“Missed him.”

Cheonma’s resolute answer left me speechless for a moment. Judging from the fact that there wasn’t a single scratch on their body, it didn’t seem like it had been a difficult fight.

‘I was too busy on my end to watch properly.’

So, was it a harder fight than expected? Or was the opponent simply too fast?

‘...Can’t be helped.’

If Cheonma said they missed him, then so be it. I had only asked them to block the enemy, not capture them.

It was a shame that the enemy wasn’t killed on the spot, but I owed Cheonma for their assistance, so there was no reason to complain.

As I came to that conclusion and turned my gaze back to the chieftain—

“...I see.”

The chieftain’s eyes flashed as he stared at Cheonma.

“As expected. It was you.”

His glistening eyes burned with raw hatred and murderous intent.

“Those damned dragons...! Despicable wretches... So it was you after all...”

Drip.

Blood trickled from his melted upper body, splattering onto the ground. His narrowed eyes glinted with malice. I wondered how he had recognized us so quickly.

‘So, he saw us back then.’

When I first encountered the chieftain. He had seen me and Cheonma together, and now his gaze was fixed solely on Cheonma.

Moreover—

‘He said “as expected”...’

It seemed he had already suspected that I was behind this whole mess.

‘Then, how did he know?’

The hatred burning in his eyes... Did he assume I was a dragon because of that? That was the most plausible guess. There was no other obvious reason.

I glanced around.

“Kyahhh—!!!”

“Grrr—!!!”

‘Looks like it’s wrapping up over there too.’

The large-scale battle nearby was reaching its end. The demonic beasts had slaughtered every last wild creature.

Confirming that, I raised my hand.

Clack—

I removed the mask I was wearing.

“...Grrrrr.”

The moment I took off my mask, the chieftain let out a low growl.

“You bastard...!”

“You’re quite sharp for someone your size, aren’t you?”

No need to hide my face now that he had figured it out.

“...How dare you. A mere dragon, trying to invade the Myriad Realms...!”

Despite his battered body, the chieftain moved. He looked like he could collapse any second, but he still had strength left.

I whispered coldly:

“Stop.”

“...!!”

The moment I gave the command, the chieftain’s body froze stiff. There was almost no recoil. His body, already at its limit, hardly resisted the order.

“...How... can you... use a command...?”

“Don’t bother asking. I wasn’t planning to tell you anyway.”

I wasn’t in the mood to explain, nor did I have the strength for it.

‘...I’m at my limit too.’

I had burned through nearly all my internal energy, testing out various techniques.

The only consolation was that I was starting to grasp how to properly use this power. But my condition was far from ideal.

“Besides,” I continued coldly, “I’ll be the one asking questions.”

“...Hah.”

The chieftain let out a hollow laugh.

“What makes you think I would answer anything? I would sooner die than bow my head to a filthy dragon!”

“Of course.”

Just from his attitude, I could tell—no amount of persuasion would make this brute yield. But that didn’t matter.

“Your refusal is irrelevant.”

It wasn’t his will that decided if he spoke.

There were plenty of ways to extract answers. Using the very command I had placed on him was one such method.

“My question is simple.”

I tilted my head and asked:

“I heard you weren’t born of the Myriad Realms. So why are you serving its master?”

“...What?”

The unexpected question flickered in his eyes—a faint trace of confusion.

He hadn’t anticipated that question.

“What a ridiculous thing to ask.”

The chieftain’s voice carried disdain, as if the question itself was beneath him.

“What reason is there to question loyalty to the one who saved your life?”

“...”

I narrowed my eyes at his answer. Was it the truth or a lie?

But in the depths of my mind, I felt a grim certainty—

‘He’s telling the truth.’

His demeanor, his gaze—everything told me that his words were sincere. The master of the Myriad Realms had saved his life.

And in return, he had sworn his absolute loyalty.

That simple declaration, stripped of pretense, revealed a raw, unshakable conviction.

Crack.

Suddenly, his body strained and began to move.

“A wretched dragon... It’s pitiful that I cannot stop you from defiling the Myriad Realms. But don’t be mistaken...”

Crunch.

The sound of bones cracking filled the air as he forced his immobilized body to move against my command.

“You... will gain nothing from me—”

“Oh, for crying out loud. Stay still, will you? I’ve got enough on my mind without you making things worse.”

Vwoooom—!!

The chieftain’s body froze again—this time, harder and more ruthlessly than before.

I felt a massive drain of what little energy I had left. But this much was necessary. Without it, he would have torn himself apart just to keep his secrets.

I could feel it—he was ready to kill himself rather than let me extract anything.

‘Tch.’

I clicked my tongue.

‘Now, what should I do with him?’

At this point, killing him seemed like the most logical option. Leaving him alive was a risk I couldn’t justify.

‘Letting him live would be absurd.’

But to kill him, I’d have to release the command and allow him to return to his regenerative state briefly.

Which meant—

‘...I don’t have the strength to fight him again.’

Without Cheonma’s support, I wouldn’t survive another round.

And if—

‘What if he escapes the moment I release him?’

From what I’d seen of his character, fleeing didn’t seem his style. But assumptions could be deadly.

If he escaped—

And spread the word—

‘...No idea.’

I couldn’t predict what would happen. The current master wasn’t the mother I knew. If this situation reached her ears, would she step in directly?

If she did—

‘Can I win?’

And—

‘...It could become a problem for Mount Hua.’

With Shin Noya currently incapacitated and unable to act, Mount Hua itself could face a crisis.

Considering that, letting the chieftain live was out of the question.

‘Damn it.’

Yet here I was—hesitating over it like a fool.

The reason was simple.

‘He’s someone who swore loyalty to my mother.’

Unlike Yusa, the chieftain had pledged his absolute devotion to the current master.

‘Is killing him... really the right thing to do?’

The thought gnawed at me—a bitter, lingering question. Was this the right decision for me, her son?

If he had even a sliver of treachery like Yusa, this would’ve been easy. I would’ve ended him without a second thought.

But because he didn’t, I hesitated.

Crack—

The chieftain’s frozen body began to tremble.

He was forcing himself to break free from my command.

The power he was exerting was immense—so much so that I could see the bonds of my command fraying.

It meant I didn’t have much time to decide.

The logical choice—the only choice—was to kill him now. There was no room for sentiment in this situation.

I had to end him.

Resolving myself, I reached out my hand.

“...”

My palm, laced with qi, pressed against his head.

“Damn it.”

I spat a curse under my breath and tensed my heart.

With a decision made, my qi surged.

Fwoooosh—!!

But—

The energy I released was not flame.

It was something entirely different.

**********

The night had not yet ended. The moon still hung high as I returned to Black Phoenix Palace.

Though my body felt no exhaustion, my qi was # Nоvеlight # almost completely depleted.

Suppressing the roughness in my breath from the battle, I arrived at the entrance to Black Phoenix Palace.

The gatekeeper standing there flinched at the sight of me.

He had clearly been startled by my sudden appearance alongside Cheonma. Yet, he didn’t stop me and opened the path without hesitation.

It seemed he had already received word from Heroic Spirit.

Entering through the open gate, I found that Black Phoenix Palace’s night felt no different from the world outside.

I leapt lightly into the air. My body soared over the ground, my steps effortless.

In the blink of an eye, I crossed the distance and reached the familiar place—the lake where the Divine Tree stood.

Splish.

Water rippled softly as I landed atop the lake’s surface.

My gaze swept around the area. I could sense the presence of the guardians stationed beyond the perimeter, but no direct hostility or approach.

Rolling my eyes to scan the surroundings—

‘There.’

At the lake’s center—

A small mound, and atop it, the Divine Tree.

And beneath its boughs, a woman sat, serene and still.

“You stay here.”

I instructed Cheonma before stepping forward.

My feet, infused with qi, allowed me to walk across the water.

Ripples spread outward with every step as I ascended the small hill, standing before Heroic Spirit.

“Hey.”

My voice made Heroic Spirit stir.

“If you have something to say—”

She stopped.

Her words cut off abruptly, and her eyes widened. Something about me had caught her off guard.

Through the veil covering her face, she stared at me—

Silent. Unblinking.

A strange tension prickled in the air, and I instinctively looked upward.

I lifted my chin to see the sky—

And there—

‘...A full moon.’

Two large, perfect moons hung together—round and luminous, symbolizing the full moon.

“...”

Lowering my gaze from the sky, I met Heroic Spirit’s eyes once more.

She was still watching me.

Her face was obscured by the veil—

Her expression unreadable—

And she remained silent.

Something felt off.

A quiet, uncertain whisper escaped me:

“...Mother?”

At my barely audible question, she tilted her head ever so slightly.

“Oh my.”

Her hand rose, delicately covering her lips.

And then, Heroic Spirit—or rather—

“Looks like you found out.”

My mother—spoke.