## Chapter 1433 – Salvation
“ㅡ!!!!”
The bursting, furious rage was Lich’s raw emotion, entirely free of falsehood and madness. This torrent of feeling surely stemmed from unleashing the power he’d been hoarding for future plans. His rambling about the past just now was also born of severe delusion.
What little reason he had left was now completely gone.
This bastard, getting so worked up over a little taunting? He’s clearly got a terrible personality. High Priest of the Titans? This guy’s a total commie.
Lich’s motives are questionable. But that’s not what matters now. He may have been trying to destroy the Titans, but he’s just acting like a spoiled brat.
“Just because you have good intentions doesn’t mean you can act like a brat.”
I sense the final battle with Lich approaching.
“Even three-year-olds know that much.”
Only scorn escapes me.
“If it isn’t me!!!! No one!!!! Can solve this crisis!!!! I will become a god and eternally protect humanity!!!!”
“Truly an evil god, a demon god.”
ㅡCrackling ZZZT!!!
With even greater intensity than before, he scatters dark power.
“Indeed.”
He’s gotten much stronger. More powerful than before. In contrast, I have less than 10% of my original strength left. I analyze the situation. I mustn’t rush into battle. The idea of charging in and breaking his shield is off the table.
What I need to do now is…
Feint attacks, pretending to approach, to induce Lich to expend his power. He’s no longer conserving it. I’m confident in my evasion. If I can make him waste enough power, eventually!!! A chance to kill him will arise!!!
“Kieeeek!!”
Screaming, I charge towards Lich!!!!
ㅡBOOOOM!
ㅡRumble rumble rumble rumble!!!
Lich, having discarded his staff, unleashes great magic with mere gestures. As expected of a Lich thousands of years old. It seemed like reality itself was being altered by his gestures. A current of power, so immense and overwhelming that everything else seemed trivial, is unleashed!!!
ㅡFlash!!!
I kick off the air, changing direction. I immediately twist my trajectory, dodging the magic that homes in on me! But I can’t create too much distance! I must relentlessly! Relentlessly close in on him!
ㅡWhoosh!!!
It felt like my body was being cooked in lava. If I lost focus even for a moment, I could easily melt away. One mistake and I’ll vanish without a trace!!!
“I’ll sever that wicked life of yours!!!”
I remind myself that the only important thing here is to give Lich the impression that I’m trying to engage in close combat to kill him!
That’s the only way to make him waste his power on me!!!
Failure here guarantees utter ruin!!! The moment I lose, everything ends! I can’t let that happen! I swear on the life of mathematician Kim Kat, I will defend my 100% win rate here!!!
ㅡThump!!
Extreme tension pierces my heart! Have I ever struggled this much recently…? Rising from the pain is a kind of elation! A being with greater power than me has appeared! That means I can still grow stronger!!!
I can advance infinitely!!!
“KRAAAA!!!”
I exert extreme concentration. Lich’s great magic spells are each individually devastating, possessing the power to obliterate a Heavenly Demon. I minimize damage by dodging the large ones and surrounding myself with a shield.
ㅡThud!
ㅡThud!!
ㅡRumble rumble rumble rumble!!!
This void was like the deep sea depths. I was evading Lich’s torrent of infinite power. The sky was already filled with Lich’s wicked magic. I can’t even see Lich anymore. I can only concentrate my senses and predict his movements.
ㅡSwish!
At that moment, a beam of light, precisely fired through the immense current of power, hurtles towards me…!
“Shit!!!”
I tried to dodge, but I was already cornered…! But I should be fine if I only get hit by something small! ㅡFlash! I deploy a slightly stronger shield, then hurl myself towards the momentarily exposed exit!!!
ㅡBANG!!!
The beams hammer against the shield. An immense vibration is transmitted…! It’s unstable! And it’s not just one beam! Like eels finding prey in the deep sea, dark beams relentlessly pierce through!!
ㅡWhoooosh!!!
“Ugh…!”
The Heavenly Demon Shield shatters. A beam pierces my shoulder and side, ㅡBANG!!! Exploiting the gap, I finally escaped the sea of magic.
ㅡWhoosh.
I fall while looking at the sky. ㅡRumbling thunder!!! There aren’t any clouds to be seen. The entire sky has become a black sea. Instead of falling into the sea, I was rising towards the ground.
“Ah, fuck.”
Black blood flows out. I’m not kidding, it really hurts like hell. To expend so much power? He really must have nothing left. Has he lost control of his own power? If so, I just need to hold out a little longer.
ㅡRumbling thunder!!
I couldn’t even find Lich within that undulating black sea. And then, in an instant, from the surging sky, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of thorns were created.
ㅡFlash!!!
They were all fired at me at once.
Getting hit by that would turn me into a pincushion pizza.
ㅡSwish swish swish swish!
ㅡSwish swish swish swish!
ㅡSwish swish swish swish!
The firing speed is also transcendent. A black rain is pouring from the sea that covers the sky. Thinking that, I soared, projecting myself towards the area with the lowest density of thorns.
“KRAAAA!!!”
I can’t escape…! A little more! Attack me a little more!!! If you don’t, I’ll break through this sea and reach your main body!!!
ㅡCrack!
ㅡRumble rumble rumble!!
“Ugh!”
But it’s not good.
I’m moving while evading, deflecting, and countering the numerous attacks, but there are just too many. Even evading affects my body. ㅡCrack! And an attack that I failed to block pierces my body.
“Damn it…!”
ㅡThud!
ㅡBoom boom boom!!!
Overlapping damage.
It gradually steals my consciousness and power… My power and body are clearly weakening. All I can do is evade.
ㅡKABOOOOM!!!
A black waterfall is fired at me, and dark bullets fly in. I dodge. I evade again. I block and change direction. I continue to induce Lich’s attacks towards me.
“This bastard.”
Feeling the rapid decline in power, I calmly analyze my remaining strength.
“He’s fucking strong.”
It’s a close call.
But I just need to endure.
“I need to endure…!”
Focusing only on that thought.
I concentrate on evasion and defense.
“…”
The trance of evasion.
I couldn’t even feel how much time had passed anymore. I mechanically evaded Lich’s attacks, and when I was about to get hit, I instantly deployed a shield, minimizing the damage while throwing myself away.
ㅡGush.
Intermittently, black blood spews from my mouth. Blood also bursts from my eyes and ears. Black blood flows from my blackened skin, and oil-like blood streams from the holes in my body.
The recovery rate of my body has slowed down a lot.
Recovery is sluggish.
I was black again.
A black man covered in black blood…!
“I feel extreme pain.”
How much I’ve been hit and how much I’ve evaded. It’s impossible to tell now. Pain and grogginess are consuming the Heavenly Demon’s body and divine spirit. This world feels like some kind of dream.
Rarely, a thought arises.
ㅡDefeat.
Blooming like a blossoming flower.
The thought of defeat.
“A word that doesn’t suit Kim Kat at all.”
My fighting spirit is overflowing. I only want to kill him. I only see victory. Even so, I feel death.
A war with life on the line. Battle. Struggle.
I’ve mobilized all those means, yet.
“Is there… no way?”
Does my power not reach Lich’s full strength?
Yes. That might be the case. But Israel’s Oracle King, that punk David, sent the legendary giant general Goliath to hell. If there’s a difference in power, you just need to overwhelm it with combat skill.
“…Ah.”
A dazed state.
Deep fatigue.
With movements close to instinct, I continue what I’ve been doing so far.
The realm of controlling power and moving the body with will alone. It can truly be called a state of perfect clarity. I’ve never been more grateful for my enlightenment than now.
And at some point.
ㅡRustle.
The black sea of magical power filling the sky is starting to dissipate, coming into view.
“…!”
That Lich bastard… Has he finally exhausted his power?
But… It’s definitely not good.
“Shit.”
I barely have any power left either.
I succeeded in dragging it into a war of attrition, and I succeeded in greatly depleting Lich’s power, but I have almost no energy left in my current state. Even the thread of sanity I’m holding onto is just a single strand.
It’s difficult to maintain reason…!
“Truly persistent!!! Arrogant and bizarre being!!! How many human souls are owed to that unsightly state of yours, refusing to admit defeat…!!!!”
ㅡFlash!!!
In an instant, Lich’s mental wave pierces into my head.
Shaking and awakening my spirit.
Admit defeat?
“…I’m not even dead yet. Why would I admit defeat?”
That’s a ridiculous thing to say.
I am stronger than anything. A powerful being. I never admit defeat, never give up, I advance infinitely while unconditionally winning, the strongest being.
That’s how I, Heavenly Demon Kim Kat, defined myself.
That’s who I am.
Therefore, I don’t admit defeat.
“Admitting defeat when I’m not even dead.”
I know my power. Humility? There’s no such thing. Even the concept of arrogance is insignificant compared to this Kim Kat. I, who possess such destructive power… I don’t need to be pathetic. I reveal all of myself and unleash my confidence. I don’t do things like foolishly denying my own power. This is who I am. This powerful being is me.
“Whining about being weak is something only weaklings do.”
I am forever a strong being.
“I am an absolute powerhouse. Heavenly Demon Kim Kat. So I don’t admit defeat. I don’t fall either. Don’t you even know such basic common sense?”
Language. Using words and language to recall my identity, I grab onto the body and mind that are about to scatter. Good. Better than before. My dazed mind has returned halfway.
“What a horrifying madness!!!”
ㅡThump.
But even though I’ve regained my senses, my body is fucked. I’m on the verge of total collapse. Even so. I’m still alive.
As long as that fact remains, I will forever ㅡ
ㅡSwoosh.
In an instant, my sense of balance seemed to collapse.
“…This”
I, feeling a disturbance in my senses?
ㅡFlash.
Extreme threat warning. I instinctively erected a shield to protect my body. A small shield that unfolds like a barrier. Only something like this can protect me now.
ㅡCreep creep.
ㅡCreep creep.
My vision starts to darken. Am I flying now? No. Am I falling? I don’t know anything, but this one thing is clear.
ㅡCreep creep.
ㅡCreep creep.
My soul friends start to reappear before my eyes… The beings in my imagination. My soul cheerleaders who suddenly appear when I’m in danger of dying from defeat, cheer me on, and then disappear.
ㅡHee hee hee hee!
The first to appear is the illusion of Mersin.
ㅡKiki kiki kiki kiki!!
ㅡKikik…! Kiki kiki kikik!
ㅡKieeeek!!
The souls that appeared in turn laugh. No. They cackle. With smiles so comical that their faces are distorted, they send me smile power. They burst into boisterous laughter with their horribly twisted faces.
“You’ve appeared again.”
I don’t know if it gives me strength…
My senses are strange right now.
Anyway, it seems good that you’ve appeared.
No matter what anyone says, this is the power of friendship.
But.
“…”
The fact that they’ve appeared is… Proof that I’ve become weaker and more unstable. They’re just imaginary beings I created. An illusion. The fact that I can see things like this means that the boundary between my mind and reality has become blurred.
Overlapping shock and damage.
A dazed vision and mind.
ㅡKigigigigigigik!!
ㅡKahahahahahaha!!
ㅡHee hee hee hee!!!
A bizarre illusion created by those things all twisted together.
A state driven to the extreme, where illusions are visible due to the overlapping shock.
I used this state as a danger warning. So I made it a trigger to squeeze out even the last bit of power in my body. If it’s really a dangerous situation. I’ll have to draw out all my power. The power of friendship is something like that, and the appearance of funny illusions also has that meaning.
Now is that timing.
“Smile power, huh.”
But.
For me now… The power to draw out itself.
There’s not much left.
“Ugh…!”
I’ve been hit too much.
Rather, blood is bursting from my mouth.
ㅡKkakakakakakakakakakakakak!!!
However.
Those guys.
ㅡKigigigigigigik!!
ㅡKahahahahahaha!!
ㅡHee hee hee hee!!!
The more I try to collapse, the more they unleash even greater smile power. The increasingly louder laughter fills my hearing… No. To be precise, it’s not hearing. A sensation I don’t know well. The increasingly amplified laughter fills my head and mind.
Loudly.
They laugh even louder.
I’m getting completely rekt like this.
“Even so, you guys are smiling for me.”
Yeah.
“Thanks.”
Good.
“My soul friends.”
I have to get up.
Heavenly Demon Kim Kat doesn’t say weak things. He just always powerfully. And nobly. He just gets up. Does pain matter? Does power matter? If I haven’t fallen, then it’s not over yet.
If I keep going, I’ll win.
That is mathematician Kim Kat’s infinity.
There may be someone with a greater amount of power than me. But that guy’s skill will be below me, and the size of his grit and spirit won’t reach me. Then I win. I’m going to win. Winning here is me.
ㅡSwish.
I lift my head.
With my body fixed in the air, I glare at Lich again.
Then.
“…I see your karma. Evil alien demon king.”
Lich’s mental wave flows in.
A lowered tone.
A sound as if piercing through something.
“Look at the countless evil spirits attached to you. Look at those screaming evil spirits.”
“What?”
What?
“What did you just say? Evil spirits?”
Evil spirits… you said?
What the hell is this nonsense?
Are my illusions visible to him?
“The souls of countless beings, soaked in evil, are clinging to you…! They are evil spirits!!! Beings who died with great hatred and anger!!! Just like the souls of the humans slaughtered by the Titans!!!!”
Lich’s rage erupts.
“Do you claim to be a guardian!!! Do you want to protect this world!!! No!! You can’t!!! A being who claims to be a guardian shouldn’t have such evil spirits!!!! You said you’d drive out the Outer Gods and stabilize the world!!!! But that will never happen!!! You’re just a slaughterer with evil spirits attached!!!! Just a demon king!!!!”
In an instant.
I couldn’t understand.
“What the hell are you talking about… These are evil spirits?”
Not only are the illusions I created visible to Lich… But that. Instead of soul friends or soul cheerleaders… They were just simple evil spirits?
“How do you know that?”
No. That’s not it.
If these are real illusions.
There’s no way he could see them.
He’s seeing these things now.
That means.
“In the past, you opened a dimension called the Underworld…! You opened it for the salvation of souls, but it was just a passage for souls!!! How disgusting!!! A demon king who has accumulated sins!!! It was you who created those evil spirits!!!!”
Lich’s mental wave sweeps like thunder at the same time!!!
“AH!!!!”
My mind flashed, and I jumped up!!!!
“Evil spirits!!!! You were evil spirits, you fucking bastards?!?!?!?!”
This!!!
What the hell!!!!
ㅡWash, wash. Wash my eyes!
I immediately washed and rubbed my eyes with my hands, looking at the beings in front of me again!!!
ㅡKigigigigigigik!!
ㅡKahahahahahaha!!
ㅡHee hee hee hee!!!
The faces of the translucent, fucking bastards, cackling with faces distorted like demons!! These, these guys were evil spirits?! Not my soul friends!!!
I can’t believe it!!!
Becoming desperate, I asked them!!!
“You, you guys. You didn’t come to cheer me on, but.”
The one in front was Mersin’s face, which was very familiar. The guy who was laughing comically was a bizarre man with a grotesque voice. I’ve never even exchanged words with him and killed him in about 3 seconds, but he was a friendly friend who kept appearing.
“Were you evil spirits who came to curse me?”
Mersin.
“…”
Looked at me, laughing with a comical face.
“ㅡWHOOOOSH!!!!”
In an instant, he distorted his face like it was some fucking clay being kneaded to destruction!!!
“Kihihhihihihihitㅡ!!! Kihihhihihihihihihihihihihihihihihihitㅡ!!!”
He cackled like an evil spirit!!!!
“SHOOOOCK!!!!”
These fucking bastards were really evil spirits after aaaall!!!!
