By Zephyria 
The flying roof tiles were no ordinary objects; each stone was imbued with the Cult Leader’s inner force. Ak Mujin and Jin Geum-ryeon quickly leaped up and began to smash them one by one, but in that gap, the Cult Leader once again unleashed his palm technique.
Flash—!
As the sky brightened once more, lightning struck the spot where Jin Geum-ryeon was about to land. With no way to avoid it, Jin Geum-ryeon had no choice but to gather his inner force in his palms to block it.
“Geum-ryeon!”
Ak Mujin shouted. Although he had cushioned the blow, Jin Geum-ryeon, having directly taken the lightning strike, coughed up blood.
Crash!
Thunder roared once more.
He couldn’t help but blame himself for making the Cult Leader too powerful. As the story progressed, the power levels inflated, leading the final boss, the Cult Leader, to wield Martial Arts bordering on sorcery.
This was entirely his fault! But who could have known it would turn out like this?
As he lamented and tried to rush to Jin Geum-ryeon’s side, the Cult Leader seemed to put strength into his toes, then stretched out both hands and charged toward Ak Mujin. Ak Mujin was startled, but he had been fully prepared, so he immediately unleashed his Sword Aura to block it. At the same time, Moonless flew in to cut off the Cult Leader’s wrist, but the Cult Leader’s hand smoothly changed direction by a hair’s breadth and fiercely struck out with both palms toward Jin Geum-ryeon.
However, Jin Geum-ryeon also stood firmly in place, channeling inner force into both hands. His palms glowed with a golden light.
Golden Tiger Luan Palm!
A massive roar erupted between the two men’s palms, and at the same time, a pure white light burst forth. The gazes of those engaged in the bloody battle around them converged on the scene.
Ak Mujin quickly moved to minimize the damage from the collision between the two. This palm technique was something Jin Geum-ryeon acquired in the later part of the original story, and he could only stand there dumbfounded, marveling at witnessing it in this way. But he soon regained his senses and began to unleash his techniques on the Cult Leader, who was momentarily stunned by the impact.
The Cult Leader took a breath and tried to gather energy in his palms again to break Ak Mujin’s techniques. However, he was immediately met with attacks from Moonless and Jin Geum-ryeon, forcing him to deal with three attacks at once. He quickly reached out his other hand, levitating a broken piece of sword from the ground and using it to parry Moonless’s and Ak Mujin’s swords. The sword fragment, having served its purpose, was sent flying far away.
He had overcome the immediate crisis, but the impact from facing Jin Geum-ryeon’s double palms had left his bones aching. Jin Geum-ryeon must have suffered even greater shock from being struck by lightning, but his attacks did not seem to be over.
Seeing that the Cult Leader was struggling even slightly, Ak Mujin immediately began to coordinate his attacks with Jin Geum-ryeon’s movements without even using telepathic transmission. Their teamwork was better than expected, and they were able to smoothly push the Cult Leader back. The Cult Leader, sensing that their attacks were relentless, seemed to have a different idea and violently unleashed palm strikes toward Ak Mujin and Jin Geum-ryeon.
“Ak Mujin!”
The Cult Leader shouted.
Ak Mujin’s eyes shook violently.
The Cult Leader’s entire body was instantly enveloped in a black aura.
Jin Geum-ryeon tried to seize the momentum and take the Cult Leader’s head, but the black shadow surrounding the Cult Leader’s body was so incredibly hot that he couldn’t get close. In the end, Jin Geum-ryeon and Ak Mujin quickly retreated, and instead, one unleashed Sword Aura while the other unleashed palm strikes.
However, the Cult Leader quickly spread his palms and directly countered the attacks coming toward him. The three lights collided, creating a tremendous noise.
Kwaaaang—!
They readjusted their stances to launch another coordinated attack, but at that moment, a black aura seeped out from between the still-lingering lights, and the Cult Leader burst forth. A sphere of light, whether purple or black, floated in front of his chest, and the black shadow surrounding his body was sucked into the sphere, swirling wildly.
“…!”
“Today, I shall inflict upon you the punishment for disobeying me all this time!”
Shouting at the top of his lungs, the Cult Leader charged toward them. At that moment, Ak Mujin’s vision went dark because Jin Geum-ryeon had stepped in front of him without the slightest hesitation.
Red lights flashed in Ak Mujin’s head, setting off a loud siren. The Cult Leader’s words didn’t have much impact, but what he was about to do was clearly dangerous. The Heavenly Demon Meteor Fall, which was akin to consuming one’s own lifespan, had certainly dealt a significant blow to Jin Geum-ryeon in the original story. Mae-yeong, who had shared his inner force with him, was not here now. It was fine if he was the one to give it, but Ak Mujin didn’t want to create a situation where Jin Geum-ryeon was hurt in the first place.
Ak Mujin felt like this scene was moving in slow motion. The beating of his heart running through his chest also slowed down, and he felt like he could do anything right now.
So, before Jin Geum-ryeon, who had blocked him, could even grab him, he slipped past him and rushed toward the Cult Leader with his sword in hand.
The moment Ak Mujin’s sword pierced the Cult Leader’s sphere, it unleashed an explosion that shook all of Heavenly Mountain.
***
“…Geum-ryeon?”
This was the third time he had called out the name, but there was no response.
Ak Mujin thought he might have lost his sight. Because whether he opened his eyes or closed them, the surroundings were pitch black.
When he reached out his hand, he hadn’t even fully extended his arm when he felt something blocking his way again.
Right, this is… the Spirit Mausoleum.
As soon as that thought occurred to him, Ak Mujin lost all motivation and couldn’t even bring himself to move. Did he have to repeat the same thing again? No, maybe he wouldn’t have to this time. The Demon Cult must have already sealed the secret passage. He could feel tears streaming down his face.
He lay there blankly staring into the void for a long time, and just as he was getting tired of it, he stopped crying and reached out his hand once more. What his fingertips touched was cold stone. Then, with a rattling sound, the massive stone moved on its own, and the coffin opened.
Ak Mujin, his face covered in tears, stared at the ceiling with a dumbfounded expression. Faint light was seeping in from the outside. He hurriedly sat up and looked around.
The scenery outside was a bit strange. It wasn’t the Spirit Mausoleum. Why was the entrance to the secret passage right in front of him?
He hesitated and got out of the coffin, relying on the faint light coming through the cracks in the rocks to continue looking around. As he did so, he discovered a narrow passage, and the moment he became aware of it, he saw a bright light flickering beyond it.
Ak Mujin quickly raised his head and began to walk toward it. The closer he got to the light, the more familiar and nostalgic it felt.
Finally, as he began to approach the light, he discovered a small desk, a chair, and a monitor brightly illuminating the darkness before his eyes.
Ak Mujin, or rather, Ahn Do-hyun, felt his eyes grow hot. This was the monitor and desk he had used in his original world. Ahn Do-hyun stared blankly at the monitor, then unconsciously pulled out the chair and tried to sit down.
That’s what he was going to do.
Suddenly, he didn’t want to.
Why?
He had endured so many hardships to return to the real world.
But Ak Mujin turned his back on the monitor and quickly walked away, moving further and further away.
*
“Do-hyun…, Ahn Do-hyun…”
Ak Mujin could hear a voice calling his name. The voice was choked with tears, and it called out so endlessly that he was the one who was getting anxious.
He felt like someone was pulling at his soul and barely managed to move his fingertips slightly. Something that was usually so easy was not easy at all this time. Eventually, he rested for a while, then decided to try moving his lips slightly this time.
Then, someone said.
“Lord! The Great One…!”
Before the words could even finish, Ak Mujin made a metallic sound.
“…Ryeon…”
Jin Geum-ryeon stared down at Ak Mujin with wide eyes, and when he finally opened his eyes and looked at him, he began to stammer with an incredulous expression. The sight of Jin Geum-ryeon in Ak Mujin’s eyes was so foolish and ridiculous that he ended up letting out a small, deflated laugh.
“Ahn Do-hyun!”
Jin Geum-ryeon shouted. Ak Mujin slowly raised his hand and stroked his cheek.
He vaguely realized.
The reason he didn’t want to sit in that chair was because he thought he would never see this face again. That perhaps space-time would twist again and he would return to the real world.
Ak Mujin smiled once more.
“…Your face is a mess.”
Jin Geum-ryeon couldn’t respond with any words, so he hugged his weak body even tighter, buried his face in his neck, and shed tears of joy.
Ak Mujin felt his shoulder getting wet and deeply felt that he truly wanted to belong to this world.