The Ocean of Consciousness
As Kang Cheon-hyeol's memories faded, Jin-ho found himself standing in a completely different space.
An endless crimson sea. The sky was red, the water was red, even the very air was tinted with the color of blood. This place was neither reality nor dream, but the deepest recesses of consciousness itself.
Beneath Jin-ho's feet stretched a mirror-like crimson ocean. Within that sea floated countless faces—all ancestors of the Kang family. They all wore expressions of agony, desperately pleading for something.
'Help us... please...''Resist... don't give in...''Don't become like us...'
Countless voices echoed from beneath the water. But those voices grew fainter and fainter.
"Pitiful creatures..."
When Jin-ho muttered, he realized the voice wasn't his own. It was deeper, more imposing, carrying the weight of ages.
"At last we meet, my successor."
A majestic voice resonated throughout the entire space. The crimson sea suddenly began churning violently.
From the center of the blood-red ocean, a massive figure rose. At first it resembled a waterspout, but gradually took human form.
A towering figure over three meters tall. His entire body was encased in black armor, but crimson energy leaked through the gaps. His face was hidden behind a helmet, yet his presence alone made the entire space feel heavy.
"You're... the Blood Heaven Emperor?"
Jin-ho asked in a trembling voice. Just facing this being made it difficult to breathe.
"Indeed. And you are..."
The Blood Heaven Emperor slowly approached Jin-ho. With each step, ripples spread across the crimson sea.
"The one who will become my new vessel."
Jin-ho instinctively stepped backward. But the red sea beneath his feet held him like a sticky swamp.
"Don't think of fleeing. This place may be your mental realm, but it is also my domain."
"Why... why me?"
Jin-ho barely managed to squeeze out the words.
"Why, you ask?"
The Blood Heaven Emperor laughed mockingly. The sound reverberated like thunder.
"You were prepared for me from the moment of your birth. The blood of the Kang family, the Death Blood Constitution... everything has been planned for three thousand years."
The Blood Heaven Emperor raised his hand, and a massive illusion unfolded in the air. Like a screen, scenes from the past began playing.
"Three thousand years ago, when I was sealed by the righteous alliance... I used my last strength to place a curse upon my bloodline."
The illusion showed the Blood Heaven Emperor in his youth. Surrounded by countless enemies, he was performing some ritual with his final strength.
"Generation after generation, those who inherit my power would be born, and through the most suitable among them, I would be resurrected."
"That's... the Death Blood Constitution?"
"Correct. A constitution that absorbs others' martial arts during mortal crises and experiences explosive growth. But that's merely the surface explanation."
The Blood Heaven Emperor's voice grew deeper.
"The truth is... with each awakening, your soul is gradually corrupted by me. Until you become completely mine."
"Kang Cheon-hyeol also resisted like you at first."
The illusion changed, showing Kang Cheon-hyeol's entire life flashing by. From his innocent childhood to his gradual transformation.
"For the first ten awakenings, he simply rejoiced in growing stronger. But after the twentieth, he began to feel the changes."
The illusion showed Kang Cheon-hyeol looking in a mirror, horrified at his transformed appearance.
"After the thirtieth, he no longer hesitated to kill. After the fortieth, he began to enjoy it."
"And the forty-fifth..."
"He became completely mine. But in the end, he resisted with what little will remained. Foolishly."
Anger crept into the Blood Heaven Emperor's voice.
"Due to his use of the Heaven's Blood Reverse Sealing Art, my complete resurrection was delayed by 113 years."
"But in the end, he succumbed to me. The temptation of power... cannot be refused."
The Blood Heaven Emperor took another step closer to Jin-ho. His oppressive presence grew stronger.
"You've already felt it. That euphoria after awakening. The pleasure of defeating enemies."
Jin-ho's body trembled. He had indeed felt such emotions after his second awakening.
"That's not all. You've begun to see those around you as insignificant. Weaklings like Hyeon-su have started to irritate you."
"That's..."
Jin-ho tried to deny it, but no words came. It was exactly right.
"You cannot refuse. The change has already begun. With each awakening, you'll become stronger, colder, more cruel."
"Never... never!"
Jin-ho desperately shouted.
"Is there even a reason to resist?"
The Blood Heaven Emperor sneered.
"Those people you're trying to protect... Hyeon-su, Han Mu-jin, your fellow disciples... do they truly care for you?"
"Han Mu-jin received instructions from your grandfather to hide something. That you have the Death Blood Constitution, and that you would someday become a dangerous being."
The illusion showed a young Han Mu-jin having a secret conversation with Jin-ho's grandfather.
"He didn't accept you as a disciple out of affection... but to monitor you."
"That's a lie!"
"A lie? Then why didn't he give up on you during those three years when you were the weakest? Was it really out of a master's love?"
Doubt began seeping into Jin-ho's heart.
"What about Hyeon-su? Was saving you really due to friendship? Or was it to curry favor with someone who might become powerful?"
"No... Hyeon-su is genuine..."
"Can you be certain? People's hearts change. Especially when power differences emerge."
"But I am different."
The Blood Heaven Emperor's voice suddenly became gentle.
"I don't deceive you. I desire your power, and you can gain even greater strength from me. Isn't this a mutually beneficial relationship?"
"If you become one with me, everything in this world will kneel before you. All martial arts masters, even the emperor—no one will dare ignore you."
The Blood Heaven Emperor extended his hand, whispering.
"No more living as a weakling. No more needing anyone's pity or charity."
Jin-ho's heart wavered. The humiliation of living as the weakest for three years resurfaced.
"But if you refuse..."
The Blood Heaven Emperor's voice turned cold again.
"The awakenings will continue. You can't stop them anyway. The process will simply be more painful."
"You'll end up like Kang Cheon-hyeol. Killing those you love with your own hands, and eventually going mad."
"Now, choose."
The Blood Heaven Emperor projected two illusions into the air.
One showed Jin-ho merging with the Blood Heaven Emperor to gain absolute power. Everyone kneeling before him, ruling the world.
The other showed Jin-ho gradually going insane through repeated awakenings, ultimately killing Hyeon-su and Han Mu-jin with his own hands.
"Accept willingly, or resist painfully only to meet the same end."
"The choice is yours."
The Blood Heaven Emperor reached toward Jin-ho. Powerful suction emanated from his hand.
"Never... never!"
Jin-ho shouted with his last strength, but his voice grew smaller and smaller. Before the Blood Heaven Emperor's overwhelming presence, he was far too small and powerless.
"Resistance is meaningless. It has already begun."
The Blood Heaven Emperor's massive hand approached Jin-ho.
At that moment, a faint voice reached Jin-ho's consciousness.
'Don't give up... there is a way...'
It was Kang Cheon-hyeol's final message. But before the Blood Heaven Emperor's pressure, that voice was as small as a whisper carried away by the wind.
『Mental Corruption Progress: 12% → 15%』『Until Next Stage: 85%』『Warning: Host Resistance Will Weakening Detected』
Jin-ho's consciousness began slowly being drawn into the Blood Heaven Emperor's darkness.