What the hell is that?

I stared at the leader as his body gradually turned red. The blotches that had begun to spread along with the heat soon covered his entire body, and his fur had long since turned a deep crimson.

Even—

His axe turned red, too.

The once-flaming axe blade had taken on the same crimson hue as his fur. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The blackened skin, previously dotted with blotches, had now been completely overtaken, transforming entirely into a deep, blood-red color.

“Kuhuhu...”

Strangely, flames no longer erupted from his snorts.

What the hell was happening?

As I examined him further, I noticed yet another abnormality.

His presence... had faded.

His once-massive presence—something so immense it felt overwhelming—had shrunk significantly.

What the hell?

A presence that enormous... simply vanishing? That was impossible.

What kind of change is happening?

What exactly was that body? Had he used some kind of authority?

I still have more to confirm.

There was still much to analyze about him. However—

Something about this feels... cold.

The longer I looked at him, the more unease clawed at me. My instincts screamed at me—warned me not to act recklessly against whatever he had become.

Does that mean I should settle this here?

The moment I solidified my resolve, my shadow stirred.

As if reading my thoughts, Tam prepared to lunge forward.

...If I was going to do this,

It would have been best to strike at the moment I had landed Cheonma First Fist.

I had hesitated, trying to confirm something, and missed my chance.

I reignited my cooled-down body.

Heat surged, spreading energy throughout my entire frame.

Fwaaaah—!!

Aura surged from my shoulders, shooting skyward as I expanded my domain.

I invoked Red Heaven infused with Magye, using Black Heaven to solidify my field.

Power surged through me.

Just as I was about to launch back into battle—

Whoosh!

“Hm?”

My body suddenly moved. Someone had grabbed the back of my neck and yanked me away.

Startled, I turned to see Cheonma.

She had suddenly leaped at me and dragged me away.

“What the hell are you—?!”

I tried to speak, but Cheonma shot into the air at blinding speed.

The leader quickly became a speck in the distance. Forced to follow her retreat, I was pulled out of the battlefield.

**********

Alone atop the rocky mountain, the leader stared into the sky.

His gaze followed the direction where his opponent had disappeared.

He had been about to engage, but that woman had suddenly interfered, halting the battle.

Should he chase them?

If he wanted, he could have pursued them the moment they fled.

But he did not.

“......”

His expression twisted as he glared at the empty sky.

Kuhuhuhuhu—!!

Then, as if expelling frustration, he let out a guttural roar, yanking his axe from the ground and swinging it through the air.

Kuaaaaaah—!!!

The sheer force of his swing tore through the wind, ripping apart the atmosphere.

The unleashed aura struck what should have been empty air—

Kwooooom—!!

A massive explosion erupted as it hit something unseen.

Snarling, the leader spoke.

“Crow. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Grind.

He clenched his teeth and gripped his axe again. Then, from the space he had struck, someone emerged.

Fwuududud—!!

A figure, clad in black wings and a masked face, appeared.

“My, my.”

The masked figure spoke, sounding disappointed as he stepped forward.

“They were sharper than expected. What a shame.”

“I asked—what the hell do you think you’re doing—!!”

Fwaaaaah—!!

The leader’s furious roar sent vibrations through the surroundings. The masked man casually raised a hand and replied.

“What else? I was about to catch prey that had walked into my trap.”

Tsk, tsk.

The man clicked his tongue repeatedly, clearly displeased.

“I was so close. If only you’d done a better job keeping their attention.”

“...You dare.”

Boom! Crack—!!!

The leader lunged, swinging his axe.

The razor-sharp blade cleaved through the air—

Splitting the masked man clean in half.

For a moment, it seemed like he had died.

But—

Fwududuk—!!!

The bisected body dissolved into black feathers and vanished.

“Tsk.”

A flurry of feathers gathered behind the leader, reforming into the masked man once more.

“You said it yourself. They are disturbing the order of Mangye.”

Flap!

The man spread his massive wings and soared into the sky.

“I was simply helping you capture them. Why get so worked up—”

The masked man rose higher, narrowly avoiding a surge of fiery aura that had just exploded in the spot where he had stood.

“I have told you many times.”

The leader growled as he glared up at him.

“Do not interfere in my battles.”

“...Sigh, Leader.”

The masked man exhaled deeply, clearly exasperated.

“Now is not the time to be so stubborn.”

He continued, frustration lacing his words.

“Yusa is dead.”

The death of Yusa.

That alone was a massive upheaval for Mangye.

“The law of Mangye, established by the Master, is absolute. Yusa was meant to uphold the rules and swear loyalty to the Master, protecting all that has been built.”

And yet, Yusa was dead.

Killed.

“What’s more, Yusa was slain by someone within Mangye itself. Do you not understand the gravity of this situation?”

“It does not matter.”

“Leader.”

“I was fighting my battle. And you dare to interfere?”

The leader showed no sign of listening. Instead, he merely infused more aura into his axe.

“...Hah.”

The masked man sighed once more, shaking his head.

“This is something the Master himself is concerned about. And yet, the one who claims such loyalty to him is acting like this?”

“That is my concern to handle. I would have handled it—without your interference.”

“Hah—!”

The masked man let out a hollow laugh.

“Are you really sure about that?”

“Of course. Do you have any idea who I am?”

“You?”

The masked man scoffed.

“You’re just a stubborn, thick-headed beast.”

“......”

Kugugugung—!!

A murderous aura exploded from the leader, surging toward the masked man.

But once again, he evaded it with ease.

“Cheonma.”

The masked man’s tone shifted slightly.

“The one you were fighting... calls himself that.”

“......”

“So? How was he?”

He smirked.

“From what I saw, it looked like you were losing.”

“What a joke.”

A scorching hiss erupted—

Chiiiiiiik—!!!

Heat radiated from the leader’s body, sending plumes of steam into the air.

“If you hadn’t interfered, I would have won.”

“Yeah, maybe you would have.”

The masked man didn’t argue. However—

“If it were just the two of you, that might have been the case. But there was someone else, wasn’t there?”

A strange presence had been watching the battle from behind. The masked man had been focused on her.

“That doesn’t matter. I would have killed them all anyway.”

“......”

Bold words. A foolish statement.

The masked man barely held back a sigh.

“...Kill them, you say? If I hadn’t been here, you would have been the one lying dead.”

He was certain of it.

“That woman... she had her eyes on me from the very start.”

Even while hidden in the void, she had noticed him.

That alone was proof.

“Even while you were fighting, she kept looking in my direction.”

While the leader had been engrossed in battle, the woman had spent more time scanning her surroundings than actually joining the fight.

That alone had been alarming.

She noticed me?

It was one thing for the leader to focus solely on battle—he didn’t care about anything else. But—

Something was... strange.

Too strange.

That so-called Cheonma had concealed his true nature somehow, making it difficult to pinpoint his identity. But the woman...

Something about her...

Something was undeniably off.

Beyond just being unreadable—

She felt...

An inherent, unpleasant presence clung to her.

Almost like—

Yarang.

That wretched existence their Master had taken under his wing.

It was already absurd that she had suddenly been made a General. Even more ridiculous that she had somehow taken possession of the Sacred Tree.

That detestable thing.

And yet, that woman... she carried the same unsettling presence.

“Had I left things alone, do you really think you would have won?”

“...I would have handled it myself. Now get lost.”

“...Fool.”

No matter how many times he explained, this brute refused to listen.

A trap had been laid. The prey had walked right into it.

Had the leader simply played along, they could have eliminated them.

But this thick-headed beast refused to cooperate.

He had ruined everything.

The masked man hadn’t told him about his presence for this exact reason.

Had the leader known, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) he would have exploded in fury and charged recklessly.

“If you won’t leave...”

The leader raised his axe again, preparing to swing it at the masked man.

“...Then I’ll make you.”

Just as he was about to cleave the air—

“You insufferable bastard.”

The masked man shook his head, finally moving his hand.

At that moment—

Ziiiiiiiiing—!!

The space around his fingers split, creating a jagged tear—shaped eerily like the Magyeong Gate.

Without hesitation, the masked man stepped through it, vanishing instantly.

Only after he disappeared did the leader finally release the tension in his body.

Fwoooosh—!!

Steam hissed from his skin as his form reverted.

The crimson fur and charred flesh faded, returning to their original state.

“Krrr...”

The leader turned his gaze back toward the sky.

Losing track of his prey was one thing.

But what truly left him unsatisfied—

The fight had been left unfinished.

Should he pursue them?

The thought lingered in his mind.

Tracking them down would be difficult after some time had passed, but that wasn’t an issue.

As long as they remained within Mount Marryeong, they would not escape him.

He was about to set out when—

“......”

He stopped.

Beyond the distant Crimson Aurora, the sun began to rise.

The sight of it made him lower his axe.

As soon as the sunlight touched his skin, drowsiness washed over him.

The leader slowly lowered himself to the ground, closing his eyes.

For now—

He would sleep.

Until the night returned once more.

And then—

He would hunt them again.