The Book Eating Magician Chapter 376:
Chapter 376 - Advent of the Heavenly Demon (6)
Chwaaaak!
Blood soared from the heavenly demon’s heart which received a cross-shaped cut . The blood that was blacker than ink soaked the land around the heavenly demon, and weeds started to mutate into a weird form . It was blood that turned normal plants and animals into monsters in a matter of seconds!
The phenomenon proved that the wound was a fatal injury . Blood was concentrated in the heart, but the pollution wouldn’t normally occur to this degree . This meant there was great damage dealt in an area that even the heavenly demon’s regenerating ability couldn’t intervene in .
“You, you, you will regret this . . . !” The body of the heavenly demon fell to the ground while letting out curses .
Kung .
Light disappeared from his red eyes, and the presence that could crush the heavens gradually faded . This was the moment when the heavenly demon, the demon king born from Lust, died . Simultaneously, Theodore coughed up blood . “Weeeeeek!”
However, it wasn’t dead blood . Red blood, the blood of life, overflowed from his lips . There was something strange about the appearance of the winner who defeated the enemy . Theodore’s knees collapsed because of a lack of blood, and he sat on nearby rocks .
‘I-I almost died . . . It is self-destruction . It isn’t something that can be used as a joke . ’
Grand Cross, the transcendent technique which had been used as the last trump card, was a problem . At that moment, Theodore had looked at an area that went beyond Lee Yoonsung, the one who had delivered the martial arts to him . It wasn’t a purely off-limits area, but it was a power he couldn’t endure right now . In any case, the force, which shouldn’t have been allowed, had lent him strength in the name of the guardian of the world . Despite being a transcendent, the two ultimate things shouldn’t be used as one . Their combination produced a fearsome reaction .
Clang! Two of Theodore’s clones broke like glass while the artifact cracked .
It wasn’t due to a direct hit; the tremendous treasure broke in reaction to the technique . Moreover, this was despite the fact that he had handed more than half of the burden over to the Eight Jade Magatamas . In the case of the Heavenly Sword he had used directly with Grand Cross, the sword’s tip fell off the blade .
“ . . . Still . ”
He had won . Theodore was relieved as he straightened his back .
‘The circles are a bit creaky, but it isn’t bad . They can recover in a month or so . ’
Since he had been prepared to die together with the heavenly demon, this result was sensational . There would be no future for the material world if Theodore had been defeated in this fight . Theodore had seen this and prepared a trap . It had been from the moment he negotiated a hostage with Lust .
“Mutual Destruction, release . ”
Needless to say, it had been implanted in the ‘seed’ that Lust had taken . If he hadn’t won the battle, he had intended to use Mutual Destruction in order for both of them to die together . No matter how great a vitality they had, there was no way to stop the suicide spell that was contained in the soul .
At that moment . . .
“······■■■■■ . ” There was a growl that couldn’t be understood .
Then the body of the dying heavenly demon turned to black mist .
“What?” Theodore put up a shield faster than the black fog’s movement and was immediately amazed . It was because his left arm was being eroded by something black .
It wasn’t physical . ‘If this . . . this erosion―no way . ’
“Coming back through the path of the suicide magic that I planted . . . !”
It was ridiculous . The heavenly demon turned his body from physical reality to information and jumped on the suicide spell that had targeted him . In fact, the heavenly demon lost 80% of his existence during the course of the reversal . Nevertheless, the erosion was indeed a threat to Theodore .
「 Pause! 」
The speed dropped remarkably once this order was applied, but the erosion didn’t stop due to the magic resistance inherent in the heavenly demon . If this continued, Theodore would become another heavenly demon . It was inevitable . Theodore decided and pulled out Soul Calibre using his right hand . He was going to stop the erosion, even if it meant cutting off his left arm .
[Wait . ]
If Seimei hadn’t intervened, he certainly would’ve done so .
“Seimei? When did you come back?”
[It has been quite a while . My soul, which was removed from the Eight Jade Magatamas, belongs to the grimoire . Once removed from Suzuka’s body, I returned . ]
“No, I don’t need an explanation for that! Why are you stopping me?” Theodore asked in an urgent voice .
Seimei replied with a laugh, [Well, you sure have a temper . Since you have released my regret, I’m just giving you a reasonable reward . ]
“What is this situation . . . ?”
[It doesn’t look good if the main character of the victory loses an arm,] Seimei spoke lightly of the reward like it was a joke .
[Object name ‘Abe no Seimei’ has requested to complete his quest . Reviewing the achievements of the target, the progress and the surrounding situation . . . ]
[The request of object name ‘Abe no Seimei’ has been accepted . ]
[Verified the completion of the quest . After 30 seconds from the present time, the Transmission of Abe no Seimei will begin―changed . Verified that your current capacity is close to saturation . Confirming a separate compensation . . . ]
[In conclusion, it has been left to object name ‘Abe no Seimei’s discretion . ]
After compromising with the system, Seimei explained, [You should know it already, but if you accept my power with a body that has already become transcendent, it will only burst . Therefore, I will give you my power in a different way . ]
The soul dispersed . Mana was another concept . The innate power of onmyōdō wasn’t studied in magic . The soul split into small particles, interfering with the astral dimension . The ultimate magic which controlled the spirit transformed Seimei’s soul into a string and weaved it around Theodore’s left arm, which had turned black . Theodore felt the erosion, which had swallowed his arm, come to a stop, and sensation returned to his arm .
[Yes, it is now time to say goodbye,] Seimei said goodbye in a hollow voice . [I will take my little brother away . There will be some impact on you, but you can handle it well . Eat and live well for a long time . We will meet again on the other side . ]
“Wait, Seimei . . . ! You are leaving this way as well?! Why are all the great people like you?”
[Hahaha! I have nothing to say . I’ve heard many things since I was alive!] Despite the increasingly blurred voice, Seimei laughed pleasantly .
Abe no Seimei—this was the end of the onmyōdō master, who had been born between a youkai and a Seven Sins’ grimoire, and was the savior of Japan . As Seimei’s soul burned up, he left a final message, [When the day comes and you stand at a crossroads, remember yourself . ]
Before Theodore could ask what Seimei meant, he realized that Abe no Seimei’s soul had already completely disappeared .
“ . . . Tsk . ” He replayed it several times in his mind before muttering, “I will see you again, Seimei . ”
If an afterlife really existed, they would one day meet again at the end of a long and distant time . Theodore turned his gaze from the empty space and looked down at his left arm . The erosion ran from his shoulder to below his elbow, but the consciousness of the heavenly demon no longer remained . Then Theodore discovered why Seimei had said that there would be some impact .
“ . . . 30%—no, 20%?”
In response to Theodore’s confusing words, a voice replied, -To be precise, it is 18% . That is the portion of the heavenly demon’s database that was implanted .
“Gluttony . ”
-You can’t force a load that doesn’t fit your body . . .
However, it was still a big profit . Maybe he could use some of the methods . The power to absorb the spirituality of others was a force that had raised an immature heavenly demon to the level of a demon king . It wasn’t unreasonable that Gluttony would drool after indirectly obtaining it . However, Theodore didn’t talk anymore about his arm . He moved to finish what was left .
“You would know . What is the location?”
-Yes .
Theodore read the space coordinates from Gluttony and took a step . Simultaneously, a light flashed, and nothing remained .
* * *
Kukukung . . .
The collapse of Hwang Mountain, which had started due to the collision of two transcendent beings, was still ongoing .
Dozens of mountain peaks were falling, and the ground was overturned . The dirt rose up like a volcano and seemed to reach the moon and stars, while darkness covered the place . The mountain was shattered by magic, and the **** collapsed again as the axis shook .
“ . . . Hoh . ” In the middle of the hellish landscape, an unrealistic beauty was sitting there .
Her lower half was torn apart by heat and an explosion, while her beautiful appearance was distorted by ugly burns . Even so, it was the existence of someone who could take away a person’s reason . It was the Seven Sins’ grimoire, Lust . In contrast to her dying voice, she spoke in a lively voice, “You knocked that child down, Gluttony . ”
The rumbling footsteps were like an answer to her words . Of course, it was Theodore who was making the footsteps . “Did you know this would happen?”
“Perhaps . ”
Despite knowing that the heavenly demon died, there was no chance in her complexion . The reason was obvious . Lust didn’t have any sentiments of a mother . Her children were conceived and born for the purpose of her existence . She didn’t care about them after giving birth . They were just trials and failures, cornerstones of the ultimate creature that would someday be born . The fearsome heavenly demon didn’t escape these standards .
“Your arm . . . Yes, that’s what happened . How interesting . I got satisfactory data . Isn’t that right, Gluttony?”
“Shut up . ”
Theodore pointed a finger at her . Ping!
Despite the light from his fingertip piercing Lust’s abdomen, she just stared at Theodore without moving an eyebrow . “Why are you angry? Well, it doesn’t matter . This terminal will die soon, even if you don’t do anything . It will take 10,000 years for me to show up again, so you will never see me again . ”
“ . . . ”
“Yes . Should I say congratulations before I disappear? Now there is no threat to this planet . ”
It was as she said . After the heavenly demon was defeated, there wasn’t a threat left to Theodore in this material world . An ancient dragon? He could now fight three by himself . A senior demon? If it wasn’t a demon king, he could defeat them one-sidedly . Furthermore, Sloth’s banishment thickened the walls of the dimension system . A demon-king class existence could no longer step foot into this material world . There would be no one stronger born in this material world .
“So?”
However, Theodore could feel it . . .
“What do you want to say?”
. . . The sexual desire, ridicule, and mocking of Lust, a Seven Sins’ grimoire . Lust smiled and licked her lips at the question, but no sound came from the friction . “―Why should I tell you when I am dying? Ask Gluttony after I am gone . ”
“What?”
Lust ignored Theodore’s question and smiled ominously . “I mourn the destruction that will come . . . ”
That was her last action .
Jjeok .
Lust’s body became like plaster, with her skin falling off as her body collapsed . She had no fighting ability like the other Seven Sins, so her end was futile . Theodore stood in front of the debris of Lust and frowned . “Glu . . . ”
“ . . . Theo!” Before he could talk to Gluttony, he heard a voice calling him from far away .
“Sigh . ”
It was up to here for today . Theodore finished his thoughts and turned to look at the destroyed Hwang Mountain area . He had annihilated the terrible monster and eradicated its source . It wouldn’t be too late to think of the next thing tomorrow . Theodore wrapped his left arm with a torn robe and turned in the direction of his colleagues’ voices .
This was a victorious return after stopping the disaster .