Chapter 128 – Rediscovering Ancient Power (2)

‘Enduring for eons, yet there are peculiar individuals like him in this world.’

The elder stood motionless, observing the man who had sought him out.

‘I have not neglected teaching Heaven.’

Even taking into account Heaven’s youth, the man’s potential was at a level that even the elder could admire.

‘The vessel containing the magical essence was unstable. Five months… at most a year. That body was forged hastily.’

While the development of skills could be surmounted with talent, physical growth could not. Inherent inner energy, Qi (气). Was it called magic from the outside? The container holding the inner energy was exceedingly unstable. This was a common sight among those with great talent who had experienced rapid growth.

‘I assumed he was a young fledgling just stepping onto the path of martial arts. But witnessing him wield such power with such ease, it seems that is not the case.’

I have witnessed and slain them countless times.
Young heroes of that ilk.

Typically, such prodigies diverge into two distinct paths according to the differences in their talents.
Either they succumb to the extreme slump brought on by unstable magical powers, forsaking their path as warriors,
Or they manage to overcome their struggles through unwavering effort.

The old man subtly furrowed his brow.

‘I know not from whence he came.’

He is an anomaly.

Lee Si-heon had already surpassed that dreaded slump.
He wielded his unstable magical powers at will, forcibly triumphing over the slump that even geniuses faced.
Whether this was a testament to his overwhelming talent or the result of relentless effort remained uncertain.

“…”

In just a year, the once ordinary man had acquired such formidable power.
It was a level of prowess that even he could attain.

However, just for a moment, consider this:
If this power, not yet fully consolidated, had been amassed in a mere five months –

‘I never imagined I would witness someone like this in my old age.’

It was an accomplishment so extraordinary that even the most skeptical couldn’t help but marvel.

An impossible miracle.

“Heh heh heh.”

The old man laughed, a raspy, bitter sound. Saliva spattered from between his teeth. As if he had passed on his own power directly, the energy emanating from the man’s body was as dark as the blackest night. Wasn’t it as if the heavens themselves had ordained this fate?

A miraculous coincidence, truly a curious event.

He felt the urge to tear into that flesh with his teeth, right then and there.

The old man, sensing the vigor of his youth, swept back his hair.

“Cheondo.”

“…Yes.”

Cheondo pulled away from the man’s embrace and hastily bowed her head. The girl’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, perhaps from the shame she had just displayed.

“Step back.”

“Yes.”

She took two steps back, widening the distance between them.

“Baekdo. Hwangdo.”

“Ah!” “Eek!”

“I told you not to even think about coming up here.”

“But, that person down there wanted to see Father, and so…”

“Discuss the situation later.”
“Ah, understood, Father!”

Baekdo and Hwangdo trembled while observing the old man’s mood, then quickly widened their distance from the man like a shot arrow.
Their four quivering legs were amusing.

“So, you wish to see me?”

The old man stirred his previously motionless body and approached the man. With just that, the surrounding atmosphere began to tremble.

– Ugh!

A man whose very existence shakes mountains and rivers.
The shadow of the old man with his back to the sun completely enveloped the man.

“Who are you?”

A cold voice.

“I cannot tell you my name.”

The man boldly pushed forward, unphased by the old man’s demeanor, speaking with a brazen expression.

It’s odd not to have such arrogance.
No, rather, it’s good.

“Are you the one known as Heavenly Demon?”

The old man scoffed at Lee Si-heon’s question.

“That’s right.”

Heavenly Demon.

The name by which the world knows him.

Musin. Evil spirit. The worst villain in history.

Disparaging epithets that have been attached to the old man time and time again. The massive scars etched into his body brutally reveal his past misdeeds.

A warrior’s body formed of overlapping blades. His skeleton. His eyes, grotesquely torn apart. The long, white hair cascading down his back is akin to the mane of an aged lion.

“I don’t know how he came to be known by that name, but that’s what everyone calls him.”
“I see.”

Of course, he did not ascend to the position of the Heavenly Demon in a single day. It was never a position he sought in the first place.

The old man simply had too many individuals he found distasteful since his youth. The insolent fools who, ignorant of their place, feigned righteousness. The lunatics who were oblivious to the changing times. He lived his life by relentlessly crushing all those he despised. He couldn’t stand the sight of those wretched, rat-like creatures, soaked and shivering, yet boasting as if they were fearsome tigers.

Those who had committed all manner of sins donned masks of hypocrisy, to the point where it was infuriatingly absurd.

Whenever they caught his eye, he would beat them, save them, and watch as they grew. The boy, who was like a ferocious beast, earned the nickname Heavenly Demon. Before long, he had become the leader of a group.

This place, Do-won, the final stronghold.

His black hair had turned white, but his body had grown stronger, supporting him through the passing years. The king of the martial world, revered by everyone.

One couldn’t help but admire his astounding presence.

“How was your first greeting?”
“… A bit. I was surprised.”
“That’s not something someone who entered without permission should say. Yes, that’s the easiest way to see me. So how long do you plan to keep it hidden?”
“Pardon?”

The old man lowered his head and brought his face close, right up to his nose.

“I don’t know why you wanted to see me… Show me how far you’ve come. If you don’t want to die here today as punishment for imitating my power.”

Wince-

The old man’s fist hurtled toward Lee Si-heon’s abdomen. Instinctively reacting, Si-heon briefly employed his cunning to establish a protective barrier, then pushed the old man’s chest away to create distance between them.

*Clank!*

Lee Si-heon’s defensive shield, formed around his abdomen, was left jagged and torn, as if a wooden plank had been cleaved apart.

The man’s swift counterattack followed.

*Thump-thump-thump!*

Compressed air cascaded from the sky, ruthlessly pummeling the old man’s entire body. A whirlwind of dust enveloped him.

“…Magic. It’s become a complete habit.”

*Swoosh* – The old man, having dispelled the cloud of dust, emerged unscathed. He didn’t bother to hide his sardonic grin as he leisurely approached Lee Si-heon.

“All these foolish individuals, never once in my life have I found someone worthy of being called a peer. Yet now, as I stand on the brink of death, I finally encounter one.”

Was it a compliment? Lee Si-heon’s eyes narrowed.

“Don’t bother asking why I sought you out, we’ll discuss that later. For now—”

The elderly Heavenly Demon’s body was enveloped in a dark, powerful energy.

“-Give it your all.”

* * * * *

“Shall we proceed?”

During the time when I was trapped with Heaven in a dungeon called Purgatory, I still remembered the look in my Master’s eyes as he occasionally longed for someone.

‘No, wait.’

“However, if you die here, the timeline will become twisted. It’s beyond my abilities.”

Even though his name was Heavenly Demon, I had thought he would be a kind and gentle person… But what is this now?

Heaven looks at us with a worried expression, while White Peach and Zodiac, the two little ones, are unable to cover their mouths.

‘Although I was impolite, why am I being so reckless now? It does suit the image of the Heavenly Demon more. My eyes must have been deceived by only seeing my Master.’

As I felt it, the old man must have felt it too.

The power of the Heavenly Demon inherent in each other’s domain.
It was a force that would never be exposed, so curiosity would drive one mad.

Perhaps they would stealthily attempt to kill me.
At least they had approached me amicably. Yet the result was a reckless battle.
If I wanted to speak further, I would have to earn a passing mark from that man somehow.

‘Can I sever the connection with the World Tree while in the past?’

[What are you talking about?]

‘…I don’t know. I have to do it now.’

As the old man said, it seemed that trivial magic would never work.
I crossed my arms.

“Hueup.”

I swallowed my breath and drew forth my mana.
My eyes became bloodshot as the black magical power, akin to the old man’s, spread over the surface of my skin and into the surroundings.

【 Connection to the World Tree is temporarily suspended. 】

[Wait a moment. What is this-]

Black Spade.

My magical power expanded once more.

-Paang!

The air around us is forced away.
The clash of magical forces causes the ground beneath us to tremble slowly.

“More than I imagined.”

Black magic. Before the man who first harnessed this power, I reveal the imitation I have crafted. I knew the significance of this act. The reason the World Tree of Time sent me to this realm also became clear from this moment.

“Hoo, huh.”

Inhaling slowly, I coil all my magical power around my entire body. My heart pounds painfully due to the tension.

A combat-ready body.
Adapting to the situation and reading my opponent’s movements.

The old man merely gazes at me, showing no sign of action.

‘…So, I should make the first move?’

Not a bad idea.

I’ll strike with all my might. I had no intention of holding back from the beginning.

The first stance.

I pull my fist back and imbue the black magic with a brilliant white hue.

– Zzzt, zzzzzzt.

“Impossible… to describe.”

The sound of turbulent waves engulfed the distant murmur of Heaven’s whispers.

Blooming petals. However, it was woefully insufficient.
I infused even more magical power than I had previously demonstrated.

A single strike, merging into immaculate white.
As if to live up to its name, it painted a portion of the mountain in pristine white.

I couldn’t predict how far it would reach, but I urged it to extend as far as possible.

“White Peach.”

A massive falling blossom devoured the body of the Heavenly Demon.
Without any intention to evade, the Heavenly Demon received the flow with his right arm.

-Kwagagagagaga!

The surroundings crumbled. Since emerging from the netherworld, I had never unleashed its full power.
I had never encountered a worthy opponent.
And, I was never in a situation that called for it.

-Paduddudduk!

In response to the reverberations engulfing the entire mountain, leaves plummeted and birds took flight.

“……”
“……”

The strike, with the momentum of piercing the sky, was enough to freeze everyone present in their tracks.

Except for one individual.

“Not bad.”

Without a single common wound on his body, the Heavenly Demon proudly displayed his right hand, just as it was when he first appeared, wrapped in a powerful aura.

Within his grasp, a pure white energy hummed, compressed tightly. It was blatantly obvious to whom the mana that composed it belonged.

“Take this head on this time.”

With a single swing of his arm, the compressed mana was launched towards me.

‘He’s insane.’

– Kwaddeuk!

As I forcibly intercepted it, my entire body was pushed backward. A burning sensation engulfed me, the pain of my flesh being sliced apart bit by bit with a sharp blade. It was a familiar agony, but I still couldn’t adapt to it.

– Kwadang

My body toppled over and collided with a tree. Unrelenting, I was sent flying further back, shattering the tree in the process.

Had it been a while?

I managed to stand up on shaky legs, now a considerable distance away from the old man.

The burnt hem of his clothes left his upper body exposed.

“Damn.”

“There are many scars. Still, it’s not much.”

Unbeknownst to him, the Heavenly Demon had closed the distance, approaching with eyes ablaze.

“I could add another one.”
“Please, I’d rather-“

Before he could finish his sentence, a fist swiftly approached his face.

– Whoosh!

He caught the fist and dodged the follow-up attack. A few times, he saw an opening and aimed for the abdomen, but it didn’t result in any major damage.

“You’re quite slow.”

The ground cracked beneath their feet.

“How long have you been training?”

Without a chance to respond, a fist grazed his cheek. The tree behind him split in half and fell.

Desperately increasing the distance, he found himself close to a month’s progress.

“Insane…”

The oppressive sensation on his shoulders persisted. Every time the Heavenly Demon lifted his foot, the magical force moved in the opposite direction of his own movement.

I cannot overcome it. Such a thought arises involuntarily.

Not even employing a fraction of his strength… Is this being truly human?

‘If a Flower executive possesses such power…’

Moreover, I had never witnessed the liberated forms of Heaven and Heavenly Demon, that is, the trees.

A calamity that nearly devastated the world.
Why has Heaven protected me by her side until now?

-Boom!

The fist accurately pierces my abdomen. The massive rock supporting my back crumbles to pieces.

“… Ugh, ugh.”

A surge of nausea. My entire body is drained of strength.

“Is this the end?”

It is not the end.

I force strength into my weakened legs.
A green aura envelops my body.

“What is this…?”

In Heavenly Demon’s eyes, admiration surpasses mere interest.
A healing power.
It dulls my cornered body.

As I collapsed, spewing stomach acid, I shook off my weariness and gathered mana into my fist, unleashing it upon my opponent.

– Quaang!

A single blow. Yet a futile one. Steam rose above my muscles.

“It’s fine.”

Heavenly Demon, who effortlessly withstood the attack, dismissed even that blow as if it were nothing. What an absurd individual. Is this even a living being? A mischievous laugh escaped me.

– Kwadeuk.

Heavenly Demon violently seized my neck, lifting my body with ease.

Could this be the end for me? – The moment that thought crossed my mind.

“If you refine your skill a little more-“

Heavenly Demon’s face appeared before my eyes. In that instant, I couldn’t help but let go of the tension in my body, overwhelmed by intense relief.

“-You might prove useful.”

The face of the old man gazing at me.

It was as if he had acquired a rare and intriguing item.