The first to notice the anomaly was the Sword Demoness. The Sword Demoness, who was looking at the accessories laid out on the street, grabbed her sword in an instant. And she shouted loudly towards the surroundings.
"Everyone, get inside the buildings!"
Almost simultaneously, the Mad Demon lifted his foot and slamd it hard on the ground. Thump! The ground shook, and the surrounding items all shot up into the air.
The Mad Demon said.
"Captain!"
Yoo Jae-ha, whose senses had been dulled by the restriction on his internal energy, noticed a step later than the two. But the situation was already understood. Yoo Jae-ha imdiately pulled Fatima, who was next to him.
"Ugh!"
Fatima landed safely in Yoo Jae-ha's arms.
At that mont, other ordinary people also noticed the anomaly.
They look up at the sky.
Broad daylight.
A huge sun shining fiercely.
Around it, stars that should not be visible in the dayti were densely packed like the night sky.
They were fire arrows.
For this mont when everyone was looking up at the sky, ti seed to have stopped. And ti began to flow again.
The fire arrows all fell towards the ground at once.
The Mad Demon knocked the floating furniture into the sky. The fire arrows hit the furniture and bounced off. The Mad Demon then grabbed a dozen layers of cloth at once and threw them into the air like spreading a net in the sea.
Rip! The cloth rotated and spread, deflecting hundreds of fire arrows.
On the other hand, the Sword Demoness was deflecting them one by one with her sword. Her speed was so fast that it was invisible to the naked eye of an ordinary person.
Just two people did the work of dozens.
But it was almost impossible for the Mad Demon and the Sword Demoness to block the fire arrows that were attacking the entire wide market.
A fire arrow was embedded in a building. The desert takes away all the moisture on the ground. It was only a mont before the dry wooden building caught fire. Soon, the fire spread to the entire village through the wooden buildings.
Crack!
The old buildings, unable to withstand the weight after being burned, collapsed. Underneath, people who had not been able to escape were crushed. People tried to rescue them, but the constantly rising black smoke obscured their vision. Moreover, the sun in the sky added to the heat.
A child was standing on the street crying, having lost his parents. A fire arrow was falling on that child without fail. The child, even in fear, was faithfully following the instinct of life. The child took a step to run away. But the child's foot, engulfed in fear, missed the ground and he fell. A fire arrow fell straight on top of him.
Swish.
Just before the fire arrow pierced the child's body, Yoo Jae-ha kicked off the ground. He pierced through the falling fire arrows and deflected the fire arrow falling on the child.
"Are you okay?"
The child, surprised, just stood there with a stiff body. Yoo Jae-ha pointed the child to the building where the Mad Demon and the Sword Demoness were guarding.
"Take refuge over there."
Only then did the child bow and run.
People naturally gathered towards the place where the Sword Demoness and the Mad Demon were.
Yoo Jae-ha was looking at the village that had turned into a hellscape in an instant.
"What on earth is going on?"
The answer to that question ca from surprisingly close.
"B-Bandits..."
Fatima was trembling all over with tears in her eyes.
"Why?"
The question deepened.
If they were bandits, it ant a group that steals sothing. Yoo Jae-ha did not think that such bandits were bad. It was also one of the ways soone survives.
But this scene now was completely incomprehensible from a common-sense perspective.
To say it again, bandits are a tribe that lives by plundering soone.
For such people, a village is a warehouse to continue their survival.
Will they steal only once and be done with it?
In such a barren environnt?
If it were him, hs wouldn't destroy the village like this, even to steal two or three more tis.
This was not efficient at all, putting aside morality or ethics.
"T-That's..."
Fatima, surprised by the current situation, could not answer. Well, it wasn't a question Yoo Jae-ha had wanted an answer to in the first place. It was just a question that had co to his mind, a word that was very close to a monologue. And the conclusion to the question was not necessary.
Because there are so many crazy people in this world.
Yoo Jae-ha pushed Fatima.
"Go!"
"Where?"
"Of course, to the place where the Mad Demon and the Sword Demoness were. It's probably the safest place here."
"Aren't you coming with us, Jae-ha-nim?"
Of course, I want to go like crazy too. If I use more internal energy here, the imbalance will only get bigger.
But if this rain of arrows doesn't stop, this village will turn into a handful of ashes.
That would be very troubleso for . It's a space like an oasis that I found in the desert after so long.
I imdiately ran to where the arrows were coming from.
Above all, the thought 'how strong can they be?' was at the forefront.
If I just scare them a little, they'll leave on their own.
If I hold on for a little while, the Sword Demoness or the Mad Demon will co too.
As I left the village, I saw a group of people shooting arrows on a nearby sand dune.
'They don't look like much.'
I imdiately put my hand on my side.
These kinds of guys usually don't listen to reason. In the first place, if they were people who would listen to reason, they wouldn't be shooting fire arrows in this desert in a way that says 'you die, I die'.
Thwack!
I increased my speed, kicking off the sand. I drew my sword and raised my internal energy.
Lately, I've only been eting masters of the Profound Realm and the Demonic Transformation, but the peak was also a realm where one could walk around with so power in the martial world.
Feeling a rather full internal energy, I went straight towards the guy who was drawing his bowstring. The target was the guy's wrist.
Slice!
I swung my sword as it was.
He would have to live with one hand for the rest of his life, but a guy who takes soone else's life must have made that much of a resolution himself.
I cut, but it only ended up cutting the bowstring instead of the wrist. Because soone's interference had co in. And that soone was a strong person who could lightly deflect a sword imbued with the power of the peak.
'I might have to change my original plan.'
I faced the guy who had blocked my sword.
Well, the intention failed, but the result was a success.
For now, I stopped the rain of arrows heading towards the village. Instead, all those arrows were aid at .
"Who are you?"
At the guy's question, I answered.
"A guest who stopped by the village while crossing the desert?"
"Then just pretend you don't know and go. This matter has nothing to do with you."
This was a completely unexpected proposal.
From my point of view, it could be said that there was no gain, but also no loss.
Just a slightly uncomfortable feeling?
It's a bit much from the villagers' point of view, but I'm an outsider after all.
"Hmm... should I do that?"
When I had almost decided to, the guy asked.
"But wait."
"Huh?"
"Do you happen to know a woman nad Fatima?"
"Why do you ask?"
"That woman is a witch who has fallen into the Demonic Path and deludes the common people using the words of God. So she is a being that must be killed."
I know Fatima. And I also know the Demonic Path. From my perspective, Fatima was a perfectly normal person.
Although she does scam people.
"If you know, please tell ."
The opponent bowed his head politely and asked . Looking at this appearance alone, it was hard to think of him as the culprit who had caused the tragedy in the village.
"I don't know."
"You really don't know?"
"If I knew such a woman, I would have killed her myself first. Because what I hate most in this world is the Demonic Path."
"I see."
As the man raised his arm, the arrows aid at all went down at once. Just then. The Sword Demoness and the Mad Demon arrived at my side.
At that, the hostility that had been in a lull began to rise again.
The Sword Demoness, without reducing her aura, aid her sword at the guys.
The Mad Demon was in a stance ready to run out at any mont.
I stopped the Sword Demoness and the Mad Demon.
"They said they have business in the village. This is not sothing we should get involved in, so let's leave. We just stopped by that village while passing by."
If we were people of the Orthodox Faction who, without thinking, just shouted their own justice and threw away any entangled relationships or grudges, we would have charged at them just based on the current situation.
But the three of us here were perfectly normal people who had a footing in the Demonic Path and knew how to think rationally.
What the guy had said about Fatima earlier bothered a little, but Fatima was also just a stranger I had t on the road.
The debt I owed Fatima would be enough to be paid off by saving her from the rain of arrows earlier. It was a little uncomfortable that I couldn't say goodbye, but a clean breakup doesn't exist in this world.
The Sword Demoness and the Mad Demon also seed to have understood the situation.
"If Jae-ha says so, I understand."
"Hey! I thought we were going to fight after a long ti!"
The Sword Demoness and the Mad Demon withdrew their hostility. At that, the other side also lowered their bows. We were about to go our separate ways.
Rustle.
I felt a presence running this way.
I tried to ignore it.
The presence stopped.
"You ca for , right?"
The owner of the presence spoke, and the killing intent that had been directed at until just now was shot at only one person. At this, the owner of the presence trembled violently. But she did not avoid it.
"Are you Fatima?"
"Y-Yes!"
"Will you follow us obediently? Or will you be captured?"
"I have sothing I want to ask before that!"
"What is it?"
"Why are you trying to catch ! I haven't done anything wrong!"
We're already strangers, so it's a bit much to say this, but you're a swindler!
"We were just ordered to catch the witch."
"I'm not a witch!"
You're a swindler! That's worse, you bitch!
"The judgnt is not for you to make. It is for him to make."
It seed Fatima had been unlucky and had touched a high-ranking person while scamming. It was a common occurrence in the world of swindlers.
Just then. I heard a voice I had never heard before.
"Child blessed by the stars."
It was that of an old woman. I could feel a faint heat from that old woman's voice.
How big of a scam did she pull to be so excited?
At that mont, I looked forward at the unpleasant gaze I suddenly felt.
On a cactus.
A rather unlucky-looking crow was staring at intently.
The old woman said.
"Where is the star that fell to the ground?"
"W-What are you talking about?"
This ti, a strange unpleasantness was felt from behind. I looked back.
There was Fatima, and in front of her was an old woman with a bent back.
The old woman's back was slowly straightening.
The old woman, with her back straightened, was exuding a completely different, alien atmosphere from before.
This feeling, it was sohow familiar.
And the old woman opened her eyes.
Eyes without pupils, full of only white sclera, were revealed. Flap! At that mont, the crow on the cactus shook its face.
"I see. In this era, he was called this. Where is the forr leader of the Secret Cult?"
"What's that! I don't know! So stop following !"
"Hehehe. I'm not interested in your insignificant life. I'll ask you one last ti. If you don't know the forr leader of the Secret Cult, you'll know this. Where is the current Great Master Dharani?"
"Great Master Dharani? Don't tell you're talking about the swindler, old man Dharani?"
The sun sets, and the moon rises.
The moon sets, and the sun rises.
On the other hand, the stars always exist in the sky.
That is why stars have a special aning in Tianzhu.
A being that never changes among the many things that make up the world.
The spokesperson of God.
The one who delivers the words of God.
And the only guide who knows where God is.
The old woman opened her mouth with a voice full of joy.
"Finally, the cycle of reincarnation can be broken, and he can beco complete!"
The only link connected to the god in the sky, the stars.
The guide.
To cut it.
By doing so, to separate God from the sky and drag him into the complete human domain. And kill him. If that happens, God will die.
"Caw!"
Suddenly, the crow cawed loudly.
Oh, you scared !
Just then, the place full of the old woman's white sclera split open, and a black pupil was revealed. Inside, it was as black as looking at the pitch-black darkness.
How do you do that?
The old woman extended her hand as it was.
Fatima struggled with her neck grabbed. The old woman's body was smaller than Fatima's, but she didn't budge.
"Speak. Where is the forr leader of the Secret Cult, Great Master Dharani?"
Crack!
A white snake stealthily climbed up the cactus. And it bit the crow.
"Caw, caw!"
The crow struggles, but the white snake bites its neck as it is.
The white snake opened its mouth wide and was swallowing the crow whole.
Wow! Look at the wild!
At the mont of the wild I actually faced, I decided to correct my thought that Baek-ah was cute for a very short ti.
Swish.
And I kicked off my foot.
It seed my connection with Fatima was not over yet.
Squeeze.
The old woman, at the strong pressure pressing on her arm, had no choice but to let go of Fatima's neck.
"Who are you?"
I threw Fatima back and answered.
"Soone who has business with the swindler old man."
The Mad Demon caught Fatima.
"Go and stand next to Baek-ah over there."
"Why?"
"The Captain is about to do sothing fun. You want to join?"
At the rushing killing intent from the front, Fatima answered.
"I'll stay next to Baek-ah!"
* * *
At the top of the huge temple in Tianzhu.
A single being was lying languidly on a luxurious chair.
That being was wearing a chicken mask and muttered to himself.
"The connection with the crows has been cut?"
For so reason, a faint excitent was mixed in the voice of the one wearing the chicken mask.
The awaited anomaly.
"Go. Go and tell ."
Behind the temple, the crows all flew up into the sky at once.
* * *
An old man is walking down a road.
The old man looked up at the sky.
The sky was full of crows.
The old man imdiately hid himself under a tree.
(End of Chapter)
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