She did not dream. âSheâ was mostly like that. Whether she slept lightly or deeply, she didnât dream well. Living diligently day by day, she never felt any charm in the dream world. Not feeling sorry for the memories in her dreams fading when she woke up.
This âsheâ was Wijihoyeon. No dreams. There was no enjoyment in the process of falling asleep for her. To her, the act of sleeping was nothing more than to relieve fatigue and effectively kill time. Wijihoyeon opened her eyes, raised her body and curled up.
A heavy blizzard was blowing.
Trigia, the northernmost part of Eria, was a place where every day was winter, and snow didnât melt. The snow that fell didnât melt; it accumulated and froze. The air was cold enough to freeze the lungs. If you didnât wear a thick layer of clothing, the cold was severe enough to make it hard to stand up. However, Wijihoyeonâs outfit made it seem like she was dressed for a much different climate. She wore a fur coat, but did not wear any thick clothing underneath.
Even so, Wijihoyeon didnât feel cold. This is because she already acquired 10,000 Poison Immunity and is no longer affected by the cold. Thatâs why she did the crazy act of curling up and falling asleep outside in this strong blizzard. However, it was troublesome when wayward snowflakes stuck to her hair and skin. Wijihoyeon reached out a hand to brush the snowflakes away from her head.
The Black Dragon, which was blocking the wind and snow, descended and wrapped around her body after she made that gesture. Among the artifacts she obtained during her travels, this Black Dragon, which seemed to flutter without wind, was Wijihoyeonâs favourite. The Black Dragon could get longer or shorter depending on how much inner qi was used, and could also become wider or narrower. Wijihoyeon came out from under the tree, brushing her shoulders and clearing away the snow gathered on the Black Dragonâs feet.
âDone sleeping?â
A desolate-looking man bowed his head as he approached Wijihoyeon. He was the Solitary Blade Dokgo, one of the Heavenly Demon sect members that followed Wijihoyeon. He was the first follower and the leader of the less than 20 sect members.
âMy eyes opened on their own.â
Wijihoyeon answered. She neither liked nor disliked the Heavenly Demon Sect, which followed her. It would be more troublesome to dismiss them, so she just let them follow. Although they are following her on their own, this does not mean that Wijihoyeon was travelling with them. Wijihoyeon would only go wherever she wanted to go, and the Heavenly Demon sect was following her of their own accord. Even with such a one-sided relationship, the Heavenly Demon sect followed Wijihoyeon because they were fascinated by her overwhelming strength.
âThe promised time may have passed, but he still hasnât come.â
âCouldnât you just get a good nightâs sleep then?â
Wijihoyeon said with a nonchalant expression. She accepted it, but Dokgo could not. He muttered, with his thin eyes narrowed,
âHe shouldnât overdo it. Who is waiting for who hereâŚâ
âItâs the Bloody Heavenly Demon thatâs making me wait. I am the one waiting for them, so why are you angry?â
âBut Master âŚâ
âDonât call me Master. I have never accepted you under me. I wonât stop you from following me as you please, but donât call me Master. â
At the end of Wijihoyeonâs words, Dokgoâs eyebrows shook and trembled. He bowed his head without protest. Having followers is useful because it made things convenient, but it wasnât necessary for Wijihoyeon. Just a little while ago, they had braved the blizzard to stand guard for her, who had just gone to sleep to kill time. But Wijihoyeon hadnât asked them to do it. So she didnât feel grateful. There was no need.
Looking back, most of the time in the past eight years were spent in Eria. She saw many things and had many encounters. Wijihoyeon was delighted that this mysterious world was wide, but she rarely felt pleasure meeting the excessive amounts of people in it. There were many followers, but Wijihoyeon considered herself alone. What they see is the Heavenly Demon, not Wijihoyeon.
She didnât care. What other people see is entirely their point of view. Thatâs why Wijihoyeon did not try to show them her true self, or Socheon-ma, nor did she persuade them to change their perspectives.
Wijihoyeon was such a human.
âI donât like it.â
Wijihoyeon stood in the snow and thought. Cheon Magun, who was following her, stood behind Wijihoyeon a little. Although not all of them were indispensable masters, none were only masters in the name. Wijihoyeon turned her head and looked at them. She clucked her tongue as she peeked into the emotions of dozens of eyes looking at her.
She didnât like it.
She didnât like the expectations they had. She had never liked them. Wijihoyeon knew such eyes well. Before she was summoned to Eria, she had always been looked at with such eyes even when she had become the heir. The eyes of her indifferent father, Kyoju.
Whenever he saw Wijihoyeon, he had eyes like that, even if he didnât say it in words. Although it was a different world, the gazes toward Wijihoyeon was still the same.
The Heavenly Demon sect was looking forward to the future. The Son of the Heavenly Demon, Wijihoyeon, was going to meet the Bloody Heavenly Demon, Baek Museon. What would happen at the meeting? Perhaps a new rumor might be born here, and it might become widespread and become a legend. I will be present at that historic moment, and will become a close aide in Wijihoyeonâs eyes one day.
That kind of expectation was abhorrent to her.
To kill. Wijihoyeon clasped her hands and thought about it. Itâs not difficult to kill them. Even if they all attacked at once, Wijihoyeon was confident that she could deal with them in a few moments and bury them in the snow. It wasnât out of arrogance. It was reality.
It was so easy, but she didnât. Because she knew it would change nothing at all. Wijihoyeon had killed those who approached with disgusting expectations many times. Nothing changed. Instead, such acts made blind followers enthusiastic. Those who walked the road of the Unorthodox were delighted to say that even that unforgiving cruelty was fitting for the nickname of âMinor Heavenly Demonâ.
âYouâve arrived.â
Wijihoyeon murmured. Pavavak! The snow that had accumulated on the floor flew up in the air and scattered in a ring. When the rising snow subsided, there were eleven people standing in front of Wijihoyeon. Wijihoyeon raised her chin to look at a beautiful red-haired man standing in the center.
âDo you even sleep?â
Asked Wijihoyeon with a smile.
The Bloody Heavenly Demon shrugged.
When Wijihoyeon went to the home of the Bloody Demon Alliance and asked to meet him, Baek Museon had promised to meet Wijihoyeon here later as he was busy with work at that time. However, Baek Museon, who decided the time and place, was late.
âI was going to meet the Minor Heavenly Demon, who is in the spotlight these days. Iâm just late due to preparing this and that.â
âThen why didnât you meet me inside the Bloody Demon Alliance? You wouldnât have had to prepare anything there.â
âHoo-hoo! When an unexpected accident occurs, I donât want to hear the accusation that I brought the Minor Heavenly Demon into the Bloody Demon Alliance.â
âUnexpected accident? I donât know what you are talking about.â
Wijihoyeon said with a smile. Instead of replying, Baek Museon raised his right hand slightly. Ten people were standing around him. It was the Bloody Demon Guard, who were Baek Museonâs Elite Guard.
âYou have already heard the meaning of that. Didnât you say you wanted to fight me once?â
âI am also someone with the title Heavenly Demon. I was just curious about your skill, as someone with the nickname Bloody Heavenly Demon.â
âHaha⌠Sounds like youâre testing my worthiness of the title.â
âYou could think of it like that. Or just think that your luck ran out.â
Wijihoyeon mumbled as she walked forward. Whoo-woong! Black Dragon, which was covering her shoulders, fluttered, and the snow that piled up around Wijihoyeon rose all at once. The Heavenly Demon Sect, who were watching the confrontation between Wijihoyeon and Baek Museon from afar, were impressed. Wijihoyeon and Baek Museon laughed, facing each other.
âRan out of luck⌠I donât know of such a thing. â
âI needed an opponent,â whispered Wijihoyeon. âI wanted to choose the Orthodox faction, but it was quite annoying. Touching a well-knit group is annoying behind the scenes.â
âAre you saying that you are going to lay your hands on the Bloody Demon Alliance?â
âItâs not because you are the head of the Bloody Demon Alliance that I want to lay my hands, Bloody Demon Baek Museon. Being left unattended in the Sama Order is almost like becoming prey to a hungry beast. You became the boss because you were coincidentally the strongest, and a group was created around you. If you collapse, can a person of the Bloody Demon Alliance still call themselves as such? â
âYou are overconfident.â
âItâs true. It was the right choice, not allowing me to enter the Bloody Demon Alliance. If you had used that pathetic way, the body count would have been way bigger.â
âDidnât I tell you? I just didnât want to hear any criticism. If you die inside the Bloody Demon Alliance, those who donât know might speak of us as cowards. There are few witnesses, but⌠itâll do. Just, is this okay for you? This is a very small place to use as a grave. If you want, I can cripple but not kill you Or bury the body elsewhere.â
âI am overconfident, but you are arrogant. Or is it crazy? Do you know who is talking to whom?â
Wijihoyeonâs surroundings did not have any snow. The snowflakes that fell evaporated as soon as they got near her vicinity.
âYou just have no luck. The Crazy Heavenly Demonâs whereabouts are unknown. If I knew where he was, I would have definitely fought him ⌠If you want to blame someone, then blame him freely. â
âOh, the arrogance. Too arrogant ⌠â
Baek Museon muttered and rolled up his sleeves. His aura was blood red. Both his eyes were also colored red, like the aura emanating from his body. The rumours of the Bloody Heavenly Demon Baek Museon were rather understated. He was a monster who had already reached the peak and was going further over it.
âFinally, I want to ask only one thing. Why are you doing this? To destroy the Bloody Heavenly Demon Alliance? â
âYou donât understand. Didnât I tell you? Itâs because you were unlucky.â
âIs it just for that reason that you came to this far north and waged a fight against me[1]?â
âThe rumours about me will get more exaggerated if I defeat you.â
Wijihoyeon murmured.
âThen that guy will hear me too. Where I was, what I did, and how strong I was. I hope you donât get crushed by death. Heâs very self-deprecating. â
âI donât know what youâre talking about.â
âYou donât need to understand. Ah⌠okay. Just like you asked me, I want to ask you a question. Can you answer me? If you can answer it, that is. Which hand do you pick up your spoon with?â
Wijihoyeon raised her hand. Black Dragon fluttered while swelling up till it was big enough and wrapped around her hands.
âIf you tell me, I wonât let that hand go.â
As she smiled brightly, all laughter disappeared from Baek Museonâs face.
The sudden clash between Bloody Heavenly Demon and Minor Heavenly Demon was concluded in less than half a day.
That day, Baek Museon of the Bloody Demon Alliance was crippled because his left arm was cut off.