Ch.26Chapter 26 – Origin (3)

“I had hoped we could resolve this through dialogue.”

I said to Azazel as I coughed up crimson blood. The tentacles behind her back were raised sharply like spear tips.

In the original work “I was Possessed In Idle Game” that I wrote, Azazel goes mad waiting endlessly for the protagonist Kang Si-woo who never comes to this monastery.

She makes a contract with an Outer God to gain power, growing strong enough to tear through time and space, and ultimately tries to capture Kang Si-woo to make him hers—that was the latter part of the novel I wrote.

Though I never finished it because the serialization was discontinued.

‘Can I defeat Azazel in my current state?’

To be honest, it seemed nearly impossible. Outer Gods, beings from beyond our universe, cast their presence across many creative works.

That’s why I tried to recruit Bi-wol and Verdandi to stop her. I figured a Hero and a Heavenly Demon would be enough to defeat an Outer God.

“Dialogue? I don’t think something like that is necessary between us. You seem to serve an Outer God just like me.”

Azazel chuckled as she looked at me. Her rainbow-colored eyes were scanning me.

She was probably using this to foresee the future. A situation where all possible attack patterns and their connections—the paths of battle—are completely read.

“…The same Outer God? What are you talking about?”

I decided to play along with Azazel to buy some time. The Outer God I had created for her was named Morgidian.

The god of ghouls who only craves corpses and doesn’t kill innocent people as long as they don’t harm him.

Unlike other Outer Gods, he had a merciful side, which I thought made for a unique and charming setting.

But…

“Outer God. You wouldn’t pretend not to know, would you?”

I have an Outer God within me?

If such a thing were inside my body, I would have either gone insane or died by now.

“They dwell in the abyss beyond the universe, incomprehensible gods far beyond human cognition.”

Outer Gods are inherently incomprehensible to humans. Unlike ordinary mythological gods, even their influences are filled with things difficult to understand.

They have no concept of good and evil. No emotions. Not even common sense or ethics.

‘It’s the fear of the unknown.’

I bit my lower lip as I stared at the writhing black tentacles. Those were parts of an Outer God’s body. Like fingernails to humans, parts that could be cut off without much loss.

Yet those tentacles could tear through space and time, and merely touching them could result in having one’s soul stolen.

“That’s right. Don’t you have any idea? Haven’t you done something to offend such beings, or perhaps something to earn their favor?”

Azazel slowly raised the tentacles behind her back as she spoke. She was questioning me like a priest interrogating a sinner.

“……”

To be honest, I did have some suspicions.

The devoted reader who possessed me into this world, from the nightmare I just had. The only being who followed all three of my discontinued works.

Could something capable of dragging me into such a world even be called human?

“Even if that were true, what does it matter?”

I deliberately played dumb. Even if it was an Outer God as Azazel claimed, I had responsibilities as the author who created this world.

This is the world I created with Seol-hwa, my first love. It’s like the last trace left by her after she died.

“Of course it matters. The fact that the two girls you’re traveling with don’t fight each other is probably because of that.”

Azazel narrowed her brows as she spoke about the beings that were like daughters to me and Seol-hwa.

“A being born with the energy of an ominous star, like a demon lord, and a hero who received divine revelation. I wonder if such fate is nothing but dust before the great one?”

“Can you see that in dreams too? Impressive.”

“Well, I couldn’t look into your dreams though.”

Azazel sighed deeply and prepared to attack me as I approached.

Her posture was that of ordinary prayer with hands clasped together, but the tentacles behind her back had transformed into blades sharper than ever before.

“Now, for the sake of my love, please get out of here.”

Azazel spoke to me in the most irritating voice possible. She was expressing with her entire body how much she despised someone trampling on her memories.

“Azazel, love that will never be reciprocated isn’t love—it’s lingering attachment.”

I offered her advice. I knew the difference between love and attachment better than anyone.

After all, I had twisted my dream of becoming a novelist into writing web novels to fulfill the dying wish she left behind.

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“Well, we can find out who’s right directly.”

The reason for our fight didn’t matter.

The difference in skill didn’t matter either.

That’s how fights between those mad with love are.

There was a dog-fight madness where one fights to protect what they love without regard for their own life.

“Fall Down Style Swordsmanship, First Form.”

I invoked the swordsmanship of the legendary Sword Master who appeared in the original work featuring Azazel.

Fall Down—a name passed down because it was said to have brought down even the moon in the sky.

He was a character from the original work who had asked me to take him as a disciple to extend his lifespan when I was traveling in the West before.

I created an ice sword like I had done for Bi-wol, lowered my sword, hunched my body, and moved forward.

And then,

“Crescent.”

I countered with a thrust to match Azazel’s tentacles. An aura drew a sharp line from the tip of the ice sword.

Clang, clang—!

A violent clash like metal striking metal. Sparks flew between the tentacles hardened like steel and my sword, forcing Azazel to take a step back.

“Ice-White Divine Art, Sixth Form Ice Killing Kick.”

I concentrated all my qi into my right foot, condensed the cold energy, and drove a kick into her exposed side. The area I hit froze instantly.

“Ugh…!”

Azazel seemed to feel a dull pain as if struck by an ice hammer, and she glared at me with murderous intent while grimacing.

* * *

Azazel couldn’t help but be surprised. After all, she had met many heroes following Kang Si-woo, who had been a hero himself.

‘That’s definitely the Sword Master’s swordsmanship that I knew…!’

A character from the original game that author Han Do-hyeon wrote about in his game possession web novel “I was Possessed In Idle Game.”

Among them, Sword Master Fall Down was classified as an SSR, or ★5-star character, considered a limited pass or must-have character who was always in the party.

But how could this person use that swordsmanship?

The dull vibration transmitted through her tentacles and the freezing pain digging into her side were eating away at her thoughts.

– Azazel, get a grip. Your opponent is physically weak. If you drag this into a long battle, you’ll definitely win.

Morgidian reassessed the battle situation.

He observed Bing-yeon’s rough breathing and trembling hands whenever he used internal energy or aura, and how he was enduring pain while coughing up crimson blood.

“Ha, but…! How can I when the opponent is this strong…!”

– Focus only on defense. If you use my divine body connected to you, you can easily block attacks of this level.

In truth, Morgidian wasn’t wrong.

After all, Azazel was possessed by an Outer God, while Bing-yeon had barely entered the early stages of Transcendence Realm.

However,

– Your weakness is your lack of practical experience, Azazel. Your opponent knows this and is deliberately using irregular moves. That’s why he’s mixing kicks with swordsmanship.

She had always trusted the hero Kang Si-woo and stayed in the rear, boosting her companions’ morale, healing wounds with holy power, or reattaching severed limbs.

Azazel lacked the cunning to see through an opponent’s habits and breathing patterns learned through life-and-death battles, and to exploit weaknesses.

Bang—!

A fist struck without the slightest error.

The Ice-White Divine Art’s first form, Ice Breaking Fist, dug into Azazel’s solar plexus, and she staggered from the impact.

“What’s wrong? Where did your confidence from earlier go?”

With blurred vision and slowed thoughts, Azazel couldn’t keep up with Bing-yeon’s movements.

“Ha, haha…. I have no choice. I’ll have to use the power of Lord—”

Three Talents Swordsmanship,

The second of the three basic forms, vertical slash,

Mountain Pressing Top.

Slash—!

Before Azazel could finish speaking, the black tentacles surrounding her were cut off.

“How can a person’s reaction speed be…!”

She could have momentarily manifested Morgidian in this world just by pressing her palms together in prayer, but with that means blocked, Azazel let out a sigh.

Could this really be the strength and speed of someone whose blood vessels were all blocked?

Azazel doubted her own eyes. She had clearly thought her stamina was superior.

“Never reveal your methods to your enemy. This is my first teaching to you.”

Bing-yeon cut off Azazel’s remaining tentacles and was breaking through her defenses by mixing punches and sword strikes.

“Are you trying to play teacher with me?!”

Swoosh, Azazel’s tentacles crossed dimensions to target Bing-yeon’s blind spot. He suffered a slight cut on his arm from the attack that came from outside his field of vision.

“You aimed for my sword arm. Good instinct.”

“That’s so you’ll give up and leave. Find another healer to fix it back to normal later—I’ll even reattach it in reverse if necessary.”

Bing-yeon slightly raised the corner of his mouth at Azazel’s response. The Saintess, who should have no connection to actual close combat, was gradually growing.

Seeing this, Bing-yeon could bring out a clever move he had been considering. Originally, he hadn’t even planned to attempt this proposal.

“Azazel, don’t you want to see the man named Kang Si-woo?”

“I have no obligation to answer you.”

Clap—! As Azazel brought her palms together, shadows fell across the space they were in, and something writhing descended from the ceiling.

The Outer God Morgidian.

The god of ghouls and the Great Old One who craves corpses.

Looking at him, Bing-yeon couldn’t help but shudder. The sensation of death was crawling all over his body like insects.

“…There’s a tournament called the Dragon and Phoenix Tournament. It’s originally held in the East, but this time the prize is quite special, so even children from the West will participate.”

Just before being completely drained of life, Bing-yeon told Azazel about the settings he knew from the original works.

Originally called a crossover, where characters from different works appear or share the same world.

Since all the worlds and characters he had created with Seol-hwa shared some connections,

It was something that Han Do-hyeon, as an author, had always wanted to do.

Kim Hyul, the protagonist of “Diamond Fist King.”

Sieg-hardt, the future hero of “I Need To Kill The Hero.”

Kang Si-woo, the player from “I was Possessed In Idle Game.”

The Dragon and Phoenix Tournament was conceived as an episode where the protagonists of these three works would gather, featuring disciples from various martial arts sects.

“The man you’re looking for, Kang Si-woo, will probably come there too.”

“…What?”

Moreover, the prize for this Dragon and Phoenix Tournament is the 10,000-Year Ultimate Blood Treasure, which contains extreme yang energy.

“If you join our sect, you’ll qualify to participate as a disciple, Azazel.”

It was also the last resort that Bing-yeon, who suffered from severed meridians, had considered to heal his body.

“What do you say? Will you become my disciple, even if it means being deceived?”

With those final words, Bing-yeon cut down all the tentacles descending from above and gave Azazel a slight smile.