Clang.
Creeeeak—!!!
The relentless sound of machinery echoed through the space.
A woman lifted her head at the ceaseless noise.
In the pitch-black darkness, where nothing was visible, she turned toward the source of the sound.
Deep within the abyss, a distant noise reverberated. The door that should have remained sealed shut had been flung open.
A door that should have never opened.
No matter what happened.
No matter how much time passed.
That door was never supposed to open again.
And yet, it stood wide open.
The woman stared at it, frozen in place.
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh—!!!
From beyond the door, an abyssal sea of blackness gushed out, rushing forward in a wild torrent.
The flood surged, consuming the desolate void that had long been burned away, filling it in an instant.
Shhhhhh.
She felt the water seep beneath her bare feet.
As the rising waves lapped at her ankles, the woman’s eyes trembled.
How?
How had that door opened?
She couldn't understand. She had locked it away using every means possible.
It was never supposed to open.
If it had—
It meant her choice had been wrong.
Or—
‘The seal of oblivion has broken.’
To make her choice, she had abandoned something crucial.
If the door had opened, it meant someone’s forgotten memories had returned.
"No."
No. It couldn’t be.
She had locked it away with everything she had.
So why—why had it unraveled so easily?
Swooooooosh—!!
The woman pushed forward, cutting through the surging waves.
This space—once a vast, endless void—was meant to be filled by this torrent.
The memories it carried spanned countless ages, threatening to swallow her whole.
The water rose violently, as if seeking to bury her.
Yet, the woman did not stop.
No—she could not stop.
She had to reach that door. She had to seal it shut once more.
She had no choice.
The fact that it had opened was a miracle. If she left it as it was, it could turn out to be a blessing for her.
But—
‘No.’
For him, it would not be.
Determined, she pushed forward. The crushing currents weighed down on her body, but she did not falter.
Through the relentless storm of memories, she pressed on until finally—she reached the door.
Her lips twisted into a grimace as she reached out.
Her fingers brushed against the door. The sheer force of the flood bursting forth made it difficult to close, but she clenched her teeth and pushed.
Creeeak...
With great effort, the door began to shut.
She braced herself against the raging waters, forcing it closed, when—
Clench.
Someone grabbed her wrist.
“...!”
Her eyes widened.
No one should be here.
It was impossible for anyone else to exist in this space.
Yet, she felt the undeniable warmth of another’s touch.
Shaken, the woman turned her gaze toward the owner of the hand.
“...Ah.”
The moment she saw his face, a quiet whisper escaped her lips.
She never thought she would see him here.
The one she had always longed for.
The one she had always yearned to see.
His sharp, impassive eyes held a rare trace of warmth.
The man who had once been her everything stood before her—
In this impossible place.
“You...”
She tried to speak his name—
“Yehwa.”
“...!”
He called her.
A name she thought she would never hear again.
Hearing it, Yehwa’s body stiffened like stone.
The door she had been closing remained frozen in place.
The young man tightened his grip on her wrist, then gently pulled her hand away.
Looking at her, he asked,
“Is this your name?”
“...”
Yehwa did not answer.
No—she refused to answer.
She felt as though she shouldn’t.
And yet—
"Your name? A name, huh... Hmm... Fine."
"From now on, you are Yehwa. Let’s go with that."
She had longed for it so desperately.
But words failed her.
Silence filled the space.
And as the door remained open, emotions she had locked away surged forth, drowning her completely.
Her world was swallowed by the abyssal sea.
(If you are reading this translation anywhere other than .net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.)
**********
RUMBLE—!!!
A deafening explosion tore through the air, splitting space apart. A halved spear, shredded by the force, ripped the void asunder.
The sky, distorted in the distance, stood as undeniable proof of how overwhelming Taechon's power was.
“...Hah.”
And yet, despite unleashing such a force, Taechon only let out a hollow laugh.
Thud.
Something fell from his ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) body.
He looked down.
It was his arm.
His severed limb rolled across the ground before turning to dust, vanishing into nothing.
“...Is this even possible...?”
But Taechon paid no mind to his lost arm. His twisted expression remained locked onto the figure standing before him.
The being that had just cut through his energy—
The being that had severed his arm.
What stood before him was beyond comprehension.
RUMBLING—!!!
What could he even call it?
Darkness.
A depthless, all-consuming void, utterly devoid of light.
It couldn't even be called night. It was something purer than that—true darkness.
It expanded, then condensed again, shifting like a living entity.
The way it moved, its very nature—
Taechon could not put it into words.
“How... can something like that exist...?”
The only words he could manage were words of doubt.
Because there was no other possibility.
That thing—
It was divinity.
An overwhelming divine presence, vast beyond reason. A force that seemed to emerge from nowhere.
“...That’s not just a fragment descending.”
A god.
No—something greater than a god had set foot upon this world.
The sheer divine pressure radiating from that thing...
It was on the level of an actual descent.
Even with everything Taechon had witnessed—
Even with all he had seen, this was too much.
The pressure alone could affect entire realms.
The world itself could not endure something like this.
And as if to prove it—
Creeeeeeaaaak—!!!
Cracks splintered through space, spreading outward from the darkness.
For now, they were small.
But soon, they would devour everything.
“...”
Taechon's eyes narrowed.
A variable.
Everything had been a variable until now, but this—this was beyond anything.
This was something he could not endure.
Even he could not withstand that thing.
“...Where did you come from?”
It was far too late to assume this was merely a fragment of the Dragon Lord.
No—
That was an independent divinity standing there.
And among all the divine beings Taechon knew—
There were few who held such immense presence.
If he had to make a comparison...
Only the Master of the Myriad Realms could rival this.
“This makes no sense.”
He muttered his thoughts aloud.
“Why do I sense the Myriad Realms' divinity from you?”
That was the reason he was shaken.
That thing was not a single divine presence.
It was countless divinities fused together—
A grotesque existence.
And worse—
“...I can feel my own divinity inside it.”
Something within that thing resonated with his own power.
How?
How was that even possible?
“...What in the world... are you?”
As Taechon murmured his disbelief—
Vrrrrrrrrr—!!!
The writhing darkness suddenly stilled.
Then, it began to take shape.
What was once formless mass coalesced into a human figure.
At first, it was nothing more than a shadow.
Then, strands of hair emerged.
Skin took form.
Eyes gleamed with color.
Purple eyes.
White skin.
Long, flowing hair.
The shape it had taken—
It was her.
The woman Taechon had just been fighting moments ago.
“...!”
A shudder ran down Taechon’s spine.
No.
It wasn't merely the same face.
It was something entirely different.
Hssssss.
As her body fully solidified, it became clear—
This was not the woman he had been facing before.
“Huuh...”
A soft sigh left her lips as her hair fluttered.
Her half-lidded, amethyst eyes slowly turned toward Taechon.
Fwoosh.
The darkness that had enveloped her shifted into a cloak, draping over her shoulders.
A long, black fur-lined robe, heavy and regal.
In her hand—
A sword, more distinct than before, now fully formed.
The woman—
Now completely transformed—
“...Ah.”
She covered her eyes with one hand and let out a deep sigh.
“Why...?”
Why had this happened?
Her expression held no understanding—
Only deep, endless confusion.
“You... what exactly...?”
Taechon tried to speak.
But—
RUMBLE—!!
Before he could finish, an overwhelming pressure slammed down on him.
His mouth snapped shut.
Crack—!!
His bones creaked, then shattered under the force.
He dropped to his knees.
“Guh...!”
“...Be quiet. I have no interest in listening to you right now. My head hurts.”
The woman gazed down at the collapsing Taechon.
Her eyes burned—
Not just with power, but with emotion.
“You... what are you...?”
Distant.
Her divine presence stood beyond measure.
This was—
True descent.
It was exactly as he had suspected.
She was a being akin to himself.
Yet—
How?
How had she managed to descend successfully?
“The Myriad Realms... should have never allowed this.”
Something of this magnitude should have been blocked.
The Master of the Myriad Realms would have never permitted something like this.
And yet, here she was, standing in defiance of all reason.
As Taechon, crumbling under the pressure, forced himself to ask—
“Permission?”
The woman smirked.
“That was decided long ago.”
A moment lost to time.
A moment no one remembered.
“...”
At her answer, Taechon's face twisted.
“What... are you?”
A question he had asked again and again.
He expected no answer—
Yet this time—
“Cheonma.”
A single word.
Spoken calmly, without hesitation.
The moment he heard it, Taechon tried to react—
But—
Slash.
A black line cut through the air.
And—
His head split in two.
Thud.
His severed head fell to the ground—
Turning to dust just like his arm.
Scattering into nothing.
Yehwa watched the dust drift away—
Her violet eyes trembling.
And behind her—
Gu Yangcheon.
He stood there, his expression unreadable.
His gaze was locked onto her.
Not with shock.
Not with fear.
But as if he were thinking.
