Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: The Leash of My Own Making
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Silence hung heavy. I realized that my answer would determine the path ahead of me.
What should I say? The Heavenly Demon smiled with her eyes. At the end of that bewitching smile lurked only an unfathomable darkness.
"Think carefully before you answer. I won't tolerate lies."
"...What's the difference if I answer? This collar around my neck is already fastened anyway."
"One fastened by another and one you put on yourself are not the same."
A collar fastened by my own hand.
...A collar fastened by another.
I met her gaze piercing right through me in that gap between them. The moment I opened my mouth to speak, my fate would likely be sealed.
What if I refused the position here?
Would I die? Or face torture? Who knows. I couldn't read her intentions.
The Heavenly Demon before me had been like this since we first met. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, and it felt like an insurmountable mountain toying with me.
...In that case.
What could I do?
I pondered persistently. She didn't rush me. She just looked up at me with interest, humming a little tune.
Time passed. Endlessly. Or perhaps it was just a fleeting moment. But to me, at least, it felt eternal.
I groped through my thoughts.
The fleeting memories.
After circling back endlessly, I arrived at the starting point. The thought I'd had when I first laid eyes on her.
The gaze of a beast that made my heart race.
"...I am just a mortal, Cult Leader."
"I know."
"Even if I wield the sword my whole life, I may never surpass you."
"That's a given."
"But even so..."
I want to try.
I want to see it with these two hands.
What is the gaze of a beast?
What does it feel like to look down instead of up?
Sincerely.
---I sincerely wanted to surpass her. As a martial artist.
"I'll go as far as I can."
"Even if it means dying the next moment?"
"Pain is something I'm already used to."
I smiled. I felt the tension ease within that smile.
Yes. This is my true heart.
"One pair of eyes can't look in two directions at once."
"...What are you saying?"
"As long as I chase the sword, this collar will remain around my neck. But..."
I looked at her earnestly. Still, I couldn't see her.
Just like when we first met. Even now, when I thought I'd gained some power, I couldn't even glimpse her toe.
...However.
Even if I confirmed that sight with my own eyes, it wouldn't change the resolve in my heart.
"Wouldn't it be strange for a dog stronger than its master to still wear a collar?"
"......"
"As long as you're ahead of me, I'll put the collar on myself. But the day my shadow surpasses your back..."
That day, I would seize everything I'd ever desired.
Power and sword.
The gaze of a beast.
Born a mere mortal, yet ultimately grasping the tip of the sword.
"Then, I'll remove the collar I put on myself and take up the sword."
"Treason?"
"To confirm what I've built, don't I have to remove the collar? When I face off against the one I've chased with swords drawn, there's no reason to keep it on."
"What a ridiculous guy. You said something you didn't have to."
"Didn't you tell me to bare my true heart?"
I clasped my hands in formal salute.
"I'm a dog, so I'll follow as one."
"...Khuhu."
The Heavenly Demon let out a chuckle.
"Red Cloud. There's no one in this cult who truly wants to surpass me. Those with power revere me instead. Do you know why?"
"I don't."
"No monkey stares at a tree it can't climb. Exactly. That's the principle. I am like a massive tree rooted in this Divine Cult. Even beasts of the same kind might swap eyes, but since we're entirely different species, it's only natural they can't even dream of looking up."
"......"
"I know you've only just barely grasped the sword. But that's why my back is all the clearer to you. Can you feel the edge of my power? Can you picture the might of my sword?"
"I can't."
"Soul-Exiting Sword. Even that sturdy warrior you faced couldn't glimpse my toe. That's what I am. Even if you reach the realm of the Soul-Exiting Sword, what you can't see will remain the same."
"......."
"And yet, you're saying you'll sincerely chase after someone like me? When you take one step, I'll be two ahead. Maybe ten paces. The gap will keep widening until it's an abyss you can never cross. Time isn't on your side. It's fair to everyone. When your time passes, mine does too."
She stood before me.
Looked up at me.
"I walk faster than you. While you toddle along, I've been walking the skies. And still, you'll chase me?"
"...Yes."
"What possibility do you even see?"
"I realized it at the end of my fight with the Soul-Exiting Sword."
Terrified eyes.
But I had no intention of letting it remain mere fear.
"Doesn't every martial artist have a sword that suits them?"
"True."
"It seems a sword that relies on the head doesn't suit me. Acting first and thinking later felt better than the reverse."
"......."
"So this time, I'll act first and think after."
"When?"
"Probably..."
I looked down into those eyes brimming with utmost fear.
"When I can no longer swing a sword."
"Ahaha! You're the first to say that to me! What a hilarious little bastard!"
The Heavenly Demon grabbed my collar. She pulled me close, rubbing against me as she looked up slantwise.
At the edge of her alluring eyes hung shallow teardrops. I realized they were genuine tears of laughter.
"Is it...that ridiculous?"
"Not ridiculous. Everyone has their own path, after all. But you see, the path you've chosen is a pit of fire worse than a bed of thorns. How could I not laugh at you volunteering for it?"
The Heavenly Demon pulled away from me. She spun around.
Walked a few steps ahead.
"All martial artists are the same. They lust after the sword. They'll do anything to grow stronger. That's the creed across righteous sects, evil factions, and even demonic cults."
"......."
"But most crash into the wall of reality and despair. They settle into their positions and give up looking up. Mortals reach that point even faster. Talentless ones like you give up long before."
"......."
"Red Cloud. But you're different. My judgment was right after all. Even if your body is worthless, that soul of yours outshines any sturdy warrior. It's a pity you met me so late. A child who never dreamed suddenly starts dreaming-the ripple effect can't be small."
The Heavenly Demon glanced at me slyly. An irrepressible smile played on her lips.
"But you're still one below me and above all others. Let me make it clear: the day you catch me will never come. Never, not even if you die and revive a thousand times. Will you still chase my back?"
"...I've already died and come back a few times."
I smiled back at her.
"A few more should do it."
"Puhuhu. I'd mock anyone else mercilessly for that. But you... you have the right to say it."
The Heavenly Demon took my hand. She led me past one room into another.
"You've decided to collar yourself, so I'll add one more."
"What is it?"
"As long as I stand before you, aren't you my dog? The Heavenly Demon's hunting hound. Thus, you belong to me. Always remember that. I am the master gripping your collar, and even if you hate it, you can't refuse."
"I have no intention of refusing."
"Why not?"
"You gave me this life, Cult Leader, so I'll cherish that grace even standing before you."
"...Hm."
"Even if the day comes when I remove this collar, the day I stand against you..."
I made it clear too.
The greatest sincerity I could offer the benefactor who planted a 'dream' in me.
"Not even if the heavens split in two."
"I could split the heavens in two."
"...Please don't."
"Khuhu. Just kidding. You're such a funny one."
She laughed mischievously and opened the door.
I froze.
Before me lay a massive bed unlike any I'd seen.
I instinctively stepped back. The Heavenly Demon placed a hand on my back.
"C-Cult Leader?"
"You're my loyal dog now. You collared yourself and vowed to follow me with your own mouth, didn't you? I've decided to raise you properly, so it's time for basic training."
"What do you...?"
"Eh? Don't back away. I'm saying I'll 'personally' educate you."
She gripped me firmly. She pressed her chest against mine, nipping lightly at my ear.
"Refusal denied. Do you think any dog can defy my command? None."
"...At least give me time to prepare mentally..."
"Patience is the sword, you say? Enough nonsense. Lie down quietly. I'll teach you from one to ten."
I squeezed my eyes shut. She removed her top.
The Heavenly Demon grabbed some medicine from a shelf and smiled with her eyes.
"So eager."
"...I-I'm embarrassed..."
"Embarrassed? Steel yourself so you don't die. From now on, I'll straighten out your frame and rework that rotten body until Heavenly Tribulation is satisfied."
"...Pardon?"
"What, were you expecting some fun? Dream on. I don't fancy that sort. I prefer being pinned down over pinning. Of course, no one's ever tried pinning me and lived. Those who did ended up dead by my hand. If anyone's the pinning type, it'd be First Demon. With her fierce temper and sturdy build, watch your waist if she ever attends you at night."
"Y-Yes?!"
"Jumping like a rabbit. What a cute one. Never been with a woman? Visit a brothel sometime. You have to release the essence in your member occasionally."
In a dizzying wave of teasing, I covered my face.
"Can't you stop...?"
"Pfft. Such a funny kid. Hmm. A bit cute too. Like an obedient puppy. Aww."
"......."
"Enough chatter. Red Cloud. This might be the last thing you hear, so listen well. The great technique I'm about to use is the Reverse Heaven Blood Flow Great Law. A forbidden art that defies the heavens. Ten-tenths chance of death."
"...Pardon?"
Ten-tenths...
Isn't that just certain death?
"Don't worry. I have my reasons. With your proper Heavenly Tribulation, your regenerative power should endure it. Death chance drops to five-tenths. And since you absorbed the ice essence from Seouter Five Palaces' Frost White Snow, we can lower it to three-tenths. Of course, it all depends on whether you survive the process."
"......."
"Aren't you the one who says patience is the sword? Endure like the persistent pup you are. Then you'll gain something."
"What?"
"A body far stronger than your current one. The Reverse Heaven Blood Flow Great Law has five stages. Can't rush it all at once, so I'll match it to your Heavenly Tribulation stages. Luckily, yours has reached stage two. How many brushes with death did it take? Well... throwing yourself into peril like that, low gains would be the real surprise. Heavenly Tribulation loves blood, after all."
She drew out a massive needle. Its ferocity was chilling beyond words.
"I'll raise the Reverse Heaven Blood Flow Great Law to stage two to match your progress. Your regeneration and bodily destruction will balance on a knife's edge. Through cycles of regeneration and ruin, your entire body will molt like shedding skin. That frail frame of yours will improve, and your body will harden."
"You mean..."
"Your foundation will be fully set. But... I've never used this even once. Well, once. The test subject bit his tongue and died from the pain. And he was a fairly renowned warrior. Didn't even endure stage one, unfit for an assassin."
The Heavenly Demon sighed. She mounted me and stroked my cheek.
Her cascading hair tickled my neck. But I couldn't feel excitement.
Because within those crimson eyes gazing into mine swirled death itself.
"You'll endure, though. Won't you, my lovely pup?"
"......."
"Don't look away."
"...Worse than Heavenly Tribulation?"
"Who knows..."
She grinned wickedly. Toyed playfully with the massive needle.
"Tell me after it's over. How this pain feels."
---Plunge.
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