Chapter 214: Memory (2)
‘That one…’
Vivid memories.
Chun Yeowun was shocked by what he had witnessed.
The technique Chun Ma just unfolded was beyond the human realm or anything he could imagine.
Though Chun Yeowun treated his space as a sword, Chun Ma freely handed it as if the weapon were incorporated with the space.
‘I thought I surpassed my ancestor.’
Chun Yeowun thought that he surpassed the level of Chun Ma as he ascended to the realm of Void.
But now, with one technique, he could see that they were still different.
[Kuaaaa.]
Demon King Taura’s chest regenerated rapidly. Despite that, Taura felt confused. Starting with how a mere human did this to him.
‘No way.’
Larisha was a Demon. However, this man he was facing seemed like a human. How can this be?
Demon King Taura spread his hands.
Chachachacha!
A black space opened up, and black iron items came out and stuck onto his body. It was Arisha’s Armor.
In any case, Taura judged that the opponent was an enemy he couldn’t handle easily and put on the armor.
‘It was a surprise attack earlier; it won’t work again….’
Woong!
However, the space shook, and a fist came out and struck Taura’s chin.
Bang!
Crack!
[Kuak!]
Taura was hit by it and flew into the sky. Taura's eyes glowed while soaring up, and a black hand appeared from the air, shielding him from being pushed upwards any farther.
Wong!
‘It’s coming.’
The space resonated. Taura sensed it and quickly tilted his head to the side. At that moment, a hole pierced through the black hand.
Phat!
Chun Yeowun, who witnessed it, felt it was terrific. The Demon King must have had a keen sense of battle, for he immediately responded to the opponent's strike after only two hits.
However, the opponent was Chun Ma of the Sky Demon Order. Throughout the history of Murim, a person who could face him never arrived.
Bang!
[Kuak!]
It was an excellent move to dodge, but Chun Ma's leg appeared before him and kicked him in the chin once again. Chun Ma swept aside Taura in that state.
Chachcacha!
What is that speed?
The sword was so fast that it left traces as it moved. Despite its speed, the blade was cutting through the gaps in Arisha’s Armor.
[Kuak! Y-you bastard!]
Demon King Taura endured the attack and tried to counter it. However, when Chun Ma pulled back the sword and thrust it again, Taura’s head flew.
Phat!
In an instant, his consciousness fell away. If it hadn’t been for the unique regenerative power, dying wouldn’t seem strange.
Rumble!
Taura became aware of the situation as soon as his head regenerated. His body is immobilized. The nucleus in the chest was also touched.
[Move, and you’ll regret it.]
Taura glared at Chun Ma, who warned him.
[… who are you?]
Taura was the king, and this man was the first to corner him like this.
Chun Ma spoke in a low voice.
[I am the radiant flame which leads all things to darkness.]
As the man said those words, Taura’s nucleus began to pound. He thought this could be…
[No… no! How can that happen?]
He fell into denial and disbelief.
Then he asked.
[Why… why are you still alive, Larisha?]
Chun Yeowun was confused when he heard it. The Demon King addressed Chun Ma as Larisha. However, wasn’t Chun Ma human?
The only person who could answer it was Chun Ma.
[I am grateful to you, Taura.]
He really seemed to mean it.
With a trembling body, Taura asked.
[Just how did this happen?]
[It’s not as difficult as you might think.]
[Not difficult?]
[Why do we look like the humans of the planet Earth? Have you ever had that doubt?]
Demon King Taura became puzzled by such statements. He used to have the same doubt the first time he came to Earth.
Unlike other planets, beings on this planet were similar to them. Despite the physical structures being different, the appearance was strangely identical.
[The roots of our clan originated from here.]
[W-what do you mean?]
[There are Gates on all planets. Our clan passed through that and settled on our world, the Demon Realm.]
This was Taura’s first time hearing this.
He was a 4th generation of the clan, and he knew that Larisha was between the 1st and 2nd generations.
[The gravity there is several times this place. We had to evolve to it and adapt to the environment of thin air and dangerous individuals there.]
Living things evolve in ways to fit with their environment. They have developed themselves to survive in the barren Demon Realm.
[We evolved? From the lowly form of these humans?]
[Lowly is sure… they have just evolved to the optimal state of this planet.]
Taura felt this all was absurd and smiled.
[So you evolved to adapt to this place?]
When Chun Ma didn’t deny it, Taura yelled.
[Stop the bullshit! Are you talking about this being evolution? What you did is degenerate! Evolved to become lower-level humans who can’t live past 50 years? Ha!]
Taura’s eyes swelled in anger. He came down with ambition, but now replaced with disappointment and hatred for the existence in front of him who was someone he respected.
Did his King turn into a trivial human?
The moment he found out, he was gripped with anger and disappointment.
[To give up the fact that we are a clan and leave for a trivial human, a person like you deserves death!]
Crack!
Taura forced himself to move, ignoring the energy embedded in the body. Even if his limbs were torn off, he showed such strong will.
Chun Ma’s eyes sharpened.
[Will you not fulfill your duty as the current King?]
[Hah! I don’t want to hear this from you!]
Chachachachacha!
Arisha’s Armor, which covered Taura’s body, was now in the form of weapons. Weapons of sword, blade, wheel, and staff all came out and rushed to Chun Ma.
[Die!]
Papapak!
[You fool!]
Chun Ma held his sword and pushed it ahead. Even the Demon King’s items with the demonic power were no match.
‘Unification of energy.’
The sword of Chun Ma collided with the rushing weapons.
Bang!
A blue flash of light appeared with a great roar, and weapons were thrown out in all directions. Among them, Chun Ma caught one of the weapons.
Pak!
It was the sword.
He was trying to hold a sword containing the demonic power of the Demon King.
Woong!
[Have you already forgotten?]
The sword only moves by the power of the Demon King.
Chun Ma tried to suppress the demonic power inside the sword, raising up the Sky Demon energy and glancing at it.
[I will take this with me, it might be helpful in the future.]
[That belongs to the King!]
Demon King Taura, who had been robbed of the sword that was the most powerful of Arisha's weapons, reacted angrily.
At that, Chun Ma pointed up and said.
[You go back to where you are from.]
[What?]
Looking up, he saw a gate that was opened. Come to think of it, he couldn’t see the device he had brought.
[Larisha!]
Crack!
Despite the Demon King’s whole body being unable to move, he endured and tried to raise his hand up to awaken himself.
Looking at that, Chun Ma shook his head.
[You are acting foolish till the end.]
Afterward, Chun Ma raised his sword, and the energy inside Taura ran wild and ripped up his body.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
[Kuaaak!]
Demon King Taura lost all his parts except for his chest and nucleus.
[Never come back, Taura.]
As Chun Ma said his last warning to Taura, he forced the weakened but ranging demon into the Gate.
There was no use screaming, however…
[Larishaaaaaa!]
Demon King Taura returned to his throne through the Gate. He couldn’t hold back his anger.
[Larishaaa]
The feeling of being horribly defeated by a mere human destroyed his pride.
— kiiik!
The door opened, and three of his aides appeared before him, whose body was torn.
The three Dukes were looking for him when he suddenly disappeared. And as they witnessed him in such a weak state, they didn't hide their greedy eyes toward the injured King.
‘!?’
In an instant, the day when he betrayed Larisha flashed into his mind. Karma of betrayal came to him.
‘Did you feel this way too?’
He suddenly thought that.
Then the memories scattered. That was the last of him.
Phat!
Chun Yeowun opened his eyes to find new energy filling his whole body.
The Sky Demon Energy became stronger after absorbing the demonic power from the Demon King’s nucleus.
It seemed like it had better compatibility than the previous energies.
‘Chun Ma… was Larisha.’
The truth felt weird. He had never imagined this.
‘Then I have the blood of demons inside?’
In a way, it could be considered as that.
The blood may have faded, but the people of Chun Ma, the direct descendants, must have them within.
‘… is this important?’
Honestly, this changes nothing.
Chun Ma was his ancestor, that is all. He is a legend within the Sky Demon Order.
Chun Yeowun was a human, and nothing changed.
No, there is one thing.
‘Chun Ma, I have taken over everything you once had.’
Paaaang!
As Chun Yeowun lowered his hand after covering his face, tremendous energy exploded with intense wind bursts, and his form changed to a black flame.
“La… Larisha!”
The dying Demon King Taura was shocked. Who would have imagined that he would see Larisha during his last moments?
“H-ho-how…?”
Chun Yeowun looked down at Taura and smiled.
“Didn’t I tell you to never come back?”
‘!!!’
After hearing Chun Yeowun’s last words for him, Taura’s eyes widen as if they would burst out. His body then crumbled into ashes giving him no chance to utter any words.
In the end, Taura was the Demon King who suffered because of Larisha.
Witnessing the enemy turn into ashes, cheers erupted from the ground.
“Wahhhh!!!”
They were the shouts and cheers of the members of the Sky Demon Order.
Grand Duke Kaliaf descended to the ground and pointed to Chun Yeowun, who was there and spoke to the demons.
“The new Demon King, His Majesty! Respect him!”
“Ugh…”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Despite hesitating, the demons fell to the ground. They had no choice. They witnessed Demon King Taura turning to ashes.
The battle has ended.
The reign of the new King has begun.
At the same time, a gigantic optical telescope was installed on a peak approximately 40 kilometers away from the Yongchun site, and someone was looking through it.
A person with a silver mask behind the man looking through the telescope asked.
“Elder Cho. Why are you still here?”
Elder Cho didn’t face the person who asked and only made a sound.
“Hmm…”
“Is there some problem?”
“This is troubling.”
“Huh?”
Elder Cho turned his head and spoke in a firm voice.
“I believe he will be more powerful than this old one.”
Angel’s Corner
YES! FINALLY! IT HAS BEEN REVEALED! Well. Given the clues, we already knew about it, but it’s still different to read it directly from the story itself, right? And gosh! The last line Yeowun said to Taura!! Hah! That was so POG! He was truly excellent at toying with the dying demon’s feelings as Taura took his last breath.
Here is an art by chibi-flurr I found on Deviant Art that looks close enough to how I imagined Chun Yeowun’s Advanced Awakening! Love it!
P. S. Truth be told, I’m actually a chatterbox introvert.
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