Chapter 1067: The Divine Tree and the Master.

“Grrrrrr……”

A monster, stuck in the spear, was letting out a low groan.

“Gur……rrrrr……”

The monster, which had been struggling to escape somehow, suddenly grew quiet.

Its torn, crimson pupils widened slightly.

Ssssseuuu.

A strange change began to occur in the monster’s body.

Ssssseuuuuu.

Wind blew in. Lightning energy swirled within the raging wind. In the sky, still showing the night, an aurora flickered.

While the crimson aurora raged, beneath the rough atmosphere, Taechen looked towards the opposite side.

Blackened, scorched ground. A woman stood above it. Her expression seemed somewhat tired, with only her purple-red pupils shining.

She was staggering while gripping her sword tightly.

“Cough.”

She spat out blood. Clutching her head as if somewhere ached badly, she then let out ragged breaths.

Seeing this, Taechen asked.

“How curious.”

He nodded. As Taechen nodded, his body crumbled. His ruined body turned into fragments and fell to the ground.

Taechen maintained an indifferent attitude. As if not caring about such things at all, he merely gazed at the woman with impassive eyes.

“You’re surely clad in divinity. Why are you so weak?”

The more I fought you.

Taechen grew doubtful.

The divinity entwined around that woman was by no means low. It was a level that would surprise even Taechen.

It was peculiar for someone clad in such a thing.

The woman was strong, but compared to what she possessed, she was utterly pathetic.

Her possessed strength and authority were so outstanding, so how could she not utilize them?

Expressing his doubt, he reached a conclusion.

“You’ve sealed it off.”

She’s blocking it herself, preventing her from using her possessed power. It couldn’t be possible otherwise.

Then.

“For what purpose?”

For what did she block off her own power? Taechen couldn’t understand this part the most.

If she had a separate main body or something, I might understand…

“No, your very existence is questionable from the start.”

Despite being clad in divinity, she is not the master.

Despite possessing power, she couldn’t use it. I couldn’t understand how she was maintained in such a form.

“What are you?”

What on earth is that woman? I couldn’t understand, no matter how many times I thought about it.

Then.

“I already answered the question of what I am.”

The woman, Cheonma, raised her head and spoke.

The answer had been given long ago.

Lingering attachment.

My name, the reason I am alive-all of it was that.

“Lingering attachment? Such useless words.”

Taechen laughed.

To those who live in immortality, they are truly pointless words.

“So, you’re saying the reason you’re doing this now is connected to that lingering attachment?”

For what?

Setting aside her existence, for what purpose was she blocking his path?

He could tell the answer lay in what was behind her.

“Are you trying to protect that?”

“……”

Something embedded in Taechen’s spear. It had been groaning just moments ago, but was now unable to make any sound.

Had it died? Judging by the faint life signs, it didn’t seem so.

“Are you trying to protect that?”

Was the woman trying to protect that?

She must be. That must be why the woman had endured until now.

“Without moving even a single step.”

She hadn’t moved at all while receiving Taechen’s assault.

The woman had been like that despite taking so many attacks. It must have been solely to protect that monster.

Then, could she be an Apostle?

Since both were related to the Dragon Emperor, perhaps it could have been possible due to that relationship, but.

“A futile act.”

Srrrrik.

Taechen gathered the spear into one hand.

Whatever intention behind it, or however alien its existence might be.

It wasn’t greatly important anymore.

It was always like that for Taechen.

“Now, it’s about time to stop.”

The regeneration of his crumbled body had slowed down, and descending as a demigod had reached its limit.

Time was tight. He had to finish things and return as quickly as possible.

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiing–!!!

Energy gathered into the spear. It would pierce straight through the woman and reach the Sacred Tree.

Thinking thus, as he gathered energy.

‘Oh no.’

Seeing Taechen like that, Cheonma laughed bitterly.

‘This is troublesome.’

The power she had drawn upon had reached its limit. She had tried to block it somehow, but this situation meant she couldn’t.

What should she do? Cheonma looked back.

She saw him lying there as if dead.

Although his form had become grotesque, the woman still found his shape within it.

‘He’s still such a heavy sleeper.’

He, who was a heavy sleeper, seemed to have no intention of waking up even now.

He’s truly too much.

‘If only he’d show his face just once.’

She had endured and endured. Even now, she wanted to see just one glance.

Despite that, he wouldn’t wake up.

‘It’s okay.’

The woman thought it was okay, even hearing that. The time to regret things like this had passed.

If she were to regret mere trifles like this, she should have done so long ago.

No, it would have been better if she had rather let go.

Unable to do so, she had come this far.

‘Lingering attachment.’

Even thinking about it herself, it was truly a word that represented her well.

Squeeze.

She put strength into the sword-shaped mass of energy in her hand.

Could this be the last time?

Perhaps. But.

“It’s okay.”

The woman said that was okay too. This was something she said to herself.

Even if she couldn’t see him.

Even if he eventually faded away, buried in oblivion, it was still okay.

Isn’t this the life she decided was okay, even if it turned out this way?

‘So please.’

Even if the lingering attachment leaves and only that person remains.

‘Only you.’

Just be okay.

For the woman, ‘okay’ meant it was directed towards herself, but ultimately, it was also a word spoken towards him.

Krrrrrrrrrr!!!

Immense power gathered far away.

‘Does he intend to finish this?’

Taechen was pouring all his strength into preparing for a single blow.

That meant the other side was also desperate.

Glancing.

The woman looked back. Seeing Gu Yangcheon lying there, she closed her lips.

She couldn’t avoid it. Taechen surely knew the woman was protecting Gu Yangcheon.

Knowing she couldn’t avoid it and had to block it, that’s why she was gathering her strength like that.

“Sssuu.”

She exhaled softly.

The woman drew up her energy.

She was already empty. Energy leaked from the crack of a closed door. Just this alone was far from enough.

If she opened the door and used what she had locked away, it would work, but.

She couldn’t do that. She herself, not anyone else, had placed the lock.

To unlock this, oblivion must end. She had given it up for him, and she knew oblivion wouldn’t be undone.

Recalling this, the moment the woman prepared for Taechen’s attack.

Flinch.

“……!”

She felt a presence behind her. As the woman quickly turned her head.

Pasusssusss!!!

Gu Yangcheon’s body underwent a change. His massive frame shrank, and the fur and tail that protruded changed.

His original form. He reverted to his human form, returning to the shape he had before becoming like that.

Then.

“Huh!”

Taechen let out a gasp upon seeing Gu Yangcheon.

“Damn.”

Sensing something, his voice sounded urgent. What had he sensed? The woman, whose energy was at its limit, felt nothing.

Only.

‘At least I saw him.’

She was satisfied just to have seen his form.

Right after he had completely returned.

Thud!

The spears embedded in his body came out on their own. Though no one pulled them out, they moved arbitrarily as if possessing a will of their own and came out.

And.

“Haaa……”

With a deep sigh, Gu Yangcheon sat up.

The wounds in his pierced body healed at a rapid pace. The flesh surged up instantly, and the changed pupils within his tired expression were seen first.

It was the same as when he was a monster. Crimson eyeballs appeared in Gu Yangcheon’s eyes.

They were completely different from his usual eyes.

As the woman was about to notice something about his unnatural form.

“……”

Gu Yangcheon’s eyes turned towards the woman.

Their eyes met. Just as the woman, seeing that, was about to speak to Gu Yangcheon.

Gu Yangcheon looked at the woman and spoke.

“Yehwa.”

The softly spoken name.

Hearing that, Yehwa’s body stiffened.

A name that shouldn’t have been heard was spoken.

And.

Krrrrrrrrrr……!!!

The lock within Yehwa’s body came undone and fell to the floor.

What had been tightly locked came undone, and the door opened.

The dark celestial sea contained within poured out in a cascade.

Swaaaaaaah!!!

The pouring celestial sea filled the empty space, and soon the woman’s insides became completely filled with the dark celestial sea.

The celestial sea filled her completely, without a single gap. From within it, the woman’s eyes began to shine.

“You bastard!”

At that situation, Taechen quickly launched an attack. The immense power prepared was poured onto Yehwa and Gu Yangcheon, fully contained within the blue spear. Normally, they would have been pierced and vanished.

It should have been the same this time.

And so, just before the spear tip touched the two.

Shink.

Along with the sound of something being cut, Taechen’s spear was split in two.

Kahahahahaha!!!

The disintegrated energy exploded in all directions.

The spear, split in half, swept through the air before erupting in a blast.

Taechen widened his eyes as he watched his own energy collapse.

More precisely, it was while looking at the woman who had cut his energy.

“What……!”

It wasn’t power that should have been split so easily, yet it was split so nonchalantly.

How could this have happened?

She had changed. Something had changed drastically.

“Ah.”

Yehwa uttered a single cry.

Hwaaaaaaa!!!

From Yehwa’s feet, darkness became a sea and encroached upon the surroundings.