Chapter 134: Enlightenment
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134: Enlightenment
The Red-eyed Woman.
A human resurrected by Gaechalgoatal.
No, to be precise, it must have been the power of Tai Sui.
The Snake Queen hadn't known about any resurrection ability.
It was reasonable to assume he had borrowed Tai Sui's power, rather than it being his own.
“Grrr…”
I let out a low growl.
And that meant the red-eyed woman before me was my enemy.
What appeared after I broke the illusion was yet another illusion.
I would have to destroy this one, too, to get out.
…
But she said she was waiting.
What could that possibly mean?
And she didn't seem to hold any hostility toward me.
Her gaze was closer to goodwill.
Her eyes resembled Baek Yeon-yeong's, but unlike her, they seemed rich with emotion.
“I was a little surprised. Firing a beam right at my face!”
The red-eyed woman said with a playful smile.
“You shot that nasty thing without a moment's hesitation? My, I'm speechless.”
Despite her words, she seemed pleased.
“…That child would never have escaped on her own. Then again, a companion is someone who fills in what's lacking.”
What in the world was the purpose of this illusion?
She showed no hostility and just kept spouting whatever she wanted to say.
Was she trying to stall for time?
“‘I need to get out of this space quickly.’ That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?”
The red-eyed woman spoke as if she had read my mind.
She quickly closed one eye.
It looked like someone who couldn't wink trying to force one.
“It’s fine to chat for a moment. It’ll only be an instant, anyway.”
I didn't answer.
After all, communicating with someone I'd just met using only ‘gek-gek’ sounds was nearly impossible.
Instead, I gave a slight nod.
I didn't know why, but it seemed the woman before me was free from Gaechalgoatal's control.
In other words, she could be of help to me.
“Escaping that illusion with your own power… does that mean you intend to stand against Tai Sui?”
Tai Sui.
My opponent wasn't just Gaechalgoatal.
“Gaechalgoatal alone is more than you can handle, yet you plan to face Tai Sui, who’s behind him?”
The evil god behind him, Tai Sui.
I had to face him, too.
“A plan… you couldn’t possibly have one. Even Gaechalgoatal before his metamorphosis was a handful for you. How do you expect to defeat the current Gaechalgoatal, who has evolved using Tai Sui’s power?”
I couldn't answer.
Her words hit the mark.
Strategy, plans.
I had nothing prepared.
I had only thought of escaping the illusion and confronting him.
Even if I used every trick I had, I didn't think I could win.
But I couldn't back down.
I would rather die with dignity than live in shame.
“You have a good look in your eyes. I can almost understand that ridiculous womanizing of yours.”
Was she joking in a situation like this?
If she was just going to spout nonsense, wouldn't it be better to ignore her and leave this place?
…No, I was the one in a desperate position.
Right now, I had to grasp at straws.
And if the being before me was truly the Snake Queen's master and not an illusion, she could be a great help.
“I’m not supposed to intervene no matter what, but just giving you some information should be fine.”
Not supposed to intervene.
That sounded a bit strange.
Wasn't she supposed to be controlled by Tai Sui's power?
A being who had lost her free will and moved like a mere puppet.
But her current state and her words just now made it sound as if she could intervene.
…Was she not consumed by Tai Sui after all?
Then what was that being I attacked?
One thought led to another, but that wasn't what was important right now.
This woman was about to give me a clue to defeat Gaechalgoatal.
“Because you are that child’s companion.”
I waited calmly for her to speak.
Anything would be good.
“Gaechalgoatal was a weak child.”
I saw it in the Snake Queen's mental image.
A small body compared to other snakes.
A timid personality.
That was what Gaechalgoatal used to be.
“That child cannot fully accept Tai Sui’s power.”
I didn't know much, but I knew that this Tai Sui was an evil god.
No matter how great a spirit beast he was, there was no way he could wield such power without side effects.
…But this didn't help at all.
If anything, it made me realize how much more hopeless the situation was.
If he was this strong without fully accepting the power, how much stronger would he become over time?
“He’s in a very precarious state, like he’s walking a tightrope.”
Precarious.
But even in that precarious state, he was strong enough to toy with me.
“So, if someone just gives him a little nudge from the side, he’ll fall on his own.”
Was it really as easy as it sounded?
“Just one hit. All you need to do is land one solid hit.”
That one hit must mean a decisive blow.
I couldn't even properly scratch the Snake Queen, and now she wanted me to land a decisive blow on Gaechalgoatal, who was several times stronger than her.
“See? I just told you something huge, didn’t I?”
I didn't get it.
In fact, I felt even less confident than before.
At this rate, I couldn't beat him.
…No.
There was one move left.
Thud.
I prostrated myself on the ground.
It was humiliating, but as I was now, I couldn't defeat Gaechalgoatal.
But I couldn't submit to him either.
So I had to find a way to defeat him, no matter what.
After I remained prostrated for a long while, the red-eyed woman finally spoke.
“…What was your name again?”
She didn't wait for my answer.
“Right, Hui.”
The red-eyed woman knew my name.
I was sure I'd never told her.
“I wonder who you take after, being so bad at naming things.”
She fell silent, as if thinking of someone.
An eternity seemed to pass.
If I had sweat glands, I would have been pouring sweat like rain.
I wanted to stick out my tongue to cool myself down right away.
I wouldn't move until the red-eyed woman spoke.
Yes, this was a kind of threat.
I am the Snake Queen's companion, and the red-eyed woman still loves the Snake Queen.
Give me more concrete information.
Otherwise, I can't save the Snake Queen.
That was the threat I was making.
More time passed.
“Hui.”
At last, the red-eyed woman opened her mouth.
“How to defeat him. How to break through Tai Sui’s defenses. That’s what you want to ask, isn’t it?”
A single attack.
To make it succeed, I had to break through his defenses.
No. Before I even got to his defenses, I probably couldn't even reach him as I was now.
The shadow-like tentacles covered in thousands of eyes.
I couldn't even handle a single one of those tentacles.
“Hui, I’ve already told you several times.”
The red-eyed woman said something I couldn't understand.
She whispered in my ear.
…It was the same phrase I had heard several times.
The one the red-eyed woman said when she was teaching the Snake Queen.
Something about raising one arm and letting out a kiai.
I didn't understand it when I first heard it, and I still didn't understand it now.
What in the world did that mean?
It was an explanation as incomprehensible as one from Baek Yeon-yeong.
Rumble.
The space began to shake violently.
I knew instinctively.
It was time to go back outside.
But I still hadn't reached enlightenment.
All I had heard was an incomprehensible Zen riddle.
A scream, a roar.
I let out a sound that was somewhere in between.
Please, help me.
I can't understand it.
“Hui.”
The red-eyed woman simply smiled.
“It is already within you.”
*
The sky was red and dark.
Gaechalgoatal was far in the distance.
The Snake Queen managed to push her exhausted body up, but she looked like she had no strength left.
…In the end, I failed to attain enlightenment.
But I could not retreat.
“Hoh.”
Gaechalgoatal’s grotesque face turned toward me.
“So you’ve escaped the illusion.”
A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
“Or perhaps, you’re ready to accept my offer.”
Step.
I took a step forward.
“…Judging by your spirit, it seems you haven’t broken yet.”
KRA-KOOM!
Gaechalgoatal also began to walk slowly toward me.
The only difference was that a huge crater formed with every step he took.
In contrast, my steps were pathetic.
This was the difference between him and me.
“But the fact that you didn’t come out right away tells me you must have liked that sweet future.”
The corners of the human-faced bird’s mouth curled up.
“That’s right. What I showed you was not an illusion, but the future. If you come under my command, you can have that future!”
BOOM!
“Be honest with your desires. What spirit beast would refuse humanization? You can live the life of a human, not a beast.”
Step.
I turned my gaze.
The Snake Queen, dripping with blood.
Her face was filled with resentment.
If you came to your senses, you should have run. Why did you show up here again?
Resentment, frustration, anger.
And, faintly, affection.
Just as she had not abandoned me, I could not abandon her.
“Now, beast with dragon scales. This is your last chance. Choose.”
As Gaechalgoatal said, this would be my last chance.
Having escaped his illusion, he must have realized he couldn't break me with brainwashing.
So all that was left was to kill me in front of the Snake Queen.
Step.
“…So you insist on drinking the poison cup.”
It would be a lie to say I didn't covet humanization.
It was also a lie that I wasn't afraid of death.
There was an easier choice.
If I served under him, I could live happily.
But I couldn't do that.
I am the companion of the Snake Queen, who lost everything and cried out from the lowest of places.
I am Hui, the disciple of Baek Yeon-yeong, who sought to grasp the highest place from the lowest.
I am the divine beast of the Gaegaek, which was formed by those who were at the very bottom.
“Gaegaek (愾喀).”
When the lowest being looks up and roars, that is Gaegaek.
“Gaegaek (塏揢).”
When the lowest being tries to seize the highest place, that is Gaegaek.
“Gaegaek (開客).”
When the lowest being tries to open a door for others, that is Gaegaek.
Gaegaek was the path I had walked until now.
I could not serve under anyone.
To do so would be to betray all my connections and deny my very self.
A dark red tentacle rushed toward me.
…
As if time had stopped, the world began to move in slow motion.
Memories flashed by like a revolving lantern.
As I stood on the path of Gaegaek, I began to see what was once invisible.
One hand to the heavens.
The other to the earth.
Just as someone had said, I let out a powerful kiai.
I gathered the internal energy from the depths of my dantian.
Only now did I understand.
What the red-eyed woman tried to teach the Snake Queen.
What the Snake Queen tried to convey to me.
What the drawing Little Dragon showed me meant.
As the red-eyed woman had said, everything was already within me.
FWOOOSH!
A brilliant pillar of light descended from the red sky.
The tentacles rushing at me writhed in agony.
Noticing the change, Gaechalgoatal moved hastily.
I was no longer afraid.
I am the ruler of the world.
I am the greatest being in the world.
I am the foremost existence in the world.
In the heavens above and on the earth below, I alone am the honored one.
This is my final life.
I have no more regrets.