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Chapter 334: Apostle (4)

For others, it was an event from hundreds of years ago.

In the vast and distant past, countless years had passed over the old tree.

There, the old tree was still remembering the cries of a young man.

How desperate it was.

Spitting blood, he dug into his own eyes.

His tears were as red as the blood of a child.

[How… how could this happen…?]

The child, with his once-bright golden hair now stained with blood, continued to wail, as if demanding answers.

[What have we done wrong… What exactly did we do wrong!?]

Embracing the corpses of his friends,

watching the blood of his family flow down.

He kept crying,

[My master…]

A scream filled with resentment.

At the end of that trembling call,

the old tree had no answers.

[What are we supposed to do…?]

The world was burning,

and the endlessly blue sea was stained with blood.

Even now, the living beings on this land were ceasing to breathe one by one.

It was a Blood Calamity.

A blood calamity caused by a single existence was

erasing the world like this.

[My master…]

Where did the problem begin?

Because all I wished for was for the children to be happy.

Was it because I didn’t act like the other masters?

The old tree didn’t know.

It simply felt too sorrowful

to see its child crying before its eyes,

and could only stretch its branches to wipe away the tears.

[Child.]

Responding to the call, the golden-haired young man lifted his head,

but the eyes within his gaze were utterly hollow.

The world was crumbling,

and the child before him had already fallen apart.

[…Please tell me. What did we do wrong?]

[You are not guilty.]

[Then, how could the world end up like this…!] Was it called the Blood Demon?

The being that tore through the void,

spread its presence in an instant.

The old tree understood.

Every living being born on this land

was like its own child

and shared its consciousness.

Yet, the old tree did not know of the Blood Demon’s existence.

This meant,

the Blood Demon was not a being of this world,

and the old tree vaguely understood the reason for its appearance.

Thirty years or perhaps twenty years ago.

It could have been even earlier.

The world, which it thought would always stay the same, began to change around that time.

From the cracks in the void,

beings not of this world began to appear.

The old tree thought that was the reason.

Originally, the connection with the other world was

an act that went against the world’s laws.

Thus, if such an act took place in the old tree’s world,

it meant the old tree itself bore guilt.

If a disaster occurred, it was the master’s fault.

It did not matter who committed it.

What mattered was that a sin had arisen on this land,

and the old tree had to pay the price for it.

However,

[…Everyone has died.]

What the old tree could not endure was simply this.

[The children’s limbs were severed.]

[The parents of the children met death with their necks severed.]

The old tree considered everyone on this land

as its own child.

Death, akin to a flow,

was a mere flicker for the old tree, which lived for countless years.

Whether time faded and they died of old age,

or children killed one another in fights,

it was simply the world’s law and flow.

Thus, the old tree thought it should swallow its sorrow and bless new life.

It believed it could not interfere with that.

Let alone if the current cracks were to be set right

by its own disappearance and the birth of a new master.

It thought that could be understood too.

[…How sad it is.]

Watching the child cry so pitifully,

the old tree could only feel emotions that were beyond description.

Soon,

the being known as the Blood Demon would come this way.

Whether it called itself the Blood Demon

or the children called it that, it could not know,

but it could feel that such a being was approaching from afar.

Pitter-patter.

Branches extending out began to envelop the young man.

It wasn’t for protection.

It was more like an act of consolation,

yet whether the old tree’s touch could reach the young man was uncertain.

Even now in the embrace of the old tree,

it could feel the deaths of the children born and raised in this world.

[How can it be so cruel…]

Indeed, it was cruel.

Having to start anew only after erasing so many lives,

and knowing it could do nothing about it.

Rooted in this land,

it could only watch as the children died.

Was this the law of nature?

To say the world wished for that felt too heartbreaking and brutal.

In the midst of it all,

the inability to do anything was

the saddest of all.

Far in the distance,

the red sky was gathering.

Under the blood-red sky,

it was approaching.

To erase the old tree from this land,

and to restore the world’s order.

Seeing the overwhelming darkness,

the old tree pondered.

Was this principle truly right?

It must be.

The order and principles set by the world are absolute.

Its bestowed position remained the same.

There exists a master because the world itself exists,

and because there is a master, life can be born.

The meaning of the old tree’s existence exists due to the world.

Recalling that one by one,

the old tree spoke to somewhere.

[I acknowledge it.]

The problems arising in the world in which it had taken root,

the phenomena defying the laws were all its sins, which it would accept.

[But the children are innocent, aren’t they?]

Was it a word meant for someone?

The answer would probably never come,

and it was more like a solitary mumble of the old tree.

If there was a sin,

it would be that the old tree,

although carrying the title of master,

bore love for its life.

[…Child.]

The old tree whispered softly.

Amidst the surrounding branches, a presence was felt.

[Child.]

[…Yes…]

The face of one who seemed on the verge of breaking and had given up everything

was clearly visible between the branches.

Seeing that, the old tree spoke.

[I will give you a choice.]

[A choice…?]

Roots embedded in the ground began to shake.

The branches started to tremble gently.

[You can choose to be swept away and disappear as you are. Or, you could seek another story and find an opportunity.]

At the old tree’s words,

the young man’s eyes wavered.

The meaning contained within the name of opportunity resonated clearly.

Seeing that, the choice of the young man was evident

without needing to be spoken.

The old tree slowly extended its branches,

stroking the young man’s head.

It couldn’t say this choice was right.

It was a choice meant to go against the laws of the world,

a manner of choice made while forgetting its position and the meaning of its existence.

Then, the young man chose.

He declared he would embrace the opportunity.

No matter what, he would do anything if given a chance to escape this calamity.

Even if his soul shattered,

and he faced great punishment.

He said he would do so.

Upon hearing that, the old tree gently dropped the beautiful white leaves that bloomed on its high branches.

[…Child, this is all I can give you.]

As the leaves piled up on the ground,

something that had been wriggling like a protector of the tree

descended its body and tightly wrapped around the young man.

It resembled the shape of a snake.

As the leaves slowly fell,

an anomaly also began to occur with the old tree.

The roots that once held vitality gradually began to dry up,

and the vicinity began to twist and break.

The world had noticed.

It realized what the old tree was trying to do.

Sensing this, the old tree spoke.

[This too, I will bear…]

To turn back someone’s time meant

to accumulate that much karma.

Even if it was merely turning back the time of a small human,

going against the law was

a tremendous sin.

The old tree felt bitterness regarding the punishment it would face in the future.

[…Child.]

[My master, this is…]

[May there be a small blessing for the hardships and adversities awaiting you…]

The young man looked at the old tree as if wondering what those words meant,

but at that moment, the white leaves piled on the ground.

Quickly swirled around the young man like a whirlwind.

Like a pure white tornado.

Crash… Snap.

While the young man was caught in the whirlwind,

the old tree calmly endured the anomaly occurring to itself.

Unlike simple death,

the master was facing punishment for going against the law.

Feeling that anomaly,

the old tree slowly held its breath.

In that moment.

Whoosh!

The whirlwind soared up into the sky

and soon after, over the land of Sichuan,

a young man returned to the body of a boy.

The boy looked around with confusion,

but the massive old tree that should have been there was nowhere to be found.

Moreover,

the world seemed to have forgotten the very existence of the old tree.

Or perhaps, it was as if it had never existed at all.

The world had transformed into one where the old tree itself had vanished.

As soon as I heard this story, I held my breath.

It was a story that deserved that reaction.

“You are the master of the world I was in?”

The World Tree before me

was saying that it was the master that should have existed in our world.

[Yes. I was the master there.]

“Past tense, huh?”

[…Now, I have lost my qualifications.]

Lost qualifications.

‘Did it say he was punished for causing someone to return?’

The name that danced through my mind was undoubtedly Yeon Ilcheon.

The heroes I had met thus far had said so,

and even Yeon Ilcheon’s thoughts hinted at his experience of regression.

So,

did that mean the tree had caused that Yeon Ilcheon to regress,

and as punishment for making him regress, it was here?

‘It said this world was false.’

It was said that nothing in this world was true.

The demon beasts pouring from all directions were almost close to illusions,

yet the pain they caused was real,

and the corpses of those killed by the demon beasts did not disappear like illusions.

If I were to ask why this place is a false world,

the World Tree would probably say so itself.

And after everything was done,

when I returned to my original world,

I witnessed everyone who had been transmitted returning to life.

I believed the claim that this world was false.

Otherwise, how could it be like that?

One truth was,

‘Is this a prison space?’

Was this place that the World Tree fell into for committing sins?

I knew there were various demonic gates in the world.

Even the Martial Alliance recorded four demonic gates,

and they managed the doors that could be traveled.

However, this place did not belong to any of the four.

There were a few unknown demonic gates that I knew about.

“…Then, since you are here without disappearing,

does that mean our world’s lives can continue to exist…?”

I wasn’t sure if that was true or not,

but unknowingly, my tone had changed slightly.

Regardless of the title of master or not,

my mouth could still move,

but the faint emotions I felt from the World Tree disturbed me.

It felt so much like my mother’s.

Making it hard to express my words.

‘How many years has it been since I didn’t feel such a thing?’

Was I feeling maternal love now?

How silly, considering how old I was.

In the midst of this,

the World Tree spoke to me.

[That is not the case.]

It was a question about whether life could continue to be born because I did not disappear and remained here, as I spoke earlier,

but the World Tree denied it.

[Having lost my qualifications, I have lost my value as a master.]

“I can’t understand…. Then.”

How is it that the world is being maintained?

Is the demonic gate really the problem?

The Blood Demon is…. The representative sent to erase living beings mentioned by the World Tree, right?

‘Then, what about the orb in the front line?’

In the Gu Clan’s territory on one side of the front line,

the orb there was referred to by the beast inside it as a seed.

Tree and seed.

The vaguely connected feeling was truly unpleasant.

‘Hey.’

Calling for it while recalling that,

the thing had not responded since the moment Shin Noya had temporarily taken care of it.

Shin Noya was the same way.

I raised my hand and swept it over my forehead, starting at my temple.

My head hurt.

I wished to know the truth,

but I never thought there would be so many hidden stories piled up like this.

When one wants to solve or fix a problem,

they need to trace back to where the problem began.

To find the beginning

would untangle the tightly knotted thread.

However,

‘So, in the end, the ancestor’s mess became the problem?’

If the crack is the issue,

that means the one who opened the demonic gate is the problem.

In a distant past,

the ancestors of the Gu Clan opened the demonic gate.

As a result, the principle known as the laws of the world

became flawed,

and to fix something that had gone awry, the existence of the Blood Demon made an appearance.

The master of the world where the Blood Demon appeared

was this World Tree,

and for some unknown reason, the World Tree regressed Yeon Ilcheon.

Now comes the question.

“…Why exactly Yeon Ilcheon?”

King Gwon Cheolgeum was the greatest in the world at that time.

The master of the first generation must have prayed for it,

and I already knew from Shin Noya’s words that he was strong.

Yet the question lingered: why Yeon Ilcheon?

I couldn’t help but wonder why.

The reason was that all the past heroes I had met,

including Yeon Ilcheon,

Hwang Abulyeong,

and Nangong Ming,

all sought out Shin Noya.

If it is a question, it seems like their hope was directed towards Shin Noya.

I don’t know the reason, but if Shin Noya is hope,

then wouldn’t it have been better to regress Shin Noya instead?

In response to that inquiry laden with meaning,

the World Tree moved its branches to point.

As if saying to sit down again.

[Apostle, I understand what you’re curious about, but I’m sorry to say there is much I do not know.]

“I just want to know why you regressed Yeon Ilcheon.”

[Yeon Ilcheon… Yes, that was the name.]

The tree confirmed with its words.

The reason Yeon Ilcheon could regress was because of the World Tree in front of him.

That meant as a punishment, it was stuck here.

[Reasons… reasons.]

Was there some special reason?

[It’s difficult.]

“Difficult?”

[Yes, how could it not be difficult? To have to find the reason.]

Hearing the World Tree’s words, I tilted my head.

What on earth was this supposed to mean?

Is finding the reason difficult?

 

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