Chapter 51 : Emergency Gate (5)

Having gone to attack the state of Chu, I met Seolhyang on the way back and heard the story.

“…The state of Zhao, fell to the Heavenly Demon.”

Heavenly Demon. ‘Cheonma’.

*(TL Note: Cheonma (天魔) / Tian Mo, literally “Heavenly Demon,” is a recurring antagonist archetype in Korean/Chinese martial arts fiction, often the leader of a demonic sect.)*

This was unexpected.

Originally, Qin Shi Huang should have appeared.
It seems a variable interfered, twisting the outcome.

Well. It wasn’t surprising.
Wasn’t it just yesterday I received the news that the number of Gates wasn’t increasing?

It meant Hell’s invasion had begun; it would be stranger if there were no demonic schemes in a place like this.

Perhaps finding my lack of surprise odd, Seolhyang asked me with an anxious look, still tightly gripping her sword that flowed with sharpness.

“What? Agathe. Do you know something?”

I tilted my head slightly sideways.

“Perhaps. I didn’t expect it, but I have a rough idea.”

The time had come to tell Seolhyang to some extent.

*Gurgle.*

I poured water from the water bottle into a container and dissolved the soap I had brought.

“…What are you doing?”

Seolhyang looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“Wait a moment.”

I swished my hand, creating soap bubbles.
A large soap bubble formed, and beside it, smaller bubbling bubbles formed an oily film.

Pointing to the largest soap bubble, I said.

“Seolhyang. As you know. Our current world is like these soap bubbles. Here… The largest soap bubble is Earth, and countless otherworlds cling beside it.”

She frowned and replied.

“I know. How many years have I worked as a Hunter, how could I not know? Besides, didn’t I teach you about Gates last time?”

Hmph. Brat.

I lightly ignored Seolhyang’s intellectual vanity and continued the explanation.

“If this water represents all the available mana in the world… Humanity’s collective unconscious is merely this thin soap film.”

Using my finger, I pressed deeply into the soap bubble.
The bubble pushed against another, its surface distorting, revealing the taut film.

*Ping.*

The soap bubble popped lightly.

“This is a Gate. The thin film momentarily created when two soap bubbles touch.”

In reality, it’s slightly different.
Soap bubbles can’t connect, but Gates connect two otherworlds to some extent, allowing their colors to mix.

“I told you I already know all this.”

*Swoosh.*

Instantaneously, I released mana from my fingertips, mixing the soapy water.
The bubble I had just called Earth floated into the air, and a new spherical soap bubble appeared, enveloping it on all sides.

Naturally. The small bubbles initially bubbling beside the large bubble all popped or became part of the large bubble.

“And this. Is Hell.”

An otherworld enveloping the entire Earth.
Thus consuming all other Gates, a colossal evil connected directly only to Earth.

“…”

“The invasion has already begun. Seolhyang.”

No longer.
Could this place be easily called the A-rank Gate ‘Chunqiu Zhanguo’.

Humanity’s collective unconscious determines the appearance inside the Gate.
And… currently, Hell is clearly a world on par with Earth.
If so. Conversely, Hell’s subconscious can also be reflected in other Gates.

“Heavenly Demon. Originally derived from Buddhism’s Mara Papiyas. Though the feeling is a bit different these days.”
*(TL Note: Mara Papiyas is a demon king in Buddhism who tempted Siddhartha Gautama.)*

Just as Seolhyang’s martial sect, Wudang, had a history differing from actual history, and learned Tai Chi Sword and Tai Chi Quan which weren’t originally from Wudang.

The Heavenly Demon too must have diverged from its original meaning.

Seolhyang slowly nodded her head.

“Right. There was a Heavenly Demon in my homeland too, but it was a title for the supreme leader of the Demonic Cult. I heard he disappeared somewhere… I didn’t expect him to have fled to a place like this.”

“Probably not. Based on… my own experiences.”

Zamiel. That hateful demon I made a contract with.

That demon was originally born in Hell.
So the Heavenly Demon too, must have originally been a being of Hell.

“Not fled. But had a separate main base originally?”

I affirmed those words.

It was highly probable he was just coincidentally causing trouble somewhere similar to Seolhyang’s Central Plains and got caught.

While operating under the guise of someone else, befitting the title Heavenly Demon.

“Yes. Someone like Qin Shi Huang is certainly worthy of being called Heavenly Demon. Since he supposedly had a personality obsessed with immortality elixirs and superstitions, there’s plausibility too.”

If, martial arts existed on Earth in the past.
And if Qin Shi Huang could learn those martial arts, he surely would have lived obsessed with martial arts.

He was a man who went mad in his later years due to mercury poisoning from consuming mercury, a completely harmful heavy metal, like some elixir.
If martial arts and elixirs actually existed, he would have been even more obsessed.

Claiming superiority over the mythical Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, he called himself Emperor.

Such an arrogant human, if engrossed in demonic arts, it’s not unreasonable to call himself Heavenly Demon… That kind of feeling.

Then the problem now is… whether the people here can use martial arts…

“Seolhyang. Draw out some sword aura for a moment.”

She grumbled briefly but didn’t refuse.
Resplendent starlight gathered at the tip of her sword.

Watching the sword aura emanating from Seolhyang’s sword, I calmly observed its Ki.

.
.
.

It didn’t seem particularly impossible for me.

***

A strange energy tingled in my hand.
Slightly similar to mana, yet different.

Should I say it feels slightly more refreshing and whitish? Anyway, something’s different.

…Is this Ki?

“Ooh! Agathe, you can do it? How is it? Is it a type of power I can learn?”

Caspar asks, his eyes sparkling for a change.

‘As if I owed him something.’
But it was an old habit, couldn’t be helped.

From when Caspar was barely five until now, Caspar’s teacher had always been me.

Perhaps because of that, Caspar never hesitated to learn something from me.
Sometimes bowing his head, sometimes learning stubbornly through sideways glances, sometimes… threatening me.

Pouting, I poked his arm with my finger.

“Yes. It seems so.”

Tch.

“…Why?”

He looks clueless.

Haa. Do I have to spell out even this?

“Just. Thinking you don’t understand a woman’s heart well.”

‘Even when I braced myself with embarrassment and wore the magic girl outfit, or even when I wore the revealing maid outfit, I never received such a gaze.’

Ah. Of course, I received gazes filled with love and lust.
But still… seeing these sparkling eyes after so long.

Filled with curiosity and wonder, a hint of admiration… Eyes looking up at me.

Though I currently resign myself to being Caspar’s female, my pride hasn’t gone anywhere.
Rather, when it comes to Caspar, the desire for acknowledgment is even greater.

Because. Now, acknowledgment from anyone other than Caspar holds no value to me.

That’s why his words inevitably carry more weight.

“…Well. Not learning martial arts from Seolhyang, I appreciate that. Thinking of my petty jealousy…”

“What. I’m your man. It’s only natural.”

As if it’s obvious.
Seeing Caspar say that made my heart pound uncontrollably.
His smiling face was lovely beyond measure.

…Ah.

Indeed. It’s nice.

This newfound happiness is welcome.
I resolved once again.

To protect the happy. So very happy, daily life with my lover.

***

Clack.

I loaded the gun.

The gun containing the Magic Bullets felt heavy.
Countless blood and souls must have died by this gun.

I find myself needlessly caressing my belly.
Wondering if it’s okay for a mother’s body to touch such a heinous weapon.

But. Ultimately, that too is my karma.

To protect peace, one must prepare for war.
I couldn’t just stay beside Caspar forever with my eyes closed and ears covered.

“…Your Majesty. Please issue the command.”

Kneeling on one knee, I prostrated myself before Caspar.
Beyond me, people forming a crude yet nation-like shape stood in formation.

To us, it’s a kind of short skit.
But to those people below the platform, it must be a historical moment.

Harboring such strange feelings, I felt Caspar’s sword touch my shoulder heavily.
At the cool sensation, a self-destructive urge to suddenly turn my head sharply and be beheaded by Caspar’s sword arose.

“March forth. Bring me victory.”

Though he put on a solemn appearance, I could read the child-like excitement within Caspar.

A small laugh almost burst out.
Well. Caspar is much younger than me.

Well… Still, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s my husband and master.

I lifted my head slightly and kissed the back of his rough hand.
A traditional pledge of loyalty.

An expression of serving Caspar as liege, not out of affection.

Turning my head, walking out slowly, I arrogantly surveyed the assembled soldiers and shouted in a resounding voice.

“Now! It is time to unify the world. Soldiers.”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Drums beat. Dust rises. Birds startle and take flight, shouts and cheers cover the sky.

“Waaaaah!!”

Though soldiers gathered merely for appearance, the number assembled here already exceeded several thousand.
Indeed, it could be called the Central Plains.

“Entire army! Advance!!”

Thus. The final war of the Chunqiu Zhanguo began.

***

“…Agathe. Earlier. Was a bit much.”

Even while racing through the sky, I bowed my head and apologized to Caspar.

“Sorry……”

Hmm. Honestly.

When kissing his hand earlier, I did lick it a little.

Well, could it be helped?
If you let a person starved for three days smell meat, anyone would act like me.

Not that I meant I wouldn’t have relations.
But the impulse I felt was comparable to that.

“Hooo… Right. It happens. Anyway, will they be okay?”

My kind husband seemed worried about the soldiers left behind.
I smiled and reassured Caspar.

“They’ll be fine. Anyway, they weren’t really combat power, just soldiers gathered to fit the scenario, right? Seolhyang is there too.”

The condition to raid this Gate is, for now, unifying the Central Plains.
Though slightly altered by the Heavenly Demon entering from outside, the fundamental nature cannot change entirely.

And. Usually, just a small number of people taking the king’s head isn’t called unification.

Assassination or anarchism, at best maybe heroes subjugating a demon king.
Ultimately, it means having soldiers under command is necessary.

“…Right. Since Seolhyang is there, it should be okay.”

With those words, Caspar fell silent.

.
.

Whoosh. Whooosh…

The sound of wind parting is heard.
We were flying high above the sky.

What was different from before.
Was that now Caspar could also step on the air.

“Nice. Agathe, thanks for teaching me. Seems like I’m always just receiving.”

He looked incredibly refreshed.
As if immensely happy to escape being grounded.
He must have felt ashamed being carried like luggage, dependent on a mere girl.

‘As his wife, I should have prepared this beforehand. I felt slightly sorry.’

“…Mmm. Then… Perhaps, want to do it while we fly?”

‘Doing it mid-air seems like it would have a special flavor. Isn’t it an upgraded version of doing it on horseback?’

“That’s. Uh… My Air Step proficiency is a bit lacking. So. It’s a bit awkward.”

‘Considering that, you’re flying quite well though.’

‘Disappointing.’