Dancing on the golden ashes

I felt the energy in my body drain almost instantly, deflating like a punctured balloon. The sheer force of my own power had overwhelmed me, leaving my arms shattered—every muscle, every bone destroyed under the strain.

Whoosh!

My attack streaked through the sky, a decree of judgment from the heavens themselves. The black flames danced as they descended, crashing onto Kim Ha-Joon's massive demon form. His body was engulfed in the inferno, the flames consuming him as his agonized screams echoed across the battlefield.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

But even in that moment of agony, he refused to yield.

Several dark claw attacks surged toward me, tearing through the air with deadly precision. Despite the unbearable pain he endured, Kim Ha-Joon was not one to surrender or let me take his life so easily.

Dammit... How is he still so resilient?

I dodged swiftly, landing on the ground in a blur. There was no time to waste. Using my superior space distortion, I passed through him, slashing his massive body from behind. The blade tore through his flesh, leaving a gaping wound that oozed thick, black blood. The smell of iron filled the air, unnervingly human, as if he were truly bleeding.

Kim Ha-Joon's demonic form suddenly erupted in a burst of black sparks, his towering figure vanishing. In an instant, he reappeared at normal size, slightly further away. Above him, the fragmented staff pieces coalesced, reforming into a solid staff suspended in the sky. Without warning, it unleashed a searing black beam of light, aimed directly at me.

My eyes flashed with a luminous glow, and I saw it—a glimpse of the future. The beam would pierce my chest, killing me instantly.

I had no time to think. I forced my body to lurch to the left, narrowly avoiding a fatal hit. But the cost was brutal. My right arm, along with my scythe, was obliterated, blown away completely in a violent explosion of black energy.

"Aaaarrrggghhhh!" I screamed, clutching my chest. It felt as though a piece of my soul had been torn away. The pain was like nothing I'd ever experienced before, searing and unrelenting. Another black beam of light loomed, threatening to consume me entirely. Was this because my scythe was destroyed?

I had no choice but to dodge again. This time, the blast ripped through my body, obliterating my remaining arm.

"How does it feel to lose both your arms?" Kim Ha-Joon's mocking voice rang out, dripping with malice. "You seemed to enjoy taking mine—so tell me, what are you going to do now?" Experience more content on empire

Blood poured from my wounds, the sudden loss making me dizzy. My vision blurred, my focus waning. How do I fight now?

"It's not over yet," the entity within me growled, its voice cold and commanding. "Keep yourself together. Summon your scythe again. Even if you have no arms or legs, you can still fly! Even if you can't wield a weapon, you can control it with your mind. So what are you getting depressed about? Go and kill that bastard, Gaon!"

Fuck... I thought bitterly. I'm being berated by a damn entity inside me. Just great.

Through sheer willpower, I forced myself to summon the scythe I had lost. It materialized before me, its dark aura flickering like a flame on the verge of extinguishing. It looked weaker, battered by the destruction it had endured.

But as I reached out to its presence, something else stirred—a raw, primal urge to kill. It was stronger than ever, a ferocity that burned with unrelenting intensity. Even without hands to wield it, I could feel the scythe vibrating faintly, as though it were alive. It wasn't just a weapon—it was part of my soul.

Another attack came rushing toward me, and I had no choice but to run. My scythe danced around me, slashing through the air and sending waves of darkness toward Kim Ha-Joon from a distance. But the demon raised a veil of shadow, effortlessly blocking every strike.

"Time is running out," the voice inside me warned, its tone growing colder. "If you can't kill him, I won't be able to help anymore. At that point, you'll have to survive on your own—for ten seconds."

Ten seconds. It didn't sound like much, but against this monster, it felt like an eternity.

The clock was ticking against me. Each time the staff fired, I had to dart frantically through the air, dodging mid-flight. I flew around like an insect trying to avoid a swatter—comical in retrospect, but humiliating in the moment. That's exactly how I felt: powerless, insignificant.

I couldn't stand this feeling. My soul power was nearly drained, and now I was forced to rely entirely on my mana reserves.

I hate this... I thought bitterly. I've been neglecting my mana system. The soul's power is incredible, but it runs out far too quickly. And the skills this world's system provided me... they're nowhere near strong enough to fight him.

Frustration churned inside me as I darted again, narrowly avoiding another devastating attack. Even Annihilator wasn't enough to end him. If that couldn't do it... what else could compare?

And then it hit me.

That skill...

But... could it even work against that body? Would water really be enough to kill him?

I hadn't had the chance to test my new skill yet, so I had no idea what it was truly capable of. All I knew was the cost—20,000 mana for a single use. It has to be amazing... right?

The uncertainty gnawed at me, but I didn't have the luxury of hesitation.

I sprinted through the deceptively simple forest, my breath ragged as black beams of energy streaked past me. Each one missed by mere inches, but every time, it felt like my life was on the brink of ending. I'd lost count of how many close calls I'd had—it had to be more than ten by now.

No matter how many attacks I hurled at him, they were all useless. Nothing worked anymore.

Fuck it. I won't know unless I try.

Gripping my scythe tightly, I slashed through the air in front of me. The motion tore open a rift, and the very world seemed to shudder in response. The ground beneath me trembled violently.

"Great Flood!"

The words left my lips just as a wave of dizziness slammed into me. My mana reserves drained almost instantly, leaving me gasping.

"I'll pour the last of my energy into this attack," I said firmly. "Whatever happens next will depend entirely on your own ability."

From the rift, an immense torrent of black water erupted, surging forth with unstoppable force. The tidal wave swelled higher and higher before crashing down on Kim Ha-Joon's demon form, engulfing him completely.

"Die, Kim Ha-Joon!" we roared, my vision blurred and my chest heaving as though I'd just run a marathon. My body was failing me, but my determination burned like an eternal flame. I had to end this.

The wave struck with unimaginable force, obliterating his demon form in an instant. When the water subsided, all that remained was his human body, embedded in a tree. He looked utterly drained, his form limp and lifeless—but he was still alive. Somehow, he'd managed to block enough of my attack to survive.

"Hahaha..." His laugh was weak, raspy, yet mocking. "We're both on our last legs, Gaon. Are you sure you want to keep this up? What can you do to me when you can't even stand properly?"

His words stung, and I hated how true they felt. My knees buckled, meeting the cold, unyielding ground. I couldn't move. My scythe vanished into nothingness, leaving me empty-handed. For a long moment, we simply stared at each other, both too broken to fight but too stubborn to give in.

"You'll never beat me, you fool," I said coldly, my voice low but firm. "Not in the games, not in this world. I will always stand above you. Even now, even today, I will slay you."

But my confidence wavered as reality set in. The darkness within me, the source of my strength, was gone. It was as if it had entered some kind of slumber—I could no longer feel its presence.

"Are you sure about that?" Kim Ha-Joon sneered, his ugly smile spreading across his face. "Looks like you're out of juice."

I watched helplessly as the fragments of his staff rose into the air once more. Slowly, steadily, each piece floated higher, radiating ominous energy. With every passing second, uncertainty gripped me tighter. I tried to summon my scythe, pouring every ounce of willpower into the effort. But nothing happened. No matter how much I tried, it was useless. I was defenseless.

"Any last words?" he asked mockingly, his tone dripping with condescension.

"Who said I've lost to you?" I shot back, buying time.

Only ten seconds remained. My Laughing at the Death skill was about to activate. I wasn't ready to die—not like this.

I wouldn't let it end here.