ch 260
Became a Swordsmanship Instructor at the Academy
Chapter 260
A warm light wraps around me, and at the same time, an elation that makes me feel like I can do anything fills me completely.
The world also looks and feels completely different from before.
The realm that my master had spoken of—the one that can only be reached by abandoning the five desires and seven emotions.
Right now, I have reached that place.
I had pondered it dozens... no, hundreds of times.
What if, by erasing my emotions, I would start to question why I should be doing this here in the first place?
Contrary to my worries, I don't feel that way at all.
After all, even if I erase my emotions, my memories don't disappear.
I approached the Demon God who had stopped after passing by my side.
The Demon God before my eyes also looks completely different from when I first saw it earlier.
It still appears as a massive malice and abyss formed by all kinds of negative thoughts twisted together, but now I can see its true body in the middle of that abyss.
A giant red eye in the center of a writhing mass of giant black tentacles.
As I entered its domain, negative thoughts still flowed in.
But I don't feel fear like before.
Because I no longer have emotions.
It still doesn't look at me.
Its giant eye is also closed.
It probably stopped to contemplate.
Whether to make me its prey or target Luciel instead.
The moment I thought that Luciel's rank was more impressive than I had imagined, black tentacles stretched toward me.
So it chose me?
My original plan was to draw the Demon God's attention and lure it away from Earth to somewhere else.
But with my current self, couldn't I actually defeat this guy?
SWISH! SWISH!
I cut the tentacles with my thoughts.
But the tentacles, now split into dozens of pieces, didn't stop and continued approaching me as if nothing had happened.
So this much is useless?
Indeed, it's a Demon God.
But what if I cut it until there are no traces left?
Along with the thought, I cut and cut again the tentacles approaching me into hundreds, thousands of pieces with blades of mental focus.
In the end, they disappeared—it seems even a Demon God can't endure this.
I gained confidence, but it was only for a very brief moment.
Around the giant eye that was the creature's true body, far more tentacles than I had seen just moments before had grown.
I was slightly overwhelmed, but if this was all there was, it didn't seem impossible.
If it had been the old me, I would have quickly tired from using the Formless Sword this recklessly, but the current me is different.
The massive energy felt from the universe is no different from my own energy, and my mental focus will never run dry.
I charged toward the giant eyeball that was its true body.
Tentacles kept flying at me, but I cut them all down and advanced, finally reaching in front of the eyeball.
The tentacles were infinitely multiplying, but the speed at which my Formless Sword cut them down was no less.
I tried to cut down the closed giant eye with my Formless Sword, but at that moment, the world began to turn gray.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
The Primordial Heavenly Honored One, who had warned me earlier, appeared with an energy as massive as the Demon God's.
The Primordial Heavenly Honored One was truly strong too.
In the current gray-tinted state, even the Demon God's movements had completely stopped.
The tentacles weren't multiplying anymore either.
If it's this much, the Primordial Heavenly Honored One seems stronger than the Demon God, so why is he stopping me?
Instead of helping me, at least.
"Can't you see by looking? I'm going to kill the Demon God."
"...Are you planning to achieve your purpose only to ruin everything?"
"Ruin? What do you mean by that?"
"Didn't you just try to attack that eye?"
"Because that's the Demon God's true body."
"That's right. But if you attack that true body, the Demon God will open its eyes. If that happens, everything will be over."
"What do you mean by that?"
The Primordial Heavenly Honored One didn't answer, but suddenly my vision changed.
I can see myself.
Just like I had done moments before, I was cutting down tentacles and approaching the Demon God, then soon cut the eye.
At the same time, a pure white radiance burst from the giant red eye.
Everything disappeared—myself who had cut the eye, the stars that were still undestroyed and twinkling brightly, giant meteorites, and even outer space.
Complete nothingness.
My vision changed again and the Heavenly Honored One appeared.
"Did you see?"
He seemed to have shown me the future that would have occurred if the Primordial Heavenly Honored One hadn't intervened.
"Is there no other way?"
"Not at your level. That thing is a god. At best, the plan you originally intended is possible."
The original plan.
Draw the Demon God's attention and lure it away from Earth.
Right. I had already turned its attention to me.
Running away wouldn't be more difficult than entering either.
Now I can also perceive the location of Earth where my master, Luciel, Se-jin, and Eunseo all are, so there's no possibility of leading it astray by mistake.
But until when?
Of course, just as I had, somewhere in this universe, there might be a being discovered with enough power to surpass me and steal that creature's attention again.
But no one knows when that will be.
I thought I could return if I just dealt with that creature....
No, wait, why was I trying to return?
To reach this realm, I abandoned my emotions and erased the bonds of relationships.
My master, who is significantly stronger than me, or Luciel, who has high rank, might be exceptions, but other people might forget me... Huh?
The gray light is gradually becoming lighter.
"Oh dear, it seems the Demon God has noticed. There isn't much time. What will you do?"
"...I'll go with the original plan."
There's no choice since you say there are no other options anyway.
I regret not spending all my time until the end instead of coming early, knowing this would happen.
"I understand. Then now let's stop... Huh?"
The Primordial Heavenly Honored One suddenly shows a flustered expression.
"What's wrong?"
The Heavenly Honored One doesn't answer and disappears just like that.
Is it because the Demon God is actively intervening, making it difficult to maintain the current state?
I was preparing mentally, thinking the time stop would be released soon....
The gray light that had been fading became deeper, and at the same time, a black crack appeared.
From the black crack that was much darker than the darkness of outer space... what is it?
I was really surprised.
"Master? How did Master get here...! Why are you coming out from there?"
"I came looking for my rude disciple who ran away without saying a word."
He's wearing a mischievous expression and grinning, and though I felt glad to see him, worry followed immediately.
"Please go back."
Master shouldn't be here.
Since the Primordial Heavenly Honored One has disappeared too, if he goes back now....
"Telling me to leave as soon as I arrive—is that what you say to a master who led his old body on this long journey? You're getting quite cocky just because you broke through one barrier."
"Master shouldn't come out like this. You said that if you leave the portal, the Primordial Heavenly Honored One will definitely take you away."
"It's fine."
I'm worried to death, but his expression is too calm, making me angry.
"What do you mean it's fine? Go back quickly!"
"Oh my, you'll burst my eardrums. Why are you shouting? Didn't I tell you? Don't try to bear everything by yourself."
"That's...."
"Is that thing over there the Demon God? It's hideously ugly. Even though you broke through the barrier, that thing doesn't seem like something you can handle at your level."
"Master can't handle it either.... So please go back."
"You've become quite arrogant just because you broke one barrier."
"That thing is a god. If that bastard opens its eyes, the world will be destroyed."
"Who told you that?"
"The Primordial Heavenly Honored One showed me the future like last time."
Worried that Master might attack recklessly, I explained in detail about the future the Heavenly Honored One had shown me earlier.
However, I didn't mention the solution.
Master might say he'll do it instead of me.
"So please go back now. If it's now, the Primordial Heavenly Honored One probably won't take Master to the immortal realm either."
"It's nothing much."
"What do you mean nothing much? Don't bluff... Ow!"
I got flicked on the forehead.
No, using violence even in this situation.
"You brat. Don't you trust this master?"
"It's not about trusting or not trusting."
"Tsk tsk, there's always a way. How could any master not step forward when his disciple is whining and asking for help?"
"Whining... I never did that. I'm not a child, and I never said anything, so how did you know to come...."
"Is my only disciple you?"
I told Se-jin it was the Demon King, so it wouldn't be her, and surely not Luciel?
Luciel wouldn't do that either.
Before coming here, I told Luciel to absolutely not come out of the portal for two days, but surely not....
"Did Luciel tell you? I told her that I was going with Master."
"You shouldn't lie to your wife, you fool. If you're going to do it, do it properly. As if that clever girl would fall for your pathetic acting."
I thought she wouldn't know at all. But she knew.
"...."
"Don't tell me you're resenting Luciel right now, Shin-hyeok?"
Honestly, yes.
If Luciel hadn't told Master, Master wouldn't have come here.
"Hey, you fool! There's someone else you should resent. Not knowing what you did wrong. Go and apologize first. Not only Luciel, but the other girls will be very worried too."
"No. It's really fine, so Master, please go back. To break through the barrier, I already abandoned the five desires and seven emotions."
If it were before, I would have felt heartbroken hearing that Luciel was worried about me, but now I really don't feel anything.
It would be the same when I go back and see Luciel, Se-jin, or Eunseo....
"Tsk tsk. You pathetic fool, let me ask you one thing. Then why do you keep telling me to go back?"
Huh? That's right.... I already abandoned all emotions, so why am I trying to stop Master from sacrificing himself?
"What you abandoned are the five desires and seven emotions, not your memories, right? Even if you erase emotions, memories remain. If you go back and meet Luciel or your wives, you'll be able to love them again."
I feel like I got hit in the head with a hammer.
"What are you doing? Go quickly. If you go through that space-time crack, Luciel will be waiting."
Master is now pushing my back, but I can't go like this.
"Stop being stubborn. This is me copying what the Primordial Heavenly Honored One did, so I can't maintain it for long."
"Do you really have a method?"
Even the Primordial Heavenly Honored One said the only way was to lure it for eons of time.
"When have you ever seen this master talk nonsense?"
"Please tell me in detail."
"Even if I tell you, you won't understand at your level."
"Master."
"You're so stubborn, I wonder who you take after.... If the world gets destroyed the moment that thing opens its eyes, wouldn't it be enough to deal with it in the dimensional crack? There's nothing there anyway, so it doesn't matter."
...I can't fully understand like Master said, but I roughly get the concept.
But the moment that thing dies, the dimensional crack will disappear too, and then Master will also....
"It's an unfamiliar technique, so I can't do it anymore. I have to go first."
As soon as he finished speaking, the gray light gradually faded like before and returned to normal.
When Master looked at the Demon God, a large black crack appeared and swallowed the Demon God whole.
"Master, you're not going to die together, are you? You're coming back, right?"
Master didn't answer and kicked me.
I tried to resist, but I couldn't move my body—Master must have done something.
"This disciple of mine... Why don't you just curse me to death? Of course I'll come back, so go buy a bunch of ramen and wait."
"Master!"
***
Seeing him being sucked into the dimensional crack and calling for his master reminded me of what Luciel had said.
Even though he had already left, I conveyed it through my heart just in case.
That I was truly grateful that Shin-hyeok was my disciple.
Be happy.