Chapter 500: Side Story 20 Baek Sang-ah’s Melancholy

Somewhere not far from Seungdeok Fortress, the decisive battleground in the Empire’s North.

Ever since the black sphere struck the center of the fortress, chaos reigned continuously within.

Thanks to the high proportion of military presence, controlling the civilians wasn’t difficult, but as most of the population reversed course and flooded out of the fortress, the outer regions were plunged into total pandemonium as people scrambled to escape.

Yet, in such a situation, there was someone moving toward the inside of the fortress.

“Quite surprising.”

A gate, leading to somewhere floating at the heart of the fortress.

The very appearance of that gate was proof that Eungnyong’s plan had gone awry.

At some point, I turned to the black-robed judge who had been standing beside me.

“Was this your doing?”

Outwardly, the figure radiated the air of a high-ranking imperial official, but I knew for certain—they were not human.

“That power isn’t something the current two can manifest even if they joined forces. Unless, of course, there was some external influence at work.”

“Who knows.”

The judge responded, stroking his long beard, feigning innocence.

“When you get the chance to gain not one, but two young and talented judges, sometimes you’ve got to take risks.”

“……”

“What are you so worried about? Once we take those Divine Beasts with us, this will truly be your era.”

‘Young and talented judges,’ he says.

He couldn’t be referring to Baek Sang-ah and So Cheon.

To those of their kind, a mere thousand years was no more than a blink—so what he really meant was…

“The two Senior Brothers must’ve made that choice of their own volition. I have no right to speak against it.”

“Indeed.”

“But So Cheon and Baek Sang-ah are off-limits.”

So Cheon and Baek Sang-ah were, in the truest sense now, the successors of those two Senior Brothers.

It might be fine for now, but should those two approach my level in the distant future… I couldn’t predict how they’d turn out.

“…The Underworld is quite short-staffed these days, you see. Always desperate for talent.”

As expected.

“If I detect even a hint of artificial interference in their choices, I won’t let it slide. Not even from you, King of Hell.”

Though I wasn’t yet at a level to confront them directly…

At the very least, here in the human realm, my threats carried enough weight to seem plausible.

“Kukuk… Very well, I’ll keep that in mind.”

The leader of the Ten Kings of Hell, Yama, simply chuckled off my warning.

“Still, wasn’t it because you couldn’t intervene directly that you sent them in the first place? If you’re going to get involved like this, doesn’t that defeat the whole purpose?”

“I have no intention of interfering.”

I dusted off my clothes with a motion suggesting I was unarmed and sneered.

My presence here was solely to prevent the worst.

“I’ve already made the necessary arrangements for So Cheon. More than anything… I believe in their potential.”

“You believe in their potential, huh. Nice sentiment.”

A faint smirk appeared on Yama’s lips.

“But if we hadn’t stepped in, chances are high you would’ve lost your beloved comrades. What do you think about that?”

“……”

Since arriving here, I’d come to realize—Eungnyong’s hidden preparations were far more dangerous than expected.

To the point where I wondered if it wouldn’t have been better to take the risk and step in myself.

Still—

“Perhaps that might’ve been the case.”

“Oh?”

“But they are warriors. Each and every one of them carries the weight of countless lives on their shoulders.”

You must never take such resolve lightly.

My role was to accept the outcome—and prepare what came next.

“Let me say it again.”

I locked eyes with Yama and declared.

“Those two will win. Without a doubt.”

“……”

Yama looked back at me with an unreadable gaze.

“In the end, isn’t your conviction rooted in our intervention?”

“That’s one of the reasons, sure…”

“So it is a reason.”

Ignoring his gaze, I continued,

“But I believe in their capabilities, and in the preparations I’ve made—just as much as I believe in your existence.”

‘Well, I did talk a big game.’

So Cheon swallowed nervously as he stared at Eungnyong’s true body glaring in his direction.

‘…How am I supposed to get close to that?’

The plan to strike at his reverse scale had succeeded.

But failing to sever his lifeline meant it was only a half-success—as an assassin.

From this point forward, he would have to approach head-on.

—…That bastard.

The only consolation was that the enemy looked to be in worse shape than expected.

Between the shining golden scales, thick black energy was seeping out blatantly.

‘Lady Sang-ah is exhausted. She won’t last long.’

The fact that she was still standing was a miracle in itself.

She was holding out thanks to some unexpected external power—but even that wouldn’t last long.

At most, two or three exchanges. The battle had to end within that window.

“Huu….”

So Cheon exhaled deeply, then dashed straight toward Eungnyong.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

His figure leapt through the air, tearing across the battlefield.

To an observer, it might’ve looked like sky-stepping—but that wasn’t it.

—Thread, perhaps?

Eungnyong’s sharp perception instantly caught on to So Cheon’s technique.

While aerial footwork allowed for agile and fluid movement, it consumed a great deal of qi and intent.

As someone who needed to conserve every ounce of strength for a final strike, So Cheon couldn’t afford any such waste.

—Foolish!

Rumble!

With a deafening roar, the surrounding air trembled.

Even if the Gucheon Formation was a one-of-a-kind artifact and couldn’t be severed so easily, there was no helping it—the tension in the threads wavered.

And yet, So Cheon wasn’t flung away.

Amidst the crushing pressure, he calmly switched to a new Gucheon Formation, closing the distance with precision and resolve.

‘Incredible….’

With her remaining strength barely supporting her body, Baek Sang-ah slightly parted her lips in astonishment at So Cheon’s acrobatic movement arts.

Even if they had learned the same martial art, their foundations were fundamentally different.

So Cheon’s innate talent and disposition were something Baek Sang-ah couldn’t imitate, no matter if she had reached the Transcendent Demon Realm.

By the time he had approached within roughly twenty jang of Eungnyong—

“To be honest, I don’t really care what you do.”

So Cheon said this as he drew the sword he had borrowed from Baek Sang-ah.

“But Lady Baekis struggling like this, isn’t she? So how about you just disappear?”

—How dare you!

In an instant, thousands of golden spears materialized, encircling So Cheon from every direction.

Flinch!

With ordinary one-shot techniques, it was obvious he would try to escape into the void.

If that was the case, the most standard method to deal with that rat was to simply overwhelm him with numbers.

—Try running into the void, if you can!

Even for the famed So Cheon, he wouldn’t be able to hold out long inside the void.

And even if he escaped, those golden spears would relentlessly pursue his life.

In that situation, So Cheon made a move.

Vooong!

He hurled Baek Sang-ah’s sword directly toward Eungnyong.

—…!?

Eungnyong was briefly taken aback by So Cheon’s sudden move.

‘He just threw away the only weapon he had?’

Of course, he hadn’t thrown it for nothing.

King-Slaying Blade (殺王之劍)

Destruction (滅)

It was the secret technique he had once used with Baek Sang-ah against the Heaven-Evil-possessed Cheon Yura.

This time, he unleashed it on Eungnyong.

However—

Seeing So Cheon’s move, Baek Sang-ah instinctively sensed failure.

‘Too straightforward!’

Indeed, aside from the newly established Sangcheongi, Destruction was among So Cheon’s strongest techniques.

But launching such a direct attack against a prepared enemy—that wasn’t like So Cheon.

—Hmph!

As expected.

Hundreds of the golden spears Eungnyong had summoned gathered in formation and began to cancel out So Cheon’s strike.

Kagagagakang!

The ferocious burst of the Killing King’s True Qi lost force with every spear it pierced.

And eventually—

Crack!

Once all of the True Qi had dissipated, the sword So Cheon hurled was shattered—utterly and in vain.

It was inevitable.

No matter how treasured the sword might be among human weapons, there was no way it could survive a direct collision with Eungnyong’s divine technique.

—So what now, without a weapon?

Eungnyong mocked So Cheon after assessing his condition.

The Gucheon Formation he had bunched in one hand was nearly depleted.

The dagger was still embedded in the reverse scale, and the sword he had left had just been destroyed from overexertion.

All So Cheon had left was his body.

“Doesn’t matter.”

That last attack had momentarily blocked their lines of sight.

And in that brief window—

“I was able to close the distance.”

So Cheon was now standing right before Eungnyong’s nose.

Of course, the storm of spears still aimed for his entire body, but for just one moment, So Cheon had earned the chance to trade his life for a single second.

—So what’s your next move?

Crunch!

Before anyone realized it, a golden spear pierced through So Cheon’s thigh.

“S-So Cheeeon!”

Baek Sang-ah screamed when she saw it.

No matter how agile you were, there were limits.

Especially after using a high-cost technique like Destruction, your movements would inevitably slow.

Once one spear landed, the rest followed without pause.

Pupupupuck!

In an instant, five or six golden spears penetrated So Cheon’s entire body.

“Nooooooo!!”

So Cheon was skewered in the blink of an eye, hanging like a criminal from the spears.

—This is the end.

At that moment, Eungnyong was convinced of his victory.

He had remained vigilant due to So Cheon’s uncanny unpredictability and clever tricks—but in the end, humans were still human.

The sensation of tearing into his flesh was unmistakably real.

“……”

—You thought you could oppose me with such trifling sentiment…

Chill!

Suddenly—

Eungnyong froze, unable to finish his sentence, seized by a primal sense of danger.

‘He avoided all the vital points?’

In the past, he might not have understood—but after so many years residing in human form, Eungnyong had developed some knowledge of the human body.

From that understanding, he could tell—while So Cheon’s entire body was impaled and immobile, none of the truly fatal points had been struck.

—Even so, there’s nothing you can do.

Suppressing the creeping sense of dread, Eungnyong activated his sorcery to finish So Cheon for good.

At that moment, So Cheon, blood pouring from his orifices, opened his mouth weakly.

“…Hey, did you know?”

—……

It was a line Eungnyong would normally have responded to, but this time, he didn’t.

Even though So Cheon would likely die from blood loss alone, Eungnyong had a gut feeling—responding here might lead to something irreversible.

“In the void you mentioned… sure, you can’t hide living beings for long… but…”

So Cheon stretched out a trembling hand.

“You can hide things that aren’t alive.”

—……!!

Ten Thousand Phase Tai Chi

Spatial Fold (孔摺)

At the tip of So Cheon’s outstretched fingers, space twisted.

Then it split—connecting to the void.

From a spot that should’ve been empty, something pitch black emerged.

—How…?!

A divine item that seemed to devour even Eungnyong’s golden radiance.

Its identity was none other than Jin Yeomyung’s Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.

—You! That was supposed to be your first time using that technique…!

“Of course it was. But…”

So Cheon sneered bitterly at Eungnyong.

“Opening the space itself—I’d already figured that out when that bastard Myeong explained it to me.”

Of course, the courage to reach through that space had only come after seeing Baek Sang-ah’s pitiful condition.

So Cheon’s smile deepened.

“Thanks… for letting your guard down… all the way to the end.”

—You bastard—!

Eungnyong hastily tried to escape using spatial transference.

Crack!

But before he could—

The blade of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword that So Cheon summoned plunged straight into the reverse scale at the back of Eungnyong’s neck.

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