wants to beat everyone to death."
After a short pause, Hwa Mugi retorted.
“What if that's all that's in my heart?"
Geom Mugeuk walked to the kitchen, brought back a small bowl, and served more food, placing it in front of him again.
“Eat, and then search your heart again. When a man is hungry, he can't see straight. Let's eat and then talk. I haven't finished eating yet either.”
Geom Mugeuk started eating again.
Seeing this, Hwa Mugi mercilessly slammed his hand on the table.
Fwoooong!
It should have been completely shattered.
But the table was fine.
Geom Mugeuk's palm was already on the table.
He had released his inner energy to protect it.
“Stop throwing a tantrum. Our esteemed guests are still eating.”
Hwa Mugi increased his inner energy and slammed down again.
Fwoooooong!
But the table did not break.
It was tremendous inner energy, but Geom Mugeuk's inner energy was no less formidable.
“Heaven gave you a grand name tag, telling you to kill and live. It must be a destiny of killing and living until you're sick of it. What are you in such a hurry for?"
"This fight will end today anyway. So let them say everything they want to say. After spending all those years together, you should at least show that much courtesy."
Hwa Mugi could not refute at least that last part.
“I don't just want to hear their stories................"
Geom Mugeuk looked into Hwa Mugi's eyes and added.
“I want to hear your story too.”