Chapter: 472
Looking at the sword caught by Cheonma, Sogeomseong thought.
‘… To this extent…’
Is there really that much of a difference? What on earth can one do against such a being?
Chiiiiik…
A sound of something cooking came from Cheonma’s hand, which was holding the blade of Sogeomseong’s sword. It was the sound of Pama’s energy purifying magic.
This was the power that allowed her to be called the hope of the Central Plains.
Cheonma glanced at her burning fingers.
Boom-!
With that, she suddenly exerted strength in the hand still holding the sword and broke it.
The blade, filled with the energy of the swordsman, shattered so easily.
“…”
After that, Cheonma extended her hand. It was to grab the neck of Sogeomseong.
Observing this, Sogeomseong closed his eyes involuntarily.
Is this the end?
Thinking that way made it amusingly comforting somehow.
Just as the strength in his hand relaxed, and Sogeomseong began to feel at ease.
“… I’ve experienced this countless times. This too has not changed even once.”
Cheonma’s cold voice reached his ears. For some reason, there was a faint hint of irritation in that voice.
“No matter how many times I repeat it, you still choose this worthless woman.”
At her words, Sogeomseong opened his previously closed eyes. What greeted him was someone else’s back.
“And that seems to be the case no matter what happens.”
Someone stood in front of Sogeomseong, blocking Cheonma’s path.
Flustered by the unexpected situation, Sogeomseong drew breath as the figure spoke.
“I don’t know what nonsense you’re babbling about…”
A voice still a bit childish, as it hadn’t fully matured yet. The slightly fierce yet blunt tone had a hint of nostalgia to it.
“When people are talking, you shouldn’t just jump into a fight. We still have things to talk about, don’t we?”
In the voice of this young man, a slight tremor was clearly discernible.
I gazed into the cold, sunken eyes of the Heavenly Demon and thought,
‘This is screwed.’
It was clear; this situation was seriously messed up.
‘…What the hell.’
What caused this interference?
No matter how I thought about it, it felt a tad stupid.
This isn’t someone you can simply block or ignore. Why plunge into the fray like this?
‘Did they decide to die?’
It couldn’t have happened any other way.
Blocking the Heavenly Demon?
That was something practically impossible without considerable guts.
Even if there was magic, doing that in the first place would be wholly unthinkable.
I could see Cheonma’s eyes.
They felt similar to when we first met, but now, much colder and more subdued.
“Lender.”
Her voice was wrapped in wintery frost.
“I am in a very good mood today.”
However, the words that came out were truly contradictory.
“It’s… really been a long time since I enjoyed a refreshing and pleasant day.”
The corners of her eyes curled as Cheonma smiled. It sent a shiver down my spine to see that smile.
That’s because Cheonma was only smiling with her eyes.
“… But. Your sudden appearance is quite uncomfortable.”
Thwack.
“…!”
At that moment, I felt something touch my forehead.
It was the hand of the Heavenly Demon.
I didn’t notice it at all until she reached out and placed her hand there.
“I’m angry and need to vent, so please forgive me.”
“What…?”
BAM-!
“Uugh…!”
I had to immediately crouch down due to the massive shock I felt on my forehead.
What was that? What did I just get hit with?
I hugged my forehead.
My head throbbed as if I had been struck hard with something blunt.
A slap?
Did I just get slapped? I was skeptical, but the shape of Cheonma’s hand was exactly that of a slap.
It was absurd to receive such a blow out of nowhere, but the intensity of the shock was beyond reason.
“It’s been quite a while since I hit you. Do you remember me hitting you?”
“Haa… haa… .”
Just one blow sent my senses reeling.
Cheonma kept asking me questions, but I couldn’t muster an answer.
“Judging by your expression, I’m relieved to see you’re inexperienced.”
Heh heh.
I heard laughter.
After barely regaining my composure, I managed to ask,
“What are you doing now…?”
“Isn’t this sweet? You could have ended up neckless, yet here I am, just giving you a light pat.”
“…”
As she said this, Cheonma stroked my hair.
A chill of sweat formed under her touch.
“If you don’t like it, I might just tear your throat out right now. Is that what you want?”
It looked like she was gently caressing my hair, but I could feel a myriad of thorns behind that touch.
I was scared.
Was it because I had witnessed the previous fight?
‘It’s still a monster.’
I didn’t know how powerful the hypocrites in this world were, but judging from how the previous attack barely registered, they were undoubtedly strong.
Cheonma toyed with Sogeomseong just like a child would.
‘Toying? Bullshit.’
It wasn’t even playing around.
With an expression of mild annoyance, she casually swept her hand.
That alone was enough to neutralize Sogeomseong.
It was truly a staggering sight.
‘Fuck.’
Just witnessing it made me feel my fighting spirit fade away.
Endless power allowed one to discern the outcome without even engaging in battle.
It raised the wall we already knew even higher.
Heavenly Demon.
I could feel her overwhelming strength once again.
While Sogeomseong poured all his strength into attacks, the demon didn’t move an inch from her initial position.
Moreover, she continued to clutch the crack she held.
It was no different from subduing Sogeomseong with just one hand.
Seeing this, I pondered.
‘How did someone like that get defeated?’
Sogeomseong sat on the ground, gasping for breath, looking at her. This was what he thought.
In a situation where they were completely mismatched, how on earth did the divine sword from his past life manage to defeat the Heavenly Demon?
Even as my head spun, that question flared up.
“Just rest. We can chat after I’m done with my work.”
“Work…?”
Cheonma lightly retorted my words.
“I will kill that scum and all the bugs around here.”
It was impossible not to know that the ‘bugs’ Cheonma referred to were the Murim Alliance folks over there.
In her previous life, she often labeled sect members as bugs.
“If mercy is taken as pride, then one ought to receive punishment.”
This was sincere.
Cheonma had never spoken a lie before, so this was likely truthful as well.
That means…
‘I’m going to kill Sogeomseong now.’
It indicated her intent to eliminate Sogeomseong, who seemed to have lost the will to fight immediately.
After a moment, Cheonma opened her hand.
Wooosh.
Above it, black energy gathered, forming something.
The size was barely even half an inch.
Drrrrrr…
In that moment, everything around began to shudder.
How vast must the energy be condensed for such a phenomenon to occur?
As the energy coalesced, Cheonma looked at Sogeomseong and said,
“I’m giving you one last chance. Run away. Then I won’t catch you, and mercy will be extended.”
Sogeomseong’s gaze fluttered at the promise of escape.
“Mercy…?”
“Indeed, if you make a promise, you must keep it.”
“…”
Upon hearing the word ‘promise,’ a thought flickered through my mind.
The promise Cheonma was referring to must surely be the one made with me.
‘…Please, just go.’
I clutched my throbbing forehead, wishing for Sogeomseong to step back peacefully.
But…
“I am…”
Conversely, I knew Sogeomseong would definitely not do that.
Sogeomseong, with trembling hands, pressed against the ground and answered resolutely.
“I have no intention of running away from you, who has caused such bloodshed…”
At those words, Cheonma frowned.
“It’s still an excuse. If you had asked to be killed because you wanted to die, it would have been better.”
“…”
“There’s nothing more loathsome than a shell wearing the guise of conviction. Should you wish it, I will grant that.”
The shape of the black energy began to evolve.
It resembled a thin dagger.
Just a glance told me everything.
There was an absurd amount of energy there, compressed to a minuscule size.
The moment it soared toward someone, the force would be sufficient to obliterate everything in the surrounding area.
Cheonma’s gaze shifted my way for a brief moment.
“Beyond this point, it’s not included in the agreement, you know that, right?”
“…”
I bit my lip hard.
Cheonma’s decisive words struck my core, making Sogeomseong appear even more bothersome.
What should I do?
What can I…
“…”
A thought suddenly surged in my mind.
As a result, my lips went dry quickly.
Because it was a phrase I truly didn’t want to utter.
One.
“… Someone told me this.”
Other than this, no other way to halt Cheonma sprang to mind.
As I uttered that, Cheonma’s expression twisted for a rare moment.
“If you plan on continuing to entertain me with your tongue…”
“I turned back time and sent it to the past.”
Stop.
The Heavenly Demon’s hand, poised to unleash energy, halted.
Verifying that, I continued.
“They said it was you… Is that correct?”
Cheonma’s gaze shifted away from Sogeomseong to fixate on me.
Looking into her eyes made me feel surprisingly flustered.
It was the first time.
For the first time since encountering Cheonma, I was able to witness her being surprised.
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