“I’ll do it.”

Jaegyeom, who had been pointing his sword at the intelligent ghost, staggered and grabbed his forehead.

The Buddhist power had left him in terrible condition.

“Seventy-Seven!”

Im Hyomun cried out in alarm when he saw Jaegyeom sway, pale-faced, and hurried to support him. But Jaegyeom shoved his hand away.

“I’ll handle this, so get out of here.”

“How can I leave you behind? I can’t! We’re leaving together!”

Jaegyeom wished Im Hyomun would just abandon him and run. His presence was nothing but a hindrance. There was also the risk that Jaegyeom’s true identity might be exposed. On top of that, he could feel the calamity god’s energy rampaging unstably inside him.

From Jaegyeom’s perspective, Im Hyomun leaving would help immensely, in more ways than one.

But Im Hyomun showed no intention of retreating.

Breathing heavily, Jaegyeom shot a glance toward Byeoksadan. This was no time to argue. Byeoksadan stood right in front of them.

In the end, Jaegyeom shoved Im Hyomun aside and immediately raised his sword.

“......”

The Leader fell silent in thought.

If he fought Jaegyeom, one of them was bound to get hurt. Had Jaegyeom been alone, he would have withdrawn already, but Im Hyomun was here as well. Leaving first would only arouse suspicion.

From the very beginning, the Leader had wanted the two of them to flee first. That was why he had Paehyeon give them a hint, but contrary to his hopes, they had stayed instead of running. If they had simply escaped, the situation could have been resolved cleanly. But now that they had attacked first, a fight was unavoidable.

If Byeoksadan retreated first, the story would make its way back to headquarters through Im Hyomun. With Seok Juryeon already suspicious, it would inevitably look unnatural. To avoid suspicion, he needed to make some kind of move.

The Leader had a rough idea why Seok Juryeon had not stopped him from coming to the palace in the first place. Seok Juryeon, who only had suspicions for now, was probably trying to uncover definitive proof connecting him to Jaegyeom.

In the end, he was cornered.

The best option now was to knock Jaegyeom unconscious without seriously injuring him, then leave immediately.

The problem was that his opponent was Jaegyeom.

There was a very real possibility that Paehyeon would end up injured instead.

The swords issued to Naja were no ordinary blades. They were Four Tiger Swords said to slay ghosts themselves. If struck by one of those blades, even Paehyeon would not escape unharmed. Ordering him to subdue Jaegyeom without injury under such circumstances was an absurdly difficult demand.

More than anything, the Leader simply could not bring himself to leave everything to Paehyeon. It was not that he doubted Paehyeon’s skill. He just could not feel at ease.

If, by some chance, Jaegyeom were seriously hurt—

Yoon Taehee would never be able to endure it.

After a brief moment of deliberation, the Leader placed a hand on the shoulder of Paehyeon, who stood blocking his path. Realizing the Leader intended to step in personally, Paehyeon froze and turned back toward him.

“......”

Anxiety flickered across Paehyeon’s face.

But this was not a situation where he could openly speak to the Leader. He had crossed paths with Jaegyeom once before in the library. Jaegyeom had heard his voice then, which meant Paehyeon also risked exposure.

Though neither could see the other’s eyes through their veils, Paehyeon’s gaze lingered on the Leader for a moment, as though silently asking whether this was truly all right.

In response to that unspoken concern, the Leader gave a faint nod.

Naturally, facing Jaegyeom directly was a heavy burden for him as well. There was always the risk of being recognized.

Still, while he and Jaegyeom had exchanged blows and fistfights before, they had never crossed swords. His face was hidden, and his own aura was buried beneath the resentment and malevolent energy soaked into the red durumagi. On top of that, the thick smoke filling the surroundings obscured visibility enough that Jaegyeom would not easily notice his true identity.

After a short hesitation, Paehyeon handed «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» his sword to the Leader and stepped back.

The Leader accepted the weapon and moved forward, facing Jaegyeom.

He slowly tightened his grip around the hilt and closed his eyes.

He needed to find the right opening, knock Jaegyeom unconscious, and leave immediately.

Without injuring him too badly.

Please.

The Leader drew a slow breath.

And the moment he finally opened his eyes again—

Jaegyeom kicked off the ground with his sword in hand.

Clang!

Steel crashed against steel.

A sharp metallic shriek rang through the air as their blades collided. Forced backward by the impact, the Leader knocked Jaegyeom’s sword aside. Neither gave the other even a second to breathe before their swords met again and again.

The hem of the Leader’s red durumagi whipped violently in the heat-laden wind.

Paehyeon, tracking their movements with darting eyes, widened them in surprise.

Jaegyeom’s swordsmanship was extraordinary.

Far beyond expectations.

Even weakened by the Buddhist power, his movements remained economical and precise, without the slightest wasted motion or opening.

Im Hyomun, who had fallen onto his backside earlier, stared with equally wide eyes.

He was shocked too.

He had never imagined Jaegyeom could wield a sword like this. Their movements were so fast he could barely follow them. This was not the sort of skill someone acquired through mere agility or quick reflexes. One glance was enough to tell that Jaegyeom had spent a lifetime with a blade in his hand.

Clang! Clang!

The sharp sounds of colliding swords rang out one after another.

Jaegyeom had fully opened his ghost-sight, focusing entirely on the Leader’s presence as he swung his sword.

The thick black smoke obscured his vision. He was tracking the Leader almost entirely through presence alone.

And the energy he sensed from the Leader was bizarre.

Too malevolent to belong to a divine being.

And somehow... familiar.

He wanted to confirm whether this truly was a Bangsangsi, but the aura steeped into the coat was so overwhelmingly dense that it became difficult to distinguish anything clearly.

Still, after crossing blades several times, Jaegyeom became certain of one thing.

This opponent was no ordinary enemy.

Once a swordsman reached a certain level, a few exchanges were enough to gauge another’s skill.

The Leader anticipated Jaegyeom’s movements almost perfectly, as though he already knew where Jaegyeom would strike next. Among all the opponents Jaegyeom had faced so far, the Leader’s swordsmanship ranked among the absolute best.

Since Myojeong and Hwirim, he had never encountered anyone capable of matching him like this.

The instant that thought crossed his mind, an inexplicable unease crawled over him.

...What?

Jaegyeom’s hand faltered.

For the briefest instant, an opening appeared, and at the same time he felt the Leader hesitate as well, as though momentarily shaken himself.

Whether the Leader failed to seize the opening or deliberately let it pass, Jaegyeom could not tell. He quickly corrected his stance.

Then he realized what had unsettled him.

As their swords crossed, someone had suddenly come to mind.

Hwirim.

The Leader’s swordsmanship resembled Hwirim’s too closely.

The elegant swordplay.

The flowing footwork.

The clean, effortless movements.

Even the way he deflected attacks.

Could it be... Hwirim?

No. Impossible.

Hwirim had died long ago.

Then again, the possibility that the dead had become intelligent ghosts was hardly unimaginable anymore.

But the Leader’s build and aura were different from Hwirim’s.

Still...

It had been so long that uncertainty crept into him despite himself.

As his thoughts tangled together, Jaegyeom’s stance wavered once more.

He forcibly steadied his focus and swung again.

But after several more exchanges, he noticed something strange.

Whenever Jaegyeom’s sword approached the Leader’s face, the Leader’s movements would stiffen unnaturally, tension flashing through him.

...Am I imagining things?

To test it, Jaegyeom feinted toward the Leader’s neck before twisting his wrist.

His blade swept upward.

The tip of the sword grazed the veil.

Slice.

Part of the veil tore away softly.

The Leader flinched and jerked backward.

“......”

Jaegyeom narrowed his eyes as he stared at him.

Just now, the Leader’s movements had completely fallen apart the instant the sword neared the veil.

He was treating the veil covering his face like a vital point.

His concern over damaging it had disrupted his movements entirely. If Jaegyeom had thrust forward then, the injury would have been severe.

And yet the Leader had prioritized protecting the veil above all else.

He clearly did not want his face exposed.

Why?

Because they knew each other?

That suspicious behavior only deepened Jaegyeom’s doubts.

Moreover, despite having several chances to drive his blade in, the Leader had refrained for some reason, maintaining an oddly defensive posture instead.

No matter how Jaegyeom looked at it, it was suspicious.

“Who are you?”

Coughing lightly, Jaegyeom spoke in a low voice as they briefly pulled apart.

“......”

The Leader, who had been adjusting his disheveled veil while catching his breath, froze.

Jaegyeom felt the intensity of his gaze.

But the Leader said nothing.

If he had spoken even once, Jaegyeom might have dismissed his suspicions.

Instead, the Leader revealed nothing that could hint at his identity.

The brief exchange ended, and their swords collided once more.

This time, Jaegyeom feigned a thrust and reached out with his free hand instead.

His fingertips nearly brushed the black veil.

The Leader immediately pulled back.

An opening appeared.

Jaegyeom did not miss it.

His sword shot forward.

The tip of the blade grazed the Leader’s side and sliced through it.

At last, blood dripped from the Leader onto the blackened ground.

...Leader!

Watching from the side with his heart pounding, Paehyeon sucked in a sharp breath.

Jaegyeom reached out once more.

His fingertips were just about to touch the black veil—

Clatter!

The Leader abruptly threw away his sword and grabbed Jaegyeom’s wrist.

The moment the Leader restrained him, Paehyeon moved.

He appeared behind Jaegyeom in the blink of an eye and struck the back of his neck with the edge of his hand infused with spiritual force.

The situation had become too dangerous. Paehyeon could no longer stand by and watch.

Caught completely off guard by the sudden interference, Jaegyeom let out a muffled groan before collapsing limply.

Im Hyomun screamed, his face deathly pale. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“S-Seventy-Seven!”

Taking advantage of the opening, Paehyeon grabbed the Leader—

and the two vanished in an instant.