DEB 111

Yasha’s declaration only further bewildered his disciples.

“What do you mean, ‘Let’s do this’?”

“The swamp has collapsed. I’ll use my power of domination to stop it from spilling through the gate. You take care of the remnants left behind. This swamp must end by our hands.”

“…Wow, I seriously don’t understand any of this.”

“It’s confusing, but we don’t seem to have time, so understood for now. We just have to block the black water rising up, right?”

Huiyun turned and nodded with his chin. 

There, emerging from the ground of the swamp, were countless sinners.

All of them were knights cloaked in black mist. 

They were the same troublesome opponents they had faced before, and Ash couldn’t hide his unease. 

The Waiting One added a word of caution.

“They are the true sinners. Not beings created by the new ruler, but those who’ve lived here since long ago, feeding on death-contaminated mana. You’ll need to fight with full strength.”

“Is that so? Then let’s—huh? Who are you?”

“Yasha, who is this?”

“An enemy?”

As the unfamiliar man spoke up as if he’d been waiting for his cue, the disciples each responded in disbelief. 

Huiyun calmed them, saying he’d explain everything later, but for now, they needed to stop the swamp. 

Eventually, Moot—who knew the full picture—stepped forward to take command.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Take care of yourself. Using domination to stop that with your body in its current state won’t be easy.”

“It won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible either.”

When his avatar died, the power of the Guardian that remained in him flowed into Huiyun. 

Thanks to that, he was now able to move and exert power even on this swamp, which was composed entirely of death mana.

Moot glanced at Huiyun, whose complexion wasn’t too bad, then pushed the Waiting One forward.

“If you’ve got nothing to do, at least protect Yasha.”

“Haha. I’ll try my best.”

With a reply that was anything but reassuring, everyone split and moved to their positions.

“Whew.”

Huiyun took a deep breath and began running with the Waiting One, pouring his power of domination into the roiling black water.

“Damn it.”

As blood trickled from his nose, the Waiting One offered him a handkerchief from his robes. 

Huiyun refused, too focused to wipe it away, and clicked his tongue at the black water that still surged forward despite his domination.

The swamp had collapsed, so the gate leading outside must have opened as well. 

He had to stop the water from reaching it. 

Increasing his speed, Huiyun kicked up mud to erect a wall in front of the black water’s path.

One wall wouldn’t hold, but dozens made a difference. 

As each earthen barrier collapsed, it slowed the black water’s momentum bit by bit.

Timing it just right, Huiyun launched himself upward, bounding far ahead of the surge. 

The Waiting One, left awkwardly behind, watched as Huiyun landed 300 meters from the open gate and extended domination in both directions.

One toward the black water.

One toward the open gate.

The swamp’s advance slowed, and the wide-open gate began to shrink.

…No, I have to close it completely.

A portal can be reopened, but letting the black water escape wasn’t something that could be undone with a simple excuse. 

He had to close the portal first. 

As he poured more domination into the portal, the black water, now regaining speed like a ghost, surged toward Huiyun.

“…!”

He glanced around, hoping for help, but his disciples were busy battling the ever-growing horde of sinners.

It really is cutting it close.

Neither he nor his disciples had fully regained the power of their prime. 

Trying to suppress the rampage of a realm that was once practically a world of its own was no easy task.

Drip. Drip.

Cold sweat and blood mixed and dripped endlessly to the ground. 

Just as Huiyun began to feel overwhelmed—

Yipp.

“Siho!”

There had never been a more welcome cry. 

The blue spirit beast, which had remained unconscious since Huiyun dispelled the illusion from the Waiting One, had finally awakened in his arms.

Still groggy, the spirit beast stirred. 

Huiyun pointed urgently at the portal.

“Siho! Can you… can you close that?”

Blink.

The iridescent spirit beast closed and opened his eyes. 

Then, his pupils gleamed, and his tail swayed gently.

Pyauu!

With a sharp cry, Siho sprang from Huiyun’s arms and dashed toward the portal.

He left the portal to Siho.

Even though they had only spent a short time together, Huiyun knew well that this divine fox was no ordinary creature.

Trusting Siho completely, he redirected all his domination away from the portal and focused it entirely on the black water, his back turned to Siho as he did everything in his power to stop the flood.

The strengthened domination spiraled downward, pressing the swirling black water from above.

Kuuuuung!

The black water thrashed as it was pinned to the ground. 

It should’ve dispersed by now, yet it remained tenaciously condensed, churning even more violently.

Grk.

Huiyun bit his lip and unleashed his power to its absolute limit.

The black water possessed the ego of the swamp, now devoid of a ruler. 

That’s why domination worked on it. 

And that also meant—just like with the Demon Steward before—the ability he had used on them would work here too.

He needed domination strong enough to completely seize the ego of the black water.

Kwaaang!

“Zenith! Vina, give me some healing!”

“Understood!”

“Ash! Secure the right flank. If we keep this up, it’ll never end.”

“I know, stop rushing me!”

Though the distance between them widened, the sounds of his disciples fighting and moving were still crystal clear. 

They were giving it their all, how could their master afford to fall behind?

He admitted it.

Even with the strength reclaimed from his avatar, he couldn’t fully suppress a swamp that had developed an ego. 

He lacked the power. 

Therefore—

[Oh? If you awaken now, there’s a 100% chance you’ll regain your prime strength!]

Would I?

Now you show up? 

After watching me suffer this whole time?

Grumbling at the system that only appeared after thoroughly spectating his suffering, Huiyun opened his mouth.

“Let’s make a deal. I’ll take whatever penalty you’ve got, just lend me power.”

[Uhh… that’s beyond my authority…]

“Please. If that thing escapes, you’ll be in trouble too, won’t you?”

[Well, that’s true, but…]

“…If my disciples regain their prime powers, I’ll awaken too. I promise. So just this once, let it slide. You’ve got more than enough grounds for leniency.”

Cough!

He tried to reason with the administrator, but couldn’t hold on any longer. 

The pressure he had suppressed burst out, he vomited a large amount of blood, staggering.

Yip!

Siho, having successfully closed the portal, jumped onto Huiyun’s shoulder and barked toward the sky.

The portal was shut, now all that remained was to eliminate the black water. 

If left alone, it would keep trying to escape. 

Huiyun clenched his fists. 

His eyes throbbed from the rising pressure.

“…Just—”

He couldn’t even finish the sentence. With a strained face, he barely squeezed out the word.

Grr!

As if backing him up, Siho growled, and a golden system window shimmered into view.

[Oh, dear God… Why must I face such trials… Fine, I get it. I’ll try my best. I’ll go write the incident report later!]

At last, the system gave in. 

Just as Huiyun finished reading the window, a broken golden spear descended from the sky and sank into his heart.

Ah.

His blood surged. 

His mind cleared, and the painful pressure in his eyes disappeared.

His lungs, damaged by death mana, healed. 

The nosebleed stopped.

A peaceful warmth flooded in.

He felt like he had his body and power from his prime back. 

Huiyun opened his eyes wide, swept back his hair, and laughed.

“…For once, the system actually did something right.”

With this power, he could do it.

His blue eyes turned to a steely gray. 

Wiping the blood and sweat from his face, Huiyun opened his mouth.

“Stop.”

Kuung!

The black water that had been inching closer now flattened against the ground. 

It couldn’t move, just trembled in place. 

Huiyun looked down at it and pointed to the ground.

Kwaaaaaang!

The black water was smashed further down, and the land around it collapsed. 

He had seized full control of it.

After confirming it, Huiyun glanced once at the black water, then at the sinners still battling his disciples. 

He called out to the Waiting One. 

Though it was just a name being spoken, perhaps because it had been so long, Huiyun’s power surged and forcibly pulled the Waiting One to him.

“Ooh… so this is what that feels like.”

“Hold me up.”

“…What?”

“I’m going to collapse soon.”

There was no telling how severe the backlash would be from using such power. 

Taking precautions, Huiyun transferred his weight to the Waiting One, then released the force building in his heart.

“Return to ash.”

With that short command, both the black water and the sinners fighting the disciples froze. 

Then, as if something inside them detonated, their bodies expanded—and all at once—

Pop!

They burst.

In a radiant explosion, everything that made up the swamp turned to ash and scattered. 

The land beneath the disciples’ feet became dry, cracked earth, and the death mana that had darkened the world vanished completely.

“This…”

There was only one person capable of bringing about such a miracle. 

The disciples all turned their heads—there was Huiyun, collapsing.

“…Yasha!”

Clang!

They dropped their weapons and ran toward their master. 

As soon as the purification was done, Huiyun collapsed. 

The Waiting One held his unmoving form tightly, waiting for the disciples to arrive.

“…It’s really over. The swamp is finally gone.”

His whisper marked the end.

A long, bitter struggle, woven with countless souls, had finally reached its end.