The words from Cheonma made frown.
“How the hell would I know that?”
What kind of conversation was this?
This felt like a complete waste of ti.
‘What the hell am I even doing?’
Her na didn’t matter in the slightest.
In my past life, I didn’t know Cheonma’s na either.
She was simply Cheonma.
A devil descended from the heavens, the very source of calamity.
Her na ant nothing to .
That was enough.
No, it had to be enough.
So,
‘Don’t make that expression in front of .’
It was infuriating to see her act as if she were a different person from the Cheonma of my past life.
“This is pissing off.”
I twisted my waist.
The condensed energy in my hands felt unusually heavy.
Energy shouldn’t have weight, so it must have been the sheer pressure of it.
Would this be enough to kill her?
I wasn’t certain.
But I could only act.
“Greed.”
Shiiiing—!!
Crack—!
“!”
Greed surged forward, ripping through her barrier.
Once again, Cheonma didn’t dodge, and the gap it created was even larger than before.
That’s the spot.
I stepped deeply, my foot grinding against the ground.
Rotating my shoulder to adjust my angle, I gripped the Sacred Spear tightly.
“...”
Cheonma glanced at as if she wanted to say sothing, but instead, she adjusted her posture.
It didn’t look like she intended to run.
‘On the contrary.’
It seed as though she had resolved not to move.
‘Damn it.’
Was she daring to land my strike?
I could sense how little she thought of .
Fine. I’d have to show her.
“Alright, just die here, then.”
I spoke and swung my arm.
At that mont—
“Dongsaeng—!”
From the forest behind us, I heard Gu Heebi’s voice.
It seed she had arrived late.
But she was far too late.
Clench! I hurled the Sacred Spear without hesitation.
Fwoooosh—!!
The spear hurtled toward Cheonma with frightening speed.
“No—!”
Gu Heebi rushed forward, trying desperately to block it, but she wasn’t fast enough.
And so,
The Sacred Spear reached Cheonma.
Seeing it approach, Cheonma slowly closed her eyes.
Bwoom—!!
Kraaaash—!!!
An explosion rocked the area, sending shockwaves in every direction.
Fwooooosh—!!
The heat and pressure swept across the surroundings like a violent storm.
From a distance, smoke billowed thickly into the air.
I waved my hand,
gathering the flas from the explosion that had spread to nearby trees.
Hoo—!!
The fire condensed and returned to my heart.
I turned my gaze forward with a scowl.
And there she stood.
Cheonma remained in place, completely unscathed.
Behind her, the area lay in ruins.
“Hah...”
I ran a trembling hand over my face.
“Damn it...”
The curse was directed at myself.
In the end, I hadn’t done it.
Even when the opportunity was served to on a silver platter, I couldn’t.
What a pathetic excuse of a person.
“Yeona...!”
Gu Heebi ran past toward Cheonma.
“Sister, are you okay?”
Cheonma greeted Gu Heebi with a calm voice.
“Hi, Unni.”
Watching them, a thought crossed my mind.
Why couldn’t I kill her?
‘Was it because of the fear that I might fail?’
I knew she had to die.
Only by killing her could I rid myself of this lingering anxiety.
Yet, I couldn’t do it.
‘Was it because she looks just like Wi Seol-ah?’
I couldn’t deny it.
But that wasn’t the sole reason.
‘Did I think she might change?’
Was I, like Jegal Hyuk or Namgung Bi-ah, hoping that she might beco sothing different?
I didn’t know.
I couldn’t know.
But what I did know was this:
‘I’ll regret this.’
If I killed Cheonma now, I felt I would regret it.
And if I let her live, I might not get another chance.
One day, she could beco a calamity and cause another bloodbath.
Even though I feared that possibility, the unknown regret outweighed it.
Was it guilt?
If so, this was the worst possible ti to feel it.
What was I supposed to make of this?
I didn’t know.
‘…What should I do?’
I silently asked the ill-tempered old man who was no longer here.
‘I don’t know the way.’
There was no answer.
There was no one left to ask.
If Noya were here, what would he have told ?
—If you think you’ll regret it, don’t do it.
Would he have said that?
‘Then what if things go wrong later?’
—Then deal with it when it happens. You ought to handle at least that much. Tsk, tsk. What good is a man so afraid of everything?
‘...’
—Follow your heart. That’s what suits you best.
Even though Noya wasn’t here,
it felt as though he were speaking to .
I looked at Cheonma.
“Let ask you sothing.”
“Hmm?”
“Why didn’t you take the escort exam?”
After passing the first test, Cheonma had vanished right before the second.
“Oh.”
Recalling sothing, her eyes widened slightly.
And then,
“They were weak.”
“What?”
“My sister said it’s wrong to pick on the weak. Fighting them would’ve been a disaster.”
“...”
In an instant, all those seasoned martial artists—masters, even—had been rebranded as “weaklings.”
But more than that, the absurdity of Cheonma saying such a thing left dumbfounded.
“Ridiculous.”
Hearing Cheonma's answer, I shook off my hands and turned to Gu Heebi.
“Put away your sword, noona. I’m done for now.”
“...”
Gu Heebi, who had been gripping the hilt, flinched at my words.
She had likely been preparing to stop .
‘With that expression on her face?’
Her anguished expression as she looked at was plain to see.
It was as if even pointing her sword at was sothing she despised.
For soone known for her fiery temper, she seed oddly human in monts like this.
“Dongsaeng...”
“I’m not saying I’m giving up completely. Right now… I just need ti to think.”
“You might not see it, but this child isn’t so bad. She’s just inexperienced with the world. If you gave her more ti—”
“Maybe you’re right.”
I cut her off.
She could be right.
The sight of Cheonma, unwilling to fight and claiming not to harm the weak, was strange even to .
Whatever the reason, maybe Cheonma could lead a different life. That was one way to see it.
“But for to think that way, I’d have to give up on a lot.”
That was sothing I found incredibly difficult.
There wasn’t much ti left.
In just a few years, the ti when Cheonma descended would co.
Until then, anything could happen.
Judging based on what I had just seen was overwhelming.
“So for now, I’m leaving.”
I needed ti to think.
Facing her now, I couldn’t think of anything.
I glanced at the ruined forest and Cheonma before turning my back.
‘Is it okay to leave like this?’
Could I leave with Cheonma behind ?
As that question gnawed at —
“Goodbye.”
“...”
“See you again.”
Cheonma’s soft, naive tone reached , and I finally took a step forward.
Whoosh—!
I rose into the air.
The moon still hung in the night sky.
Looking at the thin crescent moon, I steadied my breathing.
‘What is this?’
What kind of situation was this?
Leaving behind both the sight of Cheonma and my own restraint,
I thought about how things had gotten to this point.
‘Grandfather…’
The forr head of the Gu family, presud dead, had entrusted Cheonma to us.
Cheonma, who should have departed with the Palace Master, had sohow been left in my grandfather’s care.
And passed on to Gu Heebi, no less.
I didn’t understand.
Even the fact that my grandfather was alive was strange in itself.
‘Does Father know?’
Did my father know about this?
If he did, it ant both Gu Heebi and Father were aware while I was kept in the dark.
‘I don’t want to ask Gu Heebi right now.’
I had no desire to question her when I returned.
‘Besides, Father said he would arrive tomorrow.’
I decided to ask him then.
With that thought, I left the forest.
But even here, an unforeseen problem arose.
The next day.
As scheduled, the Gu family mbers and Lady Mi returned to Hanam.
But Father did not arrive with them.
And for seven days and nights after, he still didn’t appear.
******************
A cold chill filled the air.
Sssss…
In a space heavy with frost, a young man sat lazily, his head hanging low.
“Hmm.”
With a short hum, he raised his head, revealing blood-red eyes that glead nacingly.
“Well.”
Click, click.
He let out a soft, amused chuckle, as though entertained by an unexpected situation.
“Was the mistake leaving the flow too shallow? The child regained consciousness.”
A vast presence coiled within him,
and he had been trying to proceed unnoticed.
It seed that was the problem.
“How unfortunate.”
It truly was.
He had been so close to obtaining a precious key.
As he lanted his missed opportunity,
a veiled woman approached and knelt before him.
“I greet my lord…”
The young man’s blood-red eyes shifted to the woman.
“Muhee.”
“I have urgent news, my lord. Forgive my sudden intrusion.”
The woman’s trembling voice filled the air, and the young man tilted his head slightly,
an unspoken command to continue.
Muhee hesitated before carefully speaking.
“I have found the Gatekeeper.”
In that instant—
Snap.
The young man froze.
At the sa ti, everything in the space ca to a halt as if ti itself had stopped.
There was no sound.
No energy.
Even the breeze had stilled.
Everything ceased.
“Kuk… kukkuk…”
The only sound was the young man’s laughter.
Kukukukuk.
He laughed as though he couldn’t hold it in,
his amusent cracking the very air around him.
“Where is it?”
The disappointnt he had felt monts ago was already forgotten.
His slit-like pupils radiated an oppressive aura.
The sheer power of his presence spread in all directions.
“Where did you see the Gatekeeper?”
Shudder, shudder.
The overwhelming pressure made Muhee tremble uncontrollably.
Her voice faltered, but she forced herself to answer.
“Several… several days ago. I detected its energy at Mount Taeseong.”
“Mount Taeseong…”
A mountain not far from Hanam.
Hearing this, the young man nodded slowly.
“At last… we’ve found it.”
After decades without a trace, the Gatekeeper had been located.
‘No, that’s not it.’
Rather, it seed the Gatekeeper had revealed itself.
The young man rose slowly.
Crack, crack.
Every movent of his body was accompanied by the sound of sothing breaking.
He flexed his hands, an expression of faint regret on his face.
‘This body is pitifully weak. But it will have to suffice for now.’
Compared to his true form, this human body was no better than dust.
But for now, it was all he could use.
Until he regained his true body
and recovered his energy.
“Muhee.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I’ll take a brief stroll. In the anti, inform the Heavenly Eye.”
“…Understood.”
“And one more thing.”
The young man’s blood-red gaze shifted past Muhee to the far wall.
There stood another figure, silent with eyes closed.
“It’s ti to move.”
At the young man’s command,
Swish.
“Yes.”
The one who responded was none other than the scion of the Peng Clan,
Peng Woojin, who opened his eyes and gave a slight nod.
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