Chapter 897: You’re still ugly.

[Kuh-reuh-reuh-reuh….]

Kkureungi, like it was holding back tears. The residual energy lingering in the air.

A faint floral scent wafted. A rising crimson aurora and two moons.

Amidst a situation brimming with the unreal, I was focused solely on one person.

A woman, walking barefoot on the air as if it were the ground.

Her white hair was so long it swept the floor.

I couldn’t tell her build clearly from afar, but she didn’t seem particularly large.

Her skin was white as snow, and her eyes were tinged crimson, like the petals or aurora floating in the sky.

She was clearly an extraordinary woman at first glance, but that wasn’t why I was surprised.

“Mother…?”

The fact that this being was my mother.

That was the reason for my current shock.

At first, I thought it couldn’t be.

Because she looked so different from the mother I remembered.

Her hair and facial features were similar, but…

‘Ears… what are those? A tail?’

She had beast-like ears instead of human ones, and I could see a clump of fur the same color as her hair extending from her waist, hanging limply.

No matter how I looked, I knew she wasn’t human.

Because of that, I doubted for a moment, but…

‘It’s Mom.’

No matter how I looked, she was my mother.

“…What the hell.”

Why did Mom suddenly appear?

And it looked like Mom attacked Kkureungi, too.

‘Why?’

What is this all of a sudden?

I’d heard Kkureungi and Mom were connected.

‘They said Mom was the one who attached that thing to me…?’

Was that a lie? If not, why would Mom attack Kkureungi?

Is that thing not Kkureungi?

I couldn’t understand the situation. I was running through every possible scenario.

That’s how strange it was.

However, even so.

‘Mom.’

With Mom right in front of me, I couldn’t just stay put.

“So, hurry up and release me.”

Thump-!

I pounded on the barrier, furious, but it remained intact.

I finally scowled.

‘What’s your intention, anyway?’

I knew she wasn’t trying to attack me. I got that, but…

‘So what do you want me to do?’

I couldn’t understand why she was keeping me bound like this.

[Kuh-reuh-reuh-reuh-reuh–!!]

Kkureungi roared and pushed itself up. Every slight movement was like an earthquake.

[Mujeogaeng.]

Mom spoke to the creature. Despite her small frame, her voice echoed everywhere.

[How did you break the rules?]

[Kuh-reuh-reuh-reuh-reuh—!!!]

[Return to where you belong, even now.]

[Kwah-ah-ah-ah-ah—!!!]

Kkureungi roared fiercely in response to Mom’s words. It was clear it had no intention of listening.

[Hmm.]

Seeing that, Mom subtly moved her hand. At that moment.

Swooooooooosh—-!!

The petals drifting in the air began to swim and move. And along with them…

‘The sky….’

The aurora in the sky pulsed. Stars and clouds slowly began to gather.

‘This is unbelievable.’

Thump-! Thump-thump-!!

I was astonished by the phenomena occurring.

Nature itself was moving.

If it were intervening with martial arts power, maybe. But I had never heard of everything moving like this.

[You need to be taught a lesson.]

[Kuh-reuh-reuh–!!!]

Kkureungi charged at Mom. A beast’s snout formed from the mist-like shape.

Sharp fangs protruded from its gaping maw.

Coupled with its massive size, it exuded immense pressure, but…

[Insolent.]

Mom swung her hand at it just like before.

Kwa-ga-gang-!! Gwa-ga-ga-ga-gang—!!

The gathered aurora struck Kkureungi directly.

Crimson beams of light poured down from the sky.

Thump-! Thump-thump-thump—!!!! Ku-gu-gu-gu-gung—!!!!

With each beam of light, the ground shook violently.

I gaped at the sight.

‘…Compared to the Heavenly Venerate’s lightning…’

The Heavenly Venerate’s power that swept away all the red monsters.

It was hard to call it overwhelming compared to that, but I could tell it was superior.

It meant the power was that immense.

[Kwah-ah-ah-ah-ah—!!]

Hit by such an attack, Ttolttol let out a fierce scream. At that moment, the barrier trembled.

I felt I could break through if I struck it now. I knew that instinctively.

But.

‘…’

Even knowing that, I didn’t throw a punch at the barrier.

Why wasn’t I doing it, even with Mom right there?

I wondered why myself, but…

‘…Something.’

Looking at Mom, I felt a strange sense of dissonance.

She was definitely Mom. But I felt like I shouldn’t open this and face her.

The hesitation born from that held me back.

‘Why?’

She was right in front of me.

The person I’d longed to see was right before my eyes.

Moreover, Mom had protected and saved me until just moments ago.

‘Why.’

Why was I hesitating to face her?

I was confused by this inexplicable feeling when…

[This is strange.]

Mom said in a questioning voice.

[Are you trying to play with me, Mujeogaeng?]

[Kuh-reuh….]

[If not, why are you just sitting there so uselessly?]

Hwa-ah-ah-ah-.

The beams of light that had been striking moments ago stopped. Simultaneously, something changed behind Mom.

Something slowly revealed its form.

‘…Tails.’

The clumped fur gradually floated up into the air.

About three tails. Three tails imbued with crimson energy were held high towards the sky.

[You don’t think I don’t know you’re not the main body…]

And you’re not pretending to be weakened either.

Then…

[Is that the problem?]

“…!”

Mom’s gaze turned towards me.

No, not at me, but precisely at this barrier.

Sssaa.

Goosebumps immediately prickled my spine. It happened the moment our eyes met.

It was vastly different from when I faced that Kkureungi earlier.

Thump.

Thump-! Thump-!

Her crimson eyes, like jewels.

Unlike them, her current gaze was languid and emotionless.

Her gaze conveyed no feeling whatsoever, and my body instinctively activated its defenses.

[Kuh-reuh-reuh—!!!]

As Mom’s gaze shifted this way, Kkureungi immediately showed hostility.

Guh-guh-guh-guh—!!! The ground shook violently once more from the vibration.

[It seems so.]

Mom chuckled at the reaction.

[Did you think you could deceive my eyes? If so, that was a mistake.]

Mom reached her hand this way.

[I wonder what you’ve hidden. Shall we take a look?]

Despite her alluring voice, the energy gathering at her fingertips was ominous.

This is really bad.

If this continues, I might die.

[Kwah-ah-ah-ah-ah—!!!]

Kkureungi charged at Mom once more. However, this time was different from before.

A much more violent and intense aura erupted in all directions.

[Oh my.]

Mom raised the corners of her mouth upon seeing that.

[How curious.]

She redirected the hand reaching towards me back towards Kkureungi.

Kwa-ah-ah-ah—-!!

Beams of light burst forth again from all directions.

Thump-!

Mom and Kkureungi resumed their battle.

Suddenly, the barrier in front of me vanished.

Thump-! Ku-gu-gu-gu-gung–!!

Heaven and earth roared.

Just watching the fight between those two beings made my legs tremble.

What kind of battle was this? As I stared in bewilderment…

-Run.

-Run.

-Run.

The voice echoed in my ears three times consecutively.

‘Kkureungi?’

It sounded like it was telling me something.

‘Run away?’

Was that why the barrier disappeared? To tell me to run quickly?

Run away from Mom, with Mom right here? What kind of nonsensical statement was that?

-Run. North.

“…”

If I had to run, it should be from Kkureungi.

I should go to Mom and tell her I’m here.

“Hey.”

My body, defying common sense, had already grabbed Cheonma’s wrist.

“Let’s go.”

I always trusted my instincts, and this time was no different.

“…!”

Cheonma’s eyes widened at the grabbed wrist.

I pulled, dragging Cheonma along as I lunged.

The direction was north.

---

Kuh-guh-guh-guh-guh—!!!

The black Taesan rolled and writhed far away. Its violent movements caused the mountain to collapse.

[Kuh-…Kuh-reuh….]

The creature whimpered as if in pain.

The woman watching calmly wiped the smile from her face and waved her hand.

Kwahng-! Kwah-kwah-kwah-!!

Light erupted from the aurora, repeatedly striking its body.

As time passed and the light ceased, nothing remained where the creature had been.

Not even the slightest trace.

[Hmm.]

Even seeing that, the woman felt nothing strange.

Because it was something she had expected.

[So it was just a fragment, after all?]

It was excessively large, but its divine power (神力) was pitifully weak.

Therefore, I naturally didn’t think it was the main body, but…

[What is it?]

The woman tilted her head, seeming puzzled.

I don’t understand why it went to such lengths.

Even using a clone would surely have repercussions, so why go through such trouble?

[Was it to draw attention?]

To capture my gaze, even for a moment? But why?

As she pondered, the woman suddenly recalled the events just prior.

[Is that really the reason?]

The reason the underground Mujeogaeng went this far.

She remembered something accumulated within Mujeogaeng’s divine power.

It was definitely…

[A dragon.]

Two small dragon whelps. One was blurry to be called a dragon, but it was clearly a dragon.

The other one…

[Hmm….]

What should I call it? It was clearly a dragon… but a bit ambiguous to call it a dragon.

Even more so.

[Familiar.]

She felt a familiar divine power from within.

Something that resembled her own power.

Why? The woman couldn’t tell.

In reality, it didn’t matter what it was.

Whatever it was.

[Dragons should not exist in this land.]

Those vile and arrogant beings shouldn’t be here.

[I thought I had dealt with them all… How strange?]

For some reason, they dared to set foot on her land. But if she saw them, that was the end.

[Leader.]

[Yes. My Mistress.]

Someone answered from a dimension behind her at the woman’s call.

[Have the children deal with the dragons.]

[I shall obey your command.]

The being moved instantly at the woman’s command.

She wished she could go herself, it would be faster, but unfortunately, she had other things to do.

Recalling that, the woman turned around.

Just as she was about to step towards the torn dimension again…

[…]

Something kept surfacing in the woman’s mind.

It was one of the dragons that had briefly looked at her.

An unknown entity, carrying a strangely familiar aura.

She had judged it a dragon, but it was a being that couldn’t simply be seen as one.

[What is it.]

Why was its face coming to mind?

The woman tilted her head briefly before dismissing the thought.

Whatever kind of being it was.

To her, it was simply a being that needed to be eliminated from these myriad worlds (萬界) as soon as possible.

As always.