Chapter 143

After receiving a call from Nae-ki, Ayu and I were heading towards her at a rapid pace.

Well, to be precise, Ayu had already gone ahead and gotten into a fight.

My Aura control level was far behind Ayu’s movements, so I told Ayu to go ahead first.

“Even though I’ve trained for quite a while, I still can’t keep up.”

“Well, that’s obvious.”

As I was running at full speed, Baeksan, who was flying beside me, yawned and spoke.

“It would take you hundreds of years to catch up to Cheonma.”

“Even with the Aura you gave me, Baeksan?”

“My Aura is focused on destruction, not physical enhancement like Cheonma’s. We’re born with different talents.”

Baeksan, who was explaining this, kept looking at the Tower of Apocalypse with a troubled expression.

“Baeksan, what’s wrong? You’ve been staring at the Tower of Apocalypse a lot lately.”

“…No, it’s nothing. It’s probably not the time yet.”

What’s bothering him so much?

He could have consulted me, but Baeksan seemed to be lost in his own thoughts and didn’t answer.

The usually cool Returner has been acting strange lately.

“More than that, Kang Ha-chan, I think there’s something to investigate after this matter is over.”

“Investigate?”

“I’ll tell you after this is over. Go visit the World Returner Association.”

Does that mean I should meet Seolhyang?

I said I understood and started moving my feet quickly again.

When I arrived, I saw a scene where people were kneeling with their limbs bound by blood cuffs.

Turning my head, I saw Nae-ki proudly showing me a V-sign.

It seemed like Nae-ki’s handiwork.

Meanwhile, Cheon Hong-ryun was standing in front of a man with a veil over his head.

The martial artist named Jang Ho-young had his head on the ground, being crushed by the red magical energy emanating from Cheon Hong-ryun.

It must have been extremely painful, as he was trembling and couldn’t even let out a groan.

“You’re holding out quite well. Are you planning not to talk?”

“Kuh, die, you…”

He’s spouting some knightly lines.

Watching him, I turned to Dohwa.

I decided to leave him to Cheon Hong-ryun and talk to Dohwa instead.

“Dohwa, may I ask what the situation is?”

Cheon Hong-ryun could have asked Dohwa, but she was interrogating Jang Ho-young, probably feeling sorry to ask Dohwa.

Dohwa must have thought it was her fault for coming here today.

So, I decided to ask instead.

Dohwa looked at me and hesitated, biting her lip.

It seemed like she was reluctant to speak up now.

Probably because Cheon Hong-ryun was nearby.

Ah, these half-siblings find it hard to get along.

They probably didn’t even talk once when they were living together.

“Let’s move to a different spot.”

“…Yes.”

When I looked at Cheon Hong-ryun, she nodded at me as if asking for a favor.

“Domi, just a moment.”

As I was about to move with Dohwa, Nae-ki quietly approached me and whispered so Dohwa couldn’t hear.

“Dohwa, Domi, it seems like she’s looking for Juk-sim, just like you said.”

As expected.

I thanked her and moved with Dohwa.

Nae-ki looked at Dohwa with a somewhat regretful expression and then smiled at me.

“Have a good talk.”

“Nae-ki, are you coming too?”

When I asked, Nae-ki twitched her shoulder.

“Uh, me, too?”

Normally, she would have cheerfully said, “I’ll go! I’ll go!” but she seemed flustered.

Seeing her like that, I blinked and then stroked my chin with a meaningful expression.

Nae-ki, who came here today, was more dressed up than usual.

That must be because I explained Dohwa to her.

‘She’s always wanted to fall in love, after all.’

Lately, she’s been feeling particularly lonely, often inviting me to drink.

Dohwa must have been more to her taste than she thought.

Even now, Nae-ki was fidgeting while looking at Dohwa, just like a girl who had fallen in love at first sight.

Then I suddenly remembered why Nae-ki was feeling so lonely.

‘Ah, Nae-ki hasn’t been back for long.’

I haven’t heard much about Nae-ki’s return, but from what she occasionally says, it didn’t seem like she returned as hard as others.

It felt more like she finished a game and returned with a sense of relief.

What kind of feeling do people have when they finish a game or a novel?

It’s often called a hangover.

Nae-ki played such a game in reality, finished it with her own hands, and returned.

She was still suffering from the hangover of those memories, which made her feel even lonelier.

‘I didn’t consider that.’

No wonder she’s been showing signs of loneliness lately.

She was suffering from loneliness due to her return.

That’s why she wanted to meet people often in reality to soothe that loneliness.

“Okay, let’s go together. Nae-ki, you got involved too. It’s better to know the situation, right?”

“Uh, yeah.”

When I said that, Nae-ki looked at Dohwa.

When their eyes met, Dohwa bowed her head to Nae-ki.

“Yes, I’ve already received kindness from Nae-ki. Besides, I asked for Nae-ki’s help from the beginning. If you don’t mind, I’d like to share the story with you.”

“If Dohwa says so. Okay, sure.”

Nae-ki coughed and said that.

She must have been curious about Dohwa’s situation.

So, I took Dohwa and Nae-ki with me and moved to a different spot.

The place we moved to was a nearby café.

Because of Dohwa’s appearance, the women’s gazes instantly focused on us, but since this happened often when meeting Seo-ho, I didn’t pay much attention and sat in a corner.

Then I noticed blood on Dohwa’s cardigan and asked.

“You’ve been hurt. Shouldn’t we have gone to the hospital first?”

“Ah, it’s okay. Nae-ki treated me.”

Dohwa said that and showed the healed wound.

“I’m truly grateful to Nae-ki.”

“Ahem, no, I couldn’t just leave an injured person, right? So, don’t worry about it.”

Nae-ki, who usually showed a bright attitude towards us, was acting a bit cold.

‘This girl can’t be honest with someone she likes.’

I found it a bit amusing.

Maybe this is how Baeksan feels when he sees me in love.

Watching Nae-ki avoid Dohwa’s eyes and fidget with her hands, I chuckled and turned to Dohwa.

“So, Dohwa.”

“You can just call me Dohwa. You don’t need to be formal with me, my sister’s husband.”

Alright then.

“Okay, Dohwa, can you tell me now? I heard a bit of the conversation with Jang Ho-young earlier, but I want to know the details.”

Hearing my words, Dohwa finally nodded.

“…Yes, staying silent won’t solve anything.”

Dohwa finally explained why she came to Earth.

“I was offered a deal by the Demon Sect, and I accepted it to come here.”

A deal with the Demon Sect.

Dohwa was indeed acquainted with the Demon Sect from the beginning.

“The deal was to either persuade my sister to return to the martial world or, if persuasion failed…”

Dohwa placed a red incense stick in front of us.

“Use the Crimson Incense to put my sister to sleep and take her away.”

“That can make Cheon Hong-ryun fall asleep?”

“It’s the Crimson Incense, which can even put giant spirits to sleep. Even if it’s my sister, it would take some time for her to wake up.”

Dohwa smiled bitterly, as if that short time would be enough.

“The Demon Sect planned to use my sister to resurrect the Heavenly Demon.”

“Resurrect? Cheon Hong-ryun is the Heavenly Demon.”

“Yes, my sister is indeed the Heavenly Demon. But the Demon Sect has a demon called the True Heavenly Demon.”

The True Heavenly Demon of the Demon Sect.

It was an entity that had existed since the founding of the Demon Sect.

The monster sleeping in the Demon Sect’s shrine had been there since the sect’s creation and was resurrected in the body of the current Heavenly Demon to protect the sect when it was in danger.

“My sister has severed all bloodlines related to the Heavenly Demon.”

“So, there was no bloodline left to resurrect the True Heavenly Demon.”

“Yes, that’s right. From the Demon Sect’s perspective, my sister is a traitor who abandoned them. So, they planned to use her to resurrect the True Heavenly Demon and protect the sect.”

“And Dohwa accepted that.”

Dohwa bowed her head to me.

“Domi.”

When Nae-ki called me, I paused and rubbed my temples.

Ayu is the most important person to me.

I must have shown anger on my face at the thought of using her for the resurrection of the True Heavenly Demon.

“Sorry, but Dohwa, you clashed with the Demon Sect, which means you opposed it, right?”

The emotions Dohwa showed towards Ayu were genuine.

In fact, she had changed her mind and even clashed with the Demon Sect.

But a deep shadow was cast over Dohwa’s face.

“…No. I didn’t oppose it; I chose to protect the martial world.”

“Are you saying you wanted to make Cheon Hong-ryun the True Heavenly Demon to protect the martial world?”

“That’s not it either. I accepted the Demon Sect’s offer, but I never intended to make my sister the True Heavenly Demon. The Demon Sect thought I would obey them since I was abandoned by both the Murim Alliance and my sister, but I didn’t trust either the Demon Sect or the Murim Alliance.”

Dohwa explained why she came here while pretending to accept the Demon Sect’s offer.

“What I wanted to stop was the Blood Sect and the Heavenly Slaughter Emperor.”

“The Blood Sect, you mean the one you mentioned before…”

“Yes, the third force that has emerged in the martial world. The Demon Sect doesn’t seem to know, but the current vice-leader, the Heavenly Slaughter Emperor, has joined hands with the Blood Sect.”

Dohwa spat out those words with a bitter tone.

It’s unclear how he came to know this story, but his face showed that it had been quite an ordeal.

“The Heavenly Slaughter Emperor plans to resurrect my sister as the True Heavenly Demon and, using a technique called the Heavenly Net created with the Blood Sect, turn the True Heavenly Demon into a puppet to devour the martial world.”

“Is the True Heavenly Demon that strong?”

“Yes, it’s a monster that resurrects using my sister as a host. No one in the martial world can stop the True Heavenly Demon.”

I imagined Cheon Hong-ryun becoming the True Heavenly Demon and rampaging.

Who could possibly stop that?

As Dohwa said, if Cheon Hong-ryun could be turned into the True Heavenly Demon, taking over the martial world wouldn’t be that difficult.

“So, what was Dohwa’s goal?”

“Actually, it’s the same as what I said earlier. I wanted my sister to eliminate the Heavenly Slaughter Emperor and the Blood Sect, and for the forces to stabilize around my sister, regardless of whether it’s the Demon Sect or the Murim Alliance.”

“But Cheon Hong-ryun doesn’t seem to know about the Blood Sect and the Heavenly Slaughter Emperor you mentioned.”

Dohwa didn’t tell Ayu about this.

When I questioned this, Dohwa clenched his fist on his knee.

“…I didn’t want my sister to return to the martial world.”

Hearing that, my expression softened.