The World’s Greatest is Dead - Chapter 208

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Heavenly Supreme Has Died – Episode 208
The crowd had grown considerably larger than before.
Back then, there were still occasional empty seats, but now they were completely filled to capacity.
The difference in interest was palpable.
Anticipation and roiling fervor.
The expressions and reactions of those brimming with excitement were intense enough to make even me feel the heat.
‘…Sigh.’
My stomach was already turning.
Why were they so eager to watch this?
My head shook without my realizing it. I couldn’t fathom why they’d all gathered just to watch a brawl.
It was always something I failed to understand, but what could I do about it?
‘This world has always been this way.’
If you were born in the Central Plains, you had to accept it.
Perhaps if I hadn’t retained memories of my past life, wouldn’t I have shown such interest as well?
Or not…?
‘Then again, I wasn’t particularly interested in such things in my past life either.’
It was possible that this was simply my nature.
In any case.
After observing the gathered crowd, I turned my gaze to the martial arena before me.
“Huff!”
“Ugh!”
Clang—! Clang clang—!
Two martial artists clashed fiercely. One wielded a sword and the other a spear, and from what I could see, the spear wielder held a slight advantage.
‘She’s controlling the distance well.’
By preventing the swordsman from closing in, the unique distance between them left his opponent helpless.
“Ugh…!”
Frustrated, he attempted to narrow the gap by any means.
Whoosh—!!!
The fluid spear movements, whip-like in their flexibility, sealed off every approach.
[There’s a compatibility difference in martial techniques, but fundamentally, she’s simply the stronger one.]
Yoo Cheon-gil spoke to the woman wielding the spear. This much I could grasp as well.
Regardless of compatibility, the woman was simply stronger.
Clang—!!
The result appeared almost immediately. The swordsman couldn’t withstand the spear’s force and dropped his weapon.
The sharp spear point touched his throat.
“Match concluded.”
The referee announced as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“Hongryeonryeon wins.”
At those words, the woman beamed with a broad smile, raising her spear high, and cheers erupted.
-Waaaaaaaa!!!
I glanced to the side at the sound of commotion.
This was already the second match. As the disciples engaged in their rough display, the crowd’s fervor continued to rise.
Standing beside me was a young man whose expression was painfully tense—a stark contrast to the atmosphere around us.
“Hey. You alright?”
“…!”
As I spoke and touched his shoulder, he flinched in surprise.
It was Dang Cheon-il who responded to my words.
“Get a grip.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Dang Cheon-il responded belatedly to what I said. Of course, he only responded in words—his condition remained unchanged.
‘…Is this guy really okay?’
No matter how I looked at it, he wasn’t okay.
Dang Cheon-il’s state appeared particularly poor.
‘Earlier he just seemed angry.’
Now, beyond mere anger, his body was rigid with extreme tension.
‘Is he really that nervous?’
The opponent Dang Cheon-il would face.
Heuk Taedo, Peng Dojun. With that fight looming ahead, Dang Cheon-il seemed at a loss for what to do.
The reason was likely.
‘Because of what happened in the past.’
I’d heard it was called the Dragon Phoenix Conference before.
I’d heard that Dang Cheon-il, who participated back then, was defeated in a single strike by Peng Dojun.
And even.
‘It was the same when we met this time.’
Heuk Taedo, whom we encountered on the way to Hannam where Bonmeng was located.
I remembered him taking that man’s strike and collapsing to the ground once again.
I suspected these circumstances were why Dang Cheon-il was reacting this way.
Yoo Cheon-gil, watching Dang Cheon-il like this, spoke with a sigh.
[It’s too late.]
Too late for what?
[He’s already been consumed by fear. It seems to be deeply etched in his memory.]
“….”
An imprint born of fear.
Helplessness.
Dang Cheon-il’s state was evident to Yoo Cheon-gil, and it was evident to me as well.
‘Hmm.’
This guy really is finished.
Looking like that, I doubt anything will come of it.
‘Sigh.’
What a frustrating man.
I scratched the back of my head.
The phrase “consumed by fear” grated on me in an unsettling way.
Because for a moment, he overlapped with someone else in my mind.
Kim Min-cheol from the distant past, now dead and gone.
The image of that incompetent man acting foolishly while buried in memory surfaced.
“Hey.”
So I did something I normally shouldn’t have done.
“Hey, you.”
“…!”
After calling twice, Dang Cheon-il responded.
“Yes…?”
“Listen carefully. I’m only saying this once.”
“Yes?”
“Do you want to win?”
“….”
“Answer me. Do you want to beat Peng Dojun or not?”
“…!”
Dang Cheon-il’s eyes widened at my words.
No answer came. He seemed to hesitate in responding.
So I simply watched him. Without asking again, I waited for him to answer.
“…Yes.”
Dang Cheon-il answered.
Hearing that, I exhaled deeply.
“Phew.”
This wasn’t something I should normally do.
Moreover.
‘Thinking of the future, I should have saved this.’
It felt wasteful to use this on him.
‘But I did receive something from his ancestor.’
Recalling the opportunity I had received from Dokjon in the past, I thought perhaps helping to this extent was acceptable.
So I approached the man and spoke.
“Listen carefully.”
I leaned close and whispered the words near his ear.
As I spoke, Dang Cheon-il’s eyes grew wider and wider.
Even as I spoke, I thought to myself.
‘Will he even believe this?’
And even if he did believe, could he actually pull it off?
I pondered that, but the words had already left my lips.
The choice was now Dang Cheon-il’s to make.
And shortly after that.
“Next contestant, come forward.”
It was time for Dang Cheon-il and Heuk Taedo’s match.

* * *
Two young men ascended onto the spacious arena.
What had once been an immaculate stage now bore countless scars across its surface. Despite having hosted merely five matches, that solid arena had been reduced to a state of disrepair.
This itself testified to the prowess of the combatants.
Having reached this level of competition, only the most exceptional among the disciples remained.
One could hardly call it surprising.
“I’m here.”
“Ohhh… Finally…”
Yet this match was more than enough to captivate everyone’s attention.
“A match between the Seven Prodigies, then.”
A match between the Seven Prodigies.
Geniuses standing at the pinnacle even among the disciples.
As their match was about to commence, the crowd’s reaction reached unprecedented heights, but…
“Still, I suspect this one might be rather dull as well.”
Some observers displayed a somewhat apathetic response.
“Last time he couldn’t even put up a fight. Will this time be any different?”
The incident where Dok-ryong Dang Cheon-il was defeated in a single blow by Heuk Taedo had become legendary.
With so many spectators present at the time, countless eyes had witnessed it, and talk of this rematch was inevitable.
“Still, several years have passed. Surely things must be different now.”
“…Hmm…”
“They say Dok-ryong has grown stronger, but Heuk Taedo hasn’t been idle either, has he?”
While interest in the match between the Seven Prodigies was considerable,
Interest in Dok-ryong himself was not as great.
The issue from the previous match was part of it.
But fundamentally, there was a widespread perception that the gap between the lower and upper tiers of the Seven Prodigies was as vast as heaven and earth.
Amidst such murmurs among the spectators,
Dang Cheon-il ascended the arena with a rigid expression.
Huff— Huff—
His ragged breathing would not settle.
His trembling eyes were no better.
Standing on the arena with a body that refused to obey,
“Tsk.”
A clicking sound of the tongue echoed from across.
“How pathetic.”
The towering young man, as if irritated by the surrounding attention,
Heuk Taedo Peng Dojun continuously twisted his expression in displeasure.
“To have to fight such a dull and uninspiring match is utterly ridiculous.”
Crack.
The way he loosened his neck with those massive hands was utterly crude.
Then Peng Dojun’s gaze turned toward Dang Cheon-il.
Seeing that, Dang Cheon-il’s face grew even more rigid.
No emotion could be felt in his expression.
It was different from how he looked at Bangseong-yeon, Naelyong, Wol Muhui, or Geombong.
As if merely observing a passing stone or just a building.
That was how Dang Cheon-il appeared in Heuk Taedo’s eyes.
“How tedious.”
A languid tone that conveyed reluctance.
His gaze, his voice, his very presence—everything bore down upon Dang Cheon-il.
Grind.
Dang Cheon-il clenched his teeth at that demeanor.
“…You’re still looking down on me.”
“Still, you say?”
At Dang Cheon-il’s words, Peng Dojun let out a snort of laughter.
“I never had any interest in you to begin with.”
“…”
“That’s something I reserve for those who deserve it. You don’t qualify.”
His pride was being chipped away. What infuriated him more was his own inability to respond properly to such words.
“Let’s finish this quickly. I truly despise anything boring.”
“…Damn you.”
Just as he was about to speak in anger.
“Ready.”
The Referee spoke.
At those words, Dang Cheon-il grasped his blade.
Even then, Heuk Taedo did not draw his sword.
“What are you doing?”
When Dang Cheon-il glared and asked, Heuk Taedo replied.
“No need to draw. Why bother? It’s too much trouble.”
It was absolute contempt.
“…This…”
Veins bulged in Dang Cheon-il’s eyes.
He wanted nothing more than to plunge a blade into that man’s throat.
‘I am.’
Not someone to be disrespected like this.
I was called the reincarnation of Dokjon, bearing the full weight of the Dang Clan’s expectations.
Of course, knowing that even those expectations were my younger sister’s concession made them feel like shackles.
‘I am Dang Cheon-il.’
I intended to make those false expectations my own.
It was for my younger sister, but.
it was also for myself.
“I’ll make you regret this.”
Dang Cheon-il continued to stoke his rage higher.
Somehow, I had to make this work.
I had to land a blow on him no matter what method I used.
As that thought kept filling my mind.
“Hey–!!!”
–!!!
A thunderous shout pierced Dang Cheon-il’s ears.
“What…?”
“What is it.”
The spectators and everyone around looked toward something in bewilderment.
All eyes turned to Bangseong-yeon, the one who had shouted.
Dang Cheon-il was no exception, staring at him in surprise at the sudden outburst.
“I told you everything, so are you a bull? What’s with your head? Do you just keep charging mindlessly?”
“….”
“Damn it. If you’re going to be like that, just come down. You’re really pissing me off.”
True to his words, he looked genuinely irritated. Dang Cheon-il’s spirit instantly deflated as he met that gaze.
“Ah.”
My mind cooled sharply.
Ridiculously, the heat drained away.
“Hahahaha–!!!”
Peng Dojun burst out laughing.
It was nearly as loud as Bangseong-yeon’s shout from before.
“See? That guy really is entertaining?”
“….”
His gaze was completely different from how he looked at me.
That was clearly grating on him.
‘Sigh….’
This time was different from before.
Dang Cheon-il loosened his rigid body.
He released the unnecessary tension.
At the same time.
‘What did he tell me to do…?’
I recalled what Bangseong-yeon had said.
It was the advice he’d given when he asked if I wanted to win against Peng Dojun.
At first glance, it was absurd advice.
Should I trust it?
I had no idea.
‘…Doesn’t that defy all logic?’
No matter how much I thought about it, that was the case. Moreover, even if I believed it, there was no guarantee I could pull it off.
What’s more, what confidence did he have to tell me something like this?
Dang Cheon-il couldn’t fathom Bangseong-yeon’s intentions.
“…”
He narrowed his eyes.
Distrust filled them completely.
But.
“Preparing for the match…”
Strangely, intensity burned in Dang Cheon-il’s gaze.
Though it was an unbelievable claim.
Somehow, it felt believable.
“Peng Dojun of the Hannam Peng Clan versus Dang Cheon-il of the Sichuan Dang Clan.”
The fervent heat that had been building moments before cooled.
The noise that had filled the air fell silent.
“The match.”
Then only the referee’s voice could be heard.
Dang Cheon-il’s eyes turned cold and sharp.
Just like that.
“Begin.”
Whoosh—!!!
He rushed forward at Peng Dojun with explosive speed.
In an instant, his vision twisted as he reached Peng Dojun’s position.
“Hmph.”
At that display, Peng Dojun lost interest.
It was the same as before. His foolish charge was no different from the first time.
‘As expected.’
A worthless X-Person.
Thinking thus, he swung his fist wrapped in qi.
콰아아아—!!!!
Fragments scattered.
The arena floor shattered from the tremendous impact.
Truly, it was devastating power.
But.
“…Hm?”
A strange light flickered in Heuk Taedo’s eyes as he drove his fist forward.
His fist had only crushed the ground, sweeping away nothing else.
Thwick.
As he pulled his fist from where it had been embedded in the earth, Peng Dojun’s expression turned peculiar.
Then.
“Hey.”
I turned around and asked.
“How did you do that?”
Where Peng Dojun was looking, Dang Cheon-il stood with his back turned.
“Haa… haa…”
The moment Dang Cheon-il steadied himself and turned to look back.
Splurt–!!
Blood erupted from Peng Dojun’s chest.
Drip, drip.
Immediately, blood soaked through his black martial robes.
“Ha!”
Even as blood poured profusely, Peng Dojun laughed as if unconcerned.
“Look at this bastard?”
Interest gleamed in his eyes.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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