Chapter 342

Chapter 342

-What is the Heavenly Demon?

In the distant past, when Ilryun was not yet Ilryun, when he was merely a snotty brat.

Ilryun’s master asked him that. What is the Heavenly Demon?

-Isn’t it the cult’s symbol?

-…….

-Someone who shoulders all demons themselves and will ultimately ascend to heaven, so it’s the Heavenly Demon.

-Do you think so?

-Yes. Is it different for you, Master?

-I’ve thought that way too. Because that’s what the doctrine teaches.

-“Have thought” means…….

-It means it’s a bit different now.

The master, who was the previous Ilryun, spoke in a low voice while stroking Ilryun’s head.

-My disciple. Can humans defeat monsters?

-They can. If they’ve learned martial arts…….

-What if they haven’t learned martial arts?

-…….

-Ordinary humans cannot defeat monsters. In other words, humans not being able to defeat monsters can be seen as providence. Conversely, humans trained to kill monsters being able to kill monsters could also be seen as providence.

If a leopard and a tiger fight, who would win?

Eight or nine times out of ten the tiger would win, but perhaps the leopard might win. Either way, the leopard is an existence that has the possibility of sinking its teeth into the tiger’s neck, and sinking teeth into the neck means being able to kill the opponent.

-The relationship between monsters and humans is like that. Monsters are superior, but humans can also kill monsters. They can bare their teeth to protect themselves. This is the providence heaven has determined.

-Yes.

-But what if there’s someone who tries to go against this providence?

-Go against providence?

-Yes.

Beyond trained humans defeating monsters, if humans themselves could defeat monsters. If such an environment could be created.

That would go against the providence heaven has determined. It would literally become the demon itself that rebels against heaven.

-I think this way. That the Heavenly Demon is an existence that goes against providence.

Because they go against providence, they cannot exist.

-Someone who goes against providence and completely overturns the food chain between humans and monsters itself, and ultimately twists providence itself to achieve salvation.

If heaven has forsaken humanity, one who goes against that heaven to save humanity. An existence that will come someday.

-That’s the Heavenly Demon I think of.

At that time, Ilryun would laugh off his master’s personal interpretation departing from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s doctrine, saying “Could there be such an interpretation?” Because it was a story that didn’t really resonate.

However, now Ilryun was realizing.

That his master might have been observing this world most correctly.

That the Heavenly Demon needed now is precisely such a person.

-Is this as far as your struggle goes?

A tranquil voice.

At the voice holding extreme emptiness, Ilryun, who had become covered in blood, struggled to lift his head and looked up at the sky. The sight of Heukya looking down with serene eyes.

‘Too strong.’

He knew from fighting at the Great Sealing too. That Heukya’s strength transcends imagination.

But isn’t this too much?

“Un…fair.”

-What do you mean?

“This heaven that divided limits from birth.”

The horrific carnage visible to Ilryun’s eyes as he looked around with a blood-tinged sneer.

Geomseon is buried in the ground with a sword stuck in his stomach like a tombstone.

Taeag sits dead with both arms blown off, and Daehwalbeol has fallen in a state where he has no external injuries but his insides are pulverized. Is it only the Talgatja?

The Sado Alliance Leader is dead with his lower body blown away and a bitter smile, and Geomhu, who had participated in battle having lost one arm, is crawling on the ground having lost even the leg on the same side.

Gunggwi, who allowed no rival in archery, is pulling an empty bowstring with both eyes lost, and Geomgwi is dead screaming with his upper body blown away, Ice Palace Lord with her left side blown away.

“The entire Central Plains fought with all their might and barely managed one third……?”

Seven.

Confirming the number of remaining divided bodies, Ilryun coughed and vomited blood while bursting into empty laughter. Even though the entire Central Plains’ forces rushed in, their limit was barely erasing three of the nine divided bodies.

Truly powerless. Utterly powerless.

This is the gap between humans and monsters.

‘What was our way of martial arts even for?’

Ilryun, who swallowed the rage rising unknowingly, crawled on the ground toward Heukya. But Heukya immediately trampled Ilryun’s head.

-Still trying to resist?

Kwaaaak!

-Pointless act.

No matter how many times they fight, no matter how much they resist, it’s the same.

Heukya’s forces are still intact. Just because three divided bodies disappeared doesn’t mean Heukya’s forces were reduced by thirty percent. She could create that many divided bodies again anytime.

-If you just destroy the Monster Realm, you can defeat me. That calculation was good.

Without the Monster Realm Sinseonggok’s characteristics, she certainly couldn’t have handled these people so easily.

Looking at it from that perspective, the humans’ strategy of wanting to destroy the Monster Realm first was the correct answer. Because there was only such a method to reduce the overwhelming gap. That could be seen as the only breakthrough.

However,

-But isn’t that only a story for when you were intact until destroying my territory?

Being able to reduce the gap is also only a story when the Monster Realm is destroyed with forces preserved intact. In the current situation where most of the masters have met death, would she be defeated just because the Monster Realm called Sinseonggok is destroyed?

-Now it’s your turn. I’ll at least listen to your last words.

Kwaddddeuk!

At the gradually strengthening pressure, Ilryun, who gritted his teeth, reflexively drew up internal energy to resist in order to survive. But Monster Energy trampling his head without caring.

The sound of fibers breaking.

‘Ah.’

At the sensation felt at the back of his neck, Ilryun, who realized death was approaching, quietly closed his eyes. A thought suddenly arising.

‘I hope that child escaped.’

Humans cannot defeat monsters.

Though it was so now, who knows about later. Just as those who were merely livestock at first obtained language, obtained intelligence, and ultimately obtained martial arts to become humanity, after thousands of years, tens of thousands of years pass, the humans then might be able to defeat monsters.

‘I hope hope remains.’

I hope the wishes of those who died here weren’t in vain.

‘Run away.’

Hide far away in a place even Heukya can’t find, watch for opportunities, and continue humanity’s lineage.

Ilryun, who repeated that inwardly, quietly closed his eyes to accept the approaching death. And.

Shortly after.

‘……?’

Ilryun suddenly realized that the force of Heukya trampling his head was no longer strengthening.

Thud!

Simultaneously, Heukya’s divided body that had been trampling Ilryun’s head lay beside Ilryun having lost its head.

“Ilryun-nim. Are you alright?”

“You are…….”

“Uicheon Sect disciple, Seonwoo Gang.”

“Seonwoo Gang……?”

At the voice speaking in a low tone while supporting him, Ilryun, who reflexively asked back without realizing, looked at the fallen Heukya’s divided body while asking blankly.

“You, you did this……?”

“No. With my meager level, how could I do such a thing?”

“Right. That would be so. But then, who…….”

“It’s the Sect Leader.”

“……What?”

Vision opening up.

Looking at the sky with his right eye’s vision illuminating the world in place of his blood-covered left eye, Ilryun let out an exclamation. The appearance of a man standing before Heukya’s presence while floating in the air serenely as if standing in the sky.

‘Heavenly Demon…….’

Baek Riyun is not the Heavenly Demon. Because the Heavenly Demon is dead.

Knowing that yet unknowingly muttering, Ilryun quietly closed his mouth.

Though it went against doctrine and wasn’t fact, that was the Heavenly Demon.

‘Master. You were right.’

A hundred years after, Ilryun was feeling that way now.

That providence has twisted now.

***

-What absurd strength.

Swept away.

Confirming five divided bodies blown away in one strike, Heukya spoke calmly while looking at her adversary. Monstrous strength that looks down even on Heukya, who has risen to the Monster King’s domain, who would be strongest even searching the entire world.

-How on earth did you rise to that realm?

“There was inevitability.”

-Not opportunity but inevitability.

“What flows the world isn’t coincidence but inevitability.”

Baek Riyun, who answered Heukya’s words in a low voice, slowly lowered his sword and looked down. The horrific scene entering his eyes.

“……Too late.”

Everyone except Ilryun died. That’s what half a shichen bought.

If he had come just a moment faster, half of them would have survived. If he had come a moment faster than that, two thirds would have, and if he had come even a moment faster than that, everyone would be alive.

In the end, the reason they died like that is because Baek Riyun was late. Because he was powerless until now, because there was nothing he could do.

-Are you reproaching yourself?

“As if.”

Baek Riyun burst into empty laughter and quietly faced Heukya directly.

“This was the best I could do.”

-…….

“Even going back to the past, there’s no better method. I did my best and produced the best result, so I don’t have the hobby of regretting. Heukya.”

-Steadfast.

“Perhaps because I’m weak, I know well how to protect myself.”

Watching Baek Riyun speaking in a low voice, Heukya sneered. Because it was absurd.

-Rampaging after gaining paltry power, you look like a mudskipper.

“…….”

-No matter how much you’ve honed your martial arts in that short time, do you think you can reach my power?

She killed five divided bodies in an instant?

So what? She just needs to make divided bodies again.

Just because the bodies changed from ten to two doesn’t mean the total amount of power changes. As long as the main body doesn’t die, divided bodies can increase again anytime. She just didn’t increase them because there was no need.

-Above all, doesn’t your power function because of my domain?

An invisible strike.

However, grasping the essence of that strike that cuts through cloth, Heukya wore a small sneer and gripped in her palm the fox bead she had hidden between her tails.

-If the domain has become more advantageous to you than to me, I just need to overturn that premise again.

If Baek Riyun has become able to kill her in one strike.

Isn’t it enough to make that strike ‘something that cannot be achieved’?

-The vain dream is over.

Crack!

Slowly.

Heukya, holding the fox bead, put force into her hand to shatter the fox bead. Because it was obvious that Baek Riyun, whose power limit is clear, wouldn’t even dare oppose her the moment the domain breaks.

A crack forms.

Watching the fox bead slowly crumbling, Heukya smiled faintly. While imagining herself achieving victory at the finale after thousands of years of waiting, while mocking Baek Riyun who couldn’t imagine she would forsake the domain herself.

-Farewell.

Heukya, who gave a farewell greeting, quietly put force into her hand. And the next moment.

“It seems too early for greetings.”

Heukya realized.

“Did you think you could freely withdraw it just because it’s your domain?”

That her entire arm holding the fox bead had already been blown off.