Chapter 642: Snake That Swallows Supplication
Radiance explodes.
Countless snakes split apart and tear open.
Twisted black snakes.
Black snakes with nine heads.
Black snakes rampaging in madness.
Black snakes biting their own tails.
Black snakes howling eternally.
Black snakes shedding tears in pain.
Black snakes vomiting death.
The countless snakes inside the Heavenly Venerable of Void scatter and perish in the golden light.
I quietly reach my hand out toward that golden brilliance.
I can tell.
The final form of the Dance of Emptiness that Hyeon Mu unfolded could not be completed perfectly because of the arm I severed.
In the culmination of all our efforts, Kim Young-hoon's Golden Great Thousand World has completely surpassed Hyeon Mu.
Hwiwooooo—
Currently, the Inner Sea of Mount Sumeru is entirely covered by Hyeon Mu's Interdimensional Void.
But above that Interdimensional Void, which originally should contain nothing—
Wind begins to blow.
A golden wind, carrying the golden morning light.
The once-dark Interdimensional Void glows with golden light.
"Keheok...!"
[Hewwwww...]
The Underworld Ten Kings, White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus, and the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord all begin to collapse down, gasping for breath.
All of them seem completely drained of strength.
I, too, in a state of total depletion, recall the dusk Kim Young-hoon revealed at the end.
None of us needs to be told—we all understand.
Kim Young-hoon's final technique.
Through the True Martial Art Golden Great Thousand World, Kim Young-hoon reached the pinnacle of Martial Arts.
That distant realm, often called the seventh stage of Manifestation.
Through Kim Young-hoon's final ultimate technique, I understand how one can reach the pinnacle of Martial Arts.
'The way to become a Martial God...is to completely cover the domain of purity with one's will through one's own Martial Arts...'
That's right.
The Heavenly Venerable of Void covered the domain of purity through the Interdimensional Void and the Plane of Soul.
And Kim Young-hoon as well...
Above the Interdimensional Void painted by Hyeon Mu, he overlaid his own will.
As proof, golden wind gently suffused with light blows through the entire Interdimensional Void.
Of course, the Interdimensional Void itself has not vanished, perhaps because Hyeon Mu etched it completely into Mount Sumeru, and the Plane of Soul is also returning.
Moreover, Kim Young-hoon's principle still seems far from matching the principle of the Plane of Soul that Hyeon Mu engraved.
If the domain of purity is considered the floor, and the Heavenly Venerable of Void's interdimensional void and Plane of Soul are like a thick carpet,
Then Kim Young-hoon's principle feels like a silk sheet thinner than paper, gently laid over the floor.
It's just that, for one moment, he surpassed and slayed Hyeon Mu.
'That's...how one reaches the ultimate of Martial Arts... Haha, but...I can't even begin to imagine how something like that is possible.'
It doesn't seem like simply mastering Triple Divinity in its entirety could come close.
No matter how I think about it, that's a realm with no clear answer, so I collapse into the wind with the other martial artists who sit weakly, gasping for spiritual energy.
"...It's still so vague."
White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus mutters, and the Underworld Ten Kings nod bitterly.
Then the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord looks at me and speaks in a somber voice.
[...It was necessary, but in the end, is that how it gets judged?]
"Hmm?"
It happens then.
Tuuung!
One of the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flags flies out from my body.
With a refreshing sense of coolness, I feel some of my energy return.
Gigigigik!
But at the same time, the backlash of Mahayuga arrives, and the wheels begin to reverse, engulfing my entire body in overwhelming pain.
Kigigigigigik.
Along with it, my energy drops at a maddening rate.
If even one of the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flags hadn't been released and returned some of my strength, I probably would've died from energy depletion despite being a True Immortal.
"Kkkuuuugh... Guk... Uuuuuugh..."
I barely stave off death with Immortal Arts, gritting my teeth, and as the Underworld Ten Kings see me, they chuckle and throw jokes my way.
[Just die already.]
[The new Judge of Vice seems to miss you. If you come to the Underworld, maybe you two can work together.]
[Even the Imperial Venerable would welcome a Great Immortal of your caliber. And this is no joke.]
"..."
But I know the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld still wants to taxidermize me, so I avoid their gazes and turn my eyes to the newly drawn Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag.
This newly drawn Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag—
It holds the condition of [defeat one of the Heavenly Venerables and their specialty].
That's right.
I've just been judged to have fought and won against Hyeon Mu and her specialty.
And as I begin to wonder, the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord looks at me and speaks.
[Return of Vast Cold. The condition on that Sealing Immortal Flag was one I imbued myself...and since this Immortal imbued it with the maximum restriction one can infuse into a single Immortal Treasure, there was a blind spot regarding the restrictions I could not add.
[In the end...a coordinated attack was permitted. You used your power to link all of us together, cornered Hyeon Mu with Kim Young-hoon, and then severed her arm in the final moment. Since your power contributed to the victory...the Sealing Immortal Flag was released.]
"...It's a bit sloppy. Are the restrictions on the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag normally this loose?"
[Who knows... If it had been a different Heavenly Venerable, perhaps it wouldn't have worked. But...Hyeon Mu's specialty was Martial Arts, and Hyeon Mu herself had always recognized joint strikes as a part of Martial Arts, so the only explanation is that our combined strike was judged to have defeated her.]
With the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord's continued words, I realize that we have truly won.
'I see...'
[The most crucial factor for the release of that Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag is, ultimately, whether the opposing Heavenly Venerable accepts defeat. Even if you realistically defeat a Heavenly Venerable, if they do not acknowledge their loss, that Sealing Immortal Flag would never be released. For that is how unreasonable the restrictions are needed for Vast Cold...]
That's right.
In the end, the Heavenly Venerable of Void—
The Northern Heavenly Venerable, True Martial Great Emperor Hyeon Mu, accepted her complete defeat as she faced Kim Young-hoon's final technique.
Woo-wooong!
The Martial Melody Heavenly Lord squeezes their power and creates a star.
[If I could...I'd kill you right here and now...but I suppose that's not allowed.]
At the surge of killing intent from the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord, White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus exhales sharply through their nose and steps in front of me, and even the Underworld Ten Kings stagger to their feet.
"I've exhausted my strength, but it's not hard to borrow power from the old man. To strike down a comrade you just fought alongside, before the battle's fire has even cooled—such a thing, I won't allow."
[It is the same for us. That one is someone the Imperial Venerable has set Their eyes on...]
[Touch him, and we will borrow the Imperial Venerable's power and summon our legions to face you.]
[Be content with victory as a martial artist. Unless you want to start a war with us...]
And from far away, my comrades begin flying in.
Each one is exhausted from transmitting energy to me, groaning and staggering. Hyeon Rang, in particular, seems to have sacrificed so much that his presence is barely perceptible. But if we all join forces, even the full descent of the Northern Dipper Seven Heavenly Lords would not be frightening.
Seeing this, the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord lets out a sigh and shifts into a humanoid form, lying down atop the land of the star they created.
[...Very well. Just for today, I will not interfere with that one. Anyway...the Radiance Eight Immortals will take care of it.]
Kugugugung!
At that moment, from the distant sky, I see a silver-white light being struck by seven other lights.
"...!"
The Sword Spear Heavenly Lord who aided me is now being attacked in unison by the other Eight Immortals.
"Kr...uuuughh...!"
I groan as I lift my body.
Kim Yeon, the rest of my comrades, the Underworld Ten Kings, and White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus all look at me.
"Sorry, but I'll be heading out for a bit."
I glance at Kim Yeon as if seeking her permission, and she, sensing my emotion, gives a faint smile and nods.
'My condition is the worst...but if I hold out with Immortal Arts, I'll manage somehow.'
Three Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flags have now been drawn.
Only four remain.
Moreover, my Immortal Treasures are still intact, and as the Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flag has been drawn, new wisdom is pouring into my mind.
And above all, the greatest harvest is...
Woo-woong!
'Triple Divinity!'
I feel the white clumps of light revolving behind my back.
Before I know it, I am just one step away from completely mastering Triple Divinity.
It's an enormous gain from the battle with Hyeon Mu.
'Now, if I can contemplate Triple Divinity in a place of peace and continue to train in martial arts, revisiting the duel between Kim Young-hoon and Hyeon Mu. I can definitely fully seize Triple Divinity.'
Even the biggest hurdle for us Enders, as Kim Young-hoon once described—Hyeon Mu—has been killed.
My comrades may be worn out, but all are still alive, and Kim Young-hoon as well...
'Someday, we will meet again in the future.'
Therefore, what matters the most right now is rescuing the Sword Spear Heavenly Lord and surviving from the grasp of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity who will soon annihilate the world.
That is all.
'I can save Sword Spear too. I've nearly mastered Triple Divinity...'
I resolve to use this opportunity to fully draw one more of the remaining Northern Dipper Sealing Immortal Flags.
With that determination, as I prepare to soar toward Sword Spear, toward Gyeong-i...
Kwaduk!
"...?"
All of us, myself included, hear an ominous sound.
Kwaduduk, uduk...!
Hearing it, we instinctively sense a great misfortune.
Even without reading celestial energy, it doesn't matter.
Because the very source of that sound...so naturally casts despair into our hearts.
From the origin of the sound, cracks begin to form in the void.
And what appears beyond those cracks...
Are clusters of writhing snakes.
Kwadudduk!
Finally, the writhing mass of snakes breaks through the rift completely and falls upon the star that the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord had made into their resting place.
Cheolpeok!
All of us freeze, our faces stiffening, and those of us who can still move dash toward the mass of snakes without a word.
Foolish.
In hindsight...
Even if Kim Young-hoon's principle had covered the interdimensional void, the Interdimensional Void itself did not vanish.
We had foolishly let our hopeful imaginations take over.
Thinking clearly...
If she were truly dead, Kim Young-hoon's principle wouldn't just cover the Interdimensional Void—it would have completely replaced it.
And so, as we squeeze out all of our remaining strength to rush that mass of snakes—
That is, the True Martial Great Emperor Hyeon Mu (玄武), who still has not died...
Cheolpeok, cheolpeok, cheolpeok...
The mass of snakes moves and, in an instant, takes three steps.
Immediately after,
Tukwang!
At a speed to which we cannot react, we are all sent flying.
"Keheok...!"
White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus, the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord, and the Underworld Ten Kings each have parts of their bodies torn off, bleeding divine blood, and even the Enders are flung away with their whole bodies twisted and broken.
I, too, have my limbs crushed, but I force myself to rise using Immortal Arts, recalling the teachings of Cheongmun Ryeong.
"Y-You're still not dead!? You monstrous freak... It really was true that you're stronger than the old man..."
The voice of White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus trembles.
Then it happens.
Flash!
The void splits open, and a grotesque [arm]-like thing suddenly appears.
It is a flower field.
That flower field, where countless flowers bloom, bursts forth in the form of a massive [arm] from the void, grabbing the body of White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus and pulls it back through the void it emerged from.
White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus begins to kick wildly.
"Old, old man! Hey, wait! Don't you see that!? We can kill the True Martial Great Emperor! Don't you see how weakened she is!? Old man! Just lend me your strength! No, just toss me a few Flesh Restoring Flowers, Blood Restoring Flowers, and Bone Restoring Flowers! Old man! Old maaaaan!!"
: : Foolish. The opportunity has already passed. : :
But in the next moment, the will of the Sal Tree Heavenly Venerable echoes through the space, rebuking White-Winged Heavenly Pegasus and dragging them into the Eastern Heaven Flower Field, vanishing from sight. Then, the void opens in another direction.
From there, a chilling [darkness] begins to pull in the Underworld Ten Kings and Kang Min-hee.
[O-O Imperial Venerable...]
[Ugh... Can we truly not launch an attack right now...?]
[If we are not enough, then at least send Yan Luo...! We can kill her!]
However, a solemn, chilling will spreads throughout the space.
It is to the point that even the mass of snakes that appears to be Hyeon Mu freezes in place for a moment.
: : Forbidden. : :
At that single word, the Underworld Ten Kings all fall silent and obediently return to the Underworld.
Additionally, a rift opens on the side of the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord, and the other Northern Dipper Six Heavenly Lords hurriedly pull them away, taking them to the Source River.
Finally, as Kang Min-hee is being dragged back to the Underworld by the power of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld, she reaches her hand out toward us.
Oh Hyun-seok returns toward the Elephant Nose Heavenly Domain, but Jeon Myeong-hoon, Kim Yeon, and I—who are not connected to any other Supreme Deity—begin to be pulled toward the Underworld by Kang Min-hee's attraction force.
Jeon Myeong-hoon and Kim Yeon are sucked into the Underworld in an instant, and just as I am about to be pulled in as well—
Shwikak!
A powerful slash grazes past me.
With it, Kang Min-hee's attraction force is severed, and since the entrance to the Underworld is immediately shut from their side, I end up stranded atop the star of Martial Melody.
"You...alone...I cannot...let go...of..."
Squirm, squirm...
For some reason, along with the voice of the dying Hyeon Mu, the snakes begin to gather together.
I look at the dozens of snakes intertwining together and wonder which among them is the real body.
'If I cut the real body...can I win?'
But no real body reveals itself.
None of them feel like the real body...and I get the sense that Hyeon Mu has no such thing.
Squirm...
However, the snakes gather together faster than I expected and begin to form Hyeon Mu's shape.
Before long, the familiar figure of Hyeon Mu appears before my eyes once again.
But unlike before, it is not a complete human figure. From her nose leftward, she has the form of a human. To the right, her body is writhing with snakes.
"Haagh...heok...heheok..."
Hyeon Mu gasps for breath and collapses just as she is half-way done transforming.
'Can I win...?'
I swallow hard and raise the Impermanence Sword.
But just then,
Shiver!
Hyeon Mu's eyes meet mine.
At the terrifying killing intent radiating from her gaze, I freeze in place.
The killing intent from Hyeon Mu...
Surpasses that day.
The day the Wuji Religious Order vanished. It surpasses the killing intent when the Great Mountain Supreme Deity looked down on me.
Drip...drip...
Tears begin falling from Hyeon Mu's eyes.
Her eyes are no longer filled with emptiness.
What fills them now is...pain and hatred, and an overwhelming grief and resentment.
A massive fury swirls in her eyes, mixed with those other emotions.
"One margin...just one margin...of difference. If it had been just one margin closer, Kim Young-hoon...could have killed me...!"
Bududuk...
Hyeon Mu grinds her teeth, and her hand claws into the ground.
Squirm, squirm...
The opposite side of the body, which had not been completely transformed, begins to resume, and I open my eyes wide at the sight.
A massive golden wound remains on Hyeon Mu's body.
The moment I see it, I understand.
Truly, by instinct alone, I comprehend what kind of conclusion she has faced.
'A slash that moves toward the future, transforming into his Martial Arts itself and cutting down Hyeon Mu...'
In return, Kim Young-hoon erased Hyeon Mu from history and disappeared somewhere into the future—so that even in future regressions, he no longer exists.
However, Hyeon Mu did not die.
Rather, I clearly sense that the wound will definitely carry over into the [next cycle].
That horrifying wound and injury inflicted by Kim Young-hoon will continue into the next cycle and deal irreparable damage to Hyeon Mu.
But...
Shiver, shiver...!
'Damn it...'
I grit my teeth.
In the end, we failed to kill Hyeon Mu.
And as the price for that...I have ended up in a state no different from having fallen into Hyeon Mu's grasp.
Drip, drip...
Hyeon Mu is shedding black tears.
Just like me before, it is a phenomenon caused by overwhelming resentment and despair so deep that emotions themselves have transformed into a curse.
"Through the eternal span of time, as many as the grains of the Ganges sands...there have only ever been six Golden Body Heavenly Kings. And among those Golden Body Heavenly Kings, the only one who reached my realm was...Kim Young-hoon of this generation. Only him!!"
Hyeon Mu's Transformation form is completely restored.
And now, her restored Transformation form takes on a face of a wrathful evil spirit.
"Even Silver Basket, even Obsidian, even Vast Cold...though they all gave me pain that defied imagination, none of them could kill me... Even Underworld, even Salt Sea, even that insolent Hae Nyeong...though they brought me self-loathing, shame, and despair, none could kill me... At the end of that span of time that rivaled eternity...finally...the only possibility that could kill me was Kim Young-hoon..."
Hyeon Mu staggers and rises to her feet.
Boo-oong!
Hyeon Mu swings her arm.
A slash too difficult for me to perceive, one I cannot evade in my current state, is launched.
Kwang!
The star of the Martial Melody Heavenly Lord splits in half, and my arm is severed.
"And yet...you...! You...! You ruined it...!!"
'What...?'
I stagger in disbelief, and endure Hyeon Mu's murderous intent to stand.
"What...are you talking about...!?"
"Do not pretend not to know!! You trampled on Kim Young-hoon's noble sacrifice! On my only salvation and hope! You insulted both him and me—us!!"
Hyeon Mu glares at me, approaching with a face filled with pain and hatred.
Is it because of the wound Kim Young-hoon left behind?
Her overall power has dropped to about the Four-Axis stage, and her full capabilities seem to have fallen to the Star Shattering stage.
Probably, even if she mobilizes everything she has now, she can only exhibit strength at the Entering Nirvana stage at most.
But the problem is me.
"Heheok...heok..."
I am completely drained, and even my willpower is nearing its limit.
My current capability is barely at the Qi Building stage.
"Because of you!! Kim Young-hoon's sacrifice was thrown into the mud!! Because of you!! I couldn't obtain salvation! If only you hadn't saved me at the last moment!!"
Yet even in front of this overwhelming difference, I grit my teeth and shout.
"What in the world are you talking about!?"
How on earth!? Why!? In what way did I 'save' Hyeon Mu from Kim Young-hoon's final ultimate attack?
Just how did I do such a thing?
"With what method!? By what means could I have possibly saved you from the ultimate of Martial Arts!?"
"...Do you still intend to deny it...?"
Hyeon Mu begins to approach me with a face full of venomous resentment.
"Thanks to Kim Young-hoon, my power has now fallen miserably low. To recover, it will probably take until the next generation of Enders...no, the generation after the next. Even if there is an Ender who possesses the ability to divide spacetime, I will probably never be able to exert power beyond the Star Shattering stage in any spacetime, in any history or future."
Hyeon Mu steps within three zhang of me and clenches her fist.
"Keok!"
A powerful force of will grips my throat.
I am lifted by Hyeon Mu's will, groaning in pain as if my neck is about to snap.
"But...even that is enough. As long as I cannot die, I am undying...I will seal you. And I will torture you. Look forward to it. My cruelty is not inferior to the Great Mountain Supreme Deity. I merely had no reason to reveal it until now, but since you trampled on my desperate wish...I will show you true hell."
"Kgh...ugh..."
"Suicide will not work either. Do not worry. I will bring you into my Gandhara and grant you temporary undeath as well. Yes...now, how long shall it be? One thousand Jing (京; 10^16)? Gai (垓; 10^29)? I will taxidermize you with that as the limit, erasing your memory again and again while subjecting you to every form of torture. You will develop no resistance to pain. The reason the taxidermizing of Underworld fails is because They try to trap you literally for eternity. But someone like me, who sets a very distant but still finite limit, will not fail in taxidermizing those like you. Now, what kind of torture do you want? Through what pain, through what suffering, will you appease this hatred of mine!?"
"..."
I look into Hyeon Mu's face, which has transformed into a wrathful evil spirit.
'Ah...'
And then, though it's rather sudden, I finally realize where I've seen her face before.
"...Seoak...Village..."
That's right.
Hyeon Mu, amusingly enough, looks similar to the girl from Seoak Village.
If that girl had grown up and experienced the hardships of the world, her gaze sharpening and the corners of her eyes weighed down with fatigue, she would probably have a face much like Hyeon Mu's.
However, it's slightly different from the cases of Song Jin and Hyeon Rang.
In Song Jin and Hyeon Rang's case—
It feels strongly like they are [the same person]...
But with Hyeon Mu and the girl from Seoak Village—
It feels more like the relationship between Hong Fan and Hyeon Rang.
"What are you spouting now? Kukuk. Are you on the verge of losing your mind? Haha, do not worry. From now on, you will never be able to faint, never be able to lose your sense of self. You will not be able to rest. You will not be able to die!! Every day, every second, every moment, you will only scream, begging to be killed...if only to share even a sliver of my pain..."
Kwang!
I squeeze out every bit of strength I have.
The power of explosion of an Immortal Beast activates, and in that instant, I escape from Hyeon Mu's restraint.
'I have to...escape this place...'
I muster all of my strength to open the gate to the Underworld.
My power of explosion as an Immortal Beast sprouts the power of life.
All around, grass, trees, and greenery grow, blocking Hyeon Mu's vision.
Hyeon Mu snorts and cuts down the trees as she approaches me.
"The chance to escape through the gate of the Underworld was only when your comrades left just now. The Underworld gate will not open anymore...for the Great Mountain Supreme Deity will unfold Splitting Heaven, and Underworld would have shut the gate tight to protect Their subordinates. It is the same with the Source River and the Flower Field. Now, come here."
'Is this...'
I tightly shut my eyes.
'...how it ends...?'
I will probably go mad.
The level of pain spoken of by the Heavenly Venerable of Void is something I cannot possibly endure.
All I can hope for is that someday the period of torture spoken of by Void will come to an end.
That when that period ends, I will finally be allowed to die.
"Just what...did I...even...do...?"
I grit my teeth as I ask the Heavenly Venerable of Void approaching me.
The Heavenly Venerable of Void, wearing the face of a wrathful evil spirit, growls as she comes near.
"You still do not understand!? That the distortion born from within your own body is what saved me!? The distortion emerging from within you dared to deny my death!!"
"How!!??"
I scream in rage.
"How in the world did someone like me deny Kim Young-hoon's strike, deny your death!!?? How!!??"
"..."
Kwang!
The Heavenly Venerable of Void kicks me.
I feel death nearing completely.
'I don't even have the will to use Immortal Arts...'
But I do not die.
Hyeon Mu has forbid my death.
'Is this...how it ends...?'
It's when I grit my teeth.
"...Master."
Someone, with a warm hand, strokes my head.
A hand that feels rough and coarse.
A hand lined with wrinkles.
And that voice...
It is Hong Fan.
"...Are you leaving?"
"...Do not worry. For I...cannot die anymore."
"...You seem to want to leave."
"...Yes."
I sense Hong Fan grit his teeth.
"...Forgive me...as your servant...for being unable to stop it..."
I immediately understand what Hong Fan means.
'...What? He's not worried about me...being tortured by the Heavenly Venerable of Void?'
In Hong Fan's words, there is only—
Concern for the Splitting Heaven Mantra that the Great Mountain Supreme Deity will soon unleash.
"Hong Fan...?"
"Do not worry about the Heavenly Venerable. I will try speaking to her on your behalf..."
"What...?"
"My past life's memories seem to be returning. So perhaps...if I speak to her well, it might all be resolved peacefully..."
Hong Fan rises to his feet.
"Strangely...the more I see the Northern Heavenly Venerable, the more my memories seem to return..."
Thunk—
Finishing his words, Hong Fan sets down a potato in front of me and stands up.
It looks like a potato he had been eating.
The potato absorbs the explosion and life force I just released, and in an instant, it takes root and blooms with potato flowers.
And then—
Hyeon Mu looks at Hong Fan.
"...Who are you? Where did you suddenly appear from?"
I listen to those words, feeling puzzled.
'Why...?'
It is because Hyeon Mu speaks as if she has just perceived Hong Fan.
And just as Hong Fan is about to open his mouth toward Hyeon Mu—
"...Wait..."
Hyeon Mu's eyes lose focus.
Her expression, once that of a wrathful evil spirit, eases, and the venomous resentment and pain that filled her eyes begin to wash away.
"You, you, you...w-wait...no, no..."
Hyeon Mu starts to stumble backward.
And I see Hong Fan's eyes widen.
As if Hyeon Mu's reaction has awakened his memories even more strongly.
And at last—
From both Hong Fan and Hyeon Mu, the words burst out simultaneously.
"M-My...my memory...has returned."
"...I see. I remember now."
Thud—
Hyeon Mu collapses to the ground.
And every trace of expression vanishes from Hong Fan's face.
Step—
Hong Fan walks toward Hyeon Mu.
Crunch—
Hong Fan dismissively steps over the potato he had just placed in front of me to eat, crushing the potato flowers beneath his feet as he walks toward her.
Hyeon Mu, already collapsed, begins to crawl backward.
"Ah, ah, aaah... I see now... I remember everything."
Hyeon Mu's voice trembles.
I can see her eyes.
Usually, they hold emptiness.
Before being struck by Kim Young-hoon, they held hope and joy.
Before she came to me, they were full of pain and hatred.
Now, Hyeon Mu's eyes are drenched in fear, panic, and despair so deep it has no end.
"I see...You are my disgrace... Heh, hehe... Hehehehe...As long as you exist, I cannot die..."
Hyeon Mu begins to cry.
Unlike before, when her tears were black with venom, they are now clear tears, like a young girl sobbing.
But to me, those transparent tears look more painful than any other moment.
"I've just been...biting my own tail... Now I remember it all... I have never meant anything... What I hoped for was impossible...! I truly can never die!"
Even while pouring tears and her legs giving out beneath her, Hyeon Mu struggles to distance herself from Hong Fan.
But in the end, Hong Fan arrives completely in front of her.
Hong Fan asks with no expression.
"...Have you recovered your memories?"
"...Yeah...I remember everything... Now I understand...I didn't envy Bong Hwa. I didn't hate her. I just...respected and loved her... I respected and loved Bong Hwa. That is why...I've been chasing her all this time..."
"...You regaining your memories every time you meet me is a problem. How defective."
Then, Hyeon Mu bows toward Hong Fan.
"Please...can't we just stop now? How long...how long must we repeat this...?"
"That depends on Hwe-ah. There is nothing we can do. Just pray for the completion of Seven Brilliance (七華)."
"Don't be ridiculous!! Even if all the Enders reach it...that's still only [half]!!! Even this generation's Enders are hopeless. Just how long are we supposed to keep doing this!!"
Hyeon Mu grabs onto the hem of Hong Fan's pants, clinging and begging.
"Stop...please, just stop... Let's tell Bong Hwa everything and beg for forgiveness... How long must we keep doing this? Just how long!!?? In this endless hell without end, how long must I keep doing this!!?? I!!?? Am bowing down like this and begging!? Please, let's stop!"
"...Again and again and again...I've gone over that anguish. You know that. But in the end, the conclusion is always the same."
Hong Fan looks down at Hyeon Mu.
As I look at Hong Fan's back, I feel an unknown fear rise within me.
For some reason, my eyes start to ache.
It feels like they're about to burst.
"The story must be completed."
Hong Fan tramples over Hyeon Mu's supplication without a second thought.
Hyeon Mu cries as she smiles.
"...You are a devil..."
"This is coming from you?"
"Hehe...huk..."
Sobbing bitterly, Hyeon Mu lifts her weapon.
Woooong—
That black something begins to change form.
It looks like a binding rope for criminals.
"...Two Enders of this generation are already dead, and another is about to die... It will soon be over. I see no hope at all..."
Hyeon Mu starts wrapping the rope around her own neck.
"...I'm sorry, Seo Eun-hyun."
Suddenly apologizing to me, Hyeon Mu begins to tighten the rope around her throat.
Hong Fan simply looks down at her and utters a short sentence.
"When this chapter ends, I will erase it again. Like before, forget it all and rest...as you pursue your suicide in peace."
Kuguguguk...
Hyeon Mu tightens the rope even harder around her neck.
Then I force out my voice as I look at Hong Fan.
"Hong...Fan..."
Looking at those shoulders that somehow seem terrifying, I grit my teeth.
"What...in the world...are you saying...? Who are you...who is Hyeon Mu...and Bong Hwa...?"
Then Hong Fan opens his mouth.
"That is not something a thing like you needs to know."
In the next moment,
With just a word from Hong Fan, I feel death come upon me.
"Forget."
☯
☯
☯
"..."
When I open my eyes again, I see Hyeon Mu breaking her own neck.
What in the world is going on?
Hyeon Mu's expression looks like the very incarnation of despair, as if she has given up everything in this world.
Of course, Hyeon Mu will not die.
Now that she has survived this time, even if only the strength of a Star Shattering Esteemed One remains, she will continue to resurrect and remain undying.
'From now on...how am I supposed to face Hyeon Mu...?'
The death that Hyeon Mu had forbidden comes to me.
At the end of Hyeon Mu's words, I close my eyes.
"I await the day you all reach the Audience Chamber..."
Along with the sensation of something being pulled out from my Canvas of Myriad Forms and Connections—
I meet death once again.
That is my 1005th regression.
Kririririk—
Time rewinds.
Within the reversing flow of time, I look up at the black sky.
Floating in that black sky are [Eleven] seats.
I read the name of the newly appeared seat.
—Golden Speed Heavenly King Kim Young-hoon.
And then I read the true name of an existence I couldn't read before.
—Western Heavenly Venerable, Netherworld Queen Mother Bong Hwa (烽火).
That is the true name of the Heavenly Venerable of the Underworld.