The Demon's Grasp (Part 2)
I bit my lip until it hurt.
*For now, I just need to survive a few more days.*
That was the simple truth.
If I could only escape his reach for a few more days, I might still have a chance.
Whoosh!
Boom!
The moment the puppet with wings on its back opened its maw, a thunderous explosion ripped through the desert, sending a mushroom cloud of dust into the sky.
*I wonder if I can even last a few more days…*
In truth, if I had used the Invisible Sword to slice through its circuits right now, the puppet would have collapsed almost instantly.
But I hesitated. Rushing in too soon would only make the madman more interested.
*And if he wasn’t interested before, destroying his masterpiece would only make him come after me with even greater fury…*
The thought alone sent chills down my spine.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
I weaved through the puppets’ relentless assaults, flying through the scorching heat of the Dabcheon Desert for three days and nights without rest.
Puppets were truly a pain.
They never seemed to tire.
I had always trusted my own stamina, but right now?
I wasn’t so sure.
*My body has only just undergone the flesh-to-bone transformation. I’ve had no time to train, and I’m nowhere near the realm of Foundation Establishment where durability would actually help.*
I gritted my teeth until my jaw ached.
*I wish the madman would just fall off sooner…*
Then seven full days passed.
Whoosh.
The number of puppets chasing me had doubled again.
I clenched my teeth until they creaked.
The madman was pursuing me long after he should have given up.
*Damn it… I can’t keep doing this.*
I needed a way to shake him completely.
Flash!
I had finally left the Dabcheon Desert behind, passed the small tribes scattered at its edge, and arrived once more at the Black Wind Sea.
From that moment on, puppet-shaped figures began to chase me beneath the waves like fish.
*Fine… sorry, Song Jin…*
I flew through the salty wind and made my decision.
*I’ll borrow the Seopmyeong Ship for a while.*
Surely even the madman would understand, right?
I headed toward the sealed waters where the ghost ship rested.
Three more days passed.
*Boom!*
I twisted my body to dodge the barrage of puppets that struck from behind, slicing their laser beams with the Invisible Sword as I pressed on toward the sealed area.
And then—
[Umm… How unfortunate. The Ascension Gate will be completely sealed in just twenty days. It’s about time I leave you to chase the others. I’ll be off now.]
‘Finally…!’
He was giving up.
But his next words shattered even that hope.
[However, she said my story is too moving to leave you alone. So…]
Creak, creak, creak!
Far in the distance.
The air itself tore open.
[We will work together to capture you with all our strength. We will catch you! We will catch you!]
Snap!
From the crack emerged—
A single pale finger, exactly like a human hand.
A finger!
Crack!
The moment the finger twitched, the sea ahead split apart and the ground itself flipped upside down.
“…!”
The clouds in the sky shattered like glass. The wind that had been blowing only moments ago died completely.
*What the hell…*
[She wants you. Come here now.]
I finally understood the true nature of that finger.
It was the madman’s *Her*.
Zzzzt, zzzzt…
*That masterpiece of his—the one where he embedded the Seopmyeong Ship’s power core inside a single puppet…*
And then—
Whoosh!
Starting from *Her*’s finger, countless pale, illusory arms began crawling through the crack.
Chills ran down my spine.
*This is insane… I can’t let this happen.*
From just one finger.
A single palm.
The pressure I had felt from Song Jin?
Was this really the same?
I realized the truth.
*Her* was no ordinary puppet.
No matter how childish her creator’s vision was, the instincts forged over nine hundred years could never be underestimated.
*She must be…*
*At least Four Pillars rank!*
A bone-chilling cold crawled up my entire body.
A monster capable of unleashing the same aura as Song Jin from just one palm—
If it wasn’t Four Pillars, then what was it?!
I made my decision.
*Run away from that mad genius for a maximum of twenty days?*
Impossible.
Whoosh.
Through the spatial cracks, not only *Her*’s arms but countless other puppet swarms poured through.
The sky above the sea soon looked as if it had been filled entirely with the madman’s puppets.
I clenched my teeth until they cracked.
I had made a mistake.
I should never have told him about *Her* and my own story.
What now?
I hesitated for a moment, then opened my eyes.
*This life… will be the shortest one yet.*
I would be captured by the madman and spend thousands of years trapped in a living puppet, neither dying nor living.
No matter how far I had advanced, this madness was something I simply could not endure.
*If that’s the case… I’ll just end it.*
Giving up this precious life felt unbearable, but the conversation with Won Rip had at least sharpened my sense of identity.
Life itself is not a blessing.
It becomes one only because of the hearts exchanged within it.
So if I had never truly given or received a heart in this life—
This life could be abandoned.
I resolved myself.
*If I must die, I’ll die.*
It was far simpler to choose death than to agonize over living.
There were countless ways to end it right now.
That was when I remembered the Colorless Glass Sword sleeping inside my internal dan.
*If I die now, what happens to that sword?*
Since it had once been recognized as mine, would it follow me into the next regression?
Or would it simply vanish, left behind in this timeline, if the connection to Baekhongju was never made?
My body trembled violently.
The worst possibility flashed through my mind.
*That cannot happen.*
Suicide was easy.
But I could not commit it right now.
*Save Baekhongju and drink it!*
Yes—drink Baekhongju first, then die!
I weaved through the puppets’ attacks with mad desperation, racing toward the Seopmyeong Ship exactly as planned.
Kugugugu!
*Her*’s pale arms launched attacks of immense range, but her lack of eyes meant the accuracy was terrible.
Still, that alone had brought me to the brink of death.
*Damn it.*
I ground my teeth and dove into the sealed waters.
The barrier of the Seopmyeong Ship appeared before me.
Puff!
Using the Invisible Sword to pierce through the barrier, I rushed straight toward the ship.
Then—
Boom!
I finally landed on the deck and sprinted toward the helm.
It had been a while since I had taken the wheel of the Seopmyeong Ship.
But I remembered it perfectly.
*[Seopmyeong Ship, power on!]*
Kugugugu!
Following my will, the ghost ship began to lift into the void.
*Bongmyeong Castle, I need to reach Bongmyeong Castle!*
That was when—
[Th-this… bastard…!]
Kugugugu!
A familiar face emerged from the lower deck of the Seopmyeong Ship.
Song Jin.
[How dare that thief take the Seopmyeong Ship! What does he plan to do with it?!]
I didn’t bother explaining and transmitted the ship directly into the void.
“The madman is chasing me, senior. I came here to escape him. I’m sorry.”
*[What…?]*
The moment the name *Goe-gun* left my lips, blue lightning exploded in Song Jin’s eyes.
And—
Boom!
Finally, the madman’s puppets smashed through the barrier and reached the ship.
Kwa-kwa-kwa!
Countless puppets swarmed toward us.
Song Jin’s eyes burned with blue lightning.
[This… madman…! You dare come here again?! Still trying to steal the Seopmyeong Ship?!]
His voice was a torrent of grudges.
Song Jin looked ready to tear the madman apart right there on the deck.
But just as the puppets began to climb aboard—
Sshiiiii—
A black fog enveloped the ship.
The Seopmyeong Ship had already vanished into the void.
*Huu…*
I let out a long sigh.
“I’m sorry, senior. I told you earlier…”
*[Enough! You’re being chased by the madman, after all!]*
“Yes, yes.”
He shouted as if spitting the words out, blue lightning still crackling in his eyes.
*[That lunatic wouldn’t chase you even after giving up—let alone you. Right now, with the Ascension Gate opening, just hang on a little longer.]*
“Then…”
That was when—
Whoosh!
A crack appeared on one side of the void.
A familiar pale arm crawled through.
And when Song Jin saw it, he roared.
[You bastard! Why didn’t you tell me he was chasing you with that damned puppet too?!]
“What…?”
[Damn it. It’s all over. If that madman is using his doll to catch you, then it’s truly finished. I can’t help you anymore.]
Even Song Jin was this desperate.
*As expected…*
I looked at him and said,
“Senior… suicide really is the only way now, isn’t it?”
*[Oh? Interesting method. If you die, I’ll seal your soul inside the Seopmyeong Ship and collect the price for stealing it. Remember that well.]*
Whether he roared or not, I grabbed the helm.
I already knew the coordinates of Bongmyeong Castle in this time period.
“Then since I’m going to die anyway, let’s die a little more leisurely.”
*[What…?!]*
Flash!
I glanced at the pale arm glowing with brilliant light in the distance, then gripped the helm and activated the ship’s movement.
Flash…
The Seopmyeong Ship entered a different spatial region of the present realm.
I immediately redirected it toward Bongmyeong Castle’s coordinates.
*Even in such a short time, it can travel vast distances.*
I clicked my tongue at the sight of the floating castle drifting in the void.
Whoosh!
I wove my pure force into a gold-patterned talisman.
When every talisman was complete—
Whoosh!
Once again, *Her* had found us and was opening spatial cracks, extending her arm.
Boom!
I shattered the talismans with the Invisible Sword and rushed straight into the interior of Bongmyeong Castle.
*This floor must be where Baekhongju is…!*
I scrambled up the upper levels of the castle, searching frantically.
*I found it…!*
Boom, boom!
I sliced through every major circuit inside the golden talismans with the Invisible Sword, then hammered them with savage force.
And—
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
One entire wall of Bongmyeong Castle began to collapse.
Chills ran down my spine.
The moment the wall fell away, I saw *Her*’s arm extending all the way to her elbow.
I felt an explosive force shooting from her arm, sending shivers through my body.
*Hurry, hurry!*
Snap!
*Her* opened her hand.
And—
Boom!
My Invisible Sword finally shattered the golden talisman.
I already knew the secret of the room containing Baekhongju.
Flap!
I hurriedly removed the lid, poured the elixir directly into my mouth, and gulped it down.
Whoosh!
I felt the law treasures inside me humming in perfect synchronization once more.
*It’s definitely…*
My soul and the law treasures were now truly connected.
That was when—
Whoosh!
A terrifying suction force began pulling from *Her*’s hand.
It felt like I was being drawn in!
‘Grrk…!’
No—my body was actually being pulled toward her grasp.
Resistance was impossible!
*Damn it, this won’t do!*
I needed another way!
Kugugugu!
Far away, I saw Song Jin gripping the helm and jumping into the present realm.
I gritted my teeth and grabbed the rudder.
In my previous life, I had followed Kim Young-hoon’s footsteps, discovered Wol-ryang’s secret art, and finally killed Won Rip, reaching the pinnacle of Wol-ryang.
Clearly, I had taken a different path from him.
That was why the Invisible Sword had evolved not from his spatial-cutting light body technique, but from my own sabre-cutting technique.
But…
*No—my Invisible Sword did cut through space at that time.*
For an instant, I became like Kim Young-hoon’s light body!
That meant…
*Could those who reached Wol-ryang actually imitate another’s Wol-ryang technique for a short time?*
Hurry…!
I forced the method into my mind…!
Flare!
I ignited the upper dantian with pure force.
The flow that began at Baekho’s meridian surged toward the middle dantian, and the upper dantian burned with fierce qi.
“Uoooooo!”
I recalled that exact sensation from that time.
The Invisible Sword originated from the Danak Sword Art.
The light body originated from the Danmakdo Art.
And in truth, both martial paths shared the same root.
If so, could I reach the light-body technique that cut through space simply by climbing back up from the Invisible Sword?
Obtaining the light body completely was, of course, impossible.
But imitating it for just a moment…
Flash!
With desperate concentration, *Her*’s hand finally came close enough to touch.
I swung with all the power I had, pouring my own force into the grip I held.
Pei!
The Invisible Sword turned into a fleeting golden blade.
At the same moment—
Flash!
I had already escaped the void and returned to the present realm.
Swish!
Far away, I saw Song Jin, who had just escaped the void along with me, grabbing the helm of the Seopmyeong Ship.
Touch!
I leaped onto the ship and caught my breath.
*[What? You said you were going to commit suicide? If you’re going to die, get off the Seopmyeong Ship and do it on the ground…!]*
Song Jin roared, terrified that *Her* was still chasing us.
I was panting when a question suddenly occurred to me.
“…Senior, do you know any technique that attaches a phantom to the deepest parts of the soul?”
*[Hm? Of course I do.]*
“Could you attach it to me?”
*[Why should I do that for you?]*
*This damn…*
Song Jin had completely forgotten that I had only briefly stolen his ship without ever greeting him.
That was when—
Whoosh!
The spatial crack split open again, and *Her*’s pale arm finally revealed itself.
This time, it was determined not to miss.
It had already passed the elbow and reached the shoulder.
[You bastard! Get off the Seopmyeong Ship right now! Die! Yeah, fine. I’ll spread that kind of technique for you anytime!]
Whoosh!
Song Jin pulled out a phantom and blew it straight into my upper dantian.
—Kyaaa!
With an unpleasant foreign sensation, I felt the phantom’s soul sticking to me and connecting through Song Jin’s soul power.
The phantom had temporarily attached to me.
[Get off!]
And the phantom, obeying Song Jin’s command, took control of my body and forcibly hurled me off the ship.
Kugugugu!
*Her*’s hand reached toward me.
In my final moment, I poured every last trace of the Invisible Sword’s qi into my head.
And—
Perperong!
That was my twelfth regression.