Chapter: 640
Flames burst from the ground, shooting up to the sky.
A black night filled with cold.
As if engulfing the black ink, the flames swallowed the sky and slowly set the world ablaze.
The night faded away.
And thus, the white nights appeared.
I couldn’t take my eyes off this sight.
The white nights alone were wondrous, but it was even more astonishing that a mere human created such a situation.
My breath caught in my throat.
In fact, it would be correct to say I even forgot to breathe.
The sky opened, and a heat began to rise in the cold world.
The snow that had covered the ground began to melt, while an unknown warmth brushed against the tip of my nose.
The heat was rampaging through the world, devouring the cold.
Zwoosh zwoosh—!!
Flames shooting into the sky resembled pillars.
I could hear a crackling sound, but the vision remained undisturbed.
A power that seemed more fitting to be called a pillar of light rather than flames.
‘What is that….’
What could it be?
What in the world is it that I can’t look away from?
[Don’t take your eyes off it for a second.]
Even without Gu Cheol-woon’s words, once I saw that, I would never have been able to look away.
Gu Yangcheon could only be certain of this.
Wooo-oooh—!!
“…!”
At the sensation, Gu Yangcheon clutched his chest with his hand.
The ring of the Nine Flame Wheel Gong, planted inside his body, began to spin wildly at the sight of the pillar.
It was a resonance between energies.
This means that the pillar was ultimately also the power of the Nine Flame Lun Gong.
It was a force that Gu Yangcheon had never witnessed before.
At least, as far as he knew.
Thump—! Thump—!
Just looking at it made his heart race.
He couldn’t understand what principle or power it possessed, but instinctively, he sensed that something extraordinary was happening.
At that moment.
Grrr—…!
The monster that had vanished came back into view.
Was it thinking of charging in again? Just as he was preparing for that.
“…What?”
Gu Yangcheon showed an unexpected reaction to the situation.
This monster, which had revealed itself again, wasn’t rushing in like before for some reason.
‘What’s that guy doing?’
He wondered if he was perhaps considering his options.
Not long after, he sensed something unusual.
Grrrr…
It appeared to be hesitating for some reason.
Though hostility and a competitive spirit still lingered, there were clear signs of reluctance.
Seeing that, Gu Yangcheon thought.
‘No way.’
Is it scared?
‘That guy…?’
He doubted it, yet the look on the monster was unmistakably that of fear.
Fear.
That creature was feeling fear right now.
The one who had previously charged in with reckless abandon was now backing down in terror at the sight of the pillar.
He wondered how that was even possible.
But then.
Grrr—!!
As if snapping out of it, the monster regained its strength.
It adopted a stance that looked like it could charge at any moment.
One.
Fwoosh!!
Simultaneously, the rising pillar of fire began to gradually subside.
Sahhhh—!
The flames receded, lowering toward the ground.
The surrounding heat changed direction, getting sucked back in.
Whooooshhhhh—!!
An immense pressure enveloped the area.
It was strong enough that one had to forcibly stabilize themselves.
The center was, of course, where the flames were erupting—where Gu Cheol-woon stood.
Grit—grit—!
As he struggled against the pressure, his feet scraped the ground, marking it.
While Gu Yangcheon was bracing his body tightly.
Kwaaaaah—!
The monster seemed to welcome the change, riding the current to increase its speed.
The accelerated monster appeared much more formidable.
The muscles on the creature swelled as if ready to unleash everything it had, and just watching it was threatening.
Yahhh—!!
The fearful look from before vanished, and it opened its mouth wide as if to swallow the flames whole.
On the verge of being devoured by the creature at any moment, just when Gu Yangcheon was about to charge in to intercept it…
Smash—!
The flames suddenly stopped blooming.
Whoosh—!
The encircling flames vanished, revealing Gu Cheol-woon.
Upon seeing Gu Cheol-woon, Gu Yangcheon’s eyes widened.
The hair that was originally dyed red now glimmered vibrantly, infused with light, and the red uniform, a symbol of their clan, swayed as if it were on fire.
Ironically, no flames were visible.
Starting with flames, engulfing the rotation and burning—this was the martial art of the Gu Clan.
Yet, Gu Cheol-woon didn’t appear to have any flames.
But.
‘I can feel it.’
Just because it’s invisible doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
Gu Yangcheon stared at Gu Cheol-woon’s back without even blinking.
Gu Cheol-woon did not ignite any flames.
For some reason, Gu Yangcheon felt he understood why.
The reason is.
‘…Father himself is a flame.’
There was no need to create additional flames.
Cold sweat trickled down his cheek.
Gu Yangcheon gazed straight ahead, his eyes trembling.
He instinctively knew.
He must not miss a single thing.
That presence was definitely there.
‘Where I must head from now on.’
A place he needed to reach, and it was right before his eyes.
Gu Cheol-woon slowly began to move his hand.
Shhhhhhh—!!!
A sharp whistle of wind resonated from his fingertips.
There was no sensation of heat.
Even though his hand was dyed red and bore an extraordinary hue, he felt no warmth whatsoever.
Boom-!
Yahhh—!!!
The monster’s fangs were about to graze against Gu Cheol-woon.
Yet, he merely readied himself with a noticeably slow motion.
Swish.
He clenched his fist and lowered his upper body.
A simple, ordinary thrusting pose of a fist.
It was a seemingly mundane posture, just a sharp angle with a solid central pivot.
However.
[Ouyi (奧義).]
The force generated from that stance was anything but simple.
[Nine Flame Peak Mountain Form (俱炎極太山悟形).]
Gu Cheol-woon’s fist slowly stretched out toward the monster.
Hiss-!
[Extreme Flame Wolf (極 구염태아랑).]
Boom-!
With a vibration emanating from the tip of his fist.
Flash—.
The world flickered.
Thud thud—!!
I heard the sound of something collapsing.
My eyes ached.
Even closing them to avoid the light, the world remained suffused with light.
The heat around me was stifling enough to make me want to vomit.
It had been more than ten seconds since the light exploded forth.
During that time, I didn’t breathe a single breath, maintaining only silence.
Thump—! Thump—! Thump—!
I needed to calm my heart, which raced like crazy.
I had to quell the overwhelming surge before it erupted.
A few more seconds passed like that.
Pat pat…
With peace finally settling into my closed eyes, I sensed the noise gradually becoming quieter.
Only then did I carefully open my eyes.
“…?”
The first thing that came into view was the back of someone with arms crossed.
A small stature clad in black attire.
I could see a figure standing with its back turned to me.
I spoke as I gazed at him.
“…Elder?”
Before me stood Pajeon.
“Hahaha—!”
At my call, Pajeon let out his signature laugh.
What stood out this time was how his previously dry voice was now filled with inexplicable joy.
As I contemplated why this person was acting this way.
“Do you know?”
Pajeon directed his words at me.
“I have never once regretted my choice.”
His mirthful laughter resonated deeply, bringing with it a hint of joy.
However, there was something unnerving about that laughter.
“Even when I forsook my family martial arts for a path to follow. Even when I had to abandon my realm to regain a young body that had been wrecked by time. I never felt the slightest regret.”
What on earth is he rambling about all of a sudden?
As I observed him with a perplexed expression, Pajeon loosened his arms and continued talking.
“But, for the first time, I feel regret.”
“…What are you saying all of a sudden?”
“Before I cast away my realm, I should have fought your father at least once. That is something I deeply regret.”
I frowned at Pajeon’s words.
You should have fought your father? What kind of nonsense is that in front of a child?
“I, the defeated and most revered warrior, Pajeon, acknowledge this.”
Pajeon conversed with a tone suggesting he was barely holding back the urge to burst into laughter.
“Your father is a monster. A monster so immense it’s hard to even fathom.”
As he spoke, Pajeon stepped aside almost theatrically.
Only then was I able to see it.
“…!”
The world, once filled with pure white snow, burned away before my eyes.
Everything that had been in front of him vanished, leaving only a black pile of charcoal.
How far should I express this in terms of distance?
I don’t know.
The flames spread so far it seemed impossible to believe.
Within that pile of ashes.
Psssssss…
A form barely retained began to crumble.
The phrase “level hundred monster” lost its meaning; the creature had lost its distinctive coloring and turned entirely black.
Thud—!
His knees buckled, collapsing to the ground as his body disintegrated. It was a gruesome sight.
In front of this pitiful sight, my father stood tall.
His stance remarkably composed, no different from the usual.
His once fiery hair had returned to its dull hue.
The upper body of the monster toppled over, rolling past my father and smacking into the ground.
Boom–!! Crash—!
As the creature’s body shattered upon impact, my father, witnessing this, turned his back without hesitation.
Despite the entire area being reduced to ashes, the ground beneath me still had melted snow piled up.
That strange sight made it feel as though the realms of the living and hell were intersecting.
Snapping-!
My father approached me.
He showed not a single hint of fatigue.
As I watched my father calmly stride toward me, I pondered.
‘…What can I say?’
He seemed larger than usual.
Though he was already tall, he appeared even bigger.
Whoosh—…
The still breeze began to stir once again.
Having drawn near, my father now stood next to Pajeon, looking down at me.
I simply gazed at my father with a dazed expression.
I couldn’t muster up any particular reaction.
‘Still, it hasn’t faded away.’
The unobtrusive experience he had demonstrated.
The warmth and resonance I felt back then.
It filled my consciousness.
As I was recalling that moment with trembling eyes.
“Third.”
My father called out to me.
“Didn’t I tell you?”
I sat there blankly, even as I registered the weight behind his words.
“Don’t lose yourself in it. I warned you about this.”
“…!”
His frosty words knocked me back to reality.
Not to get overwhelmed—that had been my father’s prior warning.
Desperately, I tried to remember and shake off the sensations.
Yet it wouldn’t erase.
It was such a striking vision.
Thus, I tried to catch my breath and level out my ragged inhalations.
“Third.”
“…Yes.”
My father inquired again.
“What did you see?”
“…”
I didn’t ask him to clarify.
I wasn’t dense enough to need to ask.
However, I struggled to respond. I understood the question but didn’t know the answer.
What did I see in what I had witnessed?
I attempted to absorb every detail with my eyes, but in truth, all that remained was the image of my father, now a flame personified.
“…I don’t know.”
So I answered, speaking honestly.
I saw a great deal, yet I didn’t know anything at all.
I felt disappointed in myself.
“Hmm.”
Upon hearing my reply, my father emitted a brief sound before nodding slightly, as he always did.
“Is that so.”
It was neither satisfaction nor disappointment.
It was an utterly fatherly response.
At that moment.
Thump.
“…!”
A rough hand rested atop my head.
It was my father’s hand.
Swish swish.
A touch devoid of delicacy.
It felt like an awkward gesture for someone who hadn’t done this often.
Despite sensing this, I remained utterly silent.
“…”
“…”
The same went for my father.
A strange tension lingered in the air.
After rubbing my head for a few brief moments, my father finally said,
“Well done.”
“…”
He offered congratulations that dripped with awkwardness.
I couldn’t react, even as I pondered this strange scene.
All I could do was nod.
“…Thank you….”
“Sure.”
“…”
“…”
The suffocating atmosphere stretched on, making me want to escape.
By this point, I would have thought he’d withdraw his hand, but my father kept his hand resting on my head.
I was at a loss as to what to do about this.
I briefly considered stepping back first before ultimately deciding to stay still and inquire about what my father wanted to say.
“Uh, father….”
“Come to think of it.”
Just when I was about to ask how he ended up here.
“I have something to discuss regarding your mother.”
“…!”
I widened my eyes at the sudden topic my father introduced.
“Are you talking about my mother?”
I recalled that the Gu Flame Wheel Technique indicated that reaching the composition would reveal where my mother was.
But I hadn’t reached that stage yet.
If that’s the case, does that mean it’s a different matter?
Despite the abrupt remark, I focused all my attention on my father.
He observed my reaction and said,
“Yes, about your mother….”
My heart raced, eagerly awaiting his next words.
“Hmm.”
My father, preparing to say something, suddenly fell silent, wearing a peculiar expression.
It seemed like he sensed something odd.
“Why do you look like that?”
“I see.”
My father nodded, as if he came to a realization.
And he spoke to me.
“Time has run out.”
“What?”
“I’ll take my leave first. Make sure to return promptly.”
“What do you mean—”
Fwhoosh.
“…Huh?”
He vanished into flames right before my eyes.
“…?”
Whooooo…
Left all alone, facing the cold wind, I pondered.
What in the world is this situation…?
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