## Chapter 994 – Unknown Power
“Abandon Vugal… Hmm?”
In that instant.
“What?”
The scenery shifted again. It was only natural for the background to change erratically, as dreams often do.
“This is…?”
Before I knew it, I was sitting under a Bodhi tree. My attire had also changed. I was wearing an orange robe, like those worn by monks.
“You must abandon Vugal.”
“Holy sh*t…! No way!!!”
The one telling me to abandon Vugal was no longer some bogeyman… It was Mara Papiyas! The very Mara Papiyas who tried to tempt the human Gautama Siddhartha!!!
I was now Gautama Siddhartha! Sitting beneath the Bodhi tree as Gautama Siddhartha!!!
“…!”
It was astonishing, but also somehow expected.
I was half Buddha, after all.
It wasn’t strange at all.
“Why must I abandon Vugal?”
Accepting everything as natural, I asked my inner demon, disguised in the hideous skin of Mara Papiyas. It was wary of Vugal right now. That’s why it was demanding I abandon it.
I had to know the reason.
—Haaa…
Mara Papiyas opened its mouth at my question.
“To attain Nirvana, you must abandon such an uncanny object. Vugal does not belong in the heavens. You must cast it aside. Sever ties with it, Kim Kat. Abandon Vugal and ascend to the heavens, Kim Kat.”
The Nirvana it spoke of wasn’t true Nirvana. Nirvana was the highest level of enlightenment in Buddhism—a supreme state of peace, free from suffering and liberated from the cycle of reincarnation.
The Nirvana it was talking about now likely signified some sort of ideal state.
I was not a man obsessed with Buddhist enlightenment.
“That is not a reason. I cannot abandon my sword for such a vague concept as Nirvana. And that it doesn’t belong in the heavens? That’s utter bullsh*t. A sword that saves lives—a sword of benevolent salvation—is precisely the kind of sword that belongs in the heavens.”
No sword was more suited for the heavens than Vugal. Unlike other swords, Vugal was no longer used for killing and destruction. It had become a true sword of humanity, saving and benefiting people.
“Absolutely not.”
Mara denied it.
“Wrong.”
It was wrong, it said.
“Vugal is nothing more than a shackle.”
“A shackle?”
“Yes, a shackle. To grow stronger, one must develop their individual power. Relying on such an uncanny weapon will only hinder your progress. If you grow accustomed to comfort by depending on a tool, your growth will end there.”
“What…”
This meant.
“I am Mara Papiyas, and I am also your inner demon.”
The Mara demon said, poking my solar plexus with its finger.
“Your worries. Your anxieties. Your insecurities. They are all combined. It is natural to worry, to be anxious, to feel insecure. Even you are aware of it—that you are relying on Vugal, depending on its power.”
That I was worried about such a thing?
“That’s wrong.”
That wasn’t it.
I didn’t have such worries.
“I have grown stronger even after obtaining Vugal.”
As proof, I had continued to grow stronger.
Vugal had grown with me, too.
“That may be possible now.”
Mara sneered at me.
“But in the long run, there will surely be a limit. Vugal must be discarded. Depending on a powerful weapon will eventually create a significant obstacle to breaking through the barrier.”
By relying on Vugal, my spirituality was being restricted. That’s what the inner demon was saying. It was warning me that my true power would no longer grow if I depended on a powerful weapon.
As expected of an inner demon.
It was good with words.
“Your women will be even happier if you grow stronger. Don’t you want to see their smiles? Don’t you want to see them even more delighted? If you become the strongest, they will surely be ecstatic. But to reach such ultimate strength, you must do so with your own power alone, without relying on any uncanny tools.”
The greatest temptation of all.
“Don’t you want to be even more recognized by them? Don’t you want to provide them with a wealthy and comfortable life in the future? To do so, abandon Vugal. Discard the sword. Trust only in your own strength.”
The inner demon spoke.
It gave reasons why Vugal should be discarded, the grounds for why it was unnecessary. And it tempted me, saying that only then could I become even stronger.
“If you abandon Vugal, it may be inconvenient at first, but you will ultimately become stronger. Mara Papiyas tempted the human Gautama Siddhartha to corrupt him. But I am not. Because I am your inner demon, I can advise you more sincerely than anyone else.”
—Ssssk.
Mara gently scratched my cheek with the tip of its finger, where a hideous nail had grown, and whispered in my ear.
“Do you consider this temptation? How is it temptation to abandon easy means and undergo asceticism to obtain true strength? What I am doing is not temptation. Accept my sincere advice, Kim Kat. That is the key to strength.”
Yes.
“You may be right.”
“Then…?”
It might be right.
“However, Vugal is my friend.”
My true friend, whom I could never betray. And a true comrade. Vugal is mine. My sword that no one can covet. As expected, a demonic sword is a demonic sword. To draw out such obsession from me.
That must be why even the inner demon was wary of it.
“To abandon my friend and comrade, Vugal, to become stronger… I cannot accept that.”
Even so, as a Fusion-Confucian Heavenly Demon, I never abandon my friends.
“Your words may seem right, but they are ultimately just speculation. I will become supah-duper strong with my friend. Just because I have Vugal doesn’t mean my growth is limited. I am a Heavenly Demon, after all. A Heavenly Demon has no limits. If there are any limits, I will simply shatter them all.”
That Vugal was hindering my growth was utter nonsense.
The sound of a male marten chewing on another male marten’s balls was more credible.
“Your temptation, disguised as concern and worry, will not work.”
I stood up.
“Begone, demon.”
“…Kuk!”
Mara, its face twisted in frustration, retreated three steps from me. Perhaps because it believed its persuasion and temptation had failed, it looked extremely unstable.
And as Mara shuddered like that.
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!!”
It roared loudly, seemingly filled with rage.
In an instant.
“This is…!”
—Tsuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!
Its form began to grow immensely, piercing the sky. What inhuman gigantification was this? Even the emperors of the Titan race, who once ruled over ancient humanity, were not this large.
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!!”
Even after growing so much, the inner demon, having finally reached the universe, bent its waist and knees and brought its face close to me. Enormous eyes, befitting its massive face, covered the world and glared at me.
“Abandon Vugal!!!!!”
The inner demon, now a Goliath, shouted menacingly.
“Only then will you become stronger!!!!!!!”
I had become the King of Israel.
“I will not abandon it.”
As David, I spoke confidently to the Goliath that was larger than me. It won’t work, inner demon. David ultimately killed Goliath, after all.
“You don’t listen when I speak, little Kim Kat!!! Are you afraid that you will lose if you abandon Vugal!!! Are you feeling fear because you think you will lose the fight!!!! You are truly a pathetic man!!! A disgusting and pathetic man that I cannot bear to look at!!!!!!”
—Kwuooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!
Goliath’s voice echoed greatly, striking my brain.
“You weakling!!! You have always lived by relying on something!!!! Even though you have become so strong, you still haven’t fixed that habit!!! Abandon Vugal! Abandon Vugal and twist your weak will!!! Only then will you grow stronger!!!”
Truly.
It was a general.
“That swordsmen are cowards is just the brain farts of martial artists.”
That’s what weak martial artists say.
“Am I a coward for wielding Vugal? Am I a coward for using a strong weapon? I don’t show leniency to my enemies. And I don’t show leniency to those who hinder my growth either. If there are such guys, I will simply destroy them.”
At my words, Goliath took a deep breath and shouted again.
“Do it with your bare hands!!!!!!!!! Only then can you cultivate true power!!!!! Shatter all of that with your own power!!!!!!!!!!”
Ridiculous, I burst into great laughter.
“Kekekekekekekekekeke!!!!!!”
“What is so funny, weak and cowardly Kim Kat!!!!!”
Becoming cheerful, I took out my sling and loaded it with a pebble.
“Foolish Goliath!!!”
Spinning the loaded sling around and around.
“Are you trying to force me to do what killed you!!!”
—Swaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!!!
With all my strength, I shot it into Goliath’s forehead.
—Kwajik!!
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!!!!!”
The pebble pierced Goliath’s forehead. With that tremendous impact, Goliath fell backward, letting out a transcendental scream.
“Get lost, loser!! I don’t listen to the excuses of the defeated!!! This power of Vugal is also my power!!! Understand!!!”
—Kuuung!!!
With my shout, Goliath’s massive body slammed into the ground.
The earthquake that followed caused a tsunami. Was it already morning? Was it the end of the dream? Was it time for me to wake up now?
But I knew.
As tenacious as I was.
The inner demon was also tenacious.
—Tsuzz.
Goliath, who had been glaring at me with its enormous eyes and scolding me like a general, collapsed. At the same time, it began to shrink again, just as it had grown earlier.
Shrunken, it now pleaded.
“Please abandon Vugal.”
“Please think correctly.”
In the form of a bear and a tiger.
“Vugal cannot be abandoned, and I am right.”
I, now Hwanung, the pinnacle of Fusion-Confucianism, looked down upon those lowly beasts. The bear and tiger trembled and bowed their heads to me. They looked quite pitiful, but if they thought something would work with just pleading, they were mistaken.
That kind of thing doesn’t work on me.
“It can’t be… it can’t be!!! Please think about the future!!! Please think about when your power wanes and you reach your limits later on!!!”
“Please think about when you lose Vugal while facing a strong enemy!!!”
The two beasts cried out.
Weak words flowed busily from the mouth of the silent bear, and fear erupted fiercely from the jaws of the valiant tiger.
Was this really my inner demon, my emotions hidden deep within?
“I will not wane.”
I couldn’t accept it.
“And I will not reach my limits either.”
—Kwack.
I clenched my fist tightly.
“Because the moment a limit collides with me, it will be shattered to pieces.”
Mugwort and garlic sprouted endlessly from within my clenched fist. Sprouting and sprouting again, they fell in heaps beneath my feet. It wasn’t difficult to tame the world. All I needed was this.
“This me is Hwanung, no.”
I said sternly, reaching out to the lowly two beasts.
“A Heavenly Demon.”
—Hududuk.
Mugwort and garlic fell before them.
“Now take this and go deep inside.”
Behind the beasts was a cavern of the abyss.
The beasts, glancing back for a moment, realized their fate and shed tears.
“Heuk…! Hueeeuk!!”
“Ah!! I see destruction for me! I see a future where the foolish you eventually decline and become a lowly being!!!”
“I can’t stop it!!”
“Even if I become Mara Papiyas! Even if I become Goliath! Even if I become a bear and a tiger!”
“Is fate something that cannot be changed!!!”
“Is it a fate that can never be defied!!!”
“How powerless we are before it!!!”
I will carve out my own destiny.
I have a soul.
“A humble bear will dare to say one last thing! At least abandon relying on Vugal!!!”
“Stay away from that evil sword!!!”
“Even so, we will be waiting in this dark cave forever!!”
“If you think of us again then!!!”
“Come find us again then!!!”
“Beloved you, farewell!! Farewell again to the you who will eventually decline and die!!!”
“When you come back to us, I hope you are not filled with destruction!!”
“I hope you are not frustrated by your limits!!!”
“I will sincerely pray!!!”
“I hope this future is a lie!!!”
With that, the beasts, having received the mugwort and garlic, cried pitifully and entered the depths of the dark cave.
“How noisy, inner demons.”
Without hesitation, I brought a rock and blocked the entrance.
“Get lost. I will not yield to anything.”
Neither temptation.
Nor coercion.
Nor pleading.
Nothing works on me. I live only by my own thoughts. Just like the gods who protect me, my spirit was also 200% divine. I would not be defeated, I would not yield.
That was why I was a Heavenly Demon.
Even Vugal was my strength. So there was no need to separate Vugal and me. Ah, as expected, a demonic sword was a demonic sword. It had grown so much.
—Paaat!
With that, the cave disappeared.
Once again, the world was enveloped in light.
“…”
This inner demon must have been related to that divinity.
