FSSST—!

FSSSSS—!

How long had it been since that unknown sensation wrapped around me?

How long since I first met eyes with the man perched over there?

How long since I’d blacked out, come to, blacked out again, all while bound tight?

My sense of time had gone numb, like it had sunk somewhere deep.

For half of whatever time had passed, I struggled.

Then for half of that again, I’d spent it after giving up even that.

“...”

I kept my mouth shut. That was the only move I had left.

And after who knew how long—right when I felt like the boredom would drive me insane—

“From the start, I could tell.”

The man who’d kept his mouth closed the entire time spoke to me.

The Heavenly Demon.

“You’re unusual.”

Was that supposed to be directed at me? Unusual? I didn’t know who was calling who unusual.

‘Like you’re not the freak here.’

Those eerie red eyes.

That darkness, like it had swallowed every shadow.

And even the strange, alien wrongness I could feel underneath it.

That existence itself was wrong to me.

Especially—

‘...Now that I’m looking properly, I get it.’

The mountain of corpses the Heavenly Demon was sitting on.

Those weren’t just corpses.

‘Malicious ghosts.’

Not human bodies—malicious ghosts’ soul-bodies.

I’d wondered how so many could be piled up like that.

‘...So that’s what it is.’

They were the malicious ghosts I’d absorbed in Henan.

I’d crammed in a ridiculous number and still stayed fine, so I’d been wondering what the hell was going on.

‘Did he do it?’

It looked like the Heavenly Demon had done something. How? And also—

‘Why are they piled up like that?’

I had no idea why those soul-bodies were stacked in this space.

‘What did he do?’

Normally, a thought-form can’t remain inside a body. My soul already occupied my flesh—there’s no room to stuff something else in.

That was exactly why possession was so dangerous.

‘Another soul invading a vessel that already has a soul inside.’

If you messed up, you could damage the original soul that belonged in the body.

And of course, the invading soul that didn’t belong there could be damaged too.

Just look at Yoo Cheongil. Even a little too much possession time and it starts messing with Primordial Life Force.

‘Having another soul inside you at all is a huge problem.’

I knew that.

‘...Then what the hell is that man?’

So what was the Heavenly Demon?

‘What are you, exactly?’

And that pile of soul-bodies—what was that?

And this place—what was this?

I forced my brain to turn over.

Because it felt like I had to understand this situation.

But then—

“Heh.”

The Heavenly Demon’s laugh snapped my head up.

Why was he laughing?

I stared at him, confused.

“Even now, you’re thinking about something else.”

“...”

“You don’t get scared—you try to grasp the situation. Truly interesting.”

THUMP.

Something hit the ground. And with that sound, the Heavenly Demon was suddenly right in front of me.

“...!”

I nearly stopped breathing. Those chilling red eyes were inches from my face.

“I’m curious. What are you seeing?”

“...”

“How far can your eyes see?”

GRAB—!

“...!”

His hand clamped around my face.

“Look closely. What do you see in me?”

“...”

My eyes went to him. What was inside those red pupils?

FSSSS.

The pupils expanded. My Ghost Eyes invaded him on their own.

And then—

“...!!”

Something I felt inside him made my entire body go rigid.

‘Holy shit.’

My body started trembling.

This was—

‘A disaster god.’

His existence itself was a disaster god. Things I should never be able to feel were there.

He should’ve died and become nothing but a wandering spirit—so what was that level of malice?

It didn’t make sense.

The problem was—

‘...It’s not the same as ordinary malice.’

It wasn’t just the malice that malicious ghosts carried.

It was like the artificial energy I’d felt from HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE.

Similar—but—

‘Something...’

Something was pure.

Or maybe the concentration was deeper—denser.

‘What is this?’

I’d never seen energy like it before.

It was definitely malice, but what /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ kind?

‘It’s malice, but it’s not disgusting.’

I could tell it was ominous and dangerous, but it wasn’t purely revolting.

If anything—

‘It feels sacred...?’

Like Daoist energy—there was a sacred sensation mixed in somewhere.

That was insane. Calling malice sacred?

Even I couldn’t believe what I was thinking.

Then the Heavenly Demon smiled.

“You can see it.”

“Of course. You can see it too. Right?”

“...”

See what? What was he saying I could see?

I furrowed my brow—

FSSSS.

“...!”

Something pulsed from the hand gripping my cheek.

Ah.

Don’t tell me—

‘He has it too?’

It looked like the Heavenly Demon had it as well.

‘Ghost Eyes...?’

Ghost Eyes.

Eyes that see ghosts.

A power to see and feel what others can’t.

The Heavenly Demon seemed to have it, too.

“Yes. That’s how it should be.”

Heavenly Demon grinned brightly at me. The sight of red eyes smiling like that made my skin crawl.

“So it’s you.”

“...”

I’d heard that before.

Probably from Yoo Cheongil.

I didn’t think the Heavenly Demon would say it too.

“I wondered why fate led me to you. Yes. It’s you.”

What the hell was he talking about?

I scowled, unable to understand him.

Then he leaned into my ear and continued.

“Worthless insects like to say this.”

“Heavenly Killing Star—this miserable burden, and the red eyes it brings—aren’t those the requirements to become Heaven?”

What?

I had no idea what he was even talking about.

What requirement? Become Heaven?

‘What is he saying?’

The one listening had no clue, but the Heavenly Demon spoke like none of that mattered.

“Wrong.”

And then—

“This is the requirement.”

SHLUK—!

“...!”

Pain slammed into my body.

His hand—

Pierced my heart.

My body convulsed. Pain dug in so deep I couldn’t even scream.

My mouth was sealed shut, choking it all down.

And—

“Seeing what cannot be seen. That is the condition to become Heaven.”

RUUUUMMMBLE—!!!

Something unknown flooded into the hole in my heart.

“I like it. Your flesh and your spirit are weak, but that means nothing. You have what other worms don’t...”

His red glare spilled light.

“I’ll use you. You.”

And with that—

“From now on, you’re the new Heaven.”

RUUUUMMMBLE—!!!

My vision dyed black.

*****

“Guh—!”

I jolted upright with a strangled sound. My eyes snapped open like my body had moved on its own.

“Kh—... guh... hhk...”

I clutched my chest and shook.

The sensation of my heart being pierced was still there.

Throb.

“Ghk...”

Not just my chest—a splitting headache made me grab my head.

“...Goddamn, I’m gonna die.”

Why did everything hurt this much?

While I was barely getting myself together—

“Wait...”

I glanced around.

This was—

‘Mount Hua Sect?’

It was the quarters at the Mount Hua Sect. I was lying there.

Which meant—

‘The fight?’

What happened to the fight? I blacked out—what happened after that?

While I was still staring blankly—

“You’re awake?”

“...!”

A voice came from beside me. I turned my head instantly.

Cheon Hyein was there.

She was staring at me like I’d personally ruined her day.

“Miss Cheon...?”

“Seriously, every time I see you, it’s something new.”

“Pardon?”

“How come whenever you do anything, it never ends normally? You do this on purpose or what?”

“What are you talking about...?”

“No... ha.”

She sighed in my face the moment I sat up. I had no idea what was going on.

“...How’s your body?”

She changed what she was about to say and asked.

“...So-so.”

Other than the headache, nothing felt seriously wrong.

Cheon Hyein narrowed her eyes.

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Probably—”

“Then wanna tell me why you only took Do Hyeong with you?”

“...”

My mouth snapped shut.

“You dragged us along saying we were needed for the mission. So why did you only take Do Hyeong?”

“...Uh...”

“Am I that unreliable?”

I swallowed at the open irritation. I didn’t expect Cheon Hyein to come at me with that.

“I don’t get it. Even if we don’t get along, I thought you were the kind of person who could separate that from the job.”

“...Well.”

“Forget it. I didn’t ask because I wanted an answer.”

“Then why ask?”

“Because it pissed me off.”

“...What?”

“Because it got under my skin. Happy? This time you became Shaanxi’s hero.”

“What—”

“I’ll tell the physician you’re awake. Oh, and.”

Cheon Hyein moved, then tossed this over her shoulder.

“You’d better be good with your words when it comes to my younger brother.”

“...”

CREEEAK.

She shut the door and left.

It was a mental storm. It felt like my energy got sucked dry the instant I woke up.

What the hell was that?

I sat there, dazed—then—

“Ah.”

Now wasn’t the time.

I tried to move, thinking I needed to get up.

“Hmm?”

Something felt off.

‘What is it?’

How do I put it—

“Light.”

My body felt light.

I wasn’t heavy to begin with, but this was weirdly light.

“Huh.”

I paused and clenched my fist.

The sensation was different.

‘Strength comes in clean.’

The moment I noticed, I circulated qi through my body.

FSSSS.

Qi ran the blood channels, looped through my flesh once, and returned to my dantian.

“...Huh.”

I froze.

Only then did I know for sure.

“What the hell happened...?”

My realm had been Peak.

But my qi had been swelling so fast that if I slipped up, I might’ve died.

‘That’s all gone.’

The constant danger I’d felt in my body—gone.

And what was even more absurd—

‘...It feels like I crossed a wall.’

The vessel of my flesh and the level of my qi—both had risen one step higher than Peak.

Which meant—

Me.

‘...Did I enter Transcendent Peak?’

The stage beyond Peak.

It sure felt like I’d stepped into Transcendent Peak.

‘Is that right?’

How would I know? I’ve never been there.

I needed to confirm it with someone.

At times like this, I’d normally grab that chattering malicious-ghost old bastard—

But—

“Where’d you go.”

He wasn’t there.

As always, Yoo Cheongil vanished when I needed him.

Then—

Knock knock.

“...!”

Movement outside the door.

—Moon Hero. I heard you woke up... May I come in?

Yeo Hyeok’s voice.

“Ah, yes. Come in.”

CREEEAK.

The door opened and Yeo Hyeok appeared.

“Excuse me.”

He stepped in and offered courtesy.

But for some reason, it felt more formal than usual.

To the point it was basically a bow.

“...Yeo Hyeok, what are you do—”

“A disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, Yeo Hyeok, greets Mount Hua’s benefactor.”

“...What?”

My eyes crumpled.

Benefactor?

...Who?