The Immortal Divine Armor had maintained its reputation by being, until now, uncuttable.
But could one guarantee it would not be cut by the sword of the Unorthodox Alliance Leader?
The Martial King forcefully erased the doubt that briefly arose in his heart.
“Would it be called immortal for nothing?”
Then, Baek Ja-gang retorted.
“Do you believe anything is truly immortal in this world? There is only the human heart that wishes for immortality.”
Love, dreams, hope.
Baek Ja-gang was a man who believed in none of these things.
He was a thorough realist.
“Why then does a man as cold as you trust the Young Cult Master?”
Baek Ja-gang could tell.
The Martial King was trying to sow seeds of doubt in his heart, to shake his resolve.
In the fight between him and the Martial King, not even a speck of concentration could be lost.
“I do not trust the Young Cult Master. The one who trusts him is my disciple.”
“Your disciple is being deceived by the Demon Sect’s Young Cult Master.”
The Martial King’s gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk.
Like the others, he appeared in black and white, but his eyes alone glowed red.
A black and white body with red eyes, it made Geom Mugeuk look like an evil spirit.
“Look at that young Young Cult Master’s eyes. Do you see the ambition and desire dwelling within them?”
Had it been about anything else, he would have ignored it, but since Geom Mugeuk was mentioned, Baek Ja-gang answered the Martial King’s question.
“It seems your eyes see a scorching heat. My eyes feel only the cold of a frozen snowfield.”
The Martial King saw heat, and the Unorthodox Alliance Leader saw coldness.
Geom Mugeuk bantered with them.
“You have both seen well. My left eye is hot, and my right eye is cold.”
As he said this, he looked at Bi Sa-in standing beside him and smiled.
Such leisure in this tense moment was possible only because of his absolute faith in the Unorthodox Alliance Leader.
Honestly, Bi Sa-in felt neither heat nor cold from Geom Mugeuk.
All he could see was that mischievous glint in his eyes, as if wondering what nonsense he could spew next.
But looking into those mischievous eyes, one could read a single emotion.
Geom Mugeuk asked Bi Sa-in.
“Surely your eyes see something too?”
Bi Sa-in nodded and answered honestly.
It was a sentiment he could not convey if not for an opportunity like this.
“You seem lonely.”
He hadn’t felt it at first, but now he did.
That Geom Mugeuk was a lonely person.
It was probably because he, too, knew well what loneliness was.
“A friend sees best, after all. How lonely must the Demon Sect's Young Cult Master be to come to the Unorthodox Alliance’s Young Alliance Leader and ask to be friends?”
“I hope your loneliness does not lead to a strange end.”
“Our end will be laughing and joking together until we grow old and die.”
The Martial King interjected into their conversation, speaking coldly.
“Whether hot or cold, in my eyes, I see greed. Can you be confident that your greed is lesser than mine?”
“At least it’s not a greed that seeks to take what belongs to others, like yours. Let’s just say I have some personal business.”
But I will not let that business devour my life.
The reason I live both hotly and coldly is not solely to kill Hwa Mugi.
It is for my own life.
It is because I want to live together with the people I like.
When this fight is over, I will cleanly forget the Martial King and go back to meet my people.
I will not be anxious, worrying and wondering what will come next, who will appear.
Someday, even after I kill Hwa Mugi, I will continue to live the life of the Young Cult Master, and I will ascend to the position of the Heavenly Demon.
What other events will occur in that process, what kind of life will await me even after I become the Heavenly Demon, I cannot know.
But one thing is certain.
A life spent pouring everything into one villain is enough with one lifetime before regression.
While eating with the Demon Sovereigns, I will say I need to step out for a moment, then go kill Hwa Mugi and return.
While hunting with my father, I will briefly go to kill him instead of a tiger.
If they ask where I have been, I will smile and reply that I just went to take care of some business.
May that be my life in this lifetime.
I will work to the point of death to create such a life.
The people here could never know Geom Mugeuk’s heart.
That heart was only conveyed as a feeling of heat, cold, and loneliness.
“What will you do if that personal business is what’s seducing your disciple?”
Until the very end, the Martial King tried to provoke Baek Ja-gang.
At the very moment Baek Ja-gang glanced at Bi Sa-in.
Swaaaaaa!
A palm strike flew from the Martial King’s hand in a surprise attack.
But Baek Ja-gang twisted his body and dodged the incoming attack.
Though the palm strike grazed past his face, Baek Ja-gang did not even blink.
Baek Ja-gang said in a calm tone.
“The only thing certain in this place is your greed beneath that protective armor.”
Baek Ja-gang aimed his sword, flowing with Sword Force, at the Martial King.
“You don’t have to show me. I will tear that protective armor myself and see what lies beneath.”
The moment he finished speaking, a blue Sword Force scattered in the air and flew toward the Martial King.
A red force gathered in the Martial King’s fists as he retaliated.
An immense force was also unleashed from his fists.
With the explosive sound of force clashing against force, the two different colors mixed.
The red and blue force, spreading magnificently as they embroidered the air, felt like a work of art created from a painter’s brush tip.
Fwoooosh!
From the initial clash, dozens of strands of fractured blue light shot out.
They were not being destroyed and scattered.
They all turned in unison and flew toward the Martial King.
It was an unexpected attack, so the Martial King had no time to dodge.
He raised his protective energy to its limit.
‘I have the Immortal, I can withstand it!’
The force, which had split into dozens of strands, merged into one before the Martial King, creating a new shape.
What the blue force created was a wolf.
In that moment, Geom Mugeuk knew.
The wolf’s form was identical to the one in the Unorthodox Alliance Leader’s Hall.
It was the lonely wolf that protected the Unorthodox Path, the Blue Wolf.
Tyrant Heaven-Piercing Sword Technique, Fourth Form, Blue Wolf Form.
With an ear-splitting howl, the giant wolf swallowed the Martial King whole.
As the force struck the Martial King, the warriors of the Unorthodox Alliance let out a collective gasp.
The aura that spread with the Blue Wolf’s howl sent shivers through their bodies.
The hair on their bodies stood on end, and they felt an urge to shout.
It was the first time they had seen their leader’s powerful fighting spirit in a real battle.
Th-th-th-thump!
A sound as if something was bursting came from the Martial King.
Soon, through the settling dust, the Martial King’s figure became visible.
Having crossed his hands in front to block the force, blood was trickling from the Martial King’s mouth.
Crrrack.
The Immortal Divine Armor was cut, and blood flowed from the Martial King’s body.
It was a single move from Baek Ja-gang that had pierced through both the Immortal Divine Armor and the Martial King’s protective energy.
The Martial King looked down at his cut Immortal Divine Armor with astonished eyes.
The words of the Unorthodox Alliance Leader echoed in his ears.
—Do you believe anything is truly immortal in this world?
If the Immortal Divine Armor was in this state, the Twin Souls protecting his wrists and shins were completely tattered and torn.
Of course, it was because of them that the Martial King was still able to stand.
The Martial King grit his teeth.
He had thought he was behind by a move or so, but that wasn’t it.
It was clearly two moves, and considering the moves he had yet to reveal, he could be behind by three, even four moves.
‘He is stronger than I thought.’
Geom Mugeuk was thinking the same thing.
This was also why the Unorthodox Alliance Leader dreamed of unifying the Martial World.
His father, the Unorthodox Alliance Leader, and Jin Pae-cheon, said to be the most tyrannical of all past Martial Alliance Leaders.
By a twist of fate, the great heroes of an era had all gathered.
Perhaps Hwa Mugi’s birth was an inevitability brought forth by these three men.
Baek Ja-gang looked at the blood flowing from behind the Immortal Divine Armor and spoke softly.
“Your greed is shedding tears.”
At the pressure radiating from those small eyes asking whether it was regret or fear, the Martial King clenched his fists.
Baek Ja-gang began to press his attack.
Explosions erupted one after another as force clashed.
As his protective armor sustained damage, a greater shock was delivered to the Martial King.
But the Martial King did not retreat.
Pushing his inner energy to its limit, a red aura flowed from his eyes.
The Martial King charged forward and threw his fists.
Papapapapapapak!
Wind Cloud Fist, Third Form, Flickering Thunder Dance.
Dozens of fists, as fast as light, filled the air.
Baek Ja-gang dodged every single one of those fists.
They were so fast that the onlookers couldn’t tell which fist he dodged or how.
Only Geom Mugeuk saw the movements of the two men clearly.
“Ah!”
A sound of admiration escaped him.
The Martial King’s move was truly incredible.
Had he not been an enemy, it was a move worthy of praise.
And for the Unorthodox Alliance Leader who dodged all of that praise-worthy attack, he felt awe.
The Martial King’s attack did not end there.
A follow-up form connected to the Flickering Thunder Dance was unleashed.
Wind Cloud Fist, Fourth Form, Red Chain Prohibition.
The final fist of the Flickering Thunder Dance spread wide open.
A chain-shaped red force was unleashed from the Martial King’s palm.
Chrrrrrrrrk!
The chain instantly wrapped around Baek Ja-gang.
‘I’ve got him!’
No matter how great the Unorthodox Alliance Leader was, once caught by the Red Chain Prohibition, he would be unable to move until his next attack landed.
Wind Cloud Fist, Fifth Form, Wind and Cloud Creation!
Shwiiiik.
The Martial King’s strike, filled with killing intent, flew toward Baek Ja-gang’s face.
If Wind and Cloud Creation struck his face, where the protective energy was relatively weak!
‘It’s over.’
Just then, the Martial King saw it.
The sword was not in the hand of the chained Baek Ja-gang.
“!”
The next moment!
Puk!
Baek Ja-gang’s sword, descending silently from the air, pierced through his shoulder from above.
The Tyrant Heaven-Piercing Sword Technique, Sixth Form, Formless Strike had been unleashed.
The sword pierced through the Martial King’s bones and flesh.
“Arrrgh!”
As the Martial King’s energy was cut off.
Papapapang!
With a series of explosions, the Red Chain Prohibition that had bound Baek Ja-gang shattered and disappeared.
Fwoosh!
The sword lodged in his shoulder pulled itself out and flew back into Baek Ja-gang’s hand.
Blood spewed from the Martial King’s shoulder.
The Martial King hurriedly pressed on his pressure points to stop the bleeding, but the wound was deep.
He couldn't face him even when he was uninjured; now, he could no longer hold on.
The Martial King’s choice was to flee.
He began to run for his life.
Despite his severe injury, he ran at a terrifying speed.
Baek Ja-gang pursued him even faster.
Thwack!
Baek Ja-gang slammed the desperately fleeing Martial King to the ground.
Crash!
Though he rolled on the ground from the heavy impact, the Martial King sprang up again and started running.
The spectators also moved, following the two.
They covered dozens of yards in an instant.
Bi Sa-in subdued Hyeok Sa-gun’s paralyzing point and roughly tucked him under his arm as he moved.
The master flees, while he is dragged along miserably.
But hope had not yet vanished from his eyes, which should have been filled with resentment.
Once again, the force sent by Baek Ja-gang struck the Martial King’s back.
Thwack!
The Martial King collapsed face down on the ground.
Giving up on fleeing, the Martial King sat up, panting heavily.
“I promised not to harm a single hair. This fight ends here.”
It was a life-or-death moment, as Baek Ja-gang was preparing the final strike!
Yet, the Martial King smiled.
“In that case… you have lost.”
Just as the Martial King gave a meaningful smile.
From all directions, a hundred enemies revealed themselves.
This was the reason he had fled this far.
For the last card he had hidden here.
The man leading them was Sa Hon, the Martial King’s right-hand man.
Those who appeared with him were not adults, but children.
Some were not yet ten, while others were over thirteen or fourteen.
The oldest seemed to be around seventeen or eighteen.
Geom Mugeuk knew.
They were the children who had been kidnapped earlier.
The children’s eyes were devoid of light.
They had been brainwashed by some special method.
Strange bags were strapped to the children’s chests.
They flew up from all directions at once.
At the same time, the bags strapped to the children’s chests exploded, scattering a white powder everywhere.
Boom! Boom! Thump! Thump!
The amount of powder that burst from a single bag was extraordinary.
With a hundred bags exploding simultaneously, the surroundings were instantly covered in powder.
“It’s Yellow Springs Poison.”
Yellow Springs Poison was a poison for mass killing, strictly forbidden in the Martial World.
The bag that released this poison was created by the late Poison Overlord.
The Martial King had made the children wear them.
It was a plan to pin all the blame on the Demon Sect’s Poison King.
He used the children to prevent them from being wiped out in a single blow when they first appeared.
The Martial King was a man who would use not just children, but even a baby, to win.
The warriors of the Unorthodox Alliance all took out their Poison-Resistant Beads and drank them.
“Poison-Resistant Beads cannot block this.”
Previously, Geom Mugeuk had created a whirlwind to burn away the Poison Overlord’s poison, but now it was unavoidable.
Such a large amount had spread in all directions in an instant that even Geom Mugeuk could do nothing about this immense poison.
Bi Sa-in threw himself to protect the Alliance Leader first.
“Please, escape.”
But the Unorthodox Alliance Leader was already exposed to the poison.
“It will be said that the Demon Sect’s Poison King killed you!”
The only three people here who had taken the antidote beforehand were the Martial King, Hyeok Sa-gun, and Sa Hon.
Hyeok Sa-gun was essential for the Martial King to become the Unorthodox Alliance Leader.
The Martial King smiled triumphantly.
He could somehow endure the attacks of the poisoned Unorthodox Alliance Leader while fleeing.
Time was on his side.
This was how he would win.
Winning by any means necessary, this was the moment he seized the greatest victory of his life.
Just then, the smile vanished from the Martial King’s lips.
His eyes caught sight of Sa Hon looking around with a bewildered expression.
The Martial King also looked around.
Nothing was happening.
The children stood as they were, and the warriors of the Unorthodox Alliance exposed to the poison did not fall.
They should have all been dead by now.
Belatedly, the warriors of the Thirteen Wolves of the Unorthodox Path and the Extreme Blade Corps subdued the paralyzing points of the dazed children.
The Martial King, who had never once properly shown his emotions, was different this time.
He was surprised and bewildered.
‘Why?’
Why was no one collapsing?
Baek Ja-gang and all the other warriors of the Unorthodox Alliance were just as surprised.
They all knew how deadly the Yellow Springs Poison was.
Geom Mugeuk was also clueless.
‘Could it be?’
Geom Mugeuk’s gaze, which had been surveying the surroundings, turned to the sky.
As his gaze fixed, everyone else’s naturally followed.
A person was standing on the branch of a large tree, arms crossed, looking down at them.
He was a young and handsome boy.
He wore twelve pouches around his waist, each adorned with an animal of the Twelve Zodiacs.
“Poison King!”
At Geom Mugeuk’s surprised cry, a faint smile appeared on the man’s lips.
It was truly the Poison King.
The news that the Demon Doctor and the Poison King were coming was a lie, but for some reason, the real Poison King had appeared here.
His robes fluttering in the blowing wind, the Poison King began to slowly descend from the sky, like a divine being descending to the mortal world.