The turtle once said something.

“How many types do you think exist in what you call sorcery?”

Naturally, I answered that I didn’t know. As I listened, I realized that the information I had gathered, especially in the Northern Sea of the Central Plains, was alarmingly limited.

The heart-shaped ring formed by the sorcery.

The inner or magic energy, or what they call demonic energy, is different from what I felt. It's a different kind of energy altogether.

What does it achieve by forming this energy?

The turtle described it as an embodiment of contradictions and alienness.

Sorcery is about making the impossible possible.

It’s about touching what cannot be touched.

It’s about seeing what cannot be seen. That, in itself, is sorcery.

With that in mind, there are two main kinds of sorcery.

As I explained above.

Seeing what cannot be seen.

And...

“Touching what cannot be touched.”

Creak!

I grabbed with my hand. The sensation felt like several ropes were tangled together. But, in reality, there was nothing to grab.

It was just the sensation of seeing and touching as if it were real.

Sorcery is a strange and difficult force to explain.

The things that Jegal Clan and ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) his men used are ultimately in the realm of sorcery, but it’s closer to the technique of formations or barriers.

The energy that forms the thread in my view of sorcery. I twist it, create it, express it, and create something from it.

The origin is the wind.

It’s the wish for something to be formed through sorcery. Based on that, a ritual is created to generate results.

At first, I thought this was all nonsense.

And, honestly, it was nonsense.

In the end, it's an explanation that doesn't make sense. The turtle said that, instead of trying to understand it, I should just accept it.

I thought to myself, “What kind of nonsense is this?”

But in the end...

“As long as it works, that’s all that matters.”

Whatever it is, as long as it works, that’s enough. I didn’t understand the complicated explanation of the rituals.

That’s why the turtle was shocked.

“How does this even happen?”

I don’t know what the ritual is, how it's formed, or why it creates the results it does.

I didn’t understand, but the results still came out fine.

It worked as I wished.

If the essence and origin of sorcery is that, then, perhaps I’m the most suited for it.

“...This doesn’t make sense.”

I could tell from the turtle’s shocked expression.

It seems...

“I’m talented.”

I felt that I might have talent in sorcery.

****

Creak—!!!

I pulled the thread. I saw it wriggling. The air around me twisted. The threads that surrounded him trembled all at once.

“What—!!”

He seemed startled by the sudden vibration and raised his voice.

I laughed at his reaction.

‘It’s working.’

Something is working.

I don’t know what, but it doesn’t matter.

‘This will work.’

I moved my hand, pulling the thread I had grabbed.

Kruuk—!!! The vibration exploded. The air was torn apart.

“You’re wearing quite a lot of clothes.”

I said to him.

“......!!”

His eyes widened. Seeing this, I pulled with all my might.

Szzzzzz—!!!

The threads tightened, loosening the bindings on him.

Thwomp—!!!

The air was violently shaken. The background around him changed.

Watching that, I understood why my attack didn’t land.

‘So that’s why.’

It was a positional issue.

Once the space changed, his position moved. He was now about six paces away.

That’s where he originally was.

My perspective must have been distorted, as I was looking at a spot farther away than I thought.

‘So that’s what it was.’

At that distance, it’s obvious my attack wouldn’t hit.

That’s why my senses were also off.

Whoosh.

I understood the reason and gathered flames in my hand.

“This bastard...”

He seemed stunned that the sorcery binding him had been undone, his eyes shaking as he spoke.

“What did you do?”

“Do what?”

I casually dusted off my hands.

“I saw you were wearing something strange, so I thought I’d help you take it off.”

“......Heh.”

Flap.

His wings fully extended. Once spread out, their size was beyond imagination.

I had expected them to be big, but not that big.

At that size, speed didn’t matter much. They were almost cumbersome.

Screech...

From those massive wings, black feathers fell. He grabbed one of the fallen feathers and...

Whissh—!

The feather transformed into the trident he had been using earlier.

“Seems like you have some awareness.”

“I can be a bit observant.”

“This is no place for an unwelcome guest. What is your purpose here?”

Whoosh.

The trident spun and pointed straight at me.

“The dragon that should have disappeared long ago... What business does it have? And what is its purpose here?”

“......”

As expected.

He must know who I am. That means...

“You’re the one. The general the Du Ryeong mentioned.”

The last general I never met, the one that Cheonma had missed.

It seemed like this was him.

The moment Du Ryeong’s name left my lips, I saw his eyes twitch.

“That means... you killed Du Ryeong.”

“Well?”

Whoosh.

I surrounded my hand with Cheonma Divine Art and created the Flame Spear.

“You’ll see for yourself.”

Boom—! With a burst of energy, I charged forward.

The spear headed toward him. This time, it was different. I targeted his physical form directly, and at that moment...

Thud—!

The spear and the tip collided. Whahhhh—!!! The energy clashed and exploded. I widened my eyes at the sight.

‘Look at this?’

The power is stronger than I expected. I thought it would explode on impact with the spear, but it was holding up better than I anticipated.

‘Hmm.’

I pushed more energy into the spear. It wasn’t to push further but to explode it.

Screech—!

“......!”

He widened his eyes as he saw it.

Then...

Wham—!

He flapped his wings and immediately distanced himself. He must have realized what I was about to do.

‘Too late.’

Thud—! Kuaaaaaaaaa—!!!

The Flame Spear exploded. The heat from the flames spread, obscuring the space.

It didn’t block my vision. The flames were mine, and I knew exactly what was beyond them.

Shiriiiii—!!

Eternal Bind stirred in my hand.

I broke through the flames and shot it towards where the crow had fled.

“What?!”

The bastard, who was barely trying to escape the heat, flinched when he saw Eternal Bind.

Eternal Bind, moving quickly, bound his arms entirely.

He fixed him in place.

“Kugh!”

The bastard struggled desperately to break free.

Using him as a pillar, Eternal Bind pulled and propelled himself forward.

Crack—!

He charged at the bastard rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, the distance was closed, and he was right in front of him.

In the narrowed distance, I curled my hand.

The martial arts were already complete. It was different from before.

Cheonma Soul Flame.

The scream gathered and manifested as a cry of despair.

I brought it to his abdomen.

“Kugh!”

I could feel his frantic attempts to escape.

-Stop.

I commanded, halting his legs.

At that moment...

“......!”

His body stiffened completely.

‘...Hmm?’

There was something strange. He was stiff, but something felt off.

Unable to stop it, I exploded the Soul Flame in front of him.

Kuaaah—!!!

Kyaaaaaaaa—!!!

The power was far greater than the explosion of the FlameSpear. The energy screamed violently, sweeping through the surroundings.

Had it exploded on the ground, it would have left a massive crater. Instead, a small storm formed in the air.

Shiiiiii—!

After the explosion, something fell to the ground.

Thud—!!

It fell and rolled across the ground. I immediately flew toward it.

The crow was rolling on the ground in a ruined state.

To be precise, it wasn’t even a body anymore.

It was a form that could barely be called a body, with only the upper half barely remaining.

It was already beyond being called alive, so it seemed like it should be dead, but...

“......”

I furrowed my brow as I looked at him.

The sensation from earlier, it still felt off no matter how much I thought about it.

I kept watching him silently and then spoke with narrowed eyes.

“Get up.”

“......”

There was still no movement. I couldn’t even feel life from him.

He should have been long dead, but...

“Stop messing around, get up.”

Even as I watched, I spoke.

“I know you can hear me.”

“......”

At that moment...

“Oh my.”

Surprisingly, a sound came from his body. Despite not sensing any life, his mouth moved.

“How did you know? It was a perfect act.”

“Nonsense, I told you. I’m a bit perceptive.”

That was a lie. It wasn’t something I could have figured out by mere perception.

The reason I figured it out was simple.

“You... my command didn’t reach you, did it?”

The command I issued, it hadn’t reached him. That was the problem.

So far, whether it was Yusa or Du Ryeong, or anyone else I had met in the Mangye—the power of my commands had worked on them.

When I first heard about commands, it was said to be a rule set in the Mangye.

A power that allows one to command those lower than oneself.

The reason I can issue commands to generals and such is because...

‘I am the child of the mother.’

I, as the heir of the Mangye and the bloodline of the Heavenly Mother, can issue commands to all beings except her.

‘But it didn’t work on this bastard.’

I could tell instinctively. My command had not reached him.

He stopped when he heard my words, but...

‘That was a lie.’

He pretended to stop when it didn’t work. I could feel the alienness from it.

But why? Why didn’t my command work on him?

They say the command works on beings lower than oneself.

The fact that my command didn’t work on him meant...

‘This bastard is above me.’

In other words, he is above even Du Ryeong and above me, the child of the Heavenly Mother.

“What are you? What is your identity?”

How could a being like him be below the Heavenly Mother, under the name of a general?

I couldn’t understand it, so I asked.

“Kuh kuh kuh.”

He suddenly burst into laughter.

Then...

Wooooom—!!! 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The ground began to tremble.

Specifically...

‘The crystals...’

The crystals, which had risen from the ground, filled with life energy.

They began to vibrate wildly.

In a very ominous way.