Time passed.
From shortly after noon until the hour of the Rooster drew near.
The thick, cloying stench of blood still lingered in the forest, but the fighting spirit and killing intent that had saturated the air began to slowly wane.
It had reached what could be called a lull.
The screams of the academy disciples that had rung out incessantly gradually faded.
By the time the sun began to set, the situation had finally become manageable.
It had been an enormous, unexpected assault, yet
ridiculously enough, the assault had been quelled before even a day had passed.
But that wasn’t the only surprising thing.
When I returned after heading to the Mageong,
I had thought at least several days would have passed,
but to my surprise, I was told that not even two hours had passed since I disappeared.
What in the world had happened….
As for the assault,
perhaps it was because the main figures—the Black Night Palace Lord and the Black Dragon Sword—had suffered an early defeat.
Had anyone heard that an assault involving such individuals had been quelled in less than a day,
they might very well have spat, “Isn’t that rather anticlimactic?”
Yet in an assault, there is no such thing as anticlimactic or not.
Especially if someone had lost their life.
Fwoosh.
When the captured man’s breath was cut short, and his vitality had all burned away, leaving only black ashes.
Only then did I release the hand I had been holding.
He collapsed powerlessly to the ground.
From the impact, his body crumbled to pieces.
Such was the end of the nameless demonic faction member.
Pat, pat.
Dusting off my hands, I surveyed my surroundings.
‘Are there more?’
I expanded my qi sense.
Was it because I had broken through to a higher realm? The qi sense that had previously only been able to cover a portion of the mountain
had now expanded to half of Mount Tai.
Though it was likely also because my upper dantian had opened and my vessel had grown larger,
it was undoubtedly largely thanks to my control having developed to be far more delicate and precise.
‘…I think there are a few hiding.’
The rest seemed to be at a level the instructors could handle on their own.
Crackle.
I retrieved the lingering flames around me and checked my body’s condition.
‘Fatigue has built up.’
My body felt unbearably heavy. It was because I had fought to the point of exhaustion immediately after reaching the Flame Realm.
What could I do? An incident had erupted the moment I came out.
Had I not fought, that would have been its own problem.
On top of that,
‘I had to find that bastard.’
It felt like I was taking care of them in passing, while wandering about with the intention of finding and eliminating Jang Seonyeon.
In the end, I had failed to find Jang Seonyeon.
That was the problem.
‘…What happened?’
According to the laws of the Mageong, Jang Seonyeon should have returned just like me.
When I asked the World Tree, the answer had been the same.
Since it was one of the possibilities I had anticipated, I didn’t think it would become a serious problem.
Moreover,
‘If the situation is like it is now. It would be perfect.’
An assault.
I hadn’t known what madman would assault the Divine Dragon Academy.
It would be strange to call it a blessing, but the situation had made it quite convenient to kill those who needed killing.
If Jang Seonyeon had returned like me,
now would have been the perfect time to erase him without a trace.
‘This has become troublesome.’
Just in case, I even went to the place where Cheoljiseon had opened the Mageong,
but Jang Seonyeon had vanished without a trace.
While burning my enemies to death, I had scanned the entirety of Mount Tai,
but I couldn’t find Jang Seonyeon.
How could that be?
‘If he hid… No, even so, it makes no sense.’
It was strange enough that Jang Seonyeon, who must have lost his memory, would hide from me,
and even if he had, there was no way I wouldn’t be able to find him.
If I had to name a remaining possibility,
‘It would be that he’s already dead.’
Having lost his vitality and lying beneath this earth, I would be unable to find him.
That was the most plausible explanation.
If he hadn’t disappeared without a trace, that is.
“Tch.”
Things had become a bit troublesome.
Being able to eliminate him during this opportunity would have been an ideal situation.
But the possibility of uncertainty remained.
“Sigh… Right. Since when has everything I done worked out well.”
Roughly brushing my hair back, I recovered all my aura.
Though my body brimmed with fatigue, there was still no problem in moving.
This was likely,
‘The influence of the Demon Human transformation.’
I had unleashed all demonic energy into my flesh and used my heart as collateral.
Thanks to that, I had succeeded in becoming a Demon Human while simultaneously severing my connection to the Heavenly Demon completely.
Moreover…
“…I hadn’t known I could undo it.”
I clenched and unclenched my fist to check.
My current body was not that of a Demon Human, but my original human form.
Once one becomes a Demon Human, they cannot return until death.
This was an immutable law decreed by the Heavenly Demon.
Yet I had been able to return from a Demon Human to a human.
‘Was it this easy?’
When I became a Demon Human and completely subjugated the demonic energy as my own,
I could realize it without anyone teaching me.
How to return to being human.
And how to use demonic energy.
Like instinct, perhaps.
‘Moreover…’
Rolling up my right sleeve, I checked my skin.
Seeing the traces left there, my brow furrowed.
“What the hell is this.”
Something subtle remained—an influence of unknown origin.
There hadn’t been anything like this when I became a Demon Human in my past life.
Why?
This was almost like,
“Hyung-nim.”
“…!”
The moment I heard the voice, I rolled my sleeve back down. I immediately turned my head toward the direction of the sound.
Standing there was Pae Ucheol.
“Ah, you were alive?”
“…Did you just ask if I was alive?”
At my words, Pae Ucheol made a hurt expression.
With a fierce impression no less intimidating than my own, such an expression only made him look scarier.
“It seems… you are unharmed, Hyung-nim.”
Pae Ucheol surveyed my surroundings and widened his eyes.
All around were nothing but the charred corpses of demonic faction members.
Though there weren’t that many in number, it was a sight shocking enough to behold.
And as I quietly stared into the eyes of Pae Ucheol who uttered such words,
I suddenly blurted out,
“Did you kill someone.”
“…!”
Pae Ucheol’s eyes trembled upon hearing my words.
The emotion contained in his eyes was something I knew all too well.
Judging by Pae Ucheol’s physical condition and the traces left on his hands,
it seemed he had dealt with a demonic martial artist.
His mental state seemed to have been shaken because of it.
Seeing him, I could tell that despite his large frame, he was still a late-stage disciple.
“Good work.”
That was the extent of my sentiment.
It was something one would inevitably experience as a martial artist.
Comfort or empathy was unnecessary.
Since it was something he had to endure alone, that was as far as it went.
“It seems to be wrapping up, so head back.”
“What about you, Hyung-nim…”
“I have to go as well.”
The academy disciples should have taken refuge from the start.
I merely
had the intention of finding and eliminating Jang Seonyeon,
and merely needed an outlet to vent my shitty mood.
It was strange that Pae Ucheol had remained until now.
“Why did you stay behind?”
“…”
At my question, Pae Ucheol slightly turned his head.
Avoiding my gaze and keeping his mouth shut, it seemed there was a reason he couldn’t say.
Seeing that, I moved forward and brushed past Pae Ucheol.
My hand tapped Pae Ucheol’s sturdy shoulder.
“That’s enough. Let’s head down now.”
If he didn’t want to speak, there was no need to force it.
If he had wanted to say something, he would have.
“Yes… Hyung-nim.”
Swoosh.
A spring breeze brushed against my cheek, winter having passed.
Yet in the wind that should have been fragrant,
a terrible stench of blood was mixed.
“...”
This year’s spring,
was likely the worst of the seasons I had experienced since my regression.
******************
The Divine Dragon Academy, collapsed and crushed, had been turned into a shelter.
I could see the academy disciples receiving treatment while bleeding,
and those trembling violently, engulfed in fear.
I could also see those sitting against the walls with dead eyes, as if their souls had fled.
Though the assault hadn’t even lasted a day,
the state of those who were experiencing such a thing for the first time was far from good.
‘No, there were practically none.’
Hadn’t they called it an era of peace?
Putting an end to the war with the demonic faction after experiencing the flames of war was now a thing of the past.
The so-called Four Devils and Five Emperors—the supreme leaders of the demonic faction—might seem to live in grandeur,
but ultimately, they were no different from holding their breath beneath the line drawn by the righteous faction.
When the absolutes known as the Three Venerables
were all members of the righteous faction, it was easy to understand.
This was the era of the righteous faction.
No matter how much the demonic faction bastards gnashed their teeth, they couldn’t hold their heads high beneath the might of the righteous faction.
How long had it been since an incident and assault like this had occurred?
It must have been the first time in nearly ten years.
‘Even in my past life, a major incident had only happened after the Black Night Palace fell.’
The assault on the Divine Dragon Academy was something that had never happened, at least in my past life.
This too was an anomaly that had appeared in this life.
Which meant,
‘It was my fault.’
The butterfly effect caused by my regression.
The words stung deeply.
“…No… get up…!”
“Senior Brother… Senior Brother!”
“Senior Brother… please open your eyes…”
In the middle of the clearing prepared within the Divine Dragon Academy,
the reason the screams continued to ring out
was because it was where the bodies of the dead academy disciples had been gathered.
It hadn’t even been that long.
Yet so many academy disciples had met their end.
If one had to nitpick, the number of those killed wasn’t large compared to the total number of academy disciples,
but dead was dead.
Had it not been for this incident, there were those who might have lived until right before the Bloody Calamity occurred.
But because of this incident, they had been killed.
If so, it was my fault.
If something that hadn’t happened in my past life had occurred,
then it must all be my fault.
‘...’
Had I not known something like this would happen?
No, I had known very well.
I had already known that something like this might happen someday.
The problem was that experiencing it firsthand felt far worse than I had expected.
Moreover,
in the center of the anguished screams, I could see the back of someone standing with a blood-stained sword.
The promising talent of Wudang, who always wore a lazy expression and had a loud way of speaking,
stood in the center of his dead fellow disciples, not uttering a single word.
Since there had been disciples from Wudang among them, it seemed there had been casualties among their number as well.
And I could see the back of the Sleeping Dragon, watching them intently.
Grit.
I couldn’t hold back and bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.
It was a truly shitty day.
I considered approaching but forcibly turned my head away.
There was nothing I could do for him right now.
I moved on.
After walking a short distance with weary steps, I saw Gu Jeolyeop in the distance.
Gu Jeolyeop was not in a good state either.
His face was utterly exhausted, and his tension was palpable.
Unlike fighting demonic beasts on the front lines, this must have been his first real battle against humans.
I could see the cold sweat still trickling down, which he hadn’t been able to wipe away.
“…You’ve come.”
Sensing me approach, Gu Jeolyeop bowed his head slightly.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. The First Young Lord… as expected, you seem to be unharmed.”
“What do you mean, ‘as expected’?”
“Because it is hard to imagine the First Young Lord getting beaten somewhere.”
“...”
Normally, I might have struck his calf for being impudent,
but now I simply sighed and let it pass.
“You’ve worked hard.”
As I passed by, Gu Jeolyeop spoke to me.
Hearing those words, my brow slightly furrowed.
“You’ve worked hard”?
Did I have the right to hear such words?
I passed Gu Jeolyeop and entered the building.
Though calling it a building was a stretch, as it was beginning to collapse.
“…Ha.”
I could see people moving busily.
A mixture of academy disciples and instructors.
“—Is there still no word from the Alliance?”
“—...They should be on their way.”
“—Is that what you should be saying right now!? You’re from the Alliance!”
“—I’m frustrated too!”
The atmosphere was far from good.
It could have been because of the swarm of people.
It was an urgently constructed shelter to treat and rest the injured.
The problem was that there were far too few physicians compared to the number of injured.
Moreover, some of the already few physicians had died, so treatment was inevitably slower.
I continued walking, weaving through them.
“Ah…”
Then someone spotted me and let out a sound.
I had already seen her while approaching.
She looked ridiculous wrapped tightly in bandages.
And how much blood had she shed to become so emaciated?
“You’re here?”
Paeng Ahee was the one stuck to her side, tending to her.
Her hair was disheveled, and her martial uniform was dusty because she hadn’t been able to change.
Paeng Ahee—who looked far too disheveled for the daughter of a prestigious family—looked at me with an exhausted expression.
“…I heard the rumors. They said you’ve been through a lot?”
I let out a hollow laugh at Paeng Ahee’s sudden words.
“Strange rumors seem to have spread. I didn’t do anything….”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Really.”
Perhaps thinking my words were a joke, Paeng Ahee smiled bitterly.
Leaving Paeng Ahee behind,
I saw someone looking at me and waving slightly.
It was Namgung Bia, her face emaciated and wrapped tightly in bandages.
“…Hi…”
Seeing that, I had to grit my teeth internally.
“You’re greeting me?”
Namgung Bia flinched at my angry voice.
“…Are… you mad?”
“Wouldn’t I be?”
“…Sorry.”
Namgung Bia instantly crumpled at my words.
I didn’t like seeing her like that.
Her apologizing to me, that is.
“What were you trying to do?”
“…Huh?”
“You should have sized up your opponent before jumping in.”
I had heard the story.
That Namgung Bia had blocked the Black Night Palace Lord.
And that she had ended up in that state.
“Are you crazy? Do you want to die?”
“...”
“What were you planning to do if you had died? What can you even do, being so weak…!”
The more I spoke, the less I could control my emotions.
Not at anyone, but at myself.
Hadn’t I almost lost her again, stupidly unaware of everything?
Because I was incompetent.
That enraged me to my very core.
Then, Namgung Bia carefully grabbed my sleeve.
“…Sorry… don’t cry.”
Those sudden words
“—Crying?”
reminded me of a situation from my past life.
“Who’s crying?”
“…I’m fine…”
With broken bones here and there.
Her internal energy exhausted, and it was said she had lost so much blood that she had reached a critical state.
What do you mean, you’re fine?
“That’s enough… don’t apologize.”
“…Yeah.”
I was the one who should apologize.
I was truly pathetic.
Seeing myself venting my guilt in such a way was pathetic.
What good was ascending in realm,
if I couldn’t even do this one thing?
For this, I had to be grateful to the World Tree.
If things had gone as expected, several more days should have passed by now.
The World Tree’s power was likely what had blocked that process and allowed me to exit after only a short time.
‘What if I had been a few days late?’
It was a dizzying thought.
It was also something I didn’t want to imagine.
So it was a relief.
That she hadn’t died.
I shifted my gaze.
Beside Namgung Bia, Dang Soyeol lay with her eyes closed.
Judging by her condition, she hadn’t fallen asleep naturally.
It seemed she had been forcibly put to sleep using internal energy.
“They say it’s because she lost too much blood, but her life is not in danger.”
Paeng Ahee answered what I had been wondering.
“…But why put her to sleep?”
“…The elder sister is fine because her realm is high, but they said this way is faster for Soyeol.”
Namgung Bia, who had reached the pinnacle, had such high natural regenerative abilities that there was no issue,
but Dang Soyeol was not at that level, so this method was faster.
I had also heard how Dang Soyeol had fared against the Black Night Palace Lord.
“...”
Recalling that, I unconsciously brushed her hair.
Namgung Bia only watched my actions intently, showing no particular reaction.
She merely asked me,
“What about Seola?”
Speaking of Wi Seola.
“She’s resting.”
I recalled what had happened during the day.
Despite everything that had happened, Wi Seola had lost consciousness and collapsed afterward.
Because of that, some time had to be spent tending to the collapsed Wi Seola and Bi Uijin.
Moreover,
“—It seems we have matters to discuss. Don’t you agree?”
Bi Uijin had said to me meaningfully.
Damn it.
It meant he had no intention of letting this go easily.
‘How do I handle this.’
I didn’t know.
Once an incident erupted, it exploded into a fucking mess, leaving me dizzy every time.
“Hey.”
While I was wracking my brain over what to do,
Paeng Ahee suddenly spoke to me.
“…Why?”
“The Sword Empress came by earlier.”
“The Sword Empress?”
Since I hadn’t seen her, I had wondered if something had happened,
but fortunately, it seemed the Sword Empress was alive.
Well, it wouldn’t be easy for a martial artist of her caliber to die in such an assault.
‘Though considering what happened to the Blue Ocean Lone Sword, one never knows.’
The old man who had lost an arm and collapsed came to mind, leaving my lips feeling parched.
“She asked that you come see her when you arrived.”
“Me? Where?”
It was a message that the Sword Empress was looking for me.
Paeng Ahee told me that the Sword Empress was where the Blue Ocean Lone Sword was being treated,
and after passing some of my internal energy to Namgung Bia and Dang Soyeol, I moved on.
In my heart, I wanted to stay right there and head straight to Wi Seola,
but I figured that if the Sword Empress had gone out of her way to find me, it must be urgent.
I headed toward the space where the Blue Ocean Lone Sword was being treated.
The instructors standing guard flinched when they saw me,
but when I told them the Sword Empress had called for me, they naturally stepped aside.
It seemed they had been forewarned.
After passing through the guards,
Rustle.
I lifted the cloth blocking the way.
There lay the Blue Ocean Lone Sword, who seemed to have fallen asleep, perhaps because his treatment was complete,
and the Sword Empress who had called for me was seated.
“…You’ve come.”
“…!”
The problem was,
beside the Sword Empress,
the white-haired, white-eyed man I had met during the day was also sitting with her.