Chapter 113

Chapter 113. Subjugating Phenex (3)

─ Phenex’s attack just got nullified, right?

─ What the hell happened?

─ Can’t you tell just by looking? Joo Minha canceled it.

─ Joo Minha did?

─ Yeah. She nullified magic when they fought Sama Yun before too.

─ Demonic beam attacks are basically an advanced form of Magic Bullet-Type Magic. They’re still based on magic power, so Joo Minha should be able to shut them down.

─ Come to think of it, didn’t the ‘Leader of the Expedition’ upload a video explaining that?

─ Why do you keep advertising that guy’s channel here? Get lost.

─ Everyone already knows the ‘Nameless King’ and the ‘Leader of the Expedition’ are on the same side. Why are you making a fuss about it?

─ Still, completely nullifying an attack from a Demon God-class demon... that’s insane.

─ Why does she even have an ability like that? I didn’t watch the ‘Leader of the Expedition’ video. Did he explain it there?

─ I don’t think so...

─ It’s probably an Awakening Skill.

─ An Awakening Skill? Seriously?

─ Kang Yujin has one too. There’s no reason Joo Minha couldn’t have one.

─ What? I thought you actually had evidence.

─ She doesn’t seem to use it often, so it honestly sounds plausible.

─ Yeah, there’s a chance.

─ Awakening Skills are something veterans with long combat experience learn at an extremely low probability. Joo Minha isn’t at that level.

─ Then what about Kang Yujin?

─ Kang Yujin is kind of a special case...

─ Anyway, Joo Minha is incredible too. She doesn’t stand out that much, but Kang Yujin would’ve died ages ago without her.

The duration of Joo Minha’s [Disruption Barrier] varied depending on the situation.

Even Joo Minha herself seemed unable to know how long the barrier she had deployed would last until she actually tried it.

Either way, Phenex won’t be able to use Destructive Light in this battle.

With Phenex’s most dangerous weapon sealed, Kang Yujin charged at him like a madman.

Phenex frowned as he pulled the Durandal Replica from his chest.

Not only the wound in his chest, but even the hand gripping the spear shaft was melting.

Yet he didn’t seem particularly bothered by it.

“Fool...”

After pulling out the Durandal Replica, Phenex hurled it back at Kang Yujin.

Kang Yujin barely managed to catch the spear flying at terrifying speed.

But the instant he did, he realized Phenex had already moved to his side.

“You certainly caught me off guard. That itself was not bad. However...”

"...!"

Phenex’s fingertips stabbed toward Kang Yujin’s chest.

This wasn’t a probing attack.

Phenex was genuinely trying to kill him.

“Even without my beam attack... ending your life is easy enough!”

It was impossible to evade completely.

Phenex’s fingertips sliced Kang Yujin’s chest like a sharp blade.

If Kang Yujin hadn’t upgraded to higher-grade protective clothing, he would have collapsed in a spray of blood.

Even while shuddering at Phenex’s speed and technique, Kang Yujin refused to retreat.

He aimed for Phenex’s heart.

The same spot the Durandal Replica had pierced earlier.

The wound was rapidly closing, but it hadn’t fully healed yet.

Just as Kang Yujin tried to drive his fist into it, the back of Phenex’s hand knocked his punch aside.

A gap appeared for a split second.

Phenex’s fingertips slipped into it.

This time, blood burst from Kang Yujin’s left arm.

“And how disappointing!”

Phenex roared as fighting spirit erupted from his entire body.

“I had wondered whether you had improved, but your abilities have hardly grown at all!”

“It hasn’t even been a few days. How much were you expecting?”

“Silence! Shameless wretch!”

Kang Yujin’s refusal to stop provoking him only made Phenex’s expression darker.

He charged again.

Phenex was deeply displeased.

Most Demon God-class demons took pride in believing that their minds and spirits were nobler than those of humans.

Many of them had originally been angels or indigenous gods.

From birth, they had been spiritual beings of a far higher order than humanity.

Because of that, they valued spiritual ideals more highly than material desires.

When Phenex spared Kang Yujin before, it had been a reward for successfully striking him through an unexpected attack.

An inferior being had worked hard, used his head, and achieved an impressive feat.

From the perspective of a higher existence, it was something worthy of reward.

So Phenex had shown generosity.

He had given Kang Yujin a chance to become stronger and challenge him again.

By Phenex’s standards, it had been an honorable act.

Showing mercy to a lesser being proved that he possessed the magnanimity befitting one who stood above others.

If Kang Yujin had taken that opportunity, gritted his teeth, trained desperately, and returned stronger, Phenex would have been pleased.

In ancient times, Phenex had once been worshiped as a divine being.

And like many beings of that kind, he took pleasure in nurturing promising warriors.

Of course, the greatest pleasure would have been defeating that improved Kang Yujin thoroughly and displaying the overwhelming might of a superior being.

Still, Phenex had genuinely wanted Kang Yujin to train hard and return.

But what was this?

Only a few days had passed.

Kang Yujin had secretly infiltrated Phenex’s territory.

He had caused chaos everywhere and killed Arioc.

Then, while Phenex was away, he had even wrecked the command headquarters.

It was utterly absurd.

Kang Yujin possessed not even the slightest reverence for the one who had spared his life.

If only those women hadn’t interfered...!

Phenex cursed Ha Mina and Daji in his heart.

If not for them, he would have eliminated Kang Yujin immediately.

Even if Kang Yujin was an important Vessel for the “plan.”

“How long are you going to keep running away, you cowardly bastard?!”

Phenex shouted furiously as he chased Kang Yujin.

But Kang Yujin cleverly fled while destroying the command headquarters around them.

He toppled a watchtower to block Phenex’s path.

He shattered the floor to evade Phenex’s attacks.

“You truly flee in the most disgraceful manner!”

“If you hate it that much, catch me.”

“You...!”

Phenex finally closed the distance.

His fingertips shot toward Kang Yujin’s head.

Kang Yujin knocked the attack aside with the back of a hand equipped with the Saint’s Iron Fist, then jumped through a nearby window.

“Fool!”

Phenex leaped out after him.

He quickly swept his gaze across the surroundings and smiled.

“To run into such an open space... Now you truly have nowhere left to go.”

“What is this place?”

“A training ground.”

Just as Phenex said, Kang Yujin had landed in a wide open field.

There were few obstacles here.

He would no longer be able to keep fleeing while using the terrain to interfere with Phenex.

“Now, then...”

“There’s one thing I want to confirm.”

Kang Yujin interrupted him.

“The life energy you took from the Church of the Morning Star.”

“What?”

Most of what had happened beneath the Church headquarters had already been uncovered through investigation.

Ha Mina and Phenex had placed many people, including Church executives, inside a special solution and conducted some sort of ritual to extract their life energy.

Phenex had absorbed that life energy.

“Why did you absorb it? Has your body weakened so badly that you need to drain life force from humans?”

“Ridiculous. Why would I ever need to do such a thing?”

Apparently the provocation worked.

Phenex snorted and answered.

“I merely transported it using my body. There is no safer place than inside me. That energy is no longer within me.”

“Then where did it go?”

“I see no reason to tell you that much.”

Unfortunately, that was all Phenex revealed.

Still, it wasn’t a major problem.

At least Kang Yujin had confirmed that Phenex had not consumed all of the energy for himself.

“Phenex.”

“What now? If you’re trying to stall for time...”

“Thanks for fighting me.”

“What?”

“Because of you, I’ve figured out most of what you can do.”

Kang Yujin looked directly at Phenex.

“You’re not as impressive as I expected.”

Phenex stared blankly for a moment.

It seemed he hadn’t properly understood what he had heard.

“What?”

“You’re definitely strong. Your Destructive Light is absurdly powerful, and your regeneration is ridiculous. But aside from those things... you’re not all that impressive.”

That was the truth.

Phenex undoubtedly possessed tremendous power.

But if the question was whether he was an exceptional warrior...

then Phenex wasn’t particularly impressive.

“Most of the powerful opponents I’ve fought until now had something I could learn from.”

Lee Jukheon.

Sama Yun.

Jegal Geum.

Lee Hyeonje.

Cheon Sangwoon.

Kang Yujin had learned something from fighting every one of them.

He had come away thinking, So there’s a way to fight like that.

“But there’s nothing I can learn from you.”

“What are you... saying?”

“Your power is great. Your speed is great too. But... your technique is nothing special.”

During their previous battle, everything had happened too quickly for Kang Yujin to judge clearly.

But now, after fighting Phenex again, he understood.

If one excluded Destructive Light and his regenerative ability...

Phenex was weaker than Arioc or Cheon Sangwoon.

His physical specs might be superior.

But his overall combat ability was lower.

“You bastard... Now you’re insulting me in every possible way!”

“It’s true.”

During their previous battle, Phenex had taken every one of Kang Yujin’s attacks head-on.

As if showing off his toughness and saying that nothing Kang Yujin did could hurt him.

But perhaps, in reality...

Phenex simply lacked the technique necessary to evade or deflect those attacks with ease.

“You’re a creature with no real technique, surviving only because of an invincible-looking regenerative ability. That’s what you are.”

“You...!”

“Of course, that regenerative ability really is impressive.”

Kang Yujin spoke calmly before the enraged Phenex.

“In our last fight, I couldn’t find a proper way around it.”

“Around it? You said you would overcome it? Ridiculous!”

Phenex spat the words in a harsh voice.

“A worthless human like you could never overcome my infinite life, not even after eternity!”

“There’s no such thing as infinite life.”

“If you believe that, prove it, Kang Yujin!”

Phenex moved.

His expression was resolute.

It was as if he were saying he would listen to no more of Kang Yujin’s nonsense.

He’s completely lost his temper.

Kang Yujin watched Phenex’s face.

This should be enough.

And then...

he confirmed that everything had proceeded exactly according to the Nameless King’s instructions.

Phenex was one of the Seventy-Two Demons.

A Demon God-class being who possessed the dignity of a ruler.

To defeat someone like that, they needed to insult him so thoroughly that he lost his reason.

Every action they took after infiltrating Pandemonium had been a trap designed to humiliate Phenex and provoke him.

That was the instruction from the Nameless Constellation that Number 49 had delivered to Kang Yujin’s entire group.

Magnificent, Nameless King.

Praising him inwardly, Kang Yujin kicked off the ground.

If Phenex had not become obsessed with a one-on-one duel and had instead calmly tried to regain control of the situation, this opportunity would never have appeared.

Even if Phenex had merely gathered his subordinates and temporarily retreated from the headquarters, Kang Yujin would have had no chance of winning.

Phenex could have escaped Joo Minha’s [Disruption Barrier] and regained access to Destructive Light.

Even now, Phenex was so enraged that he kept trying to defeat Kang Yujin through close combat.

After hearing Kang Yujin insult his technique, he would be even more determined to crush him in a direct fight.

Without realizing that he was charging headfirst toward defeat.

[Great Blessing descends from your contracted Constellation, ‘Nameless King’!]

[All your stats increase greatly for five minutes!]

At that moment, as if he had been waiting for this exact instant, the Constellation’s Blessing descended.

Twenty-four hours had already passed since Kang Yujin received the previous Great Blessing.

Naturally...

the same was true for the cooldown of his Awakening Skill, [Shatter Everything].

“Kang Yujin...!”

Phenex roared and thrust his fingertips forward.

Fast.

Sharp.

But Kang Yujin could predict every trajectory.

If he knew exactly where the attack would come from, speed and sharpness no longer mattered.

He simply had to place a “shield” in its path before it arrived.

Bang!

With a hand equipped with the Saint’s Iron Fist, Kang Yujin perfectly deflected Phenex’s attack.

He blocked every follow-up strike just as easily.

The Saint’s Iron Fist lacked enough offensive power to surpass Phenex’s regeneration.

But as defensive equipment, it was more than sufficient to stop his attacks.

Tap! Tap!

Kang Yujin used Phenex’s own motion against him, shoving his arm aside and creating an opening.

Then he stepped powerfully into that gap.

Using Zhenjiao to draw up his strength, he struck Phenex directly in the torso.

"...!"

Phenex’s eyes widened.

Not because he had taken serious damage.

Because he himself realized that Kang Yujin had completely defeated him in the battle of technique.

BOOM!

Then came the Hwaseong Sect Shoulder Crash.

Kang Yujin slammed into Phenex with his full body.

For the first time, Phenex’s body lifted slightly off the ground.

“You... a mere human...!”

Kang Yujin couldn’t help but smile at the words that came out of Phenex’s mouth.

The Phenex who had seemed so overwhelmingly powerful when they first met now looked like nothing more than a petty villain.

The ones who had reduced him to this state were the Nameless King...

and Kang Yujin’s group, who had followed his instructions.

I will defeat him, Great One.

Kang Yujin clenched his fist.

Perhaps because Phenex possessed seemingly immortal life, his absolute weak point was extremely difficult to identify.

But now that Kang Yujin had broken through every guard and lifted him into the air...

he could land [Shatter Everything] perfectly.

[Heavenly Splendor Great Thunder] erupted.

Lightning-like internal energy swept across Phenex’s body.

And then...

[Shatter Everything] exploded.

Phenex’s agonized scream echoed loudly through the training ground.