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Kuuuuuuuu!

Countless black Qi erupted from the being before me.

Wi Seol-Ah trembled as she faced that ominous energy.

How could something so foreboding exist?

And what kind of power pushes back against such energy?

Wi Seol-Ah questioned the white Qi continually emanating from her body.

Even while using it, she couldn’t grasp what it was.

This power wasn’t something Wi Seol-Ah had control over right now.

[What is happening right now?]

They could seem similar, but at this moment, Wi Seol-Ah was merely an observer.

From the moment that mysterious figure appeared, the control over her body had shifted to someone else.

Shwick! Shweeek!

Flashes of light continued to erupt.

Each time the sword blade, condensed with white Qi, sliced through the air, energy brushed past, leaving thick traces.

The remnants of that energy were so intense, it felt as if dimensions were warped.

She could feel the movement of her body.

Even though she had lost control, she could still sense how her legs were moving, what her hands were doing.

She could perceive the gaze she was sending out.

How the inner energy moved and what the sword path looked like.

Every subtle movement was visible to her.

It was different from the sword techniques her grandfather had taught her.

‘Similar, yet different….’

The form certainly resembled the Moonline Sword Dance.

The flow of energy was the same as well; thus, the sword path was undeniably her grandfather’s Moonline Sword Dance, but the sword unfolding from her fingertips felt slightly different.

In a split second, a memory surfaced.

‘…This is it.’

She recalled the strange sword path taught to her by the Hwasan Sect.

The bizarre sword she once unfurled under its guidance.

The form she had felt back then bore some resemblance to this.

So, what was this energy?

It was similar yet different from the golden Qi that spread from her heart.

Looking at the flow of energy, it seemed the same, yet the energy felt deeper and far warmer.

– Focus and feel it.

A voice echoed in Wi Seol-Ah’s ear.

Only then could she remember the situation she had found herself in again.

She admired the swirling sword and momentarily forgot everything, enchanted by the beautiful energy.

[Unnie…!]

– I didn’t want to show you like this.

Even while she spoke, the sword continued to move.

The dark, swirling energy showed no signs of ending.

At first, it seemed overwhelming, but upon seeing the sheer amount of energy, she fell silent in despair.

Yet the woman did not stop.

– Are you scared?

Flash.

As she swung the sword down, light sparkled.

The torrent of black Qi stalled for an instant.

In that fleeting moment, the woman took a step forward.

– Do you remember what I told you about grasping the essence of the Moonline Sword Dance?

She remembered. The essence of the Moonline Sword Dance is not found in the moon.

Bringing this up now, did it mean that this power was the essence of the Moonline Sword Dance?

– No.

The woman denied it.

– Do not be entranced by this power and lose your way; the essence is something you must find yourself.

The white Qi surrounding her spun around, seemingly taking the form of wings.

At this moment, she knew for sure she couldn’t display such power.

Wi Seol-Ah gazed beyond, at the presence that was emanating dark energy.

It was a figure that looked just like her.

How could that be?

Her mind was full of questions.

An expressionless face, with only the purple eyes shining.

With a flick of her hand, an immense energy continually gushed out, pressing down on the surroundings.

While the sword’s tip cut through the air to block the energy once again, this time she could not completely obstruct it and it scattered around.

Was this her limit?

Observing that, Wi Seol-Ah uttered,

[Unnie…. Please let me go back.]

Having claimed she wouldn’t take her body recklessly like this, she was being presumptuous once more.

The sword’s wild movements and the energy accumulating were indeed impressive, but that was a different story altogether.

– I’m sorry.

The woman offered her an apology.

– You mustn’t take offense at having your body taken over…. But still, right now…

She thought it was for him.

This time, she believed it was unavoidable, but

[That’s not it.]

Wi Seol-Ah rejected that notion, speaking as if to deny it.

[You said it would be the last time…. If you go any further, you’ll disappear.]

-…!

[You can’t let that happen.]

The woman inside was momentarily taken aback by Wi Seol-Ah’s words.

It was not what she expected.

– …Are you worried about me?

[Is that so wrong?]

It echoed a story they had shared long ago.

She had previously mentioned that there wasn’t much time left, and the way things were going, her current body’s using methods would soon reach their limit.

She had said it would only be possible one more time.

And that was now.

And this was what the woman desired for.

If she could exhaust herself for him, she wouldn’t hesitate.

If she were to vanish like this, for the karma accumulated in her soul until now, she would face a punishment that was beyond imagination, but

The woman was still unbothered by it.

She couldn’t reciprocate the things he had done for her back.

Though she couldn’t even let him know of her existence, if she could save him, if she could preserve the time he had left, it would all be worth it.

Under such circumstances, she never expected to be worried about Wi Seol-Ah.

[If we keep going like this…. Unnie will disappear. Is that really okay with you?]

If she wouldn’t be able to see him anymore.

Was that okay?

At that question, the woman found herself smiling faintly, even while swinging her sword.

– You are so different from me.

She was so unlike herself.

That made her feel good.

– That is enough.

If things had started differently.

If even a little had changed back then.

It felt like she would perhaps have turned out like that.

– I hope you find happiness.

Please let that be so.

Although she hadn’t managed to, she earnestly hoped the same for her.

That she would live the life she hadn’t experienced.

The woman truly wished for that.

[Unnie…?]

– I have a favor to ask.

The woman spoke carefully.

– Please don’t hate grandfather too much. He had his reasons as well. So, at least for you…. Don’t hate him.

[What?]

Wi Seol-Ah exclaimed in confusion.

But the energy was growing ever stronger.

Only then could Wi Seol-Ah vaguely sense something.

That the energy the woman was using was not merely the Qi flowing from her Dantian.

But something deeper, far deeper within her.

Because it was drawn from such depths, if she were to attempt it now, she wouldn’t even come close.

Where was it coming from?

What would happen to the woman once she used this energy?

The sword steadily thickened with power.

The process was incredibly delicate and flawless.

The energy stacked perfectly, without a single gap.

It was an absolute application of perfection.

Perhaps feeling that energy, her opponent tilted their head in interest.

There was more curiosity than fear.

Were they wondering what she would do next?

[Unnie…! Stop…!]

The woman pondered.

After using this power, what would happen to her?

She knew she would pay a price in accordance with the karma she had accumulated, but

What that price would be remained unknown.

Most importantly, could she erase that existence with this?

‘Impossible.’

It was impossible.

This was not an entity that could be dealt with by mere magnitude alone.

The ‘self’ was the same as her.

She should understand infinitely more than her.

However.

‘Even just a little damage.’

Buy some time.

She could perhaps give him a little longer.

What she was pouring into that sword was not just energy.

Unable to touch the innate energies housed in her physical body, she invested her very existence and karma into it.

It would be more accurate to say she embraced her soul.

A single push back.

That was the patience for this.

Woosh—

“…!”

The woman had no choice but to turn away from the energy she was stacking so carefully.

The direction was where he was sitting, almost slumped.

It was the same for the Heavenly Demon.

Even the Heavenly Demon, who had seemed to wear the same expression consistently, was now oddly staring wide-eyed at something.

And then, suddenly.

“…Huh… Augh.”

Someone let out a groan. That sound quickly caught Wi Seol-Ah’s attention.

The source of the groan turned out to be none other than the Heavenly Demon.

The demon energy constricted around me.

It moved to hinder my inner energy and rot my body, differently from before.

What I was feeling now was a different sort of pain.

Was it called resonance?

The demon energy entwined within my body reacted to the presence of the Heavenly Demon before me.

Was that the only thing?

As if in protest, the demon energy began thrashing within my body, seemingly ready to burst if it wasn’t released.

Even though my body was filled with demonic energy, having reached the Transformation Realm, was I merely a worthless entity to the Heavenly Demon?

If so, what should I do?

Before me, Wi Seol-Ah was battling the Heavenly Demon in a stance.

The Pejon behind her was not in a position to interfere.

The moment the Black Night Princess regained her strength, it would surely be a troublesome situation for both Wi Seol-Ah and me.

This meant Wi Seol-Ah might be killed.

And if she died, there was no concern about who would stop the Heavenly Demon in the future.

It was simply unbearable.

It would hurt even more seeing her die than facing my own demise.

That was why, I needed to escape somehow.

So how could I resolve this situation?

It was a simple matter.

If the demon energy was thrashing about wanting to return to the Heavenly Demon, I just needed to firmly contain it within myself.

Instead of merely having it stuck in a corner of my Dantian, I needed to merge my essence with it.

This meant I had to embrace the process of demonization.

From the very moment I took the demon energy into my body, I had struggled against this, refusing to let it happen.

Now, I was going to shatter that resistance and crawl right in.

I relinquished the grip I had on the wild demon energy.

Grrruull.

Immediately, I felt the demon energy go berserk.

It was painful.

It felt as though someone was stabbing me with knives from the inside.

Even while enduring such pain, the demon energy intensified.

Gyaaaah!

I had the illusion that something was wailing from inside me.

It felt as though the demon energy itself was howling in anguish.

I guided it along the path of Blood Qi.

The destination was not the Dantian.

It was the heart.

[Grrowl!]

The sound echoed in my ears.

It was the beastling that had previously gone on and on, now finally crawling out.

I wondered if it felt wrong for appearing late, but that was not it.

‘Who are you?’

I questioned it.

‘The one who kept the demon energy from returning.’

[Grrowl…]

Until now, I had demon energy confined within my Dantian, yet I felt no pain and had not been demonized.

‘You were blocking it all along, right?’

I thought it was due to the purification of the Technique of the Flame Wheel, but thinking back to my previous life, that perception shifted.

Back when I had fallen into the grip of the Heavenly Demon and had become a demon myself, I had not succumbed to madness.

I had considered it just a unique situation, but if the World Tree suggests that I had a beast inside me since my previous life…

Could this creature have been blocking him?

The one who had been sleeping inside me was only now awakening?

Or perhaps I had simply failed to notice it until now.

Even as I grew stronger and the influence of the demon energy deepened over time, the frequency of this thing’s appearance decreased.

This thought crossed my mind.

Could purification also be a power of this creature?

But that remained uncertain.

One thing I was rather sure of was.

‘You don’t want me to become a demon.’

[Grrowl…]

‘Right?’

This creature obviously didn’t wish for me to become a demon.

Whether that was true or not remained a mystery.

But that’s what I believed.

However.

‘Sorry, but that won’t happen.’

Even if it didn’t want that, it was something I had to do.

In reality, it was something I had postponed for far too long.

Having resolved to use everything given to me to reach my goal all along, I had merely delayed it for the sole reason of not wanting to be a demon in my previous life.

If I were to become one, the chances of not being able to return would significantly increase.

And so, I hesitated.

Grrulk.

The demon energy spread all over my body, thrashing more violently.

Now that the restraining force was loosening, it began to rampage like it owned the place.

I redirected the flowing demon energy to the heart.

The energy surged in an instant.

Not all of it listened, but most flocked toward the heart.

My veins stood on end.

The pain I felt in my previous life could not compare.

Back then, the Heavenly Demon had marked me, turning me into a demon, while currently, I was striving to become one of my own free will.

I couldn’t be completely certain.

For now, I needed to endure.

I opened eyes that felt ready to burst and gazed at the Heavenly Demon.

If I became a demon like this, even if I could endure momentarily, I would eventually fall under the Heavenly Demon’s command.

‘Then it would be no different.’

In that case, I would find myself in a situation just as before.

That was why I decided to take a slightly different approach.

For some time now, I had been incessantly pondering.

From the moment I realized the Demonic Absorption Technique had clung to my body following my regression.

As my realm improved, and when I could make someone a demon just as the Heavenly Demon did….

And here I was now.

The actions the Heavenly Demon had done would gradually become mine with the increase of power.

It felt like someone was nudging me, suggesting I could replace the Heavenly Demon.

Isn’t that rather repulsive?

To think that the situation I was facing is potentially someone’s will.

Before me stood the Heavenly Demon, breathing before my eyes.

‘Is that really a false claim?’

It was hard for me to conclude.

Was I also capable of such a thing?

Was this demon energy truly the Heavenly Demon’s?

Could it be that the energy harvested through demonic beasts belonged to the Heavenly Demon simply because they were the Lord of Demons?

Even if I’m a demon, how many are there really?

Kyaaaaaaah!

The demon energy tightened around my heart, continuing its rampage.

As if it wanted to return to the Heavenly Demon.

‘No, I shouldn’t think that way.’

I needed to change my viewpoint.

It wasn’t about wanting to return, rather….

Because I had found a better vessel, I was going to shift towards that.

‘After you’ve fed and housed them, is this how they repay?’

Thinking that way was rather ridiculous.

The Heavenly Demon had told me that this power belonged to him.

No, if we’re being accurate, that wasn’t true.

Since I possessed it, it was mine.

If he had thrust something upon me without even asking, then I had to bear this much.

I wasn’t going to return it.

I wasn’t going to give it back; it’s mine now. I won’t let go of anything I hold.

Kyaaaah…!

The demon energy continued to writhe.

It grew even more defiant now that I refused to join with the Heavenly Demon.

I gripped it tightly.

The pain increased, and it felt like I was about to explode.

But I didn’t care.

‘Shut up and listen.’

If the world demanded something of me this time,

For this one instance, I was willing to comply.

‘You think it’s okay to just occupy one place? Do you see someone as a pushover?’

It had taken over a room all too freely, and now it wanted to move in there as soon as the Heavenly Demon appeared?

That was unacceptable!

Grruul!

I pushed the rampaging demon energy into my heart.

I felt it thrashing within, wild and uncontrollable.

If I couldn’t endure it for a second, my heart might explode.

But now, I couldn’t pull back.

Tightly, I intertwine and consolidate the energy.

Whereas before, my physical body would not have survived this, now thanks to achieving Transformation Realm, it barely held on.

It felt as though…

I had been waiting for this moment to attain the Transformation Realm.

It was far too coincidental for it to be just a coincidence.

If this were indeed the case.

What could this unknown entity possibly desire from me?

‘Maybe it’s asking me to become the Heavenly Demon?’

That’s a laugh. Given the mad being right in front of me.

To claim I am a Heavenly Demon.

What a terrifying assertion.

It was utterly preposterous!

Amongst all this chaos, I felt slightly hazy.

As the demon energy amassed in my heart, I saw a transparent line linking me to this entity.

This was certainly connected to the Heavenly Demon.

Even if this lifetime had only a brief connection to the Heavenly Demon, what could this line signify?

Was this evidence that the demon energy I possessed was tied to the Heavenly Demon?

My doubts didn’t last long.

What did this possibly signify, this connection that may be an illusion?

Why was it linked?

Was it related to the Heavenly Demon?

Regardless of its nature or not.

I stretched out my hand and severed the line.

Snip.

It broke away all too easily.

“…!”

At that moment, the gaze of the Heavenly Demon turned towards me.

Did he feel the severing of the line?

Ku-woo-gung!

The instant the line ruptured, the demon energy I had stifled began to shift.

The demon energy I had barely contained across my body surged back instantly.

The difference this time was that the energy was pulsing warmly instead of in a painful manner.

It flowed first into my Dantian.

There, it mixed with the remaining inner energy.

Unlike the time I had described it as consuming my inner energy, this time it blended slowly.

After merging into the Dantian, the demon energy flooded toward my Lower Dantian.

There was no obstruction.

It was wonderfully smooth and natural.

After filling the Lower Dantian, it directed its flow toward one destination.

The Upper Dantian.

As the demonic energy, now regaining pace, surged forth toward the unfamiliar space of the Transformation Realm, the movement resembled a tsunami.

Though it happened in a split second and at a rapid speed, I could feel every movement of the demon energy.

With such a prominent presence, how could I not notice?

The energy surged into the Upper Dantian.

Then the heat filled my eyes.

“Ha….”

The pain had long vanished.

I exhaled in an unexplainable sense of ecstasy.

There was no time to indulge in the thrill.

I raised my body.

The Heavenly Demon was gazing at me.

His unmistakable purple eyes were fixed upon me.

But what I felt now wasn’t fear or dread, but a sense of uncanny kinship.

Flame Burst.

As I faced this feeling, I ignited flames with my fingertips.

Not flames of inner energy, but flames created from demon energy.

Perhaps that’s why the black flame flickered with a violet hue.

“Oh, hell no.”

I cursed upon seeing that sight.

I didn’t want to experience demonization just to avoid seeing this!

Yet once again, I had to contain this damned flame.

The fact that I had ultimately become a demon was one thing, but looking at the Heavenly Demon in front of me was just another.

I made one resolution looking at the flames.

If I wasn’t going to die here,

At least I should not earn some humiliating title like in my previous life.

Ironically, that became my utmost goal.

 

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