Chapter 796: If It Was a Prophecy You Were Meant to Hear |
Soul Reaper Demon Supreme and the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress stepped into a place the dark aura had not yet reached.
It was the kitchen, and since it did not seem to be a time for preparing meals, it stood empty.
“Let’s rest here for a moment.”
“Yes.”
Soul Reaper Demon Supreme took careful and courteous care of the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress. The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress felt burdened by that kindness. No matter how young she was, the other was still a Demon Supreme of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“If you’re hungry, have some of this.”
Soul Reaper Demon Supreme found two duck legs in the kitchen.
“I’m fine.”
When the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress declined, Soul Reaper Demon Supreme leaned against the table and tore into a duck leg.
“It’s quiet.”
It should have sounded like fighting was happening somewhere far away, yet it was unpleasantly quiet.
“The Young Cult Leader is probably heading in the opposite direction from us.”
Although she could not fight alongside Geom Mugeuk, Soul Reaper Demon Supreme regarded this task as important.
With the belief that she was protecting the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress well, Geom Mugeuk would be fighting without worry.
Moreover, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress was a woman with deep ties to the Evil Smiling Demon. Protecting her was important.
Soul Reaper Demon Supreme lowered the leg she had been tearing at and roughly wiped her hand on a nearby dishcloth.
“Step back.”
As the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress stepped back, the door opened and someone entered.
The one who stepped inside was an old man—one of the two elders who had been with the Dark Palace Master, the Black Elder. As if he knew the other was here, he entered naturally.
Soul Reaper Demon Supreme wiped her glistening lips with her sleeve and stepped in front of the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress.
The Black Elder looked at Soul Reaper Demon Supreme and grinned. What that smile contained was confidence that looked down on the opponent.
Too young—far too young.
“I heard news that a new Soul Reaper Demon Supreme had succeeded the position, but I didn’t expect such a fledgling.”
Soul Reaper Demon Supreme responded with ease.
“You even unfolded the Greed Annihilation Art just to catch one fledgling and one woman. After borrowing the gamblers’ luck, is that old body overflowing with strength?”
Soul Reaper Demon Supreme did not give ground in the clash of momentum. By nature, she cursed well when she fought and knew how to needle an opponent’s nerves. Today was no exception.
“And the older you get, the better you should wash yourself. You reek of a rotting corpse.”
In one blow, she flipped the Black Elder’s temper upside down.
“You damn bitch!”
From the Black Elder’s body, a dark aura as sharp as blades burst forth.
Sssshhhhhh.
Soul Reaper Demon Supreme released her internal energy and blocked the surging aura.
The momentum of the two clashed evenly.
The Black Elder’s appearance was not entirely bad.
It meant the Young Cult Leader was managing his side well.
Being forced to take the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress hostage meant their situation was that desperate.
‘Right. Things aren’t going the way you want, are they?’
At that moment, someone else stepped in behind the Black Elder.
“Let us put the fight off for now.”
At the polite words, the Black Elder withdrew the momentum he had been releasing.
The one who entered was Gaye, the Priestess Palace Master. She, who had vanished as if fleeing, had revealed herself once more.
Gaye slowly approached the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress. Perhaps because she trusted the Black Elder, she showed no fear at all of the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme standing beside her.
The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress and Gaye stood facing each other. The one who opened her mouth first was the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress.
“So what kind of lie did you come to tell this time?”
She had told her to come alone, but in the end, this place had been revealed as a trap.
In a situation where she would have had nothing to say even with ten mouths, Gaye had appeared before her again.
And Gaye did not apologize for that point.
“The Young Cult Leader was right.”
For reasons unknown, she did not hide her true feelings.
“I wanted to kill you.”
The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress listened quietly to words that sounded like a confession.
“When the Palace Master gave the order to lure you out here, I hoped in my heart. At last, you were going to die.”
Listening to her words, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress thought that perhaps the one who had kept her alive until now might have been the Dark Palace Master.
“I know that a prophecy came down to you recently. What kind of prophecy was it?”
“How did you know that?”
She had received a prophecy that, at The Greatest Beauty Under the Heavens Selection Tournament, the Evil Smiling Demon would pierce Geom Mugeuk’s heart.
“I just knew. Now tell me what kind of prophecy it was.”
Gaye was curious about what the prophecy was. The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress could clearly see where the reason Gaye wanted to kill her had originated.
Instead of answering, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress asked a question.
“How long has it been since you received your prophecy?”
For a moment, Gaye’s gaze turned icy.
“Who do you think you are, daring to put the Priestess Palace Master’s prophecy in your mouth?”
“That’s right. I’m not someone from the Priestess Palace.”
That was why. That was why she was so angry. She had staked everything on the Priestess Palace, yet the prophecy had descended upon someone who had fled because she hated the Priestess Palace.
“This world will be ruled by the one born with the Heavenly Killing Star. This prophecy—you made it up, didn’t you?”
“Shut up!”
From her violent reaction, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress could tell. The Priestess Palace Master had already lost her way. Perhaps that was why prophecies were descending upon her, someone who had left the Priestess Palace.
In one sense, she understood her. No one knew better than she how much growing up as the Priestess Palace Master in that closed-off place could wear a person down. And she also knew what kind of treatment awaited a priestess who did not receive a prophecy.
Gaye soon spoke with an indifferent gaze.
“No matter what kind of prophecy you received, nothing changes. In the end, you’re going to die anyway.”
She was threatening her, but the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress could feel it. Gaye was afraid of something.
“What on earth are you afraid of? Is it that Heavenly Killing Star?”
The emotion reflected in Gaye’s eyes was a primal fear she could not conceal.
“That power should have been ours.”
The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress did not know the exact details, but at least she could guess who that power had gone to.
“No. It’s right that the Young Cult Leader possesses that power. Whatever kind of power it is, he’s someone who would use it correctly.”
The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress tried to persuade her.
“I think there’s still a chance. If you truly believe in the will of the heavens, the final prophecy will descend upon you. Not taking the side of the Young Cult Leader, nor the side of the Dark Palace Master, but standing on the side of the heavens. Just as the Priestess Palace did long ago.”
It was at the very moment when Gaye’s gaze wavered slightly.
Sssssss.
The dark aura that had been flowing around the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress began to retreat of its own accord. This aura had been an innate energy that naturally flowed from the Black Elder’s body.
Yet, without the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme deliberately pushing it away, that aura began to be repelled from the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress.
At that very moment, the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress let out a short exclamation, then spoke astonishing words.
“A prophecy is about to descend.”
She had felt as though a prophecy was coming down.
It was an unexpected situation, but the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme nodded calmly.
“I’ll protect you, so receive the prophecy.”
The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress immediately sat down where she was and took a white cloth out from her bosom. It was The Dream of the Priestess.
Before covering her eyes, she saw the despair on Gaye’s face, but she had no leeway to pay attention to her now.
Honestly, she did not want to receive a prophecy. If this prophecy had nothing to do with the Evil Smiling Demon, and if it had nothing to do with Geom Mugeuk again, she would not have received it.
But now, she had to. If the heavens were bestowing a prophecy at this very moment, that too would have meaning.
Gaye’s face twisted viciously.
Of all moments, a prophecy was descending now? Right here, where she was watching? At the very moment she was venting her rage over not receiving a prophecy?
This was the heavens disregarding her. If this was such a heaven, she would not believe in it going forward either.
Or perhaps the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress before her eyes was deceiving her.
In any case, there was only one reaction Gaye could make. Killing intent flowed into her gaze.
“Kill her.”
As Gaye turned away, the Black Elder stepped forward.
“That won’t do. Taking that woman to the Palace Master is my task.”
The Dark Palace Master was not trying to take her merely to use her as a hostage.
“The contents of that prophecy must be reported to the Palace Master.”
Soul Reaper Demon Supreme stepped in front of the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress.
“If it were a prophecy meant for you to hear, it would have descended upon you, a priestess.”
Soul Reaper Demon Supreme added one more thing to her task of protecting the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress. She had been irritated the entire time she listened.
“Hey, fake priestess.”
At those words, Gaye, who had been turned away, bit her lip hard. The word *fake* shook her to the core.
“From now on, resent me instead of the heavens. Because I’ll be the one who kills you.”
It was icy. The one foretelling death was Soul Reaper Demon Supreme.
Yet Gaye, who had turned back around, showed no sign of fear at all.
“You weren’t told to bring that fledgling back alive too, were you?”
“Of course not.”
The Black Elder laughed coldly. He intended to kill her, and to do so as painfully as possible.
From the very start, he unleashed a powerful move.
Ssshaaaaaaak.
A tremendous palm force released from the Black Elder’s hand flew toward Soul Reaper Demon Supreme.
Shrrk.
In an instant, something appeared in the empty air before Soul Reaper Demon Supreme.
It was one of the bizarre patterns drawn on Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s carriage.
The moment the flying palm force struck that pattern, it changed direction and flew into the wall.
Kwaaaang!
The cabin wall was smashed apart, but beyond it writhed dark mist. The aura of the Greed Annihilation Art was enveloping the ship, so no matter how fiercely they fought, there was no need to worry about the ship sinking.
“You’re pulling some strange little tricks.”
Ssshaaaaaaak!
This time, he hurled an even more powerful palm strike.
Shrrruruk.
Another pattern formed in the air, and this time it sent the incoming palm force back toward where Gaye was standing.
Kwaang.
The Black Elder thrust out his hand and blocked the palm force flying toward Gaye.
Sssss.
Black smoke rose from his palm as the palm force he himself had released dissipated.
“Not bad.”
The look of disregard vanished from the Black Elder’s face. Considering the internal energy packed into that strike, it was not power that could be blocked easily.
Moreover, it was no mere deflection—accurately returning it toward Gaye was truly no ordinary feat.
It was the Soul-Origin Reversal Transmission Art, one of Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s unique demonic arts, being brought into play.
He did not know how much effort Soul Reaper Demon Supreme had put in. How she had reduced her sleep and trained relentlessly so as not to fall behind the other Demon Supremes.
Nor did he know that at the heart of that effort stood an outstanding master—the former Heavenly Wind Cult Leader.
The Black Elder began to chant an incantation.
Gururururung.
The floor began to shake and tremble as if an earthquake were occurring.
Bulges rose up all across the floor, and then, as if popping out of eggs, something burst forth.
Amazingly, they were skulls.
The Nine Springs Descent Art, boasting the greatest destructive power among the Black Elder’s dark demonic arts, was being unleashed.
Those skulls, chilling to behold, were no illusion.
From their two eye sockets flowed the bluish glare emitted by the dead.
It was a great blessing that the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress had her eyes covered. No matter how resolute a person might be, no one could maintain composure before such a sight.
Of course, Soul Reaper Demon Supreme did not feel fear at all.
“So that’s why the stench of rotting corpses was so strong.”
She quietly recited a mnemonic verse.
Srrruruk.
Unknown characters began to inscribe themselves across the floor.
Centered on the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress sitting cross-legged and the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme standing before her, characters were engraved into the floor in the shape of a circular ring. Light burst forth from the carved characters.
The moment the skulls tried to cross over the characters.
Thud.
There was an invisible barrier blocking their path.
The martial art Soul Reaper Demon Supreme unleashed was the Ghost Script Barrier Art.
The skulls surged forward in a mass, smashing the invisible barrier with the weapons they were holding.
Thud! Thump! Thud!
Yet the barrier formed by the ghosts’ characters did not break.
Soul Reaper Demon Supreme was buying as much time as possible. She feared that if a chaotic battle broke out, the prophecy might not descend.
“Not bad.”
Watching, the Black Elder hurled a palm force into the floor. He did not waste unnecessary energy trying to destroy the Ghost Script Barrier. The place his palm force struck was the ground itself.
Kwaaaang!
The floor shattered under his immense force and collapsed downward.
Kwarururur!
The Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress, who had been sitting cross-legged, settled smoothly onto the lower level. Soul Reaper Demon Supreme released her internal energy to lower her safely. Gaye, likewise, was brought down without injury by the Black Elder.
Did he think that by collapsing the floor, the characters inscribed upon it would be damaged and the Ghost Script Barrier would be broken?
But even after falling to the lower level, both the characters and the barrier remained intact.
Bang! Kwaang!
Once again, the Black Elder released palm force and smashed the floor.
Once again, everyone fell downward.
The Black Elder was not trying to destroy the Ghost Script Barrier. The further down they fell, the denser the dark aura became.
After descending several more times like that, they reached a place filled with thick, oppressive darkness. They had deliberately climbed upward to avoid areas where the dark aura was dense, yet now they had dropped straight down.
Thump! Thump!
As expected, the strength of the skulls striking the barrier was now incomparably more powerful than before.
Even so, Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s barrier did not shatter.
At that very moment, the Black Elder began to recite another mnemonic verse.
Then, as if afraid, the skulls pounding on the barrier retreated backward. What the skulls were feeling was unmistakably fear.
Gurururururung!
When the incantation was completed, a tremendous vibration erupted, far greater than anything before.
From the floor rose a skull far larger and more massive than those previously summoned.
The skull summoned this time wore armor made of bone. Its eye sockets were even deeper, and the blue light flowing from them was so intense that it looked as though jewels were embedded within.
Each finger bone was as sharp as a blade, and between bone and bone flowed a deathly aura that crushed the opponent.
It was the king of the skulls themselves—the Nine Springs Corpse King.
In one hand, the Nine Springs Corpse King held a gigantic sword, making it look as though a reaper had climbed up from hell itself.
Watching it, Soul Reaper Demon Supreme’s gaze deepened.
“A soul has taken residence.”
The Nine Springs Corpse King was different from ordinary skulls. From it, a soul could be felt—an evil soul filled with nothing but rage, resentment, and killing intent.
Certain of victory, the Black Elder burst into loud laughter.
“Let’s see you block this too.”
The Nine Springs Corpse King’s massive sword flew toward the barrier.
Ssshaaaak! Kwaang!
At the first strike, the barrier shook violently, and with an even more powerful second blow, cracks spread through it. It was truly terrifying power.
Kreeeek.
Soul Reaper Demon Supreme glanced back at the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress.
She was still sitting in place with her eyes covered by The Dream of the Priestess. At least until she finished receiving the prophecy, she had to be protected.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and patch the hole.”
At the Black Elder’s mockery, Soul Reaper Demon Supreme began chanting a mnemonic verse, as if she truly intended to do just that.
Kwaang! Kwaaaang! Bang!
Under the barrage of indiscriminate consecutive strikes, cracks rapidly spread through the barrier.
Craaaack!
With just one more blow, the barrier would be completely shattered. The smaller skulls surrounded them on all sides, poised to swarm in the moment the shield broke.
“We’ll have to appoint a new Soul Reaper Demon Supreme again. That position is badly cursed.”
The Nine Springs Corpse King delivered the final strike.
Ssshaaaaak.
Clench.
The Black Elder stared upward with a face full of shock.
He was gripping the sword the Nine Springs Corpse King had brought down. Black energy flickered from the palm blocking the blade, and his arm trembled from the impact.
“...What the hell are you!?”
The Nine Springs Corpse King, which had been about to deliver the final blow, suddenly turned around and struck at him instead.
The Black Elder’s stunned gaze shifted toward Soul Reaper Demon Supreme standing behind the Nine Springs Corpse King.
‘No way?’
From her two eyes flowed the same blue energy that gleamed in the Nine Springs Corpse King’s eye sockets.
She had not been chanting a mnemonic verse to reinforce the barrier. Astonishingly, she had been reaping the soul of the summoned Nine Springs Corpse King itself.
Even if you created it, the moment a soul takes residence within it!
“This skull is mine now.”
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