1334——————==

Soul of the Evil God

The moment our lips met, I suddenly felt my rampaging magical power getting sucked into Daji like some huge blob condensing and swallowing her whole. My heart dropped like a stone.

“Ugh…!!”

Every single cell in my body seemed to be pulled toward Daji, kind of like my organs were ready to fly out! I wasn’t literally being sucked in, but I felt my energy and vitality being drawn to her. Thankfully, my body still held its own against this overwhelming onslaught of power.

Whoosh….

No, actually, once the eerie blue smoke wrapped around both of us, I felt a strange ease wash over my movements. I had been dazed by the magic, but I finally regained a bit of my sanity just as Daji began to pull away her lips.

“Hmm.”

That mysterious, seductive sound of Daji’s breath made my heart thump wildly. A blush swept over my face, and a hazy pink mist clouded my vision. I realized that this was pure excitement, and my mind started to spiral in a way I had never felt before.

“D-Daji.”

“Feeling good, are we?”

“……”

I couldn’t answer. As Daji’s alluring figure swayed before me, I found myself unable to tear my eyes away. Had I fallen victim to some soul-sucking sorcery? But if I truly had, I wouldn’t retain a shred of sanity. While I was lost in thought, Daji leaned down and whispered in my ear.

“Ugh.”

I felt her sharp teeth grazing my earlobe, sending a shock through me. But that pain was fleeting—an even greater pleasure began to spread throughout my body. My heart raced even more as Daji whispered sweetly, almost too softly for me to hear.

“It’s the first time I’ve wanted someone since the dawn of time.”

“Wait….”

I strained to lift my upper body, but Daji suddenly tightened her grip on my wrists, pressing down even harder.

Thud

“Guh!”

What incredible strength!!

My own power could shake the earth, yet here I was, treated like a child by Daji’s might. It must’ve been because she had just absorbed my magical energy, amplifying her strength.

Daji sat down on my stomach, looking down at me with a blank expression.

“I told you to become mine.”

“What do you mean! I appreciate the magic you took, but what in the world…?”

“Shut up.”

Swish

With just one hand, Daji pinned down both of my wrists and deftly unbuttoned my shirt.

“……!!”

My bare upper body was revealed against my will, and I felt my face turn beet red.

“D-Damn it!!”

What is that girl thinking?!

To be put in such an embarrassing situation in front of her…!!

“Where are Dae Jo Young and Gong Gong while I’m in this predicament?!”

I quickly turned my head to look for Dae Jo Young and Gong Gong. But upon closer inspection, I found that, somehow, we were surrounded by a thick fog that obscured everything, and their figures had vanished.

Daji looked down at me, smirking like she was enjoying the view.

“Your magical power is so vast that I’ve managed to create a temporarily disconnected dimension. No one can interrupt us now.”

“Dammit! Let me go!”

“What makes you think I’ll let you go when I’ve barely started?”

I ground my teeth and said, “I-I have someone I like…”

“You mean that nine-tailed fox named Miho!”

“……”

Did she just catch on?!

Daji cut me off with that sharp comment, leaving me speechless. With a crescent-eyed smile, she gently trailed her delicate white hand from my throat down to my chest and said,

“Miho is my tail. So, becoming mine means you’ll be tied to her.”

My heart flared at her words, and I shouted furiously, “Don’t talk nonsense! Miho is Miho!”

“Hmm…. Is that so? Do you like this situation?”

Swish

“……!!”

In an instant, Miho’s face appeared before me. Daji had transformed into her form, catching me off guard, and with Miho’s face, she smirked seductively.

“Are you saying this baby-faced version is your type? I think my human form is way more beautiful.”

“Stop messing with me!! If you want to kill me, then do it!”

Now that I realized Dae Jo Young was caught in the trap of Yu Shun, I promised myself I wouldn’t make the same mistake in my next life!

Regardless, Daji’s smile widened at my words.

“Why would I kill you? No matter what you think, your current look is exactly to my liking. The face of a peerless beauty, born from the divine inspiration of Fuxi the Azure Dragon!”

“……”

Wait, what?

Who is this girl?

Whoosh

Daji returned to her original face, her expression now filled with lust and possessiveness.

“I will make you mine; escape this doomed world and create a realm just for us….”

Her white fingers gently caressed my chin.

“Yeah, someone like you is just fine… to possess.”

“……?!”

In that moment, I grasped that I was in a shockingly surreal situation I never thought I’d be in.

“I’m being had!!”

Inside me was Baek Woong, but for all intents and purposes, I looked like the universally recognized beauty, Fuxi!

She was drawn to my appearance and intended to take me by force before making me her toy later on!

But I had lived my life as a stick figure, so the very thought of someone wanting to impose ownership over me was unsettling, leaving me confused.

“Profit.”

I shook my head, trying to escape, but even with my Qi and the Intent Heavenly Pillar stirred up, my body felt like it was weighed down by mountains. Daji chuckled and said,

“Your struggles are adorable. Now, shall I feast on the rest of your magical power?”

“Wait! Just a second…”

“No seconds allowed.”

With another thud, my wrist was once again caught in her firm grip, and Daji’s face began to close in. Despite the fact that a goddess-level beauty was about to kiss me, I felt shivers run down my spine. It just didn’t feel real for someone so enthralled by mere lust to want me!

“Goodness….”

No! I cannot face Miho like this!!

But regardless of my thoughts, Daji kissed me again, this time forcing my lips apart as she launched into a sweet, deep kiss.

“Mmm….”

For a moment, faces like Miho, Seo Mun-hye, and Sagong Lin flashed through my mind. Guilt, confusion, and the forbidden lust and desire stirred by Daji flooded my brain in a whirlwind.

Then it happened.

With the spreading, thickening magical energy, I felt someone’s memories rushing back into my mind.

[Graaaah!!]

Daji screamed. She had fully transformed, bursting forth with the imposing presence of a giant nine-tailed fox that terrified the world. Yet, her scream was not one of showcasing fearsome strength to the weak; rather, it was closer to a lamentation of unimaginable sorrow.

She heard the voice of the invader in her ear.

“Is the chaotic power held by Nüwa only this much? The crazy swordsman would be a better choice.”

Kugugugu….

In the skies above Golden Crow Island, a gigantic Tai Chi pattern loomed—a colossal figure that overshadowed the island itself, seemingly pressing down on the entire otherworldly realm like a lid. Daji howled in desperation.

[Who are you!! This isn’t divine magic, so how dare you toy with me like this!]

It was true.

Daji was now under the influence of a massive Tai Chi formation, freeing her from countless seals that had bound her for millennia, yet she was unable to deliver even a single strike against her enemy; she was being completely overwhelmed.

Because, no matter what kind of attack Daji attempted, the Tai Chi formation neutralized it completely, and in turn, transformed Yin and Yang to deal great strikes against her.

The only divine arts capable of pushing Daji this far belong to the Three Sovereigns, specifically the divine arts inherited from Taihao Fuxi. Only ancient immortals who wielded divine arts using Tai Chi could exhibit this level of might, and only five of those existed throughout the Celestial Realm.

However, Daji knew the truth—the might of those beings wouldn’t be enough to overwhelm her at this moment. Even if the Primordial Void Ruler or Tai Gong-mang intervened, facing a fully liberated Daji to merely stay on the offensive would be impossible.

Thus, this was no divine arts.

It was something pretending to be divine arts.

Hearing Daji’s screams, a being slowly emerged from the center of the Tai Chi formation and spoke.

“Hm, I thought you wouldn’t catch on, but surprisingly you did. I wanted to continue pretending to be the Great Immortal.”

[You…!!]

The being chuckled wickedly and continued, “Well, it might be because I devoured all the Ten Heavenly Generals, huh? So that’s why a divine spirit like you can hold out this long.”

Indeed, Daji had just successfully attacked and devoured all the Ten Heavenly Generals after finally breaking free from her bindings. Occupying that power, she remained on Golden Crow Island, believing she was strong enough to subdue even the apostles of the Three Sovereigns—only to be unexpectedly met by ‘that guy’.

Daji sensed that her body was covered in blood and knew she wouldn’t last long. Strangely, when struck by the attacks flying from that Tai Chi formation, any healing or regeneration powers she possessed were utterly ineffective.

[Who are you!! Even the Primordial Void Ruler is not your match!]

“This is… so disappointing. How rude to compare me to a mere Primordial Void Ruler.”

[What?]

“Right. If you could endure this much against the powers of chaos, then you should at least have the right to know my name.”

Woong

‘That’ figure flitted through the air with a flapping of the unique attire of an immortal and extended their finger to concentrate power.

[……!!]

Seeing the force coalesce on that finger made Daji feel like she was reduced to a mere speck, indicating that the strength of this opponent was completely unprecedented.

It was utterly unbelievable.

That being was surely a cosmic existence.

“Once known as the Three Purities of the Celestial Realm, the Primordial Void Ruler, but now, yes….”

A sinister grin was deeply etched into Daji’s memories.

“Nine Lotus Bishop.”

Boom

[Kaahhhh.]

The moment Daji was hit by the flash of light shot from the Nine Lotus Bishop’s finger, she faded into oblivion, leaving not even a speck of dust. The overwhelming gulf of power kept her from doing anything at all.

Just before vanishing, Daji seemed to understand the words of that being.

It sounded like a voice marked by inflammation.

“Damn it! Once awakened, everything becomes dull. This is why I hate awakening. But for the next game, I guess I have no choice….”

Muttering like a grumpy child, that being vanished from sight.

“…Now, shall we go and hear what the ascension candidate has to say?”

…….

Daji regained consciousness much later. She found herself in the ruins of Golden Crow Island, her human form completely nude, and shock washed over her the moment she gained awareness.

A perfect resurrection from utter obliteration!

“Ah…!!”

She wasn’t a legendary Phoenix or a divine beast with the power to resurrect, so she sensed that this was madness. Just then, she felt an enormous amount of magical energy swirling violently within her.

Kugugugu…!!

The surge of magic was several times more potent than before her death!

Recognizing she had skyrocketed to a new level of strength, Daji was astonished. Did resurrecting also enhance her power? The only clue she had was that, in her madness, she might have ingested some treasure from Golden Crow Island while devouring the Ten Heavenly Generals.

Daji made a vow.

“As long as the Nine Lotus Bishop exists, the world’s destruction is a certainty…”

She instinctively realized she couldn’t defeat the Nine Lotus Bishop with her current power.

Therefore, the wisest path was simply to avoid that being and escape this apocalyptic world.

Swoosh

In that brief kiss, I realized I had witnessed Daji’s memories. And it seemed she too understood that, her expression slightly bewildered as she stared at me.

“You….”

She must have seen my memories while we shared that moment, right?

I was sure of it and opened my mouth.

“Daji.”

I could tell Daji had absorbed quite a bit of my magic, and my power had stabilized. But even while taking so much of my energy like a bottomless pit, she still had an amazing amount flowing out of her.

Feeling the quantity of magic, I said, “If you want my power, I’ll give it to you all. But….”

Daji’s expression twisted the next moment.

“I can’t become yours.”

Though it was clear she genuinely desired me, I couldn’t agree to that.

“……!!”

Darting her nails into monstrous shapes, Daji readied to strike me. Should she decide to swing just once, I wouldn’t be able to fight back. Yet she hesitated, trembling, and said in a voice laced with anger, “What? So, you think you are better than my tail?!”

“Yep.”

“You little—!!”

Just as Daji prepared to strike me with a murderous intent, I continued straight to the point.

“Then try to make me like you.”

Pause

Daji, mid-strike, looked as if her soul had evacuated her body.

She seemed momentarily at a loss for words, blinking rapidly before finally saying,

“W-what did you just say?”

“Didn’t you hear me?”

Feeling Daji’s grip on my wrist weaken, I pulled my hand slightly away and continued bluntly.

“Don’t cry about it. If you want me, put in the effort.”

“……”

“Go ahead and kill me. But if you do, you won’t own me.”

Daji reverted her nails to their normal state and dropped her hand as if stunned.

She stared at me blankly, as though hearing words she could never have imagined.

“H-How dare you… call me who….”

Swoosh

At that moment, the thick fog that had enveloped us dispersed, revealing Dae Jo Young and Gong Gong. When they spotted me, they shouted loudly,

“Baek Woong!!”

[Are you alright?]

I raised my hand, signaling that I was okay, pushed Daji away, and stood up. Then I grinned at the now-seated Daji.

“Then take some time to think.”

“……!!”

I looked down at the shocked Daji and internally chuckled.

Daji, how’s that feel?!

“Guess life has its surprising twists.”

Indeed.

For the first time, I managed to gain the upper hand in a push and pull relationship.