I followed Yusa, slipping into a different alley than the one we had just entered.

A dark space where not even a sliver of light reached.

As we walked along, the few lingering signs of life vanished, leaving behind an absolute silence.

Creak.

Yusa sat down on an empty wooden crate, his pale green hair shifting slightly.

Watching him, I had a thought.

"He's strong."

Strong.

Perhaps it was because I had reached transcendence, but I could see it more clearly now. Things I had never noticed before stood out sharply.

"Strong and immense."

Not just his raw strength.

I had sensed it before, but the sheer intensity packed into that small body had been bothering me.

Back then, I hadn't known.

I hadn't known what was contained within that small frame.

I had only speculated that something was there.

"But now, I can see it."

My refined body, having advanced to a higher realm, had granted me clearer vision.

"...He's deliberately maintaining that small form."

Compression upon compression.

For reasons unknown, Yusa was exerting an immense amount of pressure just to keep that frail body of his.

"Unbelievable."

I nearly laughed.

I barely managed to hold it in.

No matter how I looked at it, it was absurd.

"He was containing all that power?"

Yusa was far different from what I had assumed.

So much so that—

"The fact that I survived that night was a miracle."

That night when I had faced both the Blue Leader and Yusa together. The fact that I had provoked him and still lived.

Memories of that encounter flashed through my mind.

The words I had thrown at him, the way I had spoken—

It was almost comical that I had survived.

"To think he was this strong."

With my new eyes, I could finally glimpse his true form.

Just how deeply would I have needed to look?

How much more pressure would he have to exert—

"To hide something of that size?"

I turned my gaze to the space behind Yusa, where his shadow stretched out.

The way it sprawled across the ground, as if it could engulf entire buildings, sent a shiver down my spine.

It was clear.

"If I had fought him, I would have lost."

Back when I was only at the Hwagyeong stage, I had thought that if I used every trick I had, I might stand a chance.

"What a joke."

Looking at him now, I realized how arrogant that thought had been.

"Defeat that?"

I was a fool for ever thinking so.

But at least I knew now.

Had I fought Yusa, I would have died.

I hadn't known it at the time, but now I did.

"Would I have stood a chance if I had used everything?"

The techniques of Myeong, the power of Demonic Energy—

The realms of Eternal Bind and Authority.

Not just my martial arts, but all the other forces at my disposal—

Would they have been enough to face him?

"Hard to say."

I had never tried it, so I couldn't be certain.

But if I had to make a judgment—

"Maybe."

It wasn't impossible. My Myeong and my Authority were particularly dangerous to him.

But—

"What about now?"

What about now, after I had reached transcendence?

Could I fight him now?

As I pondered that question, I kept staring at him.

"You. You know who I am, right?"

"...You are the General."

Of course, I knew.

He was the one who had suffered miserably at Shin Noya’s hands last time.

As I recalled that moment, I simply stared at him in silence.

"Then you must also know where he is right now, don’t you?"

Yusa spoke again.

I tilted my head at the mention of him.

"Who are you referring to?"

"The one you call Sect Leader."

"...Ah."

I nodded belatedly.

Of course, I had known exactly who he meant.

I had just pretended not to.

"What is he doing right now?"

"Hmm, who knows? Why is the General looking for our Sect Leader?"

"I have something to ask him."

"Something to ask?"

I looked at Yusa’s face. There was urgency in his expression.

But not just urgency—there was also an underlying unease.

Not quite like the ones I had seen in Yahwol Palace, but still—

"So, his thoughts have changed somewhat."

It seemed that after I had killed the White Leader yesterday, he had realized something.

If he had come to a realization here—

"It’s not about the White Leader’s death."

It was more about the absence of his master, who had not appeared when the White Leader had fallen.

It was possible that Yusa had sensed that too.

If so, what was he thinking?

"I can tell he’s wavering."

But in which direction?

That was what I was curious about.

"Hey."

Yusa called out to me again.

"...Answer me. What is he doing right now?"

"I don't know."

"What?"

Yusa frowned at my response.

"I came here under orders, so I don’t know exactly what Sect Leader is doing right now."

"What do you mean? Didn’t you come here under his orders?"

At his question, I paused for a moment.

Just for a fleeting second—just long enough to take a breath—before I formulated my response.

"The one who gave me my orders wasn’t Sect Leader."

"What are you saying...?"

Yusa stopped mid-sentence.

He was probably piecing it together in his head.

If Sect Leader hadn’t given me the order, then who had?

It had to be the one who had occupied his mind lately.

As he reached his conclusion, I spoke the answer aloud.

"Cheonma."

"......."

"It was her command."

Yusa bit his lip at the mention of Cheonma. His expression grew heavier with thought.

Watching him, I added—

"That’s why I intended to seek you out anyway. It’s fortunate that we met like this."

"...What?"

At the mention of his name, Yusa’s eyes widened.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I was ordered to find you on her behalf."

"...What?"

The fact that I had come specifically for him made Yusa’s eyes waver.

That wasn’t a lie. I really had come to see Yusa.

I was just hesitating.

Should I address my business with him here—

"Or..."

I shifted my gaze beyond the city walls.

"Should I do it out there?"

I thought it over, but I had already reached a conclusion.

"You came to find me? Why?"

Yusa asked, his urgency evident in his tone.

Sensing that, I responded,

"Cheonma wishes to see you, General."

Hearing my answer, Yusa narrowed his eyes.

"...Then why are you delivering this message?"

"She is currently occupied, so I was sent to convey her words in her stead."

"Hah! Occupied, huh?"

After making a mess of things, now she had something else to do?

His reaction was filled with disbelief.

Rumble—!

A powerful aura erupted from Yusa’s body, his irritation laid bare.

Grind.

A rough sound escaped his lips.

And the more irritated he became, the stronger his aura grew. Feeling it, I carefully knelt down.

"Kh... Kuh... It’s... too... strong..."

I deliberately groaned and collapsed as if I were being crushed.

"...?"

Yusa gave me a strange look.

What?

"...That was perfect."

I was sure my performance of being overwhelmed by his aura was flawless.

But suspicion quickly flickered in his eyes.

Damn it. What was wrong?

"You..."

Yusa started to say something, but I cut him off first.

"...Before midnight—! He told me to tell you to come to the northern forest...! He said you would know the location!"

I spoke while lowering my gaze to the ground, deliberately hiding my face. Maybe it would be better if I didn't meet his eyes. That was the idea behind it.

"Northern forest...."

Hearing the location, Yusa withdrew his aura.

And then—

"...This is fucking annoying."

Crack—!

He gritted his teeth and stood up abruptly. Then, looking down at me, he spoke.

"You."

"...Yes?"

"Tell Sect Leader this—if he doesn’t come before it’s too late, I’ll go there myself and tear his head off. Understood?"

"...I’ll relay the message."

Growl.

A beastly cry echoed, and soon after, Yusa’s presence faded from in front of me.

Had he already left? Or was he watching from nearby?

I considered the possibility but remained kneeling.

After a long moment—

"...Haa."

I let out a rough breath, pretending to struggle as I got back on my feet.

Then, I recalled Yusa’s words. It was ridiculous.

Acting all high and mighty after getting beaten up by Shin Noya—it was ridiculous.

Crack. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

I flexed my fingers, the sound of my knuckles popping filling the air.

Slowly, I stretched my body. My expression at that moment was probably twisted beyond recognition.

This wasn’t good. Was this what came with reaching transcendence? Even small things were starting to piss me off.

"...Tear it off? That bastard."

Who the hell did he think he was threatening?

The more I repeated his words, the angrier I became.

I forced myself to move, trying to suppress my irritation, but it wasn’t easy.

"Tear it off?"

Tear off whose head?

Grind.

At that moment, something within my shadow twitched.

It was Tam.

Sensing my emotions, my Authority began to rise on its own.

I didn’t forcibly suppress it.

"Hold it in."

I whispered to it, trying to calm it down.

"Not yet. Just wait."

Just a little longer.

It wouldn’t be much longer now.

Repeating that thought over and over—

Grind...

Tam finally settled back into my shadow.

"..."

Seeing that, I reached into my robe and pulled out an item.

A white mask.

I put it on and started moving.

*********

By the time midnight had passed, I had crossed the city walls and arrived at the designated location.

The northern forest.

More precisely, it was near the place where I had previously encountered Yusa.

Upon ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ arriving, I scanned the surroundings and spotted someone standing in the center.

It was Yusa.

Rustle.

As I stepped on the grass, Yusa reacted immediately.

"Did you wait long?"

Hearing my words, Yusa glared at me.

"...I was told you summoned me."

"Indeed, I had business with you. That’s why I sent the boy to deliver my message. Seems he did a fine job."

"What do you want?"

"There's something I need to ask you."

"Ask me?"

Yusa furrowed his brows deeply.

Seeing that, I got straight to the point.

"General. Do you know where the Sacred Tree of Yahwol is?"

"..."

I didn’t waste time on pleasantries.

And hearing my question—

Grrr...

A low growl rumbled from Yusa’s throat, his killing intent spilling into the air.

The intensity of it was suffocating, and the very ground beneath us began to tremble.