Demon (4)
Yun-seok peered into the mirror. At least no evil mark floated above his head. But he knew that meant only one thing: he didn't take pleasure in tormenting others. Nothing more, nothing less.
Still, had he been more tense than he'd realized? A sigh of relief escaped him unbidden.
"……."
A sudden wave of emptiness washed over him. Why had he put off something so simple for so long? The reason was obvious, no need to ask. He was afraid.
Afraid of facing the ugly truth that he might be a vile villain. Afraid that, like peering into the abyss only to have it stare back, he might have unknowingly become the same kind of person as Kang Hyung-woo or Lee Chang-hoon.
So he'd postponed the choice, seeing only what he wanted to see. He hadn't deluded himself into thinking he was righteous or absolute good... but he'd branded every target he'd judged as utterly evil.
'Well, at least I've cleared the first hurdle...'
It didn't just mean no judgment mark. It meant he'd found the will to confront himself head-on. That was the true first step. As they say, a good start is half the battle. The fog clouding his vision finally seemed to lift.
Yun-seok recalled past events one by one. Now, he felt he could look back at his former self with cold objectivity.
"……."
Kill, kill, kill... He no longer deceived himself. No matter the justification, what he'd done couldn't be called good. At best, a necessary evil. Though digging deeper, even that label might not fit.
The motive behind his actions was a personal aspiration for an ideal world. Yes, closer to a fervent wish.
'So that's why I'm a demon...'
Now he understood a little. Why the Heavenly Demon insisted on calling him a Demonic Human instead of some nicer term.
'She needed something beyond good or evil.'
What even were good and evil to begin with? Breaking the law makes one evil? Obeying it makes one good? In the end, it was all down to the observer's perspective.
Perhaps knowing that, they chose not to belong to either side. And that was the fundamental difference between Yun-seok and them.
'Demonic Human.'
One who destroys what must be destroyed. One who doesn't proclaim themselves justice. One who silently walks their chosen path.
Yun-seok resolved himself. If that meant being a Demonic Human... then he would become one.
* * *
In the past, Yun-seok had asked what world the Demonic Cult sought to shatter.
The Heavenly Demon had answered:
—A world filled with hypocrisy.
Yun-seok had pressed why, and the Heavenly Demon had smirked, summing it up in one line.
—Because it doesn't please me.
A simple reason: it didn't sit right with her. Perhaps he wasn't so different. Yun-seok truly despised this world too.
A world full of people who could trample others and smile calmly at their screams. So he'd decided to change it, executing those he deemed unfit for it on sight.
All while endlessly agonizing over whether his actions were good or evil. What a pointless waste.
In the end, neither the Judgment Sword, society's laws, nor even this bracelet could truly distinguish good from evil. Criteria differed for everyone.
What mattered was how he saw it. What was 'evil' in his eyes?
Yun-seok asked himself. The answer came easily.
'Those who seek to trample others.'
Not much different from the evil he'd first defined upon acquiring the Judgment Sword, but with a subtle shift. Whether they enjoyed it or felt guilt didn't matter. If they used meager power to harm the innocent, they were evil.
Now, resolve solidified in Yun-seok. If becoming evil was needed to eradicate evil, he'd gladly dive into the filth with a smile. That was the proper mindset for one walking the demonic path.
Wuuung!
Yun-seok drew his sword and infused it with Eight-Colored Sword Qi. Brilliant hues still swirled vividly within.
He mulled over the Heavenly Demon's words.
'Find my own color and make it the core...'
So which of these colors suited him?
'Not this one.'
Softness meant embracing all things. But Yun-seok had no intention of tolerating everything regardless of good or evil. The blue faded.
'Not Illusory or Swift either.'
His path wasn't illusory or multiplying forks, nor hidden from sight. Yellow and white energies dimmed.
Yun-seok continued the process. Not Domineering either. His road wasn't about lording over others.
Forceful, Heavy? Similar pursuits, but not quite. Those words couldn't describe him. He'd decided to press on no matter how many times broken or shaken.
Left were Light and Dull. But even their essences didn't fit.
Wuuung!
As colors faded and blended, Yun-seok faced the resulting sword qi and finally realized. It had been nonsense from the start.
Forcing himself into one color wasn't finding his own—it was fitting into a mold.
'I'm still far from perfect.'
In truth, this was a form of body-sword unity. Not just merging body and blade as before, but infusing his complete self into the sword as an object.
Yun-seok closed his eyes quietly. He contemplated himself, letting countless hours pass in introspection.
When he opened them again.
Wuuuuung!
Before him swirled sword qi unlike any he'd seen, radiating presence.
Confirming its color, Yun-seok chuckled.
Not black, not white.
'Gray...'
He'd squirmed against being neither, but gray fit him best. No disappointment. He simply accepted this self.
Once you faced and embraced yourself, even gray was a valid color.
That's why he rather liked this murky shade. Unbiased, ever swaying and bending, yet unchanging at its core... Perhaps the most human color.
'Can't call it Eight-Colored Sword Qi anymore.'
But 'Gray Sword Qi' felt off too. No better name came after pondering.
Instead, Yun-seok decided to test its power. Stabbing randomly might wreck the Sword Demon's expensive garden, though.
Whoosh!
He thrust toward the sky. Air rushed in like a typhoon, sucked toward his blade tip.
And then.
"Young Leader! What is happening?!"
Sword Demon Jeong Dae-un, sensing the commotion in the garden, peered over the wall—and froze.
Wind alone was ripping up the carefully tended flowers and trees.
But that wasn't the point. Such things could be replanted.
'Wh-what insanity is this...'
The Sword Demon stared, dumbfounded. Gray sword qi scattered brilliant sparks in a vortex, then surged skyward.
And...
Kwaaaaaang-!
It pierced the ashen clouds, shattering the heavens. The Sword Demon thought as gentle sunlight poured through the parted clouds.
"Long live! Long live! Long live forever!"
Perhaps, in this moment, a new era dawned.
* * *
"We'll handle the situation, so Young Leader, you should return quickly."
After kneeling, cheering hurrah thrice, and spacing out awhile, those were the Sword Demon's first coherent words.
"Situation?"
"Yes. The plaza's barrier was unbreakable by anyone. Challengers will surely head here after seeing that. If you still wish to keep your identity hidden, best to leave promptly."
The perpetually gray sky, as if under storm clouds. Yun-seok hadn't merely parted it. Through Heaven-Breaking Divine Art, he'd achieved the impossible.
Indeed, challengers with ominous auras gathered from all sides—curiosity, recruitment, favors, or elimination. None welcome to Yun-seok.
"Understood. Tell Eshton I'll meet him in seven days."
"As you command! We pray for your well-being each morning and await the day we meet again!"
Yun-seok left the Sword Demon and returned to the waiting room. Silent save his breathing, a massive hole gaped in one wall.
'Where'd she go...?'
He peered through. No Namgoong So-so. But a lone note lay pathetically on the floor.
Yun-seok picked it up and unfolded it. Who else but her? As expected.
Dense with script resembling evolved ancient characters, but the Tower's grace let him read fluidly.
—Since you didn't come after days passed, I left this note.
The rest was needlessly verbose, but summed up simply:
One, during your absence, she challenged the trial and won her duel—thanks to you. Grateful.
Two, arriving at the integrated plaza, she met family and returned to the Martial World for urgent matters.
"……."
Finishing, Yun-seok rubbed his chin with a subtle expression.
Namgoong So-so clearing the 9th floor trial? Worth celebrating, not this nagging unease.
Just... her return to the Martial World bothered him.
'Suspicious timing.'
The Heavenly Demon had left for some issue too. Was it too much a leap to link their tickets?
'Something might've happened there...'
Asking the Sword Demon could yield answers, but circumstances didn't allow returning now. He could if he endured the hassle, but...
Yun-seok shelved his interest. Pure speculation. Even if true, the Martial World—not Earth—gave no reason to meddle.
'Need firmer criteria going forward.'
No more confusion. He didn't pursue good. He just hated evil. Thus, he'd climb the Tower dreaming of an evil-free utopia.
But he needed conduct guidelines. Past actions too ad hoc. Natural, before this self-reflection, but now...
Time to change. Yun-seok pondered deeply. Evil's boundary? How to identify them? How to judge? Judgment or aspiration first?
The big picture came quick.
'Climbing the Tower comes first.'
A world of the strong devouring weak. To purge evil, he needed matching power. Plus, someday he'd wish at the top, solving all.
Not obsessing over hunts, but not ignoring encountered evil either. Unless unavoidable like duels, confirm all sins before judging.
'This part's the issue.'
Yun-seok frowned. Marks simplified it. Without? Couldn't interrogate everyone met.
Wouldn't it be nice with a skill revealing crimes at a glance?
Suddenly, a spark in his mind.
'If not, make one.'
Skill synthesis. Create nonexistent skills. But no AP spare now. The rest deferred, but...
Prepare. The melee will begin shortly.
Wouldn't take long.