Chapter 54 : Chapter 54
Chapter 054. That Which Is Buried in the Sandy Soil (4)
Dark Heaven looked back at Un Wol-hyang with a slightly blank face.
It meant she should explain what this situation was all about right now.
"Mmm. I didn't know it would be to this extent either."
However, Un Wol-hyang also just shrugged her shoulders and didn't offer a definitive answer.
It means she doesn't know the clear reason either. Dark Heaven sighed briefly and looked toward the Karma Mirror.
"Ugh..."
Her temples throb as if they are about to crack. It is because she took the backlash of the completely shattered Karma Mirror entirely on herself.
However, the girl endured the pain and opened her eyes wide. A blindingly bright light emitted from her red, snake-like pupils.
The light emitting from the girl's eyes is a radiance capable of penetrating and gaining insight into the essence of all things.
However, the moment the radiance touched Dam Jeok-san, it vanished without a trace.
"Kyaaak!"
The girl screamed in a shrill voice.
She felt severe pain as if a red-hot iron was stirring inside her head. But it's not like Dark Heaven didn't see anything.
Her eyes definitely penetrated the karma Dam Jeok-san possesses, even if just for a moment.
‘It makes no sense.’
There was a massive storm behind Dam Jeok-san's back. A storm so huge that it swallows and devours all creation, inflating its size, and seemingly about to devour the world itself in the end.
It was to the extent that one might wonder if one has to gather all the karma existing between heaven and earth to create something like that.
Unless it was the first Martial Sovereign who protected the land of the Central Plains when monsters first appeared long ago.
It is not karma that a young man merely in his mid-twenties can possess.
Dark Heaven watched Dam Jeok-san approaching her with her mouth wide open.
* * *
The moment Dam Jeok-san was sucked into the Karma Mirror, he swung his sword once again.
But no change occurred.
There's no way something would change just by launching a single sword strike against a completed spell.
Dam Jeok-san was helplessly sucked into the Karma Mirror.
Inside the Karma Mirror was a bizarre space where all directions rippled transparently like the surface of water.
True to the name Karma Mirror, what was reflected on the water surface was not the present but the past.
A relatively recent past—
So, starting from the moment he successively defeated Baek Ri-gwan and Peng Cho-seol, Dam Jeok-san's life begins to be dismantled piece by piece.
There were no special rules or order to the replaying pasts, but...
Almost at the same speed as the past accumulating in the Karma Mirror, an illusion of Dam Jeok-san was being created.
No, it is too vivid to be dismissed simply as an illusion. Dam Jeok-san raised his senses and looked at the illusion.
As expected, it was as he thought.
It is not a simple hallucination. Internal energy is felt, and presence is felt. It would be able to perform combat at almost the same level as him.
"Uh..."
Dam Jeok-san let out a dumbfounded sound while looking at the Karma Mirror.
That mirror called Karma Mirror was vividly recreating Dam Jeok-san's past as if it had seen it directly.
"That shouldn't happen."
If his past life is included in the ‘past,’ a literal disaster could occur.
Even if the status and power Seo Woo-joo possesses are just fragments, they are not something to be taken lightly.
If things go wrong, the spell might go berserk and blow away the entire area.
Since the Northern Heaven Sword Venerable is with her, she might be able to stop it before that happens.
But Dam Jeok-san, who is already caught up in this spell, will definitely die.
"Sigh."
He has no intention of standing still and waiting for nothing to go wrong.
Before Seo Woo-joo or whatever memories are read, he will crush that spell itself completely.
Dam Jeok-san decided so and slowly raised his momentum.
Karma Mirror is literally a mirror that reflects karma.
If karma so vast that the mirror cannot handle pours out, that thing will inevitably break too.
Dam Jeok-san raised his sword and aimed at the wall in front of his eyes.
A wall rippling like the water surface. There, his past continued to flicker.
There are moments he is somewhat proud of, and moments he regrets bitterly.
But he cannot change the past now anyway. So they are meaningless things.
Dam Jeok-san swung his sword with indifferent eyes.
In the Sword Flame shimmering like the night sky, a deeper mental image than ever was embedded.
In that mental image, the karma of the Predator who devoured even the world was loaded.
―――!
Facing karma it cannot handle, the Karma Mirror screams.
He doesn't know how excellent a sorcerer the one who created that mirror is.
But there couldn't possibly be a Karma Mirror in the current world capable of handling the karma Seo Woo-joo accumulated.
Even if what Dam Jeok-san loaded on the tip of his sword is merely a fragment of a fragment, that fact does not change.
With a loud CRACK! sound, the water surface surrounding all directions shattered like grains of sand.
What was revealed beyond that.
Was a girl making strange sounds like 'Ack, ugh, kyaaak!' and the Northern Heaven Sword Venerable looking at him with unusual eyes.
Among them, the white-haired girl was pressing her eye sockets hard with her hands as if forcibly suppressing the pain.
It is quite a ridiculous sight, but Dam Jeok-san rather raised his tension.
The girl possesses a presence similar to the monster Wi Cheon-rak is trying to awaken.
That is not the only problem. The presence the girl exudes itself was extremely huge.
Like a beast that has climbed to the apex of the food chain and looks down on all creation.
Dam Jeok-san straightened his shoulders as much as possible and stared at the girl.
"...Impressive."
The girl muttered in a low voice while removing the hands covering her eye sockets.
White hair fluttering purely, Pupils of red light as vivid as blood, And even formidable energy looking down on all creation.
The girl who straightened her posture and opened her mouth was the possessor of a very mysterious and intense impression.
"I won't pry into your identity. As long as you can perform your duties as the Squad Leader of the Monster Repelling Squad, it doesn't matter anyway."
Northern Wind Sword Corps Commander Dark Heaven said in a dignified voice.
"Ah."
Only then did Dam Jeok-san realize that the mysterious girl in front of him was the Northern Wind Sword Corps Commander.
As the Martial Sovereign said, the true Guardian of the North.
‘...Apart from her appearance, there is a high probability she has lived a long life.’
Although there seemed to be too many lax points for that, Dam Jeok-san didn't bother to mention them.
"Martial nephew, that was excellent."
Un Wol-hyang smiled brightly and added a word.
"It's my first time seeing that kid so flustered too."
"...!"
At those words, Dark Heaven glared sharply at Un Wol-hyang with a somewhat resentful expression. But Un Wol-hyang only smiled radiantly without blinking an eye.
"Nice to meet you, I am Dam Jeok-san, the Squad Leader of the Monster Repelling Squad. I have heard about you from my master."
Dam Jeok-san put his sword back at his waist and bowed politely to greet her.
"Glad to meet you."
Then Dark Heaven responded with a somewhat brighter expression.
For someone with a mysterious appearance as if transcendent of the human world, to have speech and conduct where emotions are revealed so clearly.
Dam Jeok-san swallowed a vain laugh and looked at the Northern Wind Sword Corps Commander.
Although she looks lax, he had a very cautious look because he knew she couldn't really be lax.
"So what did the Martial Sovereign say?"
Dark Heaven asked Dam Jeok-san with an excited look.
"That you are the Guardian of the North in the truest sense..."
"As expected. He recognizes my hard work."
The girl muttered while lifting the corners of her mouth.
"So about that..."
Dam Jeok-san looked back at the girl and the Northern Heaven Sword Venerable with momentarily sharpened eyes.
"If you have finished verifying me, may I also ask one thing?"
"As I said, you have shown your qualification."
Dark Heaven slowly nodded her head.
Although the karma she glimpsed for a moment was indescribably vast.
She had no intention of probing it further.
He is the disciple of the Martial Sovereign Man Su-geuk, not anyone else. He wouldn't have sent a dangerous existence to the northern front.
Then it would be right to move on without probing further.
Furthermore.
Leaving all such doubts aside, Dam Jeok-san truly passed the test excellently.
Because he showed abilities far transcending what she expected.
Un Wol-hyang was right that she could look forward to it.
Even counting all the people she has tested so far, he is among the top three.
‘I should prepare a gift.’
The Monster Repelling Squad Leader is a position confronting monsters at the forefront. Armor forged with Dragon Scales should be enough.
"The verification is over, so if you have something to say, say it."
She organized her thoughts and said to Dam Jeok-san.
"I had a dream."
Dam Jeok-san started the conversation like that.
"It was a dream where a Cardinal of the Yin God Cult appeared."
Instantly, a freezing cold silence hovered in the venue.
"A Cardinal, you say?"
Un Wol-hyang asked back in a sharp tone.
Dreams are a realm of the unconscious that cannot be easily penetrated. However, if it's a sorcerer at the level of a Yin God Cult Cardinal, it wouldn't be strange even if they used a spell to dig into dreams.
She examined Dam Jeok-san with a worried look.
Dam Jeok-san lightly shook his head toward Un Wol-hyang.
"There was nothing to worry about. However, there, I saw an existence buried under the sand of the desert."
"..."
Instantly, Dark Heaven's mouth shut tightly. Just with that, the temperature in the venue dropped sharply as if frozen.
"An existence buried under the sand..."
Dark Heaven said while approaching Dam Jeok-san closely.
The girl approached to a distance where it wouldn't be strange even if their breaths, no, the bridges of their noses touched.
Dam Jeok-san instantly raised his wariness sharply. He thought the Northern Wind Sword Corps Commander was a sorcerer, but her movements were much faster and stealthier than most Ultra-Peak masters.
"Yes."
However, while responding without showing signs of panic as much as possible, he simultaneously opened the Predator's Eye.
A distance close enough to see every single hair. However, eye techniques are originally a power to see the invisible, not the visible.
He cannot penetrate all creation. But if it's related to monsters, he was confident he could notice it more clearly than anyone else.
And.
"Cheekily, to me..."
A distorted voice flowed from Dark Heaven's mouth. Her heat-laden breath tickled Dam Jeok-san's face.
"As expected, it was you. The existence the Cardinal was trying to awaken."
However, Dam Jeok-san didn't care about anything and spoke with conviction.
Different. The two are completely opposite beings. But being that opposite means they have the same origin.
The sensation he felt earlier was correct.
"...!"
Dark Heaven looked at Dam Jeok-san with surprised eyes.
How?
Even that Martial Sovereign could not penetrate her identity at a glance in his youth.
The unknown karma lurking behind Dam Jeok-san. Did that grant such extraordinary ability?
But since it has come to this, arguing about the origin of the ability is useless and wasteful.
Especially if everything he says is true, this is a big deal where the fate of the North itself could be overturned.
Meaning it's not just a problem for Dark Heaven alone.
"When the demonic energy of the otherworld pushed away the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and began to overflow into the present world..."
Dark Heaven stepped back slightly from Dam Jeok-san and opened her mouth.
"The first ones to be corrupted were the spiritual creatures residing in this land."
Weak spiritual creatures couldn't last a moment and were tainted by demonic energy. They became monsters with much more powerful strength than ordinary beasts.
However, spiritual creatures with high status could resist the demonic energy even a little. Some of them took their own lives before being corrupted.
Others survived miserably even while knowing they would become corrupted.
"But there were those who didn't make any choice."
Those who didn't have the nobility to choose death, Nor the courage to choose miserable betrayal, But who loved the world they were born and raised in, Terribly indecisive things.
The Black Dragon of the desert was also one of them.