The Jester and the Show
p>Wheeeee―
/p>
p>High above a vast chasm.
/p>
p>A peculiar fortress soared across the sky and drifted closer.
/p>
p>From within its walls, endless pulleys turned with metallic clanks that rang out like a strange, mechanical heartbeat.
/p>
p>Clank. Clank. Clank. Clank…
/p>
p>Yet the floating fortress, gliding forward through the void, suddenly halted in place.
/p>
p>Kugugugu―
/p>
p>Far off, a faint barrier shimmered over a distant range of snow-white mountains.
/p>
p>The domain of the Jinlong Alliance.
/p>
p>Right here.
/p>
p>Uuuuung―
/p>
p>Moreover, inside the barrier, three cultivators at the Integration realm emerged to meet the approaching fortress, their faces tense as they channeled their energy.
/p>
p>[You scoundrel, you’re none other than that notorious madman, Goe-gun, are you!]
/p>
p>The Demon King of the Taehwa tribe roared, his aura blazing as he shouted at the peculiar fortress.
/p>
p>[I don’t know what business you have in our Jinlong Alliance domain, but no matter who you are, you can’t just waltz in and live! I strongly recommend you turn back right now!]
/p>
p>And then—
/p>
p>Clank. Clank. Clank!
/p>
p>Inside the peculiar fortress, countless cannon barrels erupted outward, their muzzles aimed straight at the barrier.
/p>
p>Whoosh!
/p>
p>With a buzzing of insect wings, countless bug puppets swarmed out from within and began stuffing cannonballs into the barrels.
/p>
p>The cannonballs were Four Pillars-level general puppets.
/p>
p>Flutter. Flutter!
/p>
p>As the horse puppets waved their flags, signaling the gunners, the puppets fired.
/p>
p>Boom! Boom! Boom!
/p>
p>The pleas from the Integration Demon Kings went unheeded. The madman’s peculiar fortress unleashed its general puppets straight at the barrier.
/p>
p>Zzeeeerrr!
/p>
p>The general puppets soared and slammed headfirst into the barrier, cracking it wide open.
/p>
p>But the Integration Demon Kings merely laughed faintly and poured more energy into the barrier.
/p>
p>[Hah, no matter how notorious Goe-gun may be, this barrier draws its power from the body of the Fissure-Opening Ancestor of our Jinlong Alliance…]
/p>
p>At the same moment, beams of light erupted from every general puppet’s body and carved countless circuits into one side of the barrier.
/p>
p>And then—
/p>
p>Flash!
/p>
p>Kiiiing!
/p>
p>As if contagion itself, the circuits spread across one corner of the barrier. Moments later, the barrier simply dissolved like mist in the sun.
/p>
p>[…]
/p>
p>The Integration Demon Kings stood frozen in place, lost for words.
/p>
p>[Damn it! Block that madman!]
/p>
p>[No matter what, even if he’s a superior body, passing through a barrier guarded by three Integration Demon Kings is impossible!]
/p>
p>But the fortress doors slid open.
/p>
p>Kiiiing!
/p>
p>Clang!
/p>
p>And from inside, an avalanche of puppets poured forth like a tidal wave.
/p>
p>Buuuuung!
/p>
p>Hundreds of millions—possibly billions—of puppets erupted in a frenzy, turning the sky and earth pitch black with their sheer numbers.
/p>
p>Among them were countless Four Pillars-level puppets as well.
/p>
p>The Demon Kings tensed at the overwhelming pressure but did not lose hope.
/p>
p>[It’s… fine. Even if there are many Four Pillars puppets, we three Integration Demon Kings are here…]
/p>
p>Then, suddenly, Integration-level puppets began to emerge from the fortress.
/p>
p>Kuuuung!
/p>
p>With a monstrous aura, twenty-eight Integration puppets appeared inside.
/p>
p>At that pressure, the three Integration Demon Kings turned and fled without looking back.
/p>
p>The Integration puppets pursued, nine of them attacking each Demon King. The strongest puppet left behind, the final Integration puppet—
/p>
p>[Her]—re-entered the fortress.
/p>
p>[Her] made her way to the deepest core, the control room. There, she approached a hunchbacked old man sitting beneath an ornate jade throne, sucking his thumb.
/p>
p>The hunchbacked old man, Jo Yeon, was embraced by [Her] like a princess. She sat on the throne herself.
/p>
p>[Her] held the timid, thumb-sucking Jo Yeon close to her chest and began to command the fortress.
/p>
p>“Ah… finally, in my lifetime I get to attend Seo Hyoel’s wedding. That bastard, even after marrying so many women, never once invited me!? It’s impossible like that. This must be a mistake. I’ll fix it. I’ll fix it. Seo Hyoel is only an incomplete being anyway. With the wedding, I’ll evolve him into a perfect new existence with the most beautiful moments!”“
/p>
p>Overcome by excitement at the thought of freezing Seo Hyoel’s wedding moment forever, the madman poured all his talent into hunting and capturing every Integration Demon King he could, turning them into puppets.
/p>
p>What he created this time were twenty-seven Integration-level puppets.
/p>
p>His madness peaked as he imagined sealing Seo Hyoel in a moment of love. His demonic talent reached its absolute limit.
/p>
p>These were the results—
/p>
p>Although hastily made, they were far inferior in durability and power to real Integration Demon Kings.
/p>
p>But with twenty-seven of them, a proper formation could still overwhelm ten Integration Demon Kings.
/p>
p>The madman, filled with hope, shed tears of excitement as he issued commands to the fortress.
/p>
p>[Advance! Advance! Toward Seo Hyoel! Toward Seo Hyoel! We can’t be late for his wedding! Bring Seo Hyoel before me! Seo Hyoel! Seo Hyoel! I’ll capture him and evolve him in the most beautiful moments…!““
/p>
p>His eyes rolled back.
/p>
p>The madman and the fortress set course for Jinlong Alliance headquarters, Bongmyeong-ju.
/p>
p>***
/p>
p>I feel it.
/p>
p>The peculiar fortress has entered the Jinlong Alliance domain.
/p>
p>And its speed is unmistakably that of an Integration Demon King.
/p>
p>‘The peculiar fortress has evolved to Integration level.’
/p>
p>It was no mere attempt to modify Seo Hyoel.
/p>
p>It was the result of a fanatical resolve to personally freeze the exact moment of his wedding.
/p>
p>‘At this speed, they’ll reach Bongmyeong-ju in about two hours.’
/p>
p>And the news would already have reached this side before them.
/p>
p>The plan was about to activate.
/p>
p>But I couldn’t move. Something felt… off.
/p>
p>‘Ever since I met Oh Hye-seo.’
/p>
p>Since that day, an inexplicable feeling had seized my mind.
/p>
p>Why, a strange disharmony dominated my thoughts.
/p>
p>But I couldn’t remember what it was.
/p>
p>‘What in the world is this…’
/p>
p>I gritted my teeth and pressed my throbbing head.
/p>
p>‘Could it be that even without Oh Hye-seo knowing, Seo Hyoel planted a trap for me through her?’
/p>
p>The most reasonable suspicion was that Seo Hyoel had used her to unknowingly set a trap for me.
/p>
p>I followed the trail of pain.
/p>
p>‘The qi flow isn’t interacting with anything. Seo Hyoel isn’t trying to contact me right now. Perhaps it’s a curse? A curse that activates the moment someone other than herself meets me?’
/p>
p>As a top-tier curse master, I sensed no curse energy.
/p>
p>‘Not a curse then. There must be something…’
/p>
p>What was this disharmony?
/p>
p>I suppressed my throbbing mind and thought.
/p>
p>‘But there’s no time left. The madman will soon arrive at Bongmyeong-ju looking for Seo Hyoel. Then…’
/p>
p>Clang!
/p>
p>I temporarily sealed the disharmonious part of my awareness using the Five Elements Blood Curse Flag.
/p>
p>I crammed the Yin Soul Ghost Curse into the seal as well, so even if Seo Hyoel tried something through the blood flag, it would be useless.
/p>
p>‘Good. Even if he does something, it won’t work.’
/p>
p>The qi flow I sensed was absent, so Seo Hyoel couldn’t be monitoring me or know I’d returned.
/p>
p>Therefore, I only needed to execute the plan.
/p>
p>Tsetset…
/p>
p>I finally used Uihye Eunsan on Kim Yeon.
/p>
p>Paaaat!
/p>
p>Even at the last moment, her awareness refused to return.
/p>
p>But her condition was much better than before.
/p>
p>“Uh, um…”
/p>
p>Compared to the hollow eyes of before, hers now shone with clarity.
/p>
p>If I left it like this, she would naturally recover her awareness over time.
/p>
p>I had already told Hong Beom. If I died, he would take care of her.
/p>
p>“Then, stay well.”
/p>
p>I stroked Kim Yeon’s cheek one last time, her eyes still slightly dazed, and turned to leave.
/p>
p>“Ah, aaah…”
/p>
p>Then—
/p>
p>…?
/p>
p>Tsetset…
/p>
p>The Strange Star-Mind Scroll leaking from Kim Yeon attached a thread of her awareness to me.
/p>
p>She seemed to know I was about to leave and didn’t want to let go.
/p>
p>I looked back at her.
/p>
p>Her awareness still hadn’t returned.
/p>
p>Yet I flew upward without severing the pitiful thread still clinging to me.
/p>
p>Uuuuung!
/p>
p>The heavens trembled.
/p>
p>The auras of Integration Demon Kings surged from all directions.
/p>
p>[Emergency! Emergency! The madman has invaded!]
/p>
p>[The madman is heading for Bongmyeong-ju!]
/p>
p>[Stop that lunatic!]
/p>
p>The news that the madman had invaded had already spread across the entire domain.
/p>
p>I used the Transmit Bell to send a message to Yu Hwa, then flew toward Bongmyeong-ju on Wansuigungmurok.
/p>
p>And up in the sky—
/p>
p>Kugugugu!
/p>
p>I saw a blue dragon swiftly heading toward Bongmyeong-ju.
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel was fleeing to the safety of Bongmyeong-ju after hearing the madman was coming.
/p>
p>Around him, countless Four Pillars-level demon beasts followed.
/p>
p>‘As expected, he’s fleeing with all his supporters.’
/p>
p>Bongmyeong-ju had the lowest layer connecting to the lower realms as an escape route, making it the ultimate safe haven.
/p>
p>‘Of course, I had no intention of letting him escape to the lower realms.’
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel could never flee before me.
/p>
p>I took Gyubaek, who had been waiting nearby, and ascended toward Bongmyeong-ju.
/p>
p>***
/p>
p>Inside Bongmyeong-ju, I had laid out thousands of miniature Seo Soldiers in advance.
/p>
p>The Seo Soldiers observed where Seo Hyoel entered and where he was heading, relaying his location to me in real time.
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel had reached one of the refuge spaces on the fourth floor of Bongmyeong-ju.
/p>
p>And most of the demons gathered around him were Four Pillars-level.
/p>
p>“Senior Seo Hyoel, we heard you defeated the madman Jo Yeon from the lower realms. How powerful must he be for you to flee here?”
/p>
p>“Is that infamous madman really that dangerous?”
/p>
p>“You seem awfully worried…”
/p>
p>But Seo Hyoel smiled calmly and shook his head.
/p>
p>“The madman is definitely dangerous. We must never underestimate him. However, this is Bongmyeong-ju, where the strongest of the Jinlong Alliance have gathered. There’s no need to be so tense. All the Integration Demon Kings are here to handle the madman. Just think of it as a rare chance to meet everyone.”
/p>
p>“Calling a crisis an opportunity? You really are extraordinary, Senior Seo Hyoel.”
/p>
p>“You flatter me.”
/p>
p>In the cheerful atmosphere of conversation, they suddenly turned in shock toward one side.
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel’s eyes widened in horror.
/p>
p>“This… this is…”
/p>
p>[The aura of Blood Soul Daoist magic!]
/p>
p>Terror filled the demons’ faces.
/p>
p>[A Blood Soul Daoist has invaded Bongmyeong-ju!]
/p>
p>[I’ll show you the price right now!]
/p>
p>The demons gritted their teeth, sensing the thick Blood Soul Daoist qi.
/p>
p>One rose and shouted.
/p>
p>[It’s too dangerous to send everyone. Let’s take a small group and go.]
/p>
p>[Hmm, that’s fine too. We need to match the qi level—Four Pillars is enough…
/p>
p>The group was mostly Four Pillars cultivators under Seo Hyoel.
/p>
p>Even the Blood Soul Daoist Heavenly Demon’s power didn’t require fear.
/p>
p>But suddenly Seo Hyoel smiled and shouted to the crowd.
/p>
p>[No, everyone, please wait.]
/p>
p>Many Four Pillars demons looked at him in confusion.
/p>
p>[What do you mean, Senior Seo Hyoel?]
/p>
p>And Seo Hyoel began to explain with a gentle smile.
/p>
p>[“A lion must exert its full strength no matter how big or small the prey is.” Most demons know this. Even a Four Pillars Blood Soul Daoist must not be careless.]
/p>
p>The demons nodded.
/p>
p>[Especially if the Blood Soul Daoist Heavenly Demon has opened a portal here to summon his subordinates, we must be extremely careful.]
/p>
p>[You’re right. We were too reckless.]
/p>
p>[No. Perhaps I’m being too paranoid. Even if it’s only a Four Pillars Demon King, let’s all go together for a walk.]
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel smiled gently and led the group toward the Blood Soul Daoist qi.
/p>
p>Then—
/p>
p>He suddenly stopped.
/p>
p>…? Senior Seo Hyoel, what’s wrong?
/p>
p>The demons asked, puzzled.
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel laughed as if nothing had happened.
/p>
p>[Ah, I remembered I left some items near here last time. I’ll get them quickly and catch up. Please go ahead.]
/p>
p>[Shall we help?]
/p>
p>[No need. You go first.]
/p>
p>[Understood.]
/p>
p>All the demons heading toward the Blood Soul Daoist qi vanished, leaving only Seo Hyoel behind.
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel didn’t move.
/p>
p>A while later—
/p>
p>Chiiii―
/p>
p>Dark curse patterns erupted from his entire body, revealing the seals that bound him.
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel smiled faintly and looked toward one side.
/p>
p>[Long time no see, Seo Eun-hyun. I’m relieved to see you’re well.]
/p>
p>***
/p>
p>I had not simply eaten the blood I received from Seo Hyoel to wrap his Dragon-Human Blood in black dragon blood. It was the most basic medium of a curse.
/p>
p>From the day I received his blood, I could curse him at any time.
/p>
p>Using that blood as the medium, I could hurl any curse at him whenever I wanted.
/p>
p>Originally, I had planned to bind his feet for a moment with the curses, then, once Yu Hwa arrived, remove the demons helping him with her aid.
/p>
p>But why?
/p>
p>“Why?”
/p>
p>I glared at Seo Hyoel, uneasy.
/p>
p>[Why did you send away all the demons who could help him?]
/p>
p>I never expected him to send them off.
/p>
p>Instead, his strange behavior made me anxious.
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel simply smiled mysteriously and said nothing.
/p>
p>[You’ve successfully defeated him from the lower realms again so quickly. Moreover, the lower realms have thin qi, so recovery takes time… But you recovered so fast? You must be an existence that fell from a high realm.]
/p>
p>[Not going to answer?]
/p>
p>Right now, Yu Hwa was rescuing Baeknyeong.
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel faced me with nothing but my own cunning and ability.
/p>
p>But I wasn’t worried.
/p>
p>No matter how strong Seo Hyoel was, he was already cursed.
/p>
p>[If you don’t want to answer, don’t.]
/p>
p>I pulled out the poison Hong Beom made in Jeomuldo.
/p>
p>A poison that amplified pain six million times for a set duration.
/p>
p>It had almost no killing power—only pain.
/p>
p>I opened the jade bottle without hesitation and swallowed it.
/p>
p>Then I took out the Five Elements Blood Curse Flag and stuffed it full of curses to create the Black Ghost Curse Banner, driving it straight into my chest.
/p>
p>Puuuk!
/p>
p>“…!!”
/p>
p>My mind felt like it would shatter.
/p>
p>No, it had already shattered.
/p>
p>My brain burned white.
/p>
p>A normal person would have died from the pain, but a swordsman with sturdy flesh and vast awareness endured without fainting or dying.
/p>
p>I had to fully feel the six-million-times amplified pain.
/p>
p>“…!!”
/p>
p>I couldn’t speak.
/p>
p>Yet through the pain that felt like my mind was being torn apart, I smiled.
/p>
p>Chiiii―
/p>
p>The curses I placed on Seo Hyoel glowed, amplifying the pain I felt!
/p>
p>“…!!”
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel trembled, clutching his head and kneeling on one knee.
/p>
p>‘No matter how strong he is at Integration level, this pain is tough…’
/p>
p>My pain tolerance was already high.
/p>
p>Even I was at the edge of sanity.
/p>
p>This level of pain would overwhelm even the strongest Four Pillars swordsman!
/p>
p>Chiiing!
/p>
p>I bled from my seven orifices and faced Seo Hyoel with blurry vision.
/p>
p>‘Seo Hyoel… that guy…’
/p>
p>And I felt a strange sensation watching him writhe in agony.
/p>
p>Even on his knees, clutching his head, he was smiling.
/p>
p>His eyelids and pupils twitched, and his consciousness shook with pain.
/p>
p>But his face—
/p>
p>His face still smiled gently and kindly.
/p>
p>As if that smile had been frozen on his face like a beautiful moment.
/p>
p>In that instant, I truly sensed that Seo Hyoel was wearing a mask.
/p>
p>‘Is that gentle smile fixed on his face?’
/p>
p>Or did he have no other choice?
/p>
p>I felt a bizarre emotion watching the man who was clearly in pain but couldn’t stop smiling.
/p>
p>‘Seo Hyoel, what are you…’
/p>
p>Grind. Grind…
/p>
p>I clenched my teeth and slowly rose from my seat.
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel, noticing my movement, rose while clutching his head.
/p>
p>But we could only stand up; we couldn’t act through the pain.
/p>
p>Uuuuung!
/p>
p>The curses on Seo Hyoel began to vibrate.
/p>
p>Chichi!
/p>
p>Sparks flew from the curses.
/p>
p>I realized he was trying to expel them.
/p>
p>Uuuung!
/p>
p>The curses embedded in his body rose with sparks, attempting to break free.
/p>
p>‘That won’t do.’
/p>
p>Whoosh!
/p>
p>In the pain, I amplified the Yin Soul Ghost Curse’s agony even further and drove the curse deeper into his body.
/p>
p>Chichichi!
/p>
p>Sparks flew from the curses in a tense standoff.
/p>
p>There are many ways to curse, but most require certain conditions.
/p>
p>The curse master must possess a part of the target’s body.
/p>
p>The curse master must know the target well.
/p>
p>The curse must have reached the target.
/p>
p>The target must have harmed the curse master.
/p>
p>The curse master must harbor resentment toward the target.
/p>
p>Without these conditions, curses are weak and easily expelled.
/p>
p>But if all conditions are met, the curse is extremely difficult to remove.
/p>
p>And I had satisfied most of them.
/p>
p>Since the curse had already activated, the situation favored me.
/p>
p>Kugugugu!
/p>
p>Thousands of curses flooded toward Seo Hyoel.
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel vomited blood and spat out his energy.
/p>
p>Chichichi!
/p>
p>I clearly had the advantage.
/p>
p>Yet his resistance at Integration level was monstrous.
/p>
p>I was gripping his heart as tightly as if it were my own, yet he slowly—
/p>
p>Slowly expelled my curses.
/p>
p>‘The realm difference can’t be overcome.’
/p>
p>I had no choice.
/p>
p>I had mastered the powers of heaven, earth, and mind, amplifying the rate enormously, but my own realm was only Nascent Soul.
/p>
p>The curse would surely be undone.
/p>
p>So then…
/p>
p>About one hour and a half?
/p>
p>I smiled, trembling in pain.
/p>
p>Seo Hyoel’s resistance was formidable, but with one and a half hours, I had many things I could do.
/p>
p>‘I’m getting used to this pain too. After a little more, I can overwhelm him for the remaining time.’
/p>
p>That was when Seo Hyoel began some kind of ritual.
/p>
p>‘That’s…!’
/p>
p>Thick Blood Soul Daoist qi flowed around him.
/p>
p>Horrible howls and screams spread with every ritual.
/p>
p>It wasn’t a law or demon technique.
/p>
p>It was magic.
/p>
p>One of the Blood Soul Daoist techniques.
/p>
p>I carefully observed the flow of his Blood Soul Daoist magic.
/p>
p>‘I feel it.’
/p>
p>It was similar to the Strange Parasite technique I used.
/p>
p>Pre-planting a technique on someone and slowly activating it at the right moment.
/p>
p>Mixed with Won Rip’s Blood Sacrifice technique.
/p>
p>I quickly understood the true nature of his magic.
/p>
p>‘Planting the pre-set technique on the opponent, killing them with it, then using their blood for the Blood Sacrifice!’
/p>
p>Chiiii―
/p>
p>As Seo Hyoel completed the final seal and spoke.
/p>
p>[The Ritual of Sealing the Turbid Soul to Devour Life.]
/p>
p>Chiiiiii!
/p>
p>Suddenly, a stench of fresh blood drifted from afar.
/p>
p>Toward the Four Pillars demons heading to the place where the black qi was spreading.
/p>
p>‘Did he place this technique on all his followers?’
/p>
p>[He must have prepared to kill them at any time and offer their blood as a Blood Sacrifice to gain more lives.]
/p>
p>Kugugugu!
/p>
p>The qi of the Blood Sacrifice gathered from the twenty or so Four Pillars demons was monstrous.
/p>
p>‘If this is fed to Seo Hyoel right now…
/p>
p>It might instantly expel my curse.’
/p>
p>Grind…
/p>
p>‘I can’t let that happen.’
/p>
p>Even through the pain, I reached into Jeomuldo.
/p>
p>Originally, I had planned to do it after becoming more used to the pain, but now was now.
/p>
p>Shrrrak!
/p>
p>I pulled out the item inside Jeomuldo.
/p>
p>It was a puppet.
/p>
p>The puppet I had used for contact with the madman!
/p>
p>The puppet spun its eyes wildly the moment it appeared, checking the surroundings, then fixed its gaze on Seo Hyoel.
/p>
p>[M-Master… Senior. Can you hear me?]
/p>
p>Ssiik…
/p>
p>I chuckled and shouted toward the madman beyond the puppet.
/p>
p>[I’ll give you the coordinates of the place where Seo Hyoel is.]
/p>
p>***
/p>
p>Whoosh!
/p>
p>Jinlong Alliance.
/p>
p>Near Bongmyeong-ju, the peculiar fortress was fighting twelve Integration Demon Kings.
/p>
p>The bug puppets flying around the fortress suddenly stopped their tasks and landed everywhere on the fortress.
/p>
p>Whoosh!
/p>
p>With a buzzing sound, the landed bug puppets flapped their wings and began preparing something.
/p>
p>Uuuung!
/p>
p>At the same time, the fortress shot forward in one direction.
/p>
p>It looked as if it were fleeing from the Integration Demon Kings, causing them to brighten.
/p>
p>[Is the madman retreating?]
/p>
p>But the next moment, their faces twisted.
/p>
p>Hundreds of millions of bug puppets attached to the rapidly advancing fortress tore through space.
/p>
p>The Integration Demon Kings understood.
/p>
p>[That’s… spatial transmission?]
/p>
p>[It’s impossible to go that far… where…]
/p>
p>[Wait! The spatial transmission direction…]
/p>
p>[No!]
/p>
p>[Block it!]
/p>
p>The Demon Kings rushed toward the fortress in panic.
/p>
p>[The madman is attempting spatial leap toward Bongmyeong-ju!!!]
/p>
p>The madman, receiving Seo Eun-hyun’s signal, began to attempt the spatial leap to the fourth floor of Bongmyeong-ju.