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Crash!

Thud-!

A sound scratched sharply against the wall.

A faint mark was left on the wall, which had seemed so solid.

I felt a slight obstruction but broke through it with force.

Thud thud-! Bang!

Carefully avoiding interrupting the turbulent flow of energy, I continuously thrust my fists against the wall.

As my fist connected, a hole was created without obstruction.

Crack-!

Cracks began to appear around the multiple holes I’d made. Not caring about the damage, I kept swinging my fists.

The power erupting from my Lower Dantian filled the Upper House. My entire body clamored, eager to release the rising heat.

Enduring this was vital.

This was the most crucial way to maximize my physical abilities.

“Whew.”

With a thin exhale, hot air mixed with my breath burst forth.

It was undoubtedly my energy.

I rotated my upper body.

Simultaneously, I gathered the Upper House energy towards my fists and unleashed one final strike.

Crash-! Boom!

In that moment, a loud noise echoed as the massive wall collapsed.

Crumble-!

As debris fell to the ground, I collected the dispersed heat and energy while calming my breath.

“Phew….”

After returning the energy that had spread throughout my body back to my Lower Dantian, I assessed my state, cooling my overheated body.

With my eyes closed, I focused on examining my surroundings and frowned.

‘It’s not settling properly.’

Days had passed since I reached the Transformation Realm, yet the enlightenment I gained there didn’t fully integrate into my body.

I had trained for a long time in the Demonic Gate and felt a rise in my realm.

After stabilizing a bit, I returned to the Normal Realm, almost immediately reaching the Transformation Realm again.

But…

‘The dissonance refuses to fade.’

There was a stark difference between the realm I experienced in the Demonic Gate and what I was experiencing now.

‘What’s different?’

At the time, my training had been focused more on my state of mind rather than the physical body.

I knew very well I would lose everything upon returning to the Normal Realm, believing that my mindset was the greatest barrier to reaching the Transformation Realm.

In the end, my prediction was correct.

Thanks to that, I successfully touched the Transformation Realm right after arriving in the Normal Realm.

Yet…

‘This is still just half-baked.’

Did I truly reach it? Not entirely.

I felt unstable.

It felt as if my body’s balance had shattered, leaving me utterly uncomfortable.

If I had to pinpoint why….

‘It’s because I’ve never actually tapped into the Transformation Realm with just the Gu Clan’s Qi.’

It was my first time reaching this realm solely with the power of the Technique of the Flame Wheel.

It was different from when I had relied on Demon Energy for the boost before; I was unaccustomed to the proper path.

Even this wasn’t certainty; it was merely a guess.

As for the second reason…

‘There’s just too much energy within me.’

Based on the Technique of the Flame Wheel, I had to juggle the energies from Hwasan’s Taoist Qi, Demon Energy, and Blood Qi too.

For other martial artists, having two different energies might cause a clash that would lead to self-destruction.

But I was juggling four.

And not just that, their natures varied, being nothing short of violent save for the Taoist Qi.

As the vessel had expanded upon reaching the Transformation Realm, controlling and utilizing that energy was immensely intensified.

‘But with that, the other energies have grown stronger too.’

I could feel it.

Every time I used my energy, those hidden energies in the corners began to rear their heads.

Should I call it a raised assertiveness?

Like they were staging a protest, eager to be used.

Whichever way I looked at it, it was not a comforting state.

The Taoist Qi was inherently safe, and as long as Shin Noya remained in my body, it wouldn’t clash and run rampant with my energy.

Having been mixed and used for a long time, it felt familiar.

However, the remaining two energies were different.

They felt like Demon Beasts.

The Demon Energy could hardly tolerate the existence of another energy.

And Blood Qi? I had no idea what its intentions were, but it too seemed eager to expand its territory.

Knowing both weren’t “normal” energies, I didn’t want to bring them out as much as possible.

Yet, the more I used my energy, the more they poked their heads out, and it started to get on my nerves.

‘But I can’t just push them away.’

The Demon Energy had already embedded itself into my heart and couldn’t be removed, while the Blood Qi didn’t exactly budge when I tried to extract it.

Best to just avoid using them if I could.

‘Though I managed to fully convert the Demon Energy into my own, Blood Qi….’

Demon Energy had been an energy I used in my past life and one I instinctively knew how to manipulate.

Blood Qi was a whole other enigma.

Given the mishmash of energies in my body, my enlightenment settling in also felt sluggish…

Of course, that was merely another guess.

‘… If there’s anything I can hold on to with certainty.’

I had transcended the state of my mind and reached the Transformation Realm, but I was ultimately still barred by the same issue.

“…Tsk…”

After calming my body, I slowly opened my eyes.

It was already evening.

As I gazed at the risen moon, memories of the day flooded back.

‘Wi Seol-Ah.’

I recalled her face and sighed.

Though I had absorbed the dispersed energy when she vanished, I felt nothing.

Just maybe, I captured a mere whisper of energy.

But feeling absolutely nothing was vexing.

I thought perhaps I could converse with her like Shin Noya, so I kept talking, only to receive answers from the innocent beast instead.

[Groan…?]

‘Not calling you! Go back to sleep.’

[…Groan….]

Had Wi Seol-Ah vanished?

An unsettling anxiety brushed against me.

It wouldn’t be too strange if she had. After all, she said her own strength was depleted.

All the things I hadn’t asked and the words I wished to say remained unspoken; my lingering attachment could only mean that even if she vanished, there was nothing I could do about it.

Wi Seol-Ah, who had nestled in my arms and closed her eyes, opened them once again not long after.

Her large eyes staring at me, I still vividly remember her words.

– Prince…?

It stung.

Even though relief washed over me at being back to normal, what rose first was a sense of regret and an inexplicable fatigue.

During that moment, it seemed she sensed something and stood up.

– Sister…? Is that you…?

That was what she had said.

Hearing those words, I realized that she too was aware of her existence.

Then, how much did she truly understand?

Did she know her identity? Did she know about my situation?

Should I have asked her about it?

Maybe I should have.

But the words that slipped from my mouth were nothing of the sort.

– I’m sorry.

– Prince…?

– I’m sorry. Not now… let’s talk later.

After gently stroking Wi Seol-Ah’s hair a few times, I took her to the building and left this place.

I felt uneasy.

I knew I shouldn’t have left her behind like that.

Even so, standing there was tough.

Had she really disappeared?

It was entirely possible.

However, I didn’t want that to be the case.

Despite everything suggesting she had vanished, I believed otherwise.

It was all because of that voice I heard towards the end.

– Embrace her.

A gentle and warm voice.

Even the touch of the hand that wrapped around my arm.

‘…Mother.’

That voice was unmistakably the voice of my mother, hidden in memories so far away.

What on earth was happening?

I pondered endlessly as I moved my body.

In the Demonic Gate, the World Tree had spoken to me.

– Your mother is alive.

My mother was alive.

A fact I was already aware of.

‘… It wasn’t about knowing she was alive.’

I had merely seen my mother heading towards the Demonic Gate opened in the void when I was young.

I had no idea if she met her end or if she was still alive.

But if that voice was indeed my mother’s…

‘Where could she be…?’

How did she know to reach out to me?

Afterwards, I tried to listen for my mother’s voice again but was met with silence.

‘Do you know something?’

I gently caressed my belly.

The World Tree said this beast was linked to my mother, so perhaps this creature had done something.

[Groan?]

It merely expressed confusion, as if to say it had no idea what I was talking about.

Confirming this, I bit my lip.

‘It told me to embrace it.’

To absorb the energy of the Divine Sword, which was fading away.

That voice clearly instructed me.

If that energy, which had made it so I couldn’t move, were related to my mother’s voice…

Then surely there must be some significance to it.

Especially since I had learned about who my mother was from the World Tree.

‘The Master of Mankye, she said.’

An existence beyond the reach of even the World Tree.

The second calamity that struck this world.

Just hearing those two lines made it clear my mother was a remarkable figure.

And considering she was trying to help me…

‘If the owner of that voice is indeed my mother, then that makes sense.’

It could also be the intervention of another existence, yet that remained uncertain.

In the end, I absorbed the energy following the voice’s command, only to realize I was at a complete loss as to what to do afterwards.

If I had to find a way forward, there was but one answer.

‘I need to find my mother.’

It was a ridiculous conclusion.

I knew the Demonic Gate wasn’t just one place and that finding my way there would be challenging.

Yet, I needed to find her.

Now… the only one who could tell me what happened to the Divine Sword was ultimately my mother.

To do that…

‘I must meet Father.’

The one who might know what happened to her.

As of now, the Gu Clan Leader was the only viable option.

Once I settled that time-consuming internal struggle, I decided to search for my companions to clear my cluttered head.

I hadn’t been able to search properly due to the events unfolding, and I still needed to see Wi Seol-Ah.

Just as I started to take a step forward…

“…!”

An unsettling sensation forced me to halt.

Beyond the dim gaze, someone stood watching.

‘When did they arrive?’

I hadn’t noticed.

The unknown figure leaned against the wall, gazing this way.

This familiar, eerie sensation had been felt before.

This meant that person was definitely….

“…It’s an honor to meet you, Senior.”

As soon as I identified them, I performed the Pogo stance.

The figure, having heard my words, moved away from the wall and approached me.

Stepping out of the shadows and into the moonlight, I caught sight of their face.

Sure enough.

The man was the King of Demons.

I suppressed my trembling and scrutinized the King of Demons.

His expression remained as stoic and unreadable as the first time I encountered him. It was impossible to discern what thoughts or emotions lay behind that cold façade.

In that silence, the King of Demons spoke.

“You seem concentrated, so I waited.”

There’s an unspoken rule about not eavesdropping on someone’s training, yet the King of Demons seemed unconcerned with such niceties.

Neither did I.

“Do you have business with me?”

“I mentioned that I would come to see you last time, did I not?”

“…You did say that.”

He had indeed said so.

But I didn’t expect him to actually come.

‘Is this man not sane either?’

If someone as significant as the King of Demons claimed they wished to meet me, hadn’t I thought about how fearsome that would be?

Considering his caliber, it was likely he didn’t think about such implications anyway.

Strength is, after all, the currency of this world.

‘If he desires it, he could slay the Three Eminent Beings.’

That was the rumor circling.

If the King of Demons truly wished it, he could even kill the Three Eminent Beings, who were the apex among numerous martial artists inhabiting the Central Plains.

While most would shrug that off as inflated claims surrounding his might, standing before him, I couldn’t help but think that in the right circumstances, it was indeed possible.

‘His presence is almost imperceptible.’

Despite standing right in front of me, his aura remained faint.

If there was one silver lining, it was that he was at least somewhat noticeable this time, unlike before when he emitted no presence at all.

I couldn’t tell what kind of effect his mask had, but I could sense the slightest presence.

When he wasn’t wearing it, he felt completely undetectable.

“Kid.”

“Yes…. Senior.”

His choice of address was bothersome, yet I couldn’t voice it.

From his perspective, calling me a kid was entirely accurate.

He looked to be anywhere between his thirties to forties, yet the King of Demons was undoubtedly a martial master from Elder Lee’s era.

He appeared so ageless that I couldn’t gauge his true age.

In that moment, the King of Demons suddenly spoke.

“The more I look at you, the more you resemble him.”

I was familiar with that phrase. I had heard it way too often.

“I’ve been told that often.”

I figured it referred to my father.

Most people who looked at me made that comparison, after all.

“Hmm?”

I thought it was a given, but upon hearing my response, the King of Demons tilted his head slightly.

…Is that not the case?

“Are you saying I look like my father?”

“No.”

“Ah… then, who do you say I resemble?”

I wondered if he was talking about Elder Lee.

It would be quite odd if he meant that old coot.

It felt somewhat unpleasant.

While dealing with those thoughts, the King of Demons revealed another individual instead.

“I’m referring to your grandfather.”

“My grandfather?”

That was something I had heard before.

I had been puzzled back then too. What connection did the King of Demons have with my grandfather that he kept bringing it up?

Just as I was about to question him again…

“Given that you look so alike… you can’t possibly be a non-blood relative.”

“Excuse me?”

The King of Demons began speaking in confounding riddles.

“Indeed, this makes for an intriguing mystery.”

“What are you trying to say….”

Thud.

“…!”

Just as I was about to inquire what he meant, the King of Demons suddenly concealed his form, materializing right in front of me and grabbing my right arm.

Was it an ambush?

Surprised for a moment, I was preparing to release my energy.

“Kid.”

Without hesitation, he rolled up my sleeves.

‘What…!’

I was horrified.

There were traces left behind from Demonization on my skin.

Scales, about the size of my thumb, looked like reptilian skin.

How was I to handle this?

By now, he examined my skin closely and spoke.

“What connection do you have with the Demon Queen?”

“…What?”

That question slipped out of my mouth involuntarily.

It was so unexpected that it caught me off guard.

 

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