1076——————==

Soul of the Evil God

The split replacement space created by the Apostle Halchi Olleifra.

The elite of the Great Bear Empire trapped in each space suddenly found themselves pitted against Halchi Olleifra in a one-on-one showdown. Originally, Seo Mun-hye had tried to use her Divine Barrier to avoid such an incident, but she got slightly injured by the powerful petrifying ray, falling right into the Apostle’s trap.

Except for Zhuge Bu, the remaining comrades immediately engaged in a fierce battle lasting over ten seconds.

Kaboom!!

Dokgo Uncheon confronted Halchi Olleifra head-on. A massive power filled with chaotic energy struck the Apostle in the solar plexus, sending Halchi Olleifra staggering. Then, grabbing Dokgo Uncheon’s wrist, he whispered softly.

[You really are fearless.]

[If I was afraid of you, would I have come this far?]

[No… what you’re wielding, that source of power… The omen of destruction is right behind you.]

[…….]

[Don’t you hear the whisper of doom in your ear?]

What came from the Apostle’s words was not arrogance, but a hint of fear. Dokgo Uncheon felt a shiver run down his spine, as if something resonated.

[I’ll banish you from here. I don’t want to get dragged into your mess.]

Bam!

In the next moment, Dokgo Uncheon was flung out from the split space and returned to reality. He quickly scanned the area, only to spot a cross-shaped crack that looked like a remnant of another split space nearby. It was evident that his comrades were currently fighting inside that crack, so he unleashed the Heart of Heaven’s Abundance and struck at the crack.

Whooom….

Only a light wave echoed, but the crack remained tightly shut, showing no signs of opening. Seeing this, Dokgo Uncheon thought,

‘Since it’s restricted by laws, the Apostle’s subspace can’t be opened by force. To get out, either the caster must release you like in my case, or I have to deal significant damage to the caster to open it.’

Is it even possible?

Dokgo Uncheon resigned himself to waiting there, feeling a sense of bleakness. What would happen in a one-on-one with the Apostle? But with no other option, he stood in silence, arms crossed.

Then it happened.

“…Cough, cough!!”

From a distance, he spotted Zhuge Bu limping toward him. Dokgo Uncheon was surprised at the sight.

[You got out first? How….]

If he hadn’t emerged from the crack before him, that meant Zhuge Bu had come out before him. Yet, even Dokgo Uncheon had fought with everything he had for over ten seconds against the Apostle—how could Zhuge Bu, who had a relatively weaker fighting power, have escaped?

Zhuge Bu shook his head at that question and replied.

“I… I don’t have the luxury to explain. We need to rescue our comrades trapped in the crack. Help me.”

[Can you pull them out?]

“If I adjust the ‘laws’ instead of using ‘power’….”

Zhuge Bu muttered and extended his hands toward the crack. Then he began to chant.

“O Hermes Trismegistus. I grasp the ring of rebirth in this hand. Hence, through the pursuit of form, I shall recall immortality.”

Jung Jung Jung….

As Zhuge Bu’s hands began to widen apart, the crack tore open wide. Moments later, Cheon Woo-jin jumped out from within the crack. He landed on the ground, rolled, and then stood up, saying,

“I almost died before even getting my leave…!!”

Fortunately, Cheon Woo-jin seemed uninjured, but his face was pale. Regardless of how powerful an illusionist he was, being trapped fighting in the Apostle’s subspace was incredibly dangerous—he had narrowly escaped several death moments from Halchi Olleifra’s attacks. If Zhuge Bu hadn’t opened the crack, he might have suffered severe injuries or curses by now.

“Are you hurt? Cough, cough.”

“Zhuge Bu. Did you open the crack from outside?”

“Gah… Gah….”

Seeing Zhuge Bu coughing up blood and struggling to breathe, Cheon Woo-jin’s expression shifted.

“You… You didn’t break a taboo, did you?”

“That concern…”

“You might lose your self or both of us could die.”

“…I’m prepared. Just help me. We need to rescue them quickly.”

“Got it.”

Wiying

The two sorcerers combined their powers to rescue Seo Mun-hye next. Fortunately, she seemed to have fought decently, without any injuries. Then they rescued Han Baek-ryeong, followed by Asura, and as soon as all the cracks disappeared,

Bam!

Once the cracks vanished, Halchi Olleifra reappeared in the void. Standing on a tentacle, he spoke.

[Impressive… I shouldn’t underestimate you mortals.]

“Halchi Olleifra! I seal your supernatural powers! I call it replacement!”

All of a sudden, Zhuge Bu pointed at Halchi Olleifra with his finger and shouted, catching the Apostle off guard.

[How dare you…!!]

Even if Zhuge Bu’s magic was on the Great Immortal Level, Halchi Olleifra was powerful enough to easily wipe out a true Great Immortal. He was a being of a far higher echelon than other high-level existences of different factions, a monster who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years in a distant constellation! Shouting a sealing command at such a being would undoubtedly be futile.

However, the moment Zhuge Bu’s incantation erupted, a brilliant light flashed from his heart. Shortly after, Halchi Olleifra gasped in shock.

[No… No!!]

He realized that his ability to use replacement had been completely sealed! It was as if a dark smear had engulfed him for the first time ever. Zhuge Bu then collapsed to the ground, unable to maintain his composure.

“Kuhah… Cough…”

Tears of blood streamed from Zhuge Bu’s eyes. Blood gushed from his nose and ears due to the cost of performing a seal beyond his limit. As he suffered, a voice echoed in Zhuge Bu’s mind.

[Now, rest.]

“…Ryu Jin…. I’m sorry…. Please take care of the aftermath.”

[Hahaha!]

“…….”

Zhuge Bu finally realized his limits. No matter how much he borrowed the powers of the Philosopher’s Stone and the Portrait Immortal, there had always been a limit looming. As he felt death creeping closer, instead of fear, a sense of regret washed over him. He reflected on whether everything he had done was truly his best.

‘If I had rebirth abilities… I could start over again.’

But Zhuge Bu quickly brushed that thought away.

‘Hah! Useless.’

Even if he started over, he would still doubt if his actions would be the best during the second run. In the never-ending abyss of despair, he would soon be too dazed to worry about efficiency. Zhuge Bu believed if he were a reincarnator, he would have lost interest even after the 10th cycle.

“I’ve done everything I could.”

With his final words, his consciousness faded away.

The death of Zhuge Bu, the Treasures of the Central Plains.

Kiiing –

The moment Zhuge Bu’s soul faced death, a light burst from his heart. Also, from the Philosopher’s Stone within his heart, a bizarre green aura emitted, enveloping his body, and shortly after, his appearance transformed.

Whooom

The change resembled the long-past Portrait Immortal with white hair! Though his features were the same, his hair was black, and instead of the indifferent gaze typical of the Portrait Immortal, he bore a gaze filled with strong will. As everyone’s attention turned to Zhuge Bu’s sudden transformation, he grinned and addressed Dokgo Uncheon.

“Specialized Portrait Immortal No. 1, Ryu Jin. I’m joining the fray.”

[…I see…. That means Zhuge Bu is dead?]

“The roles have switched between us. Of course, the fact he’s dead remains unchanged.”

[So nothing has changed.]

Dokgo Uncheon realized that despite the words suggesting a possibility of resurrection, there was no way to revive Zhuge Bu. This was because he had received reports about specialized Portrait Immortals and their principles during the era when he served as an emperor.

Ryu Jin shrugged, saying nothing further.

Then Halchi Olleifra unleashed a thunderous roar, attacking.

[How dare you…!! Unseal this!]

Boom!

A petrifying ray of incredible power that had once struck their group shot out omnidirectionally. Everyone attempted to dodge or block it, but at that moment, Ryu Jin grinned and muttered.

“Time Recovery.”

Swoosh!!

Ryu Jin appeared to weave an invisible net in front of him. The moment the petrifying ray struck that net, it was sent right back to the caster. Halchi Olleifra attempted to retaliate, but Ryu Jin froze the petrifying ray in midair this time.

Crack!

As he observed the entire exchange, Cheon Woo-jin’s eyebrows twitched.

“Is that the ability of the specialized Portrait Immortal!”

The Time Recovery ability Ryu Jin had just used matched the Time Recovery used by Baek Woong’s group when they faced Yu Shin. Ryu Jin responded to Cheon Woo-jin.

“When the level of supernatural ability increases, anyone can use such techniques. The specialized Portrait Immortal can simply differentiate between time systems as they please.”

Ryu Jin traced a line across the air with his finger.

Zing!

And as that line crossed Halchi Olleifra’s body, it suddenly began to compress him, as if pulling him in. The bizarre attack of the Portrait Immortal caused a tremor in the Apostle’s featureless face, as he then unleashed beams of light directed at Ryu Jin. In an instant, as causality distorted and Halchi Olleifra’s beam tried to penetrate his body, Ryu Jin simply smiled and countered with his Portrait ability.

Portrait Ability

Void of Darkness

With a noise like a split, Halchi Olleifra’s beam seemed to penetrate Ryu Jin’s body. Yet it was an illusion; in reality, the entire space Ryu Jin occupied had swapped to the universe’s emptiness, pulling in the beam of light back towards Halchi Olleifra, as if another otherworldly principle was trying to consume the Apostle. From that void, the insatiable greed of light could be felt.

[……!!]

Halchi Olleifra hastily severed his power, causing Ryu Jin’s form to manifest back into the material realm. Halchi Olleifra spoke to Ryu Jin.

[You’re connected to the Sephiroth, puppet!]

“You’d better be cautious if you know. You’re about to be pulled into the Ain Soph Aur.”

Halchi Olleifra muttered in annoyance.

[You pesky time bomb…!]

To him, the six individuals before him were powerful beings who had reached the limits a mortal could achieve. Although he would not be defeated, he could not guarantee victory even while facing them all at once. If he had the power of replacement, he could easily win by isolating them individually, but with Zhuge Bu sealed, Halchi Olleifra found himself growing anxious.

In the next moment, Seo Mun-hye charged in, delivering a single strike to Halchi Olleifra. Her sword pierced the Apostle’s neck, but his body melted away without a trace, transforming into mist that enveloped her. Moreover, the mist spread out, attempting to invade everyone’s respiratory tracts.

Whoosh!

But as Seo Mun-hye unleashed a burst of her divine power against Halchi Olleifra’s mist, the Apostle’s true form was briefly revealed, and in the meantime, Dokgo Uncheon abruptly cast Chaos Transformation and enlarged his body enormously.

Assuming a size rivaling a giant, Dokgo Uncheon inhaled deeply.

Shoooom!!

In an instant, Halchi Olleifra’s mist was entirely sucked into Baek Woong’s mouth. After momentarily digesting it in silence, Baek Woong onto the void.

Poosh!!

As the mist engulfed in Chaos erupted, Han Baek-ryeong, who had been waiting, leapt in alongside Asura to cleave Halchi Olleifra’s essence.

Absolute Realm

Soul of the Fire Spirit

Fiery Flash –

The moment Han Baek-ryeong’s sword sliced Halchi Olleifra’s mist, he could no longer maintain his mist form and revealed his true appearance. He was taken aback.

[No.]

How could he be cut with a sword? How could anyone penetrate the Apostle’s power? Even he couldn’t comprehend it, but it was possible because Han Baek-ryeong reached the Absolute Realm and infused the power of the Soul of the Fire Spirit into her sword. And as the Soul of the Fire Spirit created an opening, Asura, who had jumped in alongside her, unleashed a massive blow toward Halchi Olleifra.

Evil Night Slash!

Pow!

[Graaaah….]

Asura’s strike seemed to inflict significant pain, causing Halchi Olleifra to recoil with a slight scream. Still, feeling he hadn’t managed a decisive blow, Asura shouted loudly.

“Watch out for the counterattack!!”

Kuwaaat!

As Asura predicted, the wounded Halchi Olleifra fired a petrifying ray while simultaneously creating duplicates that scattered in all directions. Those duplicates, resembling blobs of slime, exploded upon approaching, unleashing cursed magical power that felt like a disaster.

As the area attack approached, Cheon Woo-jin joined forces with Ryu Jin. Cheon Woo-jin first used illusion techniques to distort reality, negating the explosions from the duplicates, while the attacks he couldn’t erase were annihilated by Ryu Jin using Time Recovery.

Boom!

[You bastard.]

[Huhahaha!!]

Dokgo Uncheon dashed in, still in Chaos Transformation, to launch an assault on Halchi Olleifra, causing the Apostle to finally start yielding under the relentless assault.

[Very well… if it comes to this, I’ll accept you as my travel companions!]

Halchi Olleifra couldn’t believe he was losing and continued to hurl curses and spells, but Dokgo Uncheon’s Primordial Spirit seemed to absorb each one effortlessly. As the Primordial Spirit absorbed everything, Halchi Olleifra faltered, giving Baek Woong yet another chance to land a punch on his face.

Bam!

[You’re quite the travel companion, aren’t you.]

[Ugh….]

Watching from behind, Han Baek-ryeong thought,

‘We can win. The balance of attack and defense is perfect!’

If fought one-on-one, none of their team would gain over a 40% chance of victory against Halchi Olleifra. Moreover, with such a powerful supernatural ability, he was indeed a nightmare to face as the Apostle of the Old Ruler. But with Zhuge Bu’s death sealing the replacement ability, and with the cooperation of attack and defense, they had a solid chance of victory.

Bam!

Kaboom!

[Ugh.]

Halchi Olleifra couldn’t maintain his focus amid the bombardment from Dokgo Uncheon, Seo Mun-hye, Han Baek-ryeong, and Asura.

Dokgo Uncheon, eyes flashing with determination, was about to cast the ultimate technique.

Grand Hua Yan!

Boom-

As the Primordial Spirit created three relevant phantoms to execute the Grand Hua Yan’s ultimate destruction, Halchi Olleifra screamed in a split second, as if in terror.

[O omen of the original night… I devote half of my soul to you, so please open wider!]

What the heck is he babbling about?

But just as he was about to strike a death blow with the Grand Hua Yan, Dokgo Uncheon felt his thoughts freeze at the voice ringing in his ears.

[Contractor of the Primordial Spirit. I, Bi-ryu, in accordance with the contract with that being… will twist the contract of the Primordial Spirit. The obligation remains, but I shall no longer bear the power of the Throne on your behalf.]

In the void, the Old Ruler Bi-ryu stood before Dokgo Uncheon.

Bi-ryu had a human shape with an egg-like face devoid of eyes, nose, or mouth. That form was merely one of the countless shapes held by the Old Ruler, but somehow it seemed like he tried to resemble a human as closely as possible.

[What… are you trying to descend on me again like last time…!!]

[Hehe… Unfortunately, I can’t do that. I got badly burned last time, so that’s off the table now. However, I’m not utilizing you for my goal; I’m just turning the tap tighter.]

[…….]

[What you might become, I don’t know that either. Still, if you perish and the Primordial Spirit is destroyed, a significant backlash will hit me due to causality.]

Bi-ryu smiled wickedly.

[Seeing you being consumed by the Throne of Chaos would make it a tad less painful for me….]

Swirl!

And with that, Dokgo Uncheon’s Primordial Spirit began to Rampage.

The balance between chaos and the Primordial Void shattered, and the body that had been in Chaos Transformation suddenly began to emit a heatwave.

Side effect of the Primordial Spirit.

The Throne of Chaos was descending!