Chapter 544: I'm a Man Who Lives with Anxiety

TL: FoodieMonster007

When told he had become a monster, the Brawling King initially laughed. Even he had to admit the expression was a perfect fit.

An unbearable rage, however, soon surged within him. He was supposed to have become the Evil Alliance Chairman. Instead, he was just being called a monster while emitting a venomous aura from his entire body.

And whose fault is all this!

An aura mixed with fighting spirit and killing intent erupted from his body with overwhelming power.

SWOOOOOSH!

Faced with the energy that flew at them as if to pierce both body and mind, the martial artists of the Murim Alliance and the Evil Alliance raised their qi to calm their hearts.

The Brawling King appeared increasingly stronger, as if to show he had not yet revealed his full prowess.

The other enemies had yet to move. They seemed content to watch the fight between the Brawling King and Geom Mugeuk for now.

Geom Mugeuk focused solely on the Brawling King, though he didn't know when the Queen of Darkness might order them to attack.

He would have used the Nine Calamities Demonic Art immediately if he had his way. However, there were far more of our martial artists than enemies inside the Thousand Flower Palace. Outside the walls were the Faceless Warriors. If he used it carelessly, our own people would be swept away.

If he were to use it, he would have to use the Human Destroying Stance or the Darkness Flash, techniques which targeted a single person.

Geom Mugeuk's gaze shifted to the palanquin behind the Brawling King.

That cautious Queen of Darkness must have anticipated that he would use the Nine Calamities Demonic Art. That was why he had to be as careful as possible. He had no idea what preparations they might have made.

Hiding his inner thoughts, Geom Mugeuk showed a relaxed demeanor.

"Don't those metal things on your fists just slow you down?"

"They make it hurt more. Every time I see these chains, I'll remember you. You, who will become a bloody pulp under these fists."

Then, Geom Mugeuk said something unexpected.

"After I kill you, I think I'll take those chains as a trophy."

To remember me? That was, of course, what the Brawling King thought. Naturally, Geom Mugeuk did not live up to that expectation.

"We just can't resist when we see chains made with Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron."

He had said the same thing about Go Wol's chains before.

"I'm going to melt them down and make commemorative throwing knives with my friends this time. Ah, I suppose I'll think of you occasionally when I'm peeling fruit."

An even deeper killing intent flowed in the Brawling King's eyes.

"You'll have to melt these chains in the fires of hell!"

SHWIIING!

As the Brawling King's fist struck the empty air, a stream of fist energy was unleashed.

KRAKOOM!

The enhanced qi, stretching out like a beam of light, struck Geom Mugeuk directly.

WHOOOOSH!

A whirlwind raged around Geom Mugeuk, kicking up a cloud of dust.

RUMBLE…

The wall far behind where Geom Mugeuk had been standing collapsed. Then the wall of the building behind that one crumbled, and it pierced through the inner building to collapse the backyard wall as well. It was a terrifying power that seemed like it would have endlessly pierced through more buildings if there had been any.

The wind from the fist whipped around, causing the clothes of the onlookers to flutter violently.

Everyone's gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk. Bi Sayin, Jin Hagun, Jin Haryong, and Yeo Jeong all had extremely worried expressions. The previous attack had been so powerful that the thought he might have been seriously injured came naturally.

Only the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon stared at the spot where Geom Mugeuk stood with an unchanging gaze.

The kicked-up dust settled.

Geom Mugeuk stood in the same spot with his arms crossed. He had blocked it without taking a single step back.

The Brawling King had expected a different scene, one where Geom Mugeuk would cough up a mouthful of blood.

Instead of blood, Geom Mugeuk spat out irritating words.

"Those chains, are they so special you have to go to hell to melt them? Craftsman Gwak at our Cult's smithy could melt them down just fine."

The Brawling King's expression turned grave.

His inner arts overwhelm mine?

His inner arts had also improved significantly during the treatment process that brought him back to life. On top of that, he was using the Amcheon Divine Art. To block that last attack from a standing position should have only been possible for someone at the level of the Demonic Cult Leader or a Chairman.

The desire to defeat Geom Mugeuk filled the Brawling King's eyes, turning into madness.

"It seems I'm not the only monster here, am I?"

Geom Mugeuk laughed at the Brawling King's words.

"Wouldn't it be boring if there were only ugly monsters like you? I'm the peerless handsome man of the monster world, the peerlessly handsome monster."

Is that even something to say? The Brawling King had never encountered such a powerful master who was so infuriating with his words.

At that very moment!

WHOOSH!

Geom Mugeuk instantly crossed the space with the Hell Step. When Geom Mugeuk made provocative jokes during a fight with a strong enemy, it was always to unsettle his opponent's mind.

Geom Mugeuk's sword, which had rushed in in an instant, suddenly stabbed at his face.

SHIIIIK!

The Brawling King twisted his body to dodge the sword and threw a punch. The Brawling King was certainly strong.

WHOOSH!

Geom Mugeuk's sword grazed the Brawling King's ear, and the Brawling King's fist grazed Geom Mugeuk's chin.

"……"

The Black Demon Sword immediately changed direction to strike at the Brawling King's neck, while the Brawling King's fist flew toward his side. Geom Mugeuk didn't dodge and sent his sword forward. The one who gave up the attack and dodged was the Brawling King.

He leaped back and asked with a surprised face.

"Were you prepared for mutual destruction?"

It meant that even though it was his side, he wouldn't have survived if he had taken a direct hit with that much power.

"No, I knew you'd dodge."

"How were you so sure?"

"Why else would you have come back in that state if you weren't so attached to life?"

Provoked by Geom Mugeuk, the Brawling King charged, spewing killing intent.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The Brawling King blocked the Black Demon Sword with his fists. The chains wrapped around his fists did not break against the Black Demon Sword.

Every time the sword and fists clashed, a sharp metallic sound rang out along with a shower of sparks.

It was no exaggeration to say that the two men had reached the pinnacle of combat experience. They were a volcano and an ocean, each trying to swallow the other. If the Brawling King's fists were exploding lava, Geom Mugeuk's sword was a tidal wave crashing down on him.

The two, who had been exchanging blows in one spot, began to fight while running together. They fought their way into the Thousand Flower Palace. From the first floor to the second, from the second to the third. Only the sounds of their battle could be heard. Though they were out of sight, the sounds were so intense it was as if they were fighting right before everyone's eyes. As they ascended the floors, the sound of sword and fist clashing grew faster.

"……"

The two men burst through the roof and soared into the night sky.

CLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANG!

Swords and fists embroidered the sky.

It looked as if dozens of people were fighting at once. To the onlookers' eyes, dozens of swords and dozens of fists appeared simultaneously in the night sky.

The lines drawn by the sword and fists were truly a work of art. It was a wonder that went beyond mere admiration.

The gazes of the Faceless Warriors were also directed toward the sky, and the eyes in the darkness looked up as well.

At least for this moment, everyone watched not as enemies or allies, but as fellow martial artists.

The emotion that arose in Jin Haryong's heart was this.

Beautiful.

Jin Hagun felt a sense of regret. He wanted to show this scene to all the martial artists of the Murim Alliance. Normally, he would have said, "These are your enemies."

He wanted to tell them this. "This is the path you must walk. This is the kind of martial arts you train to perform." That was how perfect the fight between the two men appeared in Jin Hagun's eyes.

CLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANGCLANG!

Sparks bloomed brilliantly as sword and fist collided. And so, new stars were born and vanished in the night sky.

Bi Sayin felt two conflicting emotions. First, he was happy. Happy that the incredibly strong Geom Mugeuk was his friend.

At the same time, he was afraid. He was looking at the future Demonic Cult Leader. If he was this strong now, how much stronger would he be as the Demonic Cult Leader? How much would he himself have to strive to keep up with this Cult Leader?

While he was genuinely happy, his chest felt tight at the same time.

SWOOOOOSH.

The two men fell back to the ground and continued their fight.

A wall crumbled with a rumble, revealing the Faceless Warriors and the eyes in the darkness who were in a standoff outside.

The number of martial artists in the darkness gradually increased until the eyes were countless, but the Faceless Warriors showed no sign of fear. As the standoff dragged on, most of them were either perched on the wall or squatting on tree branches, leaving only a few people at the front.

The two men exchanged blows as they passed through the space between the confronting Faceless Warriors and the eyes in the darkness.

THUD!

Geom Mugeuk was pushed back, sliding all the way into the Thousand Flower Palace.

The gazes of the Faceless Warriors turned in unison toward the inside of the Thousand Flower Palace. There, Geom Mugeuk was rubbing his chest with a frown.

The Faceless Warriors then looked in the opposite direction.

Despite having landed a blow to the chest, the Brawling King was not pleased. Blood was streaming down from a deep cut on his arm.

The Brawling King strode past them again and walked into the Thousand Flower Palace. The Faceless Warriors watched him pass with strange expressions in their eyes.

And so, the two men stood facing each other once more.

"You! What in the world are you?"

Even if he was the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, even if he was a genius in martial arts. The Brawling King glared at Geom Mugeuk with a look of utter disbelief.

Geom Mugeuk caressed his chest, still looking like he was in pain, and remarked.

"It must have cost an enormous amount of money to make a dying man like you this strong."

Why is he suddenly saying that?

"I want to let you live again."

"What nonsense is this?"

The Brawling King still didn't understand what he meant.

"If I send you back half-dead, your organization won't be able to get anything done while they're busy saving you again, right?"

"You crazy bastard! Spouting nonsense even after getting hit!"

Just as blazing fury erupted in the Brawling King's eyes, the voice of the Queen of Darkness came from the palanquin. She had intervened to calm the Brawling King's agitation.

"I have heard this many times. It seems the Young Cult Leader is much stronger than we anticipated. I thought it was just an excuse for failure, but it turns out to be true."

Bi Sayin and Jin Hagun agreed with her words. Geom Mugeuk grew stronger every time they met. Realistically, they couldn't understand how it was possible.

Having witnessed Geom Mugeuk's skills firsthand, the Queen of Darkness changed the dynamic of this fight.

"Let's slowly begin the hunt."

It was an order given to the Dog Master.

If a free-for-all broke out on all sides, the one whose concentration would be broken would undoubtedly be Geom Mugeuk. The Brawling King wouldn't care one bit about his comrades' lives, but Geom Mugeuk would care more than anyone.

Indeed, Geom Mugeuk looked at everyone. His eyes seemed to say, 'Hold on until I can come save you!' but the words that came out of his mouth were the complete opposite.

"Hurry up and kill them so you can come save me."

A faint smile touched Bi Sayin's lips. Yes, I must learn from that composure, which he doesn't lose even in such a tense moment.

Bi Sayin said to the Thirteen Evil Wolves lined up before him.

"Did you hear that? Let's hurry and finish them off so we can go help the Young Cult Leader."

"Yes!" the Thirteen Evil Wolves answered energetically.

The four black-clad, masked figures standing before them spread out to the left and right. They displayed a peculiar movement art, as if they were gliding on ice.

It was the same for Jin Hagun.

"Did you all hear?"

To his powerful question, the Demon Slaying Brigade answered with a roar, not to be outdone by the Thirteen Evil Wolves.

The Heavenly Fiend, despite facing them alone, had a somehow relaxed expression. It was clear he had something prepared.

The hellhounds looked up at the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and growled. A red light blazed and rose from their eyes.

SHUK!

Just then, completely unexpectedly, the Blood Calamity Finger was unleashed. The finger qi bullet was not aimed at the hellhounds.

THWACK!

The Blood Calamity Finger, which shot out as fast as light, struck the Dog Master. A hole was pierced through the forehead of the Dog Master, who couldn't dodge in time.

The Dog Master's slowly falling body went poof and disappeared into black smoke.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had a look in his eyes as if he had expected this.

"As expected."

The weakness of an evil art that summons such beasts is that the opponent will target the one controlling them. The Dog Master had also anticipated that the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon would target him, and had put up an illusion.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon knew where he was hiding. It would be impossible to control these things so delicately from a distance while facing him.

His gaze turned to the hellhounds. He had hidden himself by becoming one of those hellhounds.

A pure white demonic qi poured out from the two eyes behind the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's mask. The surrounding air began to grow heavy and thick.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's special demonic qi, the evil smile qi, had been unleashed.

KRAAANG!

A nearby hellhound, agitated, leaped onto the roof where the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was standing.

THWACK!

The Blood Calamity Finger pierced its body, but it continued to charge.

He grabbed the scruff of the hellhound that was lunging to bite his neck and slammed it repeatedly onto the ground.

SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!

HISSSS…

The hellhound began to disappear into black smoke. This too was not a real living dog, but an evil art created by the Dog Master.

At that moment, Geom Mugeuk's and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's gazes met.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon leaped down into the middle of the hellhounds and declared.

"Don't worry, I'm an expert at dogfights!"

From all sides, the hellhounds charged at the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon at once.

As the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's fight began, four black-clad figures holding lanterns flew toward Bi Sayin, dragging long shadows connected to the palanquin.

Jin Hagun and the Demon Slaying Brigade did not see this. The moment they were about to attack the Heavenly Fiend, all of them vanished from that spot.

Geom Mugeuk knew. They had all entered the formations created by the Heavenly Fiend.

As everyone plunged into battle, the Queen of Darkness's enchanting voice drifted from the palanquin.

"I can feel the Young Cult Leader's heart, anxious that he might lose his friends."

How could Geom Mugeuk not know she was trying to shake him? And yet, Geom Mugeuk readily admitted it.

"You've seen correctly. I'm a man who lives with the anxiety of what might happen if a friend dies in a place like this."

"Then it seems I could easily kill the Young Cult Leader by taking his friends hostage."

Geom Mugeuk shook his head.

"That's not quite right either."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm selfish. I'm so selfish that I want to save all my friends. For myself. Because I want to be the one who saved everyone."

"……"

"So it won't work. Because I know all too well that it's my weakness."

The Queen of Darkness was silent for a moment before speaking calmly.

"It's not easy to understand the person that is the Young Cult Leader."

"Then let me teach you one thing."

Geom Mugeuk brought up something unexpected.

"Because of that anxiety, the fear of losing someone I shouldn't, I too have received a great technique. Every single day."

He could feel both the Brawling King and the Queen of Darkness inside the palanquin startle in surprise.

"My great technique will be just as formidable as yours."

"What kind of great technique is it?"

Because of the skill he had already shown, and because of his status as the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, they would surely think he might have truly received some kind of great technique.

It was a conversation started to shake Geom Mugeuk, but instead, the two of them had become confused.

Geom Mugeuk didn't answer and drew the Black Demon Sword again. Something he had done every day, from his life before regression until now.

"You'll have to taste my great technique for yourself."

The name of the great technique was effort.