Chapter 175: Heaven-Surrendering Martial Emperor (7)

Inhale.

I took a breath. Bang! Bang! The vibrations continued to echo throughout my body.

The fragment of the Demon God.

And the power that devoured holy power.

Divine.

And evil.

The opposing forces continuously collided.

The sheer power emanating from their collision was tearing my insides apart.

Power that started from the strength of faith and negative emotions.

The two energies refused to harmonize.

Instead, they collided violently.

Far more violently than I had anticipated.

'Right now, I can barely move.'

Steadying myself, I forced my body into motion.

The fragment of the Demon God began to take shape, settling in my dantian.

Meanwhile, the holy energy within my heart merged with the Morning Star.

The Great Sky Dancing Divine Mantra and the fragment of the Demon God began to fuse.

Time stretched endlessly, feeling like an eternity.

Fortunately, I had an abundance of it.

Using mental power to accelerate consciousness.

I could see the Sword Demon King moving, and Elwen and Cheon Murin moving.

[Unique Trait, Eternity is activated.]

With Eternity assisting, I continued to extend my consciousness. The movements of the Sword Demon King appeared almost frozen, as if time itself had stopped.

Within my mind, I observed and worked to balance the two conflicting forces.

No, calling them just 'two' wasn't accurate; they had already mingled with other energies.

Brilliant Blazing Fire, Glacial Heavenly Moon, Divine Thunderbolt.

And the Morning Star.

Combined with the Great Sky Dancing Divine Mantra and Heaven-Surrendering Godly Technique, which forged my body, none of these could expel the Demon God's fragment. So, I added more.

The Demon God's fragment. Holy power. Unique abilities. Eternity.

Even the lightning bestowed by the Divine King added strength. Extracting the energy from the Transparent Armor, I blended it all together.

It didn't matter that the armor would lose its power.

'Whatever it takes.'

The power of the Wind God, Eternal Sun, Dragon's Heart. All sorts of things combined, scattered, and reassembled.

Repeatedly, over and over.

A fleeting moment.

And what felt like an eternity to me.

When I opened my eyes, everything had fused together.

Yet, there were still elements that remained separate.

'Distinguishable by three powers.'

I focused on mixing the remaining independent forces.

Eternity.

And Heaven-Surrendering Martial Art and the Morning Star.

Those three settled gracefully within my body.

As if declaring they wouldn't give themselves away, even if they devoured others.

I opened my eyes.

I saw the Sword Demon King. And I felt the one who was hiding. Even with my eyes closed, it felt as if I could see clearly.

Everything around me.

'Have I reached transcendence?'

Yet, I didn't fully understand the process.

I couldn't quite grasp what realm I was in.

It felt like I had entered the realm of transcendence, yet I hadn't. It's as if I was exactly halfway.

The reason was clear.

'There's just too much.'

The powers I possessed were too varied and numerous.

I hadn't achieved transcendence in any one thing, but that's why I was hopeful.

I wondered what it would be like to become a transcendent in this state.

Of course, it might not happen.

'I feel like I just need to consume one more.'

I gazed at the Sword Demon King with gleaming eyes. And at the other hidden Demon Kings too.

'First, I'll kill the Sword Demon King.'

Step.

I took a step forward. The Sword Demon King was half-destroyed. Its power rapidly weakened.

It was like that from the beginning.

He had been formidable as a Demon King, but without that power, he was pitifully weak.

Buzz.

I drew all the power from the fragment of the Demon God.

It was eliminating the Demon God's immortality.

'This works too.'

A power completely independent of the Demon God reversed the Sword Demon King's frenzy transformation, restoring him to his former state.

The power that made him extremely strong, Frenzy.

That was reversed.

'I thought I could do it.'

Unique Trait, Eternity.

This reversed his power just before he used Frenzy.

And the power taken from the Demon God's fragment tore through his immortality.

In other words,

'Demon Kings are becoming easier to deal with.'

-Heaven-Surrendering Martial Emperor!!

The Sword Demon King raised his massive greatsword high. It began to descend, shrouded in the flames of hell.

"Still the same."

Limitless Soul.

As I clasped my hands together, something began to appear behind me.

As I changed, so did Limitless Soul.

Three pairs of arms and a slightly taller height.

However, the power contained within was different.

Ultimate Art.

The power I once defined… It was becoming complete.

'Is this the Great Sky?'

Perhaps it's something called Soul Origin.

Even though it's a mix of everything, I felt it's the purest power.

Should I use the Heaven-Surrendering Godly Technique, I thought, but instead, I quietly put my hand in my pocket.

A clearly dismissive attitude.

However, the expression of the Sword Demon King was slightly different. A hint of relief passed over him.

'Does he think it's an opportunity because I'm ignoring him?'

Behind me, the Limitless Soul began to move slowly.

Three pairs of arms.

Holding swords, some held spears, some held staffs, and some had empty hands. Some held blades, and others held massive rings.

Slowly and sluggishly, it began to move.

The Sword Demon King's face shifted. His aura surged, but the brief relief in his expression disappeared, replaced by desperation.

He was panicking now.

'Should I have left the Frenzy state alone?'

The newfound power of the Limitless Soul.

It possessed a power that far exceeded my imagination.

I thought it wouldn't be too bad to face the Frenzy state of the Sword Demon King head-on.

'Well.'

The result would be the same anyway.

That thought crossed my mind. The Limitless Soul moved.

At first, it swung the sword.

Swish.

The boundary was a world that has become fixed—a world created by the overflowing power of all things.

It was dozens of times larger than Earth, but the only living beings were demons, transcendents, gods of the divine realm, and the Demon King.

These four types of beings were the only ones who could endure such a world.

It was inevitable for it to be dozens of times larger than Earth.

Neither gods nor transcendents desired it.

As the boundaries expanded, the weight they had to bear increased.

But there was no choice.

The demons they brought along.

No matter how many were killed, they seemed to endlessly multiply, pushing into this place.

They killed them and expanded the battlefield.

The gods and transcendents.

And the Demon King.

If they fought properly, no terrain would remain intact.

If the battle took place on Earth, it would have been destroyed several times over in the long fight.

Even within that battle, there was no significant change in the boundaries.

A fixed world.

It was not strange to say so.

But that changed for the first time.

Swish.

The sound of something being cut. Along with it, crash!! The sound of shattering glass was heard.

A cleanly cut spot. The sky showing the universe split open there.

'The dimensional barrier collapsed?'

The Divine King, confronting the two Demon Kings, furrowed his brow.

For some unknown reason, someone had cut something, causing the boundary to change.

But who?

There was a being that was bothersome.

The Sword Demon King.

But did he possess such power?

'Did he hide his strength?'

No, that was not it.

If he had, maintaining the boundary would have been impossible. While they might have desires, breaking the boundary and moving would have been more advantageous for them.

But among those who wielded swords, was there anyone with such formidable strength?

Several faces flashed through his mind, but none of them seemed capable of wielding such power.

Even without constraints, he couldn't achieve this level of precision.

Then who could it be?

'Who is it?'

A being capable of wielding such immense power.

There was only one being on the same level as himself here.

A man arrogantly seated on something resembling a 'moon', watching intently.

The owner of Veda.

He was gazing at one of the Demon Kings.

But it wasn't him either.

Then who on earth could it be?

Suddenly, a face came to mind.

A being who was gifted with lightning to bind, yet soon wielded it at will.

'It can't be.'

It couldn't be the existence known as Han Seojin.

Then who on earth was it…

'I guess I have to go.'

He confronted the Demon King.

He could only respond. If he or the owner of Veda stepped forward, a full-scale war with the Demon God would begin.

That was not what they desired. They were merely here to prepare for any unforeseen situation.

The Divine King moved swiftly.

'What is it, what is it, what is it, what is it, what is it.'

It was confusing.

What on earth was that?

Heaven-Surrendering Martial Emperor.

The gray spirit settled behind him.

At first, it didn't exert much presence. However, as Han Seojin changed, the presence it held transformed tremendously.

Its very existence eroded the mental strength of those who faced it.

So, somehow, he charged toward it.

And the result was…

Slice.

He was cut.

Everything was cut. He didn't need to look behind to know.

Something had cut him, twisting the boundaries to slice through everything.

Because he wielded the sword.

Because he was a warrior, he could understand.

This sword was something that surpassed him completely, cutting with full force.

A supreme existence that swung the sword, far beyond understanding.

Go…d…

That was not merely the Heaven-Surrendering Martial Emperor. It surpassed that. At least in terms of the sword, it exceeded the power of the Heaven-Surrendering Martial Emperor.

The Sword Demon King, with a face filled with shock, was fading away.

It can't end like this.

Flame.

A being whose life had ended.

The flame called life began to burn again.

Simultaneously, a being revealed its form.

A gigantic skull. And a being clad in a black robe.

'A lich?'

No, not such a lowly creature.

It possessed the stature of a Demon King. Yet, the power it held was no ordinary thing.

'This one… possesses power similar to the Divine King.'

The stature of a Demon King.

Yet similar to the Divine King. Perhaps even stronger. It was fundamentally different from other Demon Kings in its malevolence.

Considering the authority of the Demon God, this one was indeed stronger than the Divine King.

Han Seojin gazed at the Sword Demon King.

It was clear he had reached death.

He was forcibly being resurrected from death.

"Too arrogant."

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

-Arrogant, you say?

"When I'm clearly right in front of you."

How dared it try to resurrect him.

Han Seojin smiled faintly. With cold eyes, he looked at the hidden presence until now.

"Is its attribute death?"

He stopped death. He tried to save the Sword Demon King's life.

'Should I just call it the Death Demon King?'

The smell of death lingered thickly.

But it was unpleasant to see.

Even though he was clearly watching.

It dared to try saving the Sword Demon King.

'Do you think I'll let you save him?'

He was not that merciful, was he?

The Limitless Soul began to move.

Having swung a sword, now a spear.

The hand holding the spear moved.

Boom!

A thrust.

Just a simple thrust, faithful to the basics.

Crash!

The sound of breaking glass scattered everywhere as the spear pierced the Death Demon King's chest.

-Ugh!

It vomited dead blood.

Han Seojin smiled wickedly.

-Indeed, indeed, you're amazing!!

"The way you act is quite something, isn't it?"

-Have I been discovered?

The creature reverted to its original state as if nothing had happened.

'One more.'

It wielded the powers of death, immortality, and another force.

-More than I thought. Not just any transcendent. No wonder the Sword Demon King died. Then, am I the one reversing time?

"Reversing time?"

-There's such a thing. Daring to bare fangs at the Demon God… kuh-huk!!

Demon King of Death.

The creature coughed up dead blood as it explained.

-Keuh, keuhuh! Did you twist the reversal of time?

"What nonsense is that?"

-No, it seems you can't handle it properly yet. Maybe now is the right time. Just this much to prevent becoming a transcendent…

The eyes of the Demon King of Death were peculiar. It seemed desperate to kill somehow.

Han Seojin stepped forward.

Thud.

One step. An overwhelming aura. The Demon King contemplated whether to settle the score here.

'I think I can manage somehow.'

The estimation was made. It seemed possible to kill that bastard.

However, the cost would be his own life.

No, it wasn't even that.

'Damn pests are coming.'

Two presences rapidly flying towards this place.

'Is it fate?'

The Demon King and the gods. And the transcendent beings.

All of them had their own destinies.

And to surpass those destinies, one needed heavenly fortune, overwhelming power, and talent.

If so, this might be that moment.

'I will…'

The last chance to kill him.

Before the thought could even finish.

Han Seojin moved.

Limitless Soul.

Four arms began to move.

An arm holding a ring, an arm holding a sword, an empty arm, and an arm holding a staff.

Each of them contained a power similar to what had wounded him with the spear.

Crack!

The boundary began to shatter.

The Divine Seat.

Even the Divine Seat of the White God began to crack under the impact. The lower gods would likely find it difficult to exert their power for a while.

"Rushing out on your own, trying to escape. Did you think I was a joke?"

-No, you weren't a joke. I have to admit I was arrogant.

"Is that so?"

Han Seojin smiled more brightly than anything else.

"But did you know? That little hesitation of yours. That was the last chance you had to kill me."

-What?

Han Seojin spoke and then closed his mouth.

He clasped his hands together in prayer.

'I have entered the realm of transcendence.'

Only now did he feel certain. But he was still halfway there.

Now he understood the reason.

'Manifestation of Thoughts.'

His mind, which held such immense power.

That was what was blocking his transcendence.

'If that's the problem.'

He could use it now.

"Manifestation of Thoughts."

Kaleidoscope.

"Might as well have used it against the Sword Demon King."

His blue eyes flashed. Clad in black robes, with long hair.

The voice was different. It was heavy. An aura that seemed to sweep everything around emanated in all directions.

"…How long can you endure?"

Han Seojin, the Heaven-Surrendering Martial Emperor, stepped forward.

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