Chapter 417 Battle of Numbers (5)

“You lowly creature, still coveting what belongs to others.”

‘!?’

The voice coming from Mok Gyeong-un had a different atmosphere.

The moment it heard this, the eyeball on Three Eyes’s forehead trembled violently.

In a fleeting moment, the third eyeball, turning reddish-black, spoke into his mind with a voice full of bewilderment.

-…This can’t be.

-What’s going on? Didn’t you say it definitely wasn’t?

It wasn’t a long exchange.

But Three Eyes had never forgotten this unique atmosphere.

It was darkness itself, like an abyss of unfathomable depth, and close to chaos that evoked destruction.

Above all, the absolute intimidation that overwhelmed all beings instilled in him a fear he had never felt even from the Six Demons.

-It’s him. It must be him.

-No. No. This is strange. There’s clearly no core.

-Core or not…

-The core is their foundation. The absence of a core means death for them, the annihilation of existence.

-Then what is this guy in front of us? Are you saying he’s become a ghost?

-A ghost, such a thing…

At that very moment,

-Tsu-tsu-tsu!

“Heuup!”

The blood vessels in Three Eyes’s neck, held by Mok Gyeong-un’s hand, turned black and some kind of erosion occurred.

Three Eyes raised demonic energy to push back the invading erosion, but once the energy pushed in, it was unstoppable.

‘This energy… It’s certain.’

It wasn’t just similar, it was that energy from back then.

Then a voice echoed in Three Eyes’s mind.

-Were you sharing consciousness?

-You?

-You?

Three Eyes’s three eyeballs shook simultaneously.

He realized something was eroding, but didn’t know it would invade their connected consciousness.

At Mok Gyeong-un’s voice, Three Eyes spoke with an angry tone.

-So it was you after all?

It was a question loaded with many implications.

To this question, Mok Gyeong-un’s voice with its changed atmosphere continued, seemingly unconcerned:

-How foolish. Not realizing your own greed is being exploited.

-Greed? Did you just say greed? Hahahahahahaha!

Three Eyes burst into mad laughter.

Then, stopping abruptly and calming his excitement, he spoke in a cold voice.

-Yes, the emotion of desperately wanting something can also be called greed. But how dare you, who arbitrarily took what belongs to me, speak to me about greed?

-How novel.

-What?

-You’re showing well how foolish attachment to something you can’t have can destroy oneself. Of course, that’s why your eyes and consciousness could be connected.

-You dare!

-Dare?

-Kek!

Three Eyes’s three eyeballs shook violently.

The ominous energy that was eroding was spreading throughout his entire body, and as his body stiffened, he felt pain as if each nerve was being stabbed with a needle.

-Don’t be mistaken that we’re on the same level just because I’m exchanging words with you.

-Kuuu.

He had let his guard down.

Thinking that he wouldn’t be able to move, caught in the ancient secret technique of the Great Void Sealing Technique that had even sealed the Assassin King of the Sea, had worsened the situation.

Another consciousness in Three Eyes’s mind urged:

-Don’t be swayed by him. We must somehow detach him to prevent the erosion from progressing further. I’ll block the nerve pain…

-Pa-pak! Pa-pak!

At that moment, black capillaries sprouted from the eyeball on Three Eyes’s forehead and burst.

The consciousness of the third eye cried out in agony:

-Kuuu… You… How…

-I don’t know why you still maintained human consciousness, but did you think I’d just deal with the host and move on like before?

-…What exactly are you? Ugh… How, without a core…

-I am merely a remnant.

-A remnant?

-You don’t need to know. You just need to disappear…

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes narrowed.

Then, one of his eyebrows raised.

The reason was that he realized something while trying to eliminate these two parasitic consciousnesses occupying Na Yul-ryang’s body.

-…It’s not the real consciousness.

-Ssiik!

Three Eyes, who had been showing a pained face and complaining of pain, began to raise the corners of his mouth slyly.

Then, stopping his groans of pain, he burst into laughter.

“Kukuk… Kuhuhuhuu… Kuhahahahahahaha!”

It looked as if he was letting out a laugh of triumph.

Was the appearance of suffering from erosion just an act?

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been staring intently at Three Eyes’s forehead, spoke not in consciousness but aloud.

“Did you transfer the separated consciousness as it was? …No, did you implement an almost identical eye to connect the consciousness?”

“You’re quick. As expected, you’re impressive. To notice this already, even though I’ve eroded you.”

“Huh?”

Mok Gyeong-un looked at him with an expression of disbelief.

He had seen many types of people, but this was the first time he’d encountered such a being.

It looked real, but this wasn’t real.

The beings called Three-Eyes parasitize others, so their main body is the eye, which can be called the center of demonic energy.

But this eye was not the main body, but rather implemented – that is, replicated – the demonic energy, consciousness, and memories in an identical form.

However, Mok Gyeong-un’s burst of laughter wasn’t just because he sent a replicated consciousness pretending to be the main body.

“Was implementing even the separated consciousness to definitely deceive that it wasn’t the main body?”

“Huhuhuu. That could be one reason, but it has many uses.”

“Uses?”

“Humans are greatly influenced by these things called emotions. Especially the more extreme the emotion. For instance, things like greed, anger, sadness – these are great driving forces even for me.”

-Ku-deuk! Ku-deuk!

Three Eyes’s eroding eyeball returned to its original state.

‘Pushing back?’

-Go-o-o-o-o!

The energy that had spread throughout the upper body also returned to normal, and Three Eyes’s demonic energy was rising rapidly.

The demonic energy was circulating in reverse, not forward, and increasing twofold.

This was the reverse meridian circulation technique.

Three Eyes spoke with a mad smile.

“From the moment I felt your energy, I thought we’d meet soon. How much do you think I’ve prepared for that moment?”

“You’ve made good use of the time given, I see.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. You wingless king. I don’t know how you’ve come to dwell in a mere human body, but since you called yourself a remnant, I’ll take all that remaining power for myself.”

“So that was your goal.”

“It was our goal. I’ll fulfill my companion’s long-cherished wish and lessen your interference as well.”

“You…”

So it was him after all?

It was a choice tantamount to annihilation, but he didn’t believe it easily.

Mok Gyeong-un shook his head.

Then,

“Do you think it will end with just interference by doing something to me?”

“Of course not. I’ll pull you down with my own hands.”

“Pull me down?”

“Kuhuhuhuu. Did you think we’d be dragged along by the likes of you who try to reign by playing supreme-ruler? This world is mine.”

Absolute greed.

For a long time, Three-Eyes had wanted everything.

But knowing it wasn’t the time, he had simply bided his time, building up the power to easily break through the walls whenever he encountered them.

Now all preparations were complete.

There would be no more biding time.

“When the grand plan is realized, everyone will realize that the day of great calamity was merely the beginning.”

“It must be quite the preparation to call it a grand plan. I look forward to it.”

“It is worth looking forward to. It’s just a shame. I wanted to show you too, the world that’s about to change.”

-Seu-seu-seu-seu!

As the erosion was almost completely undone,

-Pak!

Three Eyes firmly grasped Mok Gyeong-un’s wrist.

Then, a thread made of red light flowed from the wrist, instantly binding his body starting from the wrist.

-Whiriririk! Kkwak!

“Still, I’ll put your body to good use.”

-Seuk!

Three Eyes brought his hand to his forehead.

Then he casually pulled out the third eyeball on his forehead.

-Ssugek!

After pulling out the eye like that, he tried to bring it to Mok Gyeong-un’s forehead.

But then,

“I wanted to find out where the main body is, but since you’ve divided your consciousness into several places, that’ll be difficult.”

‘!?’

At those words, the focus of the eyeball Three Eyes was holding wavered.

At that very moment,

-Pa-ang!

The thread made of red light binding Mok Gyeong-un’s entire body broke so easily it was almost pathetic.

Realizing something had gone wrong, Three Eyes tried to pull his body back, but,

-Pak!

Mok Gyeong-un’s hand grabbed his face once again.

From that grasping hand, an incredibly ominous black energy flowed out again and began to dig into his entire face.

Three Eyes spoke in a bewildered voice.

“You, could it be?”

“Did you think you could do something with just a replicated consciousness that’s not even real and some squeezed-out power?”

-Tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu!

The energy’s erosion spread throughout his body at a speed incomparable to just moments ago.

The speed was so fast that even the demonic energy he had explosively increased through the reverse meridian circulation technique couldn’t block it.

Three Eyes spoke with a chilled face.

“…You deceived me.”

“It’s not my way. It’s another me’s way.”

“What?”

“Your arrogant appearance was irritating, but thanks to it, I learned what you were thinking and where the real consciousness might be, even if scattered. So it wasn’t a bad choice.”

“……”

-Tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu!

Already about 70% of his body had been eroded.

Soon, when his entire body was eroded, the consciousness controlling the body would be annihilated, and it would be him who would have his remaining energy stolen.

He thought he could repay the grudge from back then with a consciousness that was no different from a separate body, but even having lost all power, he was still befitting of a being that once stood at the pinnacle of those monstrous creatures.

-Pisik!

Three Eyes sneered and raised the corners of his mouth as he spoke.

“Right. If it had ended so easily, I would have been quite disappointed.”

“That disappointment too will soon disappear.”

“Don’t get cocky. Do you think this is the end? At most, this is just a body I’ve transferred my consciousness into.”

“You have a long tongue.”

-Seu-seu-seu-seu!

Nearly 90% of his body had been eroded.

Three Eyes spoke with difficulty, his body trembling.

“You… will… desperately… seek… me…”

-Pa-reu-reu-reu!

Before he could finish speaking, the blood vessels in the third eyeball Three Eyes was holding bulged out grotesquely.

Realizing what Three Eyes was trying to do, Mok Gyeong-un grabbed the eyeball.

Strong heat could be felt from the eyeball.

Even if it was an eye with replicated consciousness, wouldn’t he rather self-destruct and be annihilated rather than suffer more humiliation?

The heated eyeball burst as it was.

-Pak!

Since he had already concentrated all his energy to protect his hand, there was no big explosion.

Mok Gyeong-un opened his hand and scattered the black ashes.

He couldn’t absorb the energy contained in the eyeball at the end as it self-destructed, but he had absorbed the power remaining inside as he had eroded the entire body, and annihilated the separated consciousness.

“Haa… Haa…”

But breathing sounds could be heard from the body.

‘He’s lucky.’

It was Na Yul-ryang, who had managed to cling to life even though his body had been taken.

However, because the body had been pushed far beyond its limits and lost all internal energy, it was now no different from a body that could no longer use martial arts.

Mok Gyeong-un stared at Na Yul-ryang, who was barely breathing, then lightly waved his hand.

The mist filling the surroundings disappeared.

Mok Gyeong-un muttered softly.

“I leave the rest to you now.”

As soon as those words ended, Mok Gyeong-un’s pupils trembled slightly, and then his gaze and atmosphere changed.