Chapter 870: Execution.

The forest had become a mess.

Everything within a radius of a ri was ruined.

The trees that had lushly guarded the surroundings were all broken and fallen; the rocks that had intermittently guarded the forest were also all shattered.

And from within that gap.

“Keuhuk…!”

Ilcheonggeom clutched his chest and spilled blood.

“Kulok…!”

Blood trickled down, soaking the ravaged ground.

As if proving his poor condition, Ilcheonggeom crumpled his expression beyond measure.

His body was also a wreck.

His already unwell body was further ruined beyond compare. His left arm couldn’t even be properly lifted. His breathing was tangled.

If he faltered even slightly, his internal energy would be ruined along with it. That’s how bad his condition was.

However, even in such a situation, Ilcheonggeom couldn’t fall.

Because the battle wasn’t over yet.

“Hihhihihihahahaha–!!”

“…!”

He heard laughter. The moment he heard it, Ilcheonggeom moved his body.

Kwagagagagagag—!!!

A storm erupted where Ilcheonggeom had originally been.

The spear swept the ground once, and a gust of wind pressure dug a crater.

The pressure was immense.

Grinding his lips, he leaped. He barely dodged.

Hwa-ah-ak-! Sand and dust obscured his vision. Ilcheonggeom focused his energy into his eyes.

At that moment, a flash pierced through the dust.

Kkigigig–!!

“Keu-euk!”

He deflected the spear with the flat of his blade. The light shifted angles and soared into the air.

Because he was airborne, his body shook from the impact.

He had deflected the attack once, but it wasn’t over.

“Hup!”

The spear swung like a whip. It struck the blade he was using to block once more.

“Keok!”

Ilcheonggeom’s body was driven straight into the ground.

Kwa-ah-ang–!!

His body, unable to properly don his protective energy, hit the ground.

Ilcheonggeom’s body bounced, and he vomited blood.

Pain surged. But there was no time to endure it.

“Hihhihihi—!”

“Keu-euk….”

The attacks were endless. Doesn’t that damn thing ever get tired? He couldn’t understand.

‘I definitely landed attacks too…!’

He hadn’t been attacked one-sidedly. His own attacks had landed. He had cut her chest, and surely inflicted several other sword wounds besides.

‘How on earth….’

Does she keep charging without stopping like that? She was truly like a beast.

“Hahahahahaha—!”

Kwang-! Kwang-kwang-!!

She continued swinging her spear with a bright laugh.

The energy wrapped around her spear never ceased, and whether injured or not, she didn’t seem tired, her speed unchanged from the beginning.

“Damn it…!”

Ilcheonggeom gritted his teeth and gripped his sword.

Energy clashed against energy, erupting in explosions.

Kwa-ah-ng–!!

“Hihhihihihaha-ha–!”

The impact must be considerable, yet the woman seemed unfazed, continuously pushing forward.

The more he blocked and dodged, the darker Ilcheonggeom’s expression became.

He was starting to fall behind in the fight.

He had certainly felt like he could win at first. No matter how much his own body was not in normal condition, he had never imagined being pushed back by such a young girl.

But.

‘What the hell is this bitch…!’

This was the thought that crossed his mind as he turned his head to dodge the spear.

Her style is just too different. Her offense had no foundation.

‘How can it be so chaotic?’

There were no patterns. It was a series of completely unexpected moves.

Moreover.

‘Does she not even care if she gets hurt?’

She charged in without concern for being counter-attacked and severely injured if the situation called for it. Thanks to that, he had managed to inflict damage too.

‘…She doesn’t get tired.’

That woman didn’t get tired. It was as if she couldn’t feel pain at all.

Could it be that the attack he thought was successful had failed?

‘No.’

“Hihhihihi!!”

Watching the woman charge forward laughing, Ilcheonggeom denied it. He could tell just by looking at the woman’s chest. Bloodstains dotted her white martial uniform. The amount was considerable. If you only counted the blood spilled, it seemed like more than his own.

‘And yet she charges like this?’

With that much blood loss, the pain must be considerable, so how could she do this? He couldn’t comprehend it.

“Damn it…!”

Ilcheonggeom swung his sword, fire burning in his eyes. Sword energy deeply permeated the blade. A blue light flashed, like the sea drawn at night. It was sword energy imbued with Ilcheonggeom’s internal energy cultivation.

“Hup!”

He slashed the air twice with all his might, sending a cross-shaped sword energy flying. He had used it a bit excessively with the intention of creating an opening, thinking, ‘She’ll probably dodge something like this.’

“Hihhihi…! Hahahaha–!”

The woman laughed even louder, then simply wrapped her body in energy.

‘No way…!’

The moment Ilcheonggeom saw her wrap herself in energy, he was engulfed in anxiety.

Kwa-ah-ng–!!

“That crazy-!”

She smashed through the sword energy with her body and charged forward.

“Haha–!”

“You crazy bastard…!”

The distance closed in an instant. Ilcheonggeom swung his sword, but the momentary panic created an opening. The spear, lacking full force, was deflected, and then the spear itself pierced his abdomen.

Pu-uk–!!

“Kkeo-eok…!”

He knelt due to the embedded spear. The spear that had pierced his belly was quickly pulled out.

“Keu…heo….”

Pain flooded him. His consciousness immediately blurred.

“Hihi…hihihi”

He heard laughter. Beyond his barely raised head, he saw something. It was a spear. It was flying towards his head, aiming to pierce it.

He was going to die. Death was approaching.

‘Ah.’

Is this death? Is this the end for one who abandoned righteousness and loyalty to join forces with the unorthodox path? To die such a trivial death in a place like this.

‘No.’

He didn’t want to die. He still had many things he needed to do. Moreover, even if he had to die, it shouldn’t be a death this insignificant.

‘…Please.’

Please, let me live. The moment Ilcheonggeom thought that.

“That’s far enough.”

Before the spear could touch Ilcheonggeom’s head, someone intervened with a voice.

Ppa-ak-!

“Kkwa-ak!”

A kick landed squarely in the woman’s stomach. The attack stopped, and she flew back, rolling on the ground.

“Kkue-eng….”

The woman groaned as if in pain. She hadn’t budged against his attacks, yet she was hurting from that simple blow. Ilcheonggeom stared at this in bewilderment.

“Lost, huh?”

A voice laced with laughter reached him. It was Gu Yangcheon.

“And you lost miserably, like an idiot.”

“…”

“You were so confident. Your current state looks really good.”

“You… bastard…”

As Ilcheonggeom looked at Gu Yangcheon, filled with indignation, the guy’s laughter deepened.

“Why? Think you would have won if you were unharmed? Yeah. You probably would have.”

Gu Yangcheon didn’t deny it. Because it was true. If Ilcheonggeom had been at full strength, Bong-sun-i would likely have lost. She definitely would have; no matter how crazy this lunatic was, there had to be a wall she couldn’t overcome.

However.

“But drawing your sword was your choice, and your current state is the consequence. Isn’t that right?”

“…Keu…heu…”

The laughter felt particularly painful. The mockery and contempt made his current situation feel even more bitter.

“Eueu… Ah… It hurts! Why are you hitting me?!”

Bong-sun-i, who had rolled far away, got up and argued. She seemed quite indignant.

“You said I could kill him! Why stop me?!”

“Haa…”

Gu Yangcheon sighed deeply, then swung his fist.

Kwang-!

“Kkwe-ik!”

Getting flicked on the head made more blood flow. At that moment, the woman staggered as if her legs gave out. Seeing that, Gu Yangcheon grabbed her forearm and forced her into a stable posture.

“If you had done more, you would have died too. Understand? You should know your current condition and act accordingly.”

“Kkeu-eu-heu…. I… I feel good.”

“…Fuck.”

Hearing that, Gu Yangcheon recoiled in disgust and let go of the woman. His face was filled with revulsion.

“Aish…”

Afterward, Gu Yangcheon flicked his hands as if he had touched something dirty and spoke to the woman.

“I told you not to fight recklessly just because you can’t feel pain. Why don’t you listen?”

Can’t feel pain? Hearing that, Ilcheonggeom finally grasped the situation. Was that why? That’s why she charged forward no matter how much she was wounded?

‘But why towards that guy?’

Why did she hurt so much when hit by Gu Yangcheon? She was unfazed by his sword strikes, yet she was hurting so much from the other guy’s blows.

As the questions arose. Leaving the woman laughing contentedly behind, Gu Yangcheon approached Ilcheonggeom.

“Kulok.”

Meanwhile, Ilcheonggeom was struggling to hold onto his fading consciousness. If things continued like this, his energy would soon run out. And then he would truly be facing death.

Just then.

U-u-ung–!!

Gu Yangcheon suddenly grabbed Ilcheonggeom and sent his energy flowing. The energy that entered began to staunch the bleeding. His breathing calmed slightly, and the pain lessened a bit. Only then could Ilcheonggeom breathe evenly.

“Heok… Heok… Heo…”

As his condition improved, Ilcheonggeom looked at Gu Yangcheon with trembling eyes.

“Wh…why…”

Why are you saving me? Just as he was about to ask.

“You shouldn’t die like this.”

Gu Yangcheon said, looking into his eyes.

“It’s a bit of a waste to die like this. You’ve done things, so you shouldn’t die so easily, like this.”

“…!”

Hearing that sent chills down Ilcheonggeom’s spine. The emotions in the voice made his barely recovered breath catch again.

“You need to crawl on the ground a bit more before dying. That’s why I saved you.”

He meant it. Ilcheonggeom could be sure that he meant it. Furthermore, he felt a fear that if things continued, he would suffer something worse than the death he just faced. Fear washed over him.

“Th-this…”

Kwak-!

“Kkeuk!”

Ilcheonggeom’s neck was grabbed. Gu Yangcheon stopped him from trying to bite his tongue.

“No. We made a promise, remember? If you won, I would let you live, but you lost, so now I’ll do as I please.”

“Kkeu-reuk… Kkeu…. It’s a… frame-up.”

“Oh, you’re still saying that?”

“It’s a frame-up…!”

“There’s even evidence, so what nonsense are you talking about?”

At Gu Yangcheon’s words, Ilcheonggeom exclaimed indignantly.

“…At least, at least I have no connection to the Demonic Cult…. That’s…!”

“Ah. That?”

Everything else is right, but… Not the Demonic Cult? This too, was true. He had no connection to the Demonic Cult. That was certain. If he were involved, there’s no way I wouldn’t know.

Of course.

“Not until right before.”

Just until right before.

“But.”

Gu Yangcheon said, taking something out of his robe. Ilcheonggeom’s eyes wavered upon seeing it. It was a mask he seemed to have seen somewhere before. Though it looked like nothing special. Ilcheonggeom couldn’t forget that mask.

A slightly cracked white mask; the moment Gu Yangcheon put it on.

Udeudeudeuk–!!

Gu Yangcheon’s body transformed. His size grew, and the thickness of his body changed. He wasn’t short to begin with, but he grew and grew until he became a body nearly eight feet tall. His hair also seemed to have grown strangely longer. He looked like a completely different person. Ilcheonggeom couldn’t even close his mouth at the unbelievable situation.

“…You… How could you…”

It was a form he couldn’t possibly not recognize. Because he was the entity that had ravaged Henan, making him the primary enemy of the Martial Alliance.

“Ch-Cheonma.”

As Ilcheonggeom mentioned that entity while looking at Gu Yangcheon.

[From now on, it’s different.]

Cheonma replied. He wasn’t just different in body, but his voice had changed too.

The hand gripping his neck tightened. Feeling that, Ilcheonggeom muttered.

“Heav… Heavenly spirits…”

If there were gods, please grant me one more chance. I must somehow inform the Alliance of this fact. He pleaded inwardly as he spoke.

[Haha.]

At Ilcheonggeom’s words, Gu Yangcheon recalled the smile he had barely suppressed.

[There are no gods.]

Hwa-ah-ah—!! Energy rose from his fingertips.

[If such things existed, then from the start…. There’s no way they would have left scum like you or me alive.]

Swallowing those unspoken words, the pouring demonic energy engulfed Ilcheonggeom.