Chapter 344

Chapter 344

What is the method to make an opponent move according to your intentions?

The easiest method is to deceive the opponent. To hide your intentions and trick them.

If you succeed in deceiving your opponent and inducing their actions, nine times out of ten they’ll act as induced. Therefore, the most basic method of guiding an opponent is deceiving them, but if you use this approach and make even one mistake, the opponent can create an opportunity for a reversal.

If deceiving the opponent is Haechaek, then predicting the opponent is Jungchaek. Judging how the opponent will move and acting accordingly—most strategies originate from there. Isn’t there even a term called Susssaum?

In this case, if the opponent’s capability doesn’t exceed yours, you can overwhelm them in most situations. It’s Jungchaek, better than Haechaek, and the reason it can’t be Sangchaek also lies there. Because it means you can’t overwhelm them unless your capability is superior.

And if Haechaek and Jungchaek exist, Sangchaek must also exist.

The best method to make an opponent move according to your intentions is only one. It’s making them unable to avoid it even while knowing they’re being manipulated.

Limiting the opponent’s choices to just one.

“Unyun ultimately made his choice.”

Near the Imperial Palace, atop a prepared altar.

Baek Riseon, who had been observing Heavenly Destiny, smiled bitterly as he watched its movement. The flow of Heavenly Destiny, which had been greatly shaken until now, flowed calmly as if completely stabilized.

“Heaven, do you think things went according to your will?”

Do you interpret this as flowing according to natural order?

Baek Riseon, gazing intently at the river of Heavenly Destiny flowing majestically without properly knowing what would happen shortly after, quietly closed his eyes. Because the years of waiting had been extremely long.

‘You must be suspicious, Heukya.’

Heukya is an intelligent being. And if intelligent, she cannot accept surviving in such a suspicious situation.

Heukya has no choice but to doubt Baek Riyun’s ulterior motives. Knowing what kind of person Baek Riyun is, she’ll think this is impossible and review it several times. But even so, does anything change?

‘You can do nothing.’

Heukya is not Sanggwi’s master. No one can be Sanggwi’s master. Because Sanggwi is the world’s will itself.

Heukya can make Sanggwi move only once.

Even as a Yowang, Heukya absolutely needs Sanggwi’s assistance to destroy Daebongyin. If she misses this opportunity, Heukya will forever lose the means to destroy Daebongyin. It means she cannot abandon this opportunity just because Baek Riyun’s ulterior motives are suspicious.

‘Ultimately, you will reach Daebongyin.’

She’ll be caught even while knowing. Because the board was set up that way.

“──nim!”

“……”

“Baek Riseon-nim!”

“You’ve come.”

Baek Riseon, who had been completely absorbed in the atmosphere, changed to a smiling expression at Seohwa’s voice heard from afar and waved his hand as he stepped down. The Jeui held in Seohwa’s hands far away.

“You’ve worked hard.”

All preparations were complete. Only one thing remained. The appointed day arriving.

Baek Riseon, wearing the received Jeui, mounted the altar. And.

“Let’s see the end now.”

Four days passed.

***

Originally, from ancient times, danger accompanies noise.

Insects becoming noisy is because they saw something unfamiliar, leaves rustling is because they collided with something, and the ground crumbling is also because something stepped on it.

Like this, small threats accompany noise. However, truly massive dangers sometimes reveal themselves by erasing noise instead.

That’s why Heukya currently judged this situation as ‘the most dangerous situation.’ Because.

—It’s quiet.

During the journey here, nothing had interfered with her.

—…….

Atop Sanggwi’s head.

Sitting on something resembling a makeshift wooden throne, looking down, Heukya saw Hwangdo’s appearance in the distance and her gaze sank heavily. Hwangdo’s appearance, which originally would have been bustling with people but now didn’t contain even a single ant.

—Did they evacuate in the meantime?

A rational response. If Daebongyin breaks──.

No, even if Daebongyin doesn’t break, if Sanggwi arrives, they’ll die en masse, so evacuating them isn’t strange. Though time was tight, if the Imperial Army did their utmost to evacuate during the four days from Uichang to here, Hwangdo being completely empty isn’t incomprehensible.

However.

—It’s like a grave prepared for me.

That silence proclaims it. That this place is your grave. That danger to kill you lurks here.

Will you truly come? It seems to ask that way. And she’s answering that she ‘has no choice but to go.’

‘He might be hiding somewhere.’

Baek Riyun, who disappeared leaving only the words to struggle.

She doesn’t know why he disappeared, but one thing is certain. That the realm Baek Riyun achieved then wasn’t temporary.

Though it’s divine authority that can only be demonstrated in his own domain, Baek Riyun’s martial power vastly exceeds her current self. Perhaps even if all the monsters sealed in Daebongyin rush at him, they couldn’t defeat Baek Riyun. Only by truly reaching the realm of Yowang could one see a possibility.

If he’s lurking there, she cannot block him. Even if not, she can tell that some trap lurks there. However.

So, can she not go?

—A self-defeating move.

She waited tens of thousands of years for just this moment.

If an opportunity comes again after waiting another tens of thousands of years, perhaps she could do that. However, such an opportunity won’t come again even after tens of thousands of years. Truly an opportunity possible only ‘now.’

—I’ll dance to your tune.

Sanggwi walks.

Heukya, closing her eyes at Hwangdo’s appearance gradually approaching, released monster energy to search all of Hwangdo. The energy of Daebongyin felt vividly.

‘Is the exact location beneath the Great Hall of the Imperial Palace?’

To make policies determining humanity’s fate above Daebongyin where great monsters are sealed—could there be anything more contradictory?

—Truly perverse taste.

Heukya, lightly mocking humans’ taste, guided Sanggwi’s direction and set course toward Daebongyin. And finally, the moment she approached Daebongyin closely, strong pressure restraining her body.

Pacheucheucheucheu─!!!

As if lightning were bursting forth.

—Useless effort.

Seeing white lightning that burns monster evil rampaging everywhere and rushing to burn herself as a monster, Heukya waved her hand. Simultaneously, the lightning crashed to the ground as if leashed.

—Did you even prepare this?

An attack capable of erasing even a considerable great monster in one strike.

However, it’s not an attack that can reach Heukya, who already attained the realm of Yowang. No matter how much Daebongyin it is, Heukya isn’t naive enough to fall to attacks from a seal made thousands of years ago.

Slowly.

Daebongyin crumbles and shatters on Sanggwi’s body advancing regardless of the seal’s pressure. A roar resonates, and all of Hwangdo splits and shakes as if meeting a great earthquake. Daebongyin spewing roars as if the world’s end were arriving.

—Reveal yourself.

Origin of Injong.

—Show your form.

Finally, the device to witness the end of Injong and Yojong.

Pacheucheucheucheu─!!!!!

As if resisting Heukya’s words, Daebongyin violently surged up, swelling its body to swallow the great monster attacking it, and covered Heukya like a tidal wave. A tidal wave of tremendous size as if it could cover the world.

Just touching it seems fatal. If the Thunder God raged and raised a storm, it would be like this. Any evil existence would perish from mere contact.

However, she doesn’t care. She won’t retreat, will she?

—How long do you think I’ve waited for this situation?

Heukya, muttering softly, slowly moved Sanggwi to make Sanggwi’s head contact Daebongyin.

And simultaneously, Daebongyin burst forth with rays of light.

──!!!!!!!

A deep wailing sound resonating throughout the entire world.

Geu-o-o-o-o─!!!!!

Sanggwi, whose head dropped involuntarily from intense pain, trembled like being electrocuted. The aftermath of Daebongyin so intense that even Heukya, who didn’t receive direct impact, took serious damage.

However.

—Even if it bursts your body, it cannot stop your steps.

Sinseonggok’s effect still persists.

The moment she waved her hand, feeling the aftermath covering her body disappear, Heukya sensed the monster energy spreading from below and smiled.

‘Ancient monsters.’

The era when humans were merely livestock and monsters reigned vastly over this world.

In this world besides Heukya, numerous great monsters roamed. Monsters of the Eighty-Eight Bodies, incomparably ferocious.

Among them were monsters stronger than Heukya before becoming Yowang, and though inferior to Heukya, there were even more ferocious monsters. If they had joined forces, the era of humans wouldn’t have existed. However.

‘Arrogant ones.’

The monsters didn’t join forces.

The monsters, who could have completely exterminated humanity if just three or four united, were defeated one by one by humanity’s all-out combined attacks. Those buried here are such monsters.

The eighty-eight most ferocious great monsters who killed the most humans.

—I will use your power well.

Power gathers.

The monster energy of great monsters who lost self and reason in thousands of years of sealing flowed through Yowang Heukya’s fingertips. The sense of omnipotence filling her body as she absorbs more and more.

—Baek Riyun, I don’t know what you were thinking.

Perhaps you tried to remove Daebongyin and kill all monsters to establish humanity’s world, or perhaps you tried to use me to do something. However.

All of that became meaningless now. At this moment, having absorbed the monster energy of eighty-eight great monsters, Heukya entered not the realm of Yowang but the realm of Ipsin.

—It won’t go according to your will.

It spreads.

The Yogyeong unfolded from Hwangdo covers Habuk. Beyond Hanam to Hobuk, Seomseo, Sacheon, Cheonghae, Singang, Seojang, and beyond. Power that can even reorganize the world’s laws.

—Finally.

Finally, she obtained power to leave the greatest scar on this world.

—Haha. Hahahahaha─!!!

Heukya, realizing the power gathered at her fingertips could bring doom to all humans and monsters in the world, burst into mad laughter. And.

—Finally, the time has come to fulfill my long-cherished wish!

Finally.

The moment Heukya, contemplating the struggling humans and monsters raising their heads sensing the sudden environmental change, brought down her grip to announce the end.

“That cannot be, Heukya.”

A low voice flowed into Heukya’s ears.

And simultaneously.

“Because this isn’t a future where you win.”

Time in the entire world stopped.

[The Seal of Fate is moving!]

Except for one person.