Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: The Trust of the Shrine God (4)
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As the Heavenly Demon collapsed against the wall rose to his feet, Go Eunjin rushed over and shouted.
“What the hell happened?”
“Failure.”
“Ah, let go!”
Unable to contain her rage, Go Eunjin yelled.
“What are we supposed to do about this? Your body got even smaller, like a hamster!”
“Even this seat cannot comprehend it.”
Stroking his chin, the Heavenly Demon narrowed his eyes.
“Clearly, at the moment of explosion, I employed the All Laws Return to One incantation. Yet it resulted in Shrink Bones and Muscles once more.”
“Are you seriously taking it easy right now? What the hell are we going to do?”
“Do not worry.”
After stroking his chin and pondering deeply, the Heavenly Demon nodded.
“It must be a temporary phenomenon.”
Gazing at the darkening sky, the Heavenly Demon spoke in a calm voice.
“It contained the light of nature, so this bead undoubtedly holds the power of forward circulation.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The pure power of forward circulation exploded with great intensity, so naturally, that power reversed as well. In short, the force of the Heavenly Pivot Fluid Transformation incantation that this seat drew forth was inverted by the explosion.”
The Heavenly Demon, who had mastered all demonic arts and comprehended the principles of martial learning.
Through meditation, he instantly grasped the reason for the failure of the All Laws Return to One incantation.
“Just as a charred sacred pearl regains its original form, the reversed Heavenly Pivot Fluid Transformation energy will gradually dissipate.”
“So when the hell is that going to happen?”
“That, I do not know.”
“Hey, you!”
As Go Eunjin shuddered at the Heavenly Demon's brazen attitude.
Swoosh.
A strange sensation washed over her, and dark clouds gathered behind her back. As the sky suddenly darkened, Go Eunjin turned her head.
“What is it?”
Behind her stood a massive beast covered in gray fur. Vertically slit pupils, sharp claws, and fangs. It was...
“A cat?”
An unexpected situation unfolded.
Spotting the Heavenly Demon and Go Eunjin, who were much smaller than itself, the cat crouched low like a predator that had locked onto its prey and slowly approached.
-Kyaaooong!
As the approaching cat let out a shrill cry, Go Eunjin sighed.
“Hey, get lost.”
Her body had shrunk, but her strength and demonic power remained intact. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to install the sacred pearl alongside the Heavenly Demon.
Swish.
But the cat took another step forward.
“You... looks like you need a good beating to come to your senses...”
Thwack.
Before she could finish, the cat's forepaw struck Go Eunjin's face, snapping her head to the side.
It burned like she'd been hit with a sledgehammer, and her neck ached.
“What the? Why is my body like this?”
She'd clearly taken a cat punch, yet it felt like she'd been struck by the paw of a danger level 5,000 monster.
“This isn't a cat, it's a monster?”
“It is an ordinary cat.”
Watching Go Eunjin bounce away, the Heavenly Demon said flatly.
“It seems the earlier explosion completely tangled your qi and blood.”
“What? What does that mean?”
“Qi and blood refer to the flow of qi and blood.”
“No! Not that! Why is my body like this?!”
Seeing Go Eunjin thrashing like a zombie losing its mind, the Heavenly Demon explained word by word.
“To put it simply, the explosion just now tangled your qi and blood, causing you to lose all your power.”
In an instant, every curse and insult she knew flashed through her mind. But as the cat swung its forepaw again, she had no time to spit them out.
-Kyaaooong!
As the cat swiftly swung its forepaw, Go Eunjin bellowed.
“You damn cat...”
Whoosh.
The cat's sharp forepaw grazed her head once more.
“Eek.”
She barely dodged and tried to counterattack, but as the Heavenly Demon had said, she had no demonic power—her entire body lacked any strength.
Thud.
Struck by the forepaw again, Go Eunjin rolled across the ground.
-Kyaong!
Watching her, the cat roared like a fierce beast and slowly approached.
At that moment.
Swoosh.
This time, the Heavenly Demon, who had been standing idly, slowly stepped forward. His expression was like he'd found another amusing toy.
“Do you wish to die, you beast?”
-Kyaong!
As the cat approached and thrust its sharp claws forward.
“Hmph.”
Snorting, the Heavenly Demon casually extended his right forearm to block the cat's forepaw attack.
“...!”
But in that instant, the Heavenly Demon's face stiffened. He felt the immense power of Myriad Jin Force from the cat's forepaw touching his arm.
-Kyaaooong!
With a shrill cry, the cat began circling the Heavenly Demon.
Unlike Go Eunjin, he neither flinched nor fled, simply glaring at it, which seemed to irritate the cat.
-Shaaaak!
Baring its teeth and hissing, it appeared intent on hunting in earnest this time.
“A mere beast dares.”
Though he couldn't draw forth his inner energy or Heavenly Demon Great Ability, the Heavenly Demon showed no fear.
“It seems you wish to die.”
As Blood Flame Radiance surged in his eyes, a fierce energy flickered in the cat's eyes as well.
-Kyaang!
Finally, the cat lunged swiftly, extending its forepaw toward the Heavenly Demon's head.
“Demon Fist Seven Forms, Soaring Wind Dragon Fist!”
Using only the power of his flesh, the Heavenly Demon unleashed his fist art to shatter the cat's forepaw.
Twing.
But the cat's springy forepaw, like elastic rubber, deflected the full force of the Soaring Wind Dragon Fist.
“It is because my body has shrunk.”
The Heavenly Demon wore a frustrated expression.
The destructive power of fist arts depended on weight—how much body weight one could put behind the punch.
No matter how powerfully he struck, landing a hit on a cat dozens of times heavier than himself was naturally difficult.
Thwack.
In the end, the cat's paw pierced through the shadow of the Soaring Wind Dragon Fist and struck the Heavenly Demon's body.
“Urk.”
Pushed back sliding, blood trickled from the Heavenly Demon's mouth.
With his qi and blood completely blocked and even his physical strength weakened, it seemed to have affected his Diamond Body as well.
“Muscle Mon!”
Go Eunjin, who had scurried inside the Shrine God's house entrance, shouted toward the Heavenly Demon.
“Do not fight it—come here!”
Like it or not, the Heavenly Demon was her senior and colleague at Bokbok Interiors. And above all, she feared he might not return to his original form if something happened to him.
Glaring at the cat with clenched fists, the Heavenly Demon said firmly.
“Enter there, and you die.”
“What do you mean?”
“Due to the sacred pearl's explosion, my body has shrunk beyond the limits of the Heavenly Pivot Fluid Transformation. The recoil might cause it to expand enormously when it reverts.”
The Shrine God's house was incredibly sturdy.
If he entered and his body grew several times larger? Just imagining it was horrifying.
“Say that sooner!”
Watching Go Eunjin dash back out, the Heavenly Demon said flatly.
“This seat will handle it, so watch from behind.”
-Kkiyaong!
At that moment, the cat let out a ferocious cry and extended its forepaw again. Its destructive yet nimble movements resembled a whipping lash.
Watching with arms crossed, the Heavenly Demon bellowed heartily.
“Come at me, beast!”
Thwack! Thud thud! Boom!
As the battle dragged on, the Heavenly Demon's stance gradually lowered.
Even as the supreme grandmaster of all ages, in his current state, he could not overcome the cat.
Its weight was dozens of times greater, and its movements were lightning-fast. With every swing of its forepaw, the Heavenly Demon's body grew bloodier.
“You are still far off!”
But the Heavenly Demon showed no intimidation whatsoever, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
Fight, fight, and fight again.
Having watched the Heavenly Demon and cat's bloody duel for so long, Go Eunjin felt an indescribable emotion well up.
‘Muscle Mon.’
Go Eunjin had been averse to fighting by nature. More precisely, she hated seeing blood.
She didn't want to suppress or attack the weak just because she was born strong. But contrary to her personality, the blood of the Illusion Shock Clan craved battle.
‘Do you like fighting that much?’
Bloodied all over, the Heavenly Demon was smiling.
It was visibly disadvantageous. A battle where he could lose his life. Even victory would gain him nothing significant.
Yet the Heavenly Demon refused to yield and kept fighting. And he was enjoying it.
“For a human... you really are like our ancestors.”
The Illusion Shock Clan was an extremely belligerent yokai race.
Not only against other yokai but even among their own clan, they endlessly fought to grow stronger. They had even created Divine Soldier Knights to substitute for battle.
As she watched the Heavenly Demon fight amid such thoughts, a tale of the warrior soul suddenly came to mind.
-The warrior soul! One can attain ultimate enlightenment in the midst of life-or-death fierce combat.
The Illusion Shock Clan called ‘battle’ the ‘clash of life against life.’ Go Eunjin hated the clan's ideology that imposed it.
Thwack.
At that moment, the cat's forepaw heavily grazed the Heavenly Demon's right shoulder. With a crack, his shoulder dislocated.
-Kaaooong.
The cat let out a triumphant cry as if to boast.
“Hmph, I was getting bored fighting with both arms anyway.”
Glancing at his limp left arm—no, his right—the Heavenly Demon crooked his fingers.
“Come on, then.”
In that instant, the cat hesitated. Though the Heavenly Demon's body was smaller than a mouse, he suddenly seemed like a giant.
“He really is insane.”
Go Eunjin's gray eyes glimmered faintly as she watched.
Seeing the Heavenly Demon's fighting spirit ignited the Illusion Shock Clan's blood deep within her—the belligerent blood—into a boil.
“How long are you going to play with that cat?!”
With a spirited shout, Go Eunjin charged forward, blocking the Heavenly Demon's path.
“I will block the attacks, so use the opening to counter properly!”
Go Eunjin was also a combat expert. Though partly because the Heavenly Demon's body was too small, she had grasped the true reason effective attacks failed: the cat's soft, squishy forepaw defense.
-Kyaaooong!
As she joined in, the enraged cat swung its forepaw even more fiercely.
Normally, she would dodge or flee, but now she stood firm, crossing her arms forward.
-Hiss! Hiss!
The furious cat hissed and unleashed a barrage of cat punches, but Go Eunjin crossed her arms and blocked them outright.
In her current state, counterattacking was pointless anyway. Thus, taking the hits to buy time was the most effective approach.
“No need to interfere.”
“Are you planning to brawl with that cat all day?”
Glancing at the bloodied Heavenly Demon, Go Eunjin irritably shouted.
“Didn't that cat show up because of your pointless stunt earlier? Chase it off quick and fix my body back to normal!”
Crack. Adjusting his dislocated shoulder, the Heavenly Demon bared his fangs.
‘See? You only whine and blame others whenever you open your mouth.’
Swallowing those words, the Heavenly Demon clenched his fists.
“Fine. I will end it quickly.”
Whoosh.
In an instant, the Heavenly Demon slipped under the upright cat's paw, crouching low with his right fist clenched.
“Demon Fist Seven Forms, Soaring Wind Dragon Fist!”
Crouching, the Heavenly Demon aimed at the cat's nose bridge and thrust his fist.
-Kyaong!
But the cat's reflexes were no joke.
Sensing the target, it countered by aiming its forepaw at the Heavenly Demon's head.
“A feint, you fool.”
Already inside the cat's guard, the Heavenly Demon leaped up with full power.
-Kyaaooang!
Struck in the soft underbelly, right at the precious spot, the cat screeched shrilly and fled toward the bushes.
“Even beasts have vital points.”
Landing on the ground, the Heavenly Demon crossed his arms as he watched the fleeing cat.
“Relying solely on your size without protecting your most vital spot was your downfall.”
Watching him, Go Eunjin smiled weakly and lowered her arms.
“You really talk too much.”
With those words, she collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Her demonic power was sealed, and her body hamster-sized. Having blocked the giant cat's cat punches solely on willpower, she had fainted.
“Hmph, meddling needlessly.”
Looking down at the fallen Go Eunjin, the Heavenly Demon spoke with displeasure.
The opponent mattered not. As long as it was a battle on the edge of death, that was enough.
But just as his spirit ignited, Go Eunjin's intrusion ended it anticlimactically.
Drip.
At that moment, veins bulged across the Heavenly Demon's body. Though his form hadn't reverted, his blocked qi and blood had returned to normal.
“No helping it.”
Grasping Go Eunjin's pulse, the Heavenly Demon began infusing the All Laws Return to One energy from the Heavenly Pivot Fluid Transformation upper stage. Using inner energy made his gut burn like he'd downed strong liquor.
“Urk.”
As he channeled energy through her pulse, the Heavenly Demon's eyes trembled faintly.
Forcibly drawing Heavenly Pivot Fluid Transformation had depleted his inner energy. Moreover, battling the cat while his physical strength was sealed had caused internal injuries.
Infusing All Laws Return to One energy into Go Eunjin in this state strained his inner energy further.
“To suffer internal injuries from a mere cat.”
If this became known in the martial world, the supreme master of all ages' reputation would plummet instantly.
Of course, this was not the martial world, so it wouldn't happen.
“No choice. I will recover first, then infuse again.”
Holding Go Eunjin's wrist, the Heavenly Demon plopped down right there.
And as he prepared to circulate and heal with all his might.
“...!”
A sensation like sinking into deep water hit, and his consciousness briefly snapped.
How much time passed?
Crack, crackle.
With bone-creaking sounds, the unconscious Heavenly Demon and Go Eunjin's bodies began slowly reverting to their original sizes.
Was it due to the divine power in the bead?
As their bodies returned to normal size, even the minor wounds everywhere healed cleanly.
Chirp chirp.
Amid the sound of crickets somewhere, the Heavenly Demon and Go Eunjin lay collapsed, bathed in the moonlight.
Creak.
A white van pulled up in front of the Shrine God's house.
The door flew open hurriedly, and a woman with her hair tied in a ponytail stepped out. It was Jang Chaewon.
“What the heck are you doing until so late at night...!”
Rushing to the Heavenly Demon with a mix of worry and irritation, she gaped.
Wasn't the Heavenly Demon sitting on the ground with eyes closed, and Go Eunjin sleeping soundly beside him?
“A-Are they sleeping?”
No response—perhaps unconscious.
Then, glancing at their side-by-side collapsed postures, Jang Chaewon's eyes widened enormously.
The Heavenly Demon was tightly gripping Go Eunjin's wrist.
“Wooow.”
Propping her chin as she stared, Jang Chaewon's eyes grew even wider.
“They got this close in the meantime?”
She was already shocked they could team up based on trust.
But these two, who used to spew fire at a mere glance, holding hands?
The Heavenly Demon had merely collapsed while infusing Heavenly Pivot Fluid Transformation, but Jang Chaewon smiled brightly down at them.
“I hope you two get even closer from now on.”
Jang Chaewon beamed with joy.