Chapter 614 – The Apex (2)

It approaches.

“…….”

It draws near.

─Crack!

A flash of jet-black lightning aimed to perforate the earth, assailed the king.

Boom-boom-boom-boom!!

Magic of an indeterminate grade, transmuted into demonic energy, was too potent to be dissipated, even if by a demon.

“Lee Si-heon.”

Heavenly Demon.

A warrior, clad in a black dragon robe, levitated in the sky, his demonic energy flickering as he began his gradual descent.

“Lee Si-heon…?”

Jung Si-woo gazed at King Mokryeong with a complicated expression.
He internally grasped the situation, but found it challenging to reconcile with the fact that Lee Si-heon was the embodiment of evil.

Lee Si-heon.
At the utterance of that name, a silence fell upon everyone present, as though the devil himself had commanded it.

“Si-heon…?”
“Lee Si-heon, you say?”

Heroes and villains.
A man who had tasted both honor and disgrace.

His name, once fallen from grace and ostracized due to the control of the World Tree, silenced those national trees who had once received his assistance during the cradle raid.

-Flap-flap-flap!

The black dragon robe fluttered in the wind as the man descended.
The visage of the king emerged, with demonic energy emanating from his body like a mist.

“Is all prepared?”
“…….”

The king inquires, the king responds.
Discarding the fervor from their overnight exchange of memories.
A murderous intent, its depth unfathomable, enveloped the two men.

A trace of a bitter smile subtly spread across their lips.

-Whoosh!

Lee Si-heon fetched a pile of potions from within his robe and tossed them onto the ground.

“Rejuvenate on your own. I don’t expect anyone to lend a hand.”

─Ssssss.

From the demon’s hand, a sword forged of sticky, throbbing demonic energy erupted.

Disorder reigned in the space around them, impeding their vision.

Employing countless abilities in the right moment at the right place.
The powers he gleaned whilst managing dozens of dimensions were too numerous to quantify.

The demon’s combat style eschewed any opportunity for countermeasures.

─Ka-boom!!

A single strike.

The demon’s great sword etched a crevice in the fabric of the world.
Lee Si-heon, having completed a rotation, timely intercepted the great sword.

Demonic energy and magical power collided, creating a vivid resonance.
The resultant gust distorted the surroundings.

【 Acceleration 】

A stream of pitch-black afterimages zipped by, increasing their pace, imposing a pressing force upon him.

Acceleration, one of his abilities. A simple power that applies pressure to the opponent solely via speed.
A martial art to counter this speed unfurled from Lee Si-heon’s hand.

【 Heavenly Demon’s Divine Art: Second Form – Mancheop Baekdo (萬疊白桃) White Night (白夜) 】

The second manoeuvre of White Peach, which scatters hundreds, thousands of petals.

Among the seven forms that harnessed the demonic energy, it prided itself on swift speed.

Once more, acceleration.

─Shatter!!

Countless petals engulfed the demon, so much so that his vision turned pure white.

Swords clashed and ki collided, crying out in discordant harmony.

‘I must conserve as much strength as possible. There’s no telling how far it can regenerate.’

There are several cards yet to play.
After parrying each other’s attacks, the two did not pause, blades were raised and they crashed into each other again.

【 Form Eight, Taoyuan 】

Burning with latent energy.
The body’s mana was converted into demonic energy, and even the whites of the eyes were stained black.

Two shadows created humanoid figures, swords and fists meeting in a clash.

─Kwaaang!

The sword streaked diagonally.
He twisted his head to evade.

Time halted, the body froze. A greater force was unleashed to comprehend the fragmented time.

【 Thorn 】

A power to escape all interference from the king.
When Lee Si-heon, with the power of the Heavenly Demon overlaid on his demonic energy, summoned his ability, his veins surged as if his entire body was in overdrive.

The atmosphere tore apart due to the reverberation of the combat,
No one could interfere with their duel.

-Grunt!

When power is exerted on the opponent, an equal force returns from the opposite side.
The two attacks neutralized each other, creating a ripple effect.

“Si-heon…”
“…I can’t keep up. What is happening?”

-Spin!

A barrage of 【Thorns】 erupted in the air, raining down on the demon.
A hole appeared in the demon’s body, his eyebrows twitching.

The demon, who seemed to penetrate all of Lee Si-heon’s tactics, was unable to decipher that ‘thorn’.
There were many cards still hidden from each other. Limits were unknown.

【 Squeal!! 】

Dozens of ‘branches’ sprouted from the demon’s form.
The ‘thorn’ that erupted from Lee Si-heon like a bullet skewered the ‘branches’, blocking them.

-Fizzle!

Magical energy, flashing like lightning, gathered in one hand. The demon, whose ‘branches’ had been sealed, charged with his sword.

【 Heavenly Demon Divine Skill, Form Seven─ 】

Just as the Heavenly Sword was about to be drawn.
The demon’s sword struck without giving a moment to react.

Lee Si-heon performed a technique, overpowering him.

-Crash!

【 Heavenly Demon Overlord Step 】

A technique that turns heaven and earth upside down.

“!”

The demon’s knees hit the ground. A brief moment was gained.
Lee Si-heon’s ‘thorn’ was integrated with his magical energy, and the power at its peak was shot towards him.

【─Heavenly Peach】
【 Killing Dusk 】

Suddenly, the demon’s sword protruded, hurtling into Lee Si-heon’s chest with a speed akin to lightning.

In a torrent of dark energy, the expanded force unimpededly pierced through his chest,

The Heaven Sword, unleashed by Lee Si-heon, struck the demon’s entire body.
─Flash!!
Following the engulfment of the world by a swarm of light, the two near-death men staggered, locking eyes with each other.

“…….”
“…….”

Speaking was a struggle in itself.
Lee Si-heon’s darkened hand reached out towards the demon, who instinctively chose to evade.

-Crackling!

The ‘thorn’ erupting from the ground pursued, embarking on a mission to impale the demon’s body. However, the space where the ‘thorn’ sprouted distorted, causing a course reversal and resulting in failure.

【Thud!】

The demon’s ‘branch’, which was guarding its back, targeted Lee Si-heon’s thigh. Swiftly stepping ahead, he avoided the assault. The ‘branch’ was crushed under Lee Si-heon’s foot, reduced to dust.

In a matter of mere minutes, a series of chaotic clashes ensued.

The armor the demon had been wearing became worn and loose, its inner layers falling out one by one. The Heavenly Demon’s body, as well, was suffering from magic intoxication and severe internal injuries due to the overuse of power.

This was something both had anticipated from the beginning. In their respective directions and ways, they had reached their own extremes.

Even in this moment, the two individuals who had transcended their limits were growing. The only difference was that Lee Si-heon, still possessing a human body, was advancing at a faster pace.

‘It’s a war of attrition.’

A battle to see who would first reach their physical limit. The demon had an overwhelming amount of magic power, but Lee Si-heon had his own methods.

-Swish.

The King of Trees, having swiftly cleared up the wreckage, appeared to have fully recovered his magic power. Lee Si-heon too, along with his healing capabilities, pulled out a potion from his bosom.

The demon was not one to miss such an opportunity, but Lee Si-heon was prepared.

【Cup of the Starfire】

In the house, the presence of a magician who would staunchly protect him existed.

“…Sage.”

The demon, filled with anger, muttered in a voice laced with confusion. The holy flames enveloping the demon seemed to be purifying him, melting away his outer layers.

A singular entity capable of interpreting the demon’s power and devising countermeasures.

“You from another world, you’re not very impressive.”
“Why are you here?”

When Lee Si-heon conversed with the demon, he had not spoken a single word about the sage, or even about having a daughter, or that the sage was providing him with full-fledged assistance.

The sage, stepping back for a moment to observe the situation, adeptly created a magic that could inflict harm on the demon.

The pinnacle of magic.

“The reason to help him-”
“Yes. He’s my lover.”

Heh. The demon clicked his tongue, as if finding the situation absurd. A mixture of disbelief and the thought, ‘Is she insane?’, crossed his mind.

Perhaps it was a feeling, but the sage’s voice seemed to carry a simmering anger.

The sky was densely covered with meteorites, and the gravity, once inverted by the demon, returned to its original state.

Time’s current shifted back to its original course. The sporadic fissures in space were once more sealed.
Acceleration inverted and decelerated, and in a fleeting moment, hundreds of spells assailed the demon.

─ A Flash!

The demonic sword sought to strike the sage, yet the sage’s form nimbly evaded the blow.

A flicker.

The sage’s magic unfurled, carrying the force to shatter the entire continent.

A vast expanse of magical energy spread, blanketing the sky, personally warding off any calamities descending from the Pando.

【 Morus Alba 】

She had merely refrained from joining the front lines. Yet, her magnificence had been renowned since times of old.

The mulberry tree, subservient to Alba, claimed the fastest growth speed in the world. The release speed of its pollen is approximately half the speed of sound.

‘…It does grow quickly.’
‘To this point… Silence. You.’

Alba, having read Lee Si-heon’s thoughts, transmitted a message.

It was laughable. Even the potion he was presently consuming was composed of Alba’s essence. Regardless, as long as the reliable ally Alba was present, Lee Si-heon could always restore his vitality.

‘The problem is’

Despite all this, it was still ambitious to guarantee victory.

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

When he first enrolled at the academy, Lee Si-heon had not even known how to properly wield a sword.

However, at some point, he began to gradually understand power. Awakening his magical abilities, befriending a mentor, he slowly began to take flight.

Jung Si-woo was aware of Lee Si-heon, whose innate talent had blossomed during the midterm examination.

‘…….’

Lee Si-heon, who had evolved into an S-class disaster, had inflicted an indelible injury upon Mugung, despite his decayed state.

The king who had now transcended his previous state.

For the first time, Jung Si-woo felt a sense of powerlessness emanating from the two entities.

“Hooh….”

The demon was pushed back by Lee Si-heon’s martial arts. The two entities, engaged in a stalemate for several minutes, were locked in a battle of life and death, neither showing signs of retreat.

‘I can’t pursue him.’

The national trees and knights, who had demonstrated hostility towards King Mokryeong, couldn’t even muster the courage to offer their assistance.

The wizards, confident that only King Mokryeong could suppress this catastrophe, were casting support magic onto him while maintaining a watchful eye.

‘Is there nothing I can do?’

He was unable to suppress this feeling of helplessness.

Jung Si-woo sought to become stronger in order to avoid reliving such a situation.

The demon was intellectually and physically powerful beyond comprehension. While it was true that he was being surpassed in terms of sheer speed and strength, the most outrageous aspect was the method in which he drew forth his mana.

‘…It was as if I was battling with full knowledge.’

The strategy to counter the power of the World Trees.
The method to deploy my swordsmanship most effectively.

The demon seemed to have already pierced through all my tactics.
Laplace’s demon – capable of predicting all scenarios.
If it truly existed, wouldn’t it resemble this entity?

Yet, even it seemed unable to fully anticipate when dealing with Lee Si-heon. His heightened vigilance was palpable.

– Thump.

I must follow.
Jung Si-woo, having endured the pain and taken a step forward, imbued his sword with strength.

Faster,
Even faster.

To shatter this damned scheme, I must squeeze out everything I have.

【The World Tree of Justice is observing you.】

‘World Tree, can you hear me?’

Regarding the justice you speak of, there is much I still do not understand.

But one certainty is this – among those gathered here, it seems no one is devoid of their own sense of justice.

‘If we continue down this path, can we truly reclaim peace?’

Finding my sister,
Creating a world where no one is hurt or harmed.

‘If I become your sword. You promised to make it happen.’

She had made a promise. Mana surged from Jung Si-woo’s arms, and he rose, supported by the power of the World Tree.

Crossing the threshold.
While I do not comprehend the principle behind it.

I can manifest the power of those who have crossed over within my own body.

“…Jung Si-woo.”

Angelica, in the midst of regenerating, trembled in astonishment.
Manifesting the World Tree within one’s body. It was an impossible feat without a pact or innate talent.

– Flash.

“It’s insufficient.”

Jung Si-woo, gripping his sword, exhaled a sigh of frustration.

“It’s insufficient, World Tree. With this power, I can’t catch up to those two.”

A vessel far larger than the proxy, Angelica.
His sacred blade sparked and blazed.

【The World Tree of Strength observes you.】
【The World Tree of Sincerity lends you power.】
【The World Tree of Sacrifice expresses admiration.】

Notifications from the semi-transparent window before Jung Si-woo’s eyes continuously unfurled.