Chapter 590: Haven't You Lived Your Life Running Without Rest?
Chapter 590: Haven't You Lived Your Life Running Without Rest?
"You can't leave unless everyone is dead?"
Geom Mu-geuk and the Sword King locked eyes.
"That means I’d have to kill even the person I came here with."
The Sword King’s expression hardened instantly, a surge of fury radiating from him.
"What kind of bullshit formation is this?"
Thud!
The Sword King kicked the signpost without mercy, sending shattered wood flying in every direction. Still unsatisfied, he ripped the remaining stake out of the ground and snapped it into splinters.
Geom Mu-geuk, by contrast, watched the outburst in silence.
"Aren't you angry?" the Sword King growled.
"You're doing enough fuming for the both of us."
"I absolutely loathe petty tricks like this."
The Sword King, having vented his initial rage, forced himself to calm down.
Sring!
He smoothly drew his steel sword.
Swish.
Geom Mu-geuk leaned his head back just as a strand of No-Form Sword Qi grazed his face.
With his blade leveled, the Sword King asked, "Shall we do this now?"
"Why are you taking your frustration out on me?"
The moment the Sword King drew his blade, the surrounding air shifted. Geom Mu-geuk felt it—the Black Demonic Sword was vibrating, eager to cry out. It was a blade he had kept suppressed ever since meeting the Sword King.
Not yet.
Geom Mu-geuk shook his head. "I won't do it."
In that split second, Geom Mu-geuk saw a flicker of emotion in the Sword King’s eyes. It was unmistakably a sense of relief.
"If you won't fight, then what? What do we do?"
Geom Mu-geuk’s response was completely unexpected. "We just don't leave."
"What?"
"Let's not leave. Let's just live here."
Geom Mu-geuk looked up at the artificial sky and shouted, his voice directed at whoever had constructed this place. "Hey! We're not leaving!"
At those words, the Sword King couldn't help but burst into laughter. He knew Mu-geuk wasn't being entirely serious, but he truly admired how the young man never lost his composure, even in a situation as dire as this.
"You really are something..." The Sword King trailed off, shaking his head.
Geom Mu-geuk scanned their surroundings before turning back. "Lend me one of your shoes for a moment."
"Are you about to say something that'll make me want to throw it at you?"
"No. If that were the case, I would've asked for both."
What on earth is he planning? With a skeptical look, the Sword King handed over the spare shoe he carried at his waist.
Geom Mu-geuk closed his eyes for a moment as if offering a prayer, then tossed the shoe high into the air. It tumbled through the sky before hitting the dirt. Geom Mu-geuk looked in the direction the toe was pointing and nodded. "Let's go this way."
The Sword King stared in disbelief. He never imagined the boy would use a shoe toss to divine their path in a high-level formation.
"Why didn't you use your own shoe?"
"It'll get dirty."
As Geom Mu-geuk dusted off the dirt and handed the shoe back, the Sword King finally said what he had been holding back.
"You're a madman."
Hearing those words, Geom Mu-geuk smiled pleasantly.
"Why are you smiling after being called a lunatic?"
"Most people who have called me a madman ended up on good terms with me."
"The person who said that must have been a madman too."
Geom Mu-geuk laughed even louder and started walking.
The Sword King sheathed his sword and followed. Perhaps it was because the immediate threat of a death match had passed, but his expression looked more relaxed than it had in years.
"I should retract what I said earlier. We might be the slowest people to ever break this formation."
"This formation will likely be the first and last for us anyway."
"I suppose so."
It didn't seem like this kind of elaborate trap would be installed anywhere else.
The two continued walking until the end of the wasteland was blocked by a towering cliff.
"The world created by the formation ends here. No matter which direction we go, we'll hit a cliff after walking this far."
The Sword King realized then that Geom Mu-geuk had been walking just to confirm the boundaries of the illusion. He clearly had a plan. Then, Mu-geuk made another unexpected suggestion.
"It's getting dark. Let's stay the night here."
With that, he gathered dry branches scattered around and started a campfire. He looked like someone who had completely forgotten they were trapped inside a lethal formation.
Anyone else would have called it insanity. But then again, there was no need to compare him to others. Anyone else wouldn't have descended into this underground vault with him in the first place.
The campfire blazed to life.
Embers crackled and drifted into the air with the smoke, the flickering light painting the dry rocks and grass in warm, orange hues.
"Fine. One day shouldn't hurt!"
The Sword King sprawled out on the ground beside the fire. Seeing this, Geom Mu-geuk also lay down comfortably on the other side of the flames.
"Why stop at one day? We could rest for a whole year. Let's just take a break."
A look of genuine agreement appeared on the Sword King’s face. It had been a very long time since he had truly rested. He never imagined he would find such respite inside a formation—and with the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, no less.
"Haven't you lived your life running without rest? Take a good rest now."
"How do you know I've been running?"
"Because you met me. I've been running without rest too. One runner always recognizes another."
A faint smile touched the Sword King’s lips.
The two lay there, staring up at the sky. As time passed, the colors of the artificial firmament shifted. When the twilight faded into total darkness, new lights began to embroider the heavens.
"The stars that day... I liked them too."
Geom Mu-geuk turned his head to look at the Sword King. What had the man been thinking while looking at the stars that day? Who had he been remembering?
"Why did you join hands with them?"
He was clearly different from the other members of the Twelve Zodiac Kings Mu-geuk had encountered so far. Normally, the Sword King would never have answered, but tonight was different.
"I owed a debt."
Geom Mu-geuk’s gaze deepened. "It must be a heavy debt."
The Sword King gave a slight nod, remaining still. Then, he muttered a single sentence.
"Nothing changes."
Despite his words, a hint of regret flickered in his eyes. If only we hadn't met as enemies... The Young Cult Leader was the kind of person who made one think such things.
Then, Geom Mu-geuk’s voice drifted over from across the campfire.
"Don't decide that in advance. It's your life, and it's my life. We get to decide our own paths." After a brief pause, he added, "And debts can always be repaid."
The Sword King didn't answer.
As the campfire slowly died down, the night grew deeper.
*
A new report arrived from Tongcheon Pavilion.
The Master of the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Hall had visited the sparring arena that led underground, and a formidable master had appeared there. Specifically, the report of a man with bandages wrapped around his fists made the Fist Demon’s eyes sparkle.
Since he had heard that two Absolute Masters had joined forces during the battle at Heavenly Flower Pavilion, it was likely that another master had emerged to provide support this time as well.
"Furthermore, masters who appear to be their subordinates are gathering at the Yellow Dragon Martial Arts Hall one after another."
The enemies had begun to move in earnest.
After finishing the report, Lee An shared her thoughts with the Fist Demon.
"It seems they are waiting for the Young Cult Leader to emerge. The fact that they are guarding the entrance instead of going down means that whatever is happening below is that important. Or, they have absolute faith in the person who went down with him."
The Fist Demon nodded silently. His gaze turned toward the One Flower Sword Venerable. In a situation like this, the decision a man like the Fist Demon would make was simple.
"Let's be the ones waiting for the Young Cult Leader."
It meant they would wipe out the enemies and greet Geom Mu-geuk themselves when he returned to the surface.
A smile spread across the One Flower Sword Venerable’s lips. "I was waiting for you to say that."
Contrary to her smile, her eyes shone as cold as her blade.
Lee An had expected this decision from her father. This was likely the reason why Geom Mu-geuk had summoned the Demon Lords. He must have trusted that they would handle things without being told.
Indeed, if there was one word that least suited a Demon Lord, it would be 'safe house.' The two of them were only staying there temporarily for the sake of Lee An and Seo Jin.
However, she hadn't expected her father's next decision.
"You come with us too."
She had thought he wouldn't take her because it was too dangerous.
"A martial artist belongs on the battlefield. Just as the Young Cult Leader is currently underground."
This was the Fist Demon’s philosophy. He knew well that the more precious a child was, the more they needed to experience hardship. Holding them close is easy; letting them go is the difficult part.
"Father! Thank you!" Lee An’s face brightened with gratitude.
The One Flower Sword Venerable opened the door first and looked back at the two.
"Let us go. We cannot allow enemies to stand above the Young Cult Leader's head."
*
The next morning, when Geom Mu-geuk opened his eyes, the Sword King was standing alone, watching the rising sun.
"You're probably the only person who could sleep so soundly in a situation like this."
"I haven't been able to sleep lately because I've been so tense thanks to you, Instructor."
Geom Mu-geuk stretched deeply and stood beside the Sword King.
"If you had killed me, you could have broken the formation and left by now."
"Don't we have enough loyalty not to stab each other while we sleep?"
"Of course. That's why I slept so well."
Of course, his confidence in his Twelve-Star Great Achievement of the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art was another reason he could sleep so soundly.
"It's a shame. I wanted to fight you on that sparring arena."
As they watched the rising sun, their gazes turned toward each other.
"You're still intent on killing me," Mu-geuk noted.
"Because I can't be the one to die."
"Well, whether you'll feel relieved or regretful after killing me... let me confess first. If I kill you, Instructor, I think I'll be regretful for a long time. I'll think about it for the rest of my life."
"You're running a scheme until the very end."
The two looked at each other and laughed.
"Even if we have to fight, let's see the final room together before we do. You know how hard I worked shoveling, right?"
"I know. But this damn formation..."
The Sword King suddenly flinched and stopped mid-sentence. He sensed that Geom Mu-geuk had a plan. His intuition was correct.
"We don't have to fight here."
"How?"
"As you might have noticed, I have some basic knowledge of illusions and formations. And the solution to this problem lies in the most basic of basics."
Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes sharpened. "Every illusion or formation must have a way to break it. That is my first principle."
The Sword King nodded, showing he was aware of that as well.
"However, a method that requires killing the person who entered the formation with you cannot exist. It would violate the premise of the first principle—that one can survive by breaking the formation."
The Sword King’s eyes widened. Geom Mu-geuk was piercing through to the truth.
"That signpost was a trick."
"!"
"If such a sign remains when the formation hasn't been broken even after defeating the initial enemies, one would naturally think they have to kill their companion. Since it's the final gate's formation, it must be truly vicious, right? The trick preys on that mindset."
Geom Mu-geuk’s gaze turned toward the sun rising in the distance.
"A remaining enemy must be hiding somewhere here. If we eliminate that last one, it will count as eliminating everyone."
The Sword King was truly shocked. If they hadn't seen through this deception, they would have ended up killing the comrade they came with. If the Young Cult Leader's words were true, this formation was a truly malicious one that toyed with the human heart.
Ah! So that's why he walked to the end of the formation to see how wide it was!
"Then why didn't you say this yesterday?"
"I wanted to light a campfire with you, Instructor. Isn't this all part of the memory?"
The Sword King said nothing. He had been about to ask, half-joking, if Mu-geuk was trying to dig for his secrets, but he could tell from the young man's expression. The boy really just wanted to camp out with him for a day.
If he had been trying to pry for secrets, he would have been persistent. But yesterday, they had spent most of their time just looking up at the night sky.
This time, the Sword King himself tossed his shoe into the air. Picking it up from the ground, he said, "Let's search this way first."
And there really was one.
It was located not far from their starting point. Surprisingly, there was only one enemy left.
"I'll cut him down."
The Sword King’s strike was filled with emotion.
Since only one was left, they expected him to be incredibly strong, but he wasn't. He was at the same level as the warriors who had come in the first wave.
That was why the formation was so infuriating. All they had to do was find and kill this weakling. By the time someone realized this, they would usually have already killed the companion they came with.
Geom Mu-geuk could feel it. The creator of this formation was mocking the very nature of martial artists. The malice was palpable.
As soon as the opponent was cut down, the formation finally began to dissolve. It was the moment 'everyone' mentioned by the formation had been slain. Those who had entered the formation were not included in that count.
Ssssssssss.
As the illusion vanished, the two found themselves standing in a dark corridor.
Clang.
A door at the far end of the corridor opened. The Sword King looked at Geom Mu-geuk with a complex gaze.
"I've passed another gate thanks to you."
The Sword King started walking toward the door first. "Still, I can't give you half this time. This is a place where you get nothing unless you get everything."
Geom Mu-geuk followed behind him. "That's a shame, but it can't be helped."
The two stopped in front of the door at the end of the passage. Geom Mu-geuk’s gaze shifted above the door. A single emblem was drawn there.
It wasn't an emblem he had seen on the walls or in the rooms of the previous corridors. It was a pattern he was seeing for the first time. Nevertheless, it captured his attention more intensely than any drawing he had seen so far.
A square was at the center, surrounded by six small circles. The colors of the circles were all different: black and white, blue and red, yellow and purple.
Could it be?
The square in the middle looked like a Secret Casket, and the six circles around it looked like the beads the casket absorbed.
As Geom Mu-geuk stared intently at the emblem, the Sword King asked, "What is it?"
"I take back what I said earlier."
Geom Mu-geuk spoke as he slowly pushed the door open.
"Give me everything in this room."