Chapter: 894
It was warm.
The sensation of someone gently embracing my back.
Warm and cozy.
It was a feeling of longing I had felt when I was very young.
No way…?
I tried to speak with my eyes wide open.
“Uh…”
Shhh.
A sultry voice floated in my ears, and I felt a touch on my lips.
Sensing it, I shut my mouth.
“Just a moment. Be quiet.”
A tender voice accompanied a hand brushing through my hair.
The hand gently stroked my hair.
My body went tense.
“Good boy.”
“…”
Something rose inside me. I couldn’t react at all.
In that situation.
“Man-gye.”
The Blood Demon maintained a stern expression as he spoke.
“You must have been in a hurry. You showed up in person, not from the Abyss.”
In response to the Blood Demon’s words, a voice answered.
“That kid is very busy. He had a lot of work to do.”
“Ha. Is there anything more important than keeping track of your tracks?”
“Tracks.” The words perked up my ears.
“Protecting.”
The voice laughed.
“My son is not weak enough for me to protect him.”
Clenching my fist upon hearing that.
As expected. The owner of this voice was…
Mother…
It seemed to be my mother after all.
I had felt it last time at the Shinlong Temple; my mother was definitely alive.
“How contradictory.”
The Blood Demon frowned at my mother’s words.
“Considering you say there’s no need to protect him, your current actions don’t add up.”
“Parents are just like that, you know. Besides…”
Whoosh.
The wind blew around my body.
At the same time, a purple aura began to envelop me. A refreshing floral scent filled the air.
“If you step in, then it’s no longer a kids’ fight; it becomes an adults’ fight.”
“…”
“Dragon Emperor. No, master who lost his name a long time ago.”
Woosh—!! The voice pressed down on the sky.
“Don’t keep crossing the line. If you do, I’ll have to scold you.”
It was a light-hearted warning.
After hearing the warning, the Blood Demon focused his eyes.
“…It’s ridiculous.”
Flick—!
Energy began to gather in his hands.
It started off the same as before but seemed far worse now.
“Boundaries? When did we ever have something like that?”
The Blood Demon’s eyes, spewing words, were laced with sincere contempt.
“They’re all just chess pieces playing by orders. You’re no different.”
A red aura began to gather in the sky.
“I think someone being punished for not even completing the task assigned to them doesn’t know their place.”
I was being punished. My eyes widened at the Blood Demon’s words.
“No matter how influential you are, how far can you protect if you can’t even dedicate yourself properly?”
Grrrrr—.
A sea of blood surged in the sky.
“Give it a try.”
The Blood Demon pouted his lips and poured out a vast amount of energy onto the floor.
“Oh.”
The approaching aura was tremendous.
It was so painful to look at. How could I even stop that?
Could a mother easily block something like that?
Those thoughts arose.
“Is this not working?”
“…What?”
In a surprised voice, I blurted out without realizing.
“I thought it would work at least a little… You’re smarter than I thought.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
What does this mean?
I turned my gaze away, puzzled.
“Hmm…”
It was a voice repeatedly brooding. This wasn’t the time.
Energy was already pouring from the sky.
I gritted my teeth, gathering energy in my body.
Whirr—!!
I recalled blocking the Blood Demon’s power with the white flame earlier.
I was going to try to block it using that again.
“No.”
The fiery hand of my palm got caught.
“You shouldn’t use that.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry.”
Again, I felt the touch on my hair.
“Mom will handle everything.”
“…”
After hearing that, I unknowingly snuffed out the flame.
It was like this before as well.
A long, long time ago.
When I was a child, any time something happened, that was what my mother always said.
“Don’t worry, son. Mom will take care of everything.”
I recalled the words and voice she had spoken with a bright smile. It felt like something was welling up.
I barely managed to calm my ragged breathing.
At that moment.
Woooosh-!!
The purple aura surrounding my body suddenly soared into the sky.
Boom—!!!
The pouring energy whipped up the wind.
After that, my eyes widened at the scene that unfolded.
The overwhelming energy was devoured by the purple light, vanishing in an instant.
“Ah—!”
Seeing this, the Blood Demon let out an exclamation.
“You’re insane.”
A smile broke out on his face once more.
“Are you really out of your mind? Breaking your karma for something so trivial?”
“Huh? Why?”
The mother responded as if she didn’t quite grasp what the Blood Demon was saying.
“You broke your karma too. Why can’t I break mine?”
“No.”
The Blood Demon shook his head. Despite witnessing his own energy depleting, his expression remained amused.
“It’s comical that you’re using up the cards you saved just for now. If it continues like this, there will be no way to stop me.”
“You still have one aspect figured out while missing the rest.”
A flowery essence colored her voice.
That was the feeling I was left with.
“I never intended to stop you. I merely wished to see our children. And…”
Whoosh—!!!
The energy consuming the red light surged toward the Blood Demon.
The Blood Demon stood still, not running away despite witnessing the energy.
“Our son is far more exceptional than you think. So relax.”
“Haha.”
The Blood Demon replied with a sinister chuckle.
“As much as you please.”
Simultaneously, the Blood Demon’s gaze shifted to my side, checking the Heavens Demon who was panting heavily.
“While it’s a shame to be interrupted today, I will definitely come to get you next time.”
“…Go away.”
The Heavens Demon growled in reply.
Upon hearing that, the Blood Demon added,
“From this day on, there will be no next time.”
Swoosh—!!!
The energy morphed into a different form.
It took on the shape of a beast.
What kind of beast is it? I think I know, but it’s too vague to be certain.
A beast, mouth agape, lunged forth to swallow the Blood Demon.
Kaboom—!!
The energy exploded dramatically. An immense pressure radiated in all directions.
Energy scattered like petals in the air.
It felt like spring arriving in autumn.
I gazed blankly at the sight.
How could energy be so beautiful?
In some ways, it resembled the Plum Blossom Sword Technique of the volcano. No, it was much more primal than that.
It was genuinely floral.
It felt less like energy and more like real flowers dancing in the air.
“…”
Regardless of the situation, my eyes were entranced by its beauty.
I felt utterly captivated.
As I absentmindedly stared at the fluttering petals,
Swish—!
The energy surged toward me.
It gathered together, gradually morphing into a human-like figure.
It wasn’t perfect. It felt like a mere shape made of petals.
It was a head smaller than me, and its shape was vague, but I was too stunned to speak.
As I silently observed, the figure raised its hand and waved. It seemed to be greeting me.
“Hello, my son.”
At that moment, my heart sank.
The petals reached out.
They gently enveloped my cheek.
“You’ve grown so well. You’re so handsome.”
“…Mother.”
“Oh dear?”
The petals shivered at my words.
“The title feels too distant, dear. You used to call me ‘Mom.’ Are you now too mature for that?”
“…”
Her voice sounded strangely delighted.
Even while watching that, I struggled to find my voice.
I didn’t even know how to react.
As I stood there speechless, my mother continued to speak.
“Are you an adult?… Yes, you truly are an adult.”
Her voice softened somewhat.
“Have you had a tough time?”
My breath trembled. Was it my insides that shook? Or was it… me that was shaking? I couldn’t tell, but something moved inside me greatly.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Ah…”
“I’m sorry, my son. I couldn’t protect you until you became an adult.”
My vision blurred. I wanted to hold back tears, but it was beyond difficult.
No, this shouldn’t be happening.
How old have I gotten to react this way?
I knew it shouldn’t be this way.
“I’m sorry for being a bad mother. I should have been by your side. I failed to do that.”
The petals caressed my cheeks and hair.
“You truly worked very hard.”
Her warm voice invaded my ears, pushing me to the brink.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
“…No.”
Even amidst all this, the hand stroking my head didn’t stop.
“I’m sorry.”
With her apology, I barely managed to bite my lip.
That wasn’t what I wanted to express.
The moment I realized my mother was alive, there were countless things I wanted to ask her if we met again, but I hadn’t managed to ask a single one.
My mouth wouldn’t easily open.
“Son.”
“…Yes.”
I replied, struggling to suppress my sobs.
Luckily, my voice didn’t tremble.
“I want to see my son a little more, but currently, I don’t have much time.”
My eyes snapped open at those words.
“What do you mean…?”
“So I’m sorry in advance. Ah, I keep apologizing. This isn’t right.”
She laughed nervously.
Then, the petals began to move.
I frowned at that and remarked,
“Are you leaving again?”
Would it vanish just like that again?
“Hmm… It’s similar, but…”
Mother provided a rather peculiar answer.
“What should I say this…? It’s a bit ambiguous.”
“Yes…?”
“There isn’t enough time to explain.”
She hastily added.
“This is something I hadn’t expected either. This isn’t what I agreed upon with the tree… Just think of it as something that happened because my son is too brilliant.”
“What are you saying…? I don’t quite understand.”
“Son.”
“Yes.”
“Forget everything else, but remember this one thing.”
“…”
Whoosh—.
The movement of the petals swirling around grew strange.
As the leaves began to obscure my view, my mother spoke to me.
“Must you never seek me out.”
“Yes?”
The flower petals cascaded as if they were blooming.
The issue was.
Huh…?
The petals didn’t go anywhere; they just enveloped me.
What is this?
Just as I began to question the unexpected situation,
Thud—!
Suddenly, my consciousness flickered.
On a massive throne, a woman lay back.
She possessed flowing white hair so long it reached the floor, surrounded by an unknown white fur.
In such a space.
“Hmm…”
The woman opened her previously closed eyes. Her sparkling jewel-like gaze glinted with light.
She felt something was amiss and struggled to rise. In that instant, someone appeared before her.
“Master.”
The woman cast a languid gaze upon the being that appeared.
“Are you alright?”
“…”
The woman offered no reply.
She merely furrowed her brows.
Then the massive balls of fur within her began to wriggle.
With an expression of deep discomfort, the woman addressed the being.
“I think I had a dream…”
Despite her efforts to recall it, everything remained shrouded in fuzziness.
“I can’t remember…”
It likely wasn’t very important.
With that realization, the woman rose.
At that, the being spoke to her.
“Master, I have pinpointed the location of the Abyss.”
At that, the woman’s ears perked up. They resembled beast-like shapes.
Sleep slipped away in an instant. Even the worries that had gnawed at her moments ago vanished like a mirage.
The languid look in her eyes regained sharpness.
Her once calm pupils slashed vertically into thin slits.
“Where is he?”
“To the west, at Mount Chilyeong.”
“Let’s go.”
Her sleek legs moved, the tips of her toes touching the ground.
In that moment, the fur ball behind her quickly shifted and reduced in size.
Voom—!! It swept through the space and formed as if being sucked into the woman.
The completed shape was surprisingly a tail.
Seven tails, white in color, lined up symmetrically.
Sweeping the ground with her tail, the woman took delicate steps forward.
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