“You really are a madman.”
The words came naturally from Hwa Mugi's mouth.
Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly, like a madman.
“That's right, at least start by saying something. You, me, and the people inside your body. We'll all say what we want. There won't be any wronged ghosts who die today without having their say.”
Geom Mugeuk looked around at the people sitting with him.
“Father, if you have something to say, please say it."
At that, Geom Woojin threw a rare joke.
“Our family has enough with just you.”
Geom Mugeuk replied cheerfully.
“Then I'll speak for the whole Geom clan!”
Watching Geom Mugeuk, Jin Pae-cheon’s gaze was incredibly soft.
His trust in Geom Mugeuk deepened seeing him converse with the Martial Emperor Divine Sword.
He himself had spoken with the Martial Emperor Divine Sword first.
He had tried his best, but he couldn't move his heart.
But Geom Mugeuk had properly comforted him.
He was a hundred times better than his old self.
Baek Ja-gang was impressed from a different perspective.
While Geom Mugeuk spoke to him, not once did his words ring false.
It was simply astonishing that everything he said was sincere.
“Alliance Leaders, please speak comfortably as well!”
As Geom Mugeuk was about to turn his head again, the displeased face of the Wind Heaven Sect Leader caught his eye.
"Why don't you tell me to speak my mind?"
“You'd do it even if I told you not to."
“Well, that’s true, but.”
“First, take some credit.”
"Huh?"
Geom Mugeuk spoke as if he had seen what had happened before his arrival.
“Weren’t you in charge of speaking for our side while I was away? How much trouble must you have gone through on behalf of those gruff and silent people?"
“You truly don't miss a thing.”
“I might miss everything else, but how could I miss the Cult Master’s great performance?"
After filling the Wind Heaven Sect Leader’s face with emotion, Geom Mugeuk looked back at Hwa Mugi.
“I told you, say whatever you want."
Of course, Hwa Mugi didn't say a word.
A look of scorn, as if to say, ‘Do you really think you can make me talk?’, crossed his face.
“Well, they say even a troublemaker can't perform when you roll out the mat for them. If I say, ‘Let’s talk,’ even the words that were about to come out would probably go right back in.”
Of course, Geom Mugeuk was good at it, mat or no mat.
“You called me a madman, didn't you? Then you're an even bigger madman.”
Hwa Mugi was dumbfounded by Geom Mugeuk’s words.
To be called a madman by a madman! But what he heard next didn't feel so bad.
“You invaded this place alone, didn't you? You’re probably the only one in the history of the martial world to try and fight the entire world alone. There was no one before, and there will be no one after. You’ve set an unprecedented and unrepeatable record.”
Of course, Hwa Mugi was not one to be easily swayed.
“Don’t try to flatter me. I have nothing to say to you even if you do.”
“I’m not flattering you. I’m just stating the facts."
Hwa Mugi intended not to have a single conversation, but Geom Mugeuk’s words continued to provoke him.
“There's one thing I'm curious about.”
A completely unexpected question came from Geom Mugeuk.
“Why did you invade?"
Hwa Mugi and the others naturally thought the question was this:
Why the Divine Sect first, and not the Martial Alliance or the Unorthodox Alliance? But that wasn't it.
“You could have lived a different life, couldn't you? With those martial arts, you could have had a pretty great life.”
Hwa Mugi couldn't answer.
Surprisingly, he had never once considered living a different life.
Because he was the Heaven Killing Star, because he held the souls, because he had broken the Seal.
He thought it was only natural to invade.
He thought it was only natural to kill them all and take over this martial world.
Geom Mugeuk's question continued.
“You could have just said this, couldn't you? 'A destiny from heaven? Don't make me laugh, I'll never live by your will!'”
“If heaven gave me this much power, would it have been to live an ordinary life? If heaven sent someone like me, it's all because of you.”
The same words he had been saying since he arrived came out again.
But they didn't work on Geom Mugeuk.
“Is that your thought? Or is it what the Darkness Palace Master or the souls inside you said?”
Hwa Mugi couldn't answer that it was his own thought.
Was it because he had hit a nerve? Hwa Mugi’s gaze turned cold.
“You can talk so freely because it’s none of your business."
“I’m sorry about that.”
“This must be your goal. To confuse me with that glib tongue of yours.”
Geom Mugeuk drank the wine placed before him.
“I can't help but be selfish. Why would I suggest a conversation for your sake? It's for me and for everyone here. It's to understand you better so I can kill you more certainly. So forgive me if my words get a little messy.”
Hwa Mugi thought he finally understood.
Why everyone had changed the moment Geom Mugeuk arrived.
In this short time, he had made people feel good, then angry, then confused, making them ride an emotional roller coaster several times.
He had said he wouldn't talk, but before he knew it, he was engaged in a tense conversation with him.
His curiosity about Geom Mugeuk ended here.
Just as he was about to stand up and draw his sword.
“Oh, I should thank the person inside you.”
He naturally thought it would be the Demon Cult Master.
But it was someone completely unexpected.
“Could you bring out the Unorthodox Alliance Leader for me."
The person most surprised by those words was Baek Ja-gang.
He had met the Martial Emperor Divine Sword who passed away three hundred years ago, but what connection could he have with Ju Gasin?
“For what reason?”
“You’ll see if you watch.”
If he had asked to bring out the Demon Cult Master, he would never have done as he wished.
But he too was curious why he should thank the Unorthodox Alliance Leader.
“We agreed there would be no ghosts who die with words left unspoken!”
Hwa Mugi granted Geom Mugeuk’s request.
His gaze calmed as Ju Gasin appeared.
He too did not know why Geom Mugeuk was looking for him.
"Why did you seek me out?"
It was a question everyone was curious about.
“This is our third time seeing each other.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s reply, Ju Gasin wore a look of confusion.
“Third time? If we saw each other three hundred years ago and again now, this should be the second time."
“I saw you at your tomb, Alliance Leader.”
In an instant, Ju Gasin’s gaze sharpened.
“You gave me a gift there.”
Geom Mugeuk had obtained the last orb from Ju Gasin’s corpse.
But Geom Mugeuk did not say what it was.
There was a reason Geom Mugeuk didn't speak of the Primal Energy of the Six Paths.
Because Hwa Mugi would not know about the Primal Energy of the Six Paths.
The Darkness Palace Master would never have told him about the one power that could control him.
Until he saw the events of that day, he had thought that the Cult Master and Alliance Leaders of the Righteous, Demonic, and Unorthodox Sects who had gathered that day had divided the Primal Energy of the Six Paths among themselves.
Some of it had flowed to the Ice Palace and the Wind Heaven Sect due to various circumstances.
But that day, they were all absorbed into the Secret Vessel and trapped in transparent orbs, which then fell into the hands of the Darkness Palace Master.
Did the six orbs come out of the Secret Vessel after that? Or were they in a different place from the beginning? Since he had returned to reality without seeing what happened, Geom Mugeuk couldn't know.
At least one thing was certain.
The distribution of the Primal Energy of the Six Paths was done by someone other than those who were present that day.
“So, the dish that the Martial Emperor Divine Sword couldn't have, the Unorthodox Alliance Leader should have it instead.”
“Do you know what kind of person I am to offer me this dish?”
He didn't know much about him.
He just guessed one thing.
“Are you not someone who has yet to abandon his dream?"
Ju Gasin’s gaze sharpened.
“Why do you think so?"
“Because your involvement in the events of three hundred years ago must have been because you dreamed of unifying the martial world."
Listening, Baek Ja-gang was inwardly impressed.
He knew Ju Gasin had not abandoned his dream because he had heard his proposal.
But Geom Mugeuk, without hearing such words, was accurately reading his heart.
“That will not happen. So if you have any words you’re holding in your heart, say them all. You won't have another chance if not now.”
It sounded like he was saying he would kill Hwa Mugi, so he should leave no regrets.
After staring at Geom Mugeuk for a moment, Ju Gasin flatly refused.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
Just as Ju Gasin was about to disappear.
Geom Mugeuk suddenly mentioned an unexpected being.
“I saw Red Fang, whom you used to keep, at that tomb.”
"!"
“Ah, of course, I didn't see him in person, but in a painting. He was really handsome and magnificent.”
At the mention of Red Fang, for the first time, an emotion flickered in Ju Gasin’s eyes.
It was longing.
"Just by seeing the painting of you together, I could tell how much you cherished him.”
Ju Gasin nodded.
"The only one..."
Ju Gasin did not finish his sentence.
The only one who understood me.
Was he not about to say something like that?
“Let’s have a drink for Red Fang. He must have been very sad about your death, Alliance Leader.”
Geom Mugeuk raised the wine cup in front of him.
He was a man who would never raise a cup for any other reason.
Ju Gasin raised his wine cup.
And he raised it towards Baek Ja-gang as well.
It was a gesture for him to join in a drink.
He still hoped that Baek Ja-gang would accept his proposal.
That he would spare his life somehow, and let him live a life second to one and above all others.
Baek Ja-gang raised his cup and quietly toasted in the air.
Just as Ju Gasin was about to bring the cup to his lips.
Clang.
The cup fell to the floor and shattered again.
His eyes had changed in an instant.
And the person who returned this time was not Hwa Mugi.
"Pathetic humans.”
It was none other than the Demon Cult Master, Hyeok Do-cheon.
“The Righteous Path and the Unorthodox Path are all the same. Is bringing in some outside forces such a big deal that you feel guilty for three hundred years? In this situation, you’re missing some mutt?”
Geom Mugeuk said to him.
“Let's correct two things first. They are not 'some outside forces,' they are the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect and the Unorthodox Alliance. And he is not 'some mutt,' he is a wolf. A very handsome wolf named Red Fang.”
Hyeok Do-cheon glared at Geom Mugeuk with blazing eyes.
“Are you saying the Main Sect would have gotten worse if I hadn't been absorbed by the Secret Vessel?”
Hyeok Do-cheon’s gaze turned to Geom Woojin.
He hadn't liked Geom Woojin at their first meeting either.
"The insolent brat is just like his father.”
Of course, for Geom Mugeuk, this was high praise.
“Hearing that I'm like my father is the compliment I like to hear most. Thank you for your kind words.”
Thinking he was being mocked, Hyeok Do-cheon twitched.
Killing intent rose with his demonic energy.
“How dare you insult a former Cult Master?"
Geom Mugeuk calmly said to him.
“The Heavenly Demon I know wouldn't shatter a glass he was sharing with a successor after three hundred years. So, whoever you are, please go back inside and tell the real Demon Cult Master to come out."
Hyeok Do-cheon stared at Geom Mugeuk without a word.
“You’re certainly no ordinary fellow!"
There was a reason he had dragged Ju Gasin in and then popped out.
“Looking at you, a thought suddenly occurred to me.”
To him, this was far more important than guilt or a wolf.
“I’ll ask you straight. Can you get me out of this body?”
Everyone there was shocked by the question.
No one had expected him to suddenly pop out and ask such a thing.
“Why are you asking me that?"
“If the Secret Vessel took you to that place three hundred years ago, it must have considered you special.”
That wasn't the only reason.
The Darkness Palace Master had said that everything had crumbled because of the Young Cult Master.
Just watching him handle the Heaven Killing Star, seating him at a table, showed that he was no ordinary person.
Hyeok Do-cheon asked with blazing eyes.
“Do you know a way?"
Everyone's eyes focused on Geom Mugeuk.
No matter how much of a Geom Mugeuk he was, they didn't think he would say yes here.
A surprising answer came from Geom Mugeuk’s mouth.
“I can probably get you out of that body.”
Of course, it wouldn't be in the way he wanted.
Hyeok Do-cheon’s eyes widened.
The fact that he answered "I can probably," not "I can," made it even more trustworthy.
The others who were listening were all shocked.
Hwa Mugi was probably shocked, and the other souls were probably shocked too.
Baek Ja-gang, whose ears didn't ring with falsehood, was the most shocked of all.
Soon, Hyeok Do-cheon laughed heartily.
His laughter echoed loudly.
Then he suddenly stopped laughing and glared at Geom Mugeuk again.
"Really?"
That single word was mixed with surprise, doubt, expectation, and excitement.
"If you're lying, I'll tear you apart alive!"
Geom Mugeuk looked at the broken bowl on the floor and said.
“But you should have asked such an important question before breaking the wine cup."
Hyeok Do-cheon was half-believing, half-doubting, but hoping it was true, he made a proposal to Geom Mugeuk.
“If you can just get me out, I will grant you anything you desire!”
He added in an excited voice, confident that this was what he would want.
“I will help you achieve the unification of the martial world.”
This time, it was Geom Mugeuk who laughed out loud.
He thought it was a laugh of joy, but.
“The unification of my own world is hard enough for me. Honestly, it's harder than anything you all are dealing with!”
Hyeok Do-cheon couldn't understand what he meant.
On the other hand, everyone else there had different expressions.
Some smiled faintly, while others looked slightly troubled.
Only Geom Woojin’s expression remained unchanged.
“If only I can get out...”
Hyeok Do-cheon, who was continuing his hopeful words, shut his mouth.
Before he knew it, he had returned to being Hwa Mugi.
He could listen to everything else, but he cut off the conversation on this matter.
“As expected! You don't stray one bit from my predictions. You can get them out of my body? Are you trying to delude the Demon Cult Master with such nonsense?"
Geom Mugeuk, who had been quietly watching him, suddenly asked.
“Don’t you hate it?”
"What?"
“I’m asking if you're okay with those people being in your body. Reading your thoughts, reading your emotions. Don't you hate that?”
Hwa Mugi’s expression hardened.
The relationship between these souls and himself was not something that could be explained in a word or two, nor was it something that could be concluded easily.
Geom Mugeuk asked him.
“What are they to you?”
Hwa Mugi did not answer.
He slowly rose from his seat and drew his Black Demon Sword, pointing it at Geom Mugeuk.
An intensely powerful killing intent, the likes of which he had never experienced, washed over him, but Geom Mugeuk was relaxed.
“Alright, fighting is a form of conversation, I suppose. Still, I prefer talking. And there are still people who haven't spoken."
But Hwa Mugi’s killing intent only deepened.
He had no intention of being played by Geom Mugeuk’s glib tongue any longer.
Geom Mugeuk accepted the fight.
“Alright, let’s fight. Once you've been beaten to a pulp, those words will come out. 'Please, let's just talk!'"
Although he spoke as if he would strike immediately, Geom Mugeuk remained seated.
There was a good reason for that.
Geom Mugeuk looked at one person and spoke.
It was something no one in this place had expected.
“Father, beat that bastard half to death and sit him back down in front of me.”
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader thought Geom Mugeuk was making such a joke because he hadn't yet seen how strong his opponent was.
“Young Cult Master, that bastard is no ordinary opponent. He even recovered all his inner energy with a technique called the Heaven-Defying Demon Absorption Art!"
But Geom Mugeuk had not spoken in jest.
“That's why I'm asking my father.”
Geom Mugeuk’s eyes were filled with absolute faith in his father.
Geom Woojin, who had been quietly watching his son, slowly rose from his seat.
“Since I've finished my meal, I suppose it's time to work it off."