"...Fucking hell...."

By the time Yusa returned to the prison, the one he had been searching for was nowhere to be seen.

His expression was utterly ruined, twisted in rage.

His breathing was ragged, disturbed by his emotions.

The carefree pretense he had worn before was gone—

What stood before them now was a beast.

'...Damn, look at that presence.'

He wasn’t even bothering to hide it anymore.

The bloodlust rolling off him was suffocating.

Gu Yangcheon had already sensed it before, but now—under the full darkness of night, with the moon at its peak—

Yusa felt different.

Like something inside that small body was about to explode.

Huuuuuuu—

As Yusa struggled to steady his breathing, Gu Yangcheon feigned caution and asked,

"Uh... General, is something wrong?"

Yusa’s sharp gaze snapped toward him.

"You. Have you been here the whole time?"

"...Huh? Oh, yes... I’ve been locked up, so where else would I go?"

"Really?"

Yusa’s eyes shifted—

To the woman sitting beside him.

"Hey."

"...?"

Cheonma lifted her head at Yusa’s call.

Their gazes met as Yusa asked,

"Has he really been here the whole time?"

"..."

Gu Yangcheon turned to Cheonma.

Holding his breath.

'I forgot about this.'

For some reason, Yusa’s authority didn’t seem to work on him.

But that didn’t mean it wouldn’t work on Cheonma.

If she answered truthfully—

"..."

Cheonma, to his surprise, shook her head.

Yusa’s brow furrowed deeper.

"...Are you saying it really wasn’t him?"

At that moment, Gu Yangcheon knew.

Yusa still suspected him.

'...Damn, this bastard is persistent.'

Even after witnessing the illusion created by his Authority, he still doubted it?

What a stubborn bastard.

But—

'At least my Authority works on them.'

That much was clear.

Still, Yusa seemed displeased.

His expression darkened further as he turned toward the entrance.

"Parang, come in."

Parang?

What a straightforward name.

As Yusa called, a strikingly handsome middle-aged man stepped inside.

The Blue Commander.

The owner of this mansion.

The father of that lunatic who had been fawning over Cheonma.

"...You summoned me."

The Commander entered with a stiff expression.

Yusa pointed to Gu Yangcheon and spoke,

"This one says he wants to talk to you."

The Commander’s gaze shifted to Gu Yangcheon.

His face clearly asked, Who the hell is this brat?

Before he could voice his thoughts, Yusa added,

"Once you’re done talking, release them and let them go."

"...What?"

The Commander’s eyes widened.

Release them?

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

Of course, he wouldn’t.

After all, these were the people who had beaten his son in front of everyone.

The Commander’s expression twisted slightly.

But—

"Let them go. Did you not hear me?"

Yusa’s cold gaze silenced him.

"...Understood, General."

He bowed his head immediately.

Even if he didn’t like it, there was nothing he could do.

"...Huuu...."

Yusa was still suppressing his emotions, clearly struggling to contain his rage.

He exhaled heavily before turning to Gu Yangcheon.

"...Something’s come up, so I have to go. We’ll meet again."

The forced smile he gave was unsettling.

It looked twisted—warped by emotions he couldn't suppress.

A face that made Gu Yangcheon not want to see him again.

He wanted to say absolutely not, but obviously, that wasn’t an option.

"...Understood."

Gu Yangcheon forced a smile in return.

Yusa immediately dropped his fake smile and turned on his heel, walking away.

And then—

Kwooooom—!!!

A thunderous noise erupted from outside.

The presence of Yusa faded.

Whether it was because of the night or his volatile emotions, his presence had never been clearer.

Once Yusa was gone—

"..."

"..."

Only the Blue Commander and Gu Yangcheon remained.

The Commander still hadn’t processed the situation.

His breathing was uneven, his face unable to conceal his shock.

"...What the hell is going on...?"

He still couldn’t grasp it.

Now was the chance.

"Commander?"

"..."

At Gu Yangcheon’s voice, the Commander turned toward him.

Meeting his gaze, Gu Yangcheon pulled something from his sleeve.

A black emblem.

The one given to him by the Black Commander.

"...That’s...?!"

The moment he saw it, the Blue Commander’s eyes went wide.

Gu Yangcheon had only intended to show that he was connected to the Black Commander—

But he hadn’t expected this level of reaction.

Why?

As the thought crossed his mind, the Commander spoke.

"Why do you have a Doryeong Emblem?"

"...Excuse me?"

Doryeong Emblem?

What the hell was that?

He had heard the term before.

He knew that the children of the Commanders were referred to as Doryeong.

Which meant—

'...Wait. Was this something meant for his son?'

The emblem he had thought was just a simple sign of trust—

Was actually a symbol of inheritance.

He had underestimated its importance.

"...Are you the Black Commander’s son?"

"Uh... No, I’m not."

"Then how did you obtain that?"

The Blue Commander’s gaze grew sharper.

Gu Yangcheon quickly replied,

"Oh, the Black Commander asked me to deliver a message to you. He gave me this to pass it on in his place."

"...The Black Commander?"

The Commander frowned deeply.

He didn’t believe it.

But—

"...And what message was so important?"

Despite his doubts, he still asked.

It seemed both the emblem’s significance and Yusa’s earlier order made him hesitate.

"It’s nothing much. He simply asked that you visit him before too much time passes."

"What?"

The Blue Commander scoffed.

"Are you telling me the Black Commander gave you that emblem... just to deliver such a trivial message?"

"Yes."

"And I’m supposed to believe that?"

It was absurd.

Even Gu Yangcheon thought so.

But—

"Yes. If you don’t believe me, why not go and ask him yourself?"

"...Hah...."

What else could he do?

If he didn’t believe it, then he could go confirm it himself.

Gu Yangcheon’s words made that clear.

The Blue Commander gritted his teeth.

Grkkk.

A dangerous energy leaked from him.

He wasn’t weak.

'Judging by his aura, he’s around the same level as the White Commander.'

And considering it was night, the White Commander would likely be even stronger right now.

"If you’re lying... you should know that you’re bringing disaster upon yourself."

"Lying? I wouldn’t even know how to do that."

"..."

He felt Cheonma’s gaze.

Gu Yangcheon ignored it.

"I was simply passing along a message when an unexpected fight broke out with your son. That’s all. If you still doubt me, go verify it yourself. Even the General knows I visited the Black Clan today."

"The General does?"

"Yes."

That much was true.

Yusa had personally led him there.

The only problem was that he and Cheonma had also fought the Commander’s son.

But—

"..."

The Blue Commander couldn’t hold them accountable.

Because—

'The General ordered him to release us.'

Even if he suspected something—

Even if he wanted to punish them—

He couldn’t.

Because the General had given a direct order.

And here—

'The General’s authority is absolute.'

As if proving that point—

"...Open the cell."

Grinding his teeth, the Blue Commander gave the order.

The soldiers approached and unshackled them.

"Ahh, now that feels better."

Gu Yangcheon stretched his newly freed arms.

"May we leave now?"

He smiled.

The Commander’s face contorted even further.

"The General may have shown you mercy this time, but I will never forget this."

"...Oh no, how terrifying. I’ll be more careful next time. Now, hurry up and apologize."

"...Sorry."

"He’s sorry too. Please be understanding."

"...."

The Blue Commander’s gaze made it very clear—he had no intention of forgiving them.

Gu Yangcheon simply smiled and turned away.

The guards didn’t stop him.

Stepping outside the cell, he glanced down—

"Hm...."

A massive crater marred the floor.

No doubt left behind by the sheer force of Yusa’s jump.

'...That was just from him leaping into the air?'

Taking note of the impact, Gu Yangcheon grabbed Cheonma and strode out.

******************

They walked for a long time.

Leaving Yahwol Palace behind.

Now, finally—

The fortress was distant enough to fade from sight.

Deep within the forest, on the path leading back to Mount Hua—

"Kuhak—!"

Gu Yangcheon coughed up blood.

Drip, drip.

Scarlet liquid spilled from his lips, sinking into the dirt.

His knees buckled.

He barely caught himself with his hands.

"Keuk...."

Pain wrecked his body.

A hand touched his back—Cheonma’s.

"Move. I’m fine."

"..."

At his words, she withdrew.

He focused on circulating his energy.

"Huff... Huff...."

He had spat out a considerable amount of blood.

Even after stabilizing his internal flow, the pain remained.

'...Damn it.'

A little longer, and he wouldn’t have been able to hold it in.

Barely managing to keep himself together until now was a miracle in itself.

Wiping the blood from his lips, he reflected.

'...I didn’t think holding back would be this difficult.'

Facing Yusa while disguised as Cheonma—

That had been the problem.

Using a power similar to Dragon Speech against him had taken its toll.

'I couldn’t even last a moment.'

Just suppressing Yusa for a brief instant had nearly torn his insides apart.

And then—

Because he had lost control midway—

He had let Yusa attack him.

'That moment scared the shit out of me.'

When the suppression broke and Yusa swung his arm—

Gu Yangcheon had been unable to react.

The lingering backlash had rendered him incapable of movement.

He had thought he was done for.

'But I got lucky.'

His Authority—

The thing that had emerged from his shadow—had bitten into Yusa’s arm.

'That wasn’t me.'

He hadn’t called for Tam.

'But it acted on its own.'

Tam had lunged forward of its own accord, sinking its teeth into Yusa’s arm.

Which meant—

'Tam doesn’t just react to dragons. It reacts to Authorities.'

He had assumed its ability only worked against dragons.

But—

'It targets powers.'

That thought became a certainty.

Because—

'The moment Tam bit Yusa, I understood his Authority.'

In that instant, he knew what Yusa’s power was.

Feast.

That was its name.

The power to devour anything.

And—

'To enhance its senses to track prey.'

When Yusa was starving, his perception and physical abilities surged.

The Authority remained active until he consumed something.

And it had other uses as well—

But—

'Even so.'

Tam had ignored all of it.

It had devoured Yusa’s power.

Rendering him helpless.

Meaning—

'His Authority is worthless against me.'

"Huuu...."

Gu Yangcheon wiped away the remaining blood and stood.

The pain lingered.

But despite that—

He felt refreshed.

"Now the plan is clear."

His objective had always been set.

But the process had been uncertain.

Now, he had direction.

Step one—

'I’m going to drag Yusa down.'

One of the Generals.

He would be the first.

And to do that—

'...I’ll need to find the Turtle.'

He would require some of that power.

'...Hmm.'

Thinking that far, something nagged at him.

The Turtle’s words.

What had he said?

"You’ll understand when you return to me."

That’s what he had told him.

'Could he have predicted this?'

That the situation would lead to this?

That Gu Yangcheon would seek him out again?

The timing felt—

Too perfect.

Too precise.

'...Calling it a coincidence feels wrong.'

A shiver ran down his spine.