Chapter 369: How Tenaciously He Must Have Insisted

TL: FoodieMonster007

Bi Sayin was the most moved person at that moment.

Countless martial artists of the Evil Alliance would have died if Geom Mugeuk hadn't killed the Poison Tyrant.

Above all, Bi Sayin was glad Geom Mugeuk was safe. He never thought a day would come when he'd be happy that the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult was unharmed.

The bodyguard captain, Ingung, spat out his Antitoxin Bead and looked at Baek Jagang.

The Chairman must have believed the Young Cult Leader would succeed.

Ingung marveled at their different perspectives. In truth, Baek Jagang had been just as uncertain.

However, he had felt an inexplicable anticipation, a baseless hope that this Young Cult Leader who constantly showed him a world he did not possess would not die in vain.

The Thirteen Evil Wolves also looked at Geom Mugeuk with immense gratitude. During the past fight against Seok Gwanchu and Baek Manggi, several of the Thirteen Evil Wolves had been killed or injured. A generational shift occurred after Bi Sayin became the successor, inevitably weakening their combat strength compared to when they first met Geom Mugeuk. If the Poison Tyrant had spread his poison, they too would have suffered great losses.

The First Wolf's gaze turned to Bi Sayin. He had once disliked Geom Mugeuk and was wary of him getting close to Bi Sayin, but now he could say it with certainty.

-I believe the Young Alliance Chairman's choice was the right one.

The juniors would grow under Bi Sayin. If they survived today's battle, the Thirteen Evil Wolves would once again become the martial artists representing the Evil Alliance.

Bi Sayin joyfully replied to the First Wolf's telepathy.

-You have no idea how much strength your presence gives us, First Wolf.

-I will continue to serve you with all I have.

The martial artists of the Extreme Army felt the same. They would have suffered the most damage.

Commander Beoncheon felt an additional goodwill. He had heard from the Chairman that he would have taken all the blame if Geom Mugeuk hadn't intervened. Because of that, his favor toward Geom Mugeuk was even greater.

If the Evil Alliance martial artists were this surprised, their enemies must be as well.

The Fighting Wolf's morale was completely broken. The New Moon Blade and the Green Slayer Ghost, who had appeared with the Poison Tyrant, exchanged glances.

The Poison Tyrant they knew was an old man who had endured all sorts of hardships.

And yet he was killed so easily?

Even they found the Poison Tyrant difficult to deal with. Who here could face him comfortably?

The New Moon Blade and the Green Slayer Ghost naturally looked toward the Brawling King.

The Brawling King showed no disturbance at the Poison Tyrant's death. Lingering on the dead was no help in a fight.

The Brawling King calmly observed Geom Mugeuk. His first impression was similar to the Poison Tyrant's. He sensed a relaxed confidence, the kind one might assume came from the Heavenly Demon's bloodline.

However, it was now clear his composure was not that simple. The Brawling King looked deeper, beyond the surface.

Then, the Brawling King smelled it.

The scent of blood.

An image of Geom Mugeuk surfaced in the Brawling King's mind. He saw Geom Mugeuk standing alone on a battlefield, a single sword hanging loosely at his side.

He felt they were the same kind. He saw that Geom Mugeuk hid his true nature behind a mask of youth and playfulness.

This is a man who must be killed today.

The Brawling King had a gut feeling that today's fight would not be easy. He wondered how he could possibly win.

Meanwhile, Geom Mugeuk approached Hyeok Sagun.

Hyeok Sagun was shocked by the Poison Tyrant's death. Inwardly, he had trusted the Poison Tyrant the most.

"Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be on that side?"

"Are you trying to slander me again?"

Hyeok Sagun had a premonition that Geom Mugeuk would not leave him alone.

Geom Mugeuk immediately started to get on his nerves, tattling to Commander Beoncheon of the Extreme Army.

"This very vice strategist is the one who framed you."

"Don't believe the Young Cult Leader's words. It's slander."

After speaking, Hyeok Sagun realized his response was inappropriate. He had reported to the Chairman that there was evidence of Beoncheon joining the Demonic Cult, yet now he called it slander. He should have said this to Beoncheon.

There is evidence that you have joined hands with the Demonic Cult.

This was the first time one person had caused him to make so many slips of the tongue.

It's all because of this bastard.

His long-laid plans were crumbling. Even now, the man unsettled him.

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Of what?"

"You must've gotten this far with that man's help, but once he becomes the Evil Alliance Chairman, do you think he'll let you live?"

"What are you talking about? What kind of forced accusation are you trying to frame me with now?"

"Let's say you became the Chairman. Would you want a strategist who was forcibly promoted with someone else's help? Or would you want a truly skilled Head Strategist?"

"!"

How could Hyeok Sagun not have had such thoughts? He had deliberately buried them deep in his heart. The higher his desire for success, the deeper he buried his worries.

He trusted Hwang Seokgyeong. He would be the Chairman, and Hyeok Sagun would be the Head Strategist. He dreamed only of a brilliant future where they would stand together by the Chairman's Hall window, reminiscing about the past.

And now, Geom Mugeuk had dug up what Hyeok Sagun had buried so deep. He learned for the first time that the deepest buried things are the ones that pop out with just a slight poke.

Don't try to drive a wedge between my Liege and me!

Hyeok Sagun almost said it aloud. Those words should not be spoken. He could not yet reveal he was on the same side as Hwang Seokgyeong, who stood over there.

"Don't try to drive a wedge between the Chairman and me."

This was the proper response.

Geom Mugeuk struck a nerve once again.

"You're deceiving yourself so much just to cross those twenty-something steps to where that man is."

"!"

For a moment, Hyeok Sagun was speechless.

Geom Mugeuk relentlessly shook him, then shouted to the Brawling King.

"If you don't back down, I'll kill your strategist right here."

However, the Brawling King did not retreat a single step.

"Look at his reaction. You still think you won't be discarded after you've served your purpose?"

Hyeok Sagun was inwardly flustered. Geom Mugeuk's earlier words echoed in his mind. Would you want a strategist who was forcibly promoted? Or would you want a truly skilled strategist?

"Now, frankly confess what you've hidden as your last resort and come back to our side."

At that, the Brawling King, who had been watching, stepped forward.

"Stop trying to hide your identity. The Chairman already knows. He's just mocking you."

Hyeok Sagun looked at Baek Jagang in disbelief. If Hwang Seokgyeong said something like that, Baek Jagang should have reacted to him, but Baek Jagang didn't even glance his way. From that, he knew.

He really knew.

The source of the anxiety and unease he had felt the entire way here was finally revealed. He didn't even ask why he had betrayed them.

Bi Sayin didn't spare him a glance either. Since Hyeok Sagun had tried to kill him, he should have at least hurled some curses, but he was completely ignored.

Following their master's will, neither Beoncheon nor the Thirteen Evil Wolves looked at him.

Finally, he looked at Geom Mugeuk. Geom Mugeuk offered him one last word.

"Look carefully. There might be a large cauldron behind you, ready to boil you alive."

It was a remark he would have rather not heard.

The Brawling King said to Hyeok Sagun.

"Come here."

Is it really okay to go like this? Won't someone ambush and kill me?

He had such worries, but there was no other choice.

Hyeok Sagun slowly walked toward the Brawling King.

He felt terrible. He had intended for his betrayal to be revealed in a more dramatic and spectacular way.

He had planned to look down at the dying Baek Jagang and say, 'I was the one who betrayed you.'

Then the Chairman would lament, 'I can't believe it. You were the traitor?'

The Brawling King might be the one to kill the Chairman, but he had been greedy, wanting to be the final protagonist. He had imagined his final moment with the Chairman countless times.

However, he now walked toward the Brawling King, his identity revealed so anticlimactically.

He wished someone would at least curse him, but no one paid him any mind.

Hyeok Sagun felt to his bones that being ignored was more unpleasant than being hated.

The Brawling King capped off this worst-case finale.

The Brawling King didn't say anything meaningful to him.

You've worked hard until now. A new history will now begin. It's thanks to you that we've come this far.

Hyeok Sagun desperately hoped for such praise. A single word from the Brawling King could blow away this complete disregard.

"Go stand in the back."

However, that one phrase was all he said.

The Brawling King's gaze returned to Baek Jagang.

Hyeok Sagun realized it. At this moment, he was just a hindrance to the fight.

Even while understanding the Brawling King, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. He unknowingly clenched his fists and walked to the back. The water in the cauldron hanging in his heart began to boil.

The Brawling King asked Baek Jagang.

"Since when did you know?"

"A few days."

"You couldn't have had any proof."

Baek Jagang nodded. That was true. If Geom Mugeuk hadn't appeared, he wouldn't have thought Hyeok Sagun had betrayed him, even until the very last moment.

Who would dare think that someone would recruit a strategist, make him the Head Strategist, kill the Young Alliance Chairman, and even aim for the Evil Alliance Chairman's position?

Baek Jagang's gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk.

"He insisted tenaciously. How tenacious must he have been for me to believe the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult over my own alliance's deputy strategist?"

He described it as tenacious, but in truth, 'charming' was a better word. The moments with Geom Mugeuk were refreshing and fun. That was why he was ultimately able to come this far.

Would Geom Mugeuk miss a chance to joke at a moment like this?

"Ah! It was truly an effort that brought tears of blood. The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult is trying this hard, so what are you doing here instead of accepting the new recruits you're supposed to? Did you get tired of giving others a new start and decide to get one for yourself?"

The Brawling King felt one could be deceived by such words. His opponent looked at him from a battlefield covered in blood. The Poison Tyrant had died because he failed to see that.

The Evil Eccentric stepped into the heavy silence.

"It seems you've all had enough conversation."

The Evil Eccentric pointed to one person.

"You. You and I will fight."

His opponent was the New Moon Blade of the Seven Evil Masters.

"If we must fight anyway, it's more dignified to fight first."

This meant that as time passed, the battle would become a chaotic melee. The New Moon Blade accepted his proposal to fight now rather than later.

"You speak the truth."

As the two stepped forward, the other martial artists stepped back, naturally creating a space for them to fight.

Everyone held their breath. It was a battle between two of the Seven Evil Masters.

Bi Sayin worried about the Evil Eccentric. After all, he had come here today for his sake, and his body had not yet fully recovered.

Senior, please be careful.

In response to Bi Sayin's worry, the Evil Eccentric gave a single nod, his back still turned.

The New Moon Blade drew his crescent-moon-shaped blade. He emitted a sharp aura and launched the first attack.

The crescent moon, beautiful in the sky, became ferocious when it descended to earth.

SHWISH SHWISH SHWISH SHWISH SHWIIIIIIK!

Dozens of blade lines appeared in an instant. The Evil Eccentric sought a path between the lines dividing life and death. As a master of the Great Iron Cleave, a close-combat art, he had to get close.

They knew each other's skills well, so the fight instantly grew fierce. Blade qi flew and enhanced qi blasted from their bodies, sweeping through the surroundings.

KWAKWAKWAKWANG!

Even watching was extremely dangerous. They fought without any regard for the people around them.

The onlookers unleashed their own sword qi to block the stray attacks. At times, they threw their bodies aside to dodge.

SHWAAAAAAK!

Half-moon shaped blade qi shot out in succession. It was a powerful attack, capable of erasing bone and flesh without a trace from a mere graze.

Screams erupted from all around. Unable to dodge in time, members of the Fighting Wolf were swept away by the blade qi.

The onlookers retreated. Those with weaker martial arts moved even farther away.

Amidst the chaos, Baek Jagang and the Brawling King faced each other. They did not watch the fight, only staring into each other's eyes. Blade qi grazed past their faces, but they did not move a single step. They were perfectly still, as if standing in a different space.

From the moment Baek Jagang knew his opponent had brought the Poison Tyrant, he stopped seeing him as a martial artist and started thinking of him as an assassin. If he was someone for whom only victory mattered, then he would treat him accordingly. His opponent was someone who could jump into this fight at any moment to launch a joint attack.

Go on, try and make a move.

Because Baek Jagang kept him so strongly in check, Geom Mugeuk could watch the two fight with a relaxed mind.

He projected himself into their fight. He became the New Moon Blade, then he became the Evil Eccentric.

The New Moon Blade's martial art was a blade art, while Geom Mugeuk's was a sword art. The Evil Eccentric used close-combat arts, while he used fist arts. Nevertheless, Geom Mugeuk perfectly superimposed his own martial arts onto their movements. If it were me, I'd do this. If it were me, I'd do that.

Watching a life-and-death battle between two of the Seven Evil Masters was a great help to Geom Mugeuk.

A single mistake would lead to defeat. They fought on a razor's edge. He thought the loser would feel truly wronged.

The only difference was their reasons for fighting.

And it seemed the Evil Eccentric's reason was more special and stronger.

The Evil Eccentric's elbow pierced through the flashing blade light and struck the New Moon Blade's shoulder.

A momentary stagger. That was the end. If the Evil Eccentric were the type to miss such an opportunity, he would never have become one of the Seven Evil Masters.

PWEOK! KWAJIK.

The Evil Eccentric slammed his back and shoulder into the New Moon Blade's chest. As the New Moon Blade stumbled back coughing up blood, the Evil Eccentric suppressed his demonic acupoints and wrapped an arm around his neck from behind.

"Do you have any last words?"

"This feels filthy."

"Isn't living and dying filthily the way of us heretics?"

KWADEUK!

The New Moon Blade's neck bone snapped at a right angle. He died instantly.

The Evil Eccentric slowly turned and walked back. Everyone watched him in silence.

Blood trickled from the corner of the Evil Eccentric's mouth because he had overexerted his inner arts.

Bi Sayin ran out to meet him.

"Are you alright?"

The Evil Eccentric nodded, his face pale.

"A fight like this wasn't so bad."

It meant that after a lifetime of fighting only for himself, he had fought for someone else for the first time.

"I will never forget this moment."

In that moment, Bi Sayin was Geom Mugeuk, and the Evil Eccentric was the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.