Soo-oh stepped forward, wielding a sword.
Swish!
He raised the blade against the group known as the disciples of the Immortal, ready to protect me.
“I’ve said it countless times, but I’m a monster!” he proclaimed.
Rawr!
I deliberately showcased my monstrous side over and over again.
“And I’ve made it clear several times that this body is nothing but a vessel!”
Ding!
“So if I told you to run, you should run! Why are you coming towards your opponent?”
Thud!
Soo-oh isn’t strong enough yet to fight on par with Cheonma.
Wham!
In fact, he’s likely far from even reaching Oh Myeong-seong or the Lord level.
“Running away is the right move.”
Dash!
I grabbed the iron skewer lodged in my body, slowly crushing the reality around me to become whole again.
Crack!
The skewer instantly transformed into a purple blade.
Zap!
The sensation was different.
Whoosh!
Usually resistant, this time something soft burst at my fingertips.
Pop!
It shattered severely. From my center, deep cracks spread in every direction, like a bullet having pierced bulletproof glass, but the remaining glass stayed intactexcept for the holes.
Crinkle!
In other words, there were holes.
Wobble!
Inside, a pitch-black void existed. Touching it felt like passing through a mere mirage.
Hmm…
However, since it spread out from my center, if anything had happened, Choseol’s body would have changed somehow.
Tap!
I moved forward.
Clomp!
By now, Soo-oh was right in front of me.
Thud!
Probably positioning himself to block any attacks directed at me.
Whoosh!
From Soo-oh’s perspective, he was running forward, sword drawn without uttering a word.
Zoom!
As a finger tightened on a trigger aimed at sealing needles, they rapidly launched.
Pew!
Right before Soo-oh.
Zoom!
And about three seconds later, I heard the noise in my ear.
Swoosh!
Soo-oh’s eyes surveyed all the sealing needles flying towards him and swatted them away in order. Since this weapon takes time to reload, once shot was the last opportunity for the users of the sealing needles.
Thump!
Soo-oh lifted his sword, gazing at the nearest person.
Slice!
And he swung the sword lightly.
Splatter!
Blood splattered, and warmth immediately flowed into me.
Warm!
Soo-oh had no qualms about killing.
Doom!
But that’s not strange at all.
Ding!
Because he had already killed before. When Soo-oh entered this Cheonma Church, the heinous acts began.
Grit!
They tied up a crying child in a deserted field, having them throw rocks one by one. If the child with the stone refused, they would be the next.
Throw!
To survive, they had no choice but to throw stones, and this continued until the child was dead.
Crash!
After that, the number of rebellious children drastically dwindled. Having contributed to killings makes it easier to feel.
Plop!
But what if one bursts with emotion and rebels?
Boom!
Then the next offering appears.
Whoosh!
In such a manner, children belonging to Cheonma Church are thoroughly trained to kill easily from a young age.
Yikes!
If you analyze closely, it’s all designed to treat people like beasts.
Baa!
And this was a directive given by Daegon, using treasures and food, shortly after the Cheonma Church was established.
Grumble!
In other words, it means the malicious intent of a civilization that has progressed enough to dominate one world and exchange attacks with another.
Boom!
It works.
Zap!
Without hesitating, Soo-oh immediately slashed at the next person.
Slice!
But killing the first two was all Soo-oh could do.
Pop!
His sword, aiming for the next target, was abruptly sliced in half. Even the purple mist was cut alongside.
Shink!
In the space where the red light passed, the residual heat hinted at how powerful the opponent’s weapon was.
Fwoosh!
As Soo-oh turned his gaze, a man dressed differently and also wielding a sealing needle stood watching him.
Scan!
Soo-oh’s eyes moved slowly toward the red lightsaber in the man’s hand.
Doot!
“Wow, that cruel immortal has corrupted even a child like that with wicked magic?” he jeered.
Snicker!
And then he pitied Soo-oh.
“Who’s the cruel immortal? Why target Choseol out of the blue?”
Soo-oh asked, his voice low, one he had never heard before. He pulled out something that looked like a cigarette from his pocket and ignited the end with the lightsaber.
Flick!
Normally, you’d have to supply oxygen for the flame to stay lit, but since the temperature was incredibly high, all he had to do was touch the tip lightly, and it ignited right away.
Ignite!
With it held in his mouth, the man pointed his lightsaber at me, who was hurriedly approaching.
“Look at what that wicked immortal did to you.”
Glimmer!
Soo-oh flared up.
“What? Is it the purple hair? Or my now-pale skin? Thanks to the blessing from Choseol, my once-mangled body has returned to its original state. No, it’s even better now.”
Shimmer!
But he continued to look down at Soo-oh with a sympathetic expression.
“Does that wretched immortal call it a blessing? Sure, it might look good. Because that’s the final spark you earned by selling all your potential.”
Spark!
I was intrigued and wanted to know more. The nature of the Harvesting Period. He’s revealing why it becomes so powerful.
Exclaim!
Seeing that oddly assured look on his face, he at least believed it was true.
“My potential?”
Soo-oh asked him, still pointing the sword.
“The soul reincarnates through the world. Any life dies and is reborn repeatedly, becoming a better life, and in the end, there is ascendance. Ascendancy means breaking free from the cycle of life and death, becoming an immortal. But after this life ends, you will reincarnate as nothing but a lowly bug, endlessly born and dying without ever rising again. All because you used everything.”
Boom!
Soo-oh blinked.
“Is reincarnation really a thing?”
Wink!
Among the things I had said, those were included. So, it clicked for me. The man before Soo-oh was surprised.
“Wow, you know? There is. Humans search for the opportunity to polish their souls when they are reborn. But that possibility is impossible for you. That wicked god has stolen every potential you might ever gain, and what remains is what you are now.”
Cast off!
As the man explained, I was mulling over the memories of the stolen disciples of the immortal or Taoists.
Hmm…
Why does containing me work that way?
Swoosh!
Soo-oh still had warmth.
Warm!
In that warm glow, I was contained as well. It seems odd that he stole potential just because of that, considering Soo-oh still has possibilities.
Ponder…
If nothing was taken, why say something was stolen?
Eh?
Am I really right in understanding it?
Gulp!
While those two were talking, I barely reached Soo-oh’s side.
Crunch!
“Is it true?”
Soo-oh asked as soon as I arrived.
Whoosh!
As if asking with a face that expected I would know. Given the distance while running, there was no way he could hear me.
Sprint!
Maybe he suspected that I was watching through their eyes from somewhere.
Glimpse!
But now wasn’t the time to dwell on that, so I decided to leave it.
Leave!
At least, I decided to speak the truth.
Straight!
I made no excuses.
“I don’t know.”
Shrug!
Just as I answered, the man beside me thrust his red lightsaber toward me, swatting away the sealing needle carriers nearby.
“Here comes the monster that tricked even the child. Let’s see what nonsense this mythological fox spirit has to say with her cunning tongue.”
Grin!
The disciple of the immortal, known as Hwangbo Cheon, stood before me.
Spotlight!
With a surname like Hwangbo, which is peculiarly common among people in this country without a surname or with a one-character name, his full name was Cheon.
Intriguing!
“I shared myself with the person I made a contract with. Every creature has light. I contain myself within that light. Until that person dies, I take nothing from those I am contracted to.”
Claim!
Yet before I finished speaking, he scoffed.
“Ridiculous. Are you trying to say you didn’t know what happens when you insert your essence into a living being?”
What!?
“When they heal, they grow stronger.”
Boom!
With a dismissive smile, he gradually changed his expression.
Anger!
It was not the expression of someone looking at a liar. It was more of a disgusted face seeing something vile.
“Did you commit such an act without knowing what it is?”
Ugh…
“Isn’t it supposed to make them better?”
Duh!
At least up until that moment, I believed that.
Believe!
As he filled with rage, Soo-oh quickly rushed forward and brandished the broken sword at Hwangbo Cheon.
“Since you were ignorant, you thoughtlessly committed such cruel acts? The power you’ve placed in souls isn’t you at all, isn’t it? You did it to your heart’s content? Because of you, souls become warped, straining everything they’ve built up till now.”
Crash!
But instead of wielding the sword, Hwangbo Cheon blamed me.
“And once that’s all drained out, the soul shatters into tiny fragments and scatters.”
Shatter!
“Either way, doesn’t dying lead to the same end? If I can choose to start anew rather than live horrifically, what’s wrong with that?”
Slam!
Soo-oh spat out.
Tch!
Hwangbo Cheon looked at Soo-oh in pity. This man consistently showed sympathy toward him. The look of someone observing a victim of a wicked immortal.
Frown!
Given all that has transpired, this man is likely a good person.
Heroic!
“If that happens, you won’t be born properly but will keep being reborn as a grub-like creature, disappearing into nothingness. And even for a large piece, that’s the case. If it’s a tiny piece, you’ll wander this world until you’re completely shattered without living or dying.”
Grind!
Once it falls to the spot where I am, it will simply dissolve and vanish. But if souls also flood in, it is altogether different.
Mix!
However, I left the light untouched. As long as I have warmth, that’s sufficient for me.
Comfort!
Still, I understood.
Duh!
That’s how it works.
Snapped!
There’s a similar concept within Daegon’s knowledge. A part of what they call soul engineering.
Zoom!
“Living through just one life, suffering until your soul wears away to nothing, huh?”
Ow…
Hwangbo Cheon looked pityingly at Soo-oh while feeling anger towards me.
Grr!
“That’s all the doing of a wicked monster who doesn’t even know he’s evil.”
Plot twist!
That’s wrong.
Nope!
I know I’m evil. Sure, I never vocalized it, but it’s true.
Hmm!
Hwangbo Cheon raised his hand.
Lift!
As he did, those nearby aimed their sealing needles at me and Soo-oh, causing Soo-oh to become extremely tense.
Crunch!
Then he spoke.
“To prevent such terrible pain, I will definitely burn you down to your soul.”
Fizzle!
Ah, that’s why he incinerated Jungjae-woo and Byeongil in that strange fire.
Flame!
It’s a flame that burns even the light.
Burn!
And a part of that flame was in Hwangbo Cheon’s hand.
Ignite!
He truly came to capture me earnestly.
Rumble!
So, I moved forward, grabbing Soo-oh’s shoulder.
Grip!
“Alright, I’ll die. But please spare these kids.”
Save!
Let’s invest for the future.
Hope!
In the fading memories, the man chuckled.
Cackle!
Loudly.
Echo!
