In this moment, the one most moved was Bi Sa-in.
If Geom Mugeuk hadn't killed the Poison Overlord, there was no telling how many martial artists of the Unorthodox Alliance would have died.
And above all, he was glad that Geom Mugeuk was safe.
To think a day would come when he would be glad that the Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect was safe.
The guard commander, In Gung, spat out the Poison-Resistant Bead and looked at Baek Ja-gang.
'So the Alliance Leader believed the Young Cult Master would do it.'
In Gung marveled that his own judgment was different, but in truth, Baek Ja-gang hadn't been certain either.
However, there had been an unexplainable anticipation.
A groundless hope that this Young Cult Master, who kept showing him a world he didn't have, would not die in vain.
The Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path also looked at Geom Mugeuk with great gratitude.
In the past, during the fight with Seok Gwan-chu and Baek Mang-gi, many of the Thirteen Wolves had been killed or injured.
Afterward, during the process of Bi Sa-in becoming the successor, a generational shift had occurred, weakening their overall strength compared to when they first met Geom Mugeuk.
Therefore, if the Poison Overlord's poison had been spread, they too would have suffered great losses.
The First Wolf's gaze turned to Bi Sa-in.
He had once disliked Geom Mugeuk and was wary of his growing closeness with Bi Sa-in, but now he could say it with certainty.
—I believe the Young Alliance Leader's choice was correct.
The younger generation would gradually grow under Bi Sa-in, and if they survived today's battle, the Thirteen Wolves would once again become the representative martial artists of the Unorthodox Alliance.
Bi Sa-in joyfully replied to the First Wolf’s telepathic message.
—You have no idea how much strength your presence has given us, First Wolf.
—I will continue to serve you with all I have.
It was the same for the martial artists of the Extreme Blade Corps.
After all, they would have suffered the most damage.
Furthermore, Division Lord Beon Cheon felt an additional sense of favor.
He had heard from the Alliance Leader that if Geom Mugeuk had not intervened this time, he would have taken the full blame for everything.
For that reason, his goodwill toward Geom Mugeuk was even greater.
If the martial artists of the Unorthodox Alliance were this surprised, wouldn't their enemies be as well?
The morale of the Fighting Wolves was completely broken, and the Crescent Moon Saber and Blue Killing Ghost, who had appeared with the Poison Overlord, exchanged glances.
The Poison Overlord they knew was an old man who had been through thick and thin.
'And he killed him just like that?'
The Poison Overlord was a figure even they found difficult to deal with.
Who here could face him with ease?
The Crescent Moon Saber and the Blue Killing Ghost naturally looked toward the Martial King.
The Martial King showed no sign of agitation at the Poison Overlord's death.
Lingering on the dead was of no help in a fight.
The Martial King calmly observed Geom Mugeuk.
His first impression was similar to what the Poison Overlord had felt.
A sense of relaxed confidence that one might assume came from being of the Heavenly Demon's bloodline.
But since it had been proven that this ease was not of that kind, he looked deeper into what lay beneath.
And then, the Martial King could smell it.
'The scent of blood.'
An image of Geom Mugeuk standing alone on a battlefield appeared in the Martial King's mind.
A figure standing alone on the battlefield, a single sword hanging loosely by his side.
He could feel that they were of the same kind.
He could see that his youth and playfulness were hiding his true nature.
'This is a man who must be killed today.'
The Martial King sensed that today's battle would not be easy.
How could he win?
In the meantime, Geom Mugeuk had approached Hyeok Sa-gun.
Hyeok Sa-gun was in a state of shock over the Poison Overlord's death.
In his heart, the person he had trusted the most was the Poison Overlord.
“But why are you still here? Shouldn't you be on that side?”
“Are you trying to slander me again?”
Hyeok Sa-gun had a premonition that Geom Mugeuk would not leave him be.
He immediately started to provoke him.
Geom Mugeuk tattled to Beon Cheon, the Division Lord of the Extreme Blade Corps.
“The one who framed him was this very Deputy Grand Strategist.”
“Don't believe the Young Cult Master's words. It's slander.”
After speaking, Hyeok Sa-gun realized it was an inappropriate response.
He had reported to the Alliance Leader that there was evidence Beon Cheon had joined hands with the Demon Sect, yet now he was calling it slander.
He should have said this to Beon Cheon.
'There is evidence that you have joined hands with the Demon Sect.'
This was the first time he had made so many verbal blunders because of one person.
'It's all because of this bastard.'
His long-laid plans were all starting to crumble and fall apart.
And even now, this man was shaking him.
“Aren't you afraid?”
“Of what?”
“You probably came this far with that man's help. But once he becomes the Unorthodox Alliance Leader, do you think he'll let you live?”
“What are you talking about? What kind of ridiculous false accusation are you trying to frame me with now?”
“Let's say you became the Alliance Leader. Would you want a strategist who was forcibly placed in his position with someone else's help? Or would you want a truly skilled Grand Strategist?”
“!”
How could Hyeok Sa-gun not have had such thoughts? But he had deliberately buried them deep in his heart.
The higher his ambition for success, the deeper the pit where he buried his worries.
He trusted Hwang Seok-gyeong.
He would be the Alliance Leader, and Hyeok Sa-gun the Grand Strategist.
He dreamed only of a brilliant future where they stood by the window of the Alliance Leader’s Hall, sharing stories of the past.
And now, Geom Mugeuk had dug up what he had buried deep in his heart.
He learned for the first time that the things one thinks are buried deepest are the ones that pop out when poked like this.
'Don't try to drive a wedge between my lord and me!'
Hyeok Sa-gun almost said those words.
He shouldn't have.
He couldn't let it be known yet that he was on the same side as Hwang Seok-gyeong standing over there.
“Don't try to drive a wedge between the Alliance Leader and me.”
This was the proper response.
Once again, Geom Mugeuk struck a nerve.
“To walk those mere twenty steps from here to where that man is, you are deceiving yourself far too much.”
“!”
For a moment, Hyeok Sa-gun couldn't answer.
Geom Mugeuk relentlessly shook him.
He shouted to the Martial King.
“If you don't back down, I'll kill your strategist right here.”
But the Martial King did not move a single step.
“Look at his reaction. Do you still think he won't cast you aside once you're no longer useful?”
Hyeok Sa-gun was inwardly flustered.
Geom Mugeuk's earlier words came to mind.
Would you want a strategist who was forcibly placed in his position? Or would you want a truly skilled strategist?
“Now, let's have a clean confession about what last trick you have hidden and come back to our side.”
At that, the onlooking Martial King stepped forward.
“Don't bother trying to hide your identity. The Alliance Leader already knows. He's just mocking you.”
Hyeok Sa-gun looked at Baek Ja-gang, hoping it wasn't true.
If Hwang Seok-gyeong said something like that, Baek Ja-gang should have reacted to him, but he didn't even look his way.
From that, he knew.
'He really knew.'
It was the moment the true nature of the anxiety and unease he had felt all the way here was clearly revealed.
He didn't even ask why he had betrayed him.
Bi Sa-in didn't give him a single glance either.
Since he had tried to kill him, he should have at least been cursed at, but he was completely ignored.
Beon Cheon and the Thirteen Wolves also followed their master's will and didn't look at him at all.
Finally, he looked at Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk offered him one last word.
“Take a good look. There might be a large pot behind him, ready to boil you alive.”
It was a statement he would have rather not heard.
The Martial King said to Hyeok Sa-gun.
“Come over here.”
Was it okay to go just like that? Wouldn't someone ambush and kill him?
He had such worries, but he had no other choice.
Hyeok Sa-gun slowly walked toward the Martial King.
He did not feel good.
He had wanted to reveal his betrayal in a more dramatic and splendid fashion.
He had intended to look down at the dying Baek Ja-gang and say this.
—I was the one who betrayed you.
Then the Alliance Leader would lament.
—I can't believe it.
You were the traitor?
The Martial King might be the one to kill the Alliance Leader, but he had a desire to be the final protagonist.
He had imagined his final moment with the Alliance Leader countless times.
But now he was walking towards the Martial King with his identity revealed so anticlimactically.
He wished someone would at least curse him, but no one paid him any mind.
Hyeok Sa-gun keenly felt that being ignored was more unpleasant than being the object of hatred.
The worst part of his ending was orchestrated by the Martial King.
The Martial King didn't say anything meaningful to him.
'You've worked hard.
Now, a new history will begin.
It's thanks to you that we've come this far.'
Hyeok Sa-gun desperately hoped for such a word of praise.
Only a single word from the Martial King could wash away this thorough disregard.
“Go stand in the back.”
But that one sentence was all.
The Martial King's gaze returned to Baek Ja-gang.
Hyeok Sa-gun felt it.
At this moment, he was nothing more than a hindrance to the fight.
Though he understood the Martial King, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Hyeok Sa-gun unknowingly clenched his fists as he walked to the back.
The water in the pot hanging in his heart began to boil.
The Martial King asked Baek Ja-gang.
“When did you know?”
“A few days ago.”
“You couldn't have had any proof.”
Baek Ja-gang nodded.
He was right.
If Geom Mugeuk hadn't appeared, he would not have thought Hyeok Sa-gun had betrayed him, even until the very last moment.
Who would dare to recruit a strategist, make him the Grand Strategist, kill the Young Alliance Leader, and even aim for the position of Unorthodox Alliance Leader?
Baek Ja-gang's gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk.
“He insisted stubbornly. How stubborn must he have been for me to believe the words of the Demon Sect's Young Cult Master over my own Deputy Grand Strategist?”
He used the word stubborn, but it should have been replaced with charming.
The moments with Geom Mugeuk were refreshing and fun.
That was how he was able to come this far.
Would Geom Mugeuk miss a chance to be witty at this moment?
“Ah! There was truly a tear-jerking effort involved. The Young Cult Master of the Demon Sect is working this hard, so what are you doing here instead of accepting new recruits like you're supposed to? Did you get tired of giving others a new start and decide to start anew yourself?”
The Martial King felt that he was being tricked by such words.
His opponent was looking at him from across the battlefield, covered in blood.
It was because he failed to see that, that the Poison Overlord had died.
A heavy silence fell, and Gwae-ak stepped forward.
“It seems the verbal exchange is more or less over.”
Gwae-ak pointed to one person.
“You, I'd like a word with you.”
His opponent was the Crescent Moon Saber, one of the Seven Great Masters of the Unorthodox Alliance.
“If we must fight anyway, it would be more dignified to fight sooner rather than later.”
He meant that as time went on, the battle would descend into chaos.
The Crescent Moon Saber accepted his proposal to fight now instead of then.
“You are right.”
As the two stepped forward, the martial artists in the standoff also moved back, naturally creating a space for them to fight.
Everyone held their breath, for it was a battle between two of the Seven Great Masters of the Unorthodox Alliance.
Bi Sa-in was worried about Gwae-ak.
He had come here for his sake today, even though he hadn't fully recovered.
—Senior, please be careful.
Gwae-ak nodded once with his back turned, acknowledging Bi Sa-in's concern.
The Crescent Moon Saber drew his blade, curved like a crescent moon.
It emanated a sharp edge as he launched the first attack.
The crescent moon, beautiful when in the sky, became ferocious when it descended to the earth.
Shhhk, shhhk, shhhk, shhhk, shhhk, shhhwiiik!
In an instant, dozens of blade strokes were drawn, and Gwae-ak sought a path through the lines that divided life and death.
As a practitioner of the Iron Body Annihilation Technique, a body art, he needed to get close.
Knowing each other's skills well, the fight instantly became fierce.
Blade Energy flew, and force erupted from their bodies, sweeping through the surroundings.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
Even watching was perilous.
They fought without any regard for those around them.
The onlookers unleashed their Sword Qi to block the stray Blade Energy, and at times, they threw themselves to the side to dodge.
Shwaaaaaaak!
Half-moon shaped Blade Energy was unleashed in succession.
It was a powerful attack that could obliterate bone and flesh without a trace with just a graze.
This time, screams erupted from here and there.
A Fighting Wolf who couldn't dodge in time was swept away by the Blade Energy.
The onlookers retreated.
Those with relatively weaker martial arts moved even farther away.
Amidst the chaos, Baek Ja-gang and the Martial King faced each other.
They did not watch the fight.
They only stared into each other's eyes.
Though Blade Energy grazed past their faces, they did not move a single step.
They were still.
As if they were standing in a different space.
From the moment Baek Ja-gang knew his opponent had brought the Poison Overlord, he no longer saw him as a martial artist but as an assassin.
If he was a man for whom only winning mattered, he would treat him accordingly.
His opponent was someone who would jump into this fight at any moment to launch a joint attack.
'Go ahead, make a move.'
Because Baek Ja-gang was strongly keeping him in check, Geom Mugeuk could watch the two's fight with a relaxed mind.
He put himself in their fight.
He became the Crescent Moon Saber, and he became Gwae-ak.
Although the Crescent Moon Saber's martial art was the blade and his was the sword, and Gwae-ak's was a body art and his was the fist, Geom Mugeuk perfectly substituted his own martial arts into their movements. 'If it were me, like this,' and 'If it were me, then like this.'
Witnessing the life-and-death battle of the Seven Great Masters of the Unorthodox Alliance was of great help to Geom Mugeuk.
A single moment's mistake led to defeat; they were truly engaged in a razor-thin contest.
It was to the point where one would think the loser would feel truly wronged.
The only difference was the reason each of them fought.
And it seemed Gwae-ak's reason was more special and stronger.
Piercing through the flashing blade light, Gwae-ak's elbow struck the Crescent Moon Saber's shoulder.
A momentary stagger.
That was the end of it.
If he were the type to miss such an opportunity, Gwae-ak would never have risen to the rank of the Seven Great Masters of the Unorthodox Alliance.
Pow! Crack.
Gwae-ak struck the Crescent Moon Saber's chest with his own back and shoulder.
As he was pushed back, spitting blood, Gwae-ak had already subdued his paralyzing point and wrapped an arm around his neck from behind.
“Any last words?”
“This feels foul.”
“Isn't living foully and dying foully the way of us in the Unorthodox Path?”
Crack!
The Crescent Moon Saber's neck bone snapped at a right angle, and he died instantly.
Gwae-ak slowly turned and walked back.
Everyone watched him in silence.
Blood trickled from the corner of Gwae-ak's mouth from overusing his inner energy.
Bi Sa-in ran out to meet him.
“Are you alright?”
Gwae-ak nodded, his face pale.
“A fight like this wasn't so bad.”
He had fought for himself his whole life, but this was the first time he had fought for someone else.
“I will never forget this moment.”
For this moment, at least, Bi Sa-in was Geom Mugeuk, and Gwae-ak was the Evil Heart Laughing Demon.