Chapter 245

[Translator - Kiteretsu][Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 245

The demonic beasts surged endlessly.

Dokgo Jun relentlessly hunted them down.

‘There are truly so many of them.’

Compared to ten years ago, their numbers were incomparable.

Although they were far below his level, for the cult disciples, they were formidable opponents.

It was against such demonic beasts that the Heavenly Demon Cult had endured.

‘I’m sorry.’

Dokgo Jun silently offered his apology to them.

His martial arts—more specifically, his obsession with mastering the Heavenly Demon Divine Art—had led him to neglect the cult under the pretense of closed-door training for ten years, a decision he deeply regretted.

If only he hadn’t fixated on the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

‘The Elder Mok Jin-Woon of the Demon Sword Division would still be alive.’

To still call himself the Heavenly Demon after leaving the cult in such a state—it was laughable.

“Cult Leader! Let us assist you!”

Behind Dokgo Jun, ordinary disciples brandished their swords, fighting against the demonic beasts.

“Very well. Your efforts are appreciated.”

Dokgo Jun let out a faint smile and stepped forward with the Heavenly Demon’s Dominating Footwork.

Wherever he passed, the demonic beasts fell to the ground, lifeless.

Time flowed as he continued. Eventually, a familiar face appeared.

“I apologize for being late. Are you unharmed?”

A young man approached Dokgo Jun without him noticing.

It was his disciple, Jeong-hoon, to whom he had passed down the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

“It’s fine. It’s been a while since I moved so much, so my body aches.”

Dokgo Jun rubbed his back, groaning in pain.

Seeing this, Jeong-hoon burst out laughing as if it was absurd.

“For someone in pain, you look remarkably unscathed.”

“Do I now?”

Dokgo Jun chuckled weakly.

“……It’s your heart that seems to have taken the real blow.”

He had hit the mark.

Dokgo Jun gazed at the exhausted, collapsed disciples and murmured.

“It's just…… I can’t help but regret it. I’ve made an irreversible mistake.”

“It’s all right. Master, you did your best.”

“Hmph, are you trying to comfort me?”

“It’s not comfort—it’s the truth.”

It wasn’t mere flattery.

Even as a chess piece, he had passed on the Dark King’s Fist Technique to users.

In his previous life, it was to Yi Hwarang. Now, it was to Jeong-hoon.

Though the dimension was already destroyed, he had taken the Heavenly Demon Divine Art a step further by passing it down again.

The past couldn’t be undone, but he had done his best to ensure the future generations could finish the game.

“Ha ha, thank you.”

“Oh, and the Young Cult Leader and the elders are safe.”

As Jeong-hoon said, the Young Cult Leader and elders could be seen running toward them in the distance.

Since their movement techniques were far inferior to the True Heavenly Demon Lord's Step, their arrival had been delayed.

"Did you save them?"

"Yes."

If Jeong-hoon had been even slightly late, they would have been annihilated by the black wraiths.

In essence, he had saved them.

"Thank you."

Dokgo Jun sincerely expressed his gratitude to Jeong-hoon.

"It’s nothing."

"Leader! You’ve come!"

The second to arrive was Dokgo Mujin, the Young Cult Leader, who immediately knelt before him in urgency.

Dokgo Mujin was Dokgo Jun’s adopted son.

When Dokgo Jun had gone into hiding in the martial world, he brought back a gifted child and adopted him—just as someone had once done for him.

However, Dokgo Mujin fell short of Dokgo Jun in mastering the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Whenever an easier path presented itself, he would always choose it, no matter the cost.

Thus, he couldn’t understand Dokgo Jun’s decision to enter closed-door training.

"You fool!"

Dokgo Jun reprimanded him with a fierce expression.

"……."

Dokgo Mujin lowered his head, not daring to look up.

He had failed to protect the Heavenly Demon Cult in Dokgo Jun’s absence, despite being entrusted with that responsibility.

Worse, in his desire for power, he had led the elders to a graveyard, leaving the cult defenseless and under the protection of mere disciples.

In short, everything was in disarray.

"If I were to act on my feelings, I’d tear you apart and kill you! But since I’ve made my own mistakes, I can’t do that."

One by one, the elders began to arrive.

"Leader!"

"We greet the heavens!"

As was customary for the cult, the elders addressed Dokgo Jun as the heavens.

Dokgo Jun waved them off dismissively.

"All of you, stand up."

"Yes."

At his command, the elders, including Dokgo Mujin, raised their heads.

"Apologies for being late."

Dokgo Jun met their gaze and offered an apology.

The elders, startled, quickly bowed their heads again.

"Not at all!"

"Please don’t say such things!"

"It was our duty to protect the cult in your absence, and we failed. We are deeply ashamed."

Dokgo Jun shook his head. Sёarch* The NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"It’s fine. What matters now is eradicating the remaining demonic beasts. Lend me your strength."

"Of course!"

"We’ll begin the hunt immediately!"

***

With the Young Cult Leader and the elders joining in, the extermination of the demonic beasts became significantly easier.

Jeong-hoon entered the dungeon and destroyed it, leading to a rapid decline in the number of demonic beasts.

"Leader."

When the extermination was nearly complete, Dokgo Mujin cautiously approached Dokgo Jun.

"What is it?"

Dokgo Jun responded without even glancing at him.

"…Do you know about the Heavenly Demon’s Legacy?"

"The Heavenly Demon’s Legacy?"

At that, Dokgo Jun’s gaze turned to Dokgo Mujin, who, uncharacteristic of a Young Cult Leader, hesitated and fidgeted under his scrutiny.

"Yes… Actually, I led the elders to search for that legacy."

"And?"

"…Pardon?"

"Did you find it?"

"Ah, yes. We did find it, but…"

Dokgo Mujin began recounting what had transpired at the grave in detail.

After hearing the entire story, Dokgo Jun tilted his head as if it had nothing to do with him.

"So, why are you telling me this?"

"…Pardon? I mean, it’s the Heavenly Demon’s Legacy. Shouldn’t it rightfully belong to you, Leader?"

"The Heavenly Demon already took it, didn’t he?"

"…"

"He’s surpassed me. If there’s a legacy, it’s only natural to pass it on to him."

Dokgo Mujin clenched his fists tightly.

It was the Heavenly Demon’s Legacy, after all.

The thought of handing it over so easily to someone he had never seen before was unbearable.

"We have a different perspective. If you were to claim that legacy, Leader, you could surpass the Heavenly Demon who came from another world."

"Conversely, if someone stronger than me takes it, they’ll grow even more powerful, won’t they?"

"…What?"

"Actually, it’s better this way since it can further strengthen him."

"…"

"If you’re so opposed to it, take it from him yourself. I have no interest."

"L-Leader?!"

Just then, Jeong-hoon returned after destroying the dungeon.

"Perfect timing. There he comes."

Dokgo Jun added calmly, watching Jeong-hoon approach.

Dokgo Mujin’s face paled as if drained of all color.

***

This bastard…

Having listened to the entire story, Jeong-hoon glared at Dokgo Mujin.

Unable to withstand the intensity of the gaze, Dokgo Mujin hurriedly fled the scene.

"I’ll apologize on his behalf. Please forgive him just this once."

"…Fine."

Jeong-hoon glanced at the notification above his head.

[You have completed the quest.]

[You have finished all quests in The Path to the Ultimate (1).]

[You have gained 5% of the Ultimate Energy.]

It was done.

The final quest of The Path to the Ultimate (1) required clearing 30 dungeons around the Heavenly Demon Cult.

By completing it, Jeong-hoon had gained 5% of the Ultimate Energy.

At this rate, gathering 100% isn’t impossible.

The Ultimate Energy obtained from Solo had been a significant boost.

[Episode: Heavenly Demon Cult has been fully completed.]

And with that, the episode had been wrapped up as well.

It was time to return.

"Are you leaving?"

Dokgo Jun asked.

"Yes, I’m planning to head back."

"…Thank you, truly, for all your help."

"I will keep my promise."

To protect the world.

The world Dokgo Jun resided in was effectively destroyed, but Earth was still hanging on.

"I’ll leave it to you."

"…Take care."

Jeong-hoon stepped through the portal and left.

"Take care, huh… if only it were that simple."

Dokgo Jun smiled bitterly.

RUMBLE—

Suddenly, the ground trembled, and a familiar figure emerged.

"Been a while. Did you miss me?"

The Overlord-class Transcendent.

Bulang.

With Jeong-hoon returning to his original world, Bulang was now free to intervene again.

"Persistent as ever, aren’t you?"

Dokgo Jun looked up at him with a weary expression.

Bulang grinned.

"I’ve been ordered to use you as a pawn."

"That’s unfortunate. That’s not going to happen."

Dokgo Jun assumed the stance of the Heavenly Demon Lord's Step.

***

Back at home, Jeong-hoon retrieved the Heavenly Demon Hui’s Legacy from his inventory.

It was time to examine the legacy.

[The Completion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art]

As he flipped through the pages, the bold title caught his eye.

The Completion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art…

"Does this help complete the art?"

Jeong-hoon’s True Heavenly Demon Fist was currently in 3 forms.

Beyond that, it felt as though a lock prevented further progress.

If there were prerequisites to advance beyond this point, the legacy might hold the answer.

[The mnemonic to achieve the end of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is inscribed here.]

His guess was correct.

The legacy left behind by the Heavenly Demon Hui contained the completion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

No wonder Dokgo Mujin was so desperate for it.

Dokgo Jun had created the Underworld King’s Fist in his quest to complete the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

However, the Underworld King Fist was fundamentally different from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Even if combined, it was inevitable that it would reach a limit.

But this changes everything.

The legacy was filled with the precise mnemonics for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

With these mnemonics, Jeong-hoon could aim for realms beyond its 4th form.

He immediately stood up and began following the mnemonics written in the legacy.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Art he learned from Dokgo Jun differed slightly from this one.

As he practiced, Steadfast Will responded.

[Martial Artist-exclusive skill, "Steadfast Will", has been activated.]

[You have acquired the skill "Heavenly Demon Divine Art 4th form (Legendary)".]

[Steadfast Will has fused "Underworld King Fist (4th form)" with "Heavenly Demon Divine Art (4th form)".]

[You have acquired "True Heavenly Demon Fist (4th form)".]

The seemingly impenetrable wall of the 4th form Heavenly Demon Fist had crumbled in an instant.

A smile tugged at Jeong-hoon's lips.

“This is incredible.”

But the excitement was short-lived.

Though he had easily broken through to the 5th form level of the Heavenly Demon Fist, advancing to 6th form proved to be a different story.

“I need enlightenment.”

Beyond the 6th form level, it was no longer just about the body but also the mind.

Unfortunately, there were no instructions regarding the mind in the legacy.

For now, it seemed impossible to break through further.

Jeong-hoon set aside his training and pulled out his smartphone to call Ha-jin.

The call connected before the second ring.

[“Hello? Jeong-hoon! Are you done with your business?”]

Ha-jin’s voice was filled with excitement.

“Huh? Did something good happen?”

[“Haha, you’re quick to notice, as always.”]

“What is it?”

[“Jeong-hoon! Don’t freak out. The video we uploaded has already surpassed one billion views!”]

“Whoa, really?”

That was astonishing.

It hadn’t been long since the video went live, and it had already crossed a billion views.

At this rate, hitting two or three billion wouldn’t take long.

[“And that’s not all. We got an email.”]

“An ad offer?”

Given HoneyTube's unprecedented growth, countless advertising inquiries were likely flooding in.

However, Ha-jin’s response took Jeong-hoon by surprise.

[“No! It’s even bigger than that!”]

“What is it?”

[“You know James Marcus, right?”]

“Yeah.”

How could he not?

The name of that detestable bastard coming out of Ha-jin’s mouth was unexpected.

[“James Marcus says he really wants to meet us!”]

“Oh, really?”

Jeong-hoon’s smile twisted slightly.

He hadn’t expected to hear from him again, though he wasn’t entirely surprised.

Since the dawn of reality merging, James Marcus had slowly been gathering allies.

“I want to end this game.”

Even Jeong-hoon had once been swayed by those words.

This marked Marcus’s second attempt to approach him.

The first was before his regression.

And now, the second, in this timeline.

[“What should we do? Should we meet him? It might be worth it.”]

Ha-jin, a die-hard fan of the New World League, especially idolized James Marcus. It was no coincidence he had chosen to play a warrior; Marcus himself was one.

“Yeah. Let’s meet him.”

[“Really?!”]

“Yeah. Let’s gather at Dae-hwi hyung’s place first.”

[“Got it!”]

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]