Chapter 314: Vigo of the Dragon. (5)

You’re not Shincheol.

It’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time.

It was Shin Noya’s Taoist name, settled within my body.

And the name of Hwasan Seon-geom.

That.

“That….”

Why is the person standing before me saying it?

This human, what is his identity?

First of all, he has blonde hair and golden eyes.

Along with an appearance that reminds me of the divine sword from my past life.

From his translucent body, an unknowable presence was felt.

‘He said Shincheol?’

It’s safe to say there isn’t anyone in this era who can call Shin Noya’s name like that.

Cheolyeong, whom I met in Shaolin, or

the person I suspect to be Namgung Myung, whom I encountered in Namgung’s Record.

Excluding those people who blocked the Blood Demon in that era,

and left behind their souls in this era.

That means…

‘This person….’

He doesn’t seem to be Namgung Myung,

and even less so Cheolyeong,

As for the remaining figures…

‘Dokjeolcheon, if not him….’

The name that comes to mind without realizing it, as if it had a will, escapes my lips.

“…Yeon Ilcheon.”

Iron-Gold King Yeon Ilcheon.

One of the heroes who blocked the Blood Demon’s Blood Calamity, and

the greatest under heaven, called the center of the five at that time.

And.

A returner, like me.

“…”

Is the person before me truly Yeon Ilcheon?

As I mentioned Yeon Ilcheon,

the man standing in front of me shifted his expression slightly.

Seeing that, I asked again.

“Are you, the Iron-Gold King, really?”

To my words, spoken as if wanting confirmation, the man answers me.

-Yes. I am Yeon Ilcheon.

That he himself is indeed Yeon Ilcheon.

I had to hide my surprise at those words.

Striking blonde hair and golden eyes.

Even his body, like steel, that naturally drew admiration.

It matched the appearance passed down in records, making it feel like it was telling me he truly was the Iron-Gold King, but

what was puzzling was…

“Hwangabulyeong-nim said that you would not remain in this land.”

Cheolyeong, whom I met back then, said to Shin Noya that

Yeon Ilcheon, like them, could not leave behind his soul.

Then, is this person calling himself Yeon Ilcheon now truly Yeon Ilcheon?

Hearing my doubt, the man looked somewhat surprised.

-You’re saying you met Cheolyeong?

“Yes.”

-Not Shincheol, but you?

Of course, we met together, but

I wasn’t sure yet whether I should tell him that.

I don’t know anything about the person before me, you see.

Hearing me say that, the man glared at me.

Why is he looking at me like that?

-…What year is it now?

“Centuries have passed since the Blood Demon disappeared.”

-Centuries… I see…

The man’s eyes became distant for a moment. What was he thinking?

I didn’t let my guard down.

‘Can I burn it with flames? What’s the escape route?’

Can I get out through the entrance I came in?

There’s a possibility it’s blocked.

If I break through the wall with flames?

I can’t be sure which part of the underground it is, so that’s difficult too.

If a fight breaks out, it meant this was a geographically disadvantageous location.

As I was thinking about that…

-Your gaze is good.

Out of the blue, praise came from the man.

-You seem to think a lot, which isn’t a bad habit. To assume the worst for anything.

“…What are you talking about?”

To my question, the man looked at the entrance I came through.

-You are not Shincheol.

It’s the same words as before.

Yes, I am not Shin Noya. Who wouldn’t know that?

I found the reason the man repeated those words strange.

“Well…”

-But, you crossed that door and came this far. Even came to face me. How is that possible?

As the man asked doubtfully,

Suddenly, I frowned.

What he’s saying is…

Does that mean you can’t cross the door if you’re not Shin Noya?

‘…What the?’

Since I met Hwangabulyeong-nim in the past. Is something tied to Shin Noya?

All of them seem to be looking for Shin Noya. It felt like it.

“…What does that mean?”

-Moreover, you said you even met Cheolyeong. What exactly are you?

At the man’s words, I had a thought.

Shin Noya’s soul exists inside my body.

Like the man said, if all the situations I’ve experienced so far were prepared for Shin Noya,

Is it because Shin Noya’s soul is inside me that I could experience those things?

“Uh, that….”

When I thought I should explain the thought I just had to the man,

the man says to me.

-You have Shincheol’s soul, I know.

“…!”

He already knew.

“How…?”

-From the first time I saw you, I knew. That Shincheol was inside you.

At the man’s firm words, a stinging sensation is felt inside me.

It’s not quite pain,

Mixed with vibrations, a wriggling.

‘This is…’

It feels different from when that beast usually whines about being hungry.

‘Noya?’

Perhaps, I wondered if it was Noya’s movement.

I called out to Noya in my mind, but at the same time, the stinging sensation disappeared.

Since he slept a lot, I wish he would wake up now.

That way, the story I’m hearing now will be much easier to understand.

However, still, Noya didn’t answer.

-That’s why I’m asking again. Who are you?

“If Hwasan Seon-geom is in my body, what’s the problem with fulfilling the part you mentioned?”

When I met Hwangabulyeong-nim.

When I heard Namgung Myung’s voice.

And up until now.

If this was solely prepared for Shin Noya,

Since Shin Noya’s soul is in my body, doesn’t that mean it can be activated?

How can he deny it so firmly?

To my question, the man shook his head.

-It cannot be just the soul that is contained, so that’s why. The one I face must truly be Shincheol.

“What kind of nonsensical talk is that? How can Hwasan Seon-geom come to this place?”

Shin Noya is already dead.

Before my eyes, the man claiming to be Yeon Ilcheon,

Hwangabulyeong-nim too.

Noecheon Ilgeom too.

Dokjeolcheon too.

Centuries have passed, after blocking the Blood Demon’s Blood Calamity.

Whether they died on the spot,

Or met the end of their lives due to old age,

By now, they are all dead.

Yet.

Everyone is looking for Shin Noya.

Even then, the Hwangabulyeong-nim I met had said so.

When he realized I wasn’t Shin Noya,

He immediately fell into despair.

As if all plans had gone to waste.

‘What is this?’

Shin Noya, to these people, what meaning does he hold?

Everyone is looking for him?

As if…

Shin Noya should have returned alive.

“Your words mean then that Hwasan Seon-geom should have been reborn?”

Without that, how can the man’s words be fulfilled?

As Shincheol himself, he should have come to the Record.

It’s an incomprehensible story. As I frowned and asked accusingly,

-Yes.

The man answered so.

“…What?”

At those calm words, it was I who should be surprised.

What did I just hear?

As if I misheard, I widened my eyes.

The man continued speaking.

-Originally, Shincheol should have been reborn and found this place.

“What is that…”

-To twist the destiny set by the era. To resolve the karma and curses accumulated in this land, was the path we chose.

-For that, we remained in this land. Even if it meant leaving our souls behind.

If the man’s words are true,

Shin Noya originally should have been reborn in this land.

‘Twisted destiny?’

Destiny set by the era. Karma and curses accumulated in the land.

Just hearing it is a dizzying story.

“What is this destiny that you all have come to this point and remained here?”

At my words, the man’s gaze changes.

Should I say it gained intensity?

-Child of a later generation, do you know of the Blood Demon?

“…Yes.”

Of course.

How could I not know? Because of that damned bastard, things I need to worry about have increased unreasonably.

While I frowned,

the man adds.

-What do you think the Blood Demon is?

“What?”

What do you mean, what is the Blood Demon?

Seeing my expression, the man

after a brief silence, says to me in a cold voice.

-The Blood Demon is a calamity.

Calamity.

It’s a familiar echo.

-A curse that descended upon the brilliant Central Plains, and a calamity.

I need to find the meaning in his words.

Is it because the person called the Blood Demon caused the Blood Calamity that he calls it a calamity?

From the man’s words, I knew it wasn’t just that meaning.

Calamity, in those words, there must be another meaning.

-The Blood Demon disappeared, and centuries have passed, you said?

“Yes.”

-Even if you are not Shincheol, the fact that you found this place, ultimately means the Blood Demon has appeared. It signifies.

That was true.

“…”

-It’s a distant story, ultimately, it’s like saying destiny cannot be twisted…

If the being I faced by borrowing Jang Seonyeon’s body was truly the Blood Demon,

He must be lingering in this era.

What that has to do with me finding this place, I don’t know, but

“What does that mean with the current situation?”

-This land originally, by the Blood Demon’s hand, should have met its end long ago. That was its destiny.

“What?”

That it should have been destroyed?

Is he referring to the Blood Calamity that the Blood Demon caused?

If that’s the case, after they blocked it so well, what kind of bullshit is this?

“Even if that were true, it was you all….”

-If we had blocked it, the Blood Demon appearing in this era would not have happened.

“…”

-Since we couldn’t do that, the only choice we had, at best, was sealing.

It’s the same as what Hwangabulyeong-nim said.

The five heroes, by joining forces, what they could do,

was merely to seal the Blood Demon, he had said.

‘But, that it should have been destroyed, destiny?’

The man’s words I still cannot understand.

Why is this land destined to be destroyed?

-Therefore, we had to make a choice. After we died, the Blood Demon who would revive, we had to block him.

“…For that, did you consider Hwasan Seon-geom’s reincarnation?”

-Yes.

“How…With mere human power….”

Does that mean you can control the reincarnation of souls?

I wanted to ask that, but

if the person before me is indeed Yeon Ilcheon,

there was something that came to mind.

Another returner, like me.

A person who traveled back in time.

If it was him, was there another way?

-Seeing your expression, you seem to know who I am. Who could it be? Did you hear it from Cheolyeong?

“…No. I heard it from Hwasan Seon-geom-nim.”

-That guy still has a loose tongue. It’s truly strange, even after hearing such things, you seem to believe it.

Well, I’ve also returned.

“I have something I want to ask.”

There are mountains of things to ask, and

the things I heard are so many, it’s overwhelming to organize.

“What is this thing called destiny?”

The words about wanting to twist destiny.

For that purpose, it was a choice, and

the story that Shin Noya should have been revived in this land.

I was curious.

Not how,

but why it had to be done, I still don’t know.

“The words that this land should have been destroyed. I want to hear in detail.”

-It means exactly what it says. The destiny set for this land… should have ended with the Blood Demon.

“Who decided such a thing?”

-I cannot say.

What a load of bullshit.

“Why? Because I’m not Hwasan Seon-geom?”

-Yes. Because you are not Shincheol.

“You said that he is inside me, you know. Then can’t you tell me?”

-Precisely because of that, I cannot.

“…What?”

What kind of bullshit is this?

As irritation welled up, my expression contorted.

Conversely, the man’s expression grew colder and colder.

-What we sealed is not just the Blood Demon.

-Not just the Blood Demon?

-What was most important was that we also eliminated the karma of calamity that the Blood Demon possessed.

“The karma of calamity….”

Staining the Central Plains with blood, that should have brought destruction, means we dealt with that karma together.

That means…

“…As the Blood Demon revives, does that mean that karma also revives?”

-No, it won’t revive. That’s because it wasn’t sealed, it was burned away.

“Then, isn’t it irrelevant?”

If the calamity ended,

Their worries seem to be nonexistent.

What is the problem?

To my question, the man let out a sound close to a sigh.

-That was our mistake.

I listened to the man’s words.

He was clearly calling it a mistake.

“A mistake?”

-Calamities don’t disappear. They are just postponed. Just because the Blood Demon’s karma disappeared, doesn’t mean the calamity disappears. It means it passes on.

“Calamity isn’t some object… If you get rid of it, another one pops out, like that….”

As I spoke in disbelief,

Suddenly, I had to shut my mouth.

Calamities don’t disappear.

They pass on.

Destiny cannot be severed.

After hearing what he said,

A figure came to mind.

‘Cheonma (Heavenly Demon)…?’

Shin Noya once told a story.

That existence called Cheonma, which I often recalled with fear.

He said it felt too similar to the Blood Demon.

Now, the man says, the story that calamities are merely postponed,

What he’s saying, the next calamity, is it Cheonma?

Beyond the Blood Demon, that will befall this land, the fate of destruction, is it… Cheonma?

‘If… that’s the case, then.’

In a past life, Shin Noya lost his life by the hand of the Divine Sword.

(Note: The original Korean text reads “전생에 신 노야는 신검의 손에 목숨을 잃는다.” which literally translates to “In a past life, Shin Noya lost his life by the hand of the Divine Sword.” This is potentially confusing given the protagonist is Hwasan Seon-geom, often referred to as the Divine Sword. However, following the instruction to translate 100% of the source text, this literal translation is maintained.)

That means, isn’t that meaning that the calamity was blocked?

Whether it’s this land’s destiny or whatever.

I don’t know about difficult things like that,

Isn’t it the same as the story that Wisura ultimately blocked the calamity?

Wasn’t it resolved well?

Just as I was thinking that,

-Shincheol, to block that calamity, was our hope.

The man continues to speak.

What he’s saying about Shin Noya’s role is…

When calamity overflows again, to be born in time for the era,

Along with the Blood Demon, to prevent other calamities, it means he was like a device prepared.

‘…That can’t be?’

If so, where is the problem?

To think about that, there were too many problems.

First, in my past life, there was no such being who could be called Shin Noya’s reincarnation.

To say Wisura was Noya’s reincarnation, there are many problems in various ways,

And I wondered if it might be Yeongpung,

Considering the level or situation he reached in his past life, it wouldn’t be him.

‘…Did he die without anyone knowing?’

It’s possible, but

I had to consider that Shincheol’s soul was inside a 귀물 (ghost/monster/spirit object).

In the end, returning to the beginning, the conclusion that comes to mind is…

Shin Noya, in the first place, failed reincarnation, and

his soul ended up bound to a 귀물.

I don’t know, but

They sacrificed a lot,

If, for over hundreds of years, bound by soul while waiting, it failed,

‘Is this the reason Cheolyeong despaired back then?’

I could somewhat understand.

Thinking that far, I asked the man.

“Why specifically was it Shin Noya?”

Of that era, the greatest under heaven, and

the center of the five heroes, the man is Yeon Ilcheon.

Considering Shin Noya too, considering he sometimes mentioned Yeon Ilcheon’s strength,

If one were to reincarnate, not Shin Noya, Yeon Ilcheon doing it would have been more fitting.

-You said you heard from Cheolyeong. That I could not remain in this land.

“Yes.”

-That is correct. I could not remain in this land together with them.

“…Then, what are you now?”

After claiming to be Yeon Ilcheon himself,

Now, what are you saying?

-I am merely a thought-form. If Shincheol comes, at the same time as handing over this place, a thought-form left behind to provide information.

A thought-form?

I’ve heard of it, but

‘Can it do something like that?’

Along with a formation, was it left in the Record?

If Shin Noya comes, can it be activated like this?

Already, I feel like it’s beyond human capabilities. Is it a misunderstanding?

Cheolyeong, whom I met in Shaolin,

Namgung Myung, and the current Yeon Ilcheon, ultimately, then,

They are like prepared fortuitous encounters for Shin Noya.

-One who travels back in time once, sins accumulate in their soul. Because you twisted the destiny someone set.

-That’s why I couldn’t remain, and if one were to go in the first place, Shincheol going would have been correct.

If you travel back in time, sins accumulate in the soul.

Those words were quite bothersome to my ears, but

I ignored them for now.

“Shin Noya should have gone.”

-Yes, Shincheol… Shincheol is the hope.

With a foul mouth, and lusting after women,

If he got close to a woman, he’d get angry first, that old man,

Was he carrying such a heavy burden?

No matter how I thought about it, it was unbelievable.

If the man’s words were even one percent true,

“…Then what now?”

What to do?

Shin Noya’s soul and energy, I greedily gobbled them up, and

I just came thinking I’d loot the Record a bit, but I ended up hearing all this,

What am I supposed to do now?

I hesitantly spoke.

“Uh…. Can I just leave?”

Later, when Noya wakes up, I’ll ask him, so it meant, can’t I just leave?

Well, what can I do?

If things turned out this way, it can’t be helped.

I heard an incredible story, but even that, here, there’s nothing I can do about it.

‘The items in the Record… What about them?’

The items left in this Record,

Were originally prepared for Noya, if so, wouldn’t taking them first be right?

With an awkward expression, as I looked around,

-Even if you try to twist destiny, it returns to its place.

-No matter how much you struggle, the fact you ultimately learn is only this.

The man, in a heavy voice, uttered incomprehensible words.

-How you could come to this place.

-How you possess Shincheol’s soul.

-The conclusion regarding that, what do you think it is?

“…What?”

Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?

I felt a strange atmosphere.

He was explaining things well, why is he acting like this now?

-With all our might, the twist that we created…

-Because someone restored it back to its original place, that’s why.

Kukugugugung.

As the words continued,

The Record began to shake slightly.

“What is this…!”

-You cannot leave.

“What?”

At the man’s words, I gasped.

Cannot leave?

“Why the hell all of a sudden? Because things went to shit, are you taking it out on me?”

What am I supposed to do?

This guy is suddenly causing trouble.

Kukugugung!

“Fuck…?”

The room’s vibration intensifies. Something was happening.

Hurriedly, I ran towards the entrance, but

Pajijijik!

Unable to cross the entrance, I was bounced back.

“Keuk! Ah, why is this happening!”

Stepping back, I shouted at the man, but

The man’s expression only grew colder, that’s all I could see.

“No, fuck, your failure isn’t my fault. Why are you doing this to me all of a sudden! Blood Demon or whatever, I’ll block it!”

Trying to block one Cheonma, I’m moving around, sweating blood, and

Suddenly intruding, that bastard called the Blood Demon, to block him too, I’m going crazy like this.

“You shouldn’t do this to me!”

Why all of a sudden are you trying to destroy evidence? I don’t know.

Does he really have a mental illness?

The space gradually distorts.

It was obvious if I stayed still, I’d be screwed. I could tell.

‘Should I detonate it?’

Whether it would work with force or not, I didn’t know, but it wasn’t a situation to ponder.

Opening my hands, I gather my internal energy.

As soon as my internal injuries healed, I didn’t expect I’d have to do this.

If I detonate the Flame Prison now, I’ll get internal injuries again, but

‘Right now, internal injuries or whatever, it’s not the time to worry about it.’

I have to survive, don’t I?

Huuk-!

At my fingertips, my internal energy gradually gathers.

‘Flame….’

-You are a calamity.

“…What?”

To survive, as I gathered all my internal energy, the moment I was about to use a secret technique,

At the man’s words, all my internal energy scattered and disappeared.

That much, it was because the words were so absurd.

“Fuck, what did you just say?”

-How you’ve lived, I don’t know.

“What did you say, you bastard.”

-Shincheol’s soul, how you came to possess it.

-At that age, how you reached that level.

-Moreover.

-Why you, like me, could travel back in time, I don’t know.

“…!”

The man, that I had traveled back in time too, seemed to know.

How? How on earth?

Pathetically, right now, it wasn’t the time to question that.

“…That, and the fact that I’m a calamity, what does it have to do with each other? Then, rather, you should keep me alive.”

If you knew that I, like you, traveled back in time and am cleaning up others’ messes,

You should at least give me one more rice cake.

“Why are you trying to kill me? You crazy bastard.”

-Sending calamities, and creating karma, those who do it are not fools, they don’t make the same mistake.

“More bullshit.”

-About your return, have you ever thought it was strange?

“…What?”

-That is precisely destiny.

Kukugugung-!

At the sound of the vibration, my head rings, and I feel the end approaching, but

At the words the man just spoke, my body felt completely bound, and I couldn’t move.

‘My return…?’

The words I just heard pierced my heart like a dagger.

My thoughts seemed to stop, and I became empty.

Heavily filling my mind, thoughts occupied my head.

‘You are a calamity.’

The man’s words kept coming back,

And I felt suffocated.

Kukuguguk…!

The distortion of space, as it reached its end,

Lost in thought, as I floundered,

Swept up by the distorting space, I felt my body breaking.

Yet, I couldn’t make any move.

Then.

Hwik-!

Suddenly, my hand moved on its own.

“…Huh?”

Along with my hand, my feet moved.

It was clearly not my will.

-…What…!

The man watching me, also seemed to be in an unexpected situation.

His eyes widened, but

I was also flustered.

It was as if someone was controlling my body….

[If you lack such confidence in yourself, you might as well cut off your balls. You stupid fool.]

“…Huh?”

At the voice that reached my ears,

My dazed mind suddenly cleared as if enlightened.

Thin and fierce, the old man’s voice,

Was the tone I had longed for so much.

“Noya?”

At my trembling call,

Inside my head, laughter was heard.

Kkulkul.

-…Shincheol.

The man too, spoke in surprise, but

Noya says nothing at all about this.

Unlike with Hwangabulyeong-nim, he didn’t even greet him.

My body, moving as if drawn,

Into the distorted space, suddenly reached out its hand, and

Tore away the countless layers of cloth, and from within that gap, began searching for something.

“Noya? Now is not the time…!”

I said urgently, but

My hand, contrary to my will, just moved here and there.

And finally, amidst the scattered items,

It grasped something.

-…You will regret it, Shincheol.

Watching that, the man said from behind.

[Regret?]

Only then, Shin Noya spoke to the man.

[As always, that is my choice. That way, there will be no regrets.]

Mixed with laughter, a confident voice, it was Shin Noya’s characteristic tone.

-Shincheol….

[In the time we haven’t seen each other, you’ve become quite a scoundrel. Ilcheon-ah.]

-….

[Still, it was good to see you.]

As soon as Noya finished speaking,

Huuuk-!

Centered around the object in his hand,

Throughout the entire room, the scent of plum blossoms spread.

Never felt before, beyond comparison to anyone, deep and immense, it was a dogi.

[Hold your breath, Kid.]

Noya said so,

And immediately after, my vision…

Was filled with plum blossoms.