Kurururung.

The beast’s exhaled breath grazed past me. The breath, imbued with flames, was searing hot.

I, too, lived with fire coursing through my body, yet even I could feel the overwhelming heat—proof that it was truly intense.

How?

How the hell did he notice me?

I frowned behind my mask as I looked at the leader standing before me.

...I definitely concealed my presence. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

I flicked my eyes upward. The Nine Flames Firewheel was still floating around the moonlight.

Did I use it incorrectly?

There was a way to manipulate the Nine Flames Firewheel to amplify my presence instead of suppressing it, but—

No.

I had used it properly this time. I was the one who activated it; there was no way I wouldn’t know. I had harnessed the heat to erase my presence entirely.

And yet, he still noticed?

Somehow, the leader had sensed me.

How is that even possible?

Even Amwang, who had reached the absolute peak in this field, would have sworn that no one could detect me in this state.

I couldn’t understand how the leader had found me.

Could it be...?

I glanced sideways.

Is it because of him...?

Cheonma, who had been watching the situation alongside me. Could it be his fault?

No.

I checked again, but there was nothing wrong with him. Even standing right next to me, his presence remained faint. That meant, at this distance, there was no way the leader could have sensed him.

...Tsk.

I couldn’t understand it, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

“Intruder.”

The leader, standing in the distance, spoke.

“Are you the one they claim is disturbing the order of Mangye?”

“......”

I kept my mouth shut. Maybe he was just pretending to have noticed me in order to probe my reaction. That was a possibility, but—

No.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. His gaze was locked onto me.

That was undeniable proof that he had truly noticed me.

Tsk.

I didn’t know how he did it, but at this point, it didn’t matter.

I straightened my crouched body and stepped out from behind the rock.

At the same time, I gathered strength in my heart and released my energy.

Kukugugugugu—!!!

The sheer force of my energy shook the ground beneath me.

“Disturbing order? What a laughable claim.”

Even after I revealed myself, the leader’s gaze didn’t change. He had already been looking directly at me.

He had been sure of my location all along.

“I am order itself. And yet, you dare speak of order—”

“Pfft.”

“......”

I turned to glare at Cheonma. Is this bastard serious?

“...Ah, my bad.”

Cheonma hurriedly apologized. I clenched my fists behind my back, restraining the urge to smash his face in. Damn it. Embarrassment flooded over me, but I forced myself to ignore it.

“...Go.”

“......”

I barely managed to get the word out. The fact that my voice didn’t tremble was already a miracle.

The leader observed my reaction with an odd expression, but fortunately, he didn’t seem too concerned.

Or perhaps... he didn’t need to be.

“Order? You claim yourself to be order?”

“That’s right. I am order itself.”

“How arrogant.”

Boom! Kwaaaaa—!!

The leader slammed his massive axe into the ground, releasing a violent shockwave.

His aura flared even more intensely.

Kuhuhuhuung—!!!

His breath carried flames, and those flames spread across the ground, consuming everything in their path.

“But it doesn’t matter.”

Crunch.

I could feel the force in the grip of his axe.

“No matter what you may be—”

The moment his knees bent, I braced myself.

“In those who disturb the order of Mangye— I do not forgive.”

Kuwaaaaang—!!!

The leader’s massive frame lunged at me. It was instantaneous. It took only a split second for that enormous body to reach me.

By the time I shifted my gaze, the giant was already swinging his axe down at me.

I moved my foot, twisting my body.

Kuaaaaaaa—!!!

The monstrous axe cleaved into the ground. The earth beneath it crumbled, creating a massive shockwave.

Stone debris exploded in all directions. I scanned the airborne fragments and locked onto the largest one.

Without hesitation, I kicked the rock, launching it toward the leader. The shard, wrapped in Ganggi, shot toward him with incredible speed, but—

Kuhuhuhung—!!!

The flames he exhaled consumed the rock before it could reach him.

What the hell.

I have to pour everything I have into releasing this much heat, and this bastard just snorts, and fire comes out?

It was absurd.

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue and moved my left hand.

Srrrk—! I felt the bindings of Eternal Bind loosen.

First test.

Whirrrrr—!!!

The released Eternal Bind shot toward the leader, wrapping around his left arm.

“......?”

The leader’s brows furrowed slightly at the sudden restraint.

Crunch!

He yanked his arm. I could see his muscles flex as his arm moved, dragging me along with it.

“Hmph.”

Whoosh!

With a casual flick, he swung his arm violently, and my body was flung into the air.

The moment I felt my body being pulled, I unfastened Eternal Bind.

That was the only way I barely managed to regain control of my movement.

Yeah, there’s no winning a contest of raw strength.

I would lose in a power struggle. The difference wasn’t even comparable to Yusa.

Then, the second test.

Kuaaaaaa—!!!

The axe came swinging down.

I had already lost my balance, making it impossible to dodge.

At this rate, I’d be crushed beneath the axe.

“Stop.”

“—!!!”

And then—

He froze.

The leader’s body froze solid at my single command. Seeing this, I quickly regained my balance.

Then, I charged toward him, gathering Cheonma Divine Art at my heart.

Kiiiiiiiiiiing—!!!

A frictional force erupted. The immense pressure and recoil crashed into my body.

I let that vibration wrap around my arm.

Chaos formed in my fist.

Cheonma Divine Art.

First Form.

Cheonma First Fist.

The condensed chaos struck the leader’s abdomen directly.

Kiaaaaaaaah—!!!!

A piercing, screeching sound erupted as an explosive force ripped through the leader’s entire body.

“Kuhhhhaaaa—!!!”

He screamed as he was sent flying.

Boom! Kwaduduk—!!

That enormous body tumbled through the air and crashed onto the ground, rolling uncontrollably. The rock-covered terrain cracked and shattered from the sheer impact.

The leader tumbled for a while before he finally came to a stop, barely managing to steady himself.

“Kuhk....”

His condition was a mess. The spot where my fist had landed was gaping wide open.

Strangely, there were no internal organs spilling out—it was as if his body remained attached through sheer will.

Ssuuuuuu—!!

“Hm.”

His body started regenerating rapidly. Within moments, his wounds disappeared, as if they had never been there.

Seeing that, I chuckled.

“You have something quite interesting there.”

“Kuhuhu... You bastard...”

The leader’s eyes were filled with shock. Was it because of the attack? No.

“How... How are you using Myeong...?!”

Just like Yusa before him, he was stunned that I had wielded Myeong.

I nodded to myself.

The second test was a success.

Myeong worked on him. That was all I needed for now.

The problem was—

The recoil is too much.

I flicked my tongue inside my mask. A metallic taste spread in my mouth.

Blood was trickling down. The backlash hit my body hard, making blood spurt out momentarily.

Just like with Yusa... I need to be careful when I use this.

This was the recoil from using Myeong.

More specifically, the backlash from forcefully stopping someone mid-motion.

Using it on a stationary target was one thing. But when applied to someone actively attacking or moving their energy, the force of the # Nоvеlight # recoil flooded back into my body.

I could endure it, and my regenerative abilities at night helped mitigate the damage, but I still needed to be cautious.

“You ask the obvious,” I said, masking my injury.

“When I tell you to stop, naturally, you stop.”

I spoke with a grin.

“As if a mere thing like you could do anything against me.”

“...Kuhhh.”

The leader was still filled with bewilderment, but despite that, he showed no intention of stopping. He tightened his grip on his axe once again.

Fwoooosh—!!!

Flames engulfed the axe.

A suffocating wave of heat burst forth.

“Hoooop—!!”

He flexed his muscles and swung his weapon at me with all his might.

Fwaaah—!!!

A massive blaze instantly filled my vision.

Should I dodge? That thought flashed through my mind, but my feet remained planted. Instead, I extended my hand.

The raging flames crashed against my palm.

Kwaak—!!

The fire seared my flesh. Pain flared, but I forcibly suppressed it by channeling my energy.

The flames fizzled out under the pressure of my aura.

My right hand was in shambles. While the flesh wasn’t completely burned off to reveal the bone, it was visibly sizzling.

I glanced at it briefly before twisting my body.

Whoosh—! Kwoong—!!

The moment the flames dissipated, the axe came hurtling toward me.

He had used the fire as a feint before charging in.

Boom! Kwaduduk—!!

Close combat began.

I dodged the axe or redirected it using Eternal Bind, counterattacking whenever I saw an opening.

Every time my attacks landed, his body took damage—only to regenerate immediately.

We exchanged blows as I assessed the situation.

I’m faster.

Dodging wasn’t particularly difficult. However—

If I take a direct hit, I’m done for.

Even a single solid strike would leave my body in shambles.

Thus, I focused entirely on avoiding his attacks while maintaining the battle.

Kwoong—!!

At the right moment, both of us pulled back, creating distance.

The heat that had filled the air was slowly dissipating in the night breeze.

As we both took a moment to catch our breaths, I spoke to him.

“I think we’re done with the greetings. Are we continuing? I’m starting to get bored.”

“......”

Neither of us had shown our full strength yet.

Pointing that out, I watched as the leader adjusted his stance.

He planted his axe onto the ground like a staff and—

Fwoooosh—!!!

Flames erupted from the axe, rapidly coiling around his body.

The heat was just as intense as before—violent and scorching.

Energy surged wildly in all directions.

“What’s he up to now...?”

I narrowed my eyes.

The leader’s body was changing.

His dark skin started developing red spots, and the fur on his head gradually turned crimson.