Chapter 300: Greedy and Selfish (3)
"……."
"……."
Everyone remained silent.
Madness.
What I felt from the being before my eyes was nothing but overwhelming madness.
Hwan Seong stepped forward.
"You are insane, Priestess."
"Fufufu, you say I’m insane?"
"You were like a mother to us, the disciples. Yet, you fell for the whispers of the Heaven-Defying Society and betrayed the great cause, and you betrayed Master."
"How curious. That is a future none of you have even experienced yet."
"Even if we haven’t experienced it, reading what has already happened is well within my ability."
The Priestess nodded.
"Well, considering your Insight has already reached the peak among all the arts of the universe… recalling a past that has already passed must be child's play for you."
Hwan Seong glared at the Priestess and asked.
"You and we… we fought together and defeated the resurrected body of Heavenly Evil. Then why did you awaken as the Grand Heavenly Lord?"
The so-called Sun and Moon Divine Cult, known today as the Demonic Cult, had originally served a being called the Earth Saint, who had stood in opposition to Heavenly Evil.
For the highest religious leader of that cult to betray them was something even they found hard to believe.
"Do you really want to know?"
"……."
Hwan Seong sighed after a moment of thought.
"No, I’m curious, but there’s no need to hear it."
With those words, Hwan Seong formed a hand seal.
"Either way, you will be sealed once again by our hands."
Divine Art, Five Elemental Mountain Suppression
A sealing technique said to have been born from the legend of the Buddha smashing down the stone monkey.
True to its title of a Divine Art, the moment Hwan Seong unleashed the technique, a massive illusion of a mountain appeared and crashed down upon the Priestess.
Kuooong!
Crunch! Crack! Crackle!
The Priestess, who had been standing still, began to sink deeper and deeper into the ground under the immense pressure.
But Hwan Seong's technique wasn’t merely for crushing the target into the ground.
"Seal!"
With his chant, the surrounding space began to collapse.
With the sound of shattering glass all around, the entire space started to compress tightly toward the Priestess.
"So you’ve chosen mutual destruction? How wise. You know full well that you can't win head-on."
"Of course. The moment the ritual ran rampant and our realms overlapped, our existence became nothing more than a part of yours."
That was why they gathered every last ounce of strength from Master and the Senior Brothers to unleash this sealing Divine Art.
"You and we will battle for eternity within the seal."
"Fufu, that doesn’t sound so bad…"
"The First Brother has already confirmed his feelings with Junior Sister Ma and they have become lovers. There will be no more meetings between you and him."
"……What?"
For a moment, the Priestess completely froze.
As if she had heard something that should never have been said.
Her eyes twisted into a sunken, hollow glare.
"What? What? What? What? What? What did you just say?"
Chrrrk! Chrrrk!
"……!!"
"No way… there’s no way! My Jeoni… that’s impossible!"
The fragments of space that had been closing in around the Priestess began to part slightly.
Hwan Seong's Divine Art started to weaken.
'No… this can't be!'
From Hwan Seong’s perspective, it wasn’t that the Priestess had used some new technique.
It was pure strength!
She was breaking through the so-called Divine Art with nothing but raw power fueled by her rage!
"He told me he loved me. He told me he’d avenge me. He told me he’d always look only at me. And now… now what? He’s with someone else?"
Rumble rumble!
"Urgh!"
"Keheuk!"
As Hwan Seong’s Divine Art was pushed back, blood began to trickle from the mouths of the other Senior Brothers who were supporting the technique.
"That blood-crazed bitch? That heat-stricken mutt dares to covet what is mine?!"
"She’s… much more insane than I thought."
"What the hell actually happened in that future…?"
If Hwan Seong’s Divine Art broke here, they would be annihilated without question.
It wasn’t that they feared death now, but to fall without even buying time for their youngest junior would be a disgrace as Senior Brothers.
At that moment—
The Heavenly Demon Founder, who had remained silent, stepped forward and raised her hand.
"Gal!"
Kwaaak!
The swelling force of the Priestess was instantly suppressed by the Founder’s shout.
With her aura shrinking immediately, the Priestess let out a mocking laugh.
"Hoo… Fufufu! Yuseong, if it’s you, you could indeed bend the very laws themselves."
Flash!
"But so what? You are nothing more than a thought entity. Nothing will change."
"Nothing, my ass!"
The woman's sharp shout echoed like heavenly thunder.
"……You little brat?!"
"Some hag who died before us dares to aim for what’s ours?!"
Heaven-Slaying Star, Third Stage
Blood God
Ma Seoyeon, her entire body dyed in blood-red energy, had silently crept behind the Priestess and thrust her sword into her.
Extreme Space Severing
A secret art of the Yuma Sword, infused with a level of killing intent on a completely different scale than before, directly struck the Priestess.
There was no doubt—besides the Heavenly Demon Founder, no one else could possibly withstand that blow.
The Priestess instinctively raised her arm to block Ma Seoyeon’s ambush.
Crash! Crackle!
As the Priestess’s arm collided with Ma Seoyeon’s sword, the surrounding space warped grotesquely.
Crunch! Crackle!
As if something was being torn apart, the sound echoed chillingly.
The Priestess glared venomously at Ma Seoyeon.
"You blood-crazed wench. I should’ve killed you when Yuseong first brought you to Daesan."
Ma Seoyeon shot back without backing down.
"Ha! So when you told me to heal my wounded heart here, that was just deception, wasn’t it, you old hag?!"
"How dare you?!"
Just as the Priestess was about to unleash her fury toward Ma Seoyeon—
"Senior Brother Yoo! Now!"
"W-What? What did you just…!"
At that single form of address, the Priestess’s composure completely collapsed.
Yoo Jeon, who had been quietly concealing his presence all this time, struck with his sword.
Heart's Path Resentment Severance
Thuck!
Yoo Jeon's blade pierced through space and embedded itself directly in the Priestess's forehead.
Her head snapped backward in an instant.
Seeing that, Ma Seoyeon clenched her fist tightly.
"Did it work?!"
"No, it failed."
The Heavenly Demon Founder shook her head coldly.
"From the moment Seongui’s Divine Art failed, none of our techniques could be anything more than a distraction."
"Ha, ahaha! You do know well, don’t you?"
The Priestess grabbed Yoo Jeon's blade embedded in her forehead and viciously yanked it out.
Then, smiling brightly, she spoke to Yoo Jeon.
"Jeoni. My beloved Jeoni. To think you'd dare to wound me."
"……."
"But I’ll forgive you. Because I love you more than anyone in this world."
"Priestess…"
Yoo Jeon stared at her without any expression.
"I still don’t want to believe how the [me from outside] and you ended up that way."
"But it's an undeniable truth."
"Even so, the [me of now] has sworn to love someone else, not you."
"……."
The smiling Priestess’s expression hardened.
"And if I may speak frankly—"
"Don’t say it."
"If the me from outside chose you, it was very likely out of pity, not love."
"Shut up!!"
Rumble rumble rumble rumble!
Enraged, the Priestess exploded with power.
At the same time, Hwan Seong's Divine Art shattered completely, and the four disciples collapsed, coughing up blood.
Thanks to Ma Seoyeon and Yoo Jeon joining in, they avoided immediate obliteration, but the damage was clearly critical.
"How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! How dare you! How dare you say that to me?!"
The Yoo Jeon standing before her now was not the Yoo Jeon she had once known.
And yet, at the same time, he was still the Yoo Jeon she remembered.
It was a contradictory notion, but that was precisely why the Priestess was truly enraged.
"Take those words back right now!"
"Sorry, but…"
Yoo Jeon looked at her with pitying eyes.
"The me standing here now is just a stranger who has nothing to do with you."
But pity was just pity. His words were cold as ice.
"Please, disappear quietly from this world."
"■■■■■!!"
As an inhuman shriek, not of this world’s language, burst from the Priestess’s mouth—
"Now, youngest."
Toward the Priestess, who had now revealed a complete opening, I unleashed the power I had been silently gathering until now.
Left Hand - Heavenly Demon Divine Art
Right Hand - Profound Heavenly Divine Art
Union
Heavenly Demon Resonance - Great Calamity Annihilation
Originally, this resonant energy could not be used alone, even at the realm of Transcendent Demon.
However, by combining my power with Cheon Yura's and forcibly drawing out the next level of power, I was able to manifest the Resonance on my own, though imperfectly.
Of course, it wasn’t something I could use in a one-on-one fight. I could only barely manage it if someone else created an opening like this.
But if I could just buy enough time to unleash this Resonance—
It could deal a fatal blow to anyone.
"Wh-What is this?!"
Sensing the abnormal waves of the incoming Resonance, the Priestess was visibly flustered.
Toward the panicked Priestess, the Heavenly Demon Founder smirked.
"Though the power is lacking, this is a strike from the living. It follows the proper flow of the law, so you will never be able to stop it."
"No… this can’t be!"
The Priestess hastily tried to summon her strength, but—
Grab!
Before she could, the Heavenly Demon Founder, already at her side, gently gripped her shoulder with a smile.
"Did you really think I’d just stand by and let you go?"
"Yu…seong!"
Just as the Priestess's face twisted into a demonic sneer—
Both she and the Heavenly Demon Founder were swallowed whole by the Resonance.
A massive dust storm clouded the surroundings.
Though it was an incomplete Resonance, its power undoubtedly surpassed even the Heaven-Slaying Annihilation.
It was the strongest strike I could possibly unleash.
'Please, let this be the end…'
Delivering Cheon Yura’s words to Cheon Yujeong was important, but if I could end it here, I absolutely wanted to.
However—
My hopes were quickly dashed.
The presence I felt beyond the dust was still intact.
No, rather—
Thuck!
"Keuk!"
A sudden, white something pierced straight through Ma Seoyeon's shoulder.
"Se-Seoyeon!"
It was so fast that no one here could react in time.
'Is that… not a tentacle, but an arm?!'
"Guh! Kuh… urgh!"
Ma Seoyeon gritted her teeth, grabbing the arm that had skewered her shoulder with venomous eyes.
As the dust settled, the previously enormous form of Heavenly Evil reappeared, now shrunken but with six arms.
"You've shown your true form. You think I’m going down like this?!"
"Seoyeon, stop!"
Yoo Jeon screamed, realizing what Ma Seoyeon was about to do.
However—
Ma Seoyeon calmly countered.
"You, of all people, what are you saying? After saying that to the youngest…"
"B-But!"
"Listen closely."
Ma Seoyeon shouted, blood constantly pouring from her mouth.
"I love you. Even if I fall to the underworld for the sins I’ve committed, this heart of mine will remain eternal and undying."
-That insolent brat, even until the end?!
A strange, eerie voice, a mixture of the Priestess and someone else, echoed from afar.
But Ma Seoyeon glared fiercely at her opponent and shouted back.
"You’re the insolent one! How dare you covet my man?!"
Ma Seoyeon’s body began to break down.
She had reached the final stage of the Heaven-Slaying Star, her body already transformed to the point where it was impossible to distinguish between flesh and Blood Demonic Energy.
And yet, Ma Seoyeon never let go of her hostility toward the Priestess.
She turned to me and shouted.
"You damned youngest brat. If you lose, I’m coming for you in the afterlife!"
"S-Senior Sister!"
"It was… fun meeting you."
With those final words—
Blood Explosion
Still clutching one of Heavenly Evil's arms tightly, Ma Seoyeon’s entire body exploded in a grand vortex of blood.