novelraw Chapter 122 : Ash Rekindled (2)
Chapter 122 : Ash Rekindled (2)
Chapter 122: Ash Rekindled (2)
Gugwi sat down in a corner of the cave dwelling.
He crossed his legs and straightened his back, beginning to take deep breaths. He felt the heat nestled within his heart. In response, the Spirit Flow Core faintly vibrated and emitted a blue light.
His consciousness… slowly… sank.
The sounds of reality drifted away, and a cold energy wrapped around his entire body.
It was the familiar sensation of entering the Realm of the Threshold. But this time, there was a clear purpose.
When he opened his eyes, a gray world unfolded before him.
The mist of the Realm of the Threshold swirled at his feet. In the distance, clusters of spiritual light drifted about, producing what sounded like faint cries. Luminous clusters floating in a pitch-black space.
Gugwi gazed at the light with a determined expression.
“Jin Mukgyeol!”
He called the name.
He had to find him. The sudden appearance of that man during the fight with Ma Ungyeol was suspicious. Why did he appear at that moment? Could he have been sent by someone? A spirit wouldn’t move independently.
“Jin Mukgyeol!”
He invoked him with his Illusory Name Command.
Now that he knew his name, he could summon him at will. Though Jin Mukgyeol was a soul bound by Spirit Union… Gugwi was calling him now as the Gatekeeper of the Realm of the Threshold. Thus, he had to respond.
Goooooooh!
A deep silence flowed through the empty space.
Gugwi keenly scanned the surroundings, tracking the energy. But there was no trace of Jin Mukgyeol. The presence of the spirit cloaked in long robes had completely vanished.
“This is definitely strange. A spirit of the Realm not responding to an Illusory Name Command? That defies all logic…”
Murmuring, Gugwi delved deeper into the search.
There was no way a spirit could disappear without a trace. He had to be hiding somewhere—or someone was deliberately concealing him.
Ssssss—
He began heading toward the heart of the Realm of the Threshold.
The mist grew thicker and thicker. He floated through the void, yet the cold seeped deep into his bones—as if warning him not to come any closer. But Gugwi did not yield.
Deeper, and farther still.
Then suddenly, Gugwi’s movement stopped.
He witnessed a strange sight ahead. Dozens of lights moved in perfect synchronization.
The clusters of light traced circles with a precise rhythm.
Like the gears of a giant machine, they moved with exquisite precision. It was not natural. It was as if they were being controlled by someone's will.
Gugwi approached cautiously.
Paaang!
He activated his Spirit Flow Core to observe more clearly.
Each cluster of light took on a different spiritual form, yet all turned their heads in the same direction. They gazed forward, as if in worship.
Was it just an illusion? Gugwi followed their gaze.
Beyond the mist, a colossal figure faintly appeared. Something the size of a mountain sat hunched.
He drew closer.
Using the power of the Spirit Flow Core, he pushed away the mist. The blue light split the gray world, clearing a path ahead.
Chwaaaah—
The mist slowly began to lift.
What appeared first were massive toes. Talons the size of mountain peaks were buried into the ground. Black blood trickled down between them.
Gugwi stopped breathing.
As he lifted his gaze… he saw knees. Towering like rocky cliffs, the knees gave way to enormous thighs. He looked up further. A chest came into view. Hundreds of scars crisscrossed the chest, oozing black blood. Within each wound, Original Spirit Souls squirmed.
Finally, the head was revealed.
Humanoid in shape, but unfathomably enormous.
It looked as though an entire mountain range was one colossal head. Long hair flowed down like drifting clouds.
Then the face appeared.
A nose jutted out like a massive cliff, and the mouth gaped open like a cave. Countless spirits screamed from within.
And then, the eyes.
They were shut. But not completely—only half-closed.
Gugwi drew even closer.
At that moment, the massive eyelids trembled slightly. As if awakening from a deep sleep.
A chill ran through Gugwi's entire body.
Something glinted between the eyelids. A beam of light leaked through the narrow slit, pouring toward Gugwi.
Within that light, he saw the pupil.
A pupil the size of a star slowly rolled toward Gugwi.
“Ah…”
A groan escaped Gugwi’s lips.
The eyes of the Manifest Demon Emperor opened fully.
Twin suns blazed as they stared directly at Gugwi. Within those eyes swirled ancient rage and insatiable greed.
The air grew hot.
The entire Realm of the Threshold began to tremble. Spirits in the distance screamed and scattered.
The Manifest Demon Emperor’s lips slowly curled upward.
It looked like a mountain range was smiling. And within that smile, countless teeth gleamed—each as large as a stone pillar.
“At last…”
The voice thundered through the air.
“We meet.”
The sound nearly burst Gugwi’s eardrums. His entire body vibrated, blood vessels threatening to rupture.
The Manifest Demon Emperor’s gaze grew even fiercer.
Greed blazed within it. An endless desire for Gugwi’s Spirit Flow Core.
“Spirit Flow Core…”
A massive tongue licked its lips.
“That belongs to me.”
The whisper burrowed into Gugwi’s mind. A sweet, yet horrifying temptation.
Gugwi's body was pulled forward.
The Spirit Flow Core reacted violently, glowing blue from his chest. It felt as though his heart was being torn out to fly toward the Manifest Demon Emperor.
“No!”
Gugwi resisted with all his might. He pressed down on his heart—on the Spirit Flow Core—and staggered back.
“What’s mine… I protect.”
His will blazed with blue light.
The Manifest Demon Emperor’s eyes gleamed with deeper greed.
“You resist? Futile. You are my vessel. Honor your master. Return my heart.”
The monstrous smile widened.
“Resistance is pointless. No human can defy the heavens…”
The Manifest Demon Emperor began to rise.
It felt like an entire mountain range was shifting. The ground cracked, and the sky collapsed. The entire Realm of the Threshold quaked violently.
A massive hand moved. A single finger stretched toward Gugwi. From its tip, black energy shot out like lightning.
‘Danger!’
Gugwi quickly made a judgment. Even at this moment, the Spirit Flow Core did not signal danger. It moved as if merging with the Manifest Demon Emperor was only natural. As if it would tear itself out and run to him if it could.
What was clear was that staying here any longer would be dangerous.
He had made a mistake. He shouldn’t have come here. But he had gained valuable information. The Manifest Demon Emperor was controlling some of the spirits in the Realm of the Threshold. Jin Mukgyeol was one of them.
Paaang!
Gugwi activated his Spirit Flow Core explosively.
“Kuhahaha!”
The Manifest Demon Emperor’s laughter shook the Realm of the Threshold.
“You’re fleeing! But you won’t escape. Wherever you are is where I am. I’ll find you, no matter where.”
A colossal finger dropped toward Gugwi.
Shuuuut!
Gugwi narrowly dodged the immense pressure.
He moved, concealing the blue light, just as the Manifest Demon Emperor’s finger brushed past.
“Wait for me, little insect!”
The Manifest Demon Emperor’s voice chased after him.
“We’ll meet again soon!”
Gugwi’s consciousness rapidly returned to reality.
His eyes snapped open.
Cold sweat drenched his entire body. His heart pounded like mad, constricting his chest. But more than fear, it was anger that filled him.
“Huff… huff…”
He calmed his ragged breathing and began to organize his thoughts.
His hands trembled. The overwhelming presence of the Manifest Demon Emperor still lingered on his body.
Sasaha approached.
“Are you okay?”
Her voice carried concern.
Gugwi shook his head and stood up.
“There’s something I need to tell you about Jin Mukgyeol. I don’t think we should trust him too much.”
His voice was firm.
Sasaha raised her brows.
“What happened?”
“The Manifest Demon Emperor is controlling spirits in the Realm of the Threshold. Before, I didn’t feel like he had completely awakened… but now, it’s certain he has. Something must have provoked him.”
Gugwi explained what he had seen firsthand.
“Jin Mukgyeol was pushed out under that influence. The spirit who appeared before me then was definitely Jin Mukgyeol. The Manifest Demon Emperor probably cast him out—and Ma Ungyeol’s death was likely on his orders too.”
Sasaha’s expression turned grave.
“Really?”
“I saw it myself.”
Gugwi’s gaze was filled with conviction.
“At the time, the Manifest Demon Emperor… didn’t want me to die. So he made arrangements of his own… and that’s what led to the connection with the Lord of the Twelve True Armies.”
“That’s unbelievable.”
“You have to believe it. Those massive eyes were staring right at me.”
He gave a detailed account of his encounter with the Manifest Demon Emperor.
The enormous form, the greedy gaze, the sight of him controlling spirits.
Sasaha's expression grew more and more shocked.
“If he’s like that… could we say he’s practically resurrected? But how did he get that strong without the Spirit Flow Core?”
She muttered to herself.
“Didn’t the Heavenly Sound Cult Leader say he was up to something? Maybe it’s because of that.”
“Who knows.”
“What’s your opinion of the Heavenly Sound Cult Leader, from the Lord of the Twelve True Armies’ perspective?”
“He’s practically a god.”
Sasaha’s voice turned serious.
“Even if four or five members of the Twelve True Armies join forces, they can’t beat the First True Army. But even the First True Army can’t beat the Cult Leader—even with backup.”
Gugwi’s eyes gleamed.
“He’s that strong?”
“He’s like a god, I told you. And right now, he’s in isolated training. Whatever he’s doing, his Soul-Summoning Arts only keep improving.”
Sasaha explained.
“The Cult Leader is also looking for a way to resurrect without a Spirit Flow Core, just like the Manifest Demon Emperor. And it looks like he’s close to finding it…”
As the two exchanged serious thoughts, Yeon Sohye approached, curious.
“Unni, what are you talking about?”
Gugwi answered in her place.
“It’s about the Manifest Demon Emperor.”
He explained the situation to Yeon Sohye as well—everything he had seen and experienced in the Realm of the Threshold.
At his words, Jang Unhyeok and Jin Geommudo also showed interest.
Eventually, everyone gathered in one place to talk about the Manifest Demon Emperor.
“So what are we going to do?” Jin Geommudo asked with a tense expression.
“We have to stop the Manifest Demon Emperor from growing any stronger. I’m suppressing my Spirit Flow Core… so the real problem is the method to resurrect him without one. We have to stop two people: the Manifest Demon Emperor and the Heavenly Sound Cult Leader.”
“Ha! That’s tough. How do we stop them? Especially if the Cult Leader is like a god?”
Gugwi pressed Sasaha for more information.
“What’s the current situation inside the Heavenly Sound Cult?”
“Right now, the First True Army holds all the power. While the Cult Leader is in isolation, he wields absolute authority. But he wouldn’t dare think of rebelling. The moment the Cult Leader returns, he’d step down immediately.”
Gugwi suddenly thought of Sa Hyeollin.
“What’s going on with Sa Hyeollin?”
“The Seventh Army? Why?”
“I was attacked by the Seventh Army before… and I found a map then. It showed the location of a Dark Spirit Sect altar. We went and destroyed it… but that altar was powering the Manifest Demon Emperor.”
“Hm! Why would the Seventh Army show interest in the Dark Spirit Sect? That means she knows something. Right now… she’s acting independently. She cut ties with our Cult. She’s completely on her own.”
Gugwi asked about the Dark Spirit Sect.
“What’s the relationship between the Dark Spirit Sect and the Heavenly Sound Cult?”
“On the surface, they’re separate.”
Sasaha explained.
“But I heard the Dark Spirit Sect has roots in the Heavenly Sound Cult?”
“That was long ago. Now, the Heavenly Sound Cult is much stronger. They’re leaving the Dark Spirit Sect alone just in case they’re useful. Otherwise, they would’ve shut them down ages ago.”
Gugwi furrowed his brow.
“This is… I don’t even know where to start. For now, I need to learn more about the Manifest Demon Emperor’s condition.”
Sasaha quietly watched Gugwi sit in contemplation.
A massive storm was already brewing within him. The growth speed of the Spirit Flow Core inside his body was astonishing. He had become strong enough not to lose his soul even when facing the Manifest Demon Emperor.
Though it hadn’t fully blossomed yet, he was already showing unfathomable potential.
‘Stronger than I thought.’
The original plan… had been to return to the Heavenly Sound Cult after gathering information on the Spirit Flow Core—or after securing it. Information intriguing enough to catch the Cult Leader’s interest would’ve sufficed.
But now, things had changed.
This had become a real problem.
If the Manifest Demon Emperor resurrected, all Soul-Summoners would become like stray dogs without a master. She was on the side that opposed his resurrection. Between stopping the resurrection and remaining loyal to the Heavenly Sound Cult, there was only one choice.
Even if the Cult Leader was obsessed with the Manifest Demon Emperor’s revival, she believed that endeavor could never succeed.
‘Maybe I really do belong here.’
Her eyes blazed with determination.