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Time flows.

As it passed beyond noon, it was nearing the time of dusk.

The lingering scent of blood in the forest was still thick, but the overwhelming energy and killing intent began to wane little by little.

It was the so-called lull.

The constant screams of Gwandosaeng started to fade.

By the time the sun began to set, the situation finally became manageable.

An unexpectedly massive ambush, yet amusingly, it could be contained within less than a day.

That wasn’t the only shocking part.

I had thought days had passed since I headed to the Demonic Gate and returned, but surprisingly, it seemed I had been gone for less than an hour.

What in the world was happening here…?

As for the ambush, could it be attributed to the early defeat of key figures like the Black Night Princess and the Black Dragon Sword?

If someone were to hear that the factions they belonged to had been suppressed in less than a day, they might scoff in disbelief.

But in an ambush, whether it’s surprising or not doesn’t really matter.

Especially if someone lost their life.

Flame Burst.

When the breath of the captured was extinguished, and all vitality turned to nothing more than black ashes, that was when I let go of the hand I had been holding.

Collapsing helplessly onto the ground, my body shattered from the impact.

That was the fate of an unnamed Demonic Sect martial artist.

Thud, thud.

I dusted off my hands and scanned my surroundings.

‘Is there anyone left?’

Expanding my Qi perception, the energy that had previously felt only like a portion of the mountain was now magnified to the half of Mount Tai.

Perhaps it was because my Upper House had opened and my vessel had expanded, or maybe my ability to control it had become finer and more precise.

‘…There are a few who are still hiding.’

It seemed the remaining ones were at a level the instructors could take care of without any issue.

Tap, tap.

I collected the scattered embers around me and checked my condition.

‘Fatigue was piling up.’

I could feel the heaviness in my body all too well. I had tired myself out rolling around just as I reached the Transformation Realm.

What could I do? Trouble started as soon as I got out, and not rolling was a problem in itself.

On top of that.

‘I needed to find them.’

While I rummaged around to find Jang Seonyeon, I felt it was more or less about cleaning up anyway.

In the end, I failed to find Jang Seonyeon.

That was the problem.

‘…What happened?’

According to the rules of the Demonic Gate, Jang Seonyeon should have returned with me.

The World Tree had given the same response when I asked.

Considering it was one of the things I had anticipated, I thought it wouldn’t be a significant problem.

Even more so.

‘In this situation, it would be a perfect match.’

An ambush.

Who would’ve thought some crazy fool would raid Shinryong Temple?

It might sound ridiculous, but it had certainly become a lot easier to kill those I wanted to kill.

Had Jang Seonyeon returned with me, I would have been in a situation similar to when I erased her trace.

‘This is becoming annoying.’

Just to be sure, I even went to the place where Cheol Jiseon had opened the Demonic Gate.

But Jang Seonyeon was nowhere to be found, vanished like a mouse.

I checked everything while burning the enemies to death, but I couldn’t find her.

How could this be?

‘If she hid… no, even if she did, it doesn’t make sense.’

It was enough to think Jang Seonyeon had lost her memory, making her hide from me.

Even if she were hiding, there was no way I couldn’t find her.

The only remaining possibility was.

‘She could already be dead.’

Having lost her vitality and lay lifeless on the ground, that was the most plausible story left.

Unless she disappeared without a trace.

“Tsk.”

This was becoming bothersome.

If I could clear this up during this opportunity, it would have been a pretty good situation.

Now that a possibility remains, it has become troublesome.

“Hah… Well, when has everything I do gone well?”

I roughly brushed my hair back and gathered my energy.

My fatigued body felt heavy, but there were still no problems with moving for now.

That must be due to.

‘The influence of Demonization.’

I had released all the demon energy into my body and used my heart as collateral.

Thanks to that, I succeeded in cutting off my connection with the Heavenly Demon while becoming a demon myself.

Even more…

“…I didn’t think I could free myself.”

I clenched my fist to check.

My body now resembled a human rather than a demon.

Once you became a demon, there was no going back until death.

That was the immutable law decreed by the Heavenly Demon.

Yet here I was, able to return from a demon to a human.

‘Was this supposed to be this easy?’

When I had completely transformed into a demon, I could feel it instinctively without anyone needing to teach me how to return to being human.

I understood how to use the demon energy.

It felt almost like a primal instinct.

‘Moreover…’

I rolled up my right sleeve to check my skin.

Seeing the leftover traces, my expression twisted.

“What in the world is this?”

Some subtle residue I couldn’t identify remained.

I didn’t have this when I became a demon in my past life.

Why was that?

It was like…

“Hyung-nim.”

“…!”

As soon as I heard the voice, I hid my sleeve. I immediately turned to the direction the voice came from.

There stood Paewoocheol.

“Oh, you’re alive?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

He looked hurt by my words.

With his terrifying expression, he only looked scarier when he made that face.

“You seem… okay.”

Paewoocheol scanned my surroundings and opened his eyes wide.

All around were the charred bodies of Demonic Sect martial artists.

Though there weren’t too many of them, it would still be shocking to see.

And while I quietly looked into Paewoocheol’s eyes as he spoke, I suddenly asked.

“Did you kill them?”

“…!”

I saw Paewoocheol’s eyes tremble at my words.

The emotions reflected in his eyes were all too familiar to me.

Looking at the condition of Paewoocheol’s body and the traces left on his hands, it seemed he had dealt with the Demonic Sect martial artists.

That must have caused his heart to be somewhat disrupted.

From that, I could sense he was still a Late-Stage Talent despite his size.

“You did well.”

That was as far as my feelings went.

It was something he would experience once born as a martial artist.

There was no need for consolation or sympathy.

It was something he had to endure alone, and that was it.

“It looks like it’s ending soon, so you should head back.”

“…Hyung-nim….”

“I have to go too.”

Initially, the Gwandosaeng should have evacuated beforehand.

I was merely thinking about finding Jang Seonyeon to clean up and needed to vent this frustrating feeling.

It must have seemed strange for Paewoocheol to still be here.

“Why are you still here?”

“…”

At my question, Paewoocheol turned his gaze slightly.

Avoiding my eyes and keeping his mouth shut, it seemed he had some reason he couldn’t tell me.

Watching that, I moved on, brushing past Paewoocheol.

My hand patted Paewoocheol’s solid shoulder.

“Let’s go. Time to head down.”

If he didn’t want to talk, I wouldn’t force it out of him.

If he had something to say, he would have said it.

“Yes… Hyung-nim.”

Swoosh.

A spring breeze brushed past my cheek after winter.

What should have been a fragrant breeze was tainted with the stench of blood.

“…”

This year’s spring.

It was probably the least pleasant season I experienced after my reincarnation.

The crumbled remains of Shinryong Temple had turned into a shelter.

I could see Gwandosaengs receiving treatment while bleeding, along with others trembling in fear.

Some appeared to be dazed, slumped against the walls as if their souls had left them.

Though not even a day had passed since the ambush, those who experienced something like this for the first time were in terrible condition.

‘No, perhaps there were hardly any left.’

Wasn’t it said to be a time of peace?

Ending the war with the Demonic Sect was something of the past.

Those who were indeed living extravagantly were the top practitioners of the Demonic Sect, but in reality, they were merely holding their breath under the surface established by the righteous faction.

The absolute beings known as the Three Eminent Beings.

Considering they were all part of the righteous faction made it clearer.

The current era belonged to righteous people.

Even if Demonic Sect bastards emerged with their sharp teeth, they wouldn’t be able to stand tall under the might of the righteous faction.

How long has it been since such incidents and ambushes occurred?

It may well be the first time in nearly a decade.

‘In my past life, the only major incident was the fall of the Black Night Palace.’

The incident of raiding Shinryong Temple was something that hadn’t occurred in my past life.

This was another anomaly that arose in the present life.

This means that.

‘It’s my fault.’

The ripple effect resulting from my reincarnation.

That realization struck me a bit painfully.

“…No… don’t wake up…!”

“Jang-hyung…. Jang-hyeong!”

“Hyung…. Please open your eyes….”

In the middle of the open field set up in Shinryong Temple.

The cries echoing strongly were because that place was where the dead bodies of Gwandosaengs were gathered.

How long had passed that so many Gwandosaengs had ended their lives?

If one were to count, those who had been killed were not many compared to the overall number of Gwandosaengs.

Still, death is death.

Had it not been for this incident, perhaps those who would have survived until just before the Blood Calamity would have simply lost their lives this time.

Then that was my fault.

If events had not occurred in my past life, then it would all be my responsibility.

‘…’

Could I not have expected this would happen?

No, I knew very well.

I had long understood that such events might one day come to pass.

Experiencing it firsthand was a far grimmer feeling than I had anticipated.

Moreover.

In the midst of that overwhelming despair, I spotted someone standing there with a bloodied sword.

The Wudang disciple, who always appeared lazy with a loud tone, stood in the center of the dead priests, saying nothing.

There must have been casualties amongst the disciples of Wudang too.

Amidst that, I noticed Sleeping Dragon observing quietly.

Crack.

Not being able to hold it in, I felt the taste of blood on my bitten lip.

What a damn day.

I considered approaching but forced myself to turn my head away.

There was nothing I could do by going near him right now.

I continued to walk.

As I took a few weary steps, I saw Gu Jeolyub in the distance.

Gu Jeolyub didn’t look too good either.

He wore an exhausted face with an anxiety that hadn’t left him.

Unlike the grapples with demon beasts on the front line, engaging in combat against humans must have been his first real experience.

He still seemed to be drenched in the cold sweat he hadn’t been able to wipe off.

“…You are here.”

Gu Jeolyub noticed me approaching and bowed slightly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. The First Prince… seems to be alright.”

“What do you mean by seems?”

“Well, it’s hard to imagine the First Prince getting beaten up somewhere.”

“…”

Under normal circumstances, I might have kicked him in the shin for talking back.

But right now, I just sighed and let it go.

“You did well.”

As I passed, Gu Jeolyub spoke up.

Hearing those words, I furrowed my brow slightly.

Did I deserve to be told that I did well?

I entered the building after passing Gu Jeolyub.

Calling it a building was a bit misleading since it was already beginning to collapse.

“…Ha.”

I could see people managing to stay busy.

A mix of Gwandosaengs and instructors.

– Is there no contact from the Coalition yet?

– …They should be on their way.

– Is that really something you can say right now!? You’re part of the Coalition!

– I’m frustrated too!

The mood was not good.

The crowding around added to the unease.

It was a hasty shelter made for healing the injured and allowing them to rest.

The problem was that there were remarkably few physicians compared to the injured.

Moreover, a few of the already scarce physicians were also dead, causing delays.

I walked past them continuously.

“Ah….”

Then someone spotted me and shouted.

I had noticed them long before.

The figure bandaged up, looking pitiful.

Why had they looked so frail after losing so much blood?

“Are you here?”

Among those who had been near me and nursing the wounded was Peng Ah-Hee.

With disheveled hair and dusty martial robes she hadn’t changed into, she looked more like a commoner than the child of a noble house.

“…I heard the story; they said you worked hard?”

At Peng Ah-Hee’s blunt statement, I couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

“It sounds like some strange rumors have spread. I haven’t done anything….”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

Thinking my words were a joke, Peng Ah-Hee wore a bitter smile.

Turning my back on her, I noticed someone motioning towards me.

It was Nangong Bi-ah, bandaged up with a haggard expression.

“…Hello….”

Seeing her made me grind my teeth internally.

“Is this how you greet me?”

At my angry voice, Nangong Bi-ah flinched.

“…Did you… get mad?”

“Wouldn’t I?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Nangong Bi-ah’s expression instantly crumpled at my words.

I didn’t like seeing her apologize to me.

“What did you think you were doing?”

“…Huh?”

“You should have gauged your opponent’s strength before stepping in.”

I had heard the story.

That Nangong Bi-ah had stood in the way of the Black Night Princess.

And that led to her pitiful state.

“Are you out of your mind? Do you want to die?”

“…”

“If you die, what will that gain us? What were you trying to do, being so weak…!”

The more I spoke, theless control I had over my feelings.

I was angry at myself more than anyone else.

I almost lost someone again without knowing.

Because of my own incompetence.

That anger burned me deeply.

At that moment, Nangong Bi-ah gently held onto the hem of my clothes.

“…I’m sorry… don’t cry.”

The sudden words triggered a memory from a time in my past life.

“Who’s crying?”

“…I’m okay….”

With bones broken in various places, my life was in danger, and the situation was perilous, what did she mean she was “okay”?

“Just let it go…. Don’t apologize.”

“…Okay.”

The person who should have been sorry was me.

What a pitiful sight.

I felt ashamed for relieving my guilt in this way.

What good was it to reach a higher realm?

I should have been thankful towards the World Tree.

Ideally, I should have been out of that place several days from now.

And the likelihood of my escape due to the World Tree’s power was highly probable.

‘What if I had been several days late?’

That thought sent shivers down my spine.

I didn’t want to think about it.

So I was just glad.

That she hadn’t died.

I shifted my gaze.

Next to Nangong Bi-ah was Tang Soyeol, lying with her eyes closed.

It didn’t seem like she had fallen asleep naturally.

It looked as though she had been forced to rest using our betting method.

“She’s lost too much blood, but they say it’s not life-threatening.”

Before I could even voice my curiosity, Peng Ah-Hee provided the answer.

“…But why did you put her to sleep?”

“…Soyeol is at a high level, so she’s fine, but she said it was faster this way.”

Even though Nangong Bi-ah was fine due to her high natural healing abilities, the same couldn’t be said for Tang Soyeol; thus, it was quicker to do it this way.

I recalled how Tang Soyeol had dealt with the Black Night Princess.

“…”

That thought made me unconsciously touch her hair.

Nangong Bi-ah merely observed me without making any move, just asking me a question.

“What about Wi Seol-Ah?”

I was asking about Wi Seol-Ah’s condition.

“She’s resting.”

I recalled the events of the day.

There had been various incidents, and after that, Wi Seol-Ah had lost consciousness.

Thus, I needed some time to take care of both Wi Seol-Ah and Bi Yi-jin.

Moreover.

– It seems we have something to discuss. Am I right?

Bi Yi-jin’s ambiguous words popped back into my head.

Damn it.

I never thought I’d have to deal with something as annoying as that.

‘How should I handle this?’

I had no idea.

Every time an incident occurs, things seem to escalate out of control, causing me to feel dizzy.

“Hey.”

As I racked my brain about what to do, Peng Ah-Hee suddenly spoke to me.

“…What is it?”

“The Sword Demoness came by earlier.”

“The Sword Demoness?”

I had wondered if something was wrong, but thankfully, it seemed the Sword Demoness was still alive.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy for a martial artist of her level to perish from such an ambush.

‘Unless it’s regarding Cheonghae Ilgeom…’

An image came to mind of the old man who had lost an arm and collapsed, causing my lips to dry.

“She wanted you to come see her.”

“Me? Where to?”

Peng Ah-Hee explained that the Sword Demoness was at the spot where Cheonghae Ilgeom was being treated, and I quickly set off after exchanging a few words with Nangong Bi-ah and Tang Soyeol.

While I would have preferred to go straight to Wi Seol-Ah, if the Sword Demoness was actively looking for me, it seemed urgent.

Heading toward where Cheonghae Ilgeom was receiving treatment.

The instructors on guard flinched as they noticed me.

When I relayed that the Sword Demoness was looking for me, they naturally stepped aside.

It seemed they had probably heard about it beforehand.

After breaking through the guards, I moved on.

Swoosh.

I lifted the cloth blocking my path.

Inside, it seemed Cheonghae Ilgeom was already asleep after finishing treatment, while the Sword Demoness, who had called for me, was sitting next to him.

“…You arrived.”

“…!”

The problem was.

Next to the Sword Demoness, who was kneeling and seated, sat the white-haired, white-eyed man I had met during the day.

 

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