Heretics.

Back when I was getting dragged through the mud in my past life, they were the most fucking annoying bastards on the planet.

They’d gathered up the ones who’d opened Ghost Eyes and built an organization out of it—worse than the “cults” people casually threw the word at.

They brainwashed their followers until their minds weren’t intact anymore, used them for crimes, and when things got tight, they’d do murder, organ trafficking—anything. Like it was nothing.

And it wasn’t some small-time ring, either. The more you dug, the more it never ended.

Even catching their tail wasn’t easy, so every time was a goddamn struggle.

How many years did I get dragged around because of that, with Chief Baek...

I’d rolled and rolled with the man who was basically my teacher, for years, because of those bastards.

Just thinking about what I went through back then makes my teeth grind.

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

If it had been “just crime,” I wouldn’t have needed to feel like this.

Yeah.

The problem is it wasn’t just crime.

Those heretic freaks weren’t just criminals using it to make money.

If they’d been that kind of trash, the cops would’ve moved. I wouldn’t have needed to.

But—

That wasn’t their goal.

True to the name “heretics,” money wasn’t the point.

Their goal was...

The descent of a god.

Calling a god down into the world.

And not just any god.

An evil god.

A sliver from the edge of a disaster deity—some impossible thing. They wanted to drag it down and turn the world into a wasteland.

And the worst part?

They actually had the capability. They’d pulled it off once—made a total hell of things.

...Jesus Christ.

Just thinking about it tangled my stomach up.

The day that disaster deity descended over the city.

Buildings collapsed and broke apart, tidal waves surged, earthquakes ripped the ground open.

It was insanity. Chief Baek and I did every insane thing we could think of to drive it back.

...So why is this here?

My hand trembled as I thought it.

The stake under my palm—I could feel it absorbing life force.

This was...

The method those bastards used back then.

Heretics. The same sick method those disgusting freaks used.

To be precise, the stake wasn’t the real issue.

This was just a conduit.

What mattered was—

Stuffing life force into the conduit.

It didn’t have to be a stake. It hadn’t been a stake in my past life, either. Back then, it was—

...A pillar, I think?

A huge pillar. A steel pillar.

That was what I remembered. This time, it was a stake.

They would pack life force into a conduit like this and use it as material, and from there—

They called down a disaster deity.

They dragged an evil god into the world and let it wreck everything.

...Tch.

An evil god was a composite of malicious ghosts, a lump of emotion.

A thing born from malice piled on malice had nothing but hostility—

An instinct to erase everything that broke through its own limits and became “divine.”

It couldn’t directly affect living beings in the waking world, but that different “rank” of malice could warp nature itself, splitting cracks open.

Those cracks became tidal waves or earthquakes.

Creatures left with nothing but the instinct to harm life.

They chased life force, pried open the waking world, and tried to push through.

Which made condensed life force less like “bait” and more like a meal prepared specifically to summon one.

And yet—

That rotten quarters didn’t have life force, but this stake does.

I adjusted my judgment.

What was the difference?

I thought and thought, and then it clicked.

...So it wasn’t the quarters.

This cave was the real thing. The quarters wasn’t. They’d driven stakes in there too, but it was unnecessary—so it got tossed.

Which meant—

This place matters.

Unlike the quarters, this cave had a purpose.

...So what the hell...

How were those HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE bastards planning to use this?

Were they trying to do what the heretics did?

Call down a disaster deity?

Why?

Heretics were insane, sure—but what was their goal?

...If it’s the same, I’m fucked.

If their goal was simply to cause disasters, that was a problem beyond “problem.”

I was sweating inside when—

“Moon Knight.”

A voice came from up ahead.

It was the Plum Blossom Commander.

“Ah. Yes.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. The ground feels strangely drenched. That’s all.”

“...The ground? It is. There’s nothing around here that should create this kind of humidity. Strange.”

The commander looked around.

And I looked at him.

Does he know?

Did that old man know about the stake in the floor?

That was what I wanted to know.

So I watched him—

His reaction is vague.

His expression and the way he moved were... vague. Like he knew. Like he didn’t.

Hmm.

I rose to my feet.

“There should be more. Is there nowhere else inside to go?”

I acted like I was fine and moved forward.

For now, I ignored the stake. If I tried to pull it out here, I’d draw eyes.

Or worse—

They decide I crossed a line and a fight breaks out.

I had the Small Moon Unit Leader as a breakwater, but the Plum Blossom Commander was here.

And the Plum Blossom Commander was an absolute master. No guarantee the Small Moon Unit Leader would win.

There’s a gap in strength.

Even if Yeo Hyeok sided with me, the difference would still be brutal. In a cramped space like this, provoking them wasn’t the right move.

And the eyes on me are quietly sharp.

Maybe it was my imagination, but the gazes on me felt soft and thin—like blades. Meaning I wasn’t the only one watching.

Stop observing any further.

I forced myself to {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} stop looking so hard. These were高手—no, absolute masters. They’d notice.

“There’s nothing else inside, from what we’ve found. They said it’s just a blocked cave.”

“...Is that so? Strange.”

I said it like I didn’t know.

“Do you know anything about this cave?”

“I don’t. It’s the first time I’ve seen it.”

“If even Mount Hua’s Plum Blossom Swordsmen don’t know it... then it being artificial sounds right.”

I said that much and turned away.

“...If nothing else turns up, we’ll need to send another search party later and check again. And there’s the mechanism issue, too.”

“You’re saying we go back?”

“Yes. Further investigation seems meaningless for now. Unfortunately.”

“...Mm. Understood.”

The Plum Blossom Commander spoke to the group.

“We return. Get ready.”

“Understood!”

We chose to withdraw.

At least during the day.

*****

We left the cave and headed back toward Mount Hua Sect. No one looked tired. It hadn’t been a difficult search.

The problem was that it felt like something had siphoned at my energy.

More mental than physical.

...Tch.

Because it overlapped with the heretics, I kept clicking my tongue in my head.

What the hell is this?

A coincidence? Or did this world have something similar?

If you thought about it, it wouldn’t be surprising.

But it feels really damn wrong.

Separate from HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE, it left a filthy aftertaste.

God... it pissed me off.

I was barely holding back a sigh as I walked when—

—Moon Knight.

A voice transmission.

It was the Plum Blossom Commander.

—Yes, Commander.

—I wanted to ask about what you said earlier. The double agent.

—Yes.

—Is it a Mount Hua child?

—Ah.

I almost laughed. He’d kept himself from asking for a while—so I thought maybe he wouldn’t.

Looks like he couldn’t stand it in the end.

Not bad. This was what I’d been waiting for.

—Commander. I’m sorry, but I can’t answer that.

—......

—You know how important this is.

—But if it’s Mount Hua’s business, I think I should know, at least. If we’re collaborating, that’s even more true, isn’t it?

If I trusted him enough to work with Mount Hua, I should tell him this too.

That was what he was really saying.

Trust me, so tell me.

—No. Even if I trust you, Commander, day words are heard by birds—and you never know who hears night words. Please understand my position.

—...Understood.

He didn’t push any further. He knew going further would turn ugly.

It’s already too late, though.

The moment he got impatient and asked, it was already too late.

I watched him walking ahead and thought.

Should I scatter more bait?

I hesitated. I’d come up with a move recently.

If I used it, I could shake their side hard.

The problem is—

If I used it—

I’d get tangled too deeply.

Not situationally.

Mentally.

So I didn’t want to use it, but...

The stake from the floor kept gnawing at me. It created impatience that hadn’t been there.

And like always, impatience was a problem.

—Instead—

It influenced my choice again.

—I’ll tell you one more thing.

Goddamn it.

*****

THUD—!

The door slammed open.

Inside, a young man who’d been drinking tea turned his gaze.

The one barging in with eyes wide wasn’t anyone else.

It was the Plum Blossom Commander.

“...What is it? You always interrupt when I’m drinking tea. Was this on purpose?”

That lazy drawl.

The Strange Demon sounded almost welcoming, but the old man’s expression was sharper than anyone in the world.

And then—

THUD—!!

A foot packed with pressure snapped out, and the Plum Blossom Commander kicked the Strange Demon’s table hard enough to send it flying.

CRACK.

The table smashed into the wall. A bottle of tea spilled and flowed across the floor.

The Strange Demon’s eyes turned cold enough to cut.

“Oh my...”

A chilling energy seeped into the voice.

“What is this supposed to be?”

He smiled.

That smile made the people nearby tremble.

Killing intent burst out.

“I let things slide too much and you crossed the line, huh? Explain. If you can’t... you might get punished a little in here.”

CREEEEAK—

The wall, the ceiling—everything shook.

In the crushing, dizzying pressure, the Plum Blossom Commander spoke to the Strange Demon with rage in his voice.

“You revolting DEMON CULT dog. Do you think I’d be scared of something like that? Pathetic.”

“Haah...”

The Strange Demon sighed.

And in that instant—

CRACK—!!

His hand met the commander’s sword.

KUUUAAAAAA—!!

The impact tore at everything around them.

“Why are you suddenly doing something so cute? What did you go through this time?”

“I’m going to ask. Answer properly. If you don’t... I don’t think I can keep working with you bastards.”

“Ask?”

GRRNNNNK.

The contest of strength didn’t stop as the Plum Blossom Commander spoke again.

“Strange Demon. Is your goal truly to find the Medical Immortal in Shaanxi?”

“You think there’s something else? We didn’t talk without knowing. You too—”

“Not just the Medical Immortal. Are you also searching for the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline?”

“......”

The Strange Demon froze.

Before the Plum Blossom Commander’s eyes could flood with fury—

“Hey.”

The Strange Demon spoke.

THUD—!

“Ghk—!?”

The Plum Blossom Commander staggered backward with a suppressed groan.

“You.”

The instant he landed—

The Strange Demon’s eyes were right in front of his face.

“How do you know that?”

The Strange Demon’s focus shattered.

Madness surged up.

And facing that—

The Plum Blossom Commander’s hand trembled before he could stop it.

Fear.

For a fraction of a second, the Plum Blossom Commander felt fear in the Strange Demon’s eyes.