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Chapter: The Sound of Impact

Pssssssss.

The arm that held Gui Jeong collapsed. Noya’s body was crumbling. Seeing that, I rushed in immediately.

Flame Burst—!!

I charged in with bursts of flames, scooping up Noya. I pulled away and examined his body.

“Noya…? Noya!”

“Oh….”

Noya reacted to his broken body.

“Oh dear. This is troublesome. Haha.”

Seeing him laugh, I couldn’t help but frown. Is this old man insane?

“Are you really laughing right now…?”

“Haha. I couldn’t help it.”

“Damn it… What is this?”

Ignoring Noya’s reaction, I kept scrutinizing his broken body.

The arm that held Gui Jeong was gone. Turning around, I saw Gui Jeong rolling on the floor, while the arm that used to hold it had turned to dust, scattering into the void.

“What is… What is this…?”

Words failed me. What should I do? I rushed to infuse energy into Shin Noya’s body, but as soon as my hand touched him, I realized.

“Ha….”

This won’t do.

This wasn’t a matter of a bet.

‘His body…’

I recognized that this wasn’t a true physical body. When I seeped energy into him, the difference became clear.

It was just an empty shell.

Only the soul and energy existed inside. That was what Noya’s body was now.

“This is…”

As I trembled, feeling that, something grabbed my hand. It was Noya’s remaining hand.

“What a face you’re making. Surprised, are you?”

“…”

“No, then, did you really expect a dead guy to walk around with a whole body intact?”

“Still… this is…”

“Be grateful, would you? Hoping for perfection in a one-night dream is a bit greedy, don’t you think?”

Noya stood up. I tried to grab him, but—

“Let go. How nauseating for a man to cling onto something.”

“Noya.”

Ignoring my call, Noya moved. Then, he stretched out his remaining left arm.

As if responding, Gui Jeong rolled towards Noya.

Purr.

Gui Jeong, flying towards him, kept hesitating. I understood. It seemed he felt the same way as I did.

Stop. It looked as if Gui Jeong hesitated with that intent.

“Are you two not coming? Hurry up!”

Noya shouted in irritation, and Gui Jeong eventually flew in and wrapped around his arm.

“Come on, the other side is waiting. What’s this nonsense you’re doing? Tsk tsk tsk.”

The other side. Hearing that, I shifted my gaze.

Taecheon was standing there, staring at Shin Noya with a frozen face.

“Oh, my apologies. These guys are quite dense.”

Taecheon nodded at what he said. He was different from before.

“How disappointing.”

In his voice lay a sharp emotion wrapped in disappointment.

“Though you broke through the realm, your body is too feeble to hold it, resulting in your collapse.”

Hearing that, I understood what Taecheon was implying.

Noya had surpassed a realm. Something had been crossed just now.

‘But his body can’t withstand it.’

As a result, his physical form shattered.

It was originally the soul that was deteriorating by being intertwined with me. Was the situation accelerating due to this unexpected event?

But still.

‘He wants to keep fighting?’

What more could that broken body possibly do?

That’s—

‘A desire to die.’

It was the same as wanting to give up on oneself. That couldn’t be allowed. I intended to summon White Flame to intervene immediately, but—

“Stop—!!”

“…!”

Noya shouted at me. At that powerful voice, I unconsciously released the White Flame.

“What are you doing?”

“Noya…?”

“Don’t do anything unnecessary.”

“No… What do you mean…? What are you trying to do? You know, if we continue like this…”

You’ll die. It could end right there. What more do you want to achieve?

Noya knew that better than anyone.

“Don’t interfere.”

Noya warned me with a chilling glare.

“But—”

“I said don’t interfere.”

If I approached, it seemed Noya would not let me off easily as he spat out words laced with killing intent. Then he tightly gripped Gui Jeong.

Sa—aaaaaa.

Energy gathered back into his sword. Plum Blossom.

“Enough. Are you saying you want to redo something that’s already been done?”

Taecheon’s voice turned serious, contrasting with before.

The moment he realized Noya’s body had shattered, interest vanished from his eyes.

“If so, I’ll respect your wishes, but I’ll make a proposal.”

“A proposal?”

Noya responded with interest at those words.

“What is it?”

“Come to me.”

“Oh, but you rejected that earlier, didn’t you?”

“True. It’s rare for me to propose twice, but you intrigued me.”

Taecheon’s body was already in a state of regeneration. No, it was questionable if he had even been hit at all.

Conversing with Shin Noya, he maintained an unbothered demeanor.

“With a body that has fallen apart, it’s incompatible with the realm. If you give up your flesh, you could rise as high as you want. Use your brilliance for me, and I shall provide you with a body.”

“Hahaha.”

Noya laughed at the notion of giving up his body.

“While I appreciate your kind view, unfortunately, I can’t stand being under anyone.”

Shiii—iiiii.

Gui Jeong returned.

“I refuse.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Taecheon nodded at Noya’s refusal, seemingly having expected it.

Then—

Sa—aaaaa.

As Taecheon raised his hand, the sky began to change. The ashen sky, still breaking under Plum Blossom’s remnants, started to stir.

And it spiraled, gathering toward Taecheon’s hand.

The wall surrounding us morphed into a sphere, clustering into his hand.

Before long, the ashen hue transformed into a brilliant blue.

“If that’s your wish, so be it. Though regrettable, I shall respect your will.”

“Thank you.”

“However, as a gift for showing something good, I’d like to offer you a gift in return.”

The gathered energy gradually morphed into the shape of a spear. The trident he held, but this time it was different.

‘That is…’

As I watched, my body trembled. No, it wasn’t my body shaking; it was the soul within me trembling.

“Originally, that may have been a place you could reach. What do you think?”

“Hm.”

What could be contained within that small sphere?

Is it the world? I could feel the world from there. The ashen sky was gone, and the original sky peeked through. Night had already fallen.

A place welcoming two moons. Underneath them, Taecheon grasped the world tightly.

“How terrifying. To think it could hold such a thing. For someone who can barely manage a single tree, it’s astounding.”

“No, you shouldn’t be afraid. You must have endured it well. Therefore, it is a mystery.”

The delicate spear trembled slightly. As that tremor reverberated, my soul quivered in response.

“Do you know the Dragon Emperor?”

The words that came from Taecheon’s mouth—Dragon Emperor.

At that, Shin Noya’s eyebrows twitched.

“I know.”

He should know well. He is the Dragon Emperor—one who has faced the Blood Demon.

“By your reaction, it seems you are indeed that person. The one who fell the Dragon Emperor in a world where he existed. So, are you that individual?”

“I’m not the only one. I’m one among them.”

“…Hmm.”

One of the five who repelled the Blood Demon. Hearing that, Taecheon nodded.

“Not just one, huh… But the fact that the Dragon Emperor still exists suggests that the Dragon Emperor wasn’t stopped.”

“I couldn’t stop him. That guy was ridiculously strong.”

As I said that with a chuckle, Taecheon’s expression remained grave.

“From what I see of you now, it shouldn’t have been hard for you to stop the Dragon Emperor. Why was that?”

“…Hmm?”

At that, Shin Noya narrowed his eyes.

“That’s strange. The Dragon Emperor was powerful, but I didn’t think he was that strong.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“No, I suppose it’s not important now.”

Taecheon soon shook his head, gripping his spear.

Ku Gu Gung—!!

The ground rumbled.

“It seems I won’t be able to drag this out. With the barrier erased, news will likely reach her soon.”

“…”

At those words, Noya tightly grasped Gui Jeong with his remaining arm.

“Treasure it. You are the first to use this since the descent.”

Saying that, Taecheon lightly threw the spear.

The motion was light, but the result was anything but.

The spear shot towards Shin Noya, and seeing that, he quickly raised Gui Jeong to block it.

Ku Gu Gu Gu Gu Gu Gu Gu Gu Gung—!!!!!

The earth shook as if it were about to break apart.

“…!”

Noya managed to block the spear with his remaining arm, but he began to be pushed back, as if he couldn’t withstand it.

“Cough!”

He bit his lip, doing everything he could to hold on. But the spear wouldn’t stop.

Krreeeek—!

The spear spun slightly, then—

Gwoooo—!!! Bang bang bang bang—!!!

With an explosive pressure, something shattered. It was Gui Jeong.

The item that was supposed to be unbreakable.

That Gui Jeong shattered.

Then, as if exploding, it pierced through Noya.

Kwaaaaaaa—!!!

The spear went through Noya and soared into the air.

Kwaaaaaa—!!!

The spear that shot up exploded instantly, scattering into the sky.

An incredible shockwave surged through.

Trees were uprooted by the wind, and hills crumbled.

As a ray of light spread across the sky,

“Ah…”

Even amid such chaos, my gaze remained solely on Noya.

Chuckle…

Noya let out a low laugh.

“Oh dear… How disappointing.”

With a bitter smile, the upper body of Noya was completely pierced.

 

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