032 You Let Your Guard Down
I whispered into the bastard’s ear.
“I’m not Cheon Sojin, you idiot.”
“W-what does that mean…? W-wait, stop, I said stop!!!”
And who exactly would stop just because he told them to?
The shadow’s face twisted with pain as if it were a real human being.
I murmured calmly into its ear.
“...You let your guard down just because this is a mental world.”
“H-how could this… ngh, ghh, aaagh!!”
Come to think of it, from the bastard’s point of view, this had to be absurd.
It had probably taken me for little more than a toy, and now it was the one being pinned down instead.
Memories of the days I’d trained with Tae Sabu came back to me.
The worst of them was…
“You like fingers?”
“Urrk… aaaaaaaaah!!!!!”
Oh, so it understood.
To howl like that, I’d have to oblige.
“Hang onto your sanity.”
The thing screaming in agony didn’t seem to understand what I meant.
Normally, I’d just prod at the surface and leave it at that.
But there was no reason to go easy on it.
I shoved my intent deeper, then used my finger to stir viciously inside it.
“Graaah… GAAAHHHHHHHHH!!! Let go!!”
Even while the shadow felt a torment like mice racing all over its body, it desperately tried to tear itself away from me, but every attempt only drained more of its strength.
To think I’d be reduced to this by some brat…!
It was easy enough to imagine the fate that awaited it.
The strength seeping away, the man growing stronger as he seemed to absorb it all—the future was already laid bare.
This is impossible!! This is my world!
“Quit squirming.”
The shadow struggled with everything it had.
It tried to shove me off, tried to sever parts of its own body and flee, threw every last ounce of resistance into it—but none of it worked, and time just kept passing.
Like a butterfly caught in a spiderweb, it had become prey waiting only for death.
“Huff, huff… p-please, stop, I can’t—uaaaghhhh!!! Please, stop!!!”
I watched the shadow of Cheon Sojin sobbing in front of me, tears and snot streaming down its face.
It begged piteously and wailed like a dying animal.
So shadows cry tears and snot too.
Still, that was the end of my reaction.
I felt nothing else.
...
Was there anyone who’d feel pity in a situation like this?
The scenes the bastard had shown me were filthy, disgusting hallucinations.
Whether those images had truly happened or had been altered to suit its purpose, I couldn’t say.
It probably doctored them to be as provocative as possible. No matter how much of a scumbag Cheon Sojin was, there’s no way he’d hand over everything that easily.
That was what I wanted to believe.
What disgusted me most was that Cheon Sojin’s emotions flowed into me perfectly.
His despair, depression, frustration, sorrow—everything negative surged through me in vivid waves.
I sharpened my intent deeper inside the shadow.
The reason I’d gone silent partway through and centered my mind was because—
“W-wait! S-stop!! If you go any further, I won’t be me anymore!!!”
...
Part of it was baiting the bastard, but the real reason was to avoid the onset of a true inner demon.
When you receive a favor, you repay it; when you gain a grudge, you pay it back tenfold.
I returned everything in multiples.
Whether it was kindness or hatred, I gave it back doubled.
The shadow cried out in tears.
“Th-then fine! You want power, don’t you? I can give you tremendous power that no one can match! Just stop for a moment!!”
...
It was such a predictable load of bullshit that I was almost yawning.
If it could really grant that much power, then why couldn’t it even escape my intent?
“P-please… fine, I know the location of powerful rare treasures! And not just that, I can tell you where to find all sorts of elixirs too!”
...
That did tempt me a little, but I already knew plenty of locations myself.
The thrashing shadow, unable to break free, stared at me with a face that looked like all the happiness in its life had been ripped away.
Normally, if someone begged like this, my heart would waver for a moment, or I’d hesitate and loosen my grip.
But
I wasn’t normal.
“Grrr… AAAAAAAH!!!”
Suddenly the shadow swelled violently, and black mist converged on it from all directions.
Is this its last desperate struggle?
As it squeezed out the final remnants of its strength, the shadow twisted grotesquely and lashed about in every direction.
It gathered what little power was left and staked everything on its last chance to survive.
Shiiik—.
Black mist gathered into a single point, enveloping both it and the shadow…!
“No!”
I was startled.
To think it could even come up with that.
At the end of its life, it had used a miraculous stratagem to slip out of this situation.
I had to admit, I was impressed.
I hadn’t expected it at all.
And then, unbelievably, the shadow changed into Guyang Jihee.
Her naked body, eyes brimming with tears, looked up at me.
“Haaah… It hurts. Please pull it out. I was wrong….”
“...”
“Sojin-nim, please take it out… okay? It really hurts.”
It wasn’t some black-ink version of Cheon Sojin.
It had transformed perfectly into her.
“It hurts, it hurts! I’ll listen better from now on. Please stop….”
She wept pathetically and begged with everything she had, but—
Puuuk—
...
I simply drove my intent deeper in silence.
No, this time I pushed it in even harder.
Was she a moron?
“Kyaaaah—hgh!! Why… why are you doing this to me? Please. Save me.”
I couldn’t know what kind of pain she was feeling, but I could sense her energy fading fast.
It wouldn’t be much longer.
She spoke in a voice that had shrunk to a whisper.
“This is impossible….”
“What?”
“You turned into the person you love most right now! Every detail—the tone, the behavior, the voice, everything. But… I never imagined you wouldn’t hesitate even once….”
When you thought about it like that, becoming Guyang Jihee wasn’t entirely the wrong choice.
...
After she was cast aside, Cheon Sojin never once blamed her.
“What a heartless bastard.”
He never even resented her, not even at the moment he was scheming with the Heavenly Demon.
Put kindly, he was a pure-hearted man who only ever looked at one woman.
Put plainly, he was…
I’ll stop there.
“Do you want to live?”
Guyang Jihee, who had been glaring at me with eyes full of resentment, brightened instantly.
“Y-yes… Please. If you spare my life, I’ll do anything.”
It really wasn’t a lie to say she had transformed perfectly; she truly looked like the real thing.
The naked Guyang Jihee swayed her hips coquettishly.
To me, it was nothing but disgusting.
I loosened my intent a little and thought for a moment before speaking.
“Fine. Then tell me everything you know.”
“W-what should I tell you?”
Above her pained expression, I could see Cheon Sojin’s face superimposed over hers.
Even if she wasn’t the real Guyang Jihee, it was a face I would keep seeing from now on.
Yes.
This was my job.
I lifted one corner of my mouth and said,
“Didn’t you hear me? I said tell me everything you know.”
*
*
*
Was he here today too?
Holding my pounding heart in check, I walked toward the training room.
In one hand, I tightly held the long robe he had entrusted to me.
“Ssshh—haah—.”
It had been freshly washed, so it smelled only of clean fabric, and yet there was still the faintest trace of his scent clinging to it.
Maybe…
How should I speak when I hand it back?
I’ll do the washing from now on. Or… If you don’t mind, I’d like you to rely on me?
Ju Yeonhwa walked along, humming with a beaming smile.
“Hehe. Just in case, I even brought some snacks….”
But in front of the training room he had entered, a woman was crouching on the ground.
“...”
The sight was deeply unpleasant.
She’s here again… I don’t know why, but I really don’t like her.
It was unusual for me to dislike people this easily, so the feeling was strange.
Still, I showed none of it outwardly.
I slowly approached the woman with the bright red hair.
“You’re here again today.”
“...Huh?”
She looked up with a foolish sound, and our eyes met.
“What are you here for this time?”
“Ah, n-no. It’s nothing. I’m sorry.”
The moment I spoke to her, she fled the spot like a criminal escaping prison.
Was I too blunt…?
I felt a little sorry, but at the same time, I wanted to be the one to welcome him when he came out.
I crouched down in the place she had vacated.
“Mm-hm♪”
Just imagining him on the other side of the door made me feel warm and calm.
I should be training too….
That thought crossed my mind, but only for a moment.
Waiting for him was more important.
Unfortunately, the training room door still didn’t open that day.
*
*
*
“...That’s everything I know.”
“Good work.”
So it’s one of the seven fragments of the Blood Jade Divine Relic.
So that was the true identity of the Blood Demon Group.
I wasn’t particularly surprised.
It was less an ordinary elixir and more something like a treasured artifact.
After hearing everything, I stood and walked toward Guyang Jihee.
“Ugh… So you really never intended to keep your promise!! You despicable demonic scum!!”
How ridiculous.
Who was calling whom demonic scum here?
I shook my head and said,
“I’ll let you live.”
“Eh? Really?”
The despair that had been on her face only moments ago vanished as if washed clean away, and she stared at me in disbelief.
That hard to believe?
“Of course.”
“Ah… th-thank you. As expected, Great Hero, you’re different.”
But words had to be heard to the end.
I don’t lie.
I just decide how the truth will be carried out.
“Come out of me and live as one with me.”
“Huh? W-what do you mean….”
With what could only be described as a kind smile, I reached out my hand.
“Only your ego will disappear.”
I’ll convert your power into Sun-and-Moon energy and use it well…
So don’t worry.
“W-what the hell kind of bullshit is that? Stop, don’t do it!!”
I grabbed her arm roughly and once again gathered my intent in my hand.
Then I whispered gently into the ear of the terrified woman.
“We’re one now.”
When I opened my eyes, I was lying on the floor.
I quickly got to my feet and checked my body.
A tremendous surge of power was surging through me, and I would need to settle my breathing and circulate my internal energy right away.
But
there was something even more obvious that had changed.
My heart.
...My middle dantian had already opened.
...Is this really supposed to happen?
##