Chapter 225
Good grief.
Every person present felt gooseflesh rise across their body.
‘The Golden Dragon will reveal itself when the true power of the Martial God manifests.’
They had heard of it long ago.
It was like a legend that had been passed down within the Heavenly Ghost Corps for generations.
But no Corps Leader in history had ever reached that realm.
The current Corps Leader of the Heavenly Ghost Corps, Go Muwon, was no exception.
Thus, everyone had regarded it as nothing more than a metaphor.
But then,
“So it really was true…….”
The shadow of the enormous Golden Dragon soaring into the sky was reflected across the clouds.
Everyone’s gaze soon shifted from the Golden Dragon in the sky to its master.
The true heir of the Martial God had appeared before their eyes.
Everyone’s eyes trembled as though an earthquake had struck.
Tak Dae-han was no exception.
With a dazed expression, he merely stared blankly at Yeo Un-hwi.
There was no longer any point in competing over their skills.
Just then.
“All right. I saw your Demon-Slaying Fist clearly, so this time, I’ll take my turn.”
“Huh? No, wait—just a moment……”
Thinking that something had gone terribly wrong, Tak Dae-han hurriedly tried to stop Yeo Un-hwi.
But,
“Let’s see you dodge this!”
Yeo Un-hwi grinned and thrust out his fist.
[Demon-Slaying Fist (滅魔拳)]
Unlike its utterly ordinary-looking execution, which made it seem like nothing special, dazzling golden light burst forth from Yeo Un-hwi’s fist.
“……!”
Tak Dae-han was unable to react in any way.
It was a Demon-Slaying Fist on an entirely different level. No, could this even be called the same martial art?
Tak Dae-han, who had always thought he was the best at wielding the Demon-Slaying Fist within the Heavenly Ghost Corps, was practically ashamed of himself.
Just before the golden fist qi swallowed Tak Dae-han,
“What are you standing around for!”
Hong Jong-hyeok blocked the fist qi Yeo Un-hwi had shot out, stepping in front of Tak Dae-han with a great shout.
“Woooooo!”
The energy he had summoned with all his might collided with Yeo Un-hwi’s Demon-Slaying Fist.
But it was not enough.
Yeo Un-hwi’s Demon-Slaying Fist gradually devoured Hong Jong-hyeok’s energy and drew near to his very face.
“Haaaargh!”
Only then did Tak Dae-han finally snap out of it and join forces with him.
The power of the two combined could easily overwhelm even the Twelve Exalted Under Heaven.
Yet before Yeo Un-hwi’s power, it was utterly useless.
“Grrrgh!”
“Graaaargh!”
The two men’s feet kept sliding backward under the relentless force until the ground itself was gouged out beneath them.
Just as they were about to be swallowed whole by Yeo Un-hwi’s fist qi,
Hmm.
Yeo Un-hwi twisted his hand and sent the fist qi soaring into the sky.
The golden fist qi flew toward the heavens once more, like a Golden Dragon.
And then,
Fwoooosh!
The black clouds that had gathered under the heavily overcast sky retreated all at once as though bursting apart, revealing a clear night sky.
It was an incredibly beautiful and astonishing sight.
Beneath the unusually bright moonlight, Yeo Un-hwi smiled, shining as if blessed by the moon.
Looking at Tak Dae-han and Hong Jong-hyeok, who had unexpectedly expended every ounce of their strength and collapsed onto the ground,
“Let’s stop here. This is enough, isn’t it?”
At his words and that smile, Tak Dae-han and Hong Jong-hyeok nodded with dazed expressions.
***
How much time had passed?
“…We were terribly discourteous. We apologize.”
“No, I understand completely. Though it does feel like you were a little more violent than I expected.”
“Ha, haha… We have nothing to say in our defense.”
Yeo Un-hwi and the members of the Heavenly Ghost Corps returned to the building they had secured as the merchant caravan’s lodging.
By then, they were treating Yeo Un-hwi with the utmost respect.
They were completely different from how they had been before.
And understandably so.
There was simply no way such an astonishing phenomenon as the Golden Dragon appearing before their eyes could occur unless it was the Martial God’s Heavenly Martial Technique. Therefore, it had become certain that Yeo Un-hwi was the Martial God’s heir.
And that alone was enough for the Heavenly Ghost Corps.
Outside the window, beneath the clear night sky, the Heavenly Ghost Corps and Yeo Un-hwi continued their conversation.
In the middle of their conversation, Yeo Un-hwi’s brows rose slightly.
“The Heavenly Ghost Corps wasn’t an organization created directly by the Martial God?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
He had sensed that something was strange.
Because of the dreams he occasionally had, Yeo Un-hwi knew a fair amount about matters related to the Martial God.
Yet he had absolutely no memories concerning the Heavenly Ghost Corps.
Of course, Lee Jina had told him a little during their previous encounter, but he could not simply take her words at face value.
That was why he had been deeply curious, until he met them in person, about what kind of organization the Heavenly Ghost Corps was and what purpose it served.
“Long ago, Martial God Hyeok Jonghu passed on part of his martial arts to a close younger brother and comrade of his. But after Hyeok Jonghu suddenly disappeared one day, that younger brother learned that the remnants of the Black Abyss had not abandoned their ambitions toward the martial world. The Heavenly Ghost Corps is what he founded.”
“I see.”
So that was why there had been no Heavenly Ghost Corps in the Martial God’s memories.
Because the organization had not existed during his lifetime.
Nor could he have imagined that the younger brother to whom he had taught his martial arts would carry on his will by creating a secret organization to fight the Black Abyss.
It was a truly astonishing story.
“You are all remarkable. To have endured for so long.”
“It is nothing so remarkable.”
“We are simply grateful and happy enough that our Heavenly Ghost Corps can contribute to the great work begun by Martial God Hyeok Jonghu.”
They had only been subdued because their opponent was Yeo Un-hwi, but the two squad leaders were strong enough to rival any expert in the martial world.
And yet they had been fighting for the sake of the world without anyone knowing.
How could that have been easy?
“No, I mean it. I truly think it’s remarkable.”
Was this what people called a mission?
In Yeo Un-hwi’s eyes, the mission of the Heavenly Ghost Corps appeared noble beyond words.
That was why he had not used excessive force even when facing Hong Jong-hyeok and Tak Dae-han.
Every one of them was worthy of ample respect.
After quietly looking at them, Yeo Un-hwi spoke again.
“So much has happened, and so much more lies ahead.”
“……”
“But from now on, I will stand with you.”
At Yeo Un-hwi’s words, their hearts pounded.
When they had thought he was a fraud going around claiming to be the Martial God’s heir, they had been terribly annoyed.
But the moment they learned that Yeo Un-hwi truly was the Martial God’s heir, they felt the exact opposite: immense excitement and joy.
At last, someone had appeared who would bring the endless cycle of that long struggle to an end.
For hundreds of years, they had fought the Black Abyss without any promise of an end, hoping that this battle would someday be over.
Even though the Black Abyss had been defeated and disappeared because of Martial God Hyeok Jonghu, they reappeared the moment the Martial God vanished and continued targeting the martial world without pause.
Although the master of the Black Dragon they awaited had yet to appear, they had continued extending their black claws throughout the martial world, preparing the way for that master’s era.
Ah. How many had died in the battles against the Black Abyss?
Merely knowing that the Martial God’s heir acknowledged all of that left everyone from the Heavenly Ghost Corps present deeply moved.
“Ah. And one more thing.”
When Yeo Un-hwi snapped his fingers, someone appeared from behind him.
It was the Four Great Protectors.
Every aura emanating from them was extraordinary.
The Heavenly Ghost Corps instantly became wary.
“They’re my people, so there’s no need to worry. I had them bring someone here to show you.”
“Huh?
Someone to show us?
Just then,
“It’s me.”
At the sight of the woman who appeared with the Four Great Protectors, the entire Heavenly Ghost Corps was stunned.
Though her face was pale, it was unmistakably someone they all knew.
“Y-you couldn’t be……”
“Ye Hui-ok? Is it really you?”
“Everyone… have you been well?”
“Good heavens! It really is you, Hui-ok! What happened?”
“Well……”
Ye Hui-ok was the woman who had disappeared during a past battle against the Black Abyss.
Several members of the Heavenly Ghost Corps approached her with tears welling in their eyes.
“One of the Black Abyss commanders we recently defeated had her in his possession. It seems she had been brainwashed, but fortunately, I was able to restore her to normal. She still has trouble moving around, though.”
They were always prepared in their hearts for the possibility of dying in battle against the Black Abyss, but being captured by them, brainwashed, and toyed with like playthings without even being allowed to die was horrifying beyond words.
And yet, to rescue their comrade from that hellish situation, treat her, and bring her here…
What could be more worthy of gratitude than that?
“Thank you. Truly… thank you.”
“It was just luck on my part, too.”
“But if you had brought Hui-ok from the beginning, we would not have been quite so outrageously rude.”
“I can be a little mischievous. I also wanted to see how you would react. Haha.”
Everyone present smiled at Yeo Un-hwi’s joke.
They found themselves thinking that he was a truly fascinating person.
“…Then we will return shortly with our Corps Leader.”
They were eager to tell Go Muwon, their Corps Leader, of this fact as quickly as possible.
The Heavenly Ghost Corps hurriedly prepared to leave and told Yeo Un-hwi
that they would return.
Now that they knew he was the true Martial God’s heir, how could they presume to order him around?
It was only proper to prepare a fitting place and personally receive the person they had waited hundreds of years for.
“If you happen to leave this place, scatter this.”
“What is that?”
“It is a kind of Myriad-Mile Fragrance that only members of our Heavenly Ghost Corps can smell. Wherever you are, we can find you by following its scent.”
“I see.”
Yeo Un-hwi nodded and tucked the Myriad-Mile Fragrance into his robes.
“Then I will see you again.”
“All right. See you again.”
Soon, the entire Heavenly Ghost Corps disappeared at high speed.
Not in the guise of the merchant caravan that had come here, but as the Heavenly Ghost Corps.
There was no longer any need for disguises, and they intended to return to headquarters at full speed to deliver this joyful news.
After everyone else had disappeared, Lee Jina was the last one left.
She quietly looked at Yeo Un-hwi.
Her face suggested she had many things to say.
But in the end, she said nothing, lowered her head, and disappeared after the others.
“Phew.”
Yeo Un-hwi let out a short sigh and looked up at the night sky.
Although they had not been created directly by the Martial God, they had carried on his will.
Their meeting had certainly been a coincidence, but he suddenly wondered whether it might be fate.
He had been interested in nothing except protecting his family and his own people, but matters related to the Martial God were different.
It was the Martial God’s power that had made all of this possible after his regression.
Without the Martial God’s power, his wish would never even have gotten started.
Therefore, if he could repay the Martial God in some way, Yeo Un-hwi had decided he would gladly do so.
Though for now, he had no idea how.
Yeo Un-hwi thought that meeting the Corps Leader of the Heavenly Ghost Corps would probably make what he needed to do clearer.
‘For now, I should deal with what’s right in front of me.’
The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Tournament.
Starting tomorrow, he would be busy with that.
Before he knew it, another day had passed.