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Chapter 185

Thud—

As if the sound element had been stripped away from the entire world within Yeon-woo’s view, a heavy drop resonated in his ears.

A burning heat climbed up Yeon-woo’s right forearm. Pain. An intense pain like he had never experienced before, even though he was accustomed to suffering. His mouth involuntarily opened, and he felt like screaming at any moment.

With a crunch, the sound of teeth clashing forced Yeon-woo to clamp his mouth shut. It was just enough pain to distract him from being mentally overwhelmed, even as his tongue was grazed by his teeth.

“Damn it, you little monster…!!”

Without hesitation, Yeon-woo severed his right arm, which was tainted by the contamination of the demon. Thankfully, he had practiced using a sword with both hands, or he would have lost his fighting ability in an instant.

But the problem was that the demon’s magic clung to the severed arm as if it were unwilling to let go, and even though the pain had dulled, a grotesque agony surged through him.

The black arm that fell to the ground gradually turned violet. It had once taken the shape of an arm, but with every passing second, it twitched and morphed into something else.

Ignoring the law of mass conservation, the violet color soon transformed into the shape of a massive demon.

In short, it could only be described as a crooked-back, violet demon.

Its elongated arm reached down to the ground even while standing, and its hunched back boasted a height nearly twice that of Yeon-woo, with horrifically distorted purple skin…

Above all, the most striking feature was the long horns sprouting from its head. The head, seemingly devoid of a neck, hung down onto its chest while staring at Yeon-woo.

The demon tilted its drooping head, grabbing it with one hand and lifting it over its shoulder.

The backbone remained absent, causing its neck to twist and spiral three times like a DNA strand during the process.

Just as Yeon-woo felt some relief from the pain, he noticed that from his shredded tongue and the tear in his elbow, parts of his body began to grow back. It was most likely thanks to the divine gift of regeneration.

He had tested the regenerative abilities to a point, but this was the first time he had sustained such serious injuries.

He assumed the severed limb would just mend awkwardly, but it was reconstructing his arm back to its original form. Ugh, I’ve become a freak!

Of course, the regeneration was agonizingly slow. If this continued, he would have serious trouble in battle, so Yeon-woo packed shadow elemental mana over the wound to create an arm.

The pain from the shadow-covered arm dulled. Yeon-woo sighed in relief. It seemed that regeneration wouldn’t happen in this state, but he could just ask Teacher Yang-ho for healing, so that wasn’t a problem.

‘Teacher Yang-ho might grumble, but what can you do?’

No matter how he looked at it, this was the only way to save Noel.

Although he could have induced the demon to surface from Noel, that path would involve a part of her body being lost from the start, preventing Yuri from letting go of Noel.

On the other hand, though it was somewhat retrospective, Yeon-woo had the mark of regeneration and thus would likely not suffer any lasting disabilities. As long as he could endure until Yuri arrived, he’d be fine.

Testing the feel of the new arm, which was slightly different from a real one, Yeon-woo opened and closed his hand. Its grip was far too weak.

After a moment of thought, Yeon-woo coated the surface of the shadow arm with frost elemental mana. As the arm touched the doppleganger’s weapon, it froze and stuck.

In that instant, sharp claws flew towards him. However, Yeon-woo was not caught off guard; he quickly thrust his sword upward.

The force behind the claws was significant. Yeon-woo hurriedly grasped the hilt with both hands.

Wobble— Yeon-woo’s knees shook. He thought he had been diligent in physical training since his return, but such arrogance shattered in an instant under that intense strike.

“What power…!!”

While he could have used aura to shield himself, his head was already near exploding from trying to manage two types of elemental mana simultaneously. Yeon-woo surrounded his arm with aura, enhancing his strength, and then slid his attack sideways.

Yeon-woo had no intention of leaving the large opening unattended. He rotated the sword, which had been angled, overhead, and delivered a diagonal slash downwards.

A quick and powerful strike. It was an adept blend of both quick and heavy attacks, and he was confident it would deal significant damage if it hit.

Even if the opponent noticed and attempted to block it, that was fine. He hadn’t made the attack sloppy enough to be easily defended against, and he had ample follow-up plans ready.

…or so Yeon-woo would have thought if his opponent were ordinary.

‘Look at this bastard fighting with guts knowing he won’t die.’

A squishy, unpleasant sensation flowed through Yeon-woo’s grip. He was hesitant to use the term “feeling” when taking a life, but he had no choice but to use it this time.

There was no sensation of having cut through at all.

‘Tried to slice it for kicks, and it didn’t work at all.’

That said, he had no intention of stopping his attack. If he were to retreat in his head, he would be easily overwhelmed, so he continued to visualize his strikes.

‘Noel, get up soon. Until then, I’ll hold on somehow…!!’

From within Yeon-woo’s forearm, the mark of the lizard shimmered with brilliant light.

*

It craved eternal slumber. In a place where only cold darkness existed, it wanted to return to the void, the origin of all things, and erase its very being.

Yet, within its sight, light began to shine. It was too bothersome. It didn’t want to open its eyes. But for it, not opening its eyes was impossible.

If it kept them closed, the world could not begin. If it didn’t open its eyes, endless night would descend. By opening its eyes, it would bring light to the world.

The nameless sun awakens here.

[Have you awoken, Sun God.]

– …Who are you?

At the sound resonating from the pure white wall, the god raised its body and blinked its eyes.

That natural movement, seemingly effortless, made it frown at its own appearance, looking downwards. The action of looking down only intensified its frown.

What moved like its own body resembled nothing but a hideous, round mass of flesh that remained in its memory.

A child’s body with light brown skin. Upon witnessing this, the god couldn’t help but be taken aback.

– …What is this body? Answer me. If you don’t, I will perish.

Coincidentally, the god was left with just a mere handful of divine power. No matter how divine it was, with this little power, it couldn’t satisfy even one thing. At most, it could only end its own life.

If this body turned out to be a sacrificial offering presented by unknown beings, the god would unhesitatingly consider ending its life. For now, the only threat it could issue was that.

[My apologies. A self-introduction was a priority. Do you remember Choi Yeon-woo?]

– …I do. He is Tae-oh’s father. Why is his name coming up?

[I am Riley, Yeon-woo’s secretary. I am overseeing your resurrection here.]

– Why do you want to resurrect me? I want to die.

[Tae-oh and Yeon-woo did not wish for that.]

– …That’s absurd. To be forced to take something I do not wish for. It’s pointless to ask a mere subordinate like you; I’ll just find the main person and ask them directly.

[That would be appreciated. I’m quite tired from keeping watch over the god for three days and nights.]

– Then go and sleep. I’ll resolve this by meeting the person in question.

The god quietly focused as it felt the presence beyond the wall dissipate. Although it wasn’t very accustomed to having its physical form concentrated in one place, it soon grasped the threads of power.

Transcending several overlapping dimensions, the god pinpointed where its apostle was located and couldn’t help but smirk.

– You’re having quite the fun, aren’t you?

*

‘What is this nonsense.’

Yeon-woo frowned at the voice reverberating in his head. As if he didn’t have enough trouble; now strange whispers were creeping in. Yikes! While dodging the demon, which lunged towards him with a bizarre scream, Yeon-woo thought.

In particular, the voice seemed strangely unfamiliar. It was neither the pretty high notes of Shar nor the androgenous voice of Tae-oh from his childhood.

Rather, it was a remarkably deep voice belonging to an unusual girl, to say the least.

– Ignoring me is rather contemptuous, isn’t it? That means you won’t mind if I take away the stigmata?

“Eh?”

Surprised, Yeon-woo let out a foolish sound. Yet he couldn’t stand there cluelessly. The elongated demon’s arm was emerging like a whip, striking at him.

Yeon-woo skillfully leapt aside, as the violet arm slipped beneath him. A swift swing of the sword unintentionally severed the arm, but the severed part writhed worm-like and reattached itself.

But wait, what did she just say? Something about taking away the stigmata? It wasn’t Lunaria, so then…

‘You’re a girl?’

– How dare you call me “you.” Regardless, why are you fighting that thing?

Well, it wasn’t just about whether she was a girl or not—the tone was completely different. Yeon-woo thought that while stepping back from the demon, which was spilling violet fluid from its mouth.

As the fluid made contact, sizzling sounds of boiling followed, and it began to melt away. Such was the ability he thought could be deemed contamination.

‘Wait a second. Can you grant a blessing to that girl in the cabin over there? I really need it urgently!’

– Let’s take a look. No, I don’t even need to check. It’s impossible. The other god’s blessing is too deeply rooted.

‘Damn it.’

– Cursing at a god, your audacity hasn’t changed. Anyway, I want to talk. Can you spare me some time?

‘Does it look like I have time to chat right now?’

The timing was unfortunate; the elemental mana concentration was slipping away with this conversation.

A sharp pain pricked at his right arm. Realizing he had been a bit snappy, he felt a pang of regret, but the reply came back straightforwardly.

– Then we’ll make it a time worth talking about. You need to kill that thing, right?

‘If I could have killed it, I would’ve done it by now.’

– How incompetent. You’re going to help, right, Moon Maiden?

– Ugh… Do I really have to?

– Just lend me a bit of strength. Are you really going to let it go, knowing it could kill you with a misstep?

– I’d prefer not to… Just a little?

If anyone saw me, they’d think my head was an open marketplace for meetings.

The moment Yeon-woo heard Lunaria’s voice, he pulled back his consciousness from the conversation. He didn’t know what it was, but it seemed she wanted to help, so he’d just have to hold on until then.

The demon, like a zombie, flailed as it sprayed its bodily fluids everywhere. Its broad limbs made it very tricky to dodge.

Yeon-woo instead stepped one foot forward, aiming to slip under it at its highest point.

– Feel free to be pleased. I’m going to grant you the blessing of a hero.

“…What?”

– But if that’s the only thing, you can’t kill something like that. The god of a world that has already perished and its chosen hero, isn’t it laughable?

With that, the deity’s voice bore no hint of mirth, causing Yeon-woo to chuckle hollowly. A hero? What on earth did that mean…

Just as he thought this, a sudden exhilarating surge erupted from deep within his body. It was the feeling akin to when he first grasped mana, or when he reached the realm of Aura Blade for the first time.

Mysterious energy swirled around him in peculiar hues. It didn’t take long for him to recognize that this essence was pouring out from his own body. Every breath he took was now imbued with the starlight.

– Fortunately, there are good materials on hand. I’ll mix them up appropriately. Hurry up.

“…Celestial mana? Why am I receiving this…?”

– Look ahead! Yeon-woo!

At Lunaria’s urgent voice, Yeon-woo snapped his head up. The demon’s body sprawled in his view like a net.

No matter how formidable Yeon-woo was, he simply couldn’t withstand being engulfed in something like that.

However, the starlight mana was guiding him. Instinctively, he knew how to slice through, and its trajectory was illuminated by the starlight.

– Unique elemental mana, ‘Courage’. Nothing suits the title of a hero better.

A force that drives oneself into a corner. When leaping into danger without hesitation, it shreds that corner into pieces.

“Kiyaaa!!”

Boom!!

The spilled violet fluid enveloped the area. The part of Yeon-woo’s body that came into contact with it began to melt away. Yet, he did not return to shape again.

Yeon-woo was well acquainted with the sensation wrapping around him.

“What the… I can kill it now…?”

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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