Chapter: 348
She has a memory.
Daring not to call it a memory out of sheer audacity, she merely referred to it as a recollection.
It was an early full moon night.
While others had gradually stopped paying attention to how long it had been since they fell here, she alone remembered each and every day.
It couldn’t be helped from the start; she never forgot what she had seen once.
She inevitably had to remember the flow of days.
Two years and a little more.
This is the time she had lived in this place called the Demon Realm.
The sky was red.
The rising moon was ominously colored as well. Since the sky looked the same day and night, she had to look at the moon to figure out whether it was night or day.
[….]
It’s truly an ominous world.
That was her thought as she sat on a rock, staring up at the sky.
Color. A world where all the ancient trees lay dead, the earth withered and twisted, and vitality had vanished.
How could such a world not be ominous?
[Ha.]
Spitting out a white breath that contrasted with the red world, she often thought about why this world, which appeared so ominous, felt strangely sad.
Perhaps there is something different in this world.
Something is twisted.
She instinctively realized that there was something wrong with this world.
But she was confused, not knowing what the answer was.
[…]
She opened her eyes and faced the moon.
Is it an illusion?
She felt as though the rising red moon was speaking to her.
Should I answer? What should I say? Should I at least greet it?
After pondering for a long time,
She never opened her mouth to speak.
At that moment,
[I finally found it.]
A voice came from down the hill where she was sitting.
Most of the individuals in the Demon Realm right now used telepathy, but there were few who spoke out loud like that.
Moreover, he was the only one who spoke to her in such a fierce voice.
With black hair.
Black eyes similar to his, with a hint of red in the pupils.
A fiercely looking young man dressed in a tattered, dust-covered red outfit.
[…]
He was the man she hated the most.
Staring down at those fierce eyes, she said,
[I thought you mentioned it was dangerous to make noise.]
She was using telepathy.
[What kind of crazy person are you kidding?]
He used his voice.
[Do you think someone doesn’t want to do it?]
[Then it means you should make an effort.]
[You often say nonsense, but today feels especially terrible.]
The man raised a smile, as if mocking her.
At that expression, she furrowed her brow, which was a rare sight.
It was unique.
To her, who always maintained a blank expression and suppressed her emotional fluctuations to the maximum,
He was like a singular flaw. A talent that turned her insides upside down just by meeting him.
– What is this worthless scum? What filthy thing are you trying to shove in!
Even their first meeting as kids was like that.
This eventually became the reason she picked up the sword.
That incompetent man probably doesn’t remember it, though.
[Anyway, what’s going on here?]
[What do you mean, what’s going on? I came because it was time for the night shift.]
The man clicked his tongue as he said this while glancing around, speaking to her in an annoyed tone.
[Didn’t I tell you last time? If you’re doing the night watch, stay around the barracks. Don’t annoyingly climb the mountain.]
[… It’s more effective to keep watch from a higher place.]
[That might be true for you, but I don’t feel like bothering to go up and down this high place.]
[I told you at that time to light a fire if you see anything? I’ll come down if I know about it.]
[…]
The man who heard her frowned, turning his head.
She had said this once before.
It was indeed more efficient for her to keep watch from a higher place.
That’s why she tried to find higher ground than the barracks, where others had gathered and set up camp.
And this man was next in line to take the watch after her.
He had said that if fireworks went off in the barracks, he would come down.
Yet, this man often climbed the mountain and would talk to her.
She couldn’t understand it.
They didn’t have particularly warm feelings for each other.
Slightly shaking her head at this thought, she glanced down the hill.
[… I see your noisy friend came with you too.]
She noticed another man climbing up.
Unlike his nickname, he was a loud young man.
He often approached, chatting away, encouraging her to mingle with those she didn’t like.
He was not someone she particularly favored.
Of course, he was a hundred times better than the fierce man in front of her.
[Oh, you were here?]
He was referred to as the so-called sleeping dragon.
[Hey, Fireworks! Let’s go together when it’s time!]
[What the hell is this crazy guy saying? You’re next in line!]
[It’d be nice to chat together. The fireworks would keep you entertained!]
[And when it’s your turn, you won’t sleep either?]
[… Hehe.]
[Hehe? Get lost, you weirdo!]
Watching their exchange made her sigh involuntarily. This was yet another incomprehensible moment.
She believed every human has dignity and equal worth.
Ironically, she thought not everyone was on the same level.
It wasn’t because she considered herself the descendant of a great swordsman.
Nor was she contemplating the bloodlines of noble families and illustrious clans like the Four Great Families and Nine-Tailed Houses.
That man was a twisted individual.
He had not a single gentle trait about him.
He bared his teeth without gauging his opponent’s abilities.
How is that different from a beast? She wondered if it was that pitiful.
Moreover, he lacked any talent for idleness and made no effort.
This was a completely different course from others who struggled to build their realms and break through barriers to survive in this Demon Realm. Why did the man called the sleeping dragon cling to such a man?
To her eyes, he seemed to have given up on everything.
Why show his teeth to someone he could never defeat?
Because it didn’t matter if he died right then and there.
Or rather, perhaps, he was longing for death.
Why was that?
Why wish for death?
If he longed for it so dearly, he could just end his own life.
[…]
She was aware that a chilling thought had crossed her mind.
She tried hard to erase it from her mind.
Such cold thoughts had to be excluded as much as possible.
Because every time she thought of them, she felt her humanity crumbling.
No.
To be precise, it was closer to trying not to undo the humanity she had filled in where there was none.
[… I think I’ll head down first.]
After speaking, she intended to head down to the barracks. Even though she didn’t really need to sleep.
She felt the need to give her tired mind a break.
Thud.
At that moment, the sleeping dragon grasped her wrist.
[Hey, are you leaving already?]
[…!]
[You won’t be able to sleep anyway, so how about we chat a bit before going?]
Why?
She had long known that the sleeping dragon was willful.
She wouldn’t be bothered by something like that.
But.
For some unknown reason, she felt anger bubbling up at that moment.
[… Huh?]
The sleeping dragon flinched.
[Little sword?]
Why was that?
She shouldn’t be angry over something so trivial.
Yet, at that time, she felt anger surging.
Was it the result of the continued barrage of incomprehensible events, or was it for another reason? She couldn’t tell.
It was simply.
A feeling of madness that made her intensely dislike the notion of a crude being laying hands on her.
[Stop.]
And the one who pulled her away from the sleeping dragon was “that” man.
[Why are you holding on to someone who said they wanted to go?]
[No, I…]
[And while you’re at it, you should leave too.]
Words spat out with a growl.
[Oh, that’s a bit much.]
The sleeping dragon tried to laugh it off. With that, she resumed her steps.
As she walked, she suddenly turned around and looked at the two.
The sleeping dragon had begun chattering excitedly next to the man.
The man hadn’t replied, just sitting on the rock he had occupied.
She gazed at his back.
His not-so-wide figure appeared particularly dark.
The man’s gaze remained fixed, not turning toward her.
She was the same way. She didn’t bother to decipher emotions embedded in his back.
Still, for some reason, the feelings that had been welling up inside her suddenly receded in an instant.
She was puzzled about the reason but prioritized calming the thoughts that had momentarily flared up.
Descending toward the barracks.
Her thumping heart felt unusually hot, yet her chest was cold.
At first, she had called it memory.
That needed rectifying.
This is regret.
Regret over how things could have been a little different.
That’s why she still find herself grappling with it nonstop.
Even knowing she couldn’t go back to that time.
The regret kept surfacing.
It was similar to an excuse to comfort herself, justifying that there was no other way back then.
Thus, what remained for her.
No, what remains for me?
Is it possible to gaze at him from far away?
Or perhaps even closer?
Am I content simply bearing the karma that belongs to him?
Is it something to rejoice in, forcibly reattaching a shattered and vanished soul to quench foolishness?
Nothing feels clear.
“Let go.”
Even so, there was only one task before her.
“Don’t you dare touch him with those filthy hands.”
I will protect him.
That was the end goal of it all.
Thud thud thud.
The ground, which had once been a foundation of the mountain, crumbles.
Long, elongated traces widen further, forging new space.
One swing.
The aftermath it generated was beyond imagination.
“Huh… Ha…”
The cacophonous resonance of magic, crashing into her chin, momentarily fades.
Gu Yangcheon managed to release his breath, alleviating the pressure, yet he couldn’t calm his trembling eyes.
Even when confronting the Heavenly Demon, and especially when magic began to rampage, he never felt such emotions.
Boom.
A sound erupted from the fragmented earth.
Dust whirled as the Heavenly Demon emerged once more.
Thud.
As Cheonma dusted himself off, he showed not a single scratch on his body.
‘… Even if the time is ripe, is it to say that a heavenly horse remains a heavenly horse?’
The youthful form he possessed back then.
He looked merely a tad over ten, but as the years rolled by, he appeared roughly her age.
It indicated that their growth rates were different.
“…”
Emerging from the dust, Cheonma gazed quietly at Wi Seol-ah.
Cheonma observed as Wi Seol-ah grasped her sword.
Swish.
In one hand, he shaped black energy into the form of a blade.
As if he were attempting to mimic her stance.
Wi Seol-ah’s expression twisted as she discerned him.
Without hesitation, Wi Seol-ah charged at Cheonma.
Bang-! Bang bang!
Their energies clashed.
The impact rippled outward.
The recoil jolted through Gu Yangcheon’s weary body. For now, holding on so as not to be blown away was the best course of action.
‘Strange.’
I wasn’t referring to the fact that Cheonma had shown up in this time frame.
While that indeed was peculiar,
What was critical was Wi Seol-ah.
As far as she knew, Wi Seol-ah was peak level.
If she had to nitpick, she would call it a matured peak.
That indicated she shouldn’t be at a level capable of demonstrating such incredible power.
It was evident.
Boom!
This meant that Cheonma was gradually being overpowered by Wi Seol-ah’s sword.
Could this even be possible?
Is Cheonma’s realm shallow?
That could indeed be the case.
Given the uncertainty of Cheonma’s current position and the heights he had reached.
Dense magic energy stretched outwards.
It was chaotic yet systematic, resembling the response to Cheonma’s command.
Wi Seol-ah then proceeded to cut through the magic, advancing forward.
Each time her sword swept through the air, it left behind a pure white trace.
It was the essence of the energy now enveloping Wi Seol-ah’s body.
That was the trouble.
The black magic weakened before Wi Seol-ah’s aura.
A white aura that exceeded gold.
This was the underpinning of why the previous Wi Seol-ah could wield overwhelming might over the demon kind.
Ultimately capable of restraining Cheonma.
‘How can that be?’
That was not a force the current Wi Seol-ah could manifest.
Recalling how even the Sword Master had been helpless against Cheonma, it was hard to deem this as Sword Master-level martial arts.
Instead, it should be considered as a power Wi Seol-ah had attained through personal realization.
A power that had culminated in the last moments of her previous life.
How was the current Wi Seol-ah utilizing it?
What could be the reason?
Oddly enough, I felt that question was more pressing than Cheonma’s emergence.
An itch crawled along my back.
It felt as if a ringing in my ear and strange sounds were echoing.
My breathing was turning uneven.
Why was that?
Was it due to the lingering backlash of the magic?
That much was also a possibility.
The backlash of the magic was still present.
The torment arising from it felt intense enough that I thought I might collapse at any moment.
‘Why?’
My focus lay in the area above, not there.
With the white energy enveloping her entire being.
The back of the woman who swung her sword at Cheonma.
Even the now Wi Seol-ah held strength.
Her talent was sufficiently extraordinary to warrant the title of the divine sword of her former life.
This could be corroborated by her swift ascent to peak status shortly after we parted ways.
Thus it was certain that she was powerful.
Yet, something felt fundamentally different about her current presence.
‘Why…?’
Her current demeanour.
She wasn’t the gluttonous figure who would giddily approach me with a grin.
No, she was not that; rather, she displayed little emotion.
Suppressing her sorrow and pain, she embodied the resolve to save the world.
Kuguguguguguung-!
As the white energy and magic repeatedly collided,
It became increasingly clear that the magic was tipping the scales.
Right before the white energy had wiped out the magic and surged forward.
Her gaze shifted toward Cheonma.
Cheonma’s expression remained devoid of emotion, just as before.
He wasn’t surprised in the slightest, maintaining his nonchalant demeanor, albeit for a brief moment of shock when being pressed.
Yet, that didn’t last.
Magic was steadily gaining momentum.
Though still consumed and scattered, it felt as if the amount of magical energy being emitted was increasing.
As if implying that if it was devoured, it could simply spit out an even greater volume.
That was truly a monstrous response strategy.
“Ugh…!”
As the magic spiked, Wi Seol-ah let out a gasp.
The energy she couldn’t fully block skated by, leaving her rattled. In the meantime, she took care to deflect energy that might head her way.
‘No.’
It wasn’t a sight she ought to witness.
She didn’t want to see her clash with Cheonma again.
That’s why she went through so much trouble to amass power.
Bloodlust could sweep in.
Whether multitudes were to be slain in the time to come or not.
Such intricacies held little significance to her.
Just one thing.
She yearned to ensure she would not bear that burden again.
That was the life intended for her.
Yet.
Was she once again powerless to stop what was unfolding before her?
What was her purpose for striving to ascend to Hwaygyeong?
Was she unable to protect that petite woman? Was she instead yearning for protection herself?
‘What should I do?’
A strong urge to spring into action and rescue her swept over me. I wanted to thwart Cheonma right at that moment.
That would make everything different.
‘Then I must act!’
So, don’t just sit there in helplessness; move immediately!
“Geh…”
I attempted to rise to my knees, only to be brought back down by the pain radiating from my lower abdomen.
How? What should I do now?
With bloodshot eyes, I pondered.
How could I break free from this?
In observing Cheonma, I felt as though I was looking for my owner, calming the chaotic magic around me.
How to rise and recover my body.
“…”
The answer struck me. It was a method I had already been aware of; it had to be fast.
As the magic’s resonant echo dimmed,
I pinpointed the only means to find comfort in this space.
While that would inevitably bring my current life closer to my past,
For now, I had discovered a way to ease my burdens.
I was met with hesitation next.
Due to that, I might slip back into hell once again.
Finding clarity after all was still distantly ahead.
It even risked being removed entirely.
Lifting my head, locking my gaze straight ahead.
“Ugh…!”
I watched the woman swinging her sword, fending off magic, declaring that she would protect me.
Is the potential for peace more paramount than even that?
That was not the case.
The contemplation came to a close.
It was a consideration that didn’t warrant the energy spent in the first place.
Kwuk.
I released the force that had been holding back the simmering magic.
In an instant.
I pulled in even more magic, flooding my senses.
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