The Storm Within the Dungeon (5)
A lone carriage rolled into the Martial Alliance.
Inside sat Ma Ryeong-in, summoned urgently by Ma Cheol-gun’s command. As he journeyed to the Alliance, his gaze out the window was as dark and heavy as the night surrounding him. He had come with only the Seven Dragons of Heaven as his escort, leaving them to wait outside the Alliance’s gates.
What if this summons was a trap to kill him?
Though he had risen to the position of the Heavenly Path Sect Leader, he was no match for Ma Cheol-gun, the leader of the Martial Alliance, especially here at the heart of the Alliance.
He had two choices: not come at all or face death.
Ma Ryeong-in trusted his instincts. While Ma Cheol-gun might one day seek his life, he felt certain that today was not that day.
The carriage halted before the leader’s hall.
Stepping out, Ma Ryeong-in glanced up at the familiar yet strangely foreign building. He had been here many times, but today it felt different.
Guided by a warrior of the Fierce Tiger Unit, he entered the hall.
At the far end, Ma Cheol-gun sat, draped in his ceremonial robes.
Ma Ryeong-in sauntered over, lazily fanning himself.
“What brings such a revered figure to summon a humble man like me?”
“You’re still the same.”
“Should a man change so easily?”
“Shouldn’t a man change at all?”
Their eyes met, a complex web of emotions between them. To call it love and hate would be an oversimplification.
Ma Ryeong-in smirked.
“They say change leads to death.”
“Enough nonsense. Come closer.”
“Why invite me closer? So you can cut my throat?”
Ma Ryeong-in asked, looking up the steps to where Ma Cheol-gun sat.
“How’s the air up there? Different?”
“Why don’t you come up and find out?”
Ma Ryeong-in chuckled.
“Maybe later.”
Ma Cheol-gun understood that “later” didn’t mean just a little while. Ma Ryeong-in was indeed eyeing his position.
“Why did you call me?”
“I need your help.”
“Help? That’s a first.”
Outwardly calm, Ma Ryeong-in was inwardly surprised.
Ma Cheol-gun remained composed.
“I know you want to kill me. I know you want my seat. I even know you’re in league with them.”
Ma Ryeong-in neither confirmed nor denied.
“They tried to kill me.”
Ma Ryeong-in was shocked. He hadn’t expected an attempt on Ma Cheol-gun’s life. Why create a leader only to destroy him?
“Why hold such grudges?”
He spoke mockingly, but Ma Cheol-gun was unfazed.
“They didn’t do it to put you in my place. They wanted to put something else inside me.”
“What do you mean?”
“They tried to perform the Great Separation Technique on me.”
Ma Cheol-gun was making a bold move, pressing Ma Ryeong-in hard.
“Is that what you want? To help them control the martial world by putting something strange inside me?”
Ma Ryeong-in’s eyes wavered.
“Do you think they’ll spare you? Please, help me. Not as the leader of the Martial Alliance, but as a descendant of the Heavenly Path Sect, I ask this of you.”
“How can I help?”
“Ju Cheol-ryong.”
“Ju Cheol-ryong? Why him?”
“Find out who’s behind this through him. He’s wary of me, so I can’t make a move. But he might see you as an ally.”
“Not likely.”
“But you can find a way.”
“And what do I get in return?”
Their eyes locked, the most crucial moment since the conversation began.
Ma Cheol-gun’s unexpected answer came.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
The second point of reference was the chain hanging on the dungeon wall.
When I opened my eyes again, I found myself standing on a massive chain bridge. Below was an abyss of darkness, and the bridge’s end was nowhere in sight.
I never imagined the small chain on the wall could transform into such a colossal structure.
I began to walk slowly.
How long had I walked? In the distance, someone was approaching. It was the Heavenly Demon.
Meeting him here on this chain bridge felt strangely fated.
[We finally meet.]
The Heavenly Demon looked at me with a mix of awe and emotion.
Previously, in the guest room created by the Celestial Mind Technique, I had only glimpsed his face through a small hole.
Now, we were meeting properly.
Having often recalled our battles, his appearance was familiar. He was the same Heavenly Demon as before.
[I’ve aged, haven’t I?]
[You look the same.]
[Really?]
[No, you’ve aged since your prime.]
[Damn. I knew it.]
[Why? Want to look young?]
[Better than looking old.]
[What’s wrong with being old?]
[Hmph! Easy for you to say with a young body.]
I felt a bit guilty since it was true. I changed the subject to lift his spirits.
[You’re still impressive. Wealthy, powerful in martial arts.]
[Why leave out my looks?]
[Good-looking too.]
[You rascal!]
[Haha.]
Meeting him again like this was nostalgic. It was different from just hearing his voice.
[The Celestial Mind Technique is truly amazing.]
[Of course. It’s the martial art of a great elder.]
Meeting him in my mind, in this way, was an incredible experience.
[We could even spar here.]
[Of course. Want to try now?]
The Heavenly Demon rolled up his sleeves, but I calmly stopped him.
[Not now. We can meet anytime now, so let’s take our time.]
[Afraid, are you?]
[What if we die fighting here?]
[This is a projection of our minds. We can compete, but we can’t kill each other.]
[I see.]
[You! Did you learn the Celestial Mind Technique to kill me?]
I chuckled.
Of course not. I knew I couldn’t kill him here.
I had sensed before that the only way to eliminate the Heavenly Demon within me was through the Heart Sword technique.
[I just wanted to see your face again.]
The Heavenly Demon flinched at my words, then his expression softened.
[You were this young when we fought.]
[I wasn’t this young.]
But I was in my prime, the golden years of my life.
[I miss seeing you like that.]
The Heavenly Demon longing for my youth was unexpected.
Who would have thought? I chuckled again.
[You laugh a lot.]
[Do I?]
[It’s unsettling. A smiling killer?]
[A killer?]
[Weren’t you? Have you forgotten how many you killed back then?]
[It was war. It should never happen again.]
[I miss those days.]
I looked at him with pity, but perhaps I too missed those times a little.
Not the killing, but the freedom to fight.
[Can we stay here as long as we want?]
[Usually, it’s brief.]
[We’ve been here a while.]
[That’s because our mental strength is strong.]
[The duration depends on the creator’s mental strength?]
[Exactly.]
[What about my real self?]
[Defenseless.]
[That’s dangerous.]
[But as you master the Celestial Mind Technique, you’ll be aware of the outside world too.]
[I should go.]
[Leaving already?]
The Heavenly Demon seemed reluctant to part.
[I can’t leave my real self defenseless.]
[You’re chained in a dungeon. What’s the worry?]
[You never know. If you want to stay, help me master the Celestial Mind Technique.]
[Damn! You plan to take everything from me?]
[If you don’t want to, forget it.]
The surroundings distorted as the Celestial Mind Technique ended.
As I opened my eyes, a sword was flying toward my heart.
Swish!
Clang!
The shackles binding my arms shattered as I caught the sword with my hand.
The attacker wore a ghostly mask, eyes wide with shock.
Voices echoed from outside.
“Hurry! We don’t have much time before the mechanism stops again.”
The iron door, which wouldn’t open during the Celestial Mind Technique, was now half-open.
My fist, unscathed by the sword, struck the masked man’s face.
Crash!
The mask shattered, and the man’s face caved in.
Startled by the noise, more men rushed in.
Clang! Thud! Bang!
The remaining shackles on my arms and ankles exploded into pieces.
Another masked man lunged with a sword. My body soared into the air, entangling with his. I wrapped my legs around his neck, spinning mid-air.
Crack.
His neck snapped from the unexpected attack, and he collapsed.
More men poured in from outside.
Thud! Thunk!
A man flipped over, impaled by a sword I kicked from the fallen man’s hand.
Another man unleashed a sword energy attack.
Swish!
The missed attack struck the wall behind me.
Thud!
I slid across the floor, delivering a powerful kick to the man’s abdomen, sending him flying backward with his organs shattered from the force. He crashed into the wall, lifeless.
They couldn’t attack me all at once. As each one entered through the door, they fell by my hand.
Swish, swish, swish!
This time, a ghost-like figure burst in, hurling hidden weapons.
‘How is this possible?’
The man’s thoughts were cut short. He should have been wondering how I dodged his attack and managed to get behind him to wrap my arm around his neck.
Crack.
The man’s neck snapped, and he crumpled to the ground. I picked up the sword from his waist.
I could sense the ghosts’ shock and unease, but they didn’t retreat. They were bound by orders they had to follow.
With a sword in my hand, the pace at which I dispatched them quickened.
Two ghosts charged at me from both sides. Their movements were unpredictable, and their sword strikes were terrifyingly fast.
But not faster than me.
Slash! Slash!
Two ghost masks split vertically. From their perspective, it would have been better if only the masks were cut, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
As the two men fell, I was already racing along the wall toward the entrance.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A sword aimed at me missed its mark.
As if teaching them how not to attack, my sword pierced the opponent’s neck with precision.
Thud!
The man clutched his neck, staggered backward, and slid down the wall, lifeless.
I continued to cut down the remaining ghosts. No matter how dazzling their martial arts or how unexpected their ambushes, they were no match for me.
“It’s a trap!”
The desperate shout of one before his death reflected their hopelessness.
Ten ghosts had rushed into the room, and in an instant, they all lay dead, truly becoming ghosts.
[Oh! This is exhilarating! Absolutely thrilling!]
The Heavenly Demon exclaimed with excitement. It was the first time I had used martial arts since he had entered my body. His voice was almost tearful.
[I want to fight too.]
He seemed stirred by my battle. His blood must be boiling, eager to unleash his demonic arts.
Sorry, but that’s not going to happen. I’ve fought him before.
I have no intention of letting him out into the world.
[What are you going to do now?]
If things continued like this, Ma Cheol-gun would realize I had already broken free from the blood control technique. That wasn’t what I wanted.
[First, I need to get out of here.]
I removed a ghost mask from one of the fallen men and put it on.
I planned to escape this place unnoticed.
Even though I was the one who killed them, the conclusion would be different. They wouldn’t believe I broke the blood control technique on my own. They’d likely think someone else intervened from outside.
There were too many possibilities for them to find a definitive answer to this situation.
I sprinted down the corridor. As I turned the corner, a man wearing a ghost mask stood at the far end, gesturing for me to hurry.
“The mechanism will reactivate soon! Hurry!”
He must have heard his comrade’s earlier warning about the trap.
In the urgency of the moment, he didn’t have time to verify if I was an ally. He ran ahead, and I followed closely behind.
The Heavenly Demon shouted with glee.
[Let’s go.]