Chapter 96 – Choi Sangguk

The atmosphere, which had been on the brink of explosion due to Lee Hanseong’s declaration of a duel, was tinged with bewilderment.

“Young Hanseong. It seems you’re overflowing with confidence after defeating High-Rank Awakeners, but a Highest-Rank Awakener is different from a High-Rank Awakener.”

James Lee tried to persuade him as if asking him to reconsider, but Lee Hanseong shook his head.

“I know that too. But please believe in me.”

“Is the person involved saying this, and you still plan to interfere? Don’t get in the way and just watch. Once the Hundred-Man Slaughter is over, I’ll cooperate in arresting Choi Sangguk.”

When Jang Wei stepped forward and said that, Choi Sangguk twitched his eyebrows.

James and Yoo Mirae showed an attitude of stepping back for now.

However, their true feelings were completely different.

‘For now, we’ll watch, and if Lee Hanseong is in danger, we can immediately intervene.’

They had no intention whatsoever of sacrificing Lee Hanseong to arrest Choi Sangguk.

In that situation, Lee Hanseong’s final Life-and-Death Duel began.

Whoosh!

Just like the High-Rank Awakeners he had fought so far, Choi Sangguk formed his Primal Spirit God and unfolded his Treasure Body and Spirit Overlay.

But the speed was different.

High-Rank Awakeners needed a bit of time to achieve Spirit Overlay, so they completed the process before coming up as challengers.

Choi Sangguk finished all that process in an instant.

Whoooooosh!

Moreover, when the Blessing of the Heaven-Slaying Star was layered on top, Choi Sangguk’s Grade reached a full Ten-Star.

A state where he could unfold only the Prerogative of a 10-Star, ignoring the side effects of Existence Reversal.

His Divinity, which was at the Demi-God level, reached the Quasi-God level.

“Bite and swallow, [Twilight Orb].”

Creeeeak!

Clack.

The Twilight Orb, which had been swallowing High-Rank Awakeners until now, couldn’t close its maw and was grabbed by Choi Sangguk.

“So this is what you were relying on. Indeed, if one could wield Authority at that level already, the world would seem trivial.”

Crrrunch— Shwaak!

The Wolf’s Maw, with its upper and lower jaws grabbed, was forced to open even wider until it tore.

“…But you know. Authority also varies depending on who wields it. Kid.”

One might have despaired at the sight of Choi Sangguk perfectly countering the Twilight Orb, which was presumed to be an Apostle’s Authority, but Lee Hanseong’s eyes were alive.

‘I expected that much.’

Although it became closer to the original after learning its name, that was only a qualitative change.

It didn’t lead to a quantitative change.

Since he was wielding an Authority that could originally only be unfolded at the 11th Star level at the Seven Star level, there were bound to be shortcomings.

So, in case the Twilight Orb failed, he had prepared the next move.

“Divine Fall.”

As Constellation Descent occurred, he immediately used the Polarity Reversal of Transcendence with the Starlight that had gained some leeway.

Dull—derererero…

But even the Divine Fall failed.

Divinity that has reached the 10-Star level is almost no different from being complete, even if its direction isn’t fixed.

The completed Divinity resisted the Divine Fall.

But he had expected even this.

As soon as his Insightful Eye saw the Grade reaching 10-Star, it read that one Divine Fall would be insufficient.

“Consecutive Divine Fall.”

Clunk!

Only after the 2nd Stage Spirit Fall was unfolded did Choi Sangguk’s Grade finally drop to 9-Star.

It was merely stripping away the Blessing of the Heaven-Slaying Star.

Moreover, originally, the power reduced by the Divine Fall should have flowed into him, but that was also blocked.

“Hoh. Forced downgrade of Grade. So you don’t just possess Authority.”

Perhaps because he was still a Highest-Rank Awakener even in that state, Choi Sangguk remained relaxed.

“But it’s not enough.”

Tap—

As soon as his Insightful Eye observed the afterimage of Choi Sangguk lunging forward, Lee Hanseong used Group Transcendence to share Second Stage Transcendence with Pheidippides as well.

Whoooosh!

As Pheidippides rose to 9-Star, the Treasure Vessel of the Ox-Demon King, the ‘Chaotic Iron Staff’, came down on Lee Hanseong.

Kwaaaaang!

It was no different from a Divine Artifact, as not only the Chaotic Iron Staff but also Shuten-doji’s ‘Wine Immortal Gourd’, Hong Haeya’s ‘Fire Spirit’, the Rakshasa Woman’s ‘Banana Leaf Fan’, and the Yaksha’s ‘Demon Hand’ were added.

The power contained within was the wine from the Wine Immortal Gourd catching fire from the Fire Spirit, the wind from the Banana Leaf Fan fanning the flames, and the suction force of the Demon Hand condensing it all inside the Chaotic Iron Staff.

Drip-drip-dripple!

The space passed by the red-hot, overheated Chaotic Iron Staff melted like lava.

Naturally, Lee Hanseong’s Primal Spirit God, which was in that spot, was also reduced to mush.

‘One life… gone!’

A strike that burned a life, even piercing through the limited Immortality of a High-Rank Awakener.

At this rate, he would die after being hit just nine more times.

As his Primal Spirit God recovered, he burned one life to unfold Footstep Heaven’s Edge.

If he had just unfolded it, the Second Stage Transcendence would have been released, so he had no choice.

Ziiiiing!

The distance between Lee Hanseong and Choi Sangguk continuously expanded, preventing the next strike of the Chaotic Iron Staff from reaching him.

“Did you expand space?”

Hong Haeya’s ‘Five Elements Chariot’ was added to the Ox-Demon King’s mount, the Water-Parting Golden-Eyed Beast, which then dwelled in Choi Sangguk’s legs.

Whoosh!

It instantly broke through the space expanded by Footstep Heaven’s Edge.

The Five Elements Chariot changed the expanded space into the water element of the Five Elements, and the Water-Parting Golden-Eyed Beast’s power to pass through water allowed it to cross over.

Moreover, the moment the power of the Five Elements Chariot was revealed, Hong Haeya’s Fire Spirit even transformed into Samadhi True Fire.

The power poured into Footstep Heaven’s Edge directly became fuel for the Samadhi True Fire, increasing the firepower contained in the Chaotic Iron Staff.

Swoooosh—!

The Chaotic Iron Staff, dyed white-hot, targeted Lee Hanseong again.

He tried to evade with Shrinking Earth, but after seeing with his Insightful Eye the future where Choi Sangguk summoned the Yaksha’s Slow, he barely dodged by using the ability of the Blinking Jade Throne.

Pat— Kugugugugugu!

The ground struck by the Chaotic Iron Staff formed a huge crater as if a meteor had collided.

Naturally, Lee Hanseong couldn’t be free from the shockwave either.

Amidst the feeling of the ground suddenly giving way, he floated briefly in the air.

Crunch— Bang!

As Choi Sangguk, who had closed the distance in an instant, swung the Chaotic Iron Staff, Lee Hanseong deflected it with the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword, transformed into the shape of a sword.

At least, since he had fought Contractors of Shuten-doji and the Yaksha before, he could block about half the power with Mind-Severing Heavenly Penetration.

Thud— Thump-thump— Thud

Even with the remaining power, Lee Hanseong was sent flying to the point of reaching the outer edge on the opposite side of the Black Market.

Pat.

Before crossing the boundary of the Underworld, he quickly blinked and returned to the Life-and-Death Duel location.

But as if having read where he would appear, Choi Sangguk was already there, waiting with the Chaotic Iron Staff raised.

“Peekaboo.”

“……!”

Choi Sangguk, who uttered a playful remark, struck down with a blow full of killing intent.

He tried to deflect it as much as possible, but was a step too late.

Drip-drip-dripple!

Another life was gone.

‘This time, three at once?!’

His remaining lives were already halved to five.

Moreover, Choi Sangguk’s Grade, which had been lowered by the 2nd Stage Spirit Fall, would soon return to its original state.

If he just kept defending like this, his lives would decrease meaninglessly.

Instead, he burned lives from his side and unleashed Polarity Reversal consecutively.

“Divine Fall, Divine Fall. Divine Fall.”

Since he had already used it on Choi Sangguk and couldn’t stack Divine Fall further, he unleashed Divine Fall on the Ox-Demon King, the Rakshasa Woman, and Hong Haeya respectively.

The Legend resonance of those three was giving Choi Sangguk power beyond a typical 9-Star, and since he didn’t know their abilities well, it also had a significant meaning of caution.

Hong Haeya, lowered to 6-Star, was excluded from the Spirit Overlay and fell to a level where she could be almost ignored.

“That ability is certainly annoying. I’m glad I came to kill you now.”

The white-hot Chaotic Iron Staff weakened to an orange hue.

Choi Sangguk’s killing intent became even more ferocious, but Lee Hanseong ignored it and continued what he had to do.

“Pay it back double. Retribution Extreme Light Break.”

Now was when Choi Sangguk was at his weakest.

Using the power amplified and emitted from the impacts he had endured and embraced with his body twice as fuel, he swung the Devouring Heaven Demon Sword again.

“Bite and swallow, [Twilight Orb].”

Now, with the 9-Star Pheidippides layered on top and Choi Sangguk’s own power amplified and added, a different result from the first time should be possible.

Creeeeeak!

The Wolf’s Maw of even more brilliant Starlight swallowed Choi Sangguk.

“Do you think something that failed once will work this time?!”

Puhahahahahak!

But as soon as the maw closed, the form of a Great Yokai tore through the Wolf’s Maw and revealed itself.

The lower body was formed by the Ox-Demon King’s true form—a white ox as large as a mountain.

The upper body was humanoid like a centaur, but in the Three Heads form of the Yaksha.

Among them, the two heads on the sides had the faces of the Rakshasa Woman and Shuten-doji, while the middle head had Choi Sangguk’s face—a hybrid.

“If that’s all, I’ll kill you now.”

Using the momentary amplification of Grade that occurs during the instant of transformation to escape the Twilight Orb, Choi Sangguk spoke as if chewing his words.

Whoosh!

To make matters worse, the restriction of the 2nd Stage Spirit Fall placed on Choi Sangguk was released.

As his Grade reached 10-Star, the Divine Falls placed on his Spirits were released one by one.

“Spatiotemporal Theft.”

Since it was clear that attacking immediately would be useless against Choi Sangguk anyway, he burned his last spare life to unleash Pheidippides’s 6th Polarity Reversal.

He reached out to the time in the past when Yu Sehee had showered him with the Light of Resurrection and brought that light to the present.

Whoooosh!

His lives filled back to ten.

As long as he had Spatiotemporal Theft, his lives were practically infinite.

And if he burned lives, he could use Polarity Reversal as much as he wanted.

“Fall again.”

He tried to burn two lives to unleash the 2nd Stage Spirit Fall again and lower Choi Sangguk’s Grade, but it failed.

The Spirit Grade and physical body that had reached 10-Star created a synergistic effect and resisted even the 2nd Stage Spirit Fall.

Bewilderment appeared on Lee Hanseong’s expression.

“Seems like something’s not working?”

Choi Sangguk read that bewilderment and felt relieved.

Because the abilities Lee Hanseong had shown so far were also unexpected to Choi Sangguk, he had been wary that something new might appear.

Lee Hanseong, who saw through with his Insightful Eye that Choi Sangguk wasn’t completely relaxed either, didn’t give up and tried his next move.

“Spatiotemporal Theft.”

This time, he brought the light from the time when Otakemaru’s Purple Twilight Annihilation Light had been unleashed.

Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa!!!!

It was power that would bring instant death even to a High-Rank Awakener with limited Immortality, but…

‘This isn’t enough.’

“Spatiotemporal Theft.”

Next, from the moment Dice in the Historical Alteration first touched Authority, he brought the Ten Thousand Sword Thunder Strike.

Kwarururururung!!!!

‘One more time.’

“Spatiotemporal Theft.”

Additionally, he brought the strike of the Hundred Flowers that the Nephilim in the Historical Alteration had unleashed while amplified to 9-Star.

Flash!!!!

Not reassured even by that, he burned three lives to detonate three Dual Polar Annihilations.

Doo doo doong!!!!

And then, with the ninth life, he tried to bring the Light of Resurrection from Yu Sehee in the past again, but…

‘……?! Can’t bring it twice from the same time period?’

It failed, and he brought the Light of Resurrection from an earlier time period to fill his lives.

Whoooosh.

He filled his lives back to ten, but having discovered that Spatiotemporal Theft also had limitations, he grew impatient.

The number of times Yu Sehee had unleashed the Light of Resurrection so far, including those he didn’t know about, wouldn’t even reach ten.

His lives weren’t infinite either.

‘Lacking decisive power.’

Although obscured by light, lightning, and explosions, he could still feel Choi Sangguk’s Grade intact.

He had brought all the strongest attacks he knew that he could bring, but he couldn’t kill Choi Sangguk.

‘It would have been good if I could bring Sword Demon’s Formless Sword.’

Surely, if it were Sword Demon’s sword, he could kill Choi Sangguk.

The problem was, perhaps because Sword Demon was an existence from a Parallel World, the spatiotemporal distance to Sword Demon was too great.

The world where he existed was so far that even Spatiotemporal Theft couldn’t reach it.

Tsu tsu tsu tsu tsu!

As the light disappeared and color and sound returned, Choi Sangguk’s figure became visible.

Amidst sparks flying all over his body, the lower body’s ox part, which had been pure white, was first revealed to be blackened and charred.

Then the upper body of the Three Heads with two of its heads half blown away was revealed.

Grrrrrruk— Ptui!

Choi Sangguk, who spat out blood-mixed Starlight, was glaring at Lee Hanseong with menacing eyes.

As if knowing he could no longer afford to be relaxed, he seemed intent on going all out.

Gooooooo!

It began to feel as if the surroundings were being Grasped, as if the Yaksha’s Eternal Pride had been unleashed.

Another power seemed to overlap, doubling the Grasping force.

It was probably one of the Ox-Demon King’s Awakening Skills.

As the Boundary Layer completely closed, interference with spacetime became difficult.

Choi Sangguk’s Grade pressing down on Lee Hanseong.

Even while overlapped with the 9-Star Pheidippides, it wasn’t easy to withstand.

A pressure that felt like his knees would buckle if he relaxed even a little.

The difference between 9-Star and 10-Star was just one step, but it was that vast.

“If you have multiple lives, I’ll finish you with a strike that won’t even allow you to revive.”

Choi Sangguk, blocking Lee Hanseong’s movements through his Grade while gathering power.

Seeing the concentration of power that didn’t feel reassuring even with all ten lives filled, Lee Hanseong shed cold Starlight.

He tried to operate his Taiji Constitution to the maximum and unleash Spatiotemporal Theft, but his Insightful Eye was saying it would be too late.

—It seems you need this one’s power.

Mirinae, who couldn’t not know that, said she would step forward.

But if she stepped forward again, it was obvious she would fall asleep again as the price.

‘It’s okay.’

Lee Hanseong stopped Mirinae from stepping forward.

After all, even if she didn’t step forward, there was someone else who would step forward in her place.

Whoooosh!

James and Yoo Mirae, who had been holding back and staying still as much as possible during Lee Hanseong’s crisis, instantly completed their Treasure Body and Spirit Overlay and entered combat posture.

Jang Wei, who stepped forward to block them, also entered combat posture as if he had expected it.

Just as the long-delayed battle between the Highest-Rank Awakeners was about to begin.

Clack… clack…

An overwhelming presence that no one could ignore newly appeared.

A feeling of all nerves being sucked in by the slow footsteps.

Before they knew it, even Choi Sangguk’s Grade, which had been pressuring Lee Hanseong, was being pushed back by the new being’s Grade.

“Found you.”

Not an existence that reached the 10-Star Rank through Stigma or abilities like Choi Sangguk.

A proper 10-Star Quasi-God.

It was the appearance of the Black Knight.