Chapter 57 – Devouring Heaven

Somewhere in the Underground.

The Black Knight, clad in full-body armor of pitch-black, walked across the wilderness.

Along the path he had taken, the corpses of monsters, sliced into dozens of pieces as if tracing a trajectory, were scattered about. Each and every one of these monsters was a Demi-God-level Monster.

Thud, thud.

Clack.

“Hmm…?”

The Black Knight, who had been advancing without stopping, cutting down any monster that blocked his way, finally halted his steps for the first time.

As if sensing something from afar, he turned his head to gaze somewhere. Within his helmet, his eyes flickered intensely.

“The Gate of Primordial Origin has opened? Has the master of the vacant Axis returned?”

Oooooom!

The pitch-black Gang Qi coiled around the Black Knight’s sword responded to the event occurring somewhere, momentarily tinged with an ashen gray.

An energy similar to the Primordial Chaos energy Mirinae had unleashed to confront the Void Lord.

Confirming this, the Black Knight’s gaze took on a strange light.

“Ahh. Master of ■■. Finally…!”

But his moment of emotion was brief. The Gang Qi, which had turned ashen gray, returned to its deep blackness.

Even through the helmet concealing his face, his disappointment was palpable.

“…Has the gate closed again?”

Following the last trace of Primordial Chaos he had sensed, he changed direction and began to walk once more.

* * *

Heavenly Palace Tournament Promising Candidate Division Preliminaries Group A Arena.

Tsu tsu tsu tsu tsu tsu tsu!

The battle between Kim Cheoljung, who had evolved into a Void Lord, and the other participants was one-sided.

Before the power of the Void Lord, which had extended the characteristics of Starlight Absorption to its abilities, even a Seven Star Spirit was like a candle flame before the wind.

“Attacks and defenses are useless…!”

“Don’t let his ability touch you! The Starlight is being absorbed! Focus only on evasion!”

“Gyaaaaaah!”

Moreover, King Munmu’s “Dawn in My Hands” was a Certain Hit technique that made even evasion impossible.

Every time someone became a target, the Starlight of the participant or summoned Spirit was taken in large chunks.

The imperceptible attacks via the Sound Wave Blade were equally troublesome.

“Be silenced. Manmanpapasikjeok.”

But among them, the most troublesome was the Divine Artifact Awakening of Manpasikjeok.

The ability to suppress the flow of Starlight in an area was already troublesome, but combined with the Starlight Absorption ability…

Not only the participants inside the arena but also the spectators outside were in danger.

The only saving grace was that the Void Lord’s offensive seemed leisurely.

Perhaps because it could absorb Starlight from all targets reached by sound just by spreading its melody, the creature was leisurely savoring the absorbed Starlight.

“It’s even absorbing the Starlight of the barrier isolating the arena. If we don’t stop it, the outside will be in danger.”

“I know that too. But there’s no way.”

Baek Seongjae and Baek Woohyeon looked at each other with serious expressions.

Faced with a greater crisis, their fraternal conflict had been temporarily sealed, but still, no answer emerged.

At least Baek Woohyeon, trusting in the Blessing of the Heaven-Slaying Star, had managed to land a blow on the Void Lord, but even that wasn’t significant damage to the opponent.

If things continued like this, it was obvious they would lose all their Starlight and even have their Spirits stolen.

“For now, let’s focus on enduring. Once the person in charge grasps its danger, they will intervene soon.”

“Even if the person in charge comes, I doubt they can handle that thing.”

An opinion emerged to focus on buying time while expecting external assistance, but even that wasn’t very convincing.

Before an ability that absorbs Starlight, the source of mystery, even a Highest-Rank Awakener couldn’t be sure of victory.

In such a situation, Jin Yuseong was still hiding his presence, watching for an opportunity.

‘Fortunately, because the targets from which it absorbs Starlight are dispersed among many, no one has lost their Spirit yet.’

The expanded Starlight Absorption power of its ability was also weaker than direct contact absorption, so calculations showed they could hold out for a few more minutes.

They had to defeat it before one of their Spirits was completely plundered and a new Hollow Specter emerged.

‘Just what did the Lord of the Throne see to give me the mission to subjugate this Void Lord?’

The more he understood the Void Lord’s abilities, the more he felt the possibility of subjugation was slim.

Even trusting in the Constellation and trying to find a method, with the abilities he or the other participants possessed, no answer was in sight.

‘Unless there was another participant with a Starlight Absorption ability like Ho Jutal-ryeok, but with only those here now, we cannot subjugate the Void Lord.’

It was then that Lee Hanseong, who had isolated space, spoke to him through the Black shadow envoy.

• Yuseong. The Lord of the Throne has fallen asleep.

‘What?!’

• He used too much power dealing with a Void Lord that appeared elsewhere.

For now, he focused more on the fact that the Constellation had dealt with a Void Lord than on the fact that he had fallen asleep.

‘How did the Lord of the Throne deal with the Void Lord?’

If he knew the method, it might serve as a reference for dealing with the Void Lord here.

• He forcibly used an Authority that hasn’t been Unlocked yet.

‘Ah…’

At the word “Authority,” disappointment welled up.

An Authority that could only be used by those who have reached the 11th Star was not an ability that could be referenced by someone at the level of a mere Mid-Rank Awakener.

• So, you and I must subjugate the Void Lord there with our own power alone.

‘How?’

• There is a way.

At the words “there is a way,” Jin Yuseong’s complexion brightened noticeably.

Since it was Lee Hanseong, whom he trusted, he wouldn’t lie.

Then, Lee Hanseong began to explain the method.

* * *

Lee Hanseong’s Reverse World.

After explaining the plan to subjugate the Void Lord to Jin Yuseong, he immediately put it into action.

He retrieved most of the power spread through the Black Market, leaving only enough power to barely maintain the Formation where Baekto was hiding.

Fwaaat!

Along with Colonization, he activated Transcendence.

The Grade, which had already risen to the 4-Star level through Eightfold Annihilation, reached 5-Star.

Since exactly a 5-Star Grade was needed, he didn’t bother to perform Continuous Transcendence.

It was also a burden to perform it again so soon after using Continuous Transcendence earlier, and the duration of Transcendence would decrease with each overlap.

Ooooom!

In that state, he made the Gluttonous Demon Sword his Treasure Vessel.

As he had done in the dungeon before, the Gluttonous Demon Sword, resonating with Transcendence, became the ignition weapon for Transcendence.

The Grade of the weapon, which was Unique Grade, temporarily soared to Legendary Grade.

The Skill contained in the weapon was also essentially transformed from the Unique Skill <Gluttony: Gluttony> to the Legendary Skill <Gluttony-Transcendence>.

Ooooom!

Then, the Heaven-Slaying Demon Sword resonated.

Synergy assisted the Resonance.

The two Legendary Weapons, now of equal Grade, Unify.

[Conditions met. <Gluttonous Demon Sword (Transcendence)> and <Heavenly Slaughter Demon Sword: Release (Modified)> fuse.]

[<Gluttony-Transcendence> and <Heaven-Slaying Gang Qi> combine, and the Myth Skill <Devouring Heaven> Blooms!]

[The Divine Artifact <Devouring Heaven Demon Sword> reveals itself!]

The moment the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword was completed, Lee Hanseong immediately used <Sleeve Insert> on Jin Yuseong.

Pat.

The sword disappeared from his hand and appeared in Jin Yuseong’s hand.

If <Devouring Heaven>, which could be called the pinnacle of absorption-type abilities, was not enough, it would more than offset the Void Lord’s Starlight Absorption power.

Now, the rest was up to Jin Yuseong.

* * *

Back to the Preliminaries Arena.

Gooooo!

Jin Yuseong, who had become one with Lee Hanseong through Colonization, realized that the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword was now in his hand and tried to swing it, but…

Thud.

The Devouring Heaven Demon Sword wouldn’t move, as if fixed in space itself.

‘Even while connected to Hanseong through Colonization, I lack the qualification to use the sword? Then…!’

Fwaaaat!

Thanks to sharing Transcendence, his Grade had risen to 3-Star. Based on that, he transforms into Lee Hanseong, who has reached 5-Star.

Upon transforming perfectly into Lee Hanseong’s appearance, the Golden Ring on his finger trembled.

‘Huh?’

The ring, which had already deployed the Golden Giant earlier and begun replenishing Starlight, finished its Charge in an instant.

The connection with the ring felt deeper than when using the Golden Ring normally.

‘This makes it seem like Hanseong is the real owner? Is it because Hanseong originally obtained it?’

Although the Golden Ring’s reaction was unexpected, Jin Yuseong had a different purpose for transforming into Lee Hanseong, so he withdrew his attention from the ring and focused on the sword.

Whoosh.

Unlike before, the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword swung lightly.

Thanks to Myriad Fire Transformations, he had obtained the usage rights of the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword, which recognized only Lee Hanseong as its master.

Confirming that fact, he immediately activated the demon sword’s Skill towards the Void Lord.

“Devour. Devouring Heaven.”

Pararararara!

The blade of the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword spread out into space itself as if melting into the void, and then…

Zwaaaaaap!

The melody of Manmanpapasikjeok that had filled the inside of the arena ceased.

The Devouring Heaven Demon Sword, transformed into an invisible giant mouth, had devoured the Void Lord’s ability along with the sound.

“Devour, and devour again!”

Jin Yuseong, holding the hilt of the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword, could choose what to devour and what not to devour.

The power of Devouring Heaven was such that it could devour anything from simple matter to energies like Starlight, and even conceptual Laws, if he so wished.

The Void that constituted the Void Lord was no exception to Devouring Heaven’s target.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

The Divine Form of the Void Lord King Munmu was devoured into the void, bit by bit, as if being bitten off from the extremities.

The expression of the Void Lord, which had been leisurely since becoming a Void Lord, contorted miserably.

An expression close to terror.

“How can a being of this world handle Void on the level of a Void God? Surely not… no, it can’t be!”

Krrrrrararara!

As if sensing the danger, the Void Lord expanded its size by unleashing Nation-Protecting Great Dragon Fire, but that only resulted in increasing the speed at which it was being devoured.

As its size increased, its Starlight Absorption power also dispersed, so its resistance to Devouring Heaven’s suction force decreased.

Crunchcrunchcrunchcrunch…!

Devoured even faster, the sea dragon’s entire body was torn apart in an instant.

The Void Lord’s existence completely disappeared from the arena.

Not a single trace remained; it was all devoured.

.

.

.

Afterwards, only silence flowed for a moment.

Amidst that, Jin Yuseong checked the message appearing before his eyes.

[Mission ‘Void Lord Subjugation’ Complete.]

[Achieved Feat, ‘Constellation Mission Complete’.]

[Achieved Great Feat, ‘Void Lord Subjugation’.]

Because he received the mission, he gained twice the Achievement he would have originally obtained from the Void Lord subjugation Feat.

And the amount obtained was sufficient to achieve 3-Star Awakening.

[Having acquired sufficient Achievement for Awakening, you Awaken to 3-Star.]

[The supreme Twelve Constellations of the Heavenly Palace bless your Great Feat!]

[Vocation Awakening Skill 《Assassination Directive》 changes to a General Awakening Skill.]

[Vocation Awakening Skill 《Disguise Unraveling》 Blooms.]

‘All Twelve Constellations blessed me?’

Until now, only Constellations like the Heavenly Slaughter Constellation or the Wind Constellation, who usually watched over him, had blessed him. But perhaps subjugating a Void Lord was a significant event even from the Heavenly Palace’s perspective, as all Twelve Constellations blessed him.

Another peculiar point was that usually, the 3rd awakening skill slot is engraved with the 3rd awakening skill of the Synchronized Spirit, but this time, the Vocation Awakening Skill that Bloomed was Jeon Woochi’s 2nd awakening skill?

This meant that, at least in terms of the Shapeshifting Art alone, Jin Yuseong was superior to Jeon Woochi.

‘Well, probably thanks to the Stigma of Myriad Fire Transformations.’

Moreover, Blooming Awakening Skills are usually related to previously utilized Feats.

Since he transformed into Lee Hanseong and used his demon sword to subjugate the Void Lord, it wasn’t strange for Disguise Unraveling to Bloom.

But then.

Jjeojeojjeok- Wajangchang!

Suddenly, the barrier isolating the arena was released, and the person in charge of the Heavenly Palace Tournament preliminaries stepped into the arena.

“Stop right there. The match is temporarily suspended.”

The person in charge was also an acquaintance of Jin Yuseong.

“…Kang Taepung.”

Kang Taepung of the Gale Guild, with whom he had a transformation duel not long ago, was the person in charge of these preliminaries.

He slowly looked over Jin Yuseong, who was in the form of Lee Hanseong, and opened his mouth.

“That sword, and that appearance. Did you borrow Lee Hanseong’s power?”

“You know about my transformation ability.”

Due to the Void Lord’s appearance, unsure of how these preliminaries would proceed, Jin Yuseong decided to play dumb for now.

If the preliminaries continued as is, receiving Lee Hanseong’s help could be considered a rules violation.

It wasn’t a bad idea to pretend it was his own power.

Since the power devoured by Devouring Heaven was soon converted into Transcendence’s duration, he had considerable leeway to maintain the transformation state.

And thanks to Awakening to 3-Star, even after Transcendence ended, he could maintain the Myriad Fire Transformations transformation.

‘If I insist the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword is also like a gift bestowed by the Constellation, I can somehow get away with it.’

In a sense, that was also true.

Since Lee Hanseong was essentially the agent of the Constellation he served.

At Jin Yuseong’s brazen attitude, Kang Taepung fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Certainly, with the transformation ability I saw last time, you could transform into an opponent of a higher Grade. That sword, well, it’s not particularly problematic.”

“More importantly, what do you mean by suspending the match?”

If he was going to suspend it, he should have intervened when the Void Lord was rampaging. Coming now, after everything was over, was a bit dissatisfying.

With the other participants’ Starlight depleted, if the preliminaries had continued as is, Jin Yuseong’s advancement to the Main Tournament would have been almost certain.

As if reading his dissatisfaction, Kang Taepung apologized as if making an excuse.

“As a participant turning into a monster was an unforeseen situation, I also think the intervention was late, and I’m sorry.”

Actually, Kang Taepung had his own circumstances.

Although the barrier isolating the arena had almost dissipated just before, as long as it was still maintained, proceeding with the match was the existing regulation.

According to the regulations, even if an unexpected incident occurs, as long as the barrier doesn’t collapse, the match should continue.

It was a regulation born in an era where Sudden Rifts could open anywhere, anytime, and monsters could emerge.

So, there was a background that Kang Taepung could only move after the Heavenly Palace Constellations collectively warned of the Void Lord’s danger, but that was none of Jin Yuseong’s business, who had subjugated the Void Lord without external help.

“However, given the danger of the monster that appeared this time, as revealed by the Constellations’ revelation, we cannot handle it following the existing procedures.”

Exceptional situations require exceptional handling.

“Anyway, even if I told you to fight again, you wouldn’t be in a state to do so. Therefore, the Main Tournament qualifiers from Preliminaries Group A will be selected based on contribution to the monster subjugation.”

“Then…!”

At Kang Taepung’s explanation, Jin Yuseong’s expression brightened noticeably.

On the other hand, the expressions of the other participants darkened.

If judged by contribution to monster subjugation, Jin Yuseong’s advancement to the Main Tournament was certain.

“That’s right. The Main Tournament qualifiers from Group A are Jin Yuseong, with a 99.8% contribution share, and Baek Woohyeon, with a 0.09% share.”

As expected, the result was no different from expectations.