1095——————==

Soul of the Evil God

Pa-at

I arrived at Mount Ye, heading straight for the cliff where Yeodong-bin stood. I tried to bring Cho Mu-rin along, but he declined, saying it wasn’t his affair and he didn’t want to fight alongside Yeodong-bin.

Soon enough, I spotted Yeodong-bin sitting at the edge of the cliff, meditating as always. When he glanced our way, I called out to him.

“Yeodong-bin! We have come to eliminate the Chaos Snake sealed on this cliff.”

“…….”

“Please help us.”

Yeodong-bin responded, “What is your reason for trying to exterminate the snake?”

“It’s a no-good existence in this world, right? And it’s an entity from the outer cosmos, so I intend to enhance my power using its name.”

“You’re quite honest.”

“I know it’s pointless to tell lies to someone like you. I’m just trying to do a good deed while getting something out of it for myself.”

I looked Yeodong-bin straight in the eye and said, “The Dragon of the Apocalypse might also break free, but they’ve been sealed for a long time and their power must be quite diminished. However, together, we can undoubtedly overpower them.”

“…Hmm.”

“What use is leaving such monsters be? When the apocalypse hits, their seal will break, making things worse. We should capture them while we can.”

Perhaps my persuasion stirred something in Yeodong-bin, as he appeared contemplative for a moment before finally saying, “Alright. Let’s do it.”

Swish.

Our forces assembled. Zhu Xian was on the phone with someone while holding what looked like a smartphone and reported to me.

“All residents within 100 kilometers of Mount Ye have been evacuated. It began earlier, so it will be completed in about 30 minutes.”

“Well done.”

“The sorceror squad is using a formation to prevent any shock from escaping.”

I looked at Cheon Woo-jin, who seemed a bit unsure for a moment before speaking.

“Why?”

“According to the operation, you’re supposed to use the Earth Star Eight Trigrams Diagram to break the seal, and just before the spirit forms of the dragon and snake emerge, you’re to stab them with Longinus’s spear for maximum damage, right?”

“Right. Doing that should give us a huge advantage from the start.”

“But isn’t it dangerous to stab before breaking the seal? It’s risky to attempt to pierce at such a delicate moment.”

“…The seal also disperses their form. Even Longinus’s spear needs a physical body to stab, doesn’t it?”

Cheon Woo-jin held the Earth Star Eight Trigrams Diagram and said softly, “Stop talking nonsense and try to kill them in one hit. Going head-to-head with such monsters is foolish, so finish them off while they’re weak.”

“Got it.”

“I will shatter the ancient seal using Earth Star!”

Woo-woo-woo.

As Cheon Woo-jin raised the Earth Star Eight Trigrams Diagram, a strange energy began to flow from his body.

Moments later, he spread the trigrams wide and shouted, “Break!”

Kugugugu!!

As the power of Earth Star flowed forth, the cliff suddenly began to transform dramatically. Ordinary stone protrusions emerged, twisting as if alive, some even resembling dragon or snake heads, showcasing a horrifying vitality. Watching this, Cheon Woo-jin remarked, “Not yet. There’s a double seal, so it’s taking time to materialize….”

“How long?”

“There will be a moment when the monster’s magic core appears in the void. At that time, attack the magic core. That will be its weakest moment.”

Kugugu….

Tension filled the air. Soon after, just as Cheon Woo-jin had said, a massive black magic core revealed itself in the air, and within the blink of an eye, a colossal chaos began to swell like slime, seeming eager for resurrection.

‘This is it!’

I hurled Longinus’s spear just before the chaos blob could envelop the magic core.

Throwing spear technique!

Heaven-penetrating spear stance!

I unleashed the ultimate throwing spear technique, one that had previously pierced even the avatar of Dharma. The spear, infused with the formidable intent of Intent Heavenly Pillar, flew unerringly, piercing through the magic core and vanishing like a beam of light among the stars.

Tu-whack!

The part pierced by the spear became raggedly round. The cleanly torn-out magic core lost almost all resemblance to its original form, morphing into a crescent shape. A moment later, an eerie wail echoed through the air.

Kyaahhh!

Huwoong!

Suddenly, with no warning, the massive chaos slime flowed out ferociously, taking shape. The figure that emerged was a small dark dragon, about the size of a human.

Huwoong! Huwoong!!

I frowned as the dark-scaled dragon appeared before me.

“Damn it! I definitely pierced the core. Is Longinus’s spear a defective product?”

“No. There was an effect. It’s weakened, but it resurrected against its will. It seems it regained more power than we expected.”

Saying this, Cheon Woo-jin glanced at Yeodong-bin beside him and remarked, “The party involved probably knows, but that’s the Dragon of the Apocalypse. Its body is smaller because it’s weak now.”

“……”

Yeodong-bin slightly nodded. Then he added, “We cannot let it escape. That creature has the ability to devour everything, so it can grow infinitely.”

“Then let’s catch it!”

Ta-daht!

I was the first to launch my attack towards the dark dragon, the Dragon of the Apocalypse, which appeared in the air. It looked rather pitiful and small compared to the giant dragon that once sought to annihilate the world. As my attack soared toward it, the dragon suddenly opened its mouth wide and drew in a deep breath.

Gulp!!

“…?!”

What…what’s happening?

It ate my attack?!

My eyes widened in shock as I watched the dragon swallow my spear like it was a noodle, and Yeodong-bin said, “It seems to be able to devour not just the intent but also the Magic Control Technique.”

“How can it eat that?!”

“It must be included in [everything].”

How can such an absurd enemy exist!

Swoosh!

To make matters worse, the dragon, having devoured my attack, suddenly doubled in size, growing to the point that it was over one palm’s length.

I hadn’t anticipated that it would grow from eating the spear, leaving me clueless on how to deal with it in my head.

‘What the hell is wrong with this creature.’

At that moment, the now larger dragon conveyed its will to us.

[Humans! Why do you attack me?]

“Honestly, I didn’t really plan on capturing you! But since I’m capturing the snake, might as well…”

I started to say something but realized something felt off and glanced around. Then it hit me.

Where’s the snake?!

Wooo-woo-woo!

At that moment, a strange sound resonated. Suddenly, with a bang, a black hole opened up in the void and something dark and elongated started flying from a distance. Seeing this, Cheon Woo-jin quickly cast an illusion technique.

With a powerful grip, a massive transparent hand created by Cheon Woo-jin caught the dark figure. But suddenly, blood gushed from Cheon Woo-jin’s hand.

“Guh!”

“Cheon Woo-jin!”

Cheon Woo-jin trembled with one hand and, with the other, raised the Earth Star Eight Trigrams Diagram, shouting, “Earth Star!! Suppress the power of the snake… ugh.”

Thud.

Cheon Woo-jin collapsed, his head drooping as he could no longer move. He wasn’t dead, just fainted. With the situation spiraling out of control, I gritted my teeth.

‘Damn, what’s happening? But…’

I have my task to complete!

If I’m panicking over this, then everything I’ve done until now was for nothing!

Knowing precisely what I needed to do, I shouted to Yeodong-bin, “Yeodong-bin!! I’ll catch the escaping snake, so you just trap the dragon so it can’t escape. Your tactical forces should assist Yeodong-bin!”

“Understood!”

Ta-daht!

I flew into the sky, ignoring Yeodong-bin’s response as the snake attempted to break through the barrier.

‘This chaotic monster is better dealt with using the Seven Luminaries than the Infinite Slash!’

As I flew toward it, drawing both Xuyou and Huoyou, I crossed the two swords at once.

Double Luminary Resonance!

Xuyou Heavenly Ice!

Normally, Xuyou Heavenly Ice reaches its full strength only when imbued with divine power during the command, but now I was forcing it through sheer strength, so its power was halved. However, since both Huoyou and Xuyou’s spirits had awakened, the double luminary resonance happened effortlessly, allowing Xuyou Heavenly Ice to unleash its true power!

In an instant, a brilliant white glacier cascaded down from the heavens, filling the world.

Kaa-boom!!

Xuyou Heavenly Ice struck the pitch-black snake, causing it to tremble like a quaking aspen, and it melted away like black liquid pouring from the air. Watching the continuous stream flow, I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

‘This is the power of the Seven Luminaries…!!’

Finally, I felt like I was genuinely using the Seven Luminaries! Satisfied with the might of the double luminary resonance, I shouted, “Did I take it down?!”

When I yelled that, Xuyou freaked out and exclaimed, [Baek Woong! Don’t say that!]

“Why not…?”

Xuyou said gravely, [Whenever you say that, the enemy doesn’t die! That’s a curse command!]

“Gah!”

[I’ve felt that from the Divine Age, so don’t say such things carelessly.]

So it was that dangerous of a phrase!

“Understood, I won’t say it again…”

I nodded in agreement with Xuyou and watched the remains of the chaos slime fall to the ground. Moments later, as if affected by Xuyou Heavenly Ice, the chaos began to move sluggishly and occasionally froze. As I watched the bizarre chaos slime flow like a creek, I asked Xuyou, “Do you think that was enough to finish it off, or should I attack a bit more just to confirm?”

[Baek Woong. You can’t judge the chaos creature by what you see alone!]

Xuyou warned me, [Activate Palace Examination Technique or Fire Eye Golden Spirit! That’s the best way to verify its stamina and whether it’s truly alive or dead.]

“…Got it!”

Pa-at!

I immediately activated Fire Eye Golden Spirit. As Palace Examination Technique was a bit tricky to deploy, in this urgent situation, Fire Eye Golden Spirit was definitely the more convenient choice. Checking the chaos with Fire Eye Golden Spirit, I noticed something hazy wriggling within the chaos slime before vanishing into the ground.

‘Could that be its main body?’

A shiver ran down my spine. Had I not scrutinized carefully as advised by Xuyou, I would have confidently thought I had finished it off and would have relaxed my guard.

“Ha!”

I quickly dashed toward the hazy figure, casting Xuyou Heavenly Ice again, this time causing the ground to freeze completely upon impact.

Swash-swash-swash-swash!

The cold surge seemed to sweep over the horizon like a tide. Mount Ye was swiftly transformed into an icy mount, with the land, grass, and trees entirely frozen in place, captured by the chill. I felt a sense of pride, as this level of power rivaled the Moonlit Night’s transformation used by the Master of the Twelve Joules.

[Groo… Ooo….]

And the hazy spirit struck twice by Xuyou Heavenly Ice howled in pain, eventually collapsing into the form of a dark snake. I sensed the Chaos Snake was cornered and landed, slowly approaching it bearing both Xuyou and Huoyou.

“Oh, Chaos Snake. I am Baek Woong.”

[Baek Woong…!! Why do you attack me…!!]

“Why then did you secretly sneak into the place where the dragon’s spirit was sealed? You were scheming something, weren’t you?”

[…….]

“No more idle chatter is necessary.”

Swoosh.

I pointed Xuyou at the snake, growling at it.

“Hand over your [name]! Otherwise, I’ll obliterate you here using double luminary resonance.”

After a brief silence, the snake replied, [[What cause do you have to demand my name…?]]

“I have no reason to explain that to you. If you refuse, I will slay you.”

[Hehehe…. You don’t seem to have come here for justice, do you? Your greed is quite apparent.]

“Talk back, and I assure you, it won’t end well.”

As I frowned, the snake chuckled.

[Hmph…. Very well. You’re quite an interesting human!]

I don’t know why, but for some reason, that snake appeared oddly at ease.

“Tch…. What’s this strange feeling?”

Somehow, it unsettled me. My intuition warned me of an approaching danger, but since I was overwhelmingly in a favorable position, I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what I was doing wrong.

[Baek Woong. I will give you my [name]. It’s of no use to me. But in return, you must promise me something.]

“What do you want me to promise?”

Is it going to ask me to spare its life and not touch it?

I thought, yet the snake’s proposal was completely unexpected.

[If you gain the Fruit of Good and Evil, give it to me….]

“…Huh?”

[That was my sole purpose for coming into this world from the beginning.]

Creeeak….

The snake slowly coiled itself, looking at me with its serpent eyes. I had no clue as to what it was thinking.

[That’s my only condition. You have nothing to lose.]