Chapter 673: It's been a while!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 673: It's been a while!
I scowled at the Heavenly Demon’s words.
"How the hell would I know that?"
What kind of conversation was this even supposed to be? It felt like I had just wasted my breath.
What the hell am I doing?
Her name didn't matter in the first place. I never knew the Heavenly Demon’s name in my past life, either. To the world, she was simply the Heavenly Demon—a devil descended from the heavens, the very source of the Great Calamity.
Her name meant nothing to me. That was enough.
No, it had to be enough.
So…
Don't you dare make that face in front of me.
Seeing her act like a completely different person from the Heavenly Demon of my memories was infuriating. It was fucking maddening.
"Now I'm in a foul mood."
I pivoted my hips, centering my weight. My condensed internal energy felt unusually heavy. Qi shouldn't have physical weight, so this was pure, unadulterated pressure.
Could I kill her with this? I wasn't sure. But I had to try.
"Greed."
Swoosh—!
Crack—!
"!"
Greed surged forward, devouring the barrier. Once again, the Heavenly Demon didn't even attempt to dodge, allowing an even larger opening to form.
There it was.
I stomped down hard, my foot digging into the earth, then shifted my shoulder to adjust the angle. I gripped the Holy Spear with white-knuckled intensity.
"..."
Seeing this, the Heavenly Demon looked as if she wanted to say something, but she simply corrected her posture instead. She didn't look like she was planning to run.
If anything…
It was as if she were showing her resolve not to move an inch.
Fuck.
Was she daring me to hit her? I could feel just how little she thought of me. Fine. If that was the case, I’d show her.
"Fine. Then just die right here."
I threw my arm forward.
Just then—
"Little Brother—!"
Gu Huibi’s voice echoed from the forest behind me. She had arrived, but she was too late.
Grip—!
I hurled the Holy Spear with everything I had.
Whoooosh—!!
The Holy Spear tore through the air, a streak of light aimed straight for the Heavenly Demon.
"No—!"
Gu Huibi desperately tried to intervene, but at her speed, there was no way she could intercept it.
The Holy Spear reached its target. Seeing the weapon close in, the Heavenly Demon gently closed her eyes.
Vwooom—!!
KRA-BOOOOOOM—!!!
A massive explosion erupted, shaking the very foundation of the forest.
Shwaaaaaaaah—!!
A blast of scorching wind incinerated the surrounding foliage. From a distance, thick, black smoke billowed into the sky.
Watching the aftermath, I waved my hand. I used my Qi to draw in the flames that had caught on the trees, preventing a forest fire.
Fwoosh—!!
The stray flames gathered and settled into my heart. With a deep frown, I stared through the settling dust.
The Heavenly Demon was still standing there, exactly as before. She looked completely unharmed. Behind her, the landscape had been reduced to a scorched ruin.
"Haaah…"
I wiped my face with a trembling hand.
"Fuck…"
You fucking idiot. I cursed myself inwardly.
In the end, I couldn't do it. Even when she served herself up on a silver platter, I had faltered. How pathetic was that?
"Yeona…!"
Gu Huibi dashed past me and rushed to the Heavenly Demon’s side.
"Hi, Sis," the Heavenly Demon greeted her calmly.
Watching them, I felt a hollow pit in my stomach. Why couldn't I kill her?
Was it because I was afraid I’d fail?
I had to kill her. I knew that only by ending her life would this shallow, gnawing anxiety disappear. But I couldn't do it.
…Is it because she looks exactly like Wi Seol-Ah?
I couldn't deny it. But that couldn't be the only reason.
Then is it because I think she can change?
Seeing this version of the Heavenly Demon—so vastly different from the monster I remembered—did I harbor some delusional hope that she could change, just like Zhuge Hyuk or Namgung Bi-ah?
I didn't know. I didn't know anything, but one thing was certain.
I'll regret it.
I had a feeling that if I killed the Heavenly Demon now, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Yet, if I didn't do it now, I might never get another chance. One day, she could become the calamity again and trigger another bloodbath.
That anxiety was there, but it was overshadowed by an inexplicable fear of regret. Was I feeling a guilty conscience? If so, this was the worst possible time for it.
What was happening to me?
…What should I do?
I asked the ill-tempered old man who wasn't there.
I don't know the way.
No answer came. There was no one to ask. If Elder Shin were here, what would he have said to me?
—If you think you'll regret it, don't do it.
Would he have said that?
But what if something happens later?
—Then deal with it when it happens. You should at least be able to handle that much. Tsk, tsk. How can a man with balls be such a coward?
…
—Do as your heart tells you. That's what's right for you.
Elder Shin wasn't here, but it felt as if his voice were echoing in my mind.
With that thought, I looked at the Heavenly Demon.
"Let me ask you one thing."
"Hm?"
"You… why didn't you take the Escort Warrior Exam?"
I had gone through the trouble of getting her through the first round, but she had vanished right before the second test.
"Ah."
The Heavenly Demon's eyes widened as if she had just remembered.
"They're weak."
"What?"
"Sis told me not to bully the weak. It would be a big problem if we fought."
"..."
In an instant, first-rate martial artists and even those at the Peak Realm had been demoted to 'the weak.' But beyond that, hearing the Heavenly Demon say such things was utterly absurd.
"For fuck's sake."
Pat, pat.
I dusted off my hands. I looked at Gu Huibi.
"Put your sword away, Sis. I'm not going to do anything for now."
"..."
At my words, Gu Huibi, who had been white-knuckling the hilt of her sword, flinched. She had been prepared to stop me.
And with that expression on her face.
The look on Gu Huibi's face was one of pure agony. She hated the very idea of pointing her sword at me. She was one of the most ill-tempered people in the world, yet at times like this, she was so painfully human.
"Brother…"
"I'm not saying I'm stopping for good. Right now… I just need some time to think."
"I don't know how you see her, but this child isn't bad… She just doesn't know the world yet. If you stay by her side a little longer—"
"That might be true," I cut her off.
Right. It might be true. The sight of the Heavenly Demon—who claimed she shouldn't fight the weak—was bizarre even to me. Perhaps she really could live a different life.
"But for me to think that way right now, I'd have to give up a lot, you know?"
That was a very difficult thing for me to do. There were only a few years left. In just a few years, the time for the Heavenly Demon's descent would come. Until then, there was no telling what might happen. It was too risky to decide anything based on a single encounter.
"So for now, I'm leaving."
I needed space. With her standing right in front of me, I couldn't think straight. I glanced at the ruined forest and the Heavenly Demon one last time, then turned my back.
Is it really okay to leave like this?
The question looped endlessly in my mind.
"Bye."
"..."
"See you again later."
At the sound of the Heavenly Demon's naive voice, I finally took a step.
Fwoosh—!
I rose into the air, soaring above the trees. The moon was still high in the night sky. I steadied my breath as I looked at the thin sliver of the crescent moon.
What is this?
What the hell kind of situation had I walked into? Putting aside the Heavenly Demon's current state and my own hesitation, I tried to piece together the events that had led here.
Grandfather…
My grandfather, the previous Lord of the Gu Clan—who was supposed to be dead—had entrusted the Heavenly Demon to someone. How did the Heavenly Demon, who should have left with the Palace Lord, end up in my grandfather's hands? And why entrust her to Gu Huibi, of all people?
I didn't know. The fact that my grandfather was alive was a shock in itself.
Does Father know?
If he did, it meant Gu Huibi and my father were both in on it, leaving me as the only one in the dark.
…I don't want to ask Huibi right now.
I wasn't ready to go back and face her questions.
Anyway, Father said he'd be here tomorrow.
I’d talk to him then.
But an unexpected problem arose.
The next day, the members of the Gu Clan and Lady Mi returned to Henan as scheduled.
But my father was not with them.
Not after one day, and not even after seven days had passed.
* * *
A chilling, deathly air permeated the chamber.
Sssss…!
In a place filled with a freezing aura, a figure who had been sitting slumped over slowly raised his head.
"Hmm."
With a short grunt, the young man opened his eyes, revealing eerie, blood-red pupils.
"Well now."
Heh, heh.
The young man chuckled, seemingly amused by the turn of events.
"Was the problem that I let the influence flow too shallowly to avoid suspicion…? It seems the child has come to her senses."
A vast, ancient existence was coiled within her, so he had been proceeding as stealthily as possible. It seemed that caution had been his undoing.
"What a shame."
It was truly a shame. It had been a chance to obtain a precious key with such ease.
While the young man lamented his loss, a woman wearing a veil slowly approached and knelt before him.
"I greet you, Master…"
The young man's gleaming eyes turned to her.
"Dancer."
"I have come in haste because I have something to report. Please forgive my intrusion…"
As the Dancer spoke in a trembling voice, the young man gave a slight nod. It was a sign for her to continue.
"I have found the Gatekeeper."
At those words, the young man froze.
Simultaneously, everything in the room came to a standstill, as if time itself had been frozen. The sound, the energy, even the draft of the wind—everything stopped.
"Heh… Heheheh…"
The only sound was the young man's laughter.
Heheheheheh.
He laughed as if he couldn't contain his joy. With each chuckle, cracks appeared in the very fabric of the space around them.
"Where?"
He had already forgotten his earlier disappointment. His vertically slit pupils radiated an oppressive, suffocating aura. The sheer weight of his existence spread in all directions.
"Where did you see the Gatekeeper?"
Tremble, tremble.
The Dancer's body shook violently under the pressure. Crushed by fear, she could barely find her voice. But she had to answer.
"…A few days… a few days ago. His energy was detected at Mount Taeseong."
"Mount Taeseong, you say…"
It was a mountain not far from Henan. The young man nodded.
"Yes… I've finally found him."
He had found the Gatekeeper who had remained hidden for decades.
…No, that's not right.
It would be more accurate to say the Gatekeeper had finally revealed himself.
The young man slowly rose to his feet.
Crrrack.
The sound of something breaking echoed with his every movement. He opened and closed his hand repeatedly, a look of mild disappointment crossing his face.
It is utterly pathetic, but for now, this is the best I can do.
Compared to his true form, this human vessel was less than dust. But for now, he had no choice. Not until he reclaimed his 'body' and obtained his 'energy.'
"Dancer."
"Yes, Master."
"I shall go for a short walk. In the meantime, relay my words to the Heavenly Eye."
"…Understood."
"And."
Passing the Dancer, the young man's blood-red gaze shifted to a figure standing by the wall, eyes closed.
"It's time for you to move."
At the words spoken by the Blood Demon, the figure stirred.
Ssk.
"Yes."
The Young Lord of the Peng Clan, Peng Woojin, opened his eyes and nodded.