Chapter: 470
The long black hair cascading past her waist looked like silk.
The black hair, devoid of any color or shine, instead exuded a sense of nobility.
Her white skin accentuated this beauty even further.
Beautiful.
Anyone who saw a woman like her would say that.
The purple irises contained a glimmer of light.
Those eyes were a natural mark of magical power possessed by demons.
Yet the quality was different.
It was much clearer, resembling a finely crafted jewel without a hint of cloudiness.
Just looking at her would quicken anyone’s heart with the sheer beauty she radiated.
However, what I felt from her was not that kind of trivial excitement.
‘Why.’
It was pure horror.
‘Why is she…’
And fear.
Emotions deeply inscribed in my body surged up to my head in an instant.
I clenched my fingers tightly because they felt like they were about to tremble at any moment.
It all started the moment I locked eyes with those purple irises.
I couldn’t breathe.
My heart felt like it was freezing.
It was as if something heavy was pressing down on my body, constricting me tightly.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang!
A clattering sound echoed in my ears.
When I glanced over, I found it was coming from the air the woman was holding.
‘That’s insane.’
The mysterious magic gate that had attempted to drag me away.
The woman promptly seized the magic door and slammed it shut.
The noise was the crack trying desperately to reopen.
‘… She’s holding the dimension hostage and closing it.’
What kind of monstrous act is that?
Setting aside whether it’s even possible.
The resistance to reopening wasn’t trivial.
Just the waves of energy sent shivers down my spine.
The woman… no.
The master of demons.
The Heavenly Demon wore an indifferent expression.
Bang bang… bang bang bang!
The Heavenly Demon turned her head towards the crack at the sound of the continuous ringing.
“Quite noisy, isn’t it?”
Her faint smile vanished.
“… Be quiet for a moment. You’re driving me mad.”
There was frost in her voice.
Woof!
Night unfurled at the tip of the Heavenly Demon’s feet.
Gugugugugu-!
Darkness spread throughout the realm.
It was still broad daylight, but as the Heavenly Demon gazed into the darkness, the ground transformed into night.
I widened my eyes, watching as the dark area began to grow thicker.
This was magic.
All this darkness was indeed magic.
However, it was infinitely denser than the magic emitted by the demons.
‘It’s just dreadful.’
Night had descended.
That was the thought I had while observing the magical energy of the Heavenly Demon filling the land.
She created night when the moon wasn’t out.
This wasn’t the secret skills of the Gu Clan, Jeokcheon, or any other martial arts.
Just by releasing her energy, she changed the surrounding air and atmosphere.
Bang… bang… bang… bang…
The Heavenly Demon stared silently at the crack.
With eyes as cold as frosted glass, she gazed with energy.
Drumroll…
Amazingly, the crack swallowed the sound it produced.
“You’re quite obedient. Good girl.”
Did the crack scare the Heavenly Demon enough to muffle its sounds?
That’s impossible.
Are you telling me that a mere magic door feels fear like a living being?
But.
‘… There’s no other explanation.’
What was troubling was the lack of any better explanation.
The magic gate had been struggling as if to tell me to let go right away.
The moment the Heavenly Demon released her energy, it stopped moving as if stunned, causing me to feel a sense of vertigo.
The Heavenly Demon’s gaze shifted back towards me. She frowned as our eyes met.
‘… As expected.’
The Heavenly Demon was right.
Only she in this world could exude such an atmosphere.
Known as the Sky of the Demonic Cult, she was the one to rise to the top in the shortest time.
Just looking at her made me feel like I should bow my head willingly.
A person more suited to be in the heavens than anyone else.
The Heavenly Demon was that entity.
“That’s intriguing.”
“…!”
As I stared at her in silence, the Heavenly Demon unexpectedly initiated the conversation.
It was then that I regained my composure.
“This is my first time experiencing something like this.”
A smile softly forming on her lips.
I was afraid of that smile.
“Quite the refreshing gift, wouldn’t you agree?”
With that smile, she stepped closer to me.
Then her hand reached out.
What should I do?
Questions raced through my mind as I frantically searched for a way out.
Swish.
My body had already taken a step back.
It was an involuntary action.
It was an action that would bruise my pride, yet I had no such thoughts in my head.
The Heavenly Demon was not someone who could entertain such worries.
The issue was.
Even if I took a step back.
She was already right in front of me.
Thud.
Caught.
The Heavenly Demon advanced and suddenly grasped my left arm.
She brought her hand before my eyes to examine it.
I instinctively tried to jerk my hand away at that sensation.
Grrk-!
‘Damn it.’
The hand that was caught showed no sign of moving.
“Hm.”
My left arm was lifted.
The skin hidden by my clothing was revealed, and the bizarre state beneath was fully visible.
My left arm was covered in blue scales.
It looked rather disgusting in every detail.
I remained caught like that for a moment before suddenly, my hand slipped free.
Did I manage to pull away myself?
‘That can’t be right.’
This was only possible because the Heavenly Demon permitted it.
As frustrating as it was, that was the reality.
“Daeju.”
“…!”
My body stiffened at the title the Heavenly Demon used to address me.
Daeju.
She most definitely called me that.
With trembling eyes, I gazed at the Heavenly Demon.
“… How….”
I realized she recognized me.
How did she identify me?
And from the start.
‘Why is the Heavenly Demon here?’
The mere fact that she was here was impossible.
As I stared at her in silence.
Her slightly narrowed eyes continued to watch me as she spoke again.
“I must’ve said as much before.”
As I heard her voice, I swallowed hard.
“I’ll be angry if you come back hurt.”
The corners of her eyes curved like crescent moons.
The smile on her face was particularly beautiful, yet the presence emanating from her was anything but benign.
I felt as though I might be terrified any moment now.
No, had I already been terrified?
In that case, I had to endure.
“… I don’t know who you’ve mistaken me for, but I’m not the person called Daeju.”
I forced the words out. I had thoughts of killing her someday, so I couldn’t back down or show fear.
“Hmm.”
After hearing my words, the Heavenly Demon appeared to contemplate for a moment before nodding slightly.
“I see.”
What? Did she just accept that outright?
That thought flitted through my mind for just a moment.
“I guess they don’t call you Daeju there.”
“…!”
The casually dropped words resonated down my spine.
“Or has my appearance not graced there yet? That shouldn’t be the case.”
The Heavenly Demon rested her chin on her hand, slightly frowning.
Seeing that made me swallow a scream.
‘Could she have figured out that I came from another dimension?’
Of course, the Heavenly Demon appeared immediately while holding the head of the Heavenly Lord.
She apparently deduced who I was and where I hailed from.
Thump thump.
A response surged from my heart.
Energy exploded within me.
‘What is happening?’
I ducked from the unexpected change.
The violent shudders felt closely akin to pain.
It wasn’t just the heart.
It felt as if my heart was tied to my left arm, and that too began to pound furiously.
Where had I felt this? I was sure I had encountered this before.
This sensation.
‘Ah.’
It came to me suddenly.
The moment I had faced the Blood Demon disguised as Jang Sun-yeon during the recent political assembly.
The animosity felt back then flooded my memory.
‘Why do I feel that way now?’
Why does that same sensation overwhelm me while confronting the Heavenly Demon?
‘No, now isn’t the time to ponder that.’
Given the perilous situation I was in, now was not the moment to evaluate my physical state.
‘What should I do?’
I felt eyes on me.
The gaze with which the Heavenly Demon was scrutinizing me.
Her real name, aiming far above, gave the illusion of looking down upon me.
Thud! Thud!
As the hostility heightened, the atmosphere grew increasingly volatile.
Swish.
A sensation brushed against my chin, and my head was slightly lifted.
The Heavenly Demon raised my chin with her hand.
“Daeju.”
“… I’m not the Daeju…”
“Your eyes tell me you recognize me, don’t they?”
“…”
“How do you know? I find it truly interesting.”
With my chin raised, I met the gaze of the Heavenly Demon.
She still wore that smile.
“You have rather unkind eyes. I feel the urge to pluck them out right now.”
Those were chilling words.
“…”
“I might let this slide this once. As per usual, I am quite merciful.”
I had to shake her hand off immediately.
But my body remained frozen, refusing to budge.
I had gathered my strength and supposedly stabilized my imperfect state; I had thought I would go about easily without getting into trouble.
‘Damn it.’
The very moment I thought about that, there I was, meeting the Heavenly Demon. Truly, I had the worst luck.
‘And there.’
I shifted my gaze downward.
The severed head of the Heavenly Lord rolled about the dirt floor as if nothing had transpired.
Amidst all this, I found myself worried about the Demon Sword Master.
‘Tsk.’
When the Heavenly Demon appeared, the Demon Sword Master was already kneeling and bowing her head.
That was the attitude a demon takes when facing the cult leader.
“Daeju.”
I redirected my gaze to the voice that had intruded.
“If you’re conversing with me, don’t avoid eye contact.”
Words casually tossed aside.
I bit my teeth at her words and seized the Heavenly Demon’s hand.
Whoosh.
“Hm.”
As I pulled her wrist, a faint response came from the Heavenly Demon.
“I told you I am not your Daeju.”
Even while speaking, I had to ensure my voice didn’t waver.
At my statement, her purple eyes shifted toward my wrist, and tension surged through my body.
“How refreshing.”
I thought she would immediately release my hand, but the Heavenly Demon appeared unfazed.
“This is the first time something like this has occurred…”
A faint heat mingled in her voice. My shoulders quivered.
“This isn’t all that bad.”
As she spoke, the Heavenly Demon laughed.
That bewitching smile held something distinctly creepy within it.
“I have one question to pose.”
Is this morbid fascination?
If not, perhaps it is a trivial curiosity?
There was emotion woven into the Heavenly Demon’s eyes.
This was a rarity.
It was practically impossible for emotions to intermingle in the Heavenly Demon’s gaze.
Even if it happened occasionally.
It tended mostly toward malice.
“Is it true that the choice I made at the end ends up being you?”
“What is that…?”
I had tried to formulate a response to the Heavenly Demon’s words, but she turned her gaze toward the void.
Even in this moment, her hand remained firmly clutching the magic gate.
“It’s unfortunate that a guest has arrived.”
As the simple voice echoed, I involuntarily followed her gaze.
“… Huh?”
Something emerged from beyond the once invisible sky.
Shhhhhh!
It was a sword.
A pure white blade hovered in the air, inching toward me.
At least hundreds.
Possibly thousands of swords were arrayed before me.
I had to bite my lip at the overwhelming spectacle.
‘Why are you…?’
As if the Heavenly Demon’s arrival wasn’t enough, the situation continued to worsen.
That aura belonged to the one person most unwelcome in this scenario.
The Heavenly Demon smoothed her hair as she gazed at the swords filling the sky.
If I concentrated, I could see it.
A figure rode the swords, floating into view.
Once stunning golden hair had turned white.
The blades she held in both hands radiated an even brighter glow.
Rather than merely turning one’s back to the sun or blocking it, it looked more like sunlight had taken human form.
This was the visage of the one I detested the most.
It was a form that could only be achieved by burning one’s lifeline.
As I stood there, staring at the suddenly appearing woman.
“Fortunately, it seems you felt it correctly.”
The Heavenly Demon uttered coldly.
“Your face still holds great contempt.”
It was somewhat amusing.
How could it not be?
The Heavenly Demon’s words and the woman’s sudden appearance.
They possessed faces that bore an uncanny resemblance to one another.
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