Rustle, rustle.
The more it moved, the more I could see something like powder falling from its body.
It was ash.
It had already lost the functions of a living being.
All that remained was ‘something’ that had once been a human, charred black.
Traces that I thought could never move.
Were moving so nonchalantly right before my eyes.
Though ‘nonchalantly’ was a strange way to put it.
Because the way it moved, creaking and groaning, was absolutely not normal.
The thing examined its body piece by piece,
then looked at me with its lolling head.
[Remarkable.]
The first words that came out were praise.
[This child shouldn’t have been weak. To think it would end up like this. This was unexpected.]
The voice carried an emotion that seemed almost like delight.
Turning away from its ruined body,
I looked around once more.
A blood-red sky, wind stained with the reek of blood.
Rotten earth and withered trees.
Looking at them, the Blood Demon spoke.
[So that is why the connection was severed. There was a reason. Since this world has its own master, it is only natural that breaking in would not be easy.]
While the Blood Demon spat out words as if intrigued,
I asked him.
“…Do you have business with me?”
At my words, the Blood Demon let out a clucking laugh.
[You do not look very surprised. A disappointing reaction.]
“I’ve already been through it once.”
It happened at the Martial Arts Tournament.
Through the things I learned afterward, I had known for a while that the Blood Demon was lingering in this land.
Just like at the last tournament.
I had thought that perhaps it might appear again through Jang Seonyeon’s body, but
‘Of all times, it had to be now.’
I was trying my best to appear composed, but
inside, I was considerably shocked.
I had never imagined the Blood Demon would invade even this world.
What the hell is this bastard?
“How did you get here?”
[Do not be like that. I, too, had to expend considerable power to come here.]
“Was that body so precious?”
Had he come to protect Jang Seonyeon, who was already burned dead?
Or had he come because he had business with me? I didn’t know, but
whatever the case,
it was far from a pleasant meeting.
Hearing my question, the Blood Demon stared at me silently for a moment,
kuk kuk.
and let out a small laugh.
[A rather precious child. One on whom I had placed great expectations, you see.]
“But what can you do? I’ve already killed him. Are you going to revive him and take him back or something?”
I threw the words out mockingly, but
[Making a joke at my expense, are you, child?]
The Blood Demon looked completely unfazed.
[Discerning how this world is constructed is no great difficulty for me.]
‘Shit.’
At the Blood Demon’s words, I had to curse inwardly.
In other words, he was saying he already knew the essence of this world.
Furthermore, the moment I returned from this world,
it was as if he knew that Jang Seonyeon would come back to life.
‘Can the Blood Demon know even that much?’
No matter that he was a monster who had caused a great blood calamity in a previous era,
knowing about *this* world was another matter entirely.
[It is an amusing world. Is it not?]
“…Seeing as you went out of your way to appear, are you planning to interfere?”
Since the Blood Demon himself had said he cherished Jang Seonyeon,
it was possible he had noticed I would deal with Jang Seonyeon and attempted to intervene.
..
I didn’t know the extent of the Blood Demon’s power, but
if he intended to interfere, it wouldn’t be good for me.
[Are you nervous?]
The sight of him resting his chin with his completely charred hand was grotesque beyond words.
I raised my qi.
I had expended quite a bit just now dealing with Jang Seonyeon.
It would have been better if I had just burned him all at once; the problem was that I had controlled it, burning him bit by bit to inflict pain.
[Those eyes are not good. You must never be anxious in any matter.]
“What are you talking about?”
[Did you say you would kill this child?]
“I didn’t say I would kill him. I already did.”
I burned him to death, inflicting pain.
According to the laws of this world, if one returns to the original world, they would come back to life, but
I had already thought of a way around that.
If by any chance the method didn’t work and Jang Seonyeon came back to life,
‘I’ll just kill him and dispose of him.’
We had made a deal, but
rather than leaving him be and letting things go wrong,
it was better to dispose of him, even if I had to force the situation.
[You must truly despise this child. I wonder why.]
I looked at him at the Blood Demon’s question, but I wanted to turn my head away immediately.
It was unpleasant just to look at.
It was that unknown sensation I could still feel.
Was it the energy emanating from his very existence?
I wanted to get rid of him this instant.
I suppressed that feeling for now, held it back, and spat out words.
“What is your goal?”
[Hm?]
“If you’ve been dead and rotting for hundreds of years, you should have peacefully passed on. What the hell are you still alive for?”
[Tsk, tsk, tsk…]
At least five masters who appeared to be on par with the current Three Venerables.
Unable to kill him, sealing was said to be the best possible method.
As a result, the Blood Demon was sealed and remained in this land, or so it was said.
Then what was the reason he remained until now, revealing himself like this?
“Are you planning to resurrect or something?”
Could he be thinking of coming back to life?
[An amusing question. Resurrection.]
“If not, then just stay quietly buried. Why the hell are you always lurking around?”
Whether it’s Namgung Cheonjun or Jang Seonyeon,
there are people who have consumed blood energy and wield the Blood Demon’s power.
Were those who received such power truly only those two?
There could be more.
‘The Murim Alliance too might ultimately be in the Blood Demon’s grasp.’
There was a reason that made the Murim Alliance, which I already couldn’t trust, even harder to trust.
[Tsk, tsk…]
The Blood Demon had been showing a smile, as if something was amusing.
Was he sneering?
[Aha.]
The Blood Demon called out to me.
[To me, you are a great joy in this tedious fate. Let me tell you something as a gift.]
“…What are you…”
[If I wished for resurrection, I would have done so long ago.]
“What?”
[A seal… Did you think I suffered for such a long time because I was bewitched by a mere trifling seal created by insignificant beings?]
My body stiffened at the Blood Demon’s words.
Because I couldn’t tell if those words were true or not.
He might be using a trick.
If it’s a trick, what for?
While my thoughts churned in my head, the Blood Demon continued.
[I could have risen at any time.]
“…Then why didn’t you?”
[Because there was no need to go out of my way to do so.]
“No need?”
[Yes. Because there was no longer any need. I simply did not bother to rise.]
“Bullshit. If that’s the case, why the hell are you throwing a fit now?”
[Whatever do you mean?]
I knew the Blood Demon’s power resided in Jang Seonyeon and Namgung Cheonjun,
and just like before, he was having this conversation with me through Jang Seonyeon’s body.
“But what are you talking about now?”
[I merely gave it because they said they needed power. I did not reach out to them first.]
“How can I believe that?”
[Aha. You seem to be under some misunderstanding.]
Rumble—!
In an instant, a foul stench of blood surged from ahead.
I hesitated and stepped back.
If I hadn’t wrapped myself in my qi, I might have collapsed to the ground vomiting immediately.
This was definitely an energy erupting from Jang Seonyeon’s body before me.
And this was while he was borrowing another’s body?
When I widened my eyes in surprise, the Blood Demon spoke to me.
[I am not a being that requires your belief.]
Jang Seonyeon’s body gradually rose.
A body that looked like it would shatter if tapped, yet it rose and met my gaze.
I couldn’t see its eyes, so I wasn’t sure, but
I could tell it was definitely looking at me.
[Is this not something you should be grateful for instead?]
“…What should I be grateful for?”
[Even though I clearly know where my five senses are, where the energy and flesh I stored away are. I have merely been watching quietly. How merciful is that?]
Five senses and energy.
And flesh.
These were the words of Hwang Abulyeong.
That he had divided all the Blood Demon’s five senses and scattered them across the world.
That he had also separated his energy and flesh, sealing them apart.
‘He says he knows where they are?’
Even if those words were true,
it didn’t add credibility to the claim that he could resurrect at any time.
Just because he knew where they were didn’t mean he could find them. That was another matter entirely.
[I am merely waiting for the right time.]
The right time… What was he waiting for?
“Then when that awaited time comes, does that mean you’ll eventually resurrect?”
[Well… That is something I have not yet decided.]
In my past life that I remembered,
the being known as the Blood Demon had not resurrected.
He was merely the culprit who had caused the blood calamity of the past,
and nothing more than a figure sealed by the heroes’ exploits.
Thinking of that, I recalled.
“I have something I want to ask.”
At my boldly spat words, the Blood Demon let out a hollow laugh.
[How bold. As if I came here to exchange questions and answers with you.]
“Isn’t that right?”
[Why do you think so?]
“If not, you wouldn’t be telling me all this useless stuff.”
Going on about five senses, energy and flesh.
Saying you don’t dream of resurrection. Even saying you’re waiting for the right time.
Truly trivial pieces of information.
For someone who came to save Jang Seonyeon, he was quite talkative.
If he had come to kill me, he had appeared far too peacefully.
“If you have no intention of answering, I have no business with you either. Piss off.”
I had no intention of treating him nicely regardless.
Whatever his true nature, whatever his goal,
I didn’t think he was a being that would be favorable to me.
Whatever his purpose,
in the end, he was someone I had to get rid of.
[What is it you wish to ask?]
“Are you a calamity?”
Just as Yeon Ilcheon’s lingering will had once said.
The Blood Demon they had stopped was called a calamity.
A calamity that would bring the world’s destruction, one that should have decided the treatment of this world’s fate.
On top of that,
Yeon Ilcheon had declared that I too was a calamity. That there must be a reason for my regression,
saying that after all was said and done, I was the calamity that would lead the world to destruction.
Sin Noya had told me to have faith, but
it wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
If the Blood Demon had come seeking to converse with me,
I decided to ask directly.
Whether he was a calamity.
Whether Yeon Ilcheon’s words were true.
Hearing my question, the Blood Demon fell silent for a moment.
A brief silence passed for a few seconds.
The Blood Demon spoke to me.
[I didn’t expect to hear such a question from you. Interesting.]
“I didn’t ask to entertain you. Answer me.”
[A calamity.]
The Blood Demon took a step toward me.
The moment he took the step, I could see cracks form in his body.
[How does it look in your eyes?]
“Judging by your current appearance alone, it seems you are a calamity.”
Having placed yourself in a grotesque body that has lost its soul in death,
the sight of it approaching me was repulsive even to me.
[A calamity… Who spoke of me so?]
“Just answer whether it’s true or not.”
[No, there is no need to answer. After all, it is only one person.]
He reached out his hand.
I frowned at the black fingertips approaching me.
Should I cut it off?
Or smash it?
[It was Yeon Ilcheon, wasn’t it?]
The Blood Demon seemed to realize in an instant who had told me such words.
Should I deny it?
From my standpoint, Yeon Ilcheon wasn’t exactly a trustworthy human either.
[A persistent fellow. He still hasn’t given up and laid a trick. It seems that friend has clouded your eyes.]
“My eyes are perfectly fine.”
[No, they have been clouded by the ghosts of the past. I must open them.]
The Blood Demon’s fingertips approached my eyes.
They came close enough to touch my eyes.
But I did not move.
Even though it seemed the Blood Demon would do something if this continued,
I absolutely did not move.
Just like that, the Blood Demon’s fingertips,
at the moment they were about to touch my pupils,
Crack—!
The reaction I had been waiting for surged forth.
Something burst forth from the ground, separating the Blood Demon and me.
[Oh dear.]
The Blood Demon let out a sound of regret.
Wondering what had burst out, I looked,
and it was a massive tree root. Having confirmed that, the Blood Demon retreated slightly.
[It seems I have taken too much time.]
When the Blood Demon reached toward the tree root, his fingertips crumbled powerlessly before even touching it.
[Was this your aim?]
“I wasn’t particularly aiming for this, but since you were approaching. I thought perhaps.”
[How bold. It seems you had no intention of moving.]
I had thought it definitely would.
‘This thing’ too certainly had a purpose for me, and was something that needed me.
I didn’t think it would just leave me be.
[A pity… I wished to converse a little longer, but it seems the master of this place does not welcome me.]
Cracks began appearing all over the Blood Demon’s body.
[Though unsatisfying, with this conversation. I hope we have grown a little closer.]
“You were a more disgusting human than I expected. You’re making me sick. If you’re going, disappear quietly.”
Though I growled out the words,
the Blood Demon didn’t seem particularly bothered.
Even as I watched Jang Seonyeon’s body rapidly vanish, I didn’t let my guard down.
The Blood Demon was still looking at my face.
[What I told you before still holds true. If you meet Muhui, come find me.]
Ha.
At the Blood Demon’s words, I let out a hollow laugh.
“What do you think I’d do if I went to find you?”
I don’t even know what Muhui is in the first place. I don’t know why he keeps telling me to find him.
If I went and smashed everything, what would he do, inviting me like that all the time?
Was he that confident?
“If by any chance I do go, I definitely won’t be coming with good intentions.”
[That is good as well. Nothing is better than breaking free from the mold, no matter what it is.]
Having spoken thus, the Blood Demon’s lower body disappeared and his upper body slumped.
The impact of hitting the ground shattered his body into pieces.
The body divided like fragments turned to powder and scattered in the rushing wind.
Even in that situation, the Blood Demon left me with words.
[Let us meet again.]
Having said that,
the wind swept Jang Seonyeon’s flesh from sight.
“…Huu.”
Only after confirming that,
did I let out a rough breath.
I had finally released the extreme tension I had been holding.
“Bastard. Anyway, whenever I try to do something, something always gets in the way.”
Should I say this was also bad luck striking?
My head throbbed.
Why the hell did the Blood Demon have to appear out of nowhere?
‘What is going on?’
Whenever I tried to recall only the information from my past life,
secrets I hadn’t known were bursting forth one by one now.
I wondered what the hell it all meant.
What the hell was that fate?
What was the karma accumulated in the world?
What was the thing called the seed that Guga possessed?
Bad things were lined up one after another, any one of which would have been enough,
so my mind was nothing but complicated.
That was why I had come here. From the moment I sought the Divine Dragon Hall.
From the moment I confirmed the existence of the Cheoljiseon.
This was the place I had wanted to come.
I thought that thing here would know.
I turned around and spoke.
“If you were going to appear, you should have done so from the start. Why show up so late?”
Where I spoke with annoyance,
instead of the endlessly stretching dried-up plains,
something gigantic that blotted out the sky stood before my eyes.
I had seen it in my past life too, but
it was truly an absurd size. To simply call it a tree,
the atmosphere and grandeur it emanated were on another level.
Moreover,
this tree had a name of its own.
When it introduced itself once,
it had said so.
That it was the fifth World Tree rooted in this place.
Mua.
Whooooosh—
As if reacting to my words, the branches stretching above the clouds moved all at once.
The leaves seemed to have fallen long ago, as only dry branches filled the tree,
making it look all the more desolate.
At that moment,
[Welcome.]
A voice rang in my ears.
An extremely hollow voice filled with sorrow.
It was the same voice I had heard then.
The greeting was the same as back then, but
the second sentence that followed was different from my past life.
[My apostle.]
I frowned at the words I heard.