Chapter: 469
The first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was the sensation of being held by someone.
Swish-swish.
I felt a gentle touch, as if someone was slowly stroking my back.
I slowly lifted my head to take in the situation.
“…Huh?”
Maybe it was because I was tossing and turning, but the hand that had been rubbing my back stopped, and I found myself making eye contact with the person who was holding me.
It was the Demon Sword Master.
She widened her eyes in surprise as she looked at me.
“…You woke up?”
“…”
The Demon Sword Master looked thoroughly exhausted.
Looking at her, I was left speechless.
“Why…?”
What on earth is going on here? I glanced around with a puzzled expression.
“…!”
I was shocked the moment I saw it—the situation was far from normal.
All around us were piles of unidentifiable black shapes.
Gradually, those traces were fading, but the appearance of it all was still rather unsettling.
Moreover…
‘Did I… burn something?’
There were also traces of fire surrounding us.
I realized it the moment I laid eyes on it.
That fire was emitted by me.
Whoosh, whoosh.
The flames that hadn’t been extinguished yet and were warming the floor looked magnificent.
Oh, and they were blue!
‘Blue flame?’
Normally, the fire I emit is a mix of purple and black magic. Seeing blue flames dancing brightly could only mean one thing—the influence of my blood.
Why on earth would such flames remain in this land?
Feeling something odd, I clenched my fingertips into fists.
Whoosh-!
The flames flared up.
Frowning at that, I thought, “What the heck?”
I definitely didn’t unleash my blood energy.
Since I had also kept my magic quiet, normally, a flame tinged with purple should have erupted instead.
‘…This…’
No matter how I looked at it, the flames that flickered at my fingertips were unmistakably the same flames that appeared when I used my blood energy.
Seeing that, I immediately turned inward to check myself.
The first thing I examined was the dantian.
I wanted to find out what had happened to the space left empty when the bowl was supposedly broken.
Thud-!
“…!”
As I exerted strength to check my dantian, I unexpectedly felt a recoil from somewhere else.
My heart.
To be precise, it was the location of the middle dantian.
‘What the heck?’
Why is that reacting all of a sudden?
I found myself bewildered and started channeling my energy to observe my body.
Luckily, the energy returned as I intended.
So does this mean my bowl is back?
It seems so.
‘…But the locations are all centered around my heart.’
The starting point of all my energy was in the middle dantian.
Typically, you fill the middle dantian through the lower dantian.
Of course, you would fill the upper dantian afterward.
‘If the starting point is here in the middle dantian…’
That means the lower dantian, which should be the source of my essence, is gone.
So where did all that energy go?
I took a closer look at the middle dantian.
‘Aha.’
I found it.
All the energy that used to be in the lower dantian was now transferred and bound to the middle dantian.
How on earth could this happen?
As I struggled to grasp the strange situation, I suddenly felt a cold touch on my cheek.
“Are you okay…?”
It was the hand of the Demon Sword Master.
Feeling this, I startled and sat up.
“Uh?”
As I rose, I suddenly found myself wobbling a bit.
Something feels off.
‘Height.’
It felt as if my line of sight had elevated slightly compared to what I was used to.
The difference in perception made my body momentarily unresponsive.
“…”
The Demon Sword Master, watching all this, gradually stood up as well.
It was only when I laid eyes on her that I finally understood what the issue was.
‘Height.’
For some reason, the Demon Sword Master appeared smaller.
I was originally slightly taller than her, but this difference didn’t seem right.
Previously, there had only been a slight height difference, like the length of a finger joint.
Now it seemed like there was about half an inch difference.
‘She’s shorter.’
I distinctly felt that my limbs had grown longer.
But that wasn’t the only change.
Upon seeing my right arm, I had to widen my eyes in disbelief.
‘…What on earth is that?’
The purple bandage that had been wrapped around my arm had suddenly changed to blue.
The state of my arm showing through the bandages was utterly bizarre.
At first glance, it was covered in scales.
Originally, there were only a few scales on my right arm…
‘Now the right arm has even less.’
Compared to my right arm, my left arm now looked like it belonged to a completely different creature.
The left arm covered in blue scales was surely not human.
How did my arm end up in this state?
‘Oh, this…’
Memories resurfaced.
During the time when my blood rushed forth in the form of a dragon, it was my left arm that had been bitten off.
Could it be that I’m suffering from the effects of that incident?
The appearance was deeply unsettling.
Though the bandages hid it, the fact that it reached all the way to the shoulder was not normal.
‘…Are the other areas okay?’
Looking over my body, thankfully other parts seemed fine.
Or maybe they weren’t, but from what I could see, everything looked good aside from my left arm.
I repeated the action of clenching and unclenching my fist a few times.
Crack.
“…”
I felt the pressure increase significantly.
It almost felt like my body itself, rather than just my energy, had strengthened.
‘It feels like I’ve completely transformed.’
Aside from the energy being concentrated in my middle dantian, which led to the physical transformation.
There was practically no difference from what people typically called “transformation.”
What’s more…
‘…The incomplete state has been stabilized.’
The realm that had been in a state of incompleteness appeared to have firmly established itself.
Overall, aside from my appearance, there didn’t seem to be any major issues.
‘So what’s really different then?’
They say if your bowl breaks, you’re no longer human.
But I didn’t feel that much change.
I expected that I’d suddenly turn into some sort of monster or something.
Honestly, it’s not as bad as I thought…
‘…Although saying that doesn’t change how odd I look.’
Looking at my left arm, while it isn’t entirely normal, it’s still way better than I feared.
While inspecting my body, I suddenly glanced at the Demon Sword Master.
She was observing me with a strange look in her eyes.
At first, her gaze was fixed on my left arm, but now she was looking directly into my eyes.
Seeing that look… I inadvertently averted my gaze.
And then I briefly ran a hand over my face.
It felt as if I was struggling to breathe while looking at the Demon Sword Master.
“Damn it.”
What I had hoped would not happen had now reached this level, making it even harder to figure out.
Moreover, thinking back on how she had treated me only made matters worse.
I couldn’t pretend to be unaware of it any longer.
I redirected my gaze to the Demon Sword Master.
She was still looking at me with that enigmatic expression in her eyes.
To be honest, I found her gaze uncomfortable.
I asked her, forcing myself to suppress the awkwardness.
“You.”
The casual tone slipped out naturally.
It felt significantly easier than when I used to use polite speech.
“…You know who I am, right?”
I finally blurted out what had been gnawing at me.
Ever since I sensed that she was treating me as something special, I had anticipated that she’d know my true identity.
It wasn’t merely a ‘hunch’—there was no point in hiding it beforehand.
“…?”
Her response was a quizzical tilt of her head, staring at me.
It seemed she didn’t quite grasp the intention behind my question.
If not that…
‘Could it be that she genuinely doesn’t know?’
This was conceivable, too.
After all, when I first arrived, my facial appearance had looked different.
Furthermore, since my martial arts were sealed, there was no feasible way for her to know.
However, there was one issue.
‘But you just saw the flames.’
She had seen the flames I ignited with my own hands.
Is it really possible for her not to recognize me after witnessing that?
Did my altered appearance somehow remain?
As I grappled with these anxieties, thoughts began to swirl.
“…What does… that mean?”
The Demon Sword Master, looking at me, asked the question.
It appeared she truly didn’t understand.
‘Maybe it’s a relief?’
If she didn’t recognize me, that was indeed fortunate.
It meant this was just about understanding why she treated me as something special.
For the moment, it made sense to let it slide.
Just as I was considering moving past this line of thought and continuing…
“No… Forget what I just said…”
“Gu Yangcheon.”
I froze instantly at the words that the Demon Sword Master uttered.
I stared at her in sheer astonishment.
Did she just call my name?
“…What?”
“Your name.”
“…”
In a nonchalant tone, the Demon Sword Master stated it plainly.
I was left staring blankly at her, confusion written on my face.
“…No matter what happens…”
The Demon Sword Master continued with her usual tone.
“I…”
“There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize you.”
“…”
She spoke with such confidence.
How could she say that with such assurance?
Her unblemished confidence was enough to stir my anxious heart.
“…How?”
I couldn’t comprehend it.
As always, I was unable to grasp her intentions.
And I really didn’t want to admit it.
“You…”
To acknowledge that I recognize you now, even though I didn’t before in the past.
I despise that idea even more.
I’m painfully aware of how much it sucks to realize the version of you I missed out on because I was oblivious at the time.
I was cut off, ready to ask something, but my mouth fell silent instead.
I found myself repeating this cycle over and over.
I could see her tired eyes and her body, wounded and bleeding.
I pretended not to notice and changed the topic.
“Then why aren’t you surprised?”
“…?”
“Isn’t it strange that I’m here again?”
I already exist in this world.
Even though just looking at this sight irritates me, it’s undeniably still me.
It was odd that the Demon Sword Master, who had figured out who I was, had no questions about it.
Her reaction was simply to look at me with her signature blue eyes.
“…Fascinating.”
Her brief response seemed calm from the surface.
“Just fascinating?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
So she finds it merely intriguing and not puzzling at all?
What on earth do I say about this?
“…That sounds just like you.”
Ironically enough, it was an answer that could come out from no one other than her.
That thought unavoidably brought a small smile to my face.
Swish.
Her fingers brushed against my cheek once again.
This time, I didn’t flinch or pull away in surprise.
I could’ve easily stopped her, but I chose not to.
“…Where you once were, I…?”
“Of course you do.”
She seems to believe it’s perfectly reasonable that I’m not of this world.
I didn’t deny that assumption.
“What about it?”
“It’s similar. Same old dazed look and mindless eyes as always.”
The moment she finished speaking, I noticed her eyebrows furrow slightly.
That sight made my heart sink.
“Yeah, you always had these eyes.”
The current Demon Sword Master.
The Namgung Bi-a I know.
Nothing about her looks particularly different.
But why did I think I was different?
No, it’s not that I thought I was different.
I guess I just hoped that I would be different.
As I locked onto her gaze silently, the Demon Sword Master did not unpucker her frown but continued to speak.
“You meet the me that’s there… and this is the way you look at me?”
“…What do you mean by kind of eyes? What kind of eyes?”
As I were to repeat the question, wondering what she meant, the hand of the Demon Sword Master… Namgung Bi-a… slowly released from my cheek.
“I envy you.”
With a slight lift of her lips, various emotions rushed through me.
It was a feeling I had hoped to remain ignorant about.
What do I say?
Several phrases popped into my head, but ultimately, I couldn’t voice a single word.
It’s because I knew I didn’t have any audacious words to utter.
A silence enveloped us as I quietly looked at Namgung Bi-a.
“…For the time being…”
Recalling that she’s not in good shape, I reached out.
This situation isn’t conductive to just lingering here.
For now, making our escape is a priority.
Moreover, right after we relocate, I also need to ascertain more about my body.
How have I changed, and have I truly ceased to be human?
Thinking this through, I turned to grab Namgung Bi-a to move her to a safer location.
Whoosh-
“What?”
Suddenly, I sensed something peculiar in the air.
Moving my head in response to the distinct feeling of dissonance.
Thud.
Cracks began appearing behind Namgung Bi-a.
Oh boy!
Out of nowhere, the void seemed to tear apart, leaving a lingering afterimage.
I grabbed Namgung Bi-a and pulled her back behind me.
A sudden action that made me scowl.
No matter how you slice it, that seemed like a demonic portal.
In an instant, without any preliminary signs, a demonic mirror had appeared.
Just when I found myself wondering why the portal showed up out of the blue.
Clack, clack.
“…!”
My feet no longer seemed to follow, as my body tensed up.
Something was trying to pull me.
This was undoubtedly a force of intent.
I strained to hold my ground, pushing strength into my toes.
It was sheer stubbornness to resist that unknown force attempting to drag me away.
But…
‘Damn it.’
The force trying to pull me was ridiculously potent.
What in the world is this?
‘I had been trying to avoid using my energy until I figured things out.’
I gritted my teeth.
Not only did I have no clue why my lower dantian had vanished, but I also had no idea how the energy now originating from my middle dantian would affect me.
If at all possible, I wanted to avoid using energy.
But at this rate, I’d end up pulled into some inexplicable demonic gateway, so I had no choice but to let my energy erupt.
Whoosh-!
As I channeled my strength, the energy pooled in my dantian reacted and began to vibrate.
In doing so, I felt the weight of the energy settling heavily below.
‘This is way more than I anticipated.’
The amount of power I sensed was extraordinary.
While I couldn’t pinpoint the specifics, it felt like a solid thirty percent stronger than what I had originally possessed.
‘At this level…’
I might not end up getting myself beaten to a pulp or something! It meant I could confidently parade around, declaring myself a warrior of Hwagyeong!
‘But this isn’t the time to be celebrating.’
Regardless of how much power I now possessed, it was imperative to get out of here first.
Crack!
Just as I was ready to take Namgung Bi-a and escape from that demonic gate, I steadied myself.
Thud.
Something came crashing down from the air and rolled toward me.
What on earth is this…?
“…!!”
I had to catch my breath at the sudden occurrence. Namgung Bi-a was no different; she clutched my shoulder in surprise.
There was no denying it.
The first thing that had dropped was… a human neck.
The gruesome evidence of it being torn off left a ghastly expression of despair on what had once been the owner’s face.
And even more shocking…
‘Why is that person here?’
I recognized that face.
The neck belonged to none other than Cheonjon.
The very old man who had once killed me.
He was, after all, the great-grandfather of Namgung Bi-a, one of the three great masters.
For a brief moment, I was startled by the severed neck of the Heavenly Lord rolling on the ground.
“I had a bit of a hard time tracking that down.”
The voice that followed sent my body rigid as stone.
It was a familiar voice—one I’d never forget.
How could I possibly forget the voice that was engraved so deeply within me?
A white hand emerged from somewhere, reaching toward the demonic gate.
It was the hand of a woman, but it wasn’t Namgung Bi-a’s.
Her arms were infinitely slender and delicate.
My gaze unwittingly followed the composed, graceful movements.
The tips of her elegant fingers extended, and she seized the floating magical gate with the grace one might use to grasp an actual door.
Crash-!
Before I could process what had occurred, she effortlessly closed it without a second thought.
Despite immense friction and pressure during the process, she seemed entirely untroubled by it.
Whoosh…
What had seemed like an impossible dilemma came to an effortless conclusion.
Such is the nature of this woman’s existence.
Her power was capable of managing even the unpredictable disaster called the Demonic Gate with the ease of casually sipping tea.
A being that makes one feel their very existence is unreasonable.
Clack, clack…
It seemed the portal hadn’t completely sealed shut, as it trembled in response to her grip.
The woman held the gap steady with her hand.
Despite performing such an action, not a hint of wavering could be sensed from her.
Rather, she observed the gap she was securing with an almost curious fascination, like a child uncovering a new treasure.
Her completely jet-black hair was free from any trace of color.
Whenever the wind twisted slightly, the dark robe swept elegantly in the breeze.
Even as my gaze lingered on this whole scene, not a word escaped my lips.
Eventually, her gaze shifted towards me.
The moment our eyes met, I felt as if I might stop breathing altogether.
There were no special emotions swirling around.
Only… fear.
That was the solitary sentiment that arose upon seeing her.
Gazing quietly at me, the woman wore a smile.
Her smoothly curving purple gaze.
A demeanor laced with an inscrutable intent.
I bit down on my trembling lip, trying to restrain my instincts.
What on earth…
is this author doing here?
The head of the lady studying my eyes tilted slightly.
Her stunning purple orbs stood out, unmatched by any others’.
The Lord of all demons, the Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Sect.
An ultimate entity possessing preposterous power.
There were uncountable formidable titles to call this woman, but ultimately, she could be referred to solely by one.
“Pleased to meet you.”
The demon sent forth from the skies.
Heavenly Demon.
“Great Lord.”
Despair was grinning at me.
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