It crashed through the Doppelganger’s Defense Aura like it was nothing. Lightning Annihilation required a combination of strength and power. The Lightning Annihilation of his subconscious was one of the most burdensome techniques to perform using Lee Sungmin’s real body. He had pierced through his Poisonous Vein, breaking through to the next level. His body had become incomparably powerful as compared to before, but it was still burdensome to perform all of the Nine Heavenly Spear techniques.
But not now. His body, now additionally supported by Heoju’s powers, was enough to reach the level of martial arts that he had in the world of his subconscious.
The Doppelganger’s body was greatly pushed back. It did not vomit blood or groan in pain. The monster moved forward to counterattack despite suffering a blow that would have been fatal had it been a human. It was a desperate attempt of an attack, with all thoughts of safety abandoned.
‘My arms…!’
He could feel his muscles rupture from the Lightning Attack just now. His weak hand tried to release the spear, but Lee Sungmin tightened his hold on it while biting his lip. While recovering the outstretched spear, he attacked and moved back. The Doppelganger, with a gaping hole on its chest, spread out its arms.
Kwakwakwa!
A black force swirled around the Doppelganger, making it look more calamitous than the person. The turbulent torrent of power swept through the surroundings. Lee Sungmin resisted using his inner strength and Heoju’s power.
[Amazing. That bitch… It isn’t even the real person and can still wield that much power? Is she really human?]
Heoju smiled and said. Lee Sungmin could feel Heoju’s powers coursing through his veins. His heart beat like crazy, and he gasped for air. He felt his stiff arms healing and strength returning to his legs.
‘Can I win?’
[It depends on what you do. I’m just lending you my power. or… Are you willing to hand over your body?]
Asked Heoju.
[If you pass your body over to me, I can even turn a ha’penny into a meatball. I can win even if the original person herself comes. What will you choose?]
He kept asking. It seemed like he was tempting him, but also it seemed like he was testing him at the same time. Lee Sungmin couldn’t tell what Heoju was trying to achieve from his question.
But the answer had been fixed from the beginning.
‘I have to do it.’
[Hahaha! You’re going to do it relying solely on your power? In the end, what use is there for that pointless pride?]
‘That’s right. It’s because of my pride. My body is too weak. I could give it to you, but there is something I want to do. I can’t give you my body yet.’
Lee Sungmin thought while gritting his teeth. The Doppelganger’s strength and Wijihoyeon’s strength would be different. However, he was sure of one thing. The 2100 years he spent practicing in his subconscious were not meaningless. It was vague, but he could see a way to fight the transcendental strength that Wijihoyeon had reached.
He knew because he had already experienced it. He would not have to struggle in this way if he could reach the level of martial arts that he had reached in his subconscious. Lee Sungmin was sure about that. At the same time, he felt a sense of anticipation and accomplishment.
The 2100 years were not meaningless.
[What a peculiar… fellow.]
Heoju was sympathetic to Lee Sungmin’s feelings. Heoju had no body, but was tied to a huge mass of power. It was now that those powers entered Lee Sungmin’s body from the armor. Heoju, who was partially assimilated to Lee Sungmin, had not possessed Lee Sungmin’s body, but even then, he could tell what Lee Sungmin was feeling with no need for words.
[Fine. I’ll lend you some more.]
Heoju could not understand the feeling of anticipation that Lee Sungmin felt. However, he knew that Lee Sungmin saying he had to do it was not without reason.
[Will you be able to hold out?]
The remark sounded quite vague because Heoju couldn’t be sure of it. At the same time, Lee Sungmin’s body was filled with an unparalleled huge force. He felt like his Dantian was being smashed. The power surging into his Dantian, flowed out into the meridians, forcing them to expand. He felt a lot of pain on the left side of his chest. The Black Heart was beating like crazy as it took in all of the energy.
He wanted to scream. It was his first time feeling such terrible pain. However, he couldn’t submit to the pain. Torrents of inner force, driven by the Doppelganger, swept through Lee Sungmin. He looked for his spear amidst the dizzying pain. The spear was already in his hands.
Nine Dragon Spirits.
A storm of nine dragons and inner force struck the Doppelganger. His Dantian was already filled to the brim. It was not necessary to replenish his inner force by taking the pills that he had remaining. The newly received inner force rushed in to restore his meridians. The nine dragons twisted around ominously, opening their mouths to swallow the dark storm unleashed by the Doppelganger.
The space where the forces had collided disappeared. The Doppelganger staggered slightly, using more strength than before. The monster’s martial arts had already surpassed humans. Heoju exclaimed, and Lee Sungmin walked forward. The spear in his hand was vibrating greatly. As he glanced down, the spear was dented, and the spearhead had cracked.
‘It hasn’t been that long since I got it repaired.’
He would have to see Selgerus again. Lee Sungmin smiled bitterly and opened up his Dantian and repaired his broken meridians. The pain continued to get worse, but Lee Sungmin continued to move. He had to move.
ㅡ Whooong!
A swirl of purple colors wrapped around the entire spear. The black aura covering the Doppelganger’s body gathered in her hands. This was the finale. Lee Sungmin could feel it intuitively. It wasn’t the Doppelganger’s last attack, rather it was Lee Sungmin’s last chance. Although his Black Heart was pumping with power, it was far from over if he couldn’t end it with this blow.
No. Lee Sungmin convinced himself that he could finish it. He began to perform with confidence. It would not be possible to do it using Shadowless, Lightning Strike, or Skill Stealing. He could not match up to the Doppelganger using Nine Dragon Spirit, and there was no guarantee that he could pierce through that dense black aura using Lighting Annihilation. Then he thought of the others. He should choose from the martial arts he hadn’t used yet.
The sixth move of the Nine Heavenly Spears technique.
Even in his subconscious, he was barely able to reach that level with harsh practices after a long period of time. It was impossible with his current body. If so, then when?
‘I can do it.’
Nine Heavenly Spears technique’s sixth move. Void Rendering.
(T/N: 空道 literally translates to Path Clearing move, but it sounds like an extreme form of it)
The purple aura surrounding his spear swelled greatly. Lee Sungmin aimed the spear forward with both hands and threw. At that moment, Doppelganger’s attack exploded and hit him. The moment it touched him, a large hole ripped through the wave. The Void Rendering move shook off the Doppelganger’s attacks and scattered it all over the place. Lee Sungmin endured the pressure on his hands and flew forward.
ㅡKwaaaaang!
The walls made of flesh exploded. It couldn’t stand the assault of the falling debris. Lee Sungmin looked for the way through the destruction. He had to go to the place where he had thrown his spear. He pierced through the debris-covered path with his stiff and tattered body. At the end, there stood a pale-faced Doppelganger.
That face.
ㅡPoooong!
“Euk-”
That was the last sound it made. The aftermath of the force ricocheted all over the place and scattered after becoming mist. The purple and black fog spread out and dissolved. As the fog scattered, Lee Sungmin looked down at the Doppelganger that had Wijihoyeon’s face.
With half of its body destroyed, the Doppelganger couldn’t move even if it wanted to. Lee Sungmin opened his mouth to say something while looking at the Doppelganger’s blinking eyes. However, he ended up closing his mouth without saying anything. Saying anything would be meaningless. It had Wijihoyeon’s face, but it was not Wijihoyeon.
Lee Sungmin pursed his lips and looked at his hand. The spear no longer had any hint of its former shape. It was unable to handle the influx of power. Lee Sungmin sighed and hung the spear behind his back.
Meanwhile, the Doppelganger closed its eyes.
It was completely dead.
[You win.]
Heoju murmured.
[How do you feel? Logically, it was not an opponent you could win against. You knocked that opponent down using my strength, not your own. Are you proud?]
“I don’t really have any feelings about it.”
Lee Sungmin muttered while leaning down. He reached out and rummaged through the carcass of the Doppelganger. He was worried that it might have disappeared because of the highway attack, but there was still something in its body. It was a fist-sized ore. It was not a Mana Stone. Lee Sungmin tilted his head and put it in his interdimensional pocket.
[Be prepared.]
Heoju said.
“What should I prepare for?”
[I am going to take back the power I poured into your body. There might be a severe backlash. If you don’t keep it together, you will die.]
It hurt so much that he felt like he was dying when receiving the power, and now it would happen again? Lee Sungmin was dumbfounded for a moment but sat down while nodding. It was strange that he used so much power without anything in return. Lee Sungmin replied while clenching his jaw.
‘I’m ready.’
[Hahaha!]
Along with the sound of his laughter, Heoju’s power, which was in his body, was sucked away. The power emanating from his body hovered in the air and then went into the armor worn by Lee Sungmin.
He nearly lost his mind.
Although Lee Sungmin was accustomed to various kinds of pains, all of the pain he had felt so far felt like a joke in comparison. He felt like his Dantian was being cracked and meridians torn apart, and his muscles felt like they were going to burst. His bones felt like they were being chilled with ice and burned by fire at the same time, and his blood seemed to flow in reverse. Lee Sungmin opened his mouth and made a croaking sound.
[Can you stand up?]
Heoju’s voice sounded like it was far away. Lee Sungmin writhed in pain for a long time. If he couldn’t hold it together, he would die. What Heoju said was true. The pain was so terrible that he almost could not stand it and would rather choose to die.
Much time had passed. The pain that felt like it lasted an eternity finally ended. Lee Sungmin opened his closed eyes. His whole body was soaked with cold sweat, and his lips were bloody from being bitten. He tried to stand up, but his body refused to cooperate.
“You, are you okay?”
Rubia was standing nearby. She was stomping down with her feet on the side, and as she saw Lee Sungmin regain consciousness, she came up to him in a hurry. Lee Sungmin, who barely managed to prop up half of his body, took a deep breath and looked at Rubia.
“Why didn’t you do anything?”
“I’ve been working hard – wiping your sweat and your blood away.”
“You don’t know how to perform healing magic?”
“Nope.”
Rubia replied while pouting. Still, it didn’t seem she had not done anything at all. Rubia’s robes were wet with blood and sweat. There was nothing to wipe him with, so it seemed like she used her own robes to do it.
“The time… How long has it been?”
“About an hour…”
Was he in pain for an hour? Lee Sungmin laughed and stood up using a cane. There was no strength in his legs, but he had to move.
“What, what are you doing?”
“I have to go.”
Lee Sungmin replied, taking a deep breath. Although the throbbing was severe, his bones were not actually damaged. His muscles hurt, but he could tolerate this much.
Lee Sungmin looked at the mini-map at the edge of his field of vision. During the fight against the Doppelganger, he didn’t care. There was only one other person left in the dungeon, except Lee Sungmin. So he had to check.
Lee Sungmin went back the way he had come while dragging his feet. The surroundings were very messy, but finding the way was not difficult, thanks to the mini-map. He had confirmed that the Doppelgangers were all dead, so even if he was in poor shape, there was no reluctance in his actions.
He could see Crimson Elder’s corpse. Traces of axe marks and intestines spilling out could be seen clearly on the horribly mangled body. Lee Sungmin looked around, breathing hard.
“This… There are traces of magic.”
Rubia said while looking at Lee Sungmin’s eyes.
“… Magic? What magic?”
“I’m not sure… Wait.”
Complex magical formations appeared around her. Rubia, who had closed her eyes for a moment, hesitated and glanced at Lee Sungmin.
“It’s all right.”
Lee Sungmin nodded at her to go ahead. Rubia sighed at the remark and said.
“… A type of movement magic was used here. It could have been used to escape the dungeon.”
Baek Sogo, Jang Deuksu, and Chwigeol could not perform such high magic. It was probably a scroll.
“… Can you tell me in more detail?”
“Ah… Yes. Three people have moved from here using the spell. I don’t know exactly who went out though.”
“Okay.”
That was enough.
Baek Sogo did not die. She got out of the dungeon along with Chiwgeol and Jang Deuksu. That would do. He was satisfied. He had entered this dungeon to save Baek Sogo. It was no exaggeration to say that he had come so far to stop Baek Sogo’s death.
He had achieved it.
“… Then…”
Lee Sungmin began to move again while panting. Seeing him move again, Rubia became alarmed and clung to him.
“Wh-where are you going?”
“Forward.”
Lee Sungmin responded as he swallowed in response to the pain in his body.
“I have to move forward.”
He looked at the mini-map.
There was a yellow dot at the end of the dungeon.