Chapter 119:When Kings Collide

The moment the Ghost King crossed through the rift—

the Soul King moved.

There was no warning.

No declaration.

No wasted motion.

BOOM!

The two figures vanished.

A shockwave erupted through the hall, but before it could reach anyone, the Soul King appeared directly before the Ghost King and seized the space around him.

Reality twisted.

The cracked dimension behind the Ghost King suddenly expanded.

The Soul King forced him backward.

"Not here."

The Ghost King laughed.

"You finally understand."

The Soul King's eyes became cold.

"If we fight here, this planet will not survive."

The Ghost King's grin widened.

"Then let us leave it behind."

The two kings disappeared into the fractured space.

For a moment—

nothing happened.

Then the rift shook.

BOOOOOOM!

The entire fortress trembled.

Everyone understood what that meant.

The battle had begun.

And the battlefield was no longer their world.

Duan immediately turned toward the rift.

"We need to follow them."

Amaira nodded.

"I'll go."

Several grim reapers prepared to move.

But then—

the rift opened wider.

An enormous wave of ghosts poured through.

Hundreds.

Thousands.

Some were barely conscious remnants.

Others possessed soul energy powerful enough to rival the urban legends Lucifer had fought.

The battlefield instantly became chaos.

Duan's expression hardened.

"Nobody leaves."

Amaira looked at her.

"But the Soul King—"

"He chose that battlefield for a reason."

Duan drew her weapon.

"If we follow him, this world becomes undefended."

Another wave surged through the rift.

Duan looked toward Lucifer.

Then she smiled faintly.

"Except you."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow.

"Me?"

"Go."

Lucifer's eyes immediately lit up.

Duan continued.

"Help the Soul King."

Lucifer's smile widened.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

Amaira grabbed his arm.

"Lucifer."

He looked at her.

"Don't do anything reckless."

Lucifer smiled.

"I make no promises."

He looked toward the rift.

But his expression changed when he saw the endless stream of ghosts.

Not fear.

Excitement.

Chirin's voice echoed inside his mind.

"You're enjoying this."

"Obviously."

"You're supposed to be helping the Soul King."

Lucifer stepped forward.

"I am."

"Why are you smiling like that?"

Lucifer's eyes narrowed toward the fractured dimension.

"Because there's finally something worth fighting."

The ghost wave came at him.

Lucifer moved forward.

BOOM!

A ghost lunged.

He cut it aside.

Another appeared.

Dismantle.

A third.

Cleave.

Lucifer continued walking.

The wave didn't stop.

Neither did he.

Soul energy exploded around him as he carved a path through the advancing ghosts.

He didn't chase them.

He didn't waste movement.

He simply walked.

Step after step.

Straight toward the rift.

Amaira watched from behind.

Even surrounded by an army of ghosts—

Lucifer looked as though he were taking a casual walk.

Duan watched him disappear into the dimensional crack.

"That man..."

Amaira looked at her.

"What?"

Duan smiled faintly.

"He doesn't look like someone going to save a king."

Amaira sighed.

"I know."

Beyond the Rift

Lucifer stepped through.

And stopped.

For the first time in a long while—

he said nothing.

There was no ground.

No sky.

No horizon.

Only an endless sea of stars.

Galaxies stretched across the darkness.

Planets floated like distant lights.

Nebulas painted enormous regions of space.

And somewhere within that cosmic ocean—

two beings were fighting.

BOOOOOOOOM!

A star vanished.

Lucifer's eyes widened slightly.

Another collision occurred.

An entire planetary system was swept away.

The Soul King appeared above a distant planet.

His fist descended.

The Ghost King blocked.

The collision sent a wave across space.

Several planets broke apart beneath the pressure.

Lucifer stared.

"So that's their level."

Chirin was silent.

The two kings disappeared again.

Then—

BOOM!

They reappeared thousands of kilometers away.

The Soul King struck.

The Ghost King countered.

Their movements were so fast that even Lucifer's eyes struggled to follow.

Each collision distorted space.

Each strike carried enough power to erase celestial bodies.

Far in the distance—

a galaxy trembled.

Lucifer's fingers tightened around Chirin.

His blood was boiling.

He wanted to join.

He wanted to see how far his current strength could go.

But he didn't move.

His rationality stopped him.

Not yet.

He understood.

If he entered that battle now, he wouldn't be a warrior.

He would be a liability.

The difference between their strength was simply too large.

Lucifer clicked his tongue.

"I hate being reasonable."

Then he opened his status panel.

The familiar system appeared before his eyes.

His karma points had been accumulating for an enormous amount of time.

He had barely touched them since arriving in this world.

He had been saving them.

For this moment.

Lucifer's eyes became sharp.

"System."

The panel appeared.

He looked toward his Seven Deadly Sins.

"Upgrade all seven."

A pause.

Then the system responded.

[Insufficient Karma Points.]

Lucifer stared.

Silence.

He looked at the message again.

Then again.

"...What?"

[Insufficient Karma Points.]

Lucifer's eyebrow twitched.

"I've been saving these points for ages."

[Insufficient Karma Points.]

"You're repeating yourself."

[Insufficient Karma Points.]

Lucifer slowly closed his eyes.

Chirin spoke carefully.

"You seem upset."

"I am."

"Should I be worried?"

"Very."

Lucifer looked around.

Then his expression changed.

His Demonic Eyes activated.

The endless space wasn't empty.

Ghosts were everywhere.

Some floated between dead planets.

Others inhabited abandoned celestial bodies.

Many possessed soul energy comparable to the urban legends Lucifer had fought.

Lucifer smiled.

"Oh."

Chirin understood immediately.

"No."

Lucifer disappeared.

"Lucifer, don't—"

BOOM!

The nearest ghost vanished beneath Lucifer's attack.

[Karma Points acquired.]

Lucifer smiled.

"Again."

Another.

[Karma Points acquired.]

Another.

[Karma Points acquired.]

The ghosts began noticing him.

Hundreds turned.

Lucifer raised Chirin.

"Come on."

His smile widened.

"I need points."

The Battle of the Kings

Far above Lucifer—

the true battle continued.

The Soul King was winning.

There was no doubt.

He moved with absolute precision.

Every attack was calculated.

Every defensive movement was perfect.

The Ghost King was being driven backward.

A punch from the Soul King sent him through a planet.

Before he could recover—

the Soul King appeared above him.

BOOM!

The Ghost King was driven farther into the darkness.

Another strike.

Another.

Another.

The Ghost King finally blocked.

But the force still sent him flying across the stars.

The Soul King appeared before him.

"You are weaker."

The Ghost King wiped the dust from his shoulder.

"Physically?"

The Soul King narrowed his eyes.

"Completely."

The Ghost King smiled.

"Then you've already made your mistake."

The Soul King attacked.

The Ghost King didn't dodge.

Instead—

he allowed the strike to pass through him.

The Soul King's eyes changed.

An illusion.

The real Ghost King appeared behind him.

BOOM!

The Soul King was struck.

But he recovered instantly.

"You think tricks can defeat me?"

The Ghost King laughed.

"Not tricks."

He raised his hand.

"Rules."

The space around them changed.

Suddenly—

thousands of ghosts appeared.

Not ordinary ghosts.

Fragments of souls.

Memories.

Echoes.

Each one carried a trace of the Ghost King's soul energy.

The Soul King destroyed them instantly.

But more appeared.

He understood.

The Ghost King wasn't trying to overpower him.

He was spreading himself across the battlefield.

The Soul King unleashed his full power.

A massive wave of soul energy expanded through space.

Stars disappeared.

Planets were erased.

The ghost fragments vanished.

The Ghost King disappeared with them.

Silence.

The Soul King scanned the darkness.

"Come out."

Nothing.

Then—

a voice came from behind.

"Too late."

The Ghost King appeared.

His hand touched the Soul King's back.

A strange symbol appeared.

The Soul King's eyes widened.

The Ghost King smiled.

"I never needed to defeat you."

The symbol activated.

The Soul King's own soul energy suddenly began pulling against him.

He staggered.

"What did you do?"

The Ghost King laughed.

"I've been studying your soul energy since the beginning."

The Soul King attacked.

The Ghost King disappeared.

Another symbol appeared.

Then another.

And another.

The battlefield itself had become a trap.

The Ghost King had scattered fragments of himself throughout the dimension.

Every time the Soul King destroyed one—

he unknowingly destroyed a part of the dimensional boundary.

The Ghost King had been using the Soul King's overwhelming attacks to weaken the battlefield itself.

The Soul King finally understood.

"You planned this."

"Of course."

The Ghost King raised his hand.

The entire dimension shook.

The Soul King's power began being redirected.

His own strength was becoming a weapon against him.

The Ghost King appeared before him.

"You may be stronger."

His eyes burned.

"But strength isn't everything."

The Soul King was pushed backward.

For the first time—

he was losing.

The Ghost King raised his hand.

"Your throne is mine."