Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 471 – The Great Battle (4)

The anxiety born from time flowing so slowly it might as well have stopped led to increasingly deep contemplation, which eventually awakened something deeply dormant within.

As complex thoughts disappeared and thinking became simpler,

Whoosh!
Black flames entered Mok Gyeong-un’s field of vision.

Though in the shape of flames, they contained a darkness like the abyss.

In the endless depths, along with ferocity, a pure demonic nature could be felt. Despite encountering it for the first time, it felt very familiar.

What on earth was this thing before him?

As he wondered, the black flames flickered and a voice was heard.

-Can you see?

‘!?’

-You can see. Are we finally facing each other properly?

‘You…’

-I thought it would take much longer for you to observe yourself, how truly surprising.

This voice.

It was certainly that.

That existence within himself.

Is this its form? What on earth is this?

As he wondered at its appearance, more alien than expected, the black flames flickered again and the voice resonated in his ears.

-There’s no need to question the natural order that has come. Your encounter with me like this means your will has attained that level of caliber.

‘Caliber?’

-Although you’ve lost the core, your caliber, born entirely of human will, cannot be equal to mine, who has lived for an unfathomably long time.

An unfathomably long time?

What on earth is this being?

He had learned many things on his journey of revenge that began to avenge his grandfather.

However, the more clues he discovered about himself, the more he found himself in a labyrinth.

This was especially true because of the Spirit Sword.

‘… What exactly are you? Do you know everything about me?’

-A straightforward question.

‘Answer what I’m asking.’

-A question about myself to myself. How truly novel.

‘What?’

What is it saying now?

A question about myself to myself? As if…

-Have you been thinking we were separate entities? But that’s not it. You must have sensed it clearly. That although our personalities and wills may differ, we are one.

‘……’

Mok Gyeong-un, momentarily at a loss for words, soon denied this.

‘… Nonsense.’

-Why are you denying it? Do you think your life up to now could be negated?

‘……’

The negation of life.

Questions about his own identity led him to make the worst assumptions about himself.

That the being inside him was actually the essence, and he was merely a derivative existence from that essence.

He became conscious of this when the black flame entity controlled his physical body.

As if his own will existed but his body wasn’t his, he completely lost control.

That’s why he could only watch.

-Interesting. It was my wish and choice, but I didn’t expect such a strong will to form.

‘What are you talking about?’

-Have you become attached to your own life?

The black flames flickered.

Though the caliber of will has increased, humans are certainly unstable beings.

Born of human will, despite the clearly short life, it seems many emotions have formed.

Was it still too early to fully accept after all?

As he thought this, Mok Gyeong-un raised his will.

‘Attachment to life… Don’t define me as you please.’

-Don’t define?

‘Even if the truth about me is not what I wished for, this life I’ve experienced until now and these emotions I currently have are entirely my own.’

-……

The flames fell silent for a moment at Mok Gyeong-un’s strong will.

Then they flickered again and the voice resonated.

-I had a high evaluation of human potential, but you certainly exceed my expectations.

‘What are you trying to say?’

-It’s exactly as I said. It’s praise. Since you’re also me, is it self-praise?

‘… Is your constant reference to you and I being one an attempt to take control of this body?’

-I am merely an impurity.

‘What?’

Mok Gyeong-un couldn’t hide his bewilderment at these unexpected words.

What on earth was it saying?

-From the moment I lost everything precious to me, nothing remained for me.

‘……’

-To put it in human terms, it would be correct to say I have no great lingering attachment to life.

‘No lingering attachment?’

-Didn’t I say? Even if not human, most intelligent life forms find their meaning in life fades when they lose what they hold dear. If the ability to think exists, that is.

At these words from the black flames, Mok Gyeong-un’s gaze became strange.

In his previous, more emotionless state, it would have been difficult to readily accept these words.

The anger and killing intent that came after losing his grandfather became the driving force that moved him, but within that lay a strong emptiness.

And trapped in the Supreme Void Sealing Reversal Technique, feeling anxious about possibly losing Cheong-ryeong, the moment he considered what if he lost her, he felt an emotion entirely different from anger or sadness.

Yes.

As it said, it was a moment of reflecting on the meaning of life.

‘By calling yourself an impurity, do you consider yourself already dead?’

-That too could be an answer. It might be somewhat difficult for you…

‘… No. I think I understand the feeling.’

The deep emotional line contained in Mok Gyeong-un’s voice.

Reading this, the black flames felt something subtle.

-How truly strange. You’ve lived for just a fleeting moment, yet you feel such complex emotions as I did.

‘It seems the issue isn’t how long one has lived, but how one has lived.’

-Ha!

At that moment, the black flames flickered greatly.

The surging flames seemed to be greatly agitated.

Then a boisterous laugh rang out.

-Hahahahahahaha! Yes. Your words are correct. Whether long or short, how one has lived is what’s important.

‘……’

-How truly coincidental. Is this what it feels like to see oneself through oneself?

‘You keep saying only what you want to say. What exactly are you? You speak as if you’re not human, are you really a divine being like the Fire Faith Order talks about, or rather a godlike existence?’

-A god… Believers with faith in fire do call me that.

‘!!!!!!’

A god?

Then is this consciousness different from me, or rather within me, truly a divine being?

As he was astonished, the black flames flickered and answered.

-But that alone cannot define me. Those who fear me call me terror, those steeped in greed call me evil, and the pure call me immortal. Everything is like the two sides of a coin.

‘… You mean it differs depending on the perspective or viewpoint?’

-Yes. Everyone would define themselves, but anything will inevitably differ according to the subjectivity of those observing.

‘Then what exactly is your existence as defined by your own subjectivity, not that of other objects?’

-A definition of my existence… It’s been a very long time since I’ve talked about myself to someone. No, it would be more correct to say it’s the first time. Since I’m talking about myself to myself.

‘……’

-I was born in darkness deeper than the abyss. I am the black flame that brings fear, terror, and chaos, the very essence of primordial demons. I was born with the destiny to rule and am a being who received the worship of followers.

-Whoosh!

Eventually, a form appeared within the burning black flames, one that Mok Gyeong-un had never imagined.

A majesty and pressure that seemed to encompass everything.

It was awe itself.

For a moment, even Mok Gyeong-un was captivated by reverence, and as the being that revealed itself this way approached Mok Gyeong-un, it spoke:

-I am the King. The Demon King who rules over all demons.

***

At the same time, in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

The former Heaven and Earth Society warriors under Mok Gyeong-un, who had secured the high ground of the mountain peaks that were like natural fortresses, grew grim as they watched the numerous cavalry approaching.

Thud thud thud thud thud thud!
At a glance, it was close to ten thousand in number.

Flags fluttered at the front of the rapidly advancing cavalry, revealing who they were.

邪連盟 (Evil Alliance)

First Alliance Lord, Unruly Evil Hegemon Emperor Hang Sim.

Third Alliance Lord, Red Demonic Alliance Lord[1] Im Mu-gun.

Seventh Alliance Lord, Light Killing King[경살왕(輕殺王)]] Ho Il-sa.

Ninth Alliance Lord, Gal Yun, Great Chief of the Thirty-Six Gangs of the Yangtze River.

Poison King Baek Saha furrowed his brow as he saw the flags symbolizing the Evil Alliance and its four Alliance Lords, then spoke in a serious voice:

“Huh. The situation we feared has come to pass.”

“… So it seems.”

The smile disappeared from Shadow Clan Master Ya-seon’s face, who had been showing some composure despite their numerical inferiority until just moments ago.

This was because the worst-case scenario they had envisioned had unfolded.

The alliance between the Righteous Alliance and the Evil Alliance was something they had anticipated to some extent based on reports from branch messengers.

However, because their starting points were different, their strategy was to use every means and method to decide the battle with the Righteous Alliance before the Evil Alliance arrived.

That’s why they didn’t hesitate to unleash poison attacks from the start, but the feared situation had occurred.

The Evil Alliance had arrived at the battlefield far exceeding expectations.

“Even with cavalry, this is too fast.”

“… We can only assume the Righteous Alliance provided relay stations for each sect and branch.”

Relay stations.

Places prepared with lodging, food, stables, and carriages, with the most important role being the ability to change horses.

No matter how well-trained, horses couldn’t run for days without rest.

Therefore, by changing to horses with sufficient stamina reserves at these relay stations, they could move quickly and efficiently without needing to rest the horses.

“Sigh. Our chances have decreased further.”

Axe-Destroying King Ho Tae-gang, positioned on the highest mountain peak, also had a hardened expression.

Although they had repelled nearly two thousand of the Righteous Alliance’s front line with poison attacks in the initial battle, they still faced a massive force of forty-four thousand.

Moreover, with the Evil Alliance’s forces added, the situation had grown even darker.

What was worse,

‘Unruly Evil Hegemon Emperor Hang Sim.’

He was the First Alliance Lord of the Evil Alliance, called the Hegemon of the North, and one of the Seven Heavens at the pinnacle of the current martial arts world.

The other Alliance Lords of the Evil Alliance were also formidable supreme masters, but he was a peerless master of the Great Grandmaster level, ranking among the upper echelons of the Seven Heavens.

‘Of all times for our lord to be absent…’

They were the top figures of the Righteous Alliance and Evil Alliance.

Among the current top executives under Mok Gyeong-un, only Ou Cheon-mu, the master of Spiritual Sword Sanctuary and also one of the Seven Heavens, could face them one-on-one in direct combat.

‘Two of the Seven Heavens.’

It wasn’t a situation Ou Cheon-mu could handle alone.

The worst crisis had arrived.

‘There’s no way out. Is a defensive battle the only answer?’

The Ten Thousand Great Mountains were well-suited for defense, worthy of being called a natural fortress.

By occupying the high ground and making good use of the many ambush points, they could potentially hold off tens of thousands of enemies, so for now, this was the only way to deal with all of them.

The one fortunate thing was that, like the Sichuan Tang family, the Evil Alliance had no suitable group for using poisons, so they could use this to delay the enemy’s all-out offensive as much as possible and reduce their numbers and morale…

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
At that very moment.

Explosions erupted with loud booms from the mountain peaks at the front line.

‘No way?’

Sudden explosions.

The places where they occurred were none other than where the archers and warriors capable of using the Baek family’s poison attacks were hiding in ambush.

Rumble rumble! Kwakwakwakwa!
The explosives used must have been numerous and powerful, as three mountain peaks collapsed, even causing landslides.

Watching this, the corners of Righteous Alliance Leader Jeong Hyeon-mun’s mouth turned upward.

‘Huhuhu. You made your move, main body.’

Even with the poison-repelling beads, it would have been difficult to engage in an all-out battle without depleting or dealing with their arrows and poison.

But with the explosions that just occurred where the archers were hiding, a golden opportunity had arisen.

While the Righteous Alliance executives were bewildered by the sudden explosions, Jeong Hyeon-mun hurriedly raised his sect’s unique weapon, the famous sword Il-hwi, and shouted loudly:

“The opportunity has come! Advance!”

Waaaaaaaaah!!!!
As soon as his order fell, the Righteous Alliance warriors, starting with the front line holding torches burning poison-repelling beads, all rushed towards the Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

The same was true for the Evil Alliance forces that had arrived late.

“Hahaha! We can’t let those Righteous Alliance bastards steal the glory. Everyone, advance!”

Waaaaaaaaaaaah!!!
Over eight thousand cavalry charged all at once, roaring at the command of Unruly Evil Hegemon Emperor Hang Sim, the First Alliance Lord of the Evil Alliance.

As the mountain peaks at the front line where the archers were positioned collapsed from the explosions, the top executives hurriedly shouted in the face of the tide-like all-out offensive of the Righteous Alliance and Evil Alliance:

“The enemy is coming! The enemy is coming!”

“Regroup the front lines!”

Despite losing about 70% of the archers to the sudden explosions and many being injured, they staggered to their feet, regrouping the battle lines while leaving their comrades’ bodies behind.

In the meantime, the Evil Alliance forces on the left and the Righteous Alliance forces on the right had approached to within three hundred paces.

Thus, the all-out war between the three major powers dividing the current martial arts world was about to begin.

‘Good. Their attention is diverted.’

‘Now let’s retrieve what belongs to him.’

Swish swish swish!
Just as they were about to clash, black shadows were stealthily approaching the rear mountain peak guarded by Corpse Blood Valley Master Lee Ji-yeom.