Heavenly Demon's Arrival: Narak (6)
That declaration of his as the Heavenly Demon was more than enough to rattle even the supreme experts contending for the title of the strongest under heaven.
In the martial world of the Central Plains, the name Heavenly Demon carried exactly that kind of weight.
The 'Heavenly Demon' was, in any era, the being closest to the absolute pinnacle.
Impersonating it was simply unthinkable.
Any true master would instantly see through a fake the moment the title was claimed.
Bi-Ryeong froze for a brief instant upon hearing the words, but quickly spoke.
"Who are you to call yourself the Heavenly Demon? You are not the one this one knows."
"There is no need for pointless questions. Whether This Seat is the Heavenly Demon or not can be confirmed through strength alone, can it not?"
The viewers clutched cold sweat in their palms at the extraordinary tension flowing between the two.
The chat went momentarily silent as an oppressive atmosphere swallowed the stream.
Bi-Ryeong was a boss who had never been revealed in Narak before, so no one knew the extent of his power. Yet everyone instinctively understood he would be stronger than any boss they had encountered so far.
All the previous bosses had been overwhelmingly powerful from the viewers' perspective, and this one stood above even them.
Not to mention the spear that had flown at them the instant the door opened. Only a tiny handful of viewers with exceptional dynamic vision had managed to perceive its speed.
The viewers themselves were split into two clear factions: the toxic ones cheering for Bi-Ryeong's victory, and the Heavenly Demon Cult faction rooting for Myeong-yun.
On top of that, the news of Narak's new boss drew in even more viewers, pushing the live count past twenty thousand.
In the midst of this absolute chaos, Bi-Ryeong was the first to move.
"You dare treat me like some inferior!"
"All the martial artists of the Central Plains exist beneath This Seat..."
Perhaps because Myeong-yun had deliberately left himself open, inviting attack.
Bi-Ryeong roared and shot forward like a beam of light, spear slashing in a deadly arc.
Faster and more ferocious than any boss that had ever appeared in Narak.
The spear's trajectory curved like a beast's fangs, aiming straight for Myeong-yun's throat.
Myeong-yun stepped inward, rotating his body to slip outside the spear's path, then thrust his palm toward Bi-Ryeong's chest.
Bi-Ryeong raised his arm to block. The two were simultaneously repelled outward from the center of impact.
An exchange that happened in an instant.
Attack, evasion, counter, and defense all unfolding in a realm below zero seconds.
With that single exchange, Bi-Ryeong proved he was on an entirely different level from every boss that had come before.
The chat practically exploded from that single exchange alone.
Donations meant to draw attention were also pouring in at a ridiculous pace.
The refresh rate was so fast that ordinary people couldn't even keep up.
Myeong-yun checked the viewers' reactions and gave a small smile as he looked at Bi-Ryeong.
Not a bad sense at all.
No, it was actually excellent.
The man before him truly lived up to the title of First Spear Under Heaven. He was a genuine master.
Whatever AI had been installed in him, it allowed him to move with far more efficient trajectories than the other martial artists Myeong-yun had faced.
Myeong-yun instantly recognized that this was a martial art built purely around efficiency, and he raised his concentration to its peak.
There is a limit to the power New World allows me to display.
Moreover, due to various restrictions, his current specs fell far short of what was needed to clear this properly.
Even if he had taken the normal route instead of the hidden one, his stats would still be insufficient.
He had reached this point through pure physical ability alone.
It's been so long since I felt this way...
What one lacked could simply be filled by something else.
Myeong-yun placed one hand behind his back and beckoned Bi-Ryeong forward with the other.
"Children, watch carefully. This Seat shall show you why he is called the Heavenly Demon..."
"That arrogance will be your downfall!"
Bi-Ryeong's spear trembled violently as it erupted with blue ganggi.
It quickly took the shape of a dragon that coiled around the spear. The dragon-spear opened its maw wide in a threatening roar as Bi-Ryeong charged.
The blue dragon twisted its body wildly, rushing in to devour Myeong-yun.
At the same time, the dancing spear tip targeted every vital point on Myeong-yun's body in a single instant.
Unlike the sword of Mount Hua, these are not feints.
Both the dragon and the spear tip that sought his life were all real strikes.
Had it been the great disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, he would not have survived even a single move. His body would have been riddled with holes.
Myeong-yun's feet left the ground.
Accelerating to maximum speed in a single breath, he lowered his stance, barely dodging the dragon by a hair's breadth. He then twisted his body with a light leap, almost lying flat in the air.
While appearing to lie on the floor, he was actually airborne.
And the direction his body moved toward was the only gap in the path of Bi-Ryeong's spear.
Slipping through that razor-thin opening to evade the attack, Myeong-yun lightly planted one hand on the ground and rose back to his feet.
The viewers were stunned by the acrobatic movement.
At this point, even the viewers were growing intensely curious.
Just what kind of person was the Heavenly Demon's wife in real life!
Having evaded Bi-Ryeong's attack, Myeong-yun drew out the maximum concentration New World would allow.
His head began to burn.
The New World hardware in reality was starting to overheat.
This won't last long.
He had to finish it as quickly as possible.
Bi-Ryeong spun and flew toward him once more.
Countless spear strikes that seemed to claim the entire space rained down on Myeong-yun.
This time he clearly had no intention of allowing any chance to escape, covering the entire area with his ganggi.
A roaring blue dragon and dozens, hundreds of flashing spear tips.
This was the martial prowess of one who discussed being the strongest in the world within Narak's lore.
And at that moment, Myeong-yun moved.
With slow, deliberate steps, he walked directly into the downpour of spear tips.
Countless trajectories rushed toward him, yet not a single one made contact.
It looked as if the spears were avoiding him on purpose.
But the truth was different.
Using insight that bordered on future sight, he was stepping only on the tiny safe zones where the spears would not reach.
No matter how strong a person was, they only had two arms.
No matter how fast they swung, they could not attack the exact same area simultaneously.
Myeong-yun read every single trajectory of Bi-Ryeong's spear, calculating safe zones within a realm below zero seconds, even further down, in the world of 0.0 seconds.
"Kuaaaaaaaaah—!!"
Bi-Ryeong let out a roar that sounded almost like a scream and forcibly twisted his body, redirecting the spear tip toward Myeong-yun who had drawn far too close.
Facing the spear point hurtling toward his throat at supersonic speed, Myeong-yun smiled, the corners of his lips rising.
In that instant, Bi-Ryeong instinctively realized it.
This life-or-death battle was already his defeat!
BOOOOM—!!
A massive shockwave exploded outward with a deafening roar.
In an instant, both Myeong-yun and Bi-Ryeong were swallowed by a cloud of dust.
Then a single silhouette burst out from the dust cloud and was sent sliding backward.
"Kuhk!"
Bi-Ryeong, who had clearly suffered severe internal injuries, coughed up blood as he dropped to one knee.
Myeong-yun walked out of the dust cloud completely unharmed and spoke.
"First Spear Under Heaven! Divine Spear! Your skill truly matches your titles! However, it is not enough! To discuss being the strongest under heaven with only this level is still far too lacking!"
As the viewers said, Myeong-yun was slightly excited.
This was the first time he had experienced a battle of this caliber since reincarnating in Korea.
It was the first time he had felt such a surge of dopamine and adrenaline. How could he not enjoy it?
"Huu."
But that excitement lasted only a moment.
Myeong-yun exhaled shortly, completely calming his rising blood, and walked toward Bi-Ryeong.
"...Heavenly Demon. That last technique of yours... what was it?"
"It does not even deserve to be called a technique. It was simply extending my hand in a straight line. What name could possibly be given to that?"
"Hah! All things return to one... Heavenly Demon, if it is you... you may have the qualification to proceed forward..."
"Forward?"
"...Yes. Beyond. The abyss of Narak... Only the key you possess can open that door..."
Bi-Ryeong could not finish his sentence.
He collapsed heavily onto the floor.
The moment his life ended, Narak unhesitatingly consumed his corpse as nourishment.
As Bi-Ryeong's body disappeared into the depths of Narak, the time for settlement arrived.
Under normal routes, the game would end here and score would be calculated based on the player's record.
However, in Myeong-yun's case, things began to flow differently.
Rumble—
Narak began to vibrate.
A massive roar shook the cavern, and fragments of stone began falling from the ceiling one by one.
"Hmm."
Myeong-yun naturally dodged the falling rocks above his head.
After some time passed, the earthquake stopped and something mystical occurred.
The three fragments that had been in Myeong-yun's possession flew out on their own and merged into one in midair.
The combined piece took the shape of an inverted triangle, emitting an ominous black light as it rotated.
And so the true identity of the previously unknown fragments was revealed.
It was the key that opened the door to the abyss, a place even deeper than Narak.
The key once again cut across the air, flying toward the direction Bi-Ryeong had been guarding. It slipped perfectly into a small groove.
A perfect fit.
Then the wall split in half, and thick, viscous poisonous qi poured out from within.
It seemed to radiate terrible malice, as if warning that only those with true confidence should dare challenge what lay beyond.
The path to the sixth floor, discovered for the first time in the world.
Myeong-yun stood before it for a moment, then turned to the camera and spoke.
The time had come to make a decision. What Myeong-yun chose was—
"This Seat shall end today's broadcast here. As for the donations offered to the cult, This Seat will express his gratitude separately."
He had ended the stream.