Chapter 1018
Chapter 1018: The Divine Tree and the Master
“What the heck is that?”
I stared at the Duryeong, gradually turning red. The spots that started to spread with the heat had begun covering its entire body, its fur already a deep crimson.
Even…
“The axe turned red too!”
The blade of the axe, once spewing flames, was now as crimson as its fur.
The spots that filled the space transformed all the black leather into a bright red.
“Kuhehe…”
With that, flames had begun to spew from the creature’s nostrils instead.
What the heck?
As I observed it, I sensed another strange vibe.
‘The presence has weakened.’
The overwhelming presence that had felt absurdly large seemed to have reduced instead.
‘What’s happening?’
That huge presence just disappeared? That’s insane!
‘Is something changing?’
What on earth is that body? Is that form using some kind of power?
‘I still have more to check.’
There were still things to observe regarding it. But…
‘It feels a bit chilly…’
Watching that, an indescribable unease welled up. My instincts screamed at me, warning not to provoke it unnecessarily.
‘So, should I just go for it here?’
As soon as I developed that resolve, my shadow began to writhe.
Tam seemed ready to leap as if he had read my thoughts.
‘…If I’m going to do it, better to do it sooner.’
It would have been better to hit the Heavenly Demon’s fist from the start. I missed an opportunity while confirming things.
I reignited my body that had cooled down.
The heat began to rise, and energy spread throughout my entire body.
Hwaaaa–!!
The energy that spread over my shoulders soared into the sky. I created a domain with the energy.
Demon energy mixed in the Red Sky. While casting the Black Sky, I gradually formed my domain.
As a result, my strength surged.
Just as I was about to engage it in battle again, suddenly—
Huff-!
“Hm?”
My body moved unexpectedly. Someone had pulled on my nape. To my surprise, it was the Heavenly Demon.
She jumped right over to me and yanked me away.
“What the hell—!”
I was about to speak, but the Heavenly Demon leaped from that spot, swiftly rocketing upward.
In an instant, the Duryeong looked tiny. I had to be pulled out of the range by the Heavenly Demon.
*
The Duryeong, left alone atop the rocky mountain, stared into the void.
It was the direction from which the battle had just vanished.
At the very moment I was about to clash, the fight was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a girl.
Should I follow them? The Duryeong could have chased them down the moment they fled.
But it chose not to.
“…”
The expression of the Duryeong, gazing into the void, twisted.
“Kuhehehehe—!!”
Finally releasing its discomfort, the Duryeong pulled out the axe that was planted in the ground and swung it through the air.
Kuaaaaaaa—!!!
It generated a shockwave, tearing through the air. That charge of Qi struck directly into the void.
Kwaaaaaa—!!
Surprisingly, it smashed into something and caused nearby surroundings to explode.
The Duryeong glared at the spot it had hit and growled furiously.
“Crow! What the hell are you doing?”
Creak, creak.
Gnashing its teeth, the Duryeong gripped the axe again. Then, someone emerged from the void that the Duryeong had swept.
Flap-!!
The figure that appeared was wearing a mask covering their face and had black wings.
“Oh dear.”
Looking disappointed, they approached the Duryeong.
“It seems I underestimated you, a bit sharper than I expected. How unfortunate.”
“What did you say you were doing—!!”
Hwaaaa–!!
A tremor vibrated through the surroundings from the Duryeong’s roar. Hearing that, the figure moved their hands and responded to the Duryeong.
“What do you mean, what am I doing? I was trying to catch the prey caught in the trap.”
Tsk, tsk.
The figure clicked their tongue, dissatisfied.
“We were so close to catching it. Why didn’t you draw more attention?”
“…How dare you.”
Bam! Kaboom-!!!
The Duryeong charged at the figure, swinging the axe. The sharp axe cut right through the figure.
It seemed like the split figure would meet its demise, but—
Flap—!!!
The severed body transformed into black feathers and vanished.
“Duryeong. Do you not understand the current situation?”
Feathers gathered behind the Duryeong, reforming the figure.
“You also said it yourself. Those are the ones causing chaos in Mankye.”
Flap-!
Spreading their large wings, the figure soared into the void above.
“I was trying to help you capture them. Why are you so upset?”
The figure soared high into the sky. The reason was that flames of Qi had burrowed into the spot where they had been.
“I told you repeatedly,” the Duryeong growled at the figure. “Don’t interrupt the battle.”
“…Hah, Duryeong. This isn’t the time for stubbornness, is it?”
With that statement, the figure continued as if exasperated.
“It’s not just anything; the General is dead.”
The death of Yusa. This was no small incident in Mankye.
“The law of Mankye established by the Master and an absolute relationship. The General was sworn to uphold the discipline and protect what was built in Mankye.”
Such a General had died.
Moreover…
“The General died at the hands of the being from Mankye. Do you have any idea how serious this is?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Duryeong.”
“This is the battle I chose. How dare you interfere?”
The Duryeong showed no sign of listening, simply pouring Qi into the axe it held.
“…Huh.”
The figure sighed repeatedly at the Duryeong’s behavior.
“This is something the Master is also concerned about. Are you sure it’s okay for you, who swears loyalty to the Master, to be here?”
“Leave that to me. I can handle this without your interference.”
“Hah-!”
The figure let out a hollow laugh.
“Are you truly confident in that?”
“Of course. Who do you think I am?”
“Who? Just a stubborn foolish beast, that’s who.”
“…”
Kugugu-!!
The killing intent emitted by the Duryeong shot towards the figure, but they dodged it effortlessly once again.
“The Heavenly Demon. The one fighting you calls themselves that.”
“…”
“How do you feel now that you’ve encountered them? It seems like you’re struggling.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Swoosh—!!!
Smoke made of heat burst furiously from the Duryeong’s body.
“If you hadn’t intervened, I would have won.”
“Yeah, that might have been the case.”
The figure did not counter that. However…
“If it were just the two of you, that might have been the case. But there was another person, wasn’t there?”
That peculiar existence watching the fight from behind. The figure concentrated on that.
“That does not matter. I would have killed them all anyway.”
“…”
With a nonchalant attitude and somewhat foolish words, the figure barely restrained a sigh.
“…What do you mean ‘killed’? If I hadn’t been here, you would have been the one on the receiving end, Duryeong.”
The figure was convinced.
“That unknown girl. She was on guard against us from the very beginning.”
The girl had sensed him hiding in the void. As proof…
“When you were fighting, you kept glancing this way.”
Even when the Duryeong was heating up for battle, that girl busied herself surveying her surroundings instead of joining in.
Seeing that was astonishing.
‘Did she notice?’
It was one thing for Duryeong to charge in mindlessly, but…
‘That was pretty uncanny.’
It was just too strange.
No matter what the Heavenly Demon did, he found it hard to grasp their identity. The girl with them was…
‘Something…’
All I can say is something was really off. Setting aside the fact that I couldn’t comprehend it,
‘That feeling…’
It carried an unpleasant sensation inherent to their very existence.
It felt as if…
‘I was looking at Yarang.’
A being that the Master seemed to hover around. It was absurd enough for them to have suddenly become a General, and even now they were only called one after having their title stolen.
The unique atmosphere she carried was oddly similar.
“If I had left things as they were, do you truly believe you would have triumphed in this situation?”
“…I’ll handle it myself. So just leave.”
“…Foolish one.”
No matter how many times it was explained, that guy’s attitude remained the same.
I had set the trap just in case, and the prey had jumped in. It would have been great if that opportunity was utilized, but…
‘That ignorant guy is not helping.’
Duryeong ruined everything.
The reason the figure had not informed the Duryeong that he was deliberately hiding was also for this reason.
It was plain to see that he’d explode into fury upon finding out.
“If you won’t leave, I’ll make you.”
As the axe was about to cut through the air again—
“Damn you.”
The figure shook its head and moved its fingers. In that moment…
Ziiiiing—!!
The air was cut by the tips of his fingers, and a crack formed within it, resembling a Demonic Gate.
The figure dashed through, disappearing into that crack. Only after they had vanished did the Duryeong relax its body.
Puff—!!
Smoke billowed out as the Duryeong’s body shifted. The red-tinged fur and skin returned to their original colors.
“Grrr…”
After that, the Duryeong once again looked at the void.
It wasn’t just that they had escaped; it was more the fact that it was unsatisfactory to not have finished the fight.
Should I follow them right away? The Duryeong pondered.
Time would make it hard to track them, but that didn’t matter.
As long as they hadn’t left Spirit Mountain, there would be no way he’d miss out.
Just as he was about to look for them immediately…
“…”
The Duryeong halted its steps.
In the distance, beyond the Scarlet Aurora, the sun was rising.
Seeing that, it lowered the axe it had been holding.
As the sunlight washed over it, drowsiness began to envelop.
The Duryeong slowly sank to the ground and closed its eyes there.
For now…
It needed to sleep.
Until night fell again.
The Duryeong simply closed its eyes and drifted off to sleep.
