KWAAAAAAAH----!!!!

A vast Sea of Fire erupted from my hands, engulfing everything in its wake.

The Nine Flames Firewheel was originally a technique that compressed fire into the form of a beast before unleashing it.

But now, when combined with the pinnacle of the Fire Wheel Star, its power had reached an absurd level.

Even I was shocked after unleashing it.

"What the hell is this?"

How could the same martial art display such an overwhelming difference? Even as I witnessed it myself, I found it hard to believe.

FWOOSH—!!!

The flames surged like a tidal wave, consuming the world.

Massive beasts of flame rampaged through the surroundings, overturning everything in their path.

Just like when I had devoured those Crimson-Rank Beasts.

The fire bursting from my hands was more violent than anything else.

GIIIIIIING—!!!!!

The ring spinning behind me roared ceaselessly.

SIZZLE—!

I felt a burning sensation in my palm and glanced down—my hand was glowing white-hot.

It was the aftereffect of the heat.

The accumulated, compressed heat had taken on this color. But it wasn’t just gathering—it was constantly rotating.

"It's spinning nonstop."

The heat gathered in my palm was # Nоvеlight # undergoing repeated cycles of compression and rotation.

The speed and force were overwhelming, allowing me to contain this scorching energy.

And then, there was the ring—

"The center is here."

The ring behind me spun like mad.

The power and pressure emanating from it were being channeled directly into my flames.

Now that I had reached Transcendence, the Fire Wheel Star itself had become an extension of my will, allowing me to harness its full potential without any wasted energy.

This was the result.

CRACKLE—! SNAP—!

The scene before me could hardly be described as the result of a mere single strike.

Everything was ablaze, the vast battlefield buried under Azure Flame.

And at the very center of it—

Something stood alone, draped in Azure Flame, burning brilliantly.

"Krrrhh... kghh...!"

Amazingly, it was still moving.

It was Yusa, the creature I had just blasted with fire.

"Keugh... Kyaaak...!"

It was an utterly wretched sight.

Its charred, blackened skin, its flesh so scorched that even the bones were exposed—the sheer heat had melted its body down to the core.

It was gruesome.

Even though I was the one who did this, the sight was still shocking.

"KRRRRR—!!!"

SSSHHHAAAA—!!

"What?"

With a low growl, Yusa’s body began regenerating.

Its recovery speed was terrifying.

The burnt, melted skin reformed rapidly, and fur sprouted in its place.

"Krrr..."

By the time I realized it, it had already returned to its original form.

No—there was a difference.

"It looks thinner?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The massive, robust body had noticeably shrunk.

Especially its stomach—it seemed sunken in, like it hadn’t eaten in days.

"You bastard..."

And that hunger was reflected in its eyes.

Its gaze was far more feral than before.

Then—

THUD—!!!

It charged at me again, its steps even heavier than before.

It had no intention of giving up.

Even though its body had shrunk, its aura had grown even more vicious.

Hunger.

A desperate, all-consuming need to devour something—anything.

That alien emotion was seeping into its energy, amplifying it further.

"KRAAAAA—!!!"

SLASH—!!!

Its claws ripped through the air.

THUD—! SLASH—!!

Again, there was no structured technique.

Even with my Insight, it was difficult to predict—because its movements were purely instinctual, completely chaotic.

I barely dodged the attack.

But even if my Insight wasn’t working, it didn’t matter.

It had no form—no patterns.

Which meant—

"That just makes it simple."

It was relying only on strength and speed.

Fast and powerful, yes—but in a way, predictable.

It was overwhelming, yet crude.

Sure, its flexibility and erratic movements made it difficult to handle—

But it wasn’t something I needed to be overly concerned about.

If getting hit was the problem—

"Then I just won’t get hit."

As long as I could avoid its attacks, I would be fine.

GRRK—!

I twisted my waist, pivoting on my toes.

"One more time."

I was about to use the pinnacle of the Fire Wheel Star once more.

The ring behind me began spinning again.

WHIIIIIR—!!!

I could feel its violent rotation as I prepared to unleash my flames—

But then—

TICK—!

"...Huh?"

The ring—

Suddenly stopped.

FIZZLE—!!!

It sputtered, releasing a puff of smoke.

The heat surging through my meridians vanished in an instant.

"What the hell?"

The rising sense of exhilaration plummeted into helplessness.

What kind of bullshit was this?

I didn’t have time to think.

SCRAAAAPE—!!

Claws slashed toward me. I twisted my body at the last moment to evade Yusa’s strike.

CRASH—!!!

Its claws tore into the ground, splitting the earth apart.

"You damn rat. Are you just going to keep running?"

It snarled before swinging its tail at me.

THUMP—!

The whip-like tail lashed out, slamming into me.

I barely managed to block with my arm, but the impact sent tremors through my entire body.

CRACK! CRACKLE—!!

I was sent flying, crashing through trees as I hurtled backward.

"Damn it."

I could feel a fracture in my bones.

If I hadn’t reinforced my body with Protective Qi at the last second—

"That would’ve been more than just a crack."

I braced my feet against the ground, skidding to a stop.

Then, I flexed my left arm.

"Healed already?"

The fracture from the impact was gone, as if it had never happened.

As I expected—Wolya’s body was the best.

The greatest advantage of becoming a Dragon was this.

An insane regeneration ability.

Even if I took some hits, it didn’t matter—I could recover.

"The Moonlit Night Tribe is even beyond that."

"This damn body... its regeneration is even greater than a dragon’s."

Watching Yusa regenerate, I was reminded of the Authority of Regeneration that Mang had once used.

Even when his arm had been severed, it had grown back instantly.

Yusa’s regenerative ability seemed almost on par with that.

"Tch. A shame."

I had felt this before—somehow, regeneration just didn’t suit me.

Back then, even when I had gained the Authority of Regeneration, it had only marginally sped up my healing.

"The one thing I actually need."

When I realized that it didn’t properly integrate with me, it had been incredibly frustrating.

Maybe that was why—when I became part of the Moonlit Night Tribe, the regeneration I gained felt all the more precious.

I dusted myself off. As I was shaking off the dirt—

"Grrrrr..."

I could feel Yusa approaching.

No, I didn’t even need to sense it.

With that massive frame, there was no way I wouldn’t notice.

CRUNCH. CRUNCH.

It stomped forward with thunderous steps, crushing everything in its path.

Even in its beast-like form, I could tell it was smiling.

"...So? Have you come to your senses now? Do you realize who you picked a fight with?"

As Yusa approached, it reached out, yanked a tree from the ground, and shoved it into its mouth.

CRUNCH.

It chewed, but the taste must have been awful.

Its expression twisted in disgust, and it spat the wood back out.

PTUI!

The mangled remains of the tree hit the ground.

Wiping its mouth with the back of its hand, Yusa spoke to me again.

"You toyed with the subordinates, so I suppose you thought their commander was weak. What a shame."

GRRRRRR...

It snorted aggressively.

"You're nothing. The fact that I was even pushed back by a rat like you... It's embarrassing."

It looked completely self-assured.

That pissed me off.

So, I started thinking.

What was the best course of action?

"If you're waiting for nightfall, you’d best give up that dream now. The hungrier I get, the stronger I become... and at night, I’m at my hungriest."

"Stronger when hungry...?"

Hearing that, I took another look at its body.

Thin. Gaunt.

The hunger burning in its eyes.

If regenerating itself had put it in this state—

"Is this tied to the Authority of Predation?"

It was possible.

The information I had on Predation wasn’t complete.

But one thing was clear.

"So, it gets even stronger at night?"

If Yusa was already this powerful, then when night fell...

It would become even worse.

I thought about that carefully—

And soon, I came to a decision.

"So, stop wasting your time and just give up—"

Yusa was about to say something else, but I cut it off.

"I admit it."

"What?"

Yusa froze.

"What are you talking about? What are you admitting?"

"That I was wrong to think I could deal with you like this."

"Hah."

Hearing that, Yusa let out a laugh.

"You're admitting it now? What, are you going to beg for your life? Go ahead, who knows? I might just listen."

It laughed mockingly.

I stared at it for a moment before speaking.

"I also admit... that letting this drag on until night would be a pain."

If it got any stronger, dealing with it would be far more troublesome.

Even though I had become part of the Moonlit Night Tribe thanks to the Fire Wheel Star—if the real moon rose, Yusa would gain an even greater boost.

So—

"Let’s end this here."

"Oh? And if you say so, I’m just supposed to stop—"

"Stop."

"!!!"

At my command, Yusa’s body locked in place.

Its pupils dilated, its expression frozen.

"You... how...?"

"You thought I could only command you at night? My apologies. You were so certain, I figured I’d humor you."

I clenched my fist.

"Turns out, that worked in my favor."

WHIIIIIR—!!!

The ring behind me started spinning again.

Unlike before, it turned without issue.

"Why did it stop earlier?"

That question lingered in my mind, but I pushed it aside.

For now, I focused on the ring.

WHIIIIIIIR—!!!!

Its speed increased.

As it reached its peak, I drew upon the energy of Tua Pacheonmu.

Qi collided against Qi, creating something new.

Cheonma Divine Art stirred within me, rising to the surface.

The Nine Flames Firewheel had reached transcendence.

The Tua Pacheonmu was nearing its perfected form.

The collision of these forces gathered at my fist, condensing into pure chaos.

"You... you... guh...!"

Yusa realized something was wrong.

It struggled desperately.

But was this also thanks to transcendence?

My command over Dominance had grown stronger.

Of course—

CRACKLE—!

The sheer power of Yusa’s body meant it wouldn’t last long.

I could feel my hold breaking apart, moment by moment.

If I let this drag on, Yusa would break free soon.

It didn’t matter.

"A moment is all I need."

That was enough.

I pressed forward, bringing the chaos in my hand closer.

As I neared, the swirling chaos took shape.

Unlike the Cheonma’s Single Strike that I had created using Tua Pacheonmu—

This was something different.

Its origin—Flame Core.

Or perhaps—Heaven-Shattering Fist.

A sphere of condensed chaos.

Even holding it in my hand made my entire body tremble.

I brought it right up to Yusa.

It was smaller than a Flame Core, about half the size.

But the power inside—was incomparable.

Born from friction, its force was far beyond anything else.

The concentrated chaos in my palm.

I gave it a name.

"Cheonma Chaos Core."

The sphere of chaos touched Yusa.

The moment it made contact—

POP.

A small, quiet sound.

Then—

WUUUUM—!!

Sound vanished.

The loudest silence in the world swallowed everything whole.