Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Preta Path (2)
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The body of a Preta is formed in immense agony.
Its belly is as large as a mountain, but its throat is as narrow as a needle, making it nearly impossible to eat.
Thus, it suffers from perpetual hunger and thirst, no matter how much it eats or drinks.
Despite being unable to eat properly, it fights desperately with other Pretas over food.
We call this a desperate scramble.
Looking closer, the Preta can be seen as the very embodiment of human greed.
Human desire is endless; the joy of an initial achievement can never be felt to the same degree again, even when that same goal is reached a second time.
The throat grows narrower, and the belly grows larger.
Within every human heart lives a Preta.
They are always ready to swell in size, and if you are not aware of it, you may one day become a Preta without even realizing it.
***
*Shwaaaaaa—*
Red smoke billowed from Wi-ak's body like steam.
Gwiyeong and the other masters instantly recognized the red energy.
‘...What dreadful demonic energy!’
‘To think the Lord of the Hegemony Guild was a demon.’
Gale Blade spoke as if he had seen that red smoke before.
[That's... blood energy?]
"Blood energy? You mean the Lord of the Hegemony Guild is a blood demon?"
Gwiyeong asked with a look of surprise.
And as if answering her, Wi-ak opened his mouth.
"Ah, I truly didn't want to use this power. But because you, the Lord of the Heretic Alliance, hid your strength, things went awry."
The Heretic Alliance Lord, Taehong, stared silently at Wi-ak, then narrowed his eyes and spoke.
"Lord of the Hegemony Guild, I never imagined you were one of the Blood Cult's vile spawn."
"I never imagined you were at the Profound Realm. So let's just call it even."
"So there was a reason why a weak young man became the Lord of the Hegemony Guild in a single day."
"Nothing in this world happens without a reason."
Wi-ak grasped the glaive embedded in the ground and pulled it out in one motion.
Wi-ak's body, which had been torn apart by a direct hit from the Profound Realm master's energy sphere, had recovered completely, as if nothing had happened.
"Judging by your abilities, you are no human."
"That's right. I'm a Blood Demon. Does that change anything?"
He spoke to the Heretic Alliance Lord, Taehong, as he fiercely burned his blood energy, a mixture of red and gold.
"The fact that one of us will die here remains unchanged."
"Khaha, yes. You're not wrong."
Taehong spoke, once again creating a brilliant sphere of energy.
"But having multiple lives changes nothing. You will simply die more times."
"No, that's not true."
Wi-ak kicked off the ground again and charged toward Taehong.
"The same trick again..."
Taehong unleashed his blade's aura, intending to disperse Wi-ak's energy.
However, he soon realized there was something unusual about the energy and dodged.
"Khaha! Running away?!"
*Craaaash—*
With uncontrollable force, Wi-ak crashed straight into the wall of a collapsed pavilion.
As a thick cloud of dust billowed, Wi-ak burst out with ferocious momentum and charged at Taehong again.
*Rumble-rumble-rumble—*
Seeing Wi-ak's continuous charges, Taehong fired the energy sphere in his hand.
When the brilliant energy sphere reached Wi-ak, it caused a massive explosion, once again leaving a hemispherical crater in the ground.
But that was all. Wi-ak was only slightly scratched and continued his charge, shrouded in a tremendous amount of blood energy.
*Rumble-rumble-rumble—*
Watching him charge forward, pulverizing everything in his path, the Heretic Alliance Lord clicked his tongue and used a movement technique to evade.
*Whoosh—*
Wi-ak blasted through the spot where Taehong had left an afterimage and shouted.
"Hahaha! A Profound Realm master, running away?! How pathetic!"
*Craaaash—*
Wi-ak crashed into a crumbled wall and turned around again.
Watching his reckless charges, Taehong began to analyze the situation.
‘His piercing power and speed are overwhelming, but he seems intoxicated by that power, making it difficult to change direction or stop midway.’
Just as Taehong thought, Wi-ak was the embodiment of unstoppable force.
*Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!*
However, what he overlooked was that Wi-ak's charging speed was increasing.
Seeing his attack, now almost five times faster than before, the Heretic Alliance Lord Taehong had no choice but to admit it.
‘I won't be able to win unless I use my full power.’
Taehong leaped high into the air, preparing to unleash his ultimate technique, and looked down at Wi-ak.
With the setting sun behind him, he spoke.
"Hegemony Guild Lord Wi-ak, I acknowledge your destructive power. But this world is too intricately woven to be subjugated by strength alone."
He mixed a violent energy and a pure energy on his broadsword, creating an ominous yet mystical purple aura.
Soon, he wreathed his broadsword in the purple blade energy, extending it to an incredible thickness and height.
"Heaven-Sundering Blade."
The ultimate technique of a Profound Realm master.
*Ruuuuuumble—*
Taehong fell toward the ground, striking down with the purple blade energy.
The residual energy spread ferociously like an electric current before landing directly in front of Wi-ak.
*Craaash— Craaash— Craaaash—*
Immediately after, the clouds above split in two, and a violet thunderbolt struck down through the gap.
*Ruuuumble— Ruuumble—*
Like a descending dragon, the thunderbolt struck Wi-ak's body.
"K-ghhhhh!"
The blood-gold energy enveloping Wi-ak's body was torn apart and scattered by the violet lightning.
He struggled to escape the situation, but violet lightning in the shape of a dragon rained down endlessly from the sundered sky.
*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Enduring the ceaseless violet lightning, Wi-ak fired back with projectiles made of blood energy.
"I won't go down like this!"
The sight of him attacking while instantly regenerating the moment his body was burned was nothing short of grotesque.
Impressed by his dreadful tenacity, Taehong laughed loudly and replied.
"Khahahaha! Incredible! Good, let's see you struggle!"
Immediately after, Wi-ak stomped on the ground with tremendous force.
*Thump—*
Blood energy spread in all directions, and the cracked, shattered ground and the debris of the pavilions momentarily floated into the air.
He then swung his glaive wide, releasing a massive amount of blood energy, and launched the floating debris and fragments of earth at Taehong.
Seeing this, Taehong thrust his broadsword, which crackled with violet electricity, straight forward. The incoming debris and fragments were instantly shattered and split, scattering in all directions.
Beyond the momentarily obscured view, Wi-ak prepared a strike more powerful than any he had shown before.
With his crackling body, he struggled to press down on the ground and shouted.
"I! Will not stop! I will press forward to the very end! Even if it's the edge of a cliff!"
He charged at Taehong without stopping, rapidly consuming the immense life force accumulated in his body.
Seeing him charge forward, burning his own life force, Taehong also felt something boil within him.
He could have continued to evade and drag it into a long battle, but that was not Taehong's way.
Taehong, who had always brought his enemies to their knees with overwhelming power, had never resorted to such shallow tactics on his path to becoming the Lord of the Heretic Alliance.
"Don't dodge! Bet everything and let's see who is stronger!"
Wi-ak charged, his body enveloped in blood energy that had turned a dark crimson, the gold completely consumed.
In response to his provocation, Taehong decided to fight back like a true man, betting his all.
"Fine. Lord of the Hegemony Guild. Let's see which of us is the stronger being!"
The violet blade energy and the dark crimson blood energy shone brightly like meteors.
The two advanced toward each other without a single step of retreat.
A moment later, the two meteors collided, and a shockwave and roar more intense than anything felt before exploded in all directions.
Even the martial artists watching from a distance were swept up in the aftermath and sent flying.
"K-haaaak!"
"Guhh!"
Only Gwiyeong barely managed to hold on, having driven Gale Blade into the ground.
"Ghhhhh!"
[It's about to be decided.]
*Ruuuuuuuumble—*
The debris of the surrounding pavilions was instantly obliterated and sent flying from the point of impact, and the ground cracked and tore apart.
The tremendous lights tangled together, roaring fiercely before subsiding with a great explosion.
*Kra-boooooom—*
Gale Blade held his ground even more firmly amidst the violently surging cloud of dust and spoke to Gwiyeong.
[A big one is coming! Stay behind me!]
Gwiyeong held onto Gale Blade and endured behind him, deploying an energy barrier.
A moment later, when the storm subsided, she slowly opened her eyes and surveyed the scene.
"W-what happened?"
At the center of the tremendous collision, the silhouette of a man could be seen.
He looked down at the man he had defeated, caught his breath, and then lifted something from the ground.
It was the Hegemony Guild Lord's massive weapon, the glaive.
"I... I won."
As the dust cloud completely settled, he closed his eyes and spoke.
"Finally... I've finally reached the top. Is it over now? Am I truly free?"
After a moment of silence, the Hegemony Guild Lord, Wi-ak, suddenly let out a hollow laugh.
"Kekeke, what a damned power this is. There's just no end in sight."
Before long, the sun had set.
The surrounding atmosphere was tainted with blood energy, making the rising moon appear as if it were dyed red.
He casually dusted off his clothes and looked around.
And seeing Gwiyeong standing alone, having withstood the shock, he smiled just as he had before and spoke.
"Oh, Guildmaster of the Black Ghost Guild! It's you, of course. To have held on so well alone amidst that aftermath. I knew my judgment wasn't wrong."
Gwiyeong felt a primal chill.
Because she could glimpse a twisted emotion in his smile.
It felt as though Wi-ak was smiling despite not caring what happened, even while being aware that something was going wrong.
"Now, I've defeated the Lord of the Heretic Alliance, just as I said! This Heretic Alliance is now ours!"
"L-Lord of the Hegemony Guild."
Wi-ak spoke casually to the flustered Gwiyeong.
"Yes. You might be a little flustered that I didn't tell you I was a Blood Demon. I understand. I was afraid you wouldn't join me if I told you from the start. My apologies."
"...Why..."
Beneath the red moon, thick clouds gathered, revealing a bleak sky.
Wi-ak scratched his head, pondering something, before finally speaking.
"Hmm, beating around the bush doesn't suit me, so I'll just say it straight."
He extended a hand to Gwiyeong and said.
"Gwiyeong, will you not become a Blood Demon with me? As it happens, Asura Path's death has left a spot open. I will petition the God to let you become one of the Six Paths Blood Demons."