Chapter 760: Your Hell is Wherever I Am

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Iron King's eyes flew open. An endlessly sprawling field stretched before him. Genuine surprise and bewilderment washed over his face.

He and the Twelve Zodiac Kings stood in a completely different space. There had been no sign, not even the feeling of being moved or entering somewhere new, yet the scent of grass carried on the wind felt real.

What the fuck? Nothing in the intel I received even suggested that the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult could use illusion arts!

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the Flower Sword Supreme, and the Sword King stood nearby, equally surprised.

"I thought you three should know I can open a space like this, so I brought you here together," Geom Mugeuk explained.

The Flower Sword Supreme examined the ground. The grass felt real. The stones were solid. Even the soil was genuine.

This isn't a simple illusion. It's all real.

The Young Cult Leader's surprises weren't over yet.

"Is this the hell you spoke of?" the Iron King asked with a puzzled look.

Geom Mugeuk looked up at the clear sky. He'd wanted to see the sky when he was talking to Ji Han earlier. "Yes, this is my hell."

"It's too beautiful to be called hell."

"Then were you perhaps expecting a hell like this?"

SNAP!

Geom Mugeuk snapped his fingers. The place changed instantly. The green space turned red, transforming into a scene that could truly be called hell. A river of blood flowed through the landscape while flames erupted like volcanoes in various places. The sounds of suffering souls mixed with the shrieks of demons. The wind carried the agony of burnt souls, making it suffocating just to breathe.

A hellhound breathing fire from its mouth rushed toward Geom Mugeuk. It charged as if to pounce, but screeched to a halt right before him and wagged its tail.

Geom Mugeuk stroked the hellhound's head, and it breathed fire.

FWOOSH!

The Sword King and the two Demon Supremes stared at the scene with astonishment. This hell, and the dog guarding it, were both incredibly vivid.

"A hell like this is also hell."

SNAP!

The place changed back to the original field.

"This place is also hell."

The location didn't matter at all.

"Your hell is wherever I am."

SHWAAAAA…

Geom Mugeuk's cold demonic qi, laden with clear killing intent, washed over them once again.

The Iron King's expression hardened. By being dragged here, he'd lost the hostages, his most powerful card.

With a gentle face that contrasted his demonic qi, Geom Mugeuk looked back at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon. "They say looking at this kind of green color is good for your eye health."

"Are you treating me like an old man again?"

"No, it's because you read so many books."

Geom Mugeuk had two reasons for bringing them here with the Spacetime Manipulation Technique.

First, he needed to neutralize the Iron King's traps. The Iron King could operate his traps freely, but he had to be in the same space at the very least. Furthermore, the device on his chest, which would activate upon his death, also had to be in the same space. By bringing the man to a different world, even if it was created from the same location, his traps were now completely neutralized.

Second, he had to come here to use the Nine Calamities Demonic Art freely. If he'd used the art back in the cave, it could have collapsed and buried them all.

Music began to play. Just as the souls of the Twelve Zodiac Kings inhabited those bodies, the soul of the Sound King inhabited the unending melody.

Geom Mugeuk looked in the direction of the music. "It seems you want to become the eternal musician."

The music turned irritable in response.

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon stepped forward. "You did well bringing us here. Now I can fight to my heart's content."

Seeing his excitement, Geom Mugeuk wore an apologetic expression. "No, you can't do that."

"What?"

"I'm going to fight alone."

"Then why did you bring us here?"

"To watch me fight, obviously. I get more excited when there's an audience. Where's the fun in fighting alone?"

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon's jaw dropped in disbelief.

The person more disappointed than the two Demon Supremes was, by far, the Sword King. "This fight is my fight!" he objected.

"No! It's my fight!" Geom Mugeuk said to him.

This was a change that had begun with his regression. The fact that they were fighting these people here was entirely because of him.

"This is a worthless endeavor for you three. Please use your precious blades and swords on opponents with hot blood flowing through them. Leave these ones to me."

"My sword isn't so precious…" the Sword King muttered.

Recalling a past event, Geom Mugeuk said firmly, "It's not up to the swordsman to decide what kind of sword they wield, but for others to judge. Ak-hyung's sword is a precious one. It has been ever since you showed the stars to those people living underground and sent them off safely."

Since Geom Mugeuk had gone this far, the Sword King could no longer insist. With an awkward expression, he moved to take off his shoes, grumbling, "You know, I feel like I've done nothing but act as a spectator all day."

"Don't take them off. If they wear out, I'll buy you better ones."

The Sword King insisted on taking off his shoes and tied them to his waist. "I don't want to. I like these shoes. Now then, shall we see how much my friend's skills have improved?"

The Sword King, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, and the Flower Sword Supreme stepped back. After all, the Sword King had been the first to step forward, and they'd only come to help him.

Even without fighting directly, just watching Geom Mugeuk fight would surely benefit them. Perhaps that was why he'd brought them here.

SHIIING!

Geom Mugeuk drew the Black Demon Sword and walked forward slowly. The Iron King still stood off to the side.

It was a nine-versus-one fight. Normally, it would have been an absurd matchup. Although they didn't possess complete rationality, they were armed with even stronger martial arts and a thirst for revenge. These nine members of the Twelve Zodiac Kings were a force capable of conquering the murim right now.

Geom Mugeuk was trying to face them alone. For him too, this was a once-in-a-lifetime battle.

The Iron King shouted to the Twelve Zodiac Kings, "Now, it's time for revenge!"

Geom Mugeuk readily accepted that encouragement and excitement. He shouted at the air, "Hey, Sound King! I want lively music! At maximum volume!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he lunged toward the Twelve Zodiac Kings, nine masters whose skills had reached the pinnacle.

The Twelve Zodiac Kings scattered left and right with the Brawling King at the center to meet Geom Mugeuk.

WHOOOSH!

The Brawling King's fist, powerful enough to shatter steel, flew in.

Geom Mugeuk dodged the fist. The Blade King's red dao grazed past his face.

Ten red threads shot from the Blood King's fingers toward Geom Mugeuk. He dodged the blood threads, and they hit the Fist King attacking from behind. However, the Fist King merely frowned once and continued to charge at Geom Mugeuk.

Amidst the exchange of fists and swords, the Death King's hidden weapons cut through the air.

Geom Mugeuk didn't counterattack, only dodging as if he intended to evade the combined assault of all nine.

The world quickly became a whirlwind of sword glints, enhanced qi, and killing intent of all different properties. The swirling enhanced qi became a dragon and ascended while sword qi formed a net to cover the opponent. However, the dragon couldn't bite the cintamani,¹ and the net couldn't catch the fish.

The Illusion King and Hwan Yeo used their illusion techniques to open a gate. Demons burst out from it.

The Brawling King led the charge while the blood spewed by the Blood King scattered toward Geom Mugeuk.

The Fist King's fist flew in and the Death King launched a surprise attack.

In that moment, the Flower Sword Supreme could feel it. The scene was coincidentally similar to the previous setup where puppets jointly attacked Geom Mugeuk earlier. It was as if the scene was foretelling the future.

Geom Mugeuk revealed the outcome of that prediction. He escaped the combined assault by pushing the Four Strides of the Wind God to its limit.

KWAKWAKWAKWANG!

The attacks struck empty space.

Watching the scene, the Sword King unconsciously took a step forward. He knew Geom Mugeuk had gotten stronger, but…

He's gotten really strong!

He was incomparably stronger than when they'd last parted. The more of a master one becomes, the slower their growth, yet Geom Mugeuk was once again showing remarkable improvement.

The Sword King wanted to draw his sword and leap into the fight right away. Just watching Geom Mugeuk dodge made his heart pound like crazy.

This battle, which had reached the extreme of skill, was a battle of points and a battle of lines. If a point was struck, it meant death. If a line was drawn, it also meant death. Those individual points gathered to become a line, and the line scattered to become points again.

Attacks that should have killed him several times over rained down on Geom Mugeuk, but he didn't die. Rather, his movements were beautiful, like a sword dance performed to the music.

He was fighting not only the Twelve Zodiac Kings, but also the soul of the Sound King.

A single hypothetical question bloomed in the Sword King, the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, and the Flower Sword Supreme's minds: What if it were me? How would I have dodged, and how would I have attacked?

The enlightenment that came from that comparison was as great as the learning from fighting directly. After all, this was Geom Mugeuk's fight.

At least one thing was certain. None of them could fight like this.

CHWAAK! CHWAAAAAK…

Red threads appeared around Geom Mugeuk, surrounding him like a spider's web as the Blood King unleashed his hidden trump card, the Clone Blood Net.

PAPAPAPAK!

Geom Mugeuk's Black Demon Sword instantly tore through the blood net and emerged unscathed.

Seeing that his opponent was much stronger compared to when they'd fought before, an even denser blood qi surged from the Blood King's body.

The music grew louder, drawing out the power of the Twelve Zodiac Kings.

SHWAAAAAEK!

A massive wave of enhanced qi launched by the Brawling King flew toward Geom Mugeuk. The Revolving Wind Cloud Fist, augmented by the power of the Queen of Darkness, struck Geom Mugeuk, who had just torn through the blood net.

KWAKWAKWAKWANG!

The ground and grass where Geom Mugeuk had been were all swept away, creating a long, straight trench.

It was truly an incredible amount of power.

When the dust settled, Geom Mugeuk stood at the very front of the trench with his arms crossed. Amazingly, he hadn't been pushed back a single step.

Geom Mugeuk had blocked the attack with three martial arts. The Big Dipper Body, which he had obtained from the Yellow Dragon Academy's underground chamber, the Vajra Asura from the Thunder Arhat Fist, and the Heavenly Demon Defense Art.

Geom Mugeuk strode toward the Brawling King confidently, if he'd deliberately taken the blow in order to test his defensive arts. "Your teamwork isn't what it used to be. Did you two have a fight?" he taunted.

The Brawling King's face twisted viciously. He had launched a combined attack with the Queen of Darkness that was clearly more powerful than in their last fight, yet Geom Mugeuk easily blocked it with his bare body.

HWAAAK!

Suddenly, the Dark Black Veil, unfurled by the enraged Queen of Darkness, enveloped Geom Mugeuk like a cloth.

PUUUUK!

However, incomparably faster than when Geom Mugeuk had been caught before, the Black Demon Sword shot out and shredded the Dark Black Veil.

"You said it back then, didn't you? That as long as you're in the darkness, I can never win. Let's see if that's still true."

HWIK!

The surroundings instantly darkened, and a single streak of light was drawn as he performed the Fourth Stance of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, Darkness Flash.

The Queen of Darkness said leisurely, "Young Cult Leader, didn't I tell you? Dark-type demonic arts will never work on me…"

THUD!

Before she could finish speaking, her neck was severed, and her head rolled to the ground.

Now that Geom Mugeuk had reached complete mastery of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, his Darkness Flash effortlessly cut off the Queen of Darkness's neck.

However, even though she was beheaded, her soul didn't perish. Her head, wearing an expression of disbelief and shock, hurled curses at Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk sighed. Just beheading them isn't enough to send off their souls, huh?

Seeing the Queen of Darkness's severed neck, the Twelve Zodiac Kings simultaneously unleashed their enhanced qi.

KWANG! KWANG! KWAAANG! KWAANG!

The watching Sword King's heart sank. The concentrated attacks were so powerful that the thought 'should I help him?' crossed his mind.

When the dust settled, Geom Mugeuk's figure reappeared, this time with a pure white wall of enhanced qi surrounding him.

This was the Third Stance of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, the Impenetrable Demonic Wall.

Geom Mugeuk could now make the Impenetrable Demonic Wall small enough to protect only himself.

Still, when he blocked this last attack, the music became ear-splittingly loud. The melody screamed, as if it were asking why they couldn't win even after being empowered so much.

An even more intense energy radiated from the eyes of the Twelve Zodiac Kings. They were about to launch an attack that surpassed their limits.

Geom Mugeuk observed them calmly. "I want to fight more, but I can't waste any more inner qi. This was enough to confirm how much stronger I've gotten."

Huh? The two Demon Supremes, who knew how profound Geom Mugeuk's inner arts were, exchanged glances. Since when did the Impenetrable Demonic Wall require that much inner qi?

Unfortunately, they misunderstood his words.

Geom Mugeuk bid farewell to the Twelve Zodiac Kings. "At least for today, you guys aren't at fault. You were merely dragged to a place you shouldn't be. Now, return to where you came from, and never come to this world again."

Glancing back, he then something incomprehensible to the three people behind him. "Please stand right behind me. I can't control this technique as precisely as my father yet, but I at least have the skill to release it only forward. I also have a feeling I can unleash it without destroying this place. Also… if I fail to control the power, I'll leave the rest to you, Elder."

The Blood Heaven Blade Demon's eyes widened in surprise. "Wait, what are you trying to do?"

Geom Mugeuk grinned at the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, then thrust the Black Demon Sword forward.

He unleashed Sixth Stance of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World.

Light erupted from the Black Demon Sword and turned the entire world white. The sun had gone supernova, yet the world remained silent.

Within that light, the Twelve Zodiac Kings' final moments could be seen.

The Fist King's arms, crossed to block the incoming light, were disappearing. Along with his arms, his body also perished in the light.

The sun engraved on the black dao that the Blade King had thrust out was vanishing as it met the real sun.

The Death King threw his body to hide, but there was nowhere to conceal himself.

The severed head and torso of the Queen of Darkness, as well as the darkness that still lingered around her, melted away in the light.

The Illusion King and Hwan Yeo vanished like they were always an illusion.

The Brawling King's vengeance and the Blood King's blood melted away.

The device on the Iron King's chest that had threatened everyone's lives also dissolved without a trace.

Now, nothing remained in that place. Not a single blade of grass, nor a single stone. Not even a single soul fragment or piece of iron that had become the bones of the Twelve Zodiac Kings remained.

The echoing music had also stopped, proving the soul of the Sound King had been completely annihilated.

The final technique of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World. In this moment when the Heavenly Demon destroyed the world, nothing could survive.

Now, all of the Twelve Zodiac Kings (except the Sword King and the Flower Queen who had switched sides) were annihilated.

Faced with this overwhelming martial prowess, the three people behind him were unable to speak. The two Demon Supremes had even forgotten to pay their respects to the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.

Geom Mugeuk stared at the empty space, overwhelmed with emotion.

I did it!

He'd succeeded in unleashing the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World without dismantling the Spacetime Manipulation Technique.

The three people at the back stared at Geom Mugeuk with eyes full of admiration and respect both for the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, and for the martial artist.

"Okay! Since they have returned to their own world…" Geom Mugeuk gathered his last remaining handful of inner qi. "Let's return to our world as well!"

SNAP!

Translator's Note: Phew, no cliffhanger! I manually edited this chapter to spruce it up a bit too. Again, don't ask for more chapters, we are caught up with the author and at worst 24h behind.

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