The Ruler of Darkness

Book 3: Chapter 24

Yeon So-Hyeon had been immersed in meditation in his bedroom until just a moment ago.

It was a temporary accommodation thoughtfully prepared by the Inner Court’s protocol secretary.

But now, he stood in a completely different place.

The weight of time deeply twisted and sunk into decay.

An oppressive sense of space, suffocating.

It was a sensation that Yeon So-Hyeon was gradually becoming accustomed to.

Inside the Dark Heavens Scripture.

Or perhaps, outside the universe.

Yeon So-Hyeon took a deep breath.

“…Elder?”

He called out to the elusive immortal.

However, the response he received was in a voice he did not recognize.

“…It’s not he who called you, but I, this seat’s Fate-Bound.”

The voice did not tremble with tension or fear.

The owner of the voice stuttered, not out of nervousness, but because his body bore a great celestial punishment.

“…A congenital deformity.”

Yeon So-Hyeon easily identified the nature of his affliction.

“Kukuk. Yes, indeed. Your medical knowledge is exceptional.”

The hunchback seemed pleased with So-Hyeon’s unbothered reaction to his grotesque appearance.

“You seem to know me, but I do not know you.”

The hunchback managed to shake his head sufficiently after a few attempts.

“Who I am or what I am is of little, little importance. I am but a remnant, a leftover of a fulfilled yet tragic wish.”

His drooping eyes, hidden by the bulge, shone strangely.

Yeon So-Hyeon nodded.

“…Then may I call you senior?”

“Suit yourself.”

“What brings you to seek me, senior?”

The hunchback raised his long arm, dragging on the ground, and pointed precisely at Yeon So-Hyeon.

“A warning.”

Yeon So-Hyeon prepared himself to listen attentively.

The current hunchback might just be a remnant as he claimed.

But to Yeon So-Hyeon now, he held an enormous presence beyond his wildest speculations.

“Hmm.”

The hunchback seemed to be choosing his words carefully, his mouth shut.

“…Do you know how Dark Heavens Scripture chooses its Fate-Bound?”

“I do not.”

He could have bragged and blustered, but in the end, all he had were guesses based on speculation.

“Indeed, wise.”

The hunchback nodded laboriously.

His unnaturally thick and short neck was ill-suited for the action.

Yet, he insisted on doing so.

“Dark Heavens Scripture selects its Fate-Bound based on ‘talent’.”

Yeon So-Hyeon repeated his words in his mind.

Was it referring to talent in martial arts?

Or in scholarship?

There were too many types of talents in the world.

Still, there was nothing he could be certain of.

“What talent are you referring to?”

The hunchback man, with his entire set of teeth collapsed, smiled.

Yeon So-Hyeon felt a strong sense of déjà vu from this expression.

Dry, twisted, and terribly artificial – it was the smile of those chosen by the ancient demon Dark Heavens Scripture.

“The talent to bring about the destruction of the world.”

Simultaneously, Yeon So-Hyeon’s vision was flooded with red.

It was the hunchback’s memory.

Flames fiercely danced around.

The engulfing flames stretched their brutal fingers, seeking air.

Everything that could burn was consumed by the fire demon.

Flames, unable to find a place to settle, seemed to try burning the atmosphere itself, screaming and roaring.

Gigantic buildings, gardens, and countless bodies were all reduced to nothingness.

The entire world was burning.

In the midst of this scorching hell, ‘he’ smiled.

It wasn’t the grotesque hunchback man who stood there.

A muscular giant, towering at nine cheok (approximately 27 feet).

Every time his body trampled the earth, the ground caved in, and the flames seemed to flee in fear.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t the flames that feared him.

He was controlling the flames.

He commanded the fire.

“Do you see?”

An overwhelming power and presence assaulted Yeon So-Hyeon.

“…I see.”

He spoke to So-Hyeon.

“Behold this catastrophe. And feel the power that one called the Fate-Bound possesses at their end…”

He waved his hand lightly as if playing with fire.

A massive pillar of fire rose, swallowing an entire grand hall that was barely maintaining its structure.

“A power akin to natural disasters.”

But his eyes were filled with emptiness.

“…However, it wasn’t this power that led my world to destruction.”

Yeon So-Hyeon’s eyebrows twitched.

“What do you mean?”

A self-deprecating smile appeared on the giant’s face.

“This power is the result of the destruction you see before you.”

Yeon So-Hyeon understood immediately.

“Not because of the strong power the world was destroyed, but because the world was destroyed, the strong power was granted…!”

Dark Heavens Scripture granted greater power each time it devoured an evil being.

His power was the price of the world’s destruction.

The giant looked down at his own hands.

“…I merely sowed the seeds of fire here and there.”

Yeon So-Hyeon nodded.

“Historically, great fires have always led to the worst outcomes. In the world I live in, there is no way to successfully suppress fires that erupt simultaneously in various places.”

The giant gazed at the burning world with a hollow look.

“I just wandered the continent long ago, making efforts everywhere. That’s all. Just like that, I won a war I thought I could never win.”

A burning hall collapsed with a thunderous noise.

“All those great empires, they all crumbled to dust.”

“….”

“All their foundations were in the cities, and the moment numerous cities were engulfed in flames, my revenge, my grudge, ended all too emptily.”

Instead, as a consequence, his own world ended as well.

“The immortals’ edict to make the wicked pay a rightful price faded over eons. The current Dark Heavens Scripture has become an unknown entity, its true nature incomprehensible to anyone.”

Elder Yeongnak had said something similar before.

“Dark Heavens Scripture desires those with the talent to annihilate the world. And my talent in that regard was exceptional.”

Red flames danced on his hand.

“My talent to manipulate karma fire led the world too easily to ruin. I assure you, no Fate-Bound consumed by this endless hell had a talent in this aspect as remarkable as mine.”

He looked at Yeon So-Hyeon.

“Until you appeared…”

“….”

Yeon So-Hyeon neither affirmed nor denied his words.

The giant smiled at him.

“Since you became the new Fate-Bound, I have been observing you. And I am certain.”

Yeon So-Hyeon continued to look at the giant silently.

“You possess a power to bring about the world’s destruction more swiftly and effectively than mine.”

The giant pointed a massive finger at Yeon So-Hyeon’s head.

“Wouldn’t it be too easy for you to annihilate that small clan?”

Referring to the Luoyang Sword House, known as the foremost family in the Central Plains, as a ‘small clan’ seemed inappropriate, but these words came from one who had burned his entire world.

“Yet you choose not to take that easy path.”

Finally, Yeon So-Hyeon spoke.

“…I joined hands with Dark Heavens Scripture to fulfill my responsibilities, not to annihilate my clan.”

The giant smiled faintly.

That smile was surprisingly kind, unimaginably coming from a man who had incinerated the world with hatred.

It was hard to believe it was the smile of a Fate-Bound of Dark Heavens Scripture.

“I became a Fate-Bound of Dark Heavens Scripture simply to make a young girl happy.”

“….”

He moved closer and sat down in front of Yeon So-Hyeon, who still had to look up at him.

“But like all Fate-Bound before me, I ended up destroying everything.”

His deep eyes stared directly at Yeon So-Hyeon.

“…As Dark Heavens Scripture desired.”

Yeon So-Hyeon remained silent.

Today, he had to exhibit endless patience.

Everyone he saw, whether great or small, bore karma, and the ancient demon Dark Heavens Scripture shook him indiscriminately, blurring the lines between friend and foe.

“But you did not respond to that madness. You were not swayed by that hunger.”

Yeon So-Hyeon endured.

He controlled himself.

What the Luoyang Sword House needed now was not a raging inferno known as Amcheonjonja, but a sharp blade like the Grand Young Master Yeon So-Hyeon.

For the future he envisioned, the Luoyang Sword House had to remain intact.

Yeon So-Hyeon smiled.

“…Ever since I was young, I just hated living as others told me to.”

The giant laughed with a thunderous sound.

The surrounding flames danced wildly.

After laughing for a while, he looked at Yeon So-Hyeon with a smile.

“…Do you think I’m unaware of the oath that sustains you, the precious promises you’ve made with your loved ones?”

Yeon So-Hyeon shook his head.

“…It seems the seniors among the Fate-Bound have no intention of respecting a junior’s privacy.”

The giant burst into loud laughter again.

Laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face, though they quickly evaporated.

“…I apologize for that. But I can’t help but watch over you in the future as well, so there’s nothing I can do.”

Yeon So-Hyeon shrugged his shoulders.

“There’s hardly anything interesting in a place like this, so I’ll try to understand my senior’s unpleasant hobby.”

At that moment, raindrops began to fall from the smoke-filled sky.

“…Our permitted time is coming to an end.”

Looking up at the sky, the giant was questioned by Yeon So-Hyeon.

“So, what was that warning you initially mentioned, senior?”

The giant looked down at him.

“Isn’t the very end of my existence as this one’s seat a significant warning to you?”

“…Indeed.”

In the giant’s eyes, Yeon So-Hyeon sensed an immeasurable depth of regret and penitence.

How long had he been suffering in this space?

The raindrops grew heavier.

* * *

Yeon So-Hyeon, who had been sitting cross-legged on the bed, opened his eyes.

Through the open window, he could see the dawn breaking.

Just then, with a knock on the door, Jung-ah hurried into the room.

“…Feeling an ominous presence, I dared to enter without asking.”

Yeon So-Hyeon smiled.

“It’s nothing.”

It was far from nothing, but Jung-ah had no choice but to nod.

She was currently the only one who could somewhat understand the burden her master carried.

“…The investigation has concluded. I’ve been informed that the lockdown imposed by the Law Enforcement Court has ended.”

It was time to leave the Inner Court.