Chapter 70: Okua (2)

“You cannot defeat me with power obtained through forbidden magic.”

Moyongchan pointed the tip of his sword at Okua.

“The sword of Blue Star holds the power to destroy evil. Just as darkness cannot overcome light, you cannot overcome me either.”

[What absurd nonsense.]

Okua responded.

Moyongchan disliked his tone. From the very beginning, Okua had spoken with an artificial softness, as if lecturing a child.

[Darkness does not fight against light.]

Okua lifted his gaze to the sky.

[Do you see it?]

The wrinkles on his horrifically deformed face deepened. His expression seemed irritated by the sun’s glare.

He opened his palm. His five claw-like fingers spread wide and cast a shadow.

He no longer frowned.

[Darkness was born because light disappeared.]

“Now you’re talking trash too.”

[You cannot defeat me.]

Okua closed the fist that covered the sun. Though he wielded no weapon, that fist was more dangerous than any sword. Moyongchan had already nearly been decapitated by that hand multiple times.

[You’ll understand soon. But don’t fall into despair too quickly.]

Abruptly twisting his waist, he hurled his fist at Moyongchan. A stream of black energy condensed into a sphere and shot toward him.

Moyongchan deflected it with a smooth curve of his sword.

“You can’t harm me with that foul energy.”

Okua fired again with his dark power. Moyongchan answered with a surge of energy from his sword.

The two forces collided and exploded.

[Come.]

Okua opened both arms. He looked even larger than before. He was literally growing stronger by the second.

Moyongchan pressed his lips together.

“He’s still absorbing power…”

It was revolting. The Blue Star’s internal technique was pure. Since childhood, Moyongchan had gathered mana directly from nature.

But Okua fed on the life force of other creatures. In every sense, he was a demonic being that should not exist.

Suddenly, Okua’s expression twisted. Moyongchan noticed his gaze and followed it.

His disciple, the heir of the fallen Celestial Swordsman, was still fighting the orcs, even while gravely wounded. Truly, he had guts.

“It can’t be…”

Combining Yuri’s actions with Okua’s reaction, Moyongchan reached a conclusion.

Expanding his senses, he detected the malevolent aura on the earth. It wasn’t stagnant—it was flowing toward Okua.

“He’s absorbing the power of your own as well?”

[Your own?]

Okua smirked. His voice remained soft, but his smile was grotesque—purely orcish.

[Just as humans are not the same as orcs, I am not the same as them.]

Nothing but rhetoric. Moyongchan focused his internal energy.

Knowing Okua’s power continued to grow, there was no point in dragging out the fight.

He decided to finish it quickly, even at risk. He raised his sword.

He felt the flow of air on his skin, the touch of sunlight, the beat of the plain beneath his feet. All of nature surrounded him.

His sword merely followed that natural flow.

Azure Cloud and Crimson Mist Sword Technique.

Flow with the current.

His sword moved slowly forward. But with every step, its power increased exponentially.

His sword contained typhoons, tsunamis, earthquakes, lightning, wildfires, floods—natural disasters merged into his aura.

Okua raised both arms to block. He opened his mouth, baring huge fangs. From it surged darkness, trying to engulf Moyongchan’s aura.

But Moyongchan forced nothing. He simply took one more step, flowing with nature. Okua’s body lifted into the air.

Moyongchan took another step. Like dew falling from morning leaves, his movements defied no logic.

Okua recoiled. For the first time, confusion appeared in his eyes.

Moyongchan spoke.

“Have you ever stared at the blue sky without thinking about anything?”

Okua did not respond.

“Have you ever seen a sunset so red you had to shut your eyes in fear?”

Okua now floated in the air. His eyes were bloodshot. Yet an invisible force pinned him down like a stationary target.

Moyongchan closed his eyelids. In the darkness, his will took form.

A peaceful scene from the peak of Blue Star Mountain unfolded in his mind.

Technique of the Blue Cloud and Scarlet Mist Sword.

Moonlight on the empty mountain.

Okua writhed. But Moyongchan’s sword did not waver. A bluish light at the tip of the blade illuminated Okua’s entire body.

[What are you doing…?]

Okua’s body contorted. His muscles contracted, his strong bones shrank.

In desperation, he unleashed dark energy, but the light emanating from Moyongchan’s sword crushed it.

A blue thrust pierced through Okua.

He couldn’t resist. Like a rotted tree battered by the rain, his body was torn apart.

No blood gushed out. His skin simply split open. The technique was complete.

The invisible aura that had been devouring Okua vanished. At that moment, blood surged from his body, which collapsed with a crash.

Okua, thoroughly slaughtered, crawled on the ground. Moyongchan panted heavily.

The Azure Cloud and Crimson Mist Sword Technique was so powerful that even he found it exhausting.

But against someone like Okua, who gained power through impure energy, it was perfect. Without lowering his guard, he approached the body.

He had faced countless corrupted beings in his life. He knew some faked death to strike by surprise.

“Filth like a rat…”

He stabbed his sword into Okua’s head. No response. The blade pierced his skull.

Blood began to flow. Moyongchan stepped over the corpse, leaving the sword embedded.

He stopped before a pit. It was larger than he expected.

Inside, there were naked human bodies. All marked on the forehead like livestock, eyes wide open in terror. Without exception.

They were sacrifices. Even in death, their souls were likely still bound to Okua.

Moyongchan felt nausea.

“A ritual will be needed.”

He murmured and turned around—and then froze.

He had supposedly pierced his head.

[I enjoyed your performance.]

The body he thought dead was standing. Okua pulled the sword from his head.

A hollow hole was exposed. With blood and brain matter spilling out, Okua smiled.

[Isn’t that pit impressive?]

He walked toward Moyongchan.

[But you don’t know how deep it is, do you?]

His soft voice reached Moyongchan’s ears.

[It’s deep… very deep.]

He handed over the sword he’d pulled from his head.

[I’ve been filling it for a very long time.]

The more bodies, the more offerings. He was showing the scope of his power.

[They were so hungry, they began devouring each other… like worms.]

Moyongchan invoked his technique again. Okua’s body was torn apart.

But his mouth was still alive and speaking.

[You’re filth.]

Moyongchan’s sword pierced through his mouth. Even with the blade in his teeth, Okua murmured:

[Filth…]

The sword spun. And Okua’s head was shattered.

There was no mouth left to speak. Moyongchan panted as he completely destroyed the corpse—reducing the body to nothing.

Even so, a sense of foreboding ran down his spine.

[Filth.]

A voice echoed from behind.

Moyongchan turned. The voice came from the pit.

He approached in silence. His sword vibrated faintly. The piled corpses in the pit opened their mouths in unison.

[Filth.]

Moyongchan grimaced and raised his sword. Then a violent wind struck him.

He fell backwards.

[FILTH!]

A dark mass was rising from the pit.

The human corpses fused into a single form. Moyongchan looked up.

Okua had been right. The pit was deep.

Something endless climbed from its depths, slowly revealing its body.

Moyongchan murmured in horror,

“Oh, Heavenly Primordial…”

***

Suddenly, Yuri turned around.

Moyongchan was tearing Okua apart mercilessly. Okua couldn’t resist, and his body was being ripped to shreds.

A smile spread across Yuri’s face.

“Definitely my master.”

In his previous life, Moyongchan had been defeated by Okua.

But the Okua now hadn’t yet reached the level of the Ten Greats.

And Moyongchan had the backing of the allied forces.

He wasn’t an unbeatable enemy.

“Wow…”

Watching Moyongchan stab his sword into Okua’s head for the finishing blow, Yuri couldn’t help but be amazed.

“Laurent.”

“Yes!”

He called out to Laurent, who was locked in combat with the orcopies.

“Look at that.”

“I’m in the middle of—”

“It’s important. If you don’t see it, you’ll regret it.”

“…Understood.”

Laurent hurried to finish off the orcopies and then turned his head in the direction Yuri pointed. And right at that moment, something pitch black erupted violently from the pit.

“Ah…”

Yuri’s mouth dropped open. The soul sword nestled in his core emitted a warning.

“The prince was right. This is seriously bad…”

“You see it now…”

A vicious, malevolent energy began to erupt with fury. Not even Okua had exuded such a dense and sinister aura. Instinctively, Yuri took a step back.

Not just the allied army—even the orcs were backing away in terror. What should he do?

Yuri didn’t know.

Suddenly, a strong feeling of déjà vu hit him. It was just like when the Empire’s black army had marched toward Briol. Facing such an overwhelming enemy, he hadn’t known what to do.

He clenched his fist—so tightly that his gauntlet tore.

“Prince, what do we do now…?”

Laurent’s voice was thick with panic.

Yuri covered his mouth.

“Prince?”

“We do what we can.”

Once he made his decision, his mind cleared. Even the wisest lose clarity in crisis. But Yuri had a natural talent for this.

“Jared!”

He called an ally he trusted.

Then, to Laurent and Jared, he gave an order.

“Find the shaman and kill him.”

Their eyes widened. They instantly understood what Yuri meant.

“Understood.”

Yuri looked again toward Moyongchan. He stood before a massive mound of corpses.

His back looked larger than ever. Yuri prayed he could hold out a little longer and sprang into motion.

“Where are you going?”

He came face-to-face with the commander of the Empire’s 3rd Division.

Yuri said,

“See that? This isn’t the time to be swinging swords aimlessly, right? I’m going to find the shaman and kill him. He can’t be far. Sorry.”

The commander nodded, as if understanding completely.

“Then we too…”

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed. Both turned at once.

Moyongchan had been flung into the air and smashed into the ground. In front of him, a mass of corpses shaped like Okua was moving.

“Can you help with that?”

Yuri asked firmly. He knew the man was stronger than he was.

The 3rd Division commander stared at the creature, then nodded resolutely.

“Yes. We trust you, Prince.”

“Right. Trust me.”

Yuri spoke without a hint of jest. He meant it.

If he had sent others into the killing field, then he had to shoulder that responsibility.

“I’ll get it done.”

The commander shouted out names of elite knights. Among them were Graham and Jose. They were the ones still capable of standing against that monstrosity made of corpses.

A group of knights moved to engage the creature.

“I wish you a good battle.”

Yuri grabbed a soldier who was frozen in place.

“P-p-prince… What the hell is that…?”

He was in complete shock. It wasn’t just orcs anymore—now an unknown monster had emerged.

Yuri slapped him.

“Snap out of it!”

“Y-yes…!”

“I have a mission for you.”

“W-what mission…?”

“Run to the rear and find the mage Hernando. Tell him to launch a fireball. He’ll know I’m the one who asked.”

“A fireball?”

“Yes, a fireball. Can you do that?”

“Y-yes!”

“My life depends on it.”

“The prince’s life…?”

“That’s right.”

He was still dazed. Yuri grabbed both his cheeks and brought his face close to his.

His pupils, trembling in fear, slowly focused on Yuri’s eyes.

“Your name is Fides, right?”

“Y-yes! How did you…?”

“Fides.”

Yuri smiled gently and patted his cheek.

“I’m counting on you.”

Fides stared at him, stunned, then nodded with a serious expression.

“Yes.”