Myst, Might, Mayhem Chapter 498.4
Previously on Myst, Might, Mayhem...
Chapter 498.4 – Side Story 7 Part 2
Oblivion (2)
“Heavenly Demon!”
Biting her lip, the Golden Nine-Tailed Fox watched as the Heavenly Demon’s silhouette vanished through the lava cave's ceiling.
That colossal thunder earlier was just the beginning.
A sinister energy radiated in every direction, serving as a dark omen of what was to come.
‘The full eruption hasn't happened yet.’
Her instincts screamed at her.
The energy was being squeezed to its absolute limit, a terrifying silence before a world-shaking detonation.
Nothing else could explain why such a monstrous pressure was felt even in these subterranean depths.
“Kuhehehehe. It is finished. Nobody can halt it now.”
Hong Hae-a spoke with a twisted sense of triumph, even as he lay dying with his internal organs pulverized.
Suddenly, a figure sprinted toward his broken body.
It was his mother, the powerful spirit known as the Iron Fan Immortal.
“My son. Can you endure this?”
“Mother…”
“I will save you, no matter the cost.”
She believed that with the terrifying Heavenly Demon gone, this was their final window for escape.
However, she had failed to account for one remaining presence.
“You think you can just walk away after triggering this disaster?”
“Nine-Tailed…”
Jjeojeojeojeojeojeok!
“Mother!”
Hong Hae-a let out a ragged cry as he watched the Iron Fan Immortal rapidly transform into cold stone.
The Golden Nine-Tailed Fox had used her power to turn her into a killing stone. She looked down at the cursing Hong Hae-a with a look of pure contempt.
“You... Huu. You aren't for me to deal with, so you should prepare yourself for what's coming.”
Pat!
With those final words, the Golden Nine-Tailed Fox leaped through the opening the Heavenly Demon had carved in the ceiling.
Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwang!
The Heavenly Demon’s face was grim as he smashed through the earth, rising from the depths to the surface in an instant.
He immediately located Cheong-ryeong on the ground.
Relief washed over him to find her unharmed, but the danger was far from over.
In the distance, roughly thirty li away, a crimson sphere pulsed in the heavens, radiating a level of energy that defied comprehension.
Goooooooo!
‘It hasn't detonated yet. That is...’
The power was in a state of extreme compression.
The very fabric of space around the red orb was warping under the strain, sparking chaotic lightning.
It was on the brink of total collapse.
If the sphere was this visible from such a distance, the destruction it would cause if left unchecked was unimaginable.
It was shocking that a single treasure could hold such a concentrated, alien force.
Pachik! Pachik!
Suddenly,
The crimson glow flared with blinding intensity, signaling the final countdown.
The dying words of Hong Hae-a echoed in the Heavenly Demon’s mind.
[“The Kunlun Mirror… will explode… When the heat wave… covers the entire Central Plains… everyone will fall into oblivion.”]
[“What nonsense are you talking about, oblivion?”]
[“The flame of… the Kunlun Mirror… is the Samadhi True Fire of oblivion… It burns the memories in one’s mind.”]
If he was telling the truth, the explosion wouldn't just kill; it would trigger a catastrophe where everyone lost their memories—the ultimate regression into nothingness.
There was only one solution.
The Supreme Heavenly Demonic Sword, a blade capable of severing anything in existence.
But a critical obstacle remained.
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang!
In the blink of an eye, the blast began.
‘Not good!’
Even the Supreme Heavenly Demonic Sword required a specific range to be effective.
As the explosion bloomed, the Heavenly Demon watched the searing heat wave expand across the horizon with terrifying velocity.
It covered the thirty li gap in a heartbeat.
Schwaaaaaaaa!
‘No!’
His figure blurred into a streak of light.
Seureuk!
Utilizing god-like speed, he reached the ground and pulled Cheong-ryeong into his arms.
“Mortal!”
“Hold your breath!”
Paaaaaaaaak!
As he tore through space to outrun the shockwave, the Heavenly Demon felt the heat gaining on him. Not even he could maintain a speed that completely outstripped this blast indefinitely.
In that millisecond, his mind cycled through countless strategies until he found a single, desperate gamble.
Paaaaaaaaa!
While moving at his peak lightness skill, the Heavenly Demon extended his index finger behind him.
Then,
Paaaaaaaaak!
Ten jang behind them, the air collapsed into a single point. The incoming explosion was violently sucked into the vacuum.
‘Space Suppression Technique!’
This was a high-level art from the Eight Thought-Shattering Techniques.
It allowed him to crush four jang of space instantly, creating a gravitational well so powerful it could trap light itself.
“Mortal, what is this…”
“Trust me!”
Without pausing, the Heavenly Demon retrieved the artifact from Yeo Surin the Diviner. He slipped it onto his finger and traced a circle in the air.
The artifact hummed with power, and a thick gray mist began to billow out.
Ssssssss!
The mist formed a swirling vortex, opening a gateway to another location.
The destination was the main hall of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Ttak!
He shoved Cheong-ryeong through the portal.
“Mortal!”
Sensing his intent, Cheong-ryeong’s eyes welled with tears as she cried out.
“Mortal, what are you doing?”
“I will finish this shortly.”
He gave her a reassuring smile, but it was a mask for his grim resolve.
He was prepared to lose the very love he had just found to save the world.
Cheong-ryeong seemed to sense his tragic determination.
“No! Stop!”
She lunged forward to grab him, but the Heavenly Demon used his Qi to push her back, forcing her away from the closing mist gate.
Paaaang!
He sealed the gateway shut. Watching her desperate face vanish as the portal closed pained him deeply, but he could not let her face this doom.
Just as the gate vanished,
Jjeojeojeojeojeojeok!
The Heavenly Demon’s limbs locked up. His skin began to harden into cold stone.
‘!?’
He turned his head with great effort.
The Golden Nine-Tailed Fox was there, her fox bead pressed firmly against his spine.
“What are you doing?”
“I will take care of this.”
“You!”
Did she truly understand the consequences? To stop the Kunlun Mirror’s explosion, one had to fly into the heart of the Samadhi True Fire of oblivion.
An ordinary blast wouldn't kill beings of their level, but this fire would erase their very souls.
“Stop. This is…”
“You have memories you cannot afford to lose, don't you?”
The Heavenly Demon’s eyes wavered. He had been trying to circulate his demonic energy to resist the petrification, but her words struck home.
The Golden Nine-Tailed Fox smiled softly. “You don't need to sacrifice yourself. I'll do it.” She leaned in and embraced him, even as his body turned to stone up to his neck.
“In exchange, let me have this one favor. Ah, this feels wonderful.”
Though he was cold as rock, she looked as happy as if she were holding a warm, living person.
The Heavenly Demon’s expression softened with a complex emotion.
“I truly wished I could have been the one you cherished most. I mean that.”
Wuuuuung!
Behind them, the Space Suppression Technique began to fail.
The Golden Nine-Tailed Fox pulled away and gently stroked his cheek before the stone reached his face.
“Do not forget me.”
Jjeojeojeojeojeojeok!
The final image in the Heavenly Demon’s vision was her tearful, tender face.
Then, he was completely encased in the killing stone.
At that moment, the Golden Nine-Tailed Fox soared into the sky.
Paaaaaaang!
As the searing heat hit her, a memory from her past surfaced:
[“Dalgi, or rather, Golden Nine-Tailed Fox. One day, you will encounter a man who is the very essence of a demon.”]
[“A human? How can a mortal be a demon's embodiment? You said humans are neutral, neither truly good nor evil.”]
[“True. But even I cannot decipher every secret of the heavens.”]
[“Then why bother telling me something you don't fully grasp?”]
[“Seek him out. He is the one who will provide what you desire most.”]
[“…Give me what I want?”]
[“Yes.”]
[“How am I supposed to find him? Use those fancy heavenly secrets of yours and tell me.”]
[“I do not know.”]
[“Then the war continues.”]
[“…Must you persist?”]
[“You offered a deal to tell me what I wanted. You think I’ll stop based on vague riddles?”]
[“…”]
The prophet paused before speaking one last time.
[“All I can see regarding that man is a throne drenched in blood.”]
[“A blood-stained throne?”]
She had searched for ages for the man of that prophecy, and she was certain it was the Heavenly Demon. He was the one she had waited for her entire life.
Before they parted, Kang Sang, the prophet, had asked her:
[“Golden Nine-Tailed Fox. What is it that your heart truly desires?”]
[“What I want… It isn't much. It’s…”]
Jureuk!
A single tear fell as the explosion consumed her.
[“I want to be loved.”]
That was her only wish. She had been solitary her entire existence, never knowing true affection. She simply wanted a place to belong, someone to fill the void.
The prophecy was only half right. She had found love, but she wouldn't be by his side to enjoy it.
Still, she was at peace.
Because he would remember her forever.
‘That is enough, isn’t it?’
Schwaaaaaaaa!
Her form dissolved into the blinding light.
Jjeojeok!
Shortly after she vanished into the blast, cracks spider-webbed across the killing stone.
Dark flames erupted from within. The Heavenly Demon had circulated his black flames—the power of the Demon King—internally while the Fox Spirit Bead tried to seal him.
He forcibly shattered the seal from the inside.
He prepared to unleash the Supreme Heavenly Demonic Sword, but he froze.
Paaaaaaaaaaaa!
The energy of the explosion was receding.
The Golden Nine-Tailed Fox had successfully neutralized the Samadhi True Fire before it could wash over the Central Plains.
As the sky cleared, the Heavenly Demon tightened his fist until his knuckles turned white.
Kkwak!
He had been ready to do it himself. Why did she have to take his place?
He had been so cold to her. A heavy weight settled in his chest.
Then, he spotted a figure falling from the clouds. It was the Golden Nine-Tailed Fox, unconscious and clutching the petrified shards of the Kunlun Mirror.
Ttat!
He used his void-treading skill to intercept her in mid-air.
Ttak!
Even in her state of oblivion, her beauty was haunting.
[“Do not forget me.”]
Her final plea echoed in his mind. He had felt such agony at the thought of forgetting Cheong-ryeong; she must have felt the same when she chose to save him.
His sorrowful gaze suddenly turned into a look of absolute fury.
“Damn it.”
Down in the lava cave, Hong Hae-a stared at the ceiling in disbelief.
His plan to reset the world via memory loss had failed. The fact that the fire dissipated so quickly meant the "oblivion" would only be localized and temporary.
At most, people might lose a few years of memory.
“So... I have lost?”
He had hoped for mutual annihilation at the very least. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
Suddenly, a shadow descended through the hole in the ceiling.
Hong Hae-a’s eyes bulged with terror.
It was the Heavenly Demon.
Swish!
A primal chill ran down Hong Hae-a’s spine. The killing intent radiating from the man was so dense it felt like his skin was being flayed alive.
The Heavenly Demon landed before him and spoke in a voice like ice.
“I give you my word.”
“What?”
“You will endure an eternity of torment, trapped between life and death. We shall begin with the agony of losing your own blood.”
“W-wait…”
Kwadeudeudeuk!
Before he could beg for mercy, the Heavenly Demon reached out.
Right before Hong Hae-a’s eyes, the Heavenly Demon pulverized the head of the Iron Fan Immortal, who was still trapped in stone.
“Noooooooooo!”