Episode 121

Kalia gently raised his hand, the sword he wielded enshrouded in a destructive light.

He slowly swung it from above to below.

Woong!

The surroundings vibrated, space itself trembled and screamed. Magic radiated in all directions, as if to demonstrate what it means to be a being that imprints its essence upon the world, he did so effortlessly.

Though it was merely a simple swing, Kalia knew. He knew his opponent stood no chance of blocking this strike.

The light of destruction surged forth, casting a chilling glow.

‘Sword energy…’

An extremely dangerous power.

A power granted only to those nearing the pinnacle of the world.

High rank and highest rank.

The criteria separating them were straightforward, yet the disparity was vast.

The light that annihilates everything possesses unparalleled offensive might.

‘If that hits directly, it’s certain death.’

Lee Seo-ha adjusted his stance.

Drawing his sword.

As he unsheathed Black Heaven from White Rouge, a dense, malevolent power cloaked Black Heaven, shaping the blade.

The knights rallied as well.

“Light! Here and now, your archenemy, the seed of evil, stands before us! Lend us your strength!”

Gilliam, the foremost among the high-rank knights, declared.

From the heavens above, a colossal light burst forth, invigorating them.

In an instant, Black Heaven was the first to meet the sword energy head-on.

Creak.

The Energy of Defying Heaven countered the sword energy. However, the light of destruction emitted a deep purple glow, merely diminishing its force.

Then, Gilliam raised his greatsword, enveloped in a radiance swirling with various sanctities.

Sanctuary.

The power born from the fusion of ten sanctities.

Sanctity, unlike other special abilities, melded seamlessly.

Whether it’s because it originated from a unified realm known as the Sanctuary or because sanctity inherently possessed that quality, sanctity always had that characteristic.

Gilliam believed he had slightly surpassed his ‘rank.’

“Clumsy.”

“Silence your filthy mouth, vile spawn.”

Gilliam swung his greatsword, and Kalia smirked bitterly in response.

Zeeeeeeng──!!

A single collision ensued, sending a shockwave that shattered all the nearby windows.

Gilliam gritted his teeth.

He was pushed back. The light of destruction had shattered the power of sanctity.

‘Rather…’

The dark, ominous, malevolent power wielded by the boy seemed to have inflicted more damage on the sword’s energy.

“Hey.”

“Yes, tell me.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

“…Reduce the opponent’s power?”

At Lee Seo-ha’s suggestion, Gilliam furrowed his brows.

The malevolent power he possessed. The god he served had declared it a power within the law. Perhaps, by gathering sanctity, they could become equals in rank.

The word of god was absolute.

Gilliam didn’t understand, but he knew the god of light was a being greater than himself. He dispelled his doubts with faith.

‘I don’t understand.’

This malevolent power indiscriminately negated. It seemed to be a powerful force obtained at the cost of significant drawbacks.

It appeared to negate even blessings.

“Is the story over? Have you still not grasped reality?”

Kalia asked with a smile. Gilliam inwardly acknowledged it. However, that was precisely why he could not allow this vile entity to escape.

‘At least inflict a serious injury.’

The lives of himself and the knights were a worthy sacrifice. The Sanctuary merely bestowed sanctity; it did not intervene in the battles of transcendent beings.

This indicated something had happened to the Sanctuary. Therefore, they must prevent this vile entity from rampaging.

Meanwhile, Lee Seo-ha thought,

‘This is tougher than I expected.’

Kalia, the Parasite, had yet to unleash his true power.

He had only used the light of destruction, a symbol of the highest rank.

He had not revealed his inner world.

He had not unleashed the power obtained from extraterrestrial beings.

Thus, Kalia smiled leisurely.

-Seo-ha.

‘Why.’

-…Run away. You can still escape now.

‘No.’

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lee Seo-ha firmly stated,

‘The Overlord and Celestial might die.’

Furthermore, the Emperor, Seo Ga-yeon, Sung Han-byul, Hong Yu-hwa, Kim Ara, Kim Seo-hyun, Ershil, and Seolhwa Ryeon might also meet their end.

They were characters who must not perish here.

‘Should I use it?’

Lee Seo-ha still had one move left.

But could this really be called a move? This technique, more like a rampage, would even consume Lee Seo-ha’s own life.

Yet, he couldn’t be certain that it would be enough to defeat that being.

Hwak!

“…What.”

Kalia was taken aback. From where Lee Seo-ha brought his hands together, a burst of golden light emerged.

This power, materializing from the faith of those who could be called his followers, was indeed faith.

“Focus the sanctity on that boy immediately!”

Gilliam, not fully grasping the situation, commanded the knights first.

He believed that Lee Seo-ha was the only one who could currently pose a threat to Kalia here. With that power, it could easily merge with their sanctity.

Faith, combined with the sanctity, made the light shine even brighter. The area had long been enveloped in golden light.

Adding to it, the Flames of Spirit.

Hwaruruk!

In the golden world, flames erupted. All sanctities mixed, merged, and transformed into flames.

“Ah. So you were the famous masked man who appeared in Korea. Hiding your identity, quite cunning. But it’s surprising you possess two powers.”

Kalia spoke with a smile.

In reality, he was amused. One of his talents, Parasite, allowed him the power to transfer bodies.

This vessel was really fine, but… now the vessel called Lee Seo-ha seemed even more desirable.

“Then shall I give you a bit more despair?”

Kalia moved slowly.

If he wished, killing them would be easy. But that did not suit his temperament.

A Mine greedily transformed. If one reached his realm, one could restrain greed, but he chose not to.

Ironically, this led to the elevation of his realm.

“The true master of this land resides in the extraterrestrial.”

He despaired of the world.

Hated by everyone with his grotesque face.

He was pointed at with fingers.

Just because of his face, he was stoned, and eventually abandoned by his parents.

And then he met an extraterrestrial being.

“This foolish believer dares to desire your power.”

And Kalia awakened his talent, the talent of Parasitism.

With the power to switch bodies, he led his village to destruction.

Children killed their fathers, and parents killed their children. Neighbors hated each other and caused bloodshed.

And that was really…

A delightful thing.

“Please bestow your power upon this place.”

Kalia pulled out one of his cards.

The power of the extraterrestrial being existed outside the laws.

Cruel, and bizarre.

Therefore, powerful.

Their power did not know creation.

Only to break, to firm, to destroy, and to annihilate.

The extreme light of darkness descended.

Kalia extended his hand. A power mixed with darkness and purple appeared in his hand.

The light of destruction was extinguished. He moved slowly.

Lee Seo-ha moved. With a sword emitting a frosty light, wrapped in golden flames.

A flash of blue light mixed with golden flames followed by sanctity.

A sphere mixed with darkness and purple.

Woong!

Space distorted. The power bestowed upon him by the being was distortion.

The power that distorted everything clashed with the winter sword containing the golden flames.

‘…What.’

Kalia.

Felt a sense of unease. He didn’t know why. He just felt it was dangerous.

Lee Seo-ha extended his hand. In an instant, his hand was covered with the Energy of Defying Heaven.

Now, it was his control over the Energy of Defying Heaven, which even transcended the previous generation’s Heavenly Demon.

In an instant, the malevolent power that wrapped Black Heaven negated part of the purple sphere according to Lee Seo-ha’s Nyeom.

A flash mixed with blue and gold pierced through the darkness.

“Cough.”

I spat out blood. I finely adjusted the Energy of Defying Heaven. I controlled my body with Black God Martial Arts.

‘My abdomen was pierced.’

Kalia counterattacked to my assault. He stabbed my abdomen with a speed I couldn’t notice.

I was applying an elixir, but it seemed difficult to participate in the fight like this.

‘The recovery is too slow.’

I tuned my body with Black God Martial Arts and applied and sprinkled an elixir. However, the attacks of beings above a certain rank inherently slowed down recovery.

Moreover, my body did not respond to sanctity. Probably, I had to stay out of combat for a while.

But.

More regrettable than all of this.

-Cough.

I couldn’t inflict a proper blow on Kalia.

-You really are an absurd person!

A laugh mixed with madness and jealousy. A laugh filled with ecstasy.

Kalia had a different appearance.

His body was wrapped in dark magic energy. His arms had extended to four, and the arms had transformed like sword blades. And there were 8 tentacles as tails, and the head part was transformed like a mask.

-Do not try to fight. You are a more precious vessel than anything right now.

Thump.

The ground trembled with each step he took.

-Let’s kill the false prophets first and then talk.

Kalia said so, looking at the knights.

-To you, it seems like a noble power. Die knowing it’s an honor.

[World Erosion]

His words were engraved in the world.

Hwak!

At the same time, a red light burst from his chest. An ominous light. The sky was eroded in red, and things like tentacles started to spring from under the buildings.

The knights’ faces were colored with despair. Delighted by it, Kalia laughed.

[Sky Demon’s Path of Thundering Hells]

Hell eroded reality.