“Let’s have some fun, shall we?”
As Cheon Ha-rang and the Hero’s group clashed.
*
The imperial palace was silent, but a chilling tension filled the space.
“Are you the Emperor?”
The reason was the man sitting across from Emperor Duke, leisurely sipping his tea.
“…Yes.”
The Emperor, maintaining his composure with a low voice, narrowed his eyes and studied the man.
With blood-red hair that evoked images of gore and inscrutable half-closed eyes.
His clothing was equally peculiar, resembling a uniform from a far-off land, adorned with characters not seen in the Empire.
But Duke knew well where that outfit came from.
‘…It resembles the attire of the Cheon family.’
Cheon Ha-rang and Cheon Mu-myeong.
Figures he had faced at least once before.
And, his soldiers who were dispatched to hunt down these individuals.
Here came someone who appeared to be an acquaintance or subordinate of those people.
‘This is bad…’
Duke swallowed a sigh, instinctively sensing that the situation was not favorable.
“Then, you must know why I am here.”
At the same time, the man added with a small smile.
“…Tsk.”
Not replying to the question, Duke furrowed his brow and continued thinking.
‘Of course I know.’
There were certainly reasons for this man’s visit.
First, his life. Second, to rid him of his illness and coax him into surrender.
‘…Or, they might place my life on the negotiation table to target the Empire itself.’
Neither scenario brought good news to Duke or the Empire.
Of course, he wouldn’t accept those demands just to save his own skin.
Unless there was no successor, there was a Crown Prince.
A brave kid, he would surely plan for the future.
‘…But.’
The current situation was slightly different.
First, the ongoing operation against Cheon Ha-rang, observed in real-time through the orb, was going poorly for the Empire.
But what if he were to die?
It would bring chaos to the Empire, and the new church supporting Cheon Ha-rang could reverse its assault against the Empire.
And the Empire had no strength to stop them.
‘Wasn’t it said that eight-tenths of the soldiers are missing?’
Though a small force of soldiers remains in the Empire, their numbers were not high. And since the elite troops participated in the hunt, their level was not great either.
It was troublesome.
The future of the Empire was hanging by the words that man was about to utter.
“Well, it’s fine if you don’t answer.”
The man shrugged casually, rummaging through his bag before pulling out a piece of paper.
“After all, you have no choice but to accept it.”
And upon seeing the contents written on it, Duke couldn’t hide his shock.
“…What is this?”
*
“Ugh!”
The battle continued until the moon set and began to emerge over the hill.
– Bang!
“Cough!”
Iron Blood, Camilla, was slammed against the wall by Cheon Ha-rang.
“Are you okay?!”
Elia, who was busily praying to heal her, approached her.
With worry etched on her face, Camilla exaggeratedly smiled to reassure her.
“Do I look like someone who gets hurt? I’m fine, so hurry up and help that lousy Hero.”
For a brief moment, Elia’s expression showed a hint of hurt, but she quickly shifted to a determined look, as if she understood Camilla’s intentions.
“…Okay!”
“…Get going. It hurts.”
Seeing Elia completely leave, Camilla frowned.
‘…Something seems off.’
It was strange that she wasn’t the one being smashed into the wall, and it was even stranger that the battle, which should have ended long ago, was still ongoing.
In line with that, Cheon Ha-rang’s attitude was also strange.
How could she ask a foe who was hunting her to make her disciple part of the Hero’s group in the records?
What kind of nonsense is that?
Asking a life-and-death enemy for such a favor.
‘…Well, if it’s a request from a grandmother.’
To be honest, that request wasn’t so strange. Considering the bond they had formed together, it wasn’t something she couldn’t agree to, as Camilla knew well how much she cared for her disciple.
It was natural to entrust her disciple to someone else when there was no one to look after them.
But what was strange was that she seemed to be moving as if she had already decided to be hunted.
Evidence of that being the fact that she was still alive.
What had earlier been a fight barely worthy of the title became a true battle after her words.
Moreover, though she had been slammed into the wall, no serious injuries remained—Camilla included.
As if she was yearning for her own defeat.
‘…Why?’
As she recovered her body, Camilla attempted to ponder the reason behind this.
– Phew!
But that thought was never completed.
“Gah…!”
A slight groan echoed.
Instinctively, Camilla lifted her head.
What fell into view was a woman collapsed.
Camilla, no—the people present here were witnessing a side of her they had never seen before.
“…Grandmother?”
The first thing noticeable was her complexion.
“…Hah.”
She seemed pained, frowning in what appeared to be agony as she gazed at her abdomen.
Naturally, everyone followed her gaze.
“What the…?”
And there it lay.
A holy sword was lodged within Cheon Ha-rang’s abdomen.
The holy sword seemed to have been dipped in dark red paint, splattering Cheon Ha-rang’s clothes.
Thud. Camilla’s heart sank.
Though it was indeed a plan to hunt down Cheon Ha-rang as a last resort.
‘Is she really going to die?’
Seeing her friend seemingly gasping for breath and collapsing, a strange feeling washed over her.
It felt like two mismatched phrases, akin to “a white crow.”
Truly, Cheon Ha-rang seemed fated to die.
Meanwhile, the owner of the holy sword.
“Damn… damn….”
Lucius was cursing, sounding utterly out of place.
Slop. Like his legs lost strength, Lucius dropped to the floor.
Perhaps, it wasn’t just Lucius; they all likely shared similar thoughts.
“Ah…”
With the Demon King replaced, the Cheonma, the ultimate enemy had fallen. They should have been joyous.
Undoubtedly, they had won the battle, yet it felt like a loss deep down.
A heavy silence filled the air.
None could utter a word.
In place of joy, an inexplicable sadness and guilt weighed heavily upon their hearts.
An overwhelming sense of pressure that made their consciousness feel hazy.
The first to move was Bell.
“H-Harang!”
With glistening eyes and trembling shoulders, her emotions were palpable, even though she wasn’t the one threatened.
“Stop the bleeding! She can still be saved!”
“Heal the wounds…!”
Fueled by Bell’s cries, their voices flowed like a dam breaking.
But that couldn’t last long.
“Stop it….”
Promptly, Anna and Lucius, who had kept silent until now, spoke in somber tones.
“…It’s too late.”
The ones who had once been heroes recognized the truth.
It was already too late.
The wound caused by the holy sword couldn’t be healed by any miracle. There was no way to save her, having already been pierced through.
“That’s nonsense!”
Frenzied, Camilla ground her teeth and glared at Lucius and Anna.
But she couldn’t find the words.
Lucius and Anna, too, seemed engulfed in sorrow, unable to face Cheon Ha-rang directly.
At that moment, Camilla realized.
No, it was hopeless.
It’s too late; her friend is truly dying.
She would be alone once again.
“…Grandmother.”
Stumbling forward, Camilla approached the collapsing Cheon Ha-rang.
“Grandmother… You could’ve just said to stop. We could’ve lived happily together… So why did you do this…?”
And she poured out her frustrations.
“Why… it would’ve been enough to just win. Wasn’t it a success? Why did you come back?”
Cheon Ha-rang, who had been quietly listening, merely smiled in response.
“…Are you really smiling now?! Just say something—”
Eventually, Cheon Ha-rang’s body began to fade away.
Not collapsing, but truly fading away.
As if under some spell.
“Don’t go…!”
But no one found it strange.
Cheon Ha-rang was half suspended in the sky, or perhaps even beyond her god.
It was odd for one like her to die in the same way as ordinary people.
“…Rest in peace.”
As Cheon Ha-rang gradually vanished like a mirage.
The silent words of those gazing at her pierced the air.
Before long, the moon completely set, leaving only the oblivious, bright sun shining high above.
And then, Cheon Ha-rang’s presence vanished entirely.
“AAAH…!”
*
At that moment, atop the Cheonma Church.
Contrasting with those wailing at the mountaintop, she wore a bright smile, as if enlightenment had dawned upon her.
“Cough…! Don’t let anyone in.”
“…Yes.”
Blocking the blood flowing from her abdomen, Cheon Ha-rang headed toward a small corner room.
Her usual place for meditation.
“…Before it’s too late… I must remember the sensations.”
Cheon Ha-rang promptly sat on the floor and began her meditation.
Before long, her body began to lift.
The dimly lit room brightened with a spectrum of light.
Before she knew it, the wound on her abdomen had completely vanished.
‘Ah… so this is it.’
Cheon Ha-rang thought.
The pain and the missing sensations had finally returned after such a long time. For the first time, she felt them in a form of clarity. And for the first time in her life, she vowed to sacrifice herself for someone else.
Therefore, she understood.
Up until now, she had been utterly foolish.
Up until now, she hadn’t thought this through.
Moreover, she hadn’t confidence in herself.
Swayed by the words of others, she had narrow-mindedly viewed her path.
The Divine Slaying Sword Technique had originally been a perfected martial art. It had to be. Hadn’t she proven she could kill a god herself?
On top of that, accumulating karma was just ridiculous.
The method to reach an enlightened state like the Ascension to Immortality lay solely in training herself.
And she had only now recalled that.
Only when she paused did it become clear.
The walls that had blocked her began to show what lay beyond.
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