Reincarnator’s Stream

*Crackle, crackle!*

*Rumble, rumble.*

The entire world turned yellow.

Within that light, red swords spread like paint, and earsplitting thunder roared continuously.

“Can anyone else see this?”

“Is this really that pathetic version of Suhyuk?”

“This feels way too real ㄷㄷ;”

The screen showed nothing.

For a while, all that could be seen was the clash of two colors.

Until then.

*Crackle, crackle.*

*Crash-!*

From the new bursts of light and sound scattered around, the viewers could finally catch sight of the two figures.

“Are they still fighting?”

*Boom!*

The two were soaring through the sky.

In every blink of a flash, Lee Suhyuk crossed mountain peaks in a single bound, while Jin Hwaryung wielded his sword, unleashing lightning.

They clashed, separated. Flew, threw, and struck.

Lee Suhyuk used every means he had against Jin Hwaryung.

*Crackle, rumble!*

Two swords clashed, and simultaneously, lightning stormed.

With the sound swallowed, Lee Suhyuk whispered.

“Are you hurt?”

“……”

Jin Hwaryung’s eyebrows twitched.

That subtle reaction was enough to reveal the truth. It was an affirmation.

“The Murim Alliance and Blue Zone were completely crushed by the Heavenly Demon.”

The Murim Alliance and Blue Zone.

Both forces held significant power within the Tower.

Whether it was Murim with Jin Doha or Blue Zone with Kim Ilsoo, not even the Heavenly Demon could underestimate these opponents.

Though appearing unscathed, that was only superficial.

Having clashed with Jin Doha and Kim Ilsoo’s enormous guilds, he couldn’t be unscathed.

“What about you? Are you alright?”

*Tap.*

With just a tap on Suhyuk’s forehead by Jin Hwaryung’s fingertip, the impact wasn’t small. Suhyuk flew backward, rolling on the ground.

*Stagger.*

Barely managing to get up, Suhyuk’s body visibly shook.

It wasn’t because of Jin Hwaryung’s action. It was Suhyuk’s current physical condition.

“You look like you might shatter with just a touch.”

『Fatigue has risen to 97.』

His fatigue had reached its limit.

What remained was his final burst of energy.

‘I’ve done this before.’

At this rate, he could only move for about a minute more.

“Don’t worry too much.”

*Crackle!*

*Ba-dum!*

Feeling his heart heat up, he began to ignite his final flame.

“At the very least, I won’t fall to a mere finger.”

* * *

『*Crash, rumble.*』

The screen flashed. Moments of clashing swords and the ground collapsing were shown, only to be consumed by the glaring light again.

Lee Suhyuk was fighting the Heavenly Demon. As this sentence struck her mind, Yerang couldn’t help but shudder.

‘What the…’

The techniques displayed on the stream.

They were original techniques devised by Lee Suhyuk, utilizing the skill of lightning.

Of course, even though they were original, they weren’t impossible to imitate.

Streamer Lee Suhyuk, just like Lee Suhyuk, possessed the lightning skill.

But replicating those techniques just because one had the same skill? Was it really that easy?

It was unbelievable. Yerang shook her head.

The shock she received surpassed by tens of times the impact when she first watched Lee Suhyuk’s stream.

“Those techniques, have you been practicing them-”

Instinctively wanting to ask Un Hyang, thinking she might know something, she couldn’t continue.

Seeing Lee Suhyuk fighting the Heavenly Demon, she was already too overwhelmed with emotion.

She had a pale face and a vacant expression as if her spirit had left her.

“…Hey, Un Hyang?”

“…….”

“Can’t you hear me? Un Hyang!”

“Wha, yes? Me?”

With eyes wide open, she snapped back to reality as if startled. Whatever the reason, she was out of her mind.

At first, Yerang thought she was simply shocked by the Heavenly Demon.

‘Is that not it?’

No matter how great the Heavenly Demon was, it was strange for her to react this much.

Un Hyang, glancing at Yerang’s expression, asked cautiously.

“Uh… What did you just say?”

“Is there something wrong?”

“Wrong? I was just too focused.”

Too focused on the stream to hear a voice right in front of her?

Yerang didn’t believe Un Hyang’s words. A player of her caliber losing her wits just from concentrating on a stream? It was not convincing at all.

‘It’s not because of Lee Suhyuk.’

Yerang’s gaze turned to the face of the Heavenly Demon reflected on the stream.

Swinging a sword that seemed to wail with the cries of ghosts and leaving blood in his wake, he was a demon feared by all.

Was she scared of him? Did she have a bad history with the Heavenly Demon in the past?

If there was some miserable story, it would be best to avoid it if possible…

“…But isn’t he holding up better than you thought?”

For some reason, she wanted to check.

Un Hyang and the Heavenly Demon. What kind of relationship could they have?

“They say he’s remarkable in the rumors, but the Heavenly Demon doesn’t seem like much, does he?”

Yerang threw out a casual bait.

A very light bait that could be easily taken.

And then…

“He’s going easy.”

Un Hyang took the bait.

The Un Hyang who couldn’t get enough of Lee Suhyuk, who would usually exclaim ‘Suhyuk-nim is so amazing!’ in excitement, now seemed awkwardly calm.

“…It seems he might be hurt.”

‘I knew it.’

Yerang’s eyes narrowed as she observed Un Hyang.

What she said couldn’t be known just from watching the stream.

Un Hyang, like Yerang, was someone who had seen and experienced the Heavenly Demon.

‘They say she’s the daughter of the Divine Dragon Group’s Lord… What’s with the Heavenly Demon?’

What kind of relationship did the Divine Dragon Group and the Heavenly Demon have?

There were more questions she wanted to ask, but Yerang just moved her lips without delving further.

This was as far as it went.

Her relationship with Un Hyang was merely as fleeting acquaintances. To call them even casual friends would be an overstatement.

If there was a problem between them, they would have to solve it themselves.

“Although Suhyuk-nim is holding up well…”

Regardless of Yerang’s thoughts, Un Hyang stared at the screen of the flashing kit, clenching her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her hands.

“This fight will end the moment the Heavenly Demon decides.”

* * *

『Fatigue level increased to 98.』

*Sizzle.*

Skin tore and blood spurted out. The wounds strewn all over his body were already painful, and now his consciousness was fading.

*Crack, crack—Boom!*

He demolished the stone wall and sent Jin Hwaryung flying with a punch.

Jin Hwaryung, who blocked the punch with one hand, flew vertically down to the ground.

*Bang!*

*Rumble.*

The stone cliff collapsed, and he felt the ground shaking.

Did it work even a little? Hopes rose and faded.

‘Of course not.’

As expected, “It will end soon.”

Down below, Jin Hwaryung, looking unscathed, raised his head and looked up at Suhyuk.

He watched as Suhyuk’s body, overloaded with the Heart of Lightning, slowly began to burst and tear, realizing the end was near.

Jin Hwaryung’s gaze wasn’t the only thing sensing the end; Suhyuk realized it too. Jin Hwaryung, as Suhyuk knew him, wouldn’t accept ending things this way.

Which meant, without a doubt, ‘He will come to finish it.’

With his own hands, directly.

Just as expected.

“This method is disappointing, though.”

*Clang*

Jin Hwaryung slid the sword he held into its sheath as if to signal the end of the battle. However, this did not mean he was without swords. Around him still floated thousands of unused blades.

*Rumble*.

Thunderclouds roared. On a windless day, those clouds wriggled and moved like dragons.

On the ground, Jin Hwaryung ruled the skies.

The red magic flowing from his body formed the shape of a demon.

*Clatter.*

*Ting, shhh!*

Swords scattered in all directions converged towards the demonic form all at once. The demon greedily reached out, grabbing the swords one by one.

Not a single one was left. Every last one of them.

“…Are you trying to imitate the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara?”

A bodhisattva with a thousand arms and eyes. No, what appeared was far more than that. The sheer number of arms exceeded that of the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara. This was a form even Lee Suhyuk had never seen before.

Twenty years had passed.

During those years, the achievements of the Heavenly Demon far surpassed Suhyuk’s expectations.

‘Now, this is befitting of a Heavenly Demon.’

The Heavenly Demon he knew was a person with two names and faces: that of Jin Hwaryung and the Heavenly Demon.

Although they were the same person, they were entirely different.

If the person he had fought until now was Jin Hwaryung, the one standing before him now was the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon.

The demon that all of Murim, nay, the entire tower, feared and revered.

Sweat dripped from his hands. Facing this demon was nerve-wracking even in his previous life.

“Well observed.”

The words of Jin Hwaryung sounded as though they came from the gigantic demon.

“Since you’ve shown me something, I’ll return the favor.”

A trick?

Considering the Heavenly Demon’s name and skills, that performance was definitely above a passing grade.

*Shivers.*

His body was tingling.

It wasn’t just due to the side effects of the Heart of Lightning. The massive clump of magic and murderous intent the demonic figure exuded was overwhelming him.

If he wished, he wouldn’t need to create such a figure to subdue him.

‘Is he showing this on purpose?’

The Heavenly Demon revealed the sky to him. This was the pinnacle of all players, the height he must surpass again.

“The fight feels really unsatisfactory.”

『Fatigue has risen to 99.』
『’Lightning Lord’ has been deactivated.』

*Clang*

Suhyuk lowered his sword.

The energy that had filled his body was draining, and he almost screamed out in pain.

His entire body ached, too much.

He had no strength. If there had been no end in sight, he might have collapsed right there.

What kept him standing was the last drop of his pride.

*Hoo.*

The demon extended its hand.

Thousands of swords flew towards him from all directions.

They left no blind spots, and each sword felt as though it was wielded by a single person.

Suhyuk did not resist.

Now was not the time to fight back. From the start, this fight was never meant to be a face-to-face confrontation.

It was his return match.

A grand reintroduction as the true Lee Suhyuk. He had chosen this fight with the Heavenly Demon for that purpose.

Through this match, he intended to show everyone that he was back. And among everyone was the Heavenly Demon right in front of him.

Now he had to see and feel it. He had to measure the distance by clashing physically.

The distance between himself and the Heavenly Demon.

Watching the approaching swords, he thought.

‘Just this much.’

How much time would it take to close this distance again?

More or less just this much?… No, the Heavenly Demon wouldn’t stay idle in the meantime.

Before those thoughts concluded,

*Rip-rip*

The demon’s swords shredded his body.

『Fatigue has risen to 100.』
『The player has died.』