Chapter 295: The Tale of the Heavenly Demon (2)

Solomon processed the tragic revelation, piecing the historical timeline together. "According to the official history of the Eastern Realms, an angel descended from the heavens specifically to kill the Heavenly Demon. But since your rampage was entirely unintentional, and you were sealed away by your own people, did an angel actually ever descend there? Or is everything just a fake tale?"

The Heavenly Demon nodded slowly. "The angel did indeed descend. He was the one who personally suggested the method of killing me by sealing me inside the indestructible chamber. He provided the divine blueprints for the vault. So, the historical tale is not entirely fake. The angel did, technically, orchestrate my execution."

Solomon looked down at the grass. "I apologize for my earlier remark. When you criticized me for not evacuating the district instead of fighting the boss, I did not realize you were speaking from personal experience. Since the citizens of the Azure Kingdom were saved by evacuating and abandoning the territory, I understand why you suggested the same tactic for District Six."

The Heavenly Demon offered a small, understanding nod. "Perhaps times have changed. I was likely being far too optimistic about the current era’s willingness to abandon their homes."

A comfortable silence settled over the green plains for a while.

"I think I understand everything now," Solomon finally said, crossing his arms. "You never actually wanted to become a monster, and you were simply branded with the title of the Heavenly Demon because of a tragic biological curse. So why exactly are the modern evil sects trying so desperately to revive you? Are they actually trying to bring you back from the dead?"

The Heavenly Demon scoffed softly. "A dead person cannot come back to life, except through the twisted manipulation of the dark arts. So perhaps the evil sects are genuinely trying to revive my corpse, but it will not work. I do not understand their motives."

He chuckled. "They might simply be misunderstanding the true nature of the ’Heavenly Demon’ title, believing me to be a conqueror rather than a cursed prisoner. Or, they are just using my legend for their own political gain, planning something far more dangerous under the guise of a resurrection ritual."

He turned his red eyes toward the rushing river. "Either way, I have absolutely nothing to do with their pathetic cults. If they somehow manage to revive my physical form—which again, should be biologically impossible—then I will simply obliterate those sects myself, and then wait patiently for someone strong enough to come and kill me again."

Solomon looked up at the golden sky, then turned around to face the crystal-clear river. "You must have lived an tragic life, and met an even more tragic end. Now I completely understand why you wrote so passionately about wanting warmth and a simple embrace in your diary, since you could never physically have it."

The Heavenly Demon raised a sharp brow, his expression twisting in sudden confusion. "What diary?"

Solomon gestured vaguely. "The thick leather diary I found resting on your lap in the secret chamber. I read the opening poem about woe and sorrow, but the rest of the pages were completely blank. Are those blank pages hidden by some kind of spiritual illusion? How do I uncover the rest of the text?"

The Heavenly Demon let out a loud, deeply annoyed, and frustrated sigh. "That was not my diary. I did not write anything like that."

"But it explicitly stated on the very first page that it was the ’Property of the Heavenly Demon’," Solomon pointed out, defending his assumption.

The Heavenly Demon’s annoyance escalated into a scowl. "Just because something is written in a book does not mean it actually belongs to me, or that I endorsed it!"

"The physical evidence suggests otherwise," Solomon argued logically. "The chamber was divinely sealed specifically so no one could ever enter. Once the doors were locked, they were never opened again. If someone had opened them later, they would have stolen the crown. But the crown was still there, which proves the vault remained sealed until I arrived. That means whatever was inside the chamber was placed there before the doors locked. Which includes the diary resting directly on your lap."

The Heavenly Demon frowned deeply, his eyes darting away as if recalling a painful memory. "It was a parting gift. It was given to me by the woman I loved dearly... and the very same woman who absolutely hated me in return."

Solomon was surprised by the romantic revelation. "So even the Heavenly Demon had a lover. I just assumed you were being poetic earlier when you mentioned something about holding a flower."

"I am correcting you right now," the Heavenly Demon stated firmly. "She was not my lover. I loved her, but the affection was entirely one-sided. We could not be together."

Solomon nodded sympathetically. "That is obvious, considering your cursed condition. You would have killed her if you touched her."

The Heavenly Demon shook his head, a bitter edge creeping into his voice. "It was not because of my condition. My curse did not affect her at all. She was the only living being in the entire realm who remained completely immune to the ’Devour’ talent."

He paused for a long second, a deadly, distant smile touching his lips. "Perhaps that was the reason why I wanted her so desperately. Maybe it was not actually love at all, but simply the desperate, selfish need to finally be near someone without killing them. And maybe she knew that..."

Solomon quickly raised both of his hands in surrender, taking a step back. "I will not comment on anything when it comes to love. It makes people incredibly stupid, and it forces them to do incredibly stupid things."

It seemed like the Heavenly Demon wanted to argue or say something else to defend his past, but he clamped his mouth shut. He turned his attention back to Solomon. "Shouldn’t you be leaving now?"

Solomon scratched the back of his head and offered a sheepish grin. "I honestly do not know how to enter or leave my inner world. I just let it happen naturally whenever I get knocked unconscious."

"Let me help you with that," the Heavenly Demon muttered darkly.

Before Solomon could even ask what he meant, the Heavenly Demon spun around and drove a punch directly into Solomon’s face.

The shockwave shattered the mental projection, jolting Solomon violently in the real world.

He had expected himself to be buried under the mountain with the rubles crushing him down, but instead, he was lying on the soft bed.