Chapter 432: Lies (5)
Open Heaven.
The Black Heaven’s gate flung wide open, and the greedy black clouds crouched within were unleashed at last. The dark vortex roared to life, baring its savage fangs toward its counterpart.
“Guuuhhk... agh, ah.”
As soon as Kwon Oh-Jin activated Open Heaven, his consciousness began to blur. A hazy sensation like being drugged swept over him as his mind sank into the black storm. It felt like stepping into a sticky swamp. His awareness, unable to find solid ground, rapidly plummeted into the darkness.
Blue lightning exploded from the hand pressed over his heart.
Crackle!
“Aaagh!”
Electricity swarmed through his entire body, forcing his fading consciousness back to wakefulness.
It would be the end if he let go of that thread of awareness for even a moment. The Black Heaven would greedily devour Kwon Oh-Jin himself. The outcome was obvious if all his memories were swallowed.
I’ll become the Black Heaven’s puppet.
He would become a ravenous beast that consumed Celestials and Awakeners.
Suppressing the Black Heaven’s raging current, Kwon Oh-Jin slowly stood up.
“Haaa...”
He turned his head.
The Heavenly Demon was watching him with a delighted smirk, shoulders lightly shaking in amusement. “You’re still not used to Open Heaven, huh?”
The Heavenly Demon looked utterly at ease as though lounging in his own living room.
Is that guy really using Open Heaven as well?
How could he remain so calm when even a moment’s lapse could send them tumbling into an endless abyss?
“Are you wondering how I can remain so calm like this?” The Heavenly Demon glanced down and chuckled at his own body that had half-transformed into swirling black clouds. “You could do it too, you know? That is, if you’re willing to lose everything like I did.”
That’s what it was. He has so little left, there’s hardly anything more to lose.
The Heavenly Demon was less affected by its pull because the Black Heaven had already devoured most of his consciousness.
Kwon Oh-Jin could easily guess how fragile the Heavenly Demon’s state truly was.
“Don’t worry.” The Heavenly Demon smiled warmly and raised his arm, which had turned into black clouds. “No matter how much I lose... no matter how much fades away... I will never forget one thing.”
Rumble!
The black clouds writhed as the Heavenly Demon charged toward Kwon Oh-Jin.
From above!
Kwon Oh-Jin thrust his hand up, meeting the torrent of descending clouds head-on.
Their Black Heavens collided, unleashing a thunderous roar that shook the surroundings.
Rummmmble!
The ground split open. Trees, torn from their roots, hurled into the air.
It was hard to believe that two humans had caused this destruction.
“Haa, haa!”
The two Black Heavens tangled together. Black lightning and fire gnashed their fangs at each other, devouring one another.
Kwon Oh-Jin drew in a sharp breath and thrust his spear. “Hup!”
Before his spear, covered in Black Lightning, could pierce the Heavenly Demon’s heart, the Heavenly Demon’s body shimmered like a mirage and scattered into the air.
Just then, a flash of the future crossed Kwon Oh-Jin’s mind.
Pivoting on his right foot, he spun and thrust the spear.
Clang!
The Heavenly Demon appeared above him and quickly crossed his arms to block the strike.
“So, that’s the ability you got from Polaris, huh?” His eyes glimmered as if amused, and he spread his crossed arms out wide. “You’ve shown me what you’ve got. I guess it’s my turn.”
Black flames spread out like a web, instantly wrapping around Kwon Oh-Jin.
“Agh!”
“This is the Stigma of Reticulum. Not bad, right?”
“This... won’t hold me!”
Kwon Oh-Jin dissolved into black clouds and devoured the web of flames. The fiery threads snapped apart as he launched himself up toward the Heavenly Demon.
Drawing back his arm to its limit, he hurled his spear. “Strike!”
Crash!
The condensed Black Lightning within the spear pierced through the Heavenly Demon’s flames, driving straight into his right shoulder. The Heavenly Demon frowned, glancing down at the spear impaling his shoulder.
“It hurts.”
The Heavenly Demon gripped the spear shaft and slowly pulled it out. Between the pierced flesh, thick streams of black clouds oozed out like blood.
“Here, you can have it back.”
Black flames surged along the spear, roaring violently.
Fwoosh!
Not just anyone could touch Kwon Oh-Jin’s weapon. No one besides the owner could use an Ego Weapon.
Can it not tell the difference?
It seemed the weapon lacked the ability to distinguish between them.
The Heavenly Demon hurled the flaming black spear straight at him.
Fwoosh!
Kwon Oh-Jin barely rolled aside. The burning spear grazed past him before embedding itself deep into the ground.
“Guuuhhk!”
“Ugh, I know I’m not good with weapons, especially spears.” The Heavenly Demon clicked his tongue, glancing down at the missed strike. “Well then, shall we keep going?”
Before Kwon Oh-Jin could retrieve his weapon, the Heavenly Demon kicked off the ground and charged in.
Boom!
A dragon of black flames erupted from his clenched fist.
Kwon Oh-Jin twisted around, narrowly dodging the dragon, but he couldn’t dodge the punch that followed.
Whack!
“Kugh!”
The blow landed squarely on his face, sending him tumbling like a skipping stone across the ground.
The Heavenly Demon flexed his fist and chuckled. “Ah. Using my bare hands instead of a weapon works so much better.”
A sharp ringing filled Kwon Oh-Jin’s head. His consciousness teetered on the edge.
“Ugh...”
He clenched his teeth and forced himself to stay focused in this desperate fight.
Boom! Boom!
Fists and spear clashed, lightning and flame intertwining. Like wild beasts devouring each other’s flesh, the clouds from the two Black Heavens tore into one another.
Neither side had a clear advantage until, little by little, Kwon Oh-Jin began to gain the upper hand.
“Haa, haa.”
The Heavenly Demon clicked his tongue as he watched his own dark clouds being swallowed by Kwon Oh-Jin’s. “Hmm. For sure, your Black Heaven outclasses mine in terms of rank.”
They both possessed the Black Heaven, but one decisive difference existed.
“The Stigma of Lyra...”
The Heavenly Demon didn’t possess this Stigma.
Among hundreds, only the Stigma of Lyra could control the Black Heaven. Because Kwon Oh-Jin possessed it, his Black Heaven ranked higher. That difference showed in the clash between their two Black Heavens.
No matter how skillfully the Heavenly Demon could wield the Black Heaven, he was inevitably being devoured by Kwon Oh-Jin as the fight dragged on.
The Heavenly Demon sighed and shook his head. “You know, this really isn’t fair.”
Kwon Oh-Jin steadied his fading consciousness. “What’s wrong? Are you regretting that the first Stigma you absorbed wasn’t Lyra?”
“Of course not.” The Heavenly Demon faintly smiled, brushing his hand over the Stigma of Draco engraved over his heart. “Because Ha-Eun gave me this.”
She had left him this final gift before dying. Even if it couldn’t command the Black Heaven or drag him out of those black clouds consuming him, even if it was weaker than Kwon Oh-Jin’s Stigma of Lyra...
“It’s because of this stigma that I’m standing here today.”
Kwon Oh-Jin remained silent.
“But yeah, I’ll admit. It does put me at a disadvantage.”
“For someone saying that, you look pretty relaxed.”
“Do I? Well...” The Heavenly Demon smirked and nodded. “After all, you can’t win against me.”
Even if Kwon Oh-Jin’s Black Heaven was stronger, even if his Stigma was more powerful...
As if reciting a math formula from a textbook, the Heavenly Demon declared, “You’ll never defeat me.”
He wasn’t merely acting arrogant or prideful.
“That’s something we won’t know until the fight’s over,” Kwon Oh-Jin said.
It was still impossible to say which side truly held the upper hand even though they had already fought a long and fierce battle. Observing only the clashes so far, Kwon Oh-Jin actually seemed to have the advantage.
“No. I do know.” The Heavenly Demon shook his head. “I told you before, didn’t I? You have too many things that are precious to you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean...?”
The Heavenly Demon placed his hand over his chest again. “Having a lot of precious things means you’ve got just as much to lose.”
Rumble.
The black clouds that had already consumed half of his body began to spread even further.
“You’re insane...”
He drew out even more of the Black Heaven’s power after already using Open Heaven.
If he does that, then...
With half his body already turned to black clouds, it was already a struggle to maintain consciousness. The outcome was obvious if the Black Heaven expanded any further.
He won’t be able to come back.
Once the Heavenly Demon fell that deep, there would be no returning to his state before using Open Heaven. It would be like falling endlessly into an abyss as the black clouds shredded and devoured his consciousness.
“What are you trying to—”
“Do you know what’s more important than rank in a battle between Black Heavens?”
The black clouds spread, swallowing up the Heavenly Demon’s body. His face was no longer recognizable, and almost all of him had turned into black clouds.
“It’s about who can give up more.”
Who could let go and discard more useless memories, meaningless attachments, and throw them all into the black clouds?
“Haaa.”
Black clouds engulfed the Heavenly Demon. His arms, legs, head, chest... All of it was swallowed whole. The only part that remained untouched was his heart, engraved with the Stigma of Draco.
“You...”
The Heavenly Demon had become a grotesque figure. He was a human-shaped mass of black clouds with only a single, pulsing heart floating within it.
Kwon Oh-Jin stepped back without even realizing it, staring at what could no longer be called a human.
The Heavenly Demon, now completely transformed into black clouds, chillingly laughed. “I don’t need anything else. As long as I don’t forget the one thing that truly matters.”
He caressed the heart floating amid the dark clouds as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
“Now then, it’s your turn.” Blue ghostly flames ignited the gloomy, shifting clouds. “How much are you willing to give up?
