Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Upon arriving through the demonic passage, I found myself in a cold and dark space.

The chill seeped through the floor, penetrating deep into my bones.

The fact that I was feeling cold here was a problem on several levels.

‘My energy should be flowing again.

’After the restraints on my qi were lifted, warmth circulated throughout my body, making it so I shouldn’t be feeling this cold.

Yet here I was, faintly feeling the chill in the air.

Which could only mean one thing.

‘This place is absurdly cold.

’It implied that this space was intensely frigid.

As my eyes adjusted, I began to make out the outlines of the room.

There were a few lamps mounted on the walls, but their light barely illuminated the vast, expansive space.

Where exactly was I?

Since I came through a demonic passage, it was possible this place was a demonic realm.

As I scanned the area, my gaze settled on one spot.

‘The source of this cold...

’Where was this chilling air coming from?

There was no question—it was coming from what lay directly in front of me.

Before me stood an enormous block of ice.

‘What in the...?

’I’d never seen anything this large before.

I had heard of an ancient artifact, the “Ice Crystal of the Millennia,” supposedly housed within the Forbidden North Sea Ice Palace.

This resembled how I’d imagined it.

I cautiously approached the ice crystal.

Creeeak.

“…!

”As I took a step closer, the cold surged, intensifying to an alarming degree.

One step away was completely different from where I was standing.

‘This...

might be dangerous.

’The chill was biting.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt such an intense cold.

It was as if even the flames within me were at risk of freezing over.

One more step was my limit.

If I moved any closer, I’d freeze solid.

Just as I decided to step back, a voice echoed through the stillness.

[Greetings.

]I looked up.

It wasn’t that I was trying to locate the source; the voice was coming unmistakably from the ice crystal itself.

Upon closer inspection, I finally noticed something inside the crystal.

A figure was sealed within, exuding the intense cold.

‘Not just inside...

’“Sealed” would be a more accurate description.

It didn’t look as if they were simply inside it in any ordinary sense.

Besides...

‘That voice...

’The moment I heard it, my eyes narrowed.

It was a voice I’d heard many times before and one that wasn’t easy to forget.

Moreover, I had anticipated this, so I wasn’t all that surprised.

Looking at the ice crystal, I called out the name of the voice’s owner.

“Blood Demon.

”Wuum.

At the mention of his title, the ice crystal trembled.

[Oh…]His voice sounded intrigued.

[You seem to know me.

]I gleaned much from his response.

For starters—‘It seems he doesn’t recognize me.

’If this guy in the ice crystal really was the Blood Demon, there’s no way he wouldn’t know me.

From his reaction, it was evident that this world was not my own.

‘...

This isn’t even the world I originally came from.

’The confirmation solidified in my mind as I continued looking at the ice crystal.

[How strange.

]The Blood Demon spoke again, looking at me.

[At first, I thought you were an “otherworldly sovereign,” yet it’s odd to see such a being emitting such a presence.

Moreover...

]Swish.

An unknown aura briefly brushed against me.

I didn’t bother resisting.

[Even your own energy is suffused within it?

]“…”He must have sensed the demonic energy within me.

‘An “otherworldly sovereign.

”’I focused on his words.

Both Muhui, that woman, and now the Blood Demon—they both seemed to think of me as some “otherworldly” entity.

At first, I assumed they thought that because I’d come from another world, but there was something more to it.

‘A sovereign… could it mean…?

’A master?

Why would they think that?

If that’s the case, it raises questions, but upon reflection, it’s not entirely absurd.

I’d been told before that my body was on the brink of shattering from containing numerous strange entities.

Among them was one creature—‘The one referred to as the Lord of the Abyss.

’The Blood Demon had once called the parasite feeding on demonic energy inside me by that name.

At the time, the term “lord” didn’t seem significant, but now it took on a weightier meaning.

A being that rules an entire world, the responsibility and embodiment of that world—this was what the World Tree had said.

‘That must be why he’s mistaken me for a sovereign of another world.

’With a being like that within me, it’s no surprise the Blood Demon would be confused.

The real question was—‘How did such a creature end up inside me?

’A being worthy of ruling an entire world was somehow in my body.

The World Tree had said that—‘It was something given by my mother.

’The World Tree had mentioned that it was my mother’s doing.

I wasn’t certain about it at the time, but hearing her voice when I encountered the Divine Sword, I realized—‘My mother holds some kind of secret.

’The World Tree had said she was the second calamity and the sovereign of myriad worlds.

Myriad worlds—just the name alone was daunting.

Damn it, why is everything so complicated?

"...

So, why did you want to see me?

"I asked the Blood Demon, concealing my inner turmoil.

His laughter echoed lightly.

[I was merely curious.

Why would an “otherworldly” being like you come here?

]“…”Why indeed?

I’d like to know that myself—why am I here?

The Blood Demon, perhaps noticing my expression, continued.

[It seems you didn’t come here of your own free will.

]“…”Damn it, he saw through me.

I mustered a neutral expression as my mind raced.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.

”[No matter.

The important thing is your purpose for being here.

]“So, if my purpose is problematic, would you do something about it?

”I may have come here to understand this world, but I wasn’t about to risk my life.

‘Thankfully, my energy is flowing again.

’Could I use it to escape?

[Heh…]The Blood Demon laughed.

[Rest assured, I’m only curious.

]“I can’t exactly just ‘rest assured’ here.

”[It appears you have a powerful being within you, yet you seem to know very little.

]“…”He hit the mark.

[I have no intention of harming you.

]“And how can I believe that…”[The proof is right in front of you.

You’re still breathing in my presence—that’s all the proof you need.

]An empty threat.

He was obviously trapped in the ice crystal, unable to do anything, so what exactly did he plan to do?

But—Despite knowing this, I couldn’t speak freely.

Something in my gut sensed danger.

‘What is this…’I couldn’t say for sure, but I knew this situation was dangerous.

Throb.

My entire arm, down to the scales on my right hand, pulsed painfully.

‘Tch.

’It was just like the time I’d faced the Blood Demon at the gathering of orthodox sects.

Back then, the instant I encountered him, my body had surged with hostility.

The only difference was that, now, the urge to resist was there, but not outright hostility.

[It’s a curious thing.

]“…What’s so curious?

”[You possess my power, yet somehow retain your original strength.

Isn’t it peculiar?

]“Shed…?

”The word made me frown.

Did he just say "shed"?

The ice crystal emitted a faint vibration as if confirming my reaction.

[Ah… You didn’t know, did you?

]“Speak clearly.

What are you talking about?

”[Given you seem to know who I am and what I’m called, it seems I still exist in your world… It’s enviable.

]“What…?

”Envy?

Of what?

[A world capable of accommodating the likes of you—isn’t that enviable?

]His words brought to mind something he’d once said to me—he had wished for me to wreak havoc.

It had been something to that effect.

‘Why does the Blood Demon have such an attitude toward me?

’He’s clearly hiding something, yet he continually displays a bizarre form of favor toward me.

It was deeply unsettling.

[Let me ask you something.

]The Blood Demon asked suddenly.

[Was it me who sent you here?

]“What?

”His question made me frown.

Did he mean that he was the one who’d sent me to this world?

That seemed like an absurd thought.

Seeing my twisted expression, he murmured regretfully.

[So it wasn’t me… Then who could it be?

]“What the hell are you talking about?

”[You seem unaware of your own nature, so it’s unlikely you came here willingly.

Then who sent you here?

]“…”His words stirred questions within me.

Why hadn’t I thought of this?

If this truly was another world, it wouldn’t be so easy to cross over.

‘How did the one who sent me manage it?

’How did Tang Jae-mun, who had supposedly died and left behind only remnants, send me to another world?

And what was the Blood Demon trying to get at?

And—“…What exactly is this world?

”The Blood Demon chuckled quietly at my bewildered question.

[An odd question, asking what a world is.

]“…”[Ha!

]The laughter echoed as the ice crystal exuded a sharp, intense cold.

[You truly know nothing.

How is that possible?

]“People from here or there seem to be equally cryptic, making everything needlessly infuriating.

”Tsk, tsk.

[I apologize.

It’s just strange that you lack the knowledge you should have gained after your transformation.

How can that be… It feels as if—]Wuum.

[Someone has deliberately kept you in the dark.

]“…”The notion that someone had hidden the truth from me made a twisted kind of sense.

Otherwise, the extent of my ignorance would indeed be bizarre.

Despite my mounting frustration, the Blood Demon continued speaking.

[You asked what this world is.

]“…”[This world is no different from your own.

]“What…?

”[Simply one of infinite possibilities.

]It was a cryptic answer.

Watching him closely, the Blood Demon seemed unaffected by my scrutiny and went on.

[There’s a stone on the ground before you.

]“A stone?

”[You could choose to pick it up, or you could leave it.

Whichever choice you make, there will be a world where the opposite choice was made.

]The mention of a stone seemed strange, but I listened intently.

[What do you think would happen as a result?

]“What do you mean, what would happen?

”Would anything happen?

It was just a stone, after all—what kind of outcome could it produce?

Seeing my expression, the Blood Demon provided an answer, one that left me dumbfounded.

[It means that a world will exist in which you chose not to pick it up.

]The absurdity of it made me laugh in disbelief.

“So, you’re saying there could be countless worlds just like this?

”His words implied that there were countless worlds derived from trivial actions.

That there was no limit to—[How can you be certain otherwise?

The fact that you’re here is proof.

]“…”I closed my mouth at his retort.

[Are you saying that, among countless worlds born from trivial actions, your presence in this one is impossible?

]If anyone else had said this, I’d dismiss it as insane rambling, but in my current situation, it didn’t seem quite as absurd.

‘Fine.

’Let’s assume it’s true.

That this place is one of those possible worlds created from simple choices.

“…So, what do you mean by “possibility”?

”The Blood Demon had added the word “possibility.

” What did he mean?

After a moment’s silence, the Blood Demon responded, his tone seeming even lower.

[This world, as I say, is something that will do anything to reach its intended end.

]“What are you—”[If it has failed twice, it won’t want to fail a third time.

]“…!

”[Endless possibilities exist as the world’s will not to fail.

]His words made my eyes widen.

Two failures.

I knew what he meant.

Could it be—‘The descent of calamities?

’First, it had been the Blood Demon himself.

Second, it had been my mother.

Both of them had failed to bring about a new era as a calamity.

Years had passed, and although Yeo-Il-Chun had dubbed me a calamity, I considered the Celestial Demon the true calamity.

Now, the Blood Demon was suggesting that the multitude of worlds and possibilities existed to ensure the descent of a calamity on this world.

A multitude of worlds created with the sole intent that one calamity would succeed.

“To… that extent?

”This was too much to believe.

I had my doubts about whether the Blood Demon was even telling the truth, but if he was, one important question remained.

“If you’re right…”If he truly was—“What happens to the other worlds that fail?

”If one world successfully brought forth a calamity as its new master, what would happen to the others that didn’t?

The Blood Demon answered in an indifferent voice.

[If that happens, the remaining worlds would be unnecessary.

The purpose has always been singular.

]“…”I stood there, dumbfounded.

Among the countless worlds, those that failed to bring about a calamity would simply be erased.

Meaning—Life in those worlds would be erased, waiting for the emergence of a new master from another world.

The choices for any given world were essentially these two.

‘Wow, really.

’What a messed-up world we live in.

The thought crossed my mind.