Chapter 479: Finale (4)
As soon as I opened my eyes, I felt something soft supporting the back of my head.
It was none other than Cheon Yura's thigh.
“Are you awake?”
“…Yeah.”
“It would have been better if there was something to cushion my thigh with, that’s a bit unfortunate.”
Her current attire was practically rags after the consecutive fierce battles.
She could cover her skin with Protective Energy, but fine-tuning its hardness or texture still required more practice.
“It’s not that hard, you know?”
Something I realized after being in contact with her skin—surprisingly, Cheon Yura lacked confidence in her own body.
To be precise, because she had trained her body to the extreme as a martial artist, she believed her charm as a woman was relatively lacking.
Of course, I didn’t think that way at all.
But before I could say anything—
“…Yura?”
Drip. Drip.
Something damp fell onto my face.
Before more drops of water could wet my face, I quickly raised my arm and gently traced the source.
“Don’t cry.”
“You bastard.”
My fingers, which were wiping the corners of her eyes, paused at the sudden curse.
She glared at me and spoke.
“If you pull that kind of stunt again, I’ll never forgive you.”
“…Alright.”
“Even if you fall into hell, I’ll chase you to the very end of it, tear apart everyone who stands in my way, grab you by the collar and drag you back.”
Somehow, that felt scarily plausible.
Could even the Kings of the Underworld stop Cheon Yura, who had surpassed the complete state and reached the ultimate form?
No, no—such a thing won’t happen anymore.
“You're mine. I won't send you to anyone else.”
Her eerie gaze pierced through my eyes.
“So don’t throw your life away pretending it’s for my sake.”
Squeeze!
Her two hands gripped my cheeks tightly.
“Promise me, Jin Yeomyung.”
I nodded without hesitation.
“Yeah, I will.”
But even with my promise, she looked somewhat unconvinced.
“If you break your promise again… you better be prepared.”
Squeeze!
“I’ll lock you in the deepest part of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion and never let you out again.”
“……”
“If you don’t want to see the sunlight ever again, go ahead and break your promise.”
“……”
Strange.
Heavenly Evil should have been completely separated.
So why is she scarier now than she was when she was Heavenly Evil?
Feeling a chill run down my spine, I got up.
Cheon Yura asked as I lightly stretched my body.
“How’s your body?”
“Not as bad as I thought.”
However, just as expected, the path to the Divine Territory was blocked.
Moreover, for some reason, I had the hunch that I wouldn’t be able to use the last of the Ten Swords, Bright Net Karmic Fate, anymore.
‘Bright Net Karmic Fate was somewhat connected to Bright Net Virtuous Flow, so I guess it’s only natural.’
It wasn’t something I developed under the concept of ‘attack’ in the first place, so I wasn’t too attached… but it was still a bit disappointing.
“How about you, Yura?”
“Hmm…”
She quietly picked up the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.
Unlike before, the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword no longer rejected her touch.
It was clear proof that she had regained her ego.
But then—
Heavenly Net Sword
Flinch!
The Heavenly Net, which she had used when she was still Heavenly Evil, began to manifest in her hand just as it had before!
“…That’s—”
In truth, there was little difference in the foundational principles between Heavenly Net and the Underworld Net Sword.
The critical difference came down to whether the power of Heavenly Evil was mixed in or not.
Yet, the fact that she could use Heavenly Net meant—
“Heavenly Evil’s will is gone, and only its power remains.”
“Does that mean…”
“Of course, it’s not the full power—at most, only this much of its remnant remains.”
Sssmile!
She suddenly looked at me and smiled ominously.
"Now, I can definitely win."
At the sight of her suddenly exuding fighting spirit, I instinctively took a step back.
"…Uh, Lady Yura?"
Her realm as Supreme Demon hadn't disappeared.
Of course, after suffering all kinds of ordeals, she would need several years of full recovery, so if I seriously weighed our chances now… about fifty-fifty?
But I no longer had any reason to fight her.
"I surrender."
"……."
When I raised both arms and knelt down, her expression, full of battle will, rapidly cooled.
"I have lost, my lady."
"…Do you have no pride as a man?"
"Is it really needed right now?"
"Even though you're one of the Four Great Heavenly Demons?"
"We’re equals now."
I had already planned to step down from the position of Cult Leader once Yura returned.
If anyone objected, I’d just suppress them with strength.
Even if I couldn’t use True Martial Arts, there were hardly any in the Central Plains who could withstand even a second of the Myeongra Ten Swords.
I gently took her wrist.
"Come on, come on."
"……."
She looked dissatisfied, but she didn’t reject my touch.
"We still have things to do, don’t we? There’s no need to waste your strength on an unresolved match, is there?"
I subtly took the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword from her hand and placed it back into the sheath on her waist.
"Isn’t it a bit too much to swing a sword again at your husband who came back from the dead?"
"…Hmph!"
Cheon Yura pouted at my words.
Well, the fact she handed over the sword and held my hand so easily meant that her display of fighting spirit was at least half a joke.
Her own way of showing affection, I suppose.
"If there’s something to settle, let’s do it later. We have things to do right now."
"Fine. I’ll let it go for now."
Cheon Yura and I simultaneously turned our gaze to one direction.
Our reunion was over—it was time to face the next problem.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"……."
Where our gaze fell, there stood a young man, half of whose face was covered in a black substance like tar.
"Han Mubaek."
In his past life, he was Cheon Yura’s husband and the First Command of the Heaven-Defying Society.
And now, he had fused with the remnants of Heavenly Evil at the final moment and turned into a monster.
That Han Mubaek appeared before us at the end.
Surprisingly, Han Mubaek's face looked calm.
There was no sign of tension or fear in his expression.
"You didn’t run away."
"Because I have no reason to."
Han Mubaek answered in a flat voice.
I tilted my head at his words.
"Why not? No matter how little, trying to digest what’s left of Heavenly Evil should mean hiding your body and waiting for the right time, no?"
"Hahaha! Yeah, that certainly would be the logical course."
Han Mubaek burst out in cheerful laughter.
"But two things are wrong."
"Two?"
"First of all, what I absorbed wasn’t some leftover."
Splat!
He grabbed the black, viscous fluid covering his face.
Then he peeled off a part and proudly held it out before us.
"The Essence. The very root of what made Heavenly Evil—pure essence among essences."
The black fluid reabsorbed into Han Mubaek’s skin.
"Just because it has no power doesn’t make it waste. As long as the essence is intact, restoring power is just a matter of time."
"…Maybe so."
"And secondly, now is not the time to run—but to advance."
Crunch! Crack!
Suddenly, the sound of bones crushing came from Han Mubaek’s whole body.
His facial structure twisted grotesquely, and his entire body began to swell, losing its human shape.
"Because time is not on my side anymore."
With those words, Han Mubaek completely lost his human form.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Four additional arms sprouted from his back.
The black mucus covering his face enveloped his entire body like black armor.
Aside from the number of arms, there was no trace left of Heavenly Evil—only a grotesque monster remained.
That monster, Han Mubaek, opened his mouth in satisfaction.
“I have finally found freedom.”
A monster so deformed that only barely could you recognize its facial features.
I looked at him with a slightly pitiful gaze.
“Is that the freedom you were longing for?”
Han Mubaek nodded.
“I lived my whole life as a spare vessel for the Grand Heavenly Lord. While others easily gained strength through the blood of divine beasts, I was stripped of even what I had, castrated, and forced into a miserable life.”
“……”
“Originally, I was planning to interfere when the Grand Heavenly Lord and that woman fought for control of the body…”
With only a trace level of Supreme Peak martial skill remaining, Han Mubaek would have had to worry about mere survival in Mount Tai, now transformed into a Demonic Realm.
And yet, he had been hiding and waiting for an opportunity—if things had gone as he said, it would have ended in a nightmare I couldn’t even imagine.
“Well, it’s not bad now. I’ve gained what matters most.”
Han Mubaek chuckled quietly.
“Becoming something other than human isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Even though Heavenly Timing has retreated, high-ranking divine beasts still remain strong, and remnants of Heavenly Timing’s presence still linger heavily across this land…”
Flash!
Unlike his smiling lips, his eyes gleamed with intense killing intent.
“If I eliminate the two of you right here and now, the world will inevitably flow in the direction Heavenly Evil desired.”
“And in that world, you’ll reign as the new Heavenly Evil?”
“Of course.”
Now I understood clearly why Han Mubaek hadn’t fled but sought us out instead.
Even if he ran, we would recover faster than he could regain his strength.
More importantly, divine beasts like Yinglong and the Four-Star Qilin were still alive somewhere in this world. Even if Han Mubaek regained some of his power, he would have to stay wary of them.
‘So he’s thinking that it’s better to settle things now while we’re all exhausted and devour us?’
Not a bad judgment.
Even if I’m spent, Cheon Yura still possesses this much of Heavenly Evil’s power.
His decision to strike at the right time—when to retreat and when to advance—was certainly commendable.
It was commendable, but...
“If you seriously thought you had a chance at winning, then you're truly a fool.”
Flash!
The Bright Spiral Opening the Heavens launched as a surprise strike toward Han Mubaek.
Even if I was exhausted, I still had the strength to contend with Gunggi and other Divine Beasts.
And with Yura at my side, Han Mubaek had no chance of victory.
But then—
Slaaash!
The condensed slash that could even split a mountain range tore through Han Mubaek’s enlarged body.
And yet, strangely, the area that had been split began regenerating as if it hadn’t been damaged at all.
“……!”
“Did you really think I stood before you with no plan?”
“…How?”
I frowned at Han Mubaek’s bizarre defensive capability.
Even without the power of the Earth Sage, the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art I cultivated as Jin Yeomyung still lingered.
Heavenly Demonic Divine Art, by nature, is the direct opposite of Heavenly Evil.
I refined that power through Transcendent Techniques and struck—at the very least, it should have caused some damage.
“Ah, I see.”
Thinking over the cause, I arrived at one conclusion.
“…Han Mubaek, you’ve stepped into the Divine Territory, haven’t you?”
“Kuhuhu! Correct.”
I didn’t know how it was possible, but there was no other explanation for the current situation.
‘Heavenly Evil’s body was definitely destroyed. No, even if it wasn’t, he should have been expelled from the Divine Territory at the same time as me…’
At that moment, Cheon Yura stepped beside me.
“That one might be in a situation similar to mine.”
“…A similar situation?”
“Just as the will of Heavenly Evil disappeared from me and only the power remained, that one’s will is gone as well—but his accomplishments and potential remain intact.”