1065 Episode 67. The World Serpent (3)

Jung Heewon stared blankly at the man's side profile.

"You are—"

Having possessed the flesh of the 1,864th round in the world of the 'Third Kim Dokja', Jung Heewon had met him before.

There were things she remembered vividly. Things like the somewhat burdensome goodwill and the warm gaze. But the emotion felt from him right now was not the warmth of back then.

From a person who has built an upright history, their sincerity is vividly felt even without words. This man also belonged to that kind.

"I roughly heard the story from Dokja-ssi."

"Dokja-ssi?"

Only upon seeing Lee Hyunsung nodding faintly did Jung Heewon realize that he had come here under Kim Dokja's secret order. Kim Dokja probably knew things would turn out like this.

"Why did he send you? You're not very strong."

"Pardon?"

"I saw everything back then. You passed out limp after using just a bit of strength."

Jung Heewon had already seen Lee Hyunsung fight in the world of the 'Third Kim Dokja'. In truth, he had been beaten up by ordinary men in suits there and lost consciousness.

"That was... that world was a place where I couldn't exert my strength."

Lee Hyunsung abruptly coughed dryly and pointed at his forearm. His forearm, glowing silver, certainly looked thicker than back then. Glaring intently at those muscles, Jung Heewon spoke.

"Aren't those balloon muscles?"

"Pardon? No, they aren't! From now on, I will prove—"

"In this world, such bulky muscles aren't needed. Lean muscles are far more advantageous. It's also more convenient to utilize stories or skills. And simple differences in strength can be resolved in many other ways."

Every time Jung Heewon said a word, Lee Hyunsung's neck retracted like a turtle's.

"Everything Heewon-ssi said is correct, but even so—"

"I'm grateful you came to help, but just stay back. You'll only get in the way."

"No, wait..."

The moment the flustered Lee Hyunsung tried to stop Jung Heewon as she stepped forward, a distant true voice resonated from the head of the 'World Serpent'.

Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung raised their heads at the same time.

Voices that seemed to hold the emotion called yearning deep in the mouth, rolling it on the tip of the tongue over and over again. Just by hearing those voices, Jung Heewon could realize what kind of meaning this man held to their owners.

Lee Hyunsung drew in a deep breath along with a low sigh, then slowly blinked his eyes. Accompanied by a pitch-black glint in his eyes, a sound like iron forged in deep darkness came from his voice.

Startled, Jung Heewon looked back at him. The man's expression, which had felt purely naive until just now, had vanished somewhere, replaced by the face of an Outer God who had weathered a long tragedy.

The overwhelming status radiating from his entire body proved the years he had lived and his martial prowess. Even so, Jung Heewon did not back down.

"This isn't a stage for you to step forward."

Rather, that appearance of his, and the joy dwelling in those voices, stirred opposition within her.

"What are you?"

The emotion contained in that grave voice was undoubtedly true. But truth could not always persuade everyone.

"Do you think you're any different from that disaster?"

At Jung Heewon's sharp voice, Lee Hyunsung looked back at her once more.

"What do you know about this world's stories?"

Jung Heewon knew she shouldn't say that. She too was feeling the poignant stories emanating from the man before her eyes. She could also gauge to some degree how terrible a life he had endured to reach this place.

"Without even knowing what kind of history I lived here, or what kind of life I lived."

Yet even so, she could not help but speak like that. Perhaps it was because she was frustrated. Because in the most important scenario, facing an insurmountable obstacle that could not possibly be overcome with her power made her so immensely frustrated.

"Without even knowing properly what happened, doing whatever you want—"

Lee Hyunsung nodded obediently.

He advanced forward like a great mountain. With momentum that seemed unyielding to anything, he stood right before the World Serpent.

Before his ringing true voice, the disaster fell silent for a moment. A feeling as if the air was churning heavily. Soon, an answer returned from the top of the World Serpent.

A boy's voice that sounded somewhat wronged.

The 41st round was a world whose outcome was already determined. Words she had heard several times from various people already. The moment Jung Heewon bit her lower lip hard and was about to say something.

With a somewhat surprised expression, Jung Heewon looked at Lee Hyunsung.

At his calm warning, the body of the 'World Serpent' trembled faintly. A vibration containing deep sorrow. As if measuring Lee Hyunsung's sincerity, the disaster silently gazed down at him from a dizzying height, then asked back.

Lee Hyunsung silently raised both hands. Jung Heewon was purely astonished by that action. He had merely raised his hands, yet there was a force as if an entire mountain range were moving.

Did she realize the man was serious? The girl groaned as if sighing. Subsequently, the boy sharply asked back.

The colossal body of the World Serpent vibrated once more. Beyond that faint tremor, the boy's agitated voice was heard.

At first, she thought the color of the sky had reversed. The pitch-black sky turning deep bluish-green. But looking closely, it was not merely the sky being colored.

Would it look like that if a story of poison were condensed to its limit? The pitch-black night sky was melting and flowing down from the poison. Soon, the speed at which the sky melted gradually accelerated. Jung Heewon instinctively perceived it. That poison could not be withstood.

A wave of poison on a different dimension from the poisonous fog Yamata no Orochi had used poured over their heads, melting the world. In an instant, all sorts of simulations ran through her mind.

Yet no matter what she did, it didn't seem possible to cut through that tidal wave of poison surging down after melting the entire firmament.

The girl's breathless cry. But the tidal wave of poison had already surged to several tens of meters above. Finally, the moment the resolved Jung Heewon gripped her sword hilt, Lee Hyunsung quietly held her back with his right hand. And without any change in expression, he serenely spread his left palm toward the firmament.

A translucent curtain of steel manifested around him and her. Jung Heewon was flustered. Normally, she would have shouted that this was not an attack that could be blocked by such a barrier. But the moment she confirmed the barrier's durability, Jung Heewon was startled out of her wits.

Subsequently, the tidal wave of poison poured over their heads. Yet even the poison that melted the sky could not melt the man's steel wall. A story that inspired overwhelming awe, making one feel as if nothing in this world could break the protective wall created by this man.

Just how much history did this man endure to obtain this story?

A wall where faint warmth lingered. What she could read was merely the remnants of the story dimly left on this wall. Standing tall atop those remnants, the man answered toward the firmament.

As the movement of the poison pouring from midair grew sluggish, Lee Hyunsung dispelled the barrier while simultaneously clapping his hands loudly. A massive gale was generated by the clap, completely scattering all the remaining poisonous fog in the area. Then, a voice was heard from above once again.

Instead of listening to those words, Lee Hyunsung took a stride forward and spoke.

With that, both of Lee Hyunsung's hands made contact with the outer hide of the World Serpent. In ordinary circumstances, just because both hands touched it didn't mean anything could be done. For the 'World Serpent' was large enough to wrap around an entire planet. But the one who grasped that serpent in his hands this time was none other than 'Lee Hyunsung'. He was the Steel Sword Emperor, the incarnation of the 'Master of Steel'. The sturdiest shield of <Kim Dokja Company>. And this was the first 'stigma' he had ever learned—

Noticing Lee Hyunsung's intention, the boy shouted from midair.

The boy's voice vanished along with the vibration that spread immediately after.

[Great Mountain Push]. Initially a stigma that had only amounted to prying open locked subway doors.

What did it mean to 'push'? Pushing and pushing again, Lee Hyunsung thought about what 'pushing' was.

As he firmly planted both legs into the ground, his stories churned.

Along with Lee Hyunsung's battle cry, the earth, the sky, and the surrounding universe were shaking violently.

As if pushing the entire 'frame' of the space-time to which a matter belonged, the universe was being pushed away by Lee Hyunsung's strength.

The World Serpent that wrapped around the world of the scenario writhed in agony.

Kugugugugu.

The history a man had collided with was pushing back a single ruin.

Lee Hyunsung's body, which had gradually grown in volume, looked as if he had lifted the 'World Serpent' in its entirety. He added with a true voice carrying terrifying ambition.

No one could deny that those words were the truth. That was how strong Lee Hyunsung was, and he possessed the power to realize his story.

It was then that a clicking sound was heard from somewhere.

A voice carrying a bone-chilling coolness.

Subsequently, along with an explosion that blanketed the earth, a volley of fire poured toward Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon.

The pale dust cleared, revealing the steel barrier Lee Hyunsung had created. Even though it was a light warning shot, a faint hairline crack had formed on the exterior of the barrier. It meant the existence that had poured out the attack just now was an Outer God possessing an equally powerful status.

A voice carrying a sense of déjà vu. Jung Heewon felt her hands trembling. That 'World Serpent', and the Lee Hyunsung beside her. At her current level, they were opponents too daunting to handle. Yet another monster on that level had appeared before her eyes.

Taking the melted sky as an ocean, a colossal battleship was floating as if suspended. Atop that battleship was a woman radiating an immense status. A ponytail fluttering pitch-black in the wind. Jung Heewon's eyes widened.

When Lee Hyunsung warned first, Lee Jihye frowned.

Spitting out the bubble gum she had been chewing, Lee Jihye spoke.

It was an ancient resentment. As if unraveling the end of long-harbored emotions, Lee Jihye, who had now grown from a girl into a warrior, grasped her Twin Dragon Swords.