Chapter 34: Descent of the Heavenly Demon (Part 1)-3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34: Descent of the Heavenly Demon (Part 1)-3
"There’s no mistaking it—that blank look of yours."
The woman beamed at me as if she had just reunited with someone she truly missed.
She wore a white robe, similar to a Buddhist monk’s jangsam, draped over her shoulders, while underneath, she wore black garments adorned with intricate, lavish embroidery.
"It has been a long time since you last saw your Master. Shouldn't you show some respect?"
Though her words chided me for my rudeness, her face was bright with a lingering smile.
The person she was so glad to see was certainly me—and yet, it wasn't me.
Everyone except for me was suffering.
Namgung So-yeon’s colleagues, who had been so suspicious of me just moments ago, were already pinned to the ground, barely able to do more than squirm.
Namgung So-yeon herself was barely standing, her legs trembling violently as if she were being crushed by some invisible, massive hand.
"The... The Heavenly Demon!"
At Namgung So-yeon’s strained, squeezed-out words, I realized that the woman before me was indeed the Heavenly Demon.
Regardless of whether Namgung So-yeon growled or not, the woman ignored her and stepped right in front of me.
We were so close I could feel her breath.
Reflected in her ruby-colored eyes, I looked utterly exhausted.
She suddenly snatched my left hand and pressed it against her cheek. Closing her eyes, she savored the warmth of my skin as if she were a person seeking heat in the dead of winter.
"Yes... it was this hand. I have waited twelve years to feel this touch again."
She murmured as if she were in a dream.
"I won't lose you again. I will never let you go. Even if I have to burn the world to ashes, I will protect you. Ah... my lovely disciple."
Could this woman, who looked to be in her late twenties, really be the Heavenly Demon who struck terror into the hearts of everyone?
"U-um, excuse me."
When I spoke to her while she was practically purring and inhaling the scent of my palm, she softly opened her eyes.
Then, she placed a finger over my lips to silence me.
"Be quiet. You only need to stay still, just like that."
"Urgh..."
Behind her, as she continued to indulge in my presence, the people who had been suppressed began to slowly rise.
Perhaps the pressure weighing on her had weakened, because Namgung So-yeon managed to steady herself and turned toward us.
"You monster! Heavenly Demon!"
A man with bulging, bronzed muscles let out a roar and swung his fist at her.
Without thinking, I tried to pull her into an embrace to get her out of the way.
I wasn't sure if my goal was to protect her or simply to save myself.
But there was no need for that.
"Even now, you try to save your Master."
Her satisfied voice drifted up from beneath my chin, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished.
"Aaaaaagh!!!"
Before I knew it, the Heavenly Demon was standing beside the man. In her right hand, she held his bronzed arm, which dangled limply.
The man screamed as a fountain of blood sprayed into the air, a sight the Heavenly Demon didn't seem to appreciate.
"Quiet."
Her arm swept from left to right.
"Nooooooo!"
Namgung So-yeon swung her sword, trying to force the Heavenly Demon away, but the man’s head had already hit the ground.
— Splat!
"Blegh!"
The sight of the erupting blood made my stomach churn. I collapsed to the ground and began to dry heave.
Seeing me like that, the Heavenly Demon spoke in a tone of regret.
"Oh dear... I’ve shown you something unsightly. Just wait a moment."
With that, black flames filled my vision.
The black fire swallowed the man’s corpse, and before long, nothing remained on the ground but a scorched black mark.
"Heavenly Demoooooon!!"
Namgung So-yeon swung her blade with a primal scream, but she only cut through empty air.
"There now. Do you feel a bit better?"
The woman was suddenly sitting beside me, stroking my back.
Looking down at me like a mother worried for her child, she leaned in and whispered into my ear.
"Wait just a little longer. I’ll go burn all these nuisances away. We can continue our reunion after that."
As she stepped past me, I could see an aura like molten lava boiling from her body.
Whether I knew martial arts or not... it was impossible to miss the heat haze shimmering off her.
Even to someone like me, who knew nothing about the 'martial' in martial arts, the killing intent and sheer presence she radiated felt incredibly dangerous.
If I just sat here and did nothing... Namgung So-yeon and everyone else would die.
Namgung So-yeon was the one who had helped me get this far. I couldn't let her die like this.
I summoned the courage to take a step forward.
"Hm?"
When I grabbed the hem of her robe and gave it a slight tug, the Heavenly Demon turned back, looking puzzled.
"P-please... let them go."
I pleaded with her, my voice trembling.
"Ho... You dare to protect another woman instead of me? How wicked of you."
"She... she’s the person who helped me survive until now. Just take me. Please leave them alone."
I stumbled to my feet and met her gaze directly.
An impromptu staring contest began.
The Heavenly Demon let out a scoff as if she found the situation absurd, then reached out and ruffled my hair.
"Fine, fine. I understand. I give up."
I was actually more surprised that she gave in so easily.
"Pitying the weak, hating unnecessary slaughter... You were always like that."
She gave my hair one last firm mess-up before finally pulling her hand away.
"Now then, let us go. Indeed, our reunion is far more important than these insects, isn't it?"
Laughing heartily, she took my hand and prepared to leave.
"Let him go!! Heavenly Demon!!"
When Namgung So-yeon’s sword, trailing golden energy, plummeted down aiming precisely between me and the Heavenly Demon, I saw the Heavenly Demon click her tongue.
— Boom!
With a single kick from the Heavenly Demon, Namgung So-yeon was sent flying. She collapsed in the distance and couldn't get back up. The Heavenly Demon gave a disdainful snort and then scooped me up into her arms.
It was a classic bridal carry.
"Spirit Demon, follow us."
After murmuring to the empty air, the Heavenly Demon kicked off the ground and soared into the sky.
And so, just two weeks after escaping the Demonic Sect, I was captured and brought back.
And by none other than their leader, the Heavenly Demon herself.