Chapter 936: So in the end.

Flutter-flutter-!

In a forest painted with vibrant colors, birds suddenly took flight, chirping.

It was still a time when it felt a shame for the sun to set.

A bird ascends into the sky, dyed crimson.

There were so many, they could fill the sky.

The master of the sky, standing on the ground, quietly watched those birds.

Swish.

The woman’s enormous tail twitched.

Simultaneously, the woman brushed her arm.

“Hmm…?”

A sense of unfamiliarity flickered in the woman’s beautiful eyes.

Something was strange.

“What is it…?”

What could it be? A shiver ran down her spine.

It was a sensation she’d never felt before, despite living for so long.

What could this be?

The woman had no idea.

Something was poking her arm.

It wasn’t purely a sensation of touch; the description was merely ‘arm.’ To be precise, the feeling resonated within her very soul.

It was a completely new feeling.

“…”

The woman stared at the sky with a peculiar look.

Where could it be?

Where could this sensation be originating from?

The woman was curious. Could it be connected to the strange feelings she’d been experiencing recently?

It felt like it was constantly on the verge of surfacing, yet never quite did, leaving her mind shrouded in fog.

“This is strange….”

The woman briefly closed her eyes.

In the silent darkness, something gently began to form.

It was someone’s face.

Who could it be?

The woman tried to recall, but no one came to mind.

She saw black hair.

It was someone’s hair.

She saw eyes.

They were slightly narrowed eyes.

It appeared to be a man.

He wore dark red clothing.

It was a style she’d never seen before.

Yet, it felt strangely familiar.

Where on earth had she seen this before?

Where had she seen him to feel this sense of longing?

The woman still had no clue.

Just then, the man’s previously still gaze shifted towards the woman.

The woman faltered as his eyes, burning red, met hers.

His gaze appeared expressionless, devoid of any emotion.

And yet.

As the man met the woman’s gaze, something began to emerge in his eyes.

Unfelt emotions began to well up, and a smile crept onto his unsmiling face.

‘…What is this?’

The woman unconsciously placed a hand over her chest.

It fluttered. She felt a pulsing vibration from within.

What is this? Why am I reacting like this all of a sudden?

Just as the woman pondered this.

-…

The man spoke, looking at the woman.

His lips moved, but no sound emerged.

What did he say?

The moment the woman squinted to see more clearly.

‘Ah….’

Several small children materialized beside the man.

Two girls, looking quite mischievous.

One boy who resembled the man, but looked rather sullen.

And the girl the boy held in his arms.

Four in total.

Seeing them, the woman’s insides churned violently.

Her feet moved of their own accord.

She wanted to approach them, but her feet moved without closing the distance even slightly.

She reached out her hand desperately.

She couldn’t reach them.

Seeing the woman like that, the man muttered something once more.

What is he saying? What is he saying?

The woman tried desperately to decipher his words, but still couldn’t make them out.

And then.

Not the man, but the boy beneath him also moved his lips, looking at the woman.

His small mouth moved, forming words.

Crucially, unlike the man’s words, she could read the child’s.

-Mom.

“…”

Hearing the word, the woman froze.

What did he say?

Was he talking to me?

If so, why would he say that to me?

The woman stared at the child in confusion, but…

Fwoosh-!

“…!”

At that moment, the scene before her shifted.

Everything dissolved like mist.

The crimson sky returned once more, and the woman opened her eyes.

“…”

Then, she brushed her forehead with her elegant hand.

What did I just do?

What did I see?

Strangely, she couldn’t recall.

I saw something, so why can’t I remember it?

I definitely saw it just now?

The woman felt flustered by this strangeness.

This had been happening frequently lately.

Moments when something would vaguely appear, only to vanish like the wind, fading from memory.

These were occurrences that happened often to the woman recently.

Since she could vaguely see things but not remember them, the woman grew increasingly displeased.

‘Why.’

Why on earth is this happening?

The woman wanted to resolve this unpleasantness.

Where did the problem begin?

What was the cause of this sudden issue?

As the woman pondered this quietly, she suddenly remembered.

‘It started back then.’

The day I went searching for the lost Abyss.

It started from that day.

From then on, the woman felt something had gone awry.

“…”

Crackle-snap.

Feeling something crumble from within, the woman slowly drew a breath.

Every time she drew breath, the very atmosphere seemed to ripple.

This was a phenomenon caused by her very existence being akin to the myriad realms.

After breathing with the atmosphere for a while, the woman’s gaze settled, as if she had calmed down.

“As I thought. I must find it.”

If that was the problem, then that must have been the cause.

When I encountered the Abyss.

And the time I saw the young dragons.

If those were indeed the problem.

“I must capture them….”

Capture them.

And capture and dispose of them.

If they were a poison to the myriad realms, it was only right to remove them somehow, and frankly, it wasn’t a difficult task for the woman.

The woman’s gaze fell upon the forest beside her.

“…”

There sat a woman with brown hair, wearing a black mask, looking exhausted.

Hearing the call, the woman looked up.

The golden eyes behind the mask darted around.

Looking at her, the woman spoke.

“Daughter.”

“…”

At the woman’s call, Yarang met her gaze.

She looked somewhat weary.

“My poor child.”

The woman approached her calmly.

Every time she took barefoot steps, flowers bloomed on the seemingly parched ground.

“It seems something tainted has appeared in the myriad realms.”

“…”

If something blurs one’s clarity, it’s right to remove it without hesitation.

In truth, the woman questioned why she was even hesitating.

So then.

“Tell me what you saw and heard.”

The woman said, stroking Yarang’s mask.

***************

Crack-crack-crack-.

Shards flew in all directions.

Dust swirled thickly, obscuring the view, as flames flickered above the cratered ground.

What was peculiar was that these weren’t the usual red or blue flames, but flames that were somehow murky and dark.

They seemed blue at times, black at others, or perhaps closer to ash gray.

At first glance, the colors bore no resemblance, yet…

Depending on how one looked, the feeling was quite different.

Foul and rough.

And somehow, it was a flame brimming with an unpleasant aura.

As I quietly observed that strange energy.

“…Guh…!”

I clutched my arm as a searing pain struck.

It was my left arm, the one I’d just thrown a punch with.

“Guhhh….”

As the agony surged, my knees buckled involuntarily.

My hand trembled uncontrollably.

This was different from trembling because I couldn’t withstand immense pressure.

It felt like my muscles were tearing apart.

Every joint felt powerless, while the pain surged immensely.

It wasn’t just my arm.

Upon checking, my entire body was in trouble.

As if to prove I’d forcibly endured the energy, all my acupoints were swollen, not to mention.

My body had been scraped raw by the residual force that had swept through.

“W…ow….”

It hurt so much I could only marvel.

What happened to my internal energy? Checking my core, I let out a hollow laugh.

“Damn.

Nearly seventy percent was gone.

My internal energy reserves are far greater than in my past life, yet seventy percent vanished after just one outburst.

Even if over half of that was wasted due to my inability to control and maintain it.

Even accounting for that, this level of expenditure is absurd.

I couldn’t even lift my arm.

It wasn’t a joint issue so much as lethargy from complete exhaustion.

“Haha….”

I burst out laughing.

Do I really have to end up like this every time I use it once?

This was almost like when I first used the Flame Prison.

Or even worse than when I was training the Flame Prison Star Spear.

Why does my body always get wrecked every time I attempt something?

It’s quite laughable, and yet…

‘Still.’

I grinned, looking straight ahead.

‘It’s not bad.’

Even though my body was shattered, the results were acceptable.

Moreover.

‘I was right.’

The plan to combine the two martial arts, bind them with sorcery, and forge them into one.

My hunch that something would emerge upon achieving that proved correct.

Behold.

‘I created something utterly ridiculous.’

The area ahead was practically a hellscape.

I was dumbfounded by what I had created.

Even if the Volcanic Peak sect created by Nuoya wasn’t wider than the volcanoes of the Central Plains, it wouldn’t crumble from just a single punch.

The power I unleashed was truly overwhelming.

This is only because Nuoya blocked it directly.

If he had dodged, I couldn’t even guess how far it would have spread.

That explains it.

And why Shin Nuoya is staring at me with such shock.

“…Brat.”

My torn and damaged martial robes.

Slightly disheveled hair and wide, surprised eyes.

And on top of that.

“What in the world have you created?”

Even the sword gripped in my hand.

I liked it all.

“…How is it?”

I said to him with a grin.

“For Jae-ryong, Jae-ryong, it was… not bad-.”

I faltered mid-sentence and swayed.

My body lost strength, and I collapsed.

Just as I was about to hit the ground.

Thud.

Someone caught me and lifted me up.

Flowing hair and a subtle, fine fragrance brushed against my nose.

Who is it?

In my fading consciousness, I saw familiar eyes, nose, and mouth.

I couldn’t utter a word.

Because I lost consciousness right then.

***************

Unable to utter a word, Gu Yangcheon lost consciousness. Lying there powerlessly, he truly seemed to have lost all his strength.

The woman, watching him quietly, carefully supported him.

She was the woman Gu Yangcheon called Cheonma.

“…”

Cheonma continued to stare at the unconscious Gu Yangcheon.

Her gaze seemed as if she were checking him all over, to see if he was injured anywhere.

Seeing that there seemed to be no particular issue, she soon nodded slightly.

Just as she was about to support him and move him.

“You’re making trouble when you should be resting.”

At Shincheol’s words, as he brushed himself off, Cheonma looked at him.

“If your body is hurt, you should rest. Why are you here to take care of that guy too?”

“…”

Cheonma didn’t answer Shincheol’s words and simply stared at him.

“…What is it?”

At that gaze, Shincheol tilted his head.

“Are you trying to get angry by making that guy like this?”

“…”

“Give it up. I got hit too. Tsk tsk. Have you no respect for elders?”

Moreover, I didn’t hit him that hard.

I even laid the groundwork for him to run wild.

Didn’t he end up like this by throwing punches on his own?

So Shincheol said, sounding aggrieved.

“I did it all with a plan, so don’t blame me….”

“Are you okay?”

“Huh?”

At Cheonma’s words, Shincheol narrowed his eyes.

Asking if I’m okay all of a sudden?

“What are you talking about?”

“Your body.”

“Huh?”

Is she perhaps worried about me? Shincheol let out a hollow laugh.

“Who’s worried about whom? Child. Worry about the one you’re carrying on your back first.”

“You look worse.”

“Your eyesight must be quite poor.”

Where on earth does she see that?

Shincheol said, shrugging, but…

“You’re hurting a lot.”

“…”

At Cheonma’s confident words, Shincheol fell silent for a moment.

At the same time, his expression grew somewhat serious.

He was certain that Cheonma knew something.

“Don’t tell the brat.”

At those words, Cheonma tilted her head.

“Why?”

“It won’t do him any good if he finds out.”

“…”

“He’s more fragile than he looks. So pretend you don’t know.”

“Did you understand?”

At Shincheol’s words, Cheonma finally nodded.

That was enough. The moment Shincheol thought that.

“Then, what about you?”

“What?”

“Aren’t you?”

Are you not a fragile person?

At Cheonma’s question, Shincheol chuckled lowly.

“Well…”

Maybe I was, once upon a time.

But.

“Even if it’s true now, you must not be. So, stay still.”

Hearing Shincheol’s words, Cheonma looked at him quietly, and then.

“Alright.”

She said, as if she finally understood.

Then she disappeared somewhere with Gu Yangcheon.

Shincheol, left alone, stood still and looked at his free hand, not the one holding the sword.

“…”

His dry fingertips seemed slightly blurry.

Looking at them, he briefly clenched his fist, then opened it again.

Then, as if nothing had happened, his hand returned to its normal state.

As if nothing had occurred.