Emperor’s Sword [EN]: Chapter 98

Since everyone had left my side, I hadn’t spoken a word. I often sat quietly beside Lucifer, lost in a daze. Nothing could capture my attention. I didn’t even respond when Cheonma spoke to me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that my life force was slowly draining away each day.

“Pa-cheon, only two days remain. Shouldn’t you gather your strength and prepare?” I knew well what Cheonma was referring to. The duel with the Great Demon God Bali was only two days away. I would probably die then too. I would die and join them. They were no longer in this world. They had all left, leaving only me behind.

Are they happy now? Even if it’s harsh, it must be better than this place. Yes, if they are happy, then that’s all that matters. You all deserve to be happy. I could have been content with simple dreams, without asking for much. I wanted to live out my days in a mountain dwelling, surrounded by my precious family and the occasional visit from dear friends, reminiscing about the past.

Was that such a great desire? Yes, it was the greed of those demons that ruined everything. Because of them, because they invaded, plundered, and forced their will upon the human realm, my small dream and everyone’s hopes were shattered.

That day, Lucifer took us to another place. The chain around my neck was still held firmly in his grasp. As long as he didn’t let go of that end, we would never escape him, not until we grew old and died.

“Well, here it is. Baalzebub probably knows a bit about this place. This is where my grand plan is nearing completion.” Lucifer’s voice was filled with joy, as always.

The only one accompanying him now was a mysterious woman. The woman who rode the Kundari [a mythical beast]. Even now, I didn’t know her name or her position in the Demon Realm. She hadn’t revealed it, and Lucifer hadn’t explained it either.

The place we arrived at was in the lower levels of the aerial palace, and it was quite vast.

“Pa-cheon, aren’t you curious about what this place is?” He asked in a gentle voice, but I had no interest in his question. I couldn’t be bothered to answer.

“This is where the elite of the Demon Realm are trained. In the past, we didn’t promote the growth of the Demon Gods through artificial means. But things have changed recently. Since the plan to confront the entire dimensional realm was established, this has become a natural course of action, and we’ve been pouring all our efforts into it. Now, look. My proud warriors.” As he said, there were numerous glass-enclosed rooms in the wide plaza. Each one had a person sitting inside. And across the plaza, in another valley, there was a plaza twice as large with the same scene. There seemed to be quite a few places like this.

“Demon Realm warriors undergo special training to reach their optimal combat state. They are broadly divided into two categories…” According to his explanation, there were two types of demon warriors.

The first type was when a Demon God became a demon warrior, which was not very common. The first reason was that the training was so harsh that it wasn’t appealing enough for Demon Gods to volunteer. The second reason was that there was no guarantee of growth even if they underwent the training.

The second type was the demon warriors created and raised by Metatron. All the training processes for raising demon warriors were entirely focused on the second type, and they had been refined and improved through various stages.

After a long period, they concluded that the optimal condition for raising demon warriors was that they should be soulless. That’s why most of the demon warriors were created like demonic beasts.

“Demon warriors are strong. They have no fear and minimal conflict. They are only loyal to my commands, and they will be the most powerful means to unify the dimensional realms of the Demon Realm. Do you know why I’m showing them to you?” He was asking a pointless question. He asked himself and then immediately answered himself.

“You have the optimal conditions to become a demon warrior. Of course, your functionality would be even higher if your will accepted it, so I’m making you an offer.” Did he believe I would accept? How foolish of him to expect that.

“Hmm, of course, you’ll refuse. But if you lose in the duel, I will force you to become a demon warrior. If properly trained, you might even rival a Great Demon God. Baalzebub, the same goes for you.” “I know that becoming a demon warrior requires the consent of those with souls. So, I don’t understand how you plan to make us demon warriors.” “I have my ways, so don’t worry.” Lucifer dragged us around, showing us the demon warriors up close. They were naked, and he said they didn’t have unnecessary bodily organs. If you cut open their stomachs, there would be no internal organs, heart, or blood vessels. They were only composed of nerves that regulated their movements, bones that supported their bodies, and tendons and muscles that moved them.

It was amazing that these things could even move. They all looked like twins, with dark, elastic, and very smooth skin. Yet, they were as tough and hard as demon armor, making them the optimal specimens.

They were trained with various demonic powers to counter the attacks of the celestial realm, and they had various strengths considering their opponents. Even looking at them, I couldn’t feel any life force, which made me feel even more repulsed. But I had to agree with Lucifer’s assessment that they were strong.

Lucifer said that he had gone through several failures to bring the demon warriors to their current level, and he was filled with emotion. I couldn’t quite grasp the intention behind his attitude—bringing us here and adding these minor explanations.

I had clearly conveyed my refusal, and he had acknowledged that I wouldn’t willingly cooperate with his plans, hadn’t he? Moreover, he must know that my animosity towards the Demon Realm and him had grown even stronger due to the recent massacre. In the end, it seemed he intended to forcibly make us demon warriors after our duel and wanted to confirm this with both of us.

If it was a physical act beyond our will, there was nothing we could do. The thought of turning into those emotionless beasts soon made me feel a sense of despair rather than anger.

As if sensing my mood, Lucifer said something that was subtly manipulative.

“Will is useless. The criticism that God condoned and even encouraged the corruption of his creations stems from granting free will. So, I plan to gradually restrict free will.” Did the demons of the Demon Realm know his intentions? Even if they did, it wouldn’t change much. The essence was still the same as him.

The number of demon warriors seemed much larger than I had thought. Even after passing through several places, there still seemed to be more.

“The original purpose of bringing you here today is in this place.” The large door was engraved with beautiful patterns. Unlike before, Rakshasas [powerful demon guards] stood guard on either side of the door. They quickly bowed when they saw Lucifer.

The door that swallowed us opened to the sides and then closed again. The inside was quite chilly. The white ice walls were smooth. The interior didn’t have any special structure that caught my eye. There were only a few ice pillars gathered in a circle in the center.

“Now, look there, and see what’s inside.” I frowned as I looked at where Lucifer was pointing. I thought there were carvings on the ice pillars, but upon closer inspection, I saw that something was inside. As I got closer, the shapes became clearer. Three naked people were preserved frozen inside the pillars. Two young, handsome men with black hair and a young girl.

I couldn’t tell if they were humans or demons. It was almost impossible to find differences between demons and humans in their appearance. There was nothing specific to point out. I was puzzled.

“Those three are humans you know very well.” Among his words, I first distinguished the meaning of ‘humans,’ and then I connected it to the phrase ‘know very well.’ And after considering the relevance of ‘three people,’ a thought flashed through my mind.

“Could it be…” I opened my mouth for the first time in days. No way, it couldn’t be.

“They are your son and daughter. How do you feel seeing them grown up?” I was speechless and stared at Lucifer for a long time. My son, Hwan-ah, and my daughter, Hwa-ah? Then, is the young man next to them Cheon-ah? What was the intention behind telling such lies?

I didn’t even consider believing what he said from the start. It was impossible. It shouldn’t be possible… But my denial was gradually and rapidly turning into acceptance.

“Is it true?” My trembling voice sought confirmation.

“Of course. When they wake up soon, they will be transformed as much as you are surprised. You will see the most perfect humans, strong and beautiful, who possess the abilities of both humans and demons, and even demon warriors. They will succeed me and rule the Demon Realm, and they will lead the way in undermining the authority of God.” I felt like I was standing on the edge of a bottomless cliff due to the overwhelming confusion. If there was such a cliff in front of me, I would have jumped off immediately.

A calm voice flowed from Cheonma behind me.

“Hwan-ah and Cheon-ah are one thing, but what about Hwa-ah’s will? That child will only have what you have instilled in her, without having learned anything else. Are you now trying to deny even all the order within the dimensions? Don’t you know how dangerous that choice is?” “Danger is always present. Those who take risks do not change their stance on small dangers. And if that danger is what I truly desire, wouldn’t I gladly pursue it?” “Cheonma, is it true? Is what the Demon Sovereign said the truth, not a lie?” “Yes, Pa-cheon, unfortunately… it seems to be true.” Strangely, at that moment, when Lucifer’s words were confirmed to be true, my heart began to beat more calmly than usual. Rather than resentment, complaints, or dissatisfaction towards him, it was a despair that this was not the result of my will, and that no matter how much I refused or rejected it, the truth could not be reversed. It quickly turned into resignation and hardened.

I only said one thing.

“You will surely pay the price for making those children like that.” Had my heart turned to stone? I no longer cried or raged. I had accepted everything, and I was only feeling the misery of someone who had begun to acknowledge even the current absurdities as my own.

I had died the moment my subordinates died all at once. Only my will remained alive, and my emotions had died. I couldn’t be shaken again by a value that I couldn’t regain. I had to become a beast of prey, waiting for the right moment. I had to become a hunter, holding my breath and watching for an opportunity to hunt the beast.

“You will soon face the new appearances of those children. You should prepare to feel a heartwarming emotion.”

Lucifer tried to refresh me with a subtle tone as if seeking agreement. It wasn’t difficult to discern his true intentions, but it wasn’t easy to know what was at the end of the children’s fate.

“On the day the Demon Realm returns everything to its origin, those children will be remembered forever by all souls.” I couldn’t understand at all. What was he trying to say?

“Those who are human but not human, those who have stepped into the Demon Realm but are still human. I needed such beings, and I have obtained them. Many humans have converted my will into their own, and that will be the catalyst to reach the promised land. On the day the doors of all dimensions open, the spirits of the universe will realize what is real and what is truth.” Lucifer’s guidance ended there. He still dragged me and Cheonma, who were exhausted, out without any change.

My existence in the Demon Realm had become a target of mockery for Lucifer, the Great Demon Gods, and the Demon Gods, or it had gained value only as something that aroused their interest and curiosity.

Today was the same. After leaving Lucifer’s residence, I was dragged away by Bali and had to endure severe humiliation. Even though I was going to duel him for survival tomorrow, I wasn’t even receiving minimal protection from my enemy. He mocked me and ridiculed my choices.

“For you to choose me. Why me of all people? Is it just because I caused pain to your subordinates, or do I look easy to you?” That was what he was curious about. His hasty assumption that he was chosen among the Great Demon Gods because he seemed the easiest had offended his pride.

“What does it matter? You are strong, so you will easily subdue me and violate me as much as you want, just like you did back then.” “Yes, as you say, I can crush you miserably, but doing so won’t restore my wounded pride. What would the other Great Demon Gods think? Just thinking about it makes my blood boil.” It occurred to me that it was quite fitting that such a lowly being with a crude thought process held the title of Great Demon God of the Demon Realm. This kind of person, who was overly simple, easily angered, and destroyed things without a second thought, was the most suitable figure for the Demon Realm.

Compared to him, the other Great Demon Gods were extremely rational, to the point that they seemed out of place in the Demon Realm.

“I want to deal with you right here and now, but… I will endure it because of Lucifer’s orders.” He was even armed with a thorough slave mentality, wasn’t he? I wanted to push him further into a rage.

“Considering that I am human, you are not that strong. You are called a Great Demon God, but you don’t seem that great, and your thoughts are simple, and your actions are always extreme, so it’s natural for me to look down on you.” He was fidgeting, trying to suppress his boiling anger. It was an undeniable fact that Bali was strong, but that was given, and it had nothing to do with his talent or effort.

He was even more enraged because he couldn’t harm me, and he only broke innocent objects. He wasted a lot of time insulting, mocking, or threatening me before finally letting me go. I could go anywhere. From the moment I was released from Lucifer, I was given a brief moment of freedom.

Lucifer had given me rest and freedom until tomorrow’s duel. Cheonma was still with Lucifer. He was also in despair, and it seemed that the matter of Cheon-ah had a significant impact on him.

As I was walking down the hallway, thinking about various things, that mysterious woman came to find me.

“Follow me.” She was someone who could be classified as Lucifer’s closest aide, and it seemed she hardly ever left the Demon Sovereign’s side. She was always by his side, attending to him, and handling the small tasks. Because I had seen and experienced her the most, she was also one of the people I thought I knew quite well. However, I still didn’t know much about her, just like the first time I met her. We hadn’t had many conversations, nor was there a need for them, so there was no change or progress in our relationship. I followed her to Lucifer’s quarters. Only Cheonma and Lucifer were there. As soon as she arrived, she knelt quietly before Lucifer and bowed her head. “Pacheon, welcome.” After that, he once again began to ramble on about trivial matters to the two of us. It was about the time I was starting to get bored. “Come here, Lanet.” Was that her name? She approached Lucifer on her knees. It was an extreme display of respect. She was considered to be on equal footing with the other Great Demon Gods. None of the Great Demon Gods treated Lucifer with such deference. It was a scene that showed Lanet’s attitude toward Lucifer. Lanet, who had come close, did not raise her head. “Raise your head.” Lanet slowly raised her head. And she looked at Lucifer. Lucifer’s hand touched Lanet’s cheek. “Do you still have lingering attachments?” “Lingering attachments… I do not have any.” “Human love is insignificant. Love is a non-existent illusion. Yearning is mistaken for love, and the obsession to possess is understood as love. Rather than chasing after fleeting things that will soon crumble and fade, you must seek the truth that will never change. Do not tremble. You were pure, but fate was unfair.” “I… I think so too.” I listened intently to what the two were saying. “A tragic love does not suit you. Bloom again as a magnificent flower. When the Demon Realm rules the universe, I will entrust the fate of humans to you. Among them, I will have those who caused you pain be your servants and serve you for eternity.” “Thank you.” Her answer was mechanical. It seemed that Lucifer also felt it. “Do you want him to know about you?” “…” For the first time, she did not answer Lucifer’s question. “Are you confused? Do you remember when you first called me?” “Yes.” “Pacheon and Cheonma.” For some reason, Lucifer did not call Cheonma by the name Baalzebub. “Aren’t you curious who this child is?” I was curious. Cheonma didn’t seem to be. Cheonma’s indifferent words were conveyed to Lucifer. “Since he wasn’t in the Demon Realm according to the prophecy, he must be a spirit who was recruited later.” “You are right.” “Demon Sovereign, is she your woman?” Cheonma’s tone changed. He had not lost his minimum courtesy because of old ties, but he was starting to throw that away. Nevertheless, Lucifer didn’t care. I pondered Cheonma’s words again. Lucifer was an angel. A being that couldn’t be classified as sexually distinct. If I had to say, he could be called androgynous. Could such a being have a woman? And does love between men and women exist in the spirit realm, even among spirits? It was an unknown matter. “She is my daughter. If you look at this child’s past lives, they are truly tragic. Just by looking at this, it is clear that the claim that God is fair is a lie.” Then he began to talk about his daughter Lanet’s past lives. She now retained all the memories of her past lives. And it seemed that she couldn’t be indifferent to those memories. I could tell just by looking at her half-visible face stiffening as Lucifer continued to speak. She had experienced seventy-seven lives. During that time, the direction of her life was nothing more than a yearning for love. She was born in various different environments, but one thing remained the same: her unwavering devotion to her partner. Despite such pure love, her life was always unhappy. Her desire burned even more fiercely because of this. Perhaps for this reason, she became more thirsty for passionate love with each life than the last. One strange thing was that, unlike other spirits, she was only ever born as a woman. The experiences of being betrayed by the love of men made her obsession stronger, and perhaps because her original nature was reflected, she was no different in her current life. She did not hesitate to betray her family, country, and organization for the man she loved, and she was not afraid to give her life. Nevertheless, the end of her life was always miserable. Love was never fulfilled. The person she followed so devotedly and had feelings for would abandon her and become a monk, or return from the battlefield as a fallen soldier. There were also many cases where they ran away with another woman or abandoned her. In some cases, she was even killed by the sword of the man she loved, sold for money, or ended her life as a disabled person due to incurable wounds. Since it wasn’t just once or twice, but every time, how deep must her resentment have been? She eventually became a ghost in the ghost realm, and when she wasn’t born into a new life, she would always wander the human realm as a wandering spirit, envying couples who were cultivating beautiful love and causing discord between them. She became connected to the Demon Realm 300 years ago in human time. At that time, she was born into the family of a powerful person, and when she turned nineteen, she married a man she had always admired. Her husband was a man with an excessive desire for political achievement. Because of the fact that his father-in-law was a powerful figure, he cherished Lanet quite a bit, at least on the surface. However, this was only temporary. When her father was caught up in a plot by the opposition and became involved in an incident, everything began to change. Her father lost all the power he had held until then and ended up in prison. From that time on, her husband’s attitude began to change. Her husband was handsome and intelligent, so there were many people who coveted him. Eventually, he decided to break up and gave Lanet an ultimatum. She cried and begged, but it was no use. At that time, Lanet was pregnant. She had to hold onto him for the sake of the baby she was about to have. But she couldn’t turn back a heart that had already turned away. In the end, she was abandoned again. However, she did not remember her past lives, so she would not have known that she had had many such experiences. When she was left on the streets overnight, every day was a continuation of miserable life. There wasn’t much she could do, so surviving wasn’t easy either. In the midst of this, she heard the news that her ex-husband had started a new family, and she gave birth to a child when her due date arrived. But the misfortune did not end there. Her ex-husband’s new wife came to find her. There was only one reason for her visit. She wanted the child. Because she couldn’t have a baby, she wanted to raise her husband’s son herself. Lanet refused. She said that if she lost her son, who had become her reason for living, she would lose her will, and she strongly refused. However, the other woman was a greedy woman who had to have what she wanted. She almost snatched the son away. The powerless Lanet cried every day in front of her husband’s house, begging for her child to be returned. This news quickly reached her father-in-law, who called his son-in-law and ordered him to resolve the matter quietly. Lanet’s husband, who was also the child’s father, picked up Lanet, who had collapsed from exhaustion from crying in the cold street, and took her into the forest in the dead of night. He held a tool for digging in his hand. He went into the forest, dug a hole, and threw Lanet, still wrapped in her blanket, into the pit. At that moment, Lanet woke up. The man covered a living person, a woman who had given birth to his son and was once his wife, with dirt. He intended to bury her alive. As she struggled to get up, the man cruelly struck her head with the weapon he was holding. When she woke up after fainting, she was in a shabby room. A old woman was dozing off under a lamp. She realized that it was not a dream, as there was a bandage wrapped around her forehead. “It seems that the old woman saved me. What’s the point of living? Let’s die, let’s become a vengeful ghost and protect my son.” With that determination, she tried to hang herself on a tree in front of the house. At that moment, the old woman came out of the house and said this. “If you have the determination to die, there is nothing you cannot do in this world. I will help you, so don’t do anything useless.” Lanet was persuaded by the old woman’s words and changed her mind about dying. At dawn that day, the old woman listened to Lanet’s story and made a proposal that would tempt her. “Do you want revenge?” “Yes, but I have no power.” “Please help me, grandmother.” “Okay, I will help you. But this cannot be done without your determination.” “I will do anything. If I can punish my evil husband, I will… I can go to hell.” “If you have that much determination, there is nothing you can’t do. Okay, do as I say.” The old woman suddenly talked about the spirit realm and beings with absolute power. She said that there was a king among them called the ‘Demon Sovereign.’ She said that if you pledged your soul to him and made a wish, you could achieve anything in your current life. However, as a result, you would have to become the ‘Demon Sovereign’s’ slave forever. “The choice is yours. What will you do?” “I will do it.” With a firm resolve, she eventually performed the ritual as the old woman instructed and made a wish to the Demon Sovereign. Her devotion continued tirelessly for 40 days. One day, after 40 days, as the old woman had said, a mysterious event occurred with dark clouds covering the bright full moon, and a strange being appeared before her. With his help, she was able to take revenge and bring disaster to the woman’s family. “So, in the end, this child did not die and was moved to the Demon Realm. After that, this child became my daughter. Perhaps because of her past grudges, Lanet transformed into a spirit suitable for the Demon Realm so quickly that even I was impressed. After undergoing rigorous training, she was able to reach her current position, and one day, this child came to me and asked me to let her experience another life. Cheonma, as you know, the Demon Realm also has a certain proportion of opportunities for reincarnation. Of course, it’s not a common occurrence. I couldn’t pretend not to hear this child’s wish, so I let her experience another life. But as expected, this child’s life was once again a series of suffering. Love was never fulfilled, and there was no end to the calamities. Nevertheless, Lanet was so pure. I decided that continuing her life was no longer beneficial to this child, so I called her back to the Demon Realm.” His long story came to an end. I thought that she had lived such tragic lives. How could I have ever imagined that such a story lay behind that splendid and beautiful face? “This child is the very same Hwansa that you all know well.” Hwansa… Hwansa? That’s impossible. For a while, I couldn’t gather my wits and was in a daze. Even though it was the first time I had seen her face, the reason why it felt familiar was because of that. The missing Hwansa was standing before me as Lucifer’s daughter… Does Seolran know? This was the first thought that came to my mind. And my heart ached. “Pacheon! What do you think, seeing Hwansa again?” I couldn’t answer. Even if she was Hwansa, she didn’t feel like the old her, and I knew that she felt the same way. “Lanet, do you have anything to say?” Lucifer asked Hwansa, who was also his daughter, or rather, Lanet. “No… not at all.” Am I also one of the people who caused Hwansa pain in her life? I felt unfairly wronged. I was curious about what she was thinking. If she really thought that way, I wanted to apologize in some way. But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t think of anything I had done wrong to her. It was only later that I learned that she had loved me, and by then, Seolran had already taken up all of my heart. It was a situation that I couldn’t help. As I was thinking this, Lanet looked at me. “Pacheon, there’s no need to give it any special meaning. There’s no need to feel burdened… No man has ever been as good to me as you have been.” And then she smiled faintly. I tried to find Hwansa in her smiling face. But that was impossible from the start. “The reason I let this child experience another life was to make sure she would never waver again. I didn’t want to see her clinging to the illusion of a non-existent love. As I predicted, Lanet was still living her life in a wounded state. It’s not that I’m saying that God particularly hates this child. Do you know what the biggest contradiction of reincarnation is?” What was he trying to say? “Once someone goes down the wrong path, they cannot turn back even after countless eons. What kind of progress can you expect in this environment? It’s not that I’m saying that reincarnation is unconditionally bad. The possibilities are infinitely open, but in reality, very few spirits take that path. Do you understand why I am rejecting God’s will and trying to free humans, all the spirits of the spirit realm, from that bondage?” I didn’t show it outwardly, but I agreed with his words to some extent. But that doesn’t justify your methods. “Lanet.” “Yes.” “Take them to that place. We must give them a final chance.” “Understood.” She answered with a somewhat bright voice and led the two of us outside. She didn’t even grab the chains around our necks and just walked ahead. Cheonma was lost in his own thoughts and remained silent, and I didn’t have much to say either, so I just followed along quietly.

“Pacheon.” At Lanet’s call, my heart seemed to drop, and I flinched. Why am I like this? It felt like the heart of someone in debt.

“I don’t really resent the misfortunes I’ve suffered so far. It’s because I’ve realized that everything is futile.” “Do you not regret entering the Demon Realm?” “Regret? No. Even if I had to choose again, I would choose the Demon Realm. After all, my father, Lucifer, was the first to reach out to me when I was struggling. I love and respect him.” Listening to her talk now, I felt like I was with Hwansa. When she first appeared before me on the Kundari [a mythical flying creature], I perceived her as a proud, arrogant, and cold being. But now, she was different.

“Right now, the entire universe is being swept up in upheaval. The Demon Realm is at the center of it, and although the Demon Realm started it, this was a spark that was bound to ignite from the beginning. Even when I was a spirit in the Ghost Realm, I felt that something was wrong. I didn’t realize what it was specifically, but now I think I understand a little.” “What is it?” She stopped walking ahead for a moment and turned to look at me. Her sparkling eyes were filled with conviction.

“No spirit should be bound simply because they are a creation. The choice is entirely up to the individual, and they should only be responsible for the consequences. If anything forces them with laws and principles, that must be broken. That’s why God… is an entity that must be overthrown.” It was an incredible statement. My heart was pounding. This was definitely not the Hwansa I knew. Although she was supposed to be the original her, the Hwansa I knew didn’t have the audacity to say such things so casually.

“If the Demon Realm wins, our claim will be proven true, but if we lose, we will be condemned as a name of eternal wickedness. But I have no regrets.” She started walking ahead again. I wanted to argue with her. Regardless of whether her intentions were right or wrong, if the method was wrong, it should be criticized, I wanted to tell her that. But I held back. Then.

“You would say that, wouldn’t you? That the means we are taking are not justified, so no matter how righteous the goal is, it’s wrong.” “Yes, that’s true. I can’t deny it.” “There might be that aspect. But if minimal sacrifice is inevitable, shouldn’t everyone share a little? If we can’t achieve it with these methods… then what should we do? Should we just give up? We can’t do that, can we?” I was starting to get angry at her simple blind faith.

“Then isn’t it the same for all the misfortunes you’ve suffered? You clearly said a moment ago that forcing an individual, no matter how noble the truth it wears, must be broken. The God you are now shouting to overthrow doesn’t force or destroy humans like you do. He only exacts the price for their actions. But you are not like that. In the end, you are doing the very things you are denying. Surely you don’t mean to say you don’t know that.” Hwansa didn’t answer anymore and walked silently. At this point, Cheonma grumbled.

“You can’t see the reality when you’re inside. You can only see it when you come out. It’s like you can only know that the clothes you’re wearing are dirty when you take them off.” Cheonma spoke after a long time. He didn’t stop there.

“Once you know their true intentions… well, even you will be disgusted. If you knew how vile their essence is. If you knew the extent of the conspiracy they are plotting…” He muttered as if he were talking in his sleep. Cheonma’s eyes were unfocused, not looking at anything in particular. He had a dazed look with a slightly fearful expression. I could instinctively tell that what he had seen and experienced in the illusion zone was not ordinary.

As we were talking, Lanet spoke cautiously, as if we had reached our destination.

“Please don’t be too surprised…” She lifted the long cloth hanging down at the entrance with her hand and stepped inside, and we followed closely behind, keeping a slight distance. The scene waiting for us inside was not something we could face comfortably, as Lanet had said.

“Those bastards…” I felt like saying what Cheonma had said. What should I say, what should I do?

“Seolran, are you okay?” I first asked Seolran how she was doing. She seemed to have just noticed me and ran towards me. Because the thorns on my body were still there, I couldn’t hug her or even touch her hand. I raised my arms and pretended to stop her. But she didn’t care about such things and tried to rush into my arms.

“Seolran, don’t do this.” She was now crying her heart out in front of me, tears she had held back for so long. My heart ached as if it were being torn apart.

“Hwana… Hwaa… sob sob sob…” Her cries flowed quickly through my deeply wounded heart.

Jeokrua was standing on one side and walked towards us. Behind her stood two young men and one girl. They were our sons and daughters.

The children Lucifer had raised looked unfamiliar to me. They had their black hair neatly combed and tied, wore thin lines adorned with jewels on their foreheads, and were covered in shimmering cloaks. The Demon Realm tattoos on their foreheads stood out prominently.

I pushed Seolran to one side and walked towards the children. Hwana and Cheona seemed to recognize who we were. The slight trembling in their eyes was almost certain proof of that.

“Hwana…” At my call, my son Hwana turned his head away. After a moment, he turned his whole body away.

“Oppa, who is that?” It was a girl. The girl, who looked about 17 years old, resembled Seolran quite a bit.

“They are our parents.” “Parents? The Demon Sovereign is our father. What are you talking about?” “They are our parents from when we were human. Those two people over there are the ones who gave birth to you and me.” At Hwana’s words, my throat tightened. So, you don’t deny us. I was secretly worried. I was worried that the children wouldn’t recognize us. But such worries were unnecessary. Well, what good is that now…

“When we were human? Hmph, I have no memory of when I was a lowly human, so what does it matter?” At Hwaa’s words, Cheona flinched and said,

“Don’t say that.” “Oppa, I’m so disappointed… Showing such weakness because of memories from when you were human. I’m leaving.” Lanet called out to Hwaa, who was turning to leave.

“Lulu.” “What is it?” “This is the Demon Sovereign’s order. You are not allowed to leave this place until I permit it.” “Tch… Okay. I’ll endure it, I guess.” My daughter was the child who was crossing her arms and looking displeased. I called Hwana again.

“Hwana, don’t worry about this father. If you’re uncomfortable… you can leave now.” The children were different from before. By the will of others, not their own. Or they had made a new choice based on their ego, which was subordinate to the Demon Realm. I won’t blame you. It’s all my fault.

Then Hwana turned back towards me. A cold aura bloomed in his trembling eyes. Was it just me who felt that?

“Uncomfortable? Not at all, not at all. Come, sit here. It’s a bit unexpected that you’ve become slaves. It’s not too late now. Acknowledge the Demon Realm and cooperate. Then you can be with us like before…” “Stop it, Hwana. You shouldn’t do that. He’s your father. The father who gave birth to you, raised you, and loved you until now. You must know why your father is like this… How can you say such things…” Seolran cried again as she spoke.

“Ugh, I don’t want to hear it. Stop it. Why do you keep crying?” Hwaa, who had a new name, Lulu, was pushing her mother, Seolran, as if she was annoyed.

“Let’s go, we won’t see anything good by staying here. Those children are no longer our children. Let’s go, quickly.” Cheonma said with a hollow heart. Where are we going? Did we have a place to go? Our family is here… Isn’t this our home?

“Cheonma, it might be the last time… just a little, let us stay a little longer.” I barely opened my mouth and said this.

Jeokrua approached Cheona and looked into his eyes. Then she reached out and stroked his head. It seemed like she was conveying something telepathically, but Cheonma and I couldn’t hear it.

Cheona’s hand tightly grasped Jeokrua’s hand.

“Please don’t do this. I am no longer the foolish Cheona of the past. I am Seraphin, the son of the Demon Realm’s Sovereign Lucifer. I do not deny you, but I cannot acknowledge you as before.” He was still using honorifics, as if there was still a thread of reason left.

“How long do we have to stay here, Lanet?” Hwaa said as if she was bored, and Hwana stepped forward.

“It’s already an irreversible relationship. Mother is still my mother. Father… said that mother is still mother. But Pacheon… I cannot call you father. Let’s end the messy human ties from the past today. From now on… I will treat you as a slave belonging to the Demon Realm.” “Vulcan, is that true? Did Father really say that?” “Yes, those two are still our mothers. Seraphin, remember that too.” “Understood. I’m sorry, Mother.” Vulcan, Lulu, Seraphin…

As unfamiliar as those names were, the children were far removed from us. What could we expect? But I wanted to stay here a little longer, even if it was just to see the children’s faces and hear their voices.

“Let’s go, let’s go. Hwansa, no, Lanet. Please let us leave. I can’t bear to see this. Please.” “Okay, I’ll let you do that. Vulcan, Lulu, Seraphin. You can leave now. Go straight to the training hall. The Great Demons are waiting for you.” “Then we’ll see you later, Lanet. And Mother.” Vulcan said those words and went outside, and the two children followed. Hwana, who was passing by me, hesitated for a moment but continued on his way. Hwaa looked at me with contempt and harshly turned her head away.

In the empty space where the children had left, the four of us were frozen with blank stares.

“I’ll give you some time. It’s the last time, so you can have time to talk.” Seolran called out to Lanet, who was turning to leave.

“Hwansa, what will happen to us now?” Hwansa stood there in silence for a moment, then turned to Seolran and spoke in a clear and distinct tone.

“Are you asking because you don’t know? I thought you would have expected it, but I guess not. Then.” Seolran staggered.

“Seolran.” I called her name but couldn’t catch her. Instead, Jeokrua came to her side and supported her.

“Sister, are you okay?” “Yes.” “You must have suffered a lot during that time.” “No. More than me…” She couldn’t finish her sentence and cried again. She had been struggling so hard not to cry, but now it seemed like she had no more strength to endure. Of course. Why wouldn’t I know that feeling?

“Don’t cry. Don’t waver anymore, and you must be strong. Now that we have nothing left to lose, let’s be at ease… and find the strength to endure and endure again.” It was not what I wanted to say. Endure, is that even possible? Every moment is painful, so that was too much to ask. But what else can we do if we don’t endure?

Judging by how she treated Seolran and Jeokrua, it seemed like the Demon Realm intended to treat only those two properly. There also seemed to be a reason to consider the children, and in Jeokrua’s case, it was probably because she was one of the Seven Stars, the leader of the Ghost Realm.

If there were no attempts to forcibly subordinate them to the Demon Realm, I honestly wished that at least they could stay as they were. I didn’t want to see them suffer.

Our meeting was extremely short. Lanet, who had been waiting outside, soon came in and urged us to leave. There were many things we hadn’t talked about, but we had no choice but to part ways. As I followed Lanet, I asked her.

“What do you plan to do with the two of them?” “You don’t have to worry. If they don’t want to, they don’t have to defect to the Ghost Realm. But they will still be treated the same. The Ghost Realm will soon be in an alliance with us, so there’s no need to provoke her, who is one of the Seven Stars. Do you understand?” “Yes… that’s a relief. Really… that’s a relief.” Is it really a relief? I don’t know. I really don’t know anything anymore. It was like groping through the darkness where no path could be seen, and even that groping had disappeared.

“You are free until the duel tomorrow. You can go anywhere. But don’t go down below. Go where you want and stay where you want.” Lanet left the two of us behind. Cheonma and I sat down on the side of the hallway, dazed.

“I still feel like all of this is a dream.” “If only it were a dream. Haa…” Cheonma’s sigh. My heart was swept away with it.

“Yes, if it were a dream…” “It will be difficult to win tomorrow’s duel… How long do we have to live like this? I have no regrets now…” “Me too. But there’s no way out… Escape is hard to even think about. Unless Lucifer releases the seal, it’s impossible to escape from here, even in a dream.” “In the end… there’s only one way to escape from here.” “Are you saying there’s a way to escape?” I spoke softly, in case someone was listening.

“Yes, there is. Remember what I said before. And tomorrow, you will know everything. The moment we regain our strength.” I moved my lips to confirm Cheonma’s intentions.

“Don’t ask any more. That path might be blocked too.” He seemed worried about being watched. There was no guarantee that there were no demons watching around. With our current abilities, we couldn’t detect them even if they were watching.

“In front of the cave.” Cheonma spat out those words as the demons approached from the front. In front of the cave? What does that mean? I repeated those words Cheonma had said several times. In front of the cave? Ah, I think I know what Cheonma is thinking now. I stared intently at his face, grinned, and lowered my head.

“That’s right. There’s no other way. Well, okay. Let’s do that. We need to seize the opportunity well if we don’t want to be stopped.” “Yes, but we can’t escape like this yet.” “That’s right. I can’t leave without at least inflicting a small wound on that bastard Bali to vent my anger.” We continued our conversation, the meaning of which only we knew.