Chapter 552: A Dark Hole in My Heart as Well
Chapter 552: A Dark Hole in My Heart as Well
Under the blazing sunlight, the Dark King flickered precariously, looking as if she might vanish at any moment.
But Geom Mu-geuk knew better. She was not an opponent who would simply dissipate into nothingness.
“Saving that man cost a fortune. It’s a pity it’s come to this,” she remarked.
Even in this dire situation, she maintained her composure.
Geom Mu-geuk looked at the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon and spoke.
“I should have only blown off half his head before letting him go. That way, you would have gone bankrupt trying to keep him alive.”
Joking lightly, Geom Mu-geuk naturally placed his hand on the Smiling Demon’s back.
Wooooo.
A hidden stream of internal energy began to flow into the Smiling Demon. Geom Mu-geuk was sharing a portion of his remaining reserves.
The Smiling Demon did not refuse. He accepted the energy, knowing the Dark King might target him now that his own reserves were depleted. If that happened, Geom Mu-geuk would have to protect him. If internal energy was going to be spent anyway, it was better to transfer it directly. As always, he trusted the Young Cult Leader’s judgment.
“I wouldn’t have saved him a second time. Even that first time, there was a conflict of opinion.”
“Which side were you on? Ah, naturally, you must have been the one who wanted to save him.”
The flickering shadow shook its head. Though she had arrived with the Combat King, it seemed she had hoped they wouldn't bother saving him.
“Weren’t you the one who rescued him?”
“I was merely following orders.”
She likely wasn't lying. To her, a creature of the night, those who lived in the light meant nothing.
Was the one who gave the order Hwa Mu-gi? Or someone else?
Geom Mu-geuk wanted to ask about Hwa Mu-gi directly. What was he doing now? Was he still their leader in this era? What was he thinking?
However, he decided not to mention Hwa Mu-gi. Though much had already changed in this life, he would not touch that particular thread until the very end. He hoped that Hwa Mu-gi, at least, would appear at the specific time dictated by destiny. The person to face him should be their future selves, not who they were now.
Instead, he asked about the Dark King.
“If you vanish from here, what happens to your original body? Do you die in the carriage?”
Geom Mu-geuk assumed her physical form was hidden inside the carriage.
“Why do you think I will lose to you, Young Cult Leader?”
“Because we have no intention of losing.”
“The Demon Lord’s internal energy must be exhausted, and you, Young Cult Leader, cannot have much left to maintain this Space-Time Displacement Technique, either.”
Indeed, the scorching sunlight was gradually losing its brilliance. Since he could no longer sustain the artificial sun, he was letting time flow normally within the distorted space.
“Actually, even this much is truly surprising. Even as the successor of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, how on earth did you accumulate such internal power at your age?”
Geom Mu-geuk was truly displaying a profound, seemingly bottomless level of power.
“I am the incarnation of greed. I thought this much would be enough, but I plan to gather much more in the future. I made up my mind after meeting you. When it comes to internal energy and martial arts, I shouldn't just be an incarnation of greed—I should be greed itself. Only then can I deal with people like you.”
In the meantime, the transfer was complete. Even while conversing, Geom Mu-geuk had performed the divine feat of passing his energy to the Smiling Demon without his opponent noticing.
Geom Mu-geuk drew the Black Demonic Sword. As if it had been tempered by the Combat King’s fists, an even sharper, more lethal energy flowed along the blade.
“Now, let’s settle this. I have a banquet scheduled with my friends.”
Geom Mu-geuk did not lose his cool.
The Smiling Demon also stared at the Dark King with calm eyes, his arms hanging loosely at his sides.
The Dark King’s gaze shifted toward the two of them, then toward the sun behind them. It had already descended quite a bit.
The moment her gaze intensified, black smoke swirled around her and rose into the air.
Where the smoke vanished, a woman stood. Surprisingly, the Dark King was physically present, not hidden in the carriage.
“It won’t be a banquet; it will be a funeral for everyone.”
The woman was dressed in black martial robes.
Her appearance was the complete opposite of her voice. Her features were jagged, asymmetrical, and distorted—honestly, she had seemed much more beautiful when she was a flickering shadow.
Her voice changed, too. It became a grating, screeching sound.
“You damn brat of a Young Cult Leader!”
As if this were her true personality, her eyes were filled with nothing but raw hatred.
“I think I know why you fought by descending into that person’s body instead of showing your face,” Geom Mu-geuk remarked.
A murderous glint flashed in the Dark King’s eyes. She expected a mockery of her appearance, but Geom Mu-geuk was looking at something else.
“You are someone with a powerful desire to live.”
She did not deny it. When she descended into a host, she would not die even if the host did. But now that she had revealed her physical body, it was different. She was mortal.
“Even if I die, I won’t die in this filthy world of yours!”
The Dark King launched a surprise attack, thrusting both palms forward.
Swaaaaak!
She expected Geom Mu-geuk to avoid it, but she thought the Smiling Demon wouldn't be able to since his internal energy was supposedly depleted.
However, the Smiling Demon dodged her attack with ease and immediately counterattacked.
Shuk!
She narrowly dodged the Blood Calamity Finger flying toward her.
She was the one who had launched the surprise attack, yet she was the one left stunned. The Dark King shrieked in irritation.
“You monsters! Where on earth is this internal energy coming from?!”
Swaaaaaak!
The ground overturned under her palm technique. The cliff they stood upon shook as if it might collapse at any moment.
However, her martial arts, when performed outside of the darkness, were merely 'impressive' and nothing more. She couldn't capture Geom Mu-geuk and the Smiling Demon with just 'impressive' skills.
Compensating for her lack of finesse with raw internal energy, she continued the tense battle.
And then, the moment she had been waiting for arrived.
Geom Mu-geuk, who was closing in on her, suddenly looked at his hand. A reddish hue was seeping in. It was the sunset beginning in the distance—the hour between dog and wolf, where day and night intersect.
And this moment belonged to the wolf.
For a split second, white rims appeared in her pupils again. Her body transformed back into a dark shadow.
Slither.
In an instant, she vanished from sight.
Geom Mu-geuk was startled. He had never seen such rapid movement.
“I think she used the Dark Path Return Art!”
He didn't think she could use it here!
Geom Mu-geuk turned toward the Smiling Demon and flinched. His gaze turned cold and sank. She hadn't used the Dark Path Return Art to flee.
The Dark King’s face was flickering over the Smiling Demon’s mask.
The Dark King had descended into the Smiling Demon’s body.
From the moment the fight began, she had aimed for this single moment—the moment when the light faded, allowing her to manifest the Dark Descent Technique.
Ideally, it would have been better to descend into Geom Mu-geuk’s body, but she couldn't enter him because he had mastered the Nine Calamities Demonic Art and the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art.
Geom Mu-geuk stared at the Smiling Demon in shock. The Smiling Demon’s eyes also showed surprise. It meant that while she had seized his body, she hadn't dominated his mind. Just like with the Combat King, the two consciousnesses were separate.
“One cannot use the Dark Descent Technique twice in a single day.”
Her voice turned enchanting and beautiful once more.
“If one does, a curse falls. I wonder what kind of curse it is?”
She followed up with shocking words.
“It is a curse where one can never leave the body they descended into. I will be with the Smiling Demon forever.”
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Geom Mu-geuk didn't believe her. There was no way she would use a technique with such a permanent cost.
Her shrill laughter rang out. She laughed as if she had truly gone mad.
“You’re right, it’s nonsense. It’s just that I won’t be able to leave this body for the next three days. Until then, we survive together or die together. That is plenty of time to kill you all.”
Geom Mu-geuk looked into the Smiling Demon’s eyes beneath her flickering gaze. Surprisingly, the man himself looked calm.
But his body was being controlled by the Dark King.
Shuk!
A Blood Calamity Finger flew from the Smiling Demon’s hand. His physical hand and the Dark King’s flickering shadow moved in perfect overlap. The Smiling Demon could not control his own body because the descended Dark King possessed superior internal energy.
Geom Mu-geuk threw himself aside to dodge the attack. He never imagined a situation where he would have to dodge the Smiling Demon’s techniques.
Shuk! Shuk!
Geom Mu-geuk leaped again. A Blood Calamity Finger grazed his side.
“No!”
Despite the Smiling Demon’s internal shout, the Blood Calamity Finger split and targeted Geom Mu-geuk.
Papak!
Blood splattered from Geom Mu-geuk’s shoulder. Once the Dark King descended into the Smiling Demon, the power of the Blood Calamity Finger became even faster and more lethal. For Geom Mu-geuk, whose internal energy was nearly depleted, it was a literal disaster.
“Don’t worry, Smiling Demon! I’ll find a way!”
While dodging the attacks, Geom Mu-geuk tried to reassure his friend. But no solution came to mind.
He couldn't release the Space-Time Displacement Technique. He had no way of knowing the situation outside, and even if Jin Ha-gun and Bi Sa-in were waiting for him, he couldn't very well ask them to attack the Smiling Demon.
What worried him most was the possibility of her vanishing with the Smiling Demon using the Dark Path Return Art. If the Smiling Demon was dragged away, they would kill him brutally—or worse, keep him alive in a fate more miserable than death.
Thwack!
Blood splattered from Geom Mu-geuk’s body again as the curving, splitting Blood Calamity Finger struck him.
The Smiling Demon shouted.
“Release the Space-Time Displacement Technique, Young Cult Leader!”
He wanted Geom Mu-geuk to join forces with their comrades outside.
‘At this rate, the Young Cult Leader will die.’
But Geom Mu-geuk did not release it.
The Smiling Demon believed there was only one way to resolve this.
“Young Cult Leader, you must kill me.”
The Dark King laughed. “I know how much the Young Cult Leader cherishes you. He will never be able to kill you.”
Geom Mu-geuk nodded, admitting it.
“I would rather die myself than do that. Wait, I will find a way!”
The Smiling Demon trusted Geom Mu-geuk. But right now, there was no time and no internal energy.
At this rate, they would both die here. The murderous intent of the Dark King dwelling in his body was firm, and Geom Mu-geuk would never attack him.
The Smiling Demon’s gaze deepened as he made a decision.
Shuk, shuk, shuk!
Thud! Thud!
Because he was using his remaining internal energy to maintain the Space-Time Displacement Technique, Geom Mu-geuk continued to take hits. He avoided fatal wounds, but his entire body was soaked in blood.
Whirrrrrr!
Black smoke climbed up from beneath Geom Mu-geuk’s feet like vines, binding his body. Wounded and exhausted, Geom Mu-geuk could not shake off the energy. Even in this situation, he did not release the technique.
“Now, I shall finish you with the same move that blew off that man’s head.”
The moment she raised her hand to unleash the Demon Extreme Wild Rage Palm...
The Dark King’s eyes widened in shock.
“!”
Only her flickering shadow arm had thrust forward.
The Smiling Demon’s actual arm remained still. His body had rejected her command.
‘He can resist the command of the descent? How on earth?’
It was something the Dark King had never experienced. She tried to manipulate him again, but the Smiling Demon did not budge. Red veins burst in his eyes behind the mask.
That wasn't all.
The Smiling Demon’s arm began to rise slowly. He wasn't just resisting the Dark King; he was moving independently.
The Smiling Demon’s mind was filled with nothing but pure white. He was standing in his room, looking at the long line drawn on the wall. The power of darkness could not invade the Smiling Demon’s heart, which stood in the middle of that pure white void.
The place the Smiling Demon’s hand was heading was not toward Geom Mu-geuk. It was rising toward his own head. Since she said she couldn't leave this body for three days, he intended to die along with the Dark King.
“No! Smiling Demon! You can’t!”
Despite Geom Mu-geuk’s cry, the Smiling Demon’s arm continued to rise.
“Smiling Demon! So-ma, no!”
The Dark King was also desperate. If the Smiling Demon died, she would die too. Black energy flowed out to try and stop him, but it couldn't overcome the Smiling Demon’s will. The strength he was showing now surpassed human limits.
“Release this! Hurry!”
The Dark King did not hesitate to release the energy binding Geom Mu-geuk. She had to survive first.
The moment his palm was about to strike the Smiling Demon’s white mask!
Grip.
Geom Mu-geuk grabbed his arm and turned the palm toward himself. By a hair’s breadth, the Demon Extreme Wild Rage Palm was not unleashed.
Geom Mu-geuk and the Smiling Demon’s gazes locked. They spoke with their eyes.
Are you really going to do this?
Yes. If it can save the Young Cult Leader, I will.
Right, he would. Just as I won't give up on him, he won't give up on me. That’s why I have to find another way.
Geom Mu-geuk’s gaze fell upon the Dark King’s flickering shadow.
‘If only I could catch that!’
Geom Mu-geuk grabbed for the shadow arm. But it slipped through his hand like smoke. He grabbed again and again, but the shadow could not be caught.
‘Please! Please!’
When that desperation reached its peak, there was a response from within Geom Mu-geuk’s body.
Vroooooom!
With a deep vibration, something that had been dormant inside him woke up. The energy that the Secret Casket had absorbed began to move. Specifically, the Black Essence.
As the Black Essence surged toward Geom Mu-geuk’s hands, black energy began to flicker around his fingers as well.
Grip.
The next moment, Geom Mu-geuk’s hand caught the Dark King’s wrist.
Both the Dark King and Geom Mu-geuk were shocked. The Dark King’s horrified expression flickered over the white mask. Beneath it, in the eye holes, the Smiling Demon’s eyes also flashed with surprise.
“Got you!”
Geom Mu-geuk gripped the Dark King’s hand tightly. She tried to shake him off, but Geom Mu-geuk would never let go. He pulled with the determination that he wouldn't let go even if his arm were severed.
Screeeeech.
Her body began to be dragged out of the Smiling Demon.
“Smiling Demon! Get back!”
The Smiling Demon pulled in the opposite direction, trying to break free from her.
“...Impossible!”
The dark energy flowing from her horrified body clawed at Geom Mu-geuk’s arm.
Slash! Slash!
Blood splattered from his arm, but Geom Mu-geuk did not let go. Fortunately, the Supreme Heavenly Silkworm Thread wrapped around his arm prevented it from being shredded.
Geom Mu-geuk had only one thought: if he let go of this hand, the Smiling Demon would die.
“Just a little more! A little more! Uaaaaaaah!”
Riiiiiiip.
Bit by bit, she was dragged out. The moment the Dark King was completely separated from the Smiling Demon’s body!
Whoosh! Sshhh!
The Black Essence instantly devoured the dark energy as if swallowing it whole.
“Aaaaaah!”
At the same time, her original form was revealed.
“You! What on earth are you?!”
Geom Mu-geuk was just as surprised as she was. Her dark energy had already been absorbed by the Black Essence and had fallen back into a slumber within his body as if nothing had happened.
“...No!”
Her face, having completely lost its dark energy, turned pitch black in an instant.
Crumble.
She turned into black ash and scattered into the air.
Geom Mu-geuk, who had been staring blankly at the sight, collapsed and lay flat on the ground. The Smiling Demon also collapsed right where he was.
“Haa, haa.”
Only the sound of the two men’s heavy breathing echoed in the area. When this fight began, they truly never imagined it would end like this.
As their breathing slowed, the Smiling Demon asked, “What happened?”
“There’s a dark hole in my heart as well. I suppose it swallowed her up.”
It was half-true, but the Smiling Demon took it as a joke.
“Is your body alright?”
“No, it hurts like hell.”
The Smiling Demon was the first to push himself up into a sitting position. Blood was flowing down Geom Mu-geuk’s arm. He recalled the moment he had pulled with that arm to save him. If not for the Supreme Heavenly Silkworm Thread, it would have been severed.
The Smiling Demon silently pressed the pressure points on the arm to stop the bleeding. Geom Mu-geuk exaggerated his pain with a groan.
Now, Geom Mu-geuk asked, “Are you alright, Smiling Demon?”
The Smiling Demon’s gaze as he looked at Geom Mu-geuk deepened. He felt that the moment had come to do what he had been planning for a long time.
“Whether I am alright... please see for yourself.”
The Smiling Demon slowly began to take off his mask.