Chapter 428 (Part 3). One Man, Two Roles, and the Chaotic Demon World
Flap flap.
—Human, why did you suddenly say we should have a festival in the village?
Raon moved his wings curiously. Cale, standing on high ground overlooking the village, looked down.
Eh?
Aurora couldn't hide her surprise when Cale suggested holding a festival.
A festival?
A small party would suffice.
And he added:
It's necessary.
Cale didn't just talk.
Whoosh.
He pulled a gem from his pocket and handed it over.
...!
It was enough to fund the festival and more. Aurora gripped the gem tightly.
I think it will be ready for tonight!
Having entrusted the matter to a determined Aurora, Cale went up the hill with Raon to observe the village.
—Cale-nim.
But the sound of Clopeh's voice behind him made him jump.
Choi Han, the Heavenly Demon, On, Hong... Everyone was having a relaxed time.
Cale planned to personally handle tracking down the last point of contact of Choi Jung Soo and the place where Sui Khan had sent his message.
"Because I know Choi Jung Soo and the team leader's work style."
Or rather, the style of "our team". Only then could they follow the clues.
Mmm.
Of course, it wasn't something only Cale could do.
Furtive glance.
Cale's eyes shifted to the side.
Choi Han was sitting silently, observing the village.
"Choi Han also knows."
Because he had Choi Jung Soo's memories. He had witnessed his life and inherited his power.
Choi Jung Soo's White Dragon.
Choi Han's Black Dragon.
Choi Han knew as well as Cale how Choi Jung Soo worked on his team.
—Choi Han.
—Yes.
—You'll handle Choi Jung Soo's side.
—Yes.
Choi Han answered without hesitation, as if he already knew he would be assigned that task.
"I'll go after the team leader."
Sui Khan, no, Lee Soo Hyuk.
They had to catch him before he caused trouble.
"And perhaps..."
If Cale and Choi Han split up to look for Sui Khan and Choi Jung Soo, they might end up in the same place.
"The Cult of the God of Chaos."
All the answers were there.
A shadow of gravity crossed Cale's face.
—Cale-nim.
Ah, right. This guy is here.
Cale's gaze shifted.
—Eh?
He looked at Clopeh Sekka with discomfort.
"What's he going to ask?"
About the purification ritual? Or about Choi Jung Soo and the team leader?
Unnecessary tension washed over him.
Smile.
Clopeh Sekka offered a gentle smile. Dressed in his white priest's robe, he pointed downwards.
—May I go down to help with the festival preparations?
Eh?
"That's a... very sensible question."
—Y-Yes, of course.
—Then I'll go.
Clopeh was genuinely pleased with Cale's permission.
—Human, I want to help too! Preparing the festival sounds fun!
—Me too! Me too!
—I'll take them and make sure they help without causing trouble.
After Raon and Hong, On's final words caused Cale to speak to her.
—Help without getting in the way.
Nod.
On's reliable expression caused a smile to escape Cale's lips.
Because On's gaze had briefly rested on Clopeh.
"Without causing trouble."
That was surely directed more at Clopeh than at Raon and Hong.
"She's very clever."
On was the smartest.
Why was she so intelligent and wise?
That was certainly mysterious.
—Clopeh Sekka at 270 degrees! Let's go together!
—Yes, Raon-nim.
Meow!
Raon, Clopeh, and Hong quickly descended to the village, followed by On.
As he watched them, Cale heard Choi Han's voice.
—Why do we need a festival for the God of Chaos' ritual?
The one who answered wasn't Cale.
—Why not?
It was the Heavenly Demon.
—Do you think the Cult of Chaos wouldn't do something like a festival? Even on the Primordial Night, when they offered sacrifices, there was a celebratory atmosphere.
—But that was a "sacrifice". It was closer to pleasure than a festival.
Choi Han frowned and refuted.
The Heavenly Demon laughed.
—The Demonic Cult also celebrates festivals.
The Demonic Cult, which only followed strength, also celebrated festivals.
—......
Choi Han shut his mouth at those words.
The Heavenly Demon, sensing the lively atmosphere of the village, spoke:
—It always seemed strange to me.
As king and god of the Demonic Cult, the Heavenly Demon had his doubts about the Cult of Chaos.
—Why is chaos only associated with negative things like terror and corruption?
Perhaps it was because they had faced it as an enemy.
In reality, there was variety within the Cult of Chaos.
—But then I saw the pleasure. And now I see a purification festival.
The Heavenly Demon nodded.
—Yes. That's true chaos.
Where everything can exist, and that's why it immerses people in disorder.
That was chaos.
—If there were only pain and fear, that god wouldn't have so many followers.
Choi Han fell into thought and then asked Cale:
—What's the purification ritual like?
There was curiosity in his voice, but also concern for Choi Jung Gun.
—Mmm.
Cale pondered and answered with what he knew.
—It won't be painful.
Choi Jung Gun won't suffer.
—And it will be beautiful.
If the ritual happened as he believed, it would be a beautiful spectacle.
—Human!
A while later, Raon approached Cale.
—They say the festival preparations are ready!
Cale headed towards the village.
His gaze briefly rose to the sky.
It would soon be sunset.
A good time.
—Grandpa, what are we celebrating today?
The old man paused at his granddaughter's question.
—Wow, can I eat all of this?!
Seeing his granddaughter drooling over the food laid out in the village square, he couldn't help but smile.
"What's going on?"
But his smile turned bitter.
His lifelong home.
The attack by the Demon King's 6th Division had destroyed it, forcing him to flee.
At least he had managed to take a portrait of his deceased wife.
"That the current Demon King would kidnap demons..."
Although he had survived, the truth condemned him to live in hiding.
"I'm already old, but..."
What would become of his son, his daughter, and their families?
—Grandpa, grandpa! When do we eat? Can we eat already?
His granddaughter's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
—Father, are you alright?
—Eh? Ah, yes.
He forced a smile for his daughter.
—I'm glad. Let me know if you feel unwell.
His daughter seemed more cheerful today.
"It's natural."
The impromptu festival.
They didn't know the reason, but Aurora, the leader of the Mediator Alliance, had paid for everything and even given each family money.
That had cheered his daughter and son.
They were probably forgetting their worries about the battle or the impending escape.
"I can't spoil the mood."
The old man forced another smile.
At that moment...
—May I sit here?
—Ah, yes...!
The old man answered respectfully.
"A priest!"
The outsiders who had arrived with Aurora.
They weren't demons.
Knowing that they had stopped the 6th Division and Count Deshuran, he felt gratitude towards them.
"Their aura is different."
The white-haired, green-eyed priest beside him had helped without complaint in the preparations.
"With people like this, nothing bad will happen."
He had been told that the festival was for a healing ritual, for someone injured by a cult.
—Sir Priest.
The old man asked cautiously.
—Will you perform the ritual?
In the north of the square there was an altar.
—No.
The firm answer surprised him.
Smile.
The priest smiled sweetly. A sacred smile, as it should be.
—The one I follow will.
—Ah.
The old man let out a sound of astonishment.
This priest's superior?
Priest. Cult.
For someone used to only waiting for the Demon God, those words were strange but interesting.
—There he comes.
At that moment, from the north of the village, a place guarded by Aurora, several people approached.
—Ugh!
The granddaughter covered her nose.
—It smells rotten!
The old man, although his senses were dulled, also frowned at the stench.
It was so strong that he couldn't even see the food.
Heaving.
Someone vomited.
The smell came from a coffin that was approaching.
"Ah."
The old man knew that there was a person inside who needed healing.
The coffin was covered in magical runes.
Thump.
They placed it on the altar.
Those who carried it were demon mages.
They opened the lid and lifted the sides, leaving only the base.
—Ugh.
The old man stifled a groan.
He saw a person covered with a white sheet.
His hand peeked out from one side.
—Mmm.
Without realizing it, he covered his granddaughter's eyes.
"My God."
What was that grotesque thing?
Gray skin oozed a dark liquid, and the veins looked about to burst.
"A corpse."
It was so horrible that he would prefer to see a corpse.
The body seemed to decompose in real time.
The stench was unbearable.
And suddenly, he felt fear.
"Will it be contagious?"
That thought terrified him.
Steps.
Then, someone went up to the altar and stood in front of the figure under the sheet.
—He is.
The priest spoke softly, and the old man looked at him.
—"Eh?"
He felt confused.
"Priest?"
He didn't look like a priest.
Rather, his aura was indolent, like the Lazy Demon King.
But the old man was too old to be fooled by appearances.
"What clear eyes."
Dark brown eyes.
Too clear.
Those transparent eyes reflected his life.
"Priest."
Compared to the strangely mystical eyes of the priest beside him, the man's were like crystal water.
And with those transparent eyes, Cale looked at Choi Jung Gun.
"He's serious."
They had brought him in a coffin with temporary runes, but upon leaving the magical barrier, the corruption had worsened.
Gasps.
His weak breathing quickened.
Bad sign.
The stench and dark liquid increased.
His body, already gray, seemed to rot.
Cale didn't waste time.
He closed his eyes.
"Chaos Purification."
What he needed:
A place.
And a caster.
The place was where the festival was being held.
Someone might ask what a purification had to do with a festival.
But it didn't matter the size.
He just needed...
"A place where joyful chaos can reside."
Chaos wasn't only negative.
Sometimes, at a festival, even if the atmosphere was chaotic, people felt joy and happiness.
Joyful chaos existed.
—......
Cale looked around.
Despite the stench, the atmosphere was full of excitement and joy.
The anticipation for the festival after difficult months.
It was great happiness.
—Cale, should I intervene?
The Dominating Aura interrupted arrogantly, but Cale ignored him.
Instead, he pulled back the sheet.
—Ah!
—Ugh!
Choi Jung Gun's horrible appearance caused people to recoil in horror.
—...!
—¡¡...!!
And then they were even more surprised when Cale, without hesitation, placed a hand on his forehead.
—Eh?
—Mmm?
—Ah?
Then, they felt something.
The reddish sunset sky.
The village hadn't lit up yet, only the red dominated.
Swoosh—
The wind was heard.
—No.
The old man shook his head.
—It's the forest.
It was the sound of the wind in the trees.
Why was it heard in the village?
But not only that.
—It's the sea.
It also sounded like waves.
The wind, laden with inexplicable sounds, enveloped them.
And it headed towards the altar.
Their gazes followed the movement.
—Ah.
The old man let out a sound.
In the wind, he heard a voice.
—...Wife.
The voice of his deceased wife.
At some point in the past.
Yes.
"I don't regret marrying you."
Something she had said to him.
He heard it again.
A small memory he had forgotten amidst his difficult life.
"What's happening?"
On the altar, he saw a scene.
A glow.
Not white.
Not black.
Gray.
The familiar gray of the Demon World's mana.
The red-haired man emitted a bright gray mist, like mana.
That mist enveloped the old man.
Warm.
Like when he heard those words from his wife, one of the happiest moments of his life.
Yes.
This was comfort.
The old man cried without realizing it.
It wasn't sadness.
By remembering, his heart was comforted and healed from his sorrows.
—Ah.
The stench disappeared.
His wife's voice was no longer heard.
He didn't know if it had been an illusion or a memory.
But it remained clear in his heart.
Because the gray mist embraced him with the same warmth.
—Jeje!
His granddaughter laughed.
—Grandpa! I remembered when Mom congratulated me!
The old man also laughed.
Yes, they were memories.
—Ah.
He exclaimed as he saw specks of gray light rising from the mist.
From him.
From his granddaughter.
But he felt no pain.
Only joy.
Swoosh—
The wind blew again.
The small gray lights, like fireflies, flew with the wind.
Towards the red-haired man.
Enveloped in those lights, with his red hair waving under the sunset, he extended a hand.
The lights followed his movement.
Cale's hand, which was on Choi Jung Gun's forehead, was covered by the other.
The gray lights covered Choi Jung Gun's body.
While chaos used to invoke cries of pain and terrible memories, the Chaos Purification was different.
It evoked joy.
And that energy gave Cale strength.
Swoosh—
The sound of the wind in the trees or the sea.
—As I thought.
Clopeh, observing Cale, associated the sound with the ocean.
The God of Chaos.
He had tried to drown Cale with a gray wave.
Clopeh had heard it.
"The power of the God of Chaos is like the sea."
He thought.
The sea could be beautiful, terrifying, devastating, or calm.
It could take any form.
That was chaos.
But...
The sea had its own rules.
Unlike chaos.
And it harbored countless lives.
Besides...
"Cale-nim is different from the God of Chaos."
Yes.
"Cale-nim is like the sea."
Like the sea, where chaos and order coexisted.
Like the sea, which mixed life and death.
Cale's life was like that: he faced each situation as he should.
And he sought to save all lives.
That's why he used both chaos and order.
That was truly...
—Harmonious.
That's why it was beautiful.
—...Harmony.
The old man beside him repeated the word unintentionally.
"Harmony."
Why did that word move him so much?
He looked at the red-haired man.
The warm gray mist.
The same color as the Demon World's mana.
That gentle energy enveloping the demons.
Suddenly, he thought:
Where did this power come from?
"Is it from the Demon God...?"
He stopped, surprised by his own thought.
Swoosh—
Meanwhile, Cale looked at Choi Jung Gun and thought:
"Now, the last thing."
When the gray lights enveloped Choi Jung Gun, Cale took his hand away and closed his eyes.
The purification that would expel the corruption.
The final scene began.
