Chapter 960: Lost Soul.

Time stops.

The falling leaves, the scattering dust, the chirping of insects – everything stopped.

The air is stuffy. It feels like nothing is flowing at all.

Amidst the heavy and stifling atmosphere. It was I who broke the silence that had been flowing peacefully.

“…What are you…?”

I said, staring intently at Yarang.

I couldn’t help it.

“I asked what you are.”

Though I asked fiercely.

“…”

Yarang didn’t utter a single word. She just gazed at me silently.

Those eyes. Seeing her clear golden eyes, I bit my lip.

‘Why on earth.’

Is that face appearing from within the mask? I couldn’t understand.

Long, brown hair.

Fair skin with slightly downturned eyes.

A captivating yet serene beauty.

Within them, clear golden pupils.

It was the face of the woman I had longed to see so much, both in my past life.

And even now.

And then.

‘This aura.’

The subtly felt aura kept grating on my insides.

If it were just mimicking the appearance, my insides wouldn’t be churning this much.

But.

‘That.’

It wasn’t just the appearance that was mimicked.

I could tell.

The aura contained within. Those eyes looking at me.

It was all her.

“…You…”

What exactly is your identity? What kind of identity allows you to wear that face and possess that aura?

Just as I was about to grab onto that and ask.

Swoosh.

The woman named Yarang lowered her head and picked up the fallen mask.

And covered her face again.

Vwoom.

The aura I felt completely subsided.

It was instantaneous. Just putting on a mask did that.

This is…

‘…Is this the same power as the mask the Demon King gave me?’

The mask I use when I act. It’s a very similar power.

But.

‘Even so.’

There’s no way I wouldn’t recognize you just because you covered yourself with a mask.

“Answer me. Why you…”

Why are you here.

Why on earth are you in that state in the Man-gye?

And.

‘Why are you lingering around me?’

Just as I was about to speak the words I wanted to ask.

Whoooosh—!!!

KWA-BOOOOM—!!!

Something fell violently from the sky.

The impact erupted, crushing the ground.

Thump-!

Landing amidst the swirling dust and dirt was none other than Cheonma.

She raised a dark aura, blocking my path.

“…You’re back again?”

Cheonma said.

“I told you.”

Her voice was laced with a chilling intensity.

“Next time, I’ll really kill you.”

Fsssh-! As Cheonma spoke, dark energy gathered in her hand.

‘That…!’

Seeing the energy, my eyes widened.

That’s the Cheonma Sword.

It was the sword of energy that Cheonma wielded in my past life.

That chilling and sinister aura.

The power that killed all Three Venerables and annihilated several of the Nine Great Sects.

That power manifested in Cheonma’s hand.

Swoooooo–!!!

It vibrated intensely, as if sucking in all the surrounding energy.

Fierce and overwhelming.

An intensity that made one frown just looking at it. Cheonma, wielding such power, moved.

She charged towards Yarang.

Seeing that, I immediately shouted.

“Stop-!”

Even though I shouted, Cheonma didn’t stop.

Wouldn’t this go badly? Startled, I gritted my teeth, but…

Vwoom-!

Just then, a change occurred on Yarang’s side.

Clang-!

“…Huh?”

Yarang blocked Cheonma’s sword. Suddenly, a sword was in her hand too.

A sword identical in shape to Cheonma’s, but opposite in color and feel.

‘That….’

Seeing it, I froze.

I knew that too.

‘The Demon-Slaying Sword (Pama-geom).’

A brilliant white sword.

It was what the Divine Sword used to wrap around her sword or create with energy in my past life.

It was the sword that severely punished demons and slaughtered demonic beings.

Anything touched by it would crumble and dissipate, all demonic energy extinguished.

Yes.

Crackle-!!

Just like now.

The Cheonma Sword crumbled upon contact with the Pama-geom. Seeing this, Cheonma frowned.

The sword blade was half gone, but Cheonma didn’t back down.

She retracted her sword and moved her hand.

A shadow spread across the ground.

‘Oh no….’

The activation of a Domain. A domain made of demonic energy encroached upon the forest.

It spread rapidly in all directions, like spreading water.

Thump-! As the demonic energy brushed against my feet, my own demonic energy surged uncontrollably.

Perhaps trying not to be swept away, my demonic energy rose.

At the same time.

Fwoosh–!!

Flames appeared at my fingertips. However, it wasn’t black flame, but white flame.

‘…Why the hell is this popping up out of nowhere.’

Why is it appearing so randomly and tactlessly?

I was flustered seeing the flames, but there was no time for that now.

Thump-!

Cheonma lightly stepped onto the ground made of demonic energy.

Whoooosh—!!!

Then, the ground violently churned like waves. It was an immense shock.

A vortex was instantly created.

The energy, moving as if to swallow the entire ground,

“Rise.”

At Cheonma’s single call, it immediately rose.

The dark energy, having grown in size by consuming the surroundings, charged towards Yarang.

It was as large as the wave I created with black flames.

An entity that large was enough to engulf Yarang in an instant.

Should I let it be? Before I could even process the confusion.

“…”

Yarang also aimed her sword at the wave.

Swoooo-!!

As she aimed her sword, white energy appeared around her and began to gather.

Seeing that, my jaw dropped.

‘Wolseonmugeom…?’

As if to ensure I wouldn’t be confused anymore, she fully revealed her power.

The solidified form of the white energy was a sword.

A power similar in form to the sword she held.

That was undoubtedly the Eogieogeom of Wolseonmugeom, which she used in both her past and present lives.

In this life, Wi Seol-ah could barely handle fewer than ten swords at a time.

What I saw now seemed to be several times that amount.

Yarang fired the created swords towards the wave.

Kwagagagagagagaga—-!!!!

The sword projectiles relentlessly pierced the wave.

As the swords rained down on the large wave, it gradually began to lose its form.

The massive tsunami I saw subsided, and just as its size began to shrink.

Whoosh-!!

Cheonma charged through the wave. Was it merely a diversion from the start?

She closed the distance at high speed. Then she swung her sword.

Clang-!!

Yarang countered Cheonma with her sword.

Clang! Clang-!

Friction sounds repeatedly burst in the air.

The two began to clash at high speed.

They were incredibly fast.

Not only were they fast, but the energies involved were substantial, causing large ripples with every clash.

The Cheonma Sword disappeared whenever it touched the Pama-geom, but

Cheonma didn’t seem to mind at all.

If it broke, she recreated it.

If it broke again, she recreated it once more.

The fight grew increasingly intense.

At first glance, Yarang seemed to be losing.

Finally.

Clang-!

With Cheonma’s upward slash, Yarang’s sword flew into the air.

Just like that.

Cheonma tried to thrust her sword towards Yarang’s neck, but

Thwack-!

The sword ultimately failed to pierce her neck.

It was because I intervened and grabbed the sword.

“…Stop it already.”

“…”

Cheonma glared at me for my actions. Moreover, my hand hurt like hell.

It was because I grabbed it with the hand I had injured earlier.

I couldn’t help it.

It was the hand that was relatively okay, thanks to the protective charms.

Besides.

Fwoosh.

The white flames on my hand were blocking Cheonma’s sword.

Watching that calmly, I said to Cheonma.

“Calm down a bit.”

“…Why are you interfering?”

At my words, Cheonma looked at me with an expression of utter disbelief.

I felt the same way about not understanding.

“Why am I interfering? Then what are you? Why are you trying to fight?”

“She followed you.”

“So what?”

What do you want me to do about it.

She’s following me, so why are you always stepping up?

Grind! Gritting my teeth, I shifted my gaze to Cheonma.

This time, I looked at Yarang.

“…And you? Do you intend to continue?”

“…”

There was no answer.

Yarang simply looked at me and, instead of answering, dropped the sword in her hand.

The sword fell from her hand, scattering into energy.

Simultaneously.

Sssshh-!

The swords behind Cheonma also vanished into light.

Just now, Cheonma hadn’t fully secured the advantage.

It was a situation where the Pama-geom could have reached Cheonma before her sword did.

‘Indeed…’

I became certain watching Cheonma fight.

‘Lacking.’

There was no combat style or experience at all.

She was completely different from the Cheonma of my past life.

Watching the fight firsthand, I realized that.

This one doesn’t know how to fight.

She just blindly relies on her innate power to brute force her way through.

Yet, her power is so overwhelming that she can push through with it.

In other words.

‘A beginner with only raw strength.’

Lacking the experience or finesse of her past life. That’s the impression.

‘Back then, she was someone I couldn’t even approach.’

No attack, no power could reach her.

Only the Pama possessed by the Divine Sword could touch her.

But now, she’s so close.

It felt like I could easily reach her if necessary.

Could that really be Cheonma?

And.

‘What is this one.’

Beyond questioning Cheonma, my eyes were now fixed solely on Yarang before me.

It can’t be.

It absolutely cannot be.

All my instincts screamed that Yarang was the Divine Sword.

Not just Wi Seol-ah.

The Divine Sword (Sin-geom) Wi Seol-ah.

In my eyes, Yarang was her.

No matter how I looked at it, no matter how the world and the current situation denied it, I knew.

“…Why are you here?”

I repeated the question I had already asked several times.

She is the Divine Sword.

“Answer me… why you…”

I reached out. Trying to take her hand. But.

Swoosh.

Before my hand could reach her, she pulled back, creating distance.

Furthermore.

Clank-!

She created her sword again and tried to swing it at me.

Clang-!

As if waiting, Cheonma drew her sword and struck the Pama-geom.

Shards flew.

Seeing the white energy scatter, I had to frown.

“You…!”

Cheonma, angered, tried to attack Yarang again, but

I grabbed her shoulder and stopped her.

Fortunately, Cheonma didn’t charge this time.

She just glared at Yarang, her face contorted.

The two people with the same face faced each other.

Yarang’s expression was hidden by her mask, while Cheonma poured out her emotions looking at her.

The complete opposite of what I saw in my past life.

I bit my lip at the incongruous sight.

It was a form I couldn’t get used to.

Just then.

“…”

Yarang erased the sword she held again and then calmly looked at me.

Golden eyes could be felt beyond the mask.

What kind of gaze was it?

I couldn’t tell.

Rather, the lack of any discernible emotion tangled my insides.

I had a mountain of questions, but

None came out.

Just as we were exchanging glances.

Tuk.

Yarang suddenly leaped from the ground and vanished.

Even then, I could only watch, unable to grab her.

Soon, she was far away, disappearing from sight.

“…Let go.”

Cheonma said softly.

Only then did I realize I was still holding Cheonma’s shoulder.

I let go.

I was completely out of it.

It felt like I’d been hit hard on the head several times; I couldn’t regain my senses.

Somehow, barely maintaining composure, I looked at Cheonma.

She had her back to me. Seeing that, I said,

“Where the hell did you disappear to, only to suddenly show up-“

WHAM-!

“Gah-!”

A fist struck my solar plexus.

It landed squarely.

Cheonma turned her back and drove the fist straight in.

She was too close; I couldn’t dodge.

“Ngh…!”

I collapsed from the strong impact. I couldn’t even muster my Ki.

My bones reverberated.

“You… you crazy…! What are you doing all of a sudden…!”

I tried to speak to Cheonma with a trembling voice, but my mouth shut upon seeing her face.

Cheonma was looking at me with a sad expression.

It was a look I had never seen before.

Her face, contorted as if about to cry, opened its tightly shut mouth.

“…I don’t know… you… idiot.”

After barely managing to speak, Cheonma abruptly turned and flew away.

In the opposite direction Yarang had disappeared.

“…”

I remained seated, unable to move.

So I sat there, replaying Cheonma’s words in my mind.

‘…Idiot?’

It seemed like words she’d chosen after agonizing over the lack of better insults.

Really.

There couldn’t have been a more fitting word.