The End of the Escape
The universe trembled.
Hyeol-eum had not reached out to grab me himself—whether to guard the Kunlun or to guard the wheel. Instead, enormous hands of blood-formed aura surged forward, reaching to seize me in his place.
But that was enough.
*As long as Hyeol-eum does not step in himself… this should suffice.*
A sharp pang erupted from my left shoulder.
I scanned it with my consciousness. I understood why.
Geomgeukcheongun’s brand had clung to me through every life.
Yet when I had just used the Kunlun’s first form and covered my body with qi, the power of the underworld had wrapped around me and failed to touch me.
*I’m glad for that.*
At the moment, powers like those of the Gwangmyeong-palseon only weighed me down.
So I suppressed them instead!
Zut-zut…
I sealed the brand completely with qi and sped through the universe even faster.
That was when it happened.
Kugugugugu!
Fifty Gaeyeolgi transcendent beings blocked my path.
Pssik—
[To the seniors of the transcendent beings—may I ask what business you have here?]
Behind me, Hyeol-eum’s technique pressed; ahead, the transcendent beings with Eun-won confronted me.
Each of them blocked my way with a separate body and snarled.
Every single body was at the Seongban level.
[It’s time to repay the Eun-won from that day.]
[You seem fortunate to have reached the Seongban level. But will you really escape our grasp?]
I looked at them and gave a cold smile.
[Did you not feel anything strange that a being who was only Sachuk not long ago is now Seongban?]
[I understand what you mean. But Jinseon Hyeol-eum has guaranteed it. You will never be Jinseon…]
Weeeeeeeeee!
I did not utter a single word. I recalled the wheel behind my head.
*It still doesn’t work. But this time… I can slip through their gaps and escape!*
The possibility was enough!
Thinking that, I was about to move the wheel when—
[--------!]
[----!]
[-----!!!!!!]
The transcendent beings all stared at the wheel behind me and began to thrash.
[…?]
I looked at them, puzzled.
*What… did I see something I shouldn’t have seen, like during the Dharma-Destroying True Word?*
It was even better.
Because the result was completely unexpected, I immediately turned my gaze to Hyeol-eum’s technique that had followed me so closely and climbed onto one of the transcendent beings’ bodies. I activated the Paryeo-dohae-seong.
Paryeo-dohae-seong
Ghost Face Slaughter Heaven Furnace
Drrrrrrrr!
The flames of the Paryeo-dohae-seong engulfed me.
At the same moment, the flames twisted and transformed into ghost fire that spewed dark aura.
Ghost fire spurted from every part of my body and dyed the surroundings.
And…
A face began to rise above the immortal robe that covered my body.
The face had two skulls, each wearing a different expression—some in agony, some in peace.
But the one thing they all had in common was that every skull was shedding tears of blood.
The two skulls floating above the immortal robe. The ghost faces added up to nine hundred and ninety-nine.
Chi iiiiii!
At the same moment, the ghost fire covered my face and changed it as well.
My original face was covered by a mask of charcoal-like substance, and the seven apertures—the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears—were gone.
All that remained was the faceless charcoal mask that spat blazing ghost fire from every crack.
And above it, several eye-shaped patterns symbolizing curses were drawn, giving it a deeply grotesque appearance.
The tips of my arms and legs became spiky, reaching the level where they could be called demonic hands.
Kwaddeuk!
In that state I mounted one of the transcendent beings’ bodies, lifted the wheel high behind my head, and intimidated them.
[Move immediately. If you do not obey, I will transmit the wheel through this clone to your main body.]
[You bastard…!]
The transcendent being trembled with fury, yet understood my strength. He moved his slim body and raced through the universe at high speed.
Because the form of the Paryeo-dohae-seong specialized in curses and ghost dao, it was not false.
[Why can’t you go faster!!]
Kwadjijjik!
The eye-shaped patterns on my face flowed with my hand into the transcendent being’s body.
At the same moment the transcendent being let out insane screams and flew even faster through the universe.
Whoooosh!
In the distance, Hyeol-eum’s technique was already fading.
By this point I could have said I had outrun them, yet I did not relax.
*Fate is close to the absolute.*
If I reached the same level as them, I could shatter the absoluteness of fate head-on. But at my current low level, it was almost impossible.
That meant that as long as the prophecy existed—that I would “meet Hyeol-eum and die at Hyeol-eum’s hands”—I was destined to meet him again no matter how I escaped his grasp.
*Therefore… I will defy fate.*
I began calculating coordinates based on the information Oh Hye-seo had given me in the previous life.
*There, around there…!*
The transcendent being’s body.
After seizing its head, I poured even more ghost aura and curses into its flesh, causing it to rampage.
The transcendent being’s body screamed in agony and shot toward the distant star cluster.
That was when—
Kwoong!
Crackle, crackle…
A tremendous sound echoed from behind, spreading a bone-chilling chill through my whole body.
*That… that is…!*
Even though it was hundreds of light-years away, it was clearly visible.
It was the kind of technique that could be seen regardless of distance.
It was a banner made of red mist.
The banner flowed downward and something began to be written on it.
It was my crime.
: : I judge you, the evil one… : :
A chill ran down my spine.
*Hyeol-eum, that petty bastard…*
He used a technique at the Seongban level with the power of the Chief Judge of the underworld from his prime?
: : Light’s spy Seo Eun-hyun, listen! You, who dares to steal my lord’s technique while possessing light’s influence, will be punished for the crime of seeking the power of the underworld! : :
Kugugugu!
The entire universe began to vibrate.
Yet I was at my wit’s end.
*All along I was called a light’s spy, a divine being, who summoned the Gwangmyeong-palseon…*
What kind of nonsense was that!
Still, I prioritized dealing with the situation rather than understanding it.
*Stop the judgment. Can I reset it too…*
Clang!
Suddenly a collar used to shackle criminals was placed around my neck.
Soon illusions of hellfire blazed wildly around me.
*I can’t move…!*
: : As the culprit with heavy crimes, Seo Eun-hyun will be executed, and reborn in the exile land of the Demon Realm, Jinma-gye, as an exile! : :
*No… I can’t!*
Even the wheel could not reset this.
It was truly inescapable!
Seo Eun-hyun would become triple Taiji!
Kwaaang!
[…?]
Hyeol-eum’s declaration resounded across the universe.
And nothing happened.
: : What… How can the judgment not activate! Is the foresight of the main line wrong?! Is there a mistake in the main line’s judgment?! The perpetrator is a thief who stole the underworld’s technique while claiming to believe in light! Why has the main line’s judgment gone wrong!!! : :
*…I don’t know what it means, but…*
Quack!
I shattered the collar right then and continued to intimidate the transcendent being’s body.
: : This is impossible!!! : :
Kugugugugu!
Several stars behind me exploded from Hyeol-eum’s fury.
Light from the far side of the universe flickered wildly, and a blood-red shadow shook madly.
It was truly the realm of a transcendent being!
*I still… cannot oppose Hyeol-eum’s power…*
The gap in power was too vast.
I only thought of moving as far as possible from Hyeol-eum’s influence and kept advancing.
And that was when—
Kworurung!
A sound like space collapsing rang out, and a giant phoenix whose single wing could cover the sun appeared before me.
The phoenix was semi-transparent, as if existing and yet not existing in reality, and its two eyes blazed like a furnace.
[So you came. Did you dare mock the main line?]
[…!]
I looked at the Seongban-level transcendent being body I had been holding.
The body in my grip smiled faintly and transformed into a woman with black hair, wearing a neat black skirt and black jeogori, with a gloomy face.
Pasasak!
The black-haired woman immediately turned into black slime that wrapped around my arm.
*Curse? No, this is… rather a normal five elements technique.*
It looked like a water-attribute technique.
The black slime writhed and covered my body, and the black phoenix before my eyes.
The transcendent being’s main body I had been using to intimidate and ride just moments ago roared in rage.
[You dare mock me?! After tearing your body apart and planting madness, I will use you as my mount and torment you for billions of years!]
Kugugugu!
As the phoenix flapped its wings, a cosmic wind suddenly blew.
Kugugugugu!
The universe’s gravitational force twisted, and something began to be summoned in front of the phoenix.
I understood its nature and was shocked.
*Anti-matter!?*
A mass of anti-matter the size of the moon was being summoned from the center of the cosmic wind the phoenix was wielding.
When the anti-matter touched the material of the universe, it immediately converted into qi and exploded with light.
Udd, u-ddeuddeuk!
I quickly grasped the qi formula, seeing that the explosion from a moon-sized anti-matter mass could surpass an entire star system.
Brief form Kunlun
Shrink Land Fusion Technique.
Scattering Twilight!
Concentrate a little qi only at the tip of the sword and quickly thrust while adding gravitational force to create a hole in space!
Paaang!
A hole opened in space.
This hole was not a simple one.
The hole unfolded together with the shrinking technique was also a special transporter that could cross thousands of light-years in a single jump.
Paah!
I leaped across thousands of light-years in one go and looked back.
Gugugugu!
I felt it.
The transcendent being was chasing me again from far away.
It would arrive here in the blink of an eye!
*It’s fine. Now… I’m almost there.*
I prepared the final shrinking without releasing the Ghost Face Slaughter Heaven Furnace form.
Gugugu!
Far away, dozens of light-years beyond, the presence of the phoenix began to be felt.
It was not using a special technique like mine to cross thousands of light-years, but simply flying normally across thousands of light-years!
Yet I smiled faintly, quickly prepared the qi formula, and thrust toward space once more.
Scattering Twilight!
Paaah!
A hole pierced space, and finally I reached the target point.
Puquark!
Inside a huge nebula.
There, a familiar presence was felt.
Uuuuuuu—
Thousands of trillions of ghosts howled.
And from the center of the sea of ghosts, a gigantic being began to rise.
Ghost Dao Holy Mother.
At this point, Gang Min-hee at the Void Refinement level.
[We have arrived.]
From far away, the phoenix was still chasing.
There, Hyeol-eum’s fate also bound me even more tightly.
Yet…
It was over.
Buuuuuung!
I chanted the Flawless True Word and charged straight at Gang Min-hee.
She looked at me with eyes devoid of reason.
Because I had taken the form specialized in ghost dao, she did not stop me, as if she saw one of the ghost kings she governed.
I dove into her gigantic chest.
Puquark!
Deep darkness.
I walked straight into the darkness.
At the same moment, my mind split under the power of the Flawless True Word and the perceived time began to lengthen.
I added the level of Void Shattering and accelerated my mind together with the Flawless True Word, walking deeper into her inner depths.
*There is enough time.*
Therefore…
Here, at this place, I will defy fate, ascend to the level of Five Pillars Seongban, obtain the Triple Taiji, and save Gang Min-hee.
And…
I reached out my hand into the darkness inside her and grasped what I had come for.
Kwaak!
The Black Lotus and.
What I had placed inside her embrace when I sent Gang Min-hee to the Star Realm.
And…
The food of transcendent beings containing Hyeol-eum’s power!
—The way to defy fate is simple.
My mind recalled Taesansangje’s teaching.
—If there is a fate that leads to the universe’s destruction, the way to follow that fate is to raise a slave called “universe” and kill that “universe.” In that case, no matter how the fate turns out, it will at least be realized as an excuse, and you will be able to escape the absoluteness of fate by forcing this world to acknowledge that you did not defy your fate.
Uuuung!
—That is the way to mock and defy fate.
[At last… we have met again, Hyeol-eum.]
Uuuung!
Hyeol-eum’s clone trembled.
He wanted to tear me apart right then, yet apparently could not use his power inside Gang Min-hee’s inner depths.
It was probably because the powers of the underworld had planned something with Gang Min-hee.
With this…
The reunion with Hyeol-eum was complete. All that remained was to “experience death.”
And…
I walked toward the deepest part of Gang Min-hee.
The hole that connected to death inside her.
I would cover that hole together with Hyeol-eum.
***
It was a memory from long ago.
—Min-hee, think carefully. What kind of brain would come up with putting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on soap? And this was originally our project, wasn’t it? Just do what we’ve always done?
—That’s two things. We have enough time right now, don’t we? You don’t know that our president likes this kind of thing, Eun-hyun? Don’t argue and just proceed.
—But why does the president like this? It’s just that we saw a movie where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights came out last time, right? We’re just preparing deliveries according to the manual as instructed.
—…Why are you interfering with every single thing? You know about the team leader next month, right? Let’s not make each other tired and just get it done quickly. The probationary period is long over, isn’t it?
—…
—You still don’t get how much the president likes these declarations? Well, Eun-hyun isn’t the kind of person who pays attention to things like that for a day or two… Anyway, it would be good if you studied the Universal Declaration of Human Rights until tomorrow. Then I have a meeting, so I’ll go.
It was the project Gang Min-hee had pushed herself.
*The Human Rights Declaration Soap.*
It didn’t seem that bad at first.
But… we ran into an unexpected obstacle.
—Hey!!! Gang Min-hee!!! Where the hell is Gang Min-hee! Where’s the deputy, Gang Min-hee! You put the Human Rights Declaration in it, didn’t you!?
Oh Hyun-seok had stormed into the office like a madman and shouted.
—Mr. Yang Jeong-shin of the client just canceled the contract! We didn’t even know that Mr. Yang Jeong-shin’s family went bankrupt once because of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights!?
After that, I didn’t remember clearly.
The president, who was famous for collecting declarations and proverbs, summoned Gang Min-hee and scolded her while scolding her.
For a while the company atmosphere was terribly bad.
Fortunately, we weren’t fired, but the massive contract cancellation meant there would be salary cuts and performance evaluations for several days.
Because of that, Gang Min-hee was not in her right mind for several days.
She was called repeatedly, scolded, and blamed…
And because of that, she drank to drown her sorrows.
In the middle of drinking, Seo Eun-hyun joined.
During a drinking session with Seo Eun-hyun, her consciousness suddenly cut off.
Gang Min-hee smiled while recalling the events of that time in her memory.
When she opened her eyes, she was in Seo Eun-hyun’s house bed.
***
Inside a black curtain.
A woman was surrounded by dozens of Integration-stage ghost kings.
She sat on a black jade throne and dozed.
It seemed as if she was dreaming happily.
And…
The ghost kings guarding her all began to tremble in fear.
Puquark!
Someone entered the inside of the curtain.
Only eye-shaped patterns on the face, and a bizarre being with nine hundred and ninety-nine ghost faces all over the body.
The Integration ghost kings sat down in their places trembling in fear.
And the monster with nine hundred and ninety-nine ghost faces slowly approached the woman on the jade throne.
Toward Gang Min-hee.
Clang!
The two Void Refinement ghost kings at her sides crossed their scythes while trembling in fear, blocking the nine-hundred-and-ninety-nine-ghost-face monster.
Yet the ghost-face monster did not care and passed straight through the scythes of the ghost kings, grabbing Gang Min-hee’s arm.
[Gang Min-hee.]
Uuuung!
Behind that being’s head, the wheel floated up.
[I will save you now.]
That being faced the [black hole] inside her mind beyond the mind.
And the beings beyond that hole began to react to him.
Kiiiiing!
The ghost-face monster.
Seo Eun-hyun’s wheel began to rotate violently.
[I change, I…]
The bond between Seo Eun-hyun and Gang Min-hee rapidly swept around them.
[Awaken! The voice that calls her!]
Kwaak!
At the same moment, terrifying ghost fire burst from the hole inside her mind.
The leftmost of the Underworld Sovereigns.
Myeongma Jin-gun.
Yeomra, Chief Judge of the Underworld.
Yeomra began to reveal his existence in response to the order of the [oldest one].
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