CHAPTER 489: THE END POINT (8)

Amidst the creation of an earth-shaking energy, an alarm rang in Seol-Hwi’s mind.

‘I must stop Earth Demon at all costs. If his power goes berserk, we’ll all face mutual destruction.’

Even in that situation, Seol-Hwi steadied his mind.

The rampaging Earth Demon was beyond a level that could be opposed.

If all his power was unleashed, it would reach the level of a Demon God.

At that point, no one would be able to avoid catastrophe.

Rumble.

Around Earth Demon, the qi of ice swirled violently.

It was as if the infinite power of the Heavenly Killing Star was awakening, with ice crystals floating in the air, reflecting light.

“What’s with that expression?”

At that moment, Earth Demon frowned.

Sensing no intent to attack, he felt puzzled.

“Who are you?”

Seol-Hwi answered calmly.

Whoosh.

At that moment, the spreading ice qi momentarily subsided.

The ice crystals in the air scattered and fell to the ground.

“What nonsense is this?”

Earth Demon retorted unpleasantly, a deep crease forming between his eyebrows.

“I’m asking who you are.”

“Why should someone like you be curious about that?”

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t mean it that way.”

Seol-Hwi observed Earth Demon’s reaction carefully. In the past, he had expressed doubts about himself.

Fortunately, this question successfully drew his interest.

Now the next step was crucial.

How he continued the conversation would determine his fate.

“It’s not a question about labeling me as a villain. Regardless of how you perceive me, I have no intention of involving myself in those feelings. Even if you tell me to change, I won’t listen. Am I wrong?” RÁ₦ɵ𝖇Ɛs

“…Keep talking.”

“I am purely asking who you are. Because I have no memory of you. And…”

A flicker crossed Earth Demon’s eyes.

Feeling the subtle rise in temperature around them, Seol-Hwi continued speaking.

“Isn’t it also beneficial for you to know who kills me?”

At those words, Earth Demon seemed to hesitate for a moment. His fist clenched and then relaxed uneasily.

At least Seol-Hwi’s argument that he should know who kills him seemed somewhat convincing.

“Hmm…”

A long silence followed.

Only the sound of the wind lingered between the two. Seol-Hwi held his breath and waited, and finally, Earth Demon spoke.

“There’s no need to kindly explain to someone like you.”

‘This is bad.’

As the opponent showed a negative reaction to his words, Seol-Hwi felt a chill run down his spine.

Refusing to talk meant they intended to see this through to till the very end.

“But it might be good to know who kills you. I am Earth Demon. A person who barely became the Fourth Disciple of the Heavenly Demon from a discarded fate.”

However, contrary to expectations, Earth Demon continued speaking.

There was a subtle change in his voice.

“During that time, I met you. The one who destroyed our world and killed all my precious subordinates. The one who caused a blood storm in the Central Plains by destroying the Demonic Cult. You are someone who should never exist in this world.”

Seol-Hwi’s eyes narrowed.

‘The memory is distorted. Did Jang Dal implant memories like this in him?’

Originally, Earth Demon was a fabricated character created by Jang Dal’s hand.

As expected from a fabricated character, the memory had been manipulated.

Since he was deployed as the final barrier, it seemed they made it impossible to escape.

“It’s surprising. I agree that I shouldn’t exist…”

Seol-Hwi deftly brushed off Earth Demon’s outburst and continued the conversation.

The surrounding temperature began to drop again, but Seol-Hwi remained unfazed.

“Aren’t you also someone who shouldn’t exist?”

“…What?”

Earth Demon’s eyes widened at those words.

In contrast, Seol-Hwi’s voice was calm.

“Isn’t that so? A Heavenly Killing Star doesn’t live past sixteen, and even with divine intervention, they die at seventeen. So, how old are you now?”

“……”

Earth Demon clamped his mouth shut, his eyes wavering with uncertainty.

Seol-Hwi sensed that a small crack had formed in Earth Demon’s heart at this moment.

“From what I know, you’re twenty. A Heavenly Killing Star lived to twenty. Doesn’t that seem strange? How are you still alive then?”

“………”

Earth Demon hesitated to answer.

In the past, he had heard the reason for his survival.

An Extreme Yang Spiritual Pill like the Purple Grass, and extending life through an Extreme Yang Qi martial arts.

But his silence now wasn’t because he couldn’t make such excuses.

It was because he couldn’t strongly deny that he was someone who shouldn’t exist.

That realization struck him hard in his mind.

“That’s… because of the Heavenly Demon’s help.”

A response that came after a long pause.

Seol-Hwi didn’t miss this opportunity.

“Is that Heaven Demon a righteous person? Not an evil person like me, but someone who protects the martial world?”

Earth Demon’s expression became complicated.

His fist clenched and unclenched anxiously, and soon a cold energy swirled once more.

“At least he’s not as much of a villain as you are!”

“It’s not appropriate to define a villain here. Even the Heavenly Demon might have villainous traits, so isn’t it true that such people usually have multiple facets?”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

Earth Demon’s voice was tinged with anger, prompting Seol-Hwi to speak again.

“If he is a person with multiple facets, I wanted to say that I, too, am a person with many sides. Because I’m currently fighting the one who made you this way.”

“……!”

A slightly surprised reaction.

It was understandable.

The character created now. Earth Demon was still unaware of his own self-awareness.

However, through conversation, he was led to think about his existence and was given a clear understanding of his doubts.

“A master like you from the origin of Heavenly Killing Star, fighting such a master is that person’s intention. If you use the power of Heavenly Killing Star, you can surely eliminate me. But you know.”

Seol-Hwi added a few more words here.

“After my death, will peace return to the world? How is it perceived in your mind? Can the world find peace if I’m gone?”

“……Heh.”

It was then.

Earth Demon suddenly laughed.

“You have a knack for beguiling people.”

His voice carried a tone of sarcasm.

“As you said, I’m twenty this year. But it doesn’t make sense that someone manipulated my memories. Isn’t it you who is testing me in the first place?”

“No, what…….”

“At the very least, there must be evidence that you’re not a villain. If you can’t show me now, everything is just nonsense.”

Ssssh.

The sound of the surrounding air freezing was heard.

“Is there nothing else? Sweet whispers to try and sway me?”

‘Is it the end?’

Despair brushed against Seol-Hwi’s heart.

He had underestimated the level of Jang Dal’s brainwashing.

From what he experienced just moments ago, it seemed impossible to shake his thoughts through conversation alone.

“Go!”

With Earth Demon’s roar, a massive ice wall was created.

Gwoooo!

Surrounded by ice on all sides, a powerful ice attack poured down from within.

Crack!

Seol-Hwi slashed through the ice with all his might. The internal qi within him burst out as if exploding.

Crack! Crack-crack!

With the sound of ice shattering, Seol-Hwi’s attack penetrated the ice wall.

‘Is it a continuous attack?’

Seol-Hwi’s intuition was spot on.

Earth Demon’s second attack was the pinnacle of fire techniques.

A red aura swirled from Earth Demon’s hand, rapidly raising the surrounding temperature.

As the ground split open, the writhing lava surged upward.

“Ahh!”

Seol-Hwi quickly pushed off the ground, launching himself into the air.

However, Earth Demon’s fire technique did not let him go easily.

The lava surged up like a living creature, engulfing Seol-Hwi’s body.

“Ughhh–”

In excruciating pain, Seol-Hwi gritted his teeth and created a defensive shield with qi.

But his barrier was effortlessly pierced by Earth Demon’s fire technique, as if it were paper.

The sound of explosions echoed continuously.

Earth Demon’s fire technique did not end with just one attack.

Like a chain reaction, multiple explosions followed, with a range and intensity beyond common sense.

“Hahaha.”

Earth Demon’s cold laughter was heard.

Before Seol-Hwi could gather his senses, Earth Demon’s third attack began.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

This time, it was a collision of ice and flames.

It had a power comparable to, if not exceeding, a third force.

‘What kind of phenomenon is this……’

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!

As the explosion, carrying a deafening roar, approached, Seol-Hwi thought to himself.

‘Please, hold on.’

Purple Cloud Divine Arts.

It was the best martial art he could use at the moment, and this was the only way to counter that power.

Sssss—

A red mist-like aura began to rise around Seol-Hwi’s body.

The mist writhed as if alive, growing thicker by the moment.

Seol-Hwi used this formidable power not for attack, but for defense.

“Is that your final desperate act?”

Earth Demon said with a sneer.

Then, an unimaginable explosion erupted around Seol-Hwi.

Boom!

With the powerful explosion, the mist of Purple Cloud Divine Arts transformed instantly.

It looked as if thousands of petals were dancing.

And the moment the attack struck, the petals began to spin simultaneously.

This spinning was not mere physical defense. Each petal absorbed the qi of the attack and converted it into a harmless flow.

‘Adaptation and reversal.’

Seol-Hwi witnessed another phenomenon in the plum blossoms he had conjured.

Instead of blocking the attack head-on, it accepted the force and sent it back.

It was akin to how gentle water wears down a rock, and like Wudang’s, Purple Cloud of Mount Hua Sect possessed such power.

‘With this, all power is…….’

However, such a peculiar experience occurred only once.

He had only executed one technique, and no more power from Purple Cloud Divine Arts emerged.

‘Ah!’

Seeing the subsequent movements of Earth Demon, Seol-Hwi naturally lost his will.

Martial qi.

He knew better than anyone what kind of power this chaotic energy mixing within him was.

‘The power of the Demon God…….’

The Fourth Ability.

In the scene where Earth Demon was about to unleash the power of chaos, no action could be taken.

The fact that he was still alive until now was a miracle.

‘Huh?’

It was then.

Earth Demon, who was about to wield his absolute power, suddenly stopped.

At the very moment when that immense power was about to be unleashed, for some reason, he halted his attack.

“Is it true…?”

At those words, Seol-Hwi tilted his head in confusion.

What could he be muttering at the final moment?

“Not demonic arts, but the Justice Faction’s martial arts. And the Purple Cloud Divine arts… Who on earth are you?”

Seol-Hwi had a suspicion upon hearing those words.

Judging by Earth Demon’s demeanor, it seemed information not recorded in his mind had emerged.

It appeared that Earth Demon was confused, perhaps due to the point Seol-Hwi had previously mentioned.

“It seems that in your mind, I was someone who used demonic arts.”

Seol-Hwi did not miss the moment when Earth Demon was bewildered.

This was also the last chance to persuade him.