Ever since spending time with Elder Brother Dowon, Cheondo always looked forward to the next day.
What should she do with him tomorrow? What would he bring tonight?
Even during work, her elder brother's face would come to mind, and thoughts of the previous night would intrude without fail.
For Cheondo, who had shouldered the heavy burden known as the Young Demon, it was the first time daily life became something to look forward to.
"...Why."
But now, that routine has been shattered.
The murder of the elderly couple who ran the inn where she worked marked the beginning.
Because they were people she respected, her tether to rationality snapped in an instant.
"Kkeuheoeo. Eugh."
A man, grabbed by the neck and laid on the ground by Cheondo, wailed in distress.
The title of Young Demon did not shame her in the slightest as she effortlessly subdued a hunter in an instant.
-Drip, drip.
Drops of blood fell from Cheondo's forearm.
The fallen hunter's body was riddled with holes as if punched indiscriminately.
Through her disheveled hair, Cheondo glared at Jeong Homun.
"Stop it now."
Veins bulged in her wide-open eyes.
The advice of her father, who always insisted on staying calm, failed to surface in her mind at this moment.
"Otherwise…"
The black magic coiling around her arms made the blood evaporate.
The surrounding air quivered in sync with that power.
Jeong Homun calmly spoke to the hunter beside him.
"Young Demon. Calmly contact the communications team."
"Don't give orders, you bastard."
The man reached for the radio. That action alone made Cheondo realize there was no other option, and she vanished from sight.
As the woman who had been standing on the shattered roof tiles disappeared, Jeong Homun scowled.
"Here she comes! Put away the radio for now."
"I know… This is terrifying."
As the two drew their swords and briefly conversed, white energy surged from Cheondo's hand.
The form of her sister, Baekdo (White Peach).
Cheondo, having swiftly moved to the rear, threw a punch. Homun and the man turned their heads and managed to block it with their swords.
-Kwagagagaga!
A wave of giant petals instantly engulfed the two hunters.
Unlike Cheonma or Lee Shiheon's forms, this martial technique was almost beautiful to behold.
Its shape changed with the user's disposition, process, and growth.
The fluttering petals grazed and passed over the hunters' bodies.
-Kwajik!
As Cheondo stepped on the ground, cracks formed, and a whirlwind ensued.
Veins bulged prominently on her forehead.
'...Baekdo. Hwangdo.'
The faces of her two sisters flickered through her mind.
They weren't so weak as to be incapable of protecting themselves, but they were not as strong as she.
The situation was dire and worrying.
As desperate as Cheondo was, she lacked leisure. She needed to finish this quickly and find the two.
However, her opponents were formidable.
The fact that Cheondo was facing two men, each representative of their respective guilds, spoke volumes about their skill.
-Whoong!
The wave of splitting petals.
Escaping from the aftermath of Baekdo, the two hunters swung their swords, and nearby buildings collapsed along with the petals.
"If you don't snap out of it, you might really end up in a coffin."
The ease on Jeong Homun and the man's faces vanished. The hunter tried to shake off the tension with a bold shout.
Homun, seeing the furious face of the young Cheondo, seemed not too pleased.
"Get lost when I'm talking."
Cheondo quivered the corners of her eyes as she spoke.
"Look at this brat. Just try to keep up. Follow me."
Age was irrelevant if one felt the power of the Young Demon; they had to be killed all the same. Jeong Homun, with his sword drawn, was the first to dash towards Cheondo.
"If we make a mistake, we'll be the ones who die."
"I kno – Ah!"
The hunter's speech was abruptly cut off. Seizing the opportunity, Cheondo delivered a hard kick, throwing him off balance. However, the blow wasn't particularly severe. Following up with a lighter punch to the chin, Cheondo pushed off the hunter's shoulder and leapt into the air.
Jeong Homun and the hunter with short hair. Being caught by them meant certain death, at the very least.
'…Elder brother.'
Why was she worried, even though he was stronger than she was? Thoughts of her father also sporadically crossed her mind.
Could it be that they're after the master's life? Amidst these thoughts, Cheondo felt something binding her body.
'Magic?'
It was a sensation of magic she had only occasionally felt from her elder brother, something she had never experienced before. Suddenly, bright yellow chains appeared in the air, suppressing her body as if dominating it.
Looking around with a chill, she saw a woman wearing a hat stretching her hand towards her.
"…Ugh."
As Cheondo concentrated magic throughout her body, black magic began to surge from her. It had a fierce momentum, like that of a lion, but as the resistance became more intense, the magic rapidly drained from her body.
"Just as expected."
The hunter with short hair gulped, exerting strength into the hand holding the sword. As the violent resistance gradually faded, a sense of elation emerged within him.
The World Tree's power, converted into an artifact. A treasure of the order, treated as a national treasure, was held in the woman's hand.
"Ugh. Uh."
She gulped and a streak of blood ran down Cheondo's mouth. Trying to forcefully tear away the chains only caused more backlash.
From the empty air, a black rift appeared. Fifteen chains dangled Cheondo in the air.
Her body felt several times heavier. Cheondo's face went pale as if she would lose consciousness at any moment.
"Turns out, this curiosity wasn't unwarranted."
Whew. The man with short hair whistled, scanning Cheondo's body before shrugging his shoulders.
"Looking at it now… Hmm. Doesn't seem like that monster from earlier."
"Shut up and get ready to fight."
Jeong Homun cut off the frivolous man's speech. Among the special forces, he was the man with the most outstanding skill. His words made the surrounding hunters start to tense up.
"Why? Isn't it over? Ah, going after the sect leader?"
"That's not it."
"What... Ah."
The hunter with short hair finally stopped talking.
Something was approaching, not hiding its presence.
Dowon was dying.
Without even a moment to grieve over this fact, Hongyeon was crisply directing the scene amidst the sudden attack.
"The rescue of the Young Demon. Support from the Young Demon. Don't think of anything else. Focus only on this one thing."
Her eyes, sharper than usual. Click-clack. With each step of her heels, the nearby magic trembled.
Swords floating behind her followed Hongyeon.
"...Kill everyone who has set foot in here."
A hunter's corpse held in Hongyeon's hand.
The torn flesh and blood were gruesomely cruel.
With a face showing no doubt even if she were called the cult leader, Hongyeon presented a stern expression to the others.
"Right now."
"YES!!!"
Dowon's warriors, spreading out as if to encompass the entire mountain range, each boasting exceptional combat skills.
'…Don't think about anything. Not anything.'
Even as her heart felt torn and tears of blood fell, Hongyeon clenched her teeth and maintained her rationality. Her gaze fixed on one spot.
"Are you okay?"
"Ye-Yes, thank you."
A woman in black clothes, adorned with a symbol representing the Young Demon. The torn garment underneath revealed what she was on the brink of enduring.
"There's water inside. Have a drink."
"…Yes."
Trembling, yet she responded promptly to Hongyeon's words.
"Calm down. It will be over soon."
Several figures were suddenly sent to the deepest part of Dowon.
Observing the continuous dispatch of people to a certain coordinate, Hongyeon quickly realized who was responsible.
"The interior is secured. But outside, from the lower to the middle sections, it's chaos."
"I know.
That person continued to aid Dowon's people even on his dying day.
He was, as his name suggested, Dowon himself.
"Sect leader? Where are you going?"
"Outside."
"It's too dangerous."
Suppressing the bitter taste in her mouth, Hongyeon steadily moved forward. The warrior attempting to dissuade her was met with her uniquely raspy voice.
"I am the sect leader. Why doubt?"
The warrior fell silent.
Many eyes inside the building widened as they turned towards Hongyeon.
Rumors had been circulating about her lacking skills, given her usual preoccupation with Dowon's internal affairs. This display of charisma from her was unprecedented for everyone.
"Trust me."
This scale of attack was a first.
Not having much experience in on-site command,
Yet as the sect leader of Dowon…
She couldn't be swayed by minor emotions but had to make a clear-headed decision about what needed to be done.
-Clunk!
The firmly closed door opened.
The bodies of warriors who had escaped through the window lay scattered outside the door.
Some hunters, upon seeing Hongyeon, look at her with various emotions in their eyes.
"What place do you think this is to set foot in?"
A trembling voice, in unison with a sword, stretched straight towards the hunter.
Leaves falling from her skirt turn into swords, increasing in number.
Ten. Twenty. Thirty.
A crimson glow enveloped the blade.
The tip of the sword quivers as if held directly in her hand.
"What place do you think this is… what did you say."
If only those people hadn't been there, he wouldn't have had to die.
Hongyeon, suppressing her tightening heart with both hands, opened her eyes to face forward.
The approaching hunters.
-Flash!
The sword moved.
Swords stretching in various directions collided and changed course.
-Clang, clang, clang!
A sword extending far leaves a trail of red glow, scattering in all directions. The peach blossoms of Dowon were momentarily dyed red by the light of the sword blade.
That moment.
-Rumbling!
A figure flashed before Hongyeon's wide-open eyes.
On the horizon of her vision, far away, a man flew at an almost invisible speed towards somewhere.
Hongyeon's lips twitched.
Instinctively, she sensed this might be the last time she would see that person.
Thump.
Time seemed to stop, her mind cleared, and everything around her slowed down.
It seemed for a moment that the man glanced this way.
Despite being drenched in blood and in white clothes, he didn't stop.
'Ah.'
She didn't let out the sound of regret.
The emotion she felt, the dizziness. Even now…
Words could hardly describe the turmoil of feelings Hongyeon experienced, yet she chose to end it with a single action.
"…"
Hongyeon did not meet his eyes.
Instead, she stiffly raised her hand and swept the surroundings once.
-Crackling!
The scattered swords pierced through the hunters.
Blood burst forth. Pieces of bone rolled to her feet.
The scene ended in an instant. Shattered armor and the bodies of soldiers with broken necks lay sprawled on the ground.
The Sect Leader of the Cult.
The number of swords had increased, now reaching nearly fifty.
Nothing went as hoped for.
My life has always been like that.
So, I never thought this time would be any different.
Nothing went according to plan.
Neither for me nor for those bastards.
-Whoom!
The magic emanating from my body seemed endless, despite using all the magic I could muster to increase speed. My body knew no fatigue.
I haven't slept for days. Yet, I'm not sleepy.
It feels like flying with wings.
-Crash!
A hunter chasing a civilian from Dowon.
I punched the hunter's head to burst it open, stepping ahead to teleport the civilian to the deepest part.
All actions flowed naturally, as if planned from the start.
No… It was as I thought. It's strange how my body moved as I thought.
Like drawing on a blank canvas, my senses were free.
Normally, pain would act as a brake on my body, but for me, it served as lubrication.
It hurt.
It's painful, yet I moved.
When fighting, my consciousness seemed to drift away.
-You're different when you fight.
Didn't you sometimes feel dazed when you vaguely imagined something in your head?
It's not exactly the same, but I was experiencing a similar emotion.
"Young Demon!"
A hunter climbed onto the roof to block the way, extending his sword.
I lightly tilted my head to dodge the sword and dove into his embrace.
A light palm thrust.
Just a simple strike.
-Thud!
The hunter, with a hole through his chest, lost the sparkle in his eyes and slid off the roof.
-You seem to lose memory of the middle part when you train.
-Is that so?
-Yes.
The reason why training time felt so short.
I didn't know, but I realized it in actual combat.
Everything just felt slow.
Swords, magic, even my punches.
My mind spun rapidly, making my magic casting very quick.
-Boom!
A female mage casting magic.
Effortlessly dispelling the magic, I caught a glimpse of her perplexed face in my vision.
Without fail, I swung my hand and severed a neck.
A fountain of blood spilled out. It obscured my view, so I kicked it aside.
-You were born for this. This training suits you very well.
It seemed that I wasn't given the power of Cheonma for nothing.
The Young Demon told me that.
Suddenly recalling the old man's words, the day I first killed someone vividly came to mind.
When I was entangled in a cult. It started when I stabbed and killed a believer who completely trusted me as one of their own.
…It was obviously something that had to be done. And I felt nothing.
Was I a madman?
Well, yes.
Just as the old man said.
I was rotten, yet still of my father's bloodline.
I couldn't stand the hypocrisy of those around me, complaining that I wasn't supposed to be that kind of
person.
Whether it's hypocrisy or whatever. What did it matter now?
My people were what mattered.
The fact that people could become cruel in certain situations, and if there's something shameful, then become ugly. Wasn't that just a well-known fact to everyone? I had always been that kind of criminal.
After the dungeon incident, I faced a lot of confusion about my identity.
But after seeing the future where Lee Seyeong died, it got me thinking.
Me.
I was a spineless fool. I did whatever I wanted.
Sometimes I showed mercy, casually shrugging my shoulders, helping out when I felt generous.
I helped out of sympathy, and sometimes I looked down on others with arrogance.
And if someone ignored my actions, I got embarrassed and angry. Ugly, really, making excuses that I meant this or that. Pretending to be cool, not showing hurt even when I am.
I should change. Yet, I end up doing the same thing.
I was a coward at heart, unable to maintain a good appearance until the end. That's all I was.
Like a reed, but there was one thing I wanted to protect.
And now it seemed I was going to lose even that.
Such thoughts crossed my mind even as I moved.
Moving like that.
-Crackling!
Stopping my movements, tiles were kicked up from my feet.
From one end of the building's roof to the other.
Gliding across, I had suddenly arrived in front of Cheondo.
"..."
Cheondo, bound in chains, looked up at me with eyes that had lost their light.
Slowly, light returned to her pupils.
"…Elder brother?"