Chapter 157
Chapter 157
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 157
Chapter Title: Little Heavenly Demon, Paradise (6)
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His vision flickered in and out.
What he could see was the broad back of a man. Clothes soaked through with blood...
And the familiar scent wafting to his nose.
A sturdy build and hair that looked familiar.
Ah.
It was him.
Gripping the chains tight in his fist and yanking them pulled his body along.
Clang. Clang.
Shaking limply. He forced his half-closed eyelids open.
It was a back he knew well.
The back of his senior brother, who sometimes turned away because her approach felt burdensome. Broad, firm, and warm enough to make her want to embrace it.
She had etched it into her eyes countless times so she would never forget.
"...Senior Brother."
She had thrown herself at him so unexpectedly. He must be furious.
Shaking off stray thoughts, she gazed at her senior brother's face, precious enough not to hurt even if held in her eyes.
'Senior Brother?'
In that moment, Cheon-do's breath caught in her throat.
"......"
He exuded an atmosphere utterly different from the senior brother she knew.
Eyes sunken so deep it was as if he were dead. His black pupils revealed no emotion whatsoever.
His rigid face was frozen like stone.
As if some massive, irreplaceable part of him had been brutally torn away, his entire emotional framework had collapsed.
She could almost hear the sound of her eyes rolling as she tried to take in the situation.
Even Cheon-do felt a profound disconnect from this Do-won, so unlike the man she usually saw.
Restrained emotions.
That phrase didn't even come close.
Empty?
Dared she apply such a word to her senior brother?
Forgetting her pain amid the shocking sight, Cheon-do swallowed blood-mixed saliva.
For some reason, his back view seemed utterly pitiful.
His face kept coming into focus.
He looked like he could collapse at any moment without it being strange at all. Cheon-do couldn't bear to watch.
"Senior Brother..."
She barely squeezed out her fragile voice.
"Senior Brother... are you okay?"
"You."
His tightly shut mouth finally opened.
All the hunters who had faced Cheon-do were wary of her senior brother.
And rightly so.
An aura incomparably denser than before emanated from his body.
"Cheon-do, are you okay?"
A gentle voice emerged from his emotionless face.
His face was frightening... but it was the man she knew.
Soft, as if he might reach out and stroke her head at any moment.
"I'm fine, I... I'm fi—"
His single word rang clear in her chest, choking her throat for an entirely different reason this time.
"I'm fine, so... please."
Cheon-do cast her eyes downward and nodded.
The pent-up rage melted away.
The deaths of so many she had been forced to watch helplessly.
The injustice and frustration of being powerless herself, even getting captured instead.
Cheon-do didn't cry.
She was the Little Heavenly Demon. No matter what happened, tears wouldn't come.
But she wasn't devoid of feelings, so she squeezed out her voice and spoke to him.
"...Please help the people."
"Yeah."
The reply was short.
Clank!
The golden chains floating in the air snapped instantly.
The chains that had withstood even Cheon-do's fierce resistance scattered into iron dust, shattering like thin glass.
"No way!"
The mage gasped in horror at the divine artifact in his hand.
The scroll-formed item glowed as it vanished.
Do-won caught the falling Cheon-do with his body, set her down on the rooftop, and gave her a light hug.
"Stay put."
"Yes. But Senior Brother... your wounds."
One arm reduced to rags.
Skin mangled to a horrific degree.
Pus and blood oozed from flesh bruised purple as if poisoned.
Thump.
Her chest tightened again.
Cheon-do swallowed hard and looked up at Do-won.
He stared down at her with his still-stony face, hiding his mangled hand behind his back so she wouldn't see, and patted her head with his other hand.
"It'll be over soon."
And as he said, it really wouldn't take much longer.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Was that really human?
White clothes with no equipment. A straight fist. Yet an overwhelming aura of power poured from him unlike his appearance.
The mere fact that he could move in a state no better than a corpse was astonishing.
That was the Little Heavenly Demon. The face etched into their eyes.
Pain must be excruciating, yet his mana flow was as steady as a calm ripple.
A composure that took one's breath away.
Even ents, numb to pain, disrupted their mana instinctively near death. What trials must he have overcome to reach this state?
It was the common thought among the hunters eyeing him.
After speaking with the young girl, the Little Heavenly Demon patted her head.
A faint smile seemed to flicker at the monster's lips for a moment.
'......'
A stir in his chest.
Jeong Ho-moon tried to ignore that human scene, more fitting between lovers or siblings.
"Hey, what do we do?"
"...Kill him here."
When the short-haired hunter asked, Jeong Ho-moon made his decision, erasing that gentle image from his mind.
Quick judgment was key as leader of the strike team.
And deep down, he thought this too.
'If we don't kill him here... there won't be another chance to take down that man.'
For his son. His daughter. His family, he had to do it.
Gripping his sword, Jeong Ho-moon slowly drew up his mana.
The greatest force in this war, excluding Mu-gung.
His acknowledged skill might not faze that man.
He felt inadequate compared to Mu-gung, who was on the verge of a new realm.
The Little Heavenly Demon was probably in a similar position.
A hair's breadth difference.
But he had allies.
The short-haired hunter kicked off first, leaping toward the rooftop where the Little Heavenly Demon stood.
Boom!
An ambush.
Aiming for his back while he faced the girl.
"Stop."
Jeong Ho-moon halted the move.
"What? Why?"
He froze the airborne hunter.
The Little Heavenly Demon hadn't moved yet.
"If you'd gone in like that, you'd be dead."
They couldn't afford to lose a single head.
Instinct told him they could only win under his direct command.
The weight and quality of his mana were on another level.
They needed a solid plan. No reckless charges.
Fortify defense and fight smart.
But Jeong Ho-moon overlooked something.
Slash!
A speed so fast it was hard to even perceive. Would the others react?
He could see it. But no one else could match that speed.
The Little Heavenly Demon vanished from sight, reappearing gripping the hat-wearing hunter's head.
"Kyaaack!"
A piercing scream.
She dropped her staff and pounded his arm, but he didn't stop.
By the time Jeong Ho-moon moved, it was too late.
Crunch, crunch!
A scene too gruesome to watch.
The mage went still.
With her rear support dead, plans meant nothing now.
He couldn't even tell if victory was possible.
Melee chaos.
Boom!
"Fuck!"
The short-haired hunter, swinging his sword sideways, was smashed into a building.
White mana surged, blasting him through the structure.
"...Kuhuhu, crazy bastard."
The hunter rose from the debris.
Tree bark armor covered his body.
"Living long enough to see a monster like this. Come on, then."
At that sight, the other hunters began revealing their forms.
Each one first-rate.
Even the Little Heavenly Demon couldn't one-shot them all.
"Hup—"
Jeong Ho-moon took a short breath and charged.
His massive frame cracked the ground with each step.
Greatsword gripped in both hands.
White mana gathered on the blade.
The Little Heavenly Demon didn't dodge, wrapping mana around one fist.
A bloodied fist extended.
Kaboom!
A massive shockwave erupted between them.
His eyes burned from the heat, but he didn't close them.
He kept pushing forward.
Boom! Boom!
Buildings collapsed repeatedly, the ground sank.
Water sprayed from a ruptured aqueduct.
Squeee!
An arrow from above pierced the Little Heavenly Demon's thigh.
His foot slammed Jeong Ho-moon's armor, snapping joints and crumpling the mana-forged steel.
A bloody melee.
'...We can do this.'
As wounds accumulated, his body regenerated—a bizarre phenomenon, but not limitless.
If they kept this up, they could win.
Against that monster...
'We can—'
Then, the man's mouth opened.
"...Black Spade."
Suddenly, black mist filled the entire surrounding buildings.
Mana so thick it saturated the air, felt on the skin.
Killing intent battering his whole body.
Pain throbbed in his temples, and Jeong Ho-moon's consciousness blacked out briefly.
"Kuhuk, heuk... hah."
Consciousness returned.
His armor shattered, body limp as severed tendons.
Jeong Ho-moon grimaced and urgently scanned around.
'Ah.'
A headless corpse. The short-haired hunter's.
The mage, the priest. Hunters in similar straits to him.
Instinct told him the worst had happened: a crushing defeat they must never have suffered.
His hands trembled.
"Hey."
The voice came from right in front.
Exhaustion dripped from it, as if he'd wrung out every last bit of strength.
The Little Heavenly Demon knelt before him.
"Two Little Heavenly Demons. Was it you on the radio?"
A parched, blunt voice.
He could feel the warning: lie, and die instantly.
Jeong Ho-moon spat blood and continued.
"......Yes."
"How much do you know?"
"The people here. And... one in the same squad at HQ. It's already out."
He knew why he asked without looking.
This man didn't want to reveal the girl as the Little Heavenly Demon.
"This radio?"
Suddenly, the Little Heavenly Demon held out the radio. Jeong Ho-moon's face hardened.
Murderous pressure.
To think such old tactics still worked.
How strong must he be to pull this off?
It was absurd enough to draw a laugh.
"Am I going to die?"
"If you want to die, say so."
"......"
Who in the world wanted death?
Bathed in blood, the Little Heavenly Demon spoke to Jeong Ho-moon in a ragged voice.
Breath puffed from his mouth.
"There's one way to live."
"......What is it."
"Tell them there's one Little Heavenly Demon, and I died. You look like the top dog among those who came to kill me. Do me that favor, and I might let you live."
"Lie to them?"
"Half lie, half truth. I'll die soon anyway."
So straightforward.
"Aren't you afraid to die?"
"What, should I snivel like I don't wanna die in front of the enemy?"
The Little Heavenly Demon's face after battle was different, expression returning.
Though still panting from exhaustion.
As if he'd kept emotions switched off until now, flipping it on at last.
Even now, charisma radiated from his back.
One eye looked clouded, as if blinded.
"...Can't see from this eye anymore."
The Little Heavenly Demon covered his right eye with a hand and sighed.
A wound that would heal quickly with rest.
Jeong Ho-moon was silent a long while before speaking.
"I don't get it... Even if I agree now, I might lie."
"Guys who say that usually keep promises."
"What's your basis?"
"Your face says so."
Jeong Ho-moon frowned.
"You were the only one hesitating. You reek of sucker vibes. Like looking at my old self."
"......"
"...You think it's right for kids to die for no reason? When she's not even the Little Heavenly Demon."
"...Not the Little Heavenly Demon?"
"Just taught her a bit. She was too weak."
Just taught her. The Heavenly Demon's power?
Jeong Ho-moon couldn't tell truth from lie.
"Sudden Little Heavenly Demon label and death—unfair, right? World Trees. Yeah... that's right for you all. Cutting buds is proper for them."
The Little Heavenly Demon's eyes pierced him.
Like a veteran peering into his soul, straight out of politics or business.
Despite countless such proposals, with his life on the line, Jeong Ho-moon couldn't stay cool.
"Say it again: why trust me?"
"I never said I trust you."
The Little Heavenly Demon continued.
"Just worried about after I die. She's like a daughter to me."
The young girl's face flashed in Jeong Ho-moon's mind.
A memory he'd tried to erase, but her indignant face hovered.
Someone important to the Little Heavenly Demon. He had someone like that too.
"......What do I need to do?"
"What I said earlier. And when the Heavenly Demon dies later, and Do-won falls."
He gazed beyond.
Perfectly aligning with their plans, it chilled him.
"Help three orphans with no side. Take their part a bit."
"......"
It didn't sound like a lie.
Jeong Ho-moon's eyes wavered.
What sin did the kids commit? Such words floated around often.
The Little Heavenly Demon's words were both command and plea.
"Set up a spot for them."
"......Got it."
It was a desperate measure for survival.
But Jeong Ho-moon couldn't ignore the enemy's humbled request.
Thoughts of his own children surfaced.
The Little Heavenly Demon rose, then staggered and collapsed.
Thud!
Not stopping there, he forced himself up again.
Admirable, when even he struggled to stand.
Across the way, the girl watched him anxiously.
Once accepted, everything looked different.
A middle-school-aged child. One who should be at school, pouting carefree.
"......"
He recalled trying to kill such a child.
Gratitude edged out resentment toward the Little Heavenly Demon.
A brush with defying humanity?
Even now... did he crave righteousness?
Jeong Ho-moon mocked himself.
Step, step.
The staggering man walked.
"Senior Brother, Senior Brother...!"
The teary girl rushing into his arms was the last sight he witnessed.
'Ah.'
Jeong Ho-moon thought.
'I was wrong.'