Taechun declared:

“You shall claim Mangye.”

The one he served had spoken thus.

Because it was the will of the Supreme Heavens, he would follow that will without hesitation.

The pair of wings granted to him—bestowed with the command to soar high, carrying his master’s will.

The man roamed the skies, guided by the master’s decree.

“You will claim Mangye.”

His master had spoken so.

How could he obtain Mangye? The question arose within him, but he did not voice it.

Even if he held doubts, it did not matter—for his master’s will had become his own.

Moreover, sensing his worries, the master spoke once more:

“Worry not, my servant.”

“All shall unfold according to the will of the heavens.”

Taechun had declared it—thus, it would be.

The man believed it without question.

**********

Guooooooo—!!!

The restless ashen sky. Beneath it, a shallow veil spread out, emitting light. A deep, verdant blue veil surrounded the area.

It was the scattered flow of vitality that could not be fully obtained. As the trembling vitality spread like clouds, it began to cover the sky.

“Hm.”

The man exhaled softly as he looked ahead.

He saw Yarang, who had fallen, and the back of the figure kneeling in front of him.

There was no movement. The one who had fallen was Yarang, struck by his attack, but it was the figure in front of him who remained still.

A dragon.

A proud race that should have already been extinguished by the master of Mangye.

They once tried to influence not only Mangye, but the rest of the worlds as well.

A race that, defying rules, tried to become a world unto itself, the Dragon Sovereign.

He was said to have been sealed by Mangye, receiving the world’s wrath.

“How...”

How could the life of one whose master had disappeared still be here before him?

The man voiced his question, but—

“Does it matter?”

Now, it didn’t matter. The man casually opened his palm and looked at it.

A pale white palm entered his vision. Normally, that would be all he would see, but now, his gaze held more than just that.

“Brilliant.”

Beautiful and full of life.

With the mercy of Taechun, he had filled his body with immense vitality.

Thanks to Du Ryeong, who had carried out the master’s will and expanded the vessel in advance.

His body, elevated to an extraordinary level.

A form that could not even be compared to his original body.

‘This is...’

This is divinity.

A supreme and great being capable of becoming a master.

A vessel that could fully receive the power of an entire world.

It was a vessel that could only be obtained if the world allowed it. It was a profound difference that could not even be compared to a simple living being.

“Wonderful...”

Become the master of Mangye.

Upon hearing those words, all the questions he had held became meaningless.

Taechun always had a purpose.

But—

“If there is a regret...”

It was truly a regret that he could not become a vessel far more perfect than this.

If the problem had started from the beginning, it was because Du Ryeong had been far more foolish than expected.

The second issue was that their presence had been discovered too soon.

About fifty to a hundred years.

If he had only gained that much more time, it would have been enough.

But that did not happen.

And the third—

“It’s because of you.”

The one who remained kneeling, unmoving.

The dragon who appeared in Mangye and disrupted his plans.

That was the problem.

Perhaps all that he had previously thought was unnecessary.

If it hadn’t been for that damned creature—

There would have been no problems from the beginning.

Or perhaps—

Perhaps it had always been—

“Because of him.”

How long ago was it? It was almost an instant ago to him.

The outsider his master had brought in as a new general.

Du Ryeong had been enraged and rejected him, but Yusa, perhaps because he liked the outsider, had followed him around.

In the end, he was betrayed.

The outsider had disappeared with the Seed of the Divine Tree.

And he vanished, founding some unknown group called Mount Hua Sect.

But the strange thing was—

“The master... let him go.”

The outsider had disappeared with the Seed of the Divine Tree, yet it didn’t make sense that he was allowed to walk freely.

This must have been what Taechun had meant.

‘The master of Mangye has encountered a problem.’

He recalled the words spoken. It seemed correct. The disturbances from the Abyssal Pit, the master’s strange movements—

Something was twisted within Mangye. And—

“I ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) won’t miss this.”

The man had no intention of missing this opportunity.

Rustle,

Vitality gathered, bringing forth the potential within his form.

The very air itself became a source of energy.

The power surged.

“This is what it means to be a master?”

A half-master.

Not yet the master of the world, but a body with the potential to become one.

Even that alone placed him on an entirely different level.

A difference so vast that anything beneath him could not even dare to look up.

The man felt that as he took a step.

No sound was heard.

It seemed as though the very ground bowed before his existence.

“Have you given up?”

He asked.

The fragile body of Yarang, exhaling softly.

Her body was almost half torn apart. If regeneration didn't occur, it seemed certain that she would die.

But regeneration would not happen.

The man would not allow it.

Yarang began slowly dying.

As he watched her, he thought.

“Surprising.”

Frankly, it was surprising.

What Yarang possessed were only swift movements and information—but to think she was hiding this kind of power.

Even more, to think that she could break through a level and land an attack.

What was this? It was a power he had never seen before.

“To strike at divinity...”

A low-tier power shouldn’t even be able to reach such a target.

But this power pierced through, entering.

Was it a divine power? No.

It was something different.

What was it? The question lingered for a moment, but by now, it was no longer important.

After all, it was a power that would be eradicated.

“She will be gone now.”

He showed the power of his changed tier.

Rumble—!!

The sky cried out. The ashen sky, infused with his emotions, began to shift.

Clouds began to gather. This was the man’s own space granted by Taechun. But now that his level had risen, it wouldn't be long before it affected all of Mangye.

Although he could not yet oppose the master of Mangye.

“She won’t be able to move anyway.”

Now was the perfect time.

Even a lacking vessel could be covered by the situation.

Thinking of that, the man approached the one who was kneeling.

“You’ve already given up, haven’t you?”

Behind Yarang, whose breath was becoming faint, the figure remained still.

He approached the young dragon.

Even compared to the general, it was an unthinkable level of strength.

Perhaps this was the next dragon sovereign after the old one fell.

“That can’t be right.”

He had faintly seen the strength of the Dragon Sovereign before.

Such weak power could hardly compare. It was likely the weakest among the surviving dragons.

Thinking so, he moved his hand.

“Now. Die.” 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

There would be no more surprises.

Everything would proceed according to Taechun’s will.

With that thought, the man moved his hand.

Swish—!

A light swipe of his hand.

But—

“Hmm?”

Something was strange.

“What’s going on?”

Why was nothing happening? The vitality should have poured out, making them disappear without a trace, but nothing occurred.

“What is this?”

Just as he was surveying the situation with confused eyes—

“Hmm?”

He suddenly realized.

“What...”

His arm, the one he had swung, had vanished. The traces of being torn apart were still visible.

What was happening? The man widened his eyes in confusion.

Thud.

He heard something fall. His gaze turned in that direction.

On the ground lay his own arm.

At the same time, the figure that had been sitting stood up.

It was the young dragon the man had called it. Just as he was about to frown—

“You...?”

The dragon turned to look behind.

At that moment—

Boom—!

The man’s vision flickered.

Crack—!

Something collapsing could be heard.

Debris from the sky hit the man’s face.

“...?”

Where was this? Inside a building.

He had pierced through and caused the collapse of the building. The man immediately retreated.

Boom—!

As he moved, the distance felt strange.

It was the edge of the space granted by Taechun.

The place he had originally been was in the center, but now, it felt incredibly far.

Could it be...?

“Did I lose consciousness?”

Had he lost consciousness?

Had he been thrown so far away that he lost his senses for a moment?

“That can’t be...”

How could that happen? It didn’t make sense.

He scowled and spread his wings.

Whoosh—!!!

Three pairs of white wings spread out and accelerated. His body rose, flying toward the center.

In an instant, his vision changed. Before long, the man’s body reached the center.

“...Hmm?”

Once he arrived, he squinted his eyes.

They were gone.

“Where did they go?”

The two figures that should have been there were gone.

As he looked at that, the man felt the energy of the earth. They had hidden somewhere—he needed to find them.

But even after searching, he couldn't feel anything.

Could it be the sky instead of the earth?

Just as he raised his energy to check—

“...!”

He felt it.

Right behind him—

Crack—!

“Gah!”

Boom—!!!

The man was struck and fell to the ground.

A tremendous impact shattered the ground.

Creeeak—!!

“Ugh—!!”

With the force pressing down from above, the man struggled. He tried to push back with all his strength, but it was in vain.

His eyes rolled as he looked at what was pressing down on him.

There—

“Grrrrr---”

A beast, clad in white fur, stood before him.

A massive body with purple eyes, an enormous white creature, possessing multiple tails.