"Humanity's problem lies right here."
In front of the ruined Hwayang Palace.
A man revealed himself.
"......"
Gion just quietly watched the approaching man.
The man, with his black robe fluttering and hair as fine as silk threads hanging down.
He wasn't exuding any particular energy, but...
*Thud.*
The Chunhwa Sword and the white qi resonated deeply.
*Sssss.*
The white qi started to ripple through Gion's body involuntarily.
Instinctively, it knows.
There is only one being of that caliber.
The Demon King.
"...Pfft."
The Demon King, who was quietly observing Gion, suddenly burst into laughter and then covered his mouth.
"Ah, sorry. I tend to laugh a lot."
The Demon King turned around and looked at the collapsed Hwayang Palace.
"Right. This is what we were talking about."
"......"
"Why do humans engage in unnecessary endeavors and bring hardships upon themselves?"
*Step.*
As he walked lightly, shadows began to gather around the Demon King's feet, following him like a trail.
"What could the problem be..."
The Demon King rubbed his lips, resting his chin in his hand as if genuinely contemplating.
"I just can't understand."
Gion and Rohwa were reflected in his gaze.
Gion and Rohwa, standing at a distance, both bloodstained, stared back at the Demon King.
"...Is it affection that's the problem?"
"......"
"Hmm... But isn't it also because of affection that you two are in this state right now?"
The Demon King, pressing his temples, tilted his head as if annoyed.
"Well... let's leave that aside for now-"
At that moment.
*Clap!*
The Demon King reached in front of Gion in an instant and clapped his hands together.
His pale palm was right in front of Gion's face.
"Why did you destroy my chamber? It was quite a nice place."
"......"
"No answer, I see."
The Demon King took a step back and then, as if struck by a sudden realization, flashed a genuinely cheerful smile.
"Ah, that will do."
*Snap.*
The Demon King's expression hardened instantly as he spoke.
"General Gion of the White Flower Kingdom, listen."
The tone was heavy with gravity, causing Rohwa's face to contort.
She knew all too well the implications of that tone.
"I am the king of this nation."
The same words once uttered by the former king were now spoken by the Demon King.
"Will you obey my command?"
"......"
Gion silently looked at Rohwa.
"Princess. Speak your piece."
*Whirring.*
The Chunhwa Sword was imbued with a bright light.
"Am I, in your eyes, someone who would obey that man's command?"
"...Ha."
Rohwa let out a hollow laugh.
The killer of the former king asking such a question to his heir.
"......"
Rohwa's expression quickly hardened.
Would the one who killed the king in White Dragon Castle obey the Demon King's command?
"Not at all."
*Thud.*
Gion took a step forward, closing the distance the Demon King had created.
"There's only one reason I stand still now."
Shadows trying to blend into Gion's white qi began to fade.
"I have too many questions right now. Once I learn everything, I will come looking for you myself."
"......"
"Let's meet again then."
Gion turned around.
Rohwa was in sight, covered in blood and gripping the black long sword.
"...I will find the Sixth Chime."
Rohwa didn't respond.
Instead,
"You are also merely human... How can you be so resolute?"
The Demon King looked at Gion with a smirk as if intrigued.
*Thud.*
A book fell at Gion's feet.
"Read this. It should contain much of what you want to know."
The Demon King, passing by Gion, spoke.
"Perhaps then, we can meet a little sooner."
***
"...Impressive."
A murmuring voice resonated inside Gion's head.
Gion stepped outside the fortress and looked at the Chunhwa Sword.
[That one and this one... It's going to be bothersome for a while.]
*Whoosh-*
As Gion firmly gripped the Chunhwa Sword, it flashed brightly.
"What now?"
Hwaran, who was residing in the sword, revealed her true form, speaking sharply as if annoyed.
"You can communicate even when I'm inside the sword. Why bother taking me out?"
"......"
"Why take me out and then say nothing?"
Right, such a person had been silent all this while.
Hwayang Palace, where the descendants of the White Dragon lived, had crumbled, and the Demon King appeared before him.
Even facing Rohwa, who might have once been his master, he said not a word.
It was strangely uncharacteristic of Hwaran.
"Hwaran. I have something to ask."
"What is it?"
"Do you know why White Flower Kingdom ended up like this?"
"......."
Hwaran didn't say a word, but her silence was as good as an answer to Gion.
"You know, but choose not to tell me. Am I right?"
"...Yes."
Hwaran wore a serious expression, unbecoming of her youthful face.
It was natural for Gion to be curious about what Rohwa was up to.
'She must be eager to urge me to tell her what happened...'
But defying expectations, Gion simply nodded.
"I understand."
"...Huh?"
Hwaran seemed stunned for a moment, then retorted.
"Is that it? Aren't you curious?"
"I am curious. I'm just holding back."
"My point is, why hold back that curiosity?"
Gion is the current master of the Chunhwa Sword. This means that even though Hwaran is the king of the spring spirits, she can't defy Gion's word. She could have threatened or negotiated for some benefit. Yet he chooses restraint.
Hwaran couldn't fathom the person before her, Gion.
Acknowledging Hwaran's thoughts, Gion continued, pulling out a book.
"There are many ways to find out, so I won't pry."
Hwaran bit her lip after a moment of flickering her lips.
In silence, Gion began to infuse the white qi into the book. Letters slowly appeared in the previously blank book.
"... What's written in there that has you making such a dazed face?"
Despite Hwaran's words, Gion remained motionless, staring intently at the first sentence.
Hwaran glanced at the book, and her expression hardened as well.
[In the beginning, the white qi and black qi were one.]
A tale not recorded in any history book.
The white qi can extinguish the black qi.
Could the energies of life and death have been one?
Moreover,
'The celestial deity split the single energy.'
But there was something even more crucial.
"... What's this?"
Hwaran hurriedly approached Gion and snatched the book.
The book, which should have been perfectly preserved in the throne room, was damaged.
The unevenly torn parts were clear evidence that someone had deliberately tampered with it.
"The ways to make trouble are indeed varied..."
Hwaran clicked her tongue, but Gion was unfazed.
"It's fine. There are others who know the contents of this book."
Hwaran's eyes widened as if she realized something.
Gion added,
"I will go seek the historian."
The Halls of Record chronicles all of White Flower Kingdom's history.
There is one family that has been responsible for this office.
Gion took the book and immediately grasped the Chunhwa Sword.
"We'll head to Seosan."
"Are you determined to go there?"
Hwaran shot back, and her tone had its reasons.
Seosan is a highland area adjoining Biryu.
It's also where the Snowy Valley is located, and by going there, Gion would essentially be walking into an area swarming with demons.
"We must go. The descendants of Jeokmungwan reside there."
If Rohwa tore up the book, there must be a reason.
To fully understand what happened during the hundred years Gion was asleep.
To turn the demonized citizens back into humans and to truly understand why the White Flower Kingdom ended up this way, it's crucial to meet the historian.
However,
"Gion. Even if you go to Seosan right now, you won't meet the descendants of Jeokmungwan. Seosan is now the private property of the Fourth Chime."
"...What does that mean?"
"Like the barrier of white qi around Snowy Valley, the Fourth Chime has created a barrier of black energy around Seosan. You can't enter Seosan now. And it's the Fifth Chime guarding the entrance."
"......"
The fact that many parts of the White Flower Kingdom are demon strongholds.
Moreover, at a time when only the Seventh Chime is dead, the Fourth Chime owns a mountain of the White Flower Kingdom.
In the current state of the White Flower Kingdom, where demons own the land, Gion couldn't help but snort.
"It doesn't matter."
If you don't know the way, find it. If it doesn't exist, create it.
Moreover, to gather the pieces of light, he has to face these beings anyway.
Perhaps this will even quicken the discovery of what happened during the past hundred years.
"Barriers can be broken."
Thanks to Rohwa breaking the barrier of Snowy Valley, it was known.
Ultimately, white qi is of the same nature as black qi.
If a barrier made of white qi can be broken, there must be a way to break one made of black qi.
Hwaran sighed, but her words implied she approved of Gion's determination.
"Before we go to Seosan, there's a place we need to visit. We need something to break the barrier."
Hwaran, while residing inside the Chunhwa Sword, said,
"Go to the 'Nameless Temple' in the capital."
***
A small hut barely enough for a person to lie down.
Although it's called the Nameless Temple, many people pass by it.
Children who didn't want to go to school would hide there to kill time, and it was also a resting place for animals.
And in front of it,
Gion held a painting in his hand and stepped out of the temple.
"...Tough guy. It's infuriating."
Hwaran stepped out of the Chunhwa Sword, exhaling sharply.
Gion simply cut his collar to stop the bleeding from a fresh wound.
The Nameless Temple harbors numerous demons.
Initially a small resting place for people, it was now covered in dense black energy, making it hard to distinguish the entrance.
But Gion went straight into the temple, swept away all the demons, and came out.
It was expected to take at least half a day, but Gion killed all the demons inside the temple in just an hour.
"Wouldn't it be better to recover a bit before heading to Seosan?"
Hwaran suggested, but Gion simply shook his head.
"Someone will come looking for me."
"What do you mean by that-"
At that moment.
"Did you know I would come?"
A demon sitting on the roof looked down at Gion.
Gion frowned.
"Wasn't it obvious that I would come holding this painting, knowing I carry the white qi?"
It was Mujun, the general of Jiyeon Kingdom, who had confronted Gion in Biryu.
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