Chapter 330: Apostle. (1)

Pasasasa.

As I moved little by little, I could see something falling like powder from my body.

It was ash.

It had already lost its functions as a living creature.

All that remained was the ‘something’ that was once a human, burnt black.

The trace, which I thought could never move.

Was moving so nonchalantly right before my eyes.

Though saying ‘nonchalantly’ might be strange.

Because the way it moved, creaking and groaning, was definitely not normal.

The thing examined its body piece by piece.

Then looked at me with its bobbing head.

[Magnificent.]

The first words that came out were praise.

[This child wouldn’t have been weak. To end up like this. This is unexpected.]

The voice that reached me seemed to contain an emotion like joy.

Leaving its wrecked body behind.

It looked around again.

A blood-red sky, wind carrying the scent of blood.

Rotting earth and ancient trees.

Looking at them, the Blood Demon spoke.

[So that’s why the connection was severed. There was a reason. Since the world has its own master, it wouldn’t be easy to penetrate.]

While the Blood Demon spoke with apparent interest.

I asked him.

“…Do you need something from me?”

At my words, the Blood Demon chuckled.

[You don’t seem very surprised. A disappointing reaction.]

“I’ve already been through it once.”

I was attacked during the Martial Arts Tournament.

From the facts I learned through subsequent experiences, I had already known the Blood Demon was lingering in this land.

Just like during the last Martial Arts Tournament.

I had thought he might appear again, perhaps possessing Jang Seon-yeon’s body, but…

‘To think it would be right now.’

Although I was trying hard to act nonchalant.

I was quite surprised inwardly.

I never expected the Blood Demon would invade even this world.

What the hell is that guy?

“How did you get here?”

[Don’t be like that. I also had to exert considerable power to come here.]

“Was that body that valuable?”

Whether he came to protect the already burnt Jang Seon-yeon.

Or if he came because he had business with me, I didn’t know.

Whatever the reason.

It wasn’t a good meeting at all.

Hearing my question, the Blood Demon stared at me silently for a moment.

Kkukkuk.

He let out a small laugh.

[He’s quite a precious child, you know. Someone I had high expectations for.]

“But what if I already killed him? Are you going to take him back alive, or something?”

Although I said it mockingly.

[You’re joking with me, child.]

The Blood Demon looked unfazed.

[Figuring out how this world is structured is not particularly difficult for me.]

‘Shit.’

At the Blood Demon’s words, I had to curse inwardly.

His words meant he already knew the essence of this world.

And furthermore, the moment I returned from this world.

It was tantamount to knowing that Jang Seon-yeon would come back to life.

‘Can the Blood Demon know even that?’

Even if he was a monster who caused a great blood calamity in a past era.

Knowing about this world was something else entirely.

[It’s an interesting world. Isn’t it?]

“…If you showed up, are you planning to interfere?”

Since the Blood Demon himself said he cared for Jang Seon-yeon to some extent.

It was possible he sensed I would deal with Jang Seon-yeon and attempted to intervene.

I didn’t know how much power the Blood Demon possessed, but.

If he intended to intervene, it wouldn’t be good news for me.

[Are you anxious?]

The sight of him resting his chin on his burnt hand was utterly bizarre.

I raise my Ki.

I had used quite a lot of it just now to deal with Jang Seon-yeon.

It would have been better if I had just burned him outright, but the problem was that I used it while controlling it, intending to burn him bit by bit.

[Those eyes are not good. You shouldn’t be anxious about anything.]

“What are you talking about?”

[Did you say you would kill this child?]

“I didn’t say I would kill him, I already did.”

I burned him to death while inflicting pain.

According to the laws of this world, he would revive upon returning to the original world, but.

I had already thought of a method for that.

If, by any chance, the method failed and Jang Seon-yeon revived.

‘I’ll have to kill him and get rid of him.’

It was a bad move, but.

Rather than letting things go wrong by leaving him be.

It was right to get rid of him, even if I had to force the situation.

[You must really hate this child. Why is that?]

At the Blood Demon’s question, I looked at him, but I immediately wanted to turn my head away.

Just looking at him makes me uncomfortable.

It’s an inexplicable sensation that I still feel.

Is it the aura emanating from his very existence?

I want to get rid of him right now.

I suppressed those feelings for now and spoke.

“What is your purpose?”

[Hmm?]

“If you’re dead and rotten for hundreds of years, you should just peacefully ascend. Why are you still alive?”

[Kkulkulkul….

Five experts, who seemed to be at least the level of the current Three Lords.

Said that sealing was the best method because they couldn’t kill him.

As a result, the Blood Demon was sealed and remained in this land.

So why has he remained until now, showing himself like this?

“Are you thinking of resurrecting or something?”

Is he planning to come back to life?

[An interesting question. Resurrection.]

“If not, why are you lurking around instead of just staying put?”

Whether it’s Namgung Cheon-jun or Jang Seon-yeon.

There are those who consume blood energy and wield the Blood Demon’s power.

Are those who received such power really only those two?

It’s possible there are more.

‘It’s possible the Murim Alliance is also ultimately in the Blood Demon’s grasp.’

The Murim Alliance, which I already didn’t trust.

There was the reason why I couldn’t trust them even more.

[Kkulkul….

The Blood Demon has been showing laughter since earlier, as if finding something very amusing.

Is it mockery?

[Child.]

The Blood Demon calls me.

[You are a great joy in this boring fate of mine. Let me tell you about one of my gifts.]

“…What are you….”

[If I wanted to resurrect, I would have done so long ago.]

“What?”

[A seal… Do you think I was swayed by a mere seal placed by a lowly creature and suffered all that time?]

My body stiffened for a moment at the Blood Demon’s words.

Because I didn’t know if those words were true or not.

He might be playing a trick.

If he’s playing a trick, for what?

As I complexly turned thoughts in my head, the Blood Demon continued speaking.

[I could have risen at any time.]

“…But why didn’t you rise then?”

[Because there was no need to.]

“No need to?”

[Yes. Because there was no longer any need to. I deliberately did not rise.]

“Bullshit. If that’s the case, why the hell are you acting up now?”

[What are you referring to?]

I knew that the Blood Demon’s power resided in Jang Seon-yeon and Namgung Cheon-jun.

Just like last time, he was conversing with me through Jang Seon-yeon’s body.

“But what are you saying now?”

[I merely gave them power because they asked for it. I did not reach out to them first.]

“How can I believe that?”

[Child. You seem to be mistaken about something.]

Kugugugung-!

“…!”

Suddenly, a potent blood aura surged from in front of me.

I stumbled back, taking a step back.

If I hadn’t enveloped myself in Ki, I might have collapsed and vomited right then and there.

This was clearly the energy bursting forth from Jang Seon-yeon’s body in front of me.

To this extent, while borrowing someone else’s body?

As my eyes widened in surprise, the Blood Demon spoke to me.

[I am not a being who needs your trust or anything like that.]

Pasasasa….

Jang Seon-yeon’s body gradually rose.

It was a body that looked like it would crumble if touched, yet it managed to rise and meet my gaze.

I couldn’t be sure since its eyes weren’t visible.

But I knew it was definitely looking at me.

[Shouldn’t you be grateful, rather?]

“…Grateful for what?”

[Even though I clearly know where my five senses are, where my stored energy and body are. I was just quietly watching. How merciful is that?]

Five senses and energy.

And the body.

These were the words Hwang Ah-bul-yeong had spoken.

He said he had scattered Hwangma’s five senses throughout the heavens and earth.

He also said he had separated the energy and body, sealing them individually.

‘He knows where they are?’

Even if those words were true.

It didn’t add credibility to the claim that he could resurrect anytime.

Knowing where they are is one thing; whether he can find them is another.

[I am merely waiting for the right time.]

The right time… What is he waiting for?

“So when that time comes, you intend to resurrect, right?”

[Well… That’s something I haven’t decided yet.]

In the past life I remember.

The existence known as the Blood Demon did not resurrect.

He was merely the perpetrator of the past blood calamity.

And a figure sealed through the efforts of heroes.

Thinking of that, I recalled.

“I have something I want to ask.”

At my confidently spoken words, the Blood Demon let out a hollow laugh.

[How audacious. It’s as if I came here just to have a Q&A session with you.]

“That’s right.”

[Why do you think so?]

“Then you wouldn’t be telling me all these pointless stories.”

About the five senses, energy, and body.

And the statement that he wasn’t dreaming of resurrection, and that he was waiting for the right time.

Such trivial information.

He was also quite talkative for someone who supposedly came to save Jang Seon-yeon.

And if he came to kill me, he appeared far too peacefully.

“If you’re not going to answer, I have no business with you either, so get lost.”

I had no intention of dealing with him nicely either.

Whatever his identity or purpose might be.

I figured he wouldn’t be beneficial to me.

Whatever purpose he had.

He was someone I would eventually have to eliminate.

[What is it you want to ask?]

“Are you a calamity?”

As Yeon Il-cheon’s thought once said.

The Blood Demon they blocked was called a calamity.

A calamity that would bring about the world’s destruction, one that should have determined the fate of this world.

Furthermore.

Yeon Il-cheon also labeled me a calamity. He said my regression must have a reason.

And that I, in the end, would be the calamity leading the world to ruin.

Shin No-ya told me to have confidence, but.

It wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

If the Blood Demon had come seeking a conversation with me.

I decided to ask him directly.

Whether he was a calamity.

Whether what Yeon Il-cheon said was true.

Hearing my question, the Blood Demon fell silent for a moment.

A few seconds of silence passed.

The Blood Demon spoke to me.

[I didn’t expect to hear such a question from you. Interesting.]

“I didn’t ask to amuse you. Answer me.”

[A calamity.]

The Blood Demon took a step towards me.

The moment he took the step, I saw cracks forming on his body.

[How does it look to your eyes?]

“Judging by your current appearance, you look like a calamity.”

Encased in a grotesque body that had lost its soul after death.

The sight of him approaching me was unsettling, even for me.

[A calamity… Who said that?]

“Just answer whether it’s true or not.”

[No, I don’t need to answer. It’s just one guy anyway.]

He reaches out his hand.

I frowned at the black fingertips approaching me.

Should I swat it away?

Or crush it?

[It must be Yeon Il-cheon.]

The Blood Demon seemed to have figured out who told me that in an instant.

Should I deny it?

From my perspective, Yeon Il-cheon wasn’t a particularly trustworthy person either.

[What a foolish fellow. He still hasn’t let go of his attachment and set up a ploy. It seems that friend made your eyes blind.]

“My eyes are perfectly fine.”

[No, your eyes have been somewhat eaten by the specter of the past. I must open them for you.]

The Blood Demon’s fingertips came close to my eyes.

They came so close they were about to touch my eyes.

But I deliberately didn’t move.

I thought the Blood Demon might do something if I stayed like this.

But I absolutely did not move.

Just like that, the Blood Demon’s fingertips.

The moment they were about to touch my pupils.

Kwadeudeuk-!

The reaction I had been waiting for surged forth.

Something that sprang from the ground separated the Blood Demon and me.

[Oh dear.]

The Blood Demon uttered a sound of disappointment.

I looked to see what had emerged.

It was a giant tree root.

Seeing that, the Blood Demon took a slight step back.

[It seems I’ve spent too much time.]

As the Blood Demon reached out to the tree root, his fingertips crumbled powerlessly before even touching it.

[Did you aim for this?]

“I wasn’t specifically aiming for it, but since you were approaching. I had a hunch.”

[You’re quite bold. It seems you weren’t planning to move.]

I was sure it would come.

‘This’ also clearly had a purpose regarding me, and it was something that needed me.

I didn’t think it would just let things be.

[What a shame… I wanted to talk a bit more, but it seems the master of this place doesn’t welcome me.]

Cracks began to appear all over the Blood Demon’s body.

[Although it’s unsatisfactory, I hope this conversation has brought us a little closer.]

“You were more grotesque than I expected, you damn thing. If you’re leaving, just disappear quietly.”

Although I spoke growlingly.

The Blood Demon didn’t seem particularly bothered.

Even as Jang Seon-yeon’s body rapidly disappeared, I didn’t let my guard down.

The Blood Demon was still looking at my face.

[What I said before still holds true. If you meet the dancer, come find me.]

Ha.

At the Blood Demon’s words, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Do you know what I’ll do if I come looking for you?”

I don’t even know what a dancer is, so I don’t understand why he keeps telling me to come find him.

Why does he keep inviting me like that, knowing I might just go and smash everything?

Does that mean he’s that confident?

“If I ever go, it certainly won’t be for any good reason.”

[That’s good too. There’s nothing better than breaking free from the mold, whatever it may be.]

Saying that, the Blood Demon’s lower body vanished, and his upper body slumped down.

Upon impact with the ground, his body shattered into pieces.

The body, divided like fragments, turned to dust and scattered in the rushing wind.

Even in that state, the Blood Demon left me with words.

[Let’s meet again.]

Saying that.

The wind swept Jang Seon-yeon’s body out of my sight.

“…Hoo.”

Only after confirming all that.

I let out a ragged breath.

I had finally managed to release the extreme tension I had built up.

“Damn it. Whenever I try to do something, something always interferes.”

Should I call this bad luck striking again?

My head throbs.

Why the hell did the Blood Demon have to show up out of the blue?

‘What is going on.’

As I try to recall only the information from my past life.

Secrets I didn’t know are surfacing one by one now.

I wonder what it all means.

What is that damned fate?

What is the karma accumulated in the world?

What is this thing called the seed that Gu Clanga possessed?

Even one would be a pain in the ass, but these things kept coming one after another.

My mind was just complicated.

That’s why I came here. Ever since I looked for the Dragon God’s Hall.

Ever since I confirmed Cheol Ji-seon’s existence.

This is the place I wanted to come to.

Because I thought whatever is here would know.

I turned around and said.

“If you were going to appear, you should have done it sooner. Why show up so late?”

In the place where I spoke with irritation.

Instead of the endless, dried-up plains that stretched out before me.

Something enormous, blocking even the sky, was before my eyes.

I had seen it in my past life too.

But its size was truly unbelievable. It was too much to simply call it a tree.

The atmosphere and grandeur it exuded were on another level.

Moreover.

This tree had a name for itself.

It once introduced itself.

It said so.

That it was the fifth World Tree rooted here.

Mu-ah.

Saaaaaa-

As if reacting to my words, the branches stretching up to the clouds moved all at once.

The leaves seemed to have fallen long ago, leaving only dry branches, making it look even more desolate.

Just then.

[Welcome.]

A voice reached my ears.

It was an incredibly hollow voice, filled with sorrow.

It was the same voice I heard back then.

Although the greeting was the same as now.

The second sentence that followed was different from my past life.

[My Apostle.]

Hearing those words, I frowned.