Chapter: 350
It’s hot.
That was my first impression of being a mage.
Everything felt hot from head to toe.
This wasn’t the heat generated by the fire energy within me.
Magi is significantly more aggressive than the already rough energies of Hwagi or Tougi.
It seeps into the body of an unmanned fighter.
Ultimately, it’s about blocking the energy and letting it rot.
It’s because having energy other than my own circulating in my body makes me uneasy.
Just like the Celestial Horse, which was called the source of magic.
The essence of all beings flows there.
And becoming a mage means
You have become a body capable of wielding such magic.
This implies that magic can intertwine with martial arts, expressing even more intense power.
The relentless boiling hostility of magic.
Since it merges with the body, the body can’t help but feel hot.
“Hoo.”
The heat escapes involuntarily.
It’s not the heat from fire but purely from the combative energy.
This delivers another sensation.
Those who experience this sensation for the first time are consumed by this energy, driven to madness.
In my case, I’ve gone through this so many times that I’m quite sick of it.
I’ve gone to great lengths to avoid that fate.
‘Stay quiet if you don’t want to get in trouble.’
Shhh…
Putting heavy pressure on it, it becomes eerily quiet.
There’s a singular reason why magic runs wild.
Because it doesn’t follow its master’s will.
After all, magic was a power granted by the Celestial Horse, so it might not recognize the mage as its master.
Thus, I trapped it early on.
I claimed my position by saying, “I am your master, so know your place.”
I nearly died from the fight with the rampaging magic.
Ultimately, it was resolved.
‘Was it severed?’
Has the cord connecting me to the Celestial Horse been cut?
Even now, as I look at the Celestial Horse, I don’t feel that same resonance from before.
‘So easily?’
That thin line I saw when I aspired to become a mage.
Upon severing it, something seems to have changed.
Would it have been possible to make such a simple choice?
‘No way that could be true.’
That’s absurd.
If it had been that easy, I wouldn’t have been rolling around in my past life.
Did I really have the option to sever it? That’s ludicrous.
It’s merely a change.
One of the countless changes I’ve sensed in this life.
And intertwined with that change is a desire from someone unknown to me.
I had a vague feeling about it.
“…Ah… No.”
My gaze shifts to the panicked voice.
The one looking at me, hands covering her mouth in shock, was Wi Seol-ah.
I examined the white energy still surrounding us and the power gathering at the tip of my sword.
Then I looked up at her face.
She looked just like the Wi Seol-ah I knew.
But those eyes…
I had to wrinkle my brow at her gaze.
The subtle difference in her expression bothered me.
“You stay right there.”
“…”
Wi Seol-ah flinched at my words.
“We seem to have a lot to discuss.”
“…Ah.”
I could see Wi Seol-ah’s big eyes tremble.
With such large eyes, she captures everything so well.
Now that I think of it, how do my eyes look? Are they red or purple?
Swish.
I stroked my face with my hand but couldn’t tell.
If I were to express it a bit, usually my skin, filled with heat, feels unexpectedly cold.
Inside, I feel a burn driven by magical properties, yet my skin feels cold.
This contradictory sensation…
I haven’t felt this way in a while.
Thud.
Turning my head at the sound of an approaching presence.
There, the Celestial Horse with vivid purple eyes was gazing up at me.
“…Ah.”
It’s not that I didn’t notice it coming.
I merely held off because there was no hostility.
This, too, is a difference.
I could sense whether the Celestial Horse bore any malice.
Despite feeling this formidable creature’s approach, I only felt tension, not fear.
“What did you do?”
The pronunciation was oddly accurate yet awkward.
Was the Celestial Horse always like this?
Or is this the way things are now?
“What?”
“That.”
The tip of the Celestial Horse’s finger pointed to my dantian.
“Mine… what did you do?”
I wondered what this was about.
It seemed to relate to severing our connection.
Unless, of course, it’s about that Demonic Absorption thing.
Seeing its reaction, I can assume I’m right about having severed it.
“Why is that yours?”
“It’s mine.”
Having a brief exchange with the Celestial Horse brought out a strange emotion in me.
I’ve never conversed like this before.
Her features were sharply defined.
Unlike when I barely recognized her resemblance to Wi Seol-ah.
The Celestial Horse felt particularly vivid to me now.
With a somewhat vacant gaze.
Opposite to her brows that seemed to frown.
And that distinctive purple gaze stood out particularly well.
Was it originally like this?
For some reason, a being that once seemed terrifying felt unusually close.
Is it because she’s similar to Wi Seol-ah?
That can’t be it.
—I am the Celestial Horse.
Things must be very different indeed.
The current embodiment of the Celestial Horse.
And me, as I am now.
‘Was it always like this?’
The Celestial Horse was once a being whose confidence pierced the heavens and seemed to embody the greatness of the universe.
But the current Celestial Horse feels different… very different.
“That’s mine.”
Her petulant attribute, as if she didn’t like what I said.
Every time she did that, her hair fluttered.
—Lord.
So unlike the person who would look down on me.
‘How is this even possible?’
Remembering when the Celestial Horse appeared in my previous life.
I barely was past my teenage years; it had only been a few years.
Could this tiny being transform so drastically?
‘Could it really not be the Celestial Horse?’
That thought flickered but was meaningless.
Can’t I still feel that presence?
That absurd power housed within that small frame.
So overwhelming that it obscured its own presence, making it difficult to recognize.
I looked into the eyes of the Celestial Horse.
She was still glaring at me, seemingly displeased.
Those same eyes that gleamed when she grabbed medicine from Wi Seol-ah.
This nonsense is supposed to become the Celestial Horse later on?
Could this behavior too be an act?
That may be possible.
But it doesn’t matter.
“Is it yours? No.”
Drawing up the magic energy within my body.
Reaching my upper dantian in an instant.
An energy faster and harsher than before.
I sought a stronger position by harmonizing with the martial arts I practiced.
That’s the magic’s perk.
The magic that surged from my shoulders rapidly dissipated into the air.
“What’s… going on?”
The Black Night Princess, who had been watching quietly while spitting blood, wore an utterly bewildered expression.
The Celestial Horse’s eyes widened.
Is it because the energy emanating from me felt familiar?
The magic that spread out revealed its true nature.
The instincts of Magi are domination and greed.
The energy that spread as if to claim the surroundings soared into the sky.
It blended with the black veil above.
Creak… crunch.
Then,
It began to gnaw away at the curtain blocking the sky.
As I felt that flow, I gazed at the Celestial Horse and spoke.
“This is now mine.”
The magic coursing through my body doesn’t belong to the Celestial Horse.
While the source may originate from magical beasts or the Celestial Horse’s power of Demonic Absorption,
It’s embedded in my heart.
Enshrined within my being.
The magic has been suppressed; my will was seized and left enclosed.
Now, it is mine.
“…”
The Celestial Horse heard my words and remained silent for a moment, before…
Slither.
She extends her immaculate white hand toward me.
I was uncertain of her intentions.
But I had no intention of complying quietly.
Crunch.
Just before her hand could brush my face, I seized her wrist.
Even though my hand isn’t big, her wrist was thin enough for me to wrap around easily.
The moment our bodies touched,
Kiaaaaaaah—!
The magics within me screamed suddenly.
This wasn’t the same feeling I got earlier when trying to return to the Celestial Horse.
This time, the hostility surprised even me.
Just before, it seemed like all I was doing was acting up to get back, and now suddenly it’s this?
This is utterly ridiculous.
Hah.
While trying to wrap my head around the absurdity, I felt like it wasn’t just me reacting violently.
Kiaaaaaaah!
The Celestial Horse quickly drew back her hand, seemingly astonished by the unexpected response.
Her wide eyes felt utterly amazing.
Can the Celestial Horse even exhibit expressions like that?
“…”
As she brushed her wrist, looking at me with an unusual gaze.
I drew my magical energy even higher.
It expanded, digesting the black veil around.
The power I had just utilized to break through the enemy’s line was incomparable.
Over half of it had been consumed.
But the sky beyond was not red.
Rather, a black darker than the color of the veil.
This was due to the mingling of the magic and my internal workings.
So now, it’s not a red sky.
Should I call it “Black Sky”?
‘Whatever.’
I don’t understand why every time I associate black with martial arts, it ends up much worse without fail.
It was the same in my last life; I truly despised that sight.
Fwoosh fwoosh.
Contrary to what I had just said, black flames erupted from my body.
It was anticipatory for the battle against the previous Celestial Horse.
“Can I catch the Celestial Horse here?”
Honestly, I have never considered it.
I had thought we’d end up facing off against each other someday, hadn’t I?
If I truly wanted to take over the divine sword’s role,
Someday I would have to block the Celestial Horse in its place.
Is it meant to happen now?
‘It feels too early.’
It is much sooner than expected, yet strangely I feel no hesitation.
Perhaps that’s a relief.
It must be easier to eliminate this younger version of the Celestial Horse than a nearly complete one, at least.
I spread my palms wide.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh!
The black flames encapsulating my body converged at my palms, forming a flame jewel of the same hue.
I can feel it.
It’s considerably stronger than the usual flame jewel.
Had I released that without thinking, it may have annihilated the surroundings.
‘Becoming a mage changes everything way too much.’
I’ve surpassed the level I was at in my last life.
All it took was the choice of becoming a mage to grow this strong.
That’s likely why those who thirsted for power in their past lives all dived into the demonic cult.
When the flame jewel was forged, I looked at the Celestial Horse.
She too seemed to catch my hostility and gazed up at me with peculiar eyes.
Her hands began to move just like before.
“…!”
What she reached for was where my flame jewel was.
I momentarily hesitated at her unexpected action, assuming it was an attack.
Yet I pressed on, intending to display my flame jewel to the Celestial Horse.
Crunch.
“What?”
The Celestial Horse casually grasped the jewel, about to shatter it.
With the insight of “Hwagyeong” and having grown much stronger due to my mage transformation,
You mean to crush it?
Bam! Kaboom!
The whirlwind force erupting from my palm wreaked havoc all around.
It was so potent it could uproot deeply rooted trees without effort.
Naturally, that level of wind pressure wouldn’t knock me away, so I maintained my ground.
However, I couldn’t suppress my astonishment.
‘What the hell was that?’
What just transpired?
Staring at the Celestial Horse, my eyes slightly glazed.
Yet she kept that annoyingly pouty expression on.
She briefly inspected her hand after taking damage.
While it wasn’t completely untouched, there was a scratch on the Celestial Horse’s wrist from the impact.
But that was it.
Just that.
As she examined the slightly stained palm.
Then, turning to me, she said,
“…I’m leaving.”
“What?”
“I’m out. Not fun anymore.”
I thought I had misheard, so I asked again.
The Celestial Horse, after saying that, turned her back and walked towards the Black Night Princess.
As soon as her words finished, the dimension behind the Black Night Princess began to rift apart.
It resembled that magical gateway I saw in the Black Palace.
What the hell is this?
You just showed up suddenly, and now you’re leaving?
Should I let her go like this?
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Fwoosh fwoosh.
Fire erupted all over my body.
There’s no way I’m letting this go.
Are you making fun of me?
I channeled all the flames into my fist and hurled it outward.
With the form of a beast!
BANG! WOOOOOOSH—!
A primal energy exploded from within me.
Mingling with magic, it burst forth vigorously.
The heat radiating from there could dry up fields in an instant.
Despite ignoring me, the Celestial Horse turned her head toward me.
With a delicate gesture, she merely waved her hand.
I wondered what impact those fragile movements could carry.
It looks shallow enough…
But that didn’t reflect on the outcome.
Woooooosh—!
Boom!
“What…!”
The previous pose against Wi Seol-ah now felt like a joke.
A completely different energy surged from the Celestial Horse.
The black energy swallowed the flames from my form like a vacuum.
Then it came crashing down on me.
An overwhelming, tidal force of energy slammed into the ground I stood upon.
CRACK!
Everything around me fractured and crumbled.
Rocks shattered like paper, and the ground easily split apart and vanished.
The landscape had shifted.
This chaos unfolded from a mere flick of the Celestial Horse’s hand.
What’s astonishing is, despite being struck by such force,
I sustained no damage whatsoever.
The Celestial Horse aimed the attack away from me.
I instantly recognized that this was her intended outcome.
It was a warning not to be a nuisance.
Did this mean everything we had shown so far was merely a game?
Was the earlier confrontation with Wi Seol-ah just playful antics?
Confronting the Celestial Horse, I felt utterly aghast.
She looked toward me and opened her mouth.
“Next time… see you again.”
“What…?”
“You’re enjoyable. I want to see you again.”
The Celestial Horse, saying that, seemed to smile for some odd reason.
Having said what she needed, she simply walked away.
As she passed by the Black Night Princess.
Whoosh!
The Black Night Princess suddenly floated up.
“Oh… heavens.”
She exclaimed, as if reacting to the situation.
But the Celestial Horse didn’t even glance her way.
Eventually, the magical space enveloped both Cheonma and the Black Night Princess.
Thud.
The portal swiftly closed, disappearing without a trace.
In the midst of it all, suddenly—
I stumbled and slumped onto the ground.
“…!”
Wi Seol-ah rushed over to support me, hugging me as I fell.
Gulping hard, I glanced at the half-diminished ground.
I need to correct my misunderstanding.
Wasn’t the earlier Celestial Horse unfinished?
It dawned on me.
That diminutive being I encountered earlier…
She was already complete.
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