Although he had tossed away his hard-earned domains like they were nothing, Yeon-woo didnât seem too upset. If normal gods and demons saw him, theyâd ask him if he was crazy. According to their logic, it was impossible for someone to throw away something they had created and cared for their entire lives.
If legends were a medium that gifted one with holiness and brought in faith, domains were like an identity that would give one godly traits. Also, they were like master keys that could control laws as the user wished. If the domains were gone, you couldnât be called a god, and even if you managed to maintain your divinity, you wouldnât be as powerful as you wouldâve been with your domain.
Shanon, Hanryeong, and the others watching in the shadow couldnât help but sigh.
ăGosh⊠Our King Temper. He always goes over and beyond. Most people become more anxious with the more they have because of the fear of losing it, but he threw it away just like that.ă
ăHeâs going for the winning move because heâs certain heâll win.ă
ăStill, isnât it too much this time? We donât have the opportunity to go out now.ăShanon clicked his tongue.
All of Yeon-wooâs subordinates were tied to him through âdeath,â but now that Yeon-woo tossed it aside like a pack of rocks, their foundations for existing were gone too. They could maintain their existence by staying inside the shadow, which was a part of Yeon-woo, but once they tried to leave it, they would scatter in the air like sand.
ăLetâs wait.ăHowever, Hanryeong didnât seem too concerned.ăHe always provides us with new paths.ă
ăOkaaay. Must be nice to be such a faithful believer.ăShanon spoke sarcastically, but his loyalty and trust in Yeon-woo were equal to Hanryeongâs, so he wasnât worried either.
But Shanon had wanted to show off his talents in front of his master. âSo much for starting to work with other people. If he does everything alone, what are we supposed to do?â Yeon-woo continued to walk his path steadfastly, and Shanon wanted to assist him any way he could. He was just upset that he couldnât.
* * *
âNoâŠwayâŠ! Kegh!â Yvlke cried out as he looked at his legends and Illusory World turning black. His body was also surrounded by black curses, on the verge of being destroyed.
[âDeathâ has infected all the data of the âMain Ego of the Black King.â]
[The connection to darkness is unstable!]
âŠ
[Damage to data is becoming greater due to darkness. Suppress the virus and restore the lost data.]
[The durability of darkness is decreasing. Replenish with new darkness.]
Yeon-wooâs domain of death was a virusâa vicious one that spread like rapid-fire and consumed its host. Even if one tried to resist, any vaccines or defenses were futile because it grew from too deep within. Any protection against it would also disappear through death.
âWhatâŠare youâŠthinking?â Yvlke had seen many beings over the eons he lived, but he couldnât understand Yeon-woo. It didnât make sense for someone to let go of their domain. He had seen gods die trying to protect their domains but never anything like this. Even Yeon-wooâs father, Kronos, tried to protect his throne to his death!
Moreover, the domain of death was something the Black King gave when choosing a successor. It was Yeon-wooâs connection to the Black King. Yeon-woo must have known it would be difficult to return as an ego of the Black King without the domain. But he had given it up like it was nothing.
However, Yeon-wooâs reply was simple. âIt wasnât mine in the first place.â
Yvlke felt like he was pummeled on the back of his head. Then, he burst out laughing. âOhyohyohyo! Ohyo! Ohyohyohyo!â Even while death continued to take over him, he didnât stop laughing. Blood was spat out from his mouth as he guffawed. âYes⊠From the beginningâŠyou wereâŠthis kind of person. HowâŠdid IâŠforget that⊠Ohyohyo!â
Suddenly, the atmosphere around Yvlke changed. âFine⊠ThenâŠI will do anything in my powerâŠto swallow you!â His domains were being destroyed by the minute and his holiness was in grave danger, but they were located in his legends. The battlefield was still in his favor. In addition, his legends as the Black Kingâs main ego were so plentiful it was impossible to count, so it would take a considerable amount of time for him to meet complete death. He had to swallow Yeon-woo within that time and get rid of this curse.
Yvlke activated all his legends after reaching that decision.
[All the legends of the âMain Ego of the Black Kingâ respond to his summons!]
Various Yvlkes appeared along the darkness that surrounded him.
[The legend of the main ego âBaby Hungry Ghostâ reveals itself!]
[The legend of the main ego âTest Subject 666â reveals itself!]
[The legend of the main ego âA Ruined Face of the Heavenly Demonâ reveals itself!]
âŠ
[The legend of the main ego âVampire of the Abyssâ reveals itself!]
âŠ
It seemed like all of Yvlkeâs legends that were divided in the ninety-ninth floor had appeared. Just as Yeon-woo killed all his legends and absorbed them and Jeong-woo combined himself with them through discussion, Yvlke had cleared the ninety-ninth floor with a method of his own.
âYouâve summoned so many. You all came together to defeat me?â Yeon-woo let out a cold laugh.
There were hundreds, thousands⊠No, hundreds of thousands of new Yvlkes appearing in the darkness even while Yvlke himself was being destroyed. There were countless legends that had been accumulated during Yvlkeâs time alive. Even gods wouldâve had a hard time calculating his lifetime. They all spoke up at the same time.
âItâs because of our noble intent.â
âWe will no longer be bound by the Black King, Heavenly Demon, or any other like them.â
âWe will continue moving forward.â
âEven if we have been divided into many.â
âOur intent and purpose will not change.â
âAnd we will continue to go forth.â
âWe will remove any obstacle that blocks our path.â
Yeon-woo knew he was the obstacle Yvlke was referring to. Yeon-wooâs smirk deepened.
âSoâŠâ
âDonât besmirch our great will.â
[The legend of the main ego âSageâ reveals itself!]
Just then, a Demonism created from thick blackness appeared and spoke. You will now become the same existence as us.
[The âMain Ego of the Black Kingâ begins to attack the âAlternative Ego of the Black King.â]
Fwoosh! With Sageâs firing the signal, the rest of Yvlkeâs legends dashed for Yeon-woo. They were all in a critical state, infected by death, but their sorrow and violence were felt stronger than ever.
It was a fearsome situation, but Yeon-woo didnât blink an eye. âYou mustâve already forgotten. Or maybe youâre suffering from memory loss because youâre so old.â Rather, his cynical smile widened. âThis isnât too different from when I jumped into the abyss the first time.â
Suddenly, Yeon-wooâs remaining right wing unfurled.
[Sky Wings (Right Wing) - Fight]
Even if he abandoned everything else, as long as he had this domain, he had nothing to be afraid of. Fight was all Yeon-woo had experienced, and it was the path he would continue on. Whoosh! Yeon-woo sped toward the Yvlkes with his meteor sword.
Crackle, crackle! Rumble! The black-red lightning exploded more brightly than ever. Most of the Yvlkes were nearly taken over by death, and they exploded along with the lightning, but they continued to bolt for Yeon-woo. If they could swallow Yeon-woo, theyâd be able to heal themselves quickly.
However, Yeon-woo wasnât one to be defeated so easily. Test Subject 666 bit his left arm, but Yeon-woo just left it alone.
[The legend âSoldierâ has been split away!]
Yeon-wooâs legend was taken with his arm. He felt a pang of emptiness, but he ignored it. Gripping tightly his domain of fight, he slashed the neck of the creature in front of him who had his weakness wide open.
[You have successfully eliminated the legend of the main ego âTest Subject 666.â]
[You have activated âHadesâ Spirit Eating Sword!]
âŠ
[You have successfully absorbed a part of the main ego.]
[The lost legend âSoldierâ has been restored.]
If Yvlke tried to eat him, Yeon-woo let him. Even if his legend was ripped away, his holiness was eaten, and his faith was stolen, he didnât care. Instead, he tightened his hold around his domain of fight and killed again and again. Then, if he could reciprocate their attack, he wouldnât be losing anything in the end.
One might wonder how Yeon-woo was going to deal with all the legends, but this was actually a situation Yeon-woo had been hoping for. From when he started as a successor and became an alternate ego, he had never lost his reason in the many battles he fought.
[You have successfully eliminated the legend of the main ego âA Ruined Face of the Heavenly Demon.â]
âŠ
[You have activated âHadesâ Spirit Eating Sword!]
âŠ
[You have successfully absorbed a part of the main ego.]
[You have successfully absorbed a part of the main ego.]
On the other hand, Yvlke was massive, but his movements were slow and ineffective. For Yeon-woo, who had only fought against strong opponents and defeated them, Yvlke was the perfect prey.
Crackle! Pow pow pow!
[You have successfully absorbed a part of the main ego.]
âŠ
[The âMain Ego of the Black Kingâ has lost too much darkness!]
[The condition to be the main ego is not met and the status has been removed. âSage/Yvlkeâ been downgraded to an âAlternative Ego.â]
N-No!
I still⊠I still havenât accomplished anythingâŠ!
[The condition to be the alternate ego is not met and the status has been removed. âSage/Yvlkeâ been downgraded to an âOrdinary Ego.â]
IâŠwas so close to the endâŠ
[The condition to be an ordinary ego is not met and the status has been removed. âSage/Yvlkeâ been downgraded to a âPart of Subconscious.â]
Everything that made Yvlke was destroyed at a rapid pace. His Illusory World crumbled away, and the legends died one by one and were absorbed by Yeon-woo. He tried to struggle against it, but he was on a downhill descent to ruin.
Then, when all the legends died and only Sage/Yvlke was left, he had lost most of his blackness because he wasnât able to maintain his existence. You, youâŠ! Sage/Yvlke shouted at Yeon-woo, who was now directly in front of him.
Slice! Yeon-woo immediately slit Yvlkeâs neck as if Yvlke wasnât worth listening to anymore and swallowed him.
[You have successfully absorbed âSage/Yvlke!â]
âŠ
[You have absorbed a significant amount of darkness.]
[Current amount of darkness: 91%]
[You have met the condition to become the main ego and your status is upgraded. You have become the âMain Ego of the Black King.â]
[Your fate as an executor has been changed to Regulator.]
âŠ
[Death is restored.]
[Fight is strengthened.]
âŠ
[You are able to dream the âDream.â]
[You are able to spin the âWheel.â]
âŠ
[You have gained the qualification of âEmperor.â]