Chapter 364: Ascension to Immortality (20)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 364: Ascension to Immortality (20)
Vritra, the King of Asuras, fundamentally disliked the act of combat. He found it tedious.
If it wasn’t a duel against a fellow god but a trial imposed upon a human, he would much rather spend the time sleeping. That alone said everything that needed to be said.
Trials were the playthings of the gods, as well as tests for humanity.
Sometimes to be forgiven for their sins, sometimes to prove themselves, and sometimes to challenge a great feat—humans threw themselves into these trials.
However, most failed to pass his test, meeting a tragic end.
Perhaps humans were simply too fragile, or perhaps his trials were too much for them to bear. After all, the only ones who had ever survived his trials were Indra, who later became the King of Gods, and Ananta of the Naga tribe, who grew into the greatest serpent.
Whether the child possessed light or hatred, whether they were lovely or hideous, they all eventually withered away and crumbled before the trial.
Losing hope, prayer, resentment, and anger alike, they turned into hollow shells.
An evil dragon that withered everything that served as the source of life.
That was his nature.
They were so weak and lovely, so precious—what could be more foolish than having to break such children on purpose?
Therefore, Vritra believed it was more merciful to kill them and send them into the cycle of reincarnation rather than breaking their light with a trial.
Of course, this wasn’t a mindset a human could easily understand, but it was undoubtedly a deity’s mercy.
It was better to die than to live on without dreams or hope, with no future.
It was more beautiful to start over and dream a new dream than to face the despair of a trial like herself.
Naturally, there were many who failed to recognize this mercy, much like the boy before him now, but that was fine.
Human foolishness was a charming trait in its own way. If persuasion failed, he only needed to give them a taste of the trial before putting them out of their misery.
Yet, strangely, the boy before him did not disappear as easily as expected.
He saw a light.
A light of life so thick and contrary to his own—a light he had once deeply yearned for.
The boy, who had torn through the sandstorm he created, was now radiating a presence entirely different from moments ago.
This wasn’t good.
He had intended to send the boy off as peacefully as possible, but showing such an interesting side changed things.
[You’re about to chase my drowsiness away. What do you intend to do about that?]
“What do I care, you lizard bastard?”
There it was again. His presence grew even more massive.
To think a human could become even stronger than this. He had thought he was dragged into a trial for someone who didn’t fit the grade.
[I suppose I can afford to hold a little expectation.]
* * *
— Since he called it a trial, that monster won’t be able to use all of his power…!
Sun Wukong shouted urgently, but honestly, it didn’t sound very hopeful.
The landscape that had been filled with redness, monsters, and bizarre plants had all withered away. The power that turned the surrounding area into a desolate desert with just a few breaths was essentially saying that he wasn’t even trying yet.
No, of course he wasn’t at full strength.
Since his appearance, the massive dragon had stayed in one spot, simply breathing fire and creating sandstorms without moving an inch.
Seriously, why is nothing ever easy?
Sun Wukong alone was more than enough to handle, but now I had to fight a monster like this at the bottom of Hell?
And that was while being penalized and unable to use my full power.
“This is driving me crazy. Seriously.”
[Do you still have the leisure to open your mouth?]
I said it because I felt like I was losing my mind, but the giant dragon opened its maw as if laughing, seemingly pleased by something.
[Not bad. Not bad at all.]
…Come to think of it, insane bastards seem to have a weird habit of liking me.
— Since he called it a trial, the condition can’t be to defeat him. Given your current level, just enduring it should be enough…!
Right. If it’s just enduring, I think I can still manage.
At least while the effects of the last of the Doctor’s medicine lasted.
The pain went without saying; blood-streaked phlegm rose in my throat, and my vision was gradually dimming.
Even if I could endure that somehow, this was the third time.
I didn’t know how much longer the medicine would hold out, but the monster before me was growing more powerful by the second.
Seriously, this is too much.
How is it that every time I take a step forward, something even more vicious is waiting for me?
I knew these things existed, but I didn’t expect to face them so soon.
I didn’t know how many times I had nearly died in the span of just a minute or two of combat, but time heartlessly marched on.
I could feel the pain that kept me grounded and the effects of the medicine beginning to fade.
Not yet. Not yet.
I can’t hold out like this.
After stacking my Reinforcement to the maximum, I tore through the sandstorm and lunged, slamming my fist into the dragon’s body.
My fist shattered, but I ignored it and rained blows upon him.
Every single strike was delivered with everything I had, swinging without a care for my body breaking apart.
Whether he was a dragon of destruction or the King of Asuras, he couldn’t withstand it without taking any damage. Finally, the beast moved its massive body, but unfortunately, that was the extent of what I could do.
I lacked life force.
Even when I tried to drain life force using the Will of the Saint, the surroundings had already withered because of him. Whether it was because of the gap between the Will of the Saint and him, or some other reason, I couldn’t drain any life force from him either.
As my momentum suddenly waned, he cast a curious glance my way, but that didn’t mean he was going easy on me.
The moment he opened his maw.
I had only one choice left.
To forcibly expel the minute traces of the medicine remaining in my system.
Thump.
My heart gave a massive throb, and the Innate True Qi I had nearly exhausted began to return.
The Innate True Qi, which hadn’t been able to recover properly due to the Doctor’s medicine, began to fill the vessel as if to make up for lost time the moment the medicine vanished.
If only it had stopped there.
Creeeak.
Something inside my body shook, and an ominous sound, like something cracking, echoed.
I wished it was just my imagination because I was being too sensitive.
— N-No.
Judging by Sun Wukong’s reaction, that wasn’t the case.
She was likely holding her tongue because she couldn’t bring herself to tell me to die, but even if I stopped the Reinforcement now, I would probably reach my limit soon.
It was another damn “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation.
Die or have my vessel shatter—it was too much.
[Those without qualifications are approaching.]
And at the absolute worst timing, the worst news arrived.
[I haven’t had this much fun in a long time; I can’t have anyone interfering.]
I wasn’t sure who he was talking about, but based on my experience of having terrible luck at times like this, I could guess who was coming.
They were probably all coming to save me.
The dragon, laughing as if he were now wide awake, prepared to take flight.
He even took a stance to fire a breath toward somewhere far away.
[To ensure no interference, I’ll start with those—]
“Hey.”
I poured all of my recovered energy back into Reinforcement.
“Knock it off, you lizard bastard.”
Clearer than the thunderous roar that erupted as I grabbed his tail and slammed him into the ground, another sound echoed in my head.
Snap.
It was a far more ominous sound than before.
The dragon seemed bewildered, unable to comprehend being thrown by a human, but I couldn’t turn back now.
…I’ve worked hard enough, haven’t I? It’s not like I tried to give up. It’s just that this ridiculous absurdity keeps blocking my path, so what else am I supposed to do?
If it’s not going to work out anyway, it’s only right to do my best with what I can.
What did he say he was? Destruction? Drought? King of Asuras? Evil Dragon? So what? I’ve destroyed a world or two myself.
“I guess you’ve never died before. Why don’t you try it today?”
Let’s see if an evil dragon stays alive after getting beaten to death.
As I drove my ruined fist into the fallen beast, my arm bent at a grotesque angle, and simultaneously, one of his scales exploded.
And once again, I heard that cracking sound in my ears.
* * *
At that moment, Vritra admitted it.
Even if his power was restricted, this boy had momentarily surpassed him.
He had stepped into the realm of the gods with a human body.
But that was also why it was tragic.
He seemed to be trying to protect something by burning his very life, but he was already at his limit.
As the price for squeezing out every last drop of his strength, he would soon die or go mad.
Even if he overcame the trial and protected what was precious, it would be meaningless if he himself was destroyed.
The boy’s fists were still heavy.
The will to kill him in order to protect them was clearly conveyed.
However, it still wasn’t enough to kill him.
The three strikes the boy swung with all his might were painful enough.
In his current state, where he couldn’t use his original power, they were attacks that could potentially bring death.
But by the fourth strike, the strength in the boy’s fists began to fade.
It still hurt quite a bit, but how much longer could he keep it up?
Vritra hoped it would last just a little longer, but unfortunately, that wish could not be granted.
Ten times, twenty times, thirty times.
As time passed, the fists the boy threw became more of a limp flailing than a punch.
There was no light in the eyes of the boy, who had exhausted everything and even stopped moving.
Feeling pity at the sight, Vritra raised his forepaw.
At the very least, he would ensure others didn’t have to see the boy like this.
“Do you not know the meaning of ‘moderation’?”
However, the descending forepaw only left a mark on the withered sandy ground; it crushed nothing.
This was because a woman, appearing atop a golden cloud, had snatched him away.
[…Sun Wukong. I don’t know why you’re here, but do not interfere. This is a gesture of respect for one who passed my trial.]
“Nonsense. You’re trying to act like a deity now? It doesn’t suit you, so why don’t you just go back to sleep?”
* * *
Immediately after appearing on her cloud and saving him, the first thing Sun Wukong said was an apology.
“…I’m sorry I’m so late.”
Sun Wukong.
Immediately after she had somehow escaped the Hell of Darkness, she felt a strange energy.
It wasn’t Hell, but a place close to it—a place often called the Gap—where vast energies were colliding.
One was the sinner she had come to capture, the boy whose life was on the verge of being ruined because of her. The other was the King of Asuras, famous lately for doing nothing but sleeping.
At first, she wanted to rush in and stop the battle immediately, but because of the promise she had made with Yama, she hesitated for a brief moment.
That hesitation lasted about five seconds.
In that short span, Sun Wukong felt the boy’s energy rapidly diminish. Apologizing to Yama in her heart, she surged her power.
She twisted the laws of Hell, forcibly created an exit to the Gap, and rescued him.
But because of her hesitation, he was already in a state where it was hard to say she had “saved” him.
“…I am truly sorry. I should have come sooner.”
A vessel so badly shattered it was barely holding its shape, and the energy that had either overflowed through the cracks or been completely spent.
He wasn’t dead yet, but he might as well be a corpse.
[Hand him over.]
“Not a chance. You are a trial far too great for this boy to handle. From now on, I will punish the fool… no, the sinner who broke the rules as he pleased.”
[I was dragged here against my will as well, you know?]
Yes, she figured as much.
However.
“Even so, the fact that you could have stopped but didn’t remains unchanged.”
The two deities glared at each other for a moment, neither willing to back down, and then lunged at one another.