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chapter 78
“No… way!”
For the first time, desperation flashed across Director Jung’s eyes.
The Gingoa was the medium that connected him to the Netherworld Wind Emperor.
And as nothing more than a soul, it was also the device that allowed him to freely control a dead body.
If he lost it, not only would he no longer be able to receive the yin energy of the Wind Emperor, but he would also lose control over his physical vessel.
What would follow… he didn’t even want to imagine.
Bang!
Jung’s palm, wrapped in sulfurous flames, slammed into Lee Hyun’s abdomen.
But then—
[The Collar of the Dokkebi shakes.]
The blow wasn’t strong enough to pierce through the Thunder Armor layered over his Dokgak-gwi set.
Lee Hyun simply absorbed the shockwave, floated lightly in the air, twisted his body, and landed.
He was holding the Gingoa in one hand, smiling coldly.
At that moment, Jung felt something inside his mind snap.
“I’ll kill yo—urk!”
The instant he tried to rush Lee Hyun—
[You forcibly pull your target closer using Ghastly Pressure (A)!]
A violent gale whipped around. An unseen hand grabbed Jung and dragged him straight toward Lee Hyun.
He frantically tried to regain balance mid-air, but—
Flash!
Lee Hyun was already dashing forward, axe blade raised.
‘No…!’
Slash!
Do-cheol’s fangs tore savagely beneath Jung’s jaw.
His grotesquely twisted face flew into the air—
Thud!
—and his severed head rolled helplessly across the ground.
Crash!
His emaciated body collapsed and melted away where it fell.
The corpse had been overused to the point it couldn’t hold any semblance of life force anymore.
“……!”
“……!”
“……!!”
Everyone who witnessed the scene stood frozen, jaws agape.
The high-ranker said to represent Korea and embody White Burn—
Jung Gyu-han—
was truly dead.
Ssshh…
[All sudden events have ended.]
The sulfur legion dissolved into smoke and vanished.
「Finally, I can rest…」
「Ahh. Thank you… truly…」
Their lingering words faded away.
“Ahh…”
“It’s really over.”
“Damn. Yeah. I knew it would end like this.”
Relief washed over the faces of both Team A and Team Z.
“Captain Jang!”
Lim Won-young ran over in joy.
The very culprit who had once forced him to part with his parents and grandmother was finally gone.
But then—
“Team Leader Lim, could I borrow the Sainchamsa Sword for a moment?”
Lee Hyun still stared coldly at Jung’s severed head, as if the fight wasn’t yet over.
Before Lim could ask why—
[The Wind Emperor attempts to manifest anew in the mortal realm, sacrificing his Apostle’s last remaining soul.]
[The Wind Emperor uses his lingering myth in this world to reveal his will once more!]
Rumble!
Suddenly, dry lightning struck Jung’s head from the sky.
“…!?”
Two Jangsanbeom beasts leapt to protect Lim Won-young.
Clatter.
“How unpleasant. So this is what dying feels like.”
The twisted face of Jung’s head contorted again—
but the voice and aura were no longer his.
“How do mortals live carrying such sensations?”
Jung’s severed head floated mid-air.
At once, the air around them thickened—sticky, suffocating, and chilling just to breathe.
“Humans live exactly like that. They constantly reflect and train themselves in the process.”
Lee Hyun replied coldly, as if unaffected.
The Wind Emperor, wearing Jung’s visage, chuckled.
“Is that so? Meaningless antics. At best, the pitiful thrashing of insects.”
“Oh? And why would the mighty god of the Netherworld descend in person after losing even your Apostle? Did you come all the way here just to preach to us insects?”
His tone was razor sharp with mockery.
The Wind Emperor’s brow furrowed.
“You… so insolent. Were this the Netherworld, I would have ripped your mouth apart countless times and thrown you into Avici Hell.”
Then he sneered, curling his lip.
“But arrogance backed by strength has its own charm. No wonder Thunder God spoke of you with such fervor. So this is why.”
Lim Won-young sensed that the Wind Emperor genuinely admired Lee Hyun.
But he couldn’t understand it.
The Thunder God was a descendant of the Dragon of Storms.
Which meant that both he and the Wind Emperor had lost their Apostles to Lee Hyun.
Why then did they seem to like him rather than hate him?
Was there something more he didn’t know?
“Enough talk. Place the Gingoa on your head. Then we—”
Just then, Lee Hyun subtly flicked his fingers.
He seemed to be asking for something.
At once, Lim recalled him earlier requesting to borrow the Sainchamsa Sword.
“Everyone is very interested in you. Just now, the Heavenly Sect has resolved—with the Supreme God’s approval—that if you…”
Before he could finish—
The moment Lee Hyun received the sword, he poured every drop of mana into it and hurled it.
The blade embedded itself deep into the Wind Emperor’s left eye.
Crack!!
“…!?”
As shock widened his eye, Lee Hyun grinned.
“Charged with pure yang energy, amplified with thunder—it should taste pretty good.”
Before the Wind Emperor could respond—
[The fury of the Dokkebi reaches its peak!]
KRRRRR-BOOM!!
The sword detonated with an intense thunderous blast, obliterating the head entirely.
Drip—
“……”
“……”
“……”
All the hunters, including Lim Won-young, stood dumbstruck.
Was this… even allowed?
Every eye turned to Lee Hyun in disbelief.
But he simply dusted off his hands with satisfaction.
Thunk!
The sword fell quietly, embedding itself in the ground.
[The Wind Emperor’s will is forcibly terminated.]
[To you, who have humiliated him, the Wind Emperor—]
The message cut off there.
A desolate wind blew past.
“…Are we really okay after this?”
Lim glanced nervously up at the sky, half expecting divine punishment.
Fortunately, no lightning fell this time.
“We shouldn’t be, technically. He came here intending to scout me, after all.”
“Scout…?”
Lim’s eyes widened.
“I’m about this capable. You wouldn’t want to let talent like me slip away, right?”
Lee Hyun joked lightly.
“Pfft.”
Lim chuckled despite himself—
then smiled brightly.
“Of course. That’s why Captain Jang is with us, isn’t it?”
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
A festival of mockery was underway.
「Puheheheh! Did you see that, junior disciple? That pompous bastard got skewered in the eye like a fool!」
「Kakakaka! It feels like downing a whole jar of soda at once!」
Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing were rolling on the ground, clutching their stomachs in laughter.
To them, it was deeply satisfying.
The envoy of the Jade Emperor—no doubt some heavenly scout—had been utterly humiliated by the very mortal he had mocked.
What’s more, the Sainchamsa Sword was a treasure imbued with pure yang energy. Combined with the Dokkebi’s wrath, the yang force had been maximized—
Even the Wind Emperor’s true form must have suffered. Likely even bore a scar around his eye.
「Ah, what a shame I couldn’t see his face myself!」
Sun Wukong smirked.
He could guess what the Wind Emperor had been about to propose to Lee Hyun.
‘Most likely, the Heavenly Sect planned to support him fully, urging him to reveal anything related to me. Typical of them.’
Their logic was predictable.
‘Even if he had no connection, they’d still want to recruit such talent and nurture him.’
The Heavenly Sect probably didn’t view Lee Hyun as a threat.
After all, during the battle with Jung, he hadn’t revealed any of Sun Wukong’s legacy.
Sure, he used the Golden Eye, but eye-related powers were plentiful.
The bracelet-form staff didn’t scream Ruyi Jingu Bang either.
Nor had he shown any of Wukong’s 72 transformations or shape-shifting arts.
‘Though some of his moves resemble gambling-style techniques, none of them could recognize that.’
So, the Heavenly Sect likely deemed Lee Hyun simply a “promising talent.”
His records etched into celestial tablets, Thunder God’s affection, and his defiance even before the Wind Emperor—all of it painted him as worthy.
‘Were they planning to groom him into a war god?’
But instead, he outright rejected them.
‘No, more than rejected—he stabbed them and twisted the blade.’
The entire Heavenly Sect, not just the Wind Emperor, must be seething in rage.
To them, it was the deepest humiliation.
‘They’ll hound that brat endlessly from now on.’
Wukong gazed at Lee Hyun with strange eyes.
Given his own enmity with the Jade Emperor, it was natural.
Still, such an offer could have shaken anyone. Yet Lee Hyun hadn’t hesitated in the slightest.
‘Had he sold me or the junior to the Heavenly Sect, his path would have been paved. Perhaps even opened a road to immortality.’
And Lee Hyun was shrewd enough to know this.
Yet he remained unshaken, his heart unyielding.
At this point, even Sun Wukong had no choice but to acknowledge him.
「Kakaka. Finally decided to admit it?」
The junior disciple, as if reading his thoughts, asked slyly.
Wukong snorted, arms crossed.
「Am I not witnessing his absolute loyalty to this elder? As a god, I must answer such devotion in kind!」
「If keeping that duty is too much, you could always pass it to this disciple, you know?」
At that, Sha Wujing’s face soured.
Why was Wukong so reluctant to admit things?
Would it kill him just to be honest for once?
Did he think revealing his true feelings meant losing?
「Cough! Don’t you dare touch what I’ve marked as mine!」
「Or I could just go ahead and hold an Apostle ceremony right now—whoops!」
Sha Wujing leapt back as Wukong lunged furiously.
The monkey’s eyes blazed.
「Seems today you’ll end up like that Wind bastard, so your respect for me can finally grow again!」
「Respect? I never had any for you, Senior Brother.」
「Then I’ll rip that mouth of yours open!」
「Already split, isn’t it?」
「Kaaaahhh!!」
Wukong could hardly resist the urge to “fix” Sha Wujing’s insolent mouth.
「Hah. Always so dishonest. Would it hurt to just give him some praise? What, your butt going to turn red? Ah, though monkey butts are red, aren’t they?」
Of course, Sha Wujing had no intention of losing.
And so, chased by Wukong’s fury, he fled—
yet again sparking one of their chaotic chases.
