Buzz—!!!

Vibrations pulsed from all directions. Crystals emerged from the ground, radiating life and revealing themselves as the source of the strange presence I had been sensing.

And those crystals were trembling violently.

Not just one or two—there were dozens within sight alone. Judging by what my senses had detected earlier, their numbers must be far greater.

I didn’t know what those crystals signified. But one thing was certain—they reeked of impending doom.

With them vibrating so frantically—

‘What the hell is about to happen?’

A scowl twisted my face as I glared at the trembling crystals.

The vibrations intensified. What had begun as a faint tremor was now shaking the entire ground.

‘Tch.’

No time to analyze. Only one choice left.

Fwoosh—!

I ignited my body.

The ring within me spun, unleashing searing heat.

Boom—!!

I charged straight at the bastard. Whatever it was trying to do—

‘I’ll kill it first.’

Strike before it becomes a bigger problem. That was my sole objective.

Crunch—!

Closing the gap in an instant, I twisted my waist.

Flames converged upon my fist, and my heart pounded furiously.

Infernal Flame Grand Mountain Form.

Fire manifested at my fist’s peak, refined to its utmost form. Pouring my intent into the extreme technique, I unleashed it directly at the creature.

Kwaduduk—!!!

A catastrophic blaze erupted—

Kwooooosh—!!

But—

“...!”

The flames never reached their target.

A pair of wings, sprouted from the creature’s torn upper torso, shielded it from the inferno.

‘What...?’

My breath hitched, and my eyes darted wildly. As the wings blocked the flames, the creature’s mangled body was rapidly regenerating—

The speed of that regeneration—

It was reminiscent of Du Ryeong’s immortality when he wielded his Authority.

Was this also Authority?

Narrowing my eyes, I activated Tam—

‘No.’

Tam remained unresponsive. It wasn’t Authority.

Then—was it just raw regenerative power? That speed—?

‘Shit. That’s bad.’

My instincts screamed—everything had gone sideways.

Kwooooosh—!!!

I intensified my flames, pouring out even more power—yet, the wings still held firm.

It was laughable.

‘What the hell is this thing?’

Haaa—

Exhaling slowly, I unleashed more of my energy. If flames wouldn’t work—

Zzzzeeeeeeeng—!!!

Without ceasing the inferno, I gathered power into my other hand.

Friction sparked—chaos condensed.

I forged the Cheonma Soul Flame and hurled it forward.

BOOOOOM—!!!

A deafening explosion erupted. Nearly a third of my energy drained instantly from using both techniques at once. Efficiency be damned—there was no choice now.

I struck with one intent—break that damn thing.

Kakakakak—

It didn’t break.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

What the hell was this hardness? My energy kept draining, but the damn thing didn’t even crack.

‘Are those wings made of steel or something?’

No, if it were just steel, I could have melted through it.

‘But this...’

It was worse—far worse. It wasn’t just raw toughness; some kind of unknown energy enveloped those wings, nullifying my attacks.

I struggled, pushing everything into breaking through—

But time slipped away—

And by then, the creature’s body had fully regenerated.

Thwack—!

“Damn it!”

The wings lashed out, forcing me back. I leapt away, widening the gap.

A whirlwind kicked up—

Whoooosh—!!!

Dust spiraled skyward, forming a massive vortex before finally dissipating—

And from behind it—

“Kukukuk.”

A low, sinister laugh.

The creature emerged—its body fully restored—

But different.

‘...What the hell is that now?’

It wasn’t just back to normal—it had changed.

The first thing I noticed—

Its wings.

Where there had been one pair of black wings—

Now there were two.

And—

‘Its aura—’

I felt—nothing.

The creature radiated no energy.

What happened? What was it doing? Warily, I kept my eyes locked on it.

Then—

“How unfortunate.”

It spoke, its gaze fixed on me.

“If only I had five—no, even ten more years, I would’ve been complete. Who would’ve thought a meddler would appear?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“My master’s orders were clear.”

Shraak—

A trident appeared in its grip.

“No matter the anomaly—if someone stands in your way—crush them.”

Zzzzzzzzeeeeeeng—!!!

The ground quaked, the vibrations reaching a fever pitch—enough to make me wonder if the whole place would collapse.

But that wasn’t the real issue—

‘It’s not the tremors.’

The source of the tremors—that was the problem.

The instant that thought crossed my mind—

KWAAAAAAAAA—!!!!

A blinding surge of energy erupted from the crystals.

The once azure-glowing crystals burst forth, flooding the sky with an ominous blue radiance—

‘So that’s what was inside them.’

I expected something—but not this.

Thud—!

I pressed down with my foot—

Whatever was happening—

I couldn’t let it.

I surged forward, using every ounce of power to intercept the unfolding disaster.

Summoning my martial arts—

Azure Sky.

The domain of azure flame unfurled, engulfing the sky above me.

Then—

Nine Flames Firewheel.

Another ultimate ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ art. The moment the blazing wheel materialized midair, my entire body responded.

Though it was broad daylight—

My body shifted—

Moonlit Night’s power surged through me—

My body—multiplied in strength.

Simultaneously—

Sky-Tearing

Kuuuuuuuk—!!!

I invoked Tua Pacheonmu, overloading my body further.

My flesh—strengthened beyond limits.

Every technique, every power I had mastered—stacked together—

The Moonlit Night physique absorbed the strain—mitigating the overload.

At this level—

I could hold out for half a quarter-hour.

Half a quarter—

That’s all I needed.

Fwoooooosh—!!!

With the full blaze of my power, I hurled myself straight at him—flames scorching the air, adding raw speed to my charge.

Like a meteor falling from the heavens, I crashed my body into his.

Kuaaaaaaaa—!!!

The impact detonated with a thunderous explosion.

I was using every ounce of my strength, pressing down on him with overwhelming force—

But—

‘What?’

My eyes widened in shock at the sight before me.

Fwoosh—!!

I had rammed into him with my entire being, pouring all my energy into the strike—

Yet he stood there—completely unfazed—

Power clashed against power—

The barrier formed by his aura was pushing mine back—

Chijijijik—!!!

Sparks erupted from the friction. The earth itself quaked, rippling like waves in a storm. The sheer intensity of our collision distorted the very air.

Even I found the power I unleashed staggering—

But he stopped it—just like that?

‘Unbelievable.’

My face twisted into a scowl.

Without hesitation, I withdrew the flames from my body—

And—

‘Tua Pacheonmu’

I collected the flames I had conjured and converted them into the energy of the Demonic Heaven Absorption Art.

The ash-gray energy, coiled in a circle, was sent right back at him.

Screee—!

He spread his wings wide.

Kwaaaag—!!!

"......!"

Countless feathers shot out at me.

Seeing this, I didn’t extend the Tua Pacheonmu further; instead, I exploded it.

Kuuuuu—!!

The explosion occurred, swallowing up the feathers.

I threw my body into the explosion while blocking the attack. I couldn’t afford to miss. Thinking this, I pierced through the heat and reached out.

It was to grab his neck, but—

"How interesting."

What I heard was his laughter-laced voice.

"Stop."

"......!!"

Then came the reverberating command.

At that sound, my body stiffened, freezing as though it had turned to stone.

It wasn't exactly my body that had frozen.

This was—

‘A command.’

This was the command of the soul.

The law and regulation that was rooted in the Abyssal Pit.

Only those of a general rank or higher could wield such a power over the soul.

The power to compel those with a weaker soul to obey.

That force poured into me.

Which meant—

‘This guy...’

Is he truly of a higher rank than me?

How?

I couldn't understand, my thoughts whirling.

Kuuu—!!!

The energy of crystal that had filled the sky suddenly shifted.

The clear sky darkened, and the ash-gray sky filled with swirling energy.

A massive vortex filled the heavens.

It was ominous.

The life-filled energy felt so ominous.

When I was lost in how to respond to the unexpected situation—

"In this situation, your gaze is elsewhere."

Whoooosh—!!

"—!!"

Blood burst from my body. He had sliced me with a trident.

Tuduk,

The burst of blood soaked the ground.

"Kugh...."

I gritted my teeth and grasped my upper body.

"Heh."

Seeing this, he let out a sigh of disappointment.

"To release a command in this situation? Quite the impressive one."

If I had stayed still, I would have died. With all my might, I fought against the restraint, finally creating some distance.

Ssshhhhh.

Steam escaped from my body. Thanks to the Moonlit Night Tribe's physical regeneration, it began to recover immediately.

"This..."

He sighed in regret while watching me.

"I guess you’re still not used to your vessel..."

Guuuuuuu.

At his words, the energy that had filled the sky moved.

"One cannot so easily discard the mercy bestowed by the master."

His voice, heard from a distance, quickly closed the gap.

The man who had been far away was now right in front of me.

‘Crazy.’

I gritted my teeth. My recovery wasn’t finished yet.

I thought I needed to dodge, but my movements were slower.

Just as the tip of his trident came down to pierce my head—

Kiiiiing—!!

Something tore through the air from behind me.

Kuuuu—!!!

A white energy struck him.

"Ku...?"

Caught off guard, he was knocked back, failing his attack.

Thud.

The trident he had been holding was immediately reduced to dust.

His face contorted in anger, and, like a demon, his expression twisted as he looked behind me.

"How did you get here...?"

At those words, I turned around.

"...You?"

A woman appeared behind me, holding a sword.

From the tip of the sword, a subtle white energy shimmered, and she wore a black mask.

Golden eyes flickered within the mask.

As I stared at her, my eyes widened.

"...Yarang."

The man murmured the name of another woman, different from the one I had expected.