I was supposed to be a disaster.

At Noya's words, I couldn't say anything.

For a long time, I remained silent. No words came to mind, and time simply passed as I failed to speak.

How much time had passed? I barely managed to pull myself together.

I couldn’t afford to let this slip away. I had to press him for answers, no matter what.

“...What do you mean?”

I held back the tremor in my voice and asked Noya.

“You’re saying that I was supposed to be Zhongyuan’s disaster?”

Zhongyuan’s disaster.

The first was the Blood Demon. The second was my mother.

And then—

‘The third one...’

I looked up at the sky. No, not at empty space, but in the direction where a certain woman had disappeared into the distance.

‘...Wasn’t it Cheonma?’

Cheonma.

The monster that had caused the bloodshed in Zhongyuan. The one who now existed near me.

I wasn’t certain whether she was a disaster or not. But if there was to be a disaster, «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» I had believed it would be Cheonma.

It was inevitable.

It was Cheonma who had caused the bloodshed, and I knew how many had died because of it.

Moreover—

‘Cheonma is related to the Blood Demon.’

Before coming to Mangye, I had learned that she had spoken with the Blood Demon.

If she was connected to the Blood Demon...

‘If there were to be a third disaster, I thought it would be Cheonma...’

But Noya’s words cracked that belief.

No, rather than a mere crack—

‘...They’re reinforcing another possibility.’

Grit—!

I clenched my teeth tightly.

Something else.

Something that had taken root deep inside me, slowly growing over time.

Contrary to my belief that Cheonma was the third disaster,

there was another person who fit the description.

Someone just as unusual as Cheonma.

Just as she was connected to the first disaster, the Blood Demon—

this person was deeply tied to the second disaster.

Someone who had defied time itself.

And in doing so, had become something no longer human.

That person was—

‘...Me.’

It was me.

‘You are the disaster.’

“......”

I would never forget the words Yeon Ilcheon had spoken to me in the archives of the Divine Dragon Pavilion.

‘Do you truly believe your regression was merely a miracle?’

Yeon Ilcheon, who had called me a disaster, had asked me that.

Was my regression truly a miracle?

At the time, I had wanted to retort—If not a miracle, then what else could it be?

Regression itself was nothing short of a miracle. That was what I had believed.

‘But now...’

Was it really?

The deeper this unsettling feeling grew, the harder it became to breathe.

The further I went,

the more time passed,

the more experiences I endured,

the more this suspicion took shape.

And now, it had reached its inevitable conclusion.

“...Brat.”

“Yes.”

“Judging by your expression, you already knew something, didn’t you?”

“Knew it? I even asked you about it before, didn’t I?”

I had asked Noya before— What if I were the disaster?

I must have already had my suspicions even back then.

I must have thought it was possible.

And yet, seeing it rise to the surface now, it felt like my insides were burning.

“Noya... Are you saying that I was meant to be the disaster of Zhongyuan?”

“It’s a possibility.”

“You say that, yet you seem to already know the answer.”

“......”

I recognized that look in his eyes.

Regret. And... burden.

Noya’s gaze carried those emotions clearly.

“...Brat.”

“Why is that the case? Explain it to me. I want to hear it.”

Suppressing my emotions with great effort, I spoke to Noya.

How had he come to such a conclusion?

When I asked him this, Noya let out a sigh before answering.

“This world does not repeat the same mistake. That’s where the problem lies.”

I listened intently. I wasn’t going to miss a single word.

“When the Blood Demon invaded Zhongyuan and was ultimately defeated, the world made a move against Zhongyuan. Do you remember what it was?”

“Yes.”

It had lowered the limit of how strong martial artists could become, blocking their path.

Because of that, Noya had once told me that the level of martial artists had dropped significantly compared to the time of the Blood Demon’s war.

“I thought that by doing so, the world was ensuring that people wouldn’t be able to stop the next disaster.”

“...And isn’t that exactly what happened?”

If he thought that, did it mean there was something else?

Noya shook his head at my words.

“I used to think that way. But looking at things now, I have my doubts. There are too many strange aspects.”

“What strange aspects?”

“Lowering the level of martial artists... If someone had the power to do that, and their goal was the complete destruction of life, don’t you think they were being far too merciful?”

His words made me frown. Merciful?

I didn’t understand, and I was about to ask again when—

“If complete annihilation was the goal, then why bother sending the Blood Demon or your mother?”

I was left speechless by his next words.

“If all they wanted was destruction, there was no need to go to such lengths.”

According to Noya—

Rather than bringing powerful beings from another realm,

it would have been far easier to simply erase everything. There was no reason to go through such complicated methods.

And on top of that—

“Even more puzzling is how they placed someone to oppose each disaster.”

“...To oppose?”

Did he mean those who had fought against the disasters?

If so, there were countless people who came to mind, but it didn’t seem like Noya was referring to them.

“For the Blood Demon, there was Yeon Ilcheon.”

“......”

The name of the man who was once the greatest in the world,

a man who, like me, had experienced regression,

slipped from Noya’s lips.

“Because of him, the disaster never came to pass, and the world regained its peace. Even if only for a time. But, brat... Doesn’t it make you wonder why the world simply allowed that to happen?”

Not only had Yeon Ilcheon regressed,

but he had successfully stopped the Blood Demon.

Noya was implying that the world had let that happen.

“...Are you saying they knew, yet did nothing?”

“There is no other way to explain it. I don’t know the full extent of what this world can do.”

Noya slowly rose from where he had been sitting.

“But one thing is clear—it continues to provide hope.”

As he spoke, Noya approached me, step by step.

“Not just Yeon Ilcheon. Look at your father.”

“...What?”

The sudden mention of my father threw me off.

Why was he bringing up my father now?

“Brat.”

“Yes.”

“What do you think of your father’s power?”

“......”

My father’s power...

“...I’m not sure.”

I showed my doubts but thought about it more deeply.

He must be strong. Incredibly so.

I hadn’t seen my father fight properly that many times.

But even from those few glimpses, I could tell.

Even comparing him to myself now—

‘...I don’t think I could win.’

I still couldn’t forget that moment.

When I went to the Northern Sea to exterminate the White-Rank Beasts.

The sight of my father demonstrating the pinnacle of Nine Flames Firewheel Art.

That moment had been burned into my mind endlessly.

And ever since I reached a breakthrough, I had been tirelessly trying to replicate it.

‘...Not that I ever succeeded.’

Maybe there was some other condition besides achieving Daeseong.

No matter how many times I attempted it, there was no sign of progress.

Just how strong was my father?

Even now, I couldn’t even begin to imagine winning a fight against him.

From that perspective—

“Your father,” Noya said,

“is someone who broke through the limits set by the world.”

“...!”

My eyes widened like lanterns.

He broke through the limits set by the world?

“To be precise, rather than breaking through... it would be more accurate to say that he was born without limits to begin with.”

“...Does that mean...”

The restrictions the world had placed on Zhongyuan’s martial artists didn’t apply to my father?

Could it be that—

‘That’s why he’s so strong?’

Was that the reason behind my father’s strength?

I felt like I had just uncovered a great truth, but—

“Ah, that’s separate from the matter. Leaving aside the absence of limits, his strength is extraordinarily unique.”

“...Ah, I see?”

“Honestly, if his body were still in good condition, I would’ve liked to fight him myself. There’s nothing more exciting than a battle where you have no chance of winning, is there?”

“......”

A battle with no chance of winning.

That meant Noya considered my father his equal—

or perhaps even someone stronger.

The problem was—

“How does that relate to what we were talking about?”

His strength was undeniable, but what did that have to do with this discussion?

That was what I needed to understand first.

At my question, Noya took a measured breath, just as he had before, and continued speaking.

“The irregularity of their strength... their circumstances... I don’t see either Yeon Ilcheon or your father’s power as mere miracles.”

It wasn’t a miracle.

The words Yeon Ilcheon had once spoken to me resurfaced in my mind, twisting my stomach.

“This is intent.”

“...Intent?”

“Yes. The Blood Demon had Yeon Ilcheon standing against him. Your mother had your father. That was the world’s intent.”

“Are you saying...?”

“When a disaster appears, so too does a corresponding opponent. That is what I see as the world’s intent.”

An adversary always emerged to counter a disaster.

That was what Noya’s words meant.

And by that logic—

“...You’re saying Yeon Ilcheon and my father were those adversaries?”

That seemed to be the conclusion from his reasoning, but the idea of an adversary itself felt strange.

‘A person who exists to stop a disaster?’

Was that what Yeon Ilcheon and my father had been?

Even as I found it odd—

‘...Is that why the disasters were stopped?’

Looking at the results, it seemed to be true.

They had been stopped, after all.

However—

“That was my initial belief, but now, I no longer think your mother or father were a disaster or an adversary.”

Noya suddenly denied the very words he had just spoken.

“That’s why I have doubts.”

“About what...?”

“The world does not repeat the same mistake. If it had, leaving aside whether an adversary was needed—why would it have sent your mother to carry out its will?”

Noya’s gaze turned to me.

“That’s why I thought—there must be a deeper reason behind all of this.”

As our eyes met, I almost took a step back without realizing it.

“Could it be that the world... did not foresee the failure of the disasters? Or, rather—did it know and still allow them to be sent?”

“......!”

“If it allowed them to be sent, then why? Could it be that your mother did not come to Zhongyuan as a disaster to bring about its destruction?”

My mother wasn’t meant to destroy Zhongyuan as a disaster?

“Isn’t that strange? Even if Mangye had two rulers, why would your mother need to personally act? If she had truly become a disaster and destroyed Zhongyuan, that would have made her the new ruler of this land.”

A disaster, in the end, meant that after all life was wiped out, a new ruler would be born from the ashes.

If my mother already ruled Mangye, then why did she need to come to Zhongyuan?

That was strange.

I had thought it was odd before, too.

“Hence,”

Noya continued, picking up that very thread of doubt.

“Perhaps she did not come here as a disaster at all.”

At the same time, his gaze sharpened ominously as he looked at me.

“Maybe it wasn’t about a disaster and an adversary at all.

Perhaps Mangye came here to create the next disaster.”

Those narrowed eyes—

his words—

they pierced straight through my chest.

“...And the disaster that was created... was me?”

The fact that my mother left Mangye and came to Zhongyuan.

That she met my father and gave birth to me.

That I, born from them, was now growing further and further away from being human.

Was all of this the world’s intent?

And beyond anything else—

‘Because I was meant to be Zhongyuan’s disaster?’

I clenched my fists. My heart pounded loudly, and my breath grew uneven.

The things I had been barely holding back were beginning to shake.

“...Brat.”

“Wait... just wait.”

I needed to calm down.

But it wasn’t easy.

The very things I never wanted to accept kept pushing up against my throat, choking me.

As if they were telling me not to deny them anymore.

Feeling that sensation tighten around me, I bit down on my lip.

“But...”

Just then, Noya continued speaking, as if his words weren’t finished yet.

“But when I saw how twisted your soul was, it made me reconsider some things.”

Twisted...?

No—

He wasn’t finished yet.

“Your soul wandered aimlessly, unable to settle in one place—that was clearly done by an external force. And the only person capable of doing such a thing... is your mother. There’s no way she wasn’t aware of what was happening.”

“......”

I slowly lifted my head.

“The Divine Tree and the god you saw—those were her doing as well.

But why would she deliberately scatter your soul, only to later piece it back together?”

At those words—

ironically—

I felt my breath begin to steady.

As if...

as if there was still an answer yet to be found.

********

As the conversation continued—

Deep within Mount Hua, beneath the Divine Tree, there lay a massive cavern.

And into that cavern, someone slowly stepped inside.

Step.

With composed, deliberate footsteps, the one who entered was none other than the woman Gu Yangcheon called Cheonma.

In the darkness, only her violet eyes seemed to float, glowing faintly as she moved.

She walked for a brief moment before coming to a stop.

Before her was a void of utter darkness—impenetrable, suffocating.

Yet, as if she could see something there, she whispered softly.

“Hello.”

Her quiet greeting echoed through the cavern, and only then did something within stir in response.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr—

A deep, guttural growl rumbled from the depths.

At the same time, a pair of crimson lights flickered in the darkness.

“Nice to see you.”

Cheonma raised a hand and waved toward the lights, a gesture of casual familiarity.

But there was something strange about her.

The usual indifference, the blank expression that rarely wavered—

It was nowhere to be seen.

Instead—

“I have a feeling we have something to discuss.”

A captivating smile curved her lips.