Chapter 109

Chapter 109

Before Suhyeok reached the Kunlun Sect's shrine...

CRAAAACK! CLANG!

The terrifying demonic energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art surged violently enough to swallow everything around it.

It was on an entirely different level from the avatar he'd fought on the 10th floor.

That had been only a half-complete imitation.

This was the true Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Every strike split the ground apart.

Every movement screamed danger at Suhyeok's survival instincts.

And more than anything...

Behind Cheon Soyeon loomed an enormous mass of unidentified demonic energy.

A Demon God created by the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

CRACK! CLANG!

Her attacks came from completely unpredictable angles, as though the technique itself had no fixed form.

Every time their swords collided, dense demonic energy spread across the surroundings.

One by one, Kunlun disciples began losing consciousness and collapsing.

The demonic energy Cheon Soyeon was emitting alone was enough to overwhelm them.

...This is bad.

Subduing her while she was running wild was practically impossible.

She wasn't called the Little Heavenly Demon for nothing.

And she wasn't the only problem.

The longer this dragged on, the worse things became for Suhyeok.

Even if he managed to stop her, what came afterward mattered.

Victory would still leave him with severe internal injuries.

If the Cult Leader or Martial Alliance Leader lost control afterward...

He couldn't guarantee he'd still be capable of winning.

He had to end this quickly and catch the bastard responsible.

[ W-What are you going to do now, nya?! ]

[ This could really turn into a disaster, nyaaa!! ]

Leon panicked helplessly.

Suhyeok shouted to him through telepathic transmission.

Leon! Buy three Spirit Herbs and Hypnos's Pillow from the Hidden Shop!

[ G-Got it, nya! Give me a second, nya...! ]

[Purchased Legendary ‘Spirit Herb’ from the Hidden Shop.] x3

[Purchased Legendary ‘Hypnos's Pillow’ from the Hidden Shop.]

[6,000,000 Coins consumed.]

A direct fight was impossible.

Bong Taesu, Lee Yumi, and Kim Hyuna were also struggling badly because they had to subdue the Kunlun Sect Leader rather than kill him.

That left only one breakthrough.

Crunch.

Suhyeok shoved all three Spirit Herbs into his mouth and chewed.

Messages appeared one after another.

[Spirit Affinity temporarily increases significantly.]

[Legendary ‘Ring of the Great Spirit’ amplifies the effect.]

[All Spirits respond to your call.]

At that moment, Suhyeok's vision filled with countless Spirits.

They were writhing in pain beneath the increasingly dense demonic energy.

The effects had already spread into the Spirit Realm itself.

This isn't enough.

As Suhyeok's Rank had risen, the range of what he could do with it had widened as well.

For example...

This.

[Using Rank to greatly amplify accumulated Spirit Affinity.]

It felt as though a large piece of his soul had been torn away.

That was what using Rank felt like.

[Player Lee Suhyeok searches for a Spirit to contract with.]

[Summoning ‘Neph, Spirit King of Sleep,’ who was sleeping somewhere within the Tower.]

At the same time, Cheon Soyeon's sword, wrapped in raging demonic energy, came crashing down.

Suhyeok met it head-on, deflecting as much of the force as possible.

CLANG! CLANG!

Neph appeared in the form of a drowsy hippopotamus, nodding off even after being summoned.

While continuing to fend off Cheon Soyeon's attacks, Suhyeok shouted,

"Neph, Spirit King of Sleep!"

"I want a one-time contract with you!"

"Put everyone here to sleep!"

[The Spirit King of Sleep gives you an uninterested look and lies down.]

Even after pushing his Spirit Affinity beyond its limits, it wasn't easy.

That made sense.

A Spirit and its contractor entered into a relationship of exchange.

A contract.

And the higher the Spirit's rank, the more demanding its conditions.

A Spirit King was on another level entirely.

But Suhyeok had already prepared everything.

[Player Lee Suhyeok wishes to negotiate with the Spirit King of Sleep.]

[The Spirit King of Sleep shows interest.]

[Legendary ‘Hypnos's Pillow’ offered as payment.]

Neph's eyes snapped wide open as though he'd instantly awakened.

Naturally.

It was a Spirit-exclusive item obtainable only through the Hidden Shop.

For a creature that loved sleep...

It was an irresistible offer.

[Neph, Spirit King of Sleep, accepts the contract.]

[All beings within a radius of approximately 3 km fall asleep.]

[Resistance impossible.]

In that instant...

Everyone except Suhyeok collapsed.

Bong Taesu.

Lee Yumi.

Kim Hyuna.

None of them were exempt.

"Heuk Mu... jin."

Thud.

Suhyeok caught the falling Cheon Soyeon and carried her somewhere safe.

He quickly checked her condition.

"Fortunately, she didn't suffer qi deviation."

He looked toward the mountain.

"But there's no time."

"I need to catch him now."

[Several Constellations urgently shout for you to climb Kunlun Mountain.]

[Several Constellations grant you a ‘Speed Buff’.]

Flash!

Back in the present.

Hyeon Doun couldn't believe it.

How could Suhyeok have reached this place so quickly?

It made no sense.

Had he already dealt with both Cheon Soyeon and the Kunlun Sect Leader?

Impossible.

Hyeon Doun had made sure neither could escape without being killed.

Once their demonic energy went berserk, the qi and blood throughout their entire bodies would twist out of control.

Subduing them without killing them should've been impossible unless the Cult Leader or Martial Alliance Leader personally intervened.

And even if those two had come...

They would've had to sacrifice an arm or a leg to stop them.

Yet Suhyeok looked completely unharmed.

...What the hell did he do?

As Hyeon Doun's confusion deepened, Suhyeok closed the shrine door behind him.

Click.

"What?"

Suhyeok looked at him.

"Surprised I'm completely fine?"

"According to your plan, everyone should've been killing each other down there by now."

"...Hahaha."

Hyeon Doun smiled, trying to hide his shock.

"Young Master, that's quite an exaggeration."

"But seriously..."

"How did you get here?"

He tilted his head.

"Judging by how uninjured you are, don't tell me..."

"Did you kill the Young Cult Leader?"

His voice was probing.

Then, seemingly realizing the answer from Suhyeok's expression, he smiled again.

"Looks like you didn't."

"Then how did you do it?"

"You left her rampaging behind you and came all the way here?"

"That should've been impossible...."

Suhyeok gave no answer.

He simply drew his sword.

Then pointed the blade straight at Hyeon Doun.

"Don't worry about it."

"Even if I arrived here perfectly fine, it's not like you intend to stop now, do you?"

"...Hahaha."

"Our Young Master has been saying nothing but correct things lately."

His tone changed.

"Yes."

"You're right."

"I have no intention of stopping."

He paused.

"No."

"More accurately..."

"I can't stop."

The servant Hyeon Doun from Suhyeok's memories was gone.

There was no longer any reason for him to hide himself.

"Everything I'm about to do will carve unbearable pain into everyone."

"And eventually..."

"That pain will become the foundation of peace."

"Shut up."

Hyeon Doun continued anyway.

"You think I want to do this?"

"But someone has to step forward and make the sacrifice eventually."

"Don't you agree..."

"Player Lee Suhyeok?"

Just like the Cult Leader...

Hyeon Doun already knew Suhyeok's true identity.

Of course he did.

He had spent more time beside Heuk Mujin than anyone.

There was no way he'd fail to notice such a drastic change forever.

Hyeon Doun spoke as though he were trying to justify himself.

Suhyeok's voice turned cold.

"You keep talking like this is some grand calling you've been entrusted with."

"Don't fool yourself."

"What you're doing isn't some noble act for peace."

"It's just bullshit."

Hyeon Doun covered his face with one hand and threw his head back, laughing.

"Hahahahaha!"

"Yes."

"You could see it that way."

"To someone else, it probably does sound like bullshit."

His laughter faded.

"But I don't care."

"This is the only way I can atone."

There it was again.

Through the gaps between his fingers...

That empty gaze.

They were inside Kunlun's ancestral shrine.

Behind Hyeon Doun stood two memorial tablets with familiar names.

...To think he was actually Kunlun's Sect Leader who supposedly died during the Great Orthodox-Demonic War.

Every piece finally fit together.

In the end...

What Hyeon Doun sought wasn't peace.

It was revenge disguised as peace.

He slowly lowered his hand from his face.

Then looked at Suhyeok with a bitter expression.

"...That's exactly why I didn't want to kill you with my own hands."

"I still don't."

"This is one thing I'm saying without a single lie."

Even so, Suhyeok showed no intention of lowering his sword.

Hyeon Doun's expression hardened.

Slowly, he raised one hand.

"Do you know?"

"Every Sect Leader of Kunlun has secretly inherited one particular martial art."

"And as you've already seen..."

"It can control anyone."

Simple mind control wouldn't work on Suhyeok.

No matter what Hyeon Doun pulled out now, it should've been useless.

But then...

"And this technique..."

"Can erase the martial arts someone has spent an entire lifetime building."

"Even if that person is the Cult Leader..."

"Or the Martial Alliance Leader."

In an instant...

His figure disappeared.

No sound.

No presence.

Only a hand piercing straight toward Suhyeok.

[Simulation activates.]

[You have selected: ‘2. Twist your body to evade, then create distance.’]

Flash!

The movement was smooth as flowing water.

Yet the hand itself struck with the merciless precision of a predator attacking prey.

Fssht.

It barely brushed Suhyeok's shoulder.

He immediately widened the distance.

The wound wasn't deep.

It had only grazed him.

Then...

Drop.

"...?"

Suhyeok couldn't feel anything on his left side.

It was as though every nerve on the left half of his body had been severed.

So this was what Hyeon Doun meant by erasing martial arts.

Good thing I have Simulation.

If that had hit somewhere else, I would've been in serious trouble.

[A target eligible for Trait Plunder has been detected.]

[Trait - Hyeon Doun]

• Azure Void Art-Destroying Form (S)

• Corrupted Pacifist (C)

It was an incredibly strange martial art.

Whenever Suhyeok tried to slash or thrust...

His attack couldn't cross a certain range.

It was smoothly redirected outward instead.

Every attack aimed at Hyeon Doun was deflected.

And then its own force was turned against the attacker.

Absolute defense.

Swish. Swish.

Suhyeok lightly moved his sword arm.

At least it's only my left arm.

My right side still moves fine.

Then....

[Seong-a uses ‘Form Transformation (S)’.]

[Transformed into ‘Rapier’.]

WHOOSH!

"...!"

A barrage of thrusts erupted with terrifying speed.

Suhyeok wasn't trying to slip through a gap.

He was attacking the defensive wall itself.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Flash!

Hyeon Doun instinctively stepped back.

Shock showed on his face.

He broke through my defense in that short amount of time...?

And I've never seen that weapon before.

Damn.

He got me.

Hyeon Doun looked at Suhyeok, who had already adjusted to his numb left arm.

"There is only one reason Kunlun's Sect Leaders inherited this technique without ever using it."

"Even if Kunlun itself were destroyed..."

"They refused to upset the balance of power."

Step.

Step.

"But I'm a traitor."

"I have no intention of chaining myself to rules like that."

"The only reason I didn't strip them of their martial arts before..."

"Was because I needed the war to continue."

In other words...

There was no longer any reason not to use it against Suhyeok.

A declaration that from this point onward, Hyeon Doun would stop focusing on defense.

He would attack.

"Don't worry."

"Even if you aren't really Heuk Mujin..."

"I won't kill you."

"We've spent too many years together for that."

His gaze sharpened.

"If you experience enough pain yourself..."

"Perhaps you'll finally understand peace."

He began walking forward.

No more conversation.

The energy flowing around his body sank heavily.

Suhyeok tightened his grip on his sword and prepared to attack.

Then...

[A certain soul reacts strongly to Player Lee Suhyeok.]

Suhyeok paused.

He checked the soul.

Then an unreadable smile appeared on his face.

"In that case..."

"I should teach you something too."

He stared directly at Hyeon Doun.

"Whether this is really the atonement you're supposed to carry."

[Shadow Monarch activates.]

[Dominating one soul wandering through the Nine Heavens.]

Shadow spread across the incorporeal soul.

A body slowly began taking shape.

The form of a woman.

Hyeon Doun stopped.

No.

More accurately...

He completely lost the will to attack.

Of course he did.

The identity of the soul standing before him was...

"...Brother."

Hyeon Doun's eyes widened.

"S-Sohee...?"

It was his younger sister.