Chapter 331: Chapter 332: The Apostle (3)

A new ruler could only emerge once all existing life in the world are destroyed?

The World Tree’s response left me with a pounding headache.

…What kind of bullshit rule is that..?’

The world I lived in needed a new ruler, as it had none at the moment.

But for that to happen, every living creature would have to be erased.

“And who the hell came up with this rule?”

What kind of lunatic would create a rule like this?

It was absurd.

[ It wasn’t a rule made by someone. That is just how the world works. ]

I exhaled a heavy, frustrated sigh.

That’s just how it works?

“That’s ridiculous.”

If these were the rules, it meant every living creature would vanish the moment the world sought a new ruler.

You want me to believe such a thing?

It truly was unbelievable.

It wasn’t something I’ve ever heard in my life, and it was too absurd.

“I have never heard of a ruler, and my world has functioned perfectly fine without one.”

The tree claimed no new life could be born without a ruler, but that wasn’t true for my world.

“If what you said isn’t a lie, then perhaps there is a ruler in my world, one you’re unaware of?”

If a ruler connected all life in the world, did that make them akin to a god?

Was that the mysterious God that Shaolin and Wudang Sects served?

I had no idea.

The concept was too absurd; it felt like I’d need ages to wrap my head around it.

It wasn’t easy to believe at all.

[ Apostle. ]

The World Tree called me, but its words barely reached my ears.

[ A world that breaks out of its rules, is called a crack. ]

“Crack?”

[ That’s right. Since the principles of your world have shattered, it now faces abnormalities. ]

“…Just what is that crack you are referring to- “

Oh.

Something struck me just as I was about to speak.

A world with its principles broken is called a crack, and if I had to think of one thing that fit that description…

Perhaps,

“…The Gate of Demons?”

A strange crack that opens midair, unleashing hordes of Demons.

Very long ago, it was said that the ancestors of Gu Clan caused the start of the calamity.

If that was what shattered the principles of my world,

Perhaps…?

No way.

It had to be that way.

The existence of a ruler, the absence of it, and the fact that the principles of my world had been broken.

What if that was caused by the Gate of Demons?

…You are telling me that my ancestors, of all people, were responsible for all the problems in the world?

If the Gate of Demons was the crack the World Tree spoke of, it made sense why the Gu Clan had to atone for the sins of their ancestors.

Wait, could I even call it a sin?

Looking at it differently, a world without a ruler couldn’t birth new life. But the Gu Clan’s act of opening the Gate of Demons allowed life to continue cycling. Maybe they had done some good afte— ȒåＮ𝘰ВƐ𐌔

Maybe not…

I tried to think of it in a good way, but I shook my head at my realization.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t justify the Gu Clan’s decision to unleash the Gate of Demons upon the world.

It would’ve been a different story if my ancestors tried to destroy the world’s rules instead.

But since that wasn’t the case, their actions had left behind a legacy of sin that still lingered, making it impossible to justify.

Right now, I needed to focus on what the World Tree had told me and get to the bottom of it.

“Fine. Let’s assume these rules and cracks are real.”

Even though I couldn’t fully grasp it, I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Then I asked.

“Where is the ruler of my world, then?”

If every world required a ruler, where was the ruler of the Central Plains?

That was the place I needed to start searching.

After all, everything had fallen apart because of the ruler’s absence.

[ … ]

The World Tree remained silent at my question.

Did it not know the answer?

Or perhaps a world without a ruler was possible after all.

Surely that’s possible.

[ There is no such thing as a world without a ruler. ]

“Be honest, you can read my mind, right?”

[ The world despises the act of breaking its principles. ]

The World Tree ignored my question and continued speaking.

[ Because of that, it tries hard to put it back to normal. ]

“Are you saying the world tries to bring in a new ruler to fix things?”

[ Correct. Where there is a world filled with life, there must also be a ruler. ]

“…And for that to happen, all current lives must be erased?”

[ That is indeed what must be done for a new ruler to be placed. ]

“A bunch of bullshit, seriously.”

Just what were those rules exactly?

Just thinking about them made my head throb.

“So what’s the plan? How do they stop new lives from being born? How are they going to erase it? Are they going to rain down flames from the sky or something?”

If the ruler’s death meant all life would be erased, then the crack in my world must be what was stopping that.

Just what can the world do to bring a new ruler into it?

The World Tree’s voice turned cold for some reason as it answered my question.

[ When the world’s flow is distorted, it strives to reset it to its original state. ]

“How.”

[ It’s simple. If lives are being maintained in the world, then they simply need to be artificially erased. ]

“…Artificially erased?”

I frowned at the World Tree’s words, feeling a strange pressure in my chest.n.

“…That’s…”

[ When the world defies its principles due to a crack, it summons a delegate. ]

Delegate.

An existence that was capable of putting the flow of the world back into its original state.

If new lives were being born despite the rules, and a new ruler couldn’t emerge, the solution was brutally simple: erase all life.

“And when does such a thing start happening?”

The idea of wiping out all life was too violent, too unbelievable.

If the World Tree was telling the truth, this was no trivial matter.

Did something like that happen in my past life?

From what I remembered… nothing like that had ever happened.

Then does that mean it’s not going to happen any time soon?

Just as that thought crossed my mind,

[ …The world isn’t as patient as you think. ]

The World Tree’s words cut through my assumptions.

“What do you…”

[ When a crack forms and the rules are broken, the world acts to repair it immediately. ]

To follow its principles.

“But,”

No matter how much I thought about it,

[ Do you really think nothing like that happened? Apostle. ]

“Something like that…”

Wiping out all life in the Central Plains to restore the world’s balance.

Such an act couldn’t occur naturally, so a being was summoned to carry it out.

It happened around the same time the Gate of Demons appeared, and that calamity began.

“…That’s seriously fucked up.”

I accidentally cursed out loud.

A nervous chill ran down my spine as one certainty settled in my mind.

I remembered.

I remembered what had happened, just as the World Tree described.

The world was impatient.

Which meant something had to have happened in the past.

It was impossible to say that there wasn’t anything that happened, since there definitely was one thing.

And that very thing was,

“…The Blood Demon War.”

Cold sweat trickled down my cheek as the words left my mouth.

A few centuries ago, it was around the time when it hasn’t been that long ever since the Gate of Demons started appearing, and the key organization of the Orthodox Faction, the Murim Alliance didn’t exist yet.

People battled the Demons pouring out from the Gates, desperately trying to restore peace to the world.

But then, an event unleashed a bloody storm upon the world, as if peace itself was forbidden.

This event marked the first recorded calamity in history.

That was none other than the appearance of the Blood Demon.

“…Then the Blood Demon was the delegate?”

Was the Blood Demon sent as the delegate to erase all life?

Yeon Il-Cheon said it to me before, that the world was supposed to come to an end.

And it was the Blood Demon who was destined to bring about that end.

The heroes of the past succeeded in sealing the Blood Demon, but I was told that the calamity didn’t come to an end, and I was a calamity myself.

[ Apostle. ]

I shot up from the tree root the moment the World Tree called me.

[ You seemed to have realized something. ]

“…Why are you calling me an apostle?”

[ Apostle… ]

If the Blood Demon was a calamity, and the calamity hadn’t ended, it was only natural to assume the Heavenly Demon was one as well.

This was obvious.

In my past life, it was the Heavenly Demon who unleashed calamity upon the world.

Its overwhelming strength and presence were so immense that it was hard to believe the Heavenly Demon was even human.

There wasn’t any existence in the world who was more suited as a calamity, than the Heavenly Demon.

Even if the Heavenly Demon was killed by the Celestial Sword, its existence was more than enough for it to be called a calamity.

However,

“What do you want from me?”

Then what was my purpose?

[ Apostle. ]

“What is it that you want from me?”

The existence in front of me was a ruler of another world, so why tell me all of this, give me a mark, and call me an apostle?

“Are you… are you asking me to become the calamity?”

The Blood Demon was sealed by the heroes of the past.

That was the end of the first calamity.

Yeon Il-Cheon said this though, that the world wouldn’t make the same mistake twice, that there was a reason for my regression, and that I was a calamity.

[ You seem to be mistaken. ]

“Mistaken? No matter how I look at it, this isn’t a mistake.”

Don’t play with me.

Do you know how hard I fought to live a different life after my miraculous regression?

I saved those who had died for me and tried to live differently from my past life.

But if all of this was orchestrated to destroy the world I fought for,

“…I.”

If that were the case, it might be better for me to die here and now.

[ Apostle. ]

“I said, stop calling me that—!”

[ Long ago, there was a child just like you. ]

I froze mid-shout as the World Tree’s words hit me.

For some reason, the anger burning inside me began to soften.

Why?

[ That child coughed up blood in despair after learning the truth. ]

“…What are you going on about now?”

I had no interest in hearing some ancient story right now.

I wanted to shut the tree up, but for some reason, the words wouldn’t come.

[ They cried ever so sadly. But this incompetent tree couldn’t even hug its own child. ]

“Child?”

Trees can bear children?

I couldn’t help but wonder about such a thing.

[ Every living creature is, in essence, a child of the ruler. ]

“…”

If new lives can only be born thanks to the presence of a ruler, then I suppose a living creature is a child to a ruler.

[ Did you know about that, apostle? ]

“How would I know when you’ve never told me.”

[ Your world doesn’t lack a ruler. ]

The Central Plains used to have a ruler?

Does that mean the Blood Demon appeared to restore order, since the Gate of Demons opened during the ruler’s absence?

“…So, are you telling me the ruler went somewhere else?”

If that’s true, where did the ruler of my world disappear to?

[ Great number of things are needed for one to travel through time. ]

The tree said this earlier as well.

[ And it is impossible for a single person to hold all of those burdens. ]

“Impossible?”

Then what about me?

[ A human cannot carry it, endure it, or even wish for it. Even greater beings cannot contain it. That’s the nature of time. ]

“What are you saying all of a sudden- “

[ It’s not that your world didn’t have a ruler, instead it was erased. ]

My eyes widened at the World Tree’s words.

[ The ruler of your world altered the fate of a single human and was erased to atone for that sin. That’s why you’ve never known about the ruler’s existence. ]

“…What do you mean? Are you saying the ruler of my world resurrected someone—”

Huh?

I stopped mid-sentence and looked up at the World Tree.

The existence that used to be a ruler, bringing a single human back into life.

I knew about a different regressor other than me, in the world without a ruler.

How could I forget?

That regressor was the one who stopped the Blood Demon and sealed it away.

But why was the World Tree bringing this up all of a sudden?

“You…”

[ Apostle, do you believe I gave you the mark to use you as a tool for calamity? ]

Just like the first time, the World Tree’s voice held great sadness.

[ Every living creature is a child of its ruler… How could I ever do such a thing? ]

It sounded as if the tree was crying.

Its barren roots and leafless branches seemed filled with longing.

[ Do you know, apostle? ]

The World Tree spoke to me with a sad tone.

[ The mark of a ruler… ]

I felt like I knew now.

The World Tree in front of me,

[ Cannot be given to anyone other than its own children. ]

Was the ruler of the world I lived in.