1365——————==

Soul of the Evil God

I chuckled at the guy’s words and said, “You’re wearing the mask of the Coming Chaos and you’re ignoring my taunts? You’re already trembling like a leaf.”

“…Oh.”

Spah!

Suddenly, in the midst of our power struggle, a blue energy field appeared, bringing Hong Gyun Do-in’s sword form back to its original state. However, it felt so faint it was like a drawing on a canvas; it seemed to be some sort of advanced evasion technique.

Hong Gyun Do-in closed his eyes again and locked his gaze on me.

“How did you know that?”

Hmm…?

“Is now really the time for your curiosity?”

I was puzzled by his rational inquiry; it didn’t match the usual craziness I had seen from masks before.

‘He could ask back, but this feels off.’

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but it felt like the ‘madness’ that used to swirl around him had temporarily vanished!

Normally, the masks I knew would either happily accept or just attack me outright, but this response felt weird to my gut.

Hong Gyun Do-in flinched and grinned slyly.

“Seems you’ve met more masks than I expected.”

I casually motioned as if to take off a mask.

“So what’s your move? I could probably strip that mask off you in an instant, are you scared you couldn’t handle it?”

“……”

Soho Jin Tian, who had just been attacking Hong Gyun Do-in, along with Jeogok and Jeon Wook, looked at our standoff. They seemed as curious as I was about how Hong Gyun Do-in would react to my taunt. A moment later, he replied.

“Thinking that you could take off a mask from a mask-wearer, how absurd. The mask I’m wearing doesn’t even exist.”

I crossed my arms and scoffed.

“Aw, scared, huh?”

“……Not at all.”

For a brief moment, Hong Gyun Do-in’s expression twisted, yet he chose not to reply, trying to move the conversation along, and in that moment, Jeon Wook chimed in unexpectedly.

[How pitiful. The Apostle of the Coming Chaos, allied with Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen, is such a coward?]

“Jeon Wook! Do I look scared to you?”

[Not at all. But you do seem like a thousand-legged insect.]

“……!!”

In that instant, Hong Gyun Do-in definitely looked humiliated, his fists clenched tight. I was shocked to discover just how well Jeon Wook could provoke others. I never expected someone who had been ignoring my taunts would react so greatly all of a sudden.

Finally, as if having made up his mind, Hong Gyun Do-in said to me,

“Fine. Go ahead and try. I was just wasting my time with a puny shrimp like you, but if you want to die, I won’t deny you.”

Wooong

Hong Gyun Do-in’s faint presence gradually thickened and seemed to spring forth into reality, and with that, I started feeling the immense magical power he held. As I stepped a few more paces, that power further intensified, making my limbs feel tingly and numb.

Krrk! Crack!

‘Ugh.’

This was no joke. I thought I had developed enough capability to withstand the Three Sovereigns face-to-face, yet this guy’s power was on par with them, and he directed such clear murderous intent at me. It would be an understatement to say even a Great Immortal could drown in that power; I was likely holding on thanks to Cheon Woo-jin’s support and the help of the Four Great Spirit Deities and Divine Qi.

However, I instinctively knew that if I faltered here, taking another step would be impossible, so I forced down the pressure and grinned.

“Hey, this is getting a bit bland; why don’t we wager something? It’s a bet, after all.”

“Oh? Even though you’ll die anyway, you find yourself tempted by rewards?”

“Still scared?”

This time, Hong Gyun Do-in definitely looked offended.

“…Fine, go ahead and speak.”

“If I win, you must grant me any wish of mine. If I lose, I’ll become your slave for eternity.”

“That’s a bad deal. Even without making that agreement, I could just kill you now and make you my slave, so why should I accept your terms?”

“…….”

Ah, this isn’t gonna work…

Why’s he dodging like this?

Realizing things were drifting from what I originally expected, I unintentionally muttered a curse I must have picked up from the Great Bear Empire five centuries later.

“Ugh, what a loser…”

“……!!”

“Forget it. I was the idiot for even thinking of betting with a coward like you!”

Now that it’s come to this, I should go all out and use the Four Great Spirit Deities!

Just as I decided to back off, a strange sound filled the air.

Kreeeeek…

Kreeeek!!!

“Huh, ugh, uh… ugh!!”

A twist.

Hong Gyun Do-in, who had originally appeared amiable, suddenly contorted into an indescribable ‘twist.’ It was as if waves were distorting in midair, and that bizarre twisting seemed to actually rip through Hong Gyun Do-in’s skin and blood vessels, followed shortly by the sound of his face flesh tearing away.

Fwaaaah

“Gugh!! H-how can such a restraint be….”

Hong Gyun Do-in desperately clutched his face as if trying to hold onto the flesh that was trying to tear away, blood oozing from his hands and clearly tormenting him. The pained groan he barely held back came out in a shout.

“I understand… Great Will… if this is my karma… then bring it on….”

Huh? You want me to bring it on?

…Why’s he acting this way all of a sudden?

‘What a strange character.’

I was confused, but since I was already frustrated, I quite bluntly rejected him.

“Not in the mood for that. When I begged you desperately to do it, you completely ignored me, so what’s with you now?”

Hong Gyun Do-in looked a bit flustered.

“Gugh… alright… I’ll add a little more to the terms.”

“What are you adding?”

“If you win, I will grant you three wishes. How does that sound?”

Three?!

Realizing he was feeling desperate, I recognized that the terms were ridiculously good. But since I might regret accepting, I decided to lay down the law.

“No loopholes or backtracking. Put your name on the line.”

At that, Hong Gyun Do-in flinched as if I hit a vital spot.

“…I can’t put my name on the line.”

“What? This won’t do. I’m not playing anymore, so buzz off.”

Crack!

Hong Gyun Do-in’s face looked like it was about to tear apart. He was using his magical power in a futile attempt to hold it together, then, drenched in blood, he finally desperately said to me,

“No, it’s not that! It’s not that I lack sincerity… the mask can’t wager its original name!! Haven’t you met other masks aside from me and still not known that?!”

“What?”

“Damn it! I should have returned to the Primordial Void Ruler back then, but I lingered too long watching the end….”

He seemed to be uttering something important, but I didn’t quite understand. It felt like I had heard a similar story before, but I just kept picking at my ear.

“So what now~ You could wager your true form’s name instead.”

“You… are you just that stupid? That’s the more fundamental reason, you see.”

“I still don’t trust your promise, coward.”

“…How did I end up in such a situation….”

Hong Gyun Do-in sighed in frustration and finally said,

“Fine… then I will give you one of my powers for free. How about that? You shouldn’t lose anything.”

“Powers?”

“If you can’t accept that, then our negotiations are over.”

“Hmmm.”

I sensed a bit of sincerity in his words; it was something that arose from my long experience in negotiation. I stroked my chin and asked,

“What kind of power?”

“It’s the power of Hong Meng that I received when I awakened.”

Wooong

A colorful orb shimmered above Hong Gyun Do-in’s hands. He subtly offered it towards me and provided a brief explanation.

“It’s the ability to turn everything in this world into uncertainty.”

“……? Uncertainty? So how do you use this?”

“You invade established laws and forcibly turn them into chaos before they disperse. Originally, this power is used to dance in the infinite from the Throne.”

“……?”

What kind of nonsense is that?

I was confused and unable to comprehend what he meant, but I noticed Jeogok, who had been watching our conversation, suddenly gasped in shock.

[Wait… is a mere apostle of a mask holding such power?!]

Jeon Wook seemed equally surprised; he spoke in a grave tone.

[Truly astonishing…. The Emperor must have bowed down to the Coming Chaos to make this deal, and now we see the reason why.]

I found their reactions intriguing and turned to Jeon Wook to ask.

“Jeon Wook, is that a good thing?”

[You don’t mean to say you don’t understand what the power of Hong Meng entails, do you, my apostle?]

“I guess I don’t….”

[…….]

Jeon Wook crossed his arms and let out a deep, low sigh before finally speaking.

[If I were you, I’d melt that useless head in lava for about a million years until it becomes soft. Then maybe that solidified brain would become useful… ]

“……”

I felt his frustration deep down, and I turned toward Hong Gyun Do-in with a wounded expression.

“Alright! I’ll take it, so hand it over!”

“Here you go.”

Wooong!

Moments later, the colorful orb that left Hong Gyun Do-in’s hand felt like it was gently absorbed by my heart. My heart fluttered for a second, and suddenly a translucent window appeared in front of me out of nowhere.

[Warning. An incomprehensible transcendent power is being absorbed.]

[Confirmed that it cannot be expelled. Due to a 99.924% chance of mortality if left loose and absorbed, sealing process is about to commence.]

[The Abyss of Memory cannot be sealed. The interaction with existing seals is unmeasurable.]

[Agreement to the unconscious space freeze-style seal. Continuous power consumption ongoing… Limitation time 26 hours and 24 minutes.]

I didn’t quite get what it was saying, but it seemed to mean I wouldn’t be able to use it immediately. I nodded vaguely and said to Hong Gyun Do-in.

“Okay then, shall we give this a go?”

“Come at me.”

Swish

Hong Gyun Do-in opened his arms like he was solidifying his resolve and slowly opened his eyes. Just like when he fought Soho Jin Tian earlier, a bizarre scene unfolded behind his hollow eyes, with a colorful universe stretching out, and in that moment, I could feel just how dangerous charging at that monster was.

That guy was undoubtedly certain he would win. After all, the gap in our strength was like that between an elephant and an ant, and he believed he couldn’t possibly have another mask.

Offering me the power of Hong Meng right away was undoubtedly a plan to kill me and take it all back.

Death was at my doorstep.

Am I scared?

After asking myself, I suddenly let out a small laugh, thinking about what would have happened if I were in front of Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen.

No matter how terrifying Hong Gyun Do-in was, he was not as intimidating as Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen.

Yet…I had charged right at that Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen before.

So what is there to fear!

Technique of All Things

Steal a Mask!

With a whoosh sound, my sword form condensed and suddenly closed the distance with Hong Gyun Do-in, reaching out my right hand toward his face. Normally, he should have used some bizarre power to push me away, yet he simply let me come closer, as if to say “go ahead, make your move.”

Wait, does he really not have a mask?

The moment my right hand touched the contours of his face, I thought to myself; I felt nothing regarding the outline of a mask that should’ve been present with the help of Cheon Woo-jin, only the plain, innocent visage of Hong Gyun Do-in.

But instead of feeling afraid, another thought crossed my mind.

The mask contest I had with the Divine Thief from beyond the universe!

That time, because my and the Divine Thief’s speed matched, it concluded with a physical exchange of our bodies. If it was a match between owners of the Technique of All Things, then naturally, I thought such an outcome would happen.

But as time passed, I couldn’t help but wonder if the match had been determined only by the nature of the Technique of All Things. I am human, and the Divine Thief is a mask, so there should have been a fundamental difference that reflected in the duel, right? Since I’ve never competed against a human’s Technique of All Things, I began to doubt.

If it could yield the same result even when pitted against another human, it was certainly worth questioning.

What if a mask might also have a mask within?

Though I had no solid evidence, the intuition of the great thief whispered something to me.

‘There must be something… definitely!’

At that moment, I distinctly recalled stealing the Divine Thief’s mask. If the circumstances were different, then the Divine Thief should have retaliated against me with the Technique of All Things, whereas Hong Gyun Do-in in front of me wasn’t counterattacking at all.

Wait… counterattack?

In that moment, I intuitively realized that the mask’s position was likely even deeper than I thought. It was absurd, but thinking about whether there was a counterattack lead me to understand the most fundamental difference between Hong Gyun Do-in and the Divine Thief.

‘Damn it… this is karma coming back to bite you.’

And I began to do something unbelievable even as I activated the Absolute Slash. Hesitation loomed because of the context, but I had no choice left.

Technique of All Things

Transformation Techniques

Crack!

My muscles tensed and my hand began to look like a beast’s, revealing blood vessels and sinews. I switched from the basic gesture of the water hand to the bird claw hand.

The bird claw hand, one of the heist hand gestures I learned from the master thief, led to an elegant stance known to facilitate stealing objects through tight spaces. There were about eight types, needing considerable training, and it could be considered a vision technique of thieves.

‘That’s right, this motherfucker’s mask isn’t stuck to his face!’

In the next moment, my eyes twinkled.

‘It’s deeper than that!’

Eye-Picking Hand!

Thud!!

“……!!”

As my hand assembled toward a target with the bird claw hand, it plunged straight into the now gaping eye socket of Hong Gyun Do-in. To my surprise, my hand completely buried itself within that tiny eye hole, indicating that it was a spiritual entity, not a physical one. It might seem cruel to others, but I fixated on Hong Gyun Do-in’s wide-open eyes and observed the movements of his pupils.

I could feel it.

It was ridiculous. Behind his eyes, a universe stretched out, yet what lay before a thief like me were patterns I could read as ‘pupil’—the indistinct flow of something formless. Having peeked at formless existences so often, that sensation had naturally developed over time.

And I focused on sensing where that formless flow led, extending my arm toward that destination.

“Uoooo!!”

Crack!

Soon, my entire hand and arm plunged straight through Hong Gyun Do-in’s eye. He appeared too startled to even utter a gasp, and I paid no heed to him, pouring all my focus into pushing my arm deeper.

I didn’t know the exact position yet, but my instincts would lead me.

That puppet’s pupil would show me its true location!

‘Got it!’

With a click, I felt the mask’s contours brush against my fingertips. Even though I couldn’t see the shape of the mask, the moment I gripped that outline, a chill crept through my body.

‘C-cold… ugh….’

My instincts warned me. This mask was different in some fundamental way from others.

If I pull this out, something irreversible will happen.

But whether I die now or die later, it was the same, so I ignored that instinct and whipped my arm to yank the mask off with a flourish.

Rip!

With a disgusting feeling akin to pulling off glue stuck to human skin, goo splattered onto my fingertips. I saw Hong Gyun Do-in’s shocked face as he wildly swung his hands.

“AAAHH! No, no! I… am I not a true [Coming Chaos] yet?! Could it be I had a mask of my own…?!”

“Shut it!”

Rip!

I spun around and quickly withdrew my arm to fetch the mask. As I pulled free from Hong Gyun Do-in’s eye, he staggered vacantly, swaying like a deflated doll, and I felt my arm start to disintegrate, emitting a ghastly smoke.

Crackle!

“AAHH! Jeon Wook! Please heal this with [Small Cycle]!!”

I hastily transferred the stolen mask to my left hand and raised my arm toward Jeon Wook. Since he was a divine being, I thought he would certainly fix such an injury. However, Jeon Wook stared blankly at my arm and said,

[You’ve been contaminated by the chaotic root. You can’t heal something like this just by turning back time.]

“……?!”

[Even [Small Cycle] won’t fix this wound?!]

As I was panicking,

Wooom…

Suddenly, three dimension doors opened all over the space. It was assured that something unwanted would emerge from those dimension doors opening from various positions, and watching it, Jeogok exclaimed something incomprehensible.

[At last, you’ve come….]