Chapter: 459
What the heck is that?
This is the thought that came to mind as soon as I saw it.
What the heck is it?
Whoosh whoosh!
My whole body is engulfed in flames and burning.
The sight of it burning madly with blue flames gives off a peculiar sensation.
What the heck is that?
Thud-!
“!”
Inyoung’s arm moves.
Seeing that, Cheonjon grabs his sword.
‘This…’
The moment he realizes this, his face crumples in extreme vigilance.
The reason is none other than this.
He himself was on guard.
To that unknown something. To himself.
Crack-!
Energy surged from the sword he held and from his body.
His pupils shift. The place he’s looking at is where that bastard was just lying.
‘Doesn’t exist.’
He clearly remembers the sharp sensation of being stabbed in the heart.
A fatal blow that would have definitely killed him instantly. It’s a wound no human could possibly survive.
‘…What happened?’
The blood that was shed, and the traces left when he fell.
Nothing remained.
How can it be so clean?
Whoosh-!
Feeling the rising flames, Cheonjon turns his head.
The more he looks, the more he wonders. How on earth is that thing alive?
No, to begin with.
‘Is that really the kid?’
He had to start by questioning whether the young man he had killed was truly ‘that’.
The feeling is different.
It means the sensation is completely different.
Cheonjon’s aura, which transcends levels, allowed him to learn a lot.
From the bets he makes to his unique movements and heartbeat.
Now that he understands everything, he can tell the difference.
That’s it.
‘…What is it?’
Even the Heavenly Lord could not know.
He can’t hear a heartbeat and he can’t smell any scent.
Not being able to hear a sound means he’s reached death.
It’s questionable how a human being can stand and move so brazenly.
‘From the beginning…’
Are humans right?
If it’s not human, what should it be called?
A word suddenly flashes through Cheonjon’s mind.
‘A monster?’
Yeah, a monster.
In the eyes of the Heavenly Lord, that thing looked more like a monster than a human. A cold sweat ran down Cheonjon’s wrinkled cheek.
Feeling that, he swung his sword.
Swishhhh!
Crunch-!
A sharp blade flew in and cut off Inyoung’s arm.
Then, with a thud— the arm falls to the floor.
Inyoung just glanced at the fallen arm without taking any further action.
Inyoung, quietly looking at her arm, slowly turns her head and looks back at Cheonjon.
What is this, is that all?
It would be better if you didn’t rebel.
Thinking that, Cheonjon tries to shoot his sword energy at Inyoung’s neck this time.
Brrrr…
“?”
Sensing something strange, Cheonjon looks at the hand holding the sword.
“…What?”
Only then could he see it.
Of course, his sword was black, but his own body was shaking little by little.
His arms are shaking.
Not just his arms, but his whole body is shaking.
Why? Why is my body shaking all of a sudden?
Cheonjon tries to calm down, spinning in circles, but it isn’t easy.
What is going on?
The Heavenly Lord, wondering about it, eventually bites his lip.
Because he realized why his body was reacting this way.
His own body was feeling fear.
The moment he thought that, the Heavenly Lord’s face contorted like an evil spirit. He’s feeling fear?
How ridiculous.
How can he feel fear from a being he doesn’t even know, not to mention the Heavenly Horse, the Sword Lord, or the Paejon or the Sword Saint?
That’s impossible.
It feels downright humiliating.
Gurrrrung-!
The energy bursting from Cheonjon’s body soars into the sky, creating dark clouds.
He couldn’t hold back. Since he had been granted ‘permission’, there was no need to hesitate; Cheonjon once again swung his sword filled with energy.
The tremors were still there, but overcoming them was not a problem.
A conviction powered by enlightenment from a martial artist who transcended the level.
A sword filled with overwhelming power cuts through the air towards Inyoung. Its target is her neck.
No matter how unidentified it is, if her neck is cut off, she will die.
With that thought in mind, Cheonjon launches his attack. A massive sword energy shatters the ground and shoots straight ahead.
Paaaaaaaah-!
A loud noise erupts and the forest shakes.
The moment Inyoung is expected to be swept away by that distant sound.
Ts ts ts!
A sudden change appears in Inyoung’s form.
Cracks slowly begin to appear at the corners of Inyoung’s mouth.
Kyaaaaaaaaaaah-!
Letting out a tremendous roar.
Kwaaaaaaaaaa-!!
But that wasn’t all.
As she shouted, the wind pressure bursts forth, and the surroundings begin to collapse. Cheonjon’s sword energy scatters with the sound, and even the dark clouds created by Cheonjon are pushed away and disappear due to the wind pressure.
“…!”
Cheonjon tries to react to the sudden change.
Phew-!
Inyoung lunges towards Cheonjon, surrounded by blue flames.
It’s a tremendous speed.
Whether Inyoung jumped forward with pure strength or not, the ground she kicked away shattered into pieces.
Cheonjon holds his sword diagonally.
The speed is fast, but not so fast that he can’t respond.
Just as he was about to slash down with his sword.
Cheonjon’s eyes widen in shock upon seeing the one rushing towards him.
The arm that he had cut off just before had grown back completely whole.
Was that the reason?
Cheonjon was unable to react properly to the attack.
Inyoung’s attack strikes Cheonjon’s shoulder directly.
Immediately after that.
Kuwwwwwwng-!
An explosive sound erupts as azure flames spread in all directions.
*
Ts ts ts-!
I hear something breaking in my ear.
What’s broken? I try hard to check, but I can’t.
Because I can’t see anything in front of me.
Is it because my eyes are closed? I don’t think so.
It just feels like the entire space I’m in is painted black.
It’s so dark all around that I can’t see anything, even if I try.
In that unknown space.
Ts ts ts-!
I had to keep hearing the sound of something breaking.
What.
Swish-! Swish!
It sounds like something is breaking. Or like something is being forcibly ripped apart.
I don’t know what it is, but it’s not something I want to keep hearing.
Knock knock-!
I try to cover my ears with my hands.
Fortunately, my hands move. I try to block it out with this, but the sound does not stop.
Damn.
Ah.
Instead, it sounds even clearer.
I realize when I hear that.
This means the sound is not coming from outside.
This isn’t outside. It’s a sound coming from inside me.
So, the more I cover my ears and close my eyes, the clearer I’ll hear it.
Swish-swish-!
I’m getting annoyed by the incessant noise.
What the hell is this noise? There’s no noise like this.
I didn’t mean to, but my face keeps scrunching.
‘…Shut up. Be quiet.’
Even as I scream inside, the sound doesn’t stop.
Instead, it just sounds even louder, as if it’s been provoked.
Fuck.
Finally, I let out a curse.
How can I hear something like this?
No, to begin with.
Why am I here?
I don’t know. I don’t remember anything.
To be honest, though it’s noisy, I just want to float around like that.
I don’t want to do anything. I don’t want to think about anything.
What was I thinking originally?
I don’t remember, but judging by how my stomach feels restless, it’s probably not something I want to think about.
‘…Just like this…’
If it’s this unbearable, should I just stay still? It feels somewhat comfortable.
Thinking that, I try to let my body drift.
Swish-!
“Ugh!?”
I crouch down as I hear sounds one after another.
This time, I feel not only the sound but also an incredible amount of pain inside my body.
“Ugh… Huh… .”
It’s enough pain that I let out a dry scream without realizing it.
Ts ts ts ts-!
The impact grows stronger as the sound amplifies.
It’s not something I can just endure.
If I could, I’d faint right now.
Why does it hurt so much? Why am I in pain?
“Ugh… Ugh… .”
My stomach is turning.
It’s only after enduring the pain repeatedly that I start to grasp it.
Why is this crazy pain coming from inside me?
‘Bowl…‘
This is the feeling of a bowl breaking. A thought crosses my mind unconsciously.
Memories begin to surface gradually.
The part where God said his vessel was at its limit. The point in the past where he said he wouldn’t last many years without medicine.
I wonder why these things come together, but upon seeing this, I think my current feeling relates to my vessel.
That deepens my curiosity even more.
Why?
Why did this situation suddenly unfold?
Why did it start breaking all at once?
Why was I in a place like this?
I try to force myself to remember, but I can’t.
All that emerges is an unknown fear and a feeling of suffocation, mingled with eerie pain.
Thud-!
“Ugh.”
I curl up again at the vibrations that burst out from inside my body.
At the same time.
Whoosh-!
Suddenly, flames ignite everywhere, illuminating the pitch-black darkness.
My vision brightens suddenly, where I couldn’t see anything, and it stings my eyes.
But, even so, I can’t avoid it.
“What is this?”
Because something so absurd unfolds before my eyes that I can’t look away.
Whoosh.
In the now brightened field of vision, a huge sphere is floating.
In terms of size, it’s about the size of a house.
Is it blue?
Or maybe purple?
Or maybe a deep red?
I don’t know.
Even though the colors are pronounced, I’m having a hard time distinguishing them.
What should I call this?
I still don’t know even when I look.
To be exact, that sphere looks like a breaking ‘egg’ to me.
An egg with cracks here and there, gradually breaking apart and dropping pieces to the floor.
At first glance, it seemed that way.
What is this? I stand there blankly, wondering what that egg could be.
Ts ts ts-!
Suddenly, a sound is heard from the egg.
It’s the same sound that kept ringing in my ears.
It definitely feels like it’s coming from inside my body, but now it’s starting to come from the egg.
Curious about why it’s like that, I continue to watch.
“Ugh…!”
As the egg breaks, shock surges inside my body once more.
Eyes reddening from familiar pain, I think.
‘No way.‘
I grasp my throbbing danjeon and stare at the gigantic egg before me.
An egg that is cracking and breaking.
The pain that rushes in and out of that place allows me to ascertain.
“…Is this my bowl?”
Does that mean the egg represents the form of the vessel inside my body? I’m not entirely sure, but I somehow feel like that’s the case.
Thud thud thud.
Chunks gradually fall from the egg.
A crack appears in the floor, and a strange liquid flows through it.
At first glance, it looks like ordinary water, but the rich texture feels very foreign.
Just looking at it makes me feel rough, uncomfortable, and stifling.
The sight of it slowly breaking apart sends unsettling feelings rushing through me.
What should I do?
Leaving behind the pain in my danjeon, I look at the egg.
Didn’t they say if that breaks, I’ll die?
If that’s the case, then I need to stop it.
I shouldn’t have let that break.
There are still many tasks ahead…
“…What should I do?”
I pause for a moment, thinking.
What am I supposed to do? Why am I here?
Or not.
What was I doing just a moment ago?
I feel dizzy.
Nothing comes to mind. I just seem to be moving mechanically.
Is it instinct, or is it some unknown desperation?
It feels like my body is trying hard to prevent that egg from breaking.
I reach out.
Trying to close any gap that might be forming.
Will this stop it?
It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t.
I feel like I have to do something about this now.
Right before my trembling fingertips touch the egg.
“…That damn brat, he really does need a lot of work. Tsk tsk.”
I suddenly freeze when I hear a voice from behind me.
In that moment, my body goes rigid.
Sarararak-!
Along with the fragrant scent of flowers, a flurry of flower petals bursts forth from below.
The petals that appeared began to soar through the air, circling around the egg, then began to embrace the sphere.
The crimson leaves gave off an aura of divinity even at first glance.
A subtle fragrance and a warm sensation.
I caught one falling petal and examined it.
Plum leaves.
This is a plum leaf.
There’s something familiar about this sensation. Where have I felt it before…?
Paaaak-!
“Ugh!”
With a sudden jolt to the back of my head, my chin drops.
Grasping my aching head, I turn around with a contorted expression.
There stood the figure who had struck the back of my head.
An old man with white hair, dressed in a pure white ensemble, was stroking my palm and glaring at me.
He had a sharply pointed gaze and looked to have a rather unfriendly demeanor.
He didn’t seem to stand taller than seven feet, and yet he possessed a thin frame contrary to his height.
What? As I continued to glare at the old man, he sighed deeply and spoke.
“Tsk tsk… That rotten kid. Always causing trouble, and now this old man has no choice but to get involved.”
An old man grumbling as if disgruntled.
Hearing that voice and tone, I called out to him before I knew it.
“…Noya…?”
Oh my god.
The old man was Shin Noya.
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