Chương 670: Witness of Eternity (5)

'First, first love?'

Am I hearing this wrong?

What kind of person tries so hard to throw their so-called first love into a world that's practically hell?

I recall how Oh Hye-seo once tried to throw us into the Blood Yin Realm along with Oh Hyun-seok, and I let out a hollow laugh in the Outer Sea.

"... First love... you say?"

Then, as Oh Hyun-seok's expression completely hardens, Oh Hye-seo laughs as if wondering why he's so serious.

"Loosen your expression. It doesn't matter anymore anyway. Even when I stupidly said I wanted to keep living together, you didn't even pretend to listen. A youngest father who didn't even acknowledge someone like me and just went abroad to study... I really don't care anymore."

"... I'm sorry. But back then..."

"Oh, I know, Uncle. A mere orphan from the orphanage your eldest brother ran wouldn't have meant anything to you, right? Even if I said I wanted to live together, it must have sounded like a child's nonsense. More than anything... seven years is just a breath's worth of time now, but back when we were mortals, that age gap was... pretty repulsive, right?"

"It wasn't repulsive. Even the male staff sticking to you at the time were mostly younger than you. Take Seo Eun-hyun, for example. There's a six year age gap."

"Six years you say? In actual age, it's more like four or five."

Oh Hye-seo grumbles a little, then gives a faint smile.

"More importantly... we don't really know Seo Eun-hyun's real age, do we? Did you know, Youngest Father Hyun-seok? Seo Eun-hyun... isn't from the Human Race. Yeon-ah, you're listening too, right? You're the one transmitting us from the Outer Sea after all. Listen closely... Seo Eun-hyun isn't human. He's a reptilian who's been wearing a human mask since Earth!"

"..."

At those words, Oh Hyun-seok looks at Oh Hye-seo with pity, Kim Yeon stifles a laugh at the sudden absurd mention of the Lizard Race, and I let out a sigh.

'If that's how we're going, then she herself is the one wearing a human mask while being non-human. Who's she to talk?'

Wo-woong!

I create a small information body beside Oh Hye-seo and speak.

"Whether I'm from the Lizard Race or not doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm still Seo Eun-hyun, and we're comrades. Whether human or not... we've all formed a connection together. That's enough. The real issue... is you, Oh Hye-seo."

I look into Oh Hye-seo's eyes and point out the deepest, most entrenched emotion in her heart right now.

"You're... planning to commit suicide if you fail to revive Seo Hweol, aren't you?"

At those words, Oh Hyun-seok is shocked again and shouts.

"Is that true, Hye-seo?"

"... Ah... Seriously... You have no sense of consideration, Seo Eun-hyun. Just dragging out someone's feelings like that..."

"Oh Hye-seo! Don't dodge the question, answer properly!"

"... Don't pretend to care, Hyun-seok Oppa. You're too dense to understand anyway, aren't you? As the youngest in the family, so far down the line of succession, you don't know anything about the family affairs. You grew up being spoiled and loved, only seeing and hearing the good things as the cute little youngest son... You know nothing."

"What do you mean I don't know anything!?"

"... Kuk... Kukuk... Kukukukuk... Ah... This is hilarious. What should I do? This is just too funny. I haven't had this much fun in a long time. To think you'd take such a deep interest in me..."

Oh Hye-seo giggles and buries her face in both hands.

"For someone to show such deep and persistent interest in me... it's feels like it's been a long time since Seo Hweol..."

I flinch, reading Oh Hye-seo's innermost thoughts.

Perhaps sensing that, Oh Hye-seo looks at me.

"... You read it."

"... Yeah."

"Are you going to say it?"

"If you keep your mouth shut till the end..."

"... Cruel. You're really cruel, Seo Eun-hyun... Digging up someone's secret like that and exposing it so carelessly..."

"Are you not the same? I heard you dug up everything about Hyun-seok Hyung-nim when you were still in the Oh Clan."

"... Fine. Since everything is going to be exposed because of Seo Eun-hyun anyway... I'll tell you. Hyun-seok Orabeoni. I'll tell you about the disgrace your Oh Clan has been hiding..."

Oh Hye-seo sneers and speaks.

"When we were little, the orphans from 'Cozy Home' always had their teeth counted. The physical information centered on our teeth was measured regularly, and that information always went up to 'Father'."

"So what about it?"

"Aren't you curious why they measured that kind of thing? You only need a health checkup once or twice a year. Why do you think they did it every single week?"

"..."

"Of course you wouldn't know. I understand. You're the youngest who only ever got affection, so you were never really involved in the family's core business. From what I found out, they were planning to open up the family secrets to you only after you earned a director position on your own... But, well, you came here before that happened..."

Oh Hye-seo's eyes are filled with exhilaration.

I read her inner heart and let out a silent sigh.

She wants to break Oh Hyun-seok.

She wants to show him the dirtiest secrets of his family and watch him scream in despair.

"Then I'll tell you, Hyun-seok Orabeoni. Listen closely. Your family, the Oh Clan, is a low-ranking member of a rather large secret organization. One that's connected to illicit organisations like the mafia, triads, and gangs.

"And... you all know about 'Special Additive Type 3' used in the soap that the Oh Family makes, right?"

We nod.

It's true our company's soaps contain not only standard ingredients but also several chemical additives developed by a department called the 'Special Materials Division'.

"Those special additives... are basically substances that alter people. When extremely diluted, they help with skin care and appearance, but in proper dosages, they have effects like 'delaying aging and extending lifespan.' Of course, even that's diluted to some extent. There are rumors in the Special Development Division that if someone were to consume the pure, undiluted concentrate, an adult could turn back into a child.

Obviously, with Earth's tech level, an adult actually turning into a child probably wouldn't happen."

"What...!?"

"Take Oh Ye-rin, who's related to Hyun-seok Orabeoni, and is married to Director Kim Young-hoon... Kim Young-hoon, who represents one branch of the Oh Clan... Didn't you ever think it was strange how healthy he always looked? Even at his age, he was obsessed with hiking, and he started balding unusually fast, too."

"..."

"Director Kim Young-hoon was constantly absorbing products heavily infused with special additives, like the 'soap with high additive concentration' that's given only to Oh Clan members. Oh Ye-rin was steadily administering it in a suitable way into his body. That's why he was way healthier than his age would suggest. The severe hair loss was just a side effect."

"...!"

I suddenly recall something that was definitely strange.

'In the Head Realm... Kim Young-hoon's lifespan was projected to last 50 to 60 years from the day he entered.'

And by that point, Kim Young-hoon was already in his fifties.

Considering that complete transformation doesn't affect lifespan, only vitality and appearance, it was strange.

'Meaning... Kim Young-hoon's lifespan was around 110 years. In other words, even if he hadn't entered the Head Realm and stayed on Earth, he still would've lived healthily up to 110...'

Given that my own original lifespan was around 80, Kim Young-hoon's was excessively long.

The level of medical care on Earth is high and people talk about living to 100 or even 200 years, but in the Head Realm where medical standards are low...

Even with martial arts, I did think living that long was strange.

'So from the beginning... from the moment he joined the soap company and was registered into the Oh Clan, that long lifespan was already planned?'

"And what about you, Hyun-seok Orabeoni? Or the entire Oh Clan? How many people on Earth can maintain that kind of physique and muscle mass at your age... and keep such monstrous stamina? Kukuk... And the workouts you all do are just a bit more intense than the average office worker's. So why are you all so healthy and full of energy?"

"..."

"All of it. It's because you were all unknowingly ingesting appropriate amounts of the 'Special Additive Type 3,' the compound that the Oh Clan was co-developing after receiving it from the secret organization."

Oh Hyun-seok's eyes begin to tremble.

"Wh-What in the world...? Father... Our family... has been hiding something like that?"

"Just hiding it? Kukuk... They've been actively developing it. And... what do you think it means for a family linked to illegal organizations like the Oh Clan to be involved in 'development'? Have you ever thought about it?"

Oh Hyun-seok's eyes tremble intensely, as if realizing something in her tone, and I too let out a silent sigh.

"The Cozy Home under the foundation of the Hall of Love. Every product, food, and item those children used contained substances related to Special Additive Type 3. It's no different from feeding children soap in their food..."

'How could they commit something so outrageous...? How could they do that to children...?'

I groan inwardly at the truth, and Oh Hyun-seok can only gape with his mouth wide open.

"Cozy Home is just a giant clinical testing facility. Of course, they only use drugs with weaker side effects to prevent mass casualties, but honestly, no one really knows what the results would be. And of course... a very small number of children are given stronger drugs for experimentation, too."

"... You... you're saying you were a test subject for one of those strong-side-effect drugs...?"

"Ahaha, not quite. I was born like this. The side effects I had were just things like getting blisters on my skin or catching scurvy often. Of course... because of you, I almost ended up taking one of the drugs with severe side effects."

"What...?"

"I just wanted to open up to Hyun-seok Orabeoni. Because you were the only one in the Oh Clan who knew nothing about its darker side. And... no matter what happened, I thought Hyun-seok Orabeoni was the only person who'd take my side. That's why I stopped investigating you and tried to tell you everything... but you told that to 'Father'."

Oh Hyun-seok's face contorts.

"That day... you told 'Father' without much thought, didn't you? Thinking a ten-year-old orphan digging into the personal information of the orphanage director's sibling was a sign of mental illness. You thought the orphanage director would kindly give me psychological treatment, right? Ahaha, our innocent and cruel Hyun-seok Orabeoni..."

Oh Hye-seo's face also distorts.

"After that... I got dragged into 'Father's Heart Room'... and was punished."

"P-Punished...? What kind of punishment!?"

"... Let's just say I got beaten. Beaten until I could barely stay conscious. Well... that part wasn't a problem. But after that, I got classified as a Special Monitoring Subject and they started discussing using me as a target for strong-side-effect drug testing. Of course... after getting beaten in the 'Heart Room,' I start pretending to be a little slow to weaken the surveillance. I always switched my food with the others' behind their backs, so I didn't suffer any side effects."

"..."

"The kid I regularly swapped meals with got sick and was eventually sent to the hospital. I don't know what happened after that. Probably died. Kukuk..."

Oh Hye-seo grins as she speaks.

"I liked you. Well... I only realized recently that it was 'love'. Back then, I just thought it was a special interest... but anyway, I liked you. Because you were the one who always helped and protected me at the orphanage. But... my first love, with such indifference, with just one careless, responsibility-free comment, almost got me killed."

Her laughter grows gradually louder.

Her face seems to brighten, but her heart begins to fill with darkness.

In that darkness, there may be a hint of exaggeration to break Oh Hyun-seok down, but there are no lies.

"After that, I decided to join the company run by the Oh Clan. I wanted to know what kind of family this was. What's behind this family? What's hidden in the world's shadows...? I was curious. Illuminati, Freemasons, or maybe reptilians... I thought there had to be something strange like that. So... I dug to know everything around me. Thanks to that, I know everything from your dental records to the condition of your teeth, Seo Eun-hyun. The physical state of everyone in our company...

aside from a few exceptions, I know it all."

"..."

"But I didn't expect a reptilian to perfectly disguise as a human and hide so discreetly. That was my mistake. I thought the idea that reptilians secretly rule humanity had less than a 0. 1% chance of being real... but I underestimated you all."

I feel taken aback that my company is such a place.

But Oh Hyun-seok looks like he's about to explode.

"My original plan, you see... was to use the talent I was born with... to take control of the company, crush the Oh family under my feet... and then kill myself. That was my plan on Earth. But after coming to this world, I start thinking there are just too many hidden truths. Of course, seeing True Immortals changed my mind a bit... and Seo Hweol comforted me.

"So... I decided to be with Seo Hweol. I barely even think about Hyun-seok Orabeoni anymore. Right now, Seo Hweol's body has vanished for a while, but his spirit still remains with me. I'll prepare for years, even hundreds of millions of years... and I'll definitely resurrect Seo Hweol."

She looks straight at Oh Hyun-seok and me as she speaks.

"You can't stop me now. For Seo Hweol... has shown me what true 'love' is. Neither the dull Hyun-seok Orabeoni, nor the reptilian Seo Eun-hyun... none of you can stop me. Because... I've inherited the way to wield 'love' from Seo Hweol."

Kaang!

Oh Hye-seo's spirit draws forth her Ender authority to the max to escape from the seal.

Truth Manipulation activates, and the very truth that she is caught begins to replicate endlessly.

For a brief moment, it feels as though countless parallel dimensions form.

Within the afterimages of those numerous parallel dimensions, countless versions of Oh Hye-seo simultaneously reach their hands toward Oh Hyun-seok.

At the same time, the Immortal Art Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens activates.

Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, now united with her authority, seems to take root in our minds.

But immediately after— Kwaduk!

As I exert my strength, all the authority she tries to wield gets sucked into my hand and is annihilated.

That is because the power I have accumulated is greater than both her Ender authority and the petty Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

"I forbid (不許) it. Do not dare to think of escape."

Even after witnessing me compress a universe, destroy it, and recreate it, the fact she still does not lose hope is, at the very least, commendable.

"But... your method is wrong. If it's you, you could easily slip past the restrictions of the Great Mountain Supreme Deity, and it doesn't even seem like the Great Mountain Supreme Deity is that intent on holding on to you... So why do you continue to live foolishly under their rule and use such wicked means?"

"... They said if I fulfilled their orders, they would bring Seo Hweol back to life. That's all."

It is then, Oh Hyun-seok opens his mouth with a darkened expression.

"Stop lying, Hye-seo."

"What?"

"From long ago... your lies were always obvious. Maybe you thought you fooled everyone else... but not me. I've always seen through your lies. You are lying right now."

"Ha! That's funny, Uncle. Youngest Father. Hyun-seok Orabeoni. You never cared about me in the first place, so how could you possibly see through my lies...?"

"Because even though I didn't care about you in a romantic way, I truly considered you family. You were... no different from my younger sister..."

"..."

"So... just be honest. Oh Hye-seo. Do you really believe that guy Seo Hweol can be brought back to life?"

Oh Hyun-seok's eyes are filled with a will I've never seen before.

No...

It's not the first time I've seen that look.

'Back in the Azure Heaven Creation Sect. It's the look he gave when he awakened me.'

"Was what you felt for me truly 'love'? And the feeling you have for that Seo Hweol guy, is that really 'love'!?"

At Oh Hyun-seok's fierce shout, the blood drains from Oh Hye-seo's face.

Watching it, I understand instantly.

I understand what kind of state she is in right now.

"Look into my eyes and answer clearly. Oh Hye-seo! Do you truly believe Seo Hweol can be revived!?"

"... I don't get why you're doing this."

But she smiles crookedly and stares at Oh Hyun-seok.

"I love Seo Hweol. You were my first love, and I definitely loved you back then. Where's the lie in that...?"

Kuuung!

Oh Hyun-seok rises and takes a step toward Oh Hye-seo.

Above a star within a star system.

On the rooftop of a skyscraper in a Human Race territory, Oh Hye-seo steps backward.

"Why are you doing this? Even if I did lie, it has nothing to do with all of you! Now, Seo Hweol isn't even a threat to any of you anymore! Seo Eun-hyun, you, you... could crush Seo Hweol along with the entire universe if he becomes a threat, so why are you acting like this? Even if Seo Hweol comes back, what does it matter to you now that you've reached the True Immortal Realm?"

Kuuung!

Oh Hyun-seok takes another step toward her with a hardened expression.

And the smile that fills her face begins to disappear.

"Don't come. Don't come! Why!!?? You didn't care before, you tried to throw me into a mental hospital without a second thought, so why are you trying to come to me now!? Why now!? I don't have any feelings for you anymore. That's the truth! I just, just need Seo Hweol!"

Kuuung!

Oh Hye-seo finally reaches the edge of the skyscraper, and Oh Hyun-seok stands right before her.

Kwaaak!

Oh Hyun-seok grabs her shoulder and looks down at her.

"... Back on Earth... I lost a daughter to miscarriage. And even the daughter I got after coming to Mount Sumeru... I left her behind on Penglai Island. There have been far too many children... I failed to protect with these hands..."

"..."

"Now, I want to protect. I might not be able to protect and lead everyone like Seo Eun-hyun... but at least my family! At least you, who is my family! I don't want to lose you!"

"Don't make me laugh! Why are you doing this to me!? I told you I don't care about you! I... I learned love from Seo Hweol. I received my heart from him. And I even learned how to control and observe my heart from him. I know myself better than anyone else!"

"I told you not to lie!!"

Oh Hyun-seok's grip on Oh Hye-seo's shoulder begins to tighten.

"Is there really nothing you want to let out to me!? Just moments ago, you exposed all the disgrace of the Oh Clan like that, and yet you've got nothing to say to me!? Are the feelings you hold for that Seo Hweol guy really nothing but love!?"

"Shut uuuuuuuuuup!!"

Chwararararak!

Oh Hye-seo's information body becomes stained with darkness.

She avoids facing Oh Hyun-seok, hides deep into the seal I created, and further seals herself within Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens.

"..."

"..."

Oh Hyun-seok and I stand in place, unable to do anything but watch the process.

"... Even with my power, I can't get Oh Hye-seo out..."

Through Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens, she locked her own soul away.

She completely closed the door to her heart, making it so that no being can interfere with her.

"... Do you still want to keep talking to Oh Hye-seo? Even after hearing something that shocking?"

"... I will keep talking to her."

But Oh Hyun-seok speaks with a hardened face.

"If I can, I want to talk to her again and again, over and over, until she finally spits out her true feelings."

"You mean you want her to reveal her true heart?"

"Yes. To Hye-seo, who doesn't even know if what's in her heart is really love or something else, and yet is walking into ruin with her own two feet... I want her to look back at her real heart."

"... Hyung-nim, are you alright?"

"I'm not alright. But..."

Oh Hyun-seok looks off somewhere with a stiff face.

"... I've already lost my family twice. I don't want to... lose my family again. Rather than knowing the truth about family... losing my family is what truly terrifies me more."

"..."

"You said she locked her soul away with Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens. If we can just undo that, then I'll be able to talk to her again, right?"

"That is correct, but... if she used Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens like this for self-protection, undoing it may be... incredibly difficult."

"Hm... What should I do...?"

Oh Hyun-seok ponders for a long while, and I watch him with a bitter smile.

"Let's try together with Kim Yeon, even if it takes hundreds of millions of years."

Tststststststss— With those words, I return my consciousness to the Outer Sea.

Wo-woooong!

In my hand is the jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements that imprisons Oh Hye-seo's main body, and Kim Yeon looks at me with a worried expression.

It seems she's worried about Oh Hyun-seok.

"... It's alright, Yeon-ah. Hyung-nim Hyun-seok won't break easily."

It's something only I, who once had my head burst apart by his roar, can say with certainty.

Even if it's Oh Hye-seo, someday she'll open her heart to Oh Hyun-seok.

However, Kim Yeon shakes her head at my words.

"... No way."

I look toward where her concerned gaze falls.

She... is worried about Oh Hye-seo.

"... You're worrying about her?"

"Mmm."

"Why? Oh Hye-seo is just... someone who tried to toy with us. If not for Hyun-seok Hyung-nim, I honestly would've gone and killed her long ago. So why are you bothering to worry about her?"

At that, Kim Yeon seems to hesitate for a moment.

Then after a moment, Kim Yeon uses Immortal Art to partially lift Bong Myeong's restriction, takes my hand, and begins writing letters on my palm.

"Hm...?"

As I read the letters, my eyes gradually widen.

"Wh-What...?"

—Inside Oh Hye-seo's body, a new life is growing.

I look at Kim Yeon with a dazed expression as if I've just been hit, and she gives a bitter smile as she writes a few more characters on my palm.

—Through my authority, I sensed it. Deep within her body... a new life is sprouting. And what is certain is... it is the result of sharing hearts with that being called Seo Hweol. So... even if it's not for Oh Hye-seo herself, at least for that life... please worry for her.

"..."

I frown, trying to sense this 'new life' that couldn't be known in the future and isn't even caught by Indra's Net.

'Kim Yeon isn't even lying. That means she really discovered something through her authority... Wait...'

Suddenly, I recall the slight changes in Oh Hye-seo's attitude I'd seen in the future.

'That subtle detachment in her demeanor... the way she gave up on saving Seo Hweol and chose to end her own life... those weren't just due to the passing of time... Maybe...'

If that's true, then this isn't just about Oh Hye-seo alone.

"... Alright, Yeon-ah. I believe you. In that case..."

—Be a little more delicate. Don't try to forcefully break open the door to her heart. Try approaching a bit more gently.

"... Gently. Gently, huh...?"

But I can't help but feel a little flustered.

Just how am I supposed to gently unravel Oh Hye-seo's Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens?

It's when I'm pondering this.

[You're not delicate at all. If you can't even approach a female gently, can you really call yourself a male?]

"... Huh?"

"...!"

Kim Yeon and I flinch in surprise and widen our eyes, and can't help but be shocked at the figure that suddenly appears in the Outer Sea.

"G-G-Glass Peacock!! How!?"

That's right.

The one who suddenly popped out of the void before our eyes is none other than Glass Peacock.

[It's nothing special. This girl was harboring a strong reproductive urge toward you, so I mixed a strand of Glass Avidyā Advancement Light into a split soul and rode that desire to send a split soul along.] Glass Peacock transforms into the appearance of a Human Race woman, wearing a smug expression.

[Of course, it was a risky gamble. I don't even know anything about the spell of Celestial Lord Incense Burning, and this split soul is at most at the level of a spirit leftover. If it can't absorb lust from the surroundings, it can't take form, and even if it does absorb enough to take shape, it still wouldn't be able to act unless it connects at least once with the main body in Mount Sumeru. In other words, you could say I was 'lucky'. Though, getting that luck to happen is all my skill.]

"..."

I stare at Glass Peacock's clone for a moment, then reach out my hand.

Since it's only a clone, I might as well crush it.

[Wait, hold on. I have a proposal.]

"... If it's something like mating with you..."

[No, it's not that. Although, if you did, I would certainly be happy... but right now, I want something even more enticing.] The clone of Glass Peacock licks their lips and points at the jade of Yin-Yang and Five Elements in my hand.

[I want the Great Mountain Holy Mother. I truly want to heal her. You all want to undo the Immortal Art she's wrapped herself in too, right? I'll help you. After all, I'm the one who gave birth to the 'Owner of Liberation' as my descendant. Moreover, the Immortal Dao I walk is the Dao of Addiction. More precisely, the Dao of 'Wandering'. With me, I can directly negate that Immortal Art called Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens and unravel the mental labyrinth of the Great Mountain Holy Mother Oh Hye-seo without hurting her!] At Glass Peacock's words, Kim Yeon and I glance at each other.

Somehow...

It sounds plausible.

[And you say she's bearing new life? Hahaha! Even better. I will bless it to ensure that life is properly born. So how about it? Join hands with me. Let me 'save' the Great Mountain Holy Mother Oh Hye-seo!] Glass Peacock licks their lips and, with a half-mad expression, extends their hand to me and Kim Yeon.

And so, we take Glass Peacock's hand and begin the long process of dismantling the Tainted Soul Filling the Heavens that Oh Hye-seo used to seal away her own mind.