Chapter 459 - Change (變).
What is that?
The moment he saw it, that was the thought that crossed Cheonjon's mind.
What on earth is it?
Fwoosh—!
Flames were wrapping around its entire body, blazing.
The sight of it burning madly with blue flames gave off something subtle.
Just what is that?
Krrk—!
"...!"
The figure’s arm moved.
Seeing that, Cheonjon gripped his sword.
'To think...'
The moment he realized his vigilance had boiled to the extreme, Cheonjon’s face crumpled deeply.
The reason was none other than this:
He himself had been on guard.
Against that unknown something. He had been.
Clack!
Energy surged from the sword he gripped and from his body.
His pupils shifted. The direction of his gaze was the spot where the bastard had just been lying.
'It’s gone.'
He had definitely plunged his sword into the heart. He remembered the vivid sensation.
A fatal blow that would have meant instant death. A wound no human could possibly survive.
'...What happened?'
The blood that should have spilled. The traces that should have remained as it fell.
None of it was left.
How could it be so clean?
Fwoosh—!
Cheonjon turned his head toward the gradually rising flames.
The more he looked, the more questions he had. Just how was that thing alive?
No, to begin with.
'Is that really that child?'
He had to doubt whether the youth he had killed was truly 'that thing.'
Its presence was different.
Meaning the feeling it gave off was completely different.
The qi perception Cheonjon possessed, maximized beyond its limits, could tell him many things.
Including the internal energy it possessed, its unique movements, and even its heartbeat.
He had become capable of grasping everything and distinguishing the differences.
That thing.
'...What is it.'
Not even Cheonjon could tell.
He couldn’t hear a heartbeat, nor could he sense a scent.
Not hearing a sound meant it had reached death.
The question was how a human could stand there so brazenly and move.
'To begin with...'
Was it even human?
If it wasn’t human, what was he to consider that thing?
Unconsciously, a single word flashed through Cheonjon’s mind.
'Demon?'
Yes, a demon.
In Cheonjon’s eyes, that thing was closer to a demon than a human. A trickle of cold sweat ran down Cheonjon’s wrinkled cheek.
Feeling that, he swung his sword.
Shwick—!
Slash—!
A sharply flying sword aura cut off the figure’s arm.
Afterward, with a thud, the arm fell to the ground.
The figure merely glanced at its fallen arm briefly, showing no other notable reaction.
The figure, which had been silently looking at its own arm, slowly turned its head to stare at Cheonjon once more.
What, is that all?
If it wasn’t going to resist, that would be even better.
Thinking so, as Cheonjon tried to launch a sword aura toward its neck this time.
Rat-tat-tat...
"...?"
Feeling a strange sign, Cheonjon looked at the hand holding his sword.
"...What?"
Only then could he see.
That both his sword and his own body were trembling slightly.
His arm was shaking.
Not just his arm, but his entire body was shaking.
Why? Why was his body suddenly trembling?
Cheonjon tried to circulate his internal energy to calm it, but it was no easy task.
What was happening?
As Cheonjon thought this, he soon bit his lip.
Because he had realized why his body was reacting this way.
His flesh was feeling fear.
The moment he recalled that, Cheonjon’s face contorted like a vengeful ghost. That he was feeling fear?
It was absurd.
To feel fear toward an unknown being, not the Cheonmado or the Geomjon, let alone the Paejon or the Sogeomseong?
It was impossible.
It was even humiliating to feel it.
Rumble—!
The energy erupting from Cheonjon’s body soared into the sky, creating dark clouds.
He couldn’t stand it. Since 'permission' had been granted, there was no reason to hesitate, so Cheonjon swung his sword once more, imbued with energy.
His trembling still remained, but overcoming something like that was no problem.
A formidable aura containing the enlightenment of a martial artist who had surpassed his limits.
A sword aura containing overwhelming power split the air and flew toward the figure. Its target was the neck.
No matter what unknown thing it was, if its neck was severed, it would die.
Thinking so, Cheonjon launched his attack, and an enormous sword aura shattered the ground and shot straight forward.
BOOOOM—!
A thunderous roar erupted, and the forest shook.
At the moment he expected the figure to be swept away by that distant reverberation.
Jjjeueuk.
A change briefly came over the figure’s appearance.
Cracks slowly opened at the corners of the figure’s mouth.
SCREEEECH—!
It let out a tremendous roar.
CRAAASH—!!
That wasn’t all.
As it cried out, wind pressure exploded, and the surroundings began to collapse. Cheonjon’s sword aura scattered along with the sound, and the dark clouds Cheonjon had created were pushed away and dissipated under the influence of the wind pressure.
"...!"
As Cheonjon tried to respond to the sudden reaction.
Whoosh—!
The figure, wrapped in blue flames, charged at Cheonjon.
Its speed was tremendous.
Perhaps because it had kicked off the ground with pure force, the ground where the figure launched from was smashed to pieces.
Cheonjon gripped his sword diagonally.
The speed was fast, but it wasn’t at a level he couldn’t react to.
The moment he tried to slash down.
Cheonjon’s eyes widened as he checked the charging bastard, colored with shock.
Because the arm he had cut off moments ago had already grown back perfectly intact.
Perhaps because of that.
Cheonjon failed to properly respond to the attack.
The figure’s attack struck Cheonjon’s shoulder squarely.
Immediately after.
BOOOOM—!
A roar erupted, and azure flames spread in all directions.
*****************
Crunch—!
A sound of something breaking rang in his ears.
What was breaking? He tried hard to check, but he couldn’t.
Because he couldn’t see anything in front of him.
Was it because his eyes were closed? It didn’t seem to be.
Rather, it felt as if the entire space he was in was dyed black.
Perhaps because all directions were dark that he couldn’t see even if he tried.
Inside such an unknown space.
Crunch—!
He had to keep listening to the sound of something breaking.
'What is it.'
Crack—! Snap!
It was like the sound of something shattering. Or perhaps like something being forcibly torn off.
He didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t a sound he wanted to keep hearing.
Scrape—!
He tried covering his ears with his hands.
Fortunately, his hands moved. He tried desperately not to hear with them, but the sound wasn’t blocked.
Crack.
'Ah.'
Instead, it rang even more clearly.
Hearing that, he realized it.
This sound wasn’t coming from the outside.
This wasn’t the outside. It was a sound coming from inside him.
So the more he covered his ears and closed his eyes, the clearer it became.
Crack—snap—!
Irritation flared at the incessantly ringing sound.
Just what was this sound? There was no noise like this noise.
He didn’t mean to, but his brow kept furrowing.
'...Shut up. Be quiet for a bit.'
Even when he screamed inwardly, the sound didn’t stop.
Instead, as if stimulated, it only grew louder.
'Fuck.'
In the end, he spat out a curse.
How did he end up hearing this sound?
No, to begin with.
Why was he here?
He didn’t know. He couldn’t remember anything.
Honestly, though the sound was loud, in his heart he just wanted to drift along like this.
He didn’t want to do anything. He didn’t want to think about anything.
What had he been thinking about before?
He couldn’t remember, but judging by the queasiness in his stomach, it didn’t seem to be something he wanted to recall.
'...Just like this...'
If he hated it this much, wouldn’t it be fine to just stay still? It was somewhat comfortable.
Thinking so, as he tried to surrender his body to the flow.
Crack—!
"Kgk!?"
He curled up at the ensuing sound.
This time it wasn’t just the sound; an immense pain was felt from inside his body at the same time.
"Kgeoeo.... Hooeok...."
It was a pain enough to make him let out a dry scream without realizing it.
Crack, crunch—!
Along with the growing sound, the impact intensified.
It wasn’t at a level where he could endure.
So much so that if he could, he would have wanted to faint immediately.
Why did it hurt so much? Why was he in pain?
"Kkeuheoeo... Heoeo...."
His stomach churned.
Only after repeatedly receiving the pain did he begin to understand slightly.
Why this crazy pain was ringing from inside.
'That... vessel....'
This is the sensation of a vessel breaking. That thought flashed through his mind unconsciously.
Gradually, memories surfaced.
The point Sinui had made that his vessel had a limit. The past words saying that without medicine from now on, he wouldn’t last a few years.
He wondered why this came to mind together, but seeing this, he thought the current sensation had to do with his vessel.
Which made him even more doubtful.
'Why?'
Why had such a situation suddenly unfolded?
Why had his vessel suddenly begun to break?
Why was he in a place like this?
He tried to force himself to remember, but nothing came to mind.
What came to mind were only unknown fear and suffocation. As well as chilling pain.
Thud—!
"Keok."
He curled up again at the vibration bursting from inside his body.
And at the same time.
Fwoosh—!
Suddenly, flames ignited in all directions, brightly illuminating the terrible darkness.
His vision, which had seen nothing, brightening all at once was enough to make his eyes hurt.
But even so, he couldn’t look away.
"What... is this?"
Because something so absurd was unfolding before his eyes that he couldn’t tear his gaze away.
Hum.
In the brightened field of vision, he could see a giant sphere floating.
In terms of size, it was about as large as a house.
Was it blue?
If not that, was it purple?
Or perhaps a deep red?
He couldn’t tell.
Despite being colors with a strong presence, he couldn’t properly perceive them while looking.
What should he call this?
He didn’t know even after looking.
If he had to say, that sphere looked like an 'egg' cracking in his eyes.
An egg with cracks here and there, gradually shattering with fragments falling to the ground.
That was how it looked.
What was this now. As he was dazedly looking, wondering what that egg was.
Crack—!
Suddenly, a sound came from the egg.
It was the same sound that had been ringing in his ears.
He had thought it was definitely coming from inside his body. This time it started coming from that egg.
He looked, wondering why it was doing that.
"Keok...!"
At the same time a large crack formed in the egg, an impact once again surged inside his body.
Eyes reddening at the somehow familiar pain, he thought.
'This.... Could it be.'
Grasping his throbbing dantian, he looked at the giant egg before his eyes.
The egg cracking and breaking.
The pain that surged each time a crack formed there. Looking at this, what he could understand was.
"...Does this mean this is my vessel?"
Did it mean that egg was the form of the vessel within his body? He wasn’t certain, but for some reason he felt like that might be the case.
Thud, thud, thud.
Fragments gradually falling from the egg.
A crack opened in the ground, and he could see a strange liquid flowing there.
At a glance it looked like ordinary water, but its viscous texture was full of an alien sensation.
Just looking at it felt unpleasant, stuffy, and suffocating.
The sight of it gradually crumbling was even terribly unsettling.
'What should I do?'
Setting aside the pain in his dantian, he looked at the egg.
Hadn’t he said he would die if that broke?
Then he had to stop it.
He couldn’t let that break.
There was still much he had to....
"...Had to do?"
His thoughts halted for a moment.
What was it he had to do? Why was he here?
Or rather.
What had he been doing just before?
His mind felt hazy.
Nothing came to mind. Yet his body moved mechanically.
Was it instinct, or some unknown lingering attachment?
His body seemed to want somehow to prevent that egg from breaking.
He reached out his hand.
To try and block even a little of the gap that was opening.
Would this stop it?
Even if it wouldn’t, it didn’t matter.
He had to do something about this now. He felt that way.
Just as his slowly trembling fingertips were about to touch the egg.
"...You damned brat, you sure are a handful. Tsk tsk."
He had to freeze at the voice heard from behind.
The moment his body stiffened rigidly.
Sararararak—!
Along with a fragrant floral scent, thick petals spouted up from below.
The appeared petals flew through the air and began to circle the sphere, then directly started to wrap around it.
The pinkish leaves felt like something sacred at a glance.
It was a subtle scent and a warm sensation.
He caught one falling petal and checked it.
A plum blossom petal.
This was a plum blossom petal.
A somehow familiar feeling. Where had he felt this....
Thwack—!
"Kuaak!"
His head was struck by a sudden impact from behind, bowing deeply.
Grasping his stinging back of the head, he whirled around with a distorted face.
There stood the figure who had smacked the back of his head.
A white-haired old man in pure white martial arts clothes was glaring at him while rubbing his palm.
He was an old man with quite sharp eyes and a nasty-looking temper.
He didn’t look to be seven cheok tall. Compared to that, his body was thin.
What? As he looked at the old man fiercely, the old man let out a deep sigh and spat out words to him.
"Tsk tsk... rotten bastard. Every time you do the slightest thing you're busy causing accidents, so in the end, you make this old man have no choice but to move."
The old man grumbled as if displeased.
Hearing that voice and tone, he unwittingly called out to him.
"...Noya...?"
Sin Noya.
The old man was Sin Noya.