Chapter 787   - Li's Torch (3)

“What…!” The incubus quickly jumped back upon realizing something was going wrong. But before that, the baby hungry ghost moved first.

Crunch!

“Aaaaack!” Teethmarks were left on the incubus’ arm. Blood spurted out as demonic energy dripped out. “You dare…! You dare trick me?”

“T-That isn’t… I mean… Aaack!” The succubus belatedly realized the situation and tried to say she wasn’t involved, but she wasn’t able to speak. Thoughts chaotically swirled in her mind. I-Impossible! He was well-behaved until now…! He was a gift sent from my father for me to return to the God Realm! What’s going on?!

The baby hungry ghost jumped to where the incubus had just been and began to tear at the succubus’ neck. The succubus died instantly with her neck at an odd angle.

Stepping on the succubus’ corpse, the hungry ghost dashed in the air toward the incubus with its mouth wide open. Arrrrh! It looked like a beast hunting for prey. Darkness was waiting in its mouth, which was stretched open to the ears.

The incubus used all kinds of powers and magic to get the hungry ghost off of him, but it was futile. He was sucked in by the hungry ghost. The darkness in the hungry ghost’s mouth looked like an abyss—an abyss located at the bottom of hell that absorbed everything and never let anything escape. “N-No way…!” The incubus wasn’t able to finish his sentence and half of his head was ripped off.

Crunch, crunch. The baby hungry ghost voraciously chewed at whatever entered its mouth like it was rubber.

Then, Yeon-woo stepped and began to move. ‘Now!’

[Black Gubitara]

When Yeon-woo flicked his finger toward the baby hungry ghost from his shadow, the black lightning that was gathered at his fingertip exploded to create a gigantic column of black and red.

Krrrng! Rumble, rumble! The baby hungry ghost, who had gotten rid of its longtime trauma and was eating without a care in the world, became swept up in the column. The consecutive explosions and aftereffects tore into the hungry ghost over and over again. But Yeon-woo didn’t stop there.

[Sky Wings - Maximum Force]

Yeon-woo had already prepared his 7th-step Dragon Body Awakening, and he summoned the greatest output from his Sky Wings and Philosopher’s Stone to continue his attacks. Sword Thunder shredded the hungry ghost repeatedly and struck it down the ground.

The ground was now destroyed, pushing the realm onto the edge of ruin. The hungry ghosts and greater monsters that had been living in the realm were instantly obliterated by the light.

Kieeek! Yeon-woo felt like he could hear the baby hungry ghost’s laughter, but Yeon-woo kept on going and activated Black Gubitara with his finger again. Crash! The explosion’s impact spread along the surface of the realm and shook the other connected Six Realms.

[The closest, ‘Hell Realm,’ quakes violently, and half of the living beings residing there have been annihilated!]

[Disease strikes throughout the confused Animal Realm!]

…

[The great gods of the God Realm move quickly to comprehend what occurred in the Hungry Ghost Realm! The gods who have been injured scream!]

[Colossal damage has been put on the system of reincarnation!]

In the broken pieces of the baby hungry ghost’s legends, Yeon-woo could see some of what happened in Yvlke’s history.

The Dream Demon King had taken interest in the fact that a face of the Heavenly Demon, who was considered to be one of the greatest beings of all time, had become a mere hungry ghost. He began to experiment with it. In the process, he had made the baby hungry ghost eat its fellow hungry ghosts it thought of as friends and destroyed the baby hungry ghost’s personality.

The baby hungry ghost was already hurt because of the betrayal of the succubus, who was like a mother. After this, only fury and resentment were left behind. Eventually, when it awakened its true power, it ended everything.

‘And the Black King took an interested in him, appointing him as an ego.’

It was…extremely ironic that a face of the Heavenly Demon, who was trying to maintain the dream and wheel, would want to lead the world to destruction. The baby hungry ghost hadn’t wanted it, but its fated suffering made it an executor.

After the Hungry Ghost Realm met its end, the baby ghost entered the abyss and ate the other egos of the Black King. This was the only identity it had now. It took on the identities of Sage and Yvlke after countless dreams had faded and the wheel was spun endless times. By then, he had become the main ego. No other ego dared to challenge him.

But he had returned to being a baby hungry ghost, worried about whether or not other creatures would eat him. Viewing all the memories, Yeon-woo realized what the baby hungry ghost/Sage/Yvlke was aiming for. ‘Was he planning on getting rid of all his traumas to complete Li’s Torch?’

If the ninety-ninth floor was one that allowed you to establish a sure identity by reviewing your legends, the one-hundredth floor was one that would allow you to improve your established identity and freed you from the restraints of the world.

Saying one could become a god after climbing the Tower meant you would become a magnificent and free being. This was what Yvlke wanted. No matter how much time passed, the deep-seated trauma couldn’t be erased, even if he was a divine being. He probably wanted to erase his past and stand tall, creating a world without any of his pain.

‘If I attacked the succubus first, that would’ve put me in a tricky situation too.’ Yeon-woo would have gotten rid of Yvlke’s trauma for him, which was something that would please Yvlke and not harm him.

Anyhow, Yeon-woo still managed to attack when Yvlke descended, and he had succeeded in tearing his being apart before he could fight back.

Krrrrr! Du du du!

[The ‘Hell Realm’ has fallen!]

[The ‘Animal Realm’ has fallen!]

…

[A colossal crack has appeared in the frame of the ‘God Realm.’]

[All the beings in the ‘Six Realms’ are horrified by the Black King!]

…

[Warning! The legends of the ‘Main Ego of the Black King’ are in a precarious state. Destruction is starting. It is advised you escape.]

[Warning! If the ‘Main Ego of the Black King’ collapses completely, you may be buried with the legends. It is advised you escape.]

[Warning! The ‘Main Ego of the Black King’ is starting to be destroyed.]

…

Despite the infinite warning messages, Yeon-woo stiffened at the fact that the being he was searching for was gone. ‘He’s not here?’ Although the baby hungry ghost has been torn apart multiple times, Yeon-woo didn’t see Yvlke’s real body. ‘It’s a trap!’

“Got. you.”

Pewk!

“…kegh!” Yeon-woo saw five fingernails penetrating his chest.

Behind Yeon-woo, a space opened and Yvlke appeared. “Ohyohyo! Snooping? I didn’t know you’d have such a hobby. It’s a crime to look into someone else’s private life.”

[Warning! Pressure is put on your soul!]

[Warning! You have been damaged by a divine being! Cracks have appeared! Escape to a safe place and restore your divinity!]

[Warning! Darkness with evil intent is being forced into your body! The cracks are widening! Hurry and escape!]

…

New warning messages filled one side of Yvlke’s vision. They showed he was in severe danger. But Yvlke laughed brightly like he always did, his gaze more violent than ever. A humiliating piece of his past he’d wanted to keep hidden forever had been revealed, so it was clear he was extremely angry.

“You…didn’t combine all your legends…on the ninety-ninth floor?” In that short moment, Yeon-woo confirmed multiple times that the baby hungry ghost was Yvlke. Nothing good would come of him getting caught in a trap. But it appeared there wasn’t just one “Yvlke.” There were two.

“It was a bombardment from two sides. I already knew the mission on the ninety-ninth floor, so I played a little trick. I didn’t work as a Guardian of the Tower for nothing.” Since he was a High Guardian, Yvlke must’ve been more well-informed about the Tower’s missions than anyone, as well as knowing how to clear them. Still, the reason why he had remained as a Guardian instead of climbing the Tower was probably that he didn’t think he was ready to deal with the Heavenly Demon yet.

“So…” Yvlke smiled coldly and widely opened his mouth, just like when he swallowed the succubus and incubus. “You should be eaten for your crimes too, Mr. Cha Yeon-woo.”

The moment the sharp canines of abyss were about to bite into him, Yeon-woo smirked even though this was a critical situation. “What if I don’t want to be eaten?”

Ssssss. Suddenly, the left wing of Yeon-woo’s Sky Wings, the Death Wing, began to shake.

[One of your two domains is being forced apart!]

[A part of your divine being is removed!]

Another Yeon-woo was flung from where Yeon-woo was impaled by Yvlke’s fingernails.

Crunch!

“What…?” What Yvlke had ripped into was merely a shell of Yeon-woo. No, to be exact, it was a exuviae with the wing of death. The real Yeon-woo was falling to the ground with his right wing, the wing of fight.

Like the message stated, Yeon-woo had given the domain of death as bait to Yvlke and escaped with his domain of fight. With the smirk still on his face, he shouted in his true voice. “Explode.”

Crash! Krakrang! Boom! Krrrrr. Yeon-woo’s exuviae with the wing of death exploded. There was no time for Yvlke to do anything about it. He couldn’t even swallow it with his abyss. The death Yeon-woo had was the concept of death itself. If Yvlke’s abyss swallowed it, his existence would’ve been scattered along with it.

By giving off a part of him without any reservations, Yeon-woo spread his concept of death to Yvlke’s legends, domains, and divinity.

[‘Death’ is spreading radiantly!]

[The ‘Main Ego of the Black King’ kicks and struggles to avoid ‘Death!’]

[It cannot be resisted!]

[The ‘Main Ego of the Black King’ activates all power to resist ‘Death!’]

[‘Death’ has been implanted in Yvlke’s powers and they have been invalidated!]

[The ‘Main Ego of the Black King’ activates all the authorities he can to break ‘Death!’]

[‘Death’ has been implanted in Yvlke’s authorities and they have been canceled!]

…

[The ‘Main Ego of the Black King’ has been taken over by ‘Death!’]

[Legends are destroyed!]

[Divinity is destroyed!]

[Domains are destroyed!]

…

[All the ‘Li’s Light’ of the ‘Main Ego of the Black King’ has been extinguished by ‘Death!’]