nyslfriends Chapter 227: The Divine Maiden (2)
Chapter 227: The Divine Maiden (2)
Chapter 227: The Divine Maiden (2)
I touched Black Heaven.
Black Heaven still did not respond. It was as if it had left for somewhere. The same went for Eternal Heaven. There was still no news from them.
‘They say no news is good news, but...’
Both Eternal Heaven and Black Heaven definitely existed, but their sudden disappearance made me a bit uneasy.
However, I soon stopped worrying.
Eternal Heaven had already absorbed a considerable amount of my Heaven Defying Energy, enough to handle most things alone. Unless it was someone like Heavenly Demon, it would be difficult to even catch Eternal Heaven.
Black Heaven too, though only receiving scoldings from me and Eternal Heaven, had absorbed enough of my Heaven Defying Energy to momentarily become corporeal.
Still, I couldn’t help but be curious.
‘What could it be?’
This needed to be looked into.
But first, there was something else to take care of.
I would track down the ones who created the Divine Maiden.
Before engaging in battle with the Apostle, I needed to refine my external martial arts a bit more.
I also needed to find out which outer god the Apostle served.
However, the problem was that China was vast.
It seemed tight, timing-wise, to go after the creators of the Divine Maiden here and then head to Sichuan.
‘Why is this land so vast?’
China’s size was almost absurd. For example, Anhui Province, where the Namgung clan resided, was 40% larger than South Korea. Sichuan, where we were headed, was almost five times larger. And Sichuan only accounted for about 5% of China’s total landmass.
‘Perhaps it was this vastness that allowed them to gather their sacrifices.’
Thinking that, I glanced at the Thousand Sorcerer.
This was something that would have been impossible under normal circumstances. But the Thousand Sorcerer had transcended through the study of magic. The title “Thousand Sorcerer” referred to both a thousand spells and the heavens.
“What is it?”
“How long will it take to reach Sichuan?”
“An hour should be enough.”
“One hour, huh...”
That was more than enough. Judging by the Thousand Sorcerer’s demeanor, replenishing mana didn’t seem like it would be an issue either.
“Then let’s quickly finish the business with the Divine Maiden and head to Sichuan. After that, we can prepare and take down the Apostle.”
We had two weeks.
I had told Heavenly Demon that we could fight in two weeks, but the opponent was an Apostle.
These Apostles were beings beyond common sense, granted power directly by their gods.
‘I’d prefer a recovery-type or a physically durable one.’
Attack-type Apostles didn’t suit me well.
They usually had a “you die, I die” kind of attitude.
“So, when are you going to marry my granddaughter?”
The Thousand Sorcerer casually brought up the topic.
... It came out of nowhere.
I looked at the Thousand Sorcerer in disbelief.
“Is this something you talk about in situations like this?”
“It’s just before the battle against the Apostle.”
The Thousand Sorcerer smiled sadly.
“The Apostle isn’t a normal being. There’s also the matter of compatibility, but most of us could die in this fight. It’d be a shame if my granddaughter died unmarried...”
“She won’t die.”
Whether I risk my life to protect her or not, she will resurrect even if she dies.
I swallowed the words lingering in my mouth.
We arrived at the place where the Divine Maiden and her group resided.
Though most of the surrounding area had been half-destroyed by my fight with Heavenly Demon, there were still many intact buildings.
Our fight, aside from the initial clash between the Bottomless Abyss and the Destroyer of Heaven, hadn’t caused that much havoc.
“A fancy place.”
“Indeed, it’s almost unpleasant.”
Heavenly Demon, Kim Seo-hyun, and I walked inside.
“Welcome.”
The one who greeted us was alone.
She was a girl bathed in golden light, wearing a golden robe.
The Divine Maiden smiled as she spoke.
Though her mouth smiled, her eyes did not. It was a strange smile, like a doll forced to grin, giving off an odd sense of discomfort.
For a moment, I thought I could feel a strange ecstasy within that smile.
“Have you been waiting in advance?”
The Heavenly Demon spoke in a lazy voice, resting her hand on the hilt of Black Heaven, her expression bored.
“Are we going to fight from here?”
“I’m no longer interested in fighting.”
Even though his fragile body didn’t match his well-trained abilities, seeing him push himself with sheer willpower made her want to help him in many ways.
Curiosity grew into affection.
And more than that, they had crossed life-and-death situations together, creating a bond. Through that process, she came to love him.
“Yeah.”
“I’m jealous.”
“You can have it too.”
“In your world?”
“Yeah. There are many things to enjoy in my world.”
“That doesn’t sound bad, but I’ll pass.”
The Divine Maiden smiled as she spoke.
“I’m a created human.”
“...”
“You must be the same, created from the power of a dragon. Your beauty could only have been born from the form of a dragon.”
“No way...”
Kim Seo-hyun muttered.
The Divine Maiden smiled sorrowfully.
“A doll that cannot resist. A being that looks human but is impossibly beautiful, made to sway the base nature of vile humans.”
The Divine Maiden turned her head.
Heavenly Demon had already made Namgung Sword Dragon kneel and was now glancing around.
“...”
“Living is already hell, and this wound will never heal. So, I will kill them and then die,” the Divine Maiden said quietly.
“So, you should devour me.”
“Wh-what?”
“You heard me earlier, right? We were created using the power of a dragon. In a way, it’s more accurate to say we are dragon people. You... seem to have something overlaid on you, though.”
Her golden eyes locked onto Kim Seo-hyun.
“I don’t know what the Mine did in Sichuan, but you said something was coming, right?”
“Yeah. Something monstrous is coming.”
“Then protect that.”
With that, the Divine Maiden turned her back.
What would her future self do?
Would she ultimately kill them, or would she continue to suffer at their hands?
‘I don’t know.’
The important thing was that she could now kill them with her own hands.
That was enough.
“You’re going to kill them, right?”
“Yes, I am.”
While Heavenly Demon subdued the martial artists, the Divine Maiden intervened. Her presence was intimidating. Her eyes had transformed into reptilian slits, and her killing intent was turning into a tangible force.
Golden light began to shine, and a halo of light appeared in her hands.
“If you’re going to kill them, may I do it?”
“Hmm, did they do something even dirtier than I thought?”
Heavenly Demon asked, looking at the subdued martial artists with a contemptuous gaze.
“I was thinking of playing with them a bit, but if you have a grudge, I’ll hand them over. Do as you please.”
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing.”
Heavenly Demon lost interest and came over to me.
“You said we have two weeks left, right? Let’s go quickly.”
Heavenly Demon pulled me along.
I mulled over the conversation I’d heard earlier.
‘She said to devour her.’
It was probably not the literal act of eating.
When a dragon tribe passed on their heart, they imbue it with the full strength of the dragon.
By simply taking her heart, Kim Seo-hyun would grow immensely stronger.
‘Well, that aside...’
I looked at Heavenly Demon.
“You... are Black Heaven, aren’t you?”
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, Master.”
“...”
I was left speechless.
If she was going to lie, she could at least do it properly.