Chapter 487
Chapter 487
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 487
Chapter Title: The End of Delusion (3)
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Hela, who could freely slip in and out of others' dreams, and Ramyu, who could manipulate the dream space at will.
Their collaboration produced a synergy far beyond expectations.
'Talk about effective.'
Hoon, who had been sitting by the bedside of the sleeping Ramyu, holding her hand while meditating, slowly opened his eyes and nodded.
'Thanks to them, I managed to break through to the next stage myself.'
Of course, it wasn't just Hela and Ramyu who had participated in this joint operation.
With Mental Resonance and the Chakra of Communication, he was perfectly suited to bridging minds—making him an ideal candidate for the job.
The meticulous coordination leveraging the strengths of Hoon, Hela, and Ramyu.
That had been the decisive factor in this dramatic breakthrough.
"Hoo..."
He took a deep breath, reining in the chakra swirling wildly within him.
The microcosm in his mind had deepened further, now exuding a presence on an entirely different level from before.
Hoon had finally advanced from the upper stage to the deep stage as a cultivator.
'It's been a little over a month since I started with chakra? Anyone hearing this would faint.'
Strictly speaking, it wasn't purely a month.
During this operation, while inside dreams, Ramyu's ability had let him train for over a hundred times the time others could manage.
A long journey traversing the dream worlds of countless people along a timeline disconnected from the outside world.
For him, with his Chakra of Communication unlocked, it had been an unparalleled stroke of fortune in itself.
"Mm... ngh..."
Just then, a rustling sound and a soft voice came from ahead.
"Ugh— kyaang—!"
Ramyu twisted in her sleep, then yawned and stretched.
Her drowsy, half-lidded eyes met Hoon's calm gaze looking down at her.
"... Eep!"
After blinking blankly for a moment, Ramyu jolted upright in surprise.
She quickly smoothed her messy hair, wiped her mouth, and settled into her usual impassive expression as if nothing had happened.
...If not for the pillow mark on her cheek and her flushed ears, it would have been perfect.
Considering the delicate heart of a child, the kind adult Hoon refrained from pointing it out and spoke instead.
"You're awake? Good work. Things wrapped up easily thanks to you."
Unlike Hoon, who could connect to others' minds using his abilities, Ramyu had to actually fall asleep to enter dream spaces.
She had been constantly drowsy these past few days for that reason, so her state wasn't all that strange.
"Is it all done? What about Hela...?"
"She went to catch that hidden mastermind. It shouldn't take long."
From what he could see, the enemy was desperately fleeing, but once caught in the Demon King's gaze, it was futile struggling.
No matter how they flew or crawled, they'd be dragged back half-dead within a day.
"...That's a relief. At least I feel like I helped a little."
Ramyu murmured softly at Hoon's reply.
Though she had agreed to join after his persuasion, she had apparently felt some hidden burden all along.
At her timid attitude, he looked at her with an odd expression.
'A little? Her help was way beyond that.'
Without her, he couldn't even imagine how drawn-out things would have been.
The mastermind wouldn't have pushed so recklessly out of crisis like now, making it harder to nab them.
Their actions so far showed abnormal caution.
"Anyway, congrats. You finally reached the deep stage. It was only a matter of time, really."
"Thanks. It's all thanks to you. Speaking of, you're already at the middle stage, right, Ramyu?"
"Yeah... Fortunately, my growth hasn't slowed yet. With enough time, I could probably reach the upper stage."
"What do you mean? With your talent, you'll hit deep stage in no time. Guess I'll have to step it up if I don't want you catching up."
The two exchanged words in a casual tone.
Any other cultivator overhearing would have been shocked.
The deep stage in chakra was equivalent to the pinnacle realms like Zenith, Flower Realm, or Master in other worlds— the limits of humanity.
Considering how few Star Realm transcendents there were in Sabacheon—you could count them on one hand—reaching deep stage in just over a month was absurd.
Of course, there were still gaps by proficiency.
'But seriously, no joke—Ramyu's growth speed has already far exceeded my expectations. Even her unlocked chakra...'
It was common knowledge among cultivators that more complex chakra meanings slowed growth.
Like how a general 'weapon' has broader utility than 'sword,' but the sword grows faster as a subcategory.
'In that sense, Ramyu's chakra is unprecedented.'
The chakra she unlocked was 'World.'
A name so grandiose it made one's head spin just hearing it.
"...Ramyu, you absolutely can't tell anyone what your chakra is, got it?"
"Huh? Oh, of course. I didn't even tell Hela."
"Good girl."
Hoon patted her small head and sighed.
Yoon Sohwe, around her age and hardened by harsh training since childhood, was barely stepping into middle stage.
Yet hailed as a genius and bearing everyone's expectations, if word got out she had unlocked something grandiose like 'World'—and already reached middle stage...
'Insane growth rate. Her innate abilities synergize too perfectly with chakra.'
In dream worlds with only minds, you couldn't temper the body or refine energy.
All you could do was endless contemplation and grueling mental discipline.
But for chakra cultivators, whose growth came from inner development and insight, it was a heavenly training ground.
'I benefited plenty myself this time.'
In Hoon's half-lidded eyes, his deep-stage chakra spun fiercely.
If upper stage was a top sports car, this was a supersonic jet engine.
Just one stage apart, but the gap was ridiculous.
Wuuung—
The power of communication extended in all directions from him.
Not just covering the entire Seongcheon Yoon stronghold, but the whole city and beyond.
As he surveyed the situation via chakra, Hoon's face hardened.
'Looks like we've still got some loose ends here too.'
He rolled his neck to loosen up and stood.
Looking at Ramyu staring up blankly, he pondered briefly before speaking.
"Ramyu, want to go for a walk together?"
"...A walk?"
"Yeah. You've been cooped up here, so it must feel stuffy."
Ramyu blinked, then tilted her head.
But soon nodded readily, and Hoon gave her a faint smile.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ On the outskirts of the city dominated by Seongcheon Yoon.
"Attack."
In the command tent of Hongshan Nation's garrison, an order rang out.
"Pardon?"
"I said attack."
One flustered officer repeated the sudden command, but the issuing general just stared with bloodshot eyes, face deadly serious.
Gulp—
His adjutant swallowed dryly, sensing something ominous.
He didn't know why the general was issuing this, but wrong was wrong.
A competent aide's duty was to offer correct counsel when superiors erred.
He cautiously spoke up to persuade him.
"General, the order to stand by came down just recently, didn't it? Charging Yoon blindly carries political risks, so we need time to confirm facts. And I hear reinforcements are coming for full-scale war prep..."
Thwack—!
The adjutant's words cut off unfinished.
With a burst of leather, his body flew through the tent and out.
Left were frozen officers and the general lowering his dripping fist, grinding his teeth savagely.
"You dare defy in this critical wartime?!"
His ferocious aura made the officers snap to attention, sweating coldly.
They knew he'd been stressed sleepless lately, but he wasn't the type to lash out at subordinates—heightening their panic.
"Listen up. Those scum are criminals who shamed the Grand General and their accomplices covering it up. With him suffering who-knows-what, how much longer must we wait?!"
His fury swept the area.
Of course, war wasn't trivial; one command couldn't move an army easily.
But the problem was, he wasn't alone in his views.
Not just in the garrison—fierce arguments echoed in capitals and elsewhere.
Such high-level chaos granted frontline troops just enough autonomy, even if temporary.
The result.
Hongshan Nation's army marched on Seongcheon Yoon's home base.
Cheonghae Nation's forces opposite did the same.
At the same time, space near Yoon crumpled, revealing demonic cultivators emerging one by one.
"Now's the time to repay the Grand General's grace!"
"Allying with criminals? Time to expose their ugly faces!"
"Kehhehe— Sweet blood scent. Perfect chance to raze Yoon to the ground."
Thousands by rough count.
Not yet full war, so under ten thousand, but all accomplished cultivators—far from trivial foes.
The flames of the great war extinguished decades ago reignited.
At this point, victory or cause didn't matter.
War was the worst beast, devouring blood and grudges, chaining more deaths.
Old resentments from decades past not fully washed away—if this erupted, things could spiral irreversibly.
Especially with neutral Seongcheon Yoon at the center...
"Sheesh, people sure are hot-headed; gotta give 'em that."
"Why fight in such a fine world? Everyone could just get along."
"Well, everyone's got their own beliefs and values. Can't be helped."
At the chaos's heart.
On the city walls where Yoon held, a youth and girl strolled leisurely.
Ignoring the tension of impending war around them.
"Y-You can't be up here..."
A Yoon officer in charge shut his mouth mid-sentence and stepped back.
An instinctive reaction he hadn't noticed.
Realizing belatedly, he panicked, but Hoon had already passed, chatting with Ramyu following close.
"Listen well, Ramyu. There's no absolute peace in the world. Everyone has their own thoughts and desires. Trying to block all conflicts from that is arrogance."
"...It's hard. Are fairy tales really just fairy tales?"
Ramyu sighed.
Is this what growing up means?
Having survived a crumbling world, she knew human cruelty and ugliness better than most.
Still, she had faintly hoped some dimension held a purely happy world like in stories...
"Is there really no way?"
Hoon smiled warmly at her pouty disappointment.
"No way? There's a perfectly reliable one!"
Then, with serious conviction, like a prophet revealing secrets, a scientist beholding absolute truth... or a serpent whispering corruption to an innocent girl.
"Power."
The swiftest, surest guardian of world peace wasn't noble justice, warm mercy for the weak, or bountiful wealth to feed all.
"Absolute force none dare touch!"
A power impossible to challenge or defy.
That was history's proven key to true peace.
"I'll show you now."
Even as a chakra novice, Hoon had crushed a deep-stage cultivator.
Now, having reached deep stage himself.
Frankly speaking.
No one in this world could handle him anymore.
Not even Star Realm transcendents.
Wuuung—
The energy spinning fiercely in his body resonated with the world.
His microcosm bloomed fully, pure intent forcing surrounding phenomena.
The avatars' mental power focused, thoughts accelerating beyond limits.
Unlike before, limited by output and unable to utilize rich resources, now at deep stage, he qualified to wield them.
In eternal time where breath and metabolism halted.
Only chakra drawn from his microcosm spun endlessly.
He couldn't use Mind Overdrive.
Messing up against elite national forces could make it irreversible.
'Communication unblocks and connects. Then, forcibly implanting my will is communication too.'
His spinning chakra wove with Root of Transcendence, Mental Resonance, Wheel Path, and more.
Mental waves spread outward.
Beyond here, across Yoon territory, to thousands of ill-intent cultivators approaching the city.
And...
🛑 [HALT] —And thus, the war ended.