༺ The Red Devil Who Embraced Stars (1) ༻
Devil King Virdel.
The ruler above all Devils of the Abyss, revered as the Demon God.
She was the one to protect the entire Demon World against the Hero, who was obsessed with sabotage and terrorism, as well as the Hero Party, who would not hesitate to draw their swords at civilians because of a mere exchange of glances.
Devil King Virdel.
In the Demon World, going against her was unthinkable and those daring enough to confront her had long become lonely souls, forever doomed to wander without eternal rest.
She possessed a talent in swordsmanship that even the heavens would envy, acknowledged by various users within the community as a renowned figure. A Named.
ㄴI have learned much. May I seek your guidance again next time?
ㄴ(DevilKingVirdel) If time permits.
ㄴThank you. I have made progress in my swordsmanship thanks to you.
ㄴ(DevilKingVirdel) Hmph.
Of course, the journey to being listed as ‘3rd Place in Unofficial Sword Debate Rankings’ was fraught with hardship.
ㄴ(DualVirtueIronDemon) Doggone! I will aim for the lower left with the Basic Movement of the Fierce Tiger Strike!
ㄴ(DevilKingVirdel) Hm….. Then, I will rotate a quarter turn, using the flat of the blade as a pivot, and twist the sword to the left lightly.
ㄴ(DualVirtueIronDemon) Following the Fierce Tiger Strike, I will step forward and stomp with my front feet, then use the Ascension Pavilion.
ㄴ(DevilKingVirdel) And what movement is that?
ㄴ(DualVirtueIronDemon) It rotates the body clockwise using the left foot as a pivot, thus transferring the rotational force directly into the kick. The angle is precisely 27 degrees forward.
ㄴ(DevilKingVirdel) As expected. It seems the match has been decided.
ㄴ(DualVirtueIronDemon) WHAT?!
ㄴ(DevilKingVirdel) What if I lean forward 15 degrees and raise my right elbow?
ㄴ(DualVirtueIronDemon) Huuuut!
To an outsider, this might seem utterly nonsensical.
ㄴ(DualVirtueIronDemon) How can this be…! Were you preparing two moves ahead?
ㄴ(DevilKingVirdel) Hmph. Return after you develop.
A verbal spar about swordsmanship? It could be considered fortunate if no one mocked such a practice.
However, the reality was different. In this Integrated Dimensional Community, countless martial artists and knights existed, thus adequately accurate duels were possible based on long years of accumulated experience and data.
ㄴarent martial arts techniques useless fantasy gymnastics if there isnt inner qi LOL
ㄴHmph! Do you dare to belittle the subtlety of Movements when you only rely on full-body armor?
ㄴLMAOO seems like u have no idea how scientific medieval swordsmanship is
ㄴHaha. As if you could even glimpse the profound mystery of Basic Movements and Techniques.
ㄴsword debate gogo
ㄴfk lets go!
Sword Debate.
The essence of keyboard battles born from heated arguments, as well as the highlight and flower of the Integrated Dimensional Community.
Who was stronger?
Who was the strongest?
Such endless Sword Debates made the community so chaotic that a [Sword Debate Arena] tab was created immediately upon the appointment of the new Administrator. As such, the fervor was palpable.
Of course, a ‘Sword Debate’ was not limited to just swords. Inner Qi, Aura, and even Magic were measured and weighed against each other for Sword Debates.
-Batto1Japanese Battojutsu: Single sword use vs Dual Swords
-Ice Magic vs Fire Magic
-Waigong2“External” Skills. Thus, represents attacks that are “harder” and focus more on the “external” side vs Neigong3“Internal” Skills. Softer attacks, and focuses more on the depths of your body.
-Azure Dragon4The Azure Dragon, also known as Qinglong in Chinese, is one of the Dragon Gods who represent the mount or chthonic forces of the Five Regions’ Highest Deities. It is also one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese constellations, which are the astral representations of the Wufang Shangdi. vs Dragon
-Archmage vs Swordmaster
A battle of pride in a true contest of skill!
That was what the Sword Debate Arena represented.
-Just as there was the Yesong Controversy5The Yesong Controversy refers to a conflict concerning the funeral of Hyojong. When he died in 1659, his son Hyeonjong succeeded his father as the ruler of Joseon. The conservative Westerners faction and the liberal Southerners faction argued about how long Queen Jangryeol, King Injo’s second wife, should have to wear the funeral garment according to the Confucian form of funeral. The Westerners, headed by Song Si-yeol, contended that she needed to wear the funeral garment for only a year, while the Southerners and their leader Heo Jeok wanted a 3-year period. This conflict arose because there was no previous record about Confucian funeral requirements when somebody’s second stepson who actually succeeded the family line dies. The Westerners wanted to follow the custom for a second stepson, while the Southerners thought Hyojong deserved a 3-year funeral since he actually succeeded King Injo in the royal line. during the Joseon Dynasty6Joseon, officially Great Joseon State, was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom was founded following the aftermath of the overthrow of Goryeo in what is today the city of Kaesong., there were Versus Battles and Tier Lists in the modern era and, in the Integrated Dimensional Community, there were Sword Debates!
A position such as the Unofficial Rankings 3rd Place in the swordsmanship category of the Sword Debate Arena was no different from a monumental achievement for her.
Being among the top three swordsmen against all from across dimensions was not just about being good with a sword.
An inherent talent when it came to swords. That was who ‘DevilKingVirdel’ was in the community.
***
Slap-
In an instant, stars flashed before her eyes, and she, ‘DevilKingVirdel’, had her head turned sharply.
“Is this crazy bitch giggling while looking at empty air again?”
Slap- Thwack-
“Kuheuk!”
A frail girl, not even reaching 150 cm, curled up and crouched down.
Thwack- Thud- Swish-
“Didn’t I tell you to stop acting like you lost your mind? It lowers your value.”
Every single time she was whipped, a suppressed moan escaped her lips.
Swish- Crack-
“Look at how tough you are. Haha. It’s a pity a bitch like you has such backbone.”
Swish-
Swish-
“Huff. Huff. I really do like how sturdy your body is, little bitch. Even though we cut the tendons in your limbs, you look fine on the outside, don’t you?”
The bulky middle-aged man wielding the whip did not hide his sadistic smile.
Only after the girl’s skin turned unusually red did the middle-aged man seem satisfied and put away his whip.
“Filthy monster bitch. How dare you act like a human.”
The middle-aged man spat at her, locked the cell with a heavy lock, and left.
As soon as he departed, the red glow lingering on the girl’s body began to fade.
“Cough. Cough.”
Coughing out blood, she leaned against the cold stone wall and tried to calm herself. When she did so, her skin, which had turned red, returned to its original pale color.
She, who acted as a Devil King in the community, let out a bitter smile. Reality was all too unforgivingly cold.
A Devil? No, she wasn’t….
The place where she was born and raised was a small tribe of a northern ethnic minority on the frontier. Her homeland was a desolate place with cold winter winds and barren soil, but it was still where tribe members worked together to protect the smiles of their children. They had nothing, yet still knew how to share warmth with each other.
It was just that they had a unique trait where their skin would turn red whenever their emotions intensified. That was it.
Was that so bad? Perhaps for some. Yet, there were other reasons why she was treated not as a member of a foreign ethnic group, but as a child of ‘Devils’.
“Cough.”
She looked up at the moonlight through the iron bars and recalled the past.
‘Virdel. I am entrusting such a heavy burden to you at a young age. Please do not… forgive me for making this decision.’
The pained expression and blood-spitting agony of her grandfather, the Tribal Chief, were conveyed through his eyes. The memory of her mother, who wailed until she fainted, still remained vividly in her mind.
The reason she did not shed tears when dragged away by a knight of the Empire was that it was a path she chose herself.
-I shall spare the lives of all your tribespeople. So, what will you do? Will you walk the path of hell for your tribe?
-I will do so.
She did not resent the imperial knight. On the contrary, she was grateful. She knew that the knight had offered her a deal that could prevent the massacre of her tribespeople.
-The Empire is on the verge of uniting the continent under its flag. So much blood has already been spilled in the process. But what is tragic is… the blood that will be shed in the future will be more than even this. And it may not be the blood… of humans.
Foreign Species Eradication Policy.
The imperial knight at that time seemed to show a very human gaze. Pity, misery, sorrow, guilt. It was a fluctuation of emotions that was hard to properly gauge.
-What am I supposed to do if you, an imperial knight, make such an expression?
-…You are right.
The knight spoke with a bitter smile.
-There is much discussion even within the Empire because of the long war. After all, no matter how victorious we are, the dead cannot return.
-….
-That is why the higher-ups strongly desire propaganda to absorb the anger of the Empire’s citizens.
-….
-For example, evidence that can be packaged as ‘a war to exterminate Devils’.
-So that is why you chose me. Since my skin particularly turns noticeably red. On top of that, you have hostages from my tribe, so I wouldn’t easily take my own life.
-…Yes. You are right.
-I understand.
-It will not be easy.
She underwent various body strengthening procedures at the Empire’s Magic Tower. To bear the anger of a billion citizens of the Empire, her body was made robust. Because of that, her body stopped growing further. Additionally, she had to undergo a procedure called Eye Reversal, which almost made her lose her sight when the colors of her sclera and iris were reversed.
Furthermore, to prevent any potential mishaps or incidents, the tendons in her limbs were also cut.
A living doll to bear the wrath of the Empire’s citizens. Nothing more. Nothing less.
That was Virdel’s current state.
As such, the invitation to the [Integrated Dimensional Community] was like a gift, giving meaning to her life that she couldn’t even end and offering her a second life as well.
‘There is no need for me to be depressed here as well.’
Thus, she wore a mask, a concept to hide her true self behind; she imagined countless worlds and dreamed while listening to their stories.
Their adventures were like twinkling stars.
But she, who could neither move nor be free, could not become such a star.
Instead, she decided to be the night sky that would make the stars shine.
A night sky that held the stars in her embrace.
So…
She stored precious things inside her heart, one by one.
And as she possessed nothing, she was also able to hold anything.
In one star, she placed her grandfather.
Her grandfather was stroking her head with his strong, tough hands.
In one star, she placed her mother.
Her mother was kissing her cheek, giving her a warm smile.
In one star, she placed her father.
While sitting on her father’s shoulders, she looked up at the same sky as him.
In one star, she placed a dream.
The her who might never come; the her who was free.
And her neighbors.
And the nasty, mischievous friends who welcomed her in a virtual world.
Even though her blurred vision could not make out the moon in the night sky properly, she did not care.
Because she carried countless stars in her heart.
Because she could hold the world in her heart.
Because she continued to live such a ‘life’.
Thud.
As such, the small gift that arrived for her might just be a new star named…
Hope.
