Chapter: 988
It should have been a disaster.
I was left speechless at Noya’s words.
It lingered for a long while. Time passed without any words popping up in my head or making it to my lips.
How much time had passed? I barely managed to gather my thoughts.
I couldn’t let it slip away like this; I had to hold on and pry for an explanation somehow.
“…What do you mean?”
I managed to ask Noya while suppressing the tremor in my voice.
“You should have been the disaster of the Central Plains.”
Disaster of the Central Plains.
The first was the Blood Demon, and the second was my mother.
And then…
‘The third one…’
I gazed up at the sky. Well, not exactly the open sky, but rather toward the distant direction where a woman had vanished.
‘…Wasn’t it Cheonma?’
Cheonma.
The creature that had instigated the bloodshed in the Central Plains, and the being currently lingering near me.
I couldn’t be certain if she was truly a disaster or not, but I believed that if there was a disaster, it would certainly be Cheonma.
It had to be that way.
The one who ignited the bloody calamity had been Cheonma. I knew full well how many lives had been lost because of that bloodshed.
Moreover.
‘Cheonma is connected to Blood Demon.’
Before coming to the celestial world, I had gleaned that from my conversations with the Blood Demon.
Since Cheonma is related to the Blood Demon…
‘If there was to be a third disaster, I would have thought it would be Cheonma…’
Noya’s words shattered that expectation.
No, it was more than shattered.
‘…It must be reinforcing another piece of evidence.’
Ugh-!
I clenched my teeth.
Another thought.
It was the suspicion that had deeply taken root within me, gradually growing and expanding.
Contrary to my belief that the third disaster would be Cheonma, there was clearly another individual associated with those thoughts.
A peculiar being, much like Cheonma.
Just as she was tied to the first disaster, the Blood Demon.
A being that bore a special connection to the second disaster.
Of course, it had defied the passage of time.
In the process, that someone had transformed into a being that was no longer even human.
That someone was, in fact…
‘…me.’
It was me.
I was that very being.
‘You are a disaster.’
“…”
I recalled the day I faced Yeon Il-cheon’s thoughts in the Secret Vault of the Heavenly Dragon Academy. I couldn’t forget the words Yeon Il-cheon had spoken to me back then.
“Do you really think your return is merely a miracle?”
Yeon Il-cheon had told me I was a disaster and followed it up with that.
Did my regression truly seem miraculous?
At that time, I wished to question what could possibly be a miracle if not this.
“What else could it be other than a miracle?” I wanted to say.
‘Now that I think about it…’
Is that really so? I find myself suffocating from the increasingly strange sensation swelling within.
The deeper I delve, the more it intensifies.
As time flows.
And as I endure more experiences, the rising suspicion gradually took shape.
Ultimately, it led me to this instant.
“…My dear.”
“Yes?”
“By the look on your face, it seems you were aware of something too.”
“Of course, I already mentioned it to Noya.”
I had questioned him what I should do if I was the disaster. I must have been thinking that way since then.
Perhaps it really was so.
The mere thought that something I had only speculated was coming to fruition burned within me, seemingly setting my insides ablaze.
“Are you implying that I was meant to be the disaster of the Central Plains?”
“Perhaps.”
“From how you say it, it sounds as if you already knew, Noya.”
“…”
I recognized that gaze.
A blend of regret and burden.
Such emotions vividly lingered in Noya’s eyes.
“My dear….”
“Why did it end up this way? Please explain. I wish to hear it.”
I pushed down my emotions with force and spoke to Noya.
How had Noya decided that I was fated for such a path?
As I questioned, Noya sighed and continued.
“This world does not repeat the same mistakes. And therein lies the issue.”
I listened intently, hanging on to every word as if I would let none slip by.
“When the Blood Demon invaded the Central Plains and failed, the world drew a line in the Central Plains. Do you recall what that was?”
“Yes.”
Lowering and blocking the thresholds that warriors of the Central Plains could ascend to.
Because of that, Noya remarked that the warriors’ abilities had significantly dipped compared to when the bloody calamity occurred.
“I thought the world had put measures in place so that people wouldn’t be able to prevent the next disaster.”
“…But isn’t that actually the truth?”
What else could there be? I argued internally.
Noya shook his head at my assertion.
“I thought that at first, but now that I think back, I’ve developed doubts. There were far too many peculiar aspects.”
“What do you mean by peculiar?”
“Lowering the level of warriors. Isn’t it rather generous for someone capable of such acts to wish for all life to perish?”
I frowned at that. Generosity?
Just as I was about to voice my confusion, Noya continued.
“If that’s the case, why not just wipe them out without hesitation? Why bother sending the Blood Demon or your mother?”
His following words left me speechless.
“If their only desire was complete annihilation, would it truly necessitate such elaborate maneuvers?”
Noya’s point was that instead of bringing in the strong from other realms, it could have simply been wiped away. Using a convoluted approach made little sense.
Plus.
“I cannot fathom why there would still be a being meant to contend against a disaster that seemed fortuitous.”
“What do you mean by a being to contend against it?”
Are you referring to those who stand against disasters?
If that’s the case, a multitude of names sprang to mind, yet it felt as if Noya was not speaking of them.
“There was Yeon Il-cheon to contend against the Blood Demon.”
“…”
The name of a person who had once been declared the best in the world and who, like me, had experienced regression, fell from his lips.
“Because he was present, the disaster didn’t occur, and the era regained peace—if only momentarily. But my dear, don’t you find it odd how the world simply allowed it to happen?”
The very existence of Yeon Il-cheon reversing the course of fate wasn’t enough.
The fact he succeeded in fending off the Blood Demon. Noya stated that the world just let it happen.
“…You mean the world knew and let it be?”
“Otherwise, it just doesn’t add up. I have no idea what capabilities the world possesses.”
Noya rose from his previous position.
“It’s no different than sustaining hope when there’s something at play.”
While speaking, Noya drew closer to me slowly.
“Especially not just with Yeon Il-cheon. Isn’t that evident when you look at your father?”
“…Yes?”
Why did my father suddenly crop up in the conversation? What did he have to do with anything?
“My dear.”
“Yes?”
“What do you think of your father’s power?”
“…”
My father’s power?
“…Well.”
I expressed my doubts, mulling it over more deeply in my mind.
It must be substantial. In fact, it must be monumental.
Though I hadn’t witnessed my father fighting in full force much.
Just piecing together what I had seen allowed for an understanding.
Comparing my state to his, it was a given.
‘…I really don’t think I could win.’
That moment still haunted me.
The time when I journeyed to the North Sea to quench the white monster.
The pinnacle of the Gu Flame Wheel Technique my father displayed.
That image was seared into my memory.
Right after reaching perfection in my craft, I’d been tirelessly striving to convey it.
‘…Despite all that, I’ve yet to succeed.’
Aside from achieving perfection, were there other factors at play?
No matter how many attempts I made, hope felt illusive.
I truly wondered just how strong my father was.
Even now, the image of fighting and defeating my father was unfathomable.
With that thought, I concluded.
“Your father—”
Noya spoke of my father in this manner.
“He’s someone who has shattered the limits defined by the world.”
“…!”
My eyes widened to the size of lanterns.
He broke through the limitations defined by the world?
“To be precise, he didn’t merely break through; it’s more appropriate to say he was born without any limitations.”
“…What does that mean?”
Are you implying that the restrictions placed by the world on the warriors of the Central Plains do not apply to my father?
No way.
‘So that’s why he was so strong?’
Was that the root of my father’s remarkable strength? My astonishment was apparent, as though an enlightening realization struck me.
“Ah, but that’s separate from everything else. Beyond lacking limits, his strength is so unparalleled it feels almost foreign.”
“…Oh, really?”
“In all honesty, had I not suffered this ailment, I would have relished fighting your father. There’s nothing quite as entertaining as a battle where victory seems unfathomable.”
“…”
A competition with no hint of victory. In that statement, Noya regarded my father as his equal.
Or at the very least, he entertained the suspicion that he could very well be the stronger opponent.
The matter to consider is.
“Now, what relevance does this have to our earlier conversation?”
The correlation between my father’s strength and the subject at hand. That was the first thing I desired to know.
Noya inhaled deeply, as he had before, and commenced his explanation.
“The disparate forms of strength and situation. I perceive both Yeon Il-cheon’s and your father’s abilities as something entirely beyond mere coincidence.”
Not mere coincidence.
With his words resonating in my mind, I felt a tightness in my chest.
“This is by design.”
“…Design?”
“Yes, to the Blood Demon, there was Yeon Il-cheon, and to your mother, it was your father—the design of the world, so to say.”
“What does that imply?”
“When a disaster arises, an appropriate adversary appears in response. That encapsulates the design of the world from my perspective.”
In times of disaster, an adversary arises to oppose it.
That was the intent behind Noya’s words.
In following.
“…Are you suggesting that both Yeon Il-cheon and my father served as those adversaries?”
If I understood Noya’s reasoning correctly, that seemed to be his assertion, but referring to them as adversaries?
The term “adversary” sounded rather bizarre from the onset.
‘A individual existing to thwart a disaster.’
Did Yeon Il-cheon fulfill that role, as did my father?
While finding it peculiar…
‘…So is that why the disaster was averted?’
In terms of the outcome, it indeed seemed plausible.
It had been prevented in actuality.
But.
“However, I have come to believe that neither your mother nor father fit the definitions of a disaster nor an adversary.”
Noya denied his previous statement outright.
“Thus, I have a question.”
“What do you mean…?”
“The world avoids repeating the same mistakes. If so, apart from presenting adversaries, why send your mother to orchestrate this?”
Noya’s gaze turned toward me.
“That prompted me to consider—the entirety of this treachery must serve a deeper purpose.”
Our eyes locked, prompting me to nearly back away in instinct.
“Did the world genuinely fail to anticipate the disaster’s failure? Or did it send her knowingly?”
“…!”
“If she was sent consciously, what could the reason be? Was your mother’s initial arrival in the Central Plains not rooted in the world’s intent to wreak havoc there?”
Mother did not intend to destroy the Central Plains as a disaster?
“Isn’t that correct? Even if two individuals were declared masters of the realm, it still seemed out of place for your mother to take such proactive steps. This implies that should she become the disaster and destroy the Central Plains, she’d effectively take ownership of that land.”
A disaster ultimately leads to the moment when life ceases to exist; it denotes becoming the master of beings reborn in its wake.
It raised questions as to why my mother—who was already in charge of the entire household—would choose to instigate matters in the Central Plains.
That notion rang true.
I too had considered that aspect peculiar.
“Yes.”
Noya emphasized that point.
“Could it be that the original intent was never to manifest as the disaster within the Central Plains?”
Simultaneously, Noya’s brow furrowed sharply as he faced me.
“It’s not simply a disaster or adversary; perhaps the purpose behind the descent of Man-gye was to engineer the next disaster. That is my thought.”
My heart was pierced deeply by those narrowed eyes and words.
“…Are you implying that the disaster birthed from this is me?”
The fact that my mother had vacated Man-gye to come to the Central Plains.
It was also serendipitous that she met my father and bore me.
The realization that I, having been born and raised in that manner, was slowly distancing myself from my humanity through experiences.
Does this all imply that it aligns with the world’s intent?
Furthermore, it begs the question.
‘Because I must become the disaster of the Central Plains?’
My fists clenched tightly. A steady rhythm of my heart was matched only by the erratic rise and fall of my breath.
It felt as if everything I had struggled to maintain began to tremble and crumble.
“…My dear.”
“Just…just a moment…”
I had to calm myself somehow, but that was no easily attainable feat.
Thoughts I detested admitting kept choking me.
As though urging me not to deny it any longer.
As I registered this feeling, biting my lip in the process—
“However…when I observed that your soul was in disarray, it called for some further reflection.”
Noya continued speaking, as if he felt his words were far from finished.
“There’s no doubt your soul is lost and unsettled; the only being capable of such a deed would be your mother. I highly doubt she was unaware of the circumstances.”
“…”
Upon hearing that, I lifted my gaze.
“The divine tree and the god you encountered must have been her handiwork… So why did she see fit to reorganize the scattered souls? That’s what I ponder.”
The ensuing statement was surprisingly amusing.
“There has to be an underlying method behind this. That’s what I deduce.”
It seemed the frantic breathing I had experienced began to settle somewhat.
*
Amidst our ongoing conversation.
Within the depths of a volcanic crater, beneath the mighty tree—a cave concealed from view.
Someone entered with deliberate, measured footfalls.
Thud.
It was none other than the woman referred to as Cheonma by Guyangcheon.
In the darkness, it felt as if only her purple eyes floated, giving the air an eerie atmosphere.
The woman walked for a brief moment before abruptly halting.
Ahead lay a pitch-black void, visibility restricted to mere inches.
The woman whispered, almost as if she could perceive something ahead.
“Hello.”
A quiet greeting reverberated through the cave, and at that moment, a response could finally be sensed within.
Rumble-rumble-rumble—
A subdued cry.
Simultaneously, a pair of magenta lights flickered to life within the murky depths.
“Nice to meet you.”
The woman said, waving cheerfully at the glowing lights.
The peculiar aspect was how this woman, usually devoid of expression, had entirely shed her typical composure.
“It seems we have something to discuss.”
The strange point was the alluring smile she displayed.
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