892 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The sky gradually descended into a reddish hue as twilight settled in. The autumn breeze carried along with it the whirling leaves and a distinct, fragrant aroma. It was gentle. That was the most fitting way to describe it. The weather was gentle. Just looking at it made one feel bountiful and content. The season and the day felt that way, contrasting with my current mood. "..." For a brief moment, my mind threatened to drift, prompting me to immediatelly frown. Damn it, it's that feeling again. I pressed my fingers against my temples. The severity I was already feeling seemed to intensify with the sight of her face. 'What is it?' What on earth could it be? From the day I advanced to a new level. More accurately, since the incident with Tang Sohyeol, things had been strange. Someone had been continually surfacing in my thoughts. I couldn't remember her face or voice clearly, yet she kept appearing in my mind. And just yesterday. Right before reaching Hanam, I managed to identify the person whose face I was longing to see. “What are you?” The Heavenly Demon. I wanted to see her. “What exactly are you?” “…?” She tilted her head, puzzled by my question. Of course. Even I, the person involved, couldn't understand it, so how could she? “What have you done to me?” I was certain she would know. Even if things were different in this life compared to my past, she was still the Heavenly Demon. If she was the Heavenly Demon I knew, such things wouldn’t be beyond her capabilities. “What are you saying?” “Don’t play innocent.” I growled, closing the distance between us in the blink of an eye. “You did something to me, didn’t you?” “I don’t know.” “You don’t know?” With a swift motion, I grabbed the collar of the Heavenly Demon. As I gently pulled, she was effortlessly drawn towards me. “There's no way you don't-.” Our eyes met up close. She was looking at me with the same expression as when we first met. Her amethyst eyes caught my gaze. They were splendid, like a night sky adorned with stars. Compared to other demons, the pure shade of her eyes was completely distinct. Its shape was unmistakably different, indicative of its originality. That was why. Without realizing it, I found her unimaginably beautiful. “Crazy.” The moment I became aware of this, I let go and distanced myself. “…This is insane.” It had to be insanity. There was no other explanation for this outcome. The thought of her beauty struck me, something I never would have considered possible. Something had to have been done to me for this to happen. ‘Have I really lost my mind?’ It felt as though there was a problem in my brain. Or perhaps, it’s because the Heavenly Demon's face resembles Wi Seol Ah’s so much. Maybe that's why this is happening. If that were the case, it would seem credible, but… ‘No.’ That wasn’t it. If that were true, I would have had issues in my previous life too. Something was wrong. Narrowing my eyes, I glared at the Heavenly Demon. “What’s the matter?” The Heavenly Demon still appeared confused as she tilted her head at me. That demeanor only irritated me further. ‘Why.’ Why did I want to see her? How did this situation come about so recently? Moreover… “...Why are you acting this way towards me?” Why is she treating me like this? Her voice from earlier lingered in my ears. -"I missed you." Although the voice was similar to Wi Seol Ah’s, it was uttered in a much deeper tone. I felt rage boiling over. “Who are you?” I brought forth the emotions I had long suppressed. “Who are you to want to see me?” I glared at her with distorted eyes. Yet still, she remained expressionless. “Is it wrong to want to see you?” She merely voiced her curiosity. Her demeanor remained calm and composed. “It’s wrong.” “Why?” “You shouldn’t do that.” “Why?” She just kept questioning. I could list countless reasons, but it was frustrating to even mention them. “At the very least, you shouldn’t be doing that.” “...” Only then did I notice a change in the Heavenly Demon's expression. A slight furrow in one of her eyebrows. A short silence followed. “I don’t get it.” She seemed to briefly organize her thoughts before speaking to me. “But I missed you.” "…" I clenched my fists. Flames danced around the spear of fiery aura I had constructed, and I aimed its tip at the Heavenly Demon’s neck. “I loathe you.” "…" “From the moment I met you until now, I loathe you.” How could I possibly view her favorably? No matter how the world changed, or how many people changed from the past life. At least the Heavenly Demon hadn't. “My last mercy, right now, is holding back and sparing you.” Initially, it was because I couldn't kill her, and little had changed in that regard. As long as the Heavenly Demon remained calm, I wouldn’t interfere. But someday, I had to put an end to her. “Whatever you’re trying to do to me, it’s pointless.” "…" The Heavenly Demon offered no response. She continued to gaze at me with eyes resembling the eternal night sky. Even as the spear grazed her neck, even feeling the radiating heat, she remained unmoved. Was it because she couldn’t sense my intent to kill? Or because she didn’t truly believe I would kill her? I grit my teeth. If she genuinely thought that way, I needed to correct her misconception. I tightened my grasp on the spear, prepared to strike. But for some reason, my body wouldn’t move. ‘You crazy bastard, why won’t you move?’ It wasn’t someone else's will stopping me. It was my own. My brain urged me to act, but my body stayed frozen. As if a primal instinct within me warned that I must never harm the Heavenly Demon. Despite pushing against this feeling, my body refused to act. “Damn it.” Ultimately, I cursed, withdrawing my hand. The spear of fire retreated as its heat swept over the grass. Coooom--!! The pressure violently flattened the grass. Residual heat lingered on my palm, and I ran my hand over my face. “Phew….” No matter how much I looked, it wasn't good. Why had things turned out this way? As I restrained the torrent of curses building at the back of my throat, the Heavenly Demon suddenly spoke to me. "Are you angry with me?" "I told you earlier. I loathe you." "I heard." Then why ask again? Just as I was wondering, she continued. "But you never said you hate me." I narrowed my eyes at her words. "What?" "You never said you hate me." What kind of nonsensical... Was she suggesting that dislike and loathing were different? It was a ridiculous joke. "Are you angry with me?" She asked again, and I sneered in response. "That-" Yes, I'm angry. Angry enough to wish for her death. I wanted to spit out these words, but my mouth betrayed me once again. It was ridiculous how my hand and mouth both refused to cooperate. Yet even so, it was still better than before. "Yeah, I'm angry. Angry enough to want to kill you." "…" Forcing the words out, I saw the Heavenly Demon's eyes widen slightly in response. At the same time, my heart thudded with a faint vibration. It felt unpleasant. The act of speaking those words was overwhelmingly unpleasant. More accurately, it was the displeasure with myself for saying them. Why did speaking the truth make me feel this way? "…What did you really do to me…." I almost asked her but suddenly froze as I saw her expression. Her usual demeanor changed. She lowered her eyes, clenched her white hands into fists, and bit her crimson lips gently. She looked unmistakably… 'She seems hurt.' The Heavenly Demon is hurt? An enigmatic being who always smiled, hurt by a simple confession of anger? 'This is absurd.' There was no way she could be hurt by such a thing. I wanted to believe that. But still, a sting lingered within me. Was it because she resembled Wi Seol Ah so much? Yes, it must be because of that. “What’s with that expression?” “…Do you really hate me that much?” “Yeah.” "…Why?" "Do I need to explain that? You asked me the same earlier." Her eyes held an incomprehensible longing, and as I ignored it, it felt like someone was scraping at my soul with nails. "I said I just wanted to see you. The feeling is mutual." I gritted my teeth and spoke. "I just hate you, that's all." "…" In this life, things were supposed to be different. I convinced myself that this life would be unlike the last. But she was the exception. 'You're not.' Just because I could view others differently now didn't mean I could do the same with the Heavenly Demon. That's what she meant to me. "…" She remained silent, and the silence stretched on. “Then…” She hesitantly spoke, softly asking. "…Why did you come to me?" "…" If you detest and hate me so, why are you here? And this time, I found myself at a loss for words. This was a question I was more curious about myself. 'Why?' Why indeed. Why had I come to see the Heavenly Demon now? It was a time when pressing matters like Mrs. Mi's letter, my father's issues, and matters regarding the Demonic Sect tormented my thoughts. In the midst of forsaking the kids and coming here, there was no reason to seek her out. And yet, here I was. Wanting to see a woman I despised, loathed, and ultimately had to kill. 'Why?' I kept asking myself. Even as I came to see her, I couldn’t comprehend why. It wasn’t to kill her. Then why…. '...' An answer I couldn't provide myself, even if deep down, I knew what it was and was reluctant to accept it. -"I missed you." When she said that, the turmoil inside was unsettling. I despised the emotions it stirred. Emotions I shouldn’t be feeling. Gripping my hand into a fist, I could feel the tremors from how tightly I had clenched it. "…" The Heavenly Demon watched my trembling fist, then turned her gaze back to me. "…I see." I hadn't answered her question aloud, but had she found her answer through my actions? A look of sympathy crossed her face. It irked me. That expression she wore. The subtle changes in the tone of her voice that seemed almost imperceptible unless you paid close attention. All these deeply stirring emotions, they were all unbearable. I saw her slight shoulders. They looked delicate and narrow enough to hold in one hand. Perhaps it was because of that sight. I reached out without realizing it. Startled, I stopped myself. However— Tight—! "…!" In an unexpected turn, she gripped my wrist. "What the…!" And that was only the start of it. Her subsequent action made my eyes widen in shock. Vhum—!! The Heavenly Demon gathered energy into her free hand, enveloping it in a swirling black aura. The danger emanating from it was palpable, both in its intensity and power. A direct hit from that would be perilous. ‘Has she gone mad?’ Was she intent on killing me just for saying I was angry? Hastily, I summoned my own energy, flames igniting my fist in readiness to retaliate. Swiish—! But then, she suddenly pulled me into an embrace. The searing flames licked at her, but she appeared unfazed. Releasing her gathered energy with a thrust past me, she unleashed it forward. Roooooooooooooar---!!! The black energy swept across, tearing through the space in front of us. It was an unforeseen move. Why did she do something like that all of a sudden? Looking at her in shock, I noticed her gaze was fixed elsewhere. Far off in the distance where she had directed the attack, her expression twisted with hostility. “What on earth….” As I started to question her, a shiver ran down my spine. Instantaneously, I turned my head to follow her line of sight. At that moment. I saw someone approaching from far away. A figure strolling leisurely with hands behind their back. Ba-dump! Ba-dump! My heart started to race upon seeing him. Thump-Thump-Thump—!! My heart pounded fiercely, nausea rising in my throat as I struggled for breath, my eyes locked onto this newcomer. ‘Why is that bastard here?’ The figure that appeared was someone I recognized. Though he was still approaching from a distance, my instincts already informed me of his identity. And even without that, those red eyes made it unmistakable. “Chuckle.” A dry laugh assaulted my ears. It felt like my ears would rot from the sound. “What an enthusiastic greeting.” The Heavenly Demon raised herself at his words. Vhum— Once again, her hand began to gather a dark energy. Her hostility was palpable. “Oh dear…” The red-eyed man, Jang Seongyeon—no, the Blood Demon—shook his head as if in regret. “It's only the manners that fall short.” As he drew nearer, the blood within me boiled ever hotter. “Blood Demon….” But strangely enough. “Nice to see you.” The Blood Demon wasn’t looking at me. His gaze was fixed on the Heavenly Demon. He spoke to her, never losing the smile at the corner of his lips. “My daughter.” “…!” With those words, an overpowering scent of blood wafted in from all directions.