High atop the Heavenly Demon Palace, the night wind flowed quietly.
A full moon, bright even in the darkness, hung in the sky. Soft moonlight flowed down over the black Dopo.
Seol Arin, without moving a step from that spot, silently looked up at the moon. How much time had passed like that?
In her eyes, moisture slowly welled. "......" Without a word, without a sound, a single tear flowed down her cheek.
Her body, having refused all food and drink, was gradually becoming stronger.
With each passing day, her Internal Energy deepened, and the force of her sword became sharper.
As the Heavenly Demon, her existence was becoming nothing short of perfect. However—. None of that mattered.
After the Flame Emperor had left, her appetite had long since vanished.
Now, even delicacies and luxurious banquets were meaningless.
The Heavenly Demon Palace prepared all sorts of the finest dishes for her.
The best chefs presented golden Broth, carefully cooked mountain and sea delicacies, and fruits and wines with dazzlingly beautiful colors. But—. They had no taste.
Not bitter, not sweet, not spicy, not salty.
All of it, everything. Pitch Black. Black, bland, and empty food without any aroma.
Like that, for many days and nights, she refused to eat. At first, the ministers were worried.
The warriors of the Heavenly Demon Palace tried to dissuade her. But as time passed, no one dared to open their mouths.
She refused all food and drink, holding only her sword. Her Martial Arts grew stronger and stronger. Its force was now so intense that even the Heavenly Demon Palace dared not approach. But, what good was it? —Han Joohyeok. Every time she thought of that name, her throat choked up.
She tried to forget.
To let go of everything and just live as the Heavenly Demon. But she only realized it after he left. The things she hadn't realized when he was by her side.
Only after he left,
the meaning of a single meal he had made.
The meaning of a warm word he had given.
The fact that he had been by her side was such a great blessing.
The times spent with him—.
A warm bowl of Rice made from the tips of his fingers. A bowl of Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup.
A plate of fried rice. Every dish he prepared was not just a meal.
It was a warm memory, love, and happiness. But now—. All of that was gone.
He was gone.
The food he made, the warm bowl of rice he offered,
even the certainty that she could meet him again.
And so, Seol Arin, Could no longer eat. A hundred days had already passed like that.
Only then did she realize.
That after he left, 'food' had disappeared from her life.
No, perhaps it wasn't food, but 'warmth' that had disappeared. As she stared blankly at the moon, lost in thought, for a long time— "......" From afar, someone's presence approached.
Seol Arin slowly turned her head.
Red robes fluttered under the full moon.
A brilliant scarlet light approached, cutting through the night. It was—. Joo Hongryeon. Joo Hongryeon slowly took steps.
There, she was.
Atop the highest tower of the Heavenly Demon Palace,
a woman wearing a black Dopo that held the moonlight. Seol Arin. Joo Hongryeon quietly stopped walking.
Before her eyes, in a silence deeper than darkness, the Heavenly Demon remained. —There is no presence. A stillness where even breathing could not be felt.
As if not a living being, but a piece of shadow.
But, her eyes were alive. The emotions wriggling deep within,
and the cold sorrow drenched in moonlight. Joo Hongryeon pressed her lips tightly together.
She had gone through countless battlefields to survive in the Martial World.
Even in the blood-soaked Demonic Cult, she had not wavered. But—at this moment,
seeing Seol Arin's appearance,
she felt a tightening in her chest. Joo Hongryeon opened her mouth with a soft voice. "......Arin." Seol Arin slowly turned her head.
Her eyes were visible.
Black eyes holding the moonlight. Tears were already welling up in them.
Joo Hongryeon's breath caught at the sight of those eyes.
The strong Heavenly Demon,
the absolute being who had nothing to fear in the world—
was now, shaking like this. Seol Arin and Joo Hongryeon.
The two were once rivals. They had clashed countless times over the position of Heavenly Demon, engaging in bloody duels. But—. Now, Joo Hongryeon no longer coveted the position of Heavenly Demon.
She humbly acknowledged defeat,
and became a servant who served Seol Arin. But now,
Joo Hongryeon was looking at her not as a servant serving the Heavenly Demon,
but as a longtime rival and Friend. This woman is the Heavenly Demon.
And as the Heavenly Demon, she had to be stronger than anyone. But, is getting stronger necessarily the right thing? In the past, she would have hastily concluded that it was right.
Joo Hongryeon no longer knew the answer. But one thing, she could be certain of.
Seol Arin, right now.
Was more precarious than anything. "You must eat." Joo Hongryeon said in a low, firm voice.
But Seol Arin showed no reaction.
She just opened her mouth quietly, in a calm voice. "I'm fine." "You can't possibly be fine." "......" Seol Arin didn't answer for a moment.
But her lips moved slightly. "I am getting stronger." Suddenly, the night air shook. —Whoosh. The wind swirled.
Joo Hongryeon was startled and took a step back.
Seol Arin reached out her hand without any sign.
From her fingertips, an invisible force spread. The air rippled,
and the flow of the night sky changed. The Heavenly Demon was moving the wind with just her will. "......!" And—.
The ground rumbled. Joo Hongryeon swallowed her breath.
Slowly, the ground beneath her feet shook.
Seol Arin hadn't even used her strength, but the earth was moving. That wasn't all. Seol Arin raised her hand.
At that moment,
a heavy rock floated in the air.
It was untouched by even the tip of a finger. But as if it were nothing—. Seol Arin was lifting it with just her will. This is... A power that surpassed the Master Stage. "Could it be......" Joo Hongryeon's eyes shook.
This was the energy of the Mystic Stage.
The realm of immortals, not humans,
a power that had reached the threshold of that dimension. —It's not just simple strength. Now, it was a stage where she could move nature with just her will. So,
is this power the result of training without drinking a single drop of water, refusing all food and drink?
Or, is the Heavenly Demon eating away at herself? Joo Hongryeon's fingertips grew cold. "......By refusing food and drink, and devoting yourself to training... did you reach this stage?" Seol Arin nodded as if it were nothing. "But if you continue like this—" "I will continue to refuse food and drink, devote myself to training, and become even stronger." "......" "If the Heavenly Demon becomes stronger, wouldn't that be a good thing for this cult?" Joo Hongryeon couldn't open her mouth at those words.
Getting stronger isn't everything.
Even if she is the Heavenly Demon, she is still a mere human. Refusing all food and drink,
and just honing her Martial Arts—. Even if she's the Heavenly Demon. After days, weeks, or even years of refusing all food and drink.
Eventually, she will wither and die. Joo Hongryeon bit her lip. Seol Arin was now, as the Heavenly Demon, stronger than ever,
but more precarious than anyone. No, this wasn't strength, it was closer to madness. "......Please stop now." Joo Hongryeon pleaded with a desperate voice. "Even if you are the Heavenly Demon—even if you have surpassed the Master Stage and reached the Mystic Stage— you will eventually wither and die if you go on like this." Seol Arin turned her gaze.
That cold gaze pierced Joo Hongryeon.
Suddenly, Seol Arin's brow furrowed slightly.
Joo Hongryeon took a step closer and said, pleadingly. "Please, eat." Seol Arin looked at her quietly.
And, she muttered low. "......There is only one Rice that I can eat." "......!" "Unless it's the Rice made by the Flame Emperor, I have no intention of eating anything." The red robes fluttered in the night wind.
Joo Hongryeon swallowed a deep sigh. And shouted. "He—might already be dead!" That word spread like a reverberation.
Seol Arin didn't move. But, Joo Hongryeon clearly saw.
The moment that word pierced her heart deeply. "We haven't been able to find him until now. If he's alive, why isn't he coming back?" Joo Hongryeon was desperate.
Please, face reality.
How long will you live like this? But—. Seol Arin's expression gradually hardened.
Her eyes shook, then froze.
She opened her mouth low, but clearly. "Then... I will follow him." Suddenly, Joo Hongryeon's breath stopped. "......!" "If I cannot be with the Flame Emperor, this life... has no meaning to me." The voice was calm, but it held such a deep despair.
Joo Hongryeon turned her body.
She couldn't see her expression.
No, she didn't want to see it.
Slowly, but deeply, she bowed her head. "......I pay my respects to the Heavenly Demon." And—slowly, one step, one step, she retreated.
Seol Arin did not move.
She just quietly, stood atop the tower, looking up at the full moon. Why? They were always enemies, rivals, always ready to draw their swords on each other. And yet—. She never thought she would look at Seol Arin with such a pitiful, sorry gaze.
Joo Hongryeon slowly raised her head.
The full moon was bright.
Below it, a woman wearing a black Dopo, looking up at the moon.
That figure looked like, someone who had lost everything and was left alone. Her heart tightened. Joo Hongryeon made up her mind. She must find the Flame Emperor.
For the Heavenly Demon.
No—for Seol Arin.
She slowly turned around.
And, walked into the darkness. As long as Seol Arin refused to eat, looking at the full moon,
Joo Hongryeon would never give up. She would definitely find the Flame Emperor.
And thus—end this tragedy.

The Heavenly Demon Palace is Grand, But Not Equal to a Single Bowl of Your Rice