Young Demon, Dowon (6)

Her vision flickered in and out.

All she saw was the broad back of a man, his clothes drenched in blood…

And the familiar scent that hit her nose.

That dependable build and the familiar hairstyle.

Ah.

It's him.

As she gripped the chain tightly and pulled, her body moved.

-Clang. Clang.

Weakly swaying, she lifted her half-closed eyelids.

It was a back she recognized.

Sometimes, when her approach felt burdensome, he'd turn his back. So broad, solid, and warm, she wanted to hug him.

She had captured that sight in her eyes so many times, she could never forget it.

"…Brother."

She wondered if he was very angry because she rushed in unusually.

Shaking off the distractions, she looked at her brother's face, which she wouldn't mind capturing in her eyes forever.

'Brother?'

At that moment, Cheondo's breath hitched.

"..."

He was emitting an entirely different aura from the brother she knew.

Eyes so deep, it would be okay to say he was dead. No emotion showed in his black pupils.

His face was rigid, as stiff as stone.

It was as if something large that shouldn't have been cut away was torn out abruptly, completely collapsing the human emotional system.

The sound of eyes trying to grasp the situation rolled in her head.

Cheondo felt a sense of alienation from Dowon, who was entirely different from his usual self.

Restrained emotions.

That phrase feels too far to describe it.

Empty?

Should she dare use such a word for her brother?

Shocked by the sight, Cheondo forgot her pain and swallowed the blood-mixed saliva.

For some reason, that back looked very pitiful.

A face that kept coming into her vision.

It wouldn't be strange if he fell right then. Cheondo couldn't bear to watch.

"Brother…"

She barely squeezed out a faint voice.

"Brother… are you okay?"

"You are."

Finally, his firmly shut mouth opened.

All the hunters who faced Cheondo were wary of her brother.

And rightly so.

The aura emanating from her brother's body was incomparably denser than before.

"Cheondo, are you okay?"

A tender voice emerged from his bland face.

His face appeared intimidating, but… it's the person she had always known.

It felt warm, as though he might reach out and caress her at any moment.

"I'm okay, really. I'm fine-"

As her brother's words resonated deeply within her heart, her throat tightened for a different reason this time.

"It's okay… so."

Cheondo lowered her eyes and nodded.

The built-up resentment dissipated.

The deaths of so many people she could only watch helplessly.

The frustration and resentment from being unable to act, only to become a victim herself.

Cheondo didn't cry.

Because she was the Young Demon. No matter what occurred, tears wouldn't come.

But that didn't mean she was devoid of emotions, so Cheondo strained her voice and spoke to him.

"...Please help the people."

"Yeah."

The response was brief.

-Clank!

The golden chains floating in the air were suddenly severed.

The chains transformed into iron dust, scattering.

A magician stared at the artifact in their hand, astonished.

The scroll-shaped object was glowing, then disappeared.

Dowon, catching Cheondo as she fell from the sky, placed her on the roof and gave her a gentle hug.

"Stay still."

"Yes. But brother… your wound."

One arm was reduced to rags.

Skin gruesomely slashed to the point of causing discomfort.

Pus and blood oozed from the skin, turning greenish as if poisoned.

-Thump.

Once again, her heart tightened.

Cheondo held her breath and looked at Dowon.

He, still with a stern face, hid his injured hand behind his back so she couldn't see it, and with his other hand, he gently tapped her head.

"It'll be over soon."

Indeed, it wasn't much longer.

Was that really a human?

Dressed in white clothes without any armor, fists held straight. Yet, contrary to his appearance, the aura of a formidable warrior exuded through the air.

The fact that he could move in such a near-death state was astonishing in itself.

That was The Young Demon. The face imprinted in their eyes.

Despite the likely intense pain, the flow of his magic was as stable as calm waves.

Such suffocating equanimity.

Even Ents, who couldn't feel pain, instinctively disrupted their magic when close to death. What kind of adversity must one overcome to end up like this?

This was a common thought among the hunters who had seen the man.

The Young Demon, having conversed with a young girl, tapped her head lightly.

For a moment, a smile seemed to flash across the monster's lips.

'...'

A flutter in his heart.

Jeong Homun forcefully ignored the sight, which showed a humane aspect one might see between lovers or siblings.

"Hey, what are we going to do?"

"…Kill him here."

When asked by the hunter with short hair, Jeong Homun made a decision and erased that tender image from his mind.

As the leader of the special unit, quick judgment was crucial.

And he had this thought secretly.

'If we don't kill him here… there will be no other chance to kill that man.'

For his son. His daughter. For his family, he must do this.

Jeong Homun, wielding a sword, slowly gathered his magic.

Excluding Mugung, he was the greatest force in this war.

It's acknowledged skill, but whether it would reach that man, he wasn't sure.

The talk of reaching enlightenment soon felt lacking when looking at Mugung, leaving him feeling far behind.

The Young Demon was probably in a similar position.

A slight difference.

But he had allies on his side.

The first to move was the hunter with short hair, kicking off the ground towards the roof where The Young Demon was.

-Bang!

A surprise attack.

Targeting The Young Demon's back as he turned towards the girl.

"Stop."

Jeong Homun interrupted that movement.

"What? Why?"

He stopped the hunter floating in the air.

The Young Demon had yet to cease his movements.

"If you had gone in just now, you would have died."

A close call.

Directing personally, he instinctively felt it was the only way to win.

The very nature and weight of magic were of a different dimension.

A detailed plan was essential, and they had to stick closely to it.

"Let's fortify our defense and act wisely."

However, Jeong Homun overlooked something.

-Swoosh!

With speed hard to perceive, could the others react?

He could see him, but the others couldn't match his speed.

The Young Demon, who vanished from sight, was holding the head of a hunter wearing a hat.

"Kyaaaah!"

Screams erupted.

Dropping her wand, she pounded on The Young Demon's arm, but his movement didn't halt.

By the time Jeong Homun moved, it was already too late.

-Crack, crunch!

A scene too gruesome to witness with their eyes.

The magician's movements ceased.

With her, who was supposed to provide rear support, dead, any plan became useless.

It was even uncertain if there was a chance of winning.

A chaotic battle ensued.

-Bang!

"Damn it!"

The hunter with short hair, wielding a sword, slammed into a building.

Then, white magic surged, blasting the hunter and the building away.

"…Khkh, crazy."

The hunter rose from the debris.

His body was covered with tree bark.

"To live and see such a monster. Let's see you try."

Encouraged by his stance, other hunters began to reveal themselves too.

Each one of them was first-rate.

Not even The Young Demon could take them down with a single hit.

"Huhp-"

Jeong Homun took a short breath and charged towards The Young Demon.

His bulky body moved, causing the ground to crack with each step.

Holding a greatsword in both hands.

White magic formed on the blade.

The Young Demon, without dodging, wrapped magic around one hand.

A blood-soaked fist reached out.

-Kwaang!

A giant wave erupted between them.

The intense heat felt like it was burning the eyes, but they didn't close.

Continuously pushing forward.

-Bang! Bang!

Buildings collapsed multiple times, and the ground sank.

Water spurted out where the sewer had collapsed.

-Swoosh!

An arrow descending from the sky pierced The Young Demon's thigh.

His kick shattered Jeong Homun's armor. The seams burst, and the magic-reinforced steel broke apart.

A bloody battle ensued.

'…It's possible.'

As wounds were inflicted, the enemy's body healed, but this phenomenon had its limits.

If they kept going like this, they could definitely win.

Against that monster…

'Possible-'

Then, the man's mouth opened.

"…Heukdo."

Suddenly, a black mist enveloped the surrounding buildings.

The man's magic saturated the air, becoming palpable against the skin.

A murderous intent pounded throughout the body.

With a pain throbbing in the temples, Jeong Homun's consciousness briefly faded.

"Cough, cough… Hah."

Consciousness returned.

All the armor on his body was shattered, and he couldn't move, as if his tendons were severed.

Jeong Homun grimaced and hurriedly scanned his surroundings.

'Ah.'

A head had burst open. It belonged to the hunter with short hair.

Magicians, clergy, hunters—all in the same predicament as himself.

He couldn't help but instinctively feel this battle was the most horrific defeat that should never have occurred.

His hands trembled.

"Hey."

A voice came from right in front.

Exhausted, a sense of utter depletion permeated his speech.

The Young Demon was kneeling in front of him.

"Two Young Demons. Was it you who said that over the radio?"

A voice laced with dryness.

It felt like a stern warning, implying that lying would lead to immediate death.

Jeong Homun spat out blood and continued.

"…Yes."

"How much do you know?"

"The people here. And… one more in the same group at the headquarters. It must have been reported already."

The reason for asking this was clear without seeing.

This man seemed reluctant to reveal that the woman was also The Young Demon.

"Are you talking about this radio?"

Suddenly, Jeong Homun's face hardened at the sight of the radio The Young Demon held out.

A tactic of murder and destruction.

That such methods still worked in this world.

How powerful must one be to commit such acts?

It was laughably absurd.

"Am I going to die?"

"If you want to die, say so."

"..."

Who in the world would wish to die?

The Young Demon, covered in blood, continued speaking in a precarious voice to Jeong Homun.

Breath spewed from his mouth.

"There's one way to live."

"…What is it?"

"There's only one Young Demon, and you report to them that I'm dead. It seems you're the highest among those who came to kill me. If you listen to my request, there's no reason I can't let you live."

"Are you asking me to lie?"

"Half lie, half truth. I'm going to die soon anyway."

He spoke frankly.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"Should I whine about not wanting to die in front of an enemy?"

The Young Demon's face after the battle had changed.

Though he was as exhausted from the fight as before, his emotions were visibly surfacing.

It was as if the switch had been down all this time and only now lifted.

Even now, after everything was over, charisma still emanated from his back.

One eye seemed blinded and cloudy.

"…Now, I can't even see."

The Young Demon sighed while covering his right eye with his hand.

It's a wound that would heal quickly with rest.

After a long silence, Jeong Homun spoke to him.

"I don't understand… Even if I agree now, you don't know if I'll actually tell the truth."

"People who say such things almost always end up listening to the request."

"What basis do you have?"

"Your face says it all."

Jeong Homun furrowed his brows.

"Only you had that indecisive look in your eyes. You reek of being a pushover. Like I was looking at myself from the past."

"...."

"…Do you think it's right for kids to die for no reason? Even though you're not the Young Demon."

"…I'm not The Young Demon? That's just something I taught her. Because she was too weak."

Just taught her? The power of Cheonma?

Jeong Homun couldn't distinguish what was true or false.

"Wouldn't it be unfair to suddenly die, accused of being a The Young Demon? World Tree. Yeah… Well. That's probably right for you guys. To nip it in the bud is right for them."

The Young Demon's gaze pierced through Jeong Homun.

It felt as though he was seeing through everything, like a grandmaster entrenched in the political and business worlds.

Even though Jeong Homun had heard such proposals dozens of times, this time, with his own life on the line, he couldn't remain calm.

"I'll ask again, why do you trust me?"

"I never said I trusted you."

The Young Demon continued speaking.

"It's just that I'm worried about what happens after I die. Because she's like my daughter."

The face of a young girl flashed before Jeong Homun's eyes.

Despite trying to erase the memory, the face of the indignant girl lingered before him.

Someone important to The Young Demon. There was someone similar for him too.

"…What should I do?"

"What I said earlier. And when time passes, after Cheonma dies, and Dowon falls."

He looked beyond.

Their plan aligned perfectly with his, sending shivers down his spine.

"Just take a little side helping three orphan kids with no affiliation."

"...."

It didn't seem like a lie.

Jeong Homun's eyes wavered.

What sin did the kids commit? Such similar words were commonly uttered.

The words that fell from The Young Demon's mouth were both an order and a request.

"It'd be good if you could arrange a place for them."

"…Understood."

It was a desperate measure to stay alive.

But Jeong Homun couldn't ignore the request that even an enemy had lowered their pride to make.

Thoughts of the children he had left behind came to mind.

The Young Demon stood up, then staggered and fell.

-Thud!

Without stopping, he got up again.

It was an admirable effort, considering Jeong Homun himself was struggling to rise.

A girl looking at him anxiously from afar caught his eye.

Once he accepted it, everything looked different.

A child of middle school age. Under normal circumstances, this child would be attending school, smiling cheekily.

"...."

He envisioned himself attempting to kill such a child.

Instead of resentment, he felt gratitude towards The Young Demon.

Was it a sense of crisis for nearly violating a fundamental aspect of humanity?

Even in this situation… did he desire to maintain his honor?

Jeong Homun laughed at himself.

-Step, step.

The man stumbled away.

"Brother, brother…!"

The last sight he saw was a weeping girl rushing to embrace him.

'Ah.'

Jeong Homun thought.

'I was wrong.'