Chapter 841: Why Don't You Hate Me?

TL: FoodieMonster007

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor extended his hand to Hyeok Docheon. "Let's hold hands now. We've fought so many times."

He had already held hands with the Heavenly Fate Palace Lord while they were flying and wanted to make this final gesture.

Hyeok Docheon, in a hurry to leave, did not refuse and quickly grasped his hand. Of course, he did not forget to add a final word. "You were the one who was always so damn frustrating."

In the past, the Divine Sword Martial Emperor would not have let that slide, but now he simply smiled.

"You two as well, hurry up and grab on," Hyeok Docheon urged. "If we fail to escape because you were too slow, I'll kill you all myself!"

The Heavenly Fate Palace Lord and Ju Gasin also joined hands. Knowing they were short on time, everyone acted quickly.

Once the four men formed a circle, Geom Mugeuk began to circulate the incantation.

As his life energy moved with the incantation, the aura of the Six Elements Origin Qi flowed from his hands into the others.

Hyeok Docheon's eyes widened. He had never felt such an energy in his life.

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor and the other two felt the same. They knew intuitively that this power was not of the mortal world.

As the energy passed through their bodies, a mystical radiance began to emanate from the united group.

Just then, Hwa Mugi reappeared.

"How dare you pull such a stunt!" he roared.

While the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader had distracted him, this unexpected event had unfolded within his mind. He knew instinctively that he could not allow this to continue. With nearly two hours passed, this had to be a ploy to break the Dark Heaven Soul Binding Art.

He rushed toward the group, trying to break their clasped hands. He reasoned that separating them would sever the flow of life energy.

However, the radiance emanating from their bodies blocked his approach.

Hwa Mugi ground his teeth in chagrin. Since his physical body's inner qi was suppressed, his soul could not use it either. Even if he could use martial arts, he doubted he could penetrate the light.

"STOP!" he shouted, trying to force his way through, but it was useless.

His only hope was time. Nearly two hours had passed, not even enough time for an incense stick to burn.

The two hours have to be up before their energy circulation is complete!

The four souls felt a change. The sensation of holding hands faded, and they forgot the mystical energy. They felt as if they were standing alone in an empty space as their lives flashed before their eyes. Every emotion they had ever experienced swept through their minds.

The unified energy of the Six Elements Origin Qi then fragmented into different colored lights.

The pure white energy of the White Orb enveloped the Divine Sword Martial Emperor, making him look as if he were vanishing into a thick fog.

"Thank you, Young Cult Leader."

The Divine Sword Martial Emperor smiled brightly and disappeared with the white light.

The black energy of the Black Orb enveloped Hyeok Docheon. He seemed to walk down a dark street before disappearing into the shadows.

"You're too soft! The Demonic Cult must be rough and strong!"

The final image created by the darkness was faintly reminiscent of the Heavenly Demon Soul. Perhaps they would now be together until the end.

The red energy of the Red Orb enveloped Ju Gasin. The fiery energy took the shape of a red wolf before vanishing with him.

"Still, for a Demonic Cult bastard, you weren't half bad."

Those were his last words to Geom Mugeuk.

The final light, a golden one, enveloped the Heavenly Fate Palace Lord. His turning figure looked like someone walking alone into the sunset, carrying a final, lingering regret.

"Still, the will of heaven exists. I hope the destiny given to you can change the world."

And with that, the Heavenly Fate Palace Lord also disappeared.

Geom Mugeuk had no way of knowing where they had gone.

"I pray you've all gone to the places you desired!" he said, bowing respectfully toward the spot where they had vanished, marking the end of a bond that had spanned over three hundred years.

At that exact moment, two hours passed.

SWOOOOOSH!

Hwa Mugi's expression brightened instantly. Geom Mugeuk's innate life energy, inner qi, and martial arts began to flow into him. He was overjoyed that the Dark Heaven Soul Binding Art had not been broken.

"Yes, I don't need them. You can take their place!" he laughed loudly. He was even happier about the nature of the inner qi entering him.

How can such pure inner qi exist?

Even the inner qi of the Divine Sword Martial Emperor, an absolute master of the orthodox sects, was not this pure.

All of Geom Mugeuk's power was absorbed into Hwa Mugi's body.

Suddenly, something even more astonishing happened.

SWOOOOOSH!

The inner qi Hwa Mugi had obtained from Hyeok Docheon, the Divine Sword Martial Emperor, the Heavenly Fate Palace Lord, and Ju Gasin also began to replenish, despite having been depleted in the outside world. As their souls departed permanently, all their power was fully restored.

The heavens are helping me!

As this power merged with Geom Mugeuk's, Hwa Mugi felt an immense strength. He was confident he could fight the entire murim alone.

"I am the greatest of all time!" he bellowed.

With this power, he felt he could kill everyone without even using the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World as planned.

He taunted Geom Mugeuk, "If you had a way to break it, you should've just left on your own instead of saving them. That pathetic desire to be a good person has trapped you here for life."

Geom Mugeuk readily admitted it. "Yes, I know that the desire to be a good person can be a great weakness. But what can I do? I'm greedy, so I want to be that kind of person. I'm someone who's extremely conscious of what others think and wants them to tell me how cool I am."

He was calm, but that did not mean he had given up. His serenity did not stem from resignation. Though his own power had been drained away, the energies of the Green and Purple Orbs remained. He could feel them vividly, a sign that this was not over.

VWOOOM!

The energy of the Green Orb began to circulate on its own within Geom Mugeuk's body, releasing a green radiance.

This was not simple green light. The light began to absorb all the innate life energy, inner qi, and martial arts from Hwa Mugi.

"NO!" Hwa Mugi gritted his teeth and resisted, but the force was irresistible. He could not even lift a finger.

He now saw that the Dark Heaven Soul Binding Art had already been broken. Geom Mugeuk's compliance had been a ploy to gather all the power in one place for absorption.

"Young Cult Leader! You son of a bitch! Stop! STOOOOOP!"

Hwa Mugi tried to leave the world of the mind, but it was impossible. He could not resist the power of the Six Elements Origin Qi. His fate was sealed the moment he accepted the souls of the past.

Still, he did not give up. He drew upon all his killing intent.

"I'll kill you!" he growled, his eyes blazing crimson as the most powerful killing intent he had ever mustered erupted from him, far surpassing anything he had shown before.

Geom Mugeuk said nothing. As all of his power returned to him, merged with the innate life energy and inner qi of the other four masters, he finally understood why Hwa Mugi had declared himself the greatest of all time.

Hwa Mugi struggled desperately, refusing to give up.

I can't let it end like this.

The world of his mind collapsed. The house and village vanished. The floating mountain crashed to the ground, and the swamp overturned, scattering poisons everywhere. The sun and moon disappeared, plunging the world into pitch-black darkness.

TWINKLE!

Suddenly, in the darkness, a single star began to shine. The Celestial Killer Star's light poured down on him.

A killing intent not of a human emanated from his eyes. Fate had bestowed upon him one final power.

Please! Just one time! Just leave me enough inner qi to use it!

The moment his will reached the star, its light severed Geom Mugeuk's green radiance.

Hwa Mugi disappeared.

"Neither of them has opened their eyes yet."

Two hours had passed, but Hwa Mugi and Geom Mugeuk remained with their eyes closed. Everyone could feel the two locked in a battle within Hwa Mugi's mind.

"Young Cult Leader, please come out…" the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader pleaded as the Sword King forcibly dragged him away from Hwa Mugi for his own safety and sandwiched the man between himself and Geom Woojin.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader was on high alert, ready to act the moment Geom Woojin moved.

However, even though Geom Woojin had seemed ready to kill Hwa Mugi the instant the two hours were up, in the end, he did not.

The Fist Demon knew how difficult that decision must have been. This is the first time the Cult Leader has failed to keep his word.

Jin Paecheon, Baek Jagang, and the Poison King were also gathered near Geom Woojin. Jin Paecheon argued for trusting Geom Mugeuk and waiting, while Baek Jagang insisted that dragging this out was dangerous. The Poison King just stared silently at Geom Mugeuk's prone form.

Amidst the suffocating tension, Hwa Mugi opened his eyes. He did not hesitate. There was no time to think. If he did not kill all these people here first, he would die. He had to wipe them all out before Geom Mugeuk woke up.

Hwa Mugi raised his hand, thrust it forward, and unleashed the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World.

FLASH!

The entire world turned white. The massive, silent blast was like an exploding sun.

Fortunately, though he had not killed Hwa Mugi, Geom Woojin had not let his guard down. The instant Hwa Mugi awoke, he erected the Impenetrable Demonic Wall and then unleashed his own Heavenly Demon Destroys the World.

FLAAAAASH!

The situation everyone had feared most was unfolding. Blocking with the Impenetrable Demonic Wall, then countering with the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World created a scenario where both sides could be annihilated.

However, the two men's techniques were different. Unlike Hwa Mugi's attack, which annihilated everything in sight, Geom Woojin's took the form of a single, pure white sword.

Far behind Hwa Mugi, demonic flames rose from Headquarters, and Geom Woojin could not afford to destroy that as well. He had once shown Geom Mugeuk this level of control, a feat possible only with Twelfth Star mastery.

The sword of light flew silently, piercing through Hwa Mugi's world-ending technique without being destroyed itself.

PSHUUUUK!

A beam shot straight through Hwa Mugi's chest.

SHWAAAAA!

Now, the problem was on their side. The Impenetrable Demonic Wall was melting. Even at Twelfth Star mastery, it could not completely block the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World.

Geom Woojin and the Fist Demon stood at the very front.

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader prepared to use the Spacetime Manipulation Technique, but he knew it would be useless. The attack would annihilate any demonic or evil art in this space.

As the wall almost completely melted, he revealed his true feelings. "Even if we all died, you shouldn't have killed Hwa Mugi."

He had protected the Young Cult Leader until the very end, not even considering that Geom Mugeuk's body would also be annihilated.

"The Young Cult Leader would have somehow survived and escaped that body. He would have created a better murim than we ever could."

Just then, a welcome voice came from behind. "It feels a bit awkward seeing you when you're not cursing."

The Heavenly Wind Cult Leader turned in surprise to see Geom Mugeuk standing there.

"I'll give my greetings in a moment!" Geom Mugeuk exclaimed, immediately erecting a new Impenetrable Demonic Wall behind his father's.

SHWAAAAA!

Geom Woojin's wall melted away, but Geom Mugeuk's held firm against the remaining impact from the Heavenly Demon Destroys the World.

Everyone behind watched in astonishment. Using two Impenetrable Demonic Walls to block one attack was a scene unprecedented in the history of murim, and one that would likely never happen again.

Geom Mugeuk looked at his father. Father.

Geom Woojin stared silently at the wall his son had created. He kept his gaze forward, knowing that meeting his son's eyes would reveal the depth of his worry.

Next to them, the Fist Demon was certain. Geom Woojin had unleashed his attack because he had sensed Geom Mugeuk had awakened. He must have been the first to know.

FSSSSS!

The pure white energy battering the wall slowly faded away. Geom Mugeuk's Impenetrable Demonic Wall had withstood Hwa Mugi's Heavenly Demon Destroys the World, even though he had only managed it because his father's wall took the initial blow and because he had absorbed all the power that had been inside Hwa Mugi.

As the blinding light faded, Hwa Mugi's figure came into view. He lay on the ground with a gaping hole in his chest.

Geom Mugeuk sighed, "So, it was Father who killed you in the end."

In a way, Geom Woojin had kept his word to kill the Celestial Killer Star.

Geom Mugeuk slowly walked over to Hwa Mugi, who was still breathing, and looked down at him. He usually avoided looking at dying villains, refusing to attach meaning to their deaths, but he could not do that with Hwa Mugi. "If you have anything to say, say it now," he snapped.

Blood gushed from Hwa Mugi's mouth as he gasped, "You crazy bastard… I hate you."

He had wanted to unleash a torrent of curses, but he figured he had already cursed this crazy Young Cult Leader enough.

Hwa Mugi could feel it. Geom Mugeuk was staring down at him with a profound gaze, but there was no ill will in those eyes.

I tried to kill you, your father, and everyone you care about.

"…Why don't you hate me?" he asked.

Geom Mugeuk smiled bitterly. Because I resented you enough in my previous life.

Instead of that, however, he said, "They say resentment is a double-edged sword. It's so I'd be hurt less. You shouldn't resent others too much either."

"You, until the very end…" Hwa Mugi could not continue. His lungs had failed him.

Just then, something incredible happened.

SWOOOOOSH!

The last of the energy in Geom Mugeuk's body, that of the Purple Orb, flowed out and enveloped Hwa Mugi.

Geom Mugeuk instantly knew the Six Elements Origin Qi, no, the heavens themselves, intended to take Hwa Mugi back.

Geom Woojin and the others watched in astonishment. Finally, they realized Geom Mugeuk must have fought a much harder battle than they imagined.

Hwa Mugi opened his eyes again. He had been given a moment for a final farewell.

Geom Mugeuk stared at him. When he had first started on this path, he had imagined tearing Hwa Mugi to pieces, demanding to know why he had killed innocent children. Yet here he was, saying a final farewell.

"In your next life, please live a normal, happy life with her," he whispered.

Hwa Mugi's eyes widened in shock. "How did you know?"

How did Geom Mugeuk know about the woman I had loved?

"I saw items in your room that could only belong to a young woman."

Hwa Mugi let out an empty laugh, realizing Geom Mugeuk had noticed such a detail in the midst of everything. Nevertheless, he refused to show a smile in his final moments. "In my next life… I'll definitely kill them all," he said, though the venomous killing intent was gone from his eyes.

Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly. "I don't care. The one who'll have to struggle to stop you then won't be me."

The violet light scattered brilliantly, taking Hwa Mugi along with it like a star vanishing from the night sky.

Since meeting Hwa Mugi, Geom Mugeuk had only ever called him the Celestial Killer Star. Now, for the first and last time, he called his name.

"…Farewell, Hwa Mugi."