“Ha….Hahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!”
The Predator of Massacre stared blankly at Heoju who was holding him by the neck, then burst into a maniacal laughter.
Heoju slowly pulled out his body from the tear in space while looking at the Predator of Massacre with bloodshot eyes. Lee Sungmin’s jaw dropped in surprise as he witnessed Heoju materializing.
“That’s too much!””
As the Predator of Massacre said so, he jumped up and shot himself out of Heoju’s grip. The being claiming to be the Predator of Massacre had nothing but a white face with nothing but a mouth. However, the face was indented with a large handprint from Heoju’s tight grip.Immediately, as he took a step back, the imprint on his face quickly swelled up and disappeared like it was never there.
“You almost lost control of your ego but remained strong-willed and even broke through the walls of his unconsciousness. You must have been quite desperate to save this human.”
“I made a promise, so I was not going to just give some empty words.”
Heoju spat out in a cold voice. At that, the Predator of Massacre laughed even louder.
“You must have heard everything then. Why you, of all monsters who were known to be incredibly powerful and unparalleled… died. Your death as the Nightmare of the South was only meant to be nourishment for this human. Even though you now know that, you still want to interfere?”
“What does that matter?”
Heoju answered the Predator of Massacre with a bitter smile.
“It wasn’t even an unfair death. If I had to die because I was too strong, then it should be celebrated, shouldn’t it! And nourishment? It doesn’t matter. Thanks to him, I’ve experienced quite a lot of fun things even after my death.”
There were no lies in Heoju’s words. Heoju briefly glanced at Lee Sungmin and spoke once more.
“This is rather good then. You’re the only problem left. If I take care of you here and now, that human won’t have to worry about becoming the Final Catastrophe.”
“Did you forget?”
The Predator of Massacre revealed his white canines in an eerie grin and then laughed.
“You’re too confident in your own strength. In the City of Endless Night, I remember the moment you saw me for the first time. I still remember your expression back then. You felt complete fear, didn’t you?”
Heoju didn’t answer the Predator of Massacre. But it was true. The Predator of Massacre grinned toothily as Heoju approached, remaining to stay silent.
“Your soul and existence should have been erased without a trace. Yet the Devil of Maryeong Pavilion played a trick on me and let your soul carry on! But I don’t hate you, don’t worry about that. You were the strongest monster to ever exist.”
Strictly speaking, the Predator of Massacre was not exactly a monster. At the time of the Apocalypse when the Final Catastrophe would happen, the regressor, whichever species they may be, would be turned into a monster. The Predator of Massacre was just the ego that took over the mind of the regressor to end the world.
“You were not only defeated in your prime because of the Devil from Mareyong Pavilion using its powers, but it provided a way for you to continue your legacy because it found you pitiful. If you had chosen to, you had the chance to ascend with that chance the Devil gave you.
Heoju quietly listened to the ridicule from the Predator of Massacre. He was right.
When Heoju had first encountered the mysterious being inside of Lee Sungmin’s consciousness back in the City of Endless Night, he had felt an unknown emotion for the very first time in his existence : fear.
Simply by locking eyes with the Predator of Massacre, Heoju had seen himself die several times over again and again.
But during that time, the Predator of Massacre also showed Heoju a road that led off to a place far beyond his comprehension. If Heoju had taken that path that the Predator of Massacre had shown him at the time, Heoju could have ascended and attained a power unlike ever before.
The Predator of Massacre at the time sat at the very end of the road, asking if Heoju would follow. At the time, Heoju felt fear of the strength that he saw at the end of that path.
But the current Heoju was not feeling fear. Rather, he was feeling a pleasant feeling of… liberation.
At that time, in the City of Endless Night. Heoju became aware of the possibility of a higher realm of power than he had attained while he was alive in the past.
Heoju since then, had not been playing in Lee Sungmin’s consciousness doing nothing. He was mentally connected to Lee Sungmin, and Heoju saw and felt what Lee Sungmin saw and felt.
With these experiences that Lee Sungmin had encountered, it also became a new set of experiences for the yokai named Heoju who had been once called the Nightmare of the South.
Originally, Heoju did not know about martial arts. However, Heoju now was able to learn about what martial arts was ever since he had been tied to Lee Sungmin’s consciousness. I also learned how strong humans who learned martial arts could become.
In particular, the power of Sima Ryunju, Lee Sungmin’s master. That power that Lee Sungmin inherited from the Black Heart and internal energy did not become Heoju’s but the martial sea of knowledge that was passed to Lee Sungmin’s consciousness, also had become a part of Heoju.
A monster that had become too strong for this world with sheer might and power that was ignorant of martial arts, had practically gained access to a sea of knowledge containing the very essence of the strongest martial arts in the world. With these things becoming Heoju’s weapons, he stepped forwards without hesitation. (T/N : Holy…. This is about to get sooooo lit)
The Predator of Massacre shook his head with a bitter smile.
“You can’t change anything.”
In the Predator of Massacre’s voice, there was actually a slight amount of genuine compassion and sympathy.
“You became such a powerful monster, but became nothing but a toy of fate to twist this world’s timeline. There is no more value in your existence. The regressor you possessed, has become nothing but a mindless monster and you cannot do anything about it but watch silently.”
Heoju didn’t stop walking towards the Predator of Massacre despite the cynical comments.
“It’s not hard for me to knock you down. Do you think that human will be helpful to you? Hahaha, he can’t even help at all. His consciousness was already completely occupied by me so his powers are now mine.”
It was as the Predator of Massacre said. Lee Sungmin also thought of attacking the Predator of Massacre several times during the conversation. However, Lee Sungmin could not access one bit of his own internal energy or powers.
Yet that seemingly limitless dantian full of internal energy and vast martial arts knowledge, was now the Predator of Massacre’s, who had effectively taken the place of Lee Sungmin’s ego and body.
“Hey.”
Lee Sungmin looked to see Heoju’s back. Heoju spoke but did not look back.
“I told you this a while ago. That maybe… just maybe, I had died in order to meet you.”
When Lee Sungmin heard Heoju say the words, he clenched his fist tightly.
Lee Sungmin didn’t have to feel guilty about it, but he did.
Lee Sungmin and Heoju did not even know in the past whether it was factual or just speculation, but hearing the words from the Predator of Massacre himself, was another story.
Even if Lee Sungmin was not directly responsible for Heoju’s death, he couldn’t help but feel guilty.
After all, wasn’t this Lee Sungmin’s responsibility? It was all because he regressed and he was much too weak. Because he was so weak, and would never have been able to reach this level of strength on his own, fate had distorted around him to give him privileges that now were inevitably showing their consequences.
Even if it was the Devil of Maryeong Pavilion’s intentions to choose Lee Sungmin, and it was them who distorted the fate around him, it was still Lee Sungmin who chose to take advantage of his regression in the first place.
“What difference does it make now that we know the truth?”
Tat .
Heoju took a single step forward with a deep sigh. He narrowed his eyes at the Predator of Massacre who had jumped back and was grinning at him from afar. Heoju slowly bent his knees, seeing the smug grin on the Predator of Massacre’s face.
Crack- Crack- Crack!
The sound of bones cracking and shifting around rang out from Heoju’s body. Heoju’s body was only materializing because this was the world of Lee Sungmin’s unconsciousness, but his might was ferociously powerful. His muscles began to swell and burst and then regenerate multiple times.
“I don’t regret meeting you. It was quite fun to see what you were doing despite only being a spectator with just his soul left. Rather than just ending my life pitifully and never waking up again, it was much more fun for this old man to travel with you despite only being a soul.”
“You’re saying something that’s not very monster-like.””
The Predator of Massacre spoke with cynicism and ridicule mixed into his voice. Heoju also nodded and laughed at the words.
“Isn’t it inevitable? Because I lived like a parasite due to that Devil’s magic leaving only my soul behind, isn’t it obvious that some of my ferocity has died down a bit?”
Crack… Crack…
Heoju’s muscles were slowly becoming compressed to their limits.
“Just know this : I had fun meeting you. I don’t know what fate exactly is still, but the years I’ve spent with you were so enjoyable that they were comparable to the life this old man used to live. And… as this old man said before…. I will protect you.”
‘I can’t let this happen.’
Lee Sungmin’s face paled as a terrible and fearful hunch came to him.
Lee Sungmin started to recall the scene of his master, Sima Ryunju, passing away.
The deaths of his friends and loved ones, including the Crazy Heavenly Demon. For Lee Sungmin, the existence of Heoju was difficult to compare with any of those.
When Lee Sungmin was the most anxious, depressed, and hopeless, it was always Heoju who had been through Lee Sungmin through thick and thin.
It was also Heoju that Lee Sungmin advised and pushed himself forward whenever he was in crisis in order to survive, grow stronger, and live without regret.
Heoju was a teacher, a friend, and a father to Lee Sungmin. (T/N : well shit… this is making me cry a bit.)
Lee Sungmin hurriedly reached out towards Heoju. Even if the gesture was completely meaningless, it was purely out of reaction because he did not want to see Heoju leave or disappear because of him.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Lee Sungmin heard Heoju’s voice as his body blurred suddenly.
Vwoosh!
Heoju hit the ground and jumped forward. Lee Sungmin’s body flew backwards from the shockwaves from Heoju’s movement.
“If I wanted to leave, I could have left you by yourself much earlier.”
Heoju spoke as if he still had no intentions of leaving amidst the sound of the space distorting to accommodate the large amounts of power being emitted by Heoju.
ROOOOOOOOOOAR !
With a tremendous roar, the mental world of Lee Sungmin’s that was placed in a state of unconsciousness, shook.
Lee Sungmin who was flung back into the darkness, was unable to see the clash between the Predator of Massacre and Heoju.
All Lee Sungmin could hear was a loud laugh and the sounds of something bursting and smashing apart.
‘Please….’
Lee Sungmin staggered and raised himself up.
‘Don’t make me despair over you like this….’
He wrapped his hands around his head. Lee Sungmin couldn’t feel the headache that had always been plaguing him for some reason.
But a greater fear was shaking his body.
The fear of learning everything that he just had. The fact that his life was nothing but a play, that nothing he had earned was from his own efforts, but the intervention of a Devil that had now thrown him away.
As a result of his own weakness, Lee Sungmin returned to the past to live a life better than his last.
‘That… that was why Mush had said that.’
Lee Sungmin realized the weight of Mush’s words when he left from the Mountain of Mush.
‘There are no such things as coincidences in the world.’
The same preferential treatment would have been applied to anyone who had been the one to regress to the past. The status window, the people that transmigrated from all dimensions into Eria, everything… it was all for a reason.
Even if it seemed like nothing but a coincidence when he first returned, Lee Sungmin now knew.
In his subconscious, he had always decided to get stronger. Because he wanted to prepare himself. Prepare himself to at least be worthy of regressing and taking that second chance.
Lee Sungmin sat down.
Mush had told Lee Sungmin everything that they could within the confines of casualty without breaking any obvious rules.
The reason he had grown stronger, and the reason he regressed.
It was because the Predator of Massacre was inside of him all this time.
Even if Lee Sungmin was an insignificant and powerless mercenary in his previous life, as long as he returned to the past, he had obtained the fate of becoming the Predator of Massacre.
Deep inside of himself, the Predator of Massacre was always asleep. Waiting for the time to come and, now it had finally become the time for it to emerge.
Lee Sungmin’s existence…
Lee Sungmin staggered to his feet and raised himself. In the end, he was nothing but a puppet. His entire existence was just to become a puppet who mindlessly gave up in front of the Predator of Massacre inside of him and would become the Final Catastrophe of the Apocalypse.
The Devil of Maryeong Pavilion had planned to try and get Lee Sungmin to avoid the fate of becoming the Predator of Massacre but threw him away because he was too weak to even stop that on his own. So because of that, Wijihoyeon was now being developed by the Devil of Maryeong Pavilion in order to stop him.
Lee Sungmin was not the main character in the world of Eria. He was a failure of a regressor that was now just being used as a supplement for Wijihoyeon to grow stronger than ever before.
‘I-I….’
Lee Sungmin fumbled in his thoughts with desperation. Could he do anything at all to reverse this situation? It was just like the time when he was helpless against watching his master die in front of his very own eyes. He didn’t want to see that happen. Not to Heoju. He could not bear to be helpless.
‘I don’t like it.’
Lee Sungmin clenched his teeth.
Of course he didn’t like himself. He hated the fact that no matter how strong he grew, he was always helpless in the times that mattered.
Even during the death of the Crazy Heavenly Demon and the death of his master, Sima Ryunju, Lee Sungmin hated himself for it. That was why he decided to inherit his master’s power through devouring his heart. He didn’t want to be helpless anymore.
“Ah.”
Suddenly….
Lee Sungmin felt that something had suddenly appeared in his hand. Lee Sungmin lifted it up. The object was glowing in a dazzling white light in the palm of his hand…… It was an awl.
In the past, when Lee Sungmin had killed An Zun, An Zun had used this very awl and had tried to stab Lee Sungmin. No matter how powerful he was, Lee Sungmin intuitively felt danger from this weapon. Musin had given it to An Zun as a secret weapon that seemed to be clearly unordinary.
Even Lee Sungmin did not know where and how this was to be used properly. He didn’t even know why the white awl had appeared in his hand at that moment.
Was this also fate? If so, when would it be the end of this never ending cycle of fate? Would it only end once Lee Sungmin became the Predator of Massacre? He did not know anymore.
“…… no more…”
Lee Sungmin clenched his teeth. He didn’t have time to do any calculations or ponder what was going on anymore. He didn’t even know what he was doing with the awl in his hand.
But Lee Sungmin knew… he knew he just had to do something. He knew he could not keep being like this and being so useless.
“Huh?”
To be honest, Lee Sungmin didn’t think that the Predator of Massacre would be able to fight Heoju so leisurely in the mental world. It was because even if it was an entity that was truly difficult to guage, it was only able to use Lee Sungmin’s original strength from his body.
And it was also because Heoju was the opponent.
Heoju was a monster that had long surpassed anything close to Lee Sungmin’s strength, but it was the Predator of Massacre who was treating the fight like a leisurely walk. However… the Predator of Massacre for the first time, narrowed his eyes with concern.
It was never Heoju that made the Predator of Massacre grow worried. In fact, this time, it was because he saw something in Lee Sungmin’s hand.“…..What are you doing?”
The Predator of Massacre suddenly asked with a hardened expression while fending off Heoju’s attacks. But Lee Sungmin knew he would never be able to do anything against the Predator of Massacre in such a weak state. But for some reason, Lee Sungmin was just going off his intuition this time.Lee Sungmin raised the awl and turned it 180 degrees. The tip of the awl was facing Lee Sungmin’s heart.
“STOP!”
The Predator of Massacre suddenly shouted realizing something was clearly wrong. There was a look of urgency and panic that had never been seen on the Predator of Massacre before. Heoju was also suddenly startled by the loud shout from the Predator of Massacre because he too had felt the Predator of Massacre treating him like a fly all this time.. When Heoju looked back at Lee Sungmin, The Predator of Massacre was suddenly flying at him at a ridiculous speed, trying to get to Lee Sungmin.
“WOOOOOARHHH!”
Heoju let out a primal roar and chased the Predator of Massacre. He grabbed the shoulders of the Predator of Massacre that were flying forwards and sank them into the ground.
The Predator of Massacre struggled with rough resistance to try and shake off Heoju as it needed to get to Lee Sungmin before it was too late.
“Keep going!”
Heoju shouted, weighing down on the shoulders of the Predator of Massacre with both his hands. Heoju didn’t know what Lee Sungmin was trying to do. However, seeing that the Predator of Massacre who had been aloof all this time, showed such a passionate response, it seemed that what Lee Sungmin wanted to do, was something that could affect the Predator of Massacre greatly.
While listening to all the shouting and roars echoing in the dark chasm of his mental world…..
Lee Sungmin gave strength to both of his hands that were holding the white awl as his eyes were shaking.
Twuck!
The awl pierced through his chest, his heart, and went all the way through to his back.