Twist (2)
The heat rising in the main hall made my breath catch involuntarily.
Even though I had sealed it to hide my presence, it was heat that made it hard to breathe even for someone who had learned flame arts.
I had to wear an absurd expression at the flames gradually encroaching wider.
‘You really devoured a lot.’
The amount of qi contained in the heat was unbelievable.
Feeling this directly, I newly realized how crazy I was at that time.
Originally, a realm that couldn’t be reached due to lack of enlightenment, forcibly breaking through with overwhelming qi amount.
People wouldn’t know how bizarre and nonsensical this is.
Fundamentally, realm is the orthodoxy of solidly building from below and climbing a high tower.
Qi is like a river spreading widely around the tower.
But in this process, before building the tower.
‘I devoured qi and raised the height.’
Raising the river high and forcibly going up.
Rather than building a tower to go to a place only reachable by that, raising the river to go up.
How much qi would be needed for this.
Now, it’s an unimaginable amount.
The qi amount I currently have isn’t low at all, but compared to the previous life, it’s heaven and earth difference.
‘No wonder it took so long for my body to adapt after regression.’
Having inexhaustible qi and splurging martial arts with it, trying to use it with qi shrunk to a bean size, how much I struggled in the beginning.
Of course, thanks to that, I learned compression from Elder Shin, and through later training and some enlightenments, I pride myself that my martial prowess is better now.
The me of the previous life had qi enough to crush all that.
No matter the martial prowess. No matter the enlightenment about it.
Overwhelming energy that could crush all that and more. The power of extremely devouring qi using the Demonic Heaven Absorption Art was such a thing.
The energy that couldn’t be fully controlled and expressed outward turns into presence.
With the broken mind at that time adding to it, even materialized killing intent overlays the presence, truly no different from the advent of an evil god.
Seeing such a thing right in front of me, only curses come out.
‘Devouring energy you can’t even control. And not even trying.’
Containing that much energy and not thinking about how to regulate it.
Meaning no effort or thought to do that.
Grind grind.
As the Black Flame Demon Emperor moves his hand, the Sword Demon slammed into the wall is dragged out.
Thud-!
He roughly swung his hand to throw the Sword Demon to the ground. Accordingly, the Sword Demon rolled a few times before stopping and breathing roughly.
At a glance, the Sword Demon’s state didn’t look normal.
“Keuhuk… Heuk….”
At a glance, it was visible that his energy was tangled.
The domain the Sword Demon had been expressing was already all torn by the Black Flame Demon Emperor’s touch.
And because he was ambushed while trying to take a strike, it seemed backlash came from within.
‘What a brutish method.’
The speed, due to the difference in level, it’s natural in a way not to see it.
I knew how the guy subdued the Sword Demon.
To others, it might look like solved with tremendous martial prowess.
But it wasn’t such an outstanding method.
Just brutishly tearing the energy and subduing with force.
Purely brute force.
My solution method at that time was such a thing.
Drip.
The Black Flame Demon Emperor approaches him.
“Sword Demon.”
Flinch.
Hearing the voice, the Sword Demon’s back jerked.
He doesn’t seem to have lost consciousness.
“What the hell is this now?”
Grip.
“Keuuuk…!”
The Black Flame Demon Emperor approached the Sword Demon and stepped on his neck.
Just like that, applying a bit of force to press down, the Sword Demon lets out a groan.
“Lea…der….”
“I clearly warned you several times? Not to act recklessly where I can see.”
With the chilling words, the black flames that had been burning around spread roughly.
Whoosh-!
“Keuaaaak!?”
The black flames that flew in quickly clung to the demons of the Ghost Surveillance Sword Squad who had been watching cautiously around.
Accordingly, the demons couldn’t properly respond to the sudden situation and started burning to death.
Even in that situation, the guy was only keeping his gaze on the Sword Demon.
“Speak. So that I can understand.”
“…I was… wrong….”
“Is that all the explanation?”
Thud-!
“Keuk…!”
At the Sword Demon’s words, the Black Flame Demon Emperor’s presence grows even larger. The qi presses the air heavily, causing blood to spurt from the Sword Demon’s mouth.
“Not ripping out your worthless tongue is solely my mercy. Not ripping off your arm is because your swordplay was at least watchable. But.”
The Black Flame Demon Emperor’s hand heads to the Sword Demon’s left shoulder.
He grabs it as is.
Rip rip-!
“Keuaaaaa!”
He rips off the arm entirely.
“…!”
The other demons who saw that swallowed their breaths.
While the Sword Demon screams in pain.
The Black Flame Demon Emperor ignites flames to burn the Sword Demon’s arm he was holding.
So that it can never be reattached.
“Since you’re doing such futile things with that sword, I don’t know what to think. Don’t you think so, Sword Demon?”
The guy’s eyes looking at the Sword Demon trembling while clutching his vanished shoulder were the same as at first.
As always, just looking down with an indifferent gaze.
When everyone was crushed by fear, swallowing dryly.
‘Fucking sucks for real.’
Only I was at the point of disgust in this situation.
My gaze was directed not at the Black Flame Demon Emperor but at the Sword Demon.
‘His arm got ripped off.’
The Sword Demon is right-handed, so losing the left arm is fortunate in a way, but having lost one arm, there would be a big problem in his martial prowess.
If this happens…
‘…There will be a problem when facing the Heavenly Venerable.’
The Sword Demon was supposed to face the Heavenly Venerable along with the Demon Sword Empress.
If this happens, an anomaly has occurred.
‘This too because of me.’
Because of my existence appearing, a twist has occurred in the flow that should have been.
Originally, this situation itself shouldn’t have existed. So it’s natural.
‘What to do?’
I had anticipated such a thing might happen, but the process was much more extreme than expected.
That bastard, really ripping off the arm.
‘Isn’t he a crazy bastard?’
The guy would know.
Separate from reducing the demonic cult’s forces. That the Sword Demon is needed in the current situation.
Knowing that, he had kept that bastard alive until now.
‘Why is he doing this now.’
Even though it’s me, I couldn’t know why that bastard acted like that now.
If it were me in this situation…
‘…Hm.’
I glanced at the Demon Sword Empress.
If I saw the Sword Demon seriously drawing his sword to kill the Demon Sword Empress, and if it were the current me.
‘I would have killed him.’
Situation or whatever, as long as he’s useful, but I would have killed him.
However, this is because it’s the current me; the me at this time…
‘…’
Feeling the situation strangely, I looked at the Black Flame Demon Emperor again.
That guy has no different feelings toward the Demon Sword Empress.
Just an annoying crazy bitch. A damned bitch who can’t even understand words properly.
He must be thinking that for sure.
‘Is that really so?’
I’m not convinced.
Because to say that was really so, the moment the Demon Sword Empress died comes to mind.
Was she really nothing to me?
If so, why did I.
‘Get so angry.’
It was a contradiction.
The unknown ripple coming from that difference feels like turning my insides.
The guy’s current appearance was the same.
The Black Flame Demon Emperor, who had grabbed and burned the arm, soon stood up and kicked the Sword Demon with his foot.
“Keuheok!”
The Sword Demon, hit by the kick, flew toward the Ghost Surveillance Sword Squad who survived the flames.
“Clean it up.”
At the short command, the demons hurriedly tended to the Sword Demon.
Confirming that sight, the Black Flame Demon Emperor walked to the messed-up jade throne.
Whoosh-!
He created wind pressure from his body to blow away the surrounding debris and then sat on the jade throne.
‘Couldn’t you just not sit?’
Inwardly, such a thought unconsciously arose, but I decided not to care anymore.
No, it’s not that I won’t care if I say so. I have to at least try.
On the jade throne in the main hall turned into a mess. The Black Flame Demon Emperor’s gaze turns to the Demon Sword Empress.
The somewhat weary-looking eyes felt unusually deep.
“Vice-leader….”
At the call, the Demon Sword Empress nods her head slightly.
“You showed behavior unlike you.”
“…”
“Are you truly mad?”
“…Sorry….”
In the Black Flame Demon Emperor’s voice, subtle anger was seeping. He continued while looking at the Demon Sword Empress with purple pupils full of irritation.
“There will be no overlooking next time. If you create an annoying problem again, you too will have your arm ripped off like the Sword Demon.”
“…”
At the warning, the Demon Sword Empress nods her head this time too.
At such a sight of the Black Flame Demon Emperor, I had to inwardly spit out a hollow word.
‘He doesn’t say he’ll kill her.’
Is it because I’m thinking differently?
Gestures and words that I wouldn’t have noticed before came into view.
Far from warning, the guy who immediately kills if hindering or useless is kindly giving a warning.
Moreover, saying he’ll rip off the arm means overlooking this time and even next time sparing the life.
‘This.’
Ha.
Forcibly managing my expression, inwardly, I let out a ridiculous laugh.
Why did I realize this fact only now.
‘It’s too late even if late.’
It’s a lament to my foolish self.
To the me of that time too.
It seems the existence of the Demon Sword Empress was by no means small. I didn’t know that at the time.
Even after regression, only now do I know.
‘Foolish bastard.’
The bastard in front of me probably won’t know this fact until he dies. Lamenting the life he lived. Ending while only looking at one woman’s life.
I won’t say that life is wrong.
My current life isn’t much different.
However.
‘The way won’t be like this.’
It was a life for that.
Therefore, I had to grasp what this world desires from me. Moreover.
‘With the Sword Demon in that state… What to do from now on?’
It has started to differ from the previous life I knew.
Perhaps this incident has twisted the story considerably, so I need to think more carefully.
With such a mindset, I tried to watch the situation a bit more.
“Reporting.”
I didn’t know.
Damnedly, that there was something I couldn’t know.
The twist didn’t start occurring from this incident.
From right after I fell into this world, it had already begun.
Right after the situation was somewhat resolved.
The subsequently appearing Mukgwon knelt to the Black Flame Demon Emperor and said this.
“Information has come that the Murim Alliance’s forces are gathering at the boundary part heading to Sichuan.”
“Murim Alliance?”
“Yes. And there…”
The story of this world.
“The Little Sword Venerable has also been spotted together.”
Had already begun to twist.