1207——————==

Soul of the Evil God

The Heavenly Demon seemed momentarily clueless about what just happened. Then, a moment later, he appeared to realize something and spoke in a calm voice.

[What a trivial act this was….]

His voice was different. Just a moment ago, he had maintained the completely human voice of Sagong Lin, but now it carried the unique divine words of a great being. The Heavenly Demon stepped forward, and I flinched, quickly hiding Sagong Lin’s soul behind me.

Seeing my action, the Heavenly Demon said,

[What you have isn’t my mask. It was merely the medium for the contract under which the Heavenly Demon would descend from the start.]

“…What…?”

[The lack of Sagong Lin’s soul doesn’t mean I can’t unleash the Heavenly Demon’s powers.]

As soon as those words were out, a golden radiance spread out.

Lord of Ten Thousand Demons

Ka-BOOM!!

“Cough.”

It was only a single burst of light, but I could tell the land I’d been standing on in the Underworld had completely vanished, leaving me floating in the void. The bizarre sensation of weightlessness made me look back, revealing everything had gone—what had been ground was now turned to emptiness. I felt a chill down my spine as an immense emptiness stretched endlessly behind me as if the continent had been swept away in a single strike.

‘If the Great Destruction hadn’t been maintained, it would have vanished without a trace….’

This wasn’t idle talk. Even taking Sagong Lin’s soul away didn’t diminish the Heavenly Demon’s power.

Swish

A golden light followed me as I floated in the void. I could see the form of the Heavenly Demon, glowing ever more dramatically as it changed.

[Reborn person. Were you curious about what the Heavenly Demon is? You’ve always wondered what this existence, neither a manifestation nor an apostle, really is, haven’t you?]

“……”

[Without Sagong Lin, I can no longer maintain a human form.]

Grrr

“Ahh.”

As that form morphed into a familiar beastly shape, I screamed. The Heavenly Demon’s back erupted with a golden mane, and once more, an unfathomable magical power surged forth. Suddenly, the fully transformed divine beast took off from me and ascended into the void.

[Reborn person. Now that you’ve come this far, I will show you my true form!]

BAM!!

With an enormous golden brilliance, the Heavenly Demon halted in the air, and around him, a huge golden outline began to take shape in the void. The outline was immense, comparable to that of a giant, and began to swiftly resemble a human form. Once the shape was fully drawn, familiar figures materialized in the hands and feet of this giant.

Shooosh – !!

On the left arm of the giant was the shape of Jeon Wook.

On the right arm was the shape of Jeogok.

On the left leg was the shape of Yu Shun.

On the right leg was the shape of Shao Hao.

And… the heart of the golden giant shone with the radiant light of the Heavenly Demon!!

“Ah… aaah….”

In the face of the unexpected truth, I stared dumbfounded at the golden light of Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen filling the Underworld. The golden outline began to gain a sense of space, and slowly, the golden giant began to materialize. I could see the unique ritual object of the emperor being summoned and placed upon his head.

With a size rivaling that of the original form of Shennong, the golden giant, Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen, placed one hand on his heart and spoke.

[The Heavenly Demon is none other than the massive primordial divine power and origin of me, Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen! Thus, I am stronger than any avatar of the [Old Ruler] that exists across the entire universe, and even superior to Nüwa and the Queen Mother of the West in the law of cause and effect!]

“……!!”

[No longer will I need the superficial human form of the Heavenly Demon. It’s time you truly grasp what it means to hold power over the universe. All of this is what you brought upon yourself…. Reborn person!!]

With a roar, Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen suddenly stretched out his right hand. I stared at that hand and shouted.

“Jeogok, Jeon Wook… all the priests should have been eliminated!! How can they still move!”

The emperor jeered.

[Ohh…. My limbs have grown for billions of years as an [Old Ruler], yet only the souls have perished; the body still clings to my essence and moves. Do you feel pity for these traces of souls? Hehe….]

“…….”

I felt my mind go blank.

‘So… different….’

This creature is on a whole other level….

Not just in strength but overwhelming from the start for a human to contend with….

[Just when I thought I had the perfect opponent to finish this off.]

WOOSH – !!

Pangu Summoning

True Body

At that moment, I saw the white body of Pangu being summoned once more from the void. This time, not just his hand, but most of his body was summoned all at once, and atop the giant’s head sat Mangnyang. I shouted to Mangnyang.

“Mangnyang!!!”

I heard Mangnyang’s voice responding to me.

[…Baek Woong… it’s all over…. We fought to the end, but… there’s only one path left for you… your suicide.]

“……!!”

Mangnyang continued with a voice on the verge of breaking.

[When Pangu and the emperor clash, the Underworld will be destroyed and bounce into the Great Universe…. At the same time… through the black holes of the universe, we can escape the emperor’s gaze, if only for a moment…. In that gap where the emperor’s power does not reach…. commit suicide using the power of the Wheel King….]

‘N-no way can I commit suicide right now?’

[Absolutely not…. The emperor’s power is far too great; there hasn’t been an opportunity to commit suicide since earlier…. Even this Pangu summoning is just to create that final window for your suicide… and I have already transferred all of my power to you….]

As Mangnyang’s voice grew more faint, he spoke with a cooling tone.

[Master… Baek Woong… Priest…. Farewell….]

KWA-OOH!!

The summoned Pangu let out a beastly roar. The fully summoned Pangu looked a whopping five times larger than the golden giant of the emperor. When Pangu stepped forward and stood right in front of the emperor, the emperor looked up at him and said,

[Great axis of order. Why did you not quietly observe the ascension like the other outer gods? Have you ultimately been unable to accept that the destiny of order is to be defeated at the universe’s end?]

Pangu said nothing in response.

Golden light sparkled in the emperor’s eyes.

[Order, truly futile…!!]

……

……

For a moment, there was no sound at all. When Pangu and the emperor threw punches at each other – it felt like the world’s time had stopped, and in that brief moment, the entire world turned into two colors of black and white. Pangu wrapped in white lunged to tackle the emperor, but the emperor tossed him away like lightning, slamming him back down.

GUUUUUUU

With the illusion that space and time were compressing, I was thrust into the darkness of the universe. And it felt like I was watching a puppet show from a distance, seeing the shrunken fight between the emperor and Pangu, and eventually, I witnessed the emperor throwing Pangu into another dimension.

There was no sound and the fight seemed pathetic.

Yet amidst this chaos of the Great Universe, I intently felt one glaring truth.

When the end of the universe arrives – the emperor truly could defeat even Pangu.

“Ah… ugh….”

As I soared through the dark expanse, I trembled, my lips chattering.

Everyone who stood against the emperor has ultimately perished.

Not a single soul survived.

WHAM!

I felt a painful throb in my back as I pierced through the dimensional barrier. I had been flung into the universe due to the shockwave from the Underworld’s explosion. Before I knew it, the surrounding universe was ablaze with spectacular colors, and countless stars were swirling around chaotically.

Woooosh

The constellations seemed to be raging.

Silver stars that had been quietly nestled in the night sky suddenly moved at an alarming speed, much like they were caught in the undertow. It could be due to my own incredible speed, but that wasn’t all there was to it.

The Milky Way.

It appeared almost like an actual river. Countless galaxies and star clusters surged forward at a breakneck pace, thrown into a storm. I found myself laughing in madness amidst the frenzied spectacle of the universe.

“Hah… hahahaha….”

WHAM

Once again, I could feel the pain in my back as I broke through the dimensional barrier, witnessing a few massive stars collide and explode. The resonances of the chaotic universe continued, and the flow quickened even more.

I could feel it.

Right now, the universe was truly facing its end.

Holding onto my sanity in this madness was growing increasingly difficult, yet going mad was no option. If I lost my mind, I couldn’t commit suicide. In this moment when all my comrades had perished, failing to take my own life would mean their sacrifices would have been in vain – it was this contradiction that left me simply staring wide-eyed at the universe’s doom.

“……”

What happens now….

According to Mangnyang, I must commit suicide once I am free from the emperor’s influence. However, I can’t even gauge how far that influence stretches. Even the former Shao Hao Jin Tian had wielded power over other galaxies; how far does the emperor’s might extend—someone who has become whole enough to defeat even Pangu? It wouldn’t be surprising if I couldn’t escape his power even beyond billions of light-years.

Suddenly, I felt a hollow laugh escape me, pondering how on earth I could possibly commit suicide after reaching this point.

“Hehehe… uh… cough….”

How did it come to this?

That it would be so miserable….

Yet, the fact that tears wouldn’t come out hinted that I was surely tired of grieving.

Yeah.

I had despaired.

It was then that I heard Sagong Lin’s voice near my ear.

[I’m sorry…. Baek Woong…. It’s because of me….]

No.

It’s not your fault.

No matter what the other comrades say, the bad one is the emperor.

You’re my comrade….

[I… knew it all along.]

Sagong Lin’s voice took on a tone of self-reproach.

[I might seem like I’m executing my will, governing the Heavenly Demon, but in reality, the emperor let me do so. I had guessed that someday a day like this would come…. But, I wanted to keep helping you.]

You’ve helped plenty.

If you hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have made it this far….

[Baek Woong….]

After a brief hesitation, Sagong Lin seemed to reach a decision and spoke.

[Since I have taken on the essence of the emperor for the longest time, there’s something I can do…. The emperor treated me as a useless tool, but there’s one thing he doesn’t know…. And perhaps…. we can turn the tables.]

…What?

[But… in return… you must bear an ineffable karma (業)…. Will you still proceed?]

…….

I will.

There are no more choices left now that I’ve come this far….

[Understood….]

Moments later, Sagong Lin’s spirit spoke.

[First, we must go to Luoyang. Before the emperor arrives.]

I gritted my teeth at Sagong Lin’s words, pouring forth all my strength to stop my momentum. Due to the enormous thrust, I had likely been flying at a speed surpassing light, but the power etched within me—the Great Destruction and the Martial God’s might—was also nothing to scoff at, so I felt it would be enough.

“HAAAH!!”

KABOOM

The moment I halted my forward motion, I immediately drew upon my magical power to use the technique.

BAM

As I arrived in Luoyang using the technique, the sight before me was utterly alien. I realized the form of Luoyang I knew was completely different as I stared in confusion outside the city’s gates.

“Th-this is?”

The buildings of Luoyang were intact, but they had all turned entirely dark, and even the earth had transformed into a pitch-black hue. Within the city, I spotted grotesque figures resembling dark humanoids aimlessly wandering about.

What could I even say about those monsters? They felt entirely human in shape, but devoid of magic, their bodies resembled solidified dark clay, with white eyes, nose, mouth, and ears stuck on like a puppet.

‘Thank heavens that Cheon Woo-jin sent all humanity to the Dream World….’

I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of hell would have broken out had ordinary humans been here. While I looked down at the city of Luoyang, one of those pitch-black creatures suddenly spotted me and fixed its gaze upon me.

BAM

The dark creature suddenly teleported in front of me and began to converse in human language.

“Haha. You are? Baek. Woong. Right?”

“…….”

It knows my name?

As I cautiously stared at the dark creature, it gave a mischievous grin as its white features shifted.

“I know. We met. The mask. Hehe… hehehe.”

“…….”

The dark creature tilted its head in confusion.

“Why. Are. You. Here? Didn’t you lose to the emperor and come here to run away…? I thought so.”

“……!!”

How?!

What on earth is this creature that knows so much detail about what happened just moments ago?!

As I stared at this creature in alarm, Sagong Lin’s soul within me spoke.

[Baek Woong. We need to make a deal with that one. That will be our key to reversal.]

‘What do you mean?’

[Promise me. You will bear the karma (業).]

As Sagong Lin spoke, I could feel my face stiffening in disbelief.

[Even if it means destroying this world, you will win….]