Gasping for breath, Taeseong staggered before collapsing onto the ground.
Despite his extraordinary regenerative abilities, the recoil from wielding an incomplete authority was not something he could easily withstand.
He had torn through space and summoned a paw from another dimension.
Whether it belonged to the Primordial Wolf, something of comparable might, or merely one of its kin, even Taeseong himself did not know.
And yet, he had managed to invoke such an authority thanks to fragments of memory he had obtained by devouring Shuten Doji and the Daitengu.
“Haa… haa…”
His head throbbed.
Suppressing the raging energies within his body, he steadied his breath and looked ahead.
“…What a fucking mess.”
That was his first impression upon witnessing the devastation he had wrought.
Everywhere his gaze landed had been carved out.
It was like a child smashing their fist into a sandpit—but on an unfathomable scale.
More than half of the vast forest had been erased.
Where once stood towering trees and dense, unknown plants, now lay a massive crater, as if a bombardment—no, a meteorite—had struck.
From the ground, Taeseong merely thought, It was stronger than I expected.
But from above, the sight was beyond mere contemplation.
The entire region’s map would need to be redrawn.
Taeseong rose to his feet again.
He had to claim Ryomen Sukuna’s crystal.
Even after that reality-shattering strike, the crystal that emerged from Sukuna’s body remained intact.
It survived a force that wiped out half the forest…
An incomprehensible fact, but Taeseong was too drained to dwell on it.
What mattered was that the crystal remained.
And he was starving.
Though Ryomen Sukuna had been a formidable entity, the crystal from his body was unlike any other.
The previous crystals had all been red and different in size.
The one he obtained from Yukina had been blue.
But this one—
It was black.
A color that screamed ominous.
Dark energy surged from it in thick, writhing waves, as if proving its cursed nature.
But Taeseong’s hunger had reached its limit.
If he cared about such things, he wouldn’t have eaten Orochi’s tail in the first place.
Taeseong—
Was not a picky eater.
Step. Step.
A handful of lucky survivors stood frozen, staring blankly.
They had been the first to retreat when their leader, Kairikunanshin, was effortlessly devoured—
And that was the only reason they still lived.
Had they hesitated even slightly, they too would have been erased without a trace.
Most of them were high-ranked yokai, once part of the Hyakki Yagyō, yet they now resembled condemned prisoners awaiting execution.
To beings who lived by the law of the strong, Taeseong—who had obliterated their king—was no different from a god.
He picked up the crystal and placed it into his mouth, biting down with a crunch.
Surprisingly, it tasted… decent.
Like a jelly.
With that useless observation, his meal came to an end.
And then—
Memories surged into his mind like a tsunami.
For what felt like an eternity, he stood frozen.
Though only minutes had passed outside, Taeseong had relived an entire fragment of another life.
“…”
For some reason, the version of himself in those memories harboured deep hatred toward the Primordial Wolf.
As past and present overlapped, he failed to suppress his emotions, his presence expanding uncontrollably.
Sensing it, every yokai within the forest collapsed to the ground, bowing deeply, their foreheads striking the earth beneath them.
Then, in unison, they cried out—
[Ahhh! Our king!]
[The true king has returned!]
[We celebrate the birth of the great king!]
The aura he now exuded was more than enough to make them worship him.
It was only natural.
Kairikunanshin (Monster of Unmatched Strength) had been born from the very desire to become the king of yokai.
And Ryomen Sukuna—the one who had abandoned the throne—
Both had now been devoured by Taeseong.
The power he possessed now surpassed that of every yokai in the forest combined.
But Taeseong couldn’t care less.
Grinding his teeth, he muttered—
“Primordial Wolf… that son of a bitch…”
Meanwhile, Xiao Yun finally regained his senses and surveyed the scene.
Most of the other administrators remained unconscious.
Thankfully, none were dead.
“…Unbelievable. What the hell did I just witness?”
His hands trembled.
The overwhelming shock had yet to fade.
Xiao Yun replayed everything that had just happened in his mind.
He had watched Lee Taeseong’s battle from start to finish.
Not out of curiosity.
But out of instinct.
The instinct of a warrior—
To witness that man’s combat firsthand was the only way to reach the next realm.
And in doing so—
Xiao Yun had succeeded.
The immense energy now flowing through him was proof of his breakthrough.
Yet even with this newfound power, he had barely managed to stay conscious under Ryomen Sukuna’s overwhelming presence.
Like the others, he had been reduced to curling up and trembling, but by focusing every ounce of his internal energy on his mind, he had at least been able to grasp the situation.
And out of all the administrators, he was the only one who had done so.
Even Doman, an administrator of the same rank, had lost his sanity to fear.
But Xiao Yun had endured.
Because what he had just witnessed—
Was nothing short of the reincarnation of an evil god.
However, there existed an even greater monster.
Korea’s Delta-grade administrator.
Lee Taeseong.
Even before the evil god, he did not shrink away.
On the contrary, he stood proud.
And as if to prove the source of that confidence, he tore through space, revealing something immense within.
That was the end.
With a single strike, more than half of this vast forest was obliterated.
Recalling that sight sent shivers down Xiao Yun’s spine.
“…As expected, my instincts weren’t wrong. This is why one must bet wisely.”
The Gambling King, Tang Unryong.
Among his many nicknames, the one considered the most trivial shone the brightest today.
Xiao Yun felt an unshakable regret that he was the only one to witness such a majestic spectacle.
‘What is the Tree even thinking?’
Unless the higher-ups of the Tree were blind, it was absurd for someone like Lee Taeseong to remain classified as merely “Delta” grade.
For this to be the case…
There could have either been an error in the ranking process, or the Tree had deliberately disguised his rank.
As a seasoned administrator, Xiao Yun was certain of the latter.
For some unknown reason, the Tree was intentionally concealing Lee Taeseong’s rank.
“A new Alpha is about to be born.”
Xiao Yun approached Doman, who seemed the most likely to regain consciousness.
“Old man.”
Doman, laid on the ground, was muttering in terror.
“I’m sorry. I apologize. Please forgive me, Master.”
“What are you babbling about?”
“I will never do it again. Please, just spare my life. If you let me live, I’ll never appear before you again. I’ll live as if I were dead.”
Was he recalling some nightmare from his past? His complexion was pale.
Unable to watch any longer, Xiao Yun slapped Doman across the face.
Smack!
“Hmm… One slap isn’t enough? I didn’t put any emotion into it, so try to understand, old man.”
Just as Xiao Yun was about to land another slap on the other cheek—
Doman opened his eyes.
With a dazed expression, he looked up at Xiao Yun.
“…What are you doing?”
Xiao Yun, wearing an awkward grin, slowly lowered his raised hand.
“Did you sleep well? From the looks of it, you seemed to be having quite the pleasant dream.”
A stinging pain radiated from his left cheek.
As Doman rubbed his reddened cheek, he finally came to his senses and urgently asked,
“That monster! What happened to that monster?”
“See for yourself.”
Xiao Yun pointed forward. Doman turned his head.
Where towering trees should have filled his vision, a massive crater now stretched before him.
And within it, a lone man stood.
“…….”
The yokai, lowering themselves on the ground as if welcoming a god, murmured unknown chants without pause.
Their expressions were so devout that it was almost respectful.
Overwhelmed by the eerie spectacle, Doman muttered blankly,
A shiver ran down his spine.
“Could it be… that man killed the monster?”
“Who else? The old man groveling on the ground, crying his eyes out? Or those administrators knocked out over there?”
Despite Xiao Yun’s sarcasm, Doman paid no mind.
Still unable to take his eyes off the scene, he recalled his own words—
And his blood ran cold.
Cautiously, Doman asked,
“Xiao Yun.”
“What, old man?”
“Are you… on good terms with that man?”
Understanding the intent behind the question, Xiao Yun showed a wicked grin.
The thought of holding this stubborn old man over a barrel made him happy.
“Of course. Very much so. You remember, don’t you? How I turned your branch’s administrators into mush for that crazy bastard? I even had to use my precious immunity privilege to clean up that mess.”
“That did happen…”
“But I don’t regret it. That guy might be half-insane, but he’s got a clear sense of gratitude and vengeance. He’s a mad dog who won’t rest until he’s avenged any insult against him. But for those who’ve done him a favour, he’s surprisingly loyal.”
“…….”
Doman’s face grew increasingly pale.
The more he listened to Xiao Yun, the more he realized just how screwed he was.
Watching this, Xiao Yun celebrated internally.
‘Heh heh, the old snake sure is a coward.’
After a long moment of deep contemplation, Doman cautiously spoke.
“Then… could you…”
“Hmm?”
“Put in a good word for me? Tell him that what I said in the past wasn’t my true intention… and that I’d like to maintain a good relationship with you moving forward…”
Xiao Yun smiled brightly and replied,
“For free?”
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