Chapter 892
The sky gradually fades into a sunset, bathed in a crimson hue.
Maple leaves dance along with the autumn breeze, their unique fragrance permeating the air.
It sways gently.
That’s exactly how I would describe it.
The weather was fluttering. Just looking at it, the day felt abundant.
Unlike my mood, the season and the day were like that.
“…”
I immediately frowned as my mind momentarily wandered.
Damn it, this feeling again.
I pressed my fingers to my forehead.
It was already bad, but looking in the mirror made it feel worse.
‘What is this?’
What’s going on?
Ever since that day when my realm heightened, precisely the incident with Tang Soyeol. Since then, things have been weird.
Someone kept appearing in my mind.
I couldn’t remember her face or voice properly, yet she kept popping up oddly.
And just yesterday.
Right before arriving in Hanam, I realized whose face I wanted to see.
“What are you?”
Heavenly Demon.
I wanted to see her.
“What the hell are you?”
“…?”
The Heavenly Demon tilted her head at my question.
It seemed she didn’t understand what I meant.
Of course. If I didn’t understand, how could she possibly comprehend it?
“What did you do to me?”
I thought she would know.
Even if this life had changed in some ways compared to my past life, she was still a Heavenly Demon.
If she was the Heavenly Demon I knew, it wouldn’t be strange for her to have such powers.
“What do you mean?”
“Quit pretending.”
I growled as I approached her.
The distance closed in an instant.
“You must’ve done something to me.”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
I grabbed the Heavenly Demon by the collar.
As I pulled her slightly, she was drawn toward me weakly.
“There’s no way you don’t—”
Our eyes met closely.
The Heavenly Demon looked at me with the same expression as before.
Her purple eyes caught my attention.
They glimmered beautifully, as if they held a starry night sky.
Compared to other demons, her pure purple hue was completely different.
It was a clear indication that she was the original.
And that’s why.
I found myself thinking she was beautiful without even realizing it.
“Crazy.”
As soon as I acknowledged that, I released my grip and stepped back.
“…You’re crazy.”
It was clearly madness. If not, this wouldn’t have happened.
The fact that I found that beautiful was impossible.
It meant it couldn’t have happened without something affecting me.
‘Have I lost my mind?’
It felt like something was wrong with my brain.
Or maybe it was because the Heavenly Demon looked like Wi Seol-Ah. Is that why this is happening?
If that’s the case, it would make some sense.
‘No way.’
That couldn’t be it. If it were, it should’ve been strange from my previous life.
Something was definitely wrong. I narrowed my eyes and glared at the Heavenly Demon.
“What’s wrong?”
She tilted her head, still looking like she didn’t get it.
That expression annoyed me even more.
‘Why the hell?’
I wanted to see that.
Why had it come to this?
Also.
“…Why do you act like that toward me?”
What was her intention? The voice I just heard lingered in my ears.
—I wanted to see you.
Though it was similar to Wi Seol-Ah’s, it was spoken in a much softer tone.
Frustration bubbled up.
“What are you to me.”
Emotions I had buried deep began to resurface.
“Who are you to want to see me?”
I glared at the Heavenly Demon with distorted eyes.
Still, she remained expressionless.
“Is it wrong to want to see you?”
She simply posed a question.
Calm and collected.
“No, it’s not.”
“Why?”
“You shouldn’t do that.”
“Why?”
It was a relentless series of counter-questions.
I could list numerous reasons, but voicing each one felt irksome.
“At the very least, you shouldn’t do that.”
“…”
Only then did a change appear on the Heavenly Demon’s face.
One eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.
A moment of silence flowed by.
“I don’t understand.”
The Heavenly Demon spoke to me as if she had sorted through her thoughts momentarily.
“But I still wanted to see you.”
“…”
Crack—
I clenched my fist. With a Flame Burst, I gripped the Flame Jade Sacred Spear and pointed its tip at her neck.
“I hate you.”
“…”
“Until the moment I die. Even now, I still do.”
How could I possibly see her in a positive light?
No matter how much the world had changed and how many things had transformed since my previous life.
At least, not her.
“My final mercy is merely allowing you to live while standing here before me right now.”
At first, I couldn’t kill her, and even now, not much had changed.
If the Heavenly Demon remained still, I wouldn’t particularly touch her. After all, she had to die eventually.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but it’s pointless.”
“…”
The Heavenly Demon offered no response.
She continued to look at me with eyes like an endless night sky.
Even the Sacred Spear at her throat and the heat surrounding us elicited no reaction from her.
Was it because she didn’t feel fear? Did she think I wouldn’t truly kill her?
Gritting my teeth, I knew I had to show her if she believed that.
I tightened my grip on the Sacred Spear.
I aimed to strike at close range.
“…”
Yet, for some reason, my body wouldn’t move.
‘You crazy bastard. Why aren’t you moving?’
It wasn’t an external influence. I had completely frozen by my own will.
Despite my brain urging me to move, my body remained rigid.
It was as if some instinct was screaming that I must not attack the Heavenly Demon.
Enduring that, I tried to force the spear forward, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Damn it.”
Eventually, I spat out a curse and withdrew my hand. The spear returned, and the heat swept over the grass.
Kwahhh—!!
The shockwave violently pushed the grass aside.
The residual heat lingered on my palm as I ran my hand across my face.
“Phew…”
It was definitely not good. Why had things turned out like this?
As I held back the curse boiling within me.
“Do you hate me?”
The Heavenly Demon asked me.
“I already told you. I hate you.”
“I heard.”
But why did she ask?
Questions swirled in my mind.
“But you never said you hated me.”
At her words, I narrowed my eyes.
“What?”
“You never said you hated me.”
“What kind of nonsense….”
Is there a difference between saying I hate you and expressing disgust?
It was such a ridiculous joke.
“Do you hate me?”
The Heavenly Demon asked again, and I chuckled in amusement.
“Uh—.”
Yeah, I hate you. I hate you enough to want you dead.
I was going to say that, but this time, my mouth betrayed me.
I had said I hated her, but why was I unable to say I want to hate you?
Whether my hands or mouth, either way, it was absurd.
But the good thing was, this felt better than before.
“…Yeah, I hate you. I want to kill you.”
“…”
Forced out, the words slipped from my mouth.
Upon hearing that, the Heavenly Demon’s eyes widened slightly.
At that moment, a faint tremor coursed through my heart. It was unpleasant. It felt gross to voice those words.
Specifically, it was me saying those words that felt dreadful.
Why did I feel this way for simply stating what needed to be said?
“…You, what do you really want from me….”
As I was about to speak to the Heavenly Demon, my body suddenly froze.
Her expression was strange.
Her eyes, previously locked on me, lowered, and with a white hand, she clenched her fist, slightly biting her crimson lips.
That look was undeniably….
‘She looks hurt.’
The Heavenly Demon feels hurt?
The bizarre being who had always merely smiled at any moment seems wounded by a mere hate-filled statement?
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
There’s no way she would be hurt by such a thing.
I wanted to convince myself of that.
Yet, a pang of guilt twisted in my gut.
Was it because she looked so much like Wi Seol-Ah?
Yeah, that must be it.
“What’s with that expression?”
“…Do you really hate me that much?”
“Yeah.”
“…Why?”
“Do I have to explain the reason? You told me earlier.”
The gaze held an incomprehensible longing.
Ignoring it, I felt as if someone were scratching my insides with their nails.
“I just want to see you. I feel the same way.”
I said while holding back my emotions.
“I just dislike you.”
“…”
People thought this life would be different. They thought this life would be lived differently.
There were indeed those who believed that.
But.
‘Not you.’
I couldn’t see her like that.
To me, she was that kind of being.
“…”
The Heavenly Demon remained silent after hearing my words.
After a long stretch of silence passed.
“Then…”
The Heavenly Demon inquired, as if she were about to speak what she had been holding back.
“…Why did you come to me?”
“…”
If I detest and dislike you so much, why am I here?
Now, I found myself unable to answer that question.
It was something I was curious about, too.
‘Why?’
Why?
Why have I come to see the Heavenly Demon?
With concerns about Lady Mi’s letter and my father’s matters, my head was in turmoil.
Let alone abandoning the children, my reasons for seeking out the Heavenly Demon seemed nonexistent.
Yet, here I stood.
Wanting to see the woman I loathed, hated, and planned to kill.
‘Why?’
I kept asking that question.
Even up to this moment, wondering.
Why was I taking steps to see the Heavenly Demon?
I wasn’t moving to kill her.
So why…?
‘…’
It was a question I couldn’t answer for myself. No, I knew the answer but simply didn’t want to admit it.
—I wanted to see you.
When the Heavenly Demon said that, I felt the disturbance within me.
I hated that feeling from that moment.
Because it was a feeling I shouldn’t experience.
Clench—
I squeezed my fist tightly.
I gripped it so hard that it began to tremble.
“…”
The Heavenly Demon briefly glanced at my trembling fist before returning her gaze to me.
“…I see.”
While I didn’t give her a verbal reply, maybe she guessed the answer from my actions.
A look of pity crept onto her face.
It was irritating.
That expression she wore.
Even the slight difference in her voice, which could go unnoticed, and all the emotions I felt swelling inside me were unendurable.
I saw her small shoulders.
Her thin, frail shoulders felt like I could grasp them with one hand.
Perhaps that’s why.
I reached out subconsciously.
Startled, I halted my hand. But…
Grab—!
“…!”
Suddenly, the Heavenly Demon seized my wrist.
“What the…!”
And that wasn’t all.
My eyes widened like lanterns at her following actions.
Kiiieeeng—!!
With a grip on my hand, the Heavenly Demon began to gather her energy with the other hand.
Black Qi started to rise like cotton candy.
The danger was palpable at first glance. The density and intensity of her energy were no joke.
It was dangerous enough to hit directly.
‘Are you crazy?’
Are you going to kill me just because I said I hate you? I quickly gathered my energy as well.
I unleashed flames in retaliation.
Whoosh—!
The Heavenly Demon embraced me.
Sizzling—!
The flames that heated up met her body, but she seemed utterly unconcerned.
Her hand extended beside me.
From there, the energy she had collected burst forth.
Kuuaaa—!!!
The black Qi swept across the front.
It was a sudden action. Why would she suddenly do something like this?
As I stared at her in shock, the Heavenly Demon wasn’t looking at me.
Her gaze was fixed on the far distance, where she had just unleashed her energy, and her distorted face was filled with hostility.
“What the heck….”
I was about to question her, but chills ran down my spine.
I quickly turned to glance at the same spot.
At that moment.
I saw someone approaching from afar.
A figure leisurely walking with their hands clasped behind their back.
Thump—! Thump—!
My heart began to race at the sight.
Thud—! Thud thud—!!
The tension in my heart escalated as I felt nausea rising from within.
I glared at the approaching figure, my breaths mixing in a haphazard rhythm.
‘Why is that guy here?’
The figure who appeared was someone I recognized well.
Even from a distance, my instincts warned me of their identity.
Even without that, those red eyes were unmistakable.
“Cackle.”
A dry laugh invaded my ears.
My ears felt like they were going to rot.
“Such a lively greeting.”
“…”
Upon hearing him, the Heavenly Demon rose from her position.
Kiiieeeng—.
Her hand began to gather energy once more.
An incredible hostility radiated from her.
“Such a….”
The figure with red eyes, Jang Seongyeon…or rather, Blood Demon, shook his head as if disappointed in her.
“How rude.”
As he got closer, the blood in my body began to boil hotter.
“Blood Demon…”
However.
“Good to see you.”
For some reason, the Blood Demon was looking not at me, but at the Heavenly Demon.
He maintained a smile on his lips while addressing her.
“My daughter.”
