Chapter 157 – Socheonma, Dowon (6)

My vision flickers.

All I see is the broad back of a man, his clothes drenched in blood…

And a familiar scent tickling the tip of my nose.

A sturdy figure and well-known strands of hair.

Ah.

It’s him.

As I tighten my grip and tug on the chain, my body moves.

– Chalgran. Chalgran.

Wobbling weakly, I lift my half-closed eyelids.

It was a familiar sight.

The imposing figure that would sometimes turn his back on me, fearing my approach. It’s wide, firm, and warm, making me yearn to embrace it.

I could not forget, for I’ve etched it into my memory time and time again.

“…Brother.”

Did he get angry because I rushed at him without answering?

I cast aside my thoughts and gaze upon my brother’s face, which I hold so dear that it couldn’t possibly cause me pain.

‘Brother?’

At that very moment, Heaven’s breath is caught in her throat.

“……”

He exuded an atmosphere entirely different from the executioner she knew.

Eyes so deeply sunken they appeared lifeless. No emotions were revealed in the black pupils. The rigid face was as hard as stone. It seemed as if a significant part of the human emotional system had been violently torn away, leaving it utterly shattered.

The sound of eyeballs rolling to assess the situation could be heard.

Heaven felt a sense of dissonance from Do-won, who looked nothing like the man she usually saw.

Restrained emotions. To describe it with such words would be insufficient. Empty? Should she dare to use such words for him?

Forgetting her pain at the shocking sight, Heaven swallowed saliva mixed with blood. For some reason, his back seemed incredibly pitiable. His face repeatedly caught her eye. It seemed like it wouldn’t be strange at all if he were to collapse any moment. Heaven found herself unable to keep watching him.

“Executioner…”

She barely managed to squeeze out a wavering voice.

“Executioner… are you alright?”
“You.”

Only then does the tightly closed mouth open.

All the hunters who had confronted Cheondo were on guard against the Executioner.
It was understandable.
His body now radiated an energy far more intense than ever before.

“Cheondo, are you okay?”

A tender voice emerges from the stern visage.
His face is frightening, but… it’s the man she knows.
It feels as if he could reach out and caress her at any moment, so warm and comforting.

“I’m fine. I’m alright-“

As the Executioner’s words resonate clearly in her heart, her throat tightens with a different kind of emotion.

“I’m okay because… well.”

Cheondo lowers her eyes and nods.
The pent-up frustration melts away.
The many deaths she could do nothing but helplessly witness.
The injustice and anger of being unable to do anything, and instead becoming a victim herself.

Cheondo does not cry.
For she is a Lesser Heavenly Demon. No matter what befalls her, tears do not come.

But she could not deny her emotions, and so Heaven mustered her voice and spoke to Do-won.

“…Please help the people.”
“Alright.”

His response was brief.

*Clang!*

The golden chains hovering in the air immediately snapped.

The chains, which had turned into metallic dust and scattered, vanished piece by piece, like fragile glass. They had withstood Heaven’s fierce resistance but now dissolved into nothingness.

“Impossible!”

The mage stared in shock at the artifact in his hand. Shaped like a scroll, it glowed before disappearing entirely.

Do-won caught Heaven as she fell from the air and gently placed her upon the rooftop, embracing her lightly.

“Stay still.”
“Yes, but my wounds…”

Her one arm was a mangled mess. The skin was painfully torn and lacerated. Blood and pus oozed from the discolored flesh, as if poisoned.

*Thump.*

Her heart clenched once more. Suppressing her breath, Heaven looked at Do-won.

He still gazed down at Cheondo with a stern expression, concealed his mangled hand behind his back to prevent her from seeing it, and gently patted his head with his other hand.

“It’ll be over in no time.”

Just as he said, there really wasn’t much time left.

* * * * * *

Is that truly a person?

White garments, devoid of any equipment. Tightly clenched fists. Yet, despite the appearance, an aura of strength exudes from him.

The mere fact that he could move in a state akin to a lifeless body was astonishing in itself. That’s the Lesser Heavenly Demon, his face etched into their memories. The pain must be intense, but the flow of magical power remained stable, like gentle ripples upon calm waters.

Such composure was breathtaking.

Even the Ents, who are incapable of feeling pain, instinctively disrupt their magic when on the brink of death. One must wonder what adversities they have faced to become that way.

This shared thought occupied the minds of the hunters who had their eyes on the man.

After conversing with the young girl, the Lesser Heavenly Demon gently patted her head. For a brief moment, a smile seemed to touch the lips of the monstrous being.

‘…’

A tumult in one’s heart. Jung Ho-Moon made an effort to ignore the tender display, which resembled the bond between lovers or siblings.

“Hey, what are you going to do?”

“… Kill him here.”

When the short-haired hunter asked, Jung Ho-Moon came to a decision and erased the affectionate scene from his memory. As the leader of the special unit, swift judgment was crucial.

Deep down, he had this thought:

‘If I don’t kill him here… there will be no opportunity to kill that man in the future.’

For my son. My daughter. I must do it for my family.

Jung Ho-Moon, with sword in hand, slowly gathered his magical energy.

Excluding Mugung, it was the greatest force in this war. He wasn’t sure if his acknowledged skills would measure up to that man. Even when he heard that he would soon reach that peak, looking at Mugung made him feel woefully inadequate.

Perhaps the Heavenly Demon was in a similar position to himself. A hair’s breadth difference. But he had an ally.

The short-haired Hunter was the first to act, kicking off from the ground and leaping towards the roof where the Heavenly Demon was located.

– Bang!

A surprise attack.

As the Heavenly Demon turned his back towards the girl, the Hunter aimed for him.

“Stop.”

Jung Ho-Moon interrupted the action.

“What? Why?”

He halted the airborne Hunter. The Heavenly Demon remained motionless.

“If you had gone in just like that, you would have died.”

It was a situation where he regretted not having one more move.

Instinctively, he knew he couldn’t win without taking direct command.

The weight and quality of the magical power were of a different dimension.

A solid plan was needed, one to which they must adhere closely. Bolster the defenses and act wisely. However, Jung Ho-Moon had overlooked something.

-Whoosh!

At such a speed that it was barely perceptible, could the others even react? He could see it himself, but the others couldn’t keep up with his velocity.

The Heavenly Demon, vanished before their eyes, now gripped the hat-wearing hunter’s head.

“Kyaaaaa!”

A torrent of screams. Dropping his staff, he pounded on the Heavenly Demon’s arm, but it didn’t stop its movement.

By the time Jung Ho-Moon acted, it was already too late.

-Crunch, crunch!

A scene too gruesome to witness with the naked eye. The mage’s movements ceased.

Now that the woman, who was supposed to provide rear support, was dead, there was no need for any plan. In fact, they couldn’t even determine if there was a chance of success.

The chaotic fray.

– Bang!

“Damn it!”

The short-haired hunter, who swung his sword to the side, was slammed straight into the building. Soon after, a surge of white magical energy erupted, blowing away the hunter’s body along with the building.

“Heh heh, insane bastard.”

The hunter rose from the rubble of the collapsed building, his body now covered in a wooden armor.

“In all my life, I never thought I’d face such a monster. Go ahead, try.”

At this sight, the other hunters began to reveal themselves one by one. Each of them was top-notch. Even the Lesser Heavenly Demon would struggle to deal with them all in a single blow.

“Huff.”

Jung Ho-Moon took a short breath and charged towards the Lesser Heavenly Demon. The giant’s movement caused cracks to appear in the ground with each step.

A greatsword gripped tightly in both hands, the white magical energy gathering on the blade’s surface.

The Lesser Heavenly Demon did not dodge, instead wrapping his own magical power around one hand. An outstretched, bloodied fist flew forward.

– Kwaaang!

A massive wave erupted between the two.

The scorching heat felt as though it would sear my eyes, yet I did not close them. I continued to press forward.

*Bang! Bang!*

Buildings collapsed repeatedly, and the ground sank. From the ruins of the fallen structures, water burst forth.

*Ziiip!*

An arrow shot down from the skies, piercing the thigh of a small Heavenly Demon. Its hoof struck Jung Ho-Moon’s armor, breaking seams and causing the magical steel to compress.

Blood spattered the battlefield.

‘I… can do this.’

As wounds were inflicted, the body seemed to recover at an increased rate, but this too had its limits. If I continued like this, I could surely triumph against that monstrous foe.

‘Possible…’

At that moment, the man’s mouth opened.

“…黑桃.”

Suddenly, a black fog filled the surrounding buildings. The man’s magical power saturated the air, palpable even upon one’s skin.

A savage aura throbbed through every fiber of my being.

With the pain in his temples, Jung Ho-Moon’s consciousness was interrupted for a brief moment.

* * *

“Guh, uh… Hah.”

His consciousness returned.

His entire body felt as if its armor had been shattered, his muscles and tendons severed, rendering him immobile. Jung Ho-Moon frowned and frantically surveyed his surroundings.

‘Ah.’

The corpse with its head blown off belonged to a short-haired hunter. A mage, a priest – hunters who found themselves in a predicament similar to his own.

Instinctively, he knew the truth. This battle had ended in a horrifying defeat that should have never occurred.

Both his hands trembled.

“Hey.”

A voice reached him from nearby, laden with exhaustion, as if every ounce of strength had been squeezed from the speaker’s body.

The Heavenly Demon knelt before him, sitting with bent knees.

“Two Lesser Heavenly Demons. Was it you who spoke on the walkie-talkie?”

A voice laden with dryness.
One could even sense a stern warning that lying would result in immediate death.

Jung Ho-Moon spilled his blood once before continuing.

“…Yes.”
“How much do you know?”
“People here. And… one more from the same group at headquarters. They would already be aware.”

He didn’t need to ask such a question. It was evident without looking.
This man appeared reluctant to reveal that the woman was a Lesser Heavenly Demon.

“Are you referring to this walkie-talkie?”

Suddenly, Jung Ho-Moon’s face hardened as the Lesser Heavenly Demon extended the radio.

Murderous annihilation.
Such a method could still work in this world.
One must be incredibly powerful to resort to such actions.
It was so absurd that it provoked laughter.

“Am I going to die?”
“Tell me if you wish to die.”
“….”

Who in this world wishes for death?

Socheonma, covered in blood from head to toe, spoke to Jung Ho-Moon in a barely audible voice. Breath escaped from his mouth as he spoke.

“There is one way to survive.”
“…What is it?”
“Claim that there is only one Lesser Heavenly Demon, and that I am dead. It seems I’m the highest-ranking among those who were sent to kill me. If you do me this favor, I can save you.”
“Are you asking me to lie?”
“Half lie, half truth. In any case, I’ll die soon.”

He spoke these words with chilling candor.

“Aren’t you afraid of dying?”
“Should I grovel and beg, saying I don’t want to die in front of my enemies?”

The expression on Socheonma’s face had changed after the battle. Naturally, he was still panting from exhaustion. Emotions were now visible on his face, as though a switch had been flipped only moments ago.

Even now that everything had ended, the charisma emanating from his back persisted. One eye appeared clouded, as if blinded.

“…I can’t see properly anymore.”

Socheonma sighed, covering his right eye with his hand. The wound would heal quickly with some rest.

Jung Ho-moon remained silent for a long while before speaking to him.

“I can’t understand… Even if I were to agree right now, I might just be lying to you.”

“Those who say such things usually end up helping me.”

“On what basis?”

“Your face says it all.”

Jung Ho-moon furrowed his brow.

“It’s because you’re the only one with such indecisive eyes. They reveal your gullible nature. It’s like looking at my old self.”

“……”

“…Do you think it’s right for a child to die for no reason? You’re not even a Lesser Heavenly Demon.”

“……What do you mean, not a Lesser Heavenly Demon?”

“I only taught you because you were too weak.”

It was merely a lesson. The power of the Heavenly Demon?

It was difficult for Jung Ho-Moon to discern truth from falsehood.

“Wouldn’t it be unjust to suddenly perish amidst a swarm of lesser Heavenly Demons? The World Tree… right… well, it must be the correct course of action for them—pruning the sprouts.”

The eyes of the lesser Heavenly Demon bore into Jung Ho-Moon, as if seeing straight through him, reminiscent of a master deeply involved in politics and finance.

Despite having encountered such proposals dozens of times before, Jung Ho-Moon couldn’t remain composed now that his own life was at stake.

“Once more, why do you trust me?”
“I never said I trust you.”

The lesser Heavenly Demon resumed speaking.

“I’m merely concerned about what will happen after my demise. She’s like a daughter to me.”

The face of a young girl flitted across Jung Ho-Moon’s vision. Though he had tried to erase the memory, the infuriated expression of the girl still flickered before him.

An important person to the lesser Heavenly Demon, and Jung Ho-Moon had someone similar in his own life.

“…What should I do?”

“What I mentioned earlier. And when time passes, the Heavenly Demon dies, and Do-won perishes.”

He gazes into the distance, feeling a chill as their plans eerily align.

“Please lend a hand to the three orphans who have no side to take.”
“……”

It didn’t seem like a lie. Jung Ho-Moon’s eyes trembled.

What sin have those children committed? Such phrases were commonly heard. The words that fell from the Heavenly Demon’s lips were both a command and a plea.

“It would be great if you could arrange a place for them.”
“……Understood.”

Though it was a desperate measure for survival, Jung Ho-Moon couldn’t ignore the request that even set aside the enemy’s pride.

It reminded him of the children he had left behind.

The Heavenly Demon rose from his seat, only to stagger and fall.

*Thud!*

He didn’t stop there, struggling to get back up. It was a commendable effort, even though he still found it difficult to stand.

A girl gazing at him with unease from the other side catches his eye.

Once he accepted it, everything appeared different.

A child who could be a middle school student. A typical kid who should be attending school and smiling.

“…”

He recalls his attempt to kill such a child. He felt gratitude rather than resentment towards the Lesser Heavenly Demon.

A near brush with defying humanity’s principles? Even in this situation… does he want to remain honorable?

Jung Ho-Moon laughed at himself.

– Stagger, stagger.

A man stumbling away.

“Execution, execution…!”

The weeping woman rushing into his arms was the last sight he saw.

‘Ah.’

Jung Ho-Moon thought.

‘I was wrong.’