Chapter 339: Inheritance and Ascension (3)
"I'm sorry."
I continued to glare at the Cult Leader who had just apologized.
"I know… I know that countless things that could have been resolved ended up twisted because I stood by and watched."
"……."
He closed his eyes and spoke in a pained voice.
"But I will not ask for forgiveness. I did what I could in my own way. Though it’s said that losers have no right to speak… I still wish to offer at least an explanation."
"Why didn’t you step forward?"
The Cult Leader did not answer.
Instead of replying to my question, he posed another one.
"Do you know why the Grand Heavenly Lord has never revealed himself to the world?"
I wanted to tell him to stop dodging the question and just answer me directly.
But I clenched my teeth and forced myself to respond to his words.
"……Is it because of the existence of the Cult?"
"Half right, half wrong."
He shook his head.
"No matter how fearful our Cult’s power might be, it has been a thousand years. Even if he had kept himself hidden, surely there would have been several chances for him to come to the forefront during that time."
Which meant—
"So… it's not that he didn’t step forward, but that he couldn’t?"
"Exactly."
The Grand Heavenly Lord, who was the greatest fragment of Heavenly Evil and his direct representative, possessed the ability to reach the seat of an absolute being with his own power alone.
There had been Cheon Yujeong, who once became Heavenly Evil. And Han Yeong, the maiden of the Sun and Moon Divine Cult who had been the first Grand Heavenly Lord.
I was certain that the true capabilities of the current Grand Heavenly Lord were no less than theirs.
Yet, he had never once stepped into the light of history.
He had only manipulated everything from the shadows by moving the Ten Heavenly Lords under his command.
"And that applies to you as well, doesn’t it?"
The Cult Leader nodded without hesitation.
"The truth is… this world does not tolerate beings of a certain level walking upon its land."
A certain level…
"This is a law created by someone, at the end of the mythic era, in order to protect the species called humanity."
This world was not purely ruled by humans.
No, in the past, there had been an era where other ‘species’ ruled over the continent.
"……."
"If one surpasses that certain level, one must ascend to the Higher Realm. That is the true meaning of ‘ascending to immortality’ as spoken of in Daoism."
But what if one refused that destiny and continued to interfere with the world?
"Something will suddenly appear to suppress that person."
That something could be a natural disaster.
It could be misfortune or a curse.
Or… it could be a person.
'A… person.'
I stared blankly at the Cult Leader’s face.
"Do you understand now?"
He smiled faintly.
"I was never meant to be born in the first place."
Not as the Great One, but simply as me.
Struck by the overwhelming self-deprecation in his words, I found myself momentarily speechless.
Cheon Taejong.
The Third Heavenly Demon.
The greatest anomaly and variable of the past millennium, acknowledged even by the Grand Heavenly Lord.
It was difficult for me to accept that his existence had been born not by chance, but by inevitability.
"To be honest, ever since I was a child, there has never been a single moment where I struggled to learn martial arts."
"……."
"Same with fighting. Even as a child, I could defeat experts who were several levels above me."
It sounded like shameless self-praise, but I knew it was true.
No, considering the level he had reached now, those words might even be too modest.
"And after I reached the Transcendent Demon Realm over a decade ago, I became convinced. That if I just pushed a little further… I could take on the entire Murim by myself."
I quietly listened without interrupting.
"I thought that if I could reach that level, I would be able to protect the two children from the grasp of the Grand Heavenly Lord."
But the fact that he was speaking like this now—
Meant that he had realized he had been wrong.
"But after I surpassed the Transcendent Demon Realm and stepped into the Supreme Demon Realm… I realized my judgment had been mistaken."
Like someone confessing his regrets, the Cult Leader—whose face had grown younger—spoke as if recalling a distant past.
"Fate stood in my way. As if telling me… ‘This is as far as you go.’"
The Cult Leader slowly reached his hand toward the sky.
To me, that gesture looked like a futile attempt to push something away.
"The moment I recognized fate, I realized that the talents, the aptitude, the instincts I had been born with… none of those were mine to begin with. They had been given to me by someone else."
They say talent is a gift from the heavens.
But most people simply take that gift for granted, living their lives believing it to be their own.
"Since then, I’ve been unable to make decisions easily. Because I realized that if I disturbed even a little, the world would snap back at me like a coiled spring."
Of course, he had been forced to disturb it a few times for unavoidable reasons.
But the result was—
"Despite all my efforts to strengthen control over the Cult, a traitor named ‘Iro’ emerged from the Seven Elders. One of the Ten Heavenly Lords infiltrated among the Elders. Even one of the Heads of the Six Great Demonic Clans sided with the enemy."
The Cult Leader had ruled for about twenty years.
Relatively speaking, that was quite a long time, but considering his authority and dominance as the Heavenly Demon, it was unnatural that so many cracks had appeared in just twenty years.
I had always believed that was because of the Cult Leader's negligence.
But he was now saying that this was the result of him interfering with the affairs of the world.
"The only thing I dared to interfere with… was anything related to the Grand Heavenly Lord, who stood at the same eye level as me."
A chill ran down my spine.
The same eye level.
Those words carried an undeniable weight.
It meant that the current Grand Heavenly Lord… was by no means inferior to the Cult Leader.
"Fortunately, I had the Heavenly Thunder Corps that I had established before I hit that wall. Thanks to Jumyeong, who is as pure as he is capable, I’ve been able to breathe a little easier."
"As pure… as he is?"
It was a statement that naturally made my tightly shut lips part.
Of all things, that was the one I couldn’t agree with.
Seeing the bitter expression on my face, the Cult Leader let out a small chuckle and continued.
"He’s one of those I feel indebted to… along with Yeojin. It seems things didn’t go too well for her in the future without me…."
I met the Cult Leader’s gaze.
"That’s why I’m placing a great deal of hope on you."
"……."
"You’re someone who stands outside that fate. A being who can reach the heavens without consequence."
"……."
"Protecting Yura isn’t just about keeping her safe. It also means shielding her from the damned fate she inherited from me… though I wonder if you even realize that."
He slowly approached me.
Then, he placed both his hands firmly on my shoulders.
"You carry a fate that is not bound by this world."
"Fate…."
I slowly repeated his words to myself.
Then, I took a step back and brushed his hands off my shoulders.
"You’re right."
"……."
"I’ve gained the sensation to perceive this world."
Sensation.
"I’ve gained the vitality to move freely through it."
Vitality.
"And finally… I’ve gained the fate to resist it."
And fate.
With unwavering conviction, I declared,
"I still cannot forgive you… but don’t worry. I’ve said it more times than I can count, and I’ll say it again—what you fear will never happen."
"……."
"Yura… I’ll treasure and protect her for the rest of my life. So you can just sit back and spend the rest of your days in peace."
Though it was bitter, he—
"Yeah."
For some reason, he smiled as if he found it amusing.
"Thank you."
That was where my conversation with the Cult Leader ended that day.
I figured I probably wouldn’t see him again after today—
"Come out."
At that moment,
The Cult Leader suddenly spoke toward somewhere.
"……?!"
I instinctively turned my head toward where he had spoken.
In the thick darkness untouched by the torchlight.
Emerging through that darkness—
Cheon Yura appeared, staring this way with her usual expressionless face.
In that moment, I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.
‘No way… she heard…?!’
I glared at the Cult Leader with a horrified expression.
"Y-You tricked me!"
I had been sure he set up a barrier to block off the outside, leaving just the two of us alone.
I never imagined he had hidden Cheon Yura nearby all along!
"I don’t really know what you’re talking about, but when it comes to matters between a man and a woman, it’s best they resolve it themselves. Oh, and…."
The Cult Leader wore a mischievous grin, something I had never seen from him before.
"In these things… the one who gets tricked is the fool, Little Brother."
Tsk tsk tsk!
As soon as he finished, the Cult Leader’s body vanished without a trace.
That bastard…!
With the Cult Leader gone like that,
Before I knew it, only Cheon Yura and I remained in the hall.
"Y-Yura?"
I should have known the moment the Cult Leader came alone.
But I had never expected that damn bastard would stab me in the back like this!
"……."
Cheon Yura slowly climbed the steps to the platform.
And step by step, she walked toward me.
‘She’s not… going to suddenly pull out her sword and swing it, is she?’
The truth I had hidden, hidden, and hidden again.
I had hidden it so deeply that it had once almost twisted my relationship with her beyond repair.
I had sworn to tell her everything someday.
I had promised to tell her everything when we returned from Akyang.
But for it to be exposed like this…
I swallowed nervously, watching her every move.
"……."
Cheon Yura still said nothing.
She slowly closed the distance until she stood right in front of me.
And then, spreading her arms, she slowly… embraced me.
No—considering our difference in height, it was more accurate to say she buried herself in my chest.
"Yura…."
"Quiet."
Her emotionless voice silenced me.
I could feel her breath on the back of my neck.
"……."
"……."
She stayed like that, quietly pressing her face against my chest without saying a word.
Surely, she must have heard my entire conversation with the Cult Leader.
Surely, she must have been dying to ask about all the other things I had yet to reveal.
And yet, she didn’t ask a single question about what had been said between me and the Cult Leader.
Of course, knowing how sharp she was, she had likely figured out a good part of the truth already.
But still, she hadn’t pushed me to lay everything bare, not even in front of the Cult Leader.
Suddenly, she lifted her head.
Naturally, our eyes met—no more than half a palm’s width apart.
In her obsidian eyes, I could see a shimmering starlight.
I almost lost myself in that beautiful sight when—
"Jin Yeomyung."
"Uh, y-yeah?"
She softly asked me,
"Are you ready?"
"Ready?"
I reflexively repeated her words, and her lips pouted slightly in displeasure.
She told me what she meant by ready.
"To marry me… to become my husband… and to bear the weight that comes with it. Are you ready for that?"
"……!!"
I hadn’t expected her to say something like that, and I found myself truly surprised.
Looking closely, I noticed her cheeks had turned quite red.
"I-I'm not exactly easy to deal with. I’m temperamental… and I get angry easily. So…."
"Enough."
I raised a finger and pressed it against her lips.
Why was she saying something so obvious now?
On the very first day of our arranged meeting, she had come at me with a blade, trying to take my head. And now she was acting shy?
"I’ve known all of that since way back."
"R-Really?"
Cheon Yura lowered her head slightly, as if embarrassed.
But before long, both of us started chuckling softly.
And then, naturally, our lips met.
In that moment, I felt deeply thankful to her.
Thankful that she hadn’t asked about my circumstances.
From that distant day in the back alleys of Miok Fortress, in the pouring rain, when we first met.
Through the arranged meeting, through everything that led her to become the Cult Leader, and me the Chief of Internal Affairs—we had built our bond together.
After all that, I had promised myself that I would dedicate this life to her.
Of course, there was still a mountain of problems left to solve.
But surely, once in a while, it was alright to enjoy a little peace like this.
Now that I thought about it…
If we ever had children… what should I name them?