Chapter 61 – Domain Countermeasure

Nine-Tailed Fox 6th Awakening Skill 《Ten-Tailed Heavenly Fox》.

Kwaaaaaaang!

The colossal Nine-Tailed Fox, no, the Ten-Tailed Fox, as large as a small hill, roared as blood flowed from all over its body.

It meant it no longer had the strength to even use illusion magic to conceal its wounds.

The ten tails, each wrapped in Gang Qi containing different types of Yokai Arts, lashed out in all directions, but only succeeded in tearing up the innocent ground.

Reading the openings with Mind’s Eye and precisely piercing the weak points with Primordial Chaos Gang Qi using Absolute Sword Art, the Yokai Fox’s attacks couldn’t even touch Lee Hanseong.

‘Is it because Yokai Arts themselves are sorcery based on a yokai’s instincts…? Once you grasp their structure, they’re easy to break.’

Juuwaaaaaang!

Nine-Tailed Fox 1st Polarity Reversal 《Dragon’s Breath》.

As if in a final desperate struggle, the Yokai Fox gathered its ten tails together, condensing energy into an orb shape, and fired a destructive beam from the orb.

It seemed to have created an energy emission-type Polarity Reversal, mimicking Dragon’s Breath by reversing the Spirit Absorption ability of the Fox Orb.

Certainly, judging by destructive power alone, it was a threatening attack.

“Devour, Devouring Heaven.”

Shwaaaawwak!

Pure energy-based attacks were nothing more than tasty prey before the Devouring Heaven of the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword.

Of course, given the sheer scale of the energy, some finesse was required, like deflecting and parrying with soft sword techniques.

But that level of skill wasn’t particularly difficult for him, who followed the Sword Demon’s swordsmanship.

“Kyaaaak!”

With each failed attack, the Yokai Fox’s roars grew fiercer.

Its actions weren’t much different from a frightened dog barking louder.

“How are you getting stronger every single moment?!”

The Yokai Fox cried out as if resentful, seeing Lee Hanseong who had now become stronger than her.

Clearly, at the start of the Life-and-Death Duel, she was undeniably the stronger one.

Even with special abilities like Transcendence or other equipment added, that remained true.

But after Lee Hanseong died and revived once, things became strange.

The more they fought, the stronger he grew, and now the clear superiority between them had reversed.

“Sorry, but I have many more opponents to fight ahead.”

Even in response to the Yokai Fox’s resentful cry, Lee Hanseong didn’t offer a lengthy reply. Instead, he returned a sword strike and intensified his attacks.

A moment later.

Sssk!

The neck of the Yokai Fox transformed into a Nine-Tailed Fox was severed.

And then.

Srrrruk.

“…To reclaim my homeland… I need the Heavenly Demon Medallion…”

The Yokai Fox, revived as a Corpse after death according to the Black Market’s laws. She muttered her lifelong wish, not revenge, while gazing at the eastern sky.

It was a statement hinting that the Yokai Fox had her own circumstances, but Lee Hanseong didn’t listen and swung his sword to finish it.

Chwaak!

‘Everyone has their circumstances… but that’s no reason for me to die for them.’

Lee Hanseong’s gaze, after dealing with the Yokai Fox, turned toward the other challengers waiting their turn.

“Next.”

The Hundred-Man Slaughter was just beginning.

* * *

“Hmph! Don’t get cocky just because you defeated a Yokai Fox specialized in charm. I’ll properly show you the power of a Seven Star Spirit specialized in combat.”

Provoked by Lee Hanseong’s arrogant attitude, a giant Ghost wearing a red Evil Spirit Mask, the Red Demon, stepped forward before him.

He was the Contractor of the Great Yokai Shuten-doji, grouped with the White-Faced Golden-Haired Nine-Tailed Fox as one of Japan’s three great Evil Spirits.

“The challenge is permitted.”

The Evil Spirit Mask gauged Lee Hanseong’s level, which had grown stronger through the fight with the Yokai Fox, and the Red Demon’s level, then nodded as if judging the Red Demon to be stronger, permitting his challenge.

“Good.”

Lee Hanseong muttered as he looked at the Red Demon.

Since Shuten-doji was also the contracted Spirit of former Elder Choi Sangguk, he felt the Red Demon would be good practice for the eventual fight with Choi Sangguk, who would come seeking him someday.

“…Good? Are you looking down on me?!”

However, perhaps taking that reaction as looking down on him, the Red Demon’s veins bulged on his forehead as he invoked Divine Possession of Shuten-doji onto his own body.

“I’ll show you the difference in Grade. Wine Immortal Gourd.”

Pat.

A wine gourd that had somehow appeared in the Red Demon’s hand.

This gourd, engraved with the character for wine (wine), was Shuten-doji’s Spirit Treasure.

Kwal-kwal-kwal-kwal-kwal-kwal!

True to its name as the Wine Immortal’s gourd, when tilted, wine poured out endlessly like a waterfall from the small gourd opening.

Pwoooaak!

As the wine spilled on the ground turned into a dense mist of spray.

Wine-Devouring Child 3rd Awakening Skill 《Alcohol Ignition》.

Fwoosh.

Flames erupted from the Red Demon’s mouth.

The next moment.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!!!

Flames spread across the waves of wine and spray mist that had filled the surroundings.

The continuously pouring wine caused the flames to burn faster and more fiercely.

A landscape akin to a fiery hell enveloped the area.

“Domain Expansion, Great Blazing Wine-Devouring Hell.”

A Domain named the Great Blazing Wine-Devouring Hell isolated the space containing the Red Demon and Lee Hanseong from the outside.

A kind of miniature world composed of its own unique laws, different from the original world.

The Domain Expansion, possessed only by some Spirits of Seven Star and above, alongside Divine Artifact Awakening, had been deployed.

Drip- Pwoof!

Immediately after the Domain expanded, Lee Hanseong’s body evaporated and turned into flames.

Although a Life Stack was consumed and he regenerated.

A moment later, another ignition occurred, and he died and revived again.

“……!”

Thanks to adaptation through two deaths, by the third time, he didn’t die immediately.

If not for the adaptation from Primordial Chaos Gang Qi, all his lives would have been lost in an instant.

‘The law of this place… is it transforming beings within the Domain into wine?’

Lee Hanseong felt a chill down his spine at the law of the Great Blazing Wine-Devouring Hell read by Mind’s Eye.

The phenomenon just now was his entire body instantly turning into wine, becoming fuel for the fiery hell, and evaporating.

Thanks to the Resistance gained from Primordial Chaos Gang Qi, the transformation speed had merely slowed; even now, his body was still turning into wine from the outer layer of his skin due to the Domain’s law.

If he hadn’t obtained countermeasures against Domains in the previous Historical Alteration, it would have been dangerous.

“Relativity of Rules.”

Lee Hanseong grinned and activated Alter’s 2nd Awakening Skill.

Oooong.

The phenomenon of gradually turning into wine from the tips of his hair, forming droplets, stopped.

The Relativity of Rules was properly blocking the Domain’s law.

However, what it could block was only the law of turning into wine.

Since it couldn’t block the existing principles of fire and combustion, the flames filling the surroundings clung to his body.

Fwoo-roo-rook!

Scorching Pain, said to be the most extreme pain, surged.

Unyielding Indomitability and the Fire Resistance gained from Primordial Chaos Gang Qi offered some resistance, but it was insufficient to completely block it.

The Vampire’s Regeneration was also vulnerable to flames, so it wasn’t much help.

‘From the start, the hell attribute itself is a natural counter to Vampires, a type of Undead.’

The law of hell that binds the dead itself was being blocked by the Relativity of Rules.

But the damage from the flames, sublimated into Hellfire within the Domain, was coming through as is.

At least devouring the surrounding flames with Devouring Heaven was effective.

But even creating a void in the flames left behind heat, and that void was quickly filled again.

Chiiiiiiii!

The True Blood of the Vampire, the source of Regeneration, evaporated.

He died, turned to charcoal, and consumed another Life Stack to revive.

‘Now, six lives remain.’

Moreover, adaptation to Hellfire seemed impossible with just one death, as the surrounding heat was still difficult to endure.

If this continued, even if he lasted longer than before, another life would soon be lost.

There was no leisure to wait for Primordial Chaos Gang Qi to integrate a new skill.

He needed a new method to resist the Hellfire immediately.

“Heavenly Thunderflame.”

So, he activated Utangka’s 1st Awakening Skill.

Kwa-rrrr-rung!

A thunderbolt flashing from the sky struck down at Lee Hanseong, and lightning flames clung over the Primordial Chaos Gang Qi.

“If Hellfire is flame originating from the earth, then the lightning flame of Heavenly Thunderflame is flame bestowed by heaven.”

Paji-jijijik!

Heaven and earth.

The two flames originating from opposing concepts repelled and pushed each other away without mixing.

However, simply comparing the magnitude of power, it was impossible for the lightning flame originating from a single thunderbolt to overcome the Hellfire filling the Domain.

Tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu.

Using the Primordial Chaos Gang Qi, which unifies all phenomena, as a mediator, he mixed the opposing flames.

Synthesis of Opposites.

The concept that is key when transitioning from Ten-Star to 11th Star seemed faintly visible.

‘Mirinae’s Primordial Chaos was an Authority originally specialized in the Synthesis of Opposites.’

From the moment of successfully unifying the opposites, the Hellfire of the Great Blazing Wine-Devouring Hell no longer harmed Lee Hanseong.

On the contrary, it only became his power, extending the duration of Transcendence.

However, separate from being able to endure, the Hellfire around Lee Hanseong had weakened at some point.

“……?”

Gulp-gulp.

As the flames obscuring his vision subsided, the sight of the Red Demon swallowing the flames within the Domain came into view.

An Oni swallowing fire as if drinking wine.

Bul-kkun-bul-kkun.

The more flames he swallowed, the more distinct the form of Shuten-doji superimposed on the Red Demon became; his stature grew larger, and his skin turned redder.

Wine-Devouring Child 4th Awakening Skill 《Drink Fire to Extract Essence》

It was Shuten-doji’s Awakening Skill that made him stronger the more fire he drank.

Gooooooo!

The power that had spread throughout the Domain concentrated back on the Red Demon, and his momentum began to surpass the level of a typical Seven Star.

It was a Grade that burned the nature that entered the Domain’s range and made that power its own.

“Keu-ha-!”

‘That’s about Half-Step 8-Star level.’

Flash. Pat!

Right after sensing the Red Demon’s eyes flash, the Red Demon, who had been over ten steps away, closed the distance in an instant.

Instinctively, he raised the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword upright.

Whoong- Jjeo-eong!

The Devouring Heaven Demon Sword and the Red Demon’s fist collided, producing a metallic clang as if iron struck iron.

“He withstood Devouring Heaven?!”

“You blocked this? You have the skills to be arrogant!”

Normally, if a bare fist and the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword collided, the fist should have suffered wounds as if bitten by Devouring Heaven.

But the Red Demon’s fist remained intact against the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword.

‘He definitely swallowed something, but what?’

“Let’s raise the tempo a bit more.”

Jjeo-jeo-jeo-jeo-jeong!

Blocking the threateningly fast barrage of punches with Absolute Sword Art and Mind’s Eye was so precarious that it was hard to continue thinking.

Each time a collision occurred, it was certain that Devouring Heaven swallowed some kind of energy, extending the duration of Transcendence.

Only after a few more collisions did he realize why the opponent remained intact.

‘What Devouring Heaven swallowed was the flames!’

The Hellfire the Red Demon had swallowed was forming the shape of the Oni Chieftain, Shuten-doji, like Protective Gang Qi.

It wasn’t that Devouring Heaven didn’t work; he only mistakenly thought it was intact because the void left by Devouring Heaven’s bite was immediately filled.

However, the energy Devouring Heaven swallowed didn’t significantly affect the Red Demon.

Because even while they clashed, he continued to swallow the surrounding Hellfire and replenish his power.

Jjeo-eong!

The two, having clashed heavily once, momentarily distanced themselves.

The Hellfire in the Domain continued to increase, fueled by the wine pouring from the wine gourd, Shuten-doji’s Spirit Treasure.

If it became a war of attrition, there would be no end.

* * *

The Red Demon also, knowing from the previous Life-and-Death Duel that Lee Hanseong could grow rapidly if given time, had no intention of stalling.

The swordsmanship that severed Veins before power could properly build was becoming increasingly threatening even during their brief clash.

“That eye and sword are indeed dangerous if given time. Oni, assemble.”

Shuten-doji’s epithet is Oni Chieftain.

Among his Awakening Skills was also the ability to summon his subordinate Oni.

Wine-Devouring Child 5th Awakening Skill 《Night Parade of One Hundred Demons》.

“What? The Hundred-Man Slaughter’s Life-and-Death Duel is strictly one-on-one…!”

Lee Hanseong protested as the Red Demon summoned underlings in a duel where even Spirit Summon was prohibited by the one-on-one rule.

“If no one finds out, there’s no problem.”

The Red Demon responded shamelessly.

Having expanded the Domain to block outside observation, his attitude was that breaking the rules didn’t matter.

Pa-ba-ba-bat!

Vice-commander Ibaraki-doji and the Four Heavenly Kings—Kumadoji, Torakumadoji, Hoshikumadoji, and Kanekumadoji—five Oni in total, appeared additionally.

Ibaraki-doji was an Oni on par with Shuten-doji before he drank fire.

The four bear-like Oni were at least comparable to Five-Star Monsters.

The problem was that the Hellfire of the Great Blazing Wine-Devouring Hell also acted as a buff for the Oni.

“Strike!”

“Uoooooo!”

Naturally, the Oni surrounding Lee Hanseong from all sides launched a Combined Attack.

Of course, it was impossible for Lee Hanseong, who was already on the defensive against the Red Demon alone, to perfectly block the Combined Attack of six.

Puh-beo-beo-beo-beok!

“Keu-heuk!”

Impacts that broke bones and crushed flesh reverberated throughout his body.

Even the Starlight within his body shook, endangering the maintenance of Eightfold Annihilation.

He still had quite a few Life Stacks left, but he couldn’t die like this again.

“…No Retreat in Battle.”

He deployed Pheidippides’s 3rd Awakening Skill to somehow mitigate the impact.

Still, the shaking of Eightfold Annihilation remained.

Because of this, the difficulty of operating Starlight rose to almost acrobatic levels.

If Starlight was consumed in large quantities in this state, the balance would definitely break.

Therefore, it was impossible to reuse an Awakening Skill once used.

‘At least until the Hundred-Man Slaughter ends, I should consider it unusable.’

The value of each Awakening Skill grew greater, but he couldn’t just hold back.

Originally, he intended to conserve Awakening Skills as much as possible, but now wasn’t the time for that.

Pat.

He deployed Shrinking Earth to first escape the encirclement.

But given the Oni’s speed, being surrounded again was only a matter of time.

Flash.

He sought a path with Path Revelation.

Perhaps because he had obtained Mind’s Eye, the revealed path was read in more detail than before.

‘Use the opponent’s Domain against them?’

The Hellfire and lightning flame unified through Primordial Chaos Gang Qi weren’t just for ignoring Hellfire damage and extending Transcendence’s duration.

‘That’s it!’

Shwaaaaaak!

The attractive force generated from the opposing flames drawing a Taiji pulled the Domain’s Hellfire toward Lee Hanseong.

Bul-kkun-bul-kkun.

Just as the Red Demon swallowed fire and superimposed the form of an Oni over his body, Lee Hanseong also shaped the flames clinging to his Primordial Chaos Gang Qi into a form similar to an Oni.

Thump!

At that moment, the Great Blazing Wine-Devouring Hell and the Oni form Lee Hanseong had superimposed resonated.