Chapter 789
Chapter 789
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 789
Chapter Title: 789. Radiant Ascension Path
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Heuk Jeok-byeon's head had exploded. His skull shattered, and his brains soaked the ground. After confirming he was definitely dead, I turned my body. All that was left was O Bihwan, whom Gongbi was facing off against.
'Tch. My inner energy's running low.'
I had about 20% left.
Using more than half during the Heavenly Demon Overlord Stride earlier had taken its toll. Still, I had no regrets. Thanks to it, I was able to wipe out the riffraff in one go.
'I've got Complete Recovery. I'll team up with Gongbi to kill O Bihwan, then take her down. If I time Complete Recovery right, it should work.'
I was just stepping toward O Bihwan when a massive, sinister aura erupted behind me. I turned to check.
A pitch-black energy was bursting from Heuk Jeok-byeon's headless body like an explosion. I narrowed my eyes. He was definitely dead. His head was still smashed, and his body wasn't moving.
'What the hell?'
That ominous energy felt like a living creature. A parasite living inside Heuk Jeok-byeon's body. That was it exactly.
The energy writhed, enveloping his body.
"What are you doing?! Don't just stand there—get rid of it now!"
Gongbi, locked in battle with O Bihwan, shouted urgently. She seemed to know what this was.
'If even Gongbi's this panicked... it's dangerous.'
I clenched my fist. I didn't know exactly how dangerous, but in this situation, any variable was bad for me.
Heavenly Demon God Art - Dragon Fist
Concentrated demonic energy pierces straight through Heuk Jeok-byeon's body.
I thought that would finally end it. But Heuk Jeok-byeon's headless body jerked upright. The black energy clung to it, reshaping its form.
It was a black lizard. One that looked like its entire body was melting. It didn't crawl on four legs but slowly rose onto its hind ones. Its tail and wings shattered and reformed repeatedly.
'Like a lizardman? Creepy bastard.'
Heavenly Demon God Art - Dragon Fist
Pierces the lizard's abdomen once more. But the hole fills instantly with writhing black energy.
'If these attacks don't work... I'll crush it all at once.'
Heavenly Demon God Art - Heavenly Demon Divine Palm
Energy crashes down from the sky, slamming the lizard into the ground.
Heavenly Demon God Art - Heavenly Demon Divine Palm
Gravity intensifies in the area, crushing the body to fragments. The black energy dissipates, reverting to Heuk Jeok-byeon's crushed torso.
The Cheon-gang-seong System window popped up before my eyes. It hadn't appeared when I smashed his head, so this meant Heuk Jeok-byeon wouldn't be moving again.
'Come to think of it, when the special mission first triggered, the system flagged him as a dangerous entity.'
Maybe the system knew something. The problem was it never just told you outright.
'I can ask Gongbi after I subdue and fuck her.'
I retrieved the Hwaryeon Blade embedded in the corpse first. I watched O Bihwan and Gongbi's fight. They were clashing evenly, but O Bihwan's martial prowess edged her out despite similar realms.
'Wish they'd fight harder and wear each other down more.'
O Bihwan seemed game, but Gongbi was overly defensive. Whenever he went for an opening, she ghosted away like a specter. She was clearly just buying time, not committing. From his perspective, she'd be infuriating enough to kill.
"Young Master Sung! What are you doing?! Help me now!"
"I just used too much energy... feeling a bit drained."
"Young Master Sung!!"
"Sigh. No choice, then."
I sauntered over casually before suddenly accelerating, aiming for O Bihwan's back. Gongbi timed it perfectly, swinging her chain sword from the front.
"You bastards...!"
O Bihwan whipped his twin spears to block our weapons. He rolled his palms along one spear, deflecting our strikes with sliding force.
Gongbi retreated, and I let go of the Hwaryeon Blade's hilt without hesitation. Stepping forward, I threw a punch at him.
Heavenly Demon God Art - Heavenly Demon Explosion
A black explosion erupts from the fist.
It didn't land. O Bihwan used the blast's force to propel himself at Gongbi instead. She desperately raised her sword to block his spear, but the glancing tip sliced her shoulder. Her clothes tore, blood spraying.
"Kuhk!"
"I aimed for your throat, bitch, but you're lucky!"
"Die!"
Gongbi gritted her teeth and screamed. She activated a spell—thick wooden roots shot up from the ground.
"As if!"
O Bihwan displayed flashy footwork, stepping on the roots and weaving through the air to evade.
'Can't sit this out. Meteor Sword!'
A lightning-charged Meteor Sword plummeted from the sky toward O Bihwan. He twisted in shock, and in that split second, a root seized his left ankle, wrenching it. Simultaneously, the Meteor Sword crashed into the ground, unleashing lightning in all directions.
"Gaaaargh!"
Electrocuted, O Bihwan howled. Despite the agony of his flesh tearing, he didn't fall. He detonated his inner energy. The roots crumbled to dust, and the embedded Meteor Sword rocketed skyward.
'He burst his inner energy. O Bihwan's given up escaping—he's resolved to die.'
I gripped the Hwaryeon Blade tight, assuming a guarded stance. Rush in recklessly, and I could end up like him. That much I had to avoid.
Fortunately, O Bihwan's glare fixed on Gongbi, not me.
'Prioritizing her over me, who killed Heuk Jeok-byeon... Guess his loyalty wasn't that deep from the start.'
O Bihwan hurled one spear at Gongbi and charged after it.
Then Gongbi's movements shifted. A crimson aura bloomed around her, fluttering like a fairy's winged robe.
She dodged the spear. Her chain sword uncoiled like a whip, fluid and unpredictable. Her steps were graceful yet nimble.
"Crimson Shadow Divine Martial Art...! So you are that clan the Castle Lord spoke of!"
O Bihwan gnashed his teeth, swinging his spear. But it never touched her. Gongbi slipped past by a paper-thin margin, perfectly evading.
She danced about, swinging her flame-wreathed sword. O Bihwan blocked three strikes but missed one every fourth. The fight's outcome was decided.
"Damn it! Black Dragon Castle Lord! This O Bihwan goes to hell with your foe! May you achieve your goal!"
O Bihwan raised his spear high. Black energy enveloped it completely. The tip aimed not at her, but the ground. Suicide blast.
Gongbi's urgent telepathic cry rang out.
'Meteor Sword.'
The Meteor Sword fell from the sky, clashing with O Bihwan's spear in a massive explosion. I channeled inner energy into my feet, rooting myself to withstand the shockwave.
'Gongbi was... too close. Did the blast get her?'
Dust clouded everything from the explosion, obscuring the scene.
As time passed, wind from the hilltop blew the dust far away.
'Gongbi!'
She was fine. A bit fatigued, but no visible injuries from the blast. She walked toward me.
"It's over. No Black Dragon Castle warriors remain alive. Our deal's done, so head back to An Hwi Castle... Hup...!"
Mid-sentence, a fireball hurtled at me. I twisted aside, dodging desperately. The fireball banked sharply, coming back for me.
'Fall!'
A bolt from the sky obliterated the fireball.
"Fire Moon Pavilion Master! What is this?!"
"Sorry, Young Master Sung. No matter how I think about it, letting you go would be foolish."
I tensed, readying for combat. It had come to this.
"Why?"
"Your character and trustworthiness. How could I trust a lecher who rapes women in secret? Plus, your talent is exceptional. More than anyone I've seen. Leaving you alive means you'll come for me eventually."
"I swear I'll live quietly like a dead rat."
"Would you believe that if you were me?"
"......"
Of course not. I circulated my inner energy, preparing for battle.
"Young Master Sung. One proposal: Cooperate fully, and I'll grant you a painless death."
"...Cooperate? What's that supposed to mean all of a sudden?"
"I have questions for you. Your demonic art—it feels utterly unique. Worth studying."
In short, she coveted the Heavenly Demon God Art. Acting all prim, but her greed was no joke. Well, without it, she wouldn't have reached her current realm.
"And as a sorceress, I'm curious about your essence. A human with past-life memories. Research you, and... who knows? I might uncover the world's truths."
I flinched. Past-life memories? I'd only told Shin Jong-woo that.
She must have divined our conversation with sorcery.
"......Did you do the same to Eunjo...?"
"Wrong guess. Eunjo was just a surveillance target. But it revealed plenty—like you killing Shin Jong-woo and your ties to the Nangong sisters. Shocked me when I found out."
"......"
Gongbi entered striking range. I swung with full power.
Heavenly Demon God Art - Heavenly Demon Sword: Nine Strikes, Three Kills
Thrusts at both shoulders and abdomen simultaneously. But the blade doesn't connect.
My body froze. It wouldn't budge an inch.
"You're not the only one who bought time to recover. I needed to manipulate the barrier after O Bihwan died. He went down easy thanks to this one—the Evil Dusk Binding Array."
I ground my teeth.
Invisible chains bound me, restraining my body. O Bihwan had moved like that under this array? He seemed even more impressive now. And Gongbi, who'd fought him evenly, was stronger than I'd thought.
'She held back against O Bihwan to prepare for this.'
From the moment I entered this barrier, I was at a disadvantage. But surrender wasn't an option. I still had cards to play.
'Heavenly Heart!'
Heavenly Heart
Invisible chains snap. Physical abilities surge temporarily—for 1 minute. Must end it within.
The Hwaryeon Blade's edge targeted Gongbi's thigh.
Startled, she swung her chain sword desperately. It whipped around the blade, coiling up my right arm. If I didn't pull free, my arm would be ruined.
'Not pulling out!'
I've got Complete Recovery. The blade sliced deep into her thigh. Her chain sword constricted my arm like a serpent, shredding the muscle.
"Ugh! What trick did you pull?!"
Gongbi retracted her chain sword and retreated, staunching her thigh wound with sorcery.
'Heavenly Heart lasts 1 minute! No stopping now!'
Boom!
Like O Bihwan, I detonated my inner energy. Feeling my organs rupture, I activated Moment with my temporarily enhanced body.
'Not enough! Need to sever at least one limb!'
Gongbi danced away—the Crimson Shadow Divine Martial Art O Bihwan named.
'Moment! Moment! Moment!'
I chained Moments. But my blade didn't graze her clothes. Maddening. She was right there, yet my edge couldn't touch her. Or it did... but didn't.
'Lightning!'
Crimson lightning engulfed her.
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