Chapter 550: He's On His Way

TL: FoodieMonster007

The swirling black smoke froze into a brilliant white, as beautiful as a snowflake. The ice crystals glittered within the darkness, appearing like a masterpiece from an artisan who had poured their very soul into its creation.

Beyond the frozen smoke, the figure of a woman was visible.

A snow crystal bloomed like a heat haze on the palm of the woman, who wore pure white robes. It was obvious that she was the one responsible for the sudden change.

Bi Sayin's gaze met hers.

Her snow-white skin and her clear, cold eyes shone brightly in the darkness.

How can a person give off such a pure feeling?

He had never encountered a woman who gave off such an impression.

This woman was none other than Princess Han Seol of the North Sea Ice Palace. Behind her, a middle-aged man and woman, also dressed in white robes, stood like bodyguards. They were the peerless masters of the North Sea, the Cold Ice Dual Swords.

The Ice Empress, worried about her daughter's first journey to the Central Plains, had sent them as escorts, so their skill was beyond question.

Bi Sayin walked toward her and introduced himself first.

"I am Bi Sayin, the Young Alliance Chairman of the Evil Alliance."

In response, Han Seol also gave her name.

"I'm Princess Han Seol of the North Sea Ice Palace."

Bi Sayin was inwardly surprised to learn her identity. He had heard from Geom Mugeuk that a new person would be attending this meeting, but he never imagined it would be the Princess of the North Sea Ice Palace.

Just as it was for Bi Sayin, Han Seol's first impression of Bi Sayin was intense. She had never met anyone with such a frightening and powerful presence.

After staring at her for a moment, Bi Sayin's gaze shifted to the frozen dark energy that floated in the air.

With an elegant yet polite gesture, Han Seol indicated that he should handle it. Bi Sayin, in turn, showed his gratitude with a respectful clasped hands greeting.

Bi Sayin drew his sword, raising the energy of the Tyrannical King Annihilation Sword Technique. A powerful, sinister energy began to swirl around his blade.

SHWIIIIK!

"……"

The clumped energies shattered and scattered while still frozen. Once the core was destroyed, all the energies started to disappear. When they had vanished completely, only beautiful shards of ice glittered in every direction.

Bi Sayin looked back at the Thirteen Evil Wolves. He felt grateful to them for risking their lives with him at the very last moment. Reading the sentiment in Bi Sayin's eyes, the Thirteen Evil Wolves answered with gazes full of unwavering loyalty.

The old Bi Sayin would not have looked back at them in a moment like this. He would have considered it a matter of course. No, he never even had the thought that he should connect with them in the first place. However, the Bi Sayin of today looked back at them. He had become a person who looked back, a person who looked his companions straight in the eye.

Bi Sayin's gaze returned to Han Seol.

"Thank you. You saved my life."

A flicker of interest appeared in Han Seol's eyes at his words. Seeing the spirit of Bi Sayin and the Thirteen Evil Wolves as they blocked the energy earlier, it was impossible to know what the outcome would have been.

He could have simply thanked her for her help, but he went so far as to say she saved his life. Someone like the Young Alliance Chairman of the Evil Alliance would surely hate to be indebted for his life.

"There's no need to thank me. I merely froze that ominous thing."

Standing behind her, the Cold Ice Dual Swords glanced at each other.

The Ice Empress's greatest concern had been whether her daughter would manage her relationships with people well in the Central Plains, but she was handling it with calm composure. This must be why they say a child is different when they're away from home, and different in front of their parents.

"I came at the invitation of the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. He said it was a festival."

She looked around at the broken and shattered things, the piles of corpses, and the ghost-masked guests who were staring at her.

Bi Sayin remarked to her.

"Considering who invited you, this shouldn't be strange at all."

Han Seol had to agree with his words. After all, Geom Mugeuk was the one who had turned the North Sea Ice Palace completely upside down before he left. He had even changed her relationship with her mother.

"Where is the Young Cult Leader now?"

Bi Sayin looked at her for a moment before answering with a voice full of conviction.

"He's on his way."

The desperate battle continued.

They were fighting an opponent overflowing with inner arts while conserving their own, sparing every last bit.

SHWAAAAEK.

The Brawling King's fist flew toward the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's face.

TAAK!

It was Geom Mugeuk who struck the Brawling King's wrist, altering its trajectory.

PUK! PUK!

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's throwing knives lodged themselves in the Brawling King's stomach one after another. It was an attack that completely disregarded defense, one he wouldn't have dared attempt if he didn't trust Geom Mugeuk to block for him.

The two of them had truly torn through the limits of concentration and entered a new realm of focus. They had fought together many times before, but they had never fought with such a single, shared breath as they did today.

HWAAAANG!

The Brawling King's furious fist, launched even as his stomach was pierced, stopped in mid-air.

SEUGAK!

Geom Mugeuk's sword, which had flown in to sever his arm, grazed the chain at the end of his fist.

As the Brawling King's subsequent furious punches missed their mark, the two men escaped from his fist's range.

The Brawling King looked down at his stomach. The attack should have been a fatal wound, but black smoke was already covering his injury.

"Damn it!"

Without the Queen of Darkness, that too would have been a fatal blow.

The Brawling King was enraged. Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon seemed like they would be hit, but they never were. His pride was wounded by his inability to kill these men who were conserving their inner arts so sparingly.

Just then, the calm voice of the Queen of Darkness flowed out.

"Calm yourself. Time is on our side."

Geom Mugeuk retorted.

"Is it really on your side?"

To her questioning gaze, Geom Mugeuk explained.

"I was thinking that time is on our side. Aren't you curious about what's happening outside?"

"Our Young Cult Leader is harboring false hope."

Geom Mugeuk was secretly hoping for one thing. When the four black ropes connected to the palanquin were severed, Bi Sayin had not come to help him.

When someone who was certain to come doesn't, there is always a reason. He desperately hoped that reason was the one he was wishing for.

"He's a smarter friend than he looks. I'm certain time is on our side."

The Queen of Darkness replied with an equally confident gaze.

"Today, in this darkness, no one can save you."

The Brawling King charged again, kicking up dust. His eyes were filled with the obsession of killing intent, determined to kill Geom Mugeuk.

SHWAAAAAAAAAAAAEK!

The swirling fist wind turned the sandy breeze into a gale.

Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon dodged the incoming attack by rolling on the ground. They didn't bother with face or pride.

It was purely a fight of life and death, a battle that did not permit a single mistake. If one made a mistake, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon would die. If the other made a mistake, Geom Mugeuk would die.

For that reason, this fight offered a new experience to both Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon.

Extreme speed. Extreme power.

They were facing the terrifying attacks pouring from those fists with a minimal amount of inner arts. If they survived, it was a battle that would certainly affect their martial arts realm. It was the worst and yet the best of fights.

They only used their inner arts when absolutely necessary. Just like now.

PAPAPAPAPAPAK!

As the Revolving Wind Cloud Fist was unleashed, dozens of fists flew toward the two men.

Geom Mugeuk used the Shadow Step to evade the enhanced qi and unleashed his sword qi. His target was not the Brawling King.

PEOONG!

One of the incoming enhanced qi attacks was neutralized in mid-air.

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon threw himself into the exact space where that attack would have landed.

PEOONG! PEONGPEONGPEONG! PEONG!

The area around where the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had been standing was smashed and overturned.

When one unleashes a major technique, an opening is bound to appear before the next move. Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon did not miss this moment.

Geom Mugeuk charged from the left, and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon charged from the right.

The Brawling King had no choice but to prioritize Geom Mugeuk. He didn't know when he might use the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.

Geom Mugeuk poured out the inner arts he had been conserving and attacked him.

CHAENGCHAENGCHAENGCHAENGCHAENGCHAENGCHAENG!

Fist and sword created sparks in the air.

PUK! PUK!

In the meantime, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's throwing knives stabbed the Brawling King's stomach and shoulder repeatedly. The black energy endlessly saved him, but the two men did not give up.

The Brawling King attacked like a madman, ignoring his injuries. In the end, Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon were thrown back as they blocked the attack with their protective enhanced qi.

The Brawling King pulled out the throwing knife embedded deep in his shoulder. It was a knife the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had thrown as he was knocked back.

PUAAAK.

Blood spurted out, but the black smoke soon covered the spot and stopped the bleeding.

"By now you should know that these kinds of attacks are useless, shouldn't you?"

At the Brawling King's mockery, Geom Mugeuk stared at him and said.

"That smoke might just betray you at some point, don't you think?"

Geom Mugeuk was not speaking to the Brawling King, but to the Queen of Darkness shimmering over his eyes.

In response, the Queen of Darkness spoke in a mysterious and calm tone.

"Looking at your condition, I see no reason for it to betray him."

The sound of the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's breathing could be heard.

"Haa, haa."

Harsh breaths came from beneath the mask.

Listening quietly to the breathing, Geom Mugeuk snapped his fingers.

TTAK!

And then, the surroundings changed.

Geom Mugeuk and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon stood at the edge of a cliff, with the Brawling King standing about ten paces away.

"Our inner arts are all depleted. How about a cliff's edge tactic?"

At Geom Mugeuk's words, the Queen of Darkness showed a puzzled expression. Her gaze seemed to say that there was no way the Young Cult Leader would choose such a method.

Geom Mugeuk turned to the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon and asked.

"Are you a good swimmer?"

"I am."

Then, without mercy, Geom Mugeuk pushed the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon off the cliff.

"What are you doing?"

The Brawling King didn't understand, but the Queen of Darkness realized Geom Mugeuk's intention.

"You've sent the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon to circulate his energy for one full cycle."

He wouldn't be able to block our attacks with his inner arts completely depleted.

"And the reason you chose a cliff like this is to make it difficult for us to find the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon."

A hint of admiration flickered in the Queen of Darkness's shimmering eyes.

"Anyone could come up with such an idea. However, it's not easy to think of it in the middle of such a frantic battle. The Young Cult Leader is truly clever."

"You, who saw through my intentions in an instant, are quite formidable yourself."

"In any case, it's over now. By the time the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon returns after circulating his energy, you will already be dead."

The previous fighting had already proven that he couldn't win alone.

The Brawling King charged again.

One on one.

Fist and sword clashed at the edge of the cliff.

Geom Mugeuk did not retreat from the cliff's edge. He gritted his teeth and fought tenaciously, but he couldn't handle it alone.

In the end, unable to withstand even thirty exchanges, Geom Mugeuk collapsed to the ground.

Gasping for breath, Geom Mugeuk also seemed to have completely exhausted his inner arts. His hand trembled as he tried to pick up the sword that had fallen beside him, but he ultimately failed to grasp it.

The Brawling King approached, looked down at him, and demanded.

"Why didn't you jump off the cliff and run?"

The Queen of Darkness answered for him.

"Because we would have jumped down after you. Then the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon might have died. To choose to die first instead, how truly remarkable."

The Queen of Darkness looked down with a gaze of admiration before finally giving the last order.

"Send him off first, as the Young Cult Leader wishes. When the Young Cult Leader dies, the Spacetime Manipulation Technique will break, and the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon will reveal himself."

The Brawling King slammed his fists together and laughed.

KAANG! KAANG!

Just then, the Brawling King's chains glinted. It wasn't because his two fists had struck each other.

A stream of light flowed along the chains. The light extended, traveling up the Brawling King's body to his face.

For a moment, the Brawling King narrowed his eyes. It was faint, but what entered his eyes was unmistakably light.

The Brawling King looked up at the sky with a surprised face.

A line of light began to appear on the sun's edge. It resembled the rim of the Brawling King's own pupils. As the moon began to move swiftly away from the sun, the world that had been trapped in darkness started to regain its light.

In an instant, the solar eclipse was over.

Simultaneously, the world brightened.

Surprise flashed across the Brawling King's face. The expression of the Queen of Darkness, who was overlapping with him, turned grave. Something that should never have happened outside the Spacetime Manipulation Technique had occurred.

Lying on the ground, Geom Mugeuk said.

"You said it yourself. Where there is light, there is also darkness. But there's no such thing as eternal darkness either, is there?"

The Queen of Darkness answered calmly.

"What a shame. If they had succeeded a little earlier outside, Young Cult Leader, you might have won."

"It is a shame. Under this sun, I might have been able to kill you too."

The Queen of Darkness gave no reply.

Now that the power that sustained the Darkness Descending Art was severed, that might have really been possible.

"Still, I'm glad I get to die in a bright place."

The Brawling King grabbed the collar of the fallen Geom Mugeuk and hauled him to his feet.

"You persistent bastard! This is the end!"

He had endured all that pain for this very moment.

KWAAAK.

Just then, Geom Mugeuk grabbed both of his wrists.

"A desperate struggle…"

For a moment, the Brawling King's expression stiffened. Geom Mugeuk still had inner arts left.

Geom Mugeuk held him tight, preventing him from moving. Was he pouring out all his remaining inner arts? The strength was immense. Why did he pretend to have no inner arts when he still had some?

But why?

At that moment, the Queen of Darkness was startled.

"No way!"

When the Brawling King instinctively turned his head to look back.

The last thing he saw was a large palm.

In that instant, the overlapping eyes of the Brawling King and the Queen of Darkness shot wide open.

SHWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEK!

The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's Extremely Savage Demonic Palm was unleashed right in front of the Brawling King's face.

PEOOOONG!

The Brawling King's head was swept away by the enhanced qi and flew off.

In truth, the Extremely Evil Smiling Demon's inner arts had not been completely depleted. He had just enough left to use the Extremely Savage Demonic Palm one time.

It had been their plan. A life-or-death deception that could have resulted in their deaths if it failed.

Below the cliff Geom Mugeuk had created, there was a ledge for him to stand on. The Extremely Evil Smiling Demon had been waiting there for this very moment when they would let their guard down. This one moment when they were drunk on victory!

And just as the solar eclipse ended, the plan shone even brighter.

The two men were certain. The Brawling King would never be able to return again.

The Brawling King, with everything above his neck completely gone, was still standing.

In the place where the Brawling King's face had been, the face of the Queen of Darkness, standing before them, was visible instead. It was as if the Queen of Darkness's head was attached to the Brawling King's body.

The Queen of Darkness had slipped out of the Brawling King's body just before he died. It had been close, far too close. She couldn't guarantee she could have withstood that attack even in the darkness, let alone under this sunlight.

It was also the moment Geom Mugeuk's question, "That black smoke might just betray you at some point, don't you think?", proved to be true.

Watching her, who had been overlapping with the Brawling King the entire time, now shimmer alone under the sunlight, Geom Mugeuk said calmly.

"Now I can finally see your face clearly."