Chapter 344

In the forest.

In front of a run-down dwelling stood a handsome young man. Dressed in a black martial uniform tailored to suit his own convictions, the man stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, his face full of anticipation.

“Hm-hm-hm.”

Whatever had him so delighted, he made no effort to hide the bounce in his shoulders.

He could not even keep his legs still, shifting his body back and forth without pause.

He was happy.

That feeling was on full display.

And he had no intention of hiding it.

“Ah...”

When would he come?

He hoped it would be soon. He wanted to ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) see, as quickly as possible, the one who was his everything and his happiness.

The young man, Strange Demon, thought that as he kept tilting his head.

Then, after some time had passed—

FSSSS

“Hmm?”

Something brushed against Strange Demon’s senses. A presence. It was terribly faint and thin, but it was unmistakably the aura of a person.

“...”

The instant he felt it, Strange Demon’s eyes turned cold.

Because it was not the presence he had been waiting for.

‘Insolent.’

Killing intent gathered in his gaze. Insolent lapdogs of the righteous sects.

This was a place prepared for him to meet his Heaven.

And they had dared step into it.

Strange Demon vanished. His body shot out like a loosed bowstring, and the space around him seemed to flip in the same instant.

He sprinted toward the source of the presence. Power coiled around his hand.

And just as he was about to rip the other party apart—

‘Hm?’

He stopped.

Strange Demon halted in mid-rush.

Partly because the other person had remained still, but also because it was someone he had never expected.

“Oh my?”

At Strange Demon’s words, the other person flinched. Wariness and unease flickered in the gaze, and faint hostility was plainly visible beneath that handsome face.

“To think I’d see someone so important here?”

“...Strange Demon...”

The blue-eyed, white-haired young man standing before him was Cheon Eujin.

A puzzled look entered Strange Demon’s eyes as he stared at him.

“Why are you here?”

“...Young Master Bang sent me.”

“Heaven... no, Young Master Bang did?”

He corrected himself immediately. Strange Demon’s mind turned quickly, and soon he reached a conclusion.

“But there’s no way he would have told you...?”

“...He said you would understand if I told you you were on his side.”

“Ha. He said I was a spy?”

“...”

Cheon Eujin’s eyes widened at that. Strange Demon had felt it earlier too, but his reactions really were simple.

“...Did he truly say... that you are Young Master Bang’s spy?”

“If that’s what he said.”

“How could a demonic disciple...!”

“It only means what each of us wanted happened to align.”

He said it with a shrug. Reactions that simple were easy to read.

‘What exactly did Heaven intend by sending this one...?’

That was the thought moving through his mind. Why had his Heaven sent this one? The question arose naturally.

Then Cheon Eujin pulled a letter from his robe.

“...Young Master Bang sent this lett—”

Before he could finish, Strange Demon snatched the letter from his hand.

“...!”

The speed was monstrous. Cheon Eujin had not even been able to follow it.

‘If that had been an attack just now...’

He would have died on the spot.

As Cheon Eujin bit down on his lip—

Rustle.

Strange Demon unfolded the letter and checked it.

The meaning of the short lines written there was brutally clear.

[Activate the stake.]

[Treat the one I sent well. He’s someone I cherish.]

That was all it said.

“...”

Strange Demon narrowed his eyes.

Along with the order to activate the stake—

‘Why him?’

The worthless-looking young man standing in front of him.

Aside from having a clean, pretty face, he did not seem to amount to much. Which made that line about Heaven cherishing him all the more irritating.

Jealousy rose up. His mood soured, but—

“Hm.”

Strange Demon suppressed it and turned away.

“Strange Demon?”

“Follow me.”

Ignoring Cheon Eujin, Strange Demon moved. Whether Cheon Eujin followed or not was not especially important.

He returned to the dwelling.

Once back at the run-down shack, Strange Demon checked the ground. Cheon Eujin, who had followed after him, looked around.

‘What is this?’

He rubbed his arm. Goosebumps had risen on his skin.

Something about this felt ominous. As if something were watching him.

There was clearly nothing there, so what was this feeling?

A prickling revulsion crawled through Cheon Eujin’s body.

Meanwhile, Strange Demon was busy examining the floor. Just as Cheon Eujin started wondering what exactly he was looking for—

“Step back.”

Strange Demon spoke to him, and Cheon Eujin flinched before retreating.

Strange Demon kept searching the ground.

‘I don’t know what meaning Heaven intended in this.’

Then he pulled out an unfamiliar stone from his robes and slammed it down into the floor.

THUD—!

‘But whatever his will may be.’

He would follow it.

Thinking that, he drove the stone into the ground.

RRRUMBLE—!!!!!!!

“Hk!?”

The ground began to tremble violently.

Strange Demon felt it too and narrowed his eyes.

RUMBLE—!!!

The shaking was savage. Just as he thought the tremor was absurdly fierce—

ROOOOAR—!!!

As though that were not the end of it, it kept bursting out.

“What...!”

What was this tremor? Cheon Eujin’s eyes shook.

A sudden earthquake. And it had begun the instant after Strange Demon had done something to the ground, so it was obvious he had caused it.

“What in the world... did you do...?”

Cheon Eujin demanded.

“Well.”

Strange Demon only gave a shallow smile.

“They say it’s for a new world. What exactly that means, I don’t know.”

“What does that—!”

“I merely follow the will.”

ROOOOAR—!!!

“Urgh!”

It was not just the tremor. That sickening sensation he had felt earlier seemed to be growing even stronger.

Then something brushed across Cheon Eujin’s throat.

Startled, he whipped around.

There was nothing there.

He was certain something had touched his neck.

What was that?

While he was still trying to understand, Cheon Eujin realized that was not all.

“What the...?”

There were too many eyes on him.

There was nothing around him, yet it felt as though countless gazes were fixed on him.

No actual sound reached his ears, and yet it felt as though screaming was going on without end.

“What the hell is this...?”

What was happening?

Just then—

Rumble... rumble...

The trembling gradually began to lessen.

“Huh...”

Strange Demon reacted as he felt it, and just as the shaking started to die down—

“Huff... huff.”

Cheon Eujin dropped to one knee.

Because all those bizarre presences he had felt a moment ago were suddenly gone.

What had he just experienced?

They were filthy, nauseating presences he never wanted to feel again.

Bile rose in his throat. His churning stomach felt unbearably heavy.

He barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit and endure it, and then—

“...Ahahahahaha...! Hahahaha!”

Strange Demon suddenly burst into mad laughter.

“As expected... as expected, you truly...”

Then he started muttering words Cheon Eujin could not understand.

“So even things twisted like this... you’re able to set them right... Ahahaha...”

At the sight, goosebumps broke out over Cheon Eujin’s body.

Because he had seen Strange Demon’s eyes.

They were eyes full of madness.

His face was slightly flushed, heat burning in it.

It was terrifying.

To think a person’s reaction alone could make him feel something like this.

Then Strange Demon sprang upright.

And immediately began to move.

“Strange Demon...!”

Cheon Eujin hurried after him.

Bang Seongyeon had told him so. If Strange Demon started moving, he was to follow somehow, no matter what.

“Damn it...!”

Cheon Eujin ground his teeth and chased after him. The speed was absurd. He lost sight of him almost immediately, but he kept going. Strange Demon had moved in a straight line, so Cheon Eujin had no choice but to head forward, tracking the faint trace of his presence.

After running for quite some time—

“Huff... huff...”

Cheon Eujin finally stopped, breathing hard.

He had reached a point where he could see Strange Demon.

After running and running, Strange Demon had stopped in front of a boulder.

“Strange Demon... what in the...”

Cheon Eujin panted as he looked at him.

Then—

“...!”

His eyes widened at the figure in Strange Demon’s arms.

“Young Master Bang...!”

It was Bang Seongyeon.

He was unconscious, cradled in Strange Demon’s arms.

Cheon Eujin, shocked, tried to rush forward—

BANG—!!

“...Ugh...!?”

A sudden blast of wind pressure exploded out and tore a groan from him.

“Don’t come closer.”

It was Strange Demon’s voice.

The killing intent saturating those words made Cheon Eujin flinch.

“Wait. Just for a moment. Stay right there for just a moment. If you come any closer right now, I might kill you.”

“...”

Cheon Eujin had not even seen him swing.

His feet turned stiff at Strange Demon’s warning, but—

“...Put him down.”

Forcing his frozen body to move, Cheon Eujin drew his sword.

“...Hm?”

Strange Demon looked at him with interest.

“Put him down.”

“Hahaha.”

SAAAAAAH......

An enormous killing intent burst from Strange Demon’s body.

“Well, look at this?”

The madness in his eyes deepened.

“Who exactly are you telling to put him down?”

“...”

Light wrapped around Cheon Eujin’s blade.

It was sword force, awakened when he reached Peak, winding itself around his sword.

“I said put him down, Strange Demon.”

“You keep that up and you’ll really die.”

He was afraid.

If Strange Demon reacted even slightly, he would die. The gap between them was that great, and Cheon Eujin knew it all too well.

He had not even been able to track his movements.

Of course it was only natural.

But—

“Put him down.”

Cheon Eujin’s response did not change.

Even if he died here, this was something he had to do.

No matter how much Bang Seongyeon had said Strange Demon was on his side, he could not leave him like that.

Even if he died, he had to take him back.

“...Hahaha...”

Strange Demon’s eyes widened.

He gently set Bang Seongyeon down for a moment, then rose to his feet.

“I was willing to overlook you because he said you were someone important.”

Step.

Strange Demon took one step forward.

“But it seems... you’re coveting something important to me. Isn’t that right...?”

Cheon Eujin tensed and gripped his sword tighter. He was trying to react somehow, but—

“...Then I can’t let you be. I can’t have something taken from me again... I finally found my everything. I can’t let that happen.”

Strange Demon staggered toward Cheon Eujin, looking as though his mind had slipped somewhere else.

Then—

THUMP

“...”

At the sensation that pulsed from his heart, Strange Demon turned around.

It was Bang Seongyeon.

Something was coming from his body.

“Uh...?”

Strange Demon’s expression changed.

A different light entered his deranged eyes.

THUMP—!!

“...My Heaven?”

Bang Seongyeon’s body twitched.

And just before Strange Demon could react—

ROOOOAR—!!!!!!!

“...!!”

An overwhelming aura burst out from his twitching body.

“...Urk!?”

Cheon Eujin tried to block the force with his arm, but—

SMACK!

“Ghk!?”

Strange Demon was faster.

He appeared behind Cheon Eujin and struck him in the neck.

Cheon Eujin lost consciousness in an instant and collapsed.

After knocking him out, Strange Demon turned his gaze back to Bang Seongyeon.

“Ah... ah...”

His hands trembled, overcome with emotion.

The tears brimming in his eyes spilled down his face.

“Heaven... my Heaven...!!”

Like a believer standing before his god, Strange Demon dropped to his knees, trembling.

The aura pouring out of Bang Seongyeon’s body.

It was unmistakably—

“As I thought... as I thought, it truly was you...”

Proof so pure that there was no longer any need for doubt.

It was the demonic energy possessed by the Heavenly Demon, the one who had been called the Heaven and the entirety of the DEMON CULT.

That itself.