Possessing Nothing
chapter-384

TL: xLordFifth

PR: Yul, Gort

Episode 384: Descent (5)

Silence ensued.

It was inevitable. The Queen of Spirits’ disappearance was so bizarre that everyone could realize something was wrong.

From the start, Lee Sungmin’s Martial End was not potent enough to lead to the Queen of Spirits’ disappearance, and among those present, none had played a part in leading her to vanish.

Neither Lloyd nor Scarlett had used magic, nor had the Spear King, the Black Dragon, or Baek Sogo attacked.

Even the Queen herself was bewildered by her own disappearance. Why me? These were the faltering words of the Queen just before she vanished.

Divine Spirit… Lee Sungmin chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully.

Before disappearing, the Queen of Spirits had invoked the Divine Spirit. As if the disappearance was orchestrated by a divine power.

Lee Sungmin immediately opened his senses wide. Although he was fatigued from unleashing Mukgeuk, now was not the time to be concerned about that.

Did the Divne Spirit indeed cause the Queen’s disappearance? Or was it the Divine Spirit’s puppeteer, Martial God? Perhaps he was present in this forest.

‘…Nothing…’

Despite thoroughly searching his surroundings with his senses pushed to their limits, he could not feel the presence of any martial god.

Had the Martial God not come personally?

Was it a forceful intervention by the Divine Spirit, similar to what happened with Yang Il-Chun? But why?

It didn’t make sense. The Divine Spirit had intervened in the Lord of the Sama Order’s case because his power had reached realms not permitted in this world.

There was no reason for the Divine Spirit to intervene this time. The Divine Spirit desired the end, and the Queen of Spirits, having descended, functioned as one of the disasters leading to that end.

Even if she had been defeated, there was no clear reason for the Divine Spirit to personally make her disappear.

[Perhaps it was considering your potential to become stronger?]

‘I had no intention of consuming her in the first place.’

Consuming the Queen of Spirits like that would be more than his body could bear.

Scarlett and Lloyd had confirmed this several times after comparing Lee Sungmin’s body with that of Aine’s.

The body’s composition was different, and the current Lee Sungmin was reaching the growth limit through Predation.

[Maybe it was a precaution. You do not belong to the destiny of the end, and the Divine Spirit cannot control you. And since the Queen of Spirits failed, the Divine Spirit might have no reason to keep her alive.]

Lee Sungmin understood what Heoju meant.

If this world ends completely from the Apocalypse, a new Queen of Spirits will appear in the new world.

In a world that repeats itself over and over, the Queen of Spirits was not such a significant entity.

‘Is the Divine Spirit conscious of me?’

[That is… quite peculiar. If it’s conscious of you, views you as an obstacle, and considers the possibility of you consuming the Queen of Spirits to become stronger… Wouldn’t it be easier to come forward and kill you simply?]

It was unthinkable that it lacked the power to do so.

[Maybe because you’re not bound by fate, the Divine Spirit cannot directly intervene.]

Nothing was certain. Lee Sungmin chewed on his lower lip as he gazed down at the spot where the Queen of Spirits had vanished.

“We need to know.”

Lloyd spoke up.

He suddenly sat down, placing Weiss on his knees, and stretched his hands to touch the book’s cover.

Lloyd peered down at Weiss with narrowed eyes and said,

“We lack too much information. Just now, the Queen of Spirits should not have disappeared.”

“It wasn’t suicide.”

The Spear King muttered lowly, feeling a hint of regret. He had thought they could enjoy a longer, more thrilling fight. The battle had ended too easily. Or so the Spear King didn’t even regard the recent event as a fight.

“The fact that the Queen of Spirits has disappeared is undeniable. It’s not bad; rather, it’s a good thing. This world has once again distanced itself from the end. The Queen of Spirits, the closest disaster we faced, has disappeared.”

“Is that really enough to call it a disaster?”

The Spear King sneered, to which the Black Dragon rolled their eyes.

“We were fortunate. The circumstances were favorable. Had the Little Heavenly Demon not rampaged in the spirit world, and had we not sequentially destroyed the previously descended spirit kings… If we hadn’t known and prepared for the Queen’s descent in advance, she would undoubtedly have been a disaster.”

Without refuting the Black Dragon’s words, the Spear King clicked his tongue.

“How boring,” Spear King muttered to himself as he took his seat. Despite having overcome the calamity known as the Queen of Spirits, no one could truly feel at ease and joyous.

They knew this wasn’t the end of it all, and there were far too many unanswered questions about the Queen of Spirits’ extermination.

Lloyd sought those answers. The Weiss would be able to delve into the past and present.

If the coming and annihilation of the Queen of Spirits were of significant magnitude, Weiss would have certainly detected it.

Lloyd closed his eyes and focused his mind. Weiss demanded a sacrifice of lifespan.

It was familiar.

Lloyd gauged his remaining lifespan.

He didn’t feel regret. If he were the kind to begrudge his lifespan for such a cause, Abel would not have passed Weiss onto him.

Lloyd ignored his remaining lifespan. Show me. Weiss hummed and vibrated. Lloyd’s consciousness began to float.

It’s not far from here.

Outside the Sleeping Forest.

Beyond the barrier, someone stood. A man in a yellow robe. And by his side, a woman with invisible eyes… and a woman in white martial attire.

They had extinguished the Queen of Spirits. Lloyd’s eyes snapped open. He immediately used magic to show everyone what he had just seen.

Lee Sungmin looked on with a pale, stricken face.

The man in the yellow robe was the Martial God. The identity of the woman with her eyes closed by his side was unknown.

However, Spear King and the Black Dragon could guess who she was.

“Is that… a spirit medium?”

Though they once belonged to Beyond the Heavens, it was their first time seeing a medium directly.

Lee Sungmin stared intently at the face of the woman in martial attire. It was a face he had seen before.

As he racked his brain, he recalled the face. Lee Sungmin hadn’t met many elves personally.

‘Hunting party leader.’

Levias, the daughter of Guan Zun. She was with the Martial God.

“They are beyond the barrier.”

Spear King stood up abruptly. Excitement in his eyes, he grasped his spear and turned around. The Black Dragon quickly reached out and grabbed Spear King’s shoulder.

“What are you planning?”

“I’m going to avenge what happened 10 years ago.”

“You’re being reckless. Don’t act hastily.”

“What’s so hasty about it? Have you already forgotten the humiliation from 10 years ago? We couldn’t deal with the one-armed Martial God despite our combined effort! Now is the chance to exact our revenge.”

“That’s exactly why. There’s no need to rush vengeance.”

The Black Dragon retorted with a look of frustration. Lee Sungmin tightly pressed his lips together, gazing at the warrior deity.

The Martial God hadn’t changed much from 10 years ago. Blood dripped from his tightly clenched fist.

The Martial God was, like the Divine Spirit, the direct murderer of Yang Il-Chun.

“Do you think you can handle it?”

The Black Dragon demanded, staring at Spear King. The question wasn’t just directed at Spear King but also at Lee Sungmin.

“We just went through a battle. You seem fine, but some of us are exhausted.”

The state at which Lee Sungmin could employ the ultimate technique, Martial End, wasn’t fully attainable. Indeed, Lee Sungmin was too weary even to wield his spear properly.

“It’s true that our 10 years of hard work have elevated us higher than before. But do you really think the Martial God just idled around during these 10 years? Spear King, didn’t you agree that your martial prowess is now equal to that of the Martial God 10 years ago?”

Spear King’s face contorted at that remark. He attempted to retort, but the Black Dragon didn’t allow it.

“I haven’t progressed as much as you. Even if we join forces, I doubt we can withstand the Martial God. And remember this. The Martial God has the support of the Divine Spirit.”

Right.

Lee Sungmin exhaled sharply. His boiling emotions began to settle. The Martial God was Yang Il-Chun’s enemy, and he had no intention of forgetting that.

If, just if, he couldn’t restrain his thirst for vengeance against the Martial God, what would be the outcome?

Lee Sungmin wasn’t in a condition to fight properly. Spear King, the Black Dragon, Baek Sogo. And Scarlett and Lloyd.

Could they really push the Divine Spirit into a corner? Remembrances of the bizarre encounters within the Moon Palace came flooding back. After defeating scattered flesh and the brothers of death, Levias went to meet Wolhu. And then, there was the Divine Spirit.

“……There’s no need to clash with the Martial God right now.”

“He is the enemy of your master.”

The Spear King looked at Lee Sungmin with a dull expression. Lee Sungmin, supporting Lloyd, got up.

“……I will avenge my master. But as the Black Dragon said, fighting the Martial God now is too risky.”

Don’t be swayed by emotions. Lee Sungmin conjured a fairy horse while hypnotizing himself with this thought.

Though the Spear King looked reluctant, he didn’t insist any further. Baek Sogo approached Lee Sungmin to help support Lloyd.

“……You’ve worked hard, disciple.”

“It was nothing special.”

“Hardly.”

Scarlett furrowed her brows.

“Why the long faces? It’s okay to be openly happy. The finale might have been sketchy and unsatisfactory, but we just saved the world, didn’t we?”

But everyone looked so deflated. Scarlett, kicking at the dirt in frustration, muttered.

“We did something so great, and none of us died. We’ve successfully averted one of the Calamities of the Apocalypse. Even if it was just adding the final touch to something that was half killed by someone else!”

“Exactly. That’s why it’s boring.”

The Spear King grumbled. Scarlett ignored him and glared at Lee Sungmin.

“When we get back, we’re having a feast.”

Promise me. Scarlett extended her pinkie finger towards Lee Sungmin.

“It’s unfair, isn’t it? We went through all this trouble to save the world once, but the people of the world have no idea what we’ve done. So, what can we do? We celebrate ourselves. Look forward to drinking and having fun. Let’s forget about complex and difficult thoughts for one night, chat away in excitement, and cheer each other on with ‘Good job everyone.'”

“……Understood.”

Lee Sungmin nodded, giving a wry smile in response to Scarlett’s scolding.

* * *

“Is there no need to enter?”

The Martial God asked, staring at the barrier blocking the entrance to the forest. By his side, Levias looked impassively into the depth of the barrier.

Wolhu, through the ritual, inhabited Levias’s body; her mind was that of Wolhu.

The well-trained body of an elf pleased him more than his previous body.

“There’s no need. Everything has already ended.”

“The Queen of Spirits has perished?”

“Yes.”

The spirit medium beside the Martial God nodded, causing his eyebrows to twitch slightly.

It didn’t sit well with him. Extinguishing the Queen of Spirits, who had descended as one of the calamities of the apocalypse, was supposed to be his duty.

“Don’t be too displeased.”

The medium spoke to the Martial God. She could not see ahead. Instead, the medium saw something else.

She smiled faintly, seeing Lee Sungmin and his party on a fairy horse escaping the forest.

“Didn’t they also call themselves Calamities of the Apocalypse? Wouldn’t it be better to take this opportunity to kill them?”

“No, Martial God. There is no need for that. It’s better to counter poison with poison. The Calamities of the Apocalypse are exhausting each other in conflict. Martial God, you just need to step in at the most decisive moment.”

“There’s no need for that……”

“The Divine Spirit wishes for a conclusive end.”

“Does the Spirit not trust me?”

“That’s not it. Your power is already sufficient to end the apocalypse. But… in the picture that the Spirit is drawing, you should not fight them yet.”

It’s not yet time for harvest. It’s too early to reap what has not yet fully ripened. The Spirit, wearing the disguise of a medium, smiled faintly.

“Step back.”

The medium bowed her head slightly…

You foolish human.

…swallowing that mockery.