Chapter 611 – Awakening

The hem of the Black Dragon Robe fluttered in the wind.
Raven-black hair, lifeless eyes.
A familiar shape of magic flowed within his grasp.

‘Can it be?’

At first, he believed he had erred, beholding the reincarnation of the Heavenly Demon.

But a fleeting exchange of glances gave him the confirmation he needed.

‘Could it really be…’

King Mokryeong and the Heavenly Demon.
From the man’s retreating figure, he sensed both auras simultaneously.
The man was larger than the one he knew, his complexion a sickly blue unlike the man he remembered, yet every characteristic surrounding him disproved his identity.

“Lee, Si…”

This son of a… No, Lee Si-heon.
Just as the name was on the tip of his tongue, the man moved.

‘Who on earth is he?’
‘I’ve heard of him. The black garb, the magical aura…!’

The murmurs around him grew louder as people began to guess the man’s identity.
King Mokryeong. The most formidable adversary they must vanquish, an entity even the World Tree found oppressive.
With the emergence of a new king, history’s calamities were repeating themselves.
The priests had realized this and mourned.

‘Why is he assisting us?’
‘Isn’t it perilous?’

Opinions among the hunters began to diverge. The Pope’s knights, led by Angelica, expressed hostility.

The most notorious murderer ever. The Rapist. A demon that would not be out of place with all sorts of appellations.
Perhaps he might be even more threatening than the demonic trials they were currently facing.

‘Indeed.’

The King stepped forward.
No one dared halt the advancing king.

The bewildered hunters looked toward the stars. Their plea for judgement was directed at him.
They lacked the confidence to judge this situation. At least if he spoke, they could follow him without responsibility.
However, even the usually detached star could not readily command.

An enemy.

For them, King Mokryeong was clearly an enemy.
But wasn’t it the subordinate of that very king who shielded them from the recent catastrophe?

Even at this moment of tranquility, the king’s subordinate was buying time and treating the injured hunters.

And even now,
He stood before the hunters, seemingly protecting them.

【 Kiiiiiireeeek!!! 】

As the king took his place at the front lines, countless ‘branches’ began to assail him.

The focal point of the hunters’ attention.
The man raised his hand, the right one, which had condensed the magical energy, and clenched his fist.
Veins bulged on his exposed forearm, and soon an inconceivable scene unfolded.

‘Kwaddeudeuk!’

The moment the king thrust his fist forward, an intangible magical aura radiated, tearing the fabric of space.

It was as though black paint had been splashed onto a canvas depicting a collapsed city.

The world was shrouded in obsidian darkness, the obstruction of building rubble faded from view.

This miracle, the Stars had witnessed it before.

A gulp.

A strength potent enough to induce swallowing. Indeed, it was an alien force once observed in the Heavenly Demon long ago. The Star, familiar with White Peach, understood the destructive might of this power.

The fact that Lee Si-heon had inherited the Heavenly Demon’s power from Heaven…

‘Correct. It’s Si-heon.’

It was indeed Lee Si-heon.

Lee Si-heon, whom they believed dead, had returned to life. On the brink of tears, the Star had to regain composure before indulging in the emotions of reunion.

The ‘branches’ of the sky convulsed, enveloping the surroundings in an onslaught. Earthbound creatures ran amok, charging towards the King. The sky’s tentacles fired back, replicating numerous spells they had previously encountered.

“President of the Star Association, is that correct?”
“…Yes, yes.”

As she blankly watched the King, singlehandedly confronting all calamities, Hong-Yeon approached the Star.

“What’s the strategy? I’d like to lend a hand.”
“…No, that man right now.”
“It’s okay.”

Among those the King had brought, none were concerned about his safety. They simply carried out their roles with composure. The Star gazed at Hong-Yeon’s face blankly.

Those eyes, filled with trust,
To her chagrin, a twinge of jealousy was felt.

“Help me. They say you were a good lover of His Majesty.”
“…A good lover.”

Retracting the jealous sentiment from moments ago, the Star gritted her teeth in determination. The atmosphere of the frontlines, previously unfavorable, was about to shift drastically.

‘There’s much to hear.’

The fact that Lee Si-heon had become a disaster, and the verification of rumors about King Mokryeong. There was much to learn, but overcoming the present moment was paramount.

“Please help.”
“Very well.”

Hong-Yeon had ascended to the highest rank as a strategist. Known for her exploits across various battlefields, she could perfectly orchestrate personnel distribution and efficiency.

‘And something else.’

A subtle sense of kinship was felt from Hong-Yeon. Perhaps a sensation of shared secrets?

“…Why are you staring at me so intently?”
“It’s nothing.”

At that moment, the King and the Demon clashed once again.

Despite the thousands of branches reaching his nose, the man, as if snapping a child’s wrist, extended his lightly clenched fist once more.

A flash of radiant white light filled the forefront. As if to bring about a reversal of the battlefield, the luminescent white color of White Peach, akin to the feathers of a pure angel, illuminated the battlefield.

【White Peach (白桃) Half-Open Bloom (半開張性)】

With a single flying piece exploding from the mouth, Pando, who had ascended to the sky, shrank back in the face of its power.

Hunters clenched their weapons at the unimaginable thought. Standing on the cleansed ground, the Heavenly Demon walked steadfastly forward, unfazed by all suspicious gazes.

A single streak of white light pierced the monotonous world, arriving like a beacon of hope for those who watched over Shiba.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

One misstep was all it took to seal Shiba’s fate.

-Boom!

When the creature’s fist collided with Shiba’s body, her suspended form crashed into the ground.

“Guh….”

Shiba’s swordsmanship, a flurry of swift movements pressing the offensive, had managed to eliminate a few of the beasts. However, their numbers were overwhelming.

Gradually overwhelmed, Shiba attempted to flee across the ruins of a building, but a collapsing foothold left her exposed to a devastating blow.

“Ah, ugh….”

The weighty foot of the creature crushed her, bone grinding against bone. Amidst the agony and suppressed cries, Shiba reached out desperately for her fallen sword.

“Hngh?”
“…Ugh!”

For a moment, the creature’s hand seized Shiba’s hair.

Lifted high into the air, Shiba dangled from the monstrous tree-like hand.

-Drip, drip.

Her body, drained of vitality, wept blood. Her verdant hair lost its luster momentarily, and her eyes flickered between consciousness and oblivion. She knew she couldn’t fall like this.

Regaining her senses, Shiba unleashed the grey magic energy, a concentrated force accumulated in her hand.

-Kaboom!

The ensuing explosion engulfed the creature, causing it to vanish.

“Krrgh!?”

The creature, its upper body blown apart, fell lifelessly. Shiba, sent spiraling through the air, crashed into a jagged piece of concrete, her back and head bearing the brunt of the impact.

Despite the blood seeping from her wounds, Shiba refused to surrender. Struggling, she crawled to retrieve her sword and regulate her ragged breathing.

“Huff, huff….”

She harbored no regrets for the path she had chosen, yet the fear, a maddening terror, was closing in.

Surrounded by a horde of creatures, without any reinforcements, Shiba clenched her eyes shut. A single tear trickled down her cheek as silent sobs shuddered against her lips.

“Huff, huff….”

Hold on. You can do this.

Her breath wavered. Shiba bit down on the metallic taste in her mouth.

‘I need to gather more strength.’

She focused her mind and body, channeling the grey magic power. The energy flowed from Shiba, enveloping her sword in an aura.

‘More….’

She wished to save everyone. Her mother, her aunt, so no one would have to suffer.

“Sob, huff. Sob.”

Tears streamed down her face at the sight of her own pitiful state. Shiba opened her eyes, determination burning within them. As she brandished the sword clutched in her bloody hand, the disorganized magic power surged and coursed through her body.

【 Huh? 】

Spotting Shiba, a creature lunged at her. Shiba remained still until it was almost upon her.

-Drip.

Tears trickle from the tip of Shiba’s chin, her sorrow and rage acting as catalysts, manifesting a luminous aura.

Find hope amidst despair.

With a swift stroke, Shiba brandishes her sword, severing the ‘branch’ in two.

-Clang.

【Keeek! Queek! 】

The severed branch sprawls on the ground, writhing like a stranded fish. Shiba, unable to straighten her fractured ankle, crumples once more onto the ground.

-Thud!

The ominous footfall of encroaching beasts echo closer.

The specter of death looms nearer. Her heart, considerably weakened, shatters, and a feeble sob escapes her lips.

“…Beep.”

Why?

Why am I so feeble?

“Heh, hehe.”

No amount of self-rebuke or determination can stave off the chilling approach of reality. A surge of fury fills her at the realization that it was this audacity that has brought her life to such peril.

Shiba,

Eventually, she utters the name she has been suppressing.

“…Ba.”

She invokes the pet name of her departed father.

“Father, heh, Father….”

As if transported back to the carefree days of her childhood when they would laugh and chatter. Shiba clutches at the dirt, huddled in on herself, she cries out loud. Memories of her father pass by her mind like specters.

Her father was strong, strong enough to protect Shiba. But now, her father is not by her side.

It was her choice. No one is coming to her aid.

Even though she knows that her lamentations are futile on this battlefield. Shiba is but five years old, an age when the spirit can be easily broken.

It’s over.

-Thump.

A moment of realization.

-Swish.

A wave of warmth radiating from her heart halts Shiba’s tears. Her magic responds, a connection seems to be made, a shimmer of red. A thread of connection appears before Shiba’s eyes. Her mind snaps back as if doused in cold water, and Shiba clings onto this sensation.

“…Father…?”

Her childhood. The feeling of tranquillity that enveloped her even when she was away from her father. No matter how distant they were, they could feel each other’s emotions. Sometimes an odd something would be transmitted. The love that flowed through this connection did not change until her father left Shiba’s embrace.

It’s back.

The fact that it’s back means…

‘…….’

Shiba attempts to lift herself.

“Beep… groan.”

Shiba gropes around the floor with her small hands and grasps her sword.

A minuscule spark of willpower nudges Shiba’s body. With the last of her tears squeezed out, she clenches her teeth.

-Drip.

“I can do it….”

She has to do it.

Immediately after, a surge of hot, ashen magic erupts from Shiba. Subsequently, pure white magic seeps into Shiba’s left hand, and black magic into her right fist.

Shiba, who has lived comfortably, surrounded by her mother and her aunts.

The harsh reality that Shiva discovered too late was indeed cruel, yet paradoxically, it freed her from the realm of her ideals.

She bloomed, breaking through her shell. Above Shiva’s head, sprouts emerged as if branches were growing. Her ears elongated, colors swirling amidst her light-green hair.

-Woohs!!

An invisible force echoed through the surrounding space.

The latent power that erupted clung to her entire body. Her fingers, touching the ground, pierced through the earth. Cracks spread across the concrete that had been supporting Shiva.

-Flash!

Shiva’s eyes became a brilliant blue.

【 Azure Eyes 】

With a surge, Shiva’s magic saturated the nearby city. The monsters, unharmed, disintegrated into dust and disappeared.

Every vulnerability was laid bare in Shiva’s gaze. By scraping those weak spots with her magic, her adversaries crumbled without a chance to retaliate.

“Beep… What is this…?”

A strength that surprised even herself. Shiva stared at her own mud-caked hands. She rose from her place, her broken foot as if miraculously healed.

-Swish.

Shiva’s ears fluttered, rippling in the air. Her already adorable face grew even more endearing. Her eyes were of a resplendent blue. Shiva, blinking her striking eyes, parted her petite cherry-colored lips to emit a sigh.

“Ah.”

Her azure eyes were as deep as if they contained the whole world. The world reflected in her gaze was disturbingly sullied. Shiva erased the sticky fear with the force of her own will.

-Whirr!

Monsters vanished where Shiva’s magic extended. The sword she had unknowingly drawn gleamed with a white light.

【 Lignification 】

The moment a wood spirit awakens their power, they change, similar to the World Tree.

Unconsciously, Shiva looked at the bark armor that was enveloping her.

‘……’

A gift from her father, from a long time ago. The wooden robe with a hood was draped across her body, as if providing protection.