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Chapter 532 – Curse of Blood

The Blood Demon is a calamity.

Such a being possessed the power to use subordinate treasures at will.

Even if I infused energy and bound the treasures, it meant nothing in front of the Blood Demon.

If the Blood Demon said so, I thought it wasn’t particularly strange.

After all, it was a calamity.

Given its otherworldly nature, I didn’t think it odd to have such power.

The problem was that I could do something similar.

I wielded strength akin to that of a calamity. Just that thought alone opened a floodgate of considerations.

“Ha…”

A sigh escaped my lips.

“The Blood Demon was the same.”

[… True.]

Just as I had used Gui Jeong and Thunder Fang, it seemed the Blood Demon had done the same.

Then, what did it mean?

“Why are you telling me this now?”

[…]

“Were you aware of this information all along… or not?”

[… That’s also correct.]

If Shin Noya had known about Gui Jeong’s transformation when it came to me, he could have mentioned it long ago.

Yet he was just now sharing this information with me.

What could be the reason for that?

Especially when Nangong Ming had almost revealed it, and then had the gall to tell me separately.

[That’s because….]

“Did you not trust me?”

[…!]

“Is that why you chose not to tell me?”

I swallowed my surprise at the rough tone of his voice.

If Noya didn’t speak up, I could only assume that was the reason.

Because he didn’t trust me.

I didn’t think that would be a problem if I truly were a calamity.

It was just the matter of:

“You were worried I wouldn’t be able to overcome it?”

[…]

Hearing that, I wondered if Noya’s silence stemmed from thinking I would be swept away by the information.

[… You child….]

“I get what you mean, but, Noya.”

I couldn’t help but wonder why this irritable old man was behaving in such a caring manner.

Unfortunately, that made it harder for me.

“I won’t crumble under this.”

The sea of thoughts I was already navigating.

Despite feeling sensitive and annoyed, I insisted that such trivial matters wouldn’t bring me down.

I’ve come too far to let that happen.

There were too many things to protect, and the path ahead was still long.

I couldn’t just break down here.

“… Even if I really am a calamity, I won’t break down here.”

Even if my body was changing, even if I could do what the Blood Demon did.

Truly, just like that cursed man said – even if I were a calamity.

“… I won’t crumble.”

It wasn’t just directed at Noya; it was a mantra for myself.

I couldn’t break down here.

I had no intention of stopping.

So, while I appreciated Noya’s concern, I thought of it as meaningless.

It would be easier to hear it.

Hearing it would allow me to prepare.

[… The reason I didn’t tell you wasn’t that I didn’t trust you.]

Noya then began to explain himself, albeit late.

[With matters piling up and being busy managing flesh and energy, how could I discuss such things?]

While I understood his reasoning once explained, if it involved the Blood Demon, he should have informed me sooner. His current explanation seemed like nothing more than an excuse.

“Then why tell me this now?”

[… I had planned to tell you later, but that wretched fool’s lack of awareness forced my hand.]

Nangong Ming had recklessly mentioned the Blood Demon, leaving Noya with no choice but to elaborate.

“So whatever it is, you’re saying it’s still related in your eyes?”

[…]

Noya didn’t deny that.

I saw it too, and it was probably even clearer to him.

How could he deny it?

‘Is this problem caused by absorbing Blood Qi?’

At first, I thought so, but now I had doubts about that.

When I was about to break from consuming too much energy.

I thought the issue arose from battling with and absorbing the Blood Qi within me.

But, for that to happen…

‘My father’s words linger.’

What my father had said was sticking with me.

He recalled my mother when he observed my changes.

‘… Does that mean my mother also…’

While I hadn’t defined my body properly, if my mother bore similar traits…

It could be that my current appearance was a transformation birthed from my mother’s blood, rather than merely reconstructed and altered by absorbing the Blood Demon’s essence.

‘If my mother was also a calamity.’

Then what about Gu Ryeonghwa?

‘Does that mean that child could become this too?’

I pictured my younger sister rolling around in Hwasan.

Could Gu Ryeonghwa end up like this?

I hoped not, and I profoundly believed she wouldn’t.

This state of being was ultimately just a problem arising from too much indulgence in this lifetime.

Unless immense energy accumulated, my vessel wouldn’t shatter.

This chaotic body had created problems by greedily consuming diverse energies. Yet, there was one question lingering.

‘I thought I could absorb various energies thanks to the Demonic Absorption Technique.’

Perhaps it wasn’t primarily due to that, which crossed my mind recently.

Naturally, I assumed it was thanks to the Demonic Absorption Technique. What else could I think of?

But what if my body was capable of such feats from the start?

Maybe I had been operating under the wrong assumption all along.

‘… I never thought to try consuming different energies in my previous life.’

What sort of crazy person would think about absorbing varied energies?

Unless they intended to commit suicide, that seemed out of the question.

Different breathing techniques would clash and combust if they entered the same vessel.

It meant dying due to the repulsion of energies.

That’s why people regarded Demonic Power as an incredible skill.

Any breathing technique could coalesce within one’s body.

The powers granted by the Heavenly Demon were monumental, and the value of Demonic Energy was nothing short of astonishing.

Thus, the power-hungry folks would seek entrance into the Demonic Sect.

‘If this isn’t the power of authority…’

What if the reason I could harbor various energies wasn’t due to the power of Demonic Energy, but rather my body inherently being able to?

‘…’

If that’s the case, I could also be a child of my mother.

‘Gu Ryeonghwa might also be capable.’

That child could potentially do it too.

If that were true, it truly would be a damned situation.

With that, it felt like everything was telling me something.

‘I was meant to be a calamity from the start. That feels about right.’

There were many ways to confirm that.

Finding Gu Ryeonghwa and checking whether she could harbor an energy alongside me would be the fastest way.

Yet, ‘how could I approach that nonsense?’

If that failed, Gu Ryeonghwa’s body could burst from the strain.

I couldn’t just check for that possibility on that child.

‘Instead, I’d rather conclude that I am indeed a calamity.’

That might be the better alternative. While I thought this way…

– The world does not repeat the same mistakes.

Suddenly, Yeon Ilcheon’s words echoed in my mind.

At the point where the master of this world vanished, the actions intended by the Blood Demon turned into failure.

Thus, they first restrained the potential of the martial artists, lowering their power.

In that gap, they sought to dispatch my mother to finish what was started, but even that ultimately fell flat.

This is how I had been thinking.

‘Perhaps not.’

What if that was never the case?

If countless paths were being opened for a singular possibility, is that what the world sought?

What was it wishing for, then?

‘Is it truly desiring for me to become a calamity?’

From what I currently perceive, that seemed like the highest probability. Setting aside the question of who wishes for a calamity to arise.

I had diverged from being merely human, becoming something else entirely. All manner of arrows were pointing towards a singular direction.

The world desired me to become a calamity.

That seemed the most reasonable explanation.

At that moment, a contradiction sprouted.

‘Then what about the Heavenly Demon?’

What does Heavenly Demon signify then?

What was the purpose behind her returning me?

What on earth is she?

And furthermore.

‘How has the world not stripped away all possibilities?’

According to the intel that Tang Je-mun provided Noya, the potential of martial artists had been reduced.

Why didn’t it take everything away and merely suppress it?

No matter how much I pondered, that remained a mystery.

‘What’s the rationale behind it?’

Countless paths lay before me.

Whether by my will or not.

They were innumerable paths, and the destination appeared nebulous to me.

‘The ambiguity of that destination is the problem.’

Damn it….

Ultimately, the first step in figuring this out had been decided.

‘I must meet my mother.’

I needed to find my mother, who was somewhere within the Demonic Gate.

Only then would I understand the truth of the situation I was experiencing.

As I barely sorted out my thoughts…

[Child.]

“… Yes?”

[You are not a calamity.]

“Ha ha.”

Shin Noya’s unexpected words drew a dry laugh from me.

“Do you really think after coming this far, I am not a calamity?”

I felt Noya might know better.

Maybe he regretted meeting a successor who turned out to be a calamity.

‘Ah, but that doesn’t seem likely.’

Knowing Noya’s character, that was probably not the case.

However, would he have a mind as complicated as mine?

As I thought this, I attempted to smile.

[Didn’t I tell you last time?]

Noya interjected.

[You just have to believe in yourself.]

“…!”

[Even if, you brat, you were truly a calamity. If you think you aren’t, then you aren’t.]

“That sounds a lot like avoiding reality.”

[What’s wrong with that? I say you aren’t. That’s good enough.]

That was such a simple yet profound answer.

No matter what others say, it doesn’t matter if I say I’m not.

It was a statement that made me understand how Noya managed to uphold his beliefs throughout his life.

But could I do that?

[You can.]

The answer was firm, as if Noya himself was speaking on my behalf.

[You can do it.]

That statement felt particularly weighty.

Maybe it was because the weight of belief was crushing me, or perhaps it was the guilt that arose from glimpsing even a fraction of Noya’s life.

“How can you be so sure that I can do it?”

[Is there any reason to doubt? You are that kind of guy.]

“…”

Having someone else give me reassurance of something I doubted was a mixed bag of emotions.

Noya might’ve known from the get-go.

The possibility that I might be a calamity could have been something he was aware of already.

‘Yet he deemed it irrelevant?’

If it wasn’t me, then it probably wasn’t.

He figured I would be the one to conclude that.

Under such reasoning,

“That’s truly a low blow.”

That was something that wouldn’t allow for any other choices.

There’s nothing more disgusting than dueling with someone’s trust.

With an empty smile, I remarked, and Noya responded curtly.

[If you don’t want to, then just remain a calamity.]

“… What?!”

[If you don’t like it, then that’s what you should do.]

Noya had this peculiar knack for twisting a serious conversation lightly.

He had never had a heavy ending.

I understood this to be Noya’s way of showing he cared.

Knowing that well, I guessed I could do nothing beyond what I already had.

“… For now, I’ll try to do something. Don’t rely too much on me.”

[Honestly, I’m not relying on you much. With no one to trust, I’ll trust you instead.]

That old man…? He always expressed himself in such a way.

“Truly, I’m fortunate not to have met you in person….”

[That’s what I should be saying. If we met, you wouldn’t have had the courage to even speak to me.]

I felt that was probably the case, yet I decided to ignore that fact. So what? I can’t meet him now.

Perhaps.

‘Even if I were truly a calamity, I might as well just act like I don’t care.’

There was no way I was going to allow myself to be placed in such absurd situations.

In truth, I might already be in such circumstances, but I was confident in abandoning responsibilities.

Especially when faced with something I didn’t want to take on?

‘My temper is such that if I’m forced, I daresay I’ll bite back. Keep that in mind.’

An inward monologue I had no clear audience for.

If anyone were listening, it’d be a subtle suggestion to back off.

I felt an overwhelming fatigue settling in.

Having mulled over various matters, both my body and mind appeared to be reaching their limits.

“… Just a few days of reduced sleep, I guess.”

With my Transformation Realm body, if I felt this exhausted, then it was indeed a serious state.

I needed to prioritize rest over pondering anything more.

I needed sleep.

If I could manage to get a solid hour or so, it would suffice.

Getting ready to force myself into slumber, I closed my eyes and drifted off.

When precisely an hour had passed, I opened my eyes.

“Whoa! Shit!”

The moment I opened my eyes, I was taken aback by the sight before me.

In the dimly lit room, I realized I wasn’t alone.

Could it be an assassin? I wondered, and indeed, it was.

Before me knelt the most notorious assassin in the Central Plains.

“…”

“… W-What are you doing there?”

I couldn’t help but ask.

There was no way I wouldn’t inquire.

How could I not?

The assassin in the room was the head of the Black Night Assassin Group, known as the number one assassin in the Central Plains.

The King of Night, the Dark King, was kneeling before me.

 

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