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Heavenly Demon (천마)

One day, a demon descended from the sky.

The master of the Demonic Sect who sought to devour the entire Central Plains and stain it crimson.

A monster that single-handedly killed all the Three Eminent Beings who claimed to be above humanity.

Until ultimately, before being killed by the Divine Sword Wi Seol-Ah, he was a being renowned as the strongest in the world, even as a villain of the Demonic Sect.

It was no surprise.

With each step the Heavenly Demon took, the ground rotted beneath him.

His mere breath commanded a presence that suffocated the surroundings.

The difference was so vast that one could barely comprehend it.

Just his existence induced an almost paradoxical colossal presence.

Simply facing him made one feel compelled to lower their head, a nobility-worthy demeanor felt from an emperor.

The Heavenly Demon embodied that existence.

The master of ten thousand demons.

The root being of countless demons stretching beneath the sky.

Recalling why the Demonic Sect could invade the Central Plains so swiftly, it boiled down to the demonic energy wielded by demons.

Demonic energy (마기) is a lethal force to martial artists.

The moment it seeps into a martial artist’s body, it takes root in the Lower Dantian.

That root grows in size, quickly blocking the flow of energy within them.

The disruption of this flow poses significant issues for using martial arts techniques.

Moreover, it not only hinders the flow of energy but also causes the body to gradually rot from within.

Thus, for martial artists, demonic energy was like a deadly poison.

The Heavenly Demon is the source of that demonic energy.

He is like a god who bestows powers used by a few of them.

Tearing through dimensions above the Martial Alliance, he proclaimed he would commence the Blood Calamity from now on.

The image of him smiling, as if challenging anyone to stop him, remained vividly in my memory.

As his long hair swept aside, his gaze hovered over the masses, adorned with a chilling presence that seemed poised to turn a sunlit day into night within an instant.

That gaze from back then and the one I face now were not different.

“Why…”

The Heavenly Demon, who wouldn’t appear for several years, stood before me now.

Though he looked younger and radiated confidence compared to that time, there was no mistaking that this being was indeed the Heavenly Demon.

Thud, thud, thud…

A small amount of demonic energy within me stirred, almost resonating.

This alone was enough to let me recognize the being before my eyes was the Heavenly Demon, but what assured me more were his eyes.

With black hair barely reaching his shoulders and skin pale as snow.

His decidedly thin figure seemed fragile, but what I was gazing at was unmistakable.

I was simply fixated on the face of the one before me.

With the same face as Wi Seol-Ah, cradled in my arms, and those amethyst eyes within.

The purple eyes of the Black Night Princess were also of that hue, but they differed from those of the Heavenly Demon.

His amethyst eyes sparkled distinctly with an energy that was utterly unfathomable.

They resembled jewels.

Meaning they were that beautiful.

Yet still, no matter how beautiful, the energy one feels from them isn’t beautiful at all.

‘Heavenly Demon.’

Recognizing that this being I was so cautious and terrified of would be the catastrophe of my future filled me with dread.

‘Why…’

I tightened my grip around Wi Seol-Ah’s shoulder, drawing her closer.

The Heavenly Demon stared at Wi Seol-Ah, cocking his head in curiosity.

Their features were identical.

Apart from the Heavenly Demon being abnormally thin and differing in hair and eye color, they shared all other traits.

Truly enigmatic.

How could that be?

It seemed I wasn’t the only one surprised.

The figure behind me, sitting there in a pool of blood, wore an equally shocked expression while looking at Wi Seol-Ah.

“Is the sky… divided into two?”

Curious as to who it was, I turned to discover it was none other than the Black Night Princess.

Why was she seated like that, in a state of alarm?

The aura surrounding her confirmed that it was indeed the Black Night Princess I faced back then.

‘She wasn’t visible while searching…’

The first time I saw the Heavenly Demon was within the Black Night Palace.

The Black Night Princess had been cradling the Heavenly Demon, and I last saw them vanish through the Demonic Gate behind them.

After that, I had tirelessly searched for information, trying to find the Heavenly Demon and the Princess.

Who knew where they had hidden themselves so well, only to meet them here without warning?

“How… could this be?”

The Princess simply gazed at Wi Seol-Ah, still wearing her perplexed expression.

It was understandable.

How could it not be astounding to see someone who resembled her so closely?

The Heavenly Demon also looked intrigued by Wi Seol-Ah, gazing at her with curious eyes.

Feeling that gaze, I pulled Wi Seol-Ah closer into my embrace, as if to conceal her.

Then…

“Prince…”

Wi Seol-Ah’s fingertips wrapped around my hand. I trembled at that gentle touch.

I looked down at her.

Wi Seol-Ah’s golden eyes were directed at me.

“I’m fine.”

“…What?”

Caught off guard by her sudden declaration of being fine, I unintentionally questioned back.

What does she mean by fine?

“I’m okay. Please let me go.”

“…!”

Was it my rigid embrace that troubled her? I eased my grip a little at her words.

But I didn’t completely loosen my hold.

Noticing this, Wi Seol-Ah exerted herself a bit to slip free.

I longed to hold her tightly, yet I was still bothered by the look in her eyes from moments ago.

With Wi Seol-Ah freed from my grasp, she began to rise.

She faced the Heavenly Demon.

Swish.

She pointed her sword at him. A face identical to hers standing in the same space felt almost surreal.

Looking at the Heavenly Demon, Wi Seol-Ah opened her mouth.

“Who are you?”

She appeared unperturbed even when looking at her exact likeness.

Of course, the Heavenly Demon was no different.

With a subtle motion, the Heavenly Demon took a step forward.

Even such a minor action set my nerves ablaze.

I projected my qi perception entirely at the Heavenly Demon.

So I could react to whatever transpired.

Though, whether I could respond adequately remained uncertain.

Wi Seol-Ah, seeing that, began to gather her energy as well.

It was a vivid golden hue.

So vibrant that it felt like a stark contrast to the Heavenly Demon.

Despite facing such energy, the Heavenly Demon maintained an expression of calm.

To be precise, it felt as if he had no interest in Wi Seol-Ah’s energy at all. His strides were not directed towards her.

They were towards me.

The Heavenly Demon approached my direction.

Upon noticing this, Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes lit up as she swung her sword, as if to deny his approach.

Swish-!

The blade sliced through the air, fast.

The path of the sword was imbued with pure energy leaving behind golden traces.

There was no hesitation in its movement.

However.

Swish-!

From the Heavenly Demon’s feet, black energy suddenly shot out, deflecting the sword.

Clang!

The delightful sound of metal clashing reverberated. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Demon never even glanced towards Wi Seol-Ah.

And I was certain of it the moment I laid my eyes on him.

Demonic energy.

What the Heavenly Demon released was purer than any demonic energy I had encountered.

Caught up in that instant, Wi Seol-Ah twisted her body, trying to avoid the force.

The energy burst forth in a thorny form like the martial arts employed by the Black Night Princess, aiming to attack Wi Seol-Ah.

But Wi Seol-Ah’s agile movements deftly evaded it.

And then…

‘…Move.’

Watching it all unfold, my body felt inexplicably frozen.

Grrr…

“…Ugh…”

As I tried to harness my energy, my body refused to cooperate.

The root of the issue was the demonic energy lodged in the corner of my Lower Dantian, now running amok.

Unlike the time I witnessed the distortion of the Black Dragon Sword when my energy hardened.

This time, it was the demonic energy that obstructed me.

Perhaps it was elated at finally confronting its true master once again.

It felt just as it did before.

On the day I confronted the Heavenly Demon at the Black Night Palace.

Demonic energy had stormed through my body, almost as if it was screaming in response to the Heavenly Demon’s gestures.

Now that its genuine master appeared, could it be it refused to obey my wishes?

‘Why aren’t you helping me like last time?’

Could it be that the beast had roared earlier to keep the Heavenly Demon at bay?

The pesky beast had kept quiet this time after causing me so much trouble just moments ago.

‘Is it genuinely being obstructive?’

I bit down on the gnawing scream threatening to erupt from within me and tried to move my body.

I couldn’t pause now.

The being that would drag the world into a Blood Calamity stood right in front of me, set to make me a demon and ruin my life.

After all I had done to stand up against this monster.

From being locked in the Demonic Gate in search of the key to reach the Transformation Realm.

To tirelessly rolling about searching for opportunities in this life.

Every bit of it was to hold back the Heavenly Demon.

‘Damn it.’

Thrusting my knee down even upon merely facing the Heavenly Demon was nonsense. It couldn’t be possible.

Moreover.

Wi Seol-Ah stood before the Heavenly Demon.

This was the situation in which I never wished to meet my end in this life.

A flash—!

Golden light whirled as Wi Seol-Ah’s sword gleamed rapidly, creating countless lines in the air that continuously appeared and vanished.

One could instantly grasp the depth of her training through that decisive and pristine sword path.

If someone said this was the same girl whose knowledge of martial arts was non-existent just a few years ago, no one would believe it; her radiant growth was evident.

Thud-!

She stamped the ground fiercely.

Boom!

Dodging the protruding thorns, she swung her sword.

A flawless reaction.

However…

Clang!

“…!”

The Heavenly Demon didn’t flinch – not even a scratch marred his energy.

The demonic energy was as sturdy as steel.

Furthermore, the Heavenly Demon still didn’t spare a glance at Wi Seol-Ah.

Crunch.

I heard a crunching noise from Wi Seol-Ah’s direction. Nevertheless, she seemed determined to continue her swordplay.

At that moment, the Heavenly Demon turned to look at Wi Seol-Ah.

Simultaneously, with a slight gesture, his delicate hand swept through the air.

Woooosh-!

“Ugh!”

Wi Seol-Ah was swept away by the force radiating from the Heavenly Demon.

Seeing that, I sprang to my feet.

“Wi Seol-Ah!”

As I stood up, a stabbing pain coursed through me.

Could it be from forcibly unleashing the constraints of the demonic energy?

I didn’t focus on that. I needed to catch Wi Seol-Ah, who was flying away.

I leapt.

Or rather, I tried to leap.

Smack-!

If the Heavenly Demon hadn’t seized me with that fragile gesture…

My arm, which was poised to move, was caught by the Heavenly Demon.

With that, my strength drained away.

Thud.

My knees buckled. My body, desperate to move, clashed against my dwindling strength, forcing me to kneel.

At that moment, despair enveloped me.

I was exhausted.

Despite how hard I tried, I felt utterly powerless.

Was it due to the demonic energy in my body?

Or was it the fundamental terror clouding my mind?

Regardless of the cause, my body, having reached the Transformation Realm, now felt overwhelmingly impotent.

No matter how hard I tried to shake his hand off…

It didn’t feel like he was gripping me tightly. He merely pretended to hold me.

Somehow, I couldn’t resist the Heavenly Demon.

How was this even possible?

After employing so many bets and being slightly fatigued from combat, I shouldn’t be in this state!

‘…Damn it, just roar, will you?’

I inwardly lamented.

I had the creature that had roared just moments ago; even now, I urged it to unleash its strength, yet there was no response.

Of course, this happened just at that moment.

“…What’s this?”

A voice drifted into my ears.

A low tone that resembled Wi Seol-Ah’s.

It belonged to the Heavenly Demon.

I shifted my gaze to meet his amethyst eyes.

They were lusterous.

So beautiful that I was momentarily captivated, but the emotions swelling within me were anything but beautiful.

“You are…”

“…!”

Thud-!

In response, the demonic energy within me surged more fiercely.

“Urgh.”

“Who are you?”

Was it wanting to escape?

The demonic energy reacted strongly.

It had obediently listened until now, but now it wanted to strike my back? Don’t mess with me.

“Who are you?”

The Heavenly Demon uttered, filled with curiosity at my reaction.

His voice threatened to burst my body apart.

“Heavenly Demon… what does that mean?”

Am I just reiterating my earlier words?

The Heavenly Demon inquired, as if intrigued.

I was in no position to respond while trying to suppress the demonic energy that threatened to shoot out of my throat.

The sense of powerlessness from being crushed under such an unyielding entity was profound.

All the struggles I went through held no value now.

As I felt a nagging sense of surrender beginning to creep in…

Whooosh-! Crash-!

A powerful aura surged from the Heavenly Demon.

The energy swept through the surroundings, a force that exploded in all directions.

Even the Heavenly Demon, who appeared uncuffed, released his grip on me and distanced himself.

That robust and vast energy bore no harm to me, sitting close to him.

“Hah… Hah.”

As I released the burdensome pressure, I exhaled a breath I had held.

With bloodshot eyes, I surveyed the direction from which the energy emanated.

In that direction…

Wi Seol-Ah approached, shaking off her slightly tattered clothing.

With an expression twisted in anger, she bore the blend of golden energy and hints of white energy.

‘That energy…’

I recognized it.

How could I not?

That energy was the one Wi Seol-Ah had displayed in her previous life.

“Remove your hands.”

In a voice sharper than I had ever heard from Wi Seol-Ah, she addressed the Heavenly Demon.

 

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