For a moment, Yusa’s words left me speechless.

‘A general?’

Shin Noya—once a general?

And not just that, but a traitor who had betrayed my mother?

Was it true?

If it was—

‘How?’

How the hell had Noya become a general in the first place?

As I furrowed my brows, trying to make sense of it—

Crack—!!

“Kugh!”

Noya grabbed Yusa’s face and slammed it into the ground.

“You’ve always been like this.”

Bang—!

Bang—!

Bang—!

Three more times, shaking the entire area despite the barrier I had set up.

“Your mouth is always your biggest problem. That wretched tongue of yours never learns.”

Bang—!!!

One last time, then he grabbed Yusa by the hair and lifted him up.

“Ghh... haah....”

Yusa’s face twisted in pain.

“Tsk.”

Watching him struggle,

Noya smirked.

Something about that smile sent a chill down my spine.

I instinctively checked—

was he emitting killing intent?

No.

There was none.

And yet, just from the sheer presence he exuded, the pressure was suffocating.

‘Hah...’

I exhaled silently.

I had long known he was strong.

He had beaten me to a pulp countless times,

and now he was toying with Yusa.

Of course he was strong.

But—

‘Is this old man really a Daoist?’

That was the problem.

This was a man supposedly revered in the Daoist world.

Among the great sages who lived in harmony with the flow of nature,

who were praised for their broad-mindedness and noble character—

Shin Noya stood as one of the most respected, second only to the Plum Blossom Immortal of Mount Hua.

And yet, right now,

he looked nothing more than a thug from the streets.

“You... damn...”

Yusa groaned.

Blood dripped from the corner of his lips.

He was clearly in immense pain.

It wasn’t just from getting slammed into the ground.

That alone wouldn’t have hurt him this much.

No—

‘It’s not the impact. It’s the qi infused into the strikes.’

I had seen it.

Noya had embedded qi into the ground with each blow.

This wasn’t just brute force.

It was controlled—precisely controlled.

‘Crazy old bastard.’

Even in that brief sequence,

there was an overwhelming level of mastery.

Compression. Application. Control.

Even though he was using it «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» for violence,

his technique was flawless, refined.

‘I never realized it before.’

But now I could see it.

I had always wondered why his qi felt so rough for a Daoist.

But—

‘It’s the opposite.’

Among all the Daoists,

Noya’s qi was the cleanest, the most precise.

It was simply a matter of how he wielded it.

If he chose,

it could become a deadly blade.

Or it could be as harmless as drifting petals.

‘...Hah...’

I suddenly found myself laughing internally.

‘Why the hell am I admiring this in the middle of all this?’

It was ridiculous—

analyzing technique while watching someone get pummeled.

At that moment—

“Yusa.”

“Khh...”

Noya spoke, watching Yusa struggle to stand.

“Only one thing matters, as always.

Will you do it, or won’t you?

That’s all you ever need to decide.

So stop wasting time and let’s talk.”

“...Talk?

What is there to talk about with a traitor...?”

“How long do you think your master will keep you by her side?”

“...”

For the first time,

Yusa—who had been unwavering—froze.

Then, after a pause,

he finally spoke.

“What nonsense....”

His voice trembled.

As if Noya had struck a nerve.

And Noya knew it.

He didn’t stop smiling as he continued.

“You already know, don’t you?

With your instincts, there’s no way you don’t sense it.

You’re just pretending you don’t.”

“Shut up! You left long ago! What the hell do you know?!”

“If that’s the case,

then why did you return to Yahwol Palace instead of staying in the Chaos Region?”

“...!”

Yusa’s eyes widened.

“...How do you...?”

“Heh.”

Noya chuckled at Yusa’s shock.

“I may be an old man now,

but I still have my eyes and ears, you know.”

And then—

Swish.

Noya let go of Yusa’s hair.

I expected Yusa to explode the moment he was free.

But—

He didn’t.

He just stood there.

“With the Abyss gone and the other generals scrambling to restore order,

you, of all people, should be the busiest.

So why are you here?”

“...”

“Think about it.

You already know the answer.”

“...Shut up.”

“Your master is preparing for change.

And—”

“Shut. Up...!”

Crack!

The ropes started unraveling.

‘This isn’t good.’

I swallowed dryly, watching the tension rise.

“If things do change,

you might be the first one to be discarded.

And you know it—”

“Shut your damn mouth!!!”

Crack—!!!

Yusa roared—

And the ropes snapped apart.

Gubong immediately reached for his sword.

I tensed as well, preparing to act.

But—

“Yusa.”

The situation didn’t escalate.

Even though he was free,

Yusa didn’t attack Noya.

“You were once meant to be the brightest ruler of Moonlit Night.”

His eyes burned with hostility and killing intent—

but he only glared.

And as if he had expected this,

Noya continued speaking.

“How did you become so pathetic?

Did you forget what you once sought?

Even your fur has lost its—”

“Cut the crap and speak clearly,

Hwayeon.”

Yusa cut him off.

At that name—

I perked up.

Hwayeon.

The way Yusa addressed Noya was strange.

“You could’ve just hidden away like a rat.

So why come back and pull this nonsense?”

Yusa’s anger flared.

His tail thickened.

His pale green hair grew longer.

Watching this transformation,

Noya calmly spoke.

“Yusa.”

His eyes showed no fear.

“I have a proposal for you.”

“You? Propose something to me?”

“I’ll give you what you’ve always wanted.”

Yusa’s expression shifted.

He had realized what Noya was suggesting.

“...You.”

“Yusa.

Wouldn’t you like to become the master of this land?”

“...!”

And with those words—

“I’ll make it happen.”

—everything seemed to grow eerily still.

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

As time passed, I found myself back in the same place.

As dusk began to settle,

I sat on the edge of a building, gazing at the sky.

A quick glance behind me revealed the aftermath of earlier—

the shattered ground, debris scattered all around.

I let out a quiet sigh in the midst of the mess.

Hearing the sound,

someone sat down beside me.

It was Noya.

“Why the long face?” 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

And, for some reason,

he was holding something in his hand.

I looked closer—

it was a skewer.

‘What the hell?’

Why was he holding a skewer now, of all times?

Finding it strange,

I glanced to the side—

Gubong was also holding one.

Judging by his expression,

he hadn't gotten it willingly.

It was obvious that Noya had shoved it into his hands.

“Eat. It’s good.”

“...You’re really eating right now?”

“Everything we do is for the sake of staying alive.

So of course, we eat.”

“Unbelievable.”

The way he said it so matter-of-factly left me speechless.

What was even more ridiculous—

Was that I actually took the skewer.

And naturally, I took a bite.

Annoyingly enough—

It tasted good.

As I chewed,

I looked over at Noya and asked,

“Noya.”

“Yeah?”

“What the hell happened?”

The setting sun painted the sky in warm hues.

I kept my eyes on it,

but my words were directed at him.

“What do you mean?”

“Yusa.”

I was referring to his words about Yusa's master.

Noya let out a short “Ah.”

“That?”

He acted like it was nothing.

But his next words carried a weight that was anything but light.

“It’s simple.

The one who was supposed to be the master of this land—was Yusa.”

“...”

His tone was casual,

but the meaning behind it was staggering.

“...What do you mean?”

“Like I said,

Yusa was supposed to be the greatest among the Moonlit Night Tribe.”

He spoke indifferently, picking at his nose.

Something about his carefree attitude

pissed me off a little.

“So naturally,

he expected to become the master.

But... some things happened.”

“Things?”

“I don’t know the details,

but it was enough to make him resent it.”

“...”

So Yusa was meant to be the master—

but he wasn’t.

And as a result,

my mother took the position instead?

‘Wait... then what exactly is a master?’

From what I had heard from Mua,

the master of this world was tied to its very existence.

‘Didn’t she say that whenever the master changes,

all life is erased and reborn?’

But if Yusa had been denied that role,

that would contradict everything I had been told.

Clearly,

something else was at play.

And on top of that—

“...Then...

what about you being a general?”

Shin Noya—once a general,

but a traitor who had betrayed the current master?

That, more than anything,

was what I found hardest to believe.

So I asked.

This time,

Noya’s gaze turned a bit more serious.

And then—

“It was a request from your mother.”

His voice was calm, but heavy.

“Not the master of Mangye.

Your mother.”

With those words,

he uttered something utterly bizarre.