Dancing on the golden ashes

We clashed, the force of my attack overwhelming his defensive stance. His body was hurled into the distance, but I didn't give him a chance to recover. I rushed after him instantly, refusing to let up for even a second.

This ends here, I thought, determination burning through me.

His body erupted into white light, tendrils of energy lashing out like tails. One struck me, the force slicing into my skin, but I didn't falter. In the next instant, he reformed from the light behind me, his blade flashing toward my back.

Reacting on instinct, my claws morphed back into my scythe as I twisted my body, deflecting his strike in a shower of sparks.

But it didn't end there.

Once again, his form dissolved into light, reappearing at my side in a flash. My scythe reverted to claws, and I managed to catch him, holding him in place for only a fleeting moment before he slipped away.

This deadly game of teleportation continued, his movements relentless. Every strike and counter felt faster, more precise, as the exchange carried on.

How long can this go on? I thought, the tension building with every passing second.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

A primal scream tore from my throat as I summoned my Shadow Slash Barrage. The shadows erupted around me, swirling like extensions of my own body, slashing in every direction. The relentless assault forced him to back off, ending his infuriating game of cat and mouse.

"Come here!" I roared, my voice echoing with unbridled fury.

I began burning both mana and blood, feeling the intense energy course through me. The horns on my head glowed faintly red, and my heart pounded furiously, as though trying to escape my chest. My speed and power surged beyond their limits.

With incredible force, I swung at him. For the first time, I saw his expression falter, his face twisting with shock and desperation.

"Annihilation Slash!"

Each claw carved through the air, unleashing devastating arcs of chaos. The impact sent him hurtling into the distance, his body crashing violently into the ground.

I didn't hesitate. I closed the gap in an instant, only to find him in a pitiful state. His body was bloodied, riddled with holes, and missing large chunks of his limbs. Yet even in that grotesque condition, he began to regenerate, the glow of his white light mending his wounds rapidly.

But something was different now.

This time, he didn't dare to face me. Instead, his gaze shifted, and with no hesitation, he turned to flee.

"Don't you dare!" I shouted, my voice ripping through the air as I rushed after him.

The chase was relentless, the adrenaline burning through me like wildfire. But as time dragged on, my boost in power began to wane, the energy burning out. Yet, he didn't stop. He just kept running.

"Let him go, Gaon! You're pushing yourself too much!" The eerie voice echoed in my mind, its tone laced with frustration.

I ignored it.

"Hey!" it shouted again, louder this time. "I'm talking to you!"

Still, I paid it no mind. My vision was locked on one target, my determination an unbreakable chain.

"If you don't stop this very moment, I will cancel my powers and never help you again," it warned, its voice sharp and commanding.

But my reply was colder than ice.

If you don't shut up and keep providing me with this power, I'll kill myself. Just shut up and help me! I don't give a shit about anything else. I must kill him. I must! I must...

The words felt foreign, as if they belonged to someone else. But they were mine, every single one of them.

Even I couldn't fully understand why I was so consumed by revenge. Why my heart screamed for it so desperately. But it didn't matter. I gave it what it wanted.

Maybe, when all of this is over, I can go back. Lead my empire in peace. Enjoy the company of others.

Or maybe not.

If I don't finish this, I'll never be able to rest...

I chased him for days.

Each time, he managed to evade me, slipping away just as I closed in. He ran endlessly, his path cutting through countless kingdoms and cities. And wherever he fled, destruction followed in his wake.

I destroyed every city he passed through, leaving them in ruins. The pitiful souls unfortunate enough to cross my path didn't stand a chance—they were killed instantly, their essence feeding my insatiable hunger.

We encountered no more kings, no more rulers. The ones who might have dared to intervene stayed hidden, too terrified to stand against the chaos we left behind.

It was just the two of us now—a relentless hunt through a world that could only watch in fear.

Once again, I heard the chants echo through the air. "White-Haired Devil." That was what they called Jeong Suhan.

After a week of relentless pursuit, the name had become a whisper of fear across the lands. But for me, it marked an endless chase, one that left a trail of devastation in its wake. My kill count had reached at least two thousand by now.

Was I proud of it? Not even a little.

I felt like a true demon, a harbinger of destruction. But who cared? These weren't the people I fought for, nor the ones I cared about. Their lives and deaths didn't mean much to me.

And yet...

I think I'm losing my humanity, little by little.

A few more days passed, and I spotted another city in the distance. It was massive, sprawling across the horizon—a testament to the efforts of countless people who must have built it together.

But before we even got close, I heard the sound of sirens echoing through the air. Panic spread like wildfire, and soon the screams began:

"Run! The Destroyer is coming to our city! She's still chasing the White Devil!"

The Destroyer?

Do they mean me? What the... who named me that? And how had the word spread so quickly?

But there was no time to dwell on it. I couldn't deny the name, not when Jeong Suhan once again slipped into the city to hide. This time, however, the people were ready.

They weren't cowering behind their walls. Instead, they stood outside the city, eyes locked onto me as I approached from the sky. Their expressions betrayed pure terror, yet they didn't flee. They watched, frozen, as I raised my hand.

"Five Paths of Fire: Second Path... Power."

The air trembled violently, the ground quaking beneath their feet. From above, a massive dark shadow began to descend, blotting out the sky.

"Apocalypse," I whispered, and the world seemed to hold its breath.

A massive meteor crashed into the city, the impact shaking the earth and sending shockwaves across the horizon. The destruction was absolute, yet it left me with a bitter taste of disappointment.

In the next instant, Jeong Suhan appeared beside me, his form materializing in a flash of blinding white light.

"Is that all you've got?" he mocked, his voice dripping with arrogance. Stay tuned with My Virtual Library Empire

I clenched my fists, my body trembling with exhaustion. I wanted to end this, to finish him once and for all.

But his speed... Fuck!

It was too much. Too fast. No matter how hard I tried, he was always a step ahead.

I chased after him once again as he fled into the distance. By now, it felt like he was toying with me, and the thought gnawed at my mind.

Why?

Why wouldn't he fight me to the death? Why did he keep running, luring me across the land like this?

So far, I had destroyed at least ten massive cities and twenty smaller villages in his wake. The people here were foreigners—strangers with languages I barely recognized. I'd heard snippets of German, Polish, French, and countless others. Was this continent where all the European countries were teleported?

Another few days passed, and my count of consumed souls had reached a staggering 3,000.

But this time, he had nowhere to run.

We were back in the mountains where it all began. After chasing him across an entire continent, I now understood its layout. It was intriguing—this land wasn't much larger than a massive island, but the people here were undeniably powerful.

As Jeong Suhan darted toward one of the mountains, my eyes followed him closely. He slipped into a small cave at its base. The entrance seemed suspicious, its jagged edges hinting at something more beneath the surface.

I followed him inside, navigating the dark and narrow passages. The air grew heavier with each step, but I pressed on, the thrill of the hunt pushing me forward.

Finally, we emerged into a strange chamber deep within the mountain.

The walls were covered in glowing, intricate runes, their faint light illuminating the cavern. The sight made me wary—there was something ancient and dangerous about this place.

But none of that mattered.

Jeong Suhan had no more escape routes. For the first time, I felt like my luck had finally turned. He was cornered now. There was nowhere left to run.

"So, what now, Jeong Suhan?" I said, my voice dripping with mockery as I stepped closer. "Where are you going to run this time?"

The smirk on my face mirrored his own from countless encounters before. It felt satisfying to throw his arrogance back at him, to see him cornered for once.

"Heh," Jeong Suhan smirked, that infuriating expression refusing to fade.

Suddenly, the runes on the walls flared to life, their glow blinding and all-consuming. Before I could react, the ground shifted beneath me, and I felt the unmistakable pull of teleportation.

[Welcome to the new Trial of Death.]

The system's cold, mechanical voice echoed in my mind.

When the light faded, I found myself in a small, dimly lit room. Before me was a large window overlooking a chessboard. It wasn't an ordinary one—this board was massive, and its pieces were life-sized, looming ominously in the strange, surreal setting.

At the center of it all stood a figure.

Clad entirely in black, his face was obscured by shadows, leaving only the faint outline of a man in a perfectly tailored suit. A red tie cut through the darkness like a vivid streak of blood.

And then, the figure spoke, his voice unsettlingly familiar.

"Welcome, Lee Gaon," he said, his tone calm and composed.

"Creator..." I hissed through gritted teeth, my body tensing as his familiar presence washed over me.