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Crackling Growl!

The faint cry resonated all around. Despite its small volume, it felt strangely loud.

Is that its crying sound? No, the creature had its mouth closed.

So where is this cry coming from?

It didn’t take long to find the source.

This was indeed its crying sound, but not one coming from its mouth.

To be precise,

“It’s correct to say it does emit sounds from its mouth. Just not that mouth.”

The voice wasn’t from its lips. That sound came from further back.

The wide shadow of the creature. It’s correct to say the cry comes from there.

In fact, the shadow of the beast appeared to ripple along with the cry.

How absurd.

“How could I not have seen that until now?”

To think I couldn’t see something so rough and vast until my realm rose up is laughably ironic.

“No, wait.”

That’s wrong too.

To put it more clearly, it was evidence there was such a significant difference that I could not see something that enormous.

Seeing it now meant I had the skill to perceive what it was hiding.

This implies that until now, the difference had been so stark.

“Hmm.”

The growling sound made my body shudder.

The Qi mixed in there was unbearably intense.

“What did you just say?”

Yusa’s eyes were sharp. Pressure radiated from his dilated pupils and quivering tail—a strong person’s intimidation.

Predator.

From the moment I laid eyes on him, the hunger in his gaze continually stiffened my body.

However, I couldn’t remain stiff.

From the start, I shouldn’t show even a hint of being stiff.

“Did you not hear me? It’s a bit disappointing that you can’t hear despite those big ears.”

I tilted my head. It was partly to portray arrogance and partly a ploy to loosen my stiff body.

“I’m at the location of the Divine Tree in Yawol. That’s what I was talking about.”

“……”

As if I hadn’t misheard, I spoke again, and his face twisted like a devil.

Booming sounds echoed—!!!

The growling and energy intensified. My body shook under the overwhelming aura.

Wow.

“Did my sensitivity increase as my realm rose?”

Or is this the first time I’m feeling such an aura from him? It definitely felt like an unprecedented experience.

Every hair on my body reacted immediately.

The foe was locking onto me.

If I’m not careful, I might get devoured.

It barked out such a rough sound urging me to flee.

Feeling that made me chuckle.

“Ridiculous.”

Though my instincts screamed to run, I knew that was false.

“Like me, you can’t be honest.”

I didn’t want him to run.

Deep down, I wanted him to fight me as soon as possible, yet here I was pretending to be scared.

“Do you think I wouldn’t know that, you brat?”

The thrill of fighting a strong person was thrilling.

More than the fight with Noya. That wasn’t really a real fight.

But now?

“If things go wrong, it might be a fight I could die in.”

I wanted to check how much stronger I had grown.

I wanted to feel it with my body.

Even though I had a purpose in coming here, that purpose kept getting sidelined. No, it wasn’t just getting sidelined.

“It’s a necessary process for that too, right?”

This was a means to achieve my purpose. With that in mind, I felt calmer.

“Why are you asking that?”

Yusa spat out with murderous intent.

“Of course, it’s because I have something to do. I’m telling you that.”

I took a step forward, penetrating through the murderous energy.

“There’s a purpose for the Divine Tree that your master left behind.”

“……Why the Divine Tree?”

“Well, it’s connected to the objective I aim for. And to what you wish to reach.”

“……”

Mentioning my goal made Yusa’s expression scrunch up.

“You need the Divine Tree for your purpose?”

“Exactly. The Divine Tree. I want that.”

“Ha.”

At my words, Yusa let out a scoffing laugh. In that moment.

Kaboom…!

The energy and murderous intent, which had been rising, suddenly died down.

It looked as if he had receded his power.

But that wasn’t it.

This was the calm before the storm.

“Two of my precious children have perished at your hands.”

“Speak correctly, it’s one.”

I had killed the white one, but the blue one remained alive.

Killing the white one was also an unexpected situation. It happened while I lost my composure after breaking through the realm.

So, I burned it without thinking. Quite regrettable.

“I should have tested the demon energy.”

Just like I did with the black one, I should have checked whether the demon energy worked on the white one and, if so, how its speed and other aspects behaved.

I had to find that out but…

“……Tsk.”

Before I could grasp that, I killed it. That was quite disappointing. Not just disappointing, the situation became a bit ambiguous.

“I shouldn’t have killed the leader back then.”

Killing the leader opens a can of worms.

Especially concerning Yusa. For me to use him, he needed to be shaken by me.

“He’s just killed his subordinate.”

Having barged in and killed a subordinate, what kind of reaction would Yusa have?

I reckon it wouldn’t be good. Though I believe in him, trusting him too much can lead to me sharing the same fate, making it difficult to trust fully.

“The bigger problem is…”

What about me?

There was also the issue of Yusa accepting a master.

The incident took place, and the master did not intervene. Yusa knows that his master is somewhere in Yawol. He might even know the exact location. In that situation, the master did not intervene in the incident.

“That aspect baffles me too.”

Why on earth didn’t he intervene?

There was some intent behind my actions back then to observe reactions. Right now, I wanted to find that out.

“One has been swept away, another erased, and the other… you simply discarded to play your games. Do you think I’m unaware?”

“……”

The one swept away was the blue one.

The erased one was the white one, and the discarded one was the red one.

Yusa knew very well that he used the red one. What happened to the red one afterward, I didn’t know.

“You say you treat them precious, yet your words don’t align.”

Crack.

A rough sound emanated from him.

“……Why do you need the Divine Tree?”

Ignoring my point, he asked.

Why do I need the Divine Tree? Hearing that made me smirk slightly.

“Why? If the reason is valid, will you tell me?”

“……”

Silence. Silence always means a positive response.

Then I should tell him.

“To change the structure of Mankye, the Divine Tree is necessary. For the paradise I want to create. For the place you need to get.”

My answer was vague. It was a response far from clear, causing his brows to frown once more.

“Explain clearly. What is this paradise, and how does finding it help me get what I want?”

“Hmph.”

I swept my hair back. My long and voluminous black hair swayed behind me.

It seemed like he was misunderstanding something.

“General. If you want to hear a proper answer, you should give me a proper response too, don’t you think?”

“……What?”

“Are you going to board the ship, or will you withdraw like a bug.”

Will he take my hand?

Or will he stay out of it? He needed to be clear on that.

Only then would I respond accordingly.

“……Ha, if I make a choice, will you tell me?”

“Of course, it’s only logical. If you aren’t my person, there’s no meaning in telling you.”

“……”

“What will you do? I’ve given you enough time to answer.”

What kind of answer will Yusa give? In this situation where the Divine Tree has been mentioned, what choice will he make?

Will he truly take my hand as I said? If he does, I have to explain why I need the Divine Tree.

How will I explain it?

To meet my mother and return to the original world.

And for the arrangements my mother spoke of.

Beyond that, to save the Shin Noya you despise.

Should I explain it that way?

“Nonsense.”

If I said that, he probably wouldn’t take it well. It might actually ignite his anger.

Then, this leaves me needing an excuse.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t prepared any excuses.

Should I start thinking of something now?

“Not really.”

There wasn’t much need for it. I was absolutely confident in that. Though I wondered if it would be alright without any excuses.

I guessed it would be fine.

It’s only that…

“He won’t take my hand, so…”

Yusa wouldn’t take my hand. That’s what I expected.

True to my expectations…

“This is annoying.”

Yusa spat out with a sigh. As he did,

Boom!!!

The amount of Qi he emitted was more than twice the initial output.

“……Now it’s enough. I’m not fond of the chaos anymore.”

Yusa grinned, exposing his fangs while his pupils grew more elongated.

“Did you call me the Heavenly Demon? Spare me. I don’t know what intentions you have, but I am extremely averse to complicated matters.”

The shadow seen behind him wriggled.

“I’ll just digest you here, to make things less unsettling.”

With that, he snarled while exuding energy.

I chuckled at the sight.

“Ah.”

I relaxed my shoulders. As I flexed my muscles, a cracking sound echoed.

“You’re making a choice you’ll regret. Unfortunately for you.”

Contrary to my words, I was not disappointed at all.

In fact, it was precisely what I wanted.

 

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