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No Generous Darkness (5)

A chill ran down my spine, every hair on my body standing on end as I sensed a sinister presence behind me.

Slowly, I turned around.

The dark figure, once impaled through the heart, was rising. I realized then that he was no longer just a shadowy figure.

What he was now showing me was something I had never witnessed in all my past lives.

”…Dark God.”

The name slipped from my lips.

“Cheonhajin.”

His voice echoed, as if to confirm my words, resonating like it did in the cave.

He knew exactly who I was and what he intended to do with me.

“Today, you die by my hand.”

I had heard countless threats from numerous enemies, but none had ever filled me with such dread as this one.

“Is the dark figure inside you?”

“What does it matter? From darkness I came, and to darkness I return.”

“Why him, of all people?”

“It was destined from the start.”

“Destiny?”

The word sparked a fierce resistance within me. Who decides such a fate?

“Whose destiny?”

The Dark God smiled faintly.

“At least for this moment, it seems to be yours. Dying here is your fate.”

“Before that, let me ask you one thing.”

“What is it?”

“What happens when you die?”

“What?”

Swoosh.

The Suramyungwang Sword sliced through the air with a speed and force that was anything but a mere test.

The blade struck the Dark God.

His body staggered, his chest splitting open, but the wound healed instantly. I had seen wounds heal before, but never this quickly.

Swoosh!

I swung my sword again from behind him. Right after launching the attack, I used my shadow technique to appear at his back.

Swoosh.

Slash.

I felt the satisfying sensation of my blade cutting into his back.

But the wound closed almost immediately. Watching up close, it was astonishing. The black energy seeped into the split skin, and the wound healed in an instant.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

The Suramyungwang Sword slashed at his back repeatedly. I thought if I could cut faster than he could heal, I might have a chance.

But the Dark God didn’t dodge; he absorbed my attacks. His body healed faster than I could cut. The more I wounded the same spot, the quicker it healed.

The Dark God looked at me and smiled.

“I am a god…”

Bang!

Before he could finish, my fist smashed into his face.

It was a full-force blow. Normally, it would have shattered his face, but he merely straightened his head and continued speaking.

“I am a god, and you are human. Let me show you the difference.”

Thud!

His fist struck my chest. It was too fast to dodge.

I was hurled back, crashing into the wall.

Even with my protective aura, my chest throbbed with pain. My ribs weren’t broken, but if I kept taking hits like this, they wouldn’t hold out for long.

Instead of despair, determination surged within me. Facing a strong opponent only fueled my resolve not to lose.

I sprang to my feet.

The Dark God approached, smiling leisurely.

“Yes, it’s just beginning. You can’t die from just that.”

“Getting cocky after landing one hit, are we?”

I taunted him, trying to provoke a reaction.

But he didn’t take the bait.

Instead, he turned the tables, mocking me.

“Isn’t it you who lived in arrogance? Delighting in the pathetic pride of being able to kill weak humans with a flick of your finger?”

He was no easy opponent.

So I upped the ante.

“And you think you’re any different? Calling yourself a god, acting all high and mighty. But in the end, you’re just filthy trash.”

The Dark God laughed, amused.

“Then what does that make you, less than trash?”

“We’ll see about that.”

I unleashed my demonic technique.

The Suramyungwang Sword was drawn, aimed at him. The Dark God watched with interest. When an opponent is off guard, that’s when you strike with everything you’ve got.

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

A barrage of sword energy flew at him. The first form of my demonic technique, the Phantom Sword Storm, was unleashed.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions erupted in succession. I could see it shook him, but it didn’t tear him apart. The wounds from the blasts healed instantly.

Flash! Crackle!

The second form, Thunder Sword Strike, struck his crown. His body twitched.

Crackle! Crackle!

Lightning continued to rain down on his head.

I kept unleashing my techniques. There was no guarantee that the later forms would be more effective. He might be particularly vulnerable to lightning.

But he shrugged off the Thunder Sword Strike as if it were nothing, merely twitching as if tickled.

The third form, Sword Prison, was unleashed.

A cage of death enveloped him. Sword energy slashed at him from all sides.

Swish! Slash! Swish! Slash!

It was an attack I had poured my heart into.

But it couldn’t kill him. The wounds healed instantly.

The silent True Sword Dance cut him, but it was the same.

Considering the improved demonic technique, it was clear how strong he was.

I never took my eyes off him during the attack.

The Dark God watched me too. Seeing his calm gaze, knowing I couldn’t even scratch him, could have been terrifying.

But I steeled my mind.

Whether he was a god or not, this was a fight. And in a fight, I had never lost to anyone.

Now, the most powerful forms of my demonic technique began.

Swoosh!

The Light Speed Sword flew.

If I launched it, even I couldn’t dodge it.

Thud!

The Suramyungwang Sword pierced the Dark God’s chest. Unlike previous wounds, this one went clean through.

The joy of success was short-lived; the gaping hole closed instantly.

Without surprise or disappointment, I immediately unleashed the sixth form, Blood Rain Sword.

Only the area around him darkened.

Swoosh!

A concentrated rain of sword energy fell on him.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Could he recover from this?

It wasn’t just any rain. It was a torrential downpour.

But even that couldn’t shatter his body. Astonishingly, his recovery was faster than the deluge of sword energy.

Seeing this, I realized I couldn’t destroy his body. Attacking it was meaningless.

Only one thing remained, the Demonic Sword of the Mind.

The Dark God smiled at me.

“Do you still think you’re better than trash?”

He had endured all my attacks just to deliver this taunt.

“Is this pettiness your true nature? Is this your heart?”

“Heart? Did you think I had a heart? Did you believe your insignificant mind sword could cut me?”

He even knew my final form, the Demonic Sword of the Mind, was a mind attack.

“Yes, I believe it. That my mind sword can cut you.”

“Go ahead, try to cut me.”

He spread his arms wide.

But I couldn’t unleash the seventh form. It wasn’t that I was holding back the Demonic Sword.

If attacking his body was pointless, I had to cut his heart.

But I couldn’t feel his heart. There was nothing to cut. The Dark God’s heart was unfathomable.

It felt like standing alone in a vast darkness.

Is this it?

The difference between humans and gods. Can humans never surpass gods?

“Let me show you that you’re nothing but trash.”

His words were leisurely, but his attack was swift.

Swoosh.

Thud!

Once again, I couldn’t dodge his attack and was sent flying.

The Dark God followed like a shadow.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A relentless barrage struck my entire body. Punches and kicks rained down like a storm. It was a brutal assault, too fast to evade.

The overwhelming attack made me feel like I might be beaten to death.

But I wasn’t just taking hits. Instinctively, I focused my protective aura where his blows landed. Without it, the impact would have been several times worse.

When the attack paused, instead of retreating, I stepped forward.

“I can take it. Is that all you’ve got?”

I caught a flicker of tension in the Dark God’s expression. But it was fleeting. He quickly returned to his confident demeanor.

I deliberately provoked him, hoping to sense his heart. But still, I couldn’t feel it.

Bang!

His fist smashed into my face. The impact was so intense, it felt like my mind went blank. It was a wonder my face wasn’t shattered.

I used every technique I had.

Not just the demonic techniques, but also the Soul Reaper Swordsmanship, and even tried to break his neck with the Celestial Crane Technique.

But no attack could touch him. No strategy could bring him down.

For the first time, I sensed defeat and thought of death.

He was right. I had lived in arrogance, thinking I could defeat a god despite being merely human.

My energy was completely drained. Even my protective aura could no longer shield me.

Thud!

His fist struck my unprotected body, and it felt as if my entire being was shattering. Perhaps my bones really were breaking.

Thud! Thud!

The pain was excruciating.

And with it came humiliation. To die not by the sword, but by being beaten to death?

Rage surged within me. Surely there was a better way. The thought of dying without finding it infuriated me.

I was even angrier at myself for wallowing in regret at the very end.

Thud! Thud!

My insides churned, and I coughed up blood. It had been so long since I last tasted my own blood.

Was it my twisted anger? A sudden thought struck me.

Why should I die so miserably while protecting this world?

A vision came to mind.

People in the tavern, gossiping about my death. Instead of mourning, they casually remarked that I had held on for too long.

Why had I fought to protect such people?

My instincts spewed forth all sorts of dark thoughts.

With my skills and wealth, I could have lived a grand life. I could have reveled in wickedness.

Why, in this moment, did I not think of my parents, Song Hwarin, Gwangdu, or Cheonma?

But these were the thoughts that surfaced.

Whether the Dark God or the Blood God resurrected, or they fought among themselves, it didn’t matter. I could have just lived well on my own.

“You worthless scum! I have no mercy for you. Die now!”

The brutal, relentless blows continued.

Crash! Crash!

My body was breaking. Bones shattered, organs twisted.

So this is how it ends.

Even in my final moments, dark thoughts plagued me.

A vision of Song Hwarin falling in love with someone else filled me with fierce jealousy.

I was pathetic for having such thoughts at the end. Why was I like this?

Slowly, my eyes began to close.

In that last moment, something hazy appeared before me.

All my dark thoughts coalesced into a shape. It looked monstrous, like the embodiment of darkness.

And then it happened.

Slice.

My heart moved naturally, cutting through it. No energy was needed. My heart became a sword, slicing through the darkness.

I saw it then.

The sword my heart had forged. Straight and true. It was my heart, overcoming all the darkness I had spewed, determined to live on.

Gradually, the surroundings brightened.

Before me stood the real Dark God, bleeding. A long cut marred his chest, one that would never heal.

With a shocked expression, he struggled to ask,

”…How did you cut me?”

Amazingly, I had struck down the real Dark God.

I, too, struggled to speak. There was only one thing I could say.

”…Because darkness is everywhere.”

Thud.

The Dark God collapsed forward. The dark energy within him began to seep out.

As it rose into the air and met the light, it started to burn away.

Sssssss.

Like a mirage vanishing in the sky, all the darkness disappeared into the light.

A mere human had slain a god.

A thought came to me, words I wished to say to him.

Just as there is no merciful darkness, there is no light that tolerates evil.

But I couldn’t utter those words. I, too, was dying.

I felt the last of my life slipping away. I was going to die as well.

I didn’t want to die like this.

With all my strength, I forced out my final words.

”…I accept the trial of the Demon God.”

I felt my soul, which had been slipping away, return to me.

In the next moment.

Whoosh.

I felt myself being transported somewhere. Whether it was my body or my mind, I couldn’t tell.