Betrayal (8)
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The night the bright full moon rose was a moonlit night unlike any other.
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The moon was unusually bright that night.
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Through that bright darkness, a massive chunk of land soared into the sky.
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Countless ghost trees bloomed white as snow beneath the moonlight, exhaling spiritual energy.
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And above that field of ghost trees,
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we were flying across the landmass, pumping spiritual energy into it to make it levitate.
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Inside, we were shouting at each other.
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“No! Why didn’t Lord Steward say anything about leaping into the Integration realm from the very beginning?!”
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“He said he’d let us know when the whole thing was fully sealed off, but he never confirmed it! If you hadn’t been so suspicious of me and pulled this dumb stunt, none of this would have happened!”
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But no matter how much we insulted each other, nothing changed.
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Whoosh!
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Flash!
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A blinding light exploded behind us.
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And a golden ray sliced dangerously close to our upper bodies.
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Shivers ran down my spine.
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I immediately poured more spiritual energy into the farm.
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Far away,
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Yeol-yeon was exhaling toward us from behind.
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And the thicker and more precise her rays became the more time passed.
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The reason was simple.
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“The spatial crack… is almost open.”
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When the spatial crack fully opened, the nearly Integration-stage Yellow Dragon would come flying.
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And no one at this spot had even reached the Four Pillars realm.
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Most were Heavenly Persons at best, and even they were only at the peak of Integration.
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“Damn it! How do you do that?! It’s all because of you, you half-penny dragon freak!”
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“…Just shut up for a bit.”
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I ground my pounding head and pushed Cheonryang aside, burying my hand in the dirt.
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I started pumping spiritual energy into the entire landmass, avoiding the area linked to Hyeol-eum’s Blood Realm.
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Whoosh!
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Following the cultivation method of the Ten Thousand Scales Tree Ocean,
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the roots of the ghost trees dug deep into the earth.
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And the roots of the ghost trees beneath the ground drew circuits, rooting themselves into the soil.
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“If we push this a bit faster, we can make a flying technique that will really fly this landmass.”
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“W-what…?!”
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“Lasts about half a day. Senior Yeol-yeon will arrive soon.”
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“…Damn it, I got it!”
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Cheonryang gritted his teeth and realized there was no retreat.
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He commanded the Changcheon Sect disciples to gather Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Energy toward the spot where Yeol-yeon was shooting her rays.
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I was sweating cold sweat and quickly began transforming the dirt clumps into flying puppets.
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Whoosh!
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At the same time, a terrifying surge of Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Energy roared from behind.
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Far away, golden light flickered like fire.
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Yeol-yeon had finally succeeded in crossing the spatial crack and reaching this spot from the lowest layer of Bongmyeong-ju.
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Stand still…!
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Flash!
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Her life force, thousands of li away, made the entire Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Energy surge and seize the flying landmass.
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But when Cheonryang and the Heavenly Persons fired spells everywhere and manipulated the energy, the landmass started moving again.
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Flash!
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Again, golden light flared from far away.
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I glanced behind as I modified the entire landmass.
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Whoosh!
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With the golden afterglow, something like a golden thread rose from far beyond three thousand li.
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“Senior Yeol-yeon has already pulled away thousands of li, yet she’s moving like a thread…?”
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It wasn’t a thread.
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“That’s….”
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Cheonryang cried out urgently.
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“It’s… the Lord Steward is chasing us in his main body! Squeeze every drop of strength!”
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Yeol-yeon was revealing her true self and chasing us!
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And.
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Flash!
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A golden ray shot straight at us this time.
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It didn’t just graze us or our sides; it was thick enough to engulf the entire ghost tree farm, easily three li in diameter.
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Cheonryang and the Heavenly Persons created a barrier with all their strength and poured spiritual energy into the ground to accelerate.
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The golden light arrived right behind us and began spewing light that threatened to swallow us whole.
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And in the next moment.
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‘Modification complete.’
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The ghost tree farm moved, and the landmass beneath it changed.
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The landmasses moved according to my will and the roots of the ghost trees, taking on a single shape.
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It was the face of General Seo.
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Soon, the landmass that had swallowed the ghost tree field transformed into the colossal head of General Seo and began soaring through the sky.
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“General Seo, evade!”
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Flash!
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The landmass that had become General Seo’s head moved with agility, dodging Yeol-yeon’s breath and slipping past the Heavenly Persons’ barrier to completely avoid her ray.
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“Everyone! Go to the spot I designate!”
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Within a short time, I had transformed the entire landmass into a flying General Seo.
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I pointed to where I needed to add spiritual energy and urged the Nascent Soul cultivators.
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The Nascent Soul cultivators began pumping spiritual energy into each part according to my orders, and General Seo’s head glowed with light as it raced through the night sky.
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At the same time, the glowing thread far away began to move.
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Yeol-yeon was coming.
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“Cheonryang! When the ray comes, relay the direction!”
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I shouted desperately at Cheonryang, and he answered immediately.
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“Evade to the northwest! Heavenly Persons, form a barrier!”
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I turned the “head” to the northwest according to Cheonryang’s words, and the Heavenly Persons again gathered Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Energy to build a barrier.
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Again, the golden ray barely grazed the barrier the Heavenly Persons had raised.
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Because it had only grazed, the Heavenly Persons only felt a small ripple.
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But even the ripple alone from Yeol-yeon’s ray shattered the formations and barriers of the Heavenly Persons.
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‘The Jinlong Alliance is located north of the Gwangryeong Sect!’
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The remaining distance was about six thousand li!
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‘If we can just reach it…’
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Light burst from behind General Seo’s head, and the speed gradually increased.
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But it became clear that the size of that glowing thread was growing larger.
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“North direction! Heavenly Persons, form a barrier!”
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I turned the “head” north again and bounced off Yeol-yeon’s attack.
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On that bright moonlit night,
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I fled from Yeol-yeon with all my strength, and we repelled her attacks.
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But the difference in cultivation realm ultimately ended everything.
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Whoosh!
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The gap between her and us, thousands of li away, narrowed in an instant.
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Soon, a body the size of a small mountain range flew across our path.
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“Ha….”
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I let out a hollow laugh, and Cheonryang’s face grew blank.
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Whoosh!
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For a moment, Yeol-yeon looked down at us in her main body with solemn eyes, then soon transformed into a human form and revealed her body in the center of the ghost tree farm.
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“…Seo Eun-hyun, and all of you.”
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Her golden pupils, slit vertically, swept over everyone.
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“What are you doing right now?”
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“…”
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She was extremely angry.
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Her vertical pupils trembled with rage, and the Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Energy vibrating around her was also trembling with ferocity.
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‘Damn it…’
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It was over.
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If I told Yeol-yeon that Hyeol-eum was connected to the Blood Realm… she wouldn’t believe it.
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Cheonryang asked me with a trembling voice.
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“S, Sir Seo… What… what should we do? If I say the truth… I was trying to eliminate the threat of the traitors… I might receive leniency…”
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What kind of nonsense was this?
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I couldn’t believe it.
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‘No, there was a chance I could believe it.’
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If Cheonryang and I had carefully secured the evidence, and then gone through proper procedures to confirm it with Yeol-yeon, she couldn’t have turned a blind eye.
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Yeol-yeon loved Hyeol-eum, but the fact that Hyeol-eum was communicating with the Blood Realm was something that could become a public record in the Gwangryeong Sect in itself.
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Even she would have to accept it with tears in her eyes.
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But what was this?
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This fool Cheonryang had now, without permission, invaded Yeol-yeon’s private territory, stolen her assets, and dragged her here as a rogue who was not on good terms with the Dragon Clan.
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‘In this situation, if Hyeol-eum is connected to the Blood Realm and he brought Yeol-yeon here as a rogue by extracting her private territory, does Yeol-yeon really believe that?’
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Tsk, tsk…
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Currently, Yeol-yeon had transformed into a human form, but golden scales had sprouted all over her body, making her form closer to a snake human than a human.
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Her fangs were pointed, and her pupils were slit vertically, exuding killing intent.
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Her antlers sprouting from her forehead shone brilliantly brighter than ever, spewing golden light.
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She was extremely angry.
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And when Cheonryang asked me, her gaze turned to me.
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‘Damn bastard…’
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If I went back to the past, that past Cheonryang would be completely different from the present one.
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Yet even then, the impulse to split that past Cheonryang’s head in half rose up.
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“Seo Eun-hyun.”
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“Yes.”
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“I believed in you. I used you as a messenger for the great army and me, entrusted you with my steward duties as Lord Steward, and even had you help with my training during that time… I believed in you.”
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“…”
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Because of that, a huge sense of betrayal seemed to fill her eyes.
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The greatest betrayal always happens in the hands of the most trustworthy person.
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I looked into her eyes and realized I could no longer come up with any excuse.
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‘…Yeah, let’s admit it.’
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No excuses.
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Yeol-yeon had shown me considerable goodwill until now.
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In front of her, I had no desire to prattle on at length with my tongue.
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“I…”
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And the words that followed from her exceeded my imagination.
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“Explain the situation.”
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Her vertical pupils turned to me.
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“Because I believed in you until now, I’ll believe in you one more time. Explain the situation properly. If it’s a reasonable explanation, I’ll believe you. Even if it’s the last time I see you, I’ll believe you once, so explain the situation.”
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“…”
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Truly, she was a being who shone in a different meaning from Changhoza.
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Her form was covered in scales, a terrifying figure exuding fierce killing intent, yet I saw that she had not yet broken the thread of trust she held toward me from within her.
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‘…I’m sorry.’
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I apologized to her inwardly.
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Until now, I had only used her while plotting against Hyeol-eum.
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But perhaps she wasn’t the type to be used in a conspiracy.
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I suddenly felt ashamed of myself for having used and deceived her.
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‘…Yeah, let’s say it.’
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Everything about Hyeol-eum, from beginning to end.
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Even though I had shown a side that was impossible to trust, seeing the way she had continued to trust until the end, it might have been better to simply spill the truth cleanly.
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“We did this to investigate General Seo.”
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“General Seo…?”
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“General Seo is actually…”
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And that was the moment I was about to reveal the truth about Hyeol-eum.
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“Actually… what?”
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Tuk, tuk…
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A cool hand patted my shoulder from behind in a friendly way.
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“Eh?”
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Shivers ran down my spine.
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Why… already?
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A young man in a blue robe and jade-like horns walked out of the crowd, stroking my head from behind.
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‘What…!’
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Why?
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It was more frightening than any loop in which I had been chased by Goe-gun, giving me chills down my spine.
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Hyeol-eum had returned.
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“Ah, aaah….”
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And Yeol-yeon began frantically touching her face.
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The scales on her face that had been sprouting earlier retracted, and she transformed into a complete human form.
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She touched her face and asked Hyeol-eum.
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“You came so quickly. Last time when you sent a letter to Seo Eun-hyun, it took dozens of years….”
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“Ah, there seems to be a misunderstanding.”
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“Could it be that you manipulated the letter too…?”
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“No, that’s not it.”
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Hyeol-eum smiled faintly and hugged Yeol-yeon.
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“Originally, I didn’t leave the Central Realm at all.”
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Whoosh!
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“Eh?”
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In the next moment.
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Hyeol-eum’s hand pierced Yeol-yeon’s heart.
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“It’s a sad fact, but, Senior.”
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Hyeol-eum stroked Yeol-yeon affectionately with the other hand and continued.
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“I’ll tell you one fact: I have never spoken the truth in front of you until now.”
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“Eh…?”
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“Originally… I have never left the Jinlong Alliance territory. I completed my training while staying at the Black Dragon King’s abode.”
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Yeol-yeon trembled as if she couldn’t understand, and Hyeol-eum turned his head and smiled faintly at me.
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“And actually, without Senior Yeol-yeon knowing, I sent clones to the lower realms through the lowest layer of Bongmyeong-ju. Because you’re making me worry so much.”
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Flash!
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Hyeol-eum pulled his hand out of Yeol-yeon’s heart and approached me, asking.
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“It was quite surprising. Starting from the traps I left in Haeseong Palace, even Lan did it, and the Bongmyeong Fortress, the Blackstone Fortress, and all the remaining ones were smashed to pieces by your hands? And even the bloodhound I painstakingly raised… all of them died in your hands. So then….”
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And that was when Hyeol-eum was slowly approaching me.
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‘Hyeol-eum, you…!’
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From behind Hyeol-eum, Yeol-yeon, regenerating her heart while shooting Integration-level pressure, rose up.
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‘Why… for me….’
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And in the next moment.
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Crunch!
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Hyeol-eum grabbed her and slammed her to the ground.
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Blood rain fell across the entire ghost tree farm.
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Blood spurted from Yeol-yeon’s body and dyed the surroundings red.
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The once snow-white ghost tree farm was turning red.
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Crack…
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Hyeol-eum, with a sinister grin, stepped on Yeol-yeon’s nape with his foot.
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Whoosh!
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Yeol-yeon seemed to be resisting, but somehow she couldn’t push him away.
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“Can Senior Yeol-yeon, who has accumulated strength through the orthodox method, resist someone who has stacked the orthodox method with a body that hasn’t even reached Integration?”
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“You, you…! How…!”
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“I have already completed the orthodox method in the lower realms. I received the thunder tribulation in advance, as I always do. Because I didn’t have enough spiritual energy to build the proper axis, but with the help of Yeoseo and Yang from under the Black Dragon King, it was easy.”
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From Hyeol-eum, the aura of the Four Pillars realm leaked out.
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But that aura’s oppressive force was even greater than that of many Integration-stage Sovereigns.
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Hyeol-eum would not have been a Four Pillars cultivator even a thousand years from now.
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He would have simply hidden his true strength then, as he was aiming to regain the title of Sea Dragon “King.”
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At the very least, he was an existence beyond Integration.
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He looked at me with a cold smile.
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“I have already paid my dues in Haeseong Palace, in the Bongmyeong Fortress, in the Blackstone Fortress, and in Deungsunhyang. Originally, there was no need to recklessly gather the Five Elements attributes. Because the understanding needed to stack the Four Symbols with the Four Axes was lacking, the heretical way of stacking the Five Elements as axes was rampant.”
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After stomping on Yeol-yeon’s neck for a while, Hyeol-eum walked back to me.
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“What the five Central Realms symbolize is not the Five Elements, but the Five Blessings. The axis that needs to be stacked in the Four Pillars realm also corresponds to that.”
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Crunch!
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Hyeol-eum’s hand grabbed my neck and lifted me up.
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I struggled, but the Hyeol-eum in front of me was spewing an aura like that of a Sovereign at Integration.
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“The Dark Ghost brings longevity. Purple Gold brings wealth. Ancient Power brings peace and tranquility. The True Demon is Yu Ho-deok. Without needing to gather the energy of the Five Elements that becomes the axis, if you properly comprehend the symbols of your five Central Realms and stack a ‘proper’ orthodox method in the way of the Transcendent Method, it won’t take very long.”
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It was as if he was mocking me, as if he knew.
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“Of course, this is also a method that only a person who has walked the path once can try.”
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Crunch!
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Hyeol-eum pressed his sharp vertical pupils against me and asked.
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“Reaching the Nascent Soul realm in just seven years… no matter how I think about it, it doesn’t make sense. That’s why it became clear after I went to the lower realms. You are not a genius. You were probably a cultivator of the same realm or even a higher realm, but you stagnated….”
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Hyeol-eum still gave me a kind smile and asked me.
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“Who exactly are you, fellow Daoist Seo?”
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Flash!
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Yeol-yeon’s heart was pierced again, and she fell to the ground.
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But this time, she didn’t regenerate.
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Her body was completely still.
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The golden pupils that had been slit vertically lost their light.
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“…”
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Hyeol-eum’s smile deepened.
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“That’s the end of your story as well, Seo Eun-hyun.”
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Whoosh!
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At that moment, a massive wave of spiritual energy surged toward us.
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The golden light that had been flickering far away finally reached us.
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“Cheonryang! All of you, follow me!”
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I shouted as the landmass I had modified into General Seo’s head turned toward the incoming golden light.
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Cheonryang and the others followed my command.
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Whoosh!
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The golden light, now just a few hundred li away, engulfed us in an instant.
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The world was dyed in golden light.
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And in that light, Yeol-yeon’s true form, completely transformed into a Dragon King, appeared.
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“Senior Yeol-yeon….”
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I called out, but my voice was drowned out by the roar of the Heavenly Tribulation.
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The golden light that had swallowed us all began to twist.
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And from within that light, a colossal figure emerged.
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Three heads, six arms, and eyes glowing with golden light.
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It was the true form of the Yellow Dragon King.
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“…”
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Yeol-yeon looked at me with her vertical pupils.
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“I told you… that I would believe you once. I meant it.”
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“…”
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Her voice was gentle, yet it carried the weight of absolute truth.
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“Even if it’s the last time… I still believed in you.”
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“…”
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The golden light around us began to dissipate.
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The massive landmass that had been flying through the sky slowly came to a stop.
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Cheonryang and the others stood in stunned silence.
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I looked at Yeol-yeon’s body, which had turned to stone in the golden light.
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My heart was heavy.
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“…”
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I didn’t know what to say.
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The betrayal that had begun with Hyeol-eum had now swallowed everything.
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And yet, in the midst of that sorrow, a small spark of hope remained.
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“…”
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Even if the world was not equal, even if fate was cruel,
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I would never give up.
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That was my resolve.
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Whoosh!
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The golden light finally faded.
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The landmass that had been flying through the sky became still.
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Cheonryang approached me slowly.
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“Sir Seo…”
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“…”
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He tried to say something, but stopped.
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“…It’s all right.”
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I said, my voice hoarse.
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“She believed me… one more time.”
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“…”
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Cheonryang looked at me with sorrowful eyes.
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“But the Lord Steward…”
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“…”
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I didn’t answer.
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Because I knew the truth.
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Hyeol-eum had returned.
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And he was stronger than ever.
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“…”
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I closed my eyes.
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The weight of the Black Ghost Curse Banner on my back felt heavier than ever.
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But I didn’t fall.
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I stood there, facing the truth that had betrayed us all.
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Whoosh!
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Far away, a new light began to rise.
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It was the light of the Sea Dragon Clan’s palace.
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“…”
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I opened my eyes again.
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“Let’s go.”
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Cheonryang nodded.
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We boarded the flying landmass.
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And as we left, Yeol-yeon’s stone-like body remained behind.
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“…”
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She had trusted me until the end.
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That was the last thing I could do for her.
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Whoosh!
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The landmass flew into the distance.
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And in the sky, the moon continued to shine brightly.
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“…”
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Even if the world was not equal, even if fate was cruel,
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I would never give up.
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That was my resolve.
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Whoosh!
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The end of the moonlit night.
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And the beginning of a new story.
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Whoosh!
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The golden light that had swallowed us all finally faded.
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The landmass that had been flying through the sky became still.
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Cheonryang approached me slowly.
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“Sir Seo…”
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“…”
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He tried to say something, but stopped.
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“…It’s all right.”
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I said, my voice hoarse.
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“She believed me… one more time.”
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“…”
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Cheonryang looked at me with sorrowful eyes.
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“But the Lord Steward…”
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“…”
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I didn’t answer.
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Because I knew the truth.
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Hyeol-eum had returned.
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And he was stronger than ever.
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“…”
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I closed my eyes.
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The weight of the Black Ghost Curse Banner on my back felt heavier than ever.
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But I didn’t fall.
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I stood there, facing the truth that had betrayed us all.
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Whoosh!
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Far away, a new light began to rise.
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It was the light of the Sea Dragon Clan’s palace.
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“…”
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I opened my eyes again.
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“Let’s go.”
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Cheonryang nodded.
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We boarded the flying landmass.
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And as we left, Yeol-yeon’s stone-like body remained behind.
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“…”
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She had trusted me until the end.
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That was the last thing I could do for her.
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Whoosh!
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The landmass flew into the distance.
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And in the sky, the moon continued to shine brightly.
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“…”
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Even if the world was not equal, even if fate was cruel,
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I would never give up.
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That was my resolve.
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Whoosh!
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The end of the moonlit night.
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And the beginning of a new story.
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Whoosh!
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The golden light that had swallowed us all finally faded.
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The landmass that had been flying through the sky became still.
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Cheonryang approached me slowly.
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“Sir Seo…”
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“…”
**
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He tried to say something, but stopped.
**
**
“…It’s all right.”
**
**
I said, my voice hoarse.
**
**
“She believed me… one more time.”
**
**
“…”
**
**
Cheonryang looked at me with sorrowful eyes.
**
**
“But the Lord Steward…”
**
**
“…”
**
**
I didn’t answer.
**
**
Because I knew the truth.
**
**
Hyeol-eum had returned.
**
**
And he was stronger than ever.
**
**
“…”
**
**
I closed my eyes.
**
**
The weight of the Black Ghost Curse Banner on my back felt heavier than ever.
**
**
But I didn’t fall.
**
**
I stood there, facing the truth that had betrayed us all.
**
**
Whoosh!
**
**
Far away, a new light began to rise.
**
**
It was the light of the Sea Dragon Clan’s palace.
**
**
“…”
**
**
I opened my eyes again.
**
**
“Let’s go.”
**
**
Cheonryang nodded.
**
**
We boarded the flying landmass.
**
**
And as we left, Yeol-yeon’s stone-like body remained behind.
**
**
“…”
**
**
She had trusted me until the end.
**
**
That was the last thing I could do for her.
**
**
Whoosh!
**
**
The landmass flew into the distance.
**
**
And in the sky, the moon continued to shine brightly.
**
**
“…”
**
**
Even if the world was not equal, even if fate was cruel,
**
**
I would never give up.
**
**
That was my resolve.
**
**
Whoosh!
**
**
The end of the moonlit night.
**
**
And the beginning of a new story.
**