The Blood Demon is a disaster.
Such was the truth. He possessed the ability to freely wield and command the spiritual artifacts bound to him.
Even imbuing one’s energy into such artifacts to subjugate them ant nothing before the Blood Demon. If the Blood Demon declared sothing to be true, there was no reason to find it strange.
Because he was a disaster.
As an existence beyond humanity, it wasn’t peculiar for him to wield such powers.
The problem, however, was that I could do the sa.
I possessed a power akin to a disaster. This alone was enough to send my mind into a whirlwind of thoughts.
“Ha…”
A sigh escaped without realizing.
“The Blood Demon was the sa, you say?”
[...Yes.]
Just as I had used Gui Jeong and Noe-a, the Blood Demon wielded his own powers in the sa manner.
Then, why was I only being told this now?
“Why are you telling this only now?”
[...]
“This seems like sothing you’ve known for a while… Am I wrong?”
[...That’s true.]
If Shin Noya had understood the changes that occurred when Gui Jeong ca to , he could have said sothing earlier.
Yet here he was, only now telling this.
Why was that?
And why had he stopped Namgung Myung from saying it and instead decided to speak with privately?
[The reason is…]
“Was it because you didn’t trust ?”
[...!]
“Is that why you withheld this information?”
The bluntness in my voice startled even . But if Shin Noya hadn’t told , that could only be the reason.
Because he didn’t trust .
It wasn’t because I might truly be a disaster and cause so great calamity.
No, it was because…
“Were you worried I wouldn’t be able to handle it?”
[...]
The silence spoke volus. Shin Noya must have feared that the weight of this revelation would crush . That I wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
[...Kid...]
“I understand your reasoning, Noya.”
This grouchy old man, who had always been so gruff, was suddenly acting considerate. And ironically, that only made things harder for .
“But this kind of thing won’t break .”
I had thought about it long ago.
No matter how sensitive or enraged I might feel about this revelation, I wasn’t going to fall apart over sothing so trivial.
I had co too far to let it destroy .
There were too many people I had to protect and a path I still needed to walk.
I couldn’t collapse here.
“…Even if I truly am a disaster, I have no intention of breaking down.”
Even if my body was changing. Even if I could do what the Blood Demon had done.
Even if, as Yeon Ga had claid, I truly was a disaster.
“…I won’t falter.”
The words weren’t just for Shin Noya. They were for myself—a vow that I wouldn’t crumble here.
I had no intention of stopping.
So while I appreciated Shin Noya’s concern, I considered it unnecessary.
If anything, I needed to hear the truth.
Only by hearing it could I prepare to face it.
[...The reason I didn’t tell you wasn’t because I didn’t trust you.]
At last, Shin Noya began to explain.
[With everything piling up, and you already struggling to stabilize your body and energy, how could I burden you with sothing like this?]
Hearing the reasoning, I could understand it.
Still, if it involved the Blood Demon, he should have told . Right now, it felt like nothing more than an excuse.
“Then why are you telling now?”
[...I intended to wait longer, but that damned fool had to bring it up, leaving no choice.]
In other words, it was because Namgung Myung had abruptly ntioned the Blood Demon, forcing his hand.
“Regardless of the timing, doesn’t this an you see a connection as well?”
[...]
Shin Noya didn’t deny it.
If even I could see it, how could Shin Noya not?
‘Is it an issue caused by absorbing the Blood Demon’s energy?’
At first, that’s what I thought. But now, I wasn’t so sure.
When my vessel was on the verge of breaking from the sheer energy I consud, I had battled and absorbed the Blood Demon’s energy, leading to these changes.
But if that was the case…
‘Father’s words bother .’
I couldn’t shake off what Father had said.
The way he had looked at my altered body and recalled my mother.
‘…So Mother was the sa?’
I was still far from understanding my body’s transformations.
But if my mother had shared similar traits…
Could these changes in be attributed not to absorbing the Blood Demon’s energy but to my mother’s bloodline?
‘She was called a disaster as well.’
If that were true, then what about Gu Ryeonghwa?
‘Could she turn out the sa?’
I thought of my younger sister, currently undergoing harsh training at Mount Hua.
Could Gu Ryeonghwa end up like this?
I didn’t want that, and I didn’t think it would happen.
These changes were the result of my own excesses in this lifeti.
A normal vessel wouldn’t break unless overwheld by extraordinary energy.
But my body was different. It was this insane constitution of mine that caused this ss. Yet one question lingered.
‘Was my ability to absorb multiple energies really due to the Demonic Celestial Absorption Technique?’
Lately, I’d started to doubt that assumption.
Of course, it made sense to believe it was the technique. What else could it be?
But what if my body had always been capable of this?
‘…In my previous life, I never considered trying to absorb other energies.’
Who would even think to do such a reckless thing unless they had a death wish?
Different inner techniques clashed when combined in a single body, causing one’s energy to explode and resulting in death.
That’s precisely why the Demonic Celestial Absorption Technique was so highly regarded.
It allowed any energy to coexist within the body.
The powers bestowed by the Heavenly Demon were extraordinary, and the potential of demonic energy was astounding.
That’s why power-hungry individuals flocked to the Demonic Cult.
‘But what if it wasn’t the technique?’
What if my ability to absorb multiple energies wasn’t due to the technique but because my body had always been that way?
‘...’
If this wasn’t the power of the Heavenly Demon but rather sothing inherited from my mother…
‘Then Gu Ryeonghwa might be capable of it too.’
She might be able to do it as well. If that were the case, it would be a truly dreadful revelation.
Because if so, every event in my life seed to be telling one thing.
‘I was destined to be a disaster from the start. That’s how it feels.’
There were many ways to confirm this.
I could visit Gu Ryeonghwa and try implanting another energy in her body to see if she could sustain it. That would be the quickest way.
But how could I even attempt such madness?
If it failed, her body could rupture and die.
I couldn’t do sothing like that to her just to confirm a suspicion.
‘It’s better to accept myself as the disaster.’
That seed like the preferable conclusion.
And as I pondered this, a mory of Yeon Ilcheon’s words flashed through my mind:
—The world does not make the sa mistake twice.
When the master of this world vanished, the Blood Demon’s plans failed.
To prevent future resistance from martial artists, the world lowered their power.
In the anti, my mother was sent to end it all, but that, too, ultimately failed.
That was how I saw it.
"Perhaps."
Perhaps it was never what I thought in the first place.
If the world is moving countless possibilities toward a singular purpose, then perhaps what it seeks isn’t what I imagined.
What, then, does it desire?
“Does it wish for to truly beco a disaster?”
From where I stand now, that seems to be the most probable answer. Whatever the reasons may be for wanting to beco a disaster…
I’ve already ceased to be rely human and turned into sothing else. All the arrows pointing in different directions now seem to converge onto one single path.
The world wants to beco a disaster.
Just as this thought seed to align perfectly, another contradiction arose.
“Then what is the Heavenly Demon?”
What exactly is the Heavenly Demon?
What was the reason she sent back?
Who is she, truly?
And more importantly…
“Why didn’t the world strip away all possibilities?”
According to Tang Jemoon’s information passed to Noya, the limitations of martial artists were lowered.
But why didn’t the world take everything away? Why only lower it?
No matter how much I pondered, the answer eluded .
“What is it thinking?”
Paths stretched endlessly before —countless, branching routes, whether of my will or not.
These paths, vast in number and with no visible end, gave an uncanny sense.
That all these paths, despite their variety, seed to lead toward the sa destination.
“The problem is, that destination is unclear.”
Damn it…
It beca obvious what I needed to do first to find the answer.
“I have to et Mother.”
I needed to find my mother, who was supposedly sowhere within the Magyeong Gate.
Only by eting her could I begin to understand the truth behind what was happening to .
As I finally pieced my thoughts together…
[Kid.]
“…Yes.”
[You are not a disaster.]
“Hah.”
Shin Noya’s abrupt declaration drew a dry laugh from .
“After coming this far, do you still think I’m not a disaster?”
I had to wonder if even Shin Noya doubted his own words.
Perhaps he regretted having encountered a successor who might be a disaster.
‘No, that doesn’t seem like him.’
Knowing Noya’s personality, that didn’t quite fit. But I was sure his mind was just as tangled as mine.
As I tried to muster a faint smile, Noya spoke again.
[Didn’t I tell you before?]
I was stunned into silence.
[All you need to do is believe in yourself.]
“…!”
[Even if you truly are a disaster, if you believe otherwise, then you are not.]
“That sounds like you’re just ignoring reality.”
[So what if I am? If I say you’re not, then you’re not.]
What a remarkably simple answer.
No matter what anyone else said, if I denied it, that was enough.
It was a statent that revealed how Noya had upheld his convictions throughout his life.
But could I live like that?
[You can.]
The answer ca not from but from Noya, resolute and firm.
[You can do it.]
His words carried a weight that pressed down on . Was it because of his faith in ? Or because of the guilt I felt for knowing even a fraction of the life he’d endured?
“How are you so sure? That I can do it?”
[Why wouldn’t I be? That’s the kind of person you are.]
“...”
It was an odd feeling, to have soone so confident in when I wasn’t confident in myself.
Perhaps Noya had known from the beginning.
That I might be a disaster.
And yet, it didn’t matter to him.
Maybe he thought, “If it’s him, he won’t accept it.”
If that’s the case…
“That’s just unfair.”
It left no room for to choose otherwise.
There’s nothing more detestable than betraying soone who believes in you.
I let out a dry laugh as I spoke, and Noya responded bluntly.
[Then go ahead and beco a disaster if you hate it so much.]
“…What?”
[If you don’t like it, then be one. What else can you do?]
True to form, Noya always managed to undercut the seriousness of a conversation. He never left a heavy topic unresolved without lightening it sohow.
But I knew this was his way of showing care.
Knowing that, I couldn’t bring myself to argue further.
“…Well, I’ll try my best. Just don’t expect too much.”
[I wasn’t expecting much to begin with, so don’t worry. It’s not like I have anyone better to rely on.]
This old ghost… He couldn’t resist taking a jab even now.
“You’re lucky you’re a ghost, you know that?”
[That’s my line. If we t in person, you wouldn’t even dare talk to .]
As much as I hated to admit it, he was probably right.
But that was irrelevant now—we couldn’t et anyway.
If it turned out that I truly was a disaster, well…
“I’ll just let them co and try their luck. What else can I do?”
I wasn’t the type to obediently shoulder burdens I despised.
Force sothing on , and I’ll bite back—that’s just who I am.
‘Whoever might be listening, I hope you get the ssage: go to hell.’
I thought this to myself, not caring who it was aid at. If soone could hear it, they’d understand my intent.
My head felt drained.
After all the thinking, my body and mind seed to have reached their limit.
“…Skipping sleep for a few days does this, huh.”
For a body as advanced as mine, this level of fatigue was severe.
Fine. Enough thinking. Let’s just get so rest.
I forced myself to lie down and shut my eyes.
A good hour’s nap should do the trick.
Exactly one hour later, I awoke to a shocking sight.
“Ah, crap!”
As soon as I opened my eyes, I had to stifle a curse.
In the dimly lit room, I wasn’t alone.
I wasn’t sure who it was at first—maybe an assassin?
It turned out I was right.
An assassin had co for .
Not just any assassin, but the most infamous one in Zhongyuan.
“…”
“…What are you doing here?”
I asked, because how could I not?
The person before was none other than the King of the Night, the leader of the Cheolya Assassination Squad, the most feared assassin in Zhongyuan.
The Amwang (Shadow King) knelt before .
“…Hmm.”
He tilted his head slightly, as if pondering my question, then spoke.
“It’s more comfortable this way.”
“…?”
What on earth did that an?
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