『Brother.』

『What is it?』

『Do you remember? The first time we met.』

『Well… vaguely?』

The last conversation I had with her before my Regression.

『...Back then, I had no idea. That I would be able to see the beauty of the world for so long.』

『...』

『The reason I'm enjoying such undeserved happiness is all thanks to you, Brother.』

『...』

『If it weren't for you, I would have undoubtedly become blind  and lived my whole life yearning for the past.』

Her happy face faintly came to mind.

『...What are you trying to say? So suddenly.』

When I asked, sensing a seriousness different from her usual self, a more direct answer came back.

『...If you go back, don't look for me again. If you Regress, you'll be able to win this great war even without someone like me.』

『...』

『Leave me as I am. To live as a blind person, as fate intended.』

Normally, I would have just curtly told her to be quiet.

Perhaps it was because I could feel her earnestness.

The words couldn't bring themselves to leave my mouth.

Instead, I asked.

『...Do you hate it that much?』

『...』

『The way things are now?』

Was this endless War against Demons, devoid of dreams and hope, too much for you to bear?

Would it have been better to just live on with your eyes and ears covered, without the wear and tear on your body or the exhaustion of your mind?

‘...’

Was what I did… a pointless act?

『...No.』

『...』

『I'm happier than I could ever be.』

『...』

『I'm so happy now, laughing and chatting with my comrades, that even in my dreams, I dream of my waking hours.』

She replied, shaking her head.

『But.』

『...』

『A happiness that lives on by holding your life as collateral.』

…A smile touched her lips.

『How could it be purely happy?』

A little self-deprecating, and a little bitter.

『So... I beg you to do as I ask.』

『...I'll think about it.』

That's all I said back then.

At the time, I couldn't decide which was the right path.

But after thinking it over and over, I've now made up my mind.

So.

It seems I will, after all.

『Shim Cheong.』

It seems I'm going to need you.

* * *

Ssa-ppun-

The old man's right foot landed lightly on the ground.

Heavenly Demon's Reigning Step.

He didn't say the name out loud, but the arrogant movements and the heavy weight that settled on his shoulders were enough to know that it was the footwork of the Heavenly Demon's Divine Art, the Heavenly Demon's Reigning Step.

Woom-puk-

The atmosphere grew palpably heavy, and the blood in my veins felt like it was turning to sludge.

Under the formless energy crushing my entire body, my legs screamed as if they were about to break.

Beneath my feet, a concave crater had already formed.

‘...As I thought.’

This weight was on a different level from Namgung Soso's, which had been a mere imitation.

Of course, compared to the original source in my memory, this was still severely lacking, but the pressure was worlds apart from a simple imitation.

It was all I could do not to drop to my knees; a powerful external energy was constantly pressing down on me, so much so that I couldn't even breathe comfortably.

“…As I thought, you're not a Hero candidate.”

Blindman Shim's mutter, his speech having switched to informal.

It seemed that seeing me withstand the intense pressure of the Heavenly Demon's Reigning Step had confirmed his own judgment that I wasn't a Hero candidate.

“…This is quite unfair. I'm really not lying.”

“…It's useless to run your mouth any further. I have no intention of listening right now.”

Paat-

“…I won't kill you.”

With those chilling words, Blindman Shim shot forward, and a heavy fist imbued with considerable energy plummeted towards me.

A concise movement, with no hint of hesitation or preparation for the next move.

It implied the old man's intention to leave me on the verge of death with that single blow.

Swiiiiiik-

A fist that sliced through the air.

Blocking it was impossible; dodging was the best option.

However, the gap in our power was what it was, so it was difficult to escape the binding force of the Heavenly Demon's Reigning Step on my own.

…And so.

“I came looking for the successor to the Demonic Cult.”

“...!!!”

I had no choice but to use the 'lip service' he had warned me about.

Bu-woong-

Unlike his earlier boast, the moment he heard those words, Blindman Shim's concentration wavered.

I was able to break free from the formless energy that had been binding my body for an instant.

In that fleeting moment, I barely managed to pull myself away, and his fist landed in the crater where my feet had been planted.

Jjeo-jeo-jeok-

The moment his fist hit the ground, a huge Rift formed without any resistance, and with a

Kwoong-

the entire cave shook.

“…What did you just…”

“I said I came looking for the successor to the Demonic Cult.”

“…”

“…To rebuild the Demonic Cult that fell 100 years ago.”

Silence followed my composed reply.

Of course, the silence didn't last long.

Pulling his fist from the floor, he seemed to have organized his thoughts and asked me directly.

“…How much do you know about me?”

In response to that question.

“I know a little.”

I simply defined him with what I knew.

“…You may be called Blindman Shim, a beggar in some backwater village now.”

“…”

“But you were once a pillar of Murim.”

Shrug-

“Something like… the son of the Heavenly Demon.”

* * *

Thud-

“…You said he was just some insignificant blind man.”

“…”

“If he were insignificant twice over, we'd all be dead… Wait, is he even blind in the first place? That guy?”

Loxy muttered, collapsing where she stood as she scanned the massive Rift that had split the cave in half.

To her mutterings, which were a mix of awe and slight disbelief, Jerry replied defensively.

“…It seems the money we spent on information gathering was insufficient.”

“…”

“…I really didn't know. To think that man was a direct descendant of the Heavenly Demon.”

For Jerry, the situation was utterly bewildering.

He hadn't spent a small amount of money, and he had confirmed his information through several cross-verifications.

And yet, Jerry had failed to uncover not only the blind man's identity but even the existence of this space within the cave.

If he hadn't done similar work before, he might have been able to dismiss it as his own mistake and move on.

But finding hidden things was something Jerry had done his entire life.

That was why he had been able to confidently declare to Loxy and U-jin that 'the only remnant of the Demonic Cult is an insignificant old man'.

…What was even more baffling was that U-jin was spouting information that even he, after numerous verifications, didn't know, as if it were common knowledge.

Although Jerry had given up questioning the source of that unknowable information at some point, he couldn't help but feel a question mark rise in the current situation.

“…The son of the Heavenly Demon.”

Of course, separate from his confusion, the gears in Jerry's mind were already spinning, reassembling the puzzle.

‘…If that blind old man is a direct descendant of the Heavenly Demon.’

Because that new puzzle piece roughly filled in the parts that hadn't made sense until now.

The reason why the Imperial Family, despite knowing that the blind old man was a remnant of the Demonic Cult, hadn't taken any particular action.

No.

The reason they 'couldn't'.

If you considered it was because he was the 'son of the previous Heavenly Demon' who had split the Murim in half, it all roughly fit together.

There were no records left, so he didn't know the specifics of the Demonic Cult's power.

But it was the previous Heavenly Demon, who died 100 years ago, who had once decimated the massive Murim Alliance, reducing it to half its size.

By a simple calculation, even if this 'Blindman Shim', the son of the Heavenly Demon, had inherited only half of the previous Heavenly Demon's power, it meant he possessed enough martial strength to cut the current Murim forces in half again.

Therefore, from the perspective of the Murim Empire, which was currently pouring all its efforts into holding the Anti-Demon Front on the eastern coast, he was too much of a burden to deal with separately.

“…So that's how it was.”

Nodding as if he finally understood, Jerry turned his head again to look at Blindman Shim, who was facing off against U-jin.

Blindman Shim wore an even more confused expression than before U-jin had mentioned the 'Demonic Cult'.

It seemed the fact that U-jin had come looking for him, knowing his identity, had come as a considerable shock.

After a moment of silence, he soon muttered quietly to U-jin.

“…As you said, the Demonic Cult is an organization that fell 100 years ago.”

Was it because he didn't feel any particular hostility from U-jin's words, or had U-jin's statement about him being the 'son of the Heavenly Demon' caused some change of heart?

“I don't know what you know or how you found this place to spout nonsense about the Rebuilding of the Demonic Cult, but go back.”

“…”

“…I have no intention of succeeding the Demonic Cult.”

Blindman Shim, who had been fiercely on guard and ready to attack just moments before, now gave U-jin a relatively gentle order to leave.

As if to say he would let it go if U-jin backed down now.

And just as Blindman Shim was about to turn away.

“I wasn't talking about you.”

U-jin's low voice stopped him.

‘…?’

Jerry's brow furrowed slightly.

He couldn't understand what U-jin had said to the old man.

Just a moment ago, he had clearly said he came for the successor of the Demonic Cult, and now he was saying he wasn't talking about the Heavenly Demon's son.

Of course, Jerry had no idea about the Demonic Cult's succession structure, but where else could there be a more legitimate 'successor to the Demonic Cult' than the son of the 'previous Heavenly Demon'?

But regardless of Jerry's failure to understand the context.

Meom-chit-

Blindman Shim's steps had halted.

“…What did you say?”

“It's true I came looking for the successor to the Demonic Cult. But I'm saying it's not you.”

“...!!!”

At U-jin's added words, his body turned back, and seeing his bewildered expression, U-jin's lips curled up as if he had expected it, and he murmured.

“…You know, don't you? That it doesn't have to be you. No, in fact.”

“…”

“That there is someone more suitable than you.”

At U-jin's added words, Blindman Shim expressed his quiet fury, once again drawing up the energy of the Heavenly Demon's Reigning Step as he warned U-jin.

“You bastard… Shut that mouth.”

Of course, U-jin paid no heed to the blatant warning.

Rather.

Seu-euk-

He provoked him further by pulling the secret manual of the Heavenly Demon's Divine Art from his robes.

“…Well, let's just say I can understand up to this point. Succession of the Demonic Cult or whatever, a father might wish for his daughter to grow up gracefully and not learn martial arts.”

“...!!!”

“But.”

…A hint of anger had crept into U-jin's voice.

It was so palpable that even Loxy and Jerry, who were bewildered by the sudden and incomprehensible turn of the story, could feel it clearly.

A clear and refined anger.

“No matter how much you hated it, as a father.”

“Wait, stop right there—.”

As if realizing what U-jin was about to say next, Blindman Shim urgently tried to shut him up, but.

U-jin's mouth was, as always, fast and swift.

“…Shouldn't you have given her a choice?”

“...!!!”

“When your own daughter might go blind.”

With U-jin's following words, Blindman Shim's face turned ashen.

And ironically, the one most shaken by U-jin's words wasn't Blindman Shim, but.

Kkii-iik-

…a girl who appeared from inside the thatched-roof house behind Blindman Shim.

That is.

Neatly braided hair and a prominent, rounded forehead.

Delicate eyes, nose, and mouth.

A five-colored jeogori.

Exactly as U-jin remembered her.

“…Isn't that right, Cheong-yi?”