NOVEL NEXT Chapter 701
**Chapter 701: Dark Heaven Village**
“Ugh.”
Zhuge Sa was engulfed in a gloomy mood as he watched Jin So-cheong’s display. He didn’t know how much stronger she could become, and while he acknowledged her incredible talent, he couldn’t help but wonder, “So what?”
‘This is wrong…’
Jin So-cheong lacked the weapons or means for Divine Killing. While she might momentarily strike at divine beings with intent, it would be nearly meaningless against entities beyond the Eight Parts of the Divine. To take down an invulnerable enemy, one must find and exploit a weakness, but Jin So-cheong had rushed in without a plan.
Of course, she might mature into someone capable of Divine Killing, but even Zhuge Sa, who had little martial discipline, recognized that was a stretch. Jin So-cheong had already sustained serious injuries, and with her stamina and energy dwindling, she couldn’t endure much longer. She would surely be killed within a day!
In that moment, he felt a pang of longing for Baek Woong’s presence. If Baek Woong had been here, Jin So-cheong wouldn’t have gone berserk like that. Just the existence of a reborn person creates a deterrent to recklessness. The anxiety of Baek Woong’s absence likely nudged Jin So-cheong further along the path of chaos.
No matter how brilliant his strategies were, there were limits to substituting for his absence. Baek Woong, though he seemed like a total dimwit at times, had provided balance just by being there.
However, Zhuge Sa’s sense of helplessness was fleeting. His sharp mind whirled, quickly devising a way to overcome the situation, while simultaneously realizing that implementing this strategy would come at a great cost to himself. The situation was still salvageable, but attempting to save Jin So-cheong might cost him everything he had.
‘No choice then.’
He couldn’t resent Jin So-cheong. Even if his violent talents were put to use, it wasn’t easy to brace oneself to walk into the jaws of death. Jin So-cheong had staked her fate on becoming strong enough to escape, but it was just a gamble that failed. Therefore, as her strategist, he needed to focus on saving her.
Being responsible for the failure of a comrade was also part of a strategist’s duties.
Zhuge Sa paused to gather his thoughts, focusing his psychic energies to speak.
“Cheon Woo-jin. Can you hear me?”
[What’s going on?]
Since he needed to connect with Cheon Woo-jin operationally, even though he had used Short Distance Technique to distance himself, they were able to communicate briefly through a magically devised communication device. Of course, this was only possible because of Cheon Woo-jin’s support with his magic. Zhuge Sa told him:
“I probably can’t make it to the meeting place. Keep the plan going.”
[What are you talking about? You can’t be…!]
“Jin So-cheong is in danger. I’ll leave her in the heretical temple at the camp, so when Baek Woong returns, wait for the right moment to retrieve her.”
[…Stop it.]
Cheon Woo-jin warned in a low voice.
[What about the others if you disappear?]
“Heh… Even if the game is doomed, I have to see some gain. I won’t give up on Jin So-cheong.”
[You madman. Fine.]
*Beep*
The communication cut off. Zhuge Sa felt his strength waning, the world before him becoming increasingly blurry. He sensed his physical ability fading in real-time as his magic was exhausted. Confirming that he still had some reserves, he began reciting an incantation.
Come forth.
Great Demon Sorcerer – King of Samaria.
*Ssssssss…*
Dark spirits began to materialize at Zhuge Sa’s call. They coiled into a formless mass, exuding malevolent energy, rapidly filling the secret room Zhuge Sa occupied. Although he could not see them, he already knew what they were like.
The entity spoke.
[You’ve made up your mind, I see… my disciple.]
“Have we ever had a relationship close enough to be called a disciple?”
[That hurts… If we only use each other, all beings in this world are the same.]
“Indeed.”
Zhuge Sa smirked inwardly. The figure before him was his master who had taught him forbidden law and magic, but he was certainly not someone he could trust—nothing but a vile harbinger of calamity. It was fortunate that he hadn’t lost his soul to such a wretch while learning from him. Even now, while pretending to show concern, that being would surely be delighting in the thought of consuming Zhuge Sa’s soul.
Zhuge Sa said, “Please save Jin So-cheong. And protect her as well.”
[Under what conditions?]
“In exchange, I will subject myself to your overlordship.”
[That’s a strange thing to say… Aren’t you already subordinate to me as my disciple? That can’t be a bargaining chip.]
“I’m saying I will add conditions to the contract. At that time, I will forfeit the position you promised.”
[Oh…]
The Demon King easily accepted Zhuge Sa’s proposal. There were very few geniuses with brains as sharp as Zhuge Sa’s, so there were hardly any gaps in the proposition he presented. Summoning a new contract, the Demon King struck at Zhuge Sa’s chest.
*Thud*
The contract was absorbed into Zhuge Sa’s heart like it was being devoured.
“Ugh…”
[The contract has been established.]
Zhuge Sa smiled bitterly. Originally, he had planned to look for an opportunity to steal the contract from the Demon King’s space to nullify it, but things had turned out to deepen the contract instead. Now, if he were to die, he would be rendered a complete slave, and a living hell awaited him.
“Then let’s get to work.”
[Hehe… It seems like I’m at a loss here. Asking humans to rescue from such a place?]
“Isn’t that unnecessary? You’re definitely not someone who can be outdone by the Eight Parts of the Divine.”
[That’s true… Hehe.]
*Whoooosh*
Moments later, dark fog coagulated around Zhuge Sa’s eyes, nose, and mouth. He felt the fog writhing inside him, transforming his body into something bizarre. And he began to realize that he was no longer human.
‘Not a chance of officer level failure…’
It couldn’t be helped.
There’s always a price to pay for the ascent of a Demon King.
*Paaaat!!*
In the next moment, the being awakened within Zhuge Sa opened its eyes, emanating dark rays as it transformed into an elusive mist and dashed away. Countless ancient spells swirled around its body, each possessing horrific power.
The Demon King, Simon Magus, soon arrived at the battlefield where Jin So-cheong was fighting, thinking:
[The more I see, the more insane that human is. He’s about to die.]
Inside, Zhuge Sa’s consciousness was still alive. As Simon Magus thought about the day he would eagerly command Zhuge Sa like a slave, he stretched out his hand and released the dark fog.
*Sssssss*
The dark fog stealthily enveloped the area around Jin So-cheong, then suddenly expanded to engulf the surrounding fifty leagues in darkness. Both Zhuge Sa and the Eight Parts of the Divine were unharmed, but the darkness was lethal to ordinary living beings. Simon Magus once again recited an ancient spell.
[By the name of Nezach, I command. In the day, the sun’s nipple shines bright, and by night, the moon’s bow is taut. Evening comes, and morning comes; this is the fourth day of creation.]
In that instant, Jin So-cheong’s body was teleported away. It was the forbidden technique he possessed that could teleport anything within the range of his fog.
At the same time, the Grand Elder of Wudang noticed the intrusion in the battlefield and roared.
[You!! Hand over that human!!]
*Whoosh!!*
The azure whip darted through time and space toward Simon Magus. This whip attack was powerful enough to inflict serious injuries even on the Eight Parts of the Divine, and Simon Magus feared that disaster had struck. Directly fighting an opponent of that caliber posed a tremendous burden.
*Crack!!*
[Ugh.]
Though he defended against the whip with his magic, Simon Magus felt his left arm burning. He had descended into Zhuge Sa’s body, but there was still a significant drain on his strength. Nevertheless, it wasn’t humiliating since the Grand Elder wouldn’t be easily defeated even if he brought his main body.
Instead, he laughed wickedly at the Grand Elder.
[Just another oversized giant tribe… Heh.]
*Bang!*
Simon Magus was startled when suddenly hit by the whip. The Grand Elder, apparently infuriated, struck with multiplied force, sending Simon Magus’s mind reeling. Finally, the Demon King Simon Magus came to his senses.
‘What the? Why is that guy so strong?!’
Having commanded hundreds of thousands of humans and performed human sacrifices, he had reached the level of a Demon King and thought he wasn’t afraid of any god. But the power of the ancient giant, the Grand Elder, surpassed anything he had imagined. He had only considered it an ancient existence, but it was a divine being of another dimension! He never thought someone not among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors could be so powerful.
‘Could he be as strong as the ruler of Muspelheim?!’
That would be a problem! Terrified by the overwhelming power he felt might render all his magic ineffective, Simon Magus hastily deployed magic to move space. No matter how great the gap, this much was still possible.
[Get lost!]
With the Grand Elder’s roar, the azure whip tore through space and zoomed toward him, yet Simon Magus invoked the fourth level of Sephiroth’s magic and defended against it.
[Do you think just because you say so, I’ll stop?!]
*Bang!*
Successfully fleeing the battlefield with Jin So-cheong, Simon Magus headed straight for the Temple of the Bandit Juuban. He began to place the severely injured Jin So-cheong into the Void Space for recovery, following the condition of his contract with Zhuge Sa.
A moment later, smoke began to drift as the Demon King withdrew from Zhuge Sa’s body. As Zhuge Sa fell to his knees, the Demon King looked down at him and said:
[I’ll take you to the depths of the Underworld as per the second condition. In your current state, it will be hard to escape the eyes of the hell gatekeeper.]
“Isn’t that a bit too kind?”
Simon Magus grinned slyly.
[If you fully submit to me, it wouldn’t be such a loss for me…]
“Is that so?”
[Because of the minimum conditions of the contract until now, I’ve benefited by allowing you to keep your human form, but if I reincarnate you into a Demon, there’s no doubt… something amazing will emerge.]
The ‘status’ Zhuge Sa had relinquished was his preservation of human attributes as a soul. However, having discarded that condition of the contract, once he died, his soul would be subjected to gruesome torments at the hands of the Demon King and be reborn as a wicked demon of the dark dimension. When reincarnated as a demon, he would become dozens of times stronger than he was as a human—an obvious choice.
“…”
And that would certainly not be him, but something masquerading as him wearing his skin.
That being wanted to claim him as a disciple, a top-tier Demon who had mastered the Soul Exchange Technique and was well-versed in magic.
All this to become Demiurge in the prophecy of the end.
Zhuge Sa thought this but kept his mouth shut, feeling surprisingly good.
‘A complete fool.’
According to his hypothesis, this deal was certainly not a loss.
No—Zhuge Sa was bound to come out ahead.
He resolved that when all was said and done, he would smash his own mind to pieces.
If the secret of reborn persons and his knowledge were to be leaked, it would be a disaster.
As Zhuge Sa was about to rescue Jin So-cheong, the Sword Demon stood alone by the desolate riverbank.
Having sustained heavy injuries, he was operating his inner energy to recover his stamina and strength, and soon he would regain considerable power. Thanks to the spiritual pill given by Baek Woong, his internal energy was now superb, and his recovery was phenomenal. However, physical wounds would take time to heal.
He decided to head to the rendezvous point without waiting for Zhuge Sa’s orders. He had already completed his mission and agreed to gather at that location. But he could not move from the riverbank any longer, standing still as someone approached from the horizon.
Their silhouette finally grew large enough for him to see, and when they were close enough to confront each other, the other party spoke.
“What a coincidence.”
It truly was a coincidence. The other didn’t come here specifically looking for the Sword Demon.
They had simply wandered here while evading Dokgo Jun, the Lawful Beast of the Ascendance.
“What brings you here?”
“…Are you injured?”
“Yes.”
The other person sat on a nearby rock and said:
“Wait a day. Get yourself in top shape.”
“What are you implying?”
“There’s only one thing to do when a warrior meets another warrior with weapons drawn.”
“…….”
“We both have bodies that have strayed from our duties; let’s have a proper duel.”
The Sword Demon scratched his neck, then made up his mind.
“Fine, Miyamoto Musashi.”
Is this also fate?
The deathmatch with Miyamoto Musashi awaited the Sword Demon, who had just escaped from battle.