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Finding the soul of the galaxy wasn’t an easy task.

Was it a boast to consume an entire world? Inside, countless souls were swirling.

It was a chaotic scene, like examining the many bubbles rising from the depths of the ocean.

Memories and emotions were whirling about, everything feeding the Demon King.

If this issue could be resolved, I would need to liberate them. To do so, I concentrated my senses even more on the tie connected to the galaxy.

Searching for the galaxy among this multitude of souls would be harder than looking for a needle on the beach.

But in my hand, I held a sure card that could lead me to the galaxy.

‘It’s not severed yet.’

Faint, but surely alive.

The galaxy’s soul hadn’t completely vanished or been absorbed.

Thanks to the time I had poured my strength into her body before, I was now advancing, leaning on her like a lone lighthouse in an abyss.

“I found her.”

Before I knew it, I had reached deep into the center, and it began to come into view.

The thread connecting me to the galaxy led to her, bound in the center.

A soul so pure, emphasizing the Hero’s innocence. But that light had long since faded.

Still, it was a relief that it wasn’t too late.

Having found the bound galaxy, all that remained was to unbind her and leave together.

—Boom!

A massive clash of power echoed from outside, felt even here.

Though a fierce battle was surely underway, I had no doubt they would be fine.

Since I needed to focus on the galaxy, the moment my hand touched her body—

“…?!”

Without any warning, everything in my sight changed.

Instead of the suffocating sea of souls, I was now in the middle of an arena under a bright night sky.

Ah, this place was definitely familiar. Not just to me, but to the galaxy as well…

‘Is this the galaxy’s mindscape?’

To save her, I needed to adjust my rhythm, but it brought a wry smile knowing that I wouldn’t be able to use the Hero’s Power fully inside the mindscape.

That sensation, comparable to being in Soul Warfare, was quite familiar.

And then, changes occurred in the galaxy’s body.

A black armor, like rotten flesh, encased her figure, holding a twisted Holy Sword, the unfortunate visage of a broken hero.

Her eyes, devoid of reason, seemed to signal her current plight as a puppet.

The sight of that twisted Holy Sword, imbued with black flames, aimed at me, evoked memories of a time long past.

I never thought she would be easily retrieved after being swallowed by the Demon King. This was quite the grotesque display.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.”

I hadn’t expected it to be an easy grab.

The Holy Sword, containing golden stardust, surged with power in response.

The two swords, painted in opposing colors, faced off in a strange standoff, as I couldn’t help but smile.

“Looks like the second battle tournament.”

Shall I dance again, like back then?

Without an announcer or signal, we launched ourselves at each other once more.

The galaxy’s dark sword unleashed a flurry of strikes. Just like the Self Sword of Ranteurt, her unique rapid swordsmanship rushed at me.

The blade thrust forth with a vigor and speed, as if intent on piercing my vital spots perfectly.

I quickly stepped aside, angling my sword to deflect her strikes like a bird of prey’s claw.

Amidst the near-perfect offense, a tiny opening appeared.

Perhaps I had been overly eager.

They say if one’s heart races ahead, it often leads to openings being exposed.

Not missing that chance, I turned the Holy Sword, moving forward.

The golden stardust and black flames clashed, creating a sharp resonance, and in one motion, I struck her blade.

Following through, the stance of my horizontally aimed Holy Sword sprang forth, filling the space like the golden stardust on the horizon.

Perhaps it was due to the explosive power, the posture I had was collapsing.

But with a swift snap, I steadied my grip and retaliated.

The black sword emerged like smoke, tracing an arc, while the black flames ignited the space behind it.

As our powers collided, a fierce shock surged through us that could never be felt in a game.

Yeah, this wasn’t a game.

If it had been, there should have been a parry, but the galaxy unleashed her battle sense, countering me instead.

This was not a casual game, but a life-or-death struggle disguised as one.

In clear reality, the rules akin to a game seemed to dissolve into fiction.

“Uahhh!”

With a shout that was closer to a scream than a battle cry, I swung upward.

Leaning back, I used the backward shift in balance to propel myself into the air.

As I spun in the air, I matched her sweeping strike with one of my own.

The clash of metal rang out, energies entwined, creating a thunderous explosion of sound that shattered the atmosphere.

As blades struck against each other, I floated in the air, continuing to swing my sword.

It felt as if the grounded footing we stood on was completely oppositional, yet we still faced each other.

While my feet pressed into the sky, the galaxy remained grounded, showcasing our contrasting states. But…

‘You can come here too.’

Back to the days of our normal lives.

Dashing forward, I aimed to settle the score as I landed.

The perplexed expression on the galaxy’s face.

Surely, she had never witnessed this level of mindless, unprotected charge as the embodiment of Friede, Seihee.

After a brief hesitance, she pulled her sword back completely.

Like a bow drawn taut, she readied herself as I charged forward.

And then, with uncanny timing, a brutal jab sliced through the air, shattering even the space around it.

Aimed precisely at my forehead, it was a lethal strike.

As the black flames tore through the air, they transformed into a vortex of annihilation.

With the Holy Sword slipping through, the intense wave of energy struck me and obscured our vision.

But maybe it was because of that overwhelming strike.

“I got you!”

Seizing the fleeting moment when our sights diverged, I embraced the galaxy tightly.

“Let go! Let me go!”

Her expression twisted in rage, her voice carried the resonance of the Demon King.

But what could she do? The true owner of that body thought entirely differently.

“Isn’t it that the galaxy doesn’t want to be let go?”

This was like cosplaying in the body of the galaxy.

No, I wondered if this could even be called cosplay. Well, what does it matter?

Golden stardust began to flow into the galaxy, one by one peeling away the restraints the Demon King had on both her body and soul.

As the rotten flesh and decayed darkness washed away, she transformed into a noble pitch-black armor filled with light.

The twisted Holy Sword returned to its original symbol of sharpness and integrity.

Like shedding a cocoon, every time a restraint was undone, the galaxy awakened as a hero.

This was surely the true form of the Dark Hero, Lee Eunha.

“You didn’t need to win from the start. All you had to do was embrace me like this.”

I held the galaxy tightly, releasing all of my holy power.

The light embraced the darkness.

* * *

The number of demons rushing in from the darkness was only increasing.

No, it was most likely due to the Demon King’s darkness, which functioned practically as a gate, expanding in size.

Now, it was dangerously close to the boundary set by Seihee, spilling forth every bit of evil.

“Ah, it never ends!”

“Hang in there! Dayoung, I’m cheering for you!”

“When this is over, we’re having a serious talk!”

The fact that Bei Bei was just recording while comfortably observing the situation felt more annoying than the Demon King.

I questioned if a day would ever come when Bei Bei would fully reform, but at the very least, I steeled myself to make sure to put in the effort as Dayoung gathered all her fury into her staff.

As the deep, crimson magical power collected into the golden metallic staff, she hurled it forward.

From that gathered magic, several beams of sunlight pierced down right into the heart of the demons.

All demons within that path were instantly disintegrated, as their bodies evaporated from the sheer heat of the light.

But for every demon that fell, more filled the gaps.

Instead, they clawed, nipped, and dragged each other forward toward the hero.

To the observer, it was an awe-inducing sight, eliciting fear, but it felt more like an annoyance, akin to more paperwork after completing a task.

‘There’s no time to dawdle.’

While the Demon King’s main body was held back by Sister Jihae with Yuri’s assistance, it was uncertain when the balance would shift.

At least until Seihee showed up, I needed to fend off the horde without variables, so I had to quickly finish off the minions.

“Hey, Ahjin!”

“Huh?”

I called out to Ahjin, who was far away blasting psychic lightning.

“If this goes on, it’ll never end. Let’s clear them out in one go.”

“Got it!”

Seeing the lack of disagreement, it seemed Ahjin was thinking the same way.

It was regretful to pull out a trump card so soon, but it couldn’t be helped.

With a bitter taste in her mouth, Dayoung lifted her staff high.

The tip of the staff, raised high toward the sky, drew in every last bit of magical power she could gather.

At that moment, Ahjin, who had been observing, couldn’t hide her impatience.

“Need a charge?”

“A little.”

It was essential since it was a finishing move.

Ahjin shrugged at Dayoung’s response. It seemed the initiative fell to her.

“Now, behold my splendid show!”

Already a mighty storm, no different from lightning, Ahjin raised both hands high and declared.

“Here it comes! The ultimate storm of psychic power!”

A massive energy accumulated in her hands, condensing into one point.

Once the energy converged, she threw both hands forward and shouted.

“Assarabiya gojimm tahri gochim tah!”

“Pff!”

I needed to concentrate, but laughter burst out uncontrollably, scattering all my magic into the air.

Was this how it felt to throw a wad of cash into the air?

The great storm of lightning that Ahjin unleashed mirrored not only my dissipating magical power but was also projected onto the void.

Red petals danced wildly, painting a scene across the world, and Dayoung’s expression crumbled in disbelief.

As Ahjin’s finishing move incinerated both the demons below and those waiting beyond the Demon King’s darkness—

“Damn it, damn it!”

“Gah, what a mess, Dayoung!”

Profanity I had never uttered before escaped my lips as Bei Bei’s mocking voice rang out from above.

The finishing move had failed.

 

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