Chapter 153: The Power to Protect Someone

He had reached it.

The realm of a new species.

It was a hybrid species called the True Demon Race, which had absorbed the advantages of every other race.

The hard scales and physical abilities of a Dragon.

The fighting spirit and murderous intent of the Demon Clan.

The spirit affinity and understanding of nature of an Elf.

The greed and selfishness of humans.

It was a species that blended only the strengths of various races. 

Surprisingly, it had removed the weaknesses of all those species—such as the weak hearts of humans—and retained only the advantages.

Altain, who had absorbed the strengths of every species and powerful being in existence, had truly been reborn as an existence worthy of being called a new species, a perfect species.

-Thump!

The moment that immense sense of weight dominated the room, no one, including myself, could feel surprise or admiration. 

Because of the pressure that felt as if his single existence could fill the entire world, I couldn’t even part my lips to speak.

However, I exploded my life force. 

Through that explosive energy, I spoke, “… I expected it, but it’s more than I imagined.”

I couldn’t help but utter words of admiration. 

From the moment he killed Nepas, I could tell he was extraordinary.

But this?

His current appearance far exceeded my expectations; he was truly close to a perfect species.

“Did Nepas know about that form too?”

“He did not know. I completed it while absorbing his Time Travel Authority.”

That meant he already possessed the power to kill Nepas even before reaching this state.

Of course.

‘He allowed it.’

This wasn’t a guess; it was a conviction. 

Nepas likely became interested in Altain. 

Watching him approach completion even without his help, Nepas must have felt the necessity of his own disappearance.

If that wasn’t the case, there was no reason for him to die. 

Even if he were currently short on power, he could have easily suppressed Altain if he had brought along the fragments he had scattered elsewhere. 

Seeing how he left Altain alone, it was almost certain.

And Altain’s level of completion was significant enough to pique Nepas’s interest.

Perhaps.

‘Is this the form closest to a perfect species?’

The thought even crossed my mind. 

Certainly, the existence called the True Demon Race exuded an intense presence, enough to signal a threat even to me, who was burning my life force.

“This is a form that no one has reached until now. Even Nepas did not reach this level.”

I acknowledged it. 

Nepas had also absorbed many different individuals through the Slime’s ability and through time travel, but he had never reached this exact state.

That was likely because…

“It seems you’ve had an epiphany.”

He must have gained enlightenment while absorbing those existences.

“Yes. An epiphany born from my challenge and passion to approach perfection. Through that, I completed the current True Demon Race.”

“It is unfortunate. I was planning to let you leave here alive, but you’ve refused the invited drink and chosen to drink the penalty instead.”

Did he think my silence meant I was flustered?

“I wonder if that’s true?”

But not at all. 

While it was true that this was unexpected, I never entertained the thought of defeat.

“The True Demon Race. Seeing that certainly gives me some inspiration. Thank you. Thanks to you, I think I can also advance one step further.”

His form was a collection of inspirations. 

Of course, one had to reach a certain level to gain inspiration from it, but I was someone who had already reached that level.

And through his appearance, I was able to gain one thing.

‘Is taking only the advantages truly the most perfect species?’

‘Could I not turn weaknesses into advantages and overcome even those weaknesses?’

‘Is it impossible for a single species to reach such a level?’

Countless questions.

Deliberations.

Contemplations.

The seeds of enlightenment rushed in like a tide. 

And based on that information, I melted the enlightenment into myself.

‘Burn.’

I burned my life force. 

This ignition of life force wasn’t simply to create movement or death.

I would overcome the weaknesses of humans.

I would convert life force to increase physical abilities. 

I would turn mana into energy and achieve peace of mind. 

I wasn’t removing weaknesses; I was evolving them.

That might be the difference between him and me—or perhaps between me and Nepas.

In the past, I thought, like them, that only removing weaknesses was the answer. 

But no.

True perfection is only achieved when one embraces their weaknesses and melts them down so that they are no longer weaknesses, but strengths.

If one could be called perfect simply by removing things or taking only the strengths, then countless people would have been obsessed only with removal.

But I didn’t think that way.

The ability to turn a weakness into a strength.

That was the path to approaching perfection.

‘There are no shortcuts. If you keep moving forward, the path will eventually reveal itself.’

When I entered that pristine realm without any haste, I finally drew closer to a new kind of perfection.

Just like now.

-Sssssss

However, I didn’t crush the area with a suffocating weight like Altain. 

My appearance and my presence were merely that of a human.

But I was an existence that had overcome all human weaknesses and sublimated them into strengths.

Although it was a realm reached for a fleeting moment through the energy of burning my life force, everything became clear.

“I.. have reached the end of the species.”

I finally overcame my limits and reached the end of the species. 

What waited above this was the unknown. 

If I were to take one more step, I would be able to reach the realm of the unknown that Nepas had yearned for.

However, even if it was just one step, it was a distant matter whether I could reach it. 

Therefore, I didn’t look up, but instead looked straight ahead.

“…”

I looked at Altain, who sensed a suspicious aura.

“If you have blended all the strengths of every species, then I have embraced all the weaknesses of a single species.”

“I see. Is that also one of the ways to approach perfection? Interesting.”

“Which of us is the correct answer will be determined right here.”

“I agree. Although the winner will be me.”

I could tell from that one sentence.

‘He knows.’

He certainly didn’t know just a moment ago. 

But through the insight he gained while transforming into the True Demon Race, he accurately perceived my state.

He saw me using Primordial Qi and burning my life force. 

Like firewood burning itself to breathe out fire, he saw my fate—that I would eventually become charcoal.

“Your incomplete state will not last very long. Therefore…”

The version of him that had turned into the True Demon Race was cold and calculated.

“Clomp, clomp, clomp.”

He ordered the demons, who had been pushed back earlier, to move. 

He was eliminating even a shred of a variable. 

He intended to throw high-ranking demons and his subordinates at me to burn my life force even faster.

That way, he could face me more stably later. 

And that behavior too…

‘Reminds me of my past self.’

In the past, I also didn’t care about the means or methods for my own survival and life. 

To be honest, I didn’t have much of a lingering attachment to life. 

Even during the dimensional transition, I had been prepared to die by my own hand.

At that time, all I had left was a desire for revenge. 

Revenge against the wife who betrayed me. 

To that end, I intended to survive by any means necessary and get my revenge on her, that damn bitch. 

I thought that if I survived, I would eventually be able to get my revenge.

Then what was left for Altain now?

It was likely this.

‘He probably wants to show that he isn’t a failure, but that he can become a perfect species.’

His goal was to be a perfect species. 

He wanted to prove that he wasn’t a failure by reaching the perfect species that Nepas had yearned for so much.

Proving himself. 

Perhaps that was an even more toxic emotion than the revenge I had harbored.

That was why he had no qualms about using the Demon Clan as sacrificial lambs to achieve his will and desire.

Just as my past self had used any means and methods for revenge.

He was my past self. 

And my past self was a very dangerous existence.

‘A variable that only causes harm to the world.’

That was why I stood in this place. 

To remove that variable. 

To grant a brilliant future to Leon and humanity.

“Rumble, rumble, rumble!”

From the surroundings, the demons rushed in. 

These weren’t ordinary demons, but powerful ones who had swallowed the Evolution Potion.

Of course, they were no match for me now, but they were fulfilling their roles just by stalling for time and consuming my life force.

I gazed at those rushing at me fiercely from all directions. 

And then, I lightly flicked my sword.

In that moment.

….

….

All movement ceased. 

All the demons who had been rushing in with fierce momentum stopped in their tracks. 

It was a phenomenon as if time had stopped.

But soon.

-Slither

Their bodies collapsed. 

There was not a single exception. 

Every demon present on this island called Ireland collapsed.

“What…?!”

Even Altain, who had reached the state of the True Demon Race, could not hide his shock. 

He had no choice. 

It was because I had annihilated every demon on the island with a single blow.

Of course.

“Cough!”

I had to pay the price. 

Just a moment ago, I had exploded a massive amount of life force and transcended the realm of life and death. 

That massive amount of life force created a will that produced death.

Naturally, my remaining life force was consumed rapidly, and now only a single handful of life force remained.

But it was an unavoidable choice.

Primordial Qi is not something that can be regulated. 

It is like a car without brakes.

Once you open the Primordial Qi, it does not stop until you terminate it.

Stalling for time meant my life force would be consumed that much more.

Knowing that, Altain had thrown the demons as sacrifices.

Knowing that, I had eliminated the demons in one go.

Of course, because of that, a tremendous…

“How foolish. I can always make more demons whenever I want. But because of that, you are now in a state where you don’t even have the strength to stand. It seems this battle will be my victory.”

He wasn’t wrong. 

He had maintained his full power without using any strength, while I had exhausted almost all my life force dealing with the demons.

What was left of my life force was merely a single handful.

I was in a state where I could not exert the same absolute power as before.

The difference in power between him and me was now equal. 

That meant that in this situation, I was at a disadvantage.

However.

“… You harbor the will to kill someone.”

Just like my past self did. 

To kill someone to achieve my desire and purpose.

“But I harbor the will to protect someone. Humans exert superhuman strength when they must protect someone.”

There are stories of a frail mother lifting a car to save her child.

That is the superhuman power exerted through the mission and belief that one must protect someone.

My current state was like that.

-Flash!

The sword in my hand, which was originally a sword of murderous intent stained red, turned into a sword of pure white.

“It is your defeat, Altain.”

The murderous intent to kill someone versus the conviction to protect someone.

Humans exert superhuman power through that conviction. 

And for that, I burned all of my remaining life force.

-Whoosh!

Light swallowed the area. 

It wasn’t simple light; it was a power that overwhelmed Altain.

“Th-This can’t be?!”

Shocked, he released his energy and tried to resist.

-Dissolve

Like cotton candy melting in water, his momentum and power vanished into bubbles in an instant.