“Nameless, do you have any idea what’s happening?”
Right after arriving at the place where the Demon King was sealed, Nameless’s heart began to race wildly.
Also, his pupils shrank.
His blood circulation was abnormally fast.
“Nameless?”
Despite my master sending a worried glance, Nameless couldn’t respond at all.
‘Everything in front of me is blurry.’
And, his head was spinning.
“…Nameless. Get a grip.”
As if enchanted, Nameless slowly walked toward the spot for the Demon King.
“Ugh!”
But he didn’t make it.
My master had grabbed his arm and pushed him to the ground.
“Nameless, just rest for a moment.”
Moments later, he felt a shock at the back of his neck, and his consciousness began to fade.
*
Did I really have to bring Nameless here, even if I refused Lili’s request?
“…Tsk.”
Even without checking directly, I could see the activity of squirming bugs in Nameless’s heart had increased significantly.
I wasn’t surprised by the sudden situation.
If I got startled here, Nameless’s life could be at risk.
I lifted Nameless’s collapsed arm over my shoulder and stood up.
“Just bear with it for a bit.”
First things first, we needed to leave this place.
Just as I was about to take a step.
“Wait.”
A man’s voice began echoing in the room, where surely no one was present.
I drew my wooden sword with one hand and, looking around, spoke lowly.
“…Are you the Demon King?”
Damn. There’s no presence around?
Could it be that the Demon King is at a level I can’t handle? This is bad.
I scanned the surroundings, and there was no presence, and no response either.
“Answer me!”
Is there a chance to escape in this moment…? No.
If I couldn’t lose track of my presence, an escape would be impossible. The likelihood of getting caught is high.
Then,
‘I must blow this area away at once.’
I opened my eyes wide.
Calculating the weight I was carrying with Nameless, I bent my legs even more to stabilize myself.
“Divine Slaying Sword Technique.”
I twisted my waist. I stretched my arms forward.
“Sixth Form.”
With the world’s upheaval, I plan to overturn this place in one go. After that, I’ll escape in the chaos.
Even if I get caught, it’ll be fine.
No matter how high the level of the Demon King, I can buy some time for Nameless to escape.
I hardened my resolve and sharpened my sword.
All that’s left is to strike down.
‘This is my grave.’
At that moment, as I closed my eyes and took a breath.
“Calm down a bit. Do you intend to destroy this place?”
I received an answer from the man.
“Tsk, seems like what they say about you being cowardly is true.”
I frowned at his tone, which implied he knew me.
“It’s somewhat concerning.”
“Do you know who I am?”
“Well, we’re not exactly on acquaintance terms.”
What the heck does that mean?
Not exactly acquaintances, but he knows me?
This is baffling.
Wait… Could he not be the Demon King?
If he were the Demon King, wouldn’t he straightforwardly say he didn’t know me without such an ambiguous expression?
But still, it’s possible he inferred from what Lili said, so I didn’t discount the possibility.
While maintaining my stance, my eyes darted around to survey the room.
“You coward! Don’t hide like a coward, show yourself!”
“Sorry, but that’s impossible.”
Impossible?
Clearly, the Demon King can’t show himself due to being sealed.
Is that guy even the Demon King?
Moreover, the voice echoed all around, making it hard to pinpoint his location.
Wait, does echoing in the room even make sense? How come I can’t find him like this?
My training wasn’t in vain.
The fact that I still couldn’t find him is definitely weird.
‘It can’t be helped.’
I reduced the energy I was about to unleash with the upheaval and spread it around.
To find him.
As I continued to expand my energy for a while, the man spoke.
“Even now, just voicing myself here is exhausting my mana.”
He added, astonished, as if there were a contradiction in his words.
“Ah, do you refer to it as internal energy?”
“…Who the hell are you?”
How much does he know about me?
Would Lili really have told the Demon King such useless information?
No matter how chatty Lili is, she seemed to hold back when it came to her Demon King.
If that’s the case, is the one speaking now someone who had ties with Nameless during our travels?
But there aren’t many people I was close enough with to know what I call internal energy.
Just a few students I taught at most.
But among those, there wasn’t anyone deep enough to have gone unnoticed by me.
“Asking who I am… That’s a difficult answer.”
“Are you refusing to reveal your identity?”
“No, it’s just that there’s no name to reveal.”
…No name?
Wait a minute.
“However, people tend to refer to me like this.”
Could it be what Lucius said—
“Are you the Nameless one?”
“That would be accurate.”
*
Where is this…?
Grasping his throbbing head, Nameless got up and looked around, but there was nothing in his sight.
Pitch-black darkness where he could see not even an inch ahead.
Stuck here without understanding why, Nameless struggled to comprehend the situation.
“I was surely with my master…”
With visibility blocked, he couldn’t see ahead. He waved his arms, but couldn’t touch anything. Each place had its own unique smell, yet none were present.
In this place, there was nothing other than his own breathing and the sound of his steps.
“Did I fall somewhere while I was unconscious?”
It was too clear to be called sleep; he judged it was reality.
Now, what should he do in such a situation?
It wouldn’t do to just blindly leave, as his master might come to find him….
After all, if they missed each other, it might never end.
But, just sitting waiting around isn’t in his nature.
Moreover, anything—
‘Staying still won’t solve anything.’
This was always something his master had told him.
Of course, there was the obstacle of not being able to see ahead.
But just like he had always done up to now.
“Master’s words have never been wrong.”
Nameless moved forward without hesitation.
How long did he walk?
Despite feeling like he walked for days, Nameless couldn’t encounter anything.
But at the same time, a question arose.
If so, this place must not be reality.
Could it be the realm of illusions, like what his master had said was cowardly?
Hmm, but then again, his mind seemed fine.
“Ugh….”
His contemplation didn’t last long.
Rather, it was such a simple answer that he wondered why he hadn’t thought of it until now.
This place was his own mind.
That of before meeting his master.
Though it felt somewhat awkward being alone after so long with a partner.
This place was where he originally belonged.
Back then, in that pitch-black darkness where he couldn’t see even an inch ahead, he had no idea whether the path he was walking was right.
Literally, he had no light to illuminate him; yet, he couldn’t stop.
If he did, it’d truly be the end, erasing any shred of possibility.
Thinking of that,
Nameless’s footsteps abruptly stopped.
‘What was that possibility…?’
What he had wished for before meeting his master.
Similarly, his contemplation didn’t last long.
Unlike his master, his memories weren’t that old. It was only ten years ago.
“Ugh, thinking of it now, it’s a bit embarrassing.”
He had hated the world.
Stepping forward with the sole dream of vengeance.
He resented the world, the heavens, the gods—everything that had thrown him into the abyss of trials.
So, on the first day he met his master.
Looking back now, it’s embarrassing… but hadn’t he also wanted to shatter the heavens?
“Ah.”
As he thought of that, one thing arose in Nameless’s mind.
A ripple stirred.
‘The mindset that my master had emphasized.’
His master had taught him that impurities should not enter his heart.
Now, his heart was filthy beyond belief.
“Ha!”
Was this the reason he had been hitting a wall recently? Realizing this was truly amusing.
Because he didn’t have such thoughts now.
Then, he needed to correct his twisted heart and rebuild it again….
“…To rebuild my heart.”
Well, it’s not that complicated.
The fact that contemplating it was itself shameful.
“My one and only master, Cheon Ha-rang.”
As he thought of her, something began to reveal itself.
*
Nameless arrived in front of a white door.
“Impressive.”
“…Who are you?”
Before he knew it, Nameless lowered himself, drew his sword at the sound of a man’s voice.
…Why is there another person in his mind?
“You’ve accomplished in an instant what I couldn’t in decades?”
Clapping his hands, the man turned to Nameless, who was cloaked in a large black robe.
With a cloak that looked a bit like a crow.
And that sparked a memory buried in the corner of Nameless’s mind.
“Are you the Nameless One?”
“Yes, you’re correct.”
A confirming answer.
Nameless stepped back a couple of steps and gripped his sword tightly.
If that’s the case, the ‘Nameless One’ is the enemy of the Hero and the Saint. Moreover, he’s also the enemy of Cheon Ha-rang’s close friend, Iron Blood.
“How… how did you get into my mind?”
“It’s simple.”
This place is also my mind.
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