Chapter 384

Chapter 384
## Chapter 384: Breaking the Seal

‘Ah.’

The Heavenly Demon felt a surge of absolute certainty.

This was the exact pinnacle he had always envisioned in his grandest ambitions.

He had moved past the boundaries of mortality, ascended beyond the legends of old, and finally stepped into the terrifying territory of the Devil God.

This was the condition of Soul Seizure, a state that made the Extreme Demon look like child’s play by comparison.

By abandoning his physical constraints and shedding his worldly shape, he had ascended to divinity.

A true Devil God.

‘Only in cessation is there perfection.’

He realized there was no revelation more profound than this.

To him, death was the ultimate deliverance.

‘I shall provide salvation to this existence.’

The Devil God made the choice to redeem the world.

Consequently, he resolved to bring everything under his absolute dominion.

He would demolish every established structure and rebuild the universe from scratch.

Through sheer force of will, the Devil God shifted into a new, terrifying manifestation.

Zzjeok—

The Devil God Blade merged into his torso, and in its place, massive blades erupted from both of his forearms.

They were twin swords of total annihilation.

Blades capable of slaughtering and expunging everything within their reach.

Infused with the essence of the Heavenly Demon Blade and the sovereign rank of a Devil God, these were absolute divine weapons that defied all classification!

Zzeoeok—!

To facilitate the use of these weapons, his physical form expanded into a more monstrous shape, fueled by the energy of countless spirits.

His eyes darkened into pits of nothingness, yet golden ripples pulsed within those hollow sockets.

“…… Mesmerizing.”

He had been reborn as a deity of slaughter.

He no longer drew power from the living; he was animated by the sheer force of souls.

He would remain eternal until the reservoir of spirits he had consumed was completely drained.

In this state, he was invincible.

More than that, he was the entity destined to dismantle reality and crush the firmament.

It marked the arrival of the Heaven-Shattering Devil God.

Ugeujeok—

Zzip! Zzip!

“……?”

It happened at that precise moment.

A sudden, visceral sound of consumption echoed from behind him.

Caught in the throes of his continuous evolution, he hadn’t sensed it.

He hadn’t considered the possibility.

The idea that the wretch could still be breathing.

‘Bizarre. His life should have been extinguished.’

At a velocity that bypassed human perception, something had struck, lopping off his left arm.

The suffocating miasma of the abyss and the necrotic energy should have rotted him to the core instantly.

It was a sentence of unavoidable doom for any creature of flesh and blood.

“……?”

As he turned his gaze toward the adversary, the sight was even more preposterous.

The Primordial Heavenly Demon was actively shredding and consuming the Devil God’s own severed left limb.

Had the shadow of death finally driven him into a state of psychosis?

The action was entirely devoid of logic.

Gulp!

After swallowing the last morsel, the Primordial Heavenly Demon grinned with that same irritating, mocking expression.

“That’s one.”

What did he mean by ‘one’?

“Only twelve more.”

Sseueueueu!

As the words left his lips, the Primordial Heavenly Demon’s own left arm began to reform.

The speed of his recovery was so unnatural it bordered on the farcical.

It was possible that this bizarre healing factor was the only reason he hadn’t succumbed to death yet.

Regardless, the final outcome would remain the same.

The man hadn’t even been able to track the Devil God’s speed prior to the transformation; contending with the Heaven-Shattering Devil God was a feat beyond even the Sunken Emperor or the legendary Whale of India.

The Heaven-Shattering Devil God parted his lips.

“Time to perish.”

He was done enduring the nonsensical babbling of his opponent.

The Heaven-Shattering Devil God shifted his weight.

Hwok—

Closing the distance instantly, the Heaven-Shattering Devil God swung a lethal arc aimed directly at the Primordial Heavenly Demon’s throat.

Once the head was detached, no amount of regeneration would save him.

Chaeeeng—!

However, a jarring, metallic ring resonated through the air.

The unmistakable clash of steel meeting steel.

It meant the opponent had actually reacted to his movement.

“‘Dexterity’ certainly makes the hand reach further.”

……?

The man was still muttering gibberish.

Was he implying that the regeneration of his arm had somehow bolstered the function of a trait called ‘Dexterity’?

It was irrelevant in the long run.

Still, the presence of that ‘sword’ was an unexpected variable.

Even if it was a blade said to dictate the threads of destiny, for it to hold against the Devil God’s strike…

“Is that weapon ‘Specification-Exceeding’?”

If that were the case, it shared the same anomalous tier as himself.

A rank that had discarded the laws of the natural world.

Entities that shouldn’t exist by the rules of reality are labeled as ‘Specification-Exceeding’.

As their blades remained locked in a stalemate, the Devil God questioned him, but the Primordial Heavenly Demon simply gave a casual shrug.

“I am the one who is ‘Specification-Exceeding’.”

It wasn’t the clarification he was looking for.

“You are a pathetic joker.”

Truly, the man was absurd.

Never before had he encountered a being that referred to itself as ‘Specification-Exceeding’.

Kwarreurung!

The Heaven-Shattering Devil God activated the Stride of Dominion.

The footsteps of a god, far surpassing the mortal version of the Heavenly Demon’s Stride of Dominion.

Nearby peaks crumbled, and the very foundation of the abyss began to disintegrate.

His goal was to overwhelm the man with raw pressure and reduce him to atoms.

A single lapse in balance would result in the man’s immediate erasure.

In truth, balance didn’t even matter.

“… Such immense power.”

In a direct clash of physical might, the wretch had no hope of winning.

Slowly but surely, the Primordial Heavenly Demon’s own defense was being forced back against his own neck.

Crimson droplets began to bead where the blade pressed into his skin.

And yet, the Devil God hadn’t even tapped into his full reserve.

He was utilizing a mere 10% of his capability.

The Devil God was simply waiting for the moment the man would grovel for mercy.

Escape was no longer an option.

“…… Now, that’s two.”

“What is this counting you keep doing?”

“‘All Master’ is functioning perfectly.”

More nonsensical words.

But the moment he finished speaking.

Hwok!

The Primordial Heavenly Demon’s silhouette blurred and vanished.

He reappeared nearly fifty paces away from the point of impact.

…… But the Devil God had seen it.

He had tracked the movement clearly.

The issue was the sheer, explosive acceleration that had defied his calculations.

Upon their initial clash, the Devil God had gathered all the biological data of the Primordial Heavenly Demon.

He had been certain the man could never win, nor could he ever step out from the Devil God’s shadow.

The man had seemed insignificant by comparison.

But in a heartbeat, those biological parameters had shifted.

And the increase was staggeringly vast.

This was the second occurrence.

“Parrying my strike was no stroke of luck, then.”

The first time could be dismissed as a fluke, but a second time indicated a pattern of certainty.

‘…… How intriguing.’

The conflict had suddenly become somewhat entertaining.

He had been feeling a sense of letdown due to the massive gap in their power.

He had intended to play with him like a trapped bug before finally squeezing the life out of him.

“Are you undoing a seal?”

The man was clearly breaking through some form of internal restraint.

The counts he had been whispering.

—That’s two.

That implied the second layer of the seal had been breached.

How many more layers were there?

Did his power spike with every broken chain?

Hoo-woong!

The Devil God channeled more of his essence.

He was genuinely curious to see how long the man could survive against him.

The Primordial Heavenly Demon took note of the change.

‘He’s actually quite impressive.’

The strength of the Heavenly Demon who had achieved the state of a Devil God was legitimate.

He had cast off his facade and become a literal deity.

In his current form, the Primordial Heavenly Demon knew he couldn’t win a direct fight.

However—

That assessment only applied to his ‘present’ condition.

‘Utilizing the feather steeped in the Blue Bird’s authority, I will demolish the barriers of the originals.’

This was a feat only the Primordial Heavenly Demon could attempt.

He planned to wreck the ’13 walls’ buried deep within Park Hyunmyeong.

Since ‘the Martial God Wilhelm’ didn’t serve as a key, there was no reason to touch it.

He was focused on the thirteen besides that one.

He intended to shatter the thirteen keys known as the original Hidden Traits and refashion them.

Randolph had previously destroyed and reconstructed them.

He had internalized them fully, stripping away their inherent limiters.

Park Hyunmyeong, however, was different.

Park Hyunmyeong’s physical vessel was still constrained by these boundaries.

‘A single soul inhabiting two forms. Even the keys serve distinct functions.’

The Primordial Heavenly Demon was fascinated.

The curiosity was so intense it was almost maddening.

Remarkably, the ‘keys’ belonging to Park Hyunmyeong and Randolph were functioning on independent tracks.

Their intended purposes were fundamentally different.

Randolph’s keys, for instance, were designed to unlock the ‘Gate of Heaven’.

As Randolph transitioned into the ‘End’, the utility of those keys became obvious.

But.

‘The objective of the keys within Park Hyunmyeong remains a mystery.’

The 13 original Hidden Traits tied to Park Hyunmyeong.

The ultimate destination they pointed toward was something even the Primordial Heavenly Demon couldn’t identify.

They were identical to Randolph’s in name, yet divergent in nature.

What was the reason for their existence?

He was determined to uncover the answer.

‘Dexterity, All Master.’

The power residing in the Blue Bird’s feather was potent enough that two barriers had already fallen.

Eleven remained.

‘Golden Grace, Giant’s Magic Resistance.’

Four walls were now gone.

The count of remaining barriers dropped to nine.

‘Mutant, Great Sage, Oblivion.’

The pace of destruction began to quicken.

It was the expected outcome, given the infusion of the Blue Bird’s authority.

Only the Primordial Heavenly Demon possessed the skill to wield that power in such a way.

He was set on shattering every one of Park Hyunmyeong’s constraints and every shackle on his power.

‘Beast Lord, Glutton, Heart of the Iron-Blooded Lord, Weapon Master.’

Suddenly, only two were left standing.

The Hidden Traits that maintained their primal essence.

‘Druid of the Golden Rule……’

His progress was halted by one of them: ‘Druid of the Golden Rule’.

A manifestation that had evolved the original trait to its ultimate peak.

Because that specific barrier existed on a plane far beyond the other Hidden Traits, it was only natural that breaking it would require more effort.

Yet, despite the passage of time, the Blue Bird’s authority failed to pierce it.

‘Is this as far as it goes?’

Was he to be content with breaking only eleven?

He had honored the terms of the deal to a significant degree.

Even at this level, a massive portion of the internal limiters should have dissolved.

But…… a stubborn streak of competitiveness flared within him.

‘A barrier that even the Blue Bird’s power cannot bypass.’

Of course, it was merely a single feather carrying that authority.

The Primordial Heavenly Demon had only tweaked it to force the Hidden Traits into a hostile state.

There were bound to be limits.

But knowing the Blue Bird as he did, he recognized the sheer absurdity of reaching this far.

The Primordial Heavenly Demon rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Then, he made a choice.

‘I’ll have to finish this myself.’

He would break it with his own hands.

He was a being who transcended even the Blue Bird.

What was impossible for the bird was well within his reach.

The Primordial Heavenly Demon projected his consciousness into Park Hyunmyeong’s ‘gate’.

And there, he saw it.

Hwaaaaaah!

A dragon composed of the swirling, immense tides of the Golden Rule.

At this sight, the Primordial Heavenly Demon could only express awe.

To have refined a Hidden Trait into such a magnificent entity.

“So, you are the Primal World Tree.”

The Primal World Tree had established its roots deep within Park Hyunmyeong.

It was a deity in its own right.

A god standing guard over Park Hyunmyeong’s spirit.

‘That explains why my previous attempts at intrusion failed.’

He let out a soft, knowing chuckle.

It was no wonder he couldn’t exert any control from the outside.

He never suspected such a formidable presence was shielding Park Hyunmyeong’s soul.

However, this was the domain of spirits.

Park Hyunmyeong himself had unsealed the gate, and since he had already gained entry, it was far too late to repel his presence.

The Primordial Heavenly Demon unleashed his true status.

In an instant, the scale of his soul expanded into something grotesque and overwhelming.

—Groooooaaar.

The dragon of the Golden Rule let out a piercing cry.

Nevertheless, it refused to submit.

It held its ground against the sheer spiritual pressure radiating from the Primordial Heavenly Demon.

‘Far more impressive than the trash from the Heavens.’

This Golden Rule dragon.

It was truly a sublime creature.

Had he not entered the gate, he could never have forced his way in, no matter the method.

Even the Blue Bird in its full glory would have been blocked.

“You should blame your master for granting me access.”

But he was already inside.

And once inside, his triumph was guaranteed.

This was the defining trait that made him incomparable to a mere fragment of the Blue Bird’s power.

To think that the Heavens themselves had sealed him and kept him under watch.

The two forces clashed for what felt like an eternity in the spiritual realm.

How much time had passed in that struggle?

Kurururreureung!

Finally, the barrier gave way.

The dragon of the Golden Rule had been defeated.

‘The final key.’

All that stood between him and total release was the 13th Hidden Trait.

He had a vague idea of what it might be.

‘Heavenly Being.’

A Hidden Trait that carried the very title of the divine.

He had no way of knowing what shape it would take.

The Primordial Heavenly Demon stepped forward.

Soon, a final wall loomed before him.

‘A cadaver?’

But positioned in front of the wall was a figure slumped over like a lifeless shell.

And it was the spirit of a supreme master.

The moment his eyes fell upon it, he knew he was looking at a monster of cosmic proportions.

‘The Blood Fiend King.’

…… It was indeed the remains of the Blood Fiend King.

This individual was one of the legendary demons who had once walked the earth.

Had he attempted to breach this final wall only to meet his end?

The Primordial Heavenly Demon looked upward.

And then.

Sseuk.

Upon the surface of the wall, a massive, solitary eye and a mouth manifested.

The eye fixed its gaze on the Primordial Heavenly Demon.

And the mouth.

Heh-jjuk!

Curled into a grin, as if finding the situation amusing.

The Primordial Heavenly Demon, however, did not return the smile.

Instead, his face went cold and rigid.

“…… What are you doing here?”