Chapter 547: Where There is Light, There is Also Darkness

TL: FoodieMonster007

Jin Haryong and Yeo Jong were concealed within a secret room in the Thousand Flower Palace. The two had used the chaos when the real fight erupted to successfully hide themselves away.

From above, the sounds of battle echoed. There were crashing, breaking, and shattering noises.

Jin Haryong was terribly curious and worried about the situation outside, but she stayed hidden and did not move a muscle.

The person she used to be would not have chosen to hide this way. She would have considered fighting to help her Orabeoni while also protecting Yeo Jong.

This was because honor had once been more important than anything else. She also would have feared seeing her Orabeoni's corpse upon opening the door later. The terror of surviving alone would have been unbearable.

However, the Jin Haryong of today was different. A promise was more important than honor, and the person she needed to protect was more important. Her faith in her Orabeoni had also become incomparably stronger.

Her relationship with Geom Mugeuk was a major factor in all these changes.

Even the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult thinks and acts like that, so who am I to do otherwise?

She could picture Geom Mugeuk's reaction upon hearing she had hidden here.

[You did a great job. You made the wisest choice!]

And he would still tease her.

[Ah, I should've said I'd protect you, Pavilion Master! Do you know how many times I almost died?]

An unconscious smile touched her lips as she imagined his response.

Honestly, you make me into a crazy woman who smiles even in a situation like this.

Just then, Yeo Jong spoke from behind her.

"Miss Jin."

"Yes, Pavilion Master."

When Jin Haryong turned, she saw that Yeo Jong's expression was perfectly calm. It was so calm that Jin Haryong wondered if Yeo Jong was the one protecting her instead.

"Later, if a moment comes where you must choose, please abandon me without any hesitation."

Jin Haryong could sense that Yeo Jong was speaking from the heart.

"Yes, I will."

Perhaps her answer was too quick. Yeo Jong's expression revealed that she didn't believe her. So, Jin Haryong explained.

"I made a promise with that person. I promised that I would be sure to protect you, Pavilion Master."

Yeo Jong smiled and replied.

"The person you made that promise with will understand Miss Jin even if you survive alone. He'll probably comfort Miss Jin more warmly than anyone."

Jin Haryong thought to herself.

No, that person would spit resentful words at me. He'd spew nonsense, saying I died because of you. He'd do it to make me lose all affection. He would do it just to make me feel something other than guilt. Because he's the kind of person who thinks doing so is for my own good.

She now understood that this was the kind of person Geom Mugeuk was. That was the very reason she absolutely had to protect Yeo Jong.

Jin Haryong changed the topic.

"I wonder if my Orabeoni is fighting well."

She had lived her life believing that if someone had to die, it should be her, not her Orabeoni. That was how vital her Orabeoni was to the orthodox sects and the murim.

"Did you know? How steadfast and stubborn my Orabeoni is. It's surprising that he became friends with the Young Cult Leader."

"Then you don't have to worry."

"Pardon?"

Yeo Jong smiled as she told her.

"Steadfast people are usually strong in a crisis."

The place was a complex maze. Its walls were made of thick steel, and the paths were complicated.

This was the Bloody Road Misdirection Formation. It was a deadly formation from which no one could escape alive once they were trapped.

The one leading Jin Hagun and the Demon Slaying Brigade martial artists through this deadly formation was a member of the Demon Slaying Brigade, Jeong Gyeong.

"This way."

The Demon Slaying Brigade martial artists were strong in combat by default, but each also possessed a specialty beyond martial arts. Some were knowledgeable about poison, some specialized in researching evil arts, and others were skilled trackers.

Jeong Gyeong's specialty was dismantling formations.

Given the nature of the Demon Slaying Brigade, they often faced enemies who used evil arts or formations. They all trained and studied how to dismantle formations together to prepare for such encounters.

However, Jeong Gyeong, who walked at the front, was tense.

He had read and reread every book on formations, studying hard enough to memorize them all. But the Bloody Road Misdirection Formation was a truly dangerous one.

The Bloody Road Misdirection Formation was not a simple maze that made one lose their way. Whenever someone took a wrong turn and chose a death door over a life door, they had to pay a terrible price.

Furthermore, no matter how much one researched and studied, formations were endlessly developing and changing. The side attempting to dismantle them could not keep up with the speed of that evolution.

That was why here, today, he had to rely not only on precise calculations but also on many applications and new choices. The thought that everyone's life rested in his hands made Jeong Gyeong both afraid and excited.

"It's this door."

The room they entered after opening the door was filled with bronze mirrors on all sides. Dozens of small mirrors were plastered everywhere, making the room dizzying.

As they all stepped inside, a device on the platform at the front activated with a whir. WHIRRR.

Sand began to fall into one side of a tilted balance scale, which then slowly started to descend.

At that sight, Jeong Gyeong shouted.

"We have to find the life door before that scale hits the floor! It's one of the bronze mirrors."

There wasn't much time. How were they supposed to figure out which of the many mirrors was the life door in such a short period? This was the first time Jeong Gyeong had encountered this method, and he was flustered.

The Demon Slaying Brigade martial artists ran to the mirrors, touching them to check if anything was different. While they did this, the scale continued its descent.

Just before the scale hit the floor, Jin Hagun launched himself forward. He pushed one of the mirrors with all his might.

"It's here!"

The moment he pushed the mirror open, everyone tensed, preparing for what might happen next. They didn't know if poisonous smoke would be released or if hidden weapons would pour out.

Just then, the falling sand stopped. The scale began to rise back to its original position. The mirror Jin Hagun had chosen was the life door.

"……"

A clicking sound was heard as a door opened in the wall, providing an exit. Everyone sighed in relief and patted their chests.

"How did you know it was that bronze mirror?"

To Jeong Gyeong's question, Jin Hagun gave an unexpected answer.

"I just guessed."

"Pardon?"

Everyone stared at him with surprised expressions.

Just then, Gwang Hyo of the Demon Slaying Brigade laughed and said.

"That's actually good. Isn't luck what we need most right now?"

In truth, Jin Hagun's words were half-right and half-wrong. At the last moment, Jin Hagun had noticed that his shadow was not reflected in that particular mirror.

Still, he had chosen it in an instant without checking all the others, so it was not much different from a guess. But his instinctive choice had been correct.

After leaving the mirror room, they continued their search for the path.

As they steadily navigated the maze, Jeong Gyeong eventually made a mistake and chose a death door. He had selected it after precise speculation and calculation, but there had been a trap in the process.

"……"

The floor tilted, becoming like a ramp.

RUMBLE.

From an unseen place high above, they heard the sound of something rolling.

"Dodge!"

At Jeong Gyeong's shout, everyone tried to throw themselves to the opposite side.

In that instant, Jin Hagun launched himself toward the direction the object was rolling from.

"I'll stop it before it picks up more speed!"

This was the solution to the trap that he had devised in that moment. The Demon Slaying Brigade martial artists followed him.

RUMBLE!

A giant iron ball was rolling toward them.

Jin Hagun's choice was correct. If he had just left it, the ball would have gained unstoppable speed and crushed them. But now was their chance.

CRUNCH!

Jin Hagun blocked the iron ball with his back and drew up his inner arts. The Demon Slaying Brigade martial artists who followed him joined in to help.

RUMBLE.

As the men exerted all their strength and drew up their inner arts, the ball's speed finally decreased, and the giant iron ball stopped. Then, the tilted floor returned to its original position.

"……"

Jin Hagun let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you alright?"

Jin Hagun nodded his head at his subordinates' question.

"I'm fine."

"We would've been in big trouble if not for the Commander's choice."

They might not have all died in that trap, but several could have been injured or killed. It was not an easy thing to think of running in the opposite direction in that critical moment.

For that reason, the Demon Slaying Brigade subordinates looked at Jin Hagun with a new sense of respect. They knew his sense of justice was strong and his martial arts were profound, but they had never seen him display such resourcefulness and wisdom.

Jin Hagun was showing his strength in a crisis. His resolve to get everyone out alive was now displaying incredible focus.

Jeong Gyeong approached and bowed his head with a mortified expression.

"I made a mistake. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. We couldn't have even made it this far if not for you."

He was not just saying it to be nice. If it weren't for Jeong Gyeong, they would have faced such a crisis several times over by now.

"It'll get harder to find the life doors as we go on. It's okay to make mistakes. Don't you have so many solutions right behind you?"

When Jeong Gyeong turned around, his comrades were looking at him. Their expressions conveyed that even if he made a mistake, they would all break through it together.

Jin Hagun said to everyone.

"We have to break through and tell the bastard who made this who we are."

"Yes!" the Demon Slaying Brigade martial artists answered thunderously.

They began to move again, heading toward the next choice between life and death.

The Brawling King closed his eyes against the sudden downpour of sunlight.

It was not just sunlight. It was a scorching light that seemed capable of drying up the entire world. He squinted, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. His palm felt hot.

The Brawling King was flustered by the unexpected situation. The place where he stood was a barren land with cracked ground.

And floating in the sky was truly the sun. It was the hot sun of midday, without a single cloud in sight.

"What is this?"

Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon stood before him. The surroundings had suddenly changed like this the moment the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon flicked Geom Mugeuk's sword as they walked toward him.

Unlike the bewildered Brawling King, the Queen of Darkness knew what this situation was.

"It's the Spacetime Manipulation Technique."

The Queen of Darkness recognized the Spacetime Manipulation Technique at a glance. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, which shimmered as they overlapped with the Brawling King's.

"It's the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader's unique secret art. How surprising. To think that greedy old man would pass this on to the Young Cult Leader."

This was what the Queen of Darkness was curious about.

"If you knew how to use the Spacetime Manipulation Technique, why didn't you use it from the beginning?"

There was only one reason for that.

"Because my friends were fighting there with me."

He thought that if he only pulled in the Brawling King, the Queen of Darkness might kill Bi Sayin or Jin Hagun.

He couldn't bring the Queen of Darkness in with them either. Although he could bring someone nearby into the space of the Spacetime Manipulation Technique, he could not bring in someone who was riding in a palanquin and out of sight.

Even if he could have brought her in, it was a method he would not have chosen. If he had to face the Queen of Darkness as well, it would take a long time. He didn't know what variables might arise in the fight outside involving his friends or the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

He had planned to hold out as much as he could and use it once at the very end. He had seen the ropes connected to the palanquin snap earlier, so he confirmed that Bi Sayin was safe.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon was also safe, and Jin Hagun was inside the formation anyway.

The moment the Queen of Darkness descended upon the Brawling King's body, he had judged that it was time to use the Spacetime Manipulation Technique. However, his opponent was an absolute master of dark evil arts. He could not afford to be careless.

Even right now, the Queen of Darkness's emotions were closer to surprise and admiration, not agitation or anxiety.

"Because of friends. That anxiety you have that your friends might die, it was true."

Geom Mugeuk nodded his head.

"At the same time, that anxiety is also my strength."

The Brawling King, who had been listening, spoke.

"Do you think you can kill me just because it's not night?"

Geom Mugeuk nodded his head.

"Wouldn't that be the case? The Dark Night Divine Art won't be able to exert its full power."

Indeed, the white ring in the Brawling King's pupils had become so thin it was barely visible.

"As long as the two of us have joined forces, it doesn't matter if it's not night."

"If that were really true, you would've attacked during the day in the first place. You wouldn't have caused this ruckus in the dead of night like a bunch of rats."

At the word 'rats', the Brawling King roared.

"Shut up!"

The Queen of Darkness stopped the agitated Brawling King.

"Calm yourself. The more you speak with the Young Cult Leader, the more you stand to lose."

Then, the Queen of Darkness said in a calm tone.

"The Young Cult Leader is right. If we fight here, we will lose."

She had accurately assessed the situation.

The Brawling King glared fiercely like a wounded beast, but the Queen of Darkness overlapping him had a calm gaze. Her gaze shifted between Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

In this moment, the gazes of the two men were similar.

That was why she knew, even without having fought them yet, how fantastically in sync their fighting would be.

"Knowing that, why are you so relaxed?"

To Geom Mugeuk's question, the Queen of Darkness answered.

"Because where there is light, there is always darkness."

He had the feeling that the shimmering form of the Queen of Darkness on the Brawling King's body was smiling.

It was at that very moment.

Suddenly, the surroundings began to darken. This was a world created by Geom Mugeuk, a place that should never be able to grow dark.

Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon turned around. They could see where the darkness had begun. The gazes of the two men turned to the sky.

The moon was covering the sun.

It was a solar eclipse.