“What do you mean…” [ It was the only choice I had. The child was crying with great sadness, so that’s what this old tree did for the child, and that’s the only reason I could find. ]
“…”
[ Traveling through time and returning to the past also places heavy burden to the soul. ]
I frowned at tree words,
It’s because I was very familiar with that story.
[ The child made a choice, but it’s impossible to alter one’s own fate**. ]**
“That’s…”
[ However, that child succeeded in something. Perhaps that’s why you, my apostle, can speak with me now**. ]**
As the World Tree said, Yeon Il-Cheon had succeeded in sealing the Blood Demon.
I was able to know why he said that sealing the monster was the only thing he was able to do.However, the Blood Demon would resurrect one day, and the world does not make the same mistake twice.
The end will come, no matter what.
That’s what Yeon Il-Cheon told me.
No matter what happens, the end will come. Whether it be by the hands of the Blood Demon, or by another force.
The world that the World Tree speaks of. Is it similar to that of a God?
Is that the same God revered by the Wudang and Shaolin Sects?
Is that what it is?
But that’s strange.
The World Tree’s existence had been erased, but that meant it once existed in the world.
I wondered what the Tao Clans were like in that world.
With a being as powerful as the ruler already in the world, could they have worshipped another God?
Now isn’t the time to think about that though.
I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. There was still much to learn, and I couldn’t afford to waste time.
“…Then… sigh.”
I sighed halfway through my words.
This situation was way too hard to handle.
So, I’m supposed to clean up the mess my ancestors left behind?
That might be debatable, but that’s how it seemed to me.
Then what…
I didn’t know what to ask first.
It was hard as there were so many things to ask.
Fuck…
My mind was in turmoil.
How did things end up like this?
What should I ask first?
Should I start by asking about the seed?
Or should I ask about the Heavenly Demon?
Or maybe I should ask about this place?
Or perhaps I should begin with my regression.
Or.
Or what about…
[ Apostle. ]
“…!”
As I struggled to focus, the World Tree spoke.
[ You seem very tired, apostle. ]
“…It’s not like that.”
I lied.
I knew myself.
It was very difficult, and very heavy.
I was exhausted.
“You said you weren’t responsible for my regression, right?”
[ That’s correct. I am not responsible for you going back in time. ]
The tree had also said it no longer had the strength to do such a thing.
Was that really true though?
Perhaps the tree was lying to me-
Smack-!
I slapped myself, my head jerking from the impact.
I did it to snap myself out of it.
It was an old habit of mine, questioning everything to see if it was true.
I wasn’t able to trust anyone and I had everyone as my enemies, but the few people who had stood by me died for me, and that’s how I developed this habit to survive.
“…All is fine, it’s good and all, but…”
I wrapped my hands around my head and put aside my thoughts.
What I wanted from the World Tree wasn’t the truth of the world, nor its hidden secrets.
I just wanted to ask one simple question.
“What is it that you want from me?”
What I need to do, what I must do from now on.
What was expected of me in this cursed situation?
I wanted to know, desperately.
[ Apostle. ]
“…You said this to me.”
I am the flame that will burn away all burdens.
That’s what the World Tree said to me in my past life.
Was it just because I knew how to control flames?
That couldn’t be it, no matter how much I thought about it.
[ Did I say that to you? ]
“Yes, but I don’t know how I would do such a thing. The only thing I know how to burn to ashes…is people.”
To burn away the burdens.
Why did the tree say such a thing to me?
I knew nothing.
That’s why I had to ask earnestly.
“What do I need to do first?”
I needed to know what I needed to do.
More and more people joined my side, one by one.
Funnily enough, I cared about all of them.
However, the calamity was approaching.
I needed to know, to protect those by my side, because a greater secret lay behind the Heavenly Demon, whom I once thought was my only enemy.
It wasn’t for myself, but for them.
“You said I have the power to burn it.”
[ …Apostle. ]
I’ll do it.
Whether it’s the Blood Demon or the Heavenly Demon, I’ll do it to survive, and to protect them.
So please tell me.
“Apostle, yes. Was Yeon Il-Cheon also your apostle? The one who received your mark.”
Since the tree called me an apostle, I wondered if Yeon Il-Cheon had held the same title.
[ …That’s right, that child was an apostle as well. ]
“Yeon Il-Cheon called me a calamity when we met. He said that I would bring the world to an end.”
The Blood Demon failed.
However, the calamity will not end there, and another will storm our way.
That, according to the World Tree, is the way of the world.
I believed that would be the Heavenly Demon.
[ You met that child? ]
“Yes, he left a memory of his past.”
It wasn’t a pleasant encounter, but I did meet him.
[ That child left a memory… ]
The World Tree seemed lost in thought, but I couldn’t afford to wait.
“What is it that you want? What do you want for you to…”
Mid-sentence, something suddenly came to mind.
“Wait… Did I end up in this place in my past life because you summoned me?”
[ That’s not the case. Just like back then, me meeting you is only a coincidence. ]
That made me glad.
Both events occurred because Cheol Jiseon ripped open a Gate of Demons, but the thought that it could all have been orchestrated by the World Tree was terrifying.
“Then, please tell me what you want from me.”
The one who told me about how I was able to burn away all burdens, how to escape from this world, and leaving me with a mark, was the World Tree in front of me.
“…Do you want me to help you escape from this world and put you back into the normal world?”
The World Tree offered a faint smile at my words.
[ That is not possible. ]
“Then why did you choose me out of all people?”
[ I just… want my children to live on. ]
The World Tree wished for the people of my world to continue living.
“Is that why you chose me?”
Did that really make sense? How would that make sense?
It wasn’t something I was able to understand.
“…Why me out of everyone?”
I didn’t have the strength for that.
[ No, apostle. You are capable. ]
“Why do you…”
Just as I was about to ask how the tree was so sure,
[ Before we discuss that**, there is a story you must hear. ]**
“A story?”
The World Tree cut me off.
[ Are you aware of the being that resides within you? ]
“…!”
I gasped at the World Tree’s words.
The being the tree spoke of was none other than the beast within me.
“How do you… know about that?”
[To learn that-]
But that wasn’t the only shock.
The World Tree brought up something I had forgotten about for a bit.
[We must first talk about your mother.]
It was about my mother who disappeared long ago in the past.
****************** Tap, tap, tap!
Cheol Jiseon ran as fast as he could.
Breathless and with numb legs, Cheol Jiseon pushed on.
What is that…!
His gaze remained fixed on the sky.
The sky, slowly turning black, grew darker.
No… that’s not the sky.
It wasn’t the sky at all.
It was more like a barrier.
A black barrier engulfed the area, as if a formation had been set in place.
It wasn’t a small area either.
Despite already engulfing two mountains, it still reached out towards the Heavenly Dragon Academy a bit further away.
Just what is happening…!
Cheol Jiseon grinded his teeth and ran.
It definitely wasn’t a peaceful situation.
Cheol Jiseon thought to himself as he ran.
I… Where am I going right now?
He started running in a panic, unsure of whom to turn to.
‘What about the instructors?
If he wasn’t the only one witnessing this, surely the instructors had seen it too.
But the eerie silence around him sent chills down Cheol Jiseon’s spine.
Then,
Swoosh-!
Cheol Jiseon spun around instinctively, reacting to a sudden shift in the air.
He moved out of instinct,
Pwoosh!
“Ughhh!”
But it seemed like he was a bit late, as he felt something stabbing him.
Cheol Jiseon’s body was flung backward by the impact, the attack laced with Qi.
In the end, Cheol Jiseon’s body effortlessly rolled on the ground.
“Huff… Huff!”
He glanced down, realizing he’d been struck in the thigh—
There was a dagger stuck in it.
“…Ughh…!”
Cheol Jiseon gritted his teeth against the pain,
“What are you doing? You nearly killed him.”
A voice cut through the silence.
Through the haze of pain, Cheol Jiseon saw a figure in black approaching, a sword in hand.
Who…
“We were told to kill after checking their faces. Do you want to be killed by the Great King?”
“A few won’t matter.”
Another voice spoke from behind.
It seemed that this man had thrown the dagger.
“I thought we were only supposed to spare the ladies of the Four Noble Clans, and we are allowed to kill everyone else I thought.”
“That rule probably only applies to the instructors. Watch yourself if you don’t want trouble.”
“…Tsk.”
The man clicked his tongue at the rebuke, then yanked Cheol Jiseon up by the hair.
“Agh!”
“Do you know this face?”
The other man approached, studying Cheol Jiseon’s face closely.
He grabbed him by the chin and observed him.
“Oh no.”
Then, he frowned as if something went wrong.
“What.”
“Look at the mole on his face and his clothes. He’s one of those the Great King ordered us not to kill.”
“…Oh, really?”
“What are you going to do now!”
“What do you think? We leave.”
The man chuckled.
Cheol Jiseon was paralyzed with fear from the ambush, but his eyes darted around, taking in every detail.
One of them has it on their chest, and the other has it on their left wrist… they are both dragons.
Cheol Jiseon was observing their features.
“Sorry, I was itching for a taste of blood, but I’ve got things to do.”
The man who had thrown the dagger patted Cheol Jiseon’s cheek a few times, unapologetically, before rising to his feet.
It seemed like he really was going to let Cheol Jiseon go.
If he… doesn’t kill me, then what about the others?
Cheol Jiseon thought about what the two men said.
-Only the ladies of the Four Noble Clans came, and we are allowed to kill everyone else I thought.
This meant that they were going to kill everyone besides a few students with importance.
Considering how the instructors aren’t here…
It either meant they were involved, or that the place was overrun with enemies like these.
…Is this a planned ambush?
Wait.
Cheol Jiseon suddenly remembered when the Meteor Sword assured him not to worry about his ambush on Gu Yangcheon.
Was this perhaps related to the Meteor Sword?
“His leg should be fine after he stops the bleeding. No poison was used.”
The man smirked as he turned to leave.
It looked like he was heading off to find other prey.
Cheol Jiseon couldn’t afford to let him go like that.
He moved his fingertips.
It hadn’t been long since he last opened the gate to the Abyss, so he couldn’t open it again, but he couldn’t afford to let those men escape.
He tried to find the sensation with his hand, but he wasn’t able to.
Please…
It was a power he so wanted to get rid of, and of course it didn’t work out in his favor in times like this one.
As Cheol Jiseon was moving his fingertips,
“Shall we start going to another-“
The man who stood up, stopped talking midway.
Cheol Jiseon followed the man’s gaze, sensing something unusual in his reaction.
Thud.
Then, something fell right in front of Cheol Jiseon.
“H… Huaghh!”
Cheol Jiseon let out a scream in reaction.
It was a severed head that had suddenly fallen before him.
Not only that, it was the head of a person who just observed Cheol Jiseon earlier.
“Which bastard…!”
The remaining man gathered his Qi,
Slash-!
A sickening sound of flesh being sliced echoed,
Thud.
The second man’s head rolled to the ground before Cheol Jiseon.
Cheol Jiseon couldn’t even scream, and he only held onto his chest in fear.
Was it an instructor perhaps?
The two men seemed pretty powerful, so if they were able to cut these two with ease like this…
“…Where is he?”
Just as Cheol Jiseon was starting to feel relieved, thinking it might be an instructor, an unexpected voice came from above.
It was a voice he heard before.
It wasn’t very often, but he heard it a few times.
Usually, she would have had a tired and sleepy, yet beautiful and charming voice, but it sounded cold as if she was mad right now.
The icy tone in her voice sent a fresh wave of fear through Cheol Jiseon.
Cheol Jiseon slowly lifted his head to see who the voice belonged to.
The first thing he saw was bluish-white hair,
“…Where…”
Then his eyes eyes met two beautiful blue pupils.
“Is he?”
Swish-!
She flicked the blood from her sword with a swift motion.
It was Namgung Bi-ah, gazing down at Cheol Jiseon.