The Heavenly Demon Takes the Stage (13)
Apis was indeed a game where a character's performance varied wildly depending on the player's skill. This was especially true for manual-intensive classes like the Heavenly Demon. When someone like HwaRyeong piloted it—pushing the class widely regarded as Apis's strongest to its absolute limits—her performance reaching another dimension was only natural.
Natural, yes. But this was still ridiculous. How were you supposed to beat a human who could three-second a pro player?
Yi Sun regretted accepting DeKay's invitation. He had spent the entire day analyzing her, yet found nothing useful. This wasn't some grand debut stage meant to showcase his Sword God. This was a warning bell announcing the monster called HwaRyeong's arrival in Apis. And Yi Sun was nothing more than the poor sacrificial lamb chosen for the role.
The moment he laid eyes on HwaRyeong on the day of the tournament, that conviction only grew stronger. He had watched it happen. He had seen Dang So-il—a Heavenly Demon user whose skill was universally acknowledged—unable to do anything before falling in defeat. He had witnessed a player everyone said could win the championship anytime rolling pathetically across the ground.
Some laughed at the sight of Dang So-il's utter humiliation, but Yi Sun couldn't bring himself to join them. That scene was destined to become his own in the near future.
Luckily, Yi Sun had been placed farthest from HwaRyeong. Even if he kept winning, their meeting would only come at the very end—the grand finals.
Yet Yi Sun felt no joy whatsoever. He couldn't. It would have been better to be eliminated early. The finals was a stage that drew every eye. Standing there when defeat was already guaranteed wasn't an honor. It was public torture.
If he had known it would come to this, he never would have entered the tournament. Maybe he had grown arrogant after crushing those second-string pros in the previous competition. If only he had stayed humble, none of this would have happened.
Yi Sun lamented inwardly, but it changed nothing. He had already stepped into the arena.
In his first match against the leader, he seriously considered throwing the fight on purpose. The leader was a decently skilled player. Losing to him wouldn't invite much criticism. What stopped him was regret. He had practiced the Sword God like a madman for this day. To fall without showing anything after all that effort felt too cruel.
So Yi Sun decided to display his skill against the leader and then lose. He would drop out nicely in the quarterfinals or semifinals and let someone else take the bullet of suffering a crushing defeat to HwaRyeong.
But the moment he stepped off the stage after defeating the leader and his eyes met HwaRyeong's, he abandoned all hope. The gaze she fixed on him was that of a predator eyeing prey. It was the kind of look that promised to chase down and rip apart anyone foolish enough to try running.
What hammered the final nail into his resignation was the sight of the leader—who had provoked HwaRyeong—receiving his proper education. The man sat collapsed on the floor, teeth chattering in terror. HwaRyeong hadn't even done anything special. She had simply gripped his wrist and stared at him. That was all it took.
If Yi Sun tried to drop out with some half-hearted performance, would she fail to notice? Of course not. And if she realized he had deliberately avoided fighting her, how would she react? She certainly wouldn't be amused. She might even come to despise him. No—she definitely would. And then she would never let him off easy.
While helping the trembling leader back to his seat, Yi Sun made up his mind. Better to give everything he had and still get trampled than to earn the beast's hatred. Being mocked by the crowd was preferable to that.
And so, just as he had originally hoped, Yi Sun was able to flaunt the true extent of his Sword God. The other participants were all top-tier players in their own right, yet they proved utterly powerless before his blade. Every single one who faced him praised him afterward. His skill had grown tremendously. They couldn't even follow his sword. If he entered the next tournament as a full Sword God, victory would be guaranteed.
Even as those flattering words tickled his ears, Yi Sun could not rejoice. To him, the road to victory looked like a path leading straight to the executioner's block.
As expected, HwaRyeong advanced to the finals with overwhelming dominance. 2.7 seconds? Was that even a number that should appear in a tournament? What on earth was DeKay thinking, inviting him to face that?
The instant he stood across from HwaRyeong as her finals opponent, Yi Sun unconsciously stepped backward. Her gaze felt like it would devour him whole. If he could, he would have turned and fled right then and there.
But he stepped into the match anyway. He had already come too far to run.
After confirming the map, Yi Sun took a deep breath. Since it had come to this, he would give it everything. He would at least land a single hit on her.
Throughout the entire tournament, HwaRyeong had not allowed a single point of damage. And it wasn't just in the tournament. While she climbed to Master rank with a perfect record, no one had ever managed to shave away any of her health. The only time she had ever taken damage in Apis was once—on her very first day, from DeKay. That single wound remained her first and last.
Just as DeKay was now being re-evaluated because of that one hit, if Yi Sun could somehow land even a single strike by going all out, perhaps he too could earn a reevaluation someday.
He unleashed everything from the very first moment. He poured his entire being into the assault. He never looked back. He didn't consider counterattacking. If he died, so be it—so long as he could inflict even one wound.
But he couldn't reach her. Not once. Not a single strike landed.
Amid the relentless barrage, HwaRyeong remained perfectly calm. The way she smiled and casually brushed aside his sword looked less like a duel and more like someone playing with an excited puppy. There was no tension in her movements whatsoever.
This experience was entirely new to him. It wasn't that no one had ever broken his sword before. Plenty had. No matter how skilled Yi Sun became, there were always those who stood higher. But never before had someone made him feel like he posed not even the slightest threat.
He had expected to lose, but not like this.
Then, in the middle of his continuous assault, HwaRyeong threw her first punch. It was an incredibly brief window—a tiny gap of perhaps 0.1 seconds between sword paths. She didn't miss it. She slipped straight through.
Of course Yi Sun tried to react. He attempted to answer her fist with the rapid-fire attacks he took such pride in. But it was futile.
HwaRyeong's punch was no ordinary strike. It was a single blow that shattered everything in its path. It was pure, overwhelming violence that broke apart all that stood before it.
With every sword path destroyed, Yi Sun instinctively chose to retreat. If he remained there even a moment longer, he felt certain he would be devoured by that fist.
HwaRyeong gazed at the distant Yi Sun and smiled.
Yi Sun couldn't smile. He understood what those words meant. Being acknowledged by someone so far above him was essentially validation of his entire future. It was something to celebrate.
But the words that had yet to come terrified him too much for his face to show anything but tension.
As expected, nothing good.
"No, there's really no need—"
His words never finished. The moment HwaRyeong took a single step, an overwhelming pressure slammed down on him, as if the surrounding gravity had multiplied several times over.
Yi Sun knew exactly what this was. Heavenly Demon Steps. The Heavenly Demon's signature technique, one so inefficient it had been reduced to a meme skill.
The ultimate footwork of the Heavenly Demon Cult. It exerts crushing physical and mental pressure across the entire surrounding space.
In Apis, the Heavenly Demon Steps was universally recognized as a joke skill. It consumed an absurd amount of energy, yet all it accomplished was making nearby buildings creak slightly. It dealt virtually no damage to opponents and applied no meaningful debuffs. Most new Heavenly Demon users tried it once out of curiosity, shouted "This is the Heavenly Demon Steps?" and immediately sealed it away.
So why did HwaRyeong's version feel like this?
Breathing became difficult. His feet refused to move. Even lifting his arms felt like an impossible task. Forcing his head up, he watched her approach. She looked impossibly massive. Every step she took made the world tremble. Her presence was so overwhelming that even sunlight seemed unable to pass over her. Beneath her shadow, the entire world appeared to darken.
Win against that? How?
Yi Sun cursed DeKay inwardly and tightened his grip on his sword. The giant before him raised her arm.
*
Um. As expected, the skilled ones really are the most fun. Opponents who possess their own Simji have a certain charm when you play with them.
Yi Sun, who had gotten caught up in my whims, gradually began staring at me with eyes full of exhaustion as the match continued. But what could he do? Once he became my opponent, enduring it was simply part of the deal.
If he truly wanted to avoid such a harsh experience, he should have hidden his ability better. Oh well. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him. Experiencing a wall like this would prove immensely helpful for his future growth. Only after having every preconception shattered can one ascend to greater heights.
When I returned after securing the championship, applause filled the venue. Most of it was merely polite. The few who genuinely seemed happy for me were Ha-rin and WhipMasterLove. The rest couldn't hide their awkward expressions even as they clapped.
It must have been a bit too overwhelming.
Normally people tried to offer proper congratulations in these situations, but...
After the half-hearted applause died down, DeKay began wrapping up the tournament. It was nothing special—just the usual self-congratulatory speech that came with hosting such events. The standard procedure of gathering the top placers and having them share their thoughts.
Interviews began with third place. That honor went to Ha-rin, who had casually defeated her opponent. She handled interviews with practiced ease, having done several before. She gave all the expected, predictable answers. It was so by-the-book it wasn't even entertaining.
I had thought she might throw in some provocation since she seemed close with Gwon-jon, but apparently she knew how to separate personal and professional matters.
Next came Yi Sun. I assumed the boy who looked so delicate outside of combat would give another boring interview like Ha-rin, but he surprised me.
The moment he took the microphone, he spoke bluntly.
Is that even a proper question? Of course it's impossible.