Chapter 797: I Wanted to Become the First Demon Supreme
Black Elder’s fluster turned into rage.
He had truly never imagined that the demonic creature he had summoned, of all things, the Nine Springs Corpse King, would fall into the enemy’s hands.
“You damned bitch!”
With a curse filled with fury, Black Elder struck out with a palm.
Puuung!
The Nine Springs Corpse King slid far backward. Yet even under that powerful palm strike, the Nine Springs Corpse King did not so much as flinch. It was only natural. Among the beings he could summon, it was the strongest.
“You stupid bastard! Disappear!”
As Black Elder chanted an incantation, the surroundings trembled once more.
Dududududududuk.
This time, opposite of when it had been summoned, the ground caved inward and began dragging the Nine Springs Corpse King down like a swamp.
He was attempting to forcibly cancel the summoning.
The next moment, Black Elder’s face stiffened.
The Nine Springs Corpse King did not get pulled in and instead endured.
‘This can’t be happening.’
Even though he had severed the spiritual line that connected them, the Nine Springs Corpse King did not vanish.
Black Elder recited another incantation.
A secret art of the Dark Palace that allowed one to see through an opponent’s dark sorcery.
Hundred Spirits Soul Eye.
One could not simply perform Soul Reaping on a powerful existence like the Nine Springs Corpse King.
Thus, between the one who executed the Soul Reaping Art and the one who suffered it, a chain of souls, Soul Chain, would be formed.
If that connection line were cut, the Soul Reaping Art could be broken. Of course, discovering that line was difficult in itself, and even if discovered, it would not be easily severed; one had to expend great inner power to cut it.
As the Hundred Spirits Soul Eye manifested, Black Elder’s vision seemed to darken for an instant before faint chains began to appear.
‘Good. If I just cut that!’
The next moment! His joy immediately turned into shock and despair.
There was not just one Soul Chain. From the head and neck, both arms and hands, waist and legs, feet, dozens of lines were connected between the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme and the Nine Springs Corpse King all over its body. It was the unfolding of a supreme Soul Reaping Art that completely dominated the opponent.
At that moment, a single remark from the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme was heard, as if she knew she was being watched through the Hundred Spirits Soul Eye.
“Why are you peeking at what belongs to someone else?”
At those words, Black Elder grew even more enraged, but he soon calmed himself. The opponent’s ability did not lie merely in Soul Reaping. The young one was toying with his mind.
“To reach such a realm at that young age… I must give credit where it’s due.”
Gaye, who stood behind Black Elder, was also astonished. They had already experienced several times that the Demon Supremes were far stronger than they had imagined.
But she had not expected that strength, surpassing even their predictions, to apply to the young Soul Reaper Demon Supreme as well.
Gaye’s gaze turned toward the Sky Flower Pavilion Master behind the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme. With her eyes covered by The Dream of the Priestess, she sat silently without a word.
She had thought that perhaps it was all an act, perhaps she was merely pretending in order to deceive them.
But could anyone truly put on such an act in the midst of a battle of this magnitude?
Her gaze lifted upward. Beyond the ceiling that had been pierced and torn open again and again, was the distant sky truly one that had abandoned her?
‘If it was going to be like this, it shouldn’t have given the prophecy in the first place!’
As her resentment turned toward the heavens, the Nine Springs Corpse King’s sword flew toward Black Elder.
Kwang! Kwa-deudeudeudeuk!
A small skeleton rushed forward and was shattered in his place.
From all directions, skeletons swarmed in and surrounded their king. Though the skeletons felt fear, they could not defy Black Elder’s command.
Swaeaeaeak!
Kwajijijik.
With a single strike of the Nine Springs Corpse King’s sword, another skeleton was shattered and scattered. If they had been worthy opponents from the start, how could he have been called the king of skeletons?
The skeletons charged in. They grabbed his arms, clung to his back, truly attempting to win by sheer numbers, but the Nine Springs Corpse King was far too powerful for that to succeed.
Shattered skeletons flew in all directions.
The skeletons had grown stronger from the energy of the Greed Annihilation Art, but they were not the only ones who had grown stronger. The Nine Springs Corpse King, too, had become far more powerful than his original might.
Black Elder did not miss the opportunity created by the skeletons buying time.
He shot toward the place where the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme and the Sky Flower Pavilion Master were.
Earlier, the Ghost Clan Barrier had already been nearly destroyed by the Nine Springs Corpse King’s attack.
Kwang! Kwaaang!
Black Elder’s fist, imbued with internal energy, struck the barrier in rapid succession.
Jjeoeoeoeok.
Kwaaaang!
As the barrier shattered, the glowing letters upon the ground lost their light and vanished.
The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme, who had been performing the Soul Reaping Art, spoke calmly.
“Look behind you.”
At his words, Black Elder turned around.
In that brief moment, after smashing all the skeletons, the Nine Springs Corpse King’s massive sword was pointed at Gaye’s throat.
“If you don’t withdraw, your Priestess dies.”
“A Demon Supreme using a hostage? Are you not ashamed?”
“Not at all.”
The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme did not even blink. Rather, she provoked Black Elder in return.
“It might be a little embarrassing if I lose to you, though.”
Neither the provocation nor the hostage situation worked on either of them.
“Kill her.”
As if he had expected such a response, the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme did not look surprised.
“You’re not surprised?”
“I already knew you weren’t the type to protect anyone.”
Gaye’s expression stiffened as she listened to their exchange. If the Dark Palace Master had ordered that she be brought back alive no matter what, Black Elder would never have dared make such a decision.
She had already been reeling from the shock of believing she had been abandoned by the heavens, but upon learning that she had been abandoned even by the Dark Palace Master, her heart became incomparably complicated.
Through Black Elder, one truth was revealed.
“The Palace Master knows. That you delivered a false prophecy.”
A Priestess who could no longer receive prophecy became nothing more than useless refuse, devoid of any value.
Without revealing the turmoil in her heart, Gaye spoke in a calm gaze that seemed to reprimand.
“Do you truly believe you can survive after daring to defy the will of the heavens?”
Though no prophecy had descended upon her of late, she had undeniably received prophecy and risen to the position of Priestess Palace Master.
“I ask whether you think you can bear this grave sin with the mere excuse that it was the Palace Master’s command.”
At her stern rebuke, Black Elder let out a snort.
Yet he could not speak carelessly to her. Until matters had deteriorated this far, she had been the most precious person after the Dark Palace Master.
Gaye’s gaze then shifted to the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme. She was the one holding the hilt of the blade.
“If you kill me, you will commit the sin of defying the will of the heavens.”
Though the heavens were invoked, the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme showed not the slightest fear.
“My heavens are elsewhere.”
She stood here by the command of that heaven.
Sseuk.
The Nine Springs Corpse King suddenly raised his sword high. He intended to sever her neck in a single stroke, yet Black Elder did not attempt to save her.
Realizing she could not escape death, Gaye left her final words.
“My prophecy will surely become reality.”
The only being she truly feared was he who had been born bearing the Heavenly Killing Star. The one who had awakened on his own and broken free of his seal alone.
He would come to rule the world.
Just as the Nine Springs Corpse King was about to swing his sword, someone stepped forward and stopped him.
“Please do not kill her.”
The descending blade halted beside her neck.
The one who had spoken was the Sky Flower Pavilion Master. She removed The Dream of the Priestess that had covered her eyes and rose from her seat.
When she opened her eyes, a mystical aura flowed within them, and the darkness drifting around could not dare approach her.
Everyone understood. She had received a prophecy.
What kind of prophecy had she received?
Yet none dared ask, overwhelmed by the mystical aura emanating from her. The Sky Flower Pavilion Master also did not speak of the prophecy.
Black Elder addressed her.
“It is now certain that we must take you with us.”
Gaye, too, had something to say to the Sky Flower Pavilion Master.
“Why are you trying to spare me?”
The Sky Flower Pavilion Master gave no answer.
Lastly, the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme did not ask her anything either. She merely granted her request.
“Please remain here for a moment.”
Asking about the prophecy was the Young Cult Leader’s duty. Her duty was to protect her from the enemy.
The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s energy grew even more intense. Until now, she had remained defensive, wary that she might interfere with her receiving the prophecy. From this moment on, she shifted to the offensive.
The Nine Springs Corpse King withdrew the sword that had been aimed at Gaye and began attacking Black Elder in earnest.
Kwang!
When the Nine Springs Corpse King and Black Elder collided, the very axis of the earth trembled.
Now the Nine Springs Corpse King’s attacks were without restraint. Since it did not matter if its entire body was shattered, the most violent assaults it could unleash followed one after another.
Because of that, Black Elder grew even angrier.
If he had his way, he would grind the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s bones to powder and drink her blood.
But it was not an easy fight.
The Nine Springs Corpse King was the strongest summon he could call forth. The only consolation was that, because the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme was controlling it through the Soul Reaping Art, he could not launch other attacks.
As the battle intensified, the Nine Springs Corpse King’s armor shattered, and the sound of bones breaking rang out repeatedly.
But in the process, Black Elder also consumed an enormous amount of inner power, and there were even moments when he nearly had his head severed.
Even with broken bones clattering, the Nine Springs Corpse King fought fiercely.
As time passed, the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme grew increasingly adept at controlling it.
‘She’s getting more and more accustomed. This can’t continue!’
Black Elder pushed his internal energy to the extreme, attempting to suppress the Nine Springs Corpse King in one decisive move. Even if he suffered internal injuries, he judged it best to finish this as quickly as possible.
But this was the very moment the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme had been waiting for.
As Black Elder recklessly pressed forward,
Swaeaeaeaeak!
The Nine Springs Corpse King hurled its sword with lightning speed. Until now, it had never once released the sword from its hand, yet for the first time, it threw it.
Black Elder twisted his body like a flash of lightning to evade, and the massive blade brushed past his face.
The unexpected assault continued. By the time Black Elder twisted again, the Nine Springs Corpse King was already upon him.
As though prepared to die together, it opened its entire body, but hands as sharp as blades shot toward both his shoulders.
‘Damn it! I’m too late!’
He could shatter the Nine Springs Corpse King’s chest, but his own shoulders would suffer grave injury as well.
In that desperate instant, something astonishing occurred.
Kwaaak.
Something pitch-black seized the Nine Springs Corpse King. Astonishingly, it was the Nine Springs Corpse King’s own shadow.
Suspended in midair, the Nine Springs Corpse King struggled, but trapped as though buried within its own shadow, it could not move at all. The shadow began constricting it with tremendous force.
Black Elder did not miss the opportunity.
Kwaaaang!
A palm strike imbued with extreme inner power struck the Nine Springs Corpse King repeatedly.
Kwang! Kwaang! Kwaang! Kwang!
At the same time, the shadow constricted the Nine Springs Corpse King with immense strength.
Unable to withstand the two assaults, the Nine Springs Corpse King shattered into pieces midair and vanished.
Seuseuseuseusut.
The next moment,
Wulkeok.
The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme spat out a mouthful of blood.
Because the shadow had constricted it, she had been unable to sever the Soul Chain, and when the target of the Soul Reaping disappeared in that state, she suffered internal injury.
At that very moment, palm force poured toward her.
Swaeak! Swaek! Swaeak! Swaek!
Because the Sky Flower Pavilion Master stood behind her, she did not dodge. Instead, she swung both palms and directly blocked the incoming palm force. The attack had come so swiftly that she had no leisure to employ the Soul Reaping Art to deflect it.
Puk, peoeok, peoeok, puk!
Her figure swayed violently. She blocked with palm techniques and with Protective Energy, but the earlier internal injury suffered an even greater shock.
“Keuk.”
This time she spat out even more blood.
“Demon Supreme!”
As the Sky Flower Pavilion Master called out to her urgently, the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme nodded as if to say she was fine. Yet blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth.
Someone walked into that place and spoke.
“Foolish one! You summoned the Nine Springs Corpse King before the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme?”
The one who had newly appeared was Dark Elder, the remaining one of the two old men who had been with the Dark Palace Master.
It had been he who, moments ago, bound the Nine Springs Corpse King with its shadow and unleashed consecutive palm strikes.
He had used his unique demonic art, Shadow Devouring.
Black Elder had nothing to say in response. It had been a clear mistake, underestimating the opponent.
“I never imagined that child would be able to perform Soul Reaping on the Nine Springs Corpse King.”
“It is certainly astonishing.”
Dark Elder stared coldly at the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme.
Black Elder and Dark Elder.
The Dark Palace Master’s hands and feet, and masters of Dark Demonic Art.
“The Young Cult Leader is on the verge of charging straight at the Palace Master. We must finish this quickly and return.”
The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s expression grew grave. She had barely managed to contend with one person; facing two was an impossible battle. Moreover, she was already suffering from internal injuries.
And this place was thick with the energy of the Greed Annihilation Art. Earlier, she had fought by utilizing the Nine Springs Corpse King empowered by that dark energy.
But now, she would have to fight an entirely disadvantageous battle.
“Demon Supreme!”
The Sky Flower Pavilion Master stepped in front of the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme. All she could think about was saving her somehow.
“Your Palace Master wishes to know my prophecy. If you kill the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme, I will never open my mouth.”
Though the Sky Flower Pavilion Master showed firm resolve, it did not work on Black Elder and Dark Elder.
“That is a matter between you and the Palace Master.”
They made it clear that they would kill the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme no matter what.
At that moment, the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme, who had been behind her, stepped forward.
“I am fine, so please step back.”
Tears welled in the Sky Flower Pavilion Master’s eyes as she looked at her.
“...Demon Supreme.”
This would be a death she suffered while protecting her. If she had tried to flee, she might have escaped during the earlier fight with the first old man.
In contrast, the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme remained calm.
“Cherish the prophecy. The Young Cult Leader will come to rescue you soon.”
It meant she must never speak of the prophecy until the Young Cult Leader arrived. That would protect her life.
The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme sensed her own death.
‘Young Cult Leader, I am sorry I could not fulfill my mission.’
She did not ask that those feelings be conveyed to him. Hearing such words would only make him feel unnecessarily downcast.
‘I wanted to become the Young Cult Leader’s first Demon Supreme....’
The Soul Reaper Demon Supreme stood proudly before the two men.
“You reeking corpses, I won’t die quietly. I’ll take an arm, an eyeball with me.”
A fierce killing intent surged from her eyes.
As she unleashed her final energy, the surroundings seemed to spin, dizziness setting in.
Black Elder and Dark Elder raised their inner power to resist that energy. It was a powerful fighting spirit that did not seem as though she would die quietly.
“Not even an eyeball or an arm will remain on your body.”
Black Elder and Dark Elder also unleashed their energy without reserve. The aura of death flowing from them, mixed with the dark energy pervading the surroundings, crushed the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s energy.
Because it was a one-versus-two fight, her aura was pushed back.
Just as Black Elder and Dark Elder split to either side, preparing a joint assault,
The eyes of the Sky Flower Pavilion Master, standing behind, flashed.
“From somewhere....”
She slowly looked around and said,
“I smell alcohol.”