Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 259 – The Mark (6)

Last night.

-Plop! Plop!

Seeing the pieces of skin falling from Mok Gyeong-un’s body, Cheong-ryeong was flabbergasted.

She had guessed that absorbing some of the demonic power of Nine-Tailed Fox, one of the Six Demons closest to the Divine Beasts, would advance his energy when internalized.

However, this wasn’t just advancement.

Mok Gyeong-un’s body, his muscles and bones, had once again reconstructed and evolved.

‘Metaphormosis[1]…’

This was called metamorphosis.

To think she would witness him achieve a second transformation right before her eyes.

This wasn’t simply about expelling impurities from the body.

His body had transformed into the optimal state to handle that energy.

-Woooosh!

The vast demonic energy emanating from Mok Gyeong-un had already reached the pinnacle-stage, no, surpassed the Transformation Realm.

She herself had also crossed the threshold before her death.

However, she had never crossed the threshold of thresholds or actually seen it.

Thus, it was difficult to precisely judge the level Mok Gyeong-un’s energy had reached, but…

‘…In terms of energy alone, wouldn’t he be infinitely close to the Profound Realm?’

The Profound Realm.

It referred to the realm beyond the threshold of thresholds.

It was a realm surpassing the Transformation Realm, where controlling true energy was as natural as breathing, and it could be said to be the highest domain a martial artist could reach.

However, what was incomprehensible was that Mok Gyeong-un hadn’t gained the enlightenment to cross the threshold of thresholds.

Is rebirth possible without enlightenment?

This was practically impossible.

‘Yet how is this possible?’

A second transformation.

Usually, energy that one couldn’t handle would escape the body.

There was a saying that too much was worse than too little.

Thus, the body would release the excess energy that could become poison, regulating itself.

However, Mok Gyeong-un managed to internalize it all.

Everything became his own.

‘It’s different from the concept of evolution. It’s as if this guy’s body is adapting to extreme situations… Ah!’

Yes.

That expression was fitting.

His body was constantly adapting.

That adaptability was so unbelievably high that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it had surpassed human limits.

Clicking her tongue like that, Cheong-ryeong inwardly affirmed.

‘With his current state, he could sufficiently contend with the Eight Stars.’

The Six Heavens and Eight Stars, known as the pinnacle of the current martial world.

She was convinced that while Mok Gyeong-un’s martial power hadn’t reached the Six Heavens yet, he could definitely match the Eight Stars below them without being inferior.

***

-Thud! Clang!

The right hand gripping the sword fell to the floor.

Unconsciously seeing this, the eyes of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Hundred-men Commander Gyeom-chang trembled.

He had unleashed a sword technique that could be called extremely swift.

Yet, without even blinking an eye, that guy’s wrist had been sliced off.

‘Didn’t he say no one could match him except the Southern Pacification Commissioner?’

It was ridiculous how this happened not long after he had said that.

Of course, that didn’t mean he thought Gyeom-chang was bluffing.

Having actually witnessed his martial arts, he realized that the opponent was a tremendous monster.

‘Just what is his true identity?’

Both his martial arts and his knowledge of the Command Gu’s existence.

When the Embroidered Uniform Guard Hundred-men Commander Gyeom-chang first brought a pair of Gu Poisons, he had said:

[When this is settled inside the body, it doesn’t harm the host at all. Rather, it survives on the impurities and waste in the organs, benefiting the body.]

[It’s peculiar for something called a Gu Poison.]

[That’s the advantage of this. When it’s inside the body, it doesn’t harm the host, and after a certain period, the organs no longer recognize it as a foreign substance.]

[What does that mean?]

[Even though it’s inside the body, if it’s not recognized as a foreign substance, it means that whether it’s a physician or whoever, they can’t detect the existence of the Gu Poison in the belly.]

[Ooh!]

Gyeom-chang had confidently asserted that no one could detect either the Gu Poison or the Command Gu.

He had stated that with such confidence, so how did this person find out?

As the puzzled Gyeom-chang, whose right hand had been cut off, extended his left hand…

-Woosh!

Strong energy coalesced on his left hand, forming the shape of a blade.

As a master of the Transformation Realm, he could freely control true energy like no other, so this wasn’t a difficult task.

However…

“Huff… Huff…”

He couldn’t move recklessly, knowing that the opponent was no ordinary master.

The fact that he had sliced off his wrist despite unleashing an extremely swift sword technique first clearly meant that the opponent was a step above him.

At that moment, Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo carefully opened his mouth.

“Who are you?”

At that question, the unknown person wearing the human skin mask of Chief Eunuch Ho, the supervisor of the Western Depot, smiled and replied.

“As you can see, I’m Chief Eunuch Ho.”

“…”

Did he think they would believe that now?

But the unknown person wearing Chief Eunuch Ho’s human skin mask looked at Gyeom-chang, who had formed a sword stance and was ready to respond at any moment, and said:

“You should have sufficiently recognized the difference by now.”

“Huff… Huff…”

“If you want your remaining arm to stay intact, just step aside.”

At his arrogant attitude, Gyeom-chang gritted his teeth.

It was infuriating, but someone with this level of martial arts had every right to say that to him.

However, there were situations where one had to back down when the opponent was a step above, and there were situations where one didn’t, and this was clearly the latter.

Glancing sideways at the Associate Military Commissioner, Gyeom-chang opened his mouth.

“Huff… Huff… I don’t know your true identity, but since you mentioned the Command Gu, you must be related to Thousand-men Commander Ma Ra-hyeon, right?”

“Who knows.”

It was neither an affirmation nor a denial.

However, even with this ambiguous answer, Gyeom-chang could be certain of the relationship.

“Is that so? Then do you also know that if the host of the Command Gu is in danger or their life is at risk, it can cause problems for both sides later on?”

“Both sides?”

“If the host dies, the Command Gu also dies. In that case, the parasitic male Command Gu inside the host also dies while harming the host. Do you understand what that means?”

It meant that Thousand-men Commander Ma Ra-hyeon, who was hosting the parasitic type, would also die.

“…”

At this, Mok Gyeong-un showed no particular reaction.

However, seeing his lack of response and the disappearance of his smile, it seemed he understood the implication.

Here, Gyeom-chang spoke to drive his point home.

“It’s best not to move. Even if threatened, it’s also possible to kill the Command Gu internally. If that happens, Ma Ra-hyeon dies too.”

Thinking he had gained the upper hand, Gyeom-chang issued a warning.

As if his threat had worked.

The expression of the unknown person wearing Chief Eunuch Ho’s human skin mask had stiffened quite a bit.

His gaze had also lowered, but…

‘Below?’

Where was he looking now?

His gaze, which had been directed at Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo until just now, had suddenly shifted downward.

It was towards the severed right hand lying on the floor.

Why was he staring at that?

While Gyeom-chang was puzzled, the person wearing Chief Eunuch Ho’s face, no, Mok Gyeong-un, suddenly reached out his hand towards it.

At that moment…

-Whoosh!

The right hand, no, the unique saber Gyeom-chang’s right hand had been gripping, the Lipyeongdo, rose from the floor and was sucked into Mok Gyeong-un’s hand.

Why did he take his saber?

As Gyeom-chang was questioning this…

-Pak!

Mok Gyeong-un, who had dropped the right hand gripping the saber, stared intently at the tip of the scabbard.

Seeing this, Gyeom-chang’s eyes soon widened.

‘No way?’

It was right then.

-Shwip!

Mok Gyeong-un’s figure vanished and suddenly reappeared behind Gyeom-chang.

-Flinch!

‘Fast.’

Gyeom-chang, who had been focusing and on alert, was startled by the incredibly swift movement and hastily tried to launch his body forward to gain some distance.

However, the moment he kicked off the floor…

-Slash!

Something sharp brushed past his left shoulder, where he had formed a sword stance.

It was none other than his unique saber, the Lipyeongdo.

Soon, his severed left arm fell to the floor, and just as he was about to lose balance, Mok Gyeong-un grabbed his head and smashed his face into the floor.

-Bam!

“Ugh.”

It didn’t end there.

Still gripping his head, Mok Gyeong-un pushed his face towards the edge of the floor.

-Skid skid skid!

The force was so brutal that a grotesque scream burst out from Gyeom-chang’s mouth as his face was completely torn off.

“Aaaaagh.”

-Crack! Squish! Crunch!

His teeth were all broken, and wooden splinters and stone fragments were embedded in his eyeballs.

It was so painful that he felt like he would lose consciousness.

As he was suffering like that, his hair was eventually pulled, and his face was tilted upward.

‘Eek!’

Associate Military Commissioner Sang Ik-seo was at a loss for words at the bloodied and horribly disfigured face.

To think he would do this even after the warning, did he not care about Thousand-men Commander Ma Ra-hyeon’s life at all?

Then, Mok Gyeong-un smiled so eerily that the corners of his mouth nearly reached his ears and spoke.

“I finally found it.”

At the tip of the scabbard held in Mok Gyeong-un’s left hand, filled with exhilaration, was a strange pattern engraved.

It was a mark identical to the scar left on his deceased grandfather.