Chapter 548: Our Demon Lord Has a Sentimental Side
Chapter 548: Our Demon Lord Has a Sentimental Side
The surrounding landscape bled of its color.
As the moon completely obscured the sun, a thin ring of light shimmered briefly—a final, dying gasp—before it, too, vanished. The world was plunged into total darkness.
Snap!
Geom Mu-geuk flicked his fingers again. The space they occupied warped, shifting them to a different location.
Whirrrrr.
Sandstorms howled across a desert in the Outer Lands, a place where not a single shadow should have been able to hide. The sun ought to have been blazing more fiercely here than anywhere else, illuminating the world in a harsh, golden glare.
Yet, it remained pitch black. Even in this distant land, the eclipse persisted.
"It’s no use, Young Cult Leader. Now that the eclipse has begun, you cannot dispel my darkness."
Time would pass, but the eclipse would not end—not unless the Dark King willed it so.
Geom Mu-geuk looked up at the hidden sun in silence. It looked as if the moon had been permanently embedded within the sky. As expected, the Dark King’s dark sorcery was remarkably formidable.
"Since you summoned me here, you should have been prepared for at least this much."
As the darkness deepened, the white borders of the Combat King’s pupils thickened once more. The Dark Heaven Night God Art was activating again. The initiative had shifted back to the Combat King and the Dark King.
It was then that the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon spoke for the first time.
"You’re the ones who should have been prepared."
His meaning was clear: they should have prepared themselves for the consequences of laying a hand on the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
The Combat King and the Dark King turned their gazes toward the Smiling Demon. The Dark King’s mysterious voice echoed through the gloom.
"You certainly have the right to say such things."
She hadn't expected him to eliminate the Dog Seller so quickly. Because of that, the Dark King felt the need to break the Smiling Demon’s spirit.
"You will be the first Demon Lord to die because of the Young Cult Leader."
The Smiling Demon’s eyes crinkled into a smile. Dying for the Young Cult Leader?
"There is no better reason for my death."
A thin smile played on Geom Mu-geuk’s lips at those words.
He already died once because of me. I won’t let him die again.
At that moment, Geom Mu-geuk grasped a certain fact.
"It seems you can’t escape this place with your Dark Path Return Art. If you could, you would have left already without needing to hide the sun."
The Dark King said nothing. It was a silence of affirmation. Though she could manifest darkness here, she could do no more. The Space-Time Displacement Technique did not allow anyone to enter or leave without permission.
Clang! Clang!
The Combat King slammed his fists together, the impact ringing out with a heavy, metallic clang. His eyes were thick with killing intent.
"Even if I could leave, I have no intention of doing so."
His gaze made it clear he intended to settle things here and now. Geom Mu-geuk immediately undercut his momentum.
"Is that your will, or the will of the woman controlling you?"
The Combat King’s face contorted.
"It is, of course, my own!"
The Combat King charged, throwing a punch. In a flash, he was already in front of Geom Mu-geuk, his fist a blur of motion.
Whoosh!
The punch aimed at Geom Mu-geuk’s face grazed him by a hair’s breadth. As he dodged, the sword he had swung for a counterattack shifted direction mid-air.
Clang!
The Combat King’s second punch was so fast that Geom Mu-geuk had to abandon his attack and parry with his blade. The Combat King’s consecutive strikes tore through the air with savage precision.
He stomped the ground, throwing a powerful punch that sent the surrounding sand billowing upward in a massive screen. In that moment, as everyone’s vision was obscured—
Shook!
The Smiling Demon fired his first Blood Calamity Finger.
Thud!
When the dust settled, the Combat King’s expression was twisted in pain. Blood trickled down his shoulder.
The Blood Calamity Finger had just grazed Geom Mu-geuk’s shoulder before striking the Combat King’s own. It was an attack launched at an unthinkable moment from an unthinkable angle.
The Smiling Demon was supposed to be protecting the Young Cult Leader, yet he had fired such a dangerous shot while their vision was blocked? It was a truly reckless, unexpected strike.
Black smoke gathered at the wound on the Combat King's shoulder. The bleeding stopped instantly.
The Dark King’s voice rang out.
"It seems our Demon Lord doesn't care much for the Young Cult Leader’s safety."
She intended to discourage the Smiling Demon’s bold attacks, but Geom Mu-geuk turned her words back on her.
"You’re the one who doesn't seem to care for the safety of your partner."
"What do you mean?"
"Simply descending into someone’s body must have a terrible effect on them. And now you’re even using dark energy to heal him? Are you treating that man as nothing more than a disposable tool?"
In truth, Geom Mu-geuk didn't know for sure what negative effects the Dark King’s descent had on the host, or what the consequences of such healing were. However, he figured that such an abnormal state couldn't possibly be good for a human being. He was making an educated guess.
Since the darkness had fallen and the initiative had shifted to the enemy, he had to shake them somehow.
"I saved him at a price far too high to use him as a mere tool," the Dark King responded calmly, but her opponent was Geom Mu-geuk.
"If you win this expensive fight, I suppose he’ll have been worth the price. If he manages to kill me—the one who has been hindering you all this time—that would be enough for you, wouldn't it?"
After a brief pause, the Dark King spoke.
"As expected... the Young Cult Leader cannot be bested with words."
"That’s true. But in this situation, it’s not that you lost a battle of words; you lost a battle of truth, didn't you?"
Geom Mu-geuk shifted his gaze from the Dark King to the Combat King’s eyes beyond the shadows.
"Though you don't seem to care much, do you?"
The Combat King glared at Geom Mu-geuk with a terrifying gaze. How could he not know this was an attempt to drive a wedge between them? But the thing about such tactics is that they work even when you know they're happening. Once the words are spoken, a seed of discomfort is planted in the mind.
"I don't care, as long as I can kill you!"
The Combat King lunged again. A punch even more powerful than before, fueled by his rage, came flying.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sword and chains collided, sending sparks flying. In the darkness, the sparks were a beautiful, violent spectacle.
However, Geom Mu-geuk’s expression was grim. The Combat King, empowered by the Dark King, was incredibly strong. Every time he clashed with the man's fists, he worried the Black Demonic Sword might actually shatter.
Unable to hold out any longer, Geom Mu-geuk used the Dark Shadow Step to escape the onslaught. The Combat King followed him like a relentless shadow.
Zip! Zip! Zip!
A timely Blood Calamity Finger struck the Combat King's shoulder.
With a thud, the Combat King stumbled, then kicked off the sand and flew toward the Smiling Demon.
"I’ll kill you first!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Blood Calamity Fingers cut through the air. The Combat King twisted his body to dodge. One of the three strikes hit him, but it failed to pierce his body. The Dark King’s dark energy acted as a Body Protection Qi, shielding him like a suit of armor.
Just as the Combat King’s fist was about to strike the Smiling Demon’s chest—
K-ching!
Sparks erupted in front of the Smiling Demon. Geom Mu-geuk, having crossed the distance with a Blink Step, swung his sword down to sever the man's arm.
It was a good thing the Combat King had stopped his attack to block the sword with his fist; had he continued his assault on the Smiling Demon, he would have lost his arm entirely.
Whish!
Geom Mu-geuk’s sword struck his arm repeatedly.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Combat King pulled his arm back and blocked with his fists. He expected the final move to target his shoulder or neck.
Slash! Splat!
Following an unpredictable trajectory, Geom Mu-geuk’s sword cut deep into the Combat King’s waist.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed from the wound. It was a clean hit. Yet, the Combat King counterattacked instantly with a punch.
Whoosh!
Geom Mu-geuk dodged the first punch. The second punch was blocked by a rapid succession of Blood Calamity Fingers.
Backing away, the Combat King cursed at the Smiling Demon.
"You cowardly bastard!"
Geom Mu-geuk wasn't about to let someone insult the Smiling Demon.
"Tell that to your waist. You cowardly waist!"
Black energy billowed from the cut on the man's waist. Once again, the dark energy was sealing the wound.
"You’re going to be in big trouble if you keep this up. Even if you win this fight, what about the side effects? Are you planning to make 'I killed the Young Cult Leader and the Smiling Demon' your final words?"
The Combat King didn't care at all.
"I do not fear death."
"I know. I know you're that kind of person. But there’s a difference between that and dying like a fool. Why is it only your life on the line? If that woman is hitched to your body, she should put her own life up fairly. Why are you fighting while only your lifespan is being drained?"
The Dark King’s calm voice drifted out.
"Do not fall for his attempts to divide us."
Geom Mu-geuk spoke again.
"You’re the one gasping for breath and nearly losing an arm, while that calm voice sounds a bit too selfish, don't you think?"
Finally, the Combat King’s voice rose in a roar of anger.
"Shut up!"
Geom Mu-geuk had pretended to care for him, but it was ultimately a mockery, implying he was being used. Normally, he would have wanted the Dark King to show emotion, but the Combat King was faster this time.
At that very moment of his fury!
Geom Mu-geuk’s sword cut through the air as fast as lightning. He had provoked them specifically to create this opening.
Fwoosh.
Darkness fell upon darkness. A single, pure white sword line cut through the gloom.
Nine Calamities Demonic Art, Fourth Form: Dark Flash.
CLANG!
With an ear-splitting metallic screech, the Combat King’s form was revealed. His hand, thrust out in front of his neck, was trembling violently.
Creeeak.
The chains wrapped around his fist cracked. But they didn't break. Black energy seeped through the fissures, reinforcing the metal.
Amazingly, he had blocked the Dark Flash. At the seventh-stage realm, Geom Mu-geuk’s power was not yet enough to cut through the combined strength of the Combat King and the Dark King.
"To use a technique that utilizes darkness against me?" the Dark King remarked, as the surroundings had turned pitch black the moment the Dark Flash was unleashed.
"Who knows? Maybe you’ll let your guard down and get your head lopped off."
He had to try it once to be sure. And the result confirmed it: the darkness was indeed on their side.
In contrast to the composed Dark King, the Combat King’s killing intent grew even more intense. He had blocked it, but the thought that his head might have been severed if the Dark King hadn't been there chilled him to the bone.
"You won't get another chance to use the Nine Calamities Demonic Art!"
The Combat King pressed Geom Mu-geuk fiercely. Fist winds howled from his strikes. Sand swirled around them like a cyclone.
The Combat King unleashed a relentless barrage of attacks. He did not spare his internal energy. As attacks laden with extreme power rained down, Geom Mu-geuk couldn't counter and was forced to dodge frantically.
In this fight, Geom Mu-geuk was experiencing his limits. These weren't just random attacks; they were the strikes of the Combat King empowered by the Dark King, backed by nearly limitless internal energy.
It felt like fighting beneath the surface of a frozen lake. Every time he felt he might suffocate, a breathing hole was punched through the ice.
Zip!
The moments when the Combat King flinched due to a Blood Calamity Finger were the moments Geom Mu-geuk escaped disaster.
The Combat King twisted his body to dodge a Blood Calamity Finger that grazed Geom Mu-geuk. This time, he had no choice but to dodge. The finger had been aimed precisely at his eye. Had Geom Mu-geuk turned his head even slightly, the back of his own skull would have been pierced.
The Combat King cursed him as a madman, but this attack was born solely of trust.
The Smiling Demon trusted his own skill, and he trusted Geom Mu-geuk. Without that trust, firing a Blood Calamity Finger so precariously close would have been insanity.
There was no other way. They couldn't face the Combat King and the Dark King without such bold maneuvers.
Because of this, the Smiling Demon did not waste his attacks. He conserved his internal energy, striking only at the most critical moments. Had he been at his previous level of skill, he would have attacked more frequently, but he wouldn't have been able to fire such precise Blood Calamity Fingers.
Each time, the Combat King tried to target the Smiling Demon, but Geom Mu-geuk wouldn't allow it.
As they charged together and Geom Mu-geuk thrust his sword—
Thud!
The Black Demonic Sword sank into the man's body. Given the skill he had shown, the Combat King shouldn't have been hit by such an attack.
Whoosh!
The moment the sword was withdrawn, something pitch black followed the blade out of the Combat King’s stomach, covering Geom Mu-geuk like a shroud.
In an instant, Geom Mu-geuk stood in a void of absolute, pitch-black darkness. He was trapped in a place like the belly of a whale.
Then, he heard the Dark King’s voice.
"This is the Darkness Veil."
The Dark King, who had been waiting for her chance, had finally unleashed her trump card.
"You can never escape until I release you. When you finally emerge, you will be looking at the Smiling Demon’s corpse."
Her voice faded into the darkness.
Outside, the Smiling Demon was struggling to tear through the veil of darkness. The black shroud, which had bloomed like a flower bud, would not tear, not even against the Blood Calamity Finger or the Demon Extreme Wild Rage Palm.
The Combat King watched the scene with composure. His expression was that of a man who had already secured victory.
"It can never be torn until I release it," the Dark King’s voice said, filled with confidence. Once the Smiling Demon was dead, killing Geom Mu-geuk would follow naturally.
"You use the word 'never' far too lightly when it comes to the Young Cult Leader," the Smiling Demon retorted.
The Combat King threw a punch at the Smiling Demon. The powerful force behind the strike sent the Smiling Demon sliding backward until he hit the Darkness Veil.
The Smiling Demon sensed he couldn't hold out much longer. The internal energy he had been consuming since the fight with the Dog Seller was nearly depleted.
"That internal energy of yours... where exactly is it coming from?"
To the Smiling Demon’s question, the Dark King gave a cryptic answer.
"That is a secret you will only learn in death."
Walking forward with heavy steps, the Combat King added, "I’ll tell you the secret myself!"
Leaning against the Darkness Veil, the Smiling Demon called out, "Come out now, Young Cult Leader!"
The Dark King gave a sweet laugh.
"Our Demon Lord has a more sentimental side than he looks."
The Combat King threw his fist for the final blow.
Swish!
It was at that exact moment.
Stab!
The Black Demonic Sword erupted through the Darkness Veil from within, skewering the Combat King’s shoulder before his fist could reach the Smiling Demon.
Slash!
It was such an unexpected strike that he was completely defenseless.
The Dark King and the Combat King screamed simultaneously as they recoiled. The Combat King’s shoulder was badly pierced, and the Dark King suffered internal injuries as her dark sorcery was shattered.
R-r-rip!
The Darkness Veil began to tear open.
Surprise flashed in the Dark King’s eyes.
"How... the Darkness Veil!"
Her voice, which had always remained calm, trembled for the first time.
She didn't know that Geom Mu-geuk had seen the blue-tinted Counter-Dispelling Method. The combined effect of the Blood Eye Purifying Water and the New Eye Technique had manifested.
Originally, the Blood Eye Purifying Water allowed one to see through the sorcery of the Blood Cult, and the Dark King’s dark sorcery was deeply related to the roots of the Blood Cult’s martial arts. That was why she had been able to cause an eclipse here.
"I’ve never liked feeling trapped," Geom Mu-geuk remarked.
His gaze turned toward the Smiling Demon. The two men looked at each other and smiled. The Smiling Demon had truly believed Geom Mu-geuk would emerge. It was that trust that had allowed him to take the Combat King’s attack with his back turned.
I should have been a greater help to you.
How could Geom Mu-geuk not read his heart?
"You know what? I like you even more because you have a sentimental side, Lord Smiling Demon."
At those words, the Smiling Demon’s eyes crinkled in a smile behind his mask.
On the other hand, the Combat King’s irritation reached its peak.
"You persistent bastards! Even so, nothing changes!"
He was still full of vigor. Though the Dark King had suffered internal injuries, her internal energy was still supporting him. However, perhaps due to her injuries, the black energy was unable to fully heal the wound on his shoulder.
"Let’s go."
The Smiling Demon turned toward the Combat King first. Even with his internal energy nearly gone, he showed no fear. Instead, his eyes shone more clearly and intensely than ever.
Geom Mu-geuk stepped up beside the Smiling Demon and said, "You’re right. Since when did we ever fight with an abundance of internal energy?"