Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 360 – Sacred Orb (2)

Mortal? Don’t tell me it’s you again?

Cheong-ryeong, who had been reaching out her hand asking for the cracked sacred orb, clicked her tongue in disbelief.

The moment he touched the sacred orb, his eyes glazed over.

He had clearly fallen into the mind’s eye state.

She couldn’t understand what mysterious power the sacred orb possessed for someone with not weak willpower to keep falling into a state of deep concentration like this.

Normally it wouldn’t matter, but there was no time for this now.

Cheong-ryeong, having manifested to wake Mok Gyeong-un, was about to reach out her hand…..

‘……This expression is new again.’

It was a face rarely seen on him.

Cheong-ryeong, who had been staring at the dazed-eyed Mok Gyeong-un, shook her head and hurriedly tried to wake him.

But at that very moment.

-Hwareureuk!

Suddenly, flames flickered and blazed from Mok Gyeong-un’s hand holding the sacred orb.

Seeing this, Cheong-ryeong’s eyes widened.

It wasn’t ordinary flames.

The flames were so black as to be reminiscent of an abyss.

Seeing this, her face was filled with shock.

‘Black fire? This….. What on earth?’

-Hwareureureuk!

At that moment, the black flames that had blazed up from the hand holding the sacred orb tried to spread over his entire body.

But then the black flames that were about to spread suddenly subsided.

Then they disappeared as if they had never been there.

The flames had only appeared for a very brief moment.

‘What?’

What on earth was this just now?

***

-I am a fragment of the core. Just a piece of you.

‘A fragment of the core?’

What does this mean?

As he was wondering, the flames enveloping the being resembling himself began to transfer to his body through its two hands.

At this incredibly strange phenomenon, Mok Gyeong-un tried to move his body but couldn’t budge at all.

Rather, the moment the black flames touched him, he was caught in a strange sensation.

It felt like an endless abyss and darkness, and despite being flames, it wasn’t hot but terribly cold.

But what was even stranger was that this sensation didn’t feel like it was the first time.

The moment the flames spread over his body, he felt something vaguely familiar yet nostalgic.

-Hwareureuk!

As the black flames spread over his entire body like that, something welled up inside along with a sense of elation.

Just as he was about to fully savor these black flames.

-Sseuk!

Someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

-I’ll hold onto this for now.

‘!?’

-Hwareureuk!

Then the black flames that had been spreading over his entire body began to gather towards his shoulder.

Then the black flames disappeared as if completely burned away.

Wondering what on earth had happened, the being with the same appearance that had placed its hand on Mok Gyeong-un’s shoulder furrowed its brow and spoke.

-You? Did you exist?

-I did.

A familiar voice.

No, rather than familiar, it was the same voice.

Mok Gyeong-un tried to somehow turn his head at the voice that was no different from the being resembling himself.

But he couldn’t move as if his body was restrained.

Then,

-I’m sorry, but it’s not time yet.

‘What?’

-No. Even without this, your potential surpasses mine.

‘What are you saying….’

-Everything depends on how you think about it. In the end, it’s up to your will to do it.

‘Who on earth are you?’

-Well…… You’ll know everything soon enough.

-Sseuk!

With those words, the being with the voice removed its hand from Mok Gyeong-un’s shoulder.

Then Mok Gyeong-un lost consciousness.

-Seureureureuru!

The unconscious Mok Gyeong-un’s form disappeared as if scattering.

As Mok Gyeong-un disappeared like that, the one beside him stepped forward, and its appearance was no different from Mok Gyeong-un.

No, it was him itself.

Watching this, the being that had called itself a fragment of the core spoke:

-An incomprehensible choice. Did you even separate your personality?

-Let’s say that’s the case.

-Isn’t it an unnecessary choice?

-It was a necessary choice.

-Was it a choice made because you couldn’t bear it?

-………

-I see. But why did you stop him from taking the energy remaining in the fragment? Wasn’t this a contingency plan for that very purpose?

To the being’s question, the one with Mok Gyeong-un’s appearance shook its head.

-The time hasn’t come yet. It’s too early to handle this yet.

-To say it’s too early, he’s become incredibly strong despite being an incomplete being.

-It’s not enough. If he takes the fragment’s energy and reveals that in an unprepared state, even those beyond will notice.

-!!!!!

At those words, the eyes of the being calling itself a fragment of the core glinted with interest.

Then, as if finally understanding, it spoke.

-……I see. So that’s why you stopped it.

-Yes.

-But now I understand.

-What do you mean?

-I wondered why you were doing such unnecessary things, but it wasn’t just a choice made because you couldn’t bear it.

-………

-It was all out of necessity.

As soon as those words ended, the body of the being calling itself a fragment of the core began to scatter.

To it, the one who was Mok Gyeong-un himself put his hands together and made a respectful fist-palm salute.

-What’s that?

-This is how one shows respect here.

-Respect…… That’s a good word. I feel light now that I’ve finished my task, and even my mood has improved. Is this what they call the meaning of existence?

With those words, the scattering being smiled.

And that smile disappeared into the scattering.

***

-Paseuseuseuseu!

At that moment, the cracked sacred orb shattered and crumbled like sand.

“Huh?”

Mok Gyeong-un, coming to his senses, frowned at this sight.

He hadn’t expected the sacred orb to completely crumble.

Mok Gyeong-un’s mind became complicated as he watched this.

The events experienced in the mind’s eye were even harder to define than what he had seen before.

What on earth was the fragment of the core, and who was that being that suddenly appeared?

[Who on earth are you?]

[Well…… You’ll know everything soon enough.]

That tone.

Although it didn’t show its face, he remembered.

It was certainly that being that had occupied his body.

He could be sure because he remembered exactly that sensation from then and that tone of speech.

Just what is that being inside me?

It certainly existed, but after briefly meeting it in the mind’s eye, his mind became even more complicated.

Then,

-Mortal, you….. What was that just now?

Cheong-ryeong suddenly thrust her face close and asked.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un asked back, puzzled:

“What do you mean, what was that?”

-The black fire.

“Black fire?”

-Yes. That was certainly that…….

“That?”

-That…… Uuuu! No. No. That’s definitely not it. What on earth are you? Mortal.

“If you ask like that, I don’t know how to answer you.”

-Just now, your body was covered in black flames. Of course, they went out instantly as soon as they appeared, but.

“You say they went out instantly?”

-Yes. What on earth happened?

“……..If you’re asking about something because of black flames, I don’t know either. The things that happened in the mind’s eye have become even harder to explain than before.”

At these words from Mok Gyeong-un, Cheong-ryeong bit her lip hard.

Then she let out a long sigh.

To her, Mok Gyeong-un spoke with sharpened eyes:

“For now, it seems better to talk about the black flames later.”

At these words, Cheong-ryeong looked where Mok Gyeong-un was looking.

There, she saw the blade user, his entire body covered in the green blood of the Earth Mole Dragons, approaching with a terrifying momentum.

Mok Gyeong-un handed her the powder of the shattered sacred orb.

Although it had lost its form, it seemed they should still keep it for now.

-Can you handle him alone?

“I’ll have to try.”

-From the point of consuming more than two true sources, that guy can hardly be considered human anymore. Yes. He’s literally a being close to immortality.

“We’ll see. Let’s test it.”

-Test?

“How to kill him, that is.”

-Pat!

As soon as those words ended, Mok Gyeong-un also launched his body towards the blade user approaching him.

The morale and fighting spirit of the blade user who had massacred the monstrous Earth Mole Dragons had reached its peak.

That momentum had greatly increased, and

-Hwareureureuk!

His treasured blade rippled with flames, looking as if it would spew them out at any moment.

“Let’s end this here! Cheonma!”

-Chwachwachwachwachwachwa!

‘Third technique, Blade Extreme Net Purity!’

The blade user’s treasured blade, covered in flames, rushed towards Mok Gyeong-un, tracing strange trajectories that could never come from ordinary blade techniques.

Mok Gyeong-un calmly observed this, and

-Chwachwachwachwachwachak!

The blade technique then spread out, growing like a large net and densely filling the surroundings.

Its range was incredibly vast, reaching up to eight zhang.

It was literally a net of flaming blades, leaving no place to escape.

-Seureung!

Although he might have been slightly overwhelmed by the tremendous momentum of the blade technique, Mok Gyeong-un drew his precious sword Evil Commandment Sword without the slightest change in expression.

After drawing his sword like that, Mok Gyeong-un immediately traced the blade from bottom to top with his left sword finger.

Then,

-Swaaaaaaaa!

At that moment, the sword began to emit an extreme yin cold energy.

The cold energy that flowed out like that merged with demonic energy and turned into a black cold wave.

‘He handles cold energy?’

The blade user inwardly clicked his tongue at this sight.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the fire energy obtained from consuming the Fire Qilin’s true source possessed the greatest destructive power among spirit beasts.

He had intended to gain the upper hand in one breath by imbuing this fire energy, but he hadn’t expected that guy, who hadn’t even consumed a true source, to be able to handle cold energy, which could be called its antithesis.

‘But that energy isn’t obtained from a true source, so it must be just a temporary power.’

-Hwareureureureuk!

In the end, when they clashed, it would be advantageous for him.

Like that, the flaming blade technique and the sword technique imbued with cold energy were about to clash.

-Chaechaechaechaechaechaechaeng!

The sword technique Mok Gyeong-un unleashed was the first technique of the Demonic Sword Art.

There was no need to block over a wide range.

Since the entire net made of blades wasn’t attacking him anyway, it was enough to just protect himself.

-Chaechaechaechaechaeng!

The fiercely clashing fire energy and cold energy soon created misty steam, as befitting energies of opposing natures.

As steam rose, the surrounding visibility was suddenly obscured.

The expression of the blade user clashing techniques became strange.

‘What’s going on?’

He was clearly pushing with an overwhelming offensive by drawing up even the power of the true source, but the other wasn’t being pushed back at all.

Rather, the energy seemed to have become stronger than before.

What on earth is this?

‘Has his inner force increased?’

No. That couldn’t be.

How could inner force increase this much in such a short time?

This was impossible.

-Chaechaechaechaeng!

The blade user’s eyes narrowed as he clashed blades.

He wondered if he was mistaken because of the steam, but something like steam was also rising from Mok Gyeong-un’s entire body.

Moreover, his face was flushed red.

-Shuuuuu!

Could it be that his techniques have gained more momentum because of this?

Whatever technique this was, temporarily raising energy like this would become disadvantageous as time passed.

And,

-Chaechaechaeng! Chaeng!

The blade user, who had been unleashing blade techniques, suddenly initiated a change in technique, twisting his waist and rotating his blade.

At that moment, a whirlwind of flames arose centered on him.

‘Sixth technique, Revolving Dragon Ascending to Heaven!’

It was an ultimate technique that created a whirlwind with blade energy to narrow in and pressure the opponent.

But at that instant,

-Tatak!

Mok Gyeong-un’s form split into two.

He had divided his form using the Wind God Step.

Then, one of the divided forms of Mok Gyeong-un,

-Kung!

Stepped firmly and pulled his sword towards the whirlwind of flames created by the blade user, then thrust it forward.

Then,

-Chwachwachwachwachwachwachwachwa!

From the tip of the sword, a cold black whirlwind arose and surged towards the whirlwind created by the blade user.

This was none other than the Pursuing Swirling Sword.

-Chaechaechaechaechaeng!

The whirlwinds of flames and cold black energy created by the two peerless experts clashed fiercely.

Their power was indeed evenly matched.

But there was one human figure flying into the center of those whirlwinds.

It was the doppelganger of Mok Gyeong-un, divided using the Wind Shadow Two Forms technique of the Wind God Step.

-Heumchit!

The blade user instinctively realized what Mok Gyeong-un was trying to do.

It was certainly that.

That single sword strike that concentrated all power into one point.

At this, the blade user’s gaze sharpened.

‘That must be your ultimate strike. But even that sword isn’t without weakness.’

When all power is concentrated into one point, the force becomes so strong that it cannot be stopped midway.

Anyone who has experienced or suffered from this even once would find this single weakness.

If one could change direction midway with this technique, that weakness could be compensated for, but no matter how you look at it, this is a strike that surpasses limits.

It’s not something that can possibly be stopped.

If that’s the case,

-Kwaak!

The blade user gripped his blade handle tightly while unleashing Revolving Dragon Ascending to Heaven.

-Chwak!

At that moment, a black line appeared in the center of the whirlwind.

It was at that very instant.

Thanks to the whirlwind, the target was gathered into just one point, so the blade user was certain that this concentration of power would aim for only one spot and moved exactly half a step.

-Pak!

And in that state of moving half a step to the side,

-Chwak!

He unleashed the fifth technique, Extreme Swift Killing Blade.

There’s absolutely no way to avoid it.

You’ll have to take the full brunt of that power concentrated into one point along with my blade strike……

-Pagagagagak!

‘!?’

At that moment, the blade user’s eyes shook.

That was because,

‘……He stopped?’

Mok Gyeong-un had stopped midway through unleashing his single strike with concentrated power.

Because of this, the ground split and fragments soared upwards.

But this wasn’t the end.

When concentrating power like this, the force becomes so strong that only thrusting is possible, so if this single strike is forcibly stopped like this,

-Wudeuk wudeuk!

The only thing that had to withstand that aftermath was his own body.