There Is No Generous Darkness (4)
The two, who had been on the brink of giving up, were startled and rushed toward the demon spirit.
“The ritual is over? Wake him up, quickly!”
“Yes.”
The researchers used a drug to rouse the demon spirit. Normally, they would have let him wake naturally after a good rest, but there was no time for that now.
The demon spirit was forced awake, slowly rising to his feet. Dark energy seeped from his eyes and body.
Having just completed the ritual, he looked around with a somewhat bewildered expression.
The woman shouted to her subordinates.
“Get out! Go and stop him!”
The researchers’ martial skills were negligible. In other words, it was a command to go and die. But they couldn’t refuse. Staying here would mean certain death. The researchers hurriedly fled outside.
The woman chanted a spell in front of the demon spirit. It was crucial to imprint who his master was immediately upon waking, so he would obey orders.
As the incantation ended, the dark energy swirling around them was absorbed into both the demon spirit and the woman.
And then—
Boom!
Before they could even reach the exit, the door shattered, and someone stepped inside.
Ignoring the researchers fleeing down the opposite corridor, the intruder headed straight into the room. It was Byuk Lidan.
He had arrived with astonishing speed, as if he had been sprinting from the moment he entered the first formation.
Byuk Lidan’s gaze moved from the woman to the dark figure, and finally to the demon spirit. Seeing the awakened demon spirit, he knew the ritual was complete.
Byuk Lidan addressed them.
“I don’t know what kind of ritual this is, but do you think you can face me right after waking up?”
The demon spirit looked dazed. His mind was a chaotic mess. Inside his head were both the demon spirit and something unknown.
The woman gave a command.
“Kill him!”
In an instant, the demon spirit’s muddled thoughts cleared. All that remained was the singular focus on killing the enemy before him.
The demon spirit sprang to his feet, exuding a murderous aura.
Rumble!
Thunder rumbled in the distance.
An old man and the chief inspector, who had been drinking on the porch, turned their heads toward the sound.
“Storm clouds are gathering.”
“It looks like it’s going to pour.”
“Let’s head inside before it hits.”
“Let’s take our time. It’s been a while since I’ve felt the rain.”
“Yes, as you wish.”
The chief inspector gathered the empty bottles and snacks onto a tray as he spoke.
“The fight must have started by now.”
The old man’s words startled the chief inspector.
“Is it today?”
“Yes.”
“If the dark god or the blood god wins, what will become of the martial world?”
“It will be a world of endless night and the stench of blood.”
“Is that okay? Many people will die.”
“If it can’t be stopped, what can we do?”
The old man spoke as if he were indifferent, as if he took no sides.
But the chief inspector knew. He knew the old man valued life above all else, careful not to harm even a single insect underfoot.
Conversely, he also knew the old man would not intervene even if evil ruled the world.
“Do you think that person has a chance?”
“Who knows.”
“You don’t deny it.”
“Is there anything in human affairs that can be easily determined?”
“But surely a human can’t defeat a god?”
“It was humans who created the evil god in the first place.”
“Humans?”
“Yes. The evil that humans produced accumulated over the years until it gained life. Eventually, followers of that evil emerged.”
The chief inspector sighed lightly.
“Humans are truly…”
He didn’t finish his sentence, emptying his cup instead. There was much to say, yet nothing to say at all.
Rumble.
Lightning struck closer, and the thunder grew louder.
“If Byuk Lidan dies in this fight, we’ll lose a potential demon god.”
“Not lose a demon god, but a challenger to become one. There’s no guarantee he will become a demon god.”
“Didn’t you say he had the potential to become one?”
“I did. But becoming a demon god isn’t just about having the right conditions. As you know, the trial is extremely difficult. Especially if one doesn’t want it.”
Drip, drip.
A few drops began to fall, soon turning into a downpour.
Swoosh.
The old man looked up at the dark, cloud-laden sky, letting the rain soak him.
Even the chief inspector, who had known him for a long time, couldn’t fathom what he was thinking.
The energy emanating from the demon spirit was immense.
If he was this powerful right after waking, given time, he would surely display incredible skill.
Whoosh.
Bang!
He charged at me, pushing me back.
The rear wall shattered as I was flung backward.
I could have dodged, but I didn’t. At the moment he charged, I had sent a forceful attack toward the dark figure and the woman.
Thud! Thud!
They couldn’t evade my attack and were sent flying. They were skilled, but not enough to dodge my strike.
I had to subdue them, even at the risk of overexerting myself, because I couldn’t afford to let them escape, even if the demon spirit did.
Bang!
As a result, I couldn’t avoid the demon spirit’s attack. He collided with me.
The impact was as powerful as the explosion it caused. It was as strong as when I faced the Heavenly King. If the demon spirit hadn’t just woken up, he would have been even more formidable.
But having just awakened, the demon spirit couldn’t fully utilize his abilities. Moreover, he hadn’t regained his senses. Only his unconscious instincts remained. He didn’t even have his weapon.
It was my good fortune.
The demon spirit’s attacks came relentlessly.
I dodged his fists and drove my own into his chest.
Thud!
He staggered back. I immediately followed, striking his jaw with my knee.
Thud!
His head snapped back violently, but the demon spirit quickly retaliated.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
He swung his arms wildly, charging at me. Despite his agitated state, his attacks were fast and precise.
Dodging his attacks, I countered with punches and kicks. From start to finish, I faced him using only the Celestial Crane Technique.
Speed, experience, strength—I overwhelmed him in every aspect.
Thud! Thud!
My attacks landed continuously, but he didn’t fall.
Considering my skills and his condition, he was truly formidable. It was clear why they had gone to such lengths to perform the ritual.
I grabbed his side and flipped him over.
Bang!
It was a solid hit, but he rose again, his face contorted in pain.
Alright, let’s end this.
I could have finished him with the Celestial Crane Technique, but there was no need to prolong his suffering. After all, he was just a shell of the demon spirit. There was no reason to drag out the fight.
To finish it, I drew my sword.
At close range, I executed the Demon God Shadow technique.
I vanished from sight, reappearing behind the demon spirit.
Whoosh! Slash!
His back was cut. The Suramyeongwang Sword, imbued with my inner power, sliced through his protective energy, leaving a deep gash.
Whoosh!
The demon spirit swung his fist as he turned.
But I had already used the Demon God Shadow again.
Slash!
His back was cut even deeper.
My movements were too fast for him to block, and attacking from behind left him no chance to counter. It was an insurmountable difference in skill.
Whoosh! Slash! Whoosh! Slash!
With successive Demon God Shadows, the demon spirit’s back was in tatters.
Thud.
Finally, unable to withstand the continuous critical hits, the demon spirit fell to his knees.
His eyes, losing their vitality, were filled with hatred and malice.
I remembered when I first encountered him. He was a cunning villain, perhaps the most threatening one I had ever faced.
But in the end, he was consumed by a greater evil, becoming a mere sacrifice for the ritual.
In a world where the wicked devour and exploit each other, an outstanding villain like the demon spirit becomes an enticing target.
True villains don’t stand out. Like insects camouflaged in the forest, they hide in unexpected places, unnoticed by all.
Whoosh.
Slash.
With my final strike, the demon spirit’s head separated from his body and rolled across the floor.
“No!”
The woman, who had been watching the fight from the ground, let out a cry of despair. The demon spirit had been her only hope, and now that chance was gone.
I walked toward the woman.
“You coward! Killing a fallen woman! You pathetic fool!”
She was fierce and venomous. Even now, she sought a way to provoke me and save herself, but it was a futile effort.
The one who truly pleaded for mercy was the dark figure, lying a short distance away.
“Can’t you spare me?”
I answered immediately.
“No.”
Whoosh. Slash!
The Suramyeongwang Sword sliced through her neck. Her life ended as her throat was deeply cut.
“She was… a good person.”
“It might have been different for you, but for others, death was deserved.”
The Dark Lord sighed, a hint of the deep bond between the two evident in his demeanor.
As I walked toward him, my sword hanging loosely by my side, I spoke.
“If we understood everything, would there be any villains left in the world?”
The Dark Lord laughed maniacally as he watched Byukridan approach.
“Hahaha. So, this is how it ends.”
The woman’s death weighed heavily on him. Regret always comes too late.
Byukridan raised his sword.
Looking up at him, the Dark Lord smirked.
“Making a lot of money, aren’t you?”
Swish.
Instead of replying, Byukridan drove the sword into his heart.
Thud!
The Dark Lord’s head slumped to one side. In his stiffening eyes, he saw the statue of the Dark God standing against the wall.
Blood, whether from the demon or the woman, was splattered on the statue, making it appear even more terrifying.
‘No matter how fiercely you glare, it’s all over now.’
Just as his consciousness began to fade, he sensed something growing in the space where his life was slipping away.
-What is this?
He instinctively knew what it was. The presence entering his body was none other than the Dark God.
The god of darkness had chosen him.
-Why me?
The presence within him answered.
-Because your choice was right.
At first, he didn’t understand what that meant.
-My choice? What choice?
-What you love most.
In that moment, the Dark Lord realized. What he loved most was money. His choice had always been money.
-Money is the most beautiful, alluring, and powerful thing.
He had lived by that belief. But hearing it from the Dark God made him think.
-Not the dirtiest, ugliest, and most evil?
Perhaps that was why the Dark God had chosen him. He was the perfect vessel for the god’s descent, filled with an insatiable desire for wealth.
Though he never imagined the Dark God would inhabit his body, he understood one thing.
From the moment he became the Dark Lord, his fate was intertwined with becoming the Dark God. The god had already decided who and how it would descend.
The demon and the woman were merely sacrifices.
Blood offerings for the resurrection.
As he felt his soul being pushed out and extinguished, the Dark Lord’s final gaze fell upon the lifeless woman.
‘Ah, dying like a fool, I can’t face you now.’
His soul vanished from the world, but his body slowly began to rise from the ground.