Chapter 40
The White Wolf Unit was completely incapacitated thanks to the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's unique martial art, the Striking Kill Finger.
In truth, they had been in that state ever since using the Five Rings Blade Formation.
If there was any consolation, it was that none of them had died with their heads exploding like the bandits. At least not yet.
"I was planning to play with one of you each day for a long time, but now I've changed my mind," the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon said, his eyes gleaming wickedly.
"From now on, I'll tear off all your limbs one by one and kill you. Even if you beg for your life, it won't do any good. Hehehe."
"You think... we'll let that happen!"
O Chae-mu, who had been lying on the ground, struggled to his feet with all his might.
If he didn't stand in the way, all the members would lose their lives.
Even if the opponent was overwhelming, that was his duty.
But then,
"Urgh! I'm... still here too, you bastard."
Though he was already in a state where he could no longer move his body, Gu Tae-san also shouted with a growl.
It was the same for all the other White Wolf Unit members.
"I'm... here too...!"
"Me too...!"
"Heh heh..."
O Chae-mu couldn't help but let out a dry laugh at the sight of the White Wolf Unit showing such tenacity to the end.
Stubborn fools. But they were men to be proud of.
Who was it? Who was making these men die in a place like this?
"It's... because of me."
It was his decision to come here today.
O Chae-mu deeply regretted that decision.
For such a petty reason as not being able to accept him as the commander of the White Wolf Unit, why did he...
Huh? Ah. Where was he? Where was he now...
With the sudden appearance of the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon, O Chae-mu had momentarily forgotten about Yeo Un-hwi's existence.
'I hope he ran away. That would be for the best.'
He didn't intend to blame him.
For someone who hadn't learned martial arts, that would be the natural thing to do, and it was better for him to survive that way.
But just then,
Tap.
Someone placed a hand on O Chae-mu's shoulder.
"That's enough. I'll take care of things from here, so step back."
A familiar voice spoke from behind him.
The useless scholar who didn't know a single martial art, the pathetic man who had just lucked into becoming the commander of the White Wolf Unit.
But what was this man saying now?
Yet at the same time, it felt strange.
For some reason, hearing the man's voice brought a sense of reassurance to his heart.
Of course, it was an utterly absurd notion.
He knew it was absurd, and yet...
Meanwhile, Yeo Un-hwi slowly stepped forward, moving past O Chae-mu.
"Hmm? Who are you?"
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon tilted his head as he watched the man walking confidently towards him.
There was something truly peculiar about this man.
In this blood-soaked place, he alone seemed to exist in a different realm, as if he were a being apart from the others.
Soon, the man stood face to face with the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon.
"I am Yeo Un-hwi, commander of the White Wolf Unit."
"Commander? So you're saying you're the leader of these men?"
"I'm not sure if they would readily acknowledge that, but that is indeed the case."
As Yeo Un-hwi nodded, the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon laughed incredulously.
Until now, he had assumed O Chae-mu was the leader of these stubborn fools who didn't know when to give up.
But now he was being told it was this delicate-looking young man instead.
"And you've been quietly hiding until now?"
"Is that how you see it?"
"Ha, what an utterly shameless bastard."
Despite the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's mockery, Yeo Un-hwi didn't flinch at all.
He certainly seemed to be a man without fear.
Or perhaps he had something he was relying on.
"So tell me, why have you kept your mouth shut all this time and only now decided to step forward? Have you come out to beg for your life now that you all seem doomed to die?"
Even as he spoke, the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon was closely examining Yeo Un-hwi.
He wondered if this might be the source of that immense killing intent he had felt when deflecting the White Wolf Unit's combined formation earlier.
But that didn't seem to be the case.
He couldn't sense any such tremendous aura from this man.
Could he be intentionally concealing his energy?
'That's impossible.'
It was absolutely inconceivable.
Even the head of one of the Nine Great Sects couldn't completely hide their aura before him.
He must have been mistaken earlier.
As the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon was lost in his own assumptions, Yeo Un-hwi gave him a small smile.
"If I were to beg for our lives, would you actually spare us?"
"Well, that would depend on what you have to offer, wouldn't it?"
It was a lie.
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon had always killed everyone who had seen his true form. No matter who they were.
That was how he had managed to survive until now despite being a notorious criminal in the martial world.
But why did he say he would listen to the conditions?
It was simply out of curiosity.
He wanted to know what this fearless bastard was relying on to act so confident.
And above all, giving someone hope for survival before killing them was truly enjoyable.
The expressions humans made in that moment when hope and despair intersected never got old.
"Don't be fooled!"
O Chae-mu, who had been watching the situation, shouted.
Trying to negotiate with such a demonic leader was foolish.
Even if it seemed like words were getting through for now, in the end they would just be used and killed miserably.
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's intentions were so obvious, yet it seemed only Yeo Un-hwi didn't realize it.
Whatever he was thinking to step forward so fearlessly, it was all futile.
O Chae-mu tried to stop Yeo Un-hwi with his raspy voice.
"He has no intention of letting any of us live. He's just...!"
"Shut up!"
Kuuuung.
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's massive killing intent instantly pressed down on O Chae-mu.
He could not forgive anyone who interfered with his enjoyment.
"Urgh!"
The immense pressure soon turned to pain, and blood vessels burst in O Chae-mu's eyes.
Looking at O Chae-mu in this state, the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon gave a vicious smile.
"Or should I just kill all of you right here and now without even listening?"
"Kuuurgh."
Just as O Chae-mu's body was reaching its limit under the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's power,
Swoosh.
Yeo Un-hwi stepped in front of O Chae-mu, blocking him.
"What are you doing?"
"That's enough, don't you think?"
"What?"
"Weren't you in the middle of a conversation with me?"
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon stared at Yeo Un-hwi for a moment before nodding.
He decided to hear what kind of trick this audacious young man thought he had up his sleeve.
If he didn't like what he heard, he could always smash this bastard's head first without mercy.
"Fine. Tell me what you have to offer."
"First, what I want is the lives of myself and all the White Wolf Unit members. For us to return safely."
"That will be for me to decide after hearing your conditions. I despise beating around the bush. Hurry up and tell me what you can offer."
"My, aren't you impatient. Very well. What I can offer is..."
Yeo Un-hwi smiled at the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon, who was urging him on with an irritated tone.
"To give you a slightly less painful death, Extreme Evil Laughing Demon."
"What... did you say?"
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's face froze like stone.
He had expected Yeo Un-hwi to offer money or treasures.
But something completely unexpected came out of his mouth instead.
He had just uttered words so insane it made one wonder if there was something wrong with his head.
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon was so dumbfounded that he stared blankly for a moment before his face contorted.
"What did you just say? Kill me? Less painfully?"
"This is the best I can do. What do you think?"
"Are you mocking me right now?"
"How could I possibly do that? I'm not the type to joke about such things. I'm speaking with utmost sincerity, so you'd do well to consider it carefully."
"You crazy bastard!"
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's face turned red and blue with rage. He had intended to toy with the desperate desire to live, but instead found himself thoroughly mocked.
He had been instantly humiliated not by martial arts, but by mere words.
"You dare! You dare mock me?"
Filled with fury, the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon flicked his finger.
Tung.
He intended to shatter the head like a watermelon in one go.
But,
Swish.
"My, my, resorting to violence in the middle of a conversation?"
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's eyes widened in shock.
The reason was,
"You... you dodged? My Striking Kill Finger?"
And with such ease at that.
"Y-You..."
"What's the matter?"
As the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon found himself stuttering, Yeo Un-hwi smiled nonchalantly.
Only two people had ever avoided the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's unique Flicking Finger Technique, the Striking Kill Finger.
Now there was a third.
Aside from Yeo Un-hwi, the other two currently held seats among the Twelve Venerables of the World.
Except for them, no one had ever avoided the Striking Kill Finger before.
'It can't be, it's impossible!'
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's eyes instantly sharpened.
Tung tung tung.
Thinking it must have been a fluke, he fired off several Striking Kill Fingers in succession. Surely he wouldn't be able to avoid them this time.
Once was enough for coincidence, he thought.
But,
"Oh my."
Pabababak!
This time, all of his Striking Kill Fingers dissipated in mid-air.
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's eyes widened in shock once again.
He saw it.
His Striking Kill Fingers being nullified by another Flicking Finger Technique - no, Striking Kill Finger - shot from Yeo Un-hwi's hand.
"How can you use the Flicking Finger Technique... no, the Striking Kill Finger?"
"I simply imitated what I saw you do."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Whether you believe it or not is up to you."
"You... you damned bastard..."
Curses flowed from the Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's mouth.
From the beginning until now, he felt like he had been completely played by this young man.
But what drove him crazy most of all was the fact that Yeo Un-hwi's answer just now wasn't a lie.
He could tell.
Whether the other person was lying to him or not.
Yeo Un-hwi was clearly telling the truth.
His eyes, the tremor in his voice, his actions - they all proved it.
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon, who was quicker than anyone at deceiving, killing, and reading people, could tell for certain.
That's why it was maddening.
This was truly an impossible thing.
Casually imitating his ultimate technique just by watching it? How could such a thing be possible?
Not even the ten geniuses boasted by the Nine Great Sects, nor the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes could do such a thing.
Even the Twelve Venerables of the World would barely be able to imitate it, yet this man spoke of it so nonchalantly.
A genius among geniuses? No, those words weren't enough. Did he possess the greatest martial aptitude in the world?
Where on earth did such a man suddenly appear from?
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon didn't know.
He didn't know that the man before his eyes possessed not just the greatest martial aptitude in the world, but of all time.
The Extreme Evil Laughing Demon's face had hardened.
And an unfamiliar emotion began to stir in the heart of the Great Demonic Master known as an Absolute Great Evil.
That emotion was... fear.