Invitation to the Chatroom of the Gods - Chapter 25



Only Krnovel

Episode 25 – One and Only Mistake

A moth flying towards a flame.

This was the thought that occurred to Gwangma-eum-gwi as he watched Cheongun rushing towards him.

It was quite surprising that Cheongun was not bound by the bonds of the Jibaksaekyeoljin.

But that’s it.

The difference in level between Cheongwoon and himself is stark.

Gwangmaumgui used a ‘claw technique’ called ‘Gwigoksinjo (鬼哭神爪)’.

The technique of using nails and fingers clearly showed a difference in ‘distance’ when compared to the weapon called ‘sword’, but it did not come as a great disadvantage to the light-hearted demon.

The sword of the blue cloud flies towards the waist.

The madman sharpened his nails and lightly struck them.

Kaaaaang-!

There was a crackling sound and sparks exploded. What bounced off was not the ‘Sword of the Blue Cloud’, but the ‘Hand of the Mad Demon’.

······The power contained in the Cheongun Sword was not ordinary.

The black cloud contained a heavy weight.

The hand of the mad ghost, pushed by the force, rose high into the sky.

‘this guy!’

The devil swung his claws like a devil.

Kagagagagak!

The sound of swords clashing with claws could be heard continuously. However, Cheongwoon did not back down even an inch. He recognized each and every blow that Gwangmaumgui swung and countered them.

In an instant.

The sword of Cheongun is wildly flying.

Taeeulseon martial arts sword.

Third call.

Taehwayeonhwan (太花聯幻).

The Sword of Cheongun suddenly disappeared from Gwangmaumgui’s sight. Did he miss the movement? No, that couldn’t be possible.

If so, then this is······.

‘The vision was dazzling?’

It means that Gwangmaumgui’s ‘vision’ was ‘deceived’ by Cheongun’s ‘Hwangeom’.

Gwangmaumgui instinctively stepped back. Crap! Cheongun’s sword cut through the air where Gwangmaumgui had just been standing.

If only I had been just a little bit slower in pulling back······.

“The rumors were not exaggerated, but understated.”

Gwangmaumgui revised his evaluation of Cheongun.

The heavy sword of Cheongun that weighs down on the ears of the madman is comparable to the Seongmyeongjeolgi of Jongnampa.

The illusionary sword of Cheongun that even dazzles the eyes of the mad ghost is comparable to the name of the Hwasan faction.

······No, Jongnam and Hwasan’s sword.

It’s more than that.

Cheongun held his sword with both hands. Cheongun lowered his posture and glared at Gwangmaumgui, looking like a wild beast preparing to hunt.

hunt······.

Yes, those were the eyes of a ‘beast’ hunting its prey. They were definitely not the eyes of a ‘prey’ being hunted.

“bloke!!”

The light of the Gwangmaeumgui’s eyes flashed red like blood. The sword of Cheongun suddenly swooped down. You shouldn’t judge based on sight. Throw away your sight. Gwangmaeumgui exploded the internal energy of his danjeon.

Kwaaaaaaa-!!

A bright red current of air rose up from all over Gwangmaumgui’s body.

* * *

The sword of Cheongun and the claws of Gwangmaumgui were entangled in a dizzying manner at a speed that was invisible to the eye.

Kang! Kakang!

Gwangmaumgui chased Cheongun like a ‘devil’.

Cheongun confronted Gwangmaumgui like a ‘beast’.

It was a series of almost thrilling moments for Kwai Cheong Cheon.

I had guessed that Cheongun’s martial arts skills were outstanding.

But I had no idea it would be this bad······.

How can you say that he is a criminal from a rural area?

Moreover, Cheongun was not that old.

Twenty one this year.

He was just past the age of maturity.

However, the fact that he has achieved such great feats of martial arts means that the possibilities for the future are even greater.

Besides, I heard that he had only recently begun to learn martial arts properly. It was said that he was a third-rate martial artist who had not been able to use a single internal energy until just a month or two ago.

So, you reached that level in a very short period of time, about one or two months.

So what if Cheongwoon was given enough time?

10 years? 5 years?

No, I don’t need 5 years.

Exactly one year.

If Cheongun were given just one year, there would be no one in the world who does not know his name.

And then another year from there?

At that time, Kwae Cheong Cheon couldn’t even imagine what would happen to Cheong Woon.

Although he was called Gwangjeo (狂猪) and was counted among the top ten martial arts masters, even Gwae Cheongcheon could not fathom Cheongwoon’s potential.

‘But now it’s not enough.’

Cheong-un was just beginning to develop his talents. Cheong-un needed ‘time’ to hone his talents.

······must be saved.

Kwai Cheong Cheon was able to make up his mind.

In the past, the Demonic Cult was eradicated by the imperial family and the Martial Arts Alliance.

No, that’s just what it’s known as. In reality, that’s not the case.

The Demonic Cult was not completely eradicated. The alliance between the Imperial Family and the Martial Arts Alliance did not achieve a ‘victory’ against the Demonic Cult.

To put it bluntly, it was a decisive victory.

Strictly speaking, it was a ‘draw’······.

The leader of the Demonic Cult, Cheonma, was mortally wounded and his life or death was uncertain. In return, the royal family and the martial arts alliance had to lose half of their power.

The remnants of the Demonic Cult, having lost their center of gravity, scattered.

But a series of events have been happening in the world recently.

Rumors were circulating within the Murim Alliance that the Demonic Cult was making a comeback.

Kwai Cheong Cheon was half in doubt, but now he was able to confirm it after seeing Gwang Maeum Gwi.

In the past, it is said that Gwangmaeumgui, who was the red-blooded leader of the Demonic Cult, had been plotting a move by taking control of the black sects throughout Oksan County for the past year.

What this meant······ Kwai Cheong Cheon did not know.

The revival of the devil’s cult.

The leader of the Demonic Cult, Cheonma, is not dead. He has been hiding for the past 50 years, building up his power. And he thinks that the time has finally come.

50 years.

It’s been a long time.

Enough time for the previous generations of martial artists to grow old, sick, and lose their strength.

But would that also be the case for Cheonma?

The pinnacle of devils who have given up on being human, Cheonma.

I could find the answer just by looking at the now ruined Madman’s ear.

Will this generation’s royal family and martial arts alliance be able to stop the Demonic Cult?

well.

Kwai Cheong Cheon couldn’t give a definite answer.

In the past, it was a demonic cult that could not be completely eradicated even by the alliance of the royal family and the martial arts alliance.

Cheonma (天魔) regained his strength.

A heavenly demon with added wickedness of the years.

How many will be sacrificed? And will the Heavenly Demon be able to be stopped?

······Kwae Cheong Cheon couldn’t be sure.

But now Cheongun is fighting against the evil spirit.

If Cheongwoon is given enough time, if only the environment is created for that potential to blossom······?

‘We must save him.’

I had to save him.

Even if everyone gathered here were to die, Cheongun had to be saved.

However, Cheongcheoncheon’s entire body was bound by the Jipaksaehyeoljin and he couldn’t move, so there was only one way to save Cheongun.

Kwai Cheong Cheon sent a message to Cheong Un.

[Cheongun Sohyeop···! From now on, listen carefully to what I say···!]

The blood of the Jibaksaekyeoljin did not even allow the transmission of sound. Kwai Cheongcheon squeezed the blood and energy vessels of his entire body.

I endured the pain of my whole body twisting and pulled up my ‘innate energy’.

Although the internal energy that has been consumed can be refilled at any time, the ‘Innate Energy’ cannot be refilled.

This power, once used, is irreversible.

But Kwai Cheong Cheon didn’t care.

[After taking the opportunity to escape, go over the Okhwasan Mountain in the north.]

If only Cheongun could be saved.

[The Inspector General and the Imperial Central Army are coming here, so you must join them…! I am sorry that I have to say this…! But you must listen to me.]

Cheongun was somehow able to free himself from the bonds of the Jibaksaekyeoljin. With that, he was left to fight against the Gwangmaumgui alone······.

Phew-!

The limitations were clear.

The demon spirit was using ‘Ganggi(?氣)’.

Ganggi is a technique that allows a martial artist to overcome the limits of their abilities by wrapping their body in the power of a master who has reached the peak.

Its power turns even an ordinary blow into a ‘sure kill’.

A blow that would normally only result in a ‘bruise’ can cause the body to ‘rupture’ if struck with strong force.

The weight of the wounds each of us bears becomes completely different.

So, the only thing that can deal with strong energy is another strong energy.

However, Cheongun was unable to use his powers. The current Cheongun could never defeat Gwangmaumgui.

Cheongun······needs ‘time’ to grow.

[Right now…! Run away, you bastard!]

If Cheongun ran away, Gwangmaumgui had to make a ‘choice’.

Are you going to chase after the blue sky?

Or should I kill the unmanned people including Kwai Cheong Cheon here?

The mad ghost had to choose between the two, and in the end, he would choose to remain here.

Rather than the ‘uncertainty’ of chasing Cheongun and losing him, it was right to choose the ‘certainty’ of killing the unmanned people, including the immobile Kwae Cheong Cheon.

in other words.

[The bait that Sohyeop suggested…! I’ll do it.]

In Cheongun’s ‘bait’ scheme, only the roles have changed. It is not Cheongun, but Kwai Cheongcheon who becomes the bait and lures Gwangmaumgui.

This gives Cheongwoon time to escape.

This was the ‘best’ decision that could be made under the current circumstances.

Not the best, but the best.

In other words, it was nothing more than choosing the ‘lesser evil’ rather than the ‘worst’, but that will change in the not-too-distant future.

In the ‘not too distant future’ when Cheongwoon is given enough time, the choice he makes now will be the ‘best’ rather than the ‘best’.

however······.

“I don’t like it….”

An unexpected answer came from Cheongun.

Cheongun answered with a voice, not a speech.

It meant that he was a warrior who couldn’t even use the phoneme, and yet he was a warrior who could stand up to the evil spirits, and so he was a warrior who was too precious to die now.

[Don’t be stubborn!]

So, the voice of Kwai Cheong Cheon grew louder. In order to dampen Cheong Woon’s youthful spirit, he raised his innate energy even further.

Realistically, there is no way to overcome this situation now.

Are we all going to die?

Will Cheongunman survive?

There is only the worst and the lesser of two evils.

So, Cheongwoon’s actions now are stubbornness and being consumed by youthful passion······.

[Why don’t you know that you’re just a guest!!]

He is nothing more than a powerless ‘hero’ and a mere ‘guest’.

however.

“I know···.”

The soft voice of Cheongun is heard.

Kwaang-!

It cut through the loud noise and was heard clearly in Kwai Cheong Cheon’s ears.

* * *

I know.

I didn’t know that either.

The fact that I can’t beat the madness of my ears,

If I run away, I can at least save my life······.

Boohoo-!

I knew it from the start of this fight.

The palm of Gwangmaumgui’s hand struck my chest. The blow with strong energy became a ‘fatal’ blow and shook my spirit.

Phew!

A terrible pain came from my ‘abdomen’ along with an eerie crashing sound.

When I looked down at my abdomen, the hand of the demon that had entered my abdomen was extending out from behind my back.

The eyes of everyone watching the fight opened wide.

The emotions of shock and amazement were etched into their eyes. Of these, the emotion that appeared to be the clearest was the strongest.

······All the strength left my body.

A feeling of endless exhaustion took over my entire body.

I couldn’t move my body anymore.

Still, the reason why I can’t put down this sword is······.

-Un-ah, they say that the only way to not lose a fight that you can never win no matter what you do is to not give up on it.

Could it be because of what my father said a long time ago?

-So even if defeat seems obvious, fight to the end, believing that you will win.

I never put down my sword until the very end.

-Even if you learn the martial arts that can split even Mt. Taishan, without this, no one can defeat you.

It is like an emperor.

It’s an unyielding fighting spirit.

It must be an unbreakable belief.

-That’s what ‘chivalry’ means, Un-ah.

So, this is.

It is simply the ‘path of chivalry’ that I wish to walk.

Crunch!

He grabbed the arm of the mad ghost that had come out of his stomach. He opened his eyes wide with a bang and swung his sword at the mad ghost.

* * *

Cheongun’s sword flew towards Gwangmaeumgui. Cheongun grabbed Gwangmaeumgui’s arm with one hand and aimed at Gwangmaeumgui with the other hand.

“You bastard!! Until the end!”

It was a ‘poisonous’ air that was tiring.

A poison so vicious that it would make even the devil tremble, and even the madman would tremble.

The madman put strength into his arms.

But it’s strange.

My arm······is pulled out and won’t come out.

The arm that had pierced Cheongun’s abdomen, and the arm that Cheongun had caught, could not be pulled out no matter how hard he tried.

Only then was Gwangmaumgui able to sense some kind of ‘energy’ from Cheongun.

It was an indescribable energy and momentum.

The aura of the emperor that makes your whole body tremble just by facing it. It was also an aura that Gwangmaumgwi had experienced at one time.

Cheonma, the leader of the demonic cult that covers the sky with demons.

The ‘absolute energy’ that even the alliance of the royal family and the martial arts alliance could not dare to do anything about······was felt from Cheongwoon right now.

“······!!”

Gwangmaumgui was momentarily ‘overwhelmed’ by Cheongun, and was unable to respond to Cheongun’s flying sword.

Chahak!

Blood spurted out from the wound on Gwangmaeumgui’s shoulder. However, it was not a fatal wound. Cheongun’s sword could not inflict a fatal wound on Gwangmaeumgui.

However, the ‘pride’ of the mad ghost was fatally wounded.

“You bastard!! I’ll kill you!!!”

Gwangmaum-gwi stretched out his hand wrapped around his fist. As he grabbed Cheongun’s sword, Cheongun’s sword shattered and shattered with a “Clang!” sound.

After Cheongun had completely eliminated his means of attack, Gwangmaumgui’s hand rose into the sky. And then, it was at that moment that he swung his hand down towards Cheongun.

Squeak-!

Suddenly, a falcon shot down from the sky like lightning. It attacked Gwangmaumgwi with dagger-like talons.

Kang! Kakang!

The eagle’s claws were hard and sharp, as if they were wrapped in a steel. It was not easy to shake off the eagle with just one arm.

He tried to use his other arm, but Cheongun held him tightly and he couldn’t pull himself out. Even in the meantime, Mae continued to attack Gwangmaumgui.

His right arm was tied to Cheongun, his left arm was tied to the flying falcon, and Gwangmaumgui was tied to the spot without being able to move.

That was when.

Swish-!

The bloody fog that had enveloped the surroundings began to slowly disperse.

The eyes of the madman opened wide.

‘It’s already time···!’

The duration of the geophysical attack······was coming to an end.

The time spent fighting Cheongun has already passed by more than a moment.

Even if I have the most crazy mind, I can’t deal with the countless number of warriors, including the Murim Alliance’s Chupung Sword Squad, all at once.

······I had to run away.

Gwangmaumgui hurriedly pulled his body back, but his body did not move as he wanted.

The arm of the mad ghost that pierced Cheongun’s abdomen and held him tightly.

Crunch!!

My arm······ My arm, it won’t move at all.

As if I was bound by a chain of chains.

Gwangmaumgui was bound by Cheongun and couldn’t move his body.

Even though he had raised his danjeon’s internal energy, it was no use. For some reason, the ‘mysteriousness’ that was rising from Cheongun’s body was completely swallowing up Gwangmaumgui’s internal energy.

On the other hand, the unmanned beings who were bound by the chains of the Jibaksaekhyeoljin began to break free one by one.

‘This guy! He was planning on doing this from the beginning…!’

Only then was Gwangmaumgui able to figure out Cheongun’s plan.

Cheongun had originally intended to buy time.

Until the duration of the groundbreaking bloodletting runs out. And until the other unmanned beings are freed from their bonds.

Crunch!

Cheongun was thinking of sacrificing his own body to buy time.

Cheongun didn’t think he could win this fight from the beginning. Even so, he didn’t give up on the fight, and even though he couldn’t win······

I was able to find a way to not be defeated.

“this guy!!!!”

The voice of the mad ghost grew louder. Cheongwoon must be killed as soon as possible.

But even that is not enough.

Squeak-!

It’s hard to use my remaining left arm because of the flying falcon. I have to get out of here somehow… but I can’t think of a good way.

And so, all of a sudden.

“The defeat was ‘one.’”

The voice of Kwai Cheong Cheon is heard.

Kwai Cheong Cheon, who had even used the innate energy, was able to escape from the bonds of the Ji Bak Sae Blood Formation faster than other martial artists.

Mad Pig, Clear Sky.

His momentum, released from the chains of chains, contained a ferocious momentum that could turn the world upside down.

The sword of the Clear Sky, like a ferocious beast.

Gwangmaumgui was unable to do anything as a single sword filled his field of vision.

Okay.

Gwangmaumgui had no choice but to admit it.

He had no choice but to admit that his perfect plan had ultimately been defeated, and that his ‘ambition’ and ‘madness’ in dreaming of the revival of the Demonic Cult had collapsed here.

As the saying goes, it was for ‘one’ reason only.

What the crazy ghosts overlooked······.

“You and I both thought it was funny.”

Even Kwai Cheong Cheon thought it was funny······.

“The swordsman named Cheongun holds─.”

Crunch!

“I’m talking about a spirit of chivalry!!”

There was just one ‘mistake’.