Chapter 343

Chapter 343

A strike that vastly exceeded perception.

For a moment, unable to comprehend the situation, Heukya’s eyes watched her own wrist, severed in half and falling away. In that instant, Baek Riyun had already closed the distance and lifted the fox bead along with Heukya’s wrist. The massive sphere was so large it filled his entire grasp.

“So this is the Monster Core. Sturdier than I expected.”

—…Did you let your guard down? Here?

“No, you didn’t let your guard down. Even if you had been prepared, you couldn’t have blocked it.”

Baek Riyun spoke decisively as he removed his outer robe, wrapped it around the sphere, and secured it tightly to his body so it wouldn’t fall.

“Didn’t you say I couldn’t defeat you unless I was in the Omnipotent Domain?”

—…….

“You were right. But also wrong. Because I have no intention of leaving this Omnipotent Domain.”

Deploying and retracting a Yogyeong.

That’s not an easy task even for the monster itself. Only after shattering the Monster Core that has been formed over ages and absorbing all its power can a Yogyeong finally disappear.

Heukya, who had reached the realm of Yowang, could drastically shorten that time, but even she couldn’t absorb the Yogyeong without destroying the core. Ultimately, if she lost the core, it was an undeniable fact that Heukya would be defeated.

—Beyond imagination.

For a moment.

Heukya, who had been staring emptily at her own hand, extended her arm and regenerated her hand. The hand regenerated smoothly as if it had never been injured.

—I thought you would have grown stronger, but I never imagined this strong. What made you so powerful?

“Who knows, perhaps humanity, perhaps heaven. Or perhaps you.”

—Have you achieved Talgak?

“Do I need to say?”

Because there was a clear goal to surpass, the target of Talgak also became higher. Witnessing the martial arts of the world, experiencing omnipotence, assuming the maximum of what he could do and surpassing it—that’s why this level of martial power could emerge.

—How regrettable.

She felt regret for herself, facing a formidable enemy on the eve of her great undertaking, and regret for Baek Riyun, who would nevertheless flee in defeat.

—Even if I cannot retract the Yogyeong, it doesn’t matter. After all, your mental strength has limits within this place.

Sususu!

Simultaneously with her words, ten versions of Heukya split apart and looked down at Baek Riyun. The attack followed.

—Be crushed like an insect.

The ground rose.

As if standing on the palm of Buddha’s hand, the earth from all directions rose in the shape of fingers and covered a space exceeding five li all at once. An attack with no warning or gap.

—Be flattened.

The space compressed.

Beyond merely earth clumping together, Heukya smiled gleefully as she confirmed the entire area being sucked toward the central point. Extreme Point Technique, an art that warps space and crushes everything.

Even an immortal couldn’t guarantee their existence if hit by that. Just as the Great Sage Equal to Heaven trapped in Five Elements Mountain couldn’t escape without Tripitaka’s permission, ultimately Baek Riyun would be the same.

That’s what she thought.

────!

Until the entire space shattered into pieces.

“You got cocky over just this much?”

—Impossible.

Simultaneously with her words, the space was sliced diagonally and fell away. Upper and lower halves severed and collapsing at an angle.

Perhaps for a monster, but there’s no human who can survive with half their body falling off. Even Baek Riyun, now a monster but with roots in humanity, was the same.

Knowing this, Heukya didn’t relax her tension and continued her attacks. She knew well what it meant to be the adversary of Heavenly Destiny.

—Explode.

The void rippled and swallowed light. As if even light couldn’t escape, she shattered space and created emptiness.

—Be torn apart.

Space shattering like glass shards.

Watching the fragments disappear into a thousand pieces, Heukya chased after Baek Riyun’s afterimage and reflexively twisted her body upon seeing Baek Riyun’s form vanishing into the cracks of space. And immediately after, Heukya’s duplicates were sliced into seven pieces.

“Crushing to death, flattening, exploding, tearing apart.”

—…….

“They’re all different methods, but they exist within martial theory. Though the degree differs, the methods of response aren’t different either.”

To kill Baek Riyun, she would need to bring an entirely new concept. Something possible in this space where everything is realized through imagination. However.

“Heukya, is that possible for you? Can you, who was innately powerful, imagine defeating an opponent with Stratagems?”

Stratagems belong to the weak. Why is Proper Strategy called Proper Strategy?

Because it makes situations flow correctly. The strong defeating the weak, one hundred defeating ten. That’s the principle Proper Strategy pursues. Heukya, who had always been strong, had no need to learn anything besides Proper Strategy. Because there were almost no beings in this world stronger than herself.

“Are you out of new tricks?”

—…….

“Then I’ll go.”

The world flipped.

Seeing Baek Riyun disappear from view along with his words, Heukya reflexively twisted her body, suddenly realized the emptiness below her neck, and reflexively released monster energy. But Baek Riyun swung his sword without regard.

It split.

Once, twice, three times. In moments beyond perception, her vision divided and merged repeatedly. Severance, regeneration, severance, regeneration.

Heukya’s near-immortal vitality sustained her life. When cut, it regrew; when torn, it regrew.

However,

‘It’s slowing.’

Even immortality isn’t eternal. At this rate, she would soon die. Baek Riyun’s genuine killing intent told her so.

—If I could turn back time.

“……”

An instant flowed like suyu.

Approaching death. Feeling the sword deliberately slowing to deliver its final strike, descending while collapsing everything, Heukya uttered words like a lament. And.

—Even prepared for the distortion of Heavenly Destiny, I should have killed you first.

Finally, as the sword stepped before Heukya touched her forehead.

—…What are you doing?

Baek Riyun withdrew his sword.

As if realizing something, his eyes widening.

***

Stating the obvious, it’s nearly impossible for one person to completely understand another.

This is evident just from the sayings passed down by our ancestors. Isn’t there a saying that you can know a thousand li of water’s depths but not one li of a person’s heart?

Even couples who’ve lived their entire lives together, even parents and children who’ve been together since birth, often don’t fully know each other. Perhaps because humans can’t even perfectly read their own hearts. And.

That’s why I could be certain that the question that suddenly came to mind was divine fortune.

Even though I could kill Heukya like this, why did Hyeong-nim premise the release of Daebongyin?

Why did Uicheonjang consider not killing Heukya as one of the options? Because I could understand.

—Have you developed some pathetic sympathy now?

A low voice resonated.

Looking up at me with a sword against her neck, Heukya smiled desolately. I quietly lowered my sword at the sight of Heukya’s utterly wretched appearance.

—Kill me.

Despite her entire body being in pieces, she didn’t stop mocking me.

Truly befitting the dignity of a Yowang, I raised my sword at that sight, then slowly lowered it and stepped back from Heukya’s body. Only after seeing that did my resolve firm.

“I won’t kill you.”

—What did you……?

“I will not kill you, Heukya.”

—What on earth does that…….?

As if hearing something unimaginable, Heukya’s eyes widened as she looked up at me, then she burst into hollow laughter. A laugh showing self-mockery, as if I were deceiving her.

—Are you going to give me hope and then kill me? That’s also the victor’s right…….

“I have no such intention.”

—What…….

“Because killing you isn’t my role.”

Seeing Heukya’s eyes before me, I could be certain.

Heukya had already died long, long ago. Hundreds, thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands of years ago she might have been dead. What remains here isn’t Heukya but the manifestation formed by Heukya’s Mangjip.

Even if I killed Heukya here, that wouldn’t truly be killing Heukya. Because Heukya had already nearly achieved her purpose.

Then how should I kill Heukya?

“I’ll send you.”

—…….

“Try it your way.”

—What on earth does that.

“It means I’ll give you a chance.”

“What on earth are you saying……!”

“Ilryun.”

I turned my head at the presence approaching from behind and looked at Ilryun. Ilryun, missing one leg and supported by his disciples, looking at me with shocked eyes.

“Uicheonmunju, do you know what you’re saying right now!”

“I know.”

“Sending that Yowang means making all these people’s sacrifices in vain! It means trampling on the wishes of all the martial artists who died to protect the Central Plains!”

“I know.”

“……Yet you’ll send her!”

“I will send her.”

“Why……!”

“Because there’s no other way.”

Heavenly destiny designated me as Heukya’s adversary.

Whether Heukya dies here or I die here, that merely ‘slightly bends’ the flow of Heavenly Destiny. Even if monsters are killed and humanity prospers for a time, in the span of hundreds of thousands or millions of years, it’s nothing but dust.

Sangwe. The phenomenon of what should originally exist flowing in the form it should exist.

The world turns that way. Even if I kill Heukya here, nothing changes. That cannot be called pioneering fate. So what I want is one thing.

Overturning fate itself.

Overturning this rotten heaven that forces us to accept that ‘this much must be endured.’

“If you won’t do it, I will.”

“Ilryun.”

“Do you know how many of this sect’s martial artists died because of that thing? If I let it live and send it away from here, I’ll have no face to meet them after death……!”

“Ilryun.”

“You don’t even need to dirty your hands. So just let me, let me be able to……!”

“Ilryun.”

At my calling him three times in succession, Ilryun stared at me blankly. And then Ilryun bowed his head before me.

“Please, trust me just once.”

“……”

“This is the best way.”

What will happen after this?

I don’t know. I’m not Hyeong-nim, nor do I have eyes that penetrate providence.

However, there’s one thing I can be certain of. That my way of thinking was inherited from Hyeong-nim.

Even if innate dispositions differ, the method is the same. Because it was Father and Hyeong-nim who taught me. No matter how much they say you can’t know one li of a person’s heart, this much doesn’t change.

What solidified my thinking was Hyeong-nim. In other words.

My thoughts are also the best that Hyeong-nim would think.

“……I under.”

“……”

“I understand.”

Thud.

As if convinced by something from my words, Ilryun suddenly lost consciousness. I confirmed that, signaled to his disciples with my eyes, and turned around. Heukya, having almost completely regenerated her body, glared at me as if asking what farce I was performing.

“Do as you will, Heukya. After all, that’s all you have left anyway.”

“……”

“However.”

Even if you do, it won’t go your way.

“Go ahead and struggle.”

Along with my words, I quietly slashed my sword to split space and gathered the disciples.

Hwangdo was right before us.