Episode 328
"Are you going now?"
I blinked at the voice I suddenly heard. Then I stood there in a daze for a moment. I didn't have unstable vision or sudden dizziness; I just needed a moment to calm my mind.
"Luan?"
I suddenly turned around when I heard a voice calling out to me again. It came from a woman with a lizard's face. To be more specific, she was a member of Corrupted and a senior hero: Lukuluku, the half-dragon.
It was difficult to read emotions from that unusual face, but I could sense a hint of worry and anxiety from her slightly drooping eyes.
I thought to myself that the vertical pupils unique to reptiles were really amazing to look at. I looked like that when I used the blessing of the divine beast, too.
"Are you okay?" Lukuluku asked.
"Ah. I'm sorry," I replied.
I had gotten lost in thought for a while before coming back to my senses. I rubbed my shoulders as if it was a habit and wondered if I looked especially tired.
Lukuluku suggested, "You don't look well. Why don't you rest for another day? It isn't that urgent, right?"
"Um..." I pretended to think about Lukuluku's suggestion for a moment. Then I fell into another thought.
I was inwardly flustered. I had wondered which time point I would return to. I'd guessed that it could be the moment I arrived at the Badnikers' main house. There was no particular reason; I just felt that a new development had started from that time.
However, at this point, forget about the main house, I hadn't even arrived at Frostwolf Village. I was just about to leave Snowville where the Corrupted branch was located. I had gone further into the past than I expected.
Of course, there was nothing wrong with that. The further back I went, the more time I had. The important thing was what to do from now on.
I stopped thinking and replied, "I appreciate the concern, but I was just in a daze for a moment."
"I see. Well, your complexion doesn't look bad. You know your body better than anyone else. In any case, be careful. The current Corrupted is in a bit of a difficult spot without you," she remarked.
"Is that a compliment?" I asked.
"I am putting pressure on you," she said. There wasn't any amusement in her voice, but I felt a playfulness to it.
I chuckled and said, "Okay. That is enough."
"What?"
"You don't have to say anything else. We are in the same clan now. Why make a fuss?"
"What are you saying all of a sudden?"
"Weren't you coming to say thank you or something?"
I phrased it as a question, but I was certain: The reason why Lukuluku had come to visit me at this time was to awkwardly express gratitude for me joining the clan.
Upon hearing that, Lukuluku responded in a somewhat embarrassed tone, "That might be true, but can you read minds or something?"
"How could I have such a good ability? Isn't it just that your expressions are clearly visible on your face?" I replied.
"This is the first time I've heard that," Lukuluku muttered as she touched her own face.
I replied, "Really? In any case, I'll be going. Somehow, I feel like I will be gone for a while this time. Please tell the boss."
"Ah."
"What is it?"
"Nothing. Somehow, I have the same feeling."
Come to think of it, Lukuluku had said something similar just before I left the last time. I wondered if dragons really had mysterious magical powers. The atmosphere this senior exuded was so mysterious that it strangely made sense.
Lukuluku finished the farewell and turned around. She took a few steps before glancing back one more time. I smiled and waved as if to say it was okay. Contrary to my first impression, she was a surprisingly sentimental person.
It was only after Lukuluku's figure completely disappeared that I stretched my body and looked around the vast snowfield, muttering, "It's warm."
Perhaps it was because I'd stayed in the frozen sky for a hundred days, but somehow, the snowfield with a wide open sky felt particularly cozy. It was already spring, so the weather must've warmed up a bit.
I stretched my knee joints while trying to recall how long it had taken me to reach my destination from Snowville. I figured it was around three days. I could've arrived earlier, but I'd wanted to leisurely learn the Heavenly Thousand Suns Path.
This time, however, it would be better to gain every possible second. So, I planned to use my qi without holding back, using my light footwork skill to the fullest. That way I could get there in half a day.
I burst out laughing. There were still three days before Kayan arrived. I had to think about how to use this free time while running.
***
To my surprise, I was starting to wonder if I liked running. Or maybe it was just that a snowfield in the middle of the day was the best place for it, as I had a lot of fun running through the snow.
I suddenly thought it had been a good decision to invest time in developing my light footwork skill to the fullest in the past. Unrestrained by any obstacles or the need to conserve qi, I could run freely. For a moment, the frustration in my chest eased.
The problem was that it was only for a moment. By the time I got used to the scenery of the vast snowfield, the qi control technique, and the light footwork skill, my thoughts immediately wandered.
In truth, I had a lot to think about. The things I had seen and felt on Spirit Mountain floated through my mind. The ambiguous words of Senior Sister Tian, the matters concerning my master, and thoughts about my Senior Brother He Lou naturally flashed through my head.
The last thing that filled my mind was the appearance of the great demon.
Shit. How the hell can I defeat that? I cursed inwardly. I would've grumbled openly if Senior Sister Tian were in front of me.
"He isn't just a great demon. He's an extra-large demon," I muttered as if it was a joke I was proud of, but it wasn't funny at all.
Maybe that was why I naturally started to picture the scene of fighting Behemoth. He was so big that it wouldn't be easy to even approach him. Without the power of Crowtaker, I would have to leap from the ground or jump from a mountain-like height. Then after struggling like that, I would finally get close and hit him with the White Sun Eclipse.
There would be no effect at all, however. It would be like a mosquito foolishly poking a solid rock. The moment that monster looked down at me, my whole body would be torn apart. That was the process and result of the mock battle with Behemoth.
I had faced all the demon kings except the Golden Horn, but Behemoth's presence was especially strange. Now I could see why he was called a demon general.
Still, the intimidation I felt when I came face to face with Behemoth was somehow familiar. I had already felt the utter despair of not being able to find any chance of victory. In fact, it happened countless times when I fought with my master, Bai Luguang. I had competed against my master at least a thousand times, but I'd never glimpsed victory in any of them.
One thought had struck me while fighting against Bai Luguang. I was convinced that I would never be able to defeat him. It was a despair so obvious that it was almost refreshing.
I could consume dozens of elixirs that my body could handle, fully convert them into my internal energy, and trained for, say, thirty years in a bright, focused environment. Even if I succeeded that way and completed the White Sun Eclipse, it would still be impossible to defeat Bai Luguang. That would remain the case even if I multiplied the dozens of elixirs into hundreds and thirty years into three hundred.
So unexpectedly, the great demon Behemoth had the most in common with the strongest in the world, Bai Luguang. He was a massive, mountain-like creature. Even if I unleashed my full powers for an entire hour, the most I could hope for would be to knock off a few feathers.
It was like a frog banging its head against a tree all day, only for one or two leaves to fall off. It would be impossible to tell if that was due to the frog, or merely the wind blowing at the right time.
However, my master seemed to be convinced that I would be the one to kill Behemoth.
I lowered my gaze to my waist while running. The rattling Seven Sins Sword came into view. I reflexively gripped the hilt and opened my mouth to speak, only to close it again.
The forgotten Martial God bound to the Seven Sins Sword was tied to all of this: the Rocky Mountains, Behemoth, and even Bai Luguang. Part of the reason I thought so was that I'd already confirmed that the Martial God had faced Bai Luguang.
He had also overreacted when I went to a place called Hell. At the time, I thought such an attitude was natural, since Hell was very dangerous. Now, looking back, there were some strange things about that.
One of them was tied to the rocky mountains themselves. Senior Sister Tian had said that those who reached the mountain peak were called absolutes. Only then would they have the opportunity to observe other peaks. Among all the absolutes of the mountain range, only one victor would be called the Martial God.
A god was a being that was forgotten when defeated. So at some point in the past, I wondered if the Martial God had lost to my master. It had always been a vague question in the back of my mind, but now it felt more concrete.
If I grabbed the Seven Sins Sword and asked the Martial God everything, maybe I'd be able to solve some of my questions. Yet I didn't do so. Somehow, I had a feeling that asking the Martial God about this now would derail me from my original purpose.
I was a simple and straightforward person. I wasn't good enough to handle two things at once. For now, I had to focus on what had to be done. I needed to awaken the Iron-Blooded Lord.
My thoughts drifted off in all directions before finally looping around. In truth, my main objective was connected to the worries I just had. Now I could be certain of that, as the Dark Qi lurking in the Iron-Blooded Lord's body belonged to Behemoth. That meant I could ask the Iron-Blooded Lord about Behemoth.
Of course, there were other methods. There were those who worshiped the Colorless Demon King, Senior Brother He Lou, as a god. It was possible that they would know what happened between the Iron-Blooded Lord, Senior Brother He Lou, and Behemoth.
However, before the regression, I couldn't have a proper conversation with that person, because the only Colorless believer I knew didn't want to meet me. This time, that wouldn't be a big problem. Now I could completely hide my Dark Qi through the Dark Sky Moonward Peak method. No matter how monstrous the nun's strength, she wouldn't be able to notice my approach.
Wait, if I'm a priest, aren't I her superior? I thought.
The superior wanted a private meeting, but the subordinate avoided it with all her strength. That was typical of the Dark Church. The hierarchy was a big mess.
At that moment, I thought of a possibility.
I had always denied that I was a priest. I figured I'd just been caught up in Leone's tricks, regardless of my will or origin. However, now I remembered something. When priests were in danger, the skill they used was Ghost Road. If used right before one was killed, it was the ultimate escape technique. It would immediately transport the priest to Hell and allow them to survive. In Senior Sister Tian's terms, it was a lifesaving technique for priests.
Somehow, that ability felt familiar. Entering a special space regardless of the situation, at moments of crisis, was like being able to move to another world.
The only blessing I possessed was the Spirit Mountain blessing. I didn't precisely know the activation conditions, but it was clear that I could only activate it in situations that weren't good for me.
If I replaced "Spirit Mountain" with "Hell" in my mind, it could only mean one thing.
"Damn," I cursed with a sigh.
At this point, it was difficult to deny it any longer. I was a real priest.