Chapter 469: How pleasant.

The first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was.

The sensation of being held by someone.

Swoosh-swoosh.

I felt a careful touch.

It was the feeling of someone slowly stroking my back.

I slowly lifted my head to survey the situation.

“…Hm?”

Perhaps because I shifted, the hand stroking my back stopped, and I made eye contact with the person holding me.

It was the Sword Empress.

She widened her eyes as she looked at me.

“…You’re… awake?”

“…”

The Sword Empress wore a visibly exhausted expression.

Seeing her, I was speechless.

“Why…?”

Why is she acting like this? I looked around with a puzzled expression.

“…!”

I was horrified the moment I saw it. The situation was far from normal.

Unknown black shapes were piled up all around.

Though the traces were gradually fading, their appearance was incredibly unpleasant.

Furthermore.

‘Did it burn?’

Traces of flames also remained nearby.

I knew it instantly.

That was the flame I had emitted.

Hwa-reureu-reuk.

The flames, still not extinguished, heating the floor were spectacular.

They were also blue, so blue.

‘Azure Flame?’

Normally, the flames I emit contain a crimson hue.

Or they should be black flames mixed with demonic energy.

Seeing the Azure Flame burning brilliantly meant it was influenced by my vital energy.

But why would such flames remain in this land?

Sensing something strange, I put strength into my fingertips.

Hwa-reuk-!

Flames erupted.

I frowned looking at it.

It’s the Azure Flame.

“What the…”

I definitely hadn’t summoned my vital energy.

And I had kept my demonic energy dormant, so normally, flames mixed with crimson should have burst forth.

‘…This.’

The flame that bloomed at my fingertips was, no matter how I looked at it, the same flame that appeared when I used my vital energy.

Seeing that, I immediately checked my insides.

The first thing I checked was my dantian.

I wanted to know what had happened to the empty space where my vessel had shattered.

Boom-!

“…!”

As I focused strength to check my dantian, I felt a recoil from an unexpected place.

My heart.

More precisely, the area where my middle dantian was located.

‘What the…’

Why is this reacting out of the blue?

Flustered, I circulated my energy and began to observe my body.

Fortunately, the energy moved according to my will.

Does this mean my vessel has returned?

But then again.

‘…The location is all around my heart.’

The starting point of all my energy was my middle dantian.

Normally, energy fills the middle dantian through the lower dantian.

And then fills the upper dantian from there – that’s the natural order.

‘The starting point being the middle dantian…’

Means the lower dantian, which should be the source of my internal energy, has disappeared.

So where did all that internal energy go?

I immediately examined my middle dantian closely.

‘Huh.’

Found it.

All the energy from my lower dantian had moved and was bound in my middle dantian.

How could this happen?

As I struggled to comprehend the bizarre situation.

I felt a cold touch on my cheek.

“Are you okay…?”

It was the Sword Empress’s touch.

Feeling this, I startled and sat up.

“Huh?”

As I sat up, I suddenly swayed.

Something felt off.

‘My height.’

It felt slightly higher than the perspective I was used to.

The difference in perception made my body unresponsive for a moment.

“…”

The Sword Empress, watching this, also slowly sat up.

Seeing her, I could finally grasp what the problem was.

‘My height.’

Looking at the Sword Empress, for some reason, she felt smaller.

I was always slightly taller than her, but not by this much.

Compared to the difference of about a finger joint.

Now, it felt like about half a span.

‘I grew taller.’

I especially felt my limbs had lengthened.

The changes weren’t just this.

The moment I looked at my right arm, my eyes widened.

‘…What the hell is this, crazy.’

The crimson bandages wrapped around it had suddenly changed to blue.

The condition of my arm visible through the bandages was utterly bizarre.

Just by looking, it was covered in scales.

Originally, I only had a few scales slightly protruding on my right arm…

‘Actually, my right arm has fewer.’

Now, compared to my right arm, my left arm could easily be mistaken for the limb of a different creature.

My left arm, covered in blue scales, was impossible to consider human.

I racked my brain wondering how my arm ended up like this.

‘Ah, this…’

A memory surfaced.

When my vital energy charged in the form of a dragon, my left arm was bitten.

Could it be the effect from back then?

Its appearance was deeply unsettling.

Even though the bandages covered it, the fact that it extended up to my shoulder was not a normal sight.

‘…Is the rest of me okay?’

I checked my body, and thankfully, the other parts seemed fine.

Or maybe there were problems, but as far as I could see, everything except my left arm was okay.

I clenched and unclenched my fist a few times.

Kku-uk.

“…”

I felt a stronger grip pressure.

It felt like my body itself had strengthened, not just my energy.

‘It feels like I’ve undergone a metamorphosis.’

Excluding the energy gathered in my middle dantian and the physical transformation.

It wasn’t much different from the commonly spoken-of metamorphosis.

Moreover.

‘…My incomplete cultivation level has also stabilized.’

The cultivation level that had remained incomplete seemed to have firmly settled.

Overall, aside from my appearance, are there no major problems?

‘If so, what has changed?’

Considering they said that once the vessel shattered, I would no longer be human.

I wasn’t feeling such drastic changes.

I thought I would suddenly turn into a monster or something.

It’s not as bad as I thought…

‘…Although, considering my current state…’

Looking at my left arm, it’s not entirely like that, but this is much better than expected.

As I examined my body, I suddenly glanced at the Sword Empress.

She was looking at me with a peculiar gaze.

At first, her gaze was on my left arm, but now she was looking into my eyes.

Looking into that gaze.

“…”

I involuntarily averted my gaze slightly.

And then I lightly brushed my face.

Looking at the Sword Empress made me feel suffocated.

“Damn it.”

Now that the situation had come to this, it was harder to ignore what I had suspected.

Moreover, if I recalled her behavior towards me.

I could no longer pretend not to know.

I met the Sword Empress’s gaze again.

She was still looking at me with that peculiar expression.

Her gaze seemed particularly uncomfortable to me.

Enduring it with effort, I asked her.

“You.”

The informal speech came out naturally.

It’s much more comfortable than when I called you Unit Leader and used polite speech.

“…You know who I am, don’t you?”

I finally uttered the words that had been subtly pricking at my mind.

From the moment I realized she kept treating me specially.

I had expected she knew my identity.

It just hadn’t remained a mere ‘expectation,’ so I hadn’t bothered to bring it up.

“…?”

Hearing my question, the Sword Empress tilted her head and looked at me.

Did she not grasp the intention of my question?

Or perhaps.

‘Does she really just not know?’

That’s not an impossible scenario.

After all, her face looked different when I first arrived.

And her martial arts were sealed, so I figured she had no way of knowing.

The problem is.

‘She just saw the flames.’

She must have seen the flames I conjured with my own hands.

Could she still not know even after seeing that?

Is the difference in our faces still maintained?

Just as such anxiety and doubt began to sprout.

“…What do you… mean?”

The Sword Empress looked at me and asked for clarification instead.

It seemed she truly didn’t understand what I was saying.

‘Perhaps it’s for the best.’

It would be fortunate if she didn’t recognize me.

In that case, all I’d need to know is why the Sword Empress treats me specially.

Let’s just let it slide for now.

Just as I thought that and was about to continue speaking.

“No… Forget what you just said…”

“Gu Yangcheon.”

Thump.

At the words the Sword Empress uttered, my mouth snapped shut.

I stared at the Sword Empress with wide, surprised eyes.

Did she just… call my name?

“…That.”

“Your name.”

“…”

The Sword Empress said that calmly, looking at me.

Flustered, I stared blankly at her.

“…No matter what happens…”

The Sword Empress said this to me in her usual tone.

“I…”

“Will never fail to recognize you.”

“…”

Her tone was full of conviction.

Leaving aside how she could speak with such certainty.

Her unhesitating words were enough to stir the anxiety in my heart.

“…How?”

I can’t understand.

As always, I couldn’t understand her.

Furthermore, I didn’t want to admit it.

“You…”

Knowing you now, whom I couldn’t recognize in the past.

I hate it so much.

Because I now know how damn awful it is to see the you I missed because I didn’t recognize you.

I tried to ask something but closed my mouth.

I repeated that several times.

I saw her tired eyes and her body bleeding from wounds.

Pretending not to notice, I asked something else.

“Then, why aren’t you surprised?”

“…?”

“Isn’t it strange… that another me exists?”

There’s already a me in this world.

Even though the sight of him makes me furious, he was undeniably me.

It was astonishing that the Sword Empress, having grasped my current identity, showed no doubt about this.

To such a question, the Sword Empress merely looked at me with her characteristic blue eyes.

“…It’s fascinating.”

Her brief reply seemed almost calm.

“Just fascinating?”

“Yeah.”

“…”

So she’s not curious, just fascinated?

It’s like…

“…That’s so like you.”

Ironically, it was the most characteristic answer she could give.

A slight smile formed at that sight.

Swoosh.

Her fingertips touched my cheek again.

This time, I didn’t flinch away in surprise.

In fact, I could have stopped her, but I deliberately didn’t.

“…Where you were from. Am I… there?”

“Yes.”

She apparently assumes I’m not from this world.

I didn’t deny it.

“How is it?”

“Similar. Just as dense as now, with the same vacant eyes.”

Hearing this, the Sword Empress’s brow furrowed slightly.

Seeing that made my heart sink heavily.

“Yes, my eyes were always like this.”

The current Sword Empress.

And the Namgung Bi-ah I know.

They don’t seem particularly different.

Then why did I think she was different?

No, it wasn’t that I thought she was different.

I probably just wished she was different.

As we kept our gazes locked, the Sword Empress spoke to me without relaxing her frown.

“The me from that place… do you see me with eyes like these?”

“…What eyes? What do you mean, ‘eyes like these’?”

Wondering what she meant, I spoke again, and the Sword Empress… Namgung Bi-ah’s hand carefully withdrew from my cheek.

“I envy it.”

As she said that with a slight upturn of her lips, various emotions crossed my mind.

It was an emotion I wished I hadn’t felt.

What should I say?

A few words came to mind, but ultimately, I couldn’t say anything.

Because there were no words I could dare to utter.

Silence fell as I gazed at Namgung Bi-ah.

“…For now…”

Remembering she wasn’t in good condition, I reached out.

As this wasn’t a good situation to linger in.

Escaping this place must be the priority for now.

Furthermore, after moving locations, I needed to understand my body better.

I had to find out how it had changed, and whether I had truly become inhuman.

As I thought this and reached out to grab Namgung Bi-ah to move her to safety.

Woong-

“What?”

Suddenly, I felt something in the air.

As I turned my head towards the distinct sense of foreignness.

Thump.

A crack began to form behind Namgung Bi-ah.

Tz-zeo-eok-!

The air suddenly tore open, leaving afterimages.

The moment I saw it, I grabbed Namgung Bi-ah and pulled her back.

My brow furrowed at the sudden phenomenon.

No matter how I looked at it, that was a Demonic Gate.

Suddenly, a Demonic Gate appeared without any warning.

Just as I wondered why the Demonic Gate had suddenly appeared.

Deu-deu-deuk.

“…!”

My feet were dragged, and my body tensed.

Something was pulling me.

It was definitely a force with that intent.

I braced myself, putting strength into my feet.

After all, I couldn’t just be dragged away by some unknown force.

But.

‘Damn it all.’

The force trying to drag me is unreasonably strong.

Who the hell is this?

‘I didn’t want to use it unless absolutely necessary, before confirming…’

I grit my teeth.

Not only did I not know why my lower dantian disappeared, but I also didn’t know what effects the energy starting from my middle dantian would have.

I wanted to avoid using my energy if possible, but

If I continued like this, I’d be dragged into that unknown Demonic Gate, so I had no choice but to unleash my energy.

Hooook-!

As I exerted strength, the internal energy gathered in my middle dantian reacted and began to vibrate.

Following the acupoints, the energy spread throughout my body.

Feeling the heavy power settling in, I was somewhat surprised.

‘It’s much more than I expected.’

Because the amount of power I felt was extraordinary.

I don’t know the exact amount yet, but it felt like my original strength had increased by thirty percent.

‘With this much…’

‘I guess I won’t get beaten up anywhere.’

It means I’m at a level where I can confidently claim to be a martial artist of the Transformation Realm.

‘That’s not what’s important right now.’

First, I need to confirm and then escape.

Kku-uk-!

Just as I channeled strength into my toes, intending to escape the Demonic Gate with Namgung Bi-ah.

Tuk.

De-gu-ru-ru.

Something fell from the air and rolled towards me.

What is this now…

“…!”

Seeing the thing that suddenly appeared, I let out a gasp. Namgung Bi-ah did too.

She even grabbed my shoulder in surprise.

I couldn’t help it.

What appeared suddenly was a person’s head.

With marks as if the neck had been ripped right off, a look of despair remained, as if unable to react properly.

Even more so.

‘Why is that person…’

It was a face I recognized.

The owner of the head was none other than Heavenly Venerate (Cheon-jon).

The old man who had killed me once.

And one of the Three Venerates, Namgung Bi-ah’s great-grandfather.

Startled by Heavenly Venerate’s head rolling on the ground, it was only for a moment.

“It took some effort to find you.”

At the voice that followed, my body froze like stone.

It was a familiar voice. Moreover, it was a voice I could never forget.

How could I forget a voice so deeply engraved in my heart?

From somewhere, a white hand appeared and reached towards the Demonic Gate.

It was a woman’s hand, but not Namgung Bi-ah’s.

An endlessly slender and delicate arm.

My gaze naturally followed her calm and graceful movements.

Her delicate fingertips, as they reached out, grasped the Demonic Gate floating in the air as if it were an actual door.

Kwa-ga-ga-gak-!

And then, she casually slammed it shut.

An immense friction and wind pressure erupted in the process, but the woman seemed completely unfazed.

Sssseeee…

The dizzying situation concluded so easily.

That woman’s existence was like that.

A power that could casually handle even the unknown disaster of a Demonic Gate as if going for a stroll.

A monster whose very existence defied reason.

Kkeu-deu-deuk…

Perhaps not fully closed, the Demonic Gate trembled slightly through its crack.

The woman held the gap steady with her hand.

Even while doing so, not a tremor could be felt.

Rather, the woman seemed intrigued, observing the gap she held with curiosity.

Completely black hair, without a single strand of another color.

Whenever a slight breeze blew, her dark-colored robe fluttered magnificently.

Watching all those moments, I still couldn’t utter a single word.

Finally, the woman’s gaze turned towards me.

The moment I met her eyes, my breath caught.

It wasn’t a special emotion that flashed.

Fear.

That was the only emotion I felt looking at her.

The woman calmly looked at me and smiled.

Her violet eyes curved beautifully.

Her expression and aura were inscrutable.

I had to bite my trembling lips to stop them.

Why on earth…

Is that person here?

The woman’s head tilted slightly as she peered into my eyes.

Her dazzling violet eyes, incomparable to other demonic beings, were visible.

The master of ten thousand demons, the sky of the Demonic Cult.

The absolute being possessing unreasonable power.

There were countless formidable titles used to call her, but ultimately, there was only one name.

“How nice to see you.”

The Demoness bestowed by heaven.

Heavenly Demon (Cheon-ma).

“Leader.”

Despair was smiling at me.