Chapter 372: The Fist Asks and the Sword Answers

TL: FoodieMonster007

The decisive battle that would change the Evil Alliance's fate had finally arrived.

A standing Baek Jagang and a Baek Jagang with his sword drawn were two completely different men. The very air began to flow differently, as if Baek Jagang was making its current his own.

Beoncheon and First Wolf moved their subordinates far back. They were not to interfere in the fight between the Chairman and the Brawling King. Besides, no one there had the skill to do so.

Bi Sayin stood beside Geom Mugeuk, silently watching the Chairman and the Brawling King.

This was the first time he had ever seen his master in a life-and-death battle. He believed his master would win, but he trembled anyway. It was not because he doubted the Chairman's skill.

He trembled because this was the path he also had to walk. One day, when he became the Evil Alliance Chairman, a day like this would come for him too.

What kind of person will I be, standing there?

Geom Mugeuk felt his Heavenly Demon Defense Art activate on its own. The fully mastered art warned him that he stood in a space dominated by another. His mind and martial arts had become one.

Geom Mugeuk's gaze shifted to the Brawling King. If he had sensed the change in the air, the Brawling King must have felt it too.

Now, what will you do?

The Brawling King slowly raised his hands.

"……"

He forcefully struck his left palm with his clenched right fist. He had done the same thing when he first confronted the Evil Alliance martial artists here.

DUWOOONG!

A wave pulsed from the Brawling King's hand, shaking the air that Baek Jagang dominated. The space, however, did not break.

PAAANG!

The surroundings vibrated with an even louder sound. He tried to dig into the cracks and reset the atmosphere, but the space Baek Jagang created held firm. It seemed to say, From now on, you breathe only with my permission.

Despite this, the Brawling King was not afraid. He had his own secret technique to counter an opponent's momentum. He focused his mind, and everyone except Baek Jagang turned to black and white in his vision.

Only his target, Baek Jagang, remained in his original colors. The rest became monochrome, like an ink wash painting.

That was not all. In the black and white world, if someone drew a sword or used inner arts, that part would be marked in red. This allowed him to instantly identify the most dangerous opponent, even among hundreds of people. It was a secret technique born from intense concentration training.

Today, however, he had a special experience.

He could not remove the color from one person. The person whose color did not fade, even though he was not the target, was Geom Mugeuk. No matter how hard the Brawling King tried to erase his presence, Geom Mugeuk's color remained. The opponent's presence was overcoming his concentration.

How in the world?

As the Brawling King stared at Geom Mugeuk, the Evil Alliance martial artists also turned their gazes toward Geom Mugeuk. Goodwill flowed from their eyes. He was, after all, the one who had saved their lives today.

The Brawling King glanced at the corpses of his subordinates, then spoke calmly.

"You, the variable, created this result."

Geom Mugeuk replied.

"How could their deaths be my fault? It's because of you, who plotted to swallow the Evil Alliance whole. It's because of the greed of those who joined you, and it's because of the will of these people, who fought you and risked their lives for their comrades."

Geom Mugeuk saw right through the Brawling King's thoughts.

"Weren't you planning to kill all those subordinates to silence them once you became the Evil Alliance Chairman anyway?"

He had planned a hero's tale where an instructor from the Evil Alliance Pass rises to become Chairman. He never would have let those mobilized in the process live.

"That's why you could be so calm about it."

The Brawling King could not deny it. It was true. The moment he became Chairman, he intended to discard everything and start anew.

"So stop blaming others for no reason, and have a safe trip at the hands of the Chairman."

Geom Mugeuk bowed his head to Baek Jagang.

"Then, I'll leave it to you."

He asked politely, as if only the Chairman could handle this.

"This man can only be eliminated by you, Chairman."

In front of the subordinates, Geom Mugeuk showed the utmost respect. Baek Jagang suddenly remembered something Geom Mugeuk had said before.

"My honor doesn't lie in being cool. I want to return safely and see my people. I want to return safely to drink and talk with them."

Baek Jagang glanced at Bi Sayin. Yes, he too had a reason to return.

The moment Geom Mugeuk finished speaking, the Brawling King saw the color drain from Geom Mugeuk's body. He was completely entrusting this fight to the Evil Alliance Chairman and erasing his own presence.

Truly incredible!

The Brawling King stretched his body. He felt good. As long as opponents like these existed, he could fight like a madman. The thought of the immense ecstasy he would feel killing such people fueled his desire to win, no matter the cost.

PANG! PAANG! PAAANG!

The sound of his palm and fist colliding echoed like a drumbeat, raising the Brawling King's morale.

Baek Jagang did not yield the first attack. He saw his opponent not as a martial artist, but as an assassin. He was a man who would do anything, and Baek Jagang was determined not to show any openings.

Baek Jagang's figure flashed, and he was already in front of the Brawling King, thrusting his sword.

SHIIIIIIK!

The attack, filled with killing intent, aimed for the Brawling King's neck.

TTAANG!

The Brawling King flicked the blade away with his fingers and threw a punch at Baek Jagang's chest.

Baek Jagang's deflected sword sprang back like a coil and swung up in a semicircle. The two men's offense and defense intersected in straight and curved lines.

When the first exchange ended, the Brawling King landed lightly about ten meters away.

TUK.

The front of the Brawling King's clothes was split open. Baek Jagang's sword had been faster, forcing the Brawling King to abandon his attack and pull back.

A look of ecstasy crossed the Brawling King's face as he looked at his torn clothes.

"You're really stro…"

Before he could finish, a sword line passed through the space where his mouth had been.

SHIIIIIIK!

Dodging the swift attack, the Brawling King's fist flew toward Baek Jagang's face. His own attack was so fast his arm was invisible.

"……"

The space where Baek Jagang's face had been exploded. The powerful attack would have shattered anything with a physical form.

Having dodged the fist, Baek Jagang's sword slashed diagonally. Though the attack minimized blind spots, the Brawling King dodged it and launched a counterattack.

Even without using unique martial arts that required great inner arts, a terrifying exchange of life-and-death blows continued. The confidence that they could kill each other with a single strike, a single punch, shot between them like light.

To the onlookers, only dozens of lines were visible, appearing and disappearing. They were lines of death that would decide victory in an instant.

It was an exchange that revealed their fundamentals as martial artists. It was a dialogue of thrusts, slashes, dodges, and punches that flashy techniques could never convey. The fist asked, and the sword answered. The sound was like the wind, and at times, like the rain.

"……"

Then, with a sound like a bursting drum, the two separated.

"Hoo, hoo."

The Brawling King's breathing immediately grew ragged, showing how strenuous the exchange had been. In contrast, Baek Jagang's breathing was stable. Their breathing revealed whose fundamentals were superior.

Baek Jagang gave the Brawling King no time to rest. He flashed forward, his sword fast and precise.

The Brawling King blocked the perilous attack with the back of his hand.

SHUKAK! SHUKAK!

Baek Jagang's sword began to carve out space. It was a gruesome attack that would carve out a man's life if he remained.

The Brawling King took his first step back. Just as he seemed to be losing ground, his fist flew in, hook-like and unusually light.

Normally, Baek Jagang would have parried it lightly with his sword, but instinctively sensing danger, he desperately twisted his body away.

WHOOOOOSH!

A massive gust of wind erupted.

KWAKWAKWAKWANG!

The ground and grass behind him were swept away, creating a huge trench. The tremendous attack made even distant trees and rocks disappear. If he had not realized the fist's true essence was hidden in that light move, he would have been seriously injured.

Watching, Bi Sayin clenched his fists. Would I have been able to recognize the power in that light fist? Probably not. This was a level of skill on a different dimension from the Green Slayer Ghost. The Brawling King was a heartless man, but his martial arts were profound.

Baek Jagang recognized his opponent's technique.

"The Revolving Wind Cloud Fist!"

It was the martial art of Makyeo, once called the god of the battlefield.

"As expected! You recognize it."

"If it's the Revolving Wind Cloud Fist, then I can acknowledge it."

An intense light poured from Baek Jagang's eyes.

To counter that momentum, the Brawling King stomped his foot.

"……"

JJEEEEEOOOOK!

The ground split in all directions like a spiderweb.

A single crack shot past, splitting the ground between Geom Mugeuk and Bi Sayin. Bi Sayin felt uneasy. Is it foreshadowing some ominous future?

Just then, Geom Mugeuk lightly leaped over the crack and stood beside him. He then silently stared at the fight.

Ah! This is it.

It was as simple as crossing over. What was I so worried about?

If someone asked what kind of person Geom Mugeuk was, Bi Sayin could now answer. He was someone who crosses the line first. He just hops over and says, let's be friends. He does not stand on pride, wondering who should make the first move.

Bi Sayin watched Geom Mugeuk's side profile. His expression, engrossed in the fight, was the most serious he had ever seen. This was the true face of the martial artist Geom Mugeuk.

…Even if he approached me to kill me.

Bi Sayin's gaze returned to the fight. He had missed dozens of moves, but it was okay. Learning from that simple leap would help him grow far more. For him, that little hop was a much harder task than the soaring leaps he was now watching.

Unable to withstand Baek Jagang's attack, the Brawling King soared into the sky.

Baek Jagang shot up after him.

The two flew up at a terrifying speed and vanished from sight. Only Geom Mugeuk, who had mastered the Divine Eye Technique, could see what was happening high in the sky.

A moment later, someone fell at a terrifying speed and slammed into the ground.

"……"

The person who fell with enough impact to crater the earth was the Brawling King.

Lying on his back, he immediately rolled to the side.

CHWAAAAAK.

A streak of sword qi sliced through the spot where he had been. The deep, straight line would have bisected his body.

Baek Jagang landed right after and pressed his attack like a raging storm. The Brawling King tried to speak, but Baek Jagang gave him no opportunity.

If he were fighting the Heavenly Demon, they would have talked, drank, and fought again, perhaps for seven days and nights. Baek Jagang, however, did not grant the Brawling King that kind of value.

Sword and fist cut through the air. Their movements were so fast that sound could not keep up.

In the end, the Brawling King resorted to a perilous move. In a life-and-death duel, the disadvantaged side always takes risks.

SHIIIIIIK.

"……"

He caught the incoming sword blade with his bare hand. None of the onlookers expected him to dare such a thing.

Simultaneously, his elbow flew toward Baek Jagang's chest.

PAPAPAK!

Baek Jagang twisted, pulled, and pushed the blade as fast as lightning, but the palm was not cut.

SWAAAAEK.

The elbow grazed past Baek Jagang. It was a decisive move, but Baek Jagang narrowly avoided it.

As their bodies crossed, the Brawling King aimed a headbutt at Baek Jagang's face, a move as unexpected as catching the sword.

"……"

The hilt of Baek Jagang's sword, now free from the Brawling King's grasp, struck his face. At the same time, Baek Jagang's sword strike cut through the air like a thunderbolt.

SEOKEOK.

With a final sound, the two men's movements stopped. It was the price for the recklessness of trying to catch the sword and headbutt the Evil Alliance Chairman.

A long gash was cut across the Brawling King's chest.

However, not a single drop of blood flowed. Only his clothing had been cut.

Baek Jagang's gaze turned to the Brawling King's hand. He had clearly slashed the palm before the chest, yet no blood had been drawn.

As if feeling pain, the Brawling King frowned and touched his chest. He then slowly took off his outer garment, revealing a treasured armor underneath.

"This is the Invincible Divine Armor. The finest treasured armor that cannot be cut by any sword."

He then held up both hands.

"These are the God of War. Gauntlets that can also be called the best. Please consider it a courtesy to you."

Just as Geom Mugeuk had predicted, he wore treasured armor. It was the Invincible Divine Armor and the God of War, the finest armors, equivalent to the positions of Cult Leader and Chairman in the martial world.

"That's fine. You'd need that much to face me. However, seeing that armor makes me wonder one thing."

Baek Jagang emitted a new aura.

His sword vibrated once, and a bluish light began to swirl around it. For the first time, the sword was imbued with enhanced sword qi. A new energy shimmered around Baek Jagang's body.

Baek Jagang spoke, his small eyes making him look all the more terrifying.

"That treasured armor of yours, it had better be truly uncuttable."