Chapter 373: Hot, Cold, and Lonely
Chapter 373: Hot, Cold, and Lonely
The Immortal Divine Armor had maintained its legendary reputation until now by remaining utterly uncuttable.
But could anyone truly guarantee it wouldn't be severed by the sword of the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader?
The Combat King struggled to suppress the flicker of doubt rising in his mind.
"Would it be called the Immortal Armor if it were otherwise?"
Baek Ja-gang countered with a question of his own. "Do you truly believe immortality exists in this world? There is only the human heart, desperately wishing for things to last forever."
Love, dreams, hope.
Baek Ja-gang believed in none of those things. He was a thorough realist.
"If you are so cold-blooded, then why do you trust the Young Cult Leader?"
Baek Ja-gang could tell what he was doing. The Combat King was trying to plant seeds of doubt to shake his resolve. In a fight between masters of their caliber, even a speck of distracted focus could be fatal.
"I do not trust the Young Cult Leader. It is my disciple who trusts him."
"Your disciple is being deceived by the Demonic Cult’s Young Cult Leader."
The Combat King’s gaze shifted toward Geom Mu-geuk. Like everything else in his vision, the boy appeared in monochrome, yet his eyes alone burned with a piercing crimson hue. With a black-and-white body and blood-red eyes, Geom Mu-geuk looked like a vengeful ghost.
"Look at that young man's eyes. Can you not see the ambition and desire dwelling within them?"
Had it been anything else, Baek Ja-gang would have ignored the provocation, but since his disciple had been mentioned, he answered.
"It seems your eyes see a burning heat. My eyes feel only the chill of a frozen snowy plain."
The Combat King saw heat, while the Alliance Leader saw cold.
Geom Mu-geuk chimed in with a smirk. "You both have keen eyes. My left eye is hot, and my right eye is cold."
He laughed as he looked at Bi Sa-in standing beside him. This composure in the midst of such suffocating tension was only possible because of his absolute faith in the Alliance Leader.
To be honest, Bi Sa-in felt neither heat nor cold from Geom Mu-geuk. All he saw was that mischievous glint in his eyes, as if the boy were constantly wondering how to crack another joke.
However, looking into those playful eyes allowed him to read a single underlying emotion.
Geom Mu-geuk asked Bi Sa-in, "Don't tell me you see something in my eyes too?"
Bi Sa-in nodded and answered honestly. It was something he couldn't have said if not for an opportunity like this.
"You look lonely."
He hadn't felt it at first, but now he did. He realized that Geom Mu-geuk was a profoundly lonely person. Perhaps it was because Bi Sa-in himself knew all too well what that void felt like.
"As expected, a friend sees best. How lonely must I be for the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult to come to the Young Alliance Leader of the Unorthodox Path and ask to be friends?"
"I hope your loneliness doesn't lead to a strange conclusion."
"Our conclusion is to giggle, laugh, and play until we die of old age."
The Combat King cut into their conversation, his voice frigid. "Whether it is hot or cold, I see greed in your eyes. Can you be certain your greed is smaller than mine?"
"At the very least, it isn't the greed to steal what belongs to others. Let's just say I have some personal business to attend to."
But I won't let that business swallow my life. The reason I live both hotly and coldly isn't just to kill Hwa Mu-gi.
It's for my own life.
It's because I want to live alongside the people I like.
Once this fight was over, he would forget the Combat King entirely and return to his people. He wouldn't spend his days anxious, agonizing over what might come next or who might appear.
Even after he eventually killed Hwa Mu-gi, he would continue his life as the Young Cult Leader and eventually ascend to the position of Heavenly Demon. He didn't know what would happen during that process or what kind of life awaited him after reaching the peak.
However, one thing was certain. A life spent pouring everything into a single villain was a tragedy that only needed to happen once—before his regression.
He would kill Hwa Mu-gi after telling the Demon Lord he was stepping out for a moment during a meal. He would go kill him while out hunting with his father, as if he were merely chasing a tiger.
If they asked where he had been, he would simply smile and say he had a quick errand to run.
I hope that becomes my life this time. I will work myself to death to make that reality.
The people gathered here could never have known the depths of Geom Mu-geuk’s heart. That heart was merely conveyed as a sensation—hot, cold, and lonely.
"And what if that 'personal business' is meant to lead your disciple astray?"
Until the very end, the Combat King tried to provoke Baek Ja-gang.
At the exact moment Baek Ja-gang glanced toward Bi Sa-in—
Swoosh!
A palm strike shot out from the Combat King’s hand in a vicious surprise attack.
However, Baek Ja-gang twisted his body with fluid grace to evade the strike. Even as the force of the palm grazed his face, Baek Ja-gang didn't so much as blink.
Baek Ja-gang spoke in a calm, level tone. "The only thing certain in this place is the greed hidden beneath that protective robe of yours."
Baek Ja-gang pointed his sword, now surging with Sword Force, at the Combat King.
"You don't have to show me. I will tear that robe apart myself and see what lies beneath."
The moment he finished speaking, blue Sword Force sprayed into the air and lunged toward the Combat King.
The Combat King countered, his fists shrouded in crimson Gang Qi. An immense pressure erupted from his knuckles.
With a thunderous roar of clashing energies, the two distinct colors intermingled. The red and blue Gang Qi blooming brilliantly across the sky felt like art created by a master's brush.
Boom!
From the primary collision, dozens of blue light trails branched out. They weren't scattering because they were destroyed; instead, they simultaneously changed direction and swarmed the Combat King.
Because it was an unexpected maneuver, the Combat King had no time to dodge. He pushed his Body Protection Qi to its absolute limit.
I have the Immortal armor! I can endure this!
The dozens of separate strands of Sword Force merged back into one in front of the Combat King, manifesting into a new shape. The blue energy had taken the form of a massive wolf.
In that instant, Geom Mu-geuk recognized it. That wolf form was identical to the one in the Alliance Leader’s hall. It was the lonely wolf that guarded the Unorthodox Path—the Blue Wolf.
Overlord Heaven-Shaking Sword Technique, Fourth Form: Blue Wolf Form.
With a literal ear-splitting howl, the massive wolf swallowed the Combat King whole.
The moment the Sword Force struck, the warriors of the Unorthodox Path Alliance let out a collective gasp. They trembled as the aura radiating from the Blue Wolf’s howl washed over them. The hair on their bodies stood on end, and they felt a primal urge to scream. It was the first time they had witnessed the Alliance Leader’s overwhelming morale in actual combat.
Thud, thud, thud!
The sound of something bursting echoed from the Combat King.
As the dust settled, the Combat King’s figure was revealed. He stood with his arms crossed in front of him to block the Sword Force, blood trickling from his mouth.
Crack.
The Immortal Divine Armor was being sliced apart, and blood flowed from the Combat King’s body. A single strike from Baek Ja-gang had pierced through both the legendary armor and the Combat King’s Body Protection Qi.
The Combat King looked down at his severed armor with wide, shocked eyes. The Alliance Leader’s words echoed in his ears.
— Do you truly believe immortality exists in this world?
Since the Immortal Divine Armor was in this state, the Twin Souls protecting his wrists and shins were already torn to shreds. It was only because of those artifacts that the Combat King was even able to remain standing.
The Combat King gritted his teeth. He had thought he was perhaps one step behind, but he was wrong. He was clearly two steps behind—and considering the moves his opponent might still be hiding, he could be three or even four steps behind.
He is stronger than I imagined.
Geom Mu-geuk was thinking the same thing. This was the reason the Alliance Leader dreamed of the Unification of the Murim.
His father, the Alliance Leader, and even Jin Pae-cheon—who was said to be the most tyrannical of all historical Murim Alliance Leaders. By some coincidence, all these great overlords had gathered in the same era. He began to think that perhaps the birth of Hwa Mu-gi was an inevitability brought about by the collision of these three men.
Baek Ja-gang spoke softly as he watched the blood drip from behind the Immortal Divine Armor. "Your greed is shedding tears."
The Combat King clenched his fists at the pressure radiating from those small eyes, which seemed to ask if those tears were of regret or fear.
Baek Ja-gang began to press his advantage. Explosions erupted consecutively as their energies collided. As his protective armor sustained more damage, the impact on the Combat King grew more severe.
Yet, the Combat King did not retreat. Pushing his internal energy to the limit, a red aura began to flow from his eyes. He lunged forward and unleashed a flurry of punches.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Chain Wind and Cloud Fist, Third Form: Lightning Flash.
Dozens of fists, fast as light, embroidered the air. Baek Ja-gang evaded every single one of them. He was so fast that the onlookers couldn't even tell which punch was being dodged or how.
Only Geom Mu-geuk saw the movements of the two men clearly.
"Ah!" An exclamation of genuine admiration escaped him. The Combat King’s technique was truly magnificent. Had he not been an enemy, it was a move worthy of praise. And for the Alliance Leader, who evaded all of it, he felt nothing but awe.
The Combat King’s assault didn't end there. He unleashed a follow-up chain technique.
Chain Wind and Cloud Fist, Fourth Form: Red Chain Prohibition.
The final punch of the Lightning Flash fanned out. Red Gang Qi in the shape of iron chains erupted from the Combat King’s palm.
Clang, clang, clang!
The chains instantly coiled around Baek Ja-gang.
I've got him!
No matter how great the Alliance Leader was, once caught in the Red Chain Prohibition, he wouldn't be able to move until the next strike landed.
Chain Wind and Cloud Fist, Fifth Form: Wind and Cloud Creation!
Whoosh.
The Combat King’s strike, filled with lethal intent, flew toward Baek Ja-gang’s face. If Wind and Cloud Creation landed on the face, where Body Protection Qi was relatively weak—!
It's over.
In that exact moment, the Combat King saw it. Baek Ja-gang’s hands, bound by the chains, were empty.
"!"
The next instant!
Thwack!
Baek Ja-gang’s sword, which had plummeted silently from the air, pierced through the Combat King’s shoulder.
The Overlord Heaven-Shaking Sixth Form: Shadowless Form had been unleashed. The blade tore through the Combat King’s bone and flesh.
"Aaaargh!"
As the Combat King’s True Qi was disrupted—
Boom, boom, boom!
With a series of thunderous bangs, the Red Chain Prohibition that had constricted Baek Ja-gang shattered into pieces and vanished.
Splurt!
The sword embedded in the shoulder pulled itself out and flew back into Baek Ja-gang’s hand. Blood sprayed from the Combat King’s shoulder. He hurriedly pressed his acupoints to stop the bleeding, but the wound was deep. He couldn't win even with a healthy body; now, he was in a situation where he could no longer hold out.
The Combat King chose to flee.
He began to run desperately. Despite his heavy injuries, he moved at a terrifying speed. Baek Ja-gang pursued him even faster.
Thud!
Baek Ja-gang slammed the desperately fleeing Combat King into the ground.
Crash!
Though he rolled across the floor from the impact, the Combat King scrambled back up and continued running. The onlookers moved with them. In an instant, they had traveled dozens of yards.
Bi Sa-in subdued Hyeok Sa-gun’s Demonic Acupoints and tucked him roughly under his arm as he followed. The master was fleeing, and the subordinate was being dragged along miserably. Yet, in Hyeok Sa-gun’s eyes, which should have been filled with resentment, hope had not yet vanished.
Once again, the Sword Force unleashed by Baek Ja-gang struck the Combat King’s back.
Whack!
The Combat King collapsed face-first onto the ground. Giving up on further flight, he sat there, panting heavily.
"I promised not to let a single hair on your head be harmed. We shall end the fight here."
At that desperate moment, as Baek Ja-gang prepared the final blow—the Combat King actually laughed.
"In that case... you have lost."
Just as the Combat King wore that meaningful smile, about a hundred enemies revealed themselves from all directions. This was the reason he had fled to this specific spot. It was for the final move he had hidden here.
Leading them was Sa Hon, the Combat King’s right-hand man. But those who appeared with him were not adults, but children.
Some were not even ten years old, while others were in their early teens. The oldest looked to be around seventeen or eighteen.
Geom Mu-geuk knew immediately. They were the children who had been kidnapped earlier.
The children’s eyes were vacant. They had been brainwashed through some special method. Strange bags were strapped to the children's chests. They all leaped into the air simultaneously. At the same time, the bags on their chests exploded, scattering white powder everywhere.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
The amount of powder from a single bag was substantial. Since over a hundred bags had exploded at once, the surroundings were instantly blanketed in white.
"It's Yellow Springs Poison."
Yellow Springs Poison was a mass-slaughter toxin, the most strictly forbidden substance in the Murim. The bags that emitted this poison had been created by the deceased Poison Tyrant.
The Combat King had forced the children to wear them. It was a plan designed to pin all the blame on the Poison King of the Demonic Cult. He used the children so that they couldn't be wiped out in a single strike when they first appeared. The Combat King was a man who would use infants, let alone children, if it meant winning.
The warriors of the Unorthodox Path Alliance all pulled out Poison-Repelling Pearls and put them in their mouths.
"Poison-Repelling Pearls cannot block this."
Earlier, Geom Mu-geuk had used a whirlwind to burn away the Poison Tyrant’s toxins, but this was an act of God. The sheer volume had spread in all directions so quickly that even Geom Mu-geuk could do nothing about this overwhelming cloud.
Bi Sa-in threw himself forward to protect the Alliance Leader. "Quickly, get away!"
But the Alliance Leader had already been exposed to the poison.
"It will be recorded that the Demonic Cult’s Poison King killed you!"
Only three people here had taken the antidote in advance: the Combat King, Hyeok Sa-gun, and Sa Hon. Hyeok Sa-gun was a man the Combat King absolutely needed to become the Alliance Leader.
The Combat King wore a triumphant smile. He could survive by fleeing from the poisoned Alliance Leader’s attacks. Time was on his side. Winning like this was enough. To win by any means necessary—this was the moment he would grasp the greatest victory of his life.
Right then, the smile vanished from the Combat King’s lips.
He saw Sa Hon looking around with a panicked expression. The Combat King looked around as well.
Nothing happened.
The children remained standing, and the warriors of the Unorthodox Path Alliance who had been exposed to the poison did not collapse. They should have all been dead by now.
Belatedly, the 13 Wolves and the warriors of the Extreme Blade Corps began to subdue the acupoints of the dazed children.
The Combat King was a man who rarely showed his true emotions, but this time was different. He was shocked and bewildered.
Why?
Why was no one falling?
Baek Ja-gang and all the other warriors were equally surprised. They all knew how lethal Yellow Springs Poison was. Geom Mu-geuk was just as clueless.
Wait, could it be?
Geom Mu-geuk’s gaze, scanning the surroundings, shifted toward the sky. As his gaze fixed on a point, everyone else’s eyes naturally followed.
A person stood on the branch of a giant tree, arms crossed, looking down at them. He was a young, handsome man. At his waist, he carried twelve pouches, each embroidered with one of the twelve zodiac animals.
"Poison King!"
At Geom Mu-geuk’s surprised shout, a faint smile touched the man’s lips.
It really was the Poison King. The claim that the Demon Doctor and the Poison King were coming had been a bluff, but somehow, the real Poison King had appeared here.
With his robes fluttering in the breeze, the Poison King began to descend slowly from the air, looking like a celestial god descending to earth.