Hwa Mugi lifted the cup of wine Geom Mugeuk had poured for him.
"I can hear a clamor from within my heart, begging me to let them out. I can feel their intense anger and harrowing sorrow. They have never revealed their emotions to this extent before."
After speaking, Hwa Mugi drank the wine.
In the end, the one who emptied the cup was not the souls, but Hwa Mugi, who had sworn he would never drink.
"I did not drink this for you. I drank it for them."
It was a moment that showed, just as Geom Mugeuk had said earlier, that they were beings of great significance to Hwa Mugi in some way.
Hwa Mugi set down his cup and asked.
"You could have attacked me while I was drinking, couldn't you?"
'You were prepared for it, weren't you?' He had expected such an answer, or perhaps, 'That wouldn't have been cool, would it?'
"Everyone is watching, aren't they?"
Geom Mugeuk looked at the people around them.
His father, the Alliance Leaders, the Demon Sovereigns, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader, and even the Sword King.
Naturally, they were all watching Geom Mugeuk and Hwa Mugi without averting their eyes for a single moment.
"I may seem like I do as I please, but I'm incredibly conscious of what others think. You wouldn't know how hard I try to look cool to others."
Hwa Mugi let out a dry laugh.
He hadn't thought that would really be the reason.
And even if it was, to say it so honestly...
For the first time, Hwa Mugi revealed his own thoughts.
"To be honest, I didn't have any particular thoughts about this Martial World before I met you. But suddenly, it's become interesting."
He was speaking from the heart.
"If the Martial World has people like you."
Geom Mugeuk smiled and said.
"I'm sorry for raising your expectations so high from the start. Still, after you kill me, have a good look around."
"There are many interesting things and interesting people here and there."
"Don't find pleasure in killing people, and don't derive a sense of superiority from tormenting those weaker than you."
"That is the lowest of the low."
"Trying to teach me again. You asked for a fight, and yet you're spouting useless words again."
Of course, he himself had been the one to start this conversation.
But Geom Mugeuk readily admitted his fault.
"Sorry. I thought I wouldn't have another chance to say these things, so I became talkative."
"People who talk a lot tend to make mistakes. You're a man of few words, so you don't have to worry about that."
For a brief moment, Hwa Mugi thought that having a subordinate like this wouldn't be boring.
He could already imagine how frustrating it would be to see those who, as the Young Cult Master said, feigned loyalty out of terror.
"Now, let's really fight."
Geom Mugeuk was the first to draw his Black Demon Sword.
Was it because it recognized its master's fated nemesis?
Zing.
The Black Demon Sword let out a low cry.
"You must be strong indeed. For the Black Demon Sword to cry like this."
Hwa Mugi also drew his Black Sword.
The two swords, aimed at each other, glinted sharply.
Just then, Geom Mugeuk made a suggestion.
"It's stuffy in here. Let's go out and fight."
Hwa Mugi readily agreed.
"Very well."
The two men went outside the tavern again.
They stood facing each other in the middle of the street in the Demon Family Village, while the others stood in front of the Flowing Wine Tavern to watch their fight.
Geom Mugeuk began to fully reveal his aura.
The next moment, Hwa Mugi found himself standing in the sky.
Originally, Geom Mugeuk's aura was a sea as deep as an abyss.
The illusion of standing in the sky was due to the sky reflected on the clear water.
But now, it was different.
It was a real sky.
After undergoing Rebirth and Reconstruction and absorbing the mystical energy of the Primal Energy of the Six Paths, Geom Mugeuk's aura had changed from the sea to the sky.
Unlike before, it did not drag the opponent into a sea as deep as an abyss.
It did not inflict the fear of suffocation.
It simply showed the sky.
Hwa Mugi looked around.
It was a truly unexpected aura.
The feeling of truly standing in the sky.
A martial artist reveals their aura to pressure and intimidate their opponent.
But this sky did him no harm.
And for that very reason, he was overwhelmed.
He felt as if he were standing all alone before the vastness of nature.
The transcendent aura of an absolute master who had no need to threaten his opponent.
This was Hwa Mugi's impression of Geom Mugeuk's aura.
As he looked around, Hwa Mugi gazed at Geom Mugeuk, who stood tall in the center of that sky.
The sky and Geom Mugeuk were not separate.
The sky was Geom Mugeuk, and Geom Mugeuk was the sky.
'So young, yet he displays the aura of an absolute master?'
For that reason, he was angry.
This was a rage that came from the heart.
"A man who possesses such a magnificent aura intended to do nothing more than travel, dig for poisonous herbs, and drink all night?"
Geom Mugeuk calmly replied to his anger.
"I assure you, finding someone to joyfully do those things with is far more difficult than ruling the Martial World."
Hwa Mugi revealed his own aura.
A cold killing intent flowing from his Black Sword spread out in all directions like a spider's web.
The killing intent became a fierce north wind, freezing the surrounding air.
Crack.
Craaack.
A powerful killing intent that froze the very lungs.
The sky began to freeze.
Ice flowers bloomed here and there.
His killing intent rejected the sky.
It did not acknowledge nature, and it denied Geom Mugeuk's attitude toward life.
"Don't make me laugh. If the heavens granted you strength, it must have been to use it for a worthy cause. You are deceiving the destiny of a martial artist."
Hwa Mugi punched a frozen part of the sky.
Clang.
To his surprise, the sky shattered, revealing what was behind it.
Pitch-black darkness was there.
Hwa Mugi peered into the darkness through the shattered part.
"So this is your true self."
As Hwa Mugi tore at the area around the break with his hands, the sky fell away like a collapsing wall of ice.
The darkness beyond was revealed even more clearly.
Geom Mugeuk simply watched as Hwa Mugi shattered his aura.
"This darkness, as deep as an abyss, is your true self, isn't it? Why do you live hiding yourself?"
Geom Mugeuk answered nonchalantly.
"That side beyond is me, and this side is also me. Just as there is a you that wants to kill me, and a you that wants to talk to me."
Geom Mugeuk slowly walked toward Hwa Mugi.
He came close enough to touch if he reached out his hand, but Hwa Mugi remained standing in place.
A suffocating tension flowed between them.
It felt as if they would unleash their swords at the other in a flash.
As if mending the broken part, Geom Mugeuk caressed it with his hand.
The spot once again became the blue sky.
"I just prefer this side to that side."
Then, he stared at Hwa Mugi standing before him and asked.
"When I was mending that hole, why didn't you attack?"
At Geom Mugeuk's question, Hwa Mugi flinched.
'Because I didn't want to win this fight with a sneak attack.'
He truly felt that way.
He wanted a proper fight with this Young Cult Master.
Geom Mugeuk's earlier words suddenly came to mind.
"It must be because you're thinking about what comes after you kill us."
He was saying that his own souls were watching him.
At those words, a smile formed on Geom Mugeuk's lips.
"You're doing well."
"I'll be doing well when I kill you."
Woooooong!
The Black Sword in Hwa Mugi's hand began to fill with inner energy.
Woooong!
Inner energy also gathered in Geom Mugeuk's Black Demon Sword.
The two men, having filled their swords with inner energy, swung them at each other as if by prior agreement.
Swiiiiish.
Craaash!
With a tremendous explosion, sword clashed against sword.
Neither of them was pushed back.
Beyond their crossed swords, Hwa Mugi's eyes widened.
"You!"
It had been a strike with his inner energy raised to its maximum, yet Geom Mugeuk had not been pushed back at all.
And this was the combined power of Hyeok Do-cheon, the Martial Emperor Divine Sword, Ju Gasin, the Heavenly Will Palace Master, and his innate energy.
"You're telling me my inner energy doesn't push you back?"
Regardless of Geom Mugeuk's skill, this was shocking.
"I am the Incarnation of Greed, so I've eaten quite a lot of things."
The onlookers were just as astonished.
Jin Pae-cheon and Baek Ja-gang looked at each other, exchanging glances.
They had unconsciously looked at each other as if to ask if what they had just seen was real.
It was the moment they confirmed that Geom Mugeuk's inner energy was greater than anyone else's here.
The Fist Demon had expected Geom Mugeuk to retreat a step or two, but he was inwardly surprised to see him not move back an inch.
'As expected, the Cult Master saw more accurately than I did.'
Geom Woojin, standing beside him, watched the scene silently, as if he had already anticipated it.
The Wind Heaven Sect Leader did not miss the chance to boast.
Since he couldn't speak to the fighting Geom Mugeuk, he whispered to the Sword King standing next to him.
"My divine relic is dissolved within that inner energy!"
In truth, the Sword King could also have spoken loudly on this matter.
After all, the two of them had eaten their fill of elixirs together in the past during the process of excavating the Secret Vessel with Geom Mugeuk.
'I fed him well that day.'
Of course, the Sword King did not voice those words.
After giving the Wind Heaven Sect Leader a faint smile, he continued to watch Geom Mugeuk fight.
The reason the Wind Heaven Sect Leader could bring this up was because Geom Mugeuk was fighting that well.
Sparks flew as sword clashed against sword.
Geom Mugeuk didn't just have a lot of inner energy.
The speed at which he moved his body and swung his sword was also beyond imagination.
The two men who had entered the fight had the exact same impression.
'He's strong!'
Hwa Mugi felt that Geom Mugeuk was a more difficult opponent than the Alliance Leaders had been.
This was true even though he was now using all the skills he had previously hidden.
Geom Mugeuk, too, was realizing that Hwa Mugi was far stronger than he had thought.
Lives were on the line with every flash of their swords.
A deadly exchange that did not tolerate a single mistake unfolded.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
In a single breath, dozens of moves passed in an instant.
Their fight was not one of limbs against limbs, nor sword against sword, nor form against form.
It was a battle of will against will, each intent on killing the other.
Right now, Geom Mugeuk was displaying the highest level of skill he could muster.
He was not holding back.
He would end this himself.
He had no intention of passing this fight on to the people behind him.
He knew his father wanted to protect him by killing Hwa Mugi himself.
He also knew that the Alliance Leaders, the Demon Sovereigns, the Wind Heaven Sect Leader, and the Sword King all felt the same.
But he would protect them.
That was why he had walked this long path.
That was why he had endured such a difficult life—to save the people who should not die.
'I will save them all.'
Just then, in the middle of the tense exchange.
Kaaaaang!
A powerful strike sent the two men sliding away from each other.
At that moment, as if by agreement, they simultaneously unleashed their finishing moves.
Swish-swish-swish-swish!
Four beings blocked Geom Mugeuk from all sides.
They were the evil spirits.
But they were not the ones he had always seen; they had unfamiliar faces.
It was the First Form of the Nine Calamities Demon Art: Annihilation Form, unleashed by Hwa Mugi.
The moment Geom Mugeuk was trapped by the evil spirits, Hwa Mugi smiled.
'You're finished now!'
It was a decisive blow aimed at Geom Mugeuk's carelessness.
Simultaneously, the move Geom Mugeuk had unleashed also took effect.
Hoo.
The moment darkness descended on all sides.
Swiiiiing.
A single streak of light cut through the darkness.
It was the Fourth Form of the Nine Calamities Demon Art—Dark Sun Slash, unleashed by Geom Mugeuk.
Nine Calamities Demon Art versus Nine Calamities Demon Art.
The onlookers were startled.
They had never imagined that after clashing only with swords, they would so suddenly unleash the Nine Calamities Demon Art.
The Sword King was about to leap in.
If Geom Woojin hadn't remained standing there, watching, he would have already rushed forward.
But it was already too late.
The evil spirits on all sides were striking down at Geom Mugeuk with their swords.
The walls on all four sides were walls of death.
It was at that very moment.
Kwwaaaaaang!
Just as the evil spirit in front of him attacked, something pure white seemed to overlap with it.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Only three of the evil spirits' swords struck down.
What had made the evil spirit of the Annihilation Form, which should have been absolutely impenetrable, disappear was the Great Demon Wall.
The moment Geom Mugeuk created a Great Demon Wall, just big enough to block one person, and overlapped it with the location of the evil spirit in front, the spirit vanished.
Simultaneously, Geom Mugeuk retrieved the Great Demon Wall and shot forward in an instant.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
Geom Mugeuk had not been careless.
He had especially considered how to react when the Nine Calamities Demon Art was used.
He had already decided that if the Annihilation Form were used on him, he would escape this way, which was why he was able to respond with the Great Demon Wall in the split second the Annihilation Form was unleashed.
Hwa Mugi, too, blocked the Dark Sun Slash in an unexpected way.
Swish-swish-swish-swish.
Four evil spirits appeared around Hwa Mugi.
Kaaaaang!
The Dark Sun Slash cut off the evil spirit's head, but it failed to cut Hwa Mugi.
He had used the Annihilation Form on himself, using the evil spirit as a shield.
Both men stared at their opponent with surprised expressions.
Hwa Mugi was truly astonished.
He hadn't expected Geom Mugeuk to break through the Annihilation Form with the Great Demon Wall.
'And that Great Demon Wall... it's as small as mine.'
Geom Mugeuk could also see that his Nine Calamities Demon Art had reached Great Mastery, and that his level was comparable to that of the Demon Cult Master Hyeok Do-cheon from three hundred years ago.
But Geom Mugeuk was the more surprised of the two.
"How did you use two Annihilation Forms at the same time?"
He had attacked with an Annihilation Form, and simultaneously defended with an Annihilation Form.
He himself could never do that.
'Could it be that he's achieved Twelve-Star Great Mastery in the Nine Calamities Demon Art?'
Geom Mugeuk glanced at his father.
His father, too, had a surprised expression and gave a slight shake of his head.
It meant that even achieving Twelve-Star Great Mastery wouldn't allow one to cast two Annihilation Forms at once.
"How on earth did you do it?"
Instead of answering, Hwa Mugi charged toward Geom Mugeuk.
His movements had become dramatically faster.
Swaaaaaaah.
In a flash, Hwa Mugi's Black Sword was slashing in front of him.
Geom Mugeuk twisted his body to dodge, but...
Pash!
Blood spurted from Geom Mugeuk's shoulder.
Fortunately, it was a shallow cut, but it was an attack that could have severed his arm.
Swaaah!
He retreated to dodge the second attack.
If not for the Four Divine Wind Steps, his speed would have been cut again.
The onlookers were shocked.
Hwa Mugi's attacks were so threateningly fast that it seemed he must have been hiding even more of his skill.
Whaaaaaaaah.
A powerful demonic energy shimmered around Hwa Mugi like a heat haze.
That was not all.
At some point, his two eyes had turned black.
The whites of his eyes had disappeared, and they were now entirely black.
The moment Geom Mugeuk saw those eyes, the hairs on his entire body stood on end, and his Heavenly Demon Body-Protecting Art activated to its limit.
Hwa Mugi's voice had a deep echo, as if it were coming from a bottomless pit.
"Why did you not try to talk to me?"