Chapter 248 - When Will You Kill Me?

After leaving the Demonic Buddha’s residence, Geom Muyang walked slowly through the inner grounds of the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon. He studied the buildings one by one as he went. He had never taken a close look at them before.

The warriors standing guard greeted him respectfully. When he acknowledged their greetings, they exchanged puzzled looks. He had always hurried past them, never properly returning their greetings.

His walk through the inner grounds brought him to the Eastern Fist School. Despite the late hour, the Fist Demon was awake.

Following his warrior escort, Geom Muyang arrived at the cliff. Standing before it, the Fist Demon spoke without turning around.

“I intend to bring this cliff down with a single blow. That is my dream.”

Geom Muyang looked up. The immense cliff, its top lost from sight, declared with absolute finality that it was impossible. He thought this would be difficult even for the Fist Demon.

“You will surely achieve that dream, Fist Demon.”

Only then did the Fist Demon turn toward him.

“I pay my respects, Fist Demon.”

“Welcome, First Young Master.”

Every time Geom Muyang saw the Fist Demon’s terrifying face, which made even the Cult’s evil-spirit statues look kind, fear rose in him unbidden.

“I apologize for visiting so late at night.”

“Not at all. I was awake for late-night training.”

Surprisingly, the Fist Demon was still attending the Late-Night Training Group. Geom Mugeuk had been unable to participate since leaving the Cult, even after his return, but Yi An and Cheon Sohui continued to attend faithfully.

The Fist Demon had not wanted to appear to promise to attend only to stay away because Geom Mugeuk was absent. That was why he had gone at first, but these days, Cheon Sohui was the reason he never missed a session.

He had not realized it when Geom Mugeuk first told him, but as he spent more time with her, he came to see that her talent and character made her fully worthy of becoming the next Fist Demon. He therefore gave her individual instruction from time to time during training.

He enjoyed these late-night sessions.

To be honest, perhaps it was because he was spending time with two beautiful young women. Perhaps it was Cheon Sohui’s absolute respect for him, or Yi An’s unexpected jokes that occasionally made him laugh. For a man who had devoted himself wholeheartedly to teaching all his life, the Late-Night Training Group was becoming a precious, enjoyable part of his days.

“So, what brings you here?”

The late-night visit alone told the Fist Demon that Geom Muyang was on the verge of a major decision.

“You are the only one who has publicly announced his support for me.”

“I am not a man who breaks his promises.”

“Would you have made that promise if you had already met Mugeuk?”

The Fist Demon stared piercingly at him. Still unaccustomed to that face, Geom Muyang lowered his head slightly to avoid his gaze.

“In that case, I would have announced my support for the Second Young Master.”

Geom Muyang was actually glad of his honest answer. Knowing that the Fist Demon was this sort of man was part of the reason he had come tonight.

“What sort of person is Mugeuk?”

“Wouldn’t you know better, as his older brother?”

“No. I don’t really know.”

The Fist Demon’s gaze returned to the cliff.

“I told the Second Young Master what I told you earlier. That my dream was to bring this cliff down.”

Geom Muyang wondered how Geom Mugeuk had answered.

“He wanted to bring it down himself, too.”

In that instant, Geom Muyang understood. At least to the Fist Demon, that had been the right answer.

“Perhaps the Second Young Master will be the one to bring this cliff down someday. That is the sort of person your brother is.”

It must have been these small differences. Accumulating one after another, they must have created the gulf that now separated him from Geom Mugeuk.

“Couldn’t that have been a lie? Couldn’t he have said it simply to impress you?”

It was a feeble objection he would ordinarily never have voiced, but Geom Muyang seemed determined to lay bare his true feelings.

“Of course. That is possible.”

“Then why did you believe him?”

The Fist Demon understood how he felt. Geom Mugeuk could sweep even men like them into his orbit; facing him must have been impossible for the young Geom Muyang.

“Because the Second Young Master showed me through his actions. He came to the Eastern Fist School and worked his way up from the White Fists to the Black Fists.”

“With Mugeuk’s martial skills, that couldn’t have been difficult!”

The Fist Demon calmly asked the agitated Geom Muyang,

“If it was so easy, why didn’t you do it?”

“!”

Geom Muyang could not answer. He knew, too. The Fist Demon was not merely talking about martial skill. Belief gained weight when it was backed by action.

The Fist Demon turned his gaze back to the cliff.

After a pause, Geom Muyang asked,

“May I ask one final question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you believe that Mugeuk becoming the Heavenly Demon would be better for the Cult as well?”

“Why ask me that?”

“Because I believe you will give me the most honest answer of all the Demon Supremes.”

The Fist Demon considered this for a moment. He had a premonition that his answer would profoundly affect Geom Muyang. Even so, he spoke honestly.

“Before I answer, let me tell you one thing. Regardless of my answer, my official support for you will remain unchanged.”

“Thank you.”

Looking directly at him, the Fist Demon spoke without a trace of apology.

“I look forward more to the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon under the Second Young Master.”

Cruel though the answer was to Geom Muyang, it was honest.

Those words struck heavily and lodged in his heart.

“Thank you for speaking honestly.”

With a trembling voice, Geom Muyang respectfully bid him farewell and turned away. Before leaving, he looked up at the cliff one last time. Even looking at it again, he could not imagine bringing it down.

Watching him leave, the Fist Demon set off in the opposite direction to attend late-night training.

He offered no words of comfort or encouragement.

Each person had to overcome the cliff set before them on their own.

* * *

My brother came to see me.

Standing beneath the moonlight in neatly arranged martial robes, a sword at his side, he felt different from usual.

Without preamble, he said,

“Let’s fight.”

I understood. He wanted the outcome of this fight to decide who would become successor. He had come even though he knew he would lose.

“Fine. I’ve wanted to beat you up for a long time.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Neither am I. You’re a vicious older brother who tried to instill a fear of Murim in a little brother destined to become a martial artist. You deserve a few punches, don’t you?”

“If you’ve held that much of a grudge, hit me all you like.”

“Don’t talk as though it was nothing.”

“Even so, I won’t apologize.”

As though we had agreed beforehand, neither of us mentioned fighting over the succession. We acted as if we were merely settling an old score.

He drew his sword, and I drew mine. Apart from our sparring bouts as children, this was the first time we had pointed our swords at each other like this.

Heaven-Soaring Sword Art against Heaven-Soaring Sword Art.

He had achieved tenth-level complete mastery, while I had achieved twelfth-level complete mastery. Even without that difference, the gulf in our experience, skill, and internal energy was too great for him to defeat me.

I would not go easy on him. Rather than subduing him at once, however, I let him use every move he could.

“Be careful. I’m coming at you for real.”

After that earnest warning, he unleashed the First Form, the Heaven-Balancing Form.

WHOOOOSH!

A streak of sword light flew toward me to cleave me in two, but my Heaven-Balancing Form was faster and stronger.

BOOOOM!

My brother was shocked to see his First Form dissipate so helplessly in midair.

With astonishment on his face, he unleashed the Second Form, but once again, my stronger Second Form dispersed it.

The Third Form, the Fourth Form...

With each successive move, his despair deepened. He must have known I was stronger, but he could not have known I was this strong.

The Blood Heaven Saber Demon had told me that when I crushed him, doing it thoroughly would be best for my brother. I agreed.

I revealed my full strength, enough to make him despair.

That was what was best for him. So he would never entertain other ambitions again. So he would accept that failing to become successor was not an unfortunate loss, but the natural outcome.

My brother must have been looking at a wall. One taller and greater even than the cliff the Fist Demon had been gazing at.

When the Heaven-Soaring Sword Art failed him, he charged, swinging his sword. He must have come knowing he would lose. But as defeat became reality, he grew desperate.

‘I want to become successor!’

But that desperate longing could not bridge the gap in our skills.

CLANG!

His sword flew out of his grip and fell to the ground.

After staring blankly at it for a moment, he glared at me.

“Actually, I was planning to beat you with these fists.”

“Of course! A man fights with his fists!”

Sheathing the Black Demon Sword, I said,

“But what are you going to do? I’m the Fist Demon’s disciple.”

“... No techniques.”

I laughed aloud. That he could say something like that in this situation was a good sign.

All right, Brother. I’ll give you a proper beating.

We squared off with our fists. Whether it was swordsmanship, fist arts, or plain punching, how could he possibly beat me?

THUD! THWACK!

My fists slammed into his face and body.

This was his punishment for filling his little brother with fear out of selfish ambition. We needed to settle that score before moving on.

THUD! THWAAACK!

These were punches that would let me forgive him.

Even as I beat him black and blue, he never used internal energy. He could have seized an opening and tried to kill me, but he did not. He never even attempted it.

This is why, Brother. This is why I wanted to keep you alive and bring you along. Father probably saw it first—what sort of person you are.

And just before my exhausted brother collapsed!

THWACK!

His fist struck my face.

I let him land one solid punch. Perhaps part of me felt guilty toward him. Had I not returned to the past, he would have become successor.

But Brother, my becoming successor is for your sake, too. Let’s live this time around. Whether we become close or spend our days bickering, let’s survive.

And so our fight that was not quite a fight ended.

Having landed that final blow, he smiled in satisfaction and flopped onto his back.

He panted, breath after ragged breath. Everything was contained in the sound of his breathing.

Slowly, it subsided.

Until then, I lay beside him, looking up at the night sky.

Still lying there, he asked,

“Can you really do a good job?”

He must have hoped I would say no. He must have hoped there was even the slightest chance I would say, You do it, Brother.

“I can do better than any Heavenly Demon in history.”

“Damn it!”

Lying on his back, he screamed.

“Aaaaaaah!”

He screamed as if in one final, desperate struggle. Many people in the Cult would be hearing it—the scream that decided his fate and mine.

When he stopped screaming, he let out a deep sigh. With that breath, he expelled the last of his lingering attachment.

“You really have to do well.”

“I will.”

“The successor to the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon shouldn’t be fooling around and wisecracking. You can’t do that!”

“That’s because you haven’t seen me when I’m serious. You’d be begging me to crack a joke.”

“I’m telling you not to do that!”

“All right.”

He had completely relinquished the succession. That was why his next question was sincere, too.

“When will you kill me? Make sure you give me time to put my affairs in order first.”

“Why is your head full of nothing but negative thoughts? Let’s say you planted the darkness in me. Who planted it in you?”

“You’re the strange one.”

He had given up on everything, but there was no need for that. I needed him.

“You’ll have to help me from now on.”

“Don’t say things you don’t mean.”

“I mean it. I don’t need a puppet of a brother. I don’t need a wounded, depressed brother, either. I need the real you.”

I got up first and offered my hand to him as he lay there.

Once I eliminate Hwa Mugi, perhaps I’ll give you that position. Who knows what we’ll be like by then? So take my hand, Brother.

Instead of taking my hand, he sat up on his own. Wiping his bloody nose, he said,

“This is fucking embarrassing.”

“Be proud. You’ve got a killer little brother, haven’t you?”

“I want to kill you. Truly.”

Then, a moment later, he held out his hand to me. A hand asking me to pull him to his feet.

The sight of that outstretched hand brought a sudden swell of emotion. There was so much I wanted to say that I could say nothing.

I clasped his hand tightly. I felt him squeeze mine just as hard.

With a strong pull, I brought him to his feet.

After studying me for a moment, he raised his fist in front of me.

“If you don’t do a proper job as successor, you’ll get another punch from me!”

I smiled at him. It was the first time I had smiled because I liked him.

“Can I call you if someone picks on me?”

“You lunatic.”

He set off toward Heavenly Demon Hall first.

I had told Father I would bring my brother to him, but now my brother was bringing me.

The demonic martial artists on guard were startled. The brothers were walking side by side late at night, both with battered faces.

“Shouldn’t we wash up before seeing Father?”

“We need to go like this so he’ll know what a vicious, depraved little brother you are, beating up your older brother.”

Then he said,

“Make sure you tell me before you kill me... and make sure you tell me if anyone picks on you, too.”

A breeze swept past, fluttering the hems of our robes. It was a wind heralding a new beginning.