Chapter 539 (New)

Chapter 539: The Lazy One Flees (4)

“What is the meaning of this?”

Wei Jeonghan directed his question toward Wei Yanho, though his son appeared just as lost for words.

In truth, such a weapon was a common sight throughout the land. Its presence only felt jarring because this specific blade was known to be the property of Wei Sanho.

In that instant, both Wei Yanho and Wei Jeonghan were struck by a nameless sense of impending catastrophe. While the exact implications of this discovery remained out of reach, they were certain that the outcome would be disastrous.

Guided by that grim intuition, Wei Yanho let out a heavy, weary breath.

“Let’s conclude our business here and depart, father.”

“Mmm…”

Wei Jeonghan gave a somber nod of agreement.

They lacked the luxury of time to speculate on motives they couldn’t fathom—even if the presence of this sword suggested they might one day face an agonizing reckoning.

Wei Yanho pulled Wei Sanho’s sword from its rest.

Schlik.

The weapon, which had been abandoned for some time, slid from its housing with a muted, metallic ring. Wei Yanho knit his brows in focus as he inspected the steel.

Back when this blade was at Wei Sanho’s hip, it had always been kept in pristine condition. Wei Sanho, a man who believed that maintaining one’s tools was a sacred duty for any warrior, would refine the edge whenever he had a spare moment.

Perhaps that was why the sight was so jarring.

Seeing the once-brilliant metal now clouded and dull felt wrong.

It was a stark reflection of the fractured bond between Wei Yanho and Wei Sanho.

Sshhk.

Wei Yanho’s hand lashed out with a touch of resentment. The dark blade sliced cleanly through an object that was being consumed at the base of the Sacred Flame.

Grrruuuk.

Accompanied by a strange sound, the ivory-colored fire flickered and receded slightly. However, it refused to vanish entirely. A faint, stubborn spark remained, clinging to life as if refusing to be snuffed out.

“It is time to go.”

“Yes.”

Wei Jeonghan cast aside his lingering worries regarding the Sacred Flame. They had pushed their efforts to the limit.

“Move out!”

As Wei Jeonghan leaped from the signaling tower, Wei Yanho followed close behind. The rest of the company, who had been holding their positions below, activated their light movement techniques to keep pace.

“Have they arrived at their destination by now?”

“Considering the distance, it’s highly probable.”

Jangil answered first, followed by the insight of Jegal Munin:

“If they maintained their maximum pace, they likely reached Baekgeom Fortress already.”

“In that case, the uprising has already started.”

Wei Yanho strained his senses, focusing his hearing on the environment.

He could catch the sounds of panic coming from the levels above, but it didn’t seem out of the ordinary. It was likely just the frantic attempts of the Demon Cult members to suppress the spreading fires.

As further evidence, the echoes of a true battle had not yet reached the depths of the cavern.

“It appears everything is still according to plan.”

“Then aren’t we retreating prematurely?”

At Wei Jeonghan’s query, Jangil’s face twisted in anxiety.

“We’ve done our part, Great Hero. To be honest, I’m so terrified I can barely draw breath. We’re going to be hunted regardless, so why don’t we just focus on making our escape?”

“I second that. My own legs are starting to give way.”

Now that their flight had begun, the gravity of their actions finally started to sink in.

“Uf!”

Wei Jeonghan let out a sharp exhale.

‘To think I’m this shaken…’

Wei Jeonghan was a veteran of the front lines, a man who had survived countless brushes with the reaper. He had matured in environments where one expected to lose their head at any moment. He never held the delusion of immortality.

Yet, even for a man accustomed to dancing on the edge of a blade, the weight of this current situation felt suffocating.

Perhaps all the glory he had earned in past wars seemed trivial compared to the magnitude of their recent act. It was a monumental achievement.

“Yanho!”

“Present.”

“Any signs of pursuit?”

“None. It seems they haven’t made contact yet.”

“Remain vigilant!”

“Understood.”

Wei Yanho answered with his usual composure. As the strongest martial artist among them, it was only natural for him to take point on reconnaissance. Leaning on Wei Yanho’s perception, Wei Jeonghan pushed his speed to the limit.

A breeze began to flow from the path ahead. This suggested that an exit lay at the end of this tunnel…

“Hold!”

Suddenly, Wei Yanho’s command rang out.

Wei Jeonghan skidded to a halt, digging his heels into the dirt. His leg muscles burned from the sudden deceleration after such a high-speed sprint.

“What is it? Is there an obstacle ahead?”

Wei Jeonghan turned around frantically. The tone he had just heard was uncharacteristically sharp and panicked for someone like Wei Yanho. It was a clear warning of an anomaly.

But Wei Yanho remained silent.

His eyes were locked onto a single spot.

The cavern wall.

Despite being in the middle of a desperate run, Wei Yanho’s attention was glued to a specific section of stone.

“That… that damn fool!”

Wei Jeonghan’s expression shifted to one of fury.

There was nothing visible on that wall. If Wei Yanho was reacting to something, it had to be located on the far side of the stone.

It was obvious that in a place as malevolent as this, secrets would be buried behind the rock.

“Hey, you idiot! Are you really hunting for loot at a time like this? What use is treasure in the middle of a war zone?”

Wei Yanho didn’t respond, suggesting his motivation wasn’t greed. At his silence, Wei Jeonghan also fell quiet. Wei Yanho’s gaze was far too intense for further badgering.

Furthermore, he had already dropped the sack of stolen goods he had been guarding like a prized possession until now.

‘What is happening?’

Wei Jeonghan was, after all, Wei Yanho’s father.

Out of everyone in the world, he could claim to have observed Wei Yanho more closely and for a longer duration than anyone else.

Yet, he could swear he had never seen his son wear such an expression.

How could he even label it?

Horror?

Dread?

Or perhaps a strange sort of elation?

Or maybe…

Though he couldn’t quite name the emotion, Wei Yanho was staring at the wall as if under a spell, his face pale with shock.

‘It’s not the stone itself.’

Wei Yanho wasn’t focused on the wall, but on whatever lay beyond it. There was a presence on the other side.

Schlik.

The white sword flashed into Wei Yanho’s grip. The naked steel cut through the gloom, casting a bright light across the dark tunnel.

“You… what do you think you’re doing?”

Shhk!

Before anyone could intervene, Wei Yanho swung his blade, carving into the rock.

Shhk! Shhk! Shhk!

With a series of precise strikes, the wall was partitioned as easily as a block of soft curd.

Rumble.

In an instant, the severed stone collapsed into a heap of debris.

“You’ve lost your mind!”

Jangil cried out in terror. Did he not realize that damaging the cave walls like that could bring the whole ceiling down?

But there was no time for scolding. Ignoring the shouts, Wei Yanho stepped into the opening he had forced, moving as if he were in a trance.

‘What on earth…?’

No one dared to utter a word.

No one dared to get in his way.

Wei Yanho’s features were contorting, shifting into something resembling a wrathful spirit. He hadn’t even shown this level of reaction when he encountered Wei Sanho among the ranks of the Demon Cult. Back then, his pain was deep and obvious, but it lacked this specific, underlying terror.

Terror?

In a man who feared nothing?

This was a man who would raise his sword against a high priest of the Demon Cult without blinking. Wei Yanho hadn’t even flinched in the face of the Supreme Sovereign.

And yet, right now, Wei Yanho was paralyzed by something.

That realization chilled everyone to the bone.

‘What is he seeing?’

They couldn’t perceive what Wei Yanho perceived. They could only guess based on the sheer intensity of his dread.

There was something there.

Past this barrier.

Something truly monstrous.

Tok. Tok.

Wei Yanho’s footsteps thundered in the small space. The heavy silence was broken only by his stride and the sound of his companions swallowing hard as they followed.

Finally, it became visible.

What lay on the other side.

An enclosed chamber.

Behind the wall Wei Yanho had demolished was a modest, hidden room.

It wasn’t particularly remarkable. Just a small, lightless hollow—an ancient natural pocket in the earth.

That was all.

Wei Yanho came to a stop in the center of the chamber, cloaked in silence.

Unable to handle the stifling pressure of the air, Jangil shuffled his feet and spoke up:

“There’s no dust here, so someone must have been using this place. There looks to be a hidden exit over there.”

“……”

“But it doesn’t look like anything of value was kept here. No caches, just… a hole in the ground. Is there really something special about this spot?”

Wei Yanho ignored the question.

Jangil was about to press him, but he thought better of it. Instead, he tried to follow Wei Yanho’s line of sight toward the back of the chamber.

‘What is he staring at?’

There was nothing there. Absolutely nothing. And yet, he seemed to be witnessing something.

Something faint.

Yet undeniably present.

And something… utterly freezing.

The kind of presence that, just by sensing it, makes your lungs seize! It was crushing! Just the thought of it! Just the mere thought!

“Get a hold of yourself, man!”

Jegal Munin slammed a hand onto his shoulder.

“Gasp!”

Only then did Jangil stumble back, gasping for air.

‘What was that sensation?’

There was nothing visible. So why was his body reacting this way?

Then, he recalled Wei Yanho’s earlier words.

He hadn’t said “is here.”

He had said “was here.”

An entity so horrific it defied logic had occupied this space until very recently. And the residue of that presence was enough to choke the life out of him.

Something that shouldn’t be possible.

Unthinkable, beyond calculation. Completely inconceivable.

But when Wei Yanho spoke again, Jangil finally understood.

Because it was a being that rendered the impossible moot.

“The Heavenly Demon…”

Wei Yanho’s voice was like venom, spitting out each syllable with forced clarity.

“The Heavenly Demon… The Heavenly Demon was in this room.”

Wei Yanho shut his eyes tight.

He had been standing right here.

The Heavenly Demon.

There was no other name for the existence that had graced this spot until just moments ago.

And… and he had departed.

He was on the move.

‘The Sacred Flame wasn’t the real threat.’

The actual entity that would drag the world into the abyss had been right here.

The true monster that would drown existence in endless misery.

Yes.

Right here.