The Black Hole Halo

The battle raged on with ferocious intensity, a brutal contest of raw power where each side seemed determined to test who would die first.

The corrupting force of the Xenos biomass wielded by the demonic cultivator mutated every living organism in the area, reducing them to thick, flowing sludge. These grotesque masses surged toward the demonic cultivator like countless insects or slime monsters, endlessly swelling in size as they converged.

At the same time, the mind-hacking waves emanating from the entire mass of flesh vibrated and amplified like infinite echoes. If left unchecked, there was no telling how powerful they might become.

All of this was further intertwined with the demonic cultivator’s innate power—pitch-black energy—that spawned all manner of bizarre phenomena.

From the wave-like mass of flesh that had surged forward like a colossal slime, countless human faces suddenly emerged. They wept in grief, moaned in terror, and gasped in horror.

In the sky, dark clouds—formed at some unknown moment—swirled into a massive vortex before unleashing a downpour of rain imbued with a power that could only be described as a curse.

Even inorganic materials untouched by the Xenos organic corruption or mind-hacking waves rusted, decayed, and crumbled upon contact with the rain, transforming the battlefield into a vision of hell.

Yet against this monstrous display of power, Lieutenant Colonel Brenar refused to yield even an inch.

Far from retreating, she clearly held the upper hand—albeit by a narrow margin—radiating an overwhelming holy light that single-handedly repelled the hellish assault invading reality.

A vast halo of black-and-white radiance spread outward from the ring above her head and the three pairs of wings on her back, burning and purifying everything it touched with golden flames.

The soft resonant hum produced by that light formed a perfect harmony, and with her precise manipulation of ether added to the mix, she absorbed the surrounding mana before firing off flashes of light in every direction.

The lightning-like flashes of light, accompanied by explosive roars, sniped the converging Xenos biomass and incinerated it in an instant. The golden flames then spread like living lightning to nearby clusters, burning fiercely until their power was exhausted.

Though his realm was lower, Han Yujin’s insight was sharp enough to immediately sense just how absurdly taxing her attacks were on her cognitive abilities.

‘No wonder the demonic cultivator is being pushed back…!’

In terms of sheer output, the demonic cultivator still held the lead. This meant Brenar’s current dominance relied entirely on her superior control.

‘Is she receiving assistance from some kind of AI?’

Considering the technological level of the Galactic Empire, it was a highly plausible theory. It probably wasn’t a standard AI, but one custom-built to complement the ethereal weapon she used.

In any case.

The battle continued without either side giving ground, both clearly under immense strain.

Yet if things kept going like this, it somehow felt as though the demonic cultivator would emerge victorious. Perhaps it was because he had faintly sensed Brenar’s growing impatience.

Whether the demonic cultivator had noticed that as well, Han Yujin couldn’t tell. For all he knew, the enraged, retreating act could be nothing but a performance.

As the fight grew increasingly impossible to predict, Brenar finally made her decisive move. While wrapped in the black-and-white halo that canceled out her opponent’s power and the waves of golden flame it produced, she thrust her hand forward. From her outstretched palm rose a sphere of light more brilliant than anything she had emitted before.

Han Yujin felt his own divine sense being sucked toward it as he observed. Had he not hurriedly reinforced his control, his divine sense would have been forcibly torn away, dealing him significant damage.

It was as if the sphere devoured even the surrounding light—only her creation remained radiant and vivid. At its center, however, it was darker than anything previously seen, as though a hole had been punched through space itself.

It was, quite literally, a black hole crowned with a sphere of light.

…!!!

A deafening noise seemed to erupt, yet strangely, no sound could be heard. Even the trajectory of its advance was impossible to track properly.

This was likely due to the lack of space-time perception.

Because of that, he also failed to clearly perceive the moment the attack struck the demonic cultivator and exploded.

Yet for a fleeting instant, he thought he heard a horrifying, blood-curdling scream filled with terror.

Beyond that, there was only an overwhelming barrage of blinding light too intense to look at directly and the indescribable, sharp, low-pitched roar of the aftershock.

It took far longer than expected for all the aftereffects to subside and the swirling spiritual energy to stabilize.

Han Yujin, who had been watching with extreme caution, finally spotted Lieutenant Colonel Brenar standing alone amid the golden flames still flickering like dying embers across the battlefield.

Her condition could hardly be called fine, even as a generous understatement.

Blood streamed from her seven orifices as she barely remained upright. The mountain-like presence she had once exuded was gone; she looked as though she might collapse and die at any moment.

‘As for the demonic cultivator…’

Given the circumstances, he was likely dead, but Han Yujin couldn’t be certain. Just as he considered observing a little longer, Brenar finally crumpled to the ground and stopped moving entirely.

The golden flames that had lingered like embers across the area also died out, and a heavy, deathly silence descended.

‘Did they really end up destroying each other…?’

But he had yet to realize that this situation would lead to an unexpected windfall.

To reap the benefits, he naturally needed to save her and make her owe him a life debt. At the same time, he had to avoid arousing suspicion, which made revealing himself right away rather awkward. He couldn’t be sure whether she had completely lost consciousness.

Besides, she might recover enough on her own in a few moments and stand back up.

While he hesitated, one section of the melted, torn, shattered, and curse-rotted ground suddenly twitched.

Whoosh—!

A hand made of pitch-black bone burst forth, trembling violently before going still. It looked exactly like a scene from a horror movie where a zombie claws its way out of a grave accompanied by eerie sound effects.

Han Yujin held his breath as he watched. Soon, the bony hand lost strength and went limp. But then black and blood-red energy rose from the bones like flickering haze, gradually forming a shape in the air above.

After dozens of seconds, the completed form revealed itself as a precarious, flickering Nascent Soul of a demonic cultivator.

Merely by appearing, it caused the surrounding spiritual ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠energy to tremble in resonance. The negative aura of demonic arts spread in all directions, accompanied by auditory and visual hallucinations, creating an overwhelmingly sinister atmosphere.

No matter how weakened, a Nascent Soul was still a Nascent Soul. Ordinary people, and even cultivators at the Initiation Stage, could not possibly stand against it.

The Nascent Soul scanned its surroundings with a pair of blood-red eyes before turning toward the fallen Brenar. Its condition seemed dire enough that it intended to immediately attempt seizure—taking over her body without hesitation.

Hiding his identity was important, but only while Brenar was still alive.

And so, Han Yujin finally moved.

Using the Five Elements Heavenly Escape Art, he emerged onto the surface almost instantly, making his previous deep underground concealment seem pointless.

As expected, the demonic cultivator’s Nascent Soul froze in place.

It seemed to sense something from Han Yujin and sent out a faint mental transmission.

— You…

At that exact moment, the illusion of the Six Paths of Reincarnation surged with full power within ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Han Yujin’s eyes, and a flash of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠light exploded from his outstretched fingertips.

By the time the thunderous crack reached his ears, the purple lightning had already struck the demonic cultivator’s Nascent Soul directly.

There was a slight resistance, but this was the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning—one of the Five Elements’ supreme forces, boasting the greatest destructive power against mystical arts and especially devastating against evil and corrupt entities.

The Nascent Soul vanished completely, leaving behind only a single scream of shock and terror.

Immediately afterward, the Crimson Lotus True Flame swept over the space where the Nascent Soul had been extinguished, raging and burning for a long time.

A short while later.

Having confirmed it was safe, he withdrew his attack, glanced at the fallen Brenar, and headed toward the spot where the demonic cultivator’s Nascent Soul had emerged.

When he dug up the ground with his arts, a skeleton appeared—one so brittle it wouldn’t have been strange if it had crumbled into dust immediately. The tattered remnants of a ritual robe and several damaged artifacts confirmed it was indeed the demonic cultivator’s corpse.

‘The Sunset Bell…’

Given that an Nascent Soul stage cultivator’s body had been reduced to this state, the chances of the item remaining intact were extremely low. Still, considering the unique properties of the Sunset Bell, there was still a chance.

‘Oh…!’

Fortunately, his hopes were rewarded.

He noticed that part of the skeleton’s finger bones emitted a strange brass glow. When he probed it with his divine sense, he found exactly what he was looking for—a specially customized Sunset Bell. The bones had likely been modified this way for concealment.

Since its owner was already dead, there was no immediate danger, but he still took his time to thoroughly inspect it for safety using every method available.

Only after exhausting every possible precaution did he carefully separate it from the skeleton. A faintly warm sensation felt slightly unpleasant, but when he examined the interior with his divine sense, all his complaints melted away like snow.

There were over a hundred jade slips that might contain unknown knowledge, a small hill of mid-grade spirit stones, quite a few rare high-grade spirit stones, hundreds of jade bottles and boxes containing various pills and materials, dozens of ritual implements, and over ten items that appeared to be ritual treasures.

Among them, two or three even seemed to be spiritual treasures. Unfortunately, there was nothing resembling a Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure, but upon second thought, expecting such a thing would have been excessively greedy.

‘This is already an enormous harvest.’

No matter how high-ranking a member of a demonic sect they were, a mere Nascent Soul stage cultivator would find it difficult to carry a Heaven-Piercing Spirit Treasure personally.

If the sect possessed one, they might have been able to borrow it, but this situation clearly hadn’t allowed for such preparations.

‘If they had been able to prepare, they would have definitely won.’

In the end, it was carelessness that had led to their demise.

If the demonic cultivator had immediately retreated through a teleportation array instead of recklessly charging at Brenar, or if they had returned with even more preparations, the outcome would have been completely different.

While thinking, he reached Brenar’s side and began examining her condition closely.

His earlier worry that she might still be conscious despite having collapsed turned out to be unfounded.

She was now in a completely defenseless state—vulnerable enough that even a child could kill her. Thanks to that, he was able to clearly verify multiple times using the Dream Illusion Mind Snatching Art and the Six Paths of Reincarnation whether she had truly lost consciousness.

‘To think the situation would unfold this favorably…’

He had been lucky.

Of course, it wasn’t purely luck.

Had his skills not reached a decisive level, or had he made even a single misjudgment along the way, he would have been caught in their fight, suffered severe damage, had his presence exposed, and the entire situation would have changed drastically.

In short, while it was indeed fortunate, it was fortune seized through genuine ability.

With a slight sense of self-satisfaction, he once again took a moment to carefully consider his next move.

Using the Taiyi Five Elements Dao Scripture’s flowing water element, the Supreme Clear Profound Water, he was confident he could heal her completely.

The techniques derived from the Supreme Clear Profound Water were so potent that they could extend one’s lifespan by roughly three hundred years. It was more than enough power to cling to a fading life.

However, a better idea had occurred to him than simply healing her that way.

Aside from the consumption of a precious Dao Gate Spirit Pill, it would be a plan that killed two birds with one stone.

‘After escaping the landing craft, I barely survived by deploying my parachute. Due to my injuries, I couldn’t move freely from a location far from here. Thanks to that, I wasn’t caught in the aftermath of the battle. Only after the situation calmed down did I come here, thinking that if I remained still any longer I would die from my wounds, hoping for the lieutenant colonel’s help. By a stroke of heavenly luck, I obtained a great opportunity.’

The name of that opportunity would be the Soul-Eating Dao-Achieving Pill.

‘It’s a genuine Dao Gate Spirit Pill. Even if consumed for treatment at the level of a 3rd-level spiritualist, it would be more than enough to ascend to the 4th level. Moreover, I will obtain a portion of the memories and techniques of the being used as its main ingredient, making it perfectly natural for me to learn the cultivation methods of the repairer lineage.’

Furthermore, if he used such a precious Dao Gate Spirit Pill to save Brenar’s life, she would owe him an especially heavy life debt and would personally serve as a witness to the pill’s effects.

‘It’s not a perfect plan.’

But as long as it didn’t seem too suspicious, it would suffice. After all, Brenar would be saved by him.

Besides, in truth, he had never had the option of not saving her.

‘If I have to save her anyway, this is the best method.’

Even without consuming the Dao Gate Spirit Pill, he could have arranged something similar, but when investing, it was better to invest boldly. Especially when it could clearly remain as a debt like this.

Having made his decision, he took out the entire table holding six Soul-Eating Dao-Achieving Pills.

He also brought out the jade slips and began checking one last time to see if there were any points he needed to be cautious about.