Chương 537: Goodbye, Daoist Seo

"Haah... Haah...! Seo Hweol, Seo Hweol, Seo Hweol...! Get a hold of yourself...!"

Oh Hye-seo pants heavily as she glances back at the ominous [something] chasing from behind.

Kugugugugugu!

A moon!

A mass of Gang Qi the size of a small moon is pursuing her and Seo Hweol.

It is Seo Eun-hyun's Gang Sphere clone.

Just from the aura it radiates, it feels equivalent to the Quasi-Star Shattering level. If it were to borrow Seo Eun-hyun's power, it could easily reach the mid to late stage.

Oh Hye-seo grits her teeth and drags Seo Hweol along as she flees.

However...

The distance between Seo Eun-hyun's Gang Sphere clone and Oh Hye-seo continues to shrink.

'I-I can't shake it off...'

Oh Hye-seo's pale complexion shows as she bites her lip tightly.

But she cannot allow them to be caught.

So she thinks of another plan.

Wo-woong!

Pabababatt!

The light of the Glass Peacock seems to radiate from her body endlessly. Then, Oh Hye-seo splits into dozens of figures, scattering in all directions across the Sun and Moon Heavenly Domain.

Whether fortunate or not, as she predicted, the moon-sized Gang Sphere fragments into dozens of smaller pieces, each chasing after her afterimages.

The once moon-sized Gang Sphere has suddenly shrunk to the size of China as it continues to pursue her.

'Good, its speed has slowed...!'

Oh Hye-seo exhales in relief and starts moving even faster.

With her increased speed, the Gang Sphere clone gradually falls behind. Eventually, Oh Hye-seo successfully shakes off the Gang Sphere clone and manages to return to Lofty Dragon Star with Seo Hweol where her main body is.

Underground of Lofty Dragon Star.

There, as she waits for Seo Hweol, her face brightens upon seeing Seo Hweol and her clone return.

"Seo, Seo Hweol...! You're back! Th-The plan... how did it go...?"

Oh Hye-seo cautiously asks Seo Hweol.

The Taiji ripples flickering around Seo Hweol have also shrunk in size, and he gazes at Oh Hye-seo with increasingly vacant eyes.

Seo Hweol stares blankly at the woman babbling in front of him.

It feels as if he cannot understand a single word she is saying.

No, it's noise he doesn't need to hear.

Because it's meaningless.

Seo Hweol... remembers what he just witnessed.

Though he did not [completely] witness it... he once again succeeded in glimpsing the Akashic Records.

And... he saw it.

The [answer] he had been seeking.

"Seo Hweol, Seo Hweol?"

Slap, Slap!

Oh Hye-seo lightly smacks Seo Hweol's cheek with her palm, and Seo Hweol stares at her with vacant eyes.

"Seo Hweol, are you okay?"

Is he okay.

That's the meaning of her words.

And Seo Hweol smiles as he replies.

"... I'm fine, Hye-seo. Please... don't worry about me."

But Oh Hye-seo continues to look at Seo Hweol with uncomfortable eyes.

Oh Hye-seo is someone who grew up constantly reading others from a young age.

For her, observing Seo Hweol, who has regained his emotions but lost all his strength, is not difficult.

"... You're not okay."

"... Hye-seo. What are you saying?"

Seo Hweol clutches his chest tightly as he speaks.

"I am fine. I'm fine, so don't worry about me. Don't worry about me! You don't need to know!!"

Flinch!

At Seo Hweol's sudden outburst, Oh Hye-seo flinches momentarily, but that's all.

She continues to stare at him with a confused expression.

"Ah..."

Seeing this, Seo Hweol clears his throat and smiles again.

"I apologize... for getting emotional. Just... please give me a little time to think. For now, the plan... has failed. We need another strategy. A new plan to escape from Seo Eun-hyun's grasp..."

At Seo Hweol's words, Oh Hye-seo nods.

"Got it. But... Seo Eun-hyun's clone? There was a massive sphere that seemed like one chasing after us."

Seo Hweol flinches slightly at her words.

"... We'll likely be pursued again soon. If it's Seo Eun-hyun's clone, it will soon find Lofty Dragon Star."

"What? Th-This place isn't safe?"

"It is safe. There's an escape route here that leads directly to a distant dimension. In the core of Lofty Dragon Star, there's a dimensional teleportation formation that connects to the True Devil Realm. Even if Seo Eun-hyun's clone follows us, as long as we activate the teleportation formation and destroy the formation on the opposite side in the True Devil Realm... it will be impossible for even Seo Eun-hyun to follow."

"Ah...! I see. Th-Thank goodness... thank goodness..."

Oh Hye-seo buries herself in Seo Hweol's embrace, trying to steady her breathing.

Seo Hweol looks down at Oh Hye-seo, and while her gaze isn't on him, the smile fades from his face, leaving behind an empty expression.

'... What have I... been pursuing...?'

He recalls the 'answer' shown to him by the Akashic Records.

Kuuuung!

Just then, the entire Lofty Dragon Star begins to shake violently.

Seo Eun-hyun's Gang Sphere clone has arrived at Lofty Dragon Star.

Oh Hye-seo quickly wraps herself and Seo Hweol in the light of the Glass Peacock, erasing their presences, before digging deeper underground.

Seo Hweol, despite still maintaining cultivation around the Four-Axis stage, knows he can't help her in his current state, so he silently follows her underground.

Meanwhile, on the surface of Lofty Dragon Star.

Seo Eun-hyun's Gang Sphere clone lands softly, surveying the charred remains of the palace on the surface of the ground. As it slowly walks towards the ruins, it transforms into a human form.

Seo Eun-hyun clears away the palace ruins.

Traces of familiar spiritual energy remain.

And... beneath the palace debris.

There, lying charred and fused together, are the ash clumps of Hon Won and Yeon Wei.

Seo Eun-hyun looks at them and, with a deep sigh, kneels on the ground to mourn his fallen friends.

Oh Hye-seo's presence on this star is already confirmed.

Since it is clear that escape is impossible anyway, it is only right to pay respects here and then go after them.

Meanwhile, deep underground, as Seo Hweol and Oh Hye-seo approach the core, Seo Hweol predicts Seo Eun-hyun's actions.

'By now... he must be mourning over Hon Won and Yeon Wei's corpses on the surface. He probably thinks he can capture us anytime... which means we have enough time to activate the teleportation formation...'

Dozens of schemes arise in Seo Hweol's mind.

However, suddenly, Seo Hweol sees himself no longer wanting to think of such schemes.

He understands what kind of situation this is.

'So that's it. I... can no longer find a reason to live...'

He recalls the answer.

Seo Hweol gazed at the Akashic Records and wished.

He wished to know who his origin is, where it lies, and with what intentions he was born.

The Akashic Records, though it couldn't fully answer due to him being pulled away by Hong Fan, still revealed what Seo Hweol needed to know.

The truth is horrifyingly hollow and agonizing for Seo Hweol.

Seo Hweol's origin does not exist in this world.

The Akashic Records judged on the 'soul', basing it on 'who gave him their heart', But in this world, there is no such existence who gave Seo Hweol their heart.

Therefore, Seo Hweol, who was loved only by virtual personas in Agate's dream from the very beginning, has no meaning behind his existence.

And by that logic...

The first being to ever give Seo Hweol their heart was...

The very Yu Oh who Seo Hweol believed had corrupted his main body.

Therefore, Seo Hweol's name carries no meaning, as no one had ever given him their heart.

What holds meaning in this world is— The name [■■], which Seo Hweol himself erased in collaboration with Oh Hye-seo.

That's right.

The answer to the meaning of himself that Seo Hweol had sought all his life is something he personally annihilated and erased with his own hands.

'... The name... ■■'s name... I can't remember it...'

As Seo Hweol moves towards the core with Oh Hye-seo, he realizes he has been shedding tears without even himself knowing.

'... I am... ■■. In truth, I was essentially the same being as ■■ from the very beginning.'

Seo Hweol separated himself and ■■, thinking of himself as the victor and ■■ as the loser.

But... from the start, the two were 'two different Seo Hweols, split into two possibilities.'

Because of that, if they wished to become one, they could merge into a single personality at any time.

It's not a matter of who takes dominance—it's simply returning to being one.

After all, they were one from the start.

However...

Seo Hweol erased the name and existence of ■■, the only one in his life who had received love and could proudly speak of their worth of existence, with his own hands.

He destroyed his own dream with his own hands.

Seo Hweol unknowingly asks Oh Hye-seo a question.

"Hye-seo. There's something I'm curious about."

"What is it?"

"... Do you think there's any reason for us to be alive?"

"Aha..."

Oh Hye-seo looks at Seo Hweol and speaks.

"Do you want to kill yourself, Seo Hweol?"

"You're sharp. Yes."

"That makes sense. I used to think about suicide almost every day back on Earth. If I had managed to take control of everything in the company... I probably would have killed myself because there'd be nothing left to do."

"And yet, you are still alive. Why haven't you killed yourself?"

"Hmm... The reason I didn't kill myself back on Earth was because I... wanted to sit in the CEO's chair of my company at least once. That's it. Pretty modest, right? But after coming to this world, things changed a bit. In that world, no matter how much I struggled, the highest position I could reach with the time and resources given to me was limited. But this world is different, isn't it? Here, with enough effort, lifespan, resources, and life itself increase dramatically.

I became curious about how far I could go, and what I could see. So... I haven't killed myself yet, Seo Hweol."

"... Hye-seo. You..."

Seo Hweol asks with a hollow expression.

"What meaning does any of that have?"

At those words, Oh Hye-seo stops and looks directly at Seo Hweol.

She is acting as if she is 'a little tired but holding onto hope,' but upon closer inspection, one can see that she also possesses emotionless eyes.

"I don't know."

"... What?"

"So I'm searching. I've been searching for a long time. I enjoyed finding out how many teeth people I know have, their illnesses, their records, their lives, and everything about them. It was because I wanted to know—what is the meaning of it all?"

"Then, have you found it? That meaning?"

"No. I'm still searching."

"What clue are you searching with?"

"You."

Oh Hye-seo points at Seo Hweol.

"It used to be coworkers back in the company... but now, I'm searching using you as the clue. For that meaning..."

"... What do you mean by that?"

"When I'm with you..."

Oh Hye-seo finally arrives at the core of Lofty Dragon Star.

She arrives at the teleportation formation area.

The teleportation formation zone is built from solid, pitch-black rock, with skulls embedded throughout that emit an icy chill, creating an incredibly ominous feeling.

Faint devilish energy wafts through the air, and grotesque life forms grow in various places, making it a truly terrifying sight to an unfamiliar observer.

And there, in that chilling and dreadful atmosphere, Oh Hye-seo's face flushes red without her realizing it.

"When I'm with you, there's never a dull moment. My suicidal urges decrease, and there's rarely a moment where I feel like my life is in danger. You take care of my basic needs, assist with my cultivation, and somehow, though I can't fully explain it, there's a softening feeling deep in my chest. When I'm away from you, it's the opposite. My suicidal urges grow, I get scared, and I want to lean on you. The inside of my chest feels cold and hollow."

As her explanation continues, Seo Hweol lowers his eyes coldly.

"Meaning... Back on Earth, I read countless psychological and philosophical books and came up with my own definition. I think 'meaning' is something that has a positive influence on oneself. You... are a presence that positively influences me, Seo Hweol. So... I will find meaning through you."

"..."

Seo Hweol slowly caresses Oh Hye-seo's cheek.

Then, his pupils slit vertically.

"You've gained emotions, Hye-seo..."

"It seems that way. Though I still don't fully understand the definition of emotion..."

"... Hye-seo."

Seo Hweol looks directly into Oh Hye-seo's eyes and asks.

"It seems you love me."

Love.

Seo Hweol doesn't fully understand its meaning.

To be exact...

In Agate's dream.

In his first life, he thinks he vaguely understood it.

But in the lives that followed, he could no longer feel any resonance with the word love.

Especially now, after realizing through the Akashic Records that his entire life has no meaning.

Thus, with his vertical pupils narrowing further, Seo Hweol thinks.

'This works out well.'

Until now, Seo Hweol has been racking his brain over how to shake Oh Hye-seo off while descending underground.

'Seo Eun-hyun wants both me and Oh Hye-seo. And we both seem quite important to him.'

Therefore, if Seo Hweol leaves Oh Hye-seo behind in Lofty Dragon Star and heads to the True Devil Realm, Seo Eun-hyun will capture Oh Hye-seo and temporarily put his pursuit of Seo Hweol on hold.

If Seo Hweol can plant 'false information' about himself into Oh Hye-seo's mind on top of all that, all the better.

When Seo Eun-hyun interrogates Oh Hye-seo or uses his senses of Earth to read history, he will be misled about Seo Hweol's whereabouts.

'I must abandon Oh Hye-seo here to survive.'

Seo Hweol frantically begins establishing dozens of plans once again.

Just moments ago, he had dismissed these plans as meaningless...

But why?

Seo Hweol began devising plans again after hearing Oh Hye-seo's words.

'Yes. That would indeed be best.'

After quickly turning the gears in his mind, Seo Hweol forms the optimal plan.

It is to seize Oh Hye-seo's body.

Beyond simply using her body as bait, but using Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens to turn it into a configuration and putting it into his own body. One part of Seo Hweol will flee to draw Seo Eun-hyun's attention, while the main body, inhabiting Oh Hye-seo, will be dragged beneath Seo Eun-hyun.

Seo Eun-hyun will certainly conduct an inspection, but it doesn't matter.

If it's the few possibilities he discovered in the Akashic Records regarding Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, hiding even under Seo Eun-hyun's eyes is feasible.

Seo Eun-hyun will likely attempt to refine Oh Hye-seo.

If she is captured and refined, Oh Hye-seo's personality will surely collapse. But Seo Hweol is confident he will endure.

In this way, he will hide indefinitely under the lamp known as Seo Eun-hyun, waiting silently and unnoticed.

And... someday, when Seo Eun-hyun dies or becomes a great being.

When Seo Eun-hyun stands at the crossroads of those two outcomes.

Seo Hweol will emerge into the world once again and infect the universe with himself.

'Yes, that will do.'

Suddenly.

A question surfaces in Seo Hweol's mind, saying 'If I infect the universe, what meaning does that have?'

But Seo Hweol forcibly ignores the question and grips Oh Hye-seo's shoulders, asking,

"If you love me, good. Then I will ask for one favor. First, with my blood—"

"Seo Hweol. Before that, wait a moment."

From the moment he woke up from the dream, Seo Hweol has worn a mask his entire life. Oh Hye-seo suddenly holds Seo Hweol's cheek and speaks.

"There's one thing I'm curious about."

"Hmm, what is it?"

"I..."

At her following words, Seo Hweol narrows his eyelids.

"I'm curious about your real face."

"... What?"

"I'm talking about your true heart, Seo Hweol. You said you've regained your main body now, right? So... show me your true heart."

Seo Hweol suddenly realizes he's heard this question somewhere before.

'Was it Jeon Hyang...?'

—Your Majesty the Sea Dragon King. I love you. Kiss me.

—If you don't want to kiss me, Your Majesty, then show me your true face.

—Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty... Seo Hweol. I want to see your true heart. Please... show me... If you don't, I will detonate what I received from [Heaven] right here.

Seo Hweol recalls the moment he ambushed and killed her.

Even as she was dying, she clung to him and begged.

If he didn't show her, she seemed ready to lose her mind completely and lash out with suspicious spells. In the end, Seo Hweol had no choice but to reveal his true face to Jeon Hyang.

The devilish spell Tainted Soul Deadly Gaze.

It's a devilish spell that forces the target to witness the 'reality they can least accept' and amplifies the emotions tied to that denial.

Of course, this only works when what is shown isn't an illusion but 'real.'

After a brief hesitation, Seo Hweol reveals Tainted Soul Deadly Gaze to Oh Hye-seo.

At the same time, he shows her that horrifying pain, the hatred that 'Seo Hweol least wants to admit'.

'... How strange of me. Is it because of Seo Eun-hyun's Filling the Heavens Governing View? Why did I show her such a thing?'

Seo Hweol remembers Jeon Hyang's final moments.

Jeon Hyang, who claimed to love Seo Hweol, saw his pain.

The moment she saw the horrifying loathing and hatred embedded in Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, she wept and ran away from Seo Hweol.

Just moments before, she had asked for a kiss, but upon witnessing his monstrous face, she couldn't endure it. Trembling in agony, she ultimately took her own life.

That was Jeon Hyang's end.

'Oh Hye-seo... won't be able to accept it either...'

It's just when he thinks so.

The next moment, Oh Hye-seo presses her lips against Seo Hweol's.

Their lips meet.

After a while, Tainted Soul Deadly Gaze naturally fades away, and Oh Hye-seo pulls her head back from Seo Hweol.

"It must have been hard, Seo Hweol."

"..."

"My stepfather used to do this for me when I was little. He said this is what you do when someone is struggling. Of course, my stepfather kissed my forehead, not my lips... but I thought you'd prefer lips. It's okay, right?"

Seo Hweol stands there blankly.

Then, for some reason, his face distorts like an evil spirit.

Crunch.

Seo Hweol's grip digs into Oh Hye-seo's shoulders.

"You... what are you..."

His eyes are completely bloodshot.

'Why am I like this...?'

Even he doesn't understand.

'This is strange. My mouth... it's moving on its own. I can't control it. What is happening!?'

"Why are you doing such a thing for me...! You love me? Get rid of your bullshit! It's just your breeding instincts awakening! Get away from me! Don't come any closer! Don't give me these half-hearted comforts!"

'I can't be like this. I need to win Oh Hye-seo's heart. I need to nest within her and take over her body. I must remain composed.'

"I hated you. From the moment I first saw you, I hated everything about you! You keep trying to figure me out, digging into the deepest depths of my Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens that I deliberately kept hidden. Just why do you keep trying to know? Stop digging into me!"

'Calm down, Seo Hweol. Smile like you always do. Make the silly hoho laugh and apologize to her. Say that Seo Eun-hyun's vile devilish arts briefly made you lose your mind and sweetly whisper into her ear.'

"You pry into others' pasts without permission, expose their hidden parts without permission, spread them, and distort them. Your very essence is so vile, so disgusting, I can't bear it anymore. And why are you so obsessed with exposing even the filth in my heart!? Why!? Just what part of any of this could possibly be good!!??"

'Put the mask on, Seo Hweol. The mask... Put... the mask...'

And then, the thinking Seo Hweol realizes something.

'Ah...'

The mask.

The gentle, smiling mask.

The mask that spoke warm words and captivated others.

The mask he used to make anyone want to follow him.

That... was the 'role' he believed belonged to the Sea Dragon King, and Seo Hweol had done everything he could to play that role.

But suddenly, For the first time in his life, Seo Hweol, who is hurling unreasonable and illogical abuse at the being before him without wearing his mask, finally understands.

'... I see.'

"I... really hate this..."

Seo Hweol lowers his head, gritting his teeth.

"I... hate... myself..."

'To this woman... I...'

"So... the fact that you are... digging into this... terrifies me so much. The fact that this is all I have to show you is so horrifying, so pathetic, and so painful..."

'Did I want to show her my true face, without wearing the mask...?'

It is the first confession Seo Hweol has ever uttered in his life.

A confession.

Yes, it is a confession revealing his true feelings.

And...

Seo Hweol's sincerity is nothing but this hatred built upon hatred since birth.

Only hatred and loathing remain.

Thus, the 'sincerity' Seo Hweol can show without a mask is, in the end, just hatred and loathing.

Clench...

The hand gripping Oh Hye-seo's shoulders tightens violently.

Kuduk, kudeudeudeuk...

At the same time, Seo Hweol's shadow begins to change.

From the depths of the dark corridor, his shadow morphs from Seo Hweol's form into that of a black dragon (龍).

Seo Hweol, with blood tears streaming down his face, locks eyes with Oh Hye-seo.

His pupils, which had always slit vertically when he regained his cold composure, are now completely dilated and round.

'Why do I want to show this woman my true face...?'

Only now does Seo Hweol realize it.

And at the same time, he understands how terrifying a poison ■■ had left inside him.

—Will never disappear!!

■■'s voice seems to linger in Seo Hweol's ears.

It is true.

■■ still exists within Seo Hweol.

Though the artificial manifestations Seo Eun-hyun had engraved into Seo Hweol had melted away within the Akashic Records, ■■'s will, faint as it may be, remains and continues to awaken him.

Existence is defined by 'whose heart you have received.'

This is the enlightenment ■■ had screamed within Seo Hweol, and...

It is also the truth Seo Hweol directly confirmed within the Akashic Records.

Because of that...

Seo Hweol realizes.

"... But... you accepted... that me..."

He has been loved.

Even if Oh Hye-seo's heart is light, uncertain, and faint.

Seo Hweol received her heart.

Believing she loved only his 'mask,' he used the Tainted Soul Deadly Gaze to show her even his 'true face,' yet she still kissed him.

Yes.

Only today has Seo Hweol truly been 'born.'

On this very day.

He obtained meaning born through Oh Hye-seo.

Drip, drip, drip.

Before Oh Hye-seo can say anything, Seo Hweol presses his forehead against hers while still shedding tears of blood.

"... There's something I need to give you."

It's miserable.

Seo Hweol is feeling an agony more horrifying than any other moment since his birth.

"When I first opened my eyes, I made an oath. To my origin, I swore to deliver my 'story'..."

Budududuk...

It's miserable.

To the one who has given him a heart of love, what Seo Hweol must give in return...

... Are the remnants of a painful and agonizing past, remnants so suffocating even Seo Hweol himself can barely endure them.

It is an oath sworn upon his very existence, and thus, it must be upheld.

The fact that the only thing he can give to the other is hatred feels unbearably miserable.

Seo Hweol sincerely resents his past and is full of torment as he presses his lips against Oh Hye-seo's.

And through Oh Hye-seo's lips, everything about Seo Hweol begins to be sucked in.

His Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

The techniques and knowledge he has obtained.

The spells he has learned, the fragments of ancient force he obtained in the Head Realm.

The [fragment of Agate's Dream], nearly broken after gazing into the Akashic Records twice with Seo Hweol.

And beyond that...

Seo Hweol's entire life.

And Seo Hweol's hatred.

As he transfers all of it to Oh Hye-seo, Seo Hweol's form begins to change.

Like his shadow, Seo Hweol transforms into the form of a Sea Dragon.

Huarurururuk!

From Seo Hweol's sea dragon-formed body, flames erupt.

It is Seo Hweol's true origin.

Seo Hweol is transferring all his life force and lifespan to Oh Hye-seo.

It is to return the lifespan she had sacrificed to make the ritual dedicated to the Owner of Names.

Seo Hweol's body begins to wither.

Gradually, his flesh and skin fade away, his blood and organs dry up and crumble into dust.

And all that remains in that spot are Seo Hweol's massive bones.

"..."

From within his bones, Seo Hweol speaks to her with the last remnants of his will.

[Everything... of mine has been passed to you. Within you, I will wait. And... I will be reborn as you meet others. Go to the True Devil Realm and... stay... there...] Hearing those words, Oh Hye-seo staggers, as if still overwhelmed by everything she has received from Seo Hweol.

Then, she clutches her chest tightly.

"Seo Hweol, Seo Hweol... So you're saying... you're inside my heart... right? Isn't that so? So... if I go to the True Devil Realm and spread Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens among its inhabitants... you'll come back, right...?"

For some reason, Oh Hye-seo's chest begins to ache.

A pain she had never known starts to spread from her chest.

But she has no time to dwell on it.

Kuuuuung!

Seo Eun-hyun's Gang Sphere fragment is destroying the entirety of Lofty Dragon Star.

The subterranean world shakes, and the teleportation formation trembles violently.

"Seo Hweol, so you'll come back, right? Hm? There's no answer... Usually... when you settled Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens within me... you'd answer... Okay... I understand... For now... I'll go. I'll go and use my strength so you can revive. And... just in case, I'll take these with... me."

Oh Hye-seo reaches out, collects Seo Hweol's bones into her Integrated Dao Domain, and rushes towards the teleportation formation, activating it.

Flash!

Oh Hye-seo sets off to the True Devil Realm.

The teleportation formation area where Oh Hye-seo vanished.

In that place, something begins to form where Seo Hweol once stood.

It is the naked body of a man.

The naked man rises with a faint smile.

"Hoho... Did I become a leftover? The memories of my life are quite vivid."

But for some reason...

The face that once bore the weight of hatred is now no longer visible.

"But... why is it? Why does my chest feel... so light?"

After pondering briefly, Seo Hweol smiles.

"... I see. I entrusted everything to her."

Purple Soul Filling the Heavens is a secret art completed through inheritance.

And its variant, Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, is the same.

Simply... Seo Hweol never knew because he had never passed it on to anyone.

Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens has been passed down to Oh Hye-seo, and through that inheritance, it has been completed.

"... In that case, to ensure she can escape... shall I devise every possible scheme?"

Seo Hweol smiles faintly, gathers some emergency clothing from a corner of the teleportation formation area, and steps onto a teleportation formation leading to the surface.

Kugugugugugug!

Seo Eun-hyun's Gang Sphere clone is crushing the entirety of Lofty Dragon Star, waiting for Oh Hye-seo and Seo Hweol to emerge.

Just then.

"Hmm!?"

Something is caught in Seo Eun-hyun's senses.

It is a spatial ripple.

"This... Did they use a teleportation formation? In that case..."

At that moment— Paaatt!

Someone appears before Seo Eun-hyun's eyes.

It is Seo Hweol, not wearing a dark-red robe, but a blue one.

It is exactly the same appearance as when Seo Eun-hyun first encountered him.

"Hoho, greetings, Daoist Seo..."

Kwajik!

But before Seo Hweol can finish his sentence— Seo Eun-hyun summons the Black Ghost Curse Banner and pins Seo Hweol's arms and legs to a nearby rock wall.

Intense pain washes over Seo Hweol, but he does not even flinch.

Seo Eun-hyun asks Seo Hweol,

"Are you alright, [Seo Ran]? I will pull you out... Wait."

Then, his eyes tremble violently.

Seo Eun-hyun seems taken aback.

"You...! You're...! Leftover!? Seo Hweol left behind a leftover?"

"That is correct. I took my own life just moments ago. I am merely... the leftover left by Seo Hweol's final lingering thought. I plan to carry out the mission he gave me, and then I, too, will end myself."

"... Then, what happened to [Seo Ran]?"

"What are you talking about, Daoist Seo?"

Seo Hweol laughs cheerfully and speaks.

"He was, from the beginning, just one of my other possibilities. I only realized that today."

"... You..."

"I was surprised by your scheme. You must have known. That's why you forcefully embedded [his] heart into me, no? Back then, I felt pain because I didn't understand... but now I do. [He] is I. I am [him]. Therefore... distinguishing between me and ■■ is meaningless; isn't that right?"

Seo Eun-hyun grabs Seo Hweol by the collar.

[Seo Ran] is no longer visible.

However...

Seo Hweol realized that he himself is another possibility of [Seo Ran].

This is because Seo Eun-hyun's main body accepted [Seo Ran]'s proposal in order to merge the two personalities into one and rehabilitate Seo Hweol.

Seo Hweol is now in the exact state Seo Eun-hyun had intended.

"... Where is Oh Hye-seo, [Seo Ran]?"

"Hoho, she... escaped. To another Heavenly Domain."

"... [Seo Ran] would never tell such a lie."

"I am also Seo Hweol, after all. A leftover where the two hearts have mixed."

"... Fine."

Seo Eun-hyun opens his Earth Tribe senses and places his hand on Seo Hweol's head.

"I will see for myself. Stay sti—" At that moment.

Kwajik...

"What...!?"

Seo Eun-hyun is horrified.

Blood pours from Seo Hweol's seven orifices.

"You... You...!!!!"

Seo Eun-hyun shakes Seo Hweol in shock.

However, Seo Hweol does not respond.

Seo Eun-hyun realizes.

Seo Hweol has erased his own personality and memories using one of the secret arts he learned from the Akashic Records.

Through this, he has prevented his history from being read even by the Earth Tribe senses.

Seo Hweol dies with a smile.

While holding Seo Eun-hyun with a few words, he kept him occupied until the spatial ripple that Oh Hye-seo used completely vanished, making it impossible for Seo Eun-hyun to track her.

Seo Hweol's life force begins to fade away.

As he is merely a leftover left by Seo Hweol's lingering thoughts to complete this one mission, it is only natural for him to die this way.

Seo Eun-hyun looks at the being before him with a complicated expression.

When he observed with the newly awakened Heart Tribe senses at the Severing Heaven realm, he saw that Seo Hweol's claim of 'him himself being [Seo Ran]', were not lies.

Indeed.

The being before him is Seo Hweol, yet also [Seo Ran].

Seo Eun-hyun finally understands the full story.

"... I see. [Seo Ran]. Your heart... remained with him. You made Seo Hweol... learn what love is. That's what drove him to take his own life..."

It is the insight of Seo Eun-hyun, who has risen to the Quasi-Immortal realm.

He ignored causality and approached the truth in an instant.

"... Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens was passed down to Oh Hye-seo? Did you really... decide to live on within her in the form of a heart, Seo Hweol?"

Seo Hweol does not answer.

He merely smiles.

Seo Eun-hyun senses that this is Seo Hweol's final conclusion.

That long, tiresome ill-fate with Seo Hweol that spanned from the early cycles.

And... the connection imbued with memories of [Seo Ran].

That connection has finally been severed today.

Seo Eun-hyun decides to honor the being who is both Seo Hweol and [Seo Ran].

Recognizing that he has brought the long battle with the Sea Dragon King to its conclusion, Seo Eun-hyun turns around.

"... Goodbye."

Seo Eun-hyun suddenly ponders what to call the one left behind.

The thought does not last long.

The one left behind is...

"Daoist Seo."

Because he was simply his fellow Daoist.

And so, Seo Eun-hyun leaves Lofty Dragon Star.

In the collapsing Lofty Dragon Star, the leftover who is both [Seo Ran] and Seo Hweol.

All that is left is the corpse of that leftover.

Even until the end, the one who carried Seo Hweol's will and toyed with Seo Eun-hyun continues to smile.

Thus...

Seo Hweol—born mocked by life, mocked the world, and in the end, mocked even himself— closes his eyes.

Yet, on this day, his smile appears to be sincere.

Perhaps it is because, for the first time in his life, he mocked not for himself... but for the sake of another.

At the age of 9, 000 years, Seo Hweol found rest.