Chapter 1284: Scorched World

“This… How is this possible…”

A figure tied to a tree. No matter how I look at it, she looks like my mother. Why is she here? Moreover…

‘Why is she bound like this?’

Why is she tied up so pitifully? My insides ached the moment I saw her. I immediately reached out towards Mu-ah.

Should I burn her free? As I considered that, I tried to summon flames to my body.

“Don’t do that.”

A voice sounded.

“Mu-ah?”

“I understand your intention, but it would be best not to.”

“…What happened here?”

I extinguished the flames I was building up, as if about to unleash them, and asked.

“Child. What are you?”

Mu-ah, instead, asked me a question.

“You bear my seal. However… I do not know you. Moreover…”

Swoosh A wind brushed past my cheek.

“You are not a child of this world. You are twisted. Child. What exactly are you?”

“I’m just someone who gets swept around here and there.”

Someone once called me the eye of a storm or whatnot. But if you look closely, I think I’m the storm itself. Aren’t I just busy being tossed around? Now, whether it’s the eye or whatever, it doesn’t seem important anymore.

“So. What’s this situation?”

Mu-ah reacted to my question about why the woman was tied up.

“It seems you know who this woman is.”

“I do. I know her well, so explain. Why this person is like this here.”

“It was necessary.”

“Necessary?”

“If left as she was, this woman would have been greatly damaged. So, I used my power to make her rest stably.”

“…Damaged? Why?”

How did Mother end up getting damaged?

“There isn’t enough time to explain. Just conversing with you like this is already my limit.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit. How did I find this place? And you’re saying I can’t even talk before being sent away?”

“I don’t know the reason, but you are my apostle. If you wish to save this woman-…you must find the source she scattered.”

Mu-ah’s words quickened. As if proving there was no time, he was only spitting out the main points.

“Source? What the-.”

“Those currently called apostles. From their source… you must reclaim this woman’s… power of the myriad realms-.”

Chiiiik.

Mu-ah fell silent again, mid-sentence.

“Hey.”

I tried talking to him again, but he remained silent.

“…Damn it all.”

What kind of fucked-up situation is this now? Why is Mother suddenly tied up in relation to Mu-ah? This is an unexpected situation. I just intended to find Mu-ah and ask a few questions.

‘Things are going weirdly again.’

This isn’t easy. Especially if I want to save Mother.

‘Reclaim the power of the myriad realms from the source of the apostles?’

The source of the apostles must mean the Sword Empress. Does that mean she has Mother’s power now? How? Even if I think of questions, I can’t find the answers. If Mu-ah’s words are true, there was something I had to do anyway.

‘Meet the Sword Empress.’

I was going to meet her anyway, and now I’m given a reason. Not bad.

‘Not bad, my ass.’

How can I possibly think of this positively? I clenched my teeth tightly. Because no matter how I tried to see it positively, it was a situation I absolutely couldn’t view favorably.

‘Is there no other way?’

They say she’s tied to the tree to prevent her condition from worsening. But Mother looked fine to me. Just where exactly is she damaged?

‘I can’t even see any energy inside.’

It doesn’t seem like a mental affliction or anything like that. If so…

‘Maybe I can do something with White Flame?’

The energy of Pa-ma. Even if it can’t heal, maybe I can figure out her condition with this. With that thought, I subtly conjured White Flame.

Hwaruruuk.

Pure white flames appeared at my fingertips. The moment I tried to touch Mu-ah’s pillar with it…

“…!”

I tilted my head up towards the sky.

“…Huh.”

Something is visible in the sky.

Hwaruruuk.

Flames the color of ash. A figure surrounded by them, looking down here.

‘…Father?’

Gu Cheol-un. Father was watching this place. And with considerable intensity in his eyes.

‘Why is Father here-.’

Just as confusion and bewilderment dawned.

“How dare you.”

My father, his face contorted, uttered a short phrase and then…

Kwaaaang–!!

He came rushing towards me at tremendous speed.

“Crazy.”

I cursed and wrapped myself in Qi.

Kwarureureureuk–!!

He closed the distance in an instant, causing an explosion. The heat grazed my body. Brushing it off, I retreated backward. I tried to distance myself, avoiding the flames, but…

Kwack-!

A hand darting out from within grabbed me by the collar.

“Tsk.”

I grabbed the wrist of the hand holding me, but he was faster than my grab. My vision warped. My body, having spun around once, was suddenly floating in mid-air.

Hwaruruuk.

Below, I could see Father gathering flames in his hand. Is that Yeom-ok? Clenching my teeth, I also gathered flames in my hand. There was no time to hesitate. I threw the condensed Yeom-ok directly, and as if anticipating the situation, Father was already unleashing his Yeom-ok.

The flames collided.

Kwaaaang–!!!

A larger explosion than before occurred. Flames of different colors spun as if trying to kill each other, and a storm soared into the sky. It was a spectacle of heat and pressure. It felt like my body would get scorched by the flames.

Squinting, I searched for Father amidst the flames. No, there was no need to search. Father was still standing right beside the tree. I saw him adjusting the flames nearby, perhaps worried they might touch the tree. Seeing that, I thought to myself.

‘Tam.’

The power that emerged from my body burrowed towards Father in a black form, but…

Kadeudeuk-!

It couldn’t reach him, unlike last time. Because the flames surrounding his body brushed Tam away.

‘What is that now?’

Seriously, what is it? I can deflect Cheolhyeolbuseon with wind, but that thing…

‘It seems Tam is hesitant to approach it.’

It shows signs of reluctance to covet. Why is this guy acting like this again? This was troublesome.

‘At least I can’t use Tam.’

It means my power was blocked against Father. If that’s the case, there’s only one way.

‘…I’ll just have to charge in headfirst.’

I’ll go with skill.

Hwaruruuk-!!

Recalling the flames, I gathered heat in my hands. Getting my body ready to react anytime, I spoke to Father.

“I think there might be some misunderstanding.”

“…”

Father didn’t seem inclined to listen to me. Just the aura of finding an enemy, killing intent. And filled with anger on top of that.

“…It seems like he wouldn’t listen even if there was a misunderstanding.”

This is the first time I’ve seen Father get this angry. Judging by the situation, it seems he’s trying to protect Mother.

‘The fact that he was around here too.’

It means he knew Mu-ah was protecting Mother like that. In other words…

‘Father knows something.’

It means he possesses some information. Now that I’ve figured this much out…

Giiiiing-!!

‘I need to settle this.’

I raised flames in my hand. The Yeom-ok transformed into Yeom-ok Seongchang. Seeing that, Father’s brow twitched.

“There’s no helping it. Since it seems you won’t back down even if I try to let this slide. Please understand that we have no choice either.”

Fighting Father? It’s not that unpleasant. I’ve committed patricide once; would doing it two or three times be difficult?

Kwang-!!

I stomped hard on the ground and threw the Seongchang at Father.

Pik-!

The speed was too fast for sound to catch up. The Seongchang flew towards Father in no time. Seeing that, Father summoned grey flames and then…

Kwaak-!

“Hah.”

He grabbed the Seongchang and blocked it.

Kkigigigik-!!

The recoil pushed me back. I braced myself with my toes, but the force left two friction marks on the ground.

“…”

Perhaps judging he couldn’t block it, Father contorted his face and… twisted the Seongchang he held and threw it back.

Huuk-!

The Seongchang, after flying a certain distance, exploded right in mid-air.

Kwaaaaaaaa–!!!

“…He’s insane.”

It’s absurd. I had never seen anyone block a Seongchang like that. Just grabbing it was baffling enough.

‘It didn’t end with just grabbing it.’

Fearing the Seongchang would explode, he used his Qi to control it so it wouldn’t detonate. Yet, judging he couldn’t block it, he twisted his energy to change its path.

‘He can control his energy like that?’

It was a method I’d never heard of or seen before. That makes sense, because…

‘Doing that must cause significant damage to his hands.’

Chiiik.

Father’s hands were already stripped of skin, badly damaged. Seongchang is a martial art that fires intense heat based on high rotational force. Touching it barehanded, it was natural for his palms to be torn and damaged, but…

“…”

Father merely looked at his hands as if nothing was wrong. He must have been in pain, yet he didn’t even frown.

Swoosh.

I could see his hands healing quickly. It seemed to be because of his Apostle body. Still, it must hurt somehow.

“Seriously, he’s not some Iron Man.”

A person who seemed like they wouldn’t bleed a drop even if poked with a needle. It seems Father was no different even in his youth.

‘Is one Seongchang not enough?’

I didn’t intend to kill him, but I wanted to inflict damage and incapacitate him.

‘I need to make it a bit stronger.’

This alone is insufficient. Then I should fire something stronger. I immediately activated Cheonma Shingong.

Kkigigigigik-!!

Creating friction within, I prepared Chaos. Even if he could block Seongchang, he couldn’t block Hon-ok, right? With that intention, I gradually pushed my internal energy into my hand. Just before the form began to take shape…

Hwaruruuk.

“Hm?”

Flames surged from Father’s hand. Just as I thought he was preparing Yeom-ok…

“…Huh?”

The way it was being formed made my eyes widen. It’s not just Yeom-ok. That is…

‘Seongchang…?’

An ash-colored Yeom-ok Seongchang. Father had mimicked my Seongchang, casting the same martial art. And what’s more…

“Hah… This is seriously driving me crazy.”

Just like in the Northern Sea, this time too, after seeing it just once.