Thousand Demons, Thousand Crimson Lotuses

Why would such a creature be here?

The answer was simple.

The nearby area had become entangled in the occurrence of dimensional portals.

I understood why Ayu had pulled me away from the window. If I had been peeking out, I would have become an immediate target.

"Dimensional portal occurrences in urban areas are rare. Why all of a sudden?"

As Ayu muttered with a furrowed brow, I realized that the dimensional gate had moved away from us. I stood up.

"It happens occasionally. In cases where dimensional intersections occur suddenly, like now, it can happen without any warning sound."

I glanced at my phone, but there was no emergency alert. This meant one thing.

"A returnee has crossed over."

Dimensional intersection caused by a returnee. A returnee refers to someone who, having been involved in dimensional travel on Earth, returns from another dimension.

The problem is that, while it's fine if only they return, most returnees trigger dimensional intersections, bringing dimensional beings from the other side to Earth.

Dimensional portals created by ordinary intruders have to go through a process to assess Earth before they can intrude. During this process, they are detected by Earth's created dimensional radar network, and the people in charge of coordinates evacuate, and hunters are normally deployed.

However, returnees do not require such measurement processes. They were born on Earth, so they know Earth, and they can cross over to Earth without the need for measurement processes.

Therefore, when a returnee crosses over and a sudden dimensional intersection occurs, there is little that can be done in terms of immediate response.

Dimensional researchers are conducting various studies, but they have not yet found a way to predict dimensional intersections that occur when returnees come back.

Because of this, returnees are rejected on Earth.

The casualties caused by dimensional intersections resulting from them can range from tens of thousands to hundreds of millions.

Their only recourse is to protect Earth from dimensional beings as returnee hunters and prevent the human casualties caused by their existence.

"He must have been a returnee living nearby. He probably marked the coordinates he knew and opened the dimensional portal, and there was no way to stop it."

I stood up with a light exhale. Looking outside the window, there was chaos with cars crushed and people screaming.

Although there weren't beings as large as dimensional beings a little while ago, small ones were causing disturbances here and there.

"Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be an erosion realm."

Among dimensional portals, there are different types: realms where the entire world spills over, and regular dimensional beings invade. Naturally, the more problematic one is the erosion realm.

The erosion realm is the most dangerous type as it can completely destroy the ecosystem or transform the area into uninhabitable land.

Thankfully, what has occurred now is an invasion realm.

If we can capture the dimensional beings, the problem can be resolved.

"...Hyung, you know a lot about this."

Perhaps it's because I didn't seem surprised at all, except for the moment when my face was buried in Ayu's chest for the first time.

Ayu was looking at me as if I were fascinating.

Well, that's understandable.

After losing my parents due to a dimensional phenomenon, I entered a specialized Hunter university with the determination to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Even if I am not a returnee or awakened to Hunter abilities, there are areas where ordinary people can support Hunters.

Therefore, I studied hard to earn a full scholarship at the university, and considering my promising future, it was the least I could achieve.

"Ayu, are you a Hunter?"

The abnormal strength displayed earlier was clearly not something an ordinary girl could possess.

Upon my question, Ayu slowly lowered her gaze and pursed her lips.

"I'm, not, a Hunter."

Hearing her speak in a disjointed manner, my eyes narrowed slightly. I understood the implications behind her words.

"Are you a returnee?"

Ayu didn't answer, but her eyes, lowered to the ground, spoke volumes.

Returnee.

The day I lost my parents was due to a dimensional intersection caused by a returnee.

My parents, torn apart by the dimensional creatures pouring out of the dimensional gate, still lingered vividly in my memories.

And I have subtly mentioned this fact to Ayu at times. After spending five years together, we've had quite a few conversations.

Maybe that's why.

I am now beginning to understand the bits of knowledge and slightly unconventional remarks that Ayu has occasionally shared.

The distinct sense of alienation felt by returnees when they arrive on Earth.

The time in the dimension where returnees live doesn't align with the time on Earth.

The time in that dimension could be faster, or conversely, Earth's time could be faster.

When they experience numerous events in the dimension and return, only a year might have passed on Earth. On the other hand, cases exist where spending a day in that dimension corresponds to a hundred years on Earth.

Ayu is likely a case of the former, considering that she has become an adult this year.

'Even if she's a returnee, the reason for not engaging in Hunter activities is likely because she hasn't reached adulthood in her resident registration.'

Returnees usually have some exceptions, but being a Hunter generally requires reaching adulthood as a basic rule. Regardless of how long Ayu lived in that other dimension, if she didn't want it, they wouldn't have registered her as a Hunter while she was still a minor.

"Ayu, I mentioned it last time."

And I've told Ayu about my past, sharing the story:

"I don't blame the returnees."

Just as my parents were killed by dimension creatures, the person who saved me was a returnee from back then.

It was my sister, who disappeared into another dimension a few years ago due to dimensional movement.

Her face, marked by profound sorrow and pity, is etched vividly in my memory. Even now, I distinctly recall the depth of her sadness as she gazed at me.

And from that day on, I could no longer see my sister's face.

I pondered the situation. I came to the realization that returning to the embrace of family on Earth was all that the returnees truly desired.

They were nothing more than victims ensnared by a catastrophe known as dimensional displacement.

Therefore, I went to college.

I didn't want to create more victims like Nara.

I didn't want to create more victims like the returnees.

That's why I pursued a dual major in Hunter Education and Dimensional Displacement Studies.

"They are victims. And it seems like there are more victims to come."

I gazed out the window.

Returnees who unintentionally suffered through dimensional displacement, only to return and find their once-homes ruined.

Most of them struggled with the memories of that day, haunted by the pain and hardship.

Though I had vaguely despaired and departed from reality, the lingering memories from that time kept my fists clenched.

"That's all there is to it."

"They shouldn't be condemned.

What deserves criticism is the messed-up dimension shifts or world crossings, not them.

"...Yeah, my brother was that kind of person."

Ayu's face lightly revealed a more genuine smile than ever.

She grabbed onto the hem of my clothes and spoke.

"I'm supposed to officially register as a hunter this year. I might be a bit behind due to my hesitations, but the country guarantees support for rescue activities after returning."

Although it was nothing more than a system for the state to use returnees who were difficult to deal with, the system was very important at this moment.

"I want to save them."

Both the returnees and those caught in the midst.

The desire to save them all.

Even if these thoughts were once considered unattainable, confined by the walls of reality, that sentiment remains unchanged even now.

Ayu took hold of my hand.

From her exceptionally soft, pale white hand, a gentle warmth could be felt.

"I can save them, as long as you're by my side."

I don't have anything particularly substantial to offer her.

At best, I can ramble on about dimension shifts or related topics.

However, the deep trust reflected in Ayu's eyes as she looks at me involuntarily made me nod my head.

"Yeah, I'll be by your side for a lifetime."

Upon hearing my words, Ayu laughed again, just like the first time. Simultaneously, a bright crimson iris bloomed in her previously purple eyes.

"That's a promise we must keep."

With those words, Ayu's hood fluttered.

Emerging through the torn hood was a pitch-black martial arts robe that seemed straight out of a martial arts novel. And amidst the swirling fall leaves, a vivid crimson hair, adorned with a camellia-shaped hairpin, gleamed.

A single blood-red sword, tightly gripped within the martial arts robe, extended like a streak of blood from her grasp.

"Let's go."

The Celestial Demon had descended.

4

Cheon Honglyeon, the name of the girl she had possessed in the dimensional world known as the martial arts realm.

Born as a concubine's child, the world of martial arts was perplexing to her, the furthest from the girl who was the least likely to inherit the Celestial Demon's lineage.

If one were to contemplate the horrific events she had experienced in the demonic arts due to the Celestial Demon's bloodline, Cheon Honglyeon's mouth was left with nothing but a bitter taste.

However, after enduring all those hardships, she ascended to the position of the Celestial Demon.

She defeated all opposition in the martial arts world and made the intentions of the demonic arts known throughout the realm.

There was no other way.

To survive as the offspring of the Celestial Demon.

But what meaning did it hold?

This isn't the world she used to live in, and the numerous forces she had subdued with the power of the Celestial Demon are still sharpening their blades, seeking revenge.

She's exhausted.

It's tough.

Her life, which was no more than that of a middle school student, has turned into chaos since the possession, adorned with the influence of the Celestial Demon.

Inside her, a slow decay was taking place.

One day, a sudden thought crossed her mind.

The image of her hands strangling her younger sister to death.

The first act of murder she had to choose in order to survive as a once ordinary South Korean middle school girl.

Although she had tried to assassinate her first, the memory still haunted her mind, even after going through numerous killings.

Yet the Celestial Demon couldn't rest.

Sure enough.

In the end, a martial arts faction was established to drive out the demonic arts, and they thrust their blades at her.

Ironically amusing.

What is this martial arts faction?

In the end, it was incomprehensible to see those corrupted individuals, just like those in the demonic arts, shouting for justice.

Under the rotten politics of theirs, the roots of a gang deeply embedded, the birth of the demonic arts was inevitable.

In the end, the Celestial Demon rose once again.

She single-handedly brought an end to the martial arts faction, sitting alone atop the flooded area where blood turned into torrents.

The war between the demonic arts and the martial arts faction had thrown the world into chaos.

In essence, one could say that the world had collapsed.

The vast Central Plains were no longer a place where people could live.

The Celestial Demon quietly reminisced.

Just a cheerful middle school girl from South Korea who had lived happily under her parents.

Perhaps it wasn't too late.

But what meaning would there be in staying here?

The Celestial Demon stood up from her place.

And then, she opened a dimensional portal.

To return to her long-abandoned home.

And when the Celestial Demon returned.

The dimensional intersection caused by her had become the worst means of martial arts erosion.

As if recalling the past, Cheon Honglyeon's two pupils trembled.

It could be called an abysmal regret.

Those who survived in the martial arts faction deemed dimensional travel as a demonic arts trick and massacred numerous civilians.

The land devastated by the war between the demonic arts and the martial arts faction turned the world into a decaying place.

The land where she was born and raised quickly became an uninhabitable wasteland.

In the chaos, Cheon Honglyeon sought her parents, faintly existing in distant memories.

Fortunately, amidst the turmoil, Cheon Honglyeon's parents were still alive.

However, she was unaware of how the magic she unconsciously emitted would affect ordinary Earthlings, not martial artists.

Her parents recognized her, pulled her into their arms, comforted her, and cried.

They repeatedly expressed their relief that she had returned.

They kept saying how fortunate it was that she was alive.

Despite abandoning everything to search for their daughter who had been missing for a year, the mother and father, who had been asking around tirelessly, appeared incredibly haggard.

Overwhelmed by the heartfelt words of the two, the Celestial Demon, who had lost her expression for a long time, burst into tears on the spot.

And in that moment, her parents collapsed, pouring out blood from their mouths.

In the joy of reclaiming their daughter, the parents, hugging each other, remained oblivious to the magic infiltrating their bodies.

They were simply grateful and delighted that their daughter was alive until the end.

There was nothing Cheon Honglyeon could do.

To save her parents who were dying due to her magic, she needed to consult a professional or seek help.

However, having just performed dimensional travel, Cheon Honglyeon had no way to control the magic.

The Celestial Demon screamed.

Returning to Earth after several decades, she had to face rejection as a returnee.

The parents who died because of her were an insurmountable regret for her.

September 11, 2026.

That day marked the return of the girl once known as Cheon Honglyeon to Earth, now bearing the name Shinsora.

And several months later, for her, now broken and destitute, there was only one salvation.

It happened by chance in a game where she became a beggar.

The complicated feelings she harbored began to unfold a little later.

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