What is that?
That was the immediate thought that crossed Heavenly Lord's (Cheonjon) mind as he saw it.
What exactly is this?
Fwoosh--!
Flames enveloped the figure, burning wildly with a blue fire. There was something uncanny about it, something that defied explanation.
What on earth is that?
Crack--!
“!”
The figure’s arm moved. Observing this, Heavenly Lord gripped his sword tightly.
Damn it…
His heightened sense of caution was undeniable, and his face twisted as he realized it.
The reason was simple.
He was wary.
He, himself, was bracing against this unknown presence.
Clench--!
Energy surged from his body, flowing into his sword. His gaze returned to where that thing had just been lying.
Gone.
He had clearly stabbed the heart, recalling the vivid sensation.
A fatal blow that would have been instant death. It was a wound no human could survive.
...What exactly happened?
Not a drop of blood remained, no sign of its collapse. Nothing.
How could it vanish so thoroughly?
Fwoosh--!
Heavenly Lord turned his head to the growing flames.
The longer he looked, the more questions arose. How was that thing still alive? Or rather…
Is that truly the young man I killed?
Was this figure the same young man he’d cut down? That was the first thing to doubt.
Its presence was different.
The feeling was utterly unlike before.
With the keen perception honed from countless battles, Heavenly Lord could discern many things—from the energy within an opponent to their unique movements and heartbeat.
He could gauge everything and distinguish the differences.
But this…
...What is it?
Even Heavenly Lord himself couldn’t understand.
There was no heartbeat, nor any scent.
If there was no sound, it indicated death. Yet, how could something dead be standing there and moving?
From the beginning…
Was it even human?
If not human, then what was it?
A single word flitted through Heavenly Lord's mind.
Demon beast?
Yes, a demon beast.
In his eyes, this was closer to a demon than a human. A bead of cold sweat trickled down his wrinkled cheek.
He felt it as he swung his sword.
Swoosh--! Slash--!
The sharp sword aura sliced through the figure’s arm. With a dull thud, the arm fell to the ground.
Yet, the figure only glanced at the fallen limb without any particular reaction.
After quietly observing its own arm, the figure slowly turned its head to gaze at Heavenly Lord once more.
Is this it?
If it wouldn’t resist, that was better. So he thought as he prepared to unleash another strike toward its neck.
Shiver…
“…?”
Heavenly Lord glanced at his sword-wielding hand, sensing something strange.
“…What?”
Only then did he notice.
Not only was his sword trembling, but his entire body was subtly quivering.
His arm was shaking.
Not just his arm—his whole body was trembling.
Why? Why was his body suddenly trembling?
He tried to calm himself, channeling his inner energy, but it wasn’t easy.
What’s happening?
As the question surfaced, he bit his lip.
He had realized the reason his body was reacting this way.
His very flesh was experiencing fear.
The moment he grasped this, his face twisted into a ghastly expression. Him? Feeling fear?
Absurd.
To feel fear toward an unknown being—neither the Heavenly Demon, Sword Lord, nor anyone else had ever made him feel such fear.
It was inconceivable.
It was downright humiliating.
Boom--!
The energy erupting from Heavenly Lord soared into the sky, forming a mass of dark clouds.
He could no longer hold back. Without a moment’s hesitation, he infused his sword with energy and swung once more.
The tremors remained, but he could overcome that.
His blade, charged with the enlightenment of a martial artist who transcended levels, slashed through the air toward the figure. The target was the neck. No matter what this creature was, if the neck was severed, it would die.
Believing this, he launched his attack. An overwhelming aura shot forward, shattering the ground as it rushed straight ahead.
Boom--!
The explosion echoed, and the forest shook. In that distant rumble, he expected the figure to be obliterated.
Crackle.
But then, there was a slight change in the figure’s appearance.
A crack slowly formed at the corner of its mouth.
And then—
Raaaaaaargh--!
It let out a tremendous roar.
Boom--!!
That wasn’t all.
As it roared, a shockwave erupted, causing everything around it to crumble. Heavenly Lord’s aura dispersed with the sound, and even the dark clouds he had created were swept away and vanished.
“…!”
He tried to brace himself against the unexpected reaction.
Whoosh--!
The figure, wrapped in blue flames, charged at Heavenly Lord with immense speed.
It was a terrifying speed.
The ground shattered beneath it from the sheer force of its leap.
Heavenly Lord gripped his sword diagonally. The speed was impressive, but not impossible to counter.
Just as he prepared to bring his sword down—
His eyes widened in shock at the sight of the figure rushing toward him.
The arm he had just severed was already fully regenerated.
Perhaps because of that…
Heavenly Lord failed to properly counter the attack.
The figure’s assault struck directly at Heavenly Lord’s shoulder.
And immediately after—
Boom--!
A loud explosion echoed, and blue flames spread in all directions.
Crack! Crackle--!
Something breaking resounded in my ears.
What was breaking? I struggled to figure it out, but I couldn’t.
I couldn’t see anything in front of me.
Was it because my eyes were closed? That didn’t seem to be the case.
It felt like the entire space around me was enveloped in darkness.
Even if I tried to see, it was impossible.
In this unknown space—
Crack! Crackle--!
I kept hearing the sound of something breaking.
What is it?
Crackle! Snap!
It sounded like something was shattering or being forcibly torn apart.
I didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t a sound I wanted to keep hearing.
Crunch--!
I covered my ears with my hands.
Luckily, I could still move my hands. I tried to block out the sound, but it wouldn’t stop.
Crackle.
Ah.
If anything, it grew clearer.
It wasn’t a sound from outside. I understood that now.
This wasn’t coming from outside. It was a sound echoing from within me.
The more I covered my ears and closed my eyes, the clearer it became.
Crackle-- Snap--!
The unceasing noise irritated me. What kind of noise is this? It’s more annoying than any other sound.
Though I didn’t mean to, I couldn’t help but frown.
...Shut up. Just be quiet.
No matter how much I shouted inwardly, the sound wouldn’t stop. Instead, it seemed to get louder.
Damn it.
Finally, I cursed.
Why am I hearing this?
Or rather—
Why am I here?
I couldn’t remember anything.
Honestly, despite the noise, part of me just wanted to float here.
I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want to think about anything.
I couldn’t remember what I’d been thinking before, but judging from the discomfort in my gut, it didn’t seem like something worth recalling.
...Just stay like this…
If it was that unpleasant, couldn’t I just stay still? It wasn’t too bad.
Thinking so, I let myself drift—
Crack!
“Guh!?”
I curled up at the sudden sound and the searing pain that accompanied it.
“Agh… Huff…”
It was a pain so intense that I let out a dry scream without realizing it.
Crackle-- Crackle--!
With the growing sound, the shock intensified.
It wasn’t something I could endure.
If I could, I would have fainted on the spot.
Why does it hurt so much? Why am I in pain?
“Huff… Huff…”
My insides churned. Through the constant pain, I began to understand.
Why this excruciating pain resonated from within me.
The…vessel…
This was the sensation of my vessel shattering. The thought crossed my mind involuntarily.
Memories began to return.
The Divine Doctor had once warned that my vessel was at its limit and that without medicine, I wouldn’t last a few years.
I wasn’t sure why that memory surfaced, but it made me think that this pain was related to my vessel.
Which only made things more confusing.
Why?
Why was this happening now?
Why was my vessel suddenly breaking?
As I struggled to remember, a vague fear and suffocating pressure welled up within me, accompanied by chilling pain.
Thump--!
“Guh.”
I curled up again from the vibration that erupted within me.
And then—
Fwoosh--!
Flames suddenly illuminated the darkness, revealing my surroundings. The sudden brightness hurt my eyes.
But I couldn’t look away.
“What…is this?”
It was an unimaginable sight, unfolding right before me.
Wooom.
In the brightened view, I saw a massive sphere.
The size of a house.
Was it blue?
Or maybe purple?
Perhaps a deep red?
I couldn’t tell.
Despite the intensity of its colors, I struggled to perceive it clearly.
What should I call it?
I didn’t know.
If I had to guess, the sphere looked like a breaking “egg” to me.
An egg, cracking in multiple places, pieces gradually falling off and landing below.
That’s how it appeared.
What could this be? While I stared blankly at it, wondering—
Crack!
The sound echoed from the egg.
The same sound that had been ringing in my ears.
It had seemed to come from within me, but now it was resonating from the egg.
As I watched, confused—
“Guh…!”
A large crack spread across the egg, and the shock surged through me once more.
Through the familiar agony, I thought—
Is this…could it be?
Clutching my aching core, I stared at the massive egg.
The egg, with its widening cracks.
The pain that surged with each fracture led me to one realization.
...Is this my vessel?
Could that egg represent my body’s vessel? I wasn’t sure, but something made me think it was.
Pieces began to fall away from the egg.
Through the opening, I saw a strange liquid flowing down. It looked like water but had a dense, peculiar consistency.
Watching it made me feel uneasy, stifled, and burdened. The cracks growing wider were deeply unsettling.
What should I do?
Ignoring the pain in my core, I looked at the egg.
If it broke, I would die.
Then I had to stop it.
I couldn’t let it shatter.
I still had things to do…
...Things to do?
I paused as the thought came to mind.
What was I supposed to do? Why was I here?
Or rather—
What had I been doing just before this?
My mind felt clouded.
Nothing came to mind, but instinctively, my body moved.
Whether it was instinct or some lingering regret, my body seemed determined to stop the egg from breaking.
I reached out.
To close even a tiny crack.
Even if it didn’t help, it didn’t matter.
I felt like I had to do something.
Just as my trembling hand was about to touch the egg—
“…You troublesome brat, always causing problems. Tsk, tsk.”
A voice sounded from behind, halting me in my tracks.
As I froze—
Swish--!
A fragrant floral scent wafted around me, and suddenly, countless petals appeared, rising from below.
The petals floated in the air, surrounding the egg before wrapping around it.
The soft pink petals exuded an almost holy aura.
A gentle fragrance and a warm sensation filled the space. I caught one of the falling petals to inspect it.
Plum blossom petals.
They were plum blossoms.
There was a familiar feeling about them. I wondered where I had sensed it before—
Smack!
“Ouch!”
A blow to the back of my head made me duck involuntarily.
Holding my stinging head, I whipped around with an irritated look.
And there stood the person who had struck me.
An elderly man with white hair and a sharp gaze, dressed in a spotless white robe, glaring at me while rubbing his hand.
He had a fierce expression, a mean look in his eyes. He wasn’t tall, barely six feet, and had a wiry frame.
What? As I glared at the old man, he let out a deep sigh and muttered gruffly,
“Tsk, tsk… Rotten kid. Always causing trouble until this old man has to step in.”
Grumbling with apparent annoyance, I found myself calling him involuntarily.
“…Noya…?”
Shin Noya.
The old man was Shin Noya.