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Chapter 464 – Go Away.

I lifted my heavy eyelids and barely opened my eyes.

“…?”

As I regained my senses, the first thing I saw was an expanse of water.

‘What the heck?’

I didn’t make any sudden moves that would disturb my breathing.

Carefully rolling my eyes around, I checked my surroundings, but no matter how hard I looked, all I could see was water.

‘… What is this?’

What kind of bizarre situation is this?

How did I end up in a place like this?

I strained to recall the previous events.

The appearance of Shin Noya and how I had smashed the egg, referred to as a vessel, on my own.

Then the vessel broke, and I was swept away into the water.

Additionally, the moment when the Heavenly Lord pierced my heart and killed me once was also surfacing in my mind.

Thinking back on that, I looked around again.

Just water.

Really, nothing but water. I moved my arms.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem too uncomfortable to move….

‘Could this all be, that water from earlier?’

The water that engulfed me when I shattered the vessel.

Could it possibly be this water?

The space didn’t seem particularly cramped, yet it had poured in enough to fill this much?

After looking around a few more times, I shook my head.

In retrospect, there wasn’t really a need to ponder over this.

After all, it wasn’t a real space.

No need to think about what the water is or what the space is like.

‘What’s important now is what to do next.’

Why am I here?

That was priority number one to figure out.

According to Noya, breaking this vessel would make me no longer human.

‘What exactly has changed?’

For now, I couldn’t tell what had changed.

I was just floating in the gentle ripples of the water.

I lifted my gaze to the surface of the water.

It looked like I could swim up if I wanted to.

‘What’s up there?’

If I go up, could I possibly get out?

‘Breathing…’

Since I wasn’t currently suffocating, it seemed breathing itself wasn’t an issue.

I figured I should swim up.

As I moved my body upwards, I suddenly felt rigid.

Sssssss…

I sensed a presence.

Where is it? Where is this presence coming from?

The fact that there was something in what I thought was an empty space was a problem in itself.

Ssss…

A chill crept from my toes to the top of my head.

This wasn’t just a light presence.

Something felt off.

I could sense that intuitively.

Sssss… Ssss… Sssssss.

An exceptionally clear sound echoed in my ears.

The presence was gradually getting closer, yet for some reason, it was slipping away from my line of sight.

What the heck is that?

What’s there?

A chilling sensation instinctively washes over me.

Should I call it killing intent?

It felt even stickier, yet much shallower than that.

Cold sweat trickles down.

Though it seems odd to sweat underwater, that’s definitely the sensation I was feeling.

Ssss.

The presence, which I had sensed for some time, abruptly vanished.

And suddenly, the tension that had been so palpable moments before melted away like it was all a lie.

‘…’

Still, my eyes were busy scanning the area.

It wouldn’t just disappear so easily.

‘Where are you?’

I darted my eyes in all directions.

I looked into the void, yet nothing was visible, and glancing to the sides and down revealed nothing but infinite darkness….

Ssss.

“…!”

Dammit.

As soon as I looked down, I couldn’t help but curse inwardly.

Darkness.

Darkness as deep as the abyss is looming.

“…”

Yeah, that was definitely it.

Swoosh.

The presence I felt was right there in that darkness.

Something was hiding in the darkness?

I thought so at first, but not anymore.

Having only watched for a few seconds, I could tell enough.

It wasn’t hiding in the darkness.

Sssss…!

It was the darkness itself.

Kyaaaarrgh!

Did it realize I had caught on?

An anomaly began to ripple through the darkness.

A pure white gap gradually formed and began to elongate.

It looked like…

‘A mouth?’

As my eyes widened in surprise, it opened wide.

Kuuuwooon-!

Craaaack-!

‘Crazy!’

A massive darkness surged towards me.

Kwah-!

I hastily twisted my body to evade the approaching menace.

Kwaduck-!

‘Ugh…!!’

In the water, every move felt slower, and I couldn’t protect one arm in time.

It bit down on my arm and began to swim violently through the water.

It was moving much faster than I expected.

‘What the hell is this thing…!’

Sobbing under the pressure, I squinted at the creature that was biting me.

I didn’t notice it when it was cloaked in darkness, but now, I could see some of its form clearly.

‘What the heck is this?’

An elongated body glided smoothly through the water.

At first glance, it looked like a serpent-like demon beast from the Red Water Clan, but…

It didn’t take long to realize that it wasn’t that.

‘It has limbs.’

Unlike a snake, this creature had limbs, which were absent from snakes.

Its scales looked significantly thicker and more distinct.

It wasn’t tightly held, but it had unidentifiable horns on its head, and the fur lining its back trailed all the way to its tail.

‘What in the world…’

What could it possibly be?

It was a demon beast of a completely unfamiliar form. It was neither a snake nor a beast.

Kwaduck-!

“Krrr…”

While I was busy observing the creature, I suddenly bumped into something.

It slammed me against the wall.

Ugh-!

‘Gah…!!’

I felt pain tearing at my arm in its clutches.

Something was twisting.

I bit my lip, stifling a scream as the pain washed over me.

Desperate to escape, I tried to move amid the throbbing pain.

[We are noble beings.]

A voice echoed through my trapped arm, one I could not recognize.

[All other races aside from us are base and inferior.]

The words lacked any warmth, dripping in not-so-subtle arrogance.

The voice thundered through my body and twisted itself around my mind as if to drive me insane.

[You must escape quickly. Break free from this disgusting vessel and become a more glorious being.]

‘… This bastard…’

Listening to the suffocating tone that dug deep into my psyche, I looked at the creature.

The owner of the voice was glaring at me.

It must be the one biting me.

[What a pathetic vessel you possess. Unable to break free from its confines, how could one not feel pitiful?]

[Do you not wish to look down from above, to hold a noble name while making the base creatures kneel before you and enjoy everlasting life?]

[If that is the case, do not hesitate to embrace me. Cast aside your worthless vessel and be reborn anew.]

‘Ugh….’

Each word that resonated felt like a hammer hitting my skull.

And something within me began to swell.

What was rising inside me was a grotesque medley of emotions.

From arrogance to an inexplicable pride, and a strange desire to rise higher.

‘Is this it?’

Covering my forehead with my remaining hand, memories of Noya’s warnings resurfaced.

Noya had said to me.

He said that breaking the vessel would seal my death as a human.

Moreover, when I opened my eyes again, I wouldn’t be human.

‘I might not be able to open my eyes as ‘myself’.’

I now felt I understood the warning I hadn’t comprehended earlier.

‘You, huh?’

The creature’s distinct blue eyes came into view.

‘It was you.’

As I gave up being human, I became something new at the same time.

‘Are you trying to claim that place for yourself?’

Seemingly, that was what it was after.

[Wouldn’t you like that?]

The ringing in my ears intensified.

[If it were me, I could easily help you achieve your desires.]

[Did you not wish for tranquility?]

[Hand it over to me.]

[Your remnants of regret, your anxieties, your burdens. All of it, give it to me and find peace.]

“…”

I was genuinely losing my mind.

The ceaselessly echoing voice was enough to make me lose my grasp on my sanity.

And the bitter, cloying emotions filling my chest became increasingly suffocating.

Let alone…

‘… Tranquility?’

Those words somehow sounded incredibly sweet to me.

The suggestion that I hand over everything tied to me.

That by doing so, I would easiy arrive at the place I desired.

An instinctive feeling told me that those words rang true.

How on earth did I end up like this?

Why must I stop being human and become something else?

What would I become if I ceased being a human?

I had no idea, yet it seemed like a seductive temptation enough to consider it okay.

[Hand it over to me.]

[Find tranquility. Gu Yangcheong.]

[Then you will achieve everything you’ve wished for.]

What I had wished for.

To bring an end to the blood calamity before I die.

To ensure those who died for me and lived for me could live in peace.

Thus.

Cleaning up my regrets and my sorrow.

Giving myself a moment of tranquility.

That thought made me realize.

[Let me handle it.]

The creature kept whispering in my ear.

[Did you not wish for someone to do it for you?]

I wished it.

I wished desperately for someone to take care of it in my place.

To let go of this wretched karma.

[Now is that time.]

[Hand it over to me.]

Blood trickled from my nose, mixing into the water.

I felt the burst of blood vessels in my eyes.

“… What… are you?”

The words escaped my lips without thought.

To be able to vocalize such a clear thought in the water was truly bizarre, but I couldn’t think about that now.

Perhaps sensing my curiosity.

Krr-rr…

The corners of its mouth seemed to lift, almost as if it were smirking.

[I am a noble being.]

[Unlike you lowly beings, I am a great species granted transcendence from the beginning of time.]

[A miracle that you, in your inferiority, are allowed to touch.]

Arrogant and utterly arrogant.

Yet, oddly enough, those words felt quite fitting.

How could such rubbish sound so appropriate? Even while in pain, it sounded amusing.

[So.]

[Hand it over to me.]

It repeated those words time and again.

Each time I heard it, I could feel myself wavering.

Just pass it on and find comfort.

After all, it was tough, wasn’t it?

What blood calamity could you possibly fend off while ensuring your life?

Such thoughts kept bubbling inside me.

Every time I tried to make an effort, things kept falling apart, and at times, it felt as though I was treated like a disaster.

Even if this life was better than my previous one, could I truly stop the Heavenly Demon at this rate?

Now, with the Blood Demon lurking around, there were so many things to ponder.

Why should I even do that?

The lingering feelings that had kept me grounded were starting to falter.

Why must I walk that arduous path?

If I could leave it to this creature as it claimed, wouldn’t it be the best way to relinquish everything and attain ease?

‘Ah…’

Pop.

The threads connecting my sanity started snapping one by one.

With that, the smirk of the creature deepened.

What would happen if I allowed it to take over something it desired?

Would I vanish?

‘Is that even a problem?’

If I could escape like this, what fear would I have in vanishing?

I had never really cared much about dying to begin with.

[Yes. That’s it.]

A voice filled with humor echoed through the water.

[You simply need to hand over everything to me and rest.]

“…”

I began to dissolve slowly.

The sanity I barely held onto was drifting away.

What had I been struggling so hard for all this time?

“…”

Right.

Let it go.

It’s time to stop….

-I wanted to live an ordinary life.

“…”

As I was about to sink into rest, memories began to flit past me unexpectedly.

Recalling those memories made my fading vision crystal clear again.

Burrowing into my heavily weighed down mind, I grasped on to the sanity I was about to lose.

The memories resurfaced like turning the pages of a book.

At first, it was a desolate expression of a blonde woman.

-I’m glad….

Then, a sorrowful smile from a white-haired woman.

-You will live.

Thirdly, a cold face dripping in blood, firmly uttering words.

-I truly apologize.

Fourth was a woman who had lost her sight, offering an apology.

After that, countless memories began flooding back, stirring the emotions that wanted to leak out.

“Ah….”

My darkening vision snapped back rapidly.

Right before my obstructed breath burst forth.

Before anything, my right arm moved first.

Whoosh-!

!!!–!

With a surge of strength in my fingertips, I jabbed toward the creature’s eye.

It let out a monstrous screech, twisting and turning wildly.

Kyaaaaargh-!!

In that moment, the grip on my body was released, and I managed to break free.

[You bastard…!!]

[How dare you!!!]

It glared at me as if filled with resentment.

From the eye I stabbed, a blue liquid poured out.

[You lowly creature…! If you had just surrendered your body, it would have been so easy! How could you dare to injure me-!!]

To the creature that shouted in its injustice, I replied with a laugh.

“You also bit my arm, so let’s call it even.”

I lifted my dangling left arm and grinned.

Though it seemed like that wouldn’t easily let the matter rest.

[How could you make such a choice!]

Frowning at the creature’s booming voice, I shook my still throbbing head to clear it.

A reason.

“… No, I just thought about it.”

It wasn’t about having a grand reason…

If I handed everything over to it, it’d certainly be easier.

Whether or not it would actually act as I wished was uncertain, but I intuitively sensed that whatever it might be, it was likely better than me acting on my own.

[Even knowing that-!!]

“… But what can I say.”

But suddenly, I felt this thought rise.

“If I let someone else take responsibility up until this life, I’d be embarrassed to face the kids.”

If I resolved to do something, I had to see it through to the end.

I couldn’t hesitate nor waver.

There were things that only I could handle, things that couldn’t be entrusted to anyone else.

I wished I had known this basic fact, especially in my previous life.

I felt a twinge of regret about that.

Upon hearing my words, the creature let out a soft exhale.

[… I shall give you an opportunity even now.]

As I surveyed my battered arm, it spoke to me as if this were its last chance.

The voice resonated through my body once more, causing another wave of pain, but thankfully, it felt much better than before.

What on earth is this creature?

What was it doing suddenly trying to claim my body?

Is it, perhaps, the one that had been growling incessantly?

But that didn’t seem likely….

I didn’t know.

If I didn’t know, I could start finding out now.

“Yeah, when has my life ever been easy.”

It had always been this way.

If a situation couldn’t be resolved through conversation.

In this dreadful Central Plains, there was only one solution, and I knew very well that I was the kind of person who was more suited for that than talking.

[Grrooaarr….]

The creature seemed to growl as if trying to intimidate me.

I looked at it, forcing a smile as wide as I could.

And I spoke.

“Go away.”

As soon as I said that.

Kyaaaaargh-!

The creature lunged at me with its mouth wide open.

 

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