Chapter 207: Crying
In the desolate place where everyone had disappeared, only one accessory that had been hanging around my neck remained.
The Snake Queen arrived belatedly and silently stared at the necklace, while the Snake Princess cried at the spot for days.
After collecting the necklace, they disappeared to somewhere unknown.
Muttering words I couldn’t hear.
Time passed, and now, in this place where not even the necklace remained, someone I missed so dearly appeared.
Baek Yeonyeong.
She was my master.
She didn’t seem to be in good condition.
Her body was smeared with blood, and her eyes had lost their vitality.
Standing tall in this place where there wasn’t a trace of me, it was as if she somehow knew I had been here.
She closed her eyes and placed her hand on the ground.
*Crackle.*
When she opened her eyes, everything changed.
Her blue eyes turned crimson, as red as blood.
Just like when I had seen my master’s mother.
And the moment she took one more step, everything was annihilated.
*Crraaaash!*
Even the illusion visible to me.
All the scenery I had seen reverted to the lake once more.
My breathing became rough.
*Sssaaaah!*
Large ripples formed on the once calm lake.
What on earth had I just seen?
This place was my mental realm, a space where an inner demon could run wild.
There was no need to think deeply.
The inner demon was showing me a false image to deceive me.
— "Did you enjoy the show?"
A voice echoed in my head.
It was my first time hearing it, but it felt strangely familiar.
A savage voice imbued with the will to devour everything at any moment.
A voice filled with hatred.
It was the inner demon.
"You know exactly what I showed you, don’t you?"
It was a ridiculous illusion.
…Or at least, I wanted to believe so.
— "Yes. That is your future."
— "Exactly one month from now, the Hwasan Sect will invade, everyone will die tragically, and even the Snake Queen and your master will lose control."
The inner demon continued speaking, as if stabbing me with a cruel truth.
A self-defense mechanism began to rise within me.
How could it possibly know the future?
— "Coincidences piled upon coincidences."
— "You claimed additional Divine Energy from the Dragon Gate."
— "The shrine maiden who thinks only of you absorbed the Divine Energy."
— "An artifact obtained by chance awakened her abilities."
The shrine maiden’s ability.
If what it said was true, Nephila would have told me this the moment she saw me.
Yet, she waited.
Until I handed over the core to Tang So-yeong.
— "Even if she glimpsed the future through a dream, the shrine maiden, who has only just stepped into the realm of spiritual beings, couldn’t fully remember it."
— "She carried only a single conviction."
— "That she must help you."
— "A strong will to convey what she saw to you, no matter what."
The inner demon’s crimson eyes stared at me.
— "Do you understand now why I called it a coincidence of coincidences?"
The Divine Energy from the Dragon Gate, the shrine maiden, the Fox Bead, and the core of the Inmyeonjo.
If even one of these had been missing, Nephila wouldn’t have been able to convey the information to me.
By feeding me the Inmyeonjo’s core and leading me here, she entrusted the task of delivering the future she saw to the inner demon.
Another question arose.
The inner demon was my adversary.
It couldn’t possibly like me and would likely wish for my death.
So why did it accept Nephila’s request?
— "Isn’t it obvious? I am your inner demon."
— "I hate you and desire to consume you entirely."
The lake’s water surged violently.
— "Watching you despair after showing you a hopeless future, seeing you beg for my help amidst your wails—it’s the ultimate amusement, isn’t it?"
A massive figure, indescribable in size, revealed itself.
— "Even if you know the future, there’s nothing you can do."
— "The shrine maiden’s efforts only brought you to meet me. That’s all."
— "What will you do now?"
— "Will you announce the truth to your followers with that pathetic crying voice?"
— "Do you think that will change fate?"
Booming laughter filled the entire space.
— "Despair at the future you cannot change."
— "Even if you run with all your might until your body shatters, you cannot defy fate."
— "Cry out miserably and wait for fate to devour you."
The inner demon stopped laughing.
— "And in the end… accept me."
— "Only I can help you."
The demon whispered sweetly, as if tempting me.
— "I will engrave the essence of true terror into their very bones."
— "Everything you’re worried about, I will take care of it for you."
Its massive jaws opened wide.
As if it would devour me the moment I agreed.
— "Yes. Even after seeing the future, you can’t make a decision easily, can you?"
— "Because you know what it means to accept me."
The inner demon stared at me for a long time, then, realizing I wasn’t going to answer, closed its jaws.
— "I never expected you to give in from the start."
— "But destiny cannot be overcome."
— "I will watch over you from here with great amusement."
The inner demon began to sink slowly into the lake.
— "Watching your futile struggles."
My vision grew increasingly blurred.
— "Since even a fleeting moment of your time is too precious, I will disappear for now."
— "And… my offer still stands, so give it some serious thought."
It spat out those words in a chilling, sticky voice, then finally vanished entirely.
But I knew immediately that it had only hidden its form.
I could feel its gaze on me, watching intently from somewhere deep in the lake.
I opened my eyes.
“Go Dae-hyeop, are you awake?”
Everyone was looking at me with worried expressions.
“You suddenly passed out, and it scared us so much… If you’re in this state, then imagine if I had swallowed that core… Ugh, it’s terrifying to think about.”
Tang So-yeong, Baekrang, Nephila, Tus, and Pus.
They were all crowded around me.
I lifted my head and looked at Nephila.
She tilted her head in confusion.
It seemed she couldn’t remember the story she had passed on to me, just as the inner demon had said.
In other words, I was the only one who knew about this future.
“Uh? Lie down a little longer.”
“You swallowed a core of that level all at once; your body won’t be fine for a while. That spider shrine maiden, really… Why did she make you swallow it?”
“I think… she needed an excuse to kiss him.”
“What, what?”
“Kyaa! Why are you trying to freeze me?”
Normally, I would have laughed at their banter, but right now, I couldn’t.
Because the situation was utterly hopeless.
Everyone who was laughing and chatting here now would die.
How could I save everyone?
Should I ask my master for help?
No, that’s not the right way.
I will overcome this crisis with my own strength, without borrowing my master’s hands.
It’s not because of some foolish conviction.
If I couldn’t save everyone no matter how hard I tried, I would even lick the toes of the inner demon out of desperation.
The reason I thought I couldn’t ask my master for help was something else entirely.
Why did they invade this place?
Because they wanted the spiritual cores?
Would they invade the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, where my master resides, just for something like that?
No, it couldn’t be.
Risking a full-scale war with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult over a few cores doesn’t make sense.
Their objective wasn’t just a few spiritual cores.
If I had to guess, it was my master’s appearance after my death that gave it away.
Her eyes turned red, and she became dangerously close to a demon, rampaging uncontrollably.
The mastermind had been targeting my master from the beginning.
The fact that they predicted my master’s rampage after the death of one lizard suggests they knew the extent of our relationship.
And considering that, they must have planned for her to intervene.
No, they may have even counted on it.
To be honest, even as I reasoned this out, I couldn’t understand.
Who in their right mind would want to provoke my master into rampaging?
Did they wish to see the Central Plains destroyed?
Would the Hwasan Sect, a pillar of the Nine Great Sects, really want such a thing?
There must be more to this.
Something I don’t know.
The true mastermind.
I couldn’t rely on my master’s help.
It’s not that I doubted her strength, but in the worst-case scenario, I might lose her as well.
This is something I have to resolve myself.
How can I stop them?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with an answer.
The enemy was strong, and their numbers were overwhelming.
Even having seen the future, I couldn’t bridge the gap.
Even if I could defeat them, countless believers would die in the process.
That was unacceptable.
Even if I repelled the enemy, if my followers died, it would be meaningless.
So, what should I do?
…The believers must be evacuated.
I need to exclude them and face the enemy alone.
Yes.
I can do it.
Even if it seems impossible, I will make it possible.
There is one month left.
I must become stronger, no matter what, within that time.
Every minute and every second is precious.
I will slaughter every spiritual beast I see and make their power my own.
I can no longer afford to act leisurely.
If I do not become stronger, my followers will die.
Or I will have to surrender my body to the inner demon.
Even if I have to gather all my innate energy and throw away my life.
I must find a way to kill the enemies.
…
First, I must disband the followers.
If they stay here, they will inevitably get caught up in this.
Even if I tell them it’s dangerous, they will insist on staying by my side.
We have that kind of bond, as divine beasts and followers.
Even if I get angry, they will pretend not to hear.
Even if I plead with them emotionally, they will refuse to leave.
Simply speaking won’t work.
Dragons are capricious creatures.
Everything I’ve shown them until now has just been hypocrisy.
I need to act like I’m finally revealing my true nature.
The justification is sufficient.
I’ve taken control of the snowy mountain and obtained the Fox Bead.
I just have to pretend to have succumbed to greed and corruption.
These fools won’t leave unless I do this.
Even in the moment of their death, they will try to stay by my side.
“Grrrrrrr…”
I growled lowly.
Just as I do to my enemies, I growled with hostility.
The moment I lifted my head to warn them.
Baekrang’s trembling tail.
Tang So-yeong’s playful expression.
Tus bringing her mouth close to my tail.
Pus gently touching my hand.
Nephila smiling faintly.
All of it irritated me deeply.
“…Hey, are you crying?”
I growled lowly.
“Kieeeeng?”
“Do you still have side effects? Come here!”
“Goodness, what a strange thing to happen.”
Why am I feeling such greed?
Baekrang patted my head.
Tang So-yeong looked into my eyes with a serious expression.
Tus, as if trying to comfort me, lifted one of her legs and brought it close to my mouth.
Pus, also offering her own version of comfort, tapped near my tail with her short arms.
Nephila simply held my hand and smiled faintly as always.
“…I don’t know what’s wrong, but don’t cry. Seeing you like this makes me feel a little weird.”
“Kiiing…”
“Could it be… is it because you swallowed a gift meant for me? Ahem, as someone with a big heart, I wouldn’t dwell on just one core, you know?”
“Kaeeng…”
Why am I having selfish thoughts?
“Are you troubled about something? …If you’re struggling, do you want to touch my tail?”
“I don’t know much, but tell me. I’ve seen Go Dae-hyeop’s inner world before, after all. Though, of course, if I see it again, it feels like I’d cross a point of no return…”
“Kioong!”
“Hioong!”
Am I thinking that I want to survive and be with these guys?
Baekrang, who would normally shy away, extended his tail.
Tang So-yeong declared that she was willing to see that dangerous inner world of mine again.
Tus and Pus were offering me the things they liked most in order to cheer me up.
Nephila hugged me tightly without a word.
…
Yes.
I don’t have to bear everything alone.