1075——————==

Soul of the Evil God

What appeared was the Asura of the Eight Parts of the Divine. Asura held his sword quietly for a moment while looking at Dokgo Uncheon before suddenly speaking.

“Running away, huh?”

[Get out of the way.]

“Are you not going to fight against the Apostle?”

It felt like he was fanning the flames of a burning house. Dokgo Uncheon felt mocked, and his anger boiled.

[…If you came to interfere, I won’t let you off!!]

Kuuuu!!

With Dokgo Uncheon’s roar, his entire body blazed with chaos. Having instantly transformed with the Primordial Spirit, he rushed in and threw a palm strike at Asura. It was a light opening attack, yet aside from the Heavenly Demon Sagong Lin, no one in the world could stand up to him head-on, so Asura flinched at the blow.

Tuwung!

“Cough…!!”

The Asura of the Eight Parts of the Divine was blown back several dozen steps with a short groan. He tried to defend using the Mind Control Technique and Protection Energy Technique, but it was hard to withstand the Primordial Spirit’s attack. Seeing this, Dokgo Uncheon felt something was off.

‘No matter how powerful Asura is, he thinks he can hold his human form against me? What a joke….’

Currently, Dokgo Uncheon was powerful enough that he wouldn’t be outmatched even against the main body of the Eight Parts of the Divine. Moreover, as time passed, the amount of Primordial Energy he could wield increased, making him even stronger than during the Demon War. For Asura to fight in human form against Dokgo Uncheon’s Primordial Spirit was reckless.

At that moment, the companions who had been following Dokgo Uncheon came rushing in. They were shocked to see Asura suddenly appear.

“Asura!”

“Why is that guy here….”

“……!!”

There was a bit of confusion, but soon enough, the companions realized they had no time and felt the need to defeat Asura and move on. They didn’t know why Asura was blocking their way, but now was not the time for talk. With the Apostle chasing them from behind, there was no room for hesitation.

Just as their battle intent surged, it was about to begin against Asura.

“I’m here to help you.”

One simple line came from Asura’s mouth. Everyone was too astonished to believe it.

“What…?!”

An eerie silence fell. How could they trust the Asura, a formidable foe from the Great Bear Empire and who had mysteriously disappeared after fierce battles during the Demon War, when he suddenly claimed he would help? Naturally, distrust filled everyone’s expressions, and the calmest one, Zhuge Bu, spoke to Asura.

“How do you plan to help us? Are you saying you will fight alongside us?”

It looked like Asura had taken a bit of internal injury from being hit by a palm strike from the sect master, as he wiped the blood from his mouth and nodded.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Ever since that battle, I have spent over a hundred years questioning whether I am truly unworthy of sitting at the left hand of the Divine.”

Asura murmured and directed the sword blade towards the ground.

“Now, I wish to confirm that worthiness by risking my life against formidable foes. If I can help you, I will.”

“Don’t make me laugh.”

“What did you say?”

Zhuge Bu clenched his teeth and replied.

“We’ve only been caught up in your reckless actions. Chaotic and arrogant, that is your true nature. Thus, whether you pursue the ultimate realm of nothingness or not, it’s no concern of ours. And considering the grudge of comrades dead because of you, you’re shameless for saying you’d join forces with us?”

“…….”

“If you have any sense of shame, get out of here right now! And just leave!”

Under Zhuge Bu’s scolding, Asura wavered. He wore a look of anguish for a moment before doing something unbelievable.

Thud!

“Ah…!!”

Seong Jin gasped in shock. It wasn’t just Seong Jin; Dokgo Uncheon, Han Baek-ryeong, Cheon Woo-jin, and everyone else were equally taken aback.

Because Asura had knelt down and bowed his head!

Even Zhuge Bu, who had just been vehemently pushing against Asura, was left speechless and quiet. The powerful Demon King, Asura, known as the most potent among the Eight Parts of the Divine, who had commanded the shadows of history for millennia, kneeling before mere humans?

After a moment, Asura slowly lifted his forehead and spoke.

“I’m sorry. Dokgo Seong’s death was my fault, so I must apologize.”

“…….”

“I have come to repay the debt of heartfelt remorse I owe him. I can speak this with the honor of a martial artist.”

“Even so.”

Zhuge Bu hesitated, confused. However, Dokgo Uncheon, standing beside him, placed a hand on his shoulder and said.

[Zhuge Bu. Let’s accept him for now.]

“What do you mean?! Do you think that makes any sense?”

[As long as you think of him as a martial artist, then his words cannot be false. As a fellow martial artist, I know.]

“…Hmm.”

[In the absence of the Heavenly Demon Sagong Lin, you lead the Great Bear Empire. Also, you are the head of this recovery operation, so you can decide.]

Zhuge Bu was caught in deep thought.

Could he truly accept Asura, who suddenly appeared and said he wanted to fight alongside them? Frankly, even if he chose to ignore Asura, no one in their ranks would reprimand him. Accepting Asura, who had once been their enemy, felt like an unrealistic choice. No matter how much he spouted about a martial artist’s honor, how could he trust a Demon King?

Even now, Seong Jin and Cheon Woo-jin’s eyes gleamed with intense suspicion. They would be ready to attack Asura without hesitation.

To accept him or not…

Caught in this dilemma, Zhuge Bu finally resolved himself.

“Fine! But if you betray us, I won’t let you off.”

“Agreed.”

At Zhuge Bu’s decision, Seong Jin exclaimed in shock.

“Are you… crazy?! How can we…”

“I’m the crazy one! So just shut up and follow my orders! We don’t have time for hesitation!”

“Hmm.”

Seong Jin was left speechless by Zhuge Bu’s decisive words. Deep inside, he thought.

‘That guy fits the role of a field commander….’

Unlike Mangnyang or Zhuge Yulong, who crafted elaborate strategies, Zhuge Bu seemed to be a tactician unique to battle, specializing in quick operations with decisiveness and coldness. Although he wasn’t that impressive in terms of sheer power compared to their allies, nobody murmured against him because of how he managed to guide them.

“Asura. First, we need to get to the surface, so follow us. Fighting in this maze only favors the enemy, so we need to move upward.”

“I understand.”

Bang!

Just as everyone was escaping the Nimfenburg maze, the last one to exit, Seo Mun-hye, gasped and screamed.

“Everyone, run away!”

KuoOoOoO –

The petrifying light of Halchi Olleifra!

The moment her warning ended, the entire world lit up with a gray flash. It happened so quickly that they had no time to properly evade or block it. Seo Mun-hye, gathering her divine energy, managed to block the petrifying light from the front, but soon, her arms grew rigid.

Zzzzzt

“Ugh…!!”

The power of the petrifying light was so strong that it was almost impossible for Seo Mun-hye to resist. In that moment, Seo Mun-hye realized the level of her opponent’s power and gritted her teeth. She gathered her strength and distorted the flow of time and space, momentarily stalling the petrifying light in mid-air. Seong Jin attempted to cast a spell to assist her.

Zahagyeoleongjin!

Through Seong Jin’s spell, the fearsome qi from the world gathered onto five hundred talismans that fluttered around Seo Mun-hye. As these talismans formed a barrier around her, Seong Jin made a hand seal and spoke.

“I’m pouring all my spell power into this! It’s a subspace spell comparable to the Falling Star Art! I’ll call upon the qi of the heavens to help you endure…”

Seong Jin’s spell was at the Great Immortal Level, so using it would greatly enhance Seo Mun-hye’s capabilities. However, to cut him off mid-sentence, Seo Mun-hye, sweating, pleaded.

“Run, run away! That won’t be enough! It’s on a different dimension…!!”

“Huh? What….”

Hooom!

That was the last thing Seong Jin would say. In an instant, the Zahagyeoleongjin shattered, and as soon as the spell caster, Seong Jin, was exposed to the gray flash, he immediately turned into a statue. Being cursed by the Apostle, he was doomed to remain a statue for eternity, neither dead nor alive.

“NO!!”

Zhuge Bu, who had been retreating while trying to weave his spell with the Falling Star Art, screamed. He also shuddered at the power of the Apostle.

‘If the barrier crafted by Seong Jin, who has lived more than a thousand years, was torn like paper….’

A chill quickly overwhelmed Zhuge Bu. No matter how prepared he felt, against the utmost powerful Apostles, he realized he was just an insect. At the same time, an inescapable fear gripped his heart, and his complexion turned pale, rendering him unable to move even a step.

‘Ugh… Aghhh.’

I need to move. But I’m utterly unable to.

He couldn’t control his body with reason.

Having realized the true cosmic horror, Zhuge Bu’s mind began to slip into madness.

“I’ll go!”

But was that a challenge to Zhuge Bu’s situation?

“Haahh!!”

Out of the blue, Asura, standing next to him, dashed at the light, wielding his sword. Nobody had anticipated that someone would attempt to leap into this despairing moment while all were trying to evade, thinking it was time to escape. Asura drew his sword and made a large slash upward against the encroaching gray flash.

Nirvana of the Absolute

Return to One

Dark Night Slash

Guuuu!!

In that moment, Asura’s attack cleaved through the space filled with petrifying light. Shadows made of darkness spread in a web and then transformed into a wheel, scattering the petrifying beams.

Tzzzzzzzzk

The petrifying light abruptly disintegrated, scattering all directions chaotically. And they all managed to escape from the brink of being swept away.

[…….]

Witnessing Asura’s ultimate technique, Dokgo Uncheon used the Six Harmonies Assembly to speak to Han Baek-ryeong.

[Han Baek-ryeong. Did you see how his technique transformed?]

[I did, Master. The wheel turned backwards.]

[You saw the same thing as I did. Remember this technique well.]

[I understand.]

As ultimate martial artists, they immediately grasped the significance of Asura’s return to oneness dark night slash. Recognizing its worth, they understood that the current Asura was no longer the same being from the past.

The gray flash of light dissipated entirely. They had repelled the assault from Halchi Olleifra once. Zhuge Bu, who had been dazed, suddenly came to his senses and said.

“Cheon Woo-jin! Can you use an illusion technique to reverse Seong Jin’s petrification?”

Cheon Woo-jin approached Seong Jin’s statue and shook his head.

“I can’t reverse a curse of this level. Even if I could, it would require all my power, which would leave us at a disadvantage against Halchi Olleifra.”

“…I see. Then I will not give up.”

Zhuge Bu resigned himself to the fact that reviving Seong Jin was impossible. He deeply felt that being hit by Halchi Olleifra’s petrifying light would mean instant death. As he sensed his companions being picked off one by one, he could feel the pressure building.

Yet, Zhuge Bu tried hard to keep calm and issued his orders.

“Instead, recover Seo Mun-hye from petrification. She is the most crucial.”

“I understand.”

“We had planned to run, but it seems we have no choice but to face off here.”

Zhuge Bu took out the Ancient Treasure and called.

“Golden Hall Law Protection, summon the Great Warriors of Kunlun! Create a formation.”

Kugugugung!

As the command exploded, four enormous giants materialized all around. And I mean enormous, towering hundreds of feet high. The giants clad in divine garments each brandished swords, spears, halberds, and bows, stomping around in all directions. They knelt in place and began casting sacred spells.

Piiing –

A six-sided barrier formed around the four giants. The orange light interior blocked all demonic energy and allowed the powerful spirit of Kunlun Mountain to flow through, greatly enhancing their allies’ power. Zhuge Bu expected that fighting within this barrier would significantly improve their chances.

‘I can’t use the stolen Peng Zuo because mingling with dark arts causes a magical backlash, but…. This is quite useful.’

Zhuge Bu said.

“When Halchi Olleifra appears, we will fight back. If things turn grim, I will retreat us all.”

[We have no clear counter against his transmutation abilities. Is there nothing we can do?]

“There’s no other way. Even if he’s not a divine being, he’s god-like…. But he also has a core within him. If we can destroy that core, we win.”

[If we can transmute the core….]

“That’s… a matter we cannot plan for. Just do your best.”

[Heh. Is this what it feels like to follow in the footsteps of Baek Woong’s reincarnation?]

Suddenly, Dokgo Uncheon spoke in amusement.

[It’s pure despair, yet knowing there’s a glimmer of hope makes me want to challenge until the end.]

“Now’s not the time for reflections, Dokgo Uncheon.”

Zhuge Bu replied gruffly, then spoke to Asura.

“You did well just now. Now transform into your Demon King form and fight the enemy.”

“No, I cannot.”

“What do you mean?”

“Yes. If I take on the form of a Demon King, my resistance to dark magic increases, making it easier to endure transmutational abilities. You based strategies on our being the allies, opting to face off here… What? What? You punk, say that again.”

Zhuge Bu’s face showed a moment of utter disbelief. As he stared dumbfounded at Asura, who stood there with just a sword, Asura confidently replied.

“I sealed my magical power and transformation abilities to elevate my martial prowess after the Demon War, living as a human for over a hundred years. That constraint cannot be easily lifted; thus, I have no choice but to continue living in human form.”

“……”

“Why do you look at me like that?”

“Th-this…”

Zhuge Bu’s world went dark. His earlier strategy involved having Seo Mun-hye and Asura hold the front against Halchi Olleifra while Dokgo Uncheon and Han Baek-ryeong landed effective blows. However, if Asura couldn’t use his Demon King powers, their abilities would drop catastrophically, causing their plans to crumble. They’d have to protect Asura, reducing their chances of victory.

Why was this happening?

Zhuge Bu found himself sympathizing with the foolish appearance of Baek Woong, whom he had always mocked. When unexpected situations arose repeatedly during reincarnation, it rendered talent irrelevant, whether genius or dullard. Who wouldn’t falter in such situations?

Dokgo Uncheon whispered.

[Here it comes!]

Zhuwooo

From the void, enormous, tree-sized tentacles burst forth, slithering into existence. Along with the tentacles, something humanoid and eyeless, appearing as if it was withering away, began crawling out. It bore a visage of an ordinary adult male, but the pale light flowing from its palms crawled up its arms like living tendrils.

Moments later, the eyeless creature, still crawling, stood up on the tentacles. Then, using a unique speech style, it addressed the group.

[I am the Apostle Halchi Olleifra. By the decree of the Great Being, I shall punish you.]

The message was starkly devoid of human warmth. Though it took on a human form, it implied an immense distance from human consciousness and civilization. Zhuge Bu gritted his teeth and shouted.

“Attack!”

Whoosh!

At that moment, Dokgo Uncheon, Han Baek-ryeong, and Asura launched their strikes simultaneously against Halchi Olleifra. The Apostle produced tendrils of light from his palms, piercing the ground as he recited in command.

[You and I shall exist in the same space.]

Woooom

In the next instant, Zhuge Bu realized that all of his allies surrounding him had vanished, leaving him alone in a white void.

‘Transmutation ability! Did he really manipulate the space and drop all our allies into a subspace? Can this even be real?!’

No matter how powerful he was, he never imagined the Apostle could wield such abilities! Moreover, this area, protected by the Ancient Treasure, was supposed to weaken all magical attributes, yet somehow this was still formidable. If they fought in the maze, surely the Apostle’s powers would have been at least twice as much.

This was an unfathomably powerful ability that even a Grand Immortal wouldn’t dare to dream of, and Zhuge Bu was struck with terror by the unimaginable might of the Apostle. As he hastily drew Baek Woong to shield himself, Halchi Olleifra’s hand penetrated through his back and pierced his chest.

Thud!

“……!! Gah….”

Buzzing sounds filled the air.

Halchi Olleifra’s pale hand stirred around Zhuge Bu’s heart like tentacles. The impossibility of having a hand pierce his chest was surreal.

‘My heart.’

As it pierced through Zhuge Bu’s heart, he squirmed like a fish, blood spilling from his mouth, and he could hear Halchi Olleifra’s voice.

[After I’ve killed you worms, I’ll go for the head of the slumbering Heavenly Demon. I’d love to see the worm’s head displayed in mockery.]

Could he possibly have sensed that Sagong Lin was in recovery?

If that’s the case, the odds were against them from the start.

Swish

While pondering this, Zhuge Bu felt his strength diminsh slowly, as Halchi Olleifra withdrew his hand from his chest.

Thud

As Zhuge Bu collapsed, his presence began to fade away.

‘…Do I not need to even finish this off….’

Had this not been a sneak attack, even in a normal fight, he wouldn’t have lasted three seconds. With his heart pierced, Zhuge Bu felt tears welling in his eyes as he slowly slipped away.

It was miserable.

No matter how brilliant a strategy was devised, it meant nothing against the absolute power gap.

How can one possibly win such battles? What could ignite their will to keep fighting when victory was out of sight after thousands and tens of thousands of struggles? Moreover, the fact that Halchi Olleifra wasn’t even among the highest-ranking cosmic beings made Zhuge Bu’s despair all the more profound.

“……”

Zhuge Bu desired nothing more than to find peace just like this. He felt any attempt to rise again would be meaningless. As his eyelids gradually lowered,

‘Did I say I wouldn’t give up…?’

Suddenly, he recalled Baek Woong’s words. Then he remembered the speech he had given before two hundred thousand troops of the Great Bear Empire. The thought of how they were dying as mere resources for the Great Bear Empire and Baek Woong flooded his mind.

What meaning would there be in dying comfortably here right now?

Was his aim to give those lives meaning nothing but self-satisfaction?

Did he really have the right to say that he did his best for the soldiers of the Great Bear Empire after he died?

“Grahhh!! Ugh!!”

Zhuge Bu struggled, writhing in pain. He seemed like he wouldn’t survive due to the heavy blood loss but still, feeling his consciousness returning, he fought to move. Kicking the terrain, bleeding profusely, he desperately pulled out the Philosopher’s Stone from his bosom.

“Breathe, breathe, aaaaaah!!”

Thud!

He drove the Philosopher’s Stone into the spot where his heart had been. Along with the pain, a sensation of floating enveloped him, further muddling his senses.

‘What have I done….’

And he realized, despite committing the worst taboo imaginable in alchemy, a calmness washed over him.

Having forcibly extended his life, Zhuge Bu trembled as he slowly rose. He murmured.

“…Ryu Jin. I’m sorry. This is the body I’m giving you for the first time. It’s on the brink of death.”

At that moment, a voice resonated in Zhuge Bu’s mind.

[It’s fine. Hahaha.]

“Can I activate the portrait ability?”

[I’m unlocking the ability of the Upper Dantian. Don’t worry, it’ll be sufficient.]

The voice seemed to radiate pure joy.

[So, shall we go fight that Apostle, Creator! Hahaha!]

Whoosh

Not long after that, Zhuge Bu noticed his arm moving on its own toward the front, unleashing his portrait ability. Without the talent of the Upper Dantian, Zhuge Bu had rarely used his portrait ability well, but now he had reached a level over which it was as if he had been born with strong capabilities.

Whack!

Using his spatial slicing ability, he effortlessly escaped from the subspace created by Halchi Olleifra and coughed up violently. With fierce determination riveting his every muscle, he set his sights forward.

‘I won’t die like this. Even if I’m just a pawn in a reincarnation… I will never let this be the end!!’

Right now, he felt he could deal a blow against the Apostle.

The decisive weapon of the Great Bear Empire – Specialized Portrait Immortal No. 1, Ryu Jin, was now in sync with him.