Swoooosh—

Light descended from the sky. Slowly, little by little, beneath the spread of white radiance. Like fireflies settling down, the light gently sank.

I gazed up at that sky in a daze.

A sky woven from energy. A sky I had created.

"Hahaha."

I couldn't help but let out a laugh. How could I not?

"It actually worked."

It had worked.

After mastering Nine Flames Firewheel, I had attempted this several times.

I hadn’t known how to do it, had only seen it before. I had fumbled, clueless about where to begin.

But now, I finally understood.

...There was no need to learn it, nor to go out of my way to figure it out.

This power didn’t require effort to obtain.

One merely had to realize it.

Once I reached it, I simply knew.

It was like comprehending the authority of a dragon.

Fwoosh.

I opened my palm and conjured flames.

Blue fire bloomed. Yet, its color was noticeably different from before.

A bit brighter.

No, not just a bit. Far brighter.

If before it had been a deep blue, now it was more like a clear sky. Holding a brilliant light within, it somehow even looked sacred.

Flick.

I clenched my fist, snuffing out the flames.

Then, I lifted my gaze back to the sky.

The sky, cleared by my energy, remained unchanged.

And as I looked at it, a thought crossed my mind.

Transcendence.

Transcendence.

The ultimate state a martial artist could reach.

A realm said to be attainable only after one had perfected their martial arts.

In my past life, I had never even come close.

Chiiiik—!

Watching the wheel of flames turning behind me, I stood in a stupor.

...I actually reached it?

I had spoken of transcendence.

The realization I had gained while wielding Cheonma Divine Art—the moment I grasped it, I felt as if a shell around me had shattered.

...I had reached transcendence.

By the time I became aware of it, my realm had already expanded.

Fwoosh.

When I tensed my body, it transformed into flames.

Not merely enveloped by fire, but actually turning into fire.

An alien sensation.

I had already glimpsed a part of it upon reaching mastery, but I never expected to undergo such a natural transformation.

And, recalling what I had just unleashed, my fingertips trembled slightly.

The pinnacle and ultimate technique of Nine Flames Firewheel.

The power my father had once demonstrated against a White-Rank beast.

Nine Flames Supreme Mountain Five Forms...

A power that could only be obtained upon reaching transcendence in Nine Flames Firewheel.

Chiiiiik—!!

When I unleashed it through my fingertips, the sky-blue flames grew even brighter.

Then, before long, they turned white, heating up my palm.

It was not White Flame. I had not released the energy of Pama.

The heat had simply concentrated to such an extent that it turned white.

"......"

So this is an ultimate technique.

The force that had cleared the sky.

The force that emitted ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) such dazzling light.

Then—

What exactly does this power do?

I had used it, but I needed to understand its precise significance.

Fortunately, that, too, I instinctively knew.

Besides, hadn't my father already shown me what it was capable of?

I reached out toward the sky.

In that instant—

Fuaaaaaaa—!!!

The once-blue sky, as if it had turned into broad daylight, began to tremble.

Then, as it coiled into a vortex—

Kwaaaa—!!!

Light shot down, gathering in my palm.

The sky turning to white night was no accident.

Though it seemed like a white night, in reality—

It was Red Heaven.

The domain technique of Nine Flames Firewheel.

It was Red Heaven.

Only now, mixed with the ultimate technique, its effect had been amplified to the extreme.

The essence of Red Heaven was the intensification of heat and the magnification of flames.

Originally, it had evolved from Nine Flames Great Wheel, a technique that expelled fire. But now, interwoven with an ultimate technique—

It felt as if I had truly created a sky.

A breathtaking spectacle unfolded before me.

And then, as if to undo it, I gathered it into one hand.

Chiiiik—!!!

The sky condensed into my palm.

What I had created was a flame jewel, glowing with a crisp, cerulean hue.

Incredible.

Even though I had created it myself, I couldn’t help but admire it.

Not only was it mesmerizing in form, but its color—something I had never seen before—along with the sheer quality of the energy, set it apart.

Was this the result of reaching transcendence?

I clutched the flame jewel and took a step forward.

And in that moment—

Splash.

"......"

My vision shifted once more.

I was back atop the lake.

A lake that, just moments ago, had been filled with euphoria and arrogance.

A lake so deep and murky that falling in would have meant losing myself, drowning in its abyss.

But now—

It had become shallow.

At some point, it had receded so much that its bottom was visible.

What? When did this happen?

What had changed?

Just as the question formed in my mind—

"I see you still have time to be distracted."

A voice rang out.

Across the lake, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, was Shin Noya.

"You’ve reached the extreme and finally touched upon a new realm. How does it feel?"

"......"

How does it feel?

"I don’t know."

I didn’t know.

What exactly was I feeling right now?

Pure admiration? Or was it confusion?

I wasn’t sure, and that uncertainty puzzled me.

"Good. That’s the right answer."

Shin Noya, rather than being dissatisfied, smirked in satisfaction.

"Hold onto that unfamiliar, subtle emotion. And grasp the fleeting emptiness that follows."

Shing.

As he spoke, he unclasped his hands.

A sword rested in his grip.

My eyes widened.

"Eternal Bind...?"

It was Eternal Bind.

Hurriedly, I glanced down at my left arm.

It was gone.

Eternal Bind, which should have been bound to my arm, had somehow ended up over there.

When did that happen? I hadn’t noticed.

Eternal Bind had shed its bandage form and taken on the shape of a sword.

And in Shin Noya’s grasp—

Rumble—!!!

An overwhelming battle aura began to surge forth. The lake beneath us trembled.

By the time the splashing water grazed my ankles—

"......!"

My vision snapped back to normal.

I widened my eyes at the sight. Though I had absorbed the white night sky into my hand, erasing it, the surroundings had not changed.

Fwoosh!

Sizzle—!

The lingering embers continued to burn everything in sight. The rocks and trees had melted away, leaving behind only the scent of charred remains.

Was this—

Did I do this?

I had no memory of it, but the shape of the flames was unmistakably mine. As if to confirm it, the moment I reached out, the fire instantly gathered toward me.

I controlled the swirling flames and turned my gaze to Shin Noya.

He was still radiating an overwhelming aura as he approached.

"Now that you’ve come to your senses, let’s continue, shall we?"

"......."

Why was I fighting this old man again?

It took me a moment to piece things together.

Right.

I grasped the white flame...

I had used Cheonma Divine Art, intertwining it with Tua Heaven-Piercing Fist, forming Cheonma’s Single Fist.

With that, I had annihilated the white flame.

Something about that moment had triggered a realization, pushing me beyond my limits.

And then—

My memory gets hazy.

What happened after that?

I must have instinctively sought out Shin Noya after feeling something was off.

I believed that if anyone could help me, it was him.

He must have grabbed me and thrown me outside the moment I arrived.

And that led to now.

Throb!

A sharp pain shot through my chest, and I ran a hand over it.

When I looked down, my palm was smeared with blood. My body had been wounded.

That, too, must have just happened.

I recalled Shin Noya’s Mind Blade slicing through me.

Fortunately, my body was already regenerating.

The night had yet to end, and my Moonlit Night Tribe physique remained intact, accelerating my healing.

But the real issue was—

...Do I really need to keep fighting?

Whether my body healed or not, did I really need to continue this fight with Shin Noya?

If I had to guess, the reason he was fighting me was because of me.

Was he trying to bring me back to my senses?

There’s an old saying—sometimes a good beating is the best medicine.

And after taking a few blows from this old man, my mind did feel a lot clearer.

The euphoria and arrogance that had been swelling inside me had completely vanished.

What remained beneath that was nothing but excitement at this newfound realm I had reached.

Maybe I should tell him I’ve come to my senses and call it quits?

That would probably be the most reasonable thing to do.

But instead—

"Hoo."

I let out a deep breath and clenched my fist.

This was greed.

I want to try it.

I wanted to see how much I had changed.

To understand what this transcendence, something I had so desperately sought after, truly was.

I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

So, I tensed my entire body and locked eyes with Shin Noya.

Vwooooom—!!!

Behind me, the azure flame wheel spun violently.

Heat surged through me, sending power coursing through my limbs.

Fwoosh—!!

Flames ran up my shoulders.

I infused the fire bursting from the Flame Jewel in my grasp with even more energy.

Fwoosh—!!

Light flared from it instantly. Its size did not increase.

But I could feel the power within it growing to its absolute peak.

What was the true essence of an ultimate technique in Nine Flames Firewheel?

It was not about acquiring some new kind of power.

It was—

To burn what I already have even hotter.

To make sure it could incinerate anything.

To make the wheel spin faster. To make the flames burn brighter.

It was simple, intuitive—yet what it provided was anything but insignificant.

I grasped the Flame Jewel. The moment I did, its shape changed.

It shifted into the form of a spear, and I grabbed hold of it.

I didn’t even need to use my mental force.

The Flame Star Spear had formed so effortlessly that even I was taken aback.

"Hoo."

Holding the azure-blue spear in hand, I turned my gaze toward Shin Noya.

Just how much stronger had I become?

The chance to find out sent a thrill through me.

If it’s Noya...

No matter what power I unleashed, I believed he could withstand it.

That belief settled deep inside me as I tightened my stance.

Fwoosh—!

Sparks flew as my battle aura, mixed with flames, erupted outward.

Rumble—!!!

It clashed violently with the aura radiating from Shin Noya.

I’ll break through in one go.

I had to be wary of his Mind Blade, which could come from anywhere, and his rapid swordsmanship.

But for now, I would push through with sheer force.

I’m going in.

Rather than throwing the spear, I would break through while holding onto it.

I gathered all my power for that single purpose.

Kwaaaaa—!!!

Through the blazing aura, I locked onto Shin Noya.

I was about to charge in with everything I had—

"Cough—!"

"Huh?"

Hearing that sound, my body stiffened.

Suddenly, Shin Noya raised a hand to his mouth and let out a rough cough.

The overwhelming aura he had been emitting instantly vanished.

What the hell?

Why was he suddenly doing this?

Was he trying to make me drop my guard?

If so, it was the most ridiculous way to do it.

Baffled, I opened my mouth to ask—

"Noya, what are you—"

"Cough...! Guh...."

His coughing worsened.

Then, with a thud, he fell to one knee.

Drip—!

Blood spilled from his mouth, staining the ground.

"Noya...? Noya—!"

It was only then that I realized something was terribly wrong.

I rushed forward, dropping to my knees beside him.

"Noya! What’s happening to you? Wake up!"

"......."

He did not respond.

Shin Noya had lost consciousness.

"Noya!"

And he was coughing up dark crimson blood.