Chapter 528 – Respite

The inherent limits of life forms.
An on-off switch for powers, inhibited during the course of human evolution.

Mana, nerves, intuition, and even the primal energy. Almost everything that could be called potent spirit was open to these two individuals, akin to the heroes of yore.

– Squelch, squelch!

Steam rises from the skin of the Heavenly Demon, heated and intense. Blood evaporates over the hardened muscles, vanishing into thin air.

‘I may not be able to bring about a final judgement, but I must strive to annihilate to the greatest extent possible.’

A clash between two men who have transcended their limits.
Attaining a state is surpassing the boundaries of living beings to become one with nature, a sign of the authority to intervene with the natural world and reality.
‘Power’, is the proof and the ultimate truth. Only those who have surpassed this state can liberate themselves from the world’s interference.

Individuals who have ascended to this level do not confine themselves to the term ‘talent’, but stride towards the end without a ceiling.

– Boom!!

Then arises the question: Who defines these limits, and why does surpassing them bestow power?
The King of Trees was aware of this. The more he knew, the more he unyieldingly trusted the strength of his authority.

– Crackling!

The parts of the King’s body eroded by wood multiplied gradually. Horns of an Ent sprouted from his head, deepening the hue of his crown.
Click, click, click. The disquieting sound of teeth grinding against each other.
The wooden teeth enveloped the man’s mouth entirely, akin to a skull. Behind him, a fountain of compressed power surged.

【 World Tree of Transformation, Wings 】

Gravity inverts.
Whirrrrr-
The ground beneath their feet catapults into the heavens, completely shattering the established laws of physics.

“Huff.”

The Heavenly Demon, Lee Si-heon, grits his teeth, surveying his surroundings and soothing the magical energy within his energy center.

The authority of the World Tree.
Even if I am not yet fully capable of harnessing this power, the burden it imposes on my body isn’t too severe.

‘Perhaps he wields countless authorities.’

That man who has lost everything won’t be caught empty-handed. He might have usurped the power of the Five Great World Trees, or maybe even the strength of the trees that exist above them.
He may possess numerous forms of power that are difficult to fathom. With this thought, Lee Si-heon cautiously steps forward.

– Click, click, click.

The King of Trees also maintained vigilance against the opponent before him.
Observing the hand gestures of the Heavenly Demon, the King pondered.

‘If he has reached this trial…’

It means he knows how to wield the power of the crown.
There is a possibility that the Heavenly Demon has manifested his authority. The otherworldly versions of himself that the King has previously slain were not always a walk in the park.

Among them, there was one who, unlike himself, had fully inherited the power of the Heavenly Demon,
One who dragged along the Queen of the Spirit Realm, known as the reverse side of the world.
There was even one who turned Flowers into his own appendages.

– Swish!

The Heavenly Demon’s hand lunges towards the King’s neck.
The King’s eyes blaze with a crimson fury. The two, suspended in mid-air due to the reverse gravity, clash as they launch themselves towards each other, fists locked in a standoff.

The shockwave shattered the rising edifice.

【World Tree of the Physical, Sana】

A verdant radiance seeped into the king’s irises. The world began to slow. Unleashed power expanded the boundaries of perception.

【World Tree of Time, Deceleration】

Again, it intervened, fracturing the fleeting moment.

【Cognition Manipulation】
【World Tree of Swiftness, Acceleration】

Confounding the adversary with stacked power and speed, the Heavenly Demon’s dominance dwindled swiftly. The miracle the king performed was merely a tiny fragment of his true strength. When he challenged the Origin, the world was already at his feet, and owing to his pact with the Origin that summoned him into this trial, he couldn’t fully wield his power. He was a sovereign who, time and again, had brought the world under his sway.

With a practiced ease, he selectively asserted his needed abilities, pressing down on the Heavenly Demon.

-Whirl.

In an instant, the king’s form vanished, delivering a solid blow to the body of the Heavenly Demon. Thud! It couldn’t penetrate the muscles, but the shock was fully transferred to the internal organs. The Heavenly Demon’s eyes, narrowed in a grimace, wobbled momentarily as if consciousness was briefly lost.

-Clench.

Lee Si-heon bit down hard, rallying his senses. Nerves refusing to respond, an impaired vision discerning objects poorly. He ignited his magical energy, amplifying the tension throughout his body. Despite the transformation the king had shown, and countless battles notwithstanding, the weight classes had to align. He altered his stance.

Defensive as a venom-bearing serpent, but ready to exploit an opening. He was honing a secret strategy.

-Suddenly!

The king disappeared from the Heavenly Demon’s sight. Blink (點滅), considered the pinnacle of spatial magic. A technique impossible for his brain to execute. There might be an authority concerning him.

Sensing a presence at his rear, he instantaneously changed his posture and delivered a blow behind him. The king, absorbing the hit, materialized a sword at his fingertips and swung it.

-Clash!

Several exchanges ensued. Body against body, weapons hurled towards each other. An unending melee unfolded. The forms of the pair repeatedly materialized and vanished from all sides. Accumulating damage. Fatigue creeping in. Multicolored paper necklaces fluttered between the two.

-Thud!

Lee Si-heon, gripping the king’s blood-soaked arm, yanked him with all his strength. The king’s body was pulled in. A jaw that struck with all its might at the encroaching figure. Ent’s teeth shattered, and the force transferred to the eyeballs, crushing them.

【Form of the Eight of the Heavenly Demon God】

【Peach Garden】

Initially, it was Black Blade,
Next was the modified Black Blade.
The eighth, which forcibly drew out abilities by burning life energy. Innate True Energy.
Eventually, its final form.

Magical energy blazed as if setting his entire body afire.
It was unlike three years ago. There were no blemishes across the body, and his physical state was exceptionally stable.

The power, in complete opposition to that of the trees and plants, shattered and pushed the king’s body.
A force that could only be harnessed when maximum power is unleashed.

【Thorn】

A capability awakened by Lee Si-heon.
As the black moon ascended, a thorn, dark as night and conical in shape, burst forth from the back of the Heavenly Demon.
The power to defy all interference. Having perceived time as it was stretched out by the king, it surpassed speed.

The strike that follows.

-Kwaaang!

“Krhuk!”

Ripping off the crown from the ravaged face of the king. The Heavenly Demon’s body was on the brink of disintegration, but the opportunity was now or never.

‘Capture it.’
‘Capture it.’

A form of power the King had never witnessed before.
The Heavenly Demon’s strength skewered the crown, and a fragment of the shattered crown landed in his hand.

The tremor in the King’s hand. Once again, the Heavenly Demon’s life was threatened by the ominous aura radiating from his body.

-Fzzzzt!

Magical energy and mana collide.
The entire space distorted and oscillated under the violent vibrations produced by their clashing magical energies.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Even in these times of relative calm following the blackout, inevitable disasters are bound to occur.

Unethical experiments were still being conducted in various parts of the world.
The Church was on the brink of schism, and the situation with the Flower was similarly dire.
However, the clash between the two monstrous beings that took place today has resulted in damage of an unspeakable scale.

[Hunter, Chairperson of the Star Association. Found in a coma…]

The world could no longer hide the existence of the demon that emerged from the ‘Tower of Time.’
Many were petrified by the emergence of the unknown Wood Demon, and prayed for its demise within their homes.
Naturally, interest also surged in the man who had been in combat against it.
Although not captured on camera, considering the signs of battle in the vicinity, there was undoubtedly someone who had fought the Wood Demon.

Who could it be?
No one had an answer.

A few facts were certain: fortunately, Star had not died. The casualties were relatively few.
The elevation of Star’s status was a topic that was painful to even discuss.

The unfortunate news was that the king had not been vanquished.
Only the husk of an Ent was discovered. No corpse was to be found anywhere.

-Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Bang!!!

The door flung open roughly, and Se-Young entered the hospital.

“Hey!”
“Geez! Open it gently!”

Se-Young, startled and breaking out in cold sweat. Hanbyeol tucked the light novel she had been reading under her blanket, puckering her lips in feigned anger.
Upon seeing Hanbyeol’s face, Se-Young furrowed her brow and laid a hand on her chest.

“That jerk… Hanbyeol, you fool. So, what happened to him?”
“Ah, about that.”

Se-Young’s tear-streaked face was endearing today. The star fluttered her eyes, then tenderly massaged the ticklish nape of her neck, extending her tongue.

“I thought I would triumph, but I faltered, didn’t I? Oops!” she teased.
“This wench, honestly!”
“Aaargh!”

The star tumbled backward, a result of Se-Young’s punch.

“Ouch, ouch… I’m still… a patient, you know, Se-Young?”
“Ah, I’m sorry.”

She laughed and glossed over the incident, but from the star’s perspective, who truly believed she was at death’s door, it was utterly bewildering.

Fortunately, if you could call it that…. Then, who on earth was Lee Si-heon?

‘Could this be it?’

A deceased person appears, telling you it’s not your time to ascend yet. The star was innocent. That’s how she reasoned it.

“Isn’t it obvious?”
“What?”
“I was convinced I was dead. Then Si-heon appeared before me and spoke.”
“What? Si-heon manifested to you?”
“Yes. He said to me in the underworld, ‘It’s not your time to ascend. I still have a lot left to do.'”
“……?”

What kind of fantastical nonsense is this? Si-heon from the underworld saying it’s not time to ascend? Lee Si-heon is very much alive, but what kind of strange tales was she spinning…

Seeing Se-Young, who had been sobbing, turn serious, the star widened her eyes in surprise.

“Why so serious?”
“No… Well, as long as you’re healthy.”

The star wore a puzzled face at Se-Young’s tepid response.

“But the more I ponder, the angrier I become.”

Is it logical to send her back without a single kiss? How does one die, go to heaven, and then return to life? She was grateful, yet furiously irritated.

‘Well, it’s better than being dead…’

She wanted to experience a celestial wedding, but she had left so much behind. There was a reason why Lee Si-heon had saved her.

– Suddenly –

That’s our super cute, super young Shiba.

“Umm, Auntie Byul…?”

Shiba appeared holding a fruit basket, her face etched with worry. Azalea was also behind her. Byul’s face turned a shade paler.

“Shiba~ You must have been so worried about me. Come here quick! Sit here~!”

Byul swiftly moved to the side of the bed, making room for Shiba. Though she was the one in pain, she couldn’t deny a plea, and as Shiba hesitantly approached, Byul, now comforted by Shiba’s presence, joyfully rubbed her cheek.

“Heave, heave.”
“……Beep.”

She had to report to the association, and there was a lot of work to be done, but for now, she’d forget about it.

The demon of trials had disappeared, so it wouldn’t manifest immediately. Byul playfully pulled on Shiba’s cheek, then bit it gently. Shiba’s cheeks tasted like sweet rice cakes.

“Shiba darling, huff, I love you…”

A radiant smile spread across Shiba’s face.

* * * * * * * * * * *

My feet felt as if they were cast in iron.
Perhaps it was only natural, given that I had arrived immediately after the battle had ended.

Blood flowed through the meridians of my body – my eyes, my ears, my nose. My bones were shattered and my nerves numbed.
My hands were too weak to muster the strength to open the door.
I had made it to the precipice of the sage’s residence, my head smacking against the door.

-Thud.

“Gods, damn it all.”

Hot breath seeped from the corners of my mouth.
The battle had not been won. Our strength was evenly matched, each of us but a single step away from overpowering the other.
And yet, even with this knowledge, we clashed head-on in stubborn defiance.

‘…If Hanbyeol hadn’t drained her stamina, she could have been seriously harmed.’

But there was a silver lining.
I had managed to seize a fragment of the king’s crown. With enough investigation, I was hopeful that I could harness its power.

The fact that I had managed to corner the king and seize this prize was largely due to Hanbyeol fulfilling her role.
Having done this much… there should be ample time before the next catastrophe.
I, too, needed to accumulate power.

And then, the sage.
There was much to discuss.

Had I been even a moment later, Hanbyeol could have been killed, and my trust in the sage would have been irrevocably broken.
There must have been a purpose behind this turn of events.
He may ask me to trust him, but I would have to see his face first.

“Huff.”

Holding my breath, I took a step forward.
Along the path I had tread, droplets of blood fell at regular intervals.
My body was utterly soaked in fatigue. It was a state of weariness too profound for words. With a surge of effort, I pushed the door open.

-Creak.

The moment I opened the door, my little one came into view.

Why now, of all times?
Perhaps she knew I was coming because of the magic I had been channeling.
Wiki’s face, usually so sunny at the thought of greeting me, turned a deathly pale at the sight of my condition.

“…Daddy?”

Tears welled up in her adorable eyes.
In an instant, Wiki’s mature facade crumbled, revealing the child beneath.

Wiki is still a child. And she cares for me deeply.

“Why… why do you look like that?”

Tears as big as raindrops fell from her eyes, and Wiki, dropping the teddy bear she had been clutching, rushed towards me.