The Heavenly Demon Still Wears Martial Robes
These days, the Gates that had begun appearing in this world could be used for far more than just conquest.
Without breaking the Boss, the property of maintaining spatial rifts over long periods meant that stable Gates—ones free of the risk of Gate Break—could be left untouched and repurposed as training branch grounds.
Training grounds for mid-to-low tier Hunters whose abilities did not produce large side effects were already sufficient, but S-class Hunters who could unleash devastating effects around them sometimes used the vast open spaces inside stable Gates for their sparring sessions.
And today, as we had rented a training stable Gate near Seoul,
CRRRRRRRRRRRR!
accompanied by a deafening boom that felt like it could split the eardrums, azure lightning exploded into my protective qi barrier and split outward in every direction.
FIZZ-FIZZ-FIZZ!
I stood with arms crossed, watching the lightning fracture and measuring its power.
Full deployment—definitely packed with transcendence-level internal energy.
Unlike the cautious probing attacks from earlier that had been designed to avoid injuring my body, this was entirely different. I could sense that no matter how much raw force I poured out, it would never pierce my protective qi.
“Now it finally feels like I’m putting some real effort in.”
THWACK-THWACK-THWACK!
“Hah!”
Between the lightning that flashed madly ahead like a swarm of blue earthworms, a sharp, lithe figure shot forward at breakneck speed.
I flicked my wrist clean.
Heavenly Demon Meteor Sword, Pressure.
The Sui I had used on Na-yeon before was a specialized technique for shattering defenses. The Ap of now was a technique that crushed with overwhelming pressure.
BOOM! CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE.
“Guh!”
As the figure charging through the lightning descended, Kim Do-yoon’s body staggered violently, his form hurtling backward for a long stretch.
He had no time to steady himself.
He thrust his fingers forward.
Heavenly Demon Meteor Sword, Hole.
PAPA-PAPA-PAT!
A creamy-white spirit wind shot from his fingertips, aiming straight for Kim Do-yoon’s vital points and charging forward.
WOONG, PUFF-PUFF-PUFF-PUFF-PUFF!
That spirit wind was blocked by a golden shield and vanished.
“N-Na-yeon, thank you!”
“Snap out of it!”
I stole a quick glance.
A tall blonde woman wrapped in golden armor reached out toward me.
“Oh, Na-yeon. Perfect timing.”
Na-yeon’s long-range party-protection ability had activated, shielding Kim Do-yoon.
If Kim Do-yoon was a razor-sharp sword, then Kim Na-yeon was an unyielding shield. To deliver an effective blow to him, Na-yeon would have to be knocked down first.
“As expected, I need to break through the shield first.”
TOOT.
I lightly leaped into the air.
WOONG, WOONG, WOONG.
Heart swords formed from my spirit, hovering around me and beginning to burn fiercely.
Kim Na-yeon and Kim Do-yoon’s faces drained of all color.
“Hey, Wiji-yeon! Tone it down!”
“I was being toned down. It’s not my spirit qi, just sword qi. They can definitely block it.”
With a grin, I lowered my hand.
“If even this can’t be blocked, I won’t call myself one of the Twin Elder Protectors of the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
Three Heavenly Demon Swords.
First Style.
Heavenly Demon Meteor Sword.
KWAKWAKWAKWAKWAK!
“GYAHHH!”
Kim Do-yoon swung his sword wildly.
Lightning erupted from every direction like a web, beginning to obliterate the heart swords.
PAPA-PAPA-PAPA!
Dozen after dozen of the heart swords blocked by the lightning crumbled, yet there were still as many left.
“AEGIS SHIELD!”
BOOM! CRACKLE-CRACKLE-CRACKLE!
Accompanying Na-yeon’s booming battle cry, a massive shield shape formed in the air.
Five overlapping shield barriers—clearly she had poured every last bit of her strength.
The descending meteor and Na-yeon’s shield collided in mid-air.
KWAKWAKWAK-BOOM!
WHOOSH, FOOM.
I fell straight into Na-yeon’s arms without resistance.
Exhausted, Na-yeon still caught me perfectly even as her body sagged with fatigue.
“Haa, this seat is tired now.”
“We’re the ones who are tired!”
Kim Do-yoon swept his sweat-damp blue hair back as he approached. The expression on his face was one of utter exasperation.
“Was that really just using the mana inside my body? Your mana reserves are still A-class level, right?”
“Of course. I didn’t even touch the mana floating in the air.”
“An A-class Hunter alone pushing an S-class and B-class Hunter party to the brink of collapse…?”
“Hmph. This seat is stronger than you think.”
I pouted, my face showing clear disappointment.
Like my pouting was adorable, Na-yeon reached out and stroked my hair.
This spar had carried special meaning for me as well.
It was a test of how much power I could exert using only my body in its pre-Rebirth of Bone and Muscle state, without employing the natural energy of the world that would burden my frame.
I had achieved some results.
Since this was a spar, I hadn’t used lethal force, but in a real fight, even one S-class Hunter could be devoured by my original strength alone.
Kim Do-yoon let out a helpless laugh.
“Even with this little brat, I still don’t feel like I’ve gotten strong at all.”
“The friendly guards have become plenty strong. This seat is an outlier, so don’t sulk too much.”
“Your words are fine. Very fine.”
“Hehe.”
With a quick wave, Kim Do-yoon also ruffled my hair.
His touch was a little rougher than Na-yeon’s, but since I was already drained of stamina, I accepted it obediently.
With this spar, I had finally identified my current weaknesses.
My inner energy wasn’t the problem. If necessary, I could draw on the world’s qi. As long as I didn’t consider exhaustion afterward, I could still wield my prime-era abilities that had once slain ancient species.
The real issue was stamina.
“With this small body, it truly is a limit.”
“Well, there’s no need to rush becoming strong, is there?”
“Then. There’s my sister and brother, right? They raised our abilities so you could protect us until you grew up, didn’t they?”
“U-um… yeah, that’s true.”
The Left and Right Guardians spoke with such reassuring words.
Being protected—surprisingly, it felt quite good.
“...”
As my mind grew relaxed, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
I glared with eyes wide, staring directly at the two Hunters.
“Still, I hope you’ve learned how scary this seat is this time?”
The Heavenly Demon must exist solely as one revered in awe.
To let a child’s feelings dominate me—it means my authority cannot stand.
Na-yeon simply smiled brightly despite receiving my terrifying glare.
“Since you worked hard today, I’ll buy you takoyaki when we head back.”
“...Oh? What kind of food is that?”
“You haven’t tasted it yet? It’s a type of octopus dish. Recently a tasty takoyaki place opened near the guild.”
Well, I could establish my authority later.
Right now, lacking strength, I’d behave like a child here for now.
“C-cough. I’d like to try it.”
“Jiyeon-ah~!”
TO-DO-DO, FOOM.
Lee Da-yeon came running out from the inner room of the office and hugged me tightly.
I smiled gently and stroked Da-yeon’s hair.
“My little disciple, weren’t you bored being alone?”
“Um. Uncle Deokja played with me.”
Lee Da-yeon had become more spoiled lately.
With her timidity gone, only her affection remained.
I gently pushed Da-yeon aside and cleared my throat.
“Cough. Don’t get too attached. Even the little disciple will one day need to become an independent warrior.”
Even if I don’t bully the little disciple candidates like the past leaders did, for Da-yeon to become a true warrior, harsh training would be unavoidable.
If I continued to indulge this spoiled side of hers, affection would grow and my hand would soften.
Da-yeon looked as though she might cry.
“Do you not like Jiyeon?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Waaah.”
“N-no, don’t cry. Come, come. Let’s eat takoyaki together. The Left Guardian bought it.”
I grabbed the sobbing Da-yeon’s shoulders and sat her on the couch. Then I began sharing the takoyaki Kim Na-yeon had bought.
SLURP.
I shoved an entire takoyaki into my small mouth at once, and my eyes widened.
“Oh.”
The sweet sauce was delicious. The texture of the octopus inside was perfect too.
SLURP-SLURP-SLURP.
I kept stuffing my mouth full of takoyaki, eyes sparkling.
“This is really tasty.”
“Yeah, it is.”
CLINK.
While Da-yeon and I were sharing the takoyaki, Kim Do-yoon and Kim Na-yeon entered the office.
Kim Do-yoon sat at the master’s chair with a grin.
“Even if the guild grows larger, our children’s activity range will mostly stay around the office, won’t it?”
“When will the expansion of the Heavenly Demon Hall be done?”
“...Looking at what was shown, it feels like some kind of royal audience hall. Do you really want a room like that?”
“It has important meaning.”
Kim Na-yeon, sitting between me and Da-yeon, pulled us both close with both arms.
“Does Jiyeon need her own private room? You’ll sleep with your sister anyway.”
“My body will eventually grow, so I can’t rely on the Left Guardian’s embrace forever.”
“I don’t want to send you away anymore.”
“Haa.”
I let out a sigh.
Both the Left Guardian and the little disciple were spoiled.
If my mood turned sour and I suddenly ran off, how would they manage while I was away, feeling lonely?
“...Eh?”
“Why, Onii-chan?”
“Na-yeon, come look at this.”
Kim Do-yoon’s expression held a hint of surprise as he stared at the monitor.
Kim Na-yeon’s face soon showed the same puzzlement.
“...It’s truly strange.”
“Right? What do you think?”
“What is it?”
I set down my chopsticks and moved closer to the two of them.
On Kim Do-yoon’s monitor was a map marking the Gate discovered through treasure hunting.
“The recent region dispatched by Hunter Park Dong-hwan. The density of high-grade Gates isn’t high?”
“Only seven B-class, and two A-class?”
It was definitely not the usual case.
Normally, when ten low-rank C-class Gates are discovered, B-class or higher appear at a ratio of about one.
“And connecting the discovery points of the Gates forms a circle.”
I stared intently at Kim Do-yoon’s monitor.
The name of the region that the high-grade Gates traced in a circle surrounded.
“...Chogye Basin.”