Childhood Friend of the Zenith

A devil that fell from the sky, leader of the Demonic Cult that sought to stain the Central Plains with blood.

A monster that single handedly killed all Three Venerables.

Though the Heavenly Demon was evil, it was still known as the Zenith before it fell to the Celestial Sword.

There was no other way to put it.

Wherever the Heavenly Demon stepped, the land rotted, and its mere presence weighed heavily on all nearby.

Its power was so immense that no one could fathom the distance between their strength and the Heavenly Demon’s.

Its presence alone overwhelmed me.

Simply facing it brought a crushing pressure, reminiscent of the Master of Swords.

Such was the weight of the Heavenly Demon’s presence.

The absolute sovereign of all Demonic Humans beneath the sky.

If I considered how swiftly the Demonic Cult overtook the Central Plains, the answer lay in the Demonic Qi they wielded.

Demonic Qi is critical to a martial artist’s body.

Once inside a martial artist’s body, it spread like roots, blocking the flow of Qi.

For a martial artist, being unable to use Qi was a crippling burden.

Moreover, not only did it block a person’s Qi flow, but it also rotted away their body.

To martial artists, Demonic Qi was like a poison.

The Heavenly Demon was the wellspring to all Demonic Qi and the force that granted authority to a select few Demonic Humans.

I could still recall the smile it wore as it descended from the sky, declaring it would bring calamity upon the world.

Its long hair and piercing eyes held such coldness, it felt as if day itself would turn to night.

The eyes I stared into now were no different from the ones I remembered.

“Why…”

The Heavenly Demon stood right before me, even though it wasn’t supposed to appear for years.

It looked younger than before, lacking the commanding aura and confidence I remembered, yet there was no mistaking, it was the Heavenly Demon.

Gurgle…

A flicker of Demonic Qi within me began to stir, as if resonating with its source.

I knew at once that this was the Heavenly Demon before me, yet it was its eyes that confirmed it beyond doubt.

Its long black hair fell to its shoulders, and its skin was ghostly pale.

Its slight frame looked so fragile it seemed it might shatter with a touch, yet that wasn’t where my focus lay.

My eyes remained fixed on its face.

Its face was identical to the girl in my arms, Wi Seol-Ah, yet its eyes gleamed in violet.

The Palace Lord also had violet eyes, but they were nothing like those of the Heavenly Demon.

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes were far brighter, filled with a mystifying aura.

It was as if I was staring at a pair of gems.

They were beautiful.

However, just because its appearance was beautiful, that didn’t mean that the sensation I felt from it was the same.

Heavenly Demon.

I knew that the presence in front of me was the calamity that I so feared, so it only made me feel afraid.

Why?

Clench.

I pulled Wi Seol-Ah closer, my grip instinctively tightening.

The Heavenly Demon was staring at Wi Seol-Ah with its head tilted.

Their nose and eyes were identical.

The Heavenly Demon’s frame was thinner, yet aside from hair and eye color, they were identical.

It was surreal, leaving me to wonder how this was possible.

Yet, I wasn’t the only one struck by shock.

Behind me, a blood-soaked figure stared at Wi Seol-Ah, his face frozen in shock.

“There are… two heavens?”

When I turned to see who it was, I realized, to my shock, that it was the Palace Lord.

I couldn’t tell how he had become so injured, but his aura was unmistakable.

Naturally, he appears after I’ve given up searching…

The last time I saw the Heavenly Demon in this life was back at the Black Palace.

Back then, the Palace Lord held the Heavenly Demon in his arms, and I hadn’t seen him since he vanished into the Abyss.

I had searched relentlessly for the Heavenly Demon and the Palace Lord afterward, without finding a single clue. And yet, here they both were, now of all times?

“How… is this…?”

The Palace Lord’s dumbfounded gaze remained fixed on Wi Seol-Ah in my arms.

It was understandable.

How could he not when they looked identical?

The Heavenly Demon, too, was transfixed by Wi Seol-Ah, as though fascinated.

I instinctively tightened my hold on her under its gaze.

Then,

“Master Gu…”

Wi Seol-Ah’s hand gripped my arm, causing me to flinch.

I looked down at her.

Her golden eyes met mine.

“It’s fine.”

“…What?”

Her words confused me.

What did she mean?

“I’m fine. You can let me go.”

“…!”

Had I been holding her too tightly? I eased my grip slightly but couldn’t bring myself to fully let go.

Wi Seol-Ah then tried to escape from my arms.

I wanted to keep her there, but I wasn’t able to because of the eyes I saw from her just now.

Once free, Wi Seol-Ah rose to face the Heavenly Demon.

Shing.

She pointed her sword at it. It was surreal, watching two identical figures facing one another.

Wi Seol-Ah spoke to the Heavenly Demon.

“Who are you?”

Though they shared the same appearance, she showed little surprise.

It was obviously the same for the Heavenly Demon.

Step.

The Heavenly Demon took a step after hearing Wi Seol-Ah.

Even that single movement sent a chill through me.

I sharpened my senses, honing in on the Heavenly Demon, readying myself in case it acted.

Though, of course, I didn’t know if I could actually do anything.

Wi Seol-Ah charged her Qi as well.

It radiated a golden light, a brightness that stood in stark contrast to the Heavenly Demon.

Facing her brilliant Qi, the Heavenly Demon’s expression remained utterly calm, unconcerned, even..

But the Heavenly Demon wasn’t walking toward Wi Seol-Ah.

It was headed for me.

The Heavenly Demon was walking towards my direction.

In an instant, Wi Seol-Ah swung her sword, blocking its advance.

Swish-!

Her sword was fast.

leaving a trail of golden aura, a swift and forceful strike.

However,

Ssssss-!

A black aura surged from the Heavenly Demon’s foot, effortlessly deflecting the blade.

Ting-!

The delicate ring of steel clashing resounded, though the Heavenly Demon’s gaze remained fixed elsewhere, unbothered by Wi Seol-Ah’s attack.

I became certain after seeing it.

It was Demonic Qi.

The aura flowing from the Heavenly Demon was pure, unrestrained Demonic Qi.

Wi Seol-Ah shifted her body, dodging the black aura as it shot toward her.

The black aura formed spikes, mirroring the Palace Lord’s technique, yet Wi Seol-Ah’s agile form evaded them with ease.

However…

…Move.

I could only watch, frozen in place, unable to act.

Squeeze.

“…Ugh.”

ignored my command to circulate my Qi, as the Demonic Qi in my Dantian suddenly went wild.

This felt different from when my Qi froze during my battle against the Black Dragon.

This time, my Demonic Qi was interfering.

It was acting as though rejoicing at the presence of its true master.

It had happened before.

When I encountered the Heavenly Demon in the Black Palace, my Demonic Qi had erupted in response, screaming from within the moment the Heavenly Demon raised a hand.

Was it rejecting my control, now that its true master had returned?

Why are you not helping me now?

Back then, my Demonic Qi had quieted at the beast’s roar. But now that damned beast was silent, even though it had been growling moments ago.

Is it trying to get in my way?

I tried my best to suppress the Demonic Qi inside my body to move.

I couldn’t afford to be idle now.

It stood directly in front of me, the entity destined to end the world, the being responsible for turning me into a Demonic Human and destroying my life.

I did everything in my power to stop that monster.

I plunged into the Abyss to unlock the key to reaching Fusion Realm, consuming every possible resource along the way, all of it, just to stop the Heavenly Demon.

Fuck.

Despite reaching Fusion Realm, I was only able to kneel down against the Heavenly Demon which was unbelievable. I couldn’t afford to let this happen.

And now, Wi Seol-Ah was face-to-face with the Heavenly Demon.

That was the last thing I ever wanted to happen in this life.

Cgggck-!

Flashes of light ignited the surroundings as her golden-hued sword slashed through the air with rapid precision.

Golden trails appeared and vanished in rapid succession, each swing a testament to how hard Wi Seol-Ah had trained.

It was to the point that no one would believe that she didn’t know what martial arts was even just a few years ago.

Tap-!

Her step was firm, her movement sharp.

Swish!

She evaded the spike and countered with a swing of her sword.

Her movement was perfect.

Cggck!

“…!”

She couldn’t even graze the Heavenly Demon’s aura, its Demonic Qi solid as steel.

Moreover, the Heavenly Demon still didn’t have its focus on Wi Seol-Ah.

Crack.

Because of that, I heard Wi Seol-Ah grind her teeth. It seemed like she intended to continue swinging her sword, but the Heavenly Demon suddenly turned its gaze to her.

Then, with a casual hand gesture,

Swoooosh-!

“Ugh!”

Wi Seol-Ah was thrown back by the torrent of aura emanating from the Heavenly Demon.

I stood up immediately after seeing the sight.

“Wi Seol-Ah!”

Pain seared through my body as I forced myself to stand.

Was it because I brute forced my way to move?

But none of that mattered. I had to catch Wi Seol-Ah, who was being thrown through the air at breakneck speed.

I leaped.

No, at least I tried to.

Kwak-!

The Heavenly Demon’s thin hand caught me.

The moment it gripped my arm, all strength drained from my body.

Thud.

My knees hit the ground, my strength fully spent from even attempting to move. In that moment, it felt like my spirit left me.

I was tired.

I’d fought so hard, and yet I was still powerless.

Was it because I had Demonic Qi inside my body?

Or was it just fear that stopped me?

Whatever the cause, I remained powerless, even after reaching Fusion Realm.

I struggled to break free, but I couldn’t even push the Heavenly Demon’s hand aside.

Its grip was loose, almost delicate, yet I couldn’t break free.

Why was it like this?

I’d used so much Qi; I was a little drained from the earlier fight, but that still didn’t explain this.

…Bark, come on, damn it.

I shouted inwardly, calling for the beast to help, just as it had before, but this time, there was no response.

Of course, it had to be now, of all times.

“…Huh.”

Then I heard a voice, one that sounded uncannily like Wi Seol-Ah’s but deeper, richer.

It belonged to the Heavenly Demon.

I looked up, locking eyes with the Heavenly Demon’s violet gaze.

It was brilliant.

So beautiful that I found myself transfixed for a moment. But the feeling inside me wasn’t awe; it was dread.

“You are…”

“…!”

Slam-!

My Demonic Qi reacted violently, surging wildly in response.

“Kugh>”

“What are you?”

Was it trying to escape my body?

The backlash from my own Demonic Qi was overwhelming, painful.

You listened to me up until now, but now you are going to stab my back? Don’t mess with me.

“What are you?”

The Heavenly Demon repeated its question despite seeing my reaction.

Each word made me feel like my body was on the verge of bursting apart.

“Heavenly Demon… What does that mean?”

Did it remember what I said earlier?

The Heavenly Demon continued to ask with an amused tone of voice.

I couldn’t respond; I was too busy fighting back the Demonic Qi that felt like it would tear through my neck.

It felt horrible to be overwhelmed by a meaningless existence.

Just as I was on the edge of despair, ready to surrender entirely,

Swish-! Cgggck-!

A powerful wave of Qi charged towards the Heavenly Demon.

The Qi tore through the air, sparking explosions in every direction.

The Heavenly Demon,  unfazed by similar attacks before, released my arm and stepped back.

The Qi was intense, but strangely, it left me untouched even though I sat directly in its path.

“Huff… Huff.”

Finally, I released the breath I’d been holding.

My bloodshot eyes followed the source of that powerful Qi.

There stood Wi Seol-Ah, striding forward, her outfit in tatters.

Her face was fierce, and her golden aura had taken on a new intensity.

“Let go. Now.”

Her unique golden aura was now threaded with a brilliant white light.

That is-

I’ve seen that aura before.

How could I possibly forget?

It was the same aura Wi Seol-Ah had shown me in my past life.

“Don’t you dare lay a single filthy finger on him.”

This was the first time I heard Wi Seol-Ah speak in such a sharp voice.