Episode 347: The Return. (6)
A night when the moon had barely risen.
Someone sat straddling a massive rock, tilting a wine cup. A few strands of long hair mixed into the wine, but he did not seem particularly bothered.
The moon floating in the night sky was reflected upon the swaying wine. The cup’s owner glanced at it, then immediately raised the cup and drank.
That disheveled appearance paradoxically looked noble.
Perhaps because one knew all too well the greatness of the position and power that this figure held.
Behind the drinking figure—
The green forest was covered in blood.
It was filled with mangled corpses so damaged one could hardly dare recognize their forms. Each and every one of them was a master renowned in the Central Plains.
A force mixed with those who had reached Transcendence and the Harmonious Realm.
One could say it was a force great enough to erase a great family, one of the renowned houses, from the lands of the Central Plains, and yet—
The figure quietly drinking his wine before my eyes had erased such people with a few gestures of his hand.
The figure who had swallowed all the wine in the cup flicked his gaze toward me.
The moment I met the purple pupils contained within.
An illusion came over me that the color of the moon floating in the night sky had also turned purple.
[Great Lord.]
[…Yes.]
I bowed my head at the call. The figure who confirmed this.
The Heavenly Demon poured wine into the cup once more.
Pour…
Keuh…
The sound of wine pouring echoed in the silent forest.
[Do you regret it?]
[What do you mean?]
[That this seat has intercepted Great Lord’s gift. This seat asks if you regret it.]
[…]
I gave no answer to the Heavenly Demon’s question. He, too, as if he had known I would do so, simply raised his cup and drank again.
The corpses piled behind were originally a force sent by the Alliance to ambush me. Here and there were those who did not appear to be martial artists belonging to the Alliance; it seemed they had also hired martial artists with a large sum of money.
[…That is not so. If the Cult Leader had not aided me, it would have been dangerous.]
At my forced words, the Heavenly Demon let out a snicker.
[Great Lord says so? What a laughable thing to say.]
The Heavenly Demon, bursting into laughter, waved one hand.
Fwoooosh—!
Then, in an instant, the piled corpses behind were swept up in black flames and disappeared without a trace.
[It seems the Alliance dogs are quite impatient, resorting to such trifling tricks.]
The Three Excellences, who had been called the strongest of the Central Plains, had all been killed. The Mount Hua Sect had burned away and vanished.
The Namgung family had been annihilated.
Though they were forces of the Righteous faction, they were gradually being absorbed by the Demon Cult or disappearing by their hands.
And among the people of the Central Plains, forces had appeared that absurdly praised the Heavenly Demon and the Demon Cult.
The Alliance, which had been built firm over several centuries, had begun to collapse.
Some had chosen. After all, the Central Plains would fall, and the era of the Demon Cult would arrive, so they said they would enter the Heavenly Demon’s service before it was too late.
Did hope remain for the Central Plains?
No, it would not. At least, that is how it seemed to me. The so-called hope of the Central Plains had ultimately vanished with the appearance of the Heavenly Demon.
That is the kind of being the Heavenly Demon is.
His very existence was a calamity, a figure as if the word “apocalypse” had been given human form.
That was the Heavenly Demon.
The Heavenly Demon tossed the last cup into his mouth, then quietly looked up beyond the sky.
The wind gently blew, swaying the Heavenly Demon’s hair.
[Great Lord.]
[Yes.]
[This seat shall head to Hanam in seven days and nights.]
[Kuh!]
I had to hide my surprise at the Heavenly Demon’s words. Those words meant he would head directly to Hanam, where the Alliance was, to wage war.
Though war had been waged until now, this was the first time he intended to launch a direct assault.
[You wear an expression of surprise.]
[It is not so. I merely…]
[Are you worried?]
[…]
Worried.
At those words that stabbed into my chest like a dagger, I had to close my mouth.
Had he read my expression? The Heavenly Demon continued.
[It does not seem you worry for this seat.]
Resting his chin on pale fingertips as if intrigued.
He looked at me with his purple pupils half-open.
Unable to bear meeting that gaze, all I could do was lower my head.
[Then who is it that Great Lord worries for?]
[That is not so… I do not worry…]
[Great Lord is poor at lying. Do you know that?]
[…]
[Though much time has passed, Great Lord still retains childlike aspects.]
Kuk kuk.
The sound of the Heavenly Demon’s laughter entered my ears.
[The only one who has spat lies at this seat and remained alive is Great Lord. Do you know that?]
[…]
[The only one who has remained alive without answering this seat’s questions must also be Great Lord.]
[Cult Leader…]
Swoosh.
The Heavenly Demon quietly rose, perhaps having had no intention of hearing my answer from the start.
[The Sword Demon who went to Uicheon shall return soon.]
[The Green King in Sacheon must also have finished preparations. He shall face the Blade Emperor.]
The Heavenly Demon, who had begun to slowly inform me of these things, gradually lifted off from the ground and slowly rose into the air.
The black energy flickering around his body resembled the form of wings.
What I should have recalled upon hearing the words the Heavenly Demon spoke to me was that I had not known any of this information.
The Sword Demon had originally been my direct subordinate.
The Green King had been Jegal Hyeok’s guard but had been absorbed into my side when Jegal Hyeok died.
The fact that I had not known anything of their return or actions.
Meant that the Heavenly Demon had intentionally kept me from knowing.
Was he thinking of casting me aside?
That thought flashed through my mind for a moment.
Then, the Heavenly Demon added one more thing.
[This seat shall take command of the demon followers.]
[Cult Leader…!]
It was not a strange thing to say.
From the beginning, the master of all demon followers and the very heavens was the Heavenly Demon, so it was not strange that he held command.
What was important was that until now, the Heavenly Demon had never bothered to do such a thing.
Until now, the command of the demon followers had been held by Jegal Hyeok.
And the command of the troops under me had been held by me.
Immediately after Jegal Hyeok’s death, his command had been absorbed into my side, or—
—the situation was that other squad leaders had divided it among themselves.
The meaning of the Heavenly Demon taking all that command was the same as saying he would truly move directly.
This would surely be a calamity for the Central Plains.
The reason the Central Plains had barely held out until now.
Was because the Heavenly Demon had not seriously stepped forward to destroy the Central Plains.
At least, I knew.
If the Heavenly Demon had truly stepped forward to destroy and burn the Central Plains.
It would have been impossible for them to endure until now.
But… why?
Why was the Heavenly Demon trying to move now? It was a matter of course, yet doubt arose.
The reason the Heavenly Demon, who had not bothered until now, had begun to move.
Perhaps. Because the Three Excellences were dead and most of their forces lost. Had he waited for a situation where certain victory was assured?
Such a thought occurred to me, but looking at the Heavenly Demon’s nature I had faced until now, I did not think so.
Perhaps that was why. Without realizing it, I asked the Heavenly Demon.
[Cult Leader…]
[Speak.]
[…May I ask the reason?]
What the Heavenly Demon wished to do was the will and goal of the demon followers.
To doubt that was absurd.
It was something that could not be.
Nevertheless, I had to ask.
[Reason.]
The Heavenly Demon floating in the air still looked down at me with an expression of interest.
His form hiding where the moon had risen. It seemed he was blocking the light.
Only his purple pupils shone brilliantly in the darkness of light and shadow.
[Were you curious about that?]
[I apologize…]
Looking at his curved eyes, I could tell the Heavenly Demon was smiling.
[It is simply that the time has come.]
The time had come.
I had a feeling the Heavenly Demon’s words sank unusually deep into me.
[From now on, what this seat says to Great Lord is a command. One that must absolutely be obeyed.]
[…I shall obey.]
[When this seat heads to Hanam. Great Lord must make a choice.]
I listened closely to the Heavenly Demon’s words.
[Whether to head to Hanam together with this seat. Or not to do so.]
[…Cult Leader. What do you mean…?]
It was incomprehensible. To ask me to decide whether to go to Hanam with him or not.
When the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons was heading to war, how could there be a choice for one who belonged to him not to go?
[If given a choice, Great Lord would head to Hanam.]
[That is only natural.]
[But is that truly for this seat’s sake?]
[Kuh!]
At the Heavenly Demon’s meaningful words, I had to swallow.
[That wavering gaze is the same as ever.]
[…Cult Leader.]
[It seems the place for that girl is still in Great Lord’s embrace.]
[No. How could I concern myself with such trash…]
[Just this once, this seat shall not blame Great Lord for telling a lie.]
[…]
As he spoke, the Heavenly Demon carelessly swept his hair back with his hand.
The Heavenly Demon’s face glimpsed at that moment.
Those features, familiar yet evoking various emotions, were still not a face one could look upon for long.
[This seat is fond of Great Lord.]
[…I thank…]
[But there are times this seat wishes to cut your throat. Do you know when that is?]
[…]
[It is when you behold this seat’s face and harbor longing. Each time, this seat feels the impulse to gouge out Great Lord’s two eyes.]
[If you wish it, I shall burn out my two eyes right here.]
Words spoken from the heart.
Hearing my words, the Heavenly Demon smiled as if pleased with the answer.
[That would be a bit troublesome. This seat is rather fond of Great Lord’s eyes.]
Rustle…
As the Heavenly Demon gradually settled in the air, the fields and forests below began to gradually lose their vitality and rot.
It must be the influence of the demonic qi he exuded.
[Immediately after all is finished.]
[Great Lord shall make a choice.]
A choice.
That there would come a time when I must choose?
I still could not know the meaning of the Heavenly Demon’s words.
[When that time comes.]
…
…
..
..
To me, lost like one who could not understand the words, the Heavenly Demon spit out more words as if giving an answer, but—
I could not remember what words I had heard from the Heavenly Demon then.
Not to mention.
I ultimately could not know of the choice the Heavenly Demon had commanded of me then.
The Heavenly Demon met his death, defeated by the Little Sword Saint, bringing the war to an end. The Little Sword Saint came to be called the Divine Sword.
Moreover, all the demon followers who had gathered in Hanam at that time were captured by the Martial Alliance and killed or tortured.
The Demon Cult’s defeat.
This was an outcome no one had expected of the Righteous faction’s victory.
Not even I.
And what the Heavenly Demon had spoken to me about the choice that day—
Even now, after regressing, I did not know what it had meant.
Fwoooosh—!
A body enveloped in flames broke through the forest even faster.
I raised the internal energy contained in my body to the extreme.
To reach the destination faster.
‘It can’t be…’
I forcibly killed the emotion of extreme anxiety. I ground my teeth and endured.
Thump. Thump.
One side of my dantian was still vibrating as if resonating. This was the center of my anxiety.
Of course, the heightened sense of energy having reached the Harmonious Realm.
All five senses I possessed were reacting.
My dantian reacted, I heard sounds, smelled scents, and tasted flavors.
My hands trembled, and I could see something in the distance.
There was only one reason I felt these reactions.
They were informing me.
That the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons was there.
There.
That the Heavenly Demon was there.
‘This is absurd.’
It was not yet time for the Heavenly Demon to appear.
It was surely something that would only happen after I had passed my coming of age.
It was something that should erupt years from now, not now.
‘Have things gone awry?’
Perhaps.
Since there were more than one or two things that had changed upon regressing, this too could have changed.
But it must not.
At least.
As for the Heavenly Demon’s appearance, it must not be now.
Nothing was prepared.
‘Faster.’
I moved my legs desperately. The flames became a single point, breaking through rapidly.
I did not dodge. I melted and burned away the obstacles before me.
The incidents that had occurred upon returning to the present world.
The mysterious force that had attacked the Sinryong Pavilion. What situation was unfolding, and so on—all were erased from my head now.
What remained were only thoughts of the Heavenly Demon.
I ran.
Crackle—!
I burned the trees in sight, heading only forward.
How long did I run?
I reached the center of the energy.
Only then did it gradually come into view.
First what I saw was the surroundings that had become a mess from whatever had happened, and—
Bi Ui-jin, sitting crouched a short distance away, catching his breath.
Why was he like that?
For now, I shifted my gaze.
Then I saw Wi Seol-a standing before him.
With her sword drawn, emanating a savage fighting spirit.
The golden energy surrounding Wi Seol-a’s body was definitely the Sword Lord’s martial art.
The purity contained within that energy was considerable.
The presence Wi Seol-a exuded was no less.
It seemed Wi Seol-a’s realm was higher than expected.
But. My eyes moved elsewhere first.
There was an opponent Wi Seol-a had drawn her sword against.
The moment I saw that opponent.
I felt as if time had briefly stopped.
For what felt like a few seconds.
In that short time, I could recall many things.
I could feel nothing. I could clearly see.
I saw a standing figure; a face entered my eyes.
But paradoxically, I could feel nothing.
Then. The being confronting Wi Seol-a moved its head toward me.
I wondered if it was an illusion. But it was definitely looking at me.
Time, which had seemed stopped, flowed again.
I, who had rushed in like I was flying.
Immediately embraced Wi Seol-a.
“Uh…!”
Wi Seol-a let out a sound, flustered by the sudden situation, but—
I, having tightly embraced Wi Seol-a, immediately put distance between us.
“Hooh… hooh…”
Panting roughly, I held Wi Seol-a in my arms as if protecting her.
I raised my internal energy to the maximum.
Flames welled up in my pupils.
My hair moved bit by bit.
Even though I had suddenly intruded, he still wore an expressionless face.
“…Why.”
Seeing that, I let slip.
“Why have you appeared now?”
I had realized it through the energy already, but facing it, I could be even more certain.
At my words, something with the same appearance as Wi Seol-a tilted its head.
The moment our eyes met, it felt as if my breath was completely choked.
Though I could feel nothing.
On the contrary, it was because I felt far too much.
Hiding my trembling inner self.
With difficulty, I called out to him.
“…Heavenly Demon.”
At my call, the Heavenly Demon’s two purple eyes gleamed.
Seeing that, I became certain once more.
That the Heavenly Demon had returned to this land.