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EP.67 Divine Physician (4)

In a wide, dark room, hundreds of individuals knelt in line.

Among the black martial robes that had no patterns, a man slowly made his way forward.

The demon beings kneeling in respect to the man’s overwhelming demon energy trembled in unison.

Straight ahead.

The man’s gaze was fixed on the end of the long path.

[I’m glad to see you’re back in good health.]

At the calm voice from the end of the path, the man’s steps quickened a bit.

Suuuuuu.

[Khkk…!]

[AAAAAH!]

The demonic energy emanating from the man suffocated everything around him, infused with emotion.

[Oh dear, you seem quite angry.]

Nevertheless, he leisurely took a sip of alcohol while perched on an obstacle.

The man growled at the sight.

[Are you satisfied now?]

His short words were laced with demonic energy.

Surely it was due to his turbulent emotions.

[What do you mean?]

As his words spread out, the demonic energy surged in an immediate assault, but just before it reached him, it all dissipated into nothingness.

Creeeak.

My teeth gritted at the sight before me.

Damn that Heavenly Demon’s power! It still protected him.

[Great Lord, I can’t fathom why you are this angry, given my primitive understanding.]

He ran his hand through his long hair.

A deep scar cut across his cheek, too visible not to notice.

[We have taken Sichuan as planned and successfully ousted the Tang Clan in the process.]

And from within, the lone death of the unique death agent occurred.

[There were unexpected fatalities in the war as well, but we got far more in return, didn’t we?]

We eliminated the majority of the righteous faction’s key personnel and succeeded in deposing the Clan Leader under the pretext of irresponsibility.

However, the Demon Sword Queen is dead.

[What’s the problem?]

His voice, tinged with laughter, tickled the ears.

He covered his mouth with a delicate folding fan.

The man gritted his teeth against the throbbing headache.

[Great Lord.]

He called my name.

Jiegal Hyeok.

A being among countless demons, yet not entirely a demon.

He, who became the pillar of the new sect merely with his tongue, gazed at the man with a fox-like grin.

[Everything is according to the Cult Leader’s wishes.]

[You can’t cover the sky with a palm, yet you’re trying to block the sun with your mouth.]

[What exactly is bothering you, perhaps are you upset over the death of a mere woman?]

Crack!

In an instant, the fire energy surged, engulfing the vast room, yet tragically, the flames did not reach him.

[AAAAH!]

[My body…! My body is on fire!!]

The erupting flames began to consume the unfortunate demon beings, yet the man’s attention remained solely on Jiegal Hyeok.

For some reason, Jiegal Hyeok wore an amused smile.

[Look at how all the Great Lord’s subordinates are burning, calm down a bit.]

The wild flames didn’t seem like they would subside anytime soon.

As the man’s emotions churned, the flames roared even hotter.

With the demons and the Tang Clan locked in war, Sichuan had become untraversable, and from the miasma, the unique death agent met its end alone.

The Demon Sword Queen, who once wielded her sword under the moonlight, searched for sight of the moon and eventually closed her eyes.

The moon and sky she adored were now shrouded by dark clouds, no longer visible.

So, what remains?

Nothing at all.

He was all too familiar with the nature of sacrifice, knowing it well.

Why was he so angry?

Was it because he relinquished his humanity yet still held onto a hint of reluctance?

It was a ludicrous contradiction.

The hand that aimed to grab his neck slowly lowered.

The heat bubbling within me began to simmer down.

Jiegal Hyeok noticed and let out a soft chuckle.

[Have you sorted out your thoughts yet?]

[Shut it, I’m doing my best to hold back the urge to rip your mouth open.]

[The Great Lord shouldn’t be under any illusions.]

As Jiegal Hyeok’s words continued, his previously closed eyes slightly opened.

[We all came here ‘of our own accord,’ you know. Your current attitude isn’t helpful to our sect.]

[What are you getting at?]

[I’m saying you should always remember that only the Cult Leader stands above you.]

With his fan, Jiegal Hyeok lightly patted the man’s shoulder.

Clenching his teeth, the man shot a furious glare at Jiegal Hyeok before finally turning away.

If this meeting was merely for such idle chatter, then it was pointless.

[The Heavenly Lord is dead.]

The voice still echoed, but the man ignored it and walked on.

[The Master of the Martial World will likely die tonight as well.]

He didn’t stop.

[The Sword Sovereign has now become a one-armed man, so there’s no need for the Heavenly Demon to exert any effort.]

At the end of his continued stride, he grasped the doorknob.

[Then who do you think remains?]

Upstanding.

At the end of Jiegal Hyeok’s jests, the man was left with no choice but to halt.

He didn’t turn around.

He couldn’t be sure if his expression was still intact.

[Think carefully. The Cult Leader will surely entrust it to you.]

Creeeak.

The sound of bending metal.

The doorknob the man held twisted under his grip.

[Please make a good choice, Great Lord.]

His voice, now dripping with mockery, grinded against the ears.

Bursting open the door, the man screamed, unfurling his energy barrier.

Screaming as if he were spitting blood, he quickly caught his breath.

After standing like that for a while, he finally resumed walking.

He managed to calm the twisted expression of anger on his face.

Even though demonic energy was still surging within him, he couldn’t let it show.

Slowly, he advanced forward.

The next destination was Hanam.

The Heavenly Demon was a nonsensical being, perhaps having transcended mere humanity.

But in the end, he was still but a person.

No matter how strong, the demonic sect, which gathered demons centered around the Heavenly Demon, ultimately represented a single group.

In a way, it was a minority gathering, where each individual was steeped in madness, making it utterly abnormal.

The reason the demonic sect reached a level that could engulf the battlefield lay solely in the will of a single man.

The major reason Sichuan, once home to the Four Great Clans and the predominant evil sect, was obliterated by the demonic sect.

Not to mention, the collapse of the Martial Alliance, the very heart of the righteous faction.

Jiegal Hyeok, the brain of the demonic sect, called the mouth and ears of the Heavenly Demon.

After I returned, I wanted to seek out this monster above all else.

Now, in front of me stood the very person I had sought for so long, causing a small wave of unease in my heart.

“Why the hell are you here?”

Anger seeped into my voice unexpectedly.

Looking slightly younger than my current self, he had half of his black hair hidden beneath strands of white.

His bangs covered half his face, prompting me to sweep them away with my hand.

“…??”

The horrific scar that once covered half his face in my previous life had vanished.

Perhaps it simply wasn’t there yet.

“Hey.”

I called out to him.

He silently met my gaze without replying.

Time passed, yet he remained quiet.

Is he ignoring me?

That thought ignited a spark of rage within me.

A chill surged from my lower dantian.

The killing intent I had been forcibly suppressing rose uncontrollably to the top of my head.

‘Ah, maybe I can just kill him right now?’

Such thoughts filled my mind.

In truth, I wanted him dead anyway; there was no need for hesitation…

[GAL-!]

“…!”

Suddenly, a shout from Shin Noya snapped me back to reality.

[What are you doing? Can’t you focus? Get away from him!]

Get away? From what?

As I pondered, I realized my hand was firmly gripping his neck.

‘…When did that happen?’

What was I about to do?

A cold sensation ran through my fingertips.

Even though I had an emotional outburst and my body felt youthful, did I really act without any forethought?

Something felt off.

The anger surged forth, bypassing all my rational thought—was I really unable to control myself to this extent?

‘…Something is strange.’

As if I were being manipulated by something…

“What are you doing?!”

A voice shouted, and I was suddenly shoved sideways.

I tumbled onto the grassy ground, grunting as I regained my posture.

“…What are you doing, barging in out of nowhere?”

It was a clear and sharp voice.

As I shifted my gaze, the Hwasan’s Plum Blossom Robe caught my eye first.

A bob cut slightly tilted over the shoulder, and the uniquely raised eyelids typical of her household were visible.

Yet, she didn’t look all that fierce, likely because her features resembled someone else much more than the Gu Clan.

In a way, she was certainly my long-lost younger sister.

I never anticipated that we would reunite in such an absurd way.

Gu Ryeonghwa kept shouting at me.

“Just seeing your face is exhausting! Why are you trying to torment him again?!”

“What are you talking about…?”

“What were you going to do to that poor guy? Do you think I would hurt someone important to me and not feel pain?”

“What?”

“How did you even find me…?”

What did Gu Ryeonghwa just say?

Someone can’t speak…?

I turned to Jiegal Hyeok with a shocked expression.

He maintained the same expressionless demeanor.

Despite a stranger suddenly gripping his neck, he merely appeared to be carelessly touching it, his expression unchanged.

‘Can he really be mute?’

The realization that what I thought was Jiegal Hyeok was actually mute sent my thoughts spiraling.

…Could it really not be him?

He bore no scars and couldn’t speak.

The only similarities seemed to be their age and white strands of hair.

Though it could be argued that they are very much alike.

Somehow, I felt I could see it.

The boy crouched there was indeed Jiegal Hyeok.

[Pull yourself together.]

Shin Noya’s words forced me to recompose my breath.

As soon as I stepped out of the Sect Leader’s residence, Shin Noya blamed me for my inability to express how frustrating it was not being able to speak.

Whether this was a matter of the residence or the powers of Maehwa Seon, I wasn’t sure.

But there was no time to ponder further.

Once Maehwa Seon stepped outside, I instructed the sect members to prepare lodging for the remaining people, then leaped into the air.

I had called them to follow, so I quickly jumped to keep up.

‘…What on Earth is happening?’

Not far from the Hwasan Sect.

In a beautiful forest that matched the atmosphere stood a dilapidated old hut.

There was Jiegal Hyeok.

Beside him was my long-missed Gu Ryeonghwa, yet I could only draw closer to the being who captivated my attention.

Shin Noya asked.

[Do you know him?]

‘….’

[It’s hard to deny it when that brat hasn’t been this energetic in ages.]

What happened within me that I hadn’t even utilized my dantian?

As I finally calmed myself down, Maehwa Seon approached.

“You two seem to get along much better than I expected.”

What an absurd statement to just drop.

“What do you mean…?”

“You got angry because your sister was with another boy, right?”

“…Huh?”

What kind of crazy talk was that?

Did Maehwa Seon’s brain bloom into flowers or something?

Gu Ryeonghwa’s face turned red with rage at Maehwa Seon’s words.

Shifting glances between Jiegal Hyeok and me, she seemed to quiver with a chill.

It looked like she wanted to scream, yet she bit her tongue, given that the one before her was her sect leader.

Creak.

In the meantime, the door of the hut creaked open.

Out came an old man with pure white hair and a thin frame.

Who could that be…?

[He doesn’t seem like a martial artist.]

I thought so too.

Looking at his body and aura, he didn’t seem to fit the description of a martial artist.

However, given the existence of the Sword Sovereign, similar appearances shouldn’t be taken lightly.

The elder surveyed the surroundings before speaking.

“Why the hell are you making such a racket in someone else’s yard?!”

At the elder’s words, Maehwa Seon let out a congenial laugh.

“Elder Taeui! I’ve come to visit!”

Upon hearing Maehwa Seon’s words, the elder’s brow furrowed sharply.

“You little bastard… what are you doing shoving a busy person back in the mountains and popping up like this?!”

To refer to the Sect Leader that way…

Conversely, Maehwa Seon didn’t seem a bit fazed even by such harsh words.

Seemingly unbothered by the elder’s tone, Maehwa Seon pointed toward me.

“Please take a look at this child, Elder Taeui!”

The old man glanced briefly in my direction, his expression suggesting annoyance, but I stayed silent.

He quickly averted his gaze back to Maehwa Seon, yelling out.

“Get lost, you damn little brat!”

Bang!

The door of the hut slammed shut.

In the ensuing silence, I quietly asked Maehwa Seon.

“Who was that…?”

With a sheepish expression, Maehwa Seon stroked his beard as he answered.

“Just a physician I know, seems a bit sensitive today.”

“…Oh, really?”

“Now, let’s go inside.”

“Wait? Didn’t he just say not to come in…?”

In response to my question, Maehwa Seon laughed aloud.

“He said to get lost, not that we couldn’t come in, so it should be fine.”

“That’s not the same thing?”

Whether he heard my protests or simply ignored them, Maehwa Seon threw open the door and waltzed in.

-Taeui!

-Damn you…!

Caught off guard by the loud shouting from inside the hut, I couldn’t regain my composure.

For some reason, the figure of the high-level Hwasan practitioner began to overlap with that of Elder Lee.

I think I finally understood why the two were so close…

 

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