2
5
0.
Ak Byeong-bi frowned.
Even the physician, who had dealt with all manner of men in the Black Path, spoke in a low voice, perhaps feeling a bit intimidated by his menacing face.
“Well, I’m not sure of the cause yet. Perhaps it’s because the wound was severe?”
“Does that mean you don’t know exactly?”
“Most people who have suffered a major shock fall into a deep sleep for days or even weeks. Some……”
The assemblyman, who had been speaking, clamped his mouth shut.
This was because everyone in the venue was staring at him with sharp eyes.
Not only the delegation of the Murim Alliance, but also Cha Seok-du, Hwang Bu-sik, Hyeol-tu, and Yeom Gwi-bi, as well as the elders supporting the Saheukryeon.
They were all glaring at him with fierce intensity, as if they would pierce his face.
“C-cough…….”
It was impossible not to feel tense at the sight of the crowd that had gathered, appearing as if they were worried about the safety of the fallen emperor.
Among them, the one shooting the most icy gaze is… … .
It was by far the evil disease monument.
“Sometimes… what was I going to say next?” I was about to say, “I can sleep for months, or even years… … maybe I might never wake up for the rest of my life… … .”
“What was it?”… …
I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
As the saying goes, isn’t it the rule that an Emperor’s physician should be careful with his mouth rather than being good at treating patients?
But you should know when to stop trying to gloss over things.
“I, I will do my best.”
When Akbyeongbi tried to approach him, seemingly displeased with the councilor’s words.
Dang Seo-hui spoke in a voice full of tears.
“I was trying to say that they might never wake up…”
Dang Seo-hee sitting on the edge of the bed like a lost puppy, gazing at Jin So-un.
The flustered council member glanced around and hurriedly answered.
I, I will do my best to ensure that such a thing does not happen.
however.
“…….”
No one harbored hope in the lawmaker’s words.
Starting with Cha Seok-du, everyone grasped the atmosphere and began leaving the inner chambers one by one, and eventually, only the Murim Alliance delegation, the bloody battle, and Yeom Gwi-bi remained in the room.
“Let’s go, too. It’s not like he’ll wake up just because we stay by and watch.”
At the words of the bloody battle, the remaining people were finally getting up one by one.
Thud
A strange sound was heard.
“what?”
The surprised people looked at the council member.
Wondering if he might have done something to Jin So-woon.
However, the council member three steps away was flustered and merely shook his head.
and.
A strange sound rang out again.
“uh?”
At that moment, a glint appeared in Dang Seo-hui’s eyes.
At the end where her gaze fell…
Jin So-un’s arm was longer than usual.
Just as the startled council member was about to run toward Jin So-un.
Bloody battle blocked him by pressing on his demonic pressure point.
“No one move!”
As people watched the bloody battle with surprised eyes, he wore a meaningful smile on his lips.
“I can’t believe it……. Damn it, to think I’m this lucky.”
Everyone questioned Bloody Battle’s meaningful words, but Bloody Battle did not answer and only stared at Jin So-woon. #What is this?
It is pitch black all around.
It doesn’t feel cramped… it feels like I’ve entered an incredibly vast space.
It feels so distant that my very existence is not even a speck of dust.
What on earth could it be… … .
Ah, is it dead?
“Is this what life after death is like?” “Damn it…” Suddenly, thinking that makes anger surge.
They say that a lucky man picks up the next gold nugget immediately after finding one, whereas a man with bad luck is framed as a thief and beaten to death even for finding a single silver coin…
“That is exactly my case. ‘Of all the people I could meet, I had to meet the Yin-Yang Twin Demons…’ My previous life wasn’t exactly lucky, but my fate wasn’t this harsh either.”
Come to think of it, it seems like my fate got tougher ever since I met those Sojeongdae brats…
It is clear. Bad luck has taken hold.
Anyway, they’re useless bastards.
As it continues to generate heat, a red sphere in the darkness gradually grows larger and begins to fill the space.
Then, a vision of me fighting the Yin-Yang Twin Demons appears inside the sphere. ‘What is this now?’ Je Geum-hak creates an ice barrier, and I try to break through it.
However, the attacks are repeatedly blocked, and then even the beings of the Formless Flying Horse Unit join in.
A series of events unfolds exactly as I experienced them, and eventually, I collapse bleeding.
A scene that looks as if it perfectly depicts the process of my death.
I thought I had gotten a bit stronger living my second life, but a demon is still a demon.
Come to think of it, I realize that I have been underestimating the level of the Minds all this time.
Among the demons I faced, how many big names could there possibly have been on the level of the Yin-Yang Twin Demons?
Since most of Sojeongdae’s adversaries were mid-to-low-tier armed groups, my standards always remained there. ‘Those weakling Sojeongdae bastards!’… …
Anyway, it’s the fault of those Sojeongdae bastards.
After acquiring the Taeeul Jingyeong, Yeokma Jing, and even the Okcheong Cheonsangnyeok in this life, I was able to shake off my fear of demons, but I was short-sighted.
Now that my position in the Murim Alliance has changed, the guys I will have to face in the future will also be different.
I was still unable to escape from the memories of my past life.
Just then. ‘Huh?’ The red sphere began to turn golden.
There, the battle between Jegeumhak and me takes place once again. ‘Huh?’ But this time, it’s a bit different.
I, who burrow into the embrace of the golden crane and unfold lotus flowers and legends.
Break through the ice barrier step by step using only the basic techniques of the Socheon Sword Technique.
The consumption of internal energy does not seem that high.
While in reality I used to crush my opponents with lightning-like and storm-like force, inside the sphere I shatter them with graceful and softness, yet rock-hardness.
It was such a different appearance that I wondered if it was really me. ‘Is this how you extend a sword?’ I slowly began to mimic my own form.
Then, the movement of the pictures also moves slowly along with it.
Could it be that it is waiting for me to follow along?
Crack
– Crack
I heard a continuous snapping sound in the dark space, but I ignored it and continued to follow the movements.
Even the movements that I couldn’t imitate well at first gradually begin to develop correctly after doing them dozens or hundreds of times.
And by the time those movements were all perfect, ‘my’ form returned to the beginning and began fighting Jegeumhak.
Crack
– Crack
-Crack, crack.
Noises unrelated to the fight still echo throughout the space.
I tried my best to focus on the fight, and then focus again.
The me in the picture engages in battle this time by firing the Light Heaven Divine Palm and swinging the sword energy. ‘Huh! I could have finished it this quickly?’ Compared to the time I fought before, this battle is unbelievably short.
However, they settle the fight with an overwhelming advantage.
The fight ended before the Formless Flying Horse Unit could even appear, meaning the Yin-Yang Twin Demons were subdued at an unbelievable speed. ‘It is impressive, but…’ It is so overwhelming that I am losing my sense of reality.
Is that fight really based on my skill level and amount of internal energy?
Many complex thoughts cross my mind, but nevertheless, I ‘just’ follow the movements.
This time, the use of internal energy is also included.
Dudududuk
– Dum dum dum dum
-Crack, crack, crack.
The noise gets louder.
Strangely, whenever I hear noise, I feel a sense of clarity.
Anyway, what is important right now is to fully capture the images inside that sphere in my head and body.
As I kept following along, I gradually started to get used to it.
But a problem arose. ‘Huh?’ The noise that had been coming in continuously suddenly stopped, and drowsiness began to wash over me like crazy. ‘No! Just one more glimpse! Just one more glimpse…!’ Even though I knew I possessed absolute memory, I struggled to see even a little more of the shape inside the sphere.
Because for some reason, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to remember this sensation.
But. ‘Seriously, you fucking bastard…’ Just like when I faced the Yin-Yang Twin Demons, my eyes slowly closed.#I woke up and tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn’t budge at all.
Blink blink.
As I forcefully rub my eyes, the thick eye boogers fall out and my eyes open.
When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
The surrounding furniture and the scent emanating from it feel completely unfamiliar.
what?
Is it a third life?
Thinking that, I examined my dantian.
“What the hell. I can feel the energy of the Taeeul Jingyeong, which has expanded by thirty years from four cycles of sixty years.”
“I marveled that this wasn’t my third life. ‘Wow, I actually bought this. Haha.’ Even I find it ridiculous.”
The amount of blood shed back then was simply too much for one person to shed and survive…
Could it be that the reincarnation of the deceased Hua Tuo is in the Black Alliance?
Hmm, if there is a capable member, I should consider recruiting them.
Wouldn’t it be much better to live as an exclusive physician for the righteous and pure Taeeulmun rather than being in a place full of dark thugs like Saheukryeon?
Of course.
Finish productive thinking.
Thinking there was no one around, I turned my head to call out to someone. ‘What is this now?’… …
The back of Damak was visible.
He reads the documents, busily moves the brush, reads the documents again, and moves the brush.
Hmm, I feel like I’ve seen this scene somewhere before.
Srrk, srrk.
Yeah. I’m sure I saw it.
The General Staff did the exact same thing last time.
Is it efficient to work with an injured person behind you?
No, it’s not like I’m a talisman or anything.
“Ahem…”
As soon as I made a slight noise, Dam-ak, who was working, dropped his brush as if throwing it down and sprang up from his seat.
Are you alright?
The moment I also placed my hands on the bed and exerted force to slowly sit up.
Crack.
The hand went through the bed frame.
“Huh?”
Why is the bed so flimsy?
After pulling my hand away, I grabbed the railing next to me and tried to stand up.
Crackle…
This time, the railing crumbles helplessly.
Damak looks at me with gray eyes.
Tsk, even though I destroyed some of the Black Alliance’s equipment, I am still your savior, after all. Aren’t you being a bit too harsh?
I withdrew my hand awkwardly and said.
“Hmm… it looks like they used old materials.”
Master Yeonju’s quarters were built using only the finest materials.
“huh?”
Was this the Black Alliance Leader’s quarters?
As I glanced around, Damak added in a calm voice.
Since you said it will probably take some time to adjust to your changed body, please move carefully.
I tilted my head.
“Changed body?”
Elder Bloody Struggle said that if I say it like that, he will understand.
Come to think of it, we bled a lot and fought fiercely.
However, strangely enough, I have no muscle pain at all, and my joints are smooth.
What on earth is going on?
“If you are curious, please ask Elder Bloodbath later. It seemed that among the delegation and those in the Black Alliance, he was the only one who knew.”
Is that so?
Damak looked at me for a moment and politely asked.
Would you like a cup of tea?
It was a suggestion, but I was already pouring tea.
If he was waiting alone after dismissing the entire Murim Alliance delegation, he must surely have an ulterior motive.
I’m worried about another accident(?)
Should I hit it? I sat down carefully and held the teacup very lightly.
Crack.
I’m screwed.
“……
Antiques from the Zhao Dynasty… … .”
No, if it’s that precious, don’t use it in the first place.
I cleared my throat and asked.
“Just… don’t you have any regular teacups?”
Phew. Just use it. It’s already cracked.
Good grief, you’re making me feel so awkward.
Ahem.
As I gaze at the steam rising from the teacup, I feel Damak’s stinging stare.
Fuck. Did they see everything inside Gimunjin?
I definitely checked that he was unconscious before moving…
While I was choosing my words to make an excuse, Damak spoke first.
“Why did you save me?”
My mind goes blank at the unexpected question.
I carefully placed the teacup on the table so as not to break and asked back.
“Why are you curious about that?”
Is there any reason not to be curious? ……
I am someone who opposed the alliance between the Black Alliance and the Murim Alliance to the very end. Moreover, I did not hesitate to say that I would wage war against the Murim Alliance.
Damak paused for a moment, shook his head slightly as if to collect his thoughts, and continued speaking.
“From both a strategic and a tactical standpoint, isn’t it more reasonable not to seek them out?”
As expected, it is outstanding.
A heartwarming smile naturally formed on my face without me even realizing it.
That’s true.
But you have to take on the Demonic Cult with me later. I can’t just go through the trouble alone, can I?
In other words, the very existence of Damak was no different from a ‘stake’ that I desperately wanted to win.
However, you cannot simply reveal your true feelings.
I gave a benevolent smile, more so than Il-myeong and Il-gak.
You consider it as having paid off the debt, don’t you?
“A debt?”
I stared into young Damak’s eyes, filled with bewilderment.
I mean the debt the Murim Alliance owes, for failing to extend a helping hand when the Commander-in-Chief waited so desperately.
Damak’s eyes trembled in a complex way.
Even that sharp gaze looks a bit naive when viewed like that.
A brief silence followed.
With a complex look in his eyes, Damak struggles to speak.
That is not a debt you owe.
I know. So there is no need to feel burdened.
To criticize him for not pretending to be a chivalrous hero… he took on too great a risk.
Damak seemed to want to cast a shadow of hypocrisy over my actions somehow.
However, cognitive dissonance in my head seemed to keep interfering with it.
I looked at his anguished face.
“In fact, the image of the Murim Alliance that you see, Commander-in-Chief, is likely the true image of the Murim Alliance.”
Suddenly, Damak’s eyes flash sharply.
Are you trying to say that we shouldn’t hate everyone, even so?
I shook my head.
“Now that you are the supreme commander of the Black Alliance, shouldn’t the mere existence of the Murim Alliance be stirring up hatred?”
“I don’t really want to make them feel indebted or burden them with a debt. After all, the Black Alliance and the Murim Alliance will eventually become enemies.”
Damak makes a dazed expression.
I looked at that sight and continued speaking my thoughts.
“By the time comes, you will have to face someone like me. I will not show you any consideration or make any concessions, Commander-in-Chief. Well, anyway, even if you exert your full strength, you won’t be able to defeat me.”
Geez, I just made a joke, why is your face stiffening?
Making someone feel awkward.
“Anyway, that was then, and this is now, isn’t it? I came as an envoy of the Murim Alliance, and the Dark Alliance and the Four Black Alliances are currently in an agreement regarding public achievements. Then, can’t we help each other?”
Does that mean you would throw away your life?
I scratched my cheek.
To be honest, this part is more due to my personal desire to get back at that demon guy who was imitating Je Geum-hak—no, Gun Yu-hyeon.
How many times in their past lives have those scoundrels deceived people like that?
I mean, I wanted to smear shit on your face at least once.
On the one hand, I also wanted to repay the debt I owed Damak from my previous life.
“Well, everyone has their limits to their behavior. I do tend to act a bit more dangerously than the average person.”
“a little?”
I waved my hand dismissively as if to say it was done.
“Anyway, that is the situation. I have nothing more to say, so if we are going to talk about the same thing, let’s stop.”
Damak stared into my eyes for a long time, then let out a small sigh and lowered his head.
How do you know his identity?
“who?”
“army……
I mean Yuhyeon.
The wound from the betrayal must have been quite deep.
Damak, trembling weakly.
I gazed intently at that hand and began to speak.
Do you remember the day we first met?
“yes.”
That day, with Gun Yu-hyeon’s help, I sat in the same place as Dam-ak.
And right there, Gun Yu-hyeon made the mistake of revealing his true identity.
“The beings I encountered on the Bokyang Plain. They were creatures that hid themselves in the darkness. Even when I set off flares, only those standing closest could see their true forms vaguely.”
Damak tilting his head.
But isn’t it strange that he saw them from a distance?
Damak’s mouth slowly opens.
“B-but didn’t you clearly agree with his words that day?”
I let out a chuckle.
“Of course, investigations are conducted secretly behind the scenes, aren’t they?”
Next, he took out the seal he had received from Haomun and showed it.
“These are the results of the investigation into the Cheongwanmun sect. I heard that Gun Yu-hyeon, the eldest son of Cheongwanmun, was a scoundrel who, relying on his father, caused trouble for those around him from a very young age.”
A guy like that turned over a new leaf and became someone like the current Gun Yu-hyeon?
Does a person’s temperament really change that easily?
At the very least, there should have been such a process, but according to Haomun’s investigation, there was no such process.
To think that they changed completely overnight, as if they were a different person…
There were several other indications as well. Things like treating money like stones…
“Why?”
“No matter how wealthy a person is, they cannot treat money like a stone. Yet, he really did treat it like a stone.”
I tapped the Haomun investigation sheet.
“Doesn’t that mean the value of that money is like a stone to him? It means he is not a man with enemies in the martial arts world.”
Even after I finished speaking, Damak could not open his mouth for a while.
Then, after quite a while, he slowly raised his head.
“Is the Black Flame Dragon wishing for the peace of the Murim Alliance and the Four Black Alliance because of ‘them’?”
As expected, he is a clever person.
He already knows how to picture the whole picture.
He is indeed a person I really need.
Still, I think the title ‘that one’ is better than Black Flame Dragon…
“General, you also experienced this while going through this incident, didn’t you?”
“Can the Black Alliance, the Murim Alliance, or any other single Murim sect truly stand against them alone?”
To put it simply, they are the ones who drove the Black Alliance to the brink of collapse with fewer than twenty people.
If they start moving in earnest, who knows what will happen in the martial arts world.
At my explanation, a shadow falls across Damak’s face.
Who on earth are they?
I thought for a moment.
Is it right to tell this story, or is it right not to tell it?
Normally, I would have chosen not to do it.
However, Damak is different.
I have now become an enemy of the Black Alliance, but that is why I must act alone.
I don’t know if you’ll understand or not.
At the very least, I should be able to recall what I said when a problem arises.
That is how important Damak’s existence is to me.
It was like a stake so attractive that I would have risked my life to win it.
I clasped my hands together and quietly spat out.
The being who defied heaven and turned the sky upside down five hundred years ago.
Then, he looked directly into Damak’s eyes.
The Demonic Cult.
“Demonic Cult?”
They called themselves the Heavenly Demon Cult.
His eyes grew indescribably large.
