[Phew—Tam, of all things. I never imagined that monster would be here. And already murdered, at that.]
[Even if he was wounded and fled the Illusory Realm, he didn’t seem like the sort to die so easily. During the bloody incident some twenty years ago, Geumodo suffered great losses because of the information he leaked, too.]
After the deep voice of the White Dragon, the clear words of the Blue Dragon rang through his mind.
The Five Dragons kept a close watch on the fierce battle unfolding below, doing their utmost to suppress the aura of death spreading in all directions.
To aid the movements of the humans and put the brakes on the Heavenly Demon.
Given their nature, it was not easy for them to step forward directly and join forces with the martial artists, and they were already expending a considerable amount of strength just to stabilize the environment of the Demonic Realm, so it could not be helped.
[Isn’t it better this way? We were always on guard because we never knew what that bastard might do, but now we don’t need to be anymore. This incident is the same.]
As the Red Dragon said, until now they had been wasting considerable resources preparing for whatever schemes Tam might devise.
Considering the bastard’s nature, it had been only natural to do so, but in a difficult situation like this, even the smallest thing was precious.
And now that they had confirmed his death in this way, it could certainly be called good news.
The only problem was that his death was highly suspicious.
Who on earth had killed him for his remains to be buried here?
And why had they failed to notice it until now?
[...It was the Heavenly Demon after all, wasn’t it?]
[Well, I admit the Heavenly Demon is formidable, but I don’t think he could have dealt with Tam alone.]
[It might be different if the masters of the Demonic Cult joined forces.]
[Or perhaps it was something “he” did before leaving this world...]
[From that long ago? But...]
While the three dragons busily exchanged opinions like that,
the Black Dragon showed greater interest in Horus, who had drawn nearby, than in that topic.
[You were amazing earlier. How did you do that? Is it an ability of dragons from your world? How often can you use it?]
As she swam through the night sky, her glossy black scales like obsidian shifting with a soft clatter, her figure was certainly mysterious and beautiful.
The same was true of her clear eyes, shining like jewels.
It was no wonder those who faced dragons even came to harbor faith in them.
‘Of course, that won’t work on me.’
However, since Horus knew her disposition, he could not look upon that sight with nothing but goodwill.
After all, as someone who wished for harmony between humans and monsters, he could not help but feel uncomfortable around her, the representative of the hard-liners.
[Wait. There’s something I need to say first.]
[Hm? Sure, then.]
Besides, perhaps because he had overexerted himself earlier, maintaining his adult form through the 「Heart of the Elder Dragon」 was gradually becoming burdensome.
Just in case, he needed to proceed with the plan quickly.
[Everyone, please pay attention for a moment!]
[Hm? Horus?]
[What is it?]
At Horus’s will, firmer than ever before, the gazes of the other dragons, who had been busily exchanging opinions, turned toward him.
Horus stood at the center of the other dragons, just as he had when he first appeared in the Demonic Realm.
[While watching the Heavenly Demon, I thought of one good method.]
In that state, he declared with confidence.
[A way to restore the Dragon Heart without sacrificing the children of the dragon.]
A plan he had prepared long before, disguised as though he had just discovered it.
[Huh?]
[That’s possible...]
Where Horus’s gaze, lowered slightly, came to rest.
There stood the Heavenly Demon, gradually crumbling under the fierce offensive.
Kwaaang—!
Kooong!
He still displayed overwhelming might, but anyone could see his defeat was clear.
He would likely find it difficult to overturn the board without some extraordinary variable.
The final battle, which had continued from noon until the dead of night, almost the entire day, was finally nearing its end.
‘At last, the final chapter.’
All that remained was to bring it to a fitting close.
The scenario had entered its concluding stage.
***
After rescuing Jegal Hyemi and retreating far to the rear, Hugo no longer joined the fight against the Heavenly Demon.
Other masters and dragons had also entered the fray, and in preparation for any unforeseen situation, someone needed to guard her up close.
Of course, the same was true for the other children of the dragon nearby.
“...Mmm.”
“Are you all right, miss?”
When a groan slipped from Jegal Hyemi, whom he was supporting, Hugo turned his head from watching the battle that was now nearing its end and looked at her with concern.
On her jade-white neck, where his gaze landed, was a handprint from the Heavenly Demon, stained pitch-black.
No matter how brief the moment had been, the process by which a supreme undead plundered the karma of the living could not possibly be gentle. It was only natural.
His expression grew troubled as he looked at the mark.
“...I’m all right. More importantly, I received your help again, young master. Truly, I don’t know how I should repay this grace.”
Perhaps interpreting his expression in her own way, she carefully covered her neck with one hand as cold sweat beaded on her skin, and smiled faintly.
At that attitude, his conscience, which he had thought long since worn away and vanished, throbbed painfully.
“...Please don’t mind it. As we go on living, won’t there be more than one or two occasions when we need each other’s help? Rather than exchanging payment each time, it’s better to help when we can.”
“As we go on... you say.”
At his words, Jegal Hyemi smiled bitterly.
She already knew.
Just as this battle was nearing its end, her own life had little time remaining.
Even if Ha Seunghun and the Jegal Family tried to protect her, it would be useless.
What hung upon her life was the safety of this world.
No matter how remarkable they were, could they possibly fight the entire world, humans and monsters alike?
That was the unavoidable fate she had borne since birth.
She had been born at the same time the calamity began, causing her mother’s death, and afterward had brought hardship to many. This was the only path left to such a person as her.
“Hyemi!”
At that moment, a group hurried toward them.
Members of the Jegal Family, led by the family head Jegal Howon, covered in blood and dust and riddled with wounds.
Bright smiles spread across their faces when they saw Jegal Hyemi.
“Father... Everyone else, too...”
And the more she saw them like that, the firmer her heart became.
Sacrifice was indeed necessary.
Rather than all of them simply waiting together for an ordained destruction, if the devotion of a few could bring a bright future to this world, would that not be a far better bargain?
“Miss.”
As if cutting off her thoughts, a heavy voice flowed in from right beside her.
A reliable man who had not only saved her life several times already, but had also supported her in her desperate situation so that she could overcome despair.
“I think I know what you’re thinking right now, but please don’t give up so easily.”
The man looked down at her with a firm expression and continued.
“Pardon? Ahaha... What would I...”
Before she, eyes rounded, could reply, his words continued.
“I’ve truly been through many things. You may think, at my age, how many experiences could I possibly have had, but incidents don’t necessarily come in proportion to age.”
To be precise, it was closer to him going out and seeking incidents with multiple bodies, but that was not particularly important right now.
What truly mattered was that each and every one of the things he had experienced had been on a scale sufficient to shake the world.
“And through that, I came to realize something... The affairs of the world do not always flow according to what has been decided. No matter how thoroughly you make plans, they can be thrown off by the smallest variable, and an unexpected event can become the trigger for a breakthrough you never imagined. Well, sometimes real luck follows you and things work out exactly as planned, too.”
Countless events he had experienced flashed rapidly through his mind.
Starting from when he first obtained the 「Avatar」 skill, to Hans becoming an undead and then the Immortal King, to realizing the existence of the Beoncheonhoe through an unexpected incident and resolving to exterminate them, to the avatars that had increased to ten beginning to distinguish themselves in their respective positions, and...
To this very moment.
“I don’t believe people have a fate that is absolutely predetermined. There is only a succession of choices at countless crossroads. Even if it looks like a one-way path... even if it looks like a dead end, the choice you can make at that moment is not necessarily only one.”
Whether one breaks down the wall blocking the way, steps on something to climb over it, or crawls through a doghole one finds.
Or else...
Someone standing atop the wall reaches out a hand and pulls you up.
“Ah, I sounded far too arrogant just now. Of course, that doesn’t mean everything I say is unconditionally right. There must be people who are driven into situations without any choice at all and wither away.”
Only then seeming to realize that his words might have sounded presumptuous, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head with a flustered expression, trying hard to smooth things over. Jegal Hyemi smiled faintly at the sight.
Her heart pounded, and warmth filled her chest.
How could she not know that he had said all that because he was worried about her?
‘But...’
She could roughly understand what he was trying to say.
However, she believed she was precisely the case with no choice.
“Thank you, Young Master Ha. Hearing you say that is a bit comforting.”
“Ahem, I’m glad, then. Ah, it seems the battle over there has ended as well.”
The place where she stood now was not a simple dead end.
Atop a sheer cliff ten thousand zhang high on every side, in a narrow space less than a single pyeong wide.
That was where she stood.
“Hyemi, is your body all right?”
“Yes, Father. Thank you for worrying about me.”
There was no path whatsoever to escape from this place.
There were only two options: dry up and die where she stood, or throw herself off the cliff.
Unless a miracle happened, like a golden rope descending from the sky in a fairy tale.
‘Still... just for a moment, even if it’s only for a very short while...’
She wanted to dream a little longer in this world.
Even if it was a dream that could not last long.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
[Ah, is it over now?]
Then,
[Then would you listen to me for a moment?]
A strange resonance that rang inside their heads spread in all directions.
Whoong— whoong—
Along with it came the sound of wingbeats accompanied by a fierce wind.
A heavy presence pressed down on the surroundings.
Like the light of dawn illuminating the darkness before daybreak, a bright golden radiance slowly began to shine upon the earth.
[It’s perfect that the children of the dragon are here, too.]
And so, a miracle descended from the sky.
***
The war, which had gone on for almost an entire day and cost both sides many sacrifices, came to an end.
The Murim Alliance tried to capture the remnants alive in order to discover their strongholds and uproot the Demonic Cult completely, but that ended in failure because of the cultists, who ran wild as if they knew nothing of surrender.
As if some kind of restriction had been placed on them, once the tide of battle had completely turned against them, they instead went berserk, causing no small amount of trouble.
“Separate the factions later! For now, gather the survivors!”
“Phew, I’m dying here. Hey, Hyeonwolchang. When we get back, let’s have a drink. You saved my life, so I’ll bring out the baekhwaju I’ve been saving.”
“Sounds good. Then I’ll bring a whole roasted pig. Thanks to you, I avoided becoming a cripple.”
[Grrr— Hey, human. Are you all right? Get a hold of yourself.]
“Urgh! I’m fine, so stop shaking me! My head’s ringing!”
As there had been many sacrifices, those who had quite literally become comrades-in-arms who had shared life and death mingled together regardless of whether they were humans or monsters, factions or inclinations.
Of course, not everyone had opened their hearts like that, but even those who had not were too exhausted to bare their teeth and remain on guard, so there was no problem.
Since more than one or two people had died, most of the grudges they had harbored before were now being placed upon the Demonic Cult as well.
While the battlefield was thus in the midst of being cleaned up,
at the place where the leaders of each force had gathered, a serious conversation was underway.
“See here, Singwangma. Are you truly all right...”
“Old man. Call me by that strange epithet one more time, and I’ll pluck out every last hair of that beard. New or old, I’m telling you, there’s only one true Mad Demon—and that’s me. We already settled it!”
“...What a temper that bastard has. Fine, you Mad Demon wretch. Are you truly all right carrying something so ominous around? You fought at the very front, so your body can’t be in good shape either.”
“Kahahaha! This much’ll heal if I spit on it! What about you, old man? At your age, broken bones won’t even knit right, will they?”
At Harley’s booming laughter and bravado, the Tyrant Heaven Blade Emperor, Gwak Cheol, who had merely offered a word of concern, furrowed his brow.
If he had been just ten years younger, he would have fought him to the death then and there, he thought, reflecting that his temper had mellowed quite a bit.
Of course, a large part of that was because he knew that without the Mad Demon’s timely help at the moment of crisis, things would not have ended with merely one broken arm—and because, fighting alongside him, he had clearly felt the man’s martial might.
He had acknowledged him as an opponent against whom he could not guarantee victory, even if they fought when both were in perfect condition.
“Amitabha, Benefactor Mad Demon. If it feels too much to bear, speak at any time. The power of Buddhism is the bane of the demonic. It should be of sufficient help.”
“I told you, I’m fine.”
After the Tyrant Heaven Blade Emperor, the Divine Monk spoke to Harley once again.
The reason they were acting this way was because of the coffin strapped to his back.
The mantras carved into the pitch-black wooden planks, the talismans plastered all over it, the golden cord wrapped around the whole thing—
As befitting a design that looked ominous at a glance, the contents within were anything but ordinary.
“Mm. Even so, sealing the Heavenly Demon... It may become a source of future trouble. Would it not be better to annihilate him now?”
Great General Jeongcheon, who had a bloodstained bandage wrapped over one eye, spoke in a displeased voice.
His stance was that rather than trying to do anything with the Heavenly Demon, they should immediately grind him completely to dust and dispose of him.
Of course, there were various reasons for that...
“Was this not already decided, Great General? To turn away when there is a way to prevent unnecessary sacrifice would be unjust. Or perhaps you have some other intention?”
“Ahem, hem.”
The fact that the purpose was to save the “Dragon’s Child” accounted for quite a large part of it.
At the Sword Saint’s weighty rebuke, the Great General gave a dry cough and quietly turned his gaze away.
The Northern Army to which he belonged was a faction centered around Prince Choryang, a collateral member of the imperial family.
The survival of Ju Gangin, one of the Dragon’s Children and the legitimate heir of the last emperor, was bound to be a highly concerning issue.
‘Once the Dragon Heart is rebuilt and the state of the continent begins to recover, problems are bound to arise in the future. And for one of the Dragon’s Children, the key to restoring the world, to be the last imperial descendant at that...’
That alone would grant him tremendous legitimacy.
Until now, when only strength had been justice, it had not mattered whether Ju Gangin lived or died. But from now on, was it not obvious that such circumstances would change?
‘...It can’t be helped. Once I return, I’ll have to prepare countermeasures.’
But there was nothing he could do right now.
Not only the dragons, the leaders on the side of the monsters, but also the representatives of their side—the Divine Monk, the Sword Saint, the Mad Demon, and even the Tyrant Heaven Blade Emperor, who had received his help—were all in favor of it.
As for the Asura Blood Venerable, his position was that either outcome was fine.
“Oh! The sun’s rising over there!”
Just then, the Asura Blood Venerable raised his voice as he looked at the sun rising in one corner of the sky.
Dawn slowly drove away the darkness that had fallen as the battle dragged on.
It was a sight as though blessing the future of this world.
***
Several days had passed since the final battle.
The Martial Alliance had finished dealing with the battlefield and left Beijing, while the Five Dragons, who had returned to the Hwan Realm together with the monsters of Geumodo, hurried their preparations for the ritual.
And deep underground in Beijing, where everyone had withdrawn.
[...The preparations are perfect.]
A gloomy voice echoed from within Tam’s remains, which the Five Dragons had sealed once more before leaving.
A being behind the curtain, one that had assimilated into Tam’s presence and adjusted the stage while avoiding the actors’ eyes.
[It’s about time to bring this to an end.]
With those words from Hans—
The day dawned for the ritual that would alter the course of the Ganghwan Realm.