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I carried the fallen Noya into the Hwasan Sect. The moment I crossed the barrier, a furious turtle came into view, his face twisted in anger.

“You damn fools! Just last time I had the wall repaired, and I told you to be careful with it—!!”

The turtle, who was about to unleash his rage, suddenly fell silent as he noticed Shin Noya on my back.

“Elder… Elder… Noya…! Noya has collapsed…”

He spoke in a disjointed manner, his words hardly coherent. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead. My breath trembled. It was not exhaustion; it was confusion.

“…”

The turtle narrowed his eyes at me, then subtly pulled out his cane. Where he produced it from was a mystery yet again.

Boom-!!

With a light swing of his cane, Noya’s unconscious body floated toward the turtle.

“Tsk…”

The turtle clicked his tongue upon confirming that Shin Noya had lost consciousness.

“ sect leader… Why does he keep testing fate…”

His whisper brushed against my ears.

“Elder… Why did Noya suddenly…”

“I will take charge of the sect leader. You are not to follow.”

“Y-Yes…? But—!”

“Your presence will only complicate matters further. If you truly wish to avoid making that old man’s condition worse, then stay back for now.”

“…”

I widened my eyes at his words. The implication that I was somehow a liability was clear.

‘What does he mean? Noya hasn’t been hit by my attack.’

The space affected by Red Sky shouldn’t have caused any real harm.

In that highly charged situation, I hadn’t attacked him either. If anything, I had been the one harmed. The wound I received from Noya’s Heart Sword was still not fully healed.

So why had Noya collapsed? I looked at the turtle, perplexed.

“It’s best you don’t come near the Divine Tree until at least noon.”

“…”

“Answer me.”

“Understood…”

With a sigh that seemed to say there was no other choice, the turtle let out a short scoff before moving his cane again.

Then, both of their forms blurred and soon vanished entirely.

Left alone, I was like a stone, unable to move in that spot.

My head hung low, gazing at the ground.

Fresh blood that had dripped from Noya just moments ago stained the earth, yet the color was odd for mere human blood.

Scarlet blood.

Seeing that made me bite my lip.

Something—

Something felt terribly wrong.

*

Time passed, and the moment had long surpassed noon.

Having regained my strength, I returned to my original state.

As my body healed back to normal, I used Gui Jeong to wrap myself like bandages.

Perhaps because of the severity of the aftereffects from Noya’s Heart Sword, even as one of the Moon Night Clan, my regeneration hadn’t completed.

Thus, I traveled bound in my makeshift bandages, headed towards the immense Divine Tree erected by the Hwasan Sect.

It was a plum tree that seemed to stretch up to fill the sky.

The plum blossom petals that drifted down blanketed the area surrounding the Divine Tree and the territory created beneath it, forming a field of scarlet.

I walked, stepping on the petals.

As I walked for a bit, the massive Divine Tree drew closer.

Just as I intended to quicken my pace towards the base of the Divine Tree,

Thud-!

“……?”

Something hit my forehead. Frowning, I reached out.

I sensed something transparent in front of me.

What was that? As questions arose in my mind—

“That’s far enough.”

A voice whispered in my ear. It was the turtle’s voice.

“…Elder?”

“Do not approach any closer. That’s as far as you can go.”

“What do you mean?”

I had been waiting until past noon. I was even cautious enough to wait longer, and now I was told not to get any closer?

“And Noya? Is he alright?”

What is his condition? I inquired, but the turtle offered no response.

“Elder…!”

“…”

Calling again yielded silence. His lack of reaction made me scowl.

Then—

Flame Burst—!!!

I concentrated my heart, filled with flames.

Even without being a Moon Night Clan, my realm had still increased.

Zziiik-!!

A ring of fire ignited behind me and began to revolve.

If they’re going to block me, I’ll break through even if it means destruction.

As I opened my Heart Eye, I could see the barrier blocking my path more clearly.

I recognized it as sorcery. I knew that unbinding it from here might be the proper action.

However, right now, that thought didn’t cross my mind.

To be precise, I couldn’t think clearly at all.

“If you don’t open it, I will shatter it.”

I would force my way through, even if it meant breaking it apart.

Just as that thought crossed my mind and I prepared to strike with my vividly colored fist—

“It’s your fault.”

Boom-!

I froze at the turtle’s words.

“I managed to roughly piece together the distortion, but the sect leader hasn’t regained his senses. I presume he’ll likely remain in that state for some time. Naturally…”

The turtle paused for a moment before continuing.

“The soul itself must have been twisted. How long do you think this fake body can endure?”

“…What do you mean? The soul is twisted?”

What on earth does that mean all of a sudden? I couldn’t understand. We hadn’t truly fought; my body wasn’t even injured, and yet he claimed the soul was twisted?

As I questioned him, the turtle replied.

“The sect leader’s physical form is merely constructed. You must already understand that.”

“…”

To be honest, I did understand. It was a given. Noya was already dead and gone.

The very fact that he could move here in this form made no sense whatsoever.

I knew something must have happened to Noya.

Then, he said,

“The sect leader’s body is a reward earned by becoming the master’s apostle.”

Hearing those words made my eyes widen.

“Apostle… you mean?”

Master’s apostle. That implies—

“Are you saying that Noya, the master of Mankye’s apostle?”

The current master of Mankye, her apostle?

I considered that this might make sense if he had gained a body.

“Not so. Yohu has not taken any apostles.”

The turtle denied my words. Then what does that mean? To be the master’s apostle but not be my mother…?

“Ah…?”

I widened my eyes as a thought suddenly struck me.

It reminded me. That there were unusually two masters existing in this place.

“…Abyss.”

While my mother governs the realms of Mankye—

It was said that the depths of that place were ruled by the Abyss.

Then—

“Are you saying Noya is the apostle of the Abyss?”

Is Shin Noya an apostle of the Abyss, who gained a body?

“Correct.”

The turtle affirmed my thoughts.

“The sect leader received a body as an apostle of the Abyss and placed his soul within it.”

The secret of how Noya was able to move here in a physical form became clear.

What the Abyss did to create such a body was beyond my understanding. But right now, that wasn’t what mattered.

“However, saying the soul is twisted. What does that mean?”

Noya’s issue was that his soul was twisted; the body itself hadn’t broken down.

“Simply put, the soul contained within the body has encountered a problem.”

“…So why—”

“The natural order states that having a designated soul and body exist separately is inherently impossible.”

“Wait, what… huh?”

I froze mid-sentence. The idea that the soul and body could exist separately struck a chord within me.

“I have heard. You must have too. That the sect leader’s soul was originally meant to reside in your body.”

“…”

I recalled words spoken by a divine being in the Central Plains.

Originally, Shin Noya was supposed to reincarnate in the time I lived, but that hadn’t happened.

If he had reincarnated,

‘It should have been in my body.’

He should have been born within my physical form.

However, for some reason, Noya was sealed within the plum stone, and time passed until we met.

So that means—

“…Are you saying Noya’s current state is my fault?”

“The soul that should have entered into that body is instead inside another. So what do you think will happen to the lost soul that now cannot find its way?”

Water that has lost its vessel.

Then—

“It will merely evaporate as it spills on the floor.”

“…!”

“It holds on merely within the borrowed body, but as time goes on, it will inevitably crack. How ironic that you manifested and started resonating with it. There’s no way the body can withstand it.”

“Resonating…?”

“The soul is instinctively seeking to return to you. The closer it is, the stronger the pull. And the more the sect leader uses their power, the more pronounced that yearning becomes.”

Since I was to be the body it should have filled, Noya’s soul was trying to return to me.

Then—

“It can come back, can’t it…?”

If it’s a fake body and the soul wishes to return, then shouldn’t it just come back naturally?

Just like before. Shouldn’t it just be able to inhabit my body?

I attempted to express that thought.

“Such foolishness.”

The turtle reacted as if agitated by my words.

“It may have existed in some form in the past, but your current soul is completely different. It has grown immensely, crossed barriers, and become incomparably more formidable. The weakened soul of the sect leader heading towards you won’t be able to endure it.”

“…It can’t endure?”

“The sect leader’s soul carries a great burden, while you are not as strong. Originally, you may have withstood it, but now you are different.”

The realm had increased, and the physical form had changed.

After all, having attained transcendence meant the vessel for the soul had become far more potent.

If Noya were to return to that body—

‘…Would it lead to annihilation?’

He might dissolve, unable to coexist. No— that had to be the case.

Noya would vanish.

The very shadow and support that had allowed me to endure thus far would be lost.

On hearing such words, I found myself unable to respond, becoming stiff with shock.

It was akin to the moment I had severed my father’s life with my own hands.

It felt as if my entire world had come to a halt.

 

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