Chapter: 982
Thud.
Thud.
I hear something in my ear. What could it be?
It sounded like footsteps.
First, my hearing responded, and next came a peculiar scent wafting through my nostrils.
A strange floral scent brushes against my nose.
It wasn’t heavy but rather light and soft. Yet, the fragrance lingered for quite a while.
As the sound and scent danced around me, I felt a sensation of touch.
I can feel someone’s back. Is the owner of that back the one giving me the scent and sensation?
“How comfortable.”
It seemed oddly cozy.
Before I knew it, I began to close my eyes once again.
“…Wait a minute.”
The back? The scent? Another person?
“What does this mean?”
Am I being carried by someone?
“…!”
As the realization hit me, my eyes flew open. I hastily propped myself up.
As I raised my body, the hand that had been holding me relaxed its grip, and I inevitably fell to the ground.
In the moment I tried to see who had been carrying me, the sound of thud-thud-thud—!!! echoed.
“Ugh…!!”
I couldn’t bend my knees because of the excruciating pain. Pain pulsed through every vessel in my body, and a sharp ache radiated from my heart.
I steadied myself and grasped my chest.
“Wow… what kind of madness is this?”
How long has it been since I experienced such pain? It wasn’t even this bad when I first succeeded in the Heavenly Demon Arts.
This was on a whole different level.
Whew… Hoo…
Veins popped in my eyes. My hand clutching my chest trembled violently.
“Did I black out?”
I had a strange feeling that might be the case. I fainted. Thankfully, it seemed I wasn’t dead; this didn’t appear to be the worst situation possible.
At the very least, I gathered my breath as best as I could and slowly lifted my head.
“Who could it be?”
Coming this far was already troubling, but who was it carrying me in this state?
I shifted my gaze to figure it out.
“…!”
My eyes widened upon recognizing the figure standing before me.
“You…”
A woman stood in front of me, watching intently.
She had brown hair and wore a black mask.
In this place, she was known as Yarang.
If I recalled correctly, she was referred to by another name.
“…Why are you here?”
Why are you here?
The fact she was in front of me means she was the one who carried me here?
Battling my surprise, I scanned my surroundings.
It was a forest. The location was uncertain. The appearance wasn’t much different from the forest I saw before I collapsed.
So, does this mean we didn’t come that far?
“I can’t say for sure.”
The shape of the forest looks the same no matter where you go, so I couldn’t judge based solely on that.
Should I probe for any signs?
I took a deep breath and tried to channel my energy.
Zing!
“Damn it.”
The energy didn’t move; only the pain spread. I felt a bit better but still struggled to manage my energy.
It was tough to detect any signs of life. For now, I held my breath and looked at Yarang.
“What are you? Why are you here?”
Yarang, who should be with my mother. No, why is she here where she shouldn’t be?
Was it not enough that she found me after I collapsed?
“Where are you taking me?”
Where on earth are you trying to take me?
I fixated on Yarang with a dubious gaze.
“…”
Yarang stared at me in silence.
I couldn’t see her expression. Perhaps because of the mask, her presence was still obscured.
“…”
All she did was observe me in silence. I wished she would say something, but she didn’t.
What could it be?
“Say something! There must be a reason!”
I frowned.
It was the same as last time. Why isn’t she saying anything?
What if…
“Can’t you talk?”
“…”
Yarang nodded at my question.
“…You can’t talk?”
Is she mute?
Is that why she hasn’t responded?
I only realized it now. No wonder she hasn’t been speaking.
“Whether it’s true or not, I can’t be sure.”
Even if she said that was the case, nothing would change.
“Why do you keep circling around me?”
I asked, even without expecting an answer.
I had heard it from Cheonma, and also sensed something strange. Yarang was lingering near me.
“They say she’s the eyes and ears of the world.” That’s how Shin Noya described Yarang.
In other words, what she sees and hears is also known to her master.
“Does this mean she knows too?”
Could it be that the master already knows?
Did they send Yarang even knowing that?
Or not…
“…You. Do you know something?”
Unlike my master, who lost their memories.
I wondered if Yarang knew something.
Just in case, I asked Yarang something.
“…”
Yarang showed no reaction.
It was even more frustrating not being able to see her expression due to the mask.
I believed Yarang was a divine sword.
All my instincts were telling me that. But Yarang was reacting like this.
I had no idea how the divine sword, whose soul had already vanished, was moving like that.
But…
“Shin Noya is similar.”
Noya has a body and moves around, so couldn’t Yarang as well?
I believed something had happened to her too.
And yet, while she kept circling around me like this, what on earth did she want?
“Even if you can’t speak, give me some kind of reaction.”
“Say something!”
I desperately wished for a response.
“…”
“Damn it.”
Yarang’s reaction didn’t change at all.
A sigh escaped without my noticing.
I forced myself to persevere and got back on my feet. Although I still felt the excruciating pain, I managed to tolerate it.
Crack.
Ah, cancel that.
My joints screamed in protest, almost making me yell too.
“Ugh.”
I barely managed to let out one groan and stood up straight.
Then I turned to Yarang again.
“Are you really not going to answer me?”
“…”
“…Then so be it.”
I frowned and turned my back. It felt like she wanted to do something, but since she never reacted, there was nothing I could do.
“What would happen if I went back to my master and reported this?”
Was this visit I received part of my master’s orders?
Or was it an act of her own volition?
That was a question lingering in my mind.
“…Digging deeper won’t yield answers.”
There was nothing to do with her acting like this.
Wasn’t the last time the same, even with Cheonma interrupting and turning it into a fight?
Moreover…
“She doesn’t seem to have any intention to attack.”
It doesn’t seem like she wants to harm me.
So it felt like she was just watching silently.
“This time, she carried me away.”
Seeing she had picked me up when I fell, it’s not like she was only observing.
What could her intention be?
“Is this her master’s will?”
Or could it be her own intention?
If it’s the former, it would be troublesome. Personally, I hoped for the latter.
“If I’m right, and if you are Yarang.”
It wasn’t just a hollow shell borrowing my body.
Even without her memories, I hoped something small remained, prompting her to find me.
I hoped against hope as I attempted to move my body.
Thud.
“…!”
Just as I tried to walk, Yarang firmly grasped my wrist.
“What are you doing?”
Suddenly caught off guard, I turned around to see Yarang pointing someplace with her hand.
“What’s going on?”
“…”
“…Are you saying we must go there?”
She nodded slightly.
Seeing her minimal gesture twisted my expression.
“…Why on earth do I have to go there?”
Without saying a word, where was she trying to take me this time?
Frustrated, I attempted to shake her off.
“…”
Even as I tried to pull away, I couldn’t budge. My body felt too weak.
“Let go.”
“…”
“Let go, I said.”
“…”
“Seriously, let go of me…!”
Heave!
Suddenly, Yarang tightened her grip and yanked me. I didn’t have time to react and went along with her.
In that moment.
Slash.
“…Huh?”
A sharp sensation graced my neck. Yarang had, without warning, aimed a white blade at my throat.
“…”
“Look at this…?”
I let out a hollow laugh and spoke to Yarang.
“Are you going to kill me if I don’t follow?”
“…”
She didn’t reply. But her eyes conveyed a message instead.
Her gaze said yes.
“…How ridiculous.”
With no one to converse with, she decided to resort to threatening me.
That in itself was laughable.
“Where on earth could you possibly want to go to go this far?”
Regardless of my rebellious thoughts, I halted my protests.
Was it that I had no way to escape this situation? Not quite.
It happened because a memory of my past life suddenly came to mind.
I recalled how the divine sword would often employ such tactics when words wouldn’t suffice.
Now, seeing Yarang enact this made me feel even more reminiscent of those times.
So, without realizing it, my feelings softened a little.
“…”
When I didn’t respond, Yarang lowered her sword slightly and began to move forward.
As she walked slowly, the wrist she held was tugged.
Feeling that pull, I reluctantly followed along.
—
*
How long have we walked since then?
With Yarang gripping my wrist, we continued to wander through the forest.
We zigzagged, moved straight, and turned at times.
Gradually heading off-path, it wasn’t long before…
As the sun began to set.
“Just where are we going?”
I looked at Yarang with a tinge of rising anxiety.
It would be somewhat troublesome for it to get dark.
“…Isn’t this somewhat of a big deal?”
While my body had regained some recovery after walking, it still wasn’t a good time to engage in a fight.
Could I defeat Yarang in this situation?
“If Yarang’s power is similar to the divine sword from my past life…”
That would be impossible.
When I fought Cheonma last time, it was far too brief that I didn’t properly gauge her strength.
That potential had to be considered.
Even if I thought of Yarang as a divine sword.
Considering that my mother didn’t remember me, it was hard to predict what might happen.
Especially as we ended up in such a remote area; it put me in a more alert state.
Suddenly.
Yarang, who had been walking, abruptly came to a stop.
As her steps ceased, I rolled my eyes around, surveying the surroundings.
It was an empty space that appeared to hold nothing.
“Is this our destination?”
“Why are we here…?”
I was about to ask why we suddenly arrived here.
Slash.
Yarang conjured a sword from her energy, much like before.
Gradually, the energy began to coalesce into the blade.
“You…!”
That formidable presence compelled me to instinctively try to summon my strength.
But before I could, Yarang swung the sword first.
Swish!
I heard the sound of something being sliced.
I frowned at that sight.
It wasn’t my body. Yarang sliced through the air and not me.
Suddenly, what was she up to? I was caught off guard, staring blankly for a moment.
Whoosh—!!!
The air Yarang sliced suddenly began to rip apart like paper.
Boom!!
Something burst forth from within.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be butterflies – hundreds of them, dyed in a rich crimson hue.
“…What’s this?”
The sudden appearance of the butterflies quickly enveloped both Yarang and me, obscuring my view.
Flutter!
In an instant, they dispersed and scattered around.
What was happening? Why butterflies out of nowhere?
“…Huh?”
Before I could even process the bizarre event.
As I beheld the scene unfolding before my eyes, my eyes lit up with astonishment.
Surely, just moments ago, we stood in an empty space, revealing nothing but a wide-open landscape.
“…What is this?”
Now, a massive object stood tall in front of me.
Curious, I craned my neck to look up.
“…A tree?”
It was indeed a tree.
Moreover…
It was a beautiful tree, with all its leaves drenched in that striking crimson hue.
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