Chapter 225
Translator: uly
Chapter: 225
Chapter Title: First Strike Victory
First strike secures victory. There was no way Dang Heeran wouldn't know those words. Even so, she couldn't help but be shocked.
Unleashing martial arts from that unfathomable distance could be understood as the power of divine arts or sorcery, but the Black Demon King's decisiveness in pouring attacks on the Ebony Fox without a moment's hesitation was all the more astonishing.
The Black Star's warriors were just as startled by the sudden assault. The Ten Heroes were especially stunned. The destructive attack had erupted without any warning, and they still had no idea how it had been unleashed.
"...Ahaha!"
Amid the rumbling storm of qi energy, the Ebony Fox let out a short laugh. Despite being caught dead center in the fully committed Divine Demon Extermination Method, she bore not a single scratch.
"As expected. You've been hiding, haven't you, Baek Ri Mu Won? Is this your scheme?"
The Ebony Fox straightened her tilted body. The tail swaying behind her began to move. Paang! The boiling qi energies exploded outward and scattered.
But they didn't vanish completely. The massive sphere that had first attacked her had now become countless tiny dots.
"Just where the hell are those attacks coming from?"
Not even the White Flame Witch or the Green Forest Demon Emperor had known that the Black Demon King had left the Black Forest while concealing his presence.
Everyone had noticed the Ebony Fox was on the verge of attacking and had prepared accordingly, but who could have predicted that the absent Black Demon King would launch the first strike?
"Yes, so this is the lineage's legacy. To think it still held this much power after all this time..."
The Ebony Fox muttered as she spread her tail wide. At that moment, the black dots surged toward her.
Without panic, the Ebony Fox swept her tail in all directions. Though it writhed like smoke, its power was immense. The black dots, which represented the pinnacle of what qi spheres could achieve, scattered futilely against the mere swing of her tail.
'No, that's not it.'
The Poison Witch's eyes widened. Each fragment of the scattered black dots turned into even tinier black dots. The more they burst, the more the black dots multiplied, tightening the encirclement around the Ebony Fox. It was incomparable to fifty years ago.
The Poison Witch had made great strides in that time too, but as a fellow warrior, she could only admire the Black Demon King's achievements.
'Truly worthy of claiming to be the world's greatest.'
The Supreme Sword Sovereign shot to his feet. To see more clearly, he climbed onto the railing and focused his gaze.
A sword has no eyes, nor does qi energy. Even for a warrior who had attained great mastery, executing a joint attack without prior coordination was no easy feat. Especially with such a vast-area qi sphere technique—jumping in recklessly could easily create an unwanted opening.
Not just the Supreme Sword Sovereign, but all the Ten Heroes knew this. That was why they refrained from intervening hastily and chose to observe the situation.
'Cautious, are we? Impressive.'
He'd expected her to charge in blindly. The Ebony Fox smirked as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. She'd confirmed that simple defenses would only multiply the black dots. No choice but to respond more earnestly.
'Where are you?'
The Ebony Fox's eyes narrowed. She scanned the entire vast island, searching for the Black Demon King's position. But she couldn't pinpoint him. She could sense even the tiniest ant, yet... the Black Demon King eluded her.
'To think a legacy from centuries ago still lives on. I thought since the Sea Dragon's tomb had reached the end of its lifespan, the lineage's legacy would have too... Yes, I was complacent.'
She hadn't failed to anticipate something like this. Her visit to the Black Forest was not only on the Heavenly Demon Hyuk Wol Un's orders but also to confirm whether the lineage's legacy still remained.
The Ebony Fox formed mudras in front of her chest. Her lips moved as she chanted an unintelligible incantation.
Wuuuuu! Pitch-black demonic energy flowed out, enveloping her body. The demonic energy transformed into petals, unfurling a mandala beneath her feet.
The black dots moved. Not charging as before, but connecting lines between opposing pairs. Hundreds, thousands of lines encircled the Ebony Fox. Her lips twisted.
"Annihilation Prison."
Dots became lines, and lines interconnected to form planes. This was the third form of the Divine Demon Extermination Method: Annihilation Prison. The space linked by lines filled in an instant with qi energy of horrific power. Just before, the mandala at her feet flipped over.
Kwaaaaaang! The power of the Annihilation Prison reversed. Confined within the bounded lines, the qi energy forming it boiled over and rampaged.
Wei Xing Tian stared up at the scene in a daze. That power was incomparable to what the Black Heaven Prodigy had unleashed. The Black Demon King's Annihilation Prison held enough force to effortlessly erase the entire island, yet that immense power was contained within a hexahedron, sparing them the backlash.
Seated in the lotus position, the Black Demon King pressed his lips tight. A thin line of red blood trickled from between them.
What the Ebony Fox had unleashed by flipping the mandala was the Heaven-Reversing sorcery, returning the full force of the Annihilation Prison to the Black Demon King himself. Yet he had countered it head-on—the sorcery of a true fox immortal. It was due to his unbelievably precise and profound mastery of qi sphere techniques.
"Ng...!"
But it wasn't without strain; even the Black Demon King let out a short groan. Still, he pressed on.
Slowly, he raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist. He opened his closed eyes and stared straight ahead. High above Black Star, the Ebony Fox was wrapping her body in nine tails, laughing maniacally.
The Black Demon King glared at her and thrust his right fist forward.
Then, a massive fist appeared in the sky above Black Star. Everyone doubted their eyes, but it was no illusion—it wielded undeniable physical force.
"Ahahaha!"
Kwachik! The thrust fist sent the Ebony Fox flying far away. She cackled as she soared, then came to an abrupt halt. In that interval, the giant fist had vanished without a trace.
Instead,
In the blink of an eye—shorter than a flash—the black dots filled the space. The Ebony Fox, still smirking, lunged forward.
Dots connected into countless lines. But they didn't form planes. The lines coiled like tails, wrapping around the radius of her movements.
Yet the Ebony Fox evaded capture. Her nine tails swept every direction. Lines snapped, black dots scattered. As the Ebony Fox formed mudras, dozens of flickering flames appeared around her. Far fewer in number than the black dots, they relentlessly devoured them, swelling in size.
"Is this the full extent of what you can show?"
The Ebony Fox murmured. She drew the now enormously enlarged flames toward herself.
She still hadn't located the Black Demon King. It was a minor annoyance, but her purpose today wasn't solely to confront him. The Ebony Fox aimed the massive flames toward Black Star.
"That can't be all."
Just before unleashing them, the Ebony Fox twisted her lips and muttered. The moment her words ended, the flames exploded.
It wasn't the explosion she'd intended. She'd wanted to gauge not just the Black Demon King but the other Ten Heroes' skills too... but he wouldn't allow it. Amid the blazing inferno, the Ebony Fox was honestly impressed.
'His qi mastery is truly at a divine realm. He's long surpassed human limits.'
It was amusing. In this world, the strongest being was the Heavenly Demon Hyuk Wol Un. He was absurdly powerful. Not just her, but even the combat immortals who no longer existed in this world couldn't defeat him. Hadn't even the descended Demon King been brutally slain by Hyuk Wol Un?
"Were it not for Hyuk Wol Un, you'd be the world's greatest."
The Ebony Fox muttered softly as she flipped her palm. The flames that had engulfed her scattered, then gathered at her palm, swirling into a vortex. With a flick of her finger, the Black Demon King's qi embedded in the flames was extracted.
"Do you want to kill me that badly?"
The Ebony Fox continued addressing the unseen Black Demon King.
"But killing me is impossible. I bear an immortal fate. Not even the Heavenly Demon Hyuk Wol Un can kill me."
Yet his attacks didn't cease. Soon, the Ebony Fox realized the truth and laughed. Amid that domineering barrage, she sensed almost no true killing intent. Was his goal merely to keep her pinned down? What exactly was the Black Demon King's aim?
'A bit more.'
The Black Demon King focused his mind solely on one thing, immersing himself in it. How long had it been since he'd drawn out such singular resolve? He monitored the Ebony Fox's movements, continuing to unleash the Divine Demon Extermination Method.
The key was not to cross the 'lines.' He gave his all without revealing everything. In truth, he wasn't even using the fourth form.
'How much more desperate must I be?'
Had it been too long? No, that couldn't be. The sorcery left in the divine realm hadn't expired yet. The conditions for activation were met. Just a little more, just a little more.
His consciousness stretched out long and thin. In that instant, the Black Demon King trembled with ecstasy. Everything around him vanished.
He could no longer see Black Star or the Ebony Fox. Standing in the center of a world turned pure white, the Black Demon King slowly turned his head.
"I thought my call hadn't reached you."
A hazy, ghostly figure stood not far away, staring blankly at the Black Demon King.
"The sorcery left in the divine realm is too ancient. Its lifespan... was running out. So I wondered if it had been damaged."
"How did you know? At this level, all sorts of encounters find their way to you."
The Black Demon King smiled faintly in response.
"I've lived far more fiercely and desperately than others who don't know me. That's how I reached this point."
He could claim that without a shred of shame.
Decades as the Black Serpent Alliance Leader. He had learned much, encountered much, and prepared for much. Unlike a peacefully elected Murim Alliance Leader, the Black Demon King had ascended to his position through sheer power alone.
"As you know, that being is merely a Nine-Tailed Fox, not a Demon King."
"The Demon King... doesn't come here. Nor did the Heavenly Demon. Perhaps it would have been better if the Heavenly Demon came himself, but in the end, his absence is a blessing. It buys us more time."
The Black Demon King's steps halted before the ghost. He looked down at it, then slowly knelt.
"Hand it over."
"Centuries of waiting achieved nothing in the end. I won't say your lineage's hopes were meaningless, but this island didn't become the final bastion, nor did humanity eradicate the demons on its own. Soon, the world will face a being even more terrifying than the Demon King."
The ghost said nothing. But its intent was clearly conveyed to the Black Demon King. He chuckled and shook his head.
"It's amusing how a specter from centuries past worries for the living."
* * *
Puk!
The downward-thrust dagger pierced the Black Demon King's thigh. Even without protective qi, the blade couldn't easily penetrate his flesh. The Black Demon King's body was坚固 even without it.
Only after blood soaked his pants thoroughly did the Black Demon King open his eyes. He blinked slowly, then looked around. The ghost was gone.
"Hm."
The Black Demon King nodded slowly. He smiled at Dang Heeran.
"Well done. Neither too late nor too soon."
"...Wh-what is this?"
"But now that it's over, I see. There was no need to break it like this. I worried too much."
Dang Heeran couldn't comprehend his words. But she couldn't ask more. The Black Demon King's hand shot out in an instant, striking her acupoints.
"But it couldn't be helped. Dealing with a specter and all. If I got bewitched and lost my soul, it'd be trouble, so I prepared for that."
Dang Heeran had already fainted, unable to hear him.
The Black Demon King left the dagger in his thigh as he rose from the lotus position. He scanned his surroundings once more. No ghost. With a wry smile, he raised his hand.
Then, bizarre runes etched into the divine realm writhed and crawled toward him. The characters climbed his body like living things, gathering at the center of his chest. The Black Demon King undid his chest garment and examined it.
Tiny characters, no bigger than grains of rice, intertwined to form a circle at the center of his chest.