Dancing on the golden ashes

I could feel my heart race—it felt as if it could escape my chest at any moment. I was excited, afraid, angry, jealous… I wasn't entirely sure; too many thoughts were racing through my mind. I didn't want to be in this situation—after all, two versus one was far from ideal. One mistake, and I would die.

But I couldn't understand how Jeong Suhan knew I would be here. Did the creator send him? Did he know I had grown strong, that I was capable of killing Nam Ji-ho? Most likely, otherwise, I have no idea why things were the way they were right now.

I could use void dance to end this fight quickly, but what if they survive? What if I end up using all my strength in the process…

Doubt filled my heart. I knew that I had to shake off this feeling; otherwise, I would have already forfeited. A weak heart could never win a war.

"The creator sends his regards to you, Lee Gaon. He said that today is the day you must either join us wholeheartedly or forfeit your life." Jeong Suhan spoke loudly yet calmly. "What will you choose?" He smiled at me. But was he just acting, or was he actually that foolish?

"I believe you already know my answer. Why are you even asking?" I taunted him. He knew me well—he knew I'd rather die than submit.

"Very well…" He pointed his sword at the sky. In the next moment, a brilliant white light shot upward, and the entire world began to tremble under its powerful aura. I couldn't grasp how or why this was happening, but soon the sky started to rain down figures—at least, they looked like people. They weren't human, though; they sported cream-colored wings and armor that fully encased their bodies. Their weapons, resembling immortal artifacts, radiated an ethereal glow. Some wielded swords, others brandished spears and shields. The army of angel-like warriors slowly descended from the heavens, their presence filling the air around me.

Inspect!

[You do not possess the authority to access this information]

What the fuck… I got denied… nice…

In that moment, it felt as if the entire world was against me.

"You think highly of me, hehe." I laughed, glancing at two men who simply stood and watched as the endless wave of heavenly warriors crashed down on me. My scythe danced in my hands as I moved like the wind. I was the Grim Reaper, but in this instance, I was reaping angels. Their bodies were extraordinarily durable—many did not fall instantly to my slashes. I hadn't felt such resistance in a long time. With each wave that pounded against me, I sensed the warriors growing stronger, and worst of all, none of it granted me any experience. That meant I wasn't growing stronger at all. The only "experience" I was gathering came from my repeated beatings by the army far beyond me.

I'm still alone. After all, I have to rely on my own strength to survive this ordeal.

One cut, two cuts—I could feel my body slowly being torn apart. The endless wave seemed to have no end, and I was beginning to feel the full toll of battling thousands upon thousands of powerful opponents simultaneously. Enjoy new chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

But I knew that I could not give up.

"Die, all of you!"

Immense rage began to overtake me. I hated this life as much as I hated being targeted. Why? Why was I being targeted? I had been following his instructions—I was growing stronger. I had promised to help him once I became powerful enough. Was that not enough? Should I have knelt before that stupid creator? Fuck him! I'm a free soul, untamable. I will break free from his clutches, and I will become so powerful that no one will ever look down on me again.

"Eat shit!" I shouted, launching a massive wave of fire at my opponents in the sky. I could feel my soul energy leaving my body as the wave of golden fire engulfed them. Many were burned to ashes, yet even more crashed from the sky. It was as if the heavens themselves wanted me dead. But no—if fate desired my death, I would resist until my last breath!

I could see the two of them smiling at me, watching as I quickly lost my power. They didn't even lift a finger, just chatting casually between themselves while I fought here alone. I wanted to scream. I transformed my body into its full demonic form—my gauntlets were ready to slice through foes, my claws sharpened for battle. I went berserk, almost completely blanking out as I dodged one attack after another. Heads fell endlessly, and the empty shells of armor piled up on the ground, forming a small mountain. My mana and blood burned as they pushed my speed and power to their maximum. It was still okay—I had one ability that had always saved me.

[3…2…1…]

I could feel my power surge to 200%, and then I snorted at the massive hole in the sky.

"Chaos annihilation!" I combined two of my abilities, unleashing a massive beam of chaotic power that surged into the sky. Everything in its path would be instantly annihilated, reduced to nothing more than atoms, before crashing into the heavens. The massive opening in the sky shook and shattered, like glass splintering in midair.

The shattered fragments of the sky fell to the ground, and the expressions on the two men's faces changed. I was back—my energy had returned in full force, and I felt so powerful that I was confident I could take them both down.

"If you want me dead, then how about you take my system away first?" I laughed at the shattered sky—it looked apocalyptic. I rushed at the two men; with my speed now greatly enhanced, I practically teleported to where they stood. My fists shot out: first striking Nam Ji-Ho, sending him flying several kilometers away, and then, in a matter of milliseconds, I punched Jeong Suhan straight in the chest, making him vanish from my sight. The impact had cracked bones, and I charged at Nam Ji-Ho next. My claws slashed at his belly, barely missing him as he disappeared even further with a bright flash of lightning—most likely a teleportation skill.

"Come back and fight me like a real man, you piece of human garbage! Today, I will clean up the world and slay two useless fucks!"

My mouth might be vile, but their hearts were even more so.

I teleported to him once more, and we exchanged a flurry of moves, with me gradually gaining the upper hand. I left injury after injury on his body. Then the other bastard came rushing at me again; he slashed his white sword, forcing me to step back. With a powerful punch to his nose, I sent him flying once more, then turned my focus back to chasing down Nam Ji-Ho, who was running away like a dog with its tail between its legs.

"Come back here!" I roared, and then I had enough...

"Void dance!"

I felt myself tapping into a power I could barely control—the entire galaxy seemed to wrap around me, and I became the center of attention. I could see the bodies of the two men and every warrior on the battlefield as if they were right there in the palm of my hand, yet to them, I was invisible. I reveled in the panic they felt; it was amazing. I wanted to see them terrified for just a bit longer, but this overwhelming power was tearing me apart. If I didn't end the battle quickly, I feared I'd be the one who needed a burial.

My hand slashed through the void, and power from the fourth dimension slammed into Nam Ji-Ho's body. He instantly coughed up a mouthful of blood and tried to flee, but no matter where he ran, I controlled the situation. My energy wrapped around me as if I were picking him up like a delicate flower from the ground, squeezing him from all sides, steadily increasing the pressure until he suffered a painful, horrible death.

But then, my plan unraveled. A surge of powerful energy slammed into me from somewhere beyond comprehension, ripping me out of the fourth dimension and crashing me into the ground. I felt as if every single bone in my body was being crushed.

And then I saw him—manifesting from the sky, extending his hand to heal Nam Ji-Ho... the creator himself was here.

"Long time no see, Lee Gaon. Did you have fun in the broken world of beasts? I see you've brought some friends along from that place." I couldn't stand his words. I couldn't make out his face, hidden as it was in shadows, but I knew in that moment that I would most likely die. After all, he possessed power I could scarcely imagine.

With trembling hands and feet shattered to pieces, I stood up and glared at him.

"I, Lee Gaon, will gladly embrace death, but you will never have me submit to you—never!"