Chapter 87: The Origin (6) |
A gigantic crescent moon-like slash stretched across 50 meters.
Crack!
It didn’t merely attack the tree. The power spilled over even after cleaving the Demon World Tree in two, unleashing a shockwave that incidentally damaged the wings of the Black Flame creatures.
Others might not have noticed, but I could.
As soon as I saw it, I thought,
‘Dangerous.’
The foundation of Origin Power lay in belief. The stronger one’s belief in themselves, the more responsive the Origin Power was to their will.
But that slash was excessively forceful.
I thought Kim Ara had that much faith in herself—but at the same time, it felt perilous.
Perhaps even more than when she used ‘Pacheon.’
“Ara!”
I shouted Kim Ara’s name and swiftly moved towards her using the Black Flash Step. Kim Ara was plummeting powerlessly. I created footholds in the air to bridge the gap as quickly as possible.
And caught Kim Ara in a princess carry.
“Can you use Pacheon?”
“If I push myself, maybe once.”
“…Understood.”
While I briefly conversed with Kim Ara, various magical waves emanated from the ground.
-Lightning Impact!
-Shadow Critical!
-Magma Attack!
No curses were cast in the meantime.
Many of the Black Flame wings specialize in curses, but I had effortlessly dispelled all manner of curses in my haste to seize the Demon World Tree.
‘Pathetic.’
I summoned the Black Eik.
Ssssh!
A black single-edged wing materialized, disrupting the surrounding currents. The Energy of Defying Heaven that radiated from the wing nullified the air, propelling me upwards.
Whoosh!
The black single-edged wing soared into the sky, generating a wave. The formless wave, with its negating power, began to obliterate the magic.
“Good Lord, what am I witnessing?”
“Is that antimagic? No, that’s beyond just antimagic…!”
I observed the members of the Black Flame Wings in a state of panic. I steadied my breath and instructed Kim Ara.
“Hold onto my back like this.”
“Okay.”
Kim Ara obediently clung to my back. Ignoring the squishy feeling behind me, I held Black Heaven in a reverse grip.
I checked with Divine Sight. No upper blows. The problem was that most were middle blows.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
I’ll end it in one go.
Eternal Heaven drew a supporting spell formation. The usual auxiliary spells.
-Strength Enhancement, Sensory Enhancement, Speed Enhancement, Falling Speed Enhancement.
The spell of Origin Power enveloped my body.
Feeling my spirit uplifted, I infused Black Heaven with Origin Power. The black, corrupt power condensed on Black Heaven, forming the blade.
Sword Qi.
But it wasn’t. It was just the form of the blade I forcefully held with the Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven.
“Sword Qi?! Crazy, they said nothing about upper blows!”
“Everyone retreat! Contact the other wings to adjust the difficulty level immediately!”
But it was enough to throw the opponent into panic.
And as I fell like this,
Suddenly, my vision darkened.
Memories surfaced in my mind.
A garden surrounding a pond, reminiscent of ancient China.
-The Black God Martial Arts were created to kill those of a higher rank.
There, I saw a woman. She was wearing black martial arts attire. Strangely, her face was blurry and indiscernible.
-If you’ve come this far, it must be just before learning the hellish ‘Mujeokjang,’ which devours everything. As you reach the middle blows, you’ll be able to learn this martial art to confront multiple opponents. I have created this technique for facing multiple adversaries.
Snap.
The woman extended her hand. Her hand was wrapped in black Qi.
-The significance of this is to spread the black Qi widely. Originally, Black Qi is a martial art created to kill those of a higher rank in one strike. For the lowly, spreading it out is enough to kill them.
The woman in long robes, the previous Heavenly Demon, turned to me and said.
-I named this the Black Qi Indiscriminate Killing Method. It’s quite useful, so be sure to learn it. Even if Black Heaven teaches you the hellish ‘Mujeokjang’ that devours everything, it’s not a martial art suitable for fighting many.
The Celestial Demon chuckled and said,
-Seeing this means you have successfully merged with the Black God Martial Arts. My efforts were not in vain. My only regret is not seeing the face of the one who connected.
The background began to darken again.
-And when using the Indiscriminate Killing Method for the first time, don’t load Qi on the weapon. It’s easier to execute with the body trained in the Black God Martial Arts.
I returned to reality.
Still falling.
‘Has time not passed?’
Perhaps it’s a method possible only for a transcendent like the Heavenly Demon. I looked at Black Heaven. The Heavenly Demon said not to, but…
‘It’s possible.’
Intuitively, I knew I could use the Indiscriminate Killing Method with Black Heaven because of the Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven.
The power to handle the very concept of Defying Heaven.
Woong!
The Energy of Defying Heaven condensed into Black Heaven. Like when spreading Black Qi, not forming an edge but bluntly. And then slowly unraveling it to create Qi waves.
-Hmm?
Black Heaven looked at me, puzzled.
I thrust Black Heaven into the ground.
Black God Martial Arts (黑神武)
Black Qi (黑勁)-Indiscriminate Killing Method (亂殺法)
[Your proficiency in Black Qi increases!]
The black Qi wave split. As the wave rippled, it carried with it the energy of Defying Heaven.
Crackling!
The corpses around me disintegrated into ash. Proof that they were all Mines.
[Your Conceptual Stat Energy of Defying Heaven increases by 1.]
The ash of the disintegrating Mines, some of it absorbed into my body.
‘Five.’
I collected the scattered Defying Heaven Power from the Random Killing Method. As the black Qi wave returned to my body, I realized I had about 95% of my strength remaining.
And this was also recovering quickly, thanks to the Seed of Spirit Ability.
An absurd situation unfolded. Normally, fighting should deplete one’s strength, but I was free from that constraint.
“He’s stopped! He can’t move because of that technique just now! Hit him quickly!”
“Die, you monster!”
The villains shouted as they approached me.
I chuckled and looked at them. The remaining ones were one middle blow and two lower blows.
Swoosh-.
I deflected the incoming spear with the back of my hand. While deflecting, I skillfully changed the position of the spear to face a Mine taking a stance to strike down with a sword.
“Huh?”
“Th-this guy! What is he doing now… cough!”
Swiftly, I slashed his neck with Black Heaven.
“Eek!”
I locked eyes with a Mine. The Mine, about to attack, quickly turned to flee.
“Hey, hey! If we run now, we all die, cou—”
I kicked the head of the Mine with the spear, then delivered a hand chop.
Crunch.
With an unpleasant sensation, the arm of the Mine was severed.
‘Pure strength alone is still not that strong.’
In this regard, I was slightly below Park Woon-hyuk.
Ridiculous.
It had only been half a year since I assimilated into this world. Yet, I had caught up with those who’ve trained for over a dozen years.
I controlled the Black Sword with Nyeom and targeted the fleeing Mine’s neck.
The bodies of the Mines scattered like ash and disappeared.
[You have successfully cleared the quest.]
[Calculating achievement details…….]
[Before it fully hatched, you defeated the Demon World Tree (Infant Stage). You gain 40,000p.]
[You have perfectly completed the Main Quest Chapter. 6. The reward will be further upgraded.]
[You have made a strong impression on Kim Ara. A connection is added.]
[Belief. This relationship formed from belief could be akin to that of a king and a knight. Certainly, as long as you don’t betray her, and as long as you believe in her, she would not hesitate to face death.]
‘Scary.’
It was similar yet different from the dependency Seo Ga-yeon had shown.
[The Demon World Tree left its seed upon dying.]
[Collect the branches of the Demon World Tree.]
I was planning to go there anyway.
I headed towards where the Demon World Tree had fallen.
The branches are important, but the Demon World Tree is like the opposite of a World Tree.
It could be considered a precious alchemical material. It’s also used in metallurgy and cooking.
‘I should collect it thoroughly.’
The problem was someone might steal it.
Many have witnessed it here. Moreover, my backing in this world was top-notch.
With the Emperor, Celestial, and the Overlord, known as transcendent beings, and the Red Tower Master was also on my side.
Since it’s related to Kim Ara, the Overlord will step in, and others would help if I asked.
I first collected the most important branches of the Demon World Tree.
Reading.
[Branch of the Demon World Tree (A)]
A branch infused with magical energy. If planted, it turns the area into a magic-rich zone. It's imbued with spirit energy.
:When the branch is planted, it absorbs all nutrients within a 1km radius, turning the surroundings into barren land.
:Once the Demon World Tree grows to a certain extent, it turns the area into its domain. Monsters are eroded by magical energy.
A brutal description.
I put the branch in the subspace and looked at the Demon World Tree.
‘The space left in the subspace is getting dangerous.’
I think I could move about half for now.
I opened my phone. Looking for someone nearby who could help, I saw Ershil.
I could entrust the work to Ershil without burden.
Because we have a business relationship. Moreover, she’s efficient in her work.
I called Ershil via message.
“What should we do with this?”
“We should disassemble it first, right? Oh, the ownership belongs to Ara who defeated the Demon World Tree, so can I buy what I need later?”
“I need something right now instead of money.”
Kim Ara said that and then looked at me.
“I suddenly feel tired.”
“Really? Do you want to rest for a while?”
“Yeah.”
Kim Ara said so and then leaned her head on my knee after sitting me down.
“……”
“If you stay like this, I’ll give you anything you want.”
“The Demon World Tree is really expensive.”
“That’s okay.”
Kim Ara said that while looking at me.
“I don’t need anything else but you.”
With clear emotions, Kim Ara whispered to me.