Even This Place Is Hell (4)
That hand was enormous.
It was literally large enough to cover an entire mountain range.
And around that colossal hand, endless red radiance spread, drenching the sky, the earth, and every corner of the heavens and earth in crimson light.
The battle erupted at lightning speed.
“Aaaaahhh!”
Upon forming his fists, Cheon-yun’s back summoned four Nascent Soul clones like apparitions, and the shadow of a black dragon clung to him as well.
His cultivation surged wildly, and using that explosive power, he unleashed a barrage of arcane techniques.
Swish, swish, swish!
The world seemed to fill with fog, and Cheon-yun’s voice rang out clearly as if whispered right beside one’s ear.
This mist apparently made his intent even clearer.
Following Cheon-yun’s command, the remaining thousands of wounded mortal soldiers unleashed their full strength, pouring attacks toward the left hand approaching from beyond the mountain range.
Ku-gung, ku-gu-gu-gung!
Even those at the Cheonin, Sachuk, and Nascent Soul levels—including Cheon-yun and Oh Hyun-seok, along with several Sachuk commanders—attacked with everything they had.
Shiiiii…
The Venerable’s left hand trembled, smoke rising from its entire body as it momentarily halted.
“It’s hurting…?”
That left hand of the Venerable.
It was utterly impossible to read his state of mind.
The structure itself differed completely from ordinary beings’, making analysis difficult.
Yet, visible wounds could be seen on the Venerable’s left hand.
“It’s hurting! Since it’s not the main body, any attack will wound it! All of us must face death head-on—we won’t lose!”
Cheon-yun shouted desperately, boosting his allies’ morale, and once again pushed the Venerable’s left hand.
“The Gwanghan Fortress can block even a Core Formation strike! No matter how powerful the Venerable is, with only one hand active, his power is already at the level of a Core Formation cultivator! Hold on inside here and let it eat one full strike!”
Flutter, flutter!
Behind them, a water puppet summoned by Cheon-yun swung a massive black flag.
Simultaneously, the command echoed in every ally’s ear, and we reorganized our formation according to Cheon-yun’s orders.
“Disciples of the Perfect Way forward!”
Tick, tick, tick!
The disciples who had mastered the Perfect Way technique stepped forward and unleashed their respective Perfect State spells against the Venerable’s left hand.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!
The Void Shattering Venerable’s left hand began gathering demonic energy from outside the formation, preparing a counterattack.
“The Venerable is attacking! Demonic beasts, step forward!”
The demonic cultivators who had mastered the Demonic Way technique formed a defensive line.
Blink!
Blood erupted violently.
At the same instant, an overwhelming shockwave struck the top of the formation array.
Ku-lung, ku-ru-ru-rung!
The array flickered as if about to shatter, and the demonic disciples inside barely had time to dispel the shockwave.
Swish, swish-swirrr!
What was most despairing was…
“The, the thing… it’s regenerating!”
“Do not give it an opening!”
Coral-like growths covering the creature twitched, and the areas that had taken damage began to regrow.
Twitch, twitch…
At the same time, eyes sprouting across the creature’s hands swiveled and began staring directly at us.
Oh Hyun-seok cried out in terror.
“Everyone, do not look it in the eye!”
Cheon-yun raised his voice in alarm.
“The thing is using the Soul Extinction Yin Curse!”
Ku-gu-gu-gu!
At the same instant, blood-red light gathered in the Venerable’s eyeballs and shot toward us.
“Kyahaaaaah! Aaaah….”
“Aaaah….”
Some disciples, unfortunate souls, had made eye contact with the fleeting left hand of the Venerable, and I watched their souls scatter like mist.
“Is this the same trick that killed Kim Yeon?”
The disciples who had just died were Cheonin realm cultivators.
Direct hits from arcane techniques killed even Nascent Soul cultivators without mercy!
Uuwoong…!
The red light gradually diminished as it spewed from the left hand.
Only then did we look back at the left hand again.
Shiiiiiii…
Through the brief moment we had turned away, the left hand had fully regenerated its damaged body and was once more gathering demonic energy.
Uuwoong!
The sky blazed ominously.
The crimson sky flickered strangely.
“Everyone, form a defensive formation!”
Cheon-yun swung his flag and gave the order, and countless disciples began huddling together to create a new defensive line.
“Wait, what’s that…!”
At that moment, I noticed something suspicious.
“Be careful! That’s not a single technique! It’s cleverly hiding another technique behind it!”
Chrrrara-lak!
The power of Baekran Chukseongmun spread in all directions, layering clear blessing energy around us.
“Curse! The thing is trying to use a curse!”
I felt it!
The dense malice beyond our perception—the ultimate level of curses that only I could sense!
Oooooooooo!
From the flickering sky, flames gathered and began raining down as a fiery torrent.
And amazingly, the fiery rain shifted in mid-air from demonic energy into spirit energy!
The miracle of demonic energy transforming into spirit energy!
Those flames of fire slammed into the spirit energy barrier, shaking the formation far more effectively than the demonic attacks.
Following Cheon-yun’s command, the demonic disciples stepped forward to block the shockwaves.
They calmly dispelled the shockwaves, then, following my warning, easily blocked the subsequent curse attacks.
That was when…
Zi-yi-ing!
Cheon-yun, Oh Hyun-seok, and every single disciple trembled simultaneously.
“What is this…?”
I sensed it through the strange demonic energy enveloping my body.
“What… it wasn’t two—it was three?”
After the physical attack, another curse had been mixed in, and inside that curse, yet another attack had been concealed.
And that attack had cleverly bypassed the formation’s defenses, reaching the disciples without being targeted.
I could identify the nature of that attack.
“It’s a mental attack…!”
Zi-yi-ing!
Along with immense pain, I felt my consciousness sinking deeper.
“It’s… over….”
It wasn’t a problem of mental strength.
Structurally, any such technique guarantees one loss of consciousness.
I immediately understood the essence of the Void Shattering Venerable’s technique.
It triggered the Heart Demon, then filled the gaps with malice, turning humans into complete monsters driven by desire and evil.
Since it required facing one’s own heart demon, no matter who it was, it would strike once.
Kuwoong!
I stomped my feet and steadied my collapsing body.
“No, wait….”
I had thought I was steadying my body, but it was already in an entirely different place.
This place… was inside my mindscape.
Transparent descent hell.
Juuruk, ju-ru-ruk…
My body was being pierced by the glass swords of the descent hell, blood flowing.
And that blood gradually flowed and turned into a shadow before me.
The shadow opened its mouth.
“Do you think what you’re doing has any meaning? Do you truly believe you’re in the right? What value do your actions… have?”
And cutting the shadow off, I said,
“Hey, hey.”
Haha.
Laughter rang out.
Heart demon?
“Isn’t this a topic we’ve already discussed recently? Even if you took a Void Shattering Venerable’s technique, couldn’t you have brought up something more original?”
“…”
Yes.
I had to summon the heart demon I had already overcome once more just to turn it into a laughingstock.
Any technique that struck once no matter the target.
In other words,
Anyone, only once.
Puooong!
I stomped on the heart demon appearing in my heart and shattered it.
“You’re the only one who can destroy it, huh. It’s been a while since I last met you. Farewell.”
Kkwaeng, kkwaeng…
The fragments of the shattered heart demon bounced in all directions, wriggling.
And they began thrashing wildly to seize control of my mindscape.
Squelch, squelch…
The heart demon—no, the shadow that had been the heart demon—drew the entire mindscape into a filthy, slimy darkness.
Instantly, the surroundings were swallowed by a filthy, slimy darkness.
[Goodness has no meaning!]
[This world is hell!]
[Look at your mental state! You who are living in hell!]
[Everything is ruined anyway!]
[Obey the Venerable’s will! The Venerable will show you a new path suited for hell!]
“Oh ho, what a convincing brainwashing session. How terrifying.”
And turning my back, I began climbing the descent hell.
Pu-kok, pu-kok!
With every step up, my entire body was pierced by swords, pain exploding.
And every time I felt pain, the slimy voices of the ghosts following behind whispered.
[Loyalty to the Venerable!]
[If this world is hell, isn’t the law of hell the most useful?]
[Might makes right! The strong can do anything to the weak!]
[Don’t you remember being abused by the strong?]
[The Venerable will make you stronger than that strong one…]
Stepping, stepping…
That wasn’t my own heart demon.
The malice of others injected by the Venerable through my heart demon.
Yes, evil deeds.
The Venerable had processed all the evil deeds the mortals had committed in the Demonic Realm and injected them into my mindscape.
But I did not face those evil deeds. While feeling pain, I silently climbed toward the top of the descent hell.
Behind my back, slimy screams grew louder, gradually pressuring me with the Venerable’s sorcery.
Yet I could feel, stepping on the glass swords of the descent hell.
“The swords I’m stepping on… they’re all about to become alive.”
Yes, each of these transparent swords was my memory.
And awareness was qi.
Having achieved understanding of rank, I now knew that qi outside and the mindscape inside could influence each other.
“Perhaps….”
As I stepped on the swords and climbed, I thought.
“The Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram might ultimately be a reflection of my own mindscape.”
These swords were pain and wounds.
But at the same time, they were history refuting the traces of my life.
Therefore, the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram that recorded my history…
Uuwooong!
Perhaps it had been greatly affected by the mindscape.
Paaaaat!
Gradually, faint human figures began appearing behind me.
I sensed the qi of my own flesh through the mindscape.
The golden core at the center of my flesh qi, and the Nascent Soul slumbering inside the golden core.
That Nascent Soul contained three thousand colorless glass swords.
The Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram linked to those colorless glass swords began entering my mindscape in return.
Stepping, stepping, stepping…
I climbed the mountain in silence, and each time, more human figures appeared behind me, widening the distance from the slimy voices.
The slimy voices were blocked by the human figures created by the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram, and gradually slowed as they chased me.
“Hey, Underworld Venerable.”
Pu-kok, pu-kok…
Blood flowing, heading toward the summit of descent.
I opened my mouth toward the Venerable’s sorcery shouting from behind.
“You’re right. I am indeed living in hell.”
This world being hell.
I had felt it many, many times.
Stepping, stepping…
Pu-kok, pu-kok…
“But….”
Uuwooong!
Gradually, more human figures appeared between me and the creature.
The number was impossible to count, and the Venerable’s voice could no longer break through the sea of figures to reach me.
Pu-kok!
Feeling the sensation of swords piercing my entire body, I stopped for a moment and closed my eyes.
Uuwooong!
And I turned to look back.
A mountain!
The descent made of transparent swords.
And a human mountain made of countless figures.
This was my world.
“We truly… live….”
Paaaaaaaah!
At the same instant, the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram and the mountain of swords blazed with light.
That snow-white light gradually took form and transformed into the shape of Baekran.
The Soul Extinction Yin Curse that had reached its ultimate level.
And my Baekran Chukseongmun was a technique that had transcended that Yin Soul Ghost Curse and advanced further.
Why did the enlightenment beyond curse become blessing?
Perhaps, curse and blessing were ultimately separated by just a hair’s breadth.
Curse or blessing.
Hell or heaven.
All were ultimately separated by just a hair’s breadth.
Then, what determined that hair’s breadth?
Paaaaat!
In the snow-white light advancing from the curse, the Venerable’s voices that had been frantically grabbing at me below.
One flower petal fell toward those voices.
Each time it passed the human figures behind me, the number gradually increased.
Through countless connections, the blessing grew larger and larger.
Finally, it became a wave and swept over the malice.
The hair’s breadth separating heaven and hell was surely the hearts exchanged between humans…
Pa-tsu-tsu-ch!
The Baekran Chukseongmun amplified by the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram became a snow-white wave and washed away the darkness.
The Venerable’s sorcery was swept away in an instant.
“Even if this place is hell….”
It looked like countless stars being unleashed across a pitch-black night sky.
The night was indeed dark, but inside it countless stars filled the darkness.
Even a person’s world could be as dark as hell, but if we knew how to respect and cherish each other’s hearts, that would be goodness.
“Goodness has no meaning. Even if this is truly hell, that goodness will not disappear.”
“Surely….”
I looked down at the countless human figures chasing me from below.
“While I’m here….”
I turned my head from them and continued walking toward even higher ground.
Paaaaat!
At the same time, my mind flashed clear and I returned to reality.
“Hoo…”
I took a deep breath and straightened my waist.
I had momentarily fainted.
And in that brief instant, I saw that the Venerable’s left hand had already reached close to the formation and was gathering power.
Looking around, it seemed that many mortal soldiers had been corroded by the Venerable’s sorcery and were sitting with heads in hands, foaming at the mouth and trembling.
Even without me, it would have been nearly impossible to overcome such a thing, so for them it would have been even harder.
Uuwoong!
Paaang!
I completely dispelled the Venerable’s technique planted on my body and stood up.
The qi of Baekran Chukseongmun flowed out of my body, reversing the Venerable’s sorcery, and the Venerable’s left hand, upon reversal, stopped gathering power and began trembling.
It seemed he had considered it his ultimate secret technique, but when one person dispelled it, he took a bit of the backlash.
I smiled at the sight.
“Hey, Underworld Venerable.”
Uuwoong!
The Baekran Chukseongmun that had risen across my entire body gradually spread in all directions.
“That secret technique you just used… if it fails, there’s some backlash, right?”
Then.
“If all the mortals here overcome the heart demon and defeat your secret technique, that little bit of backlash will accumulate and you’ll suffer quite a bit….”
Paaaaat!
The Baekran Chukseongmun blooming from my entire body spread in every direction.
Uuwoong!
At the same instant, countless hazy qi spirits appeared around us, amplifying the qi of Baekran Chukseongmun.
Instantly, the surroundings were filled with blessings, and countless Baekrans entered one by one into the people’s minds.
And the Venerable, seeing that, began to vibrate.
Although it was hard to read the Venerable’s left hand, I roughly sensed that he was enraged.
Kuwooong!
He unleashed another strike.
The array trembled violently, and blood poured from my entire body from the shockwave, but I laughed.
“Looking at you getting angry, I guess it’s working.”
Paaaaat!
The opposite of curse is blessing.
With the Yin Soul Ghost Curse, I could curse the opponent with various techniques like Curse Dolls, Pain Resonance, Erosion, and Wound Transmission.
Then, what effects did the opposite of curse, the Baekran Chukseongmun, possess?
The effects were two.
Amplification of power, and guidance of the mind.
With the blessings of Baekran Chukseongmun, I could lead people’s minds toward a more correct path, recover their sanity, strengthen human minds, and escape mental attacks.
And this was not limited to me personally but possible for the entire group.
Paaaaaaah!
Since the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram was amplifying my blessing, the effect was at its maximum now.
“Even though I’ve known this fact from the beginning, thanks to you I’ve clearly understood the utility of Baekran Chukseongmun, Venerable!”
At the center of the wave of Baekran, I looked at the Venerable and spoke proudly.
“As long as we have the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram and Baekran Chukseongmun… my mind is invincible.”
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu!
Once more the Venerable’s left hand struck.
I vomited a mouthful of blood and lowered my body against the shockwave.
“As long as the array holds… if these people can stand up….”
I would be able to deal a significant blow to the Venerable’s left hand by reversing his sorcery.
That was when…
Uuwooong!
“…?”
The fallen ones around me began to stand up one by one.
“U… aaah….”
“Kk… aaah….”
“These people….”
I frowned.
Everyone’s eyes were filled with red light.
They were being controlled by the Venerable!
“Really, the Venerable is going to all sorts of troubles.”
I laughed dryly and calmly gathered my strength.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu-gu!
From all directions, countless Cheonin, Nascent Soul, and Sachuk cultivators gathered power to pressure me.
Because I was trying to escape control by using the light of Baekran Chukseongmun while being controlled by the Venerable.
I probably couldn’t unleash my full power and fight.
Then…
Paaaaat!
Everyone had clearly regained their sanity through Baekran Chukseongmun.
I just had to hold on.
I only needed to endure.
“Enduring is something I do best.”
Uuwoong!
I took out what I had been carefully storing from the golden core.
Kung, kung, kung, kung!
The three thousand colorless glass swords scattered in all directions and stuck into the ground around us.
“Then where….”
I unfolded the Descent of Jeomuldo and took out the Baekhongju I had been accumulating, taking a sip.
Buuwoong!
The colorless glass swords vibrated and linked deeply with my soul.
“I’ll bet my life on it.”
I, for the first time in this life, took out my Life-Binding Sword Art and assumed a posture.
The formless sword resided in the colorless glass swords.
The colorless glass swords had originally been made of glass, so their strength was no different from glass.
Of course, it had been refined with a Core Formation cultivator’s golden core and risen to a slightly tougher glass, but that was it.
One thousand years during General Seo’s era hadn’t properly refined through the golden core.
But in this life’s hundred years.
During that time, I had poured all my efforts into refining with golden cores.
The result was that the colorless glass swords, which had originally had glass-level strength, had grown into a Life-Binding Sword with bronze sword level strength.
Compared to bronze swords, it was still very weak, but the true value of the colorless glass swords had never been their physical strength but the special abilities emanating from the circuits engraved in them.
Most importantly…
“I no longer need to be careful like before.”
Unlike glass that could shatter if swung carelessly, with bronze sword level strength, wielding the formless sword was far easier.
And that directly led to a vertical leap in power.
Shlick, shiririck!
The colorless glass swords rotated around me, each carrying the formless sword.
The air vibrated with the rotation, and flesh trembled.
The colorless glass swords appeared to rotate separately from my body, but in reality they were connected to my body through the formless sword.
So.
“Wansuigungmurok.”
Swish!
With the colorless glass swords using Wansuigungmurok all at once, the disciples targeting me all looked around in confusion.
Initially, it had been a martial skill that let me evade by cutting through their perception.
That martial skill had evolved under my influence. As I became a disciple, obtained the formless sword, and achieved understanding of rank, it had transcended its original performance.
Buuwoong!
It hid itself within the very gap of space.
And it cut the very flow of the world heading toward me from within that gap!
The ultimate extreme only I, who possessed the Nascent Soul’s vision and unfolded the formless sword, could perform!
The Sachuk cultivators could sense my location and attacked, but because they were a breath late, the attacks never landed.
Of course, if they used a wide-range spell they could have hit, but such powerful arcane techniques were apparently unusable in the current state of being controlled by the Venerable.
“If I just hold on…!”
That was when…
Rattle.
“…!”
The Venerable’s left hand.
The eyeballs attached to the creature’s body precisely stared at “me” using Wansuigungmurok.
And countless beings controlled by the creature simultaneously poured attacks toward my location!
“Damn it, if even the Venerable can’t do anything with this level of Wansuigungmurok….”
Countless mortal disciples pressed me.
If I lost the advantage of sight, I would inevitably be pushed back.
Buuwoong! Buuwoong! Bung!
Kung! Kung! Kung!
My footsteps gradually deepened.
I gritted my teeth while unfolding the Yu Gong Isan.
It gradually strengthened, but it still wasn’t enough.
Regulating the Earth, Heaven and Water Sea, Soul Extinction Yin Curse—none of these would help in the current situation.
If I had made many puppets, it would have been different, but time was too short.
Being overwhelmingly outnumbered like this was still too much for my strength.
What should I do?
Kwaaaaaang!
Blue light flew toward me.
Oh Hyun-seok charged at me with the Swaying Dragon Halberd in both hands.
Above all, that was the most annoying.
Every time I blocked his strike, it felt like my entire body was melting.
Kwaaang!
“Although it gradually strengthens with Yu Gong Isan….”
It was still insufficient.
If this continued, I would be drained dry before his attack fully strengthened!
What to do…
Suddenly.
I saw Kim Young-hoon’s shadow pass in front of me.
What would he have done?
“He probably created a martial skill suited to the situation.”
Could I do that?
“No.”
Creating a martial skill wasn’t that difficult since I had trained in martial arts.
But mastering it to the point of freely using it in battle was impossible.
Kim Young-hoon had an absurd talent and could instantly master and use the martial skill he created, but I could create it but not use it that way.
Then how could I deal with this situation?
Kwaaaang!
I countered Oh Hyun-seok’s strike with the first style of the Gonggok Jeonseong and assumed a posture, raising the formless sword.
The colorless glass sword, together with the formless sword, transformed in countless ways and compensated for the formless sword’s path.
Countless styles unfolded through the three thousand colorless glass swords, turning the surroundings to ash.
But stronger attacks came from all directions, and in front Oh Hyun-seok continued charging at me.
“If only there was one more martial skill to reverse the situation, then my breathing would open up!”
The power of Baekran Chukseongmun was gradually driving away the Venerable’s sorcery.
If I held on just a little longer, I would win!
But now I didn’t even have the strength to hold on just a little longer.
If I continued like this, it was a certain loss!
A countermeasure!
A countermeasure!
If it had been Kim Young-hoon, if it had been Oh Hyun-seok, if it had been Kim Yeon, if it had been Buk Hyang-hwa.
If it had been someone else, what would they have done?!
Is there a way…!
Suddenly.
While in the state of Wu Ji Gyeong, I recalled something.
“…Thinking about it, when I reached the realm of Hamcheon….”
I had entered an entirely “different” path from Kim Young-hoon.
Clearly.
It was because I had seen my own shadow enter the realm of Hamcheon, not his.
Then why was I still looking for Kim Young-hoon or others?
“…Is that it?”
Because I had lived parasitizing on others.
I climbed the martial arts by leeching off Kim Young-hoon’s talent, entered the sect by leeching off Cheongmun Ryeong’s enlightenment, obtained the Life-Binding Sword by leeching off Buk Hyang-hwa’s achievements, and acquired the circuits by leeching off a thousand years with Goe-gun.
Just leeching and acquiring others’ things.
Looking back, that had been my life without talent.
Haha.
For some reason, upon realizing that fact, I felt extremely funny.
The enlightenment gained after facing death with resolve was because I was so good at leeching.
“A leeching life….”
But I smiled while looking at the countless qi spirits watching me from behind.
“It wasn’t bad.”
My body had received the blessings of countless people.
If my talent was leeching blessings, then imitating, following, and receiving from others was my talent.
“Then let’s do it that way.”
Imitate.
Follow, chase, or leech.
“Even like that, I’ll protect!”
I recalled the most powerful strike I had seen in my life.
The strike from the Venerable Hamcheon I had dreamed of last time!
Let’s reproduce it.
Chuchu-ch!
That overwhelming destructive power!
That ridiculous force!
Uuwoong!
The formless sword vibrated.
I could instinctively feel it.
No matter how skilled I was, I could never even reach the heel of that force.
“Then even if I pour everything out!”
Paaaaat!
The three thousand colorless glass swords that had scattered in all directions merged into one.
The Total Heaven of Colorless Glass Swords.
I added the circuits from Goe-gun to it.
I infused it with the power of Changik Cheonswae.
All my techniques, all history: Baekran Chukseongmun, Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram, Yin Soul Ghost Curse, Heavenly Water Sea, and every martial art I had mastered!
“Danak Sword Art.”
If it had been Kim Young-hoon, he could probably have pursued pure martial power without any waste.
But I was not.
Because the blessings I had received from life were too enormous and numerous, I could not pursue pure martial arts.
“The Twenty-Fifth Move.”
Beyond the Danak Sword Art, which consisted of twenty-four styles,
I poured everything I had accomplished into a new style blooming.
“Righteous Sea!”
Instantly.
I felt my sword entering a different realm.
“This is… the realm beyond Hamcheon?”
I felt it.
I realized that I had no talent.
That was why the realm I was seeing now was only a temporary area reached because of my effort to reproduce the strike of the Venerable Hamcheon and squeeze every last bit of power,
But with this, it was enough.
“En Mountain!”
The blessings received from life, the strike imitating everything I had seen while living, flew toward Oh Hyun-seok in front of me.
Paaat!
My sword pierced Oh Hyun-seok as it was.
But I could feel.
“Ah….”
My sword precisely dug deep into Oh Hyun-seok’s soul at the level of the soul’s rank.
And the sword that had dug into his soul became a heart sword, cleanly erasing the Venerable’s sorcery residing in Oh Hyun-seok’s mindscape while carrying the nature of Baekran Chukseongmun!
Paaang!
It was strange.
I felt my entire body’s strength draining and vomited blood.
The backlash of Yu Gong Isan arrived.
Why, even though I had reproduced the strike of the Venerable Hamcheon, the ultimate of destruction…
Was the resulting style completely different from the style of destruction?
I had only imitated it…
“Ah….”
I could understand while looking at the qi spirits sending strength from behind my back through the Ten Thousand Phenomena Affinity Diagram.
“I see.”
My history that had grown by imitating.
At first, I had only imitated and followed, doing nothing else.
But now, weren’t there countless footprints left behind?
Now, even imitation might carry my own color.
Uuwooong!
The heart sword spread in all directions, sweeping the minds of the mortal disciples infected with the Venerable’s sorcery and finally succeeded in releasing everyone’s consciousness.
“I glimpsed the realm beyond.”
I hadn’t reached the realm beyond, but since I had reproduced one strike of the realm beyond, someday…
I would be able to reach that place by my own strength!
I looked at the Venerable’s left hand, which had become enraged and was gathering demonic energy, and at the countless people who had regained their senses, and sat down in place.
Kwaaaang!
With the Venerable’s next strike, the array was finally shattered.
“D-Damn it! The Venerable’s left hand has invaded!”
“Seo Eun-hyun! A-Are you okay….”
Oh Hyun-seok rushed to me and supported me, and I closed my eyes with a faint smile.
“I’m… okay.”
“First, let’s retreat! The thing shattered the array!”
“It’s… okay….”
“Still, thanks to you everyone has regained their senses! Seo Eun-hyun! Are you okay!? Open your eyes!!”
Ku-ruk, ku-ruk!
I spat blood.
But while doing so, I laughed.
“I’m… okay. Everything is….”
It was too late.
But I had barely made it on time.
Kkwaeng kkwaeng kkwaeng…
In the distance, an eerie fortress was flying through the air toward us.
Every fruit of my struggle was appearing one by one.
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