It was warm.A soft sensation of someone gently embracing me from behind.It felt cozy and comforting.It was a nostalgic feeling I had only experienced long ago as a child.Could it be…?I tried to speak, my eyes wide open.“Uh…”“Shh.”A delicate voice echoed in my ear, and I felt something touch my lips.That sensation made me close my mouth.“Just for a moment. Stay still, won’t you?”A gentle voice accompanied by a touch brushing through my hair.A hand softly stroked my hair.My body stiffened in place.“Good.”“…”Something warm and soft began to rise inside me. I couldn’t react in any way.In the midst of that silence—“Mangye.”The Blood Demon spoke with a stern expression.“You must have been in a hurry. Appearing in person instead of sending someone from the Abyss.”The voice responded to the Blood Demon’s words.“He’s very busy. I’ve given him many tasks to handle.”“Ha. Are you saying there’s something more important than safeguarding your own trace?”Trace. My ears perked up at that word.“Safeguard, you say?”The voice chuckled.“My son isn’t weak enough to need me to safeguard him.”Hearing those words, I clenched my fists.So, it’s true. The owner of this voice…‘Mother…’It seemed like it really was her.I had felt this during the last incident at the Sinryong Pavilion, but it was now certain. My mother was alive.“How contradictory.”The Blood Demon frowned at her words.“You claim there’s no need to protect him, yet your actions now don’t match your words.”“That’s what parents are like. Besides…”A soft breeze began to stir around me.At the same time, a crimson aura started to envelop my body. A refreshing floral scent reached my nose.“If you step in, it stops being a fight between children and becomes a battle between adults.”“…”“Dragon Emperor… Or should I say, the master who lost his name long ago.”The voice pressed down on the heavens.“Don’t keep crossing the line. Otherwise, I’ll have to scold you.”It was a calm but sharp warning.The Blood Demon’s gaze sharpened upon hearing it.“How absurd.”A grinding sound echoed as power gathered in his hands.It was the same as before, but now it seemed even more intense.“A line? Since when did we ever have such a thing?”His eyes, filled with heavy disdain, glared as he spoke.“We’re all just pieces on the board, moving as commanded. You’re no different.”The heavens began to darken, a crimson aura pooling and growing.“You don’t even fulfill the tasks entrusted to you properly, and yet you talk big.”Punishment? My eyes widened at his words.“No matter how supreme you think you are, how much can you truly protect without devotion?”A red sea roared in the sky.“Let’s see what you can do.”The Blood Demon smirked as a vast wave of power surged downward.“Oh my.”The approaching power was overwhelming, leaving me trembling just from looking at it.How could one stop something like this?Could Mother even handle such a thing?That doubt arose in my mind.“This doesn’t work?”“…What?”Startled by the voice, I blurted out without realizing it.“I thought it would have some effect… But you’re sharper than I expected.”“What do you mean by that…?”What was she saying?I glanced around in confusion.“Hmm…”She seemed to be lost in thought, her voice filled with contemplation.But there wasn’t time for this.The energy in the sky was already cascading downward.I gritted my teeth and summoned power into my body.Whoosh---!!Recalling how I had blocked the Blood Demon’s power earlier with the White Flame, I tried to do it again.“No.”My fiery hand was stopped.“You can’t use that.”“…But…”“Don’t worry.”Once again, I felt her touch on my hair.“Mom will handle everything.”“…”Her words made me unconsciously extinguish the flames.It was the same as before.In the distant past—Whenever something happened during my childhood, my mother would always say,“Don’t worry, my son. Mom will take care of everything.”The voice and words she spoke with a bright smile resurfaced in my mind. Something seemed to swell within me.I barely managed to steady my ragged breathing.At that moment—Whoosh---!!The crimson aura surrounding my body suddenly soared into the sky.Boom---!!!The winds roared as the cascading energy was completely devoured by the crimson light and vanished in an instant.“Ha!”The Blood Demon let out a sound.“Madness.”A smile reappeared on his face.“You’ve truly gone mad. Are you really going to break the rules for something like this?”“Hmm? Why?”Mother’s voice responded, as if she couldn’t understand.“You broke them too. Why can’t I?”“No.”The Blood Demon shook his head, watching as his dissipating energy left him with a strangely satisfied expression.“It’s laughable that you’d use a trump card you were saving just for this. Now there’s no way to stop me.”“You still only see part of the picture.”Her voice was filled with amusement.At least, that’s how it felt to me.“I never intended to stop you. I just wanted to see my children. And…”Whoosh---!!!The crimson aura that had devoured the red light now shot toward the Blood Demon.He didn’t flee from the approaching energy.“My son is far greater than you think. So be prepared.”“Haha.”The Blood Demon laughed darkly in response.“As much as you’d like.”At the same time, his gaze shifted to Cheonma, who was panting heavily beside me.“Though I regret being interrupted today, next time, I’ll make sure to take you.”“…Get lost.”Cheonma growled through gritted teeth.The Blood Demon added with a smirk,“After today, there will be no next time.”Ssshhhh---!!!The energy changed form.It took the shape of a beast.What kind of beast was it? I felt like I knew, but I couldn’t be certain.The beast opened its maw wide and swallowed the Blood Demon whole.Boom---!! It erupted into a massive explosion of energy. An overwhelming pressure spread out in all directions.The energy scattered into the air like flower petals drifting through the sky.It was like spring descending in the middle of autumn.I stared blankly at the sight before me.How could energy be so breathtakingly beautiful?In some ways, it resembled the Plum Blossom Sword Technique of the Mount Hua Sect. No, it was far more primal than that.It wasn’t just energy; it truly felt like flowers were swirling in the air.“…”I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the beauty of it all.It was mesmerizing, almost enchanting.As I was lost in watching the petals fluttering through the air—Swish—The energy began to gather in front of me.It condensed and condensed further, slowly taking on a humanoid form.It wasn’t complete. It looked as if it was a figure made entirely of flower petals, shaped loosely into a human outline.It was a head shorter than me, and its form was hazy, but I couldn’t say a word as I stared at it.The figure raised a hand and waved. It felt like it was greeting me.“Hello, my son.”The voice reached me, and my heart sank with a heavy thud.The figure extended a petal-like hand.It cupped my cheek gently.“You’ve grown well. You’re so handsome.”“…Mother.”“Oh my?”At my words, the petals quivered slightly.“Calling me that feels so distant. You used to call me ‘Mom’ back then. Are you saying you’ve grown up now?”“…”Her voice sounded oddly delighted.Even as I listened, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.I didn’t know how to react.Noticing my hesitation, Mother spoke again.“Grown up, huh… You are, aren’t you?”Her voice softened.“You’ve been through so much, haven’t you?”My breath caught.Was it my emotions, or was it my entire being trembling? I couldn’t tell, but something within me shook deeply.“You’ve worked so hard.”“…Ah…”“I’m sorry, my son. I wasn’t there to protect you as you grew up.”My vision blurred. I tried to hold it back, but it wasn’t easy.No, I couldn’t let this happen.I was far too old to cry like this.I shouldn’t, but…“I’m sorry for being a bad mother. I should’ve been by your side, but I couldn’t be.”The petals brushed against my cheek and hair.“You’ve done so well.”Her warm voice enveloped my ears.In the end, I couldn’t hold it in any longer.I shut my eyes tightly.“…It’s okay.”Even then, the gentle strokes on my head didn’t stop.“I’m sorry.”Her apology made me bite my lip.This wasn’t what I wanted to say.When I realized she was alive, there were so many questions I wanted to ask her if I ever saw her again. But now, I couldn’t ask a single one.My mouth wouldn’t open.“My son.”“Yes…”I forced myself to respond, holding back my sobs.Thankfully, my voice didn’t waver.“I’d like to see you a little longer, but I don’t have much time right now.”Her words made my eyes widen.“What do you mean…?”“I’m sorry in advance. Oh, I keep apologizing. That’s not what I wanted to do.”She laughed awkwardly.Then, the petals began to move.Watching them, I furrowed my brow and asked,“Are you leaving again?”Would she disappear like this once more? I asked hesitantly.“Hmm… Something like that…”She gave an odd answer.“What do you mean…?”“There’s not enough time to explain.”She hurriedly added,“This is something even I didn’t expect. The promise I made with that tree didn’t include this… Just think of it as a consequence of how exceptional you’ve become.”“What are you even saying…? I don’t understand.”“My son.”“Yes.”“There’s one thing you must remember, no matter what.”“…”The petals began to scatter again.They slowly covered my vision, and through them, she spoke.“Never look for me.”“What?”The petals bloomed all at once, scattering everywhere.The problem was—‘Huh…?’The petals didn’t drift away but instead enveloped me.What is this?Caught in the sudden situation, I could only question it when—Snap!Suddenly, my consciousness blinked out.

   **************   Upon a grand throne, a woman lay reclined.Her hair, so long it spilled onto the floor, was pure white. The space around her was filled with an abundance of mysterious white fur.In that strange setting—“Mm…”The woman, who had been resting her eyes, slowly opened them. Her jewel-like pupils sparkled with a radiant glow.She appeared to be in some discomfort as she struggled to sit up. At that moment, a figure revealed itself before her.“My liege.”The woman, noticing the figure, wore a languid expression.“Are you all right?”“…”She didn’t respond.Instead, her brow furrowed slightly.In response, the massive tufts of fur surrounding her began to wriggle.Wearing an expression of evident displeasure, the woman spoke to the figure.“It feels like I had a dream…”She tried to recall it, but it remained hazy.“I can’t remember it…”It must not have been important.Deciding as much, the woman finally rose to her feet.Seeing this, the figure addressed her.“My liege. We have located the Abyss.”At those words, the woman’s sharp, animal-like ears twitched.Her drowsiness vanished ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) in an instant. The concerns she had just been pondering faded like a mirage.The once languid look in her eyes sharpened.Her previously calm pupils narrowed into thin slits.“Where is he?”“Mount Chilryeong in the west.”“Let us go.”Her sleek legs moved, and her toes touched the ground.In that instant, the fur behind her began to stir violently, shrinking in size as it coiled inward.Rumble—! The fur surged through the space, swirling as though it was being absorbed by her.The final form it took was nothing short of astonishing—a tail.Seven immaculate white tails unfurled behind her, each one shimmering with an ethereal glow.The woman, her tails brushing lightly against the ground, began to walk gracefully forward.

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