Hello, Yul here.
Just wanted to say thanks for reading and supporting the novel.
*****
TL: Yul
PR: Gort
*****
A disgusting and bitter taste lingered in his mouth.
Lee Sungmin filled his mouth to the brim with water. Gargle, spit, gargle, spit. He cleaned his mouth, in between his teeth, and inside his throat.
The bitterness faded, but he still felt the sensation and texture of when he ‘bit down’. The fact that he thought of it as a texture felt unclean.
The thing that made him more uncomfortable was that when he bit down, he thought, ‘…than I thought it would be…’
[It’s because your body is that of a yōkai.]
Yōkais ate humans; that was an undeniable fact.
Even if he was once a human, it was natural that he could cannibalize after becoming a yōkai.
Although there was a physiological rejection, the body itself accepted cannibalism. Therefore, there were no physical rejections, such as vomiting; it was irritating.
His internal energy expanded; his yōkai essence did as well.
Yet, it wasn’t like it made a huge difference. Although his empty dantian had filled, the amount he originally had was too large for the Blood Demon’s heart to make a difference.
It was like that when he ate the Dragon Heart. It was like that when he inherited Yang Il-Chun’s powers. His limits had increased, and his memory…
It was slightly chaotic.
It was like a shattered mirror.
When he inherited the Demonic Emperor’s powers, he couldn’t take all of what his master had.
Compared to Aine, who could use martial arts she had never seen before through Predation, Lee Sungmin felt that his power was inferior. Was it really his body’s problem?
He felt slightly regretful, but he couldn’t do anything about it. If he was too greedy, his body could be ruined.
“Was it tasty?”
The Black Dragon asked with a curious face. Lee Sungmin didn’t speak but turned to face Jehu.
After looking at his rotten expression, the Black Dragon coughed and looked away.
Yana walked towards the pair.
“There aren’t any Vampires hiding.”
“Do you think they escaped?”
“There aren’t that many beings that are skilled enough to leave undetected by me. Maybe the Queen can…”
“There were a bunch of black magicians, though,” the Black Dragon spoke, pointing at hundreds of black-robed figures in a pile in a corner of the courtyard.
“It was less than I thought. Most were weak and could barely be counted as real magicians. It seems like the ones that could claim to be magicians already escaped.”
They had betrayed the Blood Alliance.
Lee Sungmin thought of what the Blood Demon had said before. Although the Blood Alliance had many members, most were not loyal.
It had many martial artists, but the power that they had wasn’t anything Geniella would go out of her way for.
She was probably more interested in the higher-skilled black magicians, as black magicians were more useful than martial artists. To the Lord of All Vampires, power from others wasn’t necessary, while usefulness from others was.
‘There’s no memory relating to this, though.’
Although the Blood Demon’s memories of his achievements in martial arts were transferred over to Lee Sungmin, his memories of Geniella and her plans were severed by an unknown force.
Lee Sungmin, feeling unsatisfied, turned his body around.
“You don’t need to kill them. We can leave the clean-up to the others.”
“Others? Who?”
“The Blood Demon that ruled the Blood Alliance died; the sect is finished. Someone will take over its spot soon. Maybe the Magician Guild will butt in, or maybe a leader will sprout from the pile over there. A Blood Alliance without the Blood Demon doesn’t pose a threat.”
“Are you satisfied with that?”
The Black Dragon asked with a curious gaze.
“Weren’t you angry that the place where the Lord of the Sama Order ruled was dirtied?”
“I already proved that the Blood Demon was not the disciple of my master; that’s all I need.”
Lee Sungmin looked at the place where the Blood Demon died.
The corpse had disappeared.
As soon as Lee Sungmin ate the heart, the body turned into a blood-red cloud and dissipated.
Lee Sungmin thought of the expression on the Blood Demon’s face as he died. Even when facing certain death, the Blood Demon had a satisfied smile engraved on his face.
What made him so satisfied?
Was it because he died while fighting? Or was it because he could show Geniella what he saw and felt while fighting?
Whichever one it was, wasn’t this quite a meaningless death for someone who lived for 700 years?
Even thought the Blood Demon died, Lee Sungmin didn’t feel that happy. It was because he couldn’t understand the person, no, the Vampire known as the Blood Demon.
He was in a bad mood because he couldn’t understand.
The Blood Demon… was strong.
He was stronger than nearly all Vampires, but he was far superior in the fields of martial arts.
Lee Sungmin stopped thinking about the Blood Demon. He could not understand, and he did not want to understand.
He needed to focus on what he needed to do next.
He had to be careful of Geniella’s revenge, as he had killed one of her kind.
‘I don’t get what she’s trying to do.’
If she left Travia to feed the Spirit King of Flames to Aine, where would she head next?
Would she return to Travia now that she had done what she set out to do? Would she hunt down other Spirit Kings for Aine?
Lee Sungmin couldn’t let Aine get stronger. As long as the Spear King, Lloyd, Scarlett, and Baek Sogo succeeded in reverse-summoning the other Spirit Kings, it should be fine…
‘It would be great to know where Geniella is headed at the very least.’
Even Erebrisa couldn’t find Geniella’s location.
Her whereabouts had disappeared shortly after Aine ate the Spirit King of Flames in Permud Volcano. Did they go back to Travia?
If so, that would be safer for everyone, but something told him that Geniella wouldn’t return quietly. He was sure she was planning something.
There was nothing he could do other than wait patiently. Since he finished his business here, he had to return to the Forest of the Fairies. After that… he planned to visit the Sleeping Forest. Even if the Queen of Spirit hadn’t descended yet, he wanted to double-check.
Lee Sungmin, the Black Dragon, and Yana headed toward the main entrance. Lee Sungmin stepped forward and opened the doors.
Instantly, they were met with a crowd of people gathered outside of the Blood Alliance headquarters.
It was as the group expected. After all the noise they made – destroying buildings, the sound of magic, screams, thunder, and much more – it would be weird for people not to gather.
“Mask…”
Someone in the crowd muttered. Lee Sungmin looked around. Among the normal people without a hint of internal energy in their bodies, there were a few with concealed powers.
There were also a couple of beggars on the outskirts of the crowd, trying to get closer. Were the ones rolling their eyes around, trying to take in as much information, a part of the 하오문, 개방, or another information guild? Well, it didn’t matter that much.
“The Blood Demon is dead.”
At that bold statement, the crowd, which had gone silent at the sight of the trio, began to talk softly.
“It was a personal issue.”
He did not say anything about the Sama Order or the Lord of the Sama Order.
Yet, the crowd seemed to understand what the “personal issue” was.
The Ghost Spear wore a mask – a symbol of the Demonic Emperor. Why else would he come to the Blood Alliance and kill the Blood Demon?
“Many have died, but there are more that are still alive. If you have family or friends, I suggest going inside. If you want to take revenge…”
The crowd shuddered. Who would dare think of attacking the three monsters that utterly destroyed the Blood Alliance by themselves?
Especially the Ghost Spear, who carried many titles: the successor and only disciple of the Demonic Emperor, the one that killed the Demon King Kim Jonghyun and Volander, and more. Today, another story was attached to Lee Sungmin.
[[Young Master.]]*
Lee Sungmin, who was preparing to leave, froze.
He turned his head toward the sound. His eyes met with a familiar woman’s eyes.
Lee Sungmin’s shoulders slightly shuddered as he saw the young woman. Even though 10 years had passed, there weren’t many changes to her face.
The young woman, Yehwa, slightly bowed her head toward Lee Sungmin. She had a small smile on her face.
[[…How have you been?]]
[[I’ve thought for a very long time and lost myself many times…. Yet, I am still alive; I live by Master’s will.]]
Yang Il-Chun’s will for Yehwa… was to live not for a sect or for others but to live for oneself and find happiness.
Do not take revenge. Do not get involved in the Sama Order’s affairs. That was how Yehwa had lived for the past 10 years.
Lee Sungmin did not ask what she meant by losing herself. He remembered the figure of Yehwa, sobbing as she clutched the corpse of her master.
[[That’s… good.]]
[[Even if I tried to, I don’t think I would be able to forget him. He… would probably say otherwise, but he was like a father to not just me but the others as well.]]
That was why Yehwa and the others couldn’t ignore the will.
Do not make any extreme choices.
Do not do anything that I would dislike.
Do not take revenge; it will be impossible with your strength.
Do not be an idiot and jump into the afterlife to help me.
Do not involve in the Sama Order’s affairs.
Live.
The entirety of the Guard must survive.
It is fine if you leave Murim, and it is fine if you stay. However, as you only have one life, only one chance, I suggest living a long, happy life.
[[In the end, everyone followed Master’s will.]]
[[We… are living well.]]
What about me?
Yang Il-Chun had left a very clear will for the Guard. However, he had only said a few vague statements for Lee Sungmin.
The only thing he made Lee Sungmin do was to eat his heart.
Other than that, the rest was for Lee Sungmin to do what he wanted.
Do whatever you want.
Do whatever you want as long as you won’t regret it.
Do not regret anything.
That was what his master told him to do. So, did he? He thought a bit more.
Did he… do what he wanted to do? Did he have regrets? He did not know. His world, his reality, felt too chaotic to think deeply about that.
Firstly, he felt he had to prevent the Apocalypse. Then, he might have a chance to ponder these questions.
[[Young master…? Are you living well?]]
[[I don’t know. If I am or if I’m not.]]
Lee Sungmin bitterly smiled as he replied. The spear on his back felt heavy. The mask on his face felt heavy.
[[…I try to… live well.]]
[[I pray that young master accomplishes what he needs to do.]]
Yehwa lowered her head once more, bowing. Lee Sungmin turned around with a slight smile on his face.
He saw the wide open gates of the Blood Alliance and the collapsed buildings surrounding the rubble that was once the main building.
He did not need to see anymore.
***
“Where’s my present?”
Lee Sungmin heard that as he got down from the Pegasus, almost immediately after he arrived at the Forest of the Fairies.
As he looked down, he saw Teresa looking up at him, puffing up her cheeks.
“You forgot, didn’t you?”
“…There’s no way.”
Lee Sungmin replied calmly and reached into his spatial pocket. He rummaged through his pouch until he found a tiara that looked presentable.
Teresa stared at Lee Sungmin.
“You didn’t buy this from Hadras.”
“There aren’t any exclusive items from Hadras. It’s because the Sama Or- I mean the Blood Alliance controls the city. Or did you want a zhanmado** that the martial artists from the Blood Alliance wear or a robe from a Black Magician?”
“I don’t need anything. You want me to carry a staff for beating animals, a blade, and a robe? What do you take me for?”
“That’s why I bought an accessory that suits you. How is it?”
“Well, considering that the last present I got was a stick, I guess your sense of fashion improved slightly.”
Just what did she think the tagubong*** was?
Lee Sungmin wanted to retort but shut his mouth.
The Black Dragon, who was behind Lee Sungmin, stepped forward.
He slowly reached into his own spatial pocket… and pulled out a necklace that did not match himself at all.
“…Kehuem.”
He coughed slightly, handing it over to Teresa.
Her eyes widened, and her hand automatically reached out.
Lee Sungmin looked at the scene in surprise.
[[When did you buy it?]]
[[When you ran ahead of us earlier.]]
[[You bought it in that short period of time?]]
[[Well, I just saw it on a stand, so…]]
The Black Dragon’s voice slightly blurred near the end.
Teresa, who was staring at the necklace while blinking rapidly, suddenly smiled.
“Thank you.”
At that, the Black Dragon’s mouth wiggled slightly, moving up.
Lee Sungmin stared at him.
[[Think of the age gap, sir .]]
[[That, don’t misunderstand.]]
[[Misunderstand? Talk after you look at your expression.]]
The Black Dragon lowered his head.
“Do you have anything for me?”
Rubia, who had come from the commotion, looked at Teresa, who donned the tiara and necklace proudly.
Lee Sungmin, who had expected this, pulled a bracelet from his pocket and handed it over.
Rubia gave the Black Dragon a side-eye.
“I don’t have any.”
The Black Dragon said firmly.
Rubia clicked her tongue and took a stance similar to how Teresa stood; she crossed her arms, glaring at the Black Dragon.
He sighed, reaching into his pocket. He pulled his hand out after a while with… an old-looking book.
“…This is called the Immeasurably Divine Pure Martial Art…”
“I don’t want it.”
Rubia spat, disgust engraved on her face.
*****
*: As Heoju uses [] when he speaks, mental transmissions will have double brackets [[]]
**: A huge single-bladed anti-cavalry Chinese sword (apparently 200+ cm?) (from Google)
***: A staff/hammer thing (타구봉)