Chapter 449: This Isn’t It (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 449: This Isn’t It (1)
When did it begin?
No, more precisely… when did it all start?
I couldn’t recall clearly.
It was too long ago, and it was a memory I had no desire to remember—one I wished I could erase completely, or bury so deep it would never surface again.
Yet, despite my feelings, there were things I simply couldn’t forget.
In fact, the more I tried to push them away, the more vividly they burned in my mind.
This… is one of those memories.
By then, I had grown accustomed to the foul stench that perpetually filled the Demonic Realm. I’d even come to see the red moon hanging in the sky as little more than a common lantern.
It happened during a night patrol.
As survivors grew fewer, patrols became more frequent—and so did my assignments.
Flicker.
The darkness was so thick it blinded me, so I summoned a small flame to light my way.
My Qi was meager; the flame only brightened the space directly in front of me, offering no warmth. Still, I kept it burning. It made me feel just a little safer.
Swish—!
Then, a sudden gust of wind snuffed it out.
[…]
I stared at my empty hand for a moment, then turned left with a scowl.
[What do you think you’re doing? You have a death wish?]
My voice was sharp with anger. That gust was no natural breeze.
The one who had extinguished my flame stood there, her gaze as cold and detached as ever.
[I warned you not to use fire without my permission.]
I clicked my tongue in irritation.
[And how am I supposed to see anything out here? You expect me to patrol blind?]
[If you can’t see, then don’t. If you were truly blind, you wouldn’t need to see in the first place.]
Her words were like ice. My frown deepened.
[What a shitty thing to say.]
[It’s the truth. It’s better to see nothing than to attract demons with your light.]
Her tone was harsh as she swept her long golden hair back over her shoulder. For a moment, the pale curve of her neck was exposed—a sight that might have captivated other men, but I averted my eyes. Her beauty meant nothing to me; it was her cold words that cut deep.
[So you’re telling me to crawl on the ground because I’m weak. Is that it?]
I saw her shoulders tense slightly at my response.
[…That’s not what I meant.]
[Why deny it? It’s fine. I’m used to this kind of treatment by now.]
Words like that didn’t hurt my pride anymore. I had little pride left to wound.
Well, maybe a shred remained.
[…You talented types will never understand.]
Had I said that out loud?
[You’ll never know what it’s like to have to crawl.]
[…]
Her golden eyes fixed on me, and I saw a flicker of anger in them. I didn’t understand why. She was a prodigy, a genius who had surpassed even the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes. Why would she take offense when I acknowledged her talent?
It made no sense to me.
[How can you say that when you know nothing…?]
She sounded offended, which only annoyed me more.
[And you talk as if you know everything about me?]
[…]
The woman known as the Celestial Sword bit her lip. I sighed. This argument was pointless. Arguing with geniuses was always a waste of breath. We lived in different worlds.
As I shook my head, she spoke again.
[Why… do you always complain?]
[What?]
[Does acting like that make you feel better?]
[Bitch. Are you trying to lecture me now? Even my parents didn’t bother.]
That was right. I’d ended up this way because no one had cared enough to correct me. But I kept that thought to myself.
[Even if you are all that—]
[I’m not ‘all that.’]
[Are you mocking me?]
She was denying her own talent? What kind of nonsense was this?
But then she continued, her voice weary.
[…I’m really not.]
I still didn’t understand her.
[Fine, you’re not.]
I let it go. It was too much trouble to argue. If she didn’t want to admit she was talented, what could I do? I just wanted the night to end.
I was already irritated about the patrol, and being around the Celestial Sword only made it worse. My previous patrol partner had become demon food, so I’d been stuck with her. We argued every time we met, and now we had to patrol together.
That Snow Phoenix bitch had probably arranged it on purpose. She handled patrol assignments, and she knew how uncomfortable the Celestial Sword made me. She’d paired us together intentionally. I’d never liked her.
It had been a little over a week since we’d been grouped together, and tonight we’d talked more than usual—if you could call it talking. Most of it was arguing.
After our back-and-forth, silence fell. I didn’t mind the quiet. I started counting the small rocks on the ground to pass the time when the Celestial Sword suddenly broke the silence.
[What is your goal?]
[…Hah?]
I frowned. What was she talking about? Where did that come from?
[What are you suddenly on about?]
[I was wondering if even someone like you has a goal.]
[Are you trying to pick a fight? Have you lost your mind?]
I was speechless. It felt like I’d been punched out of nowhere. My goal? I turned the question over in my mind but came up empty. I’d never lived with a goal. How could I, when I didn’t even care if I lived or died? The thought soured my mood.
Glaring at her, I threw the question back.
[What about you? Do you have a goal?]
[…]
She turned her head away, avoiding my eyes.
[Hah, you don’t have one either? I guess we’re the same, then.]
I smirked. Her head snapped back toward me, eyes blazing. She seemed insulted by the comparison.
[…I… do…]
Her voice was quiet, almost embarrassed, belying her fierce expression.
[You do? What is it?]
I wasn’t really curious, but I asked anyway. Other people’s goals meant nothing to me.
[…]
She hesitated for a long moment. What kind of grand goal required so much thought? To become the Alliance Leader? To reach the Zenith? That might be difficult, but for someone of her talent, it wasn’t impossible.
As I waited, she finally spoke, her voice so soft I could barely hear it.
[…ther.]
[What?]
I leaned closer.
[…Mother…]
Her ears tinged pink as she said it.
Mother?
[…?]
I leaned back, baffled.
[…What.]
Out of nowhere, she says ‘mother’? Had I heard her right?
[…Mother?]
[…]
Her expression confirmed I hadn’t misheard. Seeing my reaction, she grew defensive, as if embarrassed.
[…What? Is that strange?]
[You think it isn’t? Of course it’s strange to say your goal is to be a mother.]
[…Being a mother is an important goal. How can you not know that?]
[Maybe because I never had one? How should I know?]
[…]
She fell silent at my dark joke. I hadn’t meant it that way.
[But why that, of all things?]
Why ‘mother’? With her talent, she could aim for anything.
[…It’s not exactly my goal.]
[You just said it was.]
[I just… dream of living a normal life.]
[Hmm?]
A normal life?
[I want to meet someone I love, get married, have children… fight and make up, grow old together… A life like that.]
The more she spoke, the drier my mouth felt.
[Then do it. What’s stopping you?]
It didn’t sound like much of a goal. She didn’t want to become a master or a clan lord—just to live an ordinary life. I didn’t understand why she called it a goal when she could easily have it.
As if reading my thoughts, she gave a bitter smile.
[You’re right. It should be easy.]
But then I heard her soft murmur.
—But such a simple thing feels so far out of reach…
After that, she said nothing more. I didn’t ask. The night felt darker, and we both fell silent once again.
That night ended, but for some reason, the memory stayed with me. Why couldn’t I forget something so trivial? If I had to pinpoint a reason, it was perhaps because I had begun, unconsciously, to grow interested in the Celestial Sword.
Was it because I found it fascinating that her goal was something so ordinary? Or was it the pity I felt seeing her expression that night?
I still didn’t know.
But by the time I realized it, I had come to share the same goal. It was probably around then that I began to have one at all.
I never spoke of it to anyone. I didn’t even recognize it as a goal until the moment I died.
The irony was…
Neither her goal nor mine was ever achieved. Not even in death.
* * *
Was I mistaken?
No.
There was no mistake.
The Celestial Sword’s gaze was fixed directly on me, even amidst the crowd of Demonic Humans.
I kept checking, thinking it might be a coincidence, but her eyes remained locked on mine without wavering.
As I stood frozen, staring into her golden pupils—
Thump.
“…!”
A sudden vibration shuddered through my body.
I pressed a hand to my chest.
What was that?
Thump… Thump.
The sensation pulsed again, growing stronger.
…This is—
This vibration… I felt like I knew what it was.
My eyes snapped back to the Celestial Sword. She was still staring at me, her expression as stunned as mine must have been. She felt it too, just like I did.
I clenched my fist.
Damn it.
Thump. Thump.
It wasn’t just a vibration.
It was a resonance. The same energy, echoing between us.
My thoughts raced. Why hadn’t I anticipated this?
…How could I have?
I hadn’t even been sure this energy still existed within me, or if it had long since faded. I’d had no way to check.
But this energy now resonating with the Celestial Sword—
The Celestial Sword…
It was the energy I had received from ‘her’ in this life. And it was resonating with the Celestial Sword standing before me now.
She felt it too. That was why she looked like that.
This was bad.
I never imagined this would happen.
I’d been careful to seal away my Gu Flame Wheel Art, fearing the Demon Emperor would detect it. But this? I never thought she would sense this.
And there was another problem.
I can’t hide this even if I wanted to.
I didn’t know how to control the Celestial Sword’s energy within me. I had no way to suppress it.
And so—
Thump, Thump, Thump—!
The resonance intensified. My head throbbed, and a wave of nausea washed over me.
“…You’ve even called that bitch here. It seems you truly desire war.”
The Demon Emperor’s voice cut through the chaos, his gaze fixed on the Celestial Sword.
“It is not I who seeks bloodshed, but you. Is that not so?”
His killing intent had thickened, saturating the air. He was ready to slaughter everyone.
In response, the Heavenly Venerable spoke calmly, his hands still clasped behind his back.
“I will say it again. We came to propose a deal.”
“If you continue spouting nonsense, I will tear out your tongue right here.”
Crack.
The ground beneath the Demon Emperor’s feet splintered, and flames erupted from the fissures.
“The timing is perfect. That worthless bitch is here. I can kill you both together.”
Bullshit.
He had no real intention of killing them. He was clearly weighing how to send them away without a fight.
Thump…
Ugh.
The resonance in my dantian grew more violent. Then, I felt a hand press against my back.
A gentle flow of Qi eased through me. The resonance didn’t stop, but the discomfort lessened slightly.
I turned to see the Demonic Sword standing behind me, her hand on my back.
“…Are you all right?” she asked.
“…Thank you.”
I was stunned. Why was she helping me? She hated physical contact.
Before I could process it further—
Swish—!
The Celestial Sword descended gracefully from the sky.
“…”
Now I could see her clearly. This was her from this era.
Her beauty rivaled the Demonic Sword’s, with brilliant golden hair that gave her an exotic aura. She seemed more mature than the Wi Seol-Ah I had met in this life, her beauty fully bloomed. A cold, imposing atmosphere surrounded her.
“…Demon Emperor.”
Her voice was calm as she addressed him.
The Demon Emperor’s Combat Qi flared in response.
“You must not value your life, coming here of your own accord.”
“…We do not wish to fight.”
“You bring such forces to my doorstep, yet claim you seek no battle? Do not insult my intelligence.”
“…”
“Be honest. Say you want war, and I will gladly oblige.”
“…As the Heavenly Venerable stated, we only wish to propose a—”
Rumble—!
Before she could finish, a torrent of flames erupted from the Demon Emperor.
The Celestial Sword’s blades materialized in the air, slicing through the inferno. As before, the demonic flames were utterly erased by her power of Destruction.
Frowning at the sudden attack, she steadied herself. The Demon Emperor spoke again.
“You are mistaken.”
Flames coiled around his body like living serpents.
“Do you still believe this can be resolved with words?”
The Demonic Humans around us stirred, their Demonic Qi rising in unison.
“I thought I had burned away the naivety clouding your minds, but it seems traces remain.”
“…Demon Emperor.”
The Celestial Sword bit her lip. Even now, I felt her gaze flicker toward me.
“If there is something you want, then try to—”
“…We will return the Thunder Fang.”
The Demon Emperor froze, his charge halted mid-step.
I froze too, though for a different reason.
Did she say… Thunder Fang?
I glanced at the Demonic Sword. Her face was a mask of displeasure. So it was true—the Thunder Fang was on their side.
But… what does that mean?
My heart pounded as the truth sank in.
It made no sense. In all my memories, the Thunder Fang had never left the Demonic Sword’s hand.