CHAPTER 481: THE POWER OF CUSTOMISATION (5)

The clash of the Fourth Ability, beyond the qi of nature, did not involve any physical collision.

It happened in such an extremely short time that it left only phenomena behind.

Yet, the result of the collision between the two forces was clearly present.

‘……!’

Seol-Hwi witnessed the process of a sudden flash occurring.

Even the briefest moment, which ordinary people could never see, was not a problem for him, who had already reached the realm of gods.

As soon as the chaotic energy created by the fake Earth Demon clashed with his qi harmonized with Taiji, a phenomenon of qi entanglement occurred.

And he witnessed his harmonized chaos, the very light and darkness, disappearing into the chaotic energy.

At that moment, Seol-Hwi felt a fleeting anxiety that his own level might not reach the pinnacle of the Demon God.

Whiiii—

Afterward, with the wind, the result was revealed.

The fake Earth Demon and Seol-Hwi, who were standing in mid-air, remained in that state, and the surrounding environment appeared unchanged.

For a moment, that is.

“Damn it…….”

At that moment, the fake Earth Demon made an unpleasant expression.

It was then that his body began to vanish as if it were a lie.

His body was disappearing like particles.

It was a strange phenomenon, neither burnt by fire nor melted by heat.

“What a damn fool…….”

Those were the last words left by the fake Earth Demon.

His body completely vanished, disappearing before their eyes.

“Seol-Hwi…….”

Earth Demon, who was looking up from the ground, called out to him.

A collision of chaotic qi’s.

Earth Demon thought that the aftermath of the two qi’s might not only transfer to the fake Earth Demon but also to Seol-Hwi.

“I’m fine.”

When Seol-Hwi raised his hand to speak, Earth Demon asked in confusion.

“How did it happen? Didn’t the two forces clash?”

“They did. I don’t know the details of it. This is my first time experiencing something like this.”

Though he said so, Seol-Hwi saw beyond what Earth Demon could perceive.

An event that occurred so suddenly, it was visible only to his eyes.

To explain the process, the phenomenon of the fake Earth Demon’s qi being devoured by the Taiji did indeed occur.

‘Taiji…’

The chaos of the fake Earth Demon, what it absorbed was not just its own force.

The balance of light and darkness. It absorbed the Taiji, and as a result, the qi within began to realign.

Even the original chaotic qi of his own was altered by the Taiji.

In other words, the power Seol-Hwi unleashed transformed and flew back to the fake Earth Demon. Everything in its path was annihilated.

‘It’s hard to fathom. This Fourth Ability…’

For Seol-Hwi, who had long defeated enemies with his martial arts, there was a sense of emptiness.

Thus, he felt no sense of having defeated an enemy.

He had gained formidable power, but on the other hand, the fight ended too simply.

“Are you alright?”

“Cough, cough! Were you here?”

“You’re alive.”

Figures came running from afar.

The three superhumans seemed to be injured from the fake Earth Demon’s recent destructive attack.

The fortunate thing was that seeing them move like this, they didn’t seem to have sustained fatal injuries.

“What on earth happened?”

“All these abominations were created by the so-called Creator, right?”

“So, Earth Demon is alive too.”

They asked each other about their well-being with excited faces.

Seol-Hwi calmed them down and spoke.

“We have something urgent to do from now on.”

Seol-Hwi remembered clearly.

The fake Earth Demon’s plan for the future.

If this was the second trial, then the third trial would soon appear.

“Return to your respective factions and protect the people there. Like now, similar figures will likely appear before you.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Are you saying these things will appear again?”

When Jin Mu and End Demon asked again, Seol-Hwi answered them.

“That is the Creator’s plan. To kill the people in Central Plains and take over their bodies. They might possess slightly higher martial power than their original bodies.” ℝÅΝȪᛒĚȘ

Seol-Hwi continued to speak, looking at each of them.

“You may not be able to protect everyone, but you can protect those who are precious to you. At least, you are now significantly stronger than your past selves…”

Seol-Hwi speculated that the Creator wouldn’t create beings unreasonably stronger than the existing ones.

The world he wanted to create would literally be based on the current world.

Superhumans like warriors who sensed something had happened in Central Plains.

They bowed and paid their respects.

“Then, warrior Seol-Hwi…”

“What do you plan to do?”

And they inquired about Seol-Hwi’s well-being.

“I’m thinking of going directly to capture the Creator.”

“Ah…”

“It’s a meaningless fight any longer; it’s time to put an end to it.”

Seol-Hwi acknowledged his arrogance while dealing with the fake Earth Demon and fake Seol-Hwi.

Initially, he intended to use the figures in the world to torment him, giving him psychological pain.

Creating a situation where the characters he designed would rebel.

It was thought that he would be most enraged when it was difficult to find out who the target was.

‘Someone with the power of a god from the start.’

The authority to create beings who have reached the level of a demonic god.

That was the fatal mistake.

From the beginning, it was evident from the creation of Earth Demon what his abilities were.

So Seol-Hwi made a decision.

To end it here, without any more meaningless fights.

“Preserve yourself.”

“I wish you luck.”

“Then.”

The superhumans each paid their respects with a few words.

Though the situation had become complicated, in the end, they were the only ones who could stop the calamity spreading across Central Plains.

“Jin Mu.”

As they were parting with a word each, Seol-Hwi spoke to him.

“Please, go ahead.”

“You might be overwhelmed, but if you have the chance…”

“You’re speaking of Qingcheng, right?”

“……”

Jin Mu spoke as if reading Seol-Hwi’s thoughts, knowing what that place meant to him.

“Don’t worry too much. What you’re concerned about won’t happen.”

Jin Mu turned his gaze after speaking to Seol-Hwi.

Then he gave a short bow to Earth Demon and quickly disappeared.

“Earth Demon.”

When Seol-Hwi called, Earth Demon nodded.

“You have something to do as well.”

“Of course. I’ve been itching to move for a while now.”

Seeing Earth Demon speak with a swollen face, Seol-Hwi chuckled.

“Before that… let’s move to another place.”

When Seol-Hwi pointed to a spot and moved, Earth Demon, with a puzzled expression, soon followed.

----------------------------------------

Songhwa was crouched in the forest. As soon as the explosion occurred, he ran to the mountains to get as far away as possible.

Fortunately, it seemed the Creator hadn’t made anyone similar to Songhwa in his circle.

Perhaps he simply wasn’t interested.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, sensing something rushing towards him, he flinched and stood up in surprise.

“Elder! Are you alright?”

“Have you been well?”

Seol-Hwi sighed in relief as he looked at Songhwa.

Fortunately, it seemed that the destructive force unleashed by the fake Earth Demon hadn’t reached here.

He had expected this somewhat from the unburnt trees nearby, but seeing it directly, there appeared to be no damage.

“Yes! They were truly terrifying. Whatever martial arts they used, the heat reached all the way here.”

“Oh. Is that so?”

“Yes. But I managed to escape the heat by lying flat. That aside… the telescope you gave me suddenly broke.”

Seol-Hwi looked at the telescope Songhwa was pointing at.

It seemed that the Creator had rendered the equipment unusable, affecting this as well.

“That won’t work anymore. More importantly, Songhwa, you have a spell to track a target, right?”

“Of course. It can be done through an item the target uses… or by recalling their face.”

“Is that so?”

Seol-Hwi continued with a smile.

“There’s someone I need you to find. Jang Dal. The one you saw through the telescope before.”

“Could it be… the one who troubled the Earth Demon…?”

“That’s the one.”

“Ah, I’ll give it a try.”

Songhwa, as if waiting, began pulling out various talismans from his body.

He seemed to be preparing to cast quickly.

“Earth Demon.”

Meanwhile, Seol-Hwi called for Earth Demon.

“Speak.”

“I’m going into the old Demonic Cult’s dwelling where the Creator is. But you can’t come with me. You understand what I mean, right?”

“Of course.”

“So, here’s the thing… While I’m fighting that guy inside the Demonic Cult, I’d like you to stay here with Songhwa.”

“…?”

“We need to be prepared for when the Creator makes his move outside.”

Only then did Earth Demon understand what Seol-Hwi was trying to say.

If the Creator emerges from the Demonic Cult suddenly, it meant he had to personally fight and subdue him.

“The truth is, I still don’t know the full extent of the Creator’s abilities. There’s no telling what might happen in the cave he created. If I’m unlucky, I might never be able to escape from there.”

“……”

“If the Creator manages to escape while I’m struggling… you’re the only one who can stop him. So, I’m saying…”

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan to miss the opportunity to save the world.”

At Earth Demon’s smile, Seol-Hwi didn’t continue his words of action.

A situation where he had to ask an old friend to face death.

Yet, the friend didn’t lose his cheerfulness.

‘I guess I have a purpose too.’

In truth, Earth Demon’s smile wasn’t fake.

He had felt his own weakness deeply, unable to do anything despite the efforts of being one of the superhumans, and Seol-Hwi.

But this time was different.

Thinking that he had a clear role to play, he liked that aspect.

“So, the way to know when that guy will come out…”

“That’s right. Songhwa here will let us know. He has divine power.”

It was then.

“We’re ready! Shall we give it a try?”

At Songhwa’s words, Seol-Hwi and Earth Demon looked at him.

Then they nodded in agreement.

“Alright, I’ll be off.”

“Do you know the location?”

“Roughly.”

When Seol-Hwi patted Songhwa’s head, he asked curiously.

The reason he couldn’t hear the conversation while preparing the spell.

“Elder. Where are you going?”

“……Oh. I have a place to visit.”

“Ah. And please come back quickly. I’ll be waiting.”

After a brief farewell, Seol-Hwi looked at Earth Demon again. Then, just as he was slowly turning around.

“How about a drink?”

“……”

“In the current situation, is it a bit much?”

Seol-Hwi paused for a moment at the unenthusiastic words with little expectation.

Then he shook his head.

“Of course not. With the last battle ahead, we should have a drink.”

“Where can we get the alcohol?”

“Let’s head to the nearby village for a drink.”

Being an ordinary village, there wouldn’t be any exceptional drinks, but even that seemed enough to enjoy now.

Considering it might be the last battle.