"Mr. Baek! Are you okay?!" Wiji Yeol shouted.
He revisited a time from several decades ago when he, a Patriarch of the Eight Great Clans, wielded power second to none except for one unique entity—a transcendent being before whom the lowest-ranking members and the Elders of the Blood Cult alike knelt and worshipped as equals.
He approached Baek Suryong, but quickly stopped in his tracks, overcome by a sinking sense of dread. Something was wrong.
From his perspective, the fight with the Blood Cult elders demanded constant vigilance. Swords flew as if alive, leaving bloodstains across Baek Suryong's clothes and threatening to slit his throat at any moment. It was a battle between masters, one he wouldn't have dared to intervene in even at peak condition.
Nonetheless, he circled around stealthily, hoping to approach the Fourth Elder from behind and buy Baek Suryong time to catch his breath. For his grandson's benefactor, he was prepared to risk his life.
Baek Suryong could almost feel that voice tickling his ears. Immediately, he knew who it belonged to. "Blood Demon. Is it you again this time?"
All of a sudden, however, the Fourth Elder screamed and attacked with all his might. Boom! And just like that, the fight was over.
Wiji Yeol, who was barely recovered, couldn't hear the conversation that took place during the clash. Therefore, assuming the fight was over, he quickly rushed toward Baek Suryong, intending to help treat his saviors wounds.
He will enjoy the honor of making weapons for our Cult for the rest of his life."
"You cannot die unless I permit it."
The moment he heard Baek Suryong's voice, he froze. The voice was both familiar and foreign. Although it was clearly Baek Suryong's voice, the words pierced his ears with chilling clarity.
"...Mr. Baek?" he called out again, but Baek Suryong didn't turn around. The martial arts instructor only listened silently as the Fourth Elder blabbed incoherently.
Wiji Yeol shivered. Baek Suryong's figure as he stood over the Fourth Elder was intensely alien yet familiar. "Could it be..."
He revisited a time from several decades ago when he, a Patriarch of the Eight Great Clans, wielded power second to none except for one unique entity—a transcendent being before whom the lowest-ranking members and the Elders of the Blood Cult alike knelt and worshipped as equals.
That's right. Before the Blood Demon, the cultists wore the same expression as the Fourth Elder does now.
Another life saw him as a simple, illiterate villager.
"Stop!" Wiji Yeol ran over and grabbed Baek Suryong's shoulder. He tried to pull him away, but the moment his hand touched Baek, a powerful repulsive force flung him far away.
FWOOM!
"Keuk!" Wiji Yeol coughed up blood.
THUD!
The Fourth Elder, whom Baek Suryong had been holding by the neck, dropped to the ground. The last look on his face was of pure terror.
Even then, Baek Suryong seemed lost in a trance, completely unaware of his surroundings. Raising his head with a dazed expression, he stared up at the night sky, his body slowly rising into the air. Starlight reflected in his ruby red eyes, and his consciousness straddled the boundary between reality, illusion, past, present, and future.
Countless memories flooded into his mind like a tidal wave. Sometimes, he was a great villain who bathed the world in blood. Other times, he was a hero who single-handedly punished the unorthodox sects that deceived the world. At one point, he was a high monk who never left his temple. Another life saw him as a simple, illiterate villager.
Are these... my memories?
He lived through numerous lifetimes. Lives as men and women, rich and poor, good and evil.
"This is the fate of those who defy Heaven," an eerie voice chuckled, its tone languid and decadent, yet laced with mockery.
Baek Suryong could almost feel that voice tickling his ears. Immediately, he knew who it belonged to. "Blood Demon. Is it you again this time?"
"......" Baek Suryong remained suspended in midair, gazing at the night sky.
Unlike before, he didn't succumb to the Blood Demon's seductive allure. By now, he had developed some resistance to it. "How many times have you repeated this cycle of reincarnation?" he asked calmly.
[Since you've ignored this old man's goodwill so thoroughly, you leave me with no choice.]
"Stop using the Heaven Defying Divine Art right now!" Wiji Yeol shouted at the top of his lungs, staggering to his feet.
Unfortunately, the old man's voice was distant and faint to Baek Suryong. The Blood Demon's voice, on the other hand, was as intimate as a whisper in his ear.
*Avoiding him won't solve anything. It's a gamble, but.
"You are getting closer to completion surprisingly quickly..."
The voice sounded pleased. Baek Suryong closed his eyes and focused on it. He knew this conversation was also part of the Blood Demon's scheme, but he no longer intended to unconditionally avoid or ignore it.
His opponent was a monster that dwelled in the abyss. To understand and defeat his nemesis, he needed to peer into that abyss himself.
Avoiding him won't solve anything. It's a gamble, but...
If he wanted to be free of the Blood Demon, this was a gamble he had to make. There was no more perfect time for that than now, when he was completely cut off from the outside world.
The Blood Cult army began their march.
"You'll understand me someday, in the not-so-distant future. Perhaps even right now."
Baek Suryong sank deeper into the abyss of the voice. If he could understand the Blood Demon's intentions, he could find a way to destroy the bastard once and for all.
VWOOOOOM!
Depending on the answer, he resolved to stab Baek Suryong. After all, if Baek Suryong had been consumed by the Heaven Defying Divine Art and become the Blood Demon, he would surely want someone to kill him.
The Samsara Hell resonated with his will. Space distorted and warped, manifesting all kinds of mental imagery. The Blood Demon's memories and his past life as Number 27 flashed before his eyes in bizarre forms.
"Kiiiaaaah!"
The Fourth Elder, whom Baek Suryong had been holding by the neck, dropped to the ground. The last look on his face was of pure terror.
"Keuaaah, aaargh!"
Writhing demons congealed into a single, massive monster. Translucent ghosts materialized and tore each other apart in a mad frenzy. The previously solid ground turned soft and muddy like wet clay.
Amidst the indescribable chaos, Wiji Yeol shouted, "Mr. Baek! Please come to your senses!"
"......" Baek Suryong remained suspended in midair, gazing at the night sky. Even with his eyes closed, he could clearly see the stars.
Wiji Yeol screamed desperately, "Have you forgotten Cheon? Wonkang, Min, Suhyeok, and Sangwoong too! Everyone's waiting for you to come back!"
"Child born with the fate to defy heaven. Will you join me?"
Baek Suryong stared into the sky of the abyss, the sky the Blood Demon desired so much, in a dreamy, dazed stupor. The Blood Demon's sweet whispers and Wiji Yeol's distant cries mingled in his ears.
If he wanted to be free of the Blood Demon, this was a gamble he had to make.
"Shall we open the heavens together?"