Chapter 265

Chapter 265

Sipcheon. Chilryun.

Just as humans have titles that distinguish absolute masters from those who are not, yokai society also has those who possess such titles.

Those who established wickedly fierce notoriety and spread that terror and fear throughout the world.

Unlike humanity’s absolute masters who frequently change due to lifespan limits, yokai’s absolute masters don’t change unless killed by someone. Because yokai have no lifespan limits.

The ancient Childeayo.

Yokai called the seven yokai who gathered the most fear from across the entire world that, with reverence and terror. Childeayo, the seven great yokai who could not be approached.

And as far as Eupro knew, the one up there, the one called Nakcheon, was one of those Childeayo.

The nightmare of yokai, one who reigned as the one who exclusively killed yokai.

‘I must…… escape……’

Kwadeudeudeuk!

At the fear suddenly surging up, Eupro, who reflexively took a step back, stared at Nakcheon floating in the sky with wide eyes, then gritted her teeth and fixed her legs in place. Legs digging into and becoming embedded in the ground from how much force she applied.

“To run away…… I, from him?”

She knew Nakcheon was strong. That was because he was one of those Childeayo.

It was a different dimension from humans’ measures of Sipcheon or whatnot. The peak of humans, who at best numbered only a few thousand and were inherently weak, was at most just a bit stronger than herself. But what about the Childeayo?

The Childeayo were the seven strongest yokai among hundreds of millions of yokai, different from the starting point. In the past, despite having his yokai power restricted, Heukya descended upon the humans’ imperial palace and blew away half the palace—yokai at that level were the Childeayo.

So of course he was strong. Of course he was strong, but.

‘That one…… hasn’t harvested fear recently.’

Right. That was the weakness. The fact that she hadn’t heard stories about him for the past thousand years.

‘Yokai weaken if they can’t harvest fear.’

Just as a person who doesn’t eat has their flesh and muscle decrease, so too with yokai. It was established fact that yokai who couldn’t harvest fear for a long time would gradually wither and die.

If one reached the level of Childeayo, they had harvested so much fear that they wouldn’t wither to the point of death even without harvesting fear for thousands of years, but even so, weakening of power was unavoidable. Surely his power was less than in the past.

‘This is an opportunity.’

If she succeeded in killing the weakened Nakcheon here.

If that happened, her status would rise endlessly. All eyes would focus on the new Great Yokai who slew a Childeayo, and yokai who once held fear of Nakcheon would now come to fear herself, the new Great Yokai.

‘I must…… kill Nakcheon.’

Such a good opportunity wouldn’t come twice. So now.

Buuuuuuuu—!!!

“Does it begin?”

While Eupro stared at Nakcheon, the horn trumpet sounded long. At the same time, a man with sharp features stepped forward from the opposite camp.

-Oh my, who is this? Isn’t it the Sword Emperor.

-For such an honored person to personally greet me, I couldn’t be happier? What brings you out? Did you want to have a conversation?

At Ilnachar, who had somehow come forward and called out with internal energy, the Sword Emperor quietly drew his sword. And the answer that followed.

-Blood Cult follower. If you take one more step from there, you die.

-Ahahaha! You’ll kill me? That level of bluffing is quite impressive. It’s been a long time since we confirmed you don’t have much force! You divided your forces, didn’t you?

-Well, can you be certain?

-I can be certain? If you hadn’t divided your forces, you would have struck us the moment we arrived, wouldn’t you?

In battles between yokai and humans, prolonged warfare favors the yokai. Because given time, humans unconsciously assume the worst-case scenario.

The more time given, the stronger the yokai side’s power becomes. Of course, with the level of yokai gathered here being considerable, such minor levels of fear wouldn’t determine the war’s direction, but there was no need to take risks when possessing overwhelming force, right?

-It seems you sent forces to strike from behind, you lot? I was caught off guard by that strategy.

-But what can you do? There’s nothing left there anymore.

-Nothing left?

-We completely erased all of Gahyang from the map with thunderbolts. There’s no route left to reinstall the axis, is there?

-……Thunderbolts.

-Every one of your intentions has been read.

Ilnachar, crossing his arms with clearly visible mockery, tilted his head. The words that followed.

-Much blood will flow today. Sword Emperor.

-Our blood and your blood alike. And that blood will become a foundation.

-What foundation do you speak of?

-A foundation for a better future.

There was no time for idle talk.

Having finished speaking, Ilnachar used sorcery to float leisurely into the air and spread his arms. And.

-Now then, entire army.

Buuuuuuuu—!!!

With the long horn trumpet sound, the signal for the entire army to advance spread again at that moment.

-Char……?

At Ilnachar suddenly stopping mid-way through giving the charge order and turning his gaze, Eupro also raised her eyes upward. At the edge of her vision.

Half the sun was devoured.

By a gigantic slash.

-Who are you?

-I am…… Nakcheon.

Nakcheon, who had existed since some point, possessed only two things.

Two characters of his name. And a sense of mission that he must tear yokai to death.

-Why, why are you killing me! I did you no harm……!

-Do you have a reason when you kill humans?

-I’m not human……!

-To me, it’s no different.

He killed yokai and killed them again.

Due to the strange sense of duty he’d had since birth, Nakcheon’s life was limited to such things. Walking the desert, killing yokai when he met them. Endlessly patrolling the desert and just killing yokai.

He’d never questioned it. Never found joy in it. As if he simply had to, killing yokai became routine.

That routine broke a thousand years ago.

Because there was a human who asked his name.

-I’m Gongsun Saeng.

-Gongsun Saeng?

-Kahaha! Not Gongsun Saeng but Gongsun Saeng! You’re an unusual yokai? Other yokai try to kill me when they see me.

-Because you’re human.

-Right. Yokai try to kill humans. Then are you not a yokai?

-I don’t kill humans.

-Why?

-Because killing yokai is more important.

-Hmm.

A face he’d never seen, yet somehow evoked nostalgic feelings—a young boy.

He had no fear.

-Have you ever killed a human?

-Do you think there’s a yokai who hasn’t killed humans?

-You seem like you haven’t, that’s why I’m saying this. Oh, by the way, this is my intuition. It’s amazingly accurate. Because I’m a Divine Maiden candidate.

-You were female?

-Do I look like a woman to you? I’m obviously male. Being a Divine Maiden isn’t only for women. Of course, if a man becomes one, the title changes to Divine Child.

-Then your intuition is wrong. I’ve definitely killed humans. That much is certain.

-Oh. Really? But no. The current you seems like you haven’t killed humans.

Gongsun Saeng didn’t fear himself, a yokai, unlike other humans. That wasn’t just because Gongsun Saeng’s martial prowess was so outstanding it could be called absolute.

Gongsun Saeng didn’t have prejudice, in both good and bad senses. There was once when he lay on the ground listening, saying he would lend his ears to the voices of weeds that couldn’t possibly be heard, and once when his body swelled up like a bloated drowning corpse after holding a tube in his mouth and enduring underwater for three days and nights, saying he would understand water.

-Look at this. Isn’t it fluffy?

-These kinds of yokai don’t kill humans, right? Then there must be yokai like you who don’t kill humans.

-That yokai can’t kill humans because it’s too weak to kill them. Yokai are humanity’s natural enemy.

-Then I’ll change the example to you. Since you don’t kill humans, aren’t there yokai who don’t kill humans?

Nakcheon didn’t want Gongsun Saeng to have good perceptions of yokai. The yokai Nakcheon knew were all selfish, faithful to their desires, and enemies of humanity.

So Nakcheon left without telling Gongsun Saeng. Because if he, friendly to humans as a yokai, stayed by Gongsun Saeng’s side, surely Gongsun Saeng might develop friendly thoughts toward yokai.

However, ten years later.

When he returned, Nakcheon learned. That Gongsun Saeng was no longer in this world.

And that what killed Gongsun Saeng were yokai.

-You remind me of that child.

Baek Risan and Gongsun Saeng were similar. Not in appearance but especially more in internal aspects.

Was it because their blood was connected?

No, that wasn’t what was important. Not everyone who shared Gongsun Saeng’s bloodline shared the same values and perspective as him.

There were many who burned with hatred toward yokai. Many who feared or hated himself. He never held resentment toward them. He was a yokai, and humans had to reject yokai.

But occasionally there were those born with such eyes. Those who, while having prejudices, weren’t confined within those prejudiced frameworks. Those who, after being wary of things different from themselves, things that didn’t fit them, soon embraced them.

-That child met a terrible end because he trusted yokai.

-You, who resemble that child, might also meet the same end.

If one’s perspective is the same, one’s actions become similar. Baek Risan, who immediately let down his guard just because his life was saved despite knowing he was a yokai, was truly careless and defenseless. So.

He had to protect him. He couldn’t let it be like Gongsun Saeng, whom he couldn’t protect.

In ancient times, as he had vowed ── like that. He had to protect him with all his soul and spirit.

-……A vow?

What vow had he made?

At the fragmented memory suddenly surfacing, Nakcheon frowned and shook his head, then slowly raised his sword toward the sky. The Blood Cult’s advance visible before his eyes.

-Has the time come?

The signal for the attack.

Slowly recalling what Baek Risan had said, Nakcheon grasped his black sword and slowly drew up his yokai power. Powerful yokai power following a path that seemed similar to martial arts at first glance but was fundamentally infinitely different, dwelling in the sword.

-What I’ve feared since ancient times has been only one thing.

Not fulfilling his duty.

Unlike yokai who feed on others’ fear, Nakcheon’s source of power was only one. Self-directed fear.

-Even after thousands of years pass, I don’t weaken. Yokai.

At the gaze of the yokai far away looking at him with eyes full of desire, Nakcheon shot a chilling look and raised his sword upward, taking a combat stance. And.

The moment the straightened sword extended downward.

The sun.

-Cheonmasingong.

Split in half.