Chapter 359: The Celestial Sword (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 359: The Celestial Sword (4)
A crushing weight settled on my shoulders. My feet were rooted to the ground, held fast by some invisible force. My entire body felt bound by intangible restraints.
Damn it.
The curse slipped out before I could stop it. The overwhelming sensation was one of utter powerlessness. From the moment this strange pressure took hold, I knew, instinctively, that escape was impossible.
I gritted my teeth, pouring every ounce of my strength into breaking free.
Crack.
Nothing. Despite the immense strain, my body refused to budge. I tried to summon my Qi.
But there was no response. It was as if my energy had vanished completely, leaving me hollow. It felt like the world itself was conspiring to stop me from saving the girl right in front of me.
My pupils trembled.
A strange light poured from Wi Seol-Ah as she staggered. What was that? Some form of Qi? No, it was something else entirely. I could tell just by looking. The girl who had spoken to me moments ago was fading away. Her physical form remained, but her presence, her very existence, was being erased. Right before my eyes.
I didn't know where she was going or how she was disappearing, but I knew one thing for certain: if this continued, I would never see her again.
After we finally met like this, she's just going to vanish?
Wi Seol-Ah was slipping away.
And I'm supposed to just stand here and watch?
Squeeze.
What absolute nonsense.
I forced more strength into my limbs, but my body remained stiff as stone. The only difference I felt was the excruciating overload my muscles were suffering.
Craaack-!
Muscles tore and bones splintered under the pressure. The pain was blinding, but it didn't matter.
Damn it…
I pushed myself to the absolute limit, yet the restraints held firm. It would have been nice to use my Qi, but I couldn't even summon my Demonic Qi, let alone my regular energy.
Please, just let me move.
Just move, damn it.
What was the point of all my training if I couldn't even save the one person I wanted to protect?
As I fought my futile battle,
“I have no right to ask anything of you…”
Wi Seol-Ah began to speak.
“But I’d like to make two requests.”
I wanted to scream at her to worry about herself instead of making requests, but my damned mouth wouldn't move. Wi Seol-Ah spoke as if she had no intention of waiting for my response anyway.
“Please take good care of this child…”
Instead of thinking of herself, she was asking me to look after the Wi Seol-Ah of this timeline. Her voice was thick with desolation and sorrow, the tone of someone who had surrendered everything and let go of all regrets.
Still, her words made me want to ask in return.
What about you, then?
If she leaves after making these requests, what’s left for her? What would remain for the woman who risked her life for others, who gave everything to save the world?
Not yet.
There was still so much I needed to ask her. How did we end up coming back to the past? What happened to her after my death? And why… why did she miss me enough to follow me here? I wanted to ask her all of it.
But now, you’re telling me I have to let her go like this?
I couldn’t accept that.
…I can’t let that happen.
So please, move.
I felt my body creaking, a clear sign it had reached its limit. Was there truly no way out? Did I really have to watch her vanish right before my eyes?
As shame washed over me, Wi Seol-Ah made her second request.
“…And please, call this child by her name.”
“…!”
Her words hit me with the force of a physical blow. I hadn’t expected that.
Call her by her name…?
I had never called anyone by their name. I didn't even have a clear reason for it anymore. Maybe I once did, but it was lost to me now. Back then, I was simply afraid. Afraid to acknowledge someone's existence so intimately. Terrified that someone dear to me might recoil in disgust at my flaws and failures.
Now, I just felt uncomfortable doing it. I had grown too accustomed to the distance. I was so used to avoiding names, and I hadn't found anyone important enough to carve their name into my memory.
…No, that’s not it. I was just afraid.
I dismissed my own weak excuse. I tried to act tough, but I knew I wasn't. I avoided names in my past life because I was unhappy with myself, and in this life, I kept doing it to avoid the pain of loss. With inevitable calamities and wars on the horizon, and a world brimming with secrets and the looming threat of the Heavenly Demon, I couldn't accomplish anything. Because of that, I didn't want to engrave anyone in my mind. I worked tirelessly to protect others, yet I was never certain I could truly save anyone.
Is that why?
Was Wi Seol-Ah making this request because she understood my weakness? Did she want me to change, to call people by their names, because I never did in my past life? Was that the purpose of her two requests?
Yet…
You’re not going to ask anything for yourself?
She wasn’t asking me to do that for her. It felt so empty. It was heartbreaking to see someone who, even at the end, cared so little for herself after a lifetime of selflessness.
Even now, you’re still the Celestial Sword, aren’t you?
Her image was etched into my heart, and I didn't want her to live the same life in this timeline. I wished she’d never held a sword. I wanted her to never learn martial arts. I prayed she would keep her smile and live freely, following her own dreams. I had tried to take the Celestial Sword’s place, hoping to free her from the life she endured in my past.
That was my goal.
However.
What had I achieved since coming back?
Nothing.
I hadn’t achieved a single thing.
In the end, Wi Seol-Ah picked up a sword again. She trained in martial arts, reaching the Peak Realm in just a few years, proving that her past life’s talent was no illusion. The young girl with a bright smile was slowly losing it, wielding a sword now to protect me. In the end, she had taken up the sword once more to protect others, and this time, I was one of them.
What a fool I am.
I swore to change things, yet I failed to alter what mattered most. What was the purpose of my life, then?
Pssss…
Wi Seol-Ah’s presence began to fade. As her aura dimmed, I watched her slowly sink to her knees. She closed her eyes, preparing for the farewell.
Wait.
I was far from ready. How could she prepare herself so easily?
Since my regression, I’ve lived a life I could never have imagined. I’d earned the title of True Dragon. In contrast to being called the Young Lord of the Gu Clan in my past life, I now carried a title that was embarrassing but strangely cool. I refused to live another life of regret. I vowed to protect those around me and, ultimately, to achieve peace. I was living a life completely unlike my past.
But so what?
Snap.
Unable to bear the mounting pressure, blood vessels in my eyes burst.
What comes after?
Honor and fame? Then peace? How utterly meaningless. If I can't even save the girl right in front of me, nothing else matters.
Craaaack-!
I summoned even more strength, pushing against the crushing force. My body screamed in pain, already past its limit, but I ignored it. I could always repair it if it broke. I only looked forward. I would worry about the consequences later.
Please.
But what good would it do, even if I broke free? Could I even help her if I reached her? She's already disappearing. What would change?
Please.
It's all pointless. Just watch and wallow in sorrow.
These thoughts raged within me, yet a small, stronger instinct screamed that I couldn't let her remain there. Even if it cost me my life, I couldn't let her go like this.
Just as that thought crossed my mind,
Sss…
…Huh?
I felt a warmth, as if someone was embracing me from behind. Warm hands wrapped around my neck, then gently took hold of my own. It was just a sensation. I was alone; there was no one here besides Wi Seol-Ah.
It was warm. So soothing that it quieted the storm in my mind. Then, the pressure that held me in place began to fade. I could move my hands. My feet lifted from the ground.
I rushed forward and pulled Wi Seol-Ah close.
“Ah…?”
Ignoring the searing pain, I pulled her small frame toward me.
“How… did you?”
Wi Seol-Ah’s voice trembled with shock in my arms. “How were you… able to m…”
“Wi Seol-Ah.”
“…!”
Holding her tightly, I whispered her name into her ear. Despite her shock, she fell silent, flustered by the sound of her own name.
“…Where do you think you are going?”
“…Ah…”
“At least hear a person out before leaving.”
In response, Wi Seol-Ah slowly wrapped her arms around my back.
“…I really must be dying.”
“What?”
“I heard that when someone feels immense happiness, they’re close to death. So if that’s not it… am I dreaming?”
“…”
I pulled her even closer. I felt her warmth. I could hear her heartbeat. But still, her aura continued to fade.
What should I do? What can I do to…
[ …Embrace it. ]
A voice whispered in my ear. A familiar voice.
This voice…
Just as realization dawned, I opened my eyes in shock.
[ There is no time. Hurry… ]
The voice urged me onward. I didn't hesitate. I knew time was running out.
Woong.
I activated my Demonic Absorption Art. Unlike before, my Qi flowed freely.
“Master… Gu?”
Wi Seol-Ah noticed something and called out to me.
“…Stay still.”
“What… are you doing?”
She would definitely try to stop me if she knew. She might even yell at me. It would have been amusing to see her like that,
But I was never one to listen to anyone.
I had no plans to start now.
“You’ve acted selfishly too, so I’ll do as I please.”
“…N-No. I…”
The aura pouring out from Wi Seol-Ah changed its direction and flowed toward me. I saw it enter my body, yet I felt nothing. It was undeniably flowing into me, but there was no sensation.
“I’m not sure if this is the right thing to do.”
“Master Gu…”
“I have no idea what will happen to me afterward.”
“Then…!”
“But still.”
I couldn't see Wi Seol-Ah’s expression as I held her close.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go like this.”
“…”
Wi Seol-Ah remained silent. But I felt her hold tighten around me. That was enough.
Then, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
…What would have happened if we both lived a different life? Wi Seol-Ah’s earlier words echoed in my mind. Could we have lived a better life? Both of us?
Moments later, the light radiating from Wi Seol-Ah vanished, as if it had never existed. I loosened my grip and shifted to look at her. Her eyes were closed.
“…”
When she opened them again, it would undoubtedly be the Wi Seol-Ah of this timeline, not the one I’d just spoken to. Would she remember this? Or did she know my secrets?
Setting those questions aside, I placed a hand over my chest.
…I wonder what happened.
I had absorbed her aura, yet I couldn't feel even a hint of her presence in my Dantian or my heart. I had no other choice. I only did what the voice told me to do.
“…”
The voice that had called to me… Someone might wonder why I obeyed it so easily, but I’d heard it before. Of course, I remembered it. I’d never let myself forget.
It was the voice of someone from long ago.
“…Mother.”
It was my mother’s voice.