Chapter 474: Heavenly Evil, Cheon Yura (3)
If it was within this space of the Mirror of Karma, then safety and full power—these two contradictory concepts—could coexist.
However, I deliberately refrained from activating the Thought Domain.
When the Thought Domain was activated through Mirror of Karma, it rendered both parties equal, and within that, who knew what kind of variables might arise.
"Come at me. As a martial artist, I will receive your full strength honorably."
I declared to Yura with pride.
"Jin Yeo...myung."
She, who had been gasping in pain, barely managed to steady her breath.
"You, damned scammer."
"……."
Yura, having regained her composure, glared at me as if she wanted to kill me.
"Spit it out truthfully. What other crap have you hidden?"
I calmly lied through my teeth.
"There's nothing else."
"Don't talk nonsense. Do you think I'd fall for that when you and I are not strangers?"
Hm.
At her sharp denial, I swallowed my sigh inwardly.
To see through my thoughts this accurately…
Since she carried Yura’s memories and identity, she was nothing short of troublesome.
Still, hearing her say such filth with that beautiful mouth… There was no way I could accept that as pure Yura’s words…
"Just from your expression, I can tell what you’re thinking. But know this—every crude word that comes out of my mouth, I learned from none other than you."
"……."
With too much to be guilty about, I couldn’t say anything.
"You were never truly a martial artist, even before."
‘Hm?’
For a moment, I felt a subtle shift in the light within her eyes.
"And yet, at some point, you grew strong enough to surpass me, ignoring all environmental constraints."
"That’s…"
Before I could say anything, she interrupted me.
"I know. The reason is…"
Her eyes, for some reason, turned slightly warm.
"That this isn’t your first life."
"……."
"The moment I realized that, I also understood why you kept avoiding speaking."
She reached her arm forward.
Then, atop her outstretched palm, something complex like the circuitry of a machine began extending toward the sky.
‘Causality.’
That thing was a manifestation that made the law of causality—the principle constructing this world—visible to the naked eye.
It was an impossible feat for the current Yura.
But now, coexisting with Heavenly Evil, it wasn’t entirely out of reach.
"Even after learning the source of your talent, I can’t erase this one thought."
A twisted smile formed at the corner of her lips.
"That I want to kill you even more."
"Is that so?"
Rather, I acknowledged her words with gladness.
The more she said such things, the easier it became for me to separate Yura from that.
She placed her hand over her lower Dantian.
"More than anything, if I kill you, I feel like I can also erase this ‘thing’ stirring inside."
"……."
For a brief moment, a crack nearly formed in my firm composure.
I had sensed the discomfort from the beginning, but inside her, as expected…
"Yeah, I can guess to some extent why you’re doing all this."
Her killing intent began to rise more and more.
"I won’t think about it any further. What you’re thinking is obvious anyway."
Ssshk!
"You’ll receive my full power? Then take it to the very end!"
Flash!
Her sword closed in.
Once she realized the Bright Net Sword didn’t work, she immediately opted for a close-quarters fight.
Swift sword strikes aimed at my entire body’s acupoints.
However, as she had originally specialized in strong sword techniques, there was no way she could win through speed alone.
I didn’t even use the Seal of the Heavenly Demon—I received her attacks matching her current level.
Clang-clang-clang!
Thrusts aimed at more than ten of my vital acupoints bounced off completely.
Yet still, she persistently swung her sword, seeking my life.
From swift sword to strong sword, from strong sword to illusion sword.
The Heaven-Slaying Demon Sword’s Twelve Manifestations dazzled the eyes, and as I peeled those away, Reverse Soul Flame unfolded, devouring my attacks.
Just like that, in a flash, nearly fifty seconds of intense exchanges passed.
Despite all her efforts being ineffective, she persistently and steadily struck at the wall that was me.
As I received her attacks, I came to realize one thing.
‘The more techniques she unleashes, the stronger their power becomes. And...’
Her speed too, was increasing.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The exchange between her and me had reached a level so intense that each strike created massive shockwaves.
Power, speed, and precision.
With every exchange, she drove me back as though she was reclaiming a lost realm of mastery at an overwhelming pace.
I assure you.
If we had exchanged swords without activating the Mirror of Karma, not just the summit of Mount Tai but the entire surrounding area would have been reduced to ruins.
Boom!
At some point, Yura spread a massive shockwave, shaking off my advancing form.
And the moment my body was pushed back slightly, a double helix gathered once more on the blade of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.
"……!"
There was no way someone like her, a genius of combat, would reuse the Bright Net Sword after it had failed once, without a reason.
As expected.
Unlike before, this time, a strand of the spiral embedded within the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword emitted an ominously pure white light.
That was undoubtedly the power of Heavenly Evil.
"Die."
Her sword shot toward my heart, ignoring space and time.
Heavenly Net
I once again refrained from using the Heavenly Demon Seal and instead unleashed a portion of my full power.
Bright Net Opening the Heavens
One of the ten Transcendent Techniques I had established upon reaching the realm of Supreme Demon, the first style of the Bright Net Ten Swords.
The potential infused in her sword at that moment had so thoroughly exceeded my expectations that I had no choice but to respond with it.
Her piercing Heavenly Net Sword collided directly with Bright Net Opening the Heavens.
Flash!
As the slash and stab collided, the space at the impact point began to warp.
‘...The space of Mirror of Karma?’
Even the subspace of Mirror of Karma, which hadn’t flinched even when Hwan Yul had unleashed her Divine Sorcery, began to crack under the aftermath of these two techniques.
In the end, her Heavenly Net Sword and Bright Net Opening the Heavens mutually annihilated, but I was somewhat shaken by her growth, which had far exceeded my expectations.
"I see. So this is how it feels."
Perhaps because she had drawn upon power beyond her current realm.
She looked a little fatigued.
However—
"Originally, this would’ve taken quite some time, but regardless, I’ve reached it."
She smiled, clenching her left fist tightly.
"Just a bit more, and I’ll be able to fully adapt."
"……."
"Something slumbering within me is whispering. Telling me how to wield this power, how to use it."
Her eyes were hazy, like a patient addicted to drugs.
Not the kind of person who climbs the mountain slowly and reaches the summit through effort, but someone who, with outside help, is suddenly thrust to the next level—a classic case.
A rapidly transformed environment. A sudden expansion of perspective.
The moment a martial artist realizes they can see further and do more, they feel a supreme ecstasy beyond anything.
A phenomenon common in those who break through realms by force through miraculous encounters or spiritual medicine, and the most likely moment they succumb to Qi Deviation from intoxication with power.
Originally, her natural talent was so high that such a thing should never have happened.
‘But the realm of Supreme Demon is high enough to devour even the gift of the Divine Demonic Physique...’
Originally, I should have been pleased with her condition.
The deeper she delved into martial arts, the higher she climbed in realm, the weaker her union with Heavenly Evil should become—or so I had thought.
However—
For some reason, the moment I saw her now, I felt that I had made a misjudgment.
"That power is not one you built up on your own."
"That’s right."
She agreed without resistance.
"But in the end, all things are perfectly harmonized and unimpeded, so it doesn't matter what path you take as long as you reach the extreme."
"That phrase isn’t meant for this kind of situation...!"
She coldly cut off my words.
"Indeed. You think I borrowed someone else’s power to reach this, but this power, too, is originally mine. Of course, the self born at the end of this path may differ from the original me..."
She smiled slyly and touched her temple with her index finger.
"But that self will still be a being called Heavenly Evil, so the result is the same."
"……."
"You and that little black wolf seem to have made a plan to awaken forgotten martial arts and separate the essence."
The sword force of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword stood upright, locking onto my heart.
"I dare proclaim, that plan has utterly failed."
"……."
"Now then, what is it you can do?"
She mocked me with a sneer.
"Aside from killing me, what can you even do?"
As I received her heavy barrage that began once again, I countered with a question.
"What can I do, you ask?"
The answer to that question came again from my mouth.
"Many things."
There were still many cards left.
What I had prepared was not yet exhausted.
However, since the situation was clearly worse than expected, I had to play my decisive move before it was too late.
Even as her offensive raged like a storm, I calmly closed my eyes.
"…How dare you."
Crack!
It is said that for those of our level, sight is not of much importance. But in truth, vision is the most valued of the five senses and accounts for over seventy percent of human perception.
To voluntarily shut off such a sense meant, among martial artists, an act of scorn or looking down on the opponent.
"Even to the end, all you think about is mocking me."
"Not really."
The reason I closed my eyes now was not to disrespect her.
Rather, it was to fully acknowledge her strength and exert my full power.
Fwoosh!
In an instant, the skin across my body turned red.
But that red skin soon began to turn black, and eventually started to morph into a form akin to external armor.
"……!"
Only then did she realize what I was doing and began to concentrate all her power into a single strike.
"Foolish move!"
Just as her full-powered thrust was about to pierce my heart—
The blackened flesh began to shine, as if embodying a cosmos filled with starlight.
Asura God Final Realm
Transcendent Technique
Earth Sage Body
The ultimate and strongest power of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan, and the apex all martial artists of the Jin family had sought for a thousand years.
The Earth Sage Body, which surpassed even the Demonic Sky Body, fully activated and repelled the sword imbued with the power of Heavenly Evil.
I grabbed the blade of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword, which was being pushed back, with my hand.
Whether her claim of adapting was not a lie, her sword continued to grow stronger, even pushing against the resistance of the Earth Sage Body.
At this rate, if enough time passed, she might even pierce through the defenses of the Earth Sage Body.
But I had not activated the Earth Sage Body solely for defense.
"True Martiality."
Twitch!
At the mention of that name, her pupils trembled.
"Bright Net Virtuous Flow."
It was slightly earlier than expected.
But now was the final chance to bring this to an end while minimizing sacrifice.
Flash!
Not the abridged version I had used against Marcheol-su, but the full-powered Bright Net Virtuous Flow unfolded, and the massive light engulfed both her and me.