Golden Scent (3)

Golden Scent (3)

[Partial Opening]

Thanks to the growth of mana, this was the second stage of the Ego Weapon’s Opening. While the first stage focused on strengthening a single function of the Ego Weapon, the second stage unlocked previously sealed abilities.

BANG! Gold clashed with ink. In sheer power, Mukyeon was naturally outmatched. Crushed’s strength, having consumed several golden buildings, was unimaginably vast.

However, the ink released in the second stage began to spread. At the contact points, the ink gradually dyed the gold black. Crushed felt his body growing heavier and losing control.

Like ink dropped into water, it slowly spread over the gold. Feeling threatened, Crushed forcefully repelled Kim Jewan, creating distance.

“Annoying…!”

Muttering with rising irritation, Crushed’s words revealed his full focus on the battle.

Yet he was displeased with the situation. Kim Jewan clearly wasn’t using his full past-life strength. Crushed suspected Jewan was holding back.

Whoosh! Crushed cut away the gold stained by ink to prevent further spread. If Jewan had greater power, this would be a serious threat, but for now it was just a nuisance.

By dyeing the opponent’s power with ink, the user could control it. While total power didn’t increase, the usable amount did.

Crushed’s simple counter was to end the fight quickly—ink took time to spread.

He unleashed a massive surge of gold energy. The golden aura flowing from his hand formed a gigantic greatsword.

The sword’s sudden appearance stunned onlookers. It carved a new line across the horizon.

BOOM! The sword’s sweeping arc leveled buildings and charged toward Kim Jewan and his group.

At lightning speed, the greatsword flew. Jewan predicted its path and stabbed Mukyeon into the ground at a point. Bang! Mukyeon’s tip met the greatsword’s edge with a clear sound.

Everyone expected Jewan to be swept away. Han Seyun’s face paled, and Jin Yuyeong faltered internally. The overwhelming power seemed unbeatable.

But contrary to expectations, the golden power around Mukyeon’s stab turned black and began to collapse.

Crushed’s face twisted, while Jewan’s expression grew confident. This was Crushed’s weakness from the previous life.

Though obsessed with gathering gold, Crushed spent little time refining its use. His reckless extraction left structural flaws in his golden power.

Jewan waited for Crushed to overextend, and now was the moment. The brilliant gold faded into darkness.

Clink, clink. Fragments fell to the ground, leaving only sticky darkness. Jewan felt satisfaction as mana surged beyond limits.

Most hunters would lose control or give up at such power, but Jewan had handled even greater forces before. This control was effortless.

‘At this level…’

He might briefly unlock the normally inaccessible final stage.

“Damn…! This bastard…!”

Drained of power, Crushed staggered, clutching his head. His words were disjointed, a desperate struggle to maintain sanity.

He had to defeat Keron. With that thought fixed, Crushed began gathering more gold around him.

Though the power risked overwhelming him, there was no room for doubt.

Rustle… The space around Crushed collapsed, debris sucked into him. But Jewan would not stand idly by.

Using all his temporary power, Jewan unleashed Mukyeon’s final form.

[Full Opening]

Dense Mukyeon mana spread across the golden city’s floor. The blackened ground and golden buildings were consumed by Mukyeon’s power. Crushed, cut off from absorption, growled in anger as the sky darkened.

The golden city and hunters vanished. Only Crushed and Jewan remained in endless darkness.

Crushed’s once sleek hair was now disheveled, his eyes blazing with rage.

Keron was weaker than in the past life. Though Crushed’s power was reduced by descending here, he still believed he could defeat prime Keron.

This situation was a huge insult to his pride.

Thud! A dark iron cage fell over Crushed—a tiny prison cell dripping ink.

[Self-Interpretation]

[Abyssal Prison]

This was Mukyeon’s Self-Interpretation, born from ten thousand strikes of steel and deep ink. Once inside, the two were isolated from the world, forced to fight within Mukyeon’s perfect domain.

Whoosh! Crushed unleashed gold in the darkness, briefly consuming everything around. This was his only resistance inside Mukyeon’s space.

“Die!”

Clad in gold, Crushed charged at Jewan. His eyes, once filled with desire for gold, now burned with dark, corrupted greed.

Jewan stepped back slightly as sticky ink surged to envelop Crushed. The overwhelming mass restricted his movements.

Like a swamp’s grasp, the ink limited Crushed’s motion. Though he struggled to reach Jewan, it was impossible.

The ink rippled, pulling Crushed deeper. Though he squeezed out his last gold, control had long passed to Jewan.

“Ha… haha…”

For the second time in his life, Crushed sensed death and laughed hollowly. The first time he’d survived by luck; this time, there was no second chance.

Jewan watched with an expressionless face, which made Crushed feel even more desolate.

“I was nothing… is that it…?”

No sense of achievement or anger remained. He was sure he was a mere puppet between two great powers.

Crushed’s presence shrank, and so did his visible body.

When fully submerged, the ink surrounding him transformed into spikes, piercing deeply. He had no chance to scream.

Thud! Thud! His body tore apart.

Darkness that rejected the world flowed away, and when the veil lifted, Crushed lay battered in the clearing he created.

Blood flowed from every wound, and his eyes dimmed.

“Kuh…”

Yet he opened his eyes again, filled with desire—even if it would destroy him. His desire would never vanish.

“Never! This will not end like this!”

Crushed shouted in his dying state, but no one took him seriously.

“Even if I become utterly vile, I will not end this desire!”

Though his will burned to the last, it was clear this outcome would not change.

‘Pathetic.’

Jewan silently thought as he watched. Crushed’s body gradually turned to gold as he died—a fitting end for his legacy.

Then, the golden city swallowed Crushed.