novelraw Chapter 44 : The Real and the Fake (4)
Chapter 44 : The Real and the Fake (4)
The yang qi that had been running rampant in my body is suppressed in an instant. Of course, that's natural; the internal energy cultivation method I'm circulating now is the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
The king of yang energy.
One of the strongest existing martial arts.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art resonates with those who have learned the same Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
And the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is only passed down from the Heavenly Demon to the Young Lord recognized by the Heavenly Demon.
At this point in time, the only person who knows the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is the Heavenly Demon.
But out of the blue, I'm circulating the Heavenly Demon Divine Art? The one-person-transmission secret art has been leaked?
In other words, the conclusion was that my life ends here.
I glanced at the seat of honor.
The Heavenly Demon was wearing a thick smile that I had never seen even before my regression. That was unmistakable. It's the expression of someone running a happy circuit, thinking about how to kill me. I would be the same. He didn't tell me, but out of the blue, some guy appears and performs the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?
First, I would cut all his tendons, and since he could bite his tongue, I would also pull out all his teeth. Also, just in case he might self-harm, I would also pull out all his fingernails and toenails.
And I would slowly break his mind.
To find out where he stole the Heavenly Demon Divine Art from.
Who leaked it.
Who the accomplice is.
There, I would cry out and say.
That I am innocent!
Of course, they wouldn't believe me. The torture would only get worse.
In the end, I would confess the truth.
That I had originally regressed, and before my regression, I was the Young Lord of the Heavenly Demon Cult. The one who taught me the Heavenly Demon Divine Art is the Heavenly Demon right over there!
The torturers who heard my words would smirk and torture me again. Telling me to confess the truth quickly. Having already told the truth, I would have nothing more to say and would eventually die while being tortured.
It feels like I've glimpsed the future. It feels like I've regressed one more time.
Why is my fate like this? I thought my fate would change after I regressed... It seems that a dog's fate ends here.
At least the Heavenly Demon is staying still because there are many eyes watching now. He's not being mindful of his surroundings, but he's probably saving face. And he's probably confident that he can catch and torture a small fry like me anytime.
This is all because of that guy.
If only that guy had gone easy, he would have won the Divine Demon Tournament, and I would have taken second place, hearing words of comfort like, 'You fought well even though you lost,' which is a result I would have been satisfied with.
Haa... what's the use of regretting it now?
The water has already been spilled, and it has been absorbed by the ground, so it can't be put back.
"H-how can you be fine!"
I loosened my joints. Although I had suffered quite a deep internal injury before circulating the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, there was no major problem in moving.
"How! How can you move after receiving such an attack!"
He's a noisy guy. Someone's life has just ended, and he's making a fuss about just moving a little.
Since he wants my answer so much, I said to Yang So-pyeong.
"Let's get hit a little."
I can at least vent my anger on my way out, right?
It's the energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that I'm feeling after a long time. As expected, there's nothing to say but that it's the best.
I use the yang qi that has entered my body as if it were my own. No, I completely dominate it as if it were my own.
In an instant, I pierce through the seventh, and even the eighth great meridian. It's refreshing. There's no hesitation. It's like seeing my old self. Now, only the ninth great meridian remains.
"I am more special than you!"
Even now, Yang So-pyeong was continuously spouting incomprehensible stories about the real and the fake.
And in my eyes, which had suddenly risen two stages in martial prowess due to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, I could see why Yang So-pyeong had become like that, and how he had suddenly been able to obtain an explosive power.
'He's a madman.'
The guy was now committing an act that a person with a normal mind could not do.
I said with all my heart.
"You'll die if you do that."
It's true. No matter how much of a Six Yang Divine Meridian he was, combining the great meridians that were separated from each other would surely have a certain degree of risk.
There's a reason why things that shouldn't be done, shouldn't be done. Isn't the Reversal of Heaven also like that?
In other words, because it was the Six Yang Divine Meridian, it was showing the miracle of being able to connect six great meridians into one.
And Yang So-pyeong was trying to use a power beyond the miracle that was allowed to him.
Following the seventh, the eighth great meridian is connected.
Yang So-pyeong's body swelled up as if it would explode at any moment. Of course, that was natural. It was a power that was not originally allowed. If everyone knew how to use such a power, there would be no need to work hard and learn better martial arts.
This world was not designed to run so easily.
"Hehehe. Now I can see. How you can move!"
Because they were at the same realm, they could see each other.
Just as I saw Yang So-pyeong, Yang So-pyeong also saw me.
"Yeah. I know you're great, so let's stop now. You'll really die if you do that."
"Blah, blah! Do you still think you're on top?"
Yang So-pyeong aims his arm at me. He opens his hand wide. I tried to stop what Yang So-pyeong was about to do.
"Hey! Stop! This is your last warning. If you cross that line, you can't go back."
Yang So-pyeong did not stop.
"The real one is me! It's me! It's me, Yang So-pyeong!"
Yang So-pyeong had finally crossed the line he should never have crossed.
He had connected up to the ninth great meridian into one.
"Hehehehe!"
Yang So-pyeong started laughing wildly.
"I can feel the power! I feel like I can do anything now!"
That's right. Unlike reaching the Transcendent Peak through a shortcut, he had now reached it normally.
Crossing the wall means advancing to a new world beyond it.
Naturally, the world that appears as you cross the wall is bigger, more splendid, and more dazzling than the previous world. Just looking at it will make it shine.
Looking at that, one firmly believes that they have become something, or will become something.
I am special.
That brilliant light makes people misunderstand so.
There was a time when I was also mesmerized by that light.
"I am the protagonist of this world, and the real one!"
It's embarrassing. It's like I'm repeating my past. I'm seriously suspicious if that guy has also regressed like me.
Because I had also recited that same line.
Heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one!
'Hmm, I was a bit more severe.'
"This time, die for real!"
An incomparable amount of yang energy was gathering from Yang So-pyeong's extended arm.
Looking at that, Yang So-pyeong was also a monster. Because he was controlling that much energy with just his talent alone.
If he had learned a martial art like the Heavenly Demon Divine Art like me, I can guarantee that Yang So-pyeong would have been several times stronger than now.
Perhaps he would have reached the Transcendent Peak at the youngest age, just like me.
Hmm... come to think of it, is that not it? Because I had reached the Transcendent Peak with my own skills, without the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Looking at it that way, my talent wasn't bad either, but I just had to meet a real monster, tsk tsk.
A person's fate is originally set.
A crow-tit will tear its crotch trying to follow a stork.
The only good thing was that the opponent in front of me was not a stork, but Yang So-pyeong, not my junior sister.
The real...
Compared to the brilliant light that my junior sister had emitted, which was so dazzling that it hurt my eyes just to look at it, the light Yang So-pyeong was emitting could be said to be a firefly.
"It's called the Annihilation Palm!"
He probably just made up the technique name. Yang So-pyeong will probably be so embarrassed by his actions today that he won't be able to hold his head up tomorrow.
A red strong qi, the symbol of the Transcendent Peak, comes flying.
Not all Transcendent Peaks are the same.
If we were to compare the Transcendent Peak to a student, Yang So-pyeong could be said to be a freshman who has just entered the Transcendent Peak, and I could be said to be a returning student who has roasted, boiled, mixed, and gone through all sorts of hardships with the Transcendent Peak.
I extended my arm and applied a slight force to the loose part of the strong qi Yang So-pyeong had created. Then, the strong qi scattered and disappeared as it was.
I approached Yang So-pyeong, who was looking at this in surprise, and clenched my fist.
"Grit your teeth."
I had no intention of hitting him lightly. Yang So-pyeong had sincerely tried to kill me, and in the end, he had achieved it.
Even if I were to sincerely punch him in the face, everyone would defend me.
"As I am...!"
Thwack! Whoosh.
Five or six teeth flew into the air.
So that's why I had warned him to grit his teeth in advance.
Still, Yang So-pyeong was not discouraged yet.
"You dare to hit me!"
Be strong, Yang So-pyeong!
You were a real man!
I gave him a blow on the other side as well.
Whoosh! Five or six more teeth flew into the air.
With this, Yang So-pyeong had achieved a left-right balance.
I sincerely cheered for Yang So-pyeong, who had become the guardian of balance.
Real man Yang So-pyeong, I will never forget you.
Because a wimp like me would have gritted my teeth long ago.
Thud.
Yang So-pyeong finally collapsed.
Fortunately, since he had emitted all his energy outwards, Yang So-pyeong would not die. Though he would have to live on porridge for the rest of his life.
"Waaaaaah!"
Cheers erupted from the spectator seats all at once.
I raised my head, hearing the sounds of celebration. The sky I looked up at was damn blue.
The time has come to put a period on Yoo Jae-ha's honey-sucking second regression life.
Ping. A tear flows down. I didn't bother to wipe the tear.
Behold, this is the end of the wimp Yoo Jae-ha.
* * *
I immediately returned to my room.
As I waited with a reverent heart, I felt a presence in front of my door.
I could instinctively tell that what was to come had come.
When I opened the door, the presence was gone, and a letter was placed there. I picked up the letter, came inside, closed the door, and read it.
[Come this evening. -Heavenly Demon-]
As expected, it was a letter sent directly by the Heavenly Demon.
The fact that he had sent just a single letter instead of coming to catch me himself showed his confidence that he could kill someone like me anytime.
Is this the way of a real man?
Since it was actually true, I had no intention of refuting it.
I opened the door and went outside.
As if it knew my end, even though it was the end of the festival called the Divine Demon Tournament, the Heavenly Demon Cult was strangely quiet.
It seemed that everyone had gone out to the capital to have fun. Originally, I would have been playing among them around this time.
I walked with the heart of a cow being dragged to a slaughterhouse.
I had tried to come as slowly as possible, but I had already reached the Heavenly Demon Hall.
The gate of the Heavenly Demon Hall was wide open.
That gate looked like the road to the underworld to me.
The moment I cross that gate, my life will end.
Thud.
I crossed the gate, and the Chief Steward Gu was waiting for me.
"You've come. Young Master."
"Yes."
I answered weakly.
"Why are you so down on such a good day?"
If you were me, would you be energetic on your way to die!
As expected of the Chief Steward of the Demonic Cult Lord, his level of teasing is no joke.
"I heard the final match was fierce. You must be tired. I have prepared a bath, so please wash up and come out. There are many things to prepare."
Don't tell me you're going to dress me up and even feed me before you kill me?
"Sit."
My prediction was spot on.
Yes, I had heard of it. That when you kill pigs, you feed them well the day before.
It seemed that since I was a human, they had even dressed me up.
I pulled out a chair and sat down.
Seeing that my hyung-nim was also in this place, it seemed that the talk with the Heavenly Demon was already over.
My hyung-nim, who would have greeted me warmly as soon as he saw me, was quiet today.
He must have thought of me as his real younger brother, so the sense of betrayal must have been quite great. He must be misunderstanding me as a petty thief who tried to steal the Heavenly Demon Divine Art by deceiving him.
I had nothing to say even if I had ten mouths. It's not that I'm a petty thief, but that I have no excuse. Who would believe that I've regressed!
The food placed in front of me was as splendid as it could be, unlike my situation.
"From now on, answer all my questions truthfully."
I could tell that he had already investigated everything about me and was just asking questions as if to give me a last ray of hope.
The worst thing in this world is to give hope and then take it away, and since it was a method I had often used when interrogating the Orthodox Faction guys before my regression, I knew it very well.
I would say I'd let them live, and then as soon as I heard the truth, I would cut off their heads. Did I live a good life in my previous life, so am I being punished now? I understood immediately.
The Heavenly Demon continued to speak.
"Who taught you the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?"
Gulp!
What was to come had finally come. Ah, I don't know. I said it as it was.
"The Heavenly Demon taught me."
It's true. You taught me yourself. So don't glare at me so scarily.
"Good. Next question. What was the end of the one who taught you the Heavenly Demon Divine Art?"
He's just letting this go? As expected, the answer is already set, and the question is just a formality before killing me.
So I answered whatever.
"He was comfortable."
The Heavenly Demon must have been comfortable even in his later years.
"Is that true?"
"Yes."
"That's a relief. It's really a relief. My brother has left you behind."
Wait a minute, brother?
"You can tell the truth now. That you are the son of the previous Heavenly Demon and my brother, the Radiant Heavenly Demon, Yoo Jin-seong. I already know everything. You must have been keeping it a secret until now because of my brother's will. But you don't have to do that to me. Am I not your only blood relative?"
He's misunderstanding me as the son of the previous Heavenly Demon, Yoo Jin-seong? Come to think of it, our surnames are the same.
And it roughly makes sense.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art resonates with the same Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
I am learning the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. The Heavenly Demon must have felt the resonance with my Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
And the Heavenly Demon Divine Art has only been passed down from the Heavenly Demon to the Young Lord.
If I were to substitute the setting that I had received it from the previous Heavenly Demon, not the current Heavenly Demon, into my situation...
It fits perfectly.
And the previous Heavenly Demon, who could confirm this...
'He's dead.'
In other words, the current situation is a fake, but I am becoming the real one.
"Now! Let's eat! Because there are two things to celebrate today!"
If I were to deny this here, I would be dragged to the torture chamber as it is.
The Heavenly Demon put a meat side dish on my rice.
"Don't worry. The place that was originally yours will soon be given to you."
My hyung-nim also chimed in.
"If it's my little brother, I'm all for it! Hahaha!"
I don't know what that place is, but to survive, it's right for me to be positive for now.
"Hehehe! Hyung-nim! Uncle!"
My hyung-nim is the Young Lord!
My uncle is the Heavenly Demon!
This is actually a honey deal.
And so, after eating dinner until my stomach was about to burst, I came to the guest room first. My hyung-nim and the Heavenly Demon, what were they so happy about, were drinking alcohol as if it were water. I also wanted to have a sip, but since I was a child, I was kicked out.
"Ugh. My stomach is going to burst."
The tension of having survived was completely released, and I had eaten too much. The fact that the food was delicious was also a big part of it.
"Phew! I'm alive!"
As I was rolling around on the bed, my eyes slowly closed.
And I woke up to the cold sensation of a sword being held to my neck from behind and carefully asked.
"W-who are you?"
"You're my dad's son?"
The voice I heard was still young.
She seemed to be the same age as me or even younger.
But the momentum I felt was at least the Transcendent Peak.
"W-who are you to do this to me? Let's talk first."
The sword pressed closer to my neck, and a voice was heard from behind me.
"I am Yoo Su-a, the only bloodline of the Radiant Heavenly Demon, Yoo Jin-seong."
The moment I heard that name, my breath stopped.
Yoo Su-a.
The very person who had driven me out of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
The one who had made me realize the importance of a stream of urine.
The bloodline of the previous Heavenly Demon, the Radiant Heavenly Demon.
It was my junior sister's name.
The real one has appeared.
(End of Chapter)