WUUUUUUM—!!!!

A deafening resonance engulfed my ears.

The sound of the air being torn apart surpassed the limits of what could even be recognized as a sound.

It was pure vibration.

The air trembled, the ground split apart.

The sky roared as if it were about to collapse.

And it kept wailing—over and over, relentlessly.

Time passed.

The fierce tremors gradually weakened as if their purpose had been fulfilled.

Only then—

"AAAAAAAAAAAH—!!!"

Only after the force had subsided did sound return to my ears.

The scream—

The cry of something writhing in agony, its very nature laid bare without restraint.

The force created from friction had been named chaos,

And at its core—was violence.

Unrivaled savagery, pure and untamed.

It was a power created with that in mind.

KIIIIAAAAAA—!!!!

Black and murky.

Yet tinged with gray, a force spiraling out of control, devouring everything in its reach.

Its range was immeasurable.

Once, it had been a beautiful plain.

Now, as the energy dwindled, the transformed landscape revealed itself.

A barren wasteland.

The ground had withered and died, stripped of even the smallest blades of grass.

Deep craters, as if an entire lake had once been there, bore witness to the sheer destruction that had taken place.

The lingering energy had fused with the dust, swirling ominously in the sky.

A murky haze stained the heavens I had shaped.

Step.

I took a step forward.

With a flick of my fingers, the scattered energy flowed back into me.

As the residual force returned, I did not stop walking.

At the center of the crater—

Something lay in the depths of the pit I had created.

"Kuh... Kuaah... Kuaaah..."

It twitched violently, convulsing.

A broken, shattered Yusa.

Its entire body was torn apart, flesh stripped down to reveal the bones beneath.

Blood soaked the ground, pooling from its mutilated form.

Any other being would have long since died in this condition.

"Kuh... Kk... Ah... Ugh..."

Yusa trembled in agony, yet its life refused to end.

Was its regeneration still keeping it alive?

Tough bastard.

Yet there was something even stranger.

"Kuh... Hrrgh... You... What the hell...?"

As I approached, Yusa looked up at me, unable to hide its shock.

Of course.

Its body was desperately trying to heal itself—

SIZZLE—!!

"GAHAAAAAH!!!"

Only for its flesh to be eaten away again the moment it regenerated.

What was happening?

I watched closely and soon realized—

"The energy is still inside it."

The remnants of the Cheonma Divine Art—combined with the Flame Core and Heaven-Shattering Fist—

The Cheonma Chaos Core.

Its effects still lingered within Yusa’s body.

The Flame Core specialized in wide-range destruction and explosive power.

Heaven-Shattering Fist took that destructive nature and focused it into a concentrated strike.

On its own, the Flame Core covered a greater area than Heaven-Shattering Fist.

But—

"Combining the two..."

Merging their properties had amplified their power to an overwhelming degree.

A vast range of destruction.

An unparalleled force of annihilation.

But most of all—

"Because of Tua Pacheonmu, it’s eating away at its flesh."

The one responsible for suppressing Yusa’s regeneration—was none other than Paejon’s technique.

The heat and sustained energy output from Tua Pacheonmu had turned its internal force into razor-sharp blades, continuously slashing away at its body.

It wasn’t just slowing its regeneration—it was negating it entirely.

"Fascinating."

Truly, it was.

"And incredible."

More than I expected.

Chaos—

It was called chaos because its components refused to merge, clashing violently.

Yet, when shaped into a martial art, it had become something entirely different.

A force born from friction.

By expressing that friction through energy, even its internal conflict had transformed into raw power.

Then—

"Deceitful... Deceitful bastard..."

Yusa muttered, its voice weak and ragged.

At that, I tilted my head slightly.

What was it calling deceitful?

I looked down at it with curiosity.

Yusa glared back at me, eyes burning with rage.

"You tricked me...!"

"Ah."

Now I understood.

I had claimed that I couldn’t use Dominance—

And then, I had used it anyway.

That must have been what infuriated it so much.

"Hah."

Realizing that, I let out a small chuckle.

Maybe it was just my imagination,

But I had noticed something peculiar about the beings of Mangye.

"You’re more naïve than you look."

"What...?"

"No, maybe it’s just because you’re a beast. ‘Naïve’ isn’t the right word—‘simple’ suits you better."

It had been the same with the Red One.

And with the Blue One and Black One as well.

Even Yusa, despite being a General, was no different.

All of them—

Were absurdly simple.

"The way you fight, too."

Your strength and level of mastery are indeed at the level of the Three Lords.

But the way you move—

The way you wield that power—

It’s too basic.

Sure, your instincts allow you to adapt and counter,

But that’s all it is. Instinct.

Even if that weren’t the case—

"You shouldn’t be so quick to believe what you see and hear."

"You bastard...!!""Kugh—!"*

SPLURCH—!!

Blood spilled from Yusa’s mouth.

The energy was still ravaging its insides.

It tried to move, to resist—

But the more it struggled, the more it lost control.

It thrashed, convulsing like a creature in the throes of death.

I watched it closely, then spoke.

"Is this all you’ve got?"

"......!"

"Just like last time... how disappointing."

I spoke, my voice devoid of any force.

"I thought you had something worth showing. I ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) was even willing to indulge your little performance... but this is all you've got?"

Half of it was sincere.

Unlike the wary anticipation I had when first confronting Yusa, this had ended far too easily.

A foe like this wasn’t something I’d run into every day.

I wanted to observe it more—

"There’s still so much to see."

Why had my pinnacle technique failed to fully manifest earlier?

How far could I push the Cheonma Divine Art?

Was there anything else I could take from this thing?

If it ended here, I would only be left unsatisfied.

"Not yet..."

Yusa trembled violently at my reaction, forcing its broken body to move.

"Not yet... I am General Yusa... I will not fall to something like this...!"

I could see its pupils shaking.

The lingering effects of chaos were fading, allowing its regeneration to restart, barely keeping it alive.

"If only... if only it were night...!"

"I admit it. If it were night, perhaps things would have been different. But—"

That was of no consequence to me.

I had already lost interest.

"It is a meaningless speculation about something that never happened."

I stepped forward, locking eyes with it.

The pain in its gaze was gradually overtaking its strength.

Watching that, I asked—

"I will ask again, General. Where is the Sacred Tree of Yahwol?"

"GRRRRR—!!"

The moment I mentioned the Sacred Tree, Yusa’s reaction turned vicious.

CRACK—!!

It raised its skeletal arm in an attempt to strike, but I merely glanced at it—

And swung my hand.

CRUNCH—!!!

"......!!!!"

Its massive arm was torn off.

A wretched scream erupted from Yusa as its body convulsed.

Blood splattered from the open wound.

THUD.

I casually tossed the severed limb aside.

Then, I glanced at the now-empty shoulder.

"Judging by the condition... if there were no interference, you would have healed instantly."

The flesh and bone were already trying to regrow.

Had the chaotic energy not latched onto it, the regeneration would have been immediate.

"Khh... KHHHHK...!!"

"I will ask one last time. Where is the Sacred Tree of Yahwol?"

I gathered energy into my palm—

A Flame Core infused with Demonic Qi.

I let it hover before Yusa, making my threat clear.

But—

"Khh... Hah... Hahaha..."

It laughed.

Even while staring at the Flame Core, it laughed.

Like a madman.

"You... know nothing."

"That is not the answer I wanted."

"Changing Mangye...? I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you will change nothing."

"......"

"For a moment, I hesitated... but now, I see it clearly. You don’t understand anything, do you?"

There was certainty in its voice.

The same certainty it had when it was convinced I couldn't use Dominance.

This time, however, it was right.

"If you knew anything, you wouldn’t have mentioned the Sacred Tree... What is your true objective?"

"Hmm."

Hearing that, I scratched my chin behind the mask.

So there was something about it.

"You’re sharp. Ah, that one’s sincere."

"Grrr..."

"You’re right. I don’t know much. However—"

GRIP—!

"Gah—!?"

I reached out and grasped Yusa’s thick neck.

My hand was far too small to wrap around it fully—

But what I lacked in size, I made up for in sheer strength.

"Does it matter if I don’t know? Such details are irrelevant. And as for your claim that I will change nothing..."

From the beginning—

"I never intended to change Mangye."

"......!!"

Yusa’s eyes widened.

"What...!!"

It tried to speak—

But I ignored it.

"I will not entertain this conversation any further. If you refuse to speak about the Sacred Tree, so be it."

If it wouldn’t talk—

I would make it talk.

THUMP—!

I willed power into my heart—

And poured Demonic Qi into Yusa’s body.

More than the Sacred Tree,

This interested me even more.

Would a General succumb to corruption?

Like the Black One,

Could a being of its level still fall to Demonic Qi?

Before the moon could rise—

I intended to find out.

SSSSHHHH—!!!

"KHHHHG!?"

As the Demonic Qi invaded its body, blood vessels burst in Yusa’s eyes.

Seeing that—

I drove the Demonic Qi in even deeper.