Chapter: 936
Fooddeuk-!!!
In a forest made up of colorful hues, birds suddenly took flight, chirping as they ascended.
It was still too early for the sun to set.
A bird soared into the jauntily tinted magenta sky.
They were numerous enough to fill the heavens.
On the ground, the Lord of the Sky watched those birds silently.
Rustle.
A woman’s massive tail swayed.
At the same time, the woman lifted her arms.
“Hmm…?”
A strange sensation flickered in the woman’s beautiful eyes.
Something felt off.
“What…?”
What could it be? A creeping chill washed over her.
It was a feeling she’d never encountered in her vast existence.
What was this?
The woman couldn’t quite figure it out.
Something poked at her arm.
It couldn’t simply be touch — more aptly described, it felt like it were pricking her soul itself.
This was a sensation new to her.
“…”
The woman gazed skyward with curious eyes.
Where could this be coming from?
Why did she feel this way?
The woman pondered. Could it be tied to the strange sensations she had felt lately?
Thoughts danced on the tip of her mind, just out of reach, as if surrounded by mist.
“How strange…”
She closed her eyes for a moment.
In the silence where nothing could be seen, something began to rise like a dream.
It was a face — whose could it be?
The woman contemplated but could conjure no names.
Black hair came into view.
It was someone’s hair.
Eyes appeared next, slightly almond-shaped.
It seemed like a man.
He wore a crimson outfit.
It was a form she had never seen before.
Yet, oddly, it felt familiar.
Where on earth had she seen this before?
Why did it tug at her heartstrings to such a degree?
Still, the woman couldn’t make sense of it.
At that moment, the man’s gaze shifted toward her.
The sight of his blazing red eyes made her pause.
It was an expressionless gaze that seemed devoid of emotion.
But somehow,
A flicker of emotion began to well in the man’s eyes as he faced her.
Feelings once absent began to bubble up, as a smile slowly graced his previously impassive face.
‘…What is this?’
Unconsciously, her hand drifted to her chest.
A rippling sensation. She could feel her heart thumping away inside.
What was happening? Why was she suddenly feeling this way?
In the very instant the woman was lost in her thoughts,
-…
The man spoke to her, his lips moving as he said something.
Yet no sound reached her ears.
What did he just say?
When she squinted to catch a better glimpse,
‘Ah…’
Several small children appeared beside the man.
Two girls who seemed to embody mischief.
There was a boy, resembling the man, who looked rather sullen.
And even a little girl he cradled in his arms.
There were four in total.
The sight quickened the woman’s heartbeat even more.
Her feet moved before she could stop them.
She wanted to rush over but no matter how she willed them, they wouldn’t get any closer.
In a panic, she stretched out her hand.
It didn’t reach.
The man, noticing her predicament, murmured something again.
What was he saying? What could it possibly mean?
The woman struggled to interpret his words, yet they remained elusive.
Then,
Not only the man, but the boy beneath him also looked up at her, opening his small mouth.
As he began to form words with his tiny lips.
Importantly, unlike the man, the child’s words were clear enough to be heard.
– Mom.
“…”
The woman’s breath caught.
What did he just say?
Was that directed at her?
If so, what could have prompted such words?
The woman looked at the child in bewilderment.
Whoosh-!!
“…!”
In that moment, the scene before her warped and shifted.
Everything scattered like mist.
The purple sky returned, and the woman opened her closed eyes.
“…”
With delicate hands, she brushed her forehead.
What had she just done?
What had she just seen?
Strangely, her memory was hazy.
She knew she had witnessed something, but why couldn’t she recall it?
Surely she had just seen something?
The woman found this sensation perturbing.
Lately, similar occurrences had been on the rise.
Vague images would appear then flit away like a breeze, causing the memories to vanish.
This had begun happening more often.
It was as if she could see things yet not hold onto them, causing a growing discontent within her.
‘Why?’
Why on earth was this happening?
The woman longed to resolve this discomfort.
Where had the problem originated?
What could have caused this sudden upheaval?
As she pondered quietly, a thought struck her.
‘It began from that moment.’
The day she set off in search of the vanished abyss.
From that day forth.
It was then she had begun to sense something amiss.
“…”
Crackle.
As if something within her was crumbling, the woman slowly regained her breath.
The atmosphere trembled with each breath she took.
This phenomenon arose because her very existence resonated with the essence of all worlds.
After a while of holding her breath, she finally calmed down, her pupils lowering.
“Just as I thought. I need to seek it out.”
If that time had been the issue, it must also be the cause.
When she encountered the abyss.
And when she beheld the baby dragons.
If that had truly posed a problem,
“I’ll need to catch them…”
Catch.
Then capture and eliminate.
If they were a poison to all worlds, the right course was to remove them, and truthfully, this wasn’t a difficult task for the woman.
The woman’s gaze shifted to the forest beside her.
“…”
There sat a woman with brown hair and a black mask, looking weary.
Upon hearing her words, the woman lifted her head.
Her golden eyes, hidden behind the mask, rolled around.
The woman addressed her.
“Daughter.”
“…”
Yarang met her mother’s gaze in response.
She appeared somewhat fatigued.
“Poor child.”
The woman approached her calmly.
Each of her barefoot steps caused flowers to blossom on the seemingly barren ground.
“It seems something murky has appeared in the universe.”
“…”
If it was something that clouded her mind, it was best to eradicate it without a second thought.
In fact, the woman questioned why she had hesitated at all.
Therefore,
“Tell me what you saw and heard.”
The woman gently stroked Yarang’s mask as she spoke.
*
Thud thud thud-
Debris scattered everywhere.
Dust hung thickly in the air, obscuring visibility, while flames danced above the hollow ground.
What was peculiar was that these flames weren’t the usual red or blue, but instead a murky, dark fire.
It looked blue, black, or perhaps even leaning toward a grayish hue.
At first glance, the colors seemed utterly disparate. But depending on one’s perception, the feel was distinctly different.
It was cruel, fierce,
And somehow, overwhelmingly unpleasant.
As she quietly observed that bizarre aura,
“… Grrr…!”
Suddenly hit by an intense surge of pain, she clutched her arm.
It was the left arm she had just used to throw a punch.
“Grrr…”
The pain rose like a tide, forcing her knees to buckle.
Her hands trembled.
This wasn’t the shaking from bearing tremendous pressure.
It felt as if her muscles had torn.
Strength had drained from her joints, and an agonizing wave surged through her.
It wasn’t just her arm.
Upon inspection, her entire body felt compromised.
As if to demonstrate the struggle she had made to hold on, every vein was swollen and throbbing.
Her body bore the marks of the upheaval.
“Ugh….”
The pain was so intense it was remarkable.
How did her bet fare? She checked her heart and found herself giving an ironic laugh.
“Crazy.”
Almost seventy percent of her energy was gone.
She had wagered far more than in her previous life. Despite that, to lose nearly all of it with a single wager felt absurd.
She must have wasted over half just trying to maintain her hold.
Even accounting for that, the sheer amount expended was nonsensical.
Her arm wouldn’t even lift.
Rather than a joint issue, it felt more akin to sheer exhaustion due to the complete lack of strength.
“Haha…”
She chuckled softly.
Why had it come to this for a single use?
It was almost like the first time she had wielded Yeomok.
In truth, it was worse than when she had trained with the Yeomokseongchang.
Why was it that any time she attempted something, her body was left in such tatters?
It was quite amusing, yet also ponderous.
‘Still.’
Facing forward, she grinned widely.
‘Not bad.’
Even with her body in ruins, the outcome was satisfactory.
Furthermore,
‘I was right.’
The plan to fuse two martial arts and intertwine them into a single form.
Her presumption that something significant would arise from doing so had proven true.
Look.
‘She had created something extraordinary.’
The scene ahead was outright hellish.
Even she, in disbelief, couldn’t help but marvel at what unfolded.
Even if the volcanic eruptions crafted by Noya weren’t broader than those in the central plains, they surely wouldn’t crumble with merely a punch.
The power she had unleashed was undeniably overwhelming.
It was merely being contained by Noya at the front.
Had it been dodged, she couldn’t even fathom how far it might have spread.
That was the reason behind it.
That was also why Shin Noya looked at her with such astonishment.
“… Child.”
A torn, tattered uniform.
A slight tangle of hair and wide-eyed surprise.
Moreover,
“What on earth did you create?”
Even the sword gripped tightly in his hand.
She relished all of it.
“… What do you think?”
She said with a smirk.
“Wasn’t it pretty decent for a Jaeryong?”
Suddenly wobbling, she stumbled,
Falling as if all her strength had deserted her, just as she was about to collapse to the ground.
Thump.
Someone supported her, cradling her gently.
Soft hair brushed against her face, perfumed with a soothing fragrance that tickled her nose.
Who could it be?
In her fading consciousness, she caught a glimpse of familiar eyes, nose, and mouth.
Words failed her.
She lost consciousness in that moment.
Unable to utter a word, Gu Yangcheon drifted into darkness. He crumpled helplessly, as if all strength had ebbed from him.
The woman who had quietly observed held him carefully, providing support.
She was the woman Gu Yangcheon referred to as Cheonma.
“…”
Cheonma continued to gaze at the unconscious Gu Yangcheon.
Her stare seemed intent on finding any signs of injury.
Having ascertained there were no noticeable issues, she nodded slightly.
Just as she prepared to move, still aiding him,
“You’re turning a moment of rest into work for yourself.”
Cheonma turned to Shincheol, who was shaking off the dust.
“If injured, you should recuperate. Why on earth did you come to tend to that fellow?”
“…”
Cheonma did not respond to Shincheol’s inquiry, merely observing him silently.
“…What is it?”
Shincheol quirked an eyebrow at her gaze.
“Are you upset with that guy for making a mockery of you?”
“…”
“Now see here. I got hit too. Tsk tsk. There’s no respect for one’s elders nowadays.”
She hadn’t even struck him too hard.
Actually, she had set the stage for them to duke it out.
In fairness, didn’t it turn out this way because he ended up throwing a punch himself?
Thus, Shincheol expressed his grievances playfully.
“It was all part of my plan! The resentment is….”
“Are you okay?”
“Huh?”
Cheonma’s sudden query made Shincheol squint.
“Are you actually asking me if I’m okay?”
“Your body.”
“Eh?”
Was she genuinely worried about him? Shincheol let out a hollow laugh.
“Who’s worrying about who? Child, pay attention to what’s on your back first.”
“You’re in worse shape.”
“I suppose your eyesight isn’t particularly keen.”
What in the world had prompted that observation?
Shincheol shrugged but then added,
“It hurts a lot.”
“…”
Shincheol fell silent for a moment, struck by the resolve in Cheonma’s tone.
At that moment, his expression turned serious.
He became convinced that Cheonma was fully aware of something.
“Don’t tell the rookie.”
At those words, Cheonma tilted her head.
“Why?”
“If he finds out, it’ll do him no good.”
“…”
“He’s more sensitive than he looks. So just feign ignorance.”
“…”
“Do you understand?”
Cheonma finally nodded in acknowledgment of Shincheol’s words.
That was sufficient. In the moment Shincheol thought that,
“Then what about you?”
“What?”
“Are you not delicate?”
Are you saying you aren’t sensitive?
At Cheonma’s questioning, Shincheol chuckled softly.
“Hard to say.”
Perhaps there had been a time when that was true.
But.
“If it’s true now, then it shouldn’t be.”
So, just stay still.”
Upon hearing Shincheol’s remarks, Cheonma silently scrutinized him, and then remarked,
“Understood.”
She said so as if she had comprehended.
With that, she took Gu Yangcheon and vanished somewhere.
Left behind, Shincheol stood still, looking at his unoccupied hand, not the one wielding a sword.
“…”
His dry fingertips appeared slightly fuzzy.
He clenched his fist for a moment, then released it.
As if nothing had ever happened, his hand returned to its original state.
As if it were a normal day.
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