Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: Two Years
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2 years.
Two years had passed since that day.
Two years was a short time.
Extremely short.
But for some, it hadn't felt short at all.
The sword trembled.
The First Demon tracked its movements with her eyes.
"......"
People don't change easily. The same went for martial arts.
Life itself was like one long journey from the start. From the perspective of its full length, two years was never long.
A time that couldn't change a person.
A time when even if change happened, it could only be slight.
"......"
...But.
The girl before her was different.
The extended sword unfolded gracefully. The color that dyed the world was turbid yet red.
Chaos warped the view before her.
Becoming the origin that stirred it into disorder.
It wasn't the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art.
Nor was it the Chaos Origin Heart Art.
That was...
Truly a martial art unique to her alone.
What had been taught was merely the basics.
Yet she had grasped the profound principles on her own and firmly established her own foundation.
A genius among geniuses... was that how to put it?
No. Even calling her simply a genius was foolish.
She was of the same caliber as that one.
As her own master and...
Exactly the same caliber.
She was beyond standards.
"......"
The sword dance, devoid of internal energy, came to an end. The girl who had briefly distorted the natural order of the world with mere sword movements sheathed her blade.
She regulated her breathing. A delicate respiration.
Her turned face relaxed for a moment.
"First Demon."
She came running up briskly. Was it because of her small body and tiny feet?
Even her movements were cute. The First Demon bent at the waist.
The more she looked...
The cuter the child was.
She was born with it. A talent for captivating people. Her face was cute too, but the charm didn't come from that alone.
Her innate warmth put one at ease just by looking.
Even her soft, chattering voice made one want to keep listening.
She hadn't meant to grow fond, yet affection welled up unknowingly. Like father, like daughter. The First Demon forced her loosening voice back to steadiness.
"Have you fully grasped the form of the martial art you said you'd create yourself?"
"There seem to be deficiencies. But I can't pinpoint exactly where."
"Creating a martial art is difficult. It's no different from advancing down a pitch-black street without a single light. That's to be expected. What you've achieved so far is the truly astonishing part."
The First Demon extended her hand to her.
"There's no need to force yourself to create a new martial art. Learning an existing one is a path too. It might even be the easier and faster way."
"...I can't reach it with ordinary methods."
"That man called Jin Baek-cheon?"
"Yes."
Her eyes chilled in an instant. The anger that hadn't cooled even after quite some time had hardened coldly, making it seem more dangerous than when it burned hot.
...No. Was she the same? She hadn't forgotten that guy for even a single day.
The First Demon clasped the small hand. Though its appearance hadn't changed at all since they first met, what it contained now was utterly transformed.
The child who had reached the Absolute Realm had soon surpassed her own limits.
And shattered even those limits, displaying an unbelievable miracle.
A talent that had even shocked her master, the Supreme Cult Leader, with praise like seeing her own childhood...
The child before her had proven it.
That at an age not even in the twenties, reaching the end of the Flower Realm was possible.
The talent of a demon.
That was what this child possessed.
But even so, she wasn't ready right now. Though her growth was indescribably steep, unprepared was unprepared.
The opponents were the bizarre Reverse Heaven group.
And Sua before her was targeting one called 'Reversal Star', said to be the strongest among them.
One who had entered the Transcendent Realm. Standing in the same place as her.
And thus...
The assassination would require even greater caution.
Losing one was enough.
She couldn't lose two.
"...Cool your head even further."
"......"
"Rash anger will only please the enemy."
The First Demon took her hand and slowly led her.
To give even a brief rest to the girl who hadn't honed anything outside of martial arts.
"Your father rested midway too. So rest a little. Pushing yourself too hard can stiffen your mind instead."
"...But..."
"Rest."
The First Demon gave Sua a light push.
"I won't hear objections."
.
.
.
She rested.
What was resting again?
Sua quietly gazed up at the ceiling in her room. Then she grabbed her sword and left.
Dawn had broken. The breeze was cool too. The season transitioning from winter to spring made the early morning air bitterly cold.
Normally, this would be the time to start her dawn training. But the First Demon had said.
To rest at least two days. Or she wouldn't forgive her.
"......"
Kind but scary person.
That was the First Demon. Her father's master and...
The one said to have been closest to him.
"Sua."
...Ah.
I hate it. Hate it. Hate it so much.
During times like this when her body wasn't moving, Dad came to mind. But thinking of him didn't mean she could see him again.
No matter how much time passed, he didn't fade. When she looked back, it felt like he'd be standing there as always, but he wasn't.
...I hate it.
I hate that he's gone.
I still can't understand that Dad is gone.
"......"
Sua changed direction. Even if she wasn't training with the sword, there was plenty she could do.
Study. Yes. Let's study. Focus on that instead.
So Dad wouldn't come to mind.
So she wouldn't cry.
"......"
But there was already someone in the First Demon's study.
A disheveled woman with eyes shadowed heavily muttered to herself. The woman buried among countless books suddenly looked up.
"...Sua?"
"Sister Danhwa."
The woman who had pursued knowledge like a madwoman, Black Peony, blinked. She glanced out the window, then belatedly stretched.
"Has time passed this much already..."
"...Did you stay up all night? Are you okay?"
"Yes. I'm fine. Of course."
She raised her voice as if it were nothing, but Sua knew. What knowledge she was pursuing now.
A sorcery straight out of legends.
Reincarnation Art.
She spent her time in the First Demon's study pursuing only that knowledge. Sua had heard she was scrounging books from everywhere for even the smallest clue.
And that was probably...
To bring Dad back.
Sua passed by her. She brewed the now-familiar tea and placed it neatly before her.
Same situation, same feelings.
That was why she understood. Why the always neat and polite woman had fallen into such a state.
So she couldn't say anything. She could only whisper softly.
"...Take breaks, Sister."
"That's not something for you to say, is it?"
She lifted the teacup weakly. After a sip, she smiled with an expression like she might shatter any moment.
"Thank you. I'll take it easy. Really."
"...Yes."
It seemed she couldn't spend time in the study after all.
It would just disturb her.
Sua turned to leave. But Black Peony caught her.
"Sua. Could you deliver something to Lingling for me?"
"Something...?"
"Yes. That thing over there. I was going to take it myself, but I found some intriguing material. I think I need to invest time here... If you're not busy, could you help?"
Black Peony handed over the item. A faint smell of dried meat wafted from the bundle.
"Lingling likes it. So..."
She hesitated to utter the taboo name, then smiled awkwardly.
"Just bring it to her. The First Demon prepared it specially."
"...Yes."
.
.
.
Joo Lingling.
The friendly big sister who loved eating so much.
But Sua noticed that she, who had settled far from the Holy City, had grown much thinner than before.
She'd been like this since that day. And with each passing day, her condition worsened.
Bulimia.
No, anorexia.
She wasn't eating or drinking properly. She just spent her days in a daze.
Before an empty grave with no body. Just tending the tombstone.
"...Sister."
"Hm?"
She turned at the call. Her face, realizing Sua was there late, lit up with a smile.
Her gaunt cheeks. Wrists thinned from not eating.
It wasn't demonic possession. But perhaps worse.
Sua carefully embraced Joo Lingling's body.
"Sister Danhwa asked me to give you this."
"...What's that?"
"I don't know either."
"Hmm..."
She rummaged through the bundle. Spotting the jerky inside, she gave a wry smile.
"Danhwa told you to bring it?"
"Yes."
"That woman... Tell her thanks."
Two years ago, she would have popped it into her mouth right away.
That was the kind of person she was.
But she didn't. She pushed it aside and quietly stared only at the tombstone before her.
Sua followed her gaze and turned her head too. A grave without a body. But it was a place she visited faithfully every month too.
"......"
Dad's grave.
A tombstone for the one who hadn't returned.
Sua sniffled. She desperately held back tears.
She quietly swept and cleaned the tombstone since she was there. She tended the grass on the raised mound and sat demurely before it.
Neither Joo Lingling nor Sua said a word.
They just sat there, passing time. Silently.
"...Sua."
"...Yes?"
Joo Lingling spoke.
"Don't die."
It was a heavy sentence.
But Sua knew.
What feelings those words came from.
"...Yes, Sister."
"Okay."
Sua spent quite a while like that in silence. But she worried too.
Too gaunt. Joo Lingling's body, refusing all food, seemed ready to break at any moment.
She wanted to make her eat something...
But with her refusing on her own, there was no way.
She wanted to get food into her mouth even for one day, but she couldn't.
Sua suddenly thought of a plan. Come to think of it, it had been ages since everyone gathered together.
"U-um, Sister."
She rarely acted spoiled except with Dad.
But this time, she wanted to. For Joo Lingling's sake.
Somehow, if things kept on... she'd lose her too.
She hated that anymore. Losing people who'd grown close.
So let's cheer her up. So she wouldn't disappear.
"It's been forever since we all saw the other sisters, right?"
"...Yeah?"
"Can't we all meet up after so long?"
Of course, the gathering was just an excuse.
She wanted to force Joo Lingling to join, then use the sisters to get food into her mouth somehow.
The other sisters could do what she couldn't.
That was what friends were for.
"...I miss them all."
"......"
Joo Lingling nodded faintly. Sua smiled for the first time in ages.
There was something to do. Inviting the people who taught her and her close sisters in person.
"Come in three days! I'll contact all the other sisters too!"