Yalyulhan unleashed all of his prayer energy.

A truly icy wind blew. The chill was so severe it felt as if inhaling would freeze the lungs. Within that cold aura lay a profoundly malevolent spirit. This overwhelming aura seemed to say,

But Geom Mugeuk did not stop walking, staring straight into Yalyulhan’s eyes.

“It may work on others, but not on me.”

Geom Mugeuk also pushed his prayer energy to the extreme and released it.

Their prayers collided.

Yalyulhan was shocked by Geom Mugeuk’s prayer.

Prayer is not merely about having a large reserve of internal energy. It is connected to the martial artist’s nature and qualities, personality and values, learned techniques. Prayer touches the very essence of the warrior.

What Yalyulhan felt now in Geom Mugeuk’s prayer was something he had never experienced before.

The first sensation of Geom Mugeuk’s prayer was gentle and refreshing. It felt like gazing into an endless vast blue sky.

In reality, Yalyulhan stood alone amidst the blue. The sky, walls, and floor around him were all blue.

He stretched out his hand. Splash. At that moment, he realized it was not sky but crystal-clear water. What he was seeing was the sky reflected in water.

An invisible energy pulled Yalyulhan underwater.

He kept sinking. Looking down, the floor was nowhere to be seen. The terror of the deep ocean gripped Yalyulhan’s heart.

Geom Mugeuk, walking toward him, seemed like a giant.

Geom Mugeuk himself was struggling against an immense prayer.

He walked through a fierce blizzard. He could see nothing ahead or around. It felt like walking alone through a snowfield in extreme cold.

Yet Geom Mugeuk was neither afraid nor lonely. He simply kept stepping forward. It was a path he had walked before. This unbearably lonely path was the one he had traveled all his life.

Beyond the harsh snowstorm stood Yalyulhan under a clear sky.

Yalyulhan had barely swum up from an endless abyss to stand before Geom Mugeuk.

In a trembling voice, Yalyulhan asked,

“Who are you?”

“I am…”

Geom Mugeuk whispered,

“You said you’d tell me when I die, didn’t you?”

Geom Mugeuk’s sword suddenly slashed through the air.

Yalyulhan barely blocked it. Lost in Geom Mugeuk’s prayer energy, he nearly lost his head.

Fear of death made Yalyulhan excited. Joy overcame anger. This was the first fight that drove him insane.

Their swords collided again, sparking sword light.

The attack was stronger than before, yet neither yielded an inch.

Geom Mugeuk knew well where Yalyulhan’s strength came from. The pills bought with money scraped together through the desperate use of the Four Divine Guards, the results of countless atrocities that pushed many to death, all stored in his dantian.

Swords clashed.

Beyond the blades, Yalyulhan glared fiercely and shouted,

“Who raised a monster like you?!”

“You did!”

“What?”

“I was born to devour monsters like you.”

Murder gleamed in Geom Mugeuk’s eyes.

Yalyulhan saw a vision momentarily—a pitch-black figure with only blazing red eyes glaring at him like a shadow.

Yalyulhan’s hand gripping the sword tightened.

“If you can devour me, then try!”

His face showed raw emotion now.

Anger, fear, excitement…

The dam holding back his emotions broke, flooding him.

At that moment, he unleashed immense power.

Yalyulhan’s massive killing intent crashed down like an avalanche onto Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk’s Cheonma Hosin Gong activated, guarding him from shrinking under the deadly assault.

Without it, this incoming attack would have been fatal.

Yalyulhan’s sword energy was different from before. It felt like a ghostly specter wielding an ice blade flying toward him.

Geom Mugeuk did not evade but unleashed Bi Cheon Sword Style’s seventh form, Yeom Cheon Form.

Because Yalyulhan’s attack was a dynamic, living sword energy, dodging prematurely would have let it follow and hit him.

Two rough, violent sword energies tore the air and collided.

The impact pushed them both backward.

Surprise flickered across Yalyulhan’s face. Geom Mugeuk could even block this?

Geom Mugeuk’s expression replied: I told you it won’t work!

Between the briefly distanced two, Hyeolryun and Jipung crossed paths. The battle between Geugak Soma and Hyeolryungap continued as well.

Hyeolryun’s power was noticeably diminished. But Geom Mugeuk could not rejoice; he saw blood on Hyeolryun.

Geom Mugeuk didn’t glance at Soma even once.

If Yalyulhan noticed or saw him worrying, his fatal weakness would be revealed.

That was why since the fight began, Geom Mugeuk never looked at their battle. He didn’t even have the luxury to.

Just then, Cha Hwan charged in.

Geom Mugeuk and Yalyulhan exchanged powerful blows, pushing each other backward. Cha Hwan judged this was the chance to strike. He had waited for this moment all along.

As he lunged his sword at Geom Mugeuk to ambush—

Cha Hwan’s chest split as something flew out like a flash of light. It was like releasing a hidden weapon stored in his chest.

Blood splattered from Geom Mugeuk’s arm. If not for his blinking step, his chest would have been pierced by the terrifying attack.

Cha Hwan stared blankly at the hole in his chest.

Yalyulhan’s sword energy had pierced Cha Hwan’s chest and flown toward Geom Mugeuk.

Yalyulhan was merciless, seizing the moment when Cha Hwan blocked his vision.

Cha Hwan never imagined the one he had served with such loyalty would use and discard him like this.

He was shocked deeply.

Others had small tattoos on their chests, but he had them all over his body. He had served without rest. Even if he had been told once to sacrifice himself, he would have gladly given his life.

Yes, those who use others always do it like this.

Still, dying this miserably made him ashamed of the dragon tattooed on his body. With that thought, Cha Hwan’s breath left him.

At the moment Cha Hwan died, another battle raged.

Soma and Hyeolryungap fought with all their strength.

At first, Hyeolryungap chose a long battle. His internal energy was superior and his opponent injured.

He did not recklessly release Hyeolryun but focused on blocking Hyeorangji.

But the longer the fight went on, the more he got drawn in. Two reasons.

First, an unknown heat.

Watching the blue eyes shining from beneath the mask made his internal energy surge and blood flow faster. Before he realized, he was throwing Hyeolryun toward Soma.

Second, a clear skill gap.

Soma never moved as intended by his opponent. A long battle? According to whom?

If Soma had not been injured, the fight would have ended already. But his energy management was poor.

At first, Hyeolryungap was confident he could win. But the longer the fight lasted, the greater his fear grew.

Hyeolryungap used all his strength to press Soma.

Using his hidden secret technique, Hyeolryun danced the dance of death, and Soma’s movements grew more precarious.

Hyeolryungap summoned his final secret technique.

Small Hyeolryuns sliced through the air, joining the attack.

Just as the chaotic, rough Hyeolryuns cornered Soma—

The long-awaited sound echoed.

The lively Hyeolryun tore up the ground and flew through, breaking a wall before stopping. The small Hyeolryuns were thrown about the floor.

Hyeolryungap watched shocked.

Something trickled down his face.

He wiped it absentmindedly.

Blood. It flowed from a wound on his forehead.

Holding up a small Hyeolryun, he looked at his reflection. A hole was in his forehead.

That question was the last thing he thought before his secret form collapsed.

Amazingly, Soma had fired Hyeorangji through a tiny hole in the center of the wildly moving Hyeolryun. That hole exactly matched Hyeolryungap’s forehead. He hadn’t expected such an attack, and the Hyeolryun blocking his sight meant he never could.

The battle between Geom Mugeuk and Yalyulhan also escalated.

After Cha Hwan’s move failed, Yalyulhan’s eyes changed. His pupils vanished, and even the whites of his eyes turned completely blue. Not glowing blue, but entirely blue.

Geom Mugeuk sensed it. Yalyulhan was about to unleash his final secret technique.

Judging by his divine skills shown so far, it was time for Geom Mugeuk to strike his final move.

He unleashed the last sword form of Bi Cheon Sword Style.

The eighth form, Gui Cheon Form, had never been used in real battle before.

Gui Cheon Form was a 44-strike technique.

It was powerful but had one fatal flaw: it consumed nearly all internal energy. It required almost the entire reserve of internal energy.

If it failed to kill the opponent, Geom Mugeuk himself would be in danger. It was truly a last resort.

Now not only Yalyulhan’s eyes but his entire body began turning blue.

Drawing all his energy to kill the opponent, this was the final secret of Honwon Bungwang Sword Technique. It unleashed power far beyond his normal limits but could cost his life if failed.

Geom Mugeuk activated Bi Cheon Sword Style’s eighth form, Gui Cheon Form.

The sound of wind brushed against Yalyulhan’s collar as sword lines began to etch across his body.

Emitting extreme cold, Yalyulhan swung his sword to block. If he blocked all of Gui Cheon Form, Geom Mugeuk would die.

The speed of the sword lines increased.

Yalyulhan’s sword held firm, blocking the attacks.

The Black Horse Sword cried out.

This was the first time it had made a sound during battle.

Geom Mugeuk felt the Black Horse Sword had become one with him, emitting demonic energy to protect him from Yalyulhan’s intense killing aura.

“Yes, let’s end this!”

Geom Mugeuk poured all his strength into the attack.

Fifteen strikes, sixteen, seventeen…

Yalyulhan stubbornly blocked every one.

Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five…

“Is that all you’ve got?”

Yalyulhan even shouted.

The sword lines cut faster.

Thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six…

Yalyulhan blocked the lightning-fast strikes with Honwon Geukhan.

If they reached forty-four strikes, Geom Mugeuk would lose.

But Geom Mugeuk trusted himself and remained calm. Yes, you probably worked hard to get here, but you didn’t work harder than me!

Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine…

At the moment rushing to the end—

With the sound of tearing flesh, the flashing sword light stopped. The swords colliding ceased. It was strike number forty-two.

Geom Mugeuk’s sword was lodged in Yalyulhan’s heart. Yalyulhan had failed to fully block Gui Cheon Form.

Yalyulhan’s body, which had turned completely blue, began to return to normal.

Looking into Yalyulhan’s eyes filled with shock, anger, and fear, Geom Mugeuk said,

“The one who sent me is a father who had to watch his family die before his eyes.”

Yalyulhan’s expression showed confusion. He must have thought he was dying due to the Sado Maeng leader’s or the heretics’ conspiracies.

So this moment was an even greater punishment. Dying for such reasons would feel more unfair, and he would die enraged.

“I spared your subordinate, yet killed all the doctors’ families for continuing treatment.”

Yalyulhan’s gaze faltered. It seemed like remembering, or questioning why he would die for such a petty reason.

“You know the rule about killing those who disobey orders? This is the answer from Ma Ui to your pathetic rules. The answer of a husband who lost his wife and a father who lost his child! Go to hell!”

As the Black Horse Sword was pulled out, blood sprayed like a fountain from his heart.

“Uaaaaaaah!”

Yalyulhan screamed in agony, spitting blood.

His blood poured down like rain.

Geom Mugeuk did not dodge. He slowly turned toward Geugak Soma under the blood rain.

Soma, having ended his fight, stood looking this way.

Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly at him.

“It’s all over, Soma.”

Just as he stepped forward—

Geugak Soma began to slowly collapse like he was falling apart.