KRAAAACK—!!!

Cutting across the forest, two martial artists slammed into each other.

BOOM—!!

Every time they collided, shockwaves burst in all directions. Absolute masters.

A clash between people who’d reached the pinnacle as martial artists was more than enough to tear the surroundings apart.

“Hup!”

Small Moon Unit Leader tightened the strength in the sword hand and swung.

A half-circle—forming a crescent moon. Moonlight that lit the night and cut across toward the opponent—

SHHHRIIIK—!!

A supple sword path shoved the moonlight aside. Petals scattered, coiling around the crescent.

PAK—!

Energy detonated, light spraying outward.

For an instant, the distance between them widened.

With chilling eyes, Small Moon Unit Leader confirmed the opponent.

WHUK—!

Plum Blossom Commander flicked the sword and stripped away the leftover energy.

Small Moon Unit Leader looked at him and asked,

“...How could you do this.”

The tone said it outright: I don’t understand.

Plum Blossom Commander only stared back with expressionless eyes.

“Plum Blossom Commander. You can’t be the one doing this.”

Men who drew the line for the Righteous Sect.

Transcendent masters who joined the war and saved countless lives.

Mount Hua Sect’s Sect Master—Plum Blossom Single Sword—was a martial artist praised by many.

And.

Plum Blossom Commander standing in front of him had been the same.

He hadn’t stood out as much in the war, but Mount Hua Sect had contributed greatly in the war against the DEMON CULT.

Plum Blossom Commander too—slaughtering countless demonic disciples, a hero who’d helped the Righteous Sect win.

And yet—

“How could you take the hand of filthy people.”

He’d betrayed them.

Small Moon Unit Leader couldn’t believe it.

‘Please keep Plum Blossom Commander in check. He’s a spy.’

Even when Bang Sungyeon had said that, it’d been the same. Small Moon Unit Leader had thought it was nonsense.

‘...It’s real?’

Plum Blossom Commander had truly betrayed them.

Cold sweat beaded on Small Moon Unit Leader in the face of the situation.

“...Plum Blossom Commander. How—”

“The sky is high.”

“...Huh?”

Plum Blossom Commander spoke.

“The high sky is endlessly wide. Do you know that?”

“...What are you talking about.”

“It’s that wide, that endless. And yet for some reason, there’s only one sun. Do you know what that means?”

“......”

One sun in a wide sky.

That was obvious. ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ The sun was only ever one.

But what was the problem?

“Small Moon Unit Leader.”

Plum Blossom Commander called to him.

“What do you think about the current Blue Moon Sect Master.”

“...What?”

The mention of Full Moon Sword twisted Small Moon Unit Leader’s brow.

“Have you never wanted that seat?”

“......”

Small Moon Unit Leader’s killing aura spilled out.

“Careful with your mouth.”

Anger clung to the voice. What the hell was he saying now?

A fierce presence erupted, but Plum Blossom Commander’s expression didn’t change.

“The world remembers only a single sun. Everything else never even makes it into their eyes. How unreasonable is that.”

FSSSSSS—! Killing aura poured from Plum Blossom Commander too.

“A shining sun can’t be replaced. So even if you want to become the sun, all you can do is wait...”

CLINK.

A violet-red sword aura seeped into the blade.

“But since the sun has no intention of setting first, wouldn’t it be fine to hasten the time a little? That’s all I ever wished for.”

“......”

Small Moon Unit Leader stared at Plum Blossom Commander in silence.

Then—

A snort.

Small Moon Unit Leader laughed.

“Why are you laughing.”

“Why am I laughing?”

With the corners of the mouth lifted, Small Moon Unit Leader replied.

“Because it’s pathetic.”

“What?”

“So... no matter how elegantly you wrap it, in the end—”

KRAAAACK—!!

Small Moon Unit Leader raised sword aura.

Sword aura like a blue moon.

Blue Moon Aura.

The sword aura passed down through the Blue Moon Sect.

It wasn’t quite the same as Third Form: Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn—created by Yoo Cheongil and learned by Bang Sungyeon—but it was still a divine art of the Blue Moon Sect.

Holding it in the blade, Small Moon Unit Leader’s eyes flashed.

“And you’re saying you betrayed us because you wanted the Sect Master’s seat.”

“......”

“That’s enough.”

It cleared everything out. Every knot that’d been twisting inside snapped clean.

“Then you’re the kind I can kill.”

WHIIIISH—!!!

The moon lunged to invade the flowers.

Small Moon Unit Leader hated complicated things.

This was just a simple answer.

And.

That answer was usually right.

*****

CLANG—! CLANG CLANG—!

—Ghk!

—Senior brother... please!

The smell of blood and iron started to thicken inside the cave.

The pressure thrown off by martial artists gathered into a fist-sized mass, hot enough to sear the air.

In the heightened heat, someone let a single bead of sweat fall.

TRICKLE—!

A drop slid down from the chin.

That sweat belonged to Ox Duke.

DRIP.

The bead ran along the chin and fell to the floor.

And that was what snapped Ox Duke back to himself.

‘What was that?’

What did I just do?

Don’t tell me—

‘Was I scared?’

Was I actually frightened?

Ox Duke loosened the stiff body and twisted the face.

If he tried to deny it, the cold sweat he’d spilled was already telling the truth.

“...You bastard.”

Ox Duke glared straight ahead.

Moon Hero—Bang Sungyeon—was there, slowly pushing up to stand.

“What are you.”

Ox Duke demanded in a razor-edged voice.

“......”

Bang Sungyeon looked at Ox Duke with a gentle gaze.

A chill.

“...!”

The moment their eyes met, gooseflesh crawled up the spine.

That sealed it.

“How the hell do you have those eyes...?”

Eyes red enough to cut.

The beginning of the records passed down in the DEMON CULT for ages.

[One who bears red eyes will become the sky of the DEMON CULT.]

The DEMON CULT’s leader.

The single most important condition to become the Heavenly Demon was those red eyes.

And every Heavenly Demon through the generations had had those red eyes.

And red eyes also meant—

‘A symptom of the Heavenly Killing Star.’

A fate born solely to kill someone.

A trait of Heavenly Killing Stars.

“...You bastard. Were you a Heavenly Killing Star...?”

Was the successor of the Sword Saint a Heavenly Killing Star?

How could that even be possible?

And even if he was, another problem still remained.

‘Then what the hell was that demonic energy?’

The black energy Bang Sungyeon was pouring out right now.

That was demonic energy.

‘...How does that bastard possess demonic energy?’

Demonic energy wasn’t the same as ordinary inner power.

It was a great and sacred power that could exist only in demonic disciples—and only in those permitted by the Heavenly Demon.

And yet—

“How do you have it.”

How could Bang Sungyeon hold it?

Ox Duke asked, but Bang Sungyeon didn’t answer.

CRACK.

Instead of answering, he only rolled the body loose, joint by joint.

“You bastard. Answer me—!”

“Shh.”

“...!”

Bang Sungyeon brought an index finger to the lips and whispered.

And unbelievably, Ox Duke’s mouth shut tight.

“Don’t bark without permission. It’s a hassle on the ears.”

“......”

Soft. Flat.

The warning voice was exactly that.

Ox Duke clenched a fist once, then opened it.

Only then, as if confirming something, Bang Sungyeon nodded.

“Heavenly Killing Star...”

A faint smile.

It felt so sickeningly eerie.

“What a ridiculous thing to say. Isn’t it.”

“...What—”

“An excuse. A cheap justification for worms who couldn’t even control their own fate.”

Bang Sungyeon looked somewhere.

Sword Phoenix was there—frozen stiff like he was.

“That doesn’t apply to me. I left that behind a long time ago.”

“...You just called yourself this one?”

Ox Duke’s brow twisted viciously at that word.

“An arrogant word for someone who doesn’t know their place.”

THUD.

Ox Duke grabbed the beloved grand saber and swelled the muscles tight.

“...!”

Sword Phoenix’s eyes widened.

It was dangerous. Anyone could tell at a glance.

Ox Duke was letting more and more of the full strength out—pressure on a completely different level from when he’d faced her.

Bang Sungyeon was in danger.

Whatever was going on, Sword Phoenix tried to step in front of Bang Sungyeon again—

SKRITCH.

“......”

Under an unknown pressure, her body turned to stone.

“Good.”

Bang Sungyeon spoke to Sword Phoenix.

“Stay like that for a moment. I don’t particularly like being interrupted.”

Step.

Bang Sungyeon moved.

SHING.

At the same time, he drew the sword.

A calm, ink-dark blade settled into the hand.

“Hm.”

Bang Sungyeon’s eyes curved like a crescent.

“Blade Absolute. That idiot actually produced something not bad.”

The tone said it clearly: satisfied.

Too relaxed.

That sight made Ox Duke boil.

“How dare you... react like that when I’m right here?”

The red eyes, the demonic energy—

Everything was wrong.

But only one thing mattered.

‘I have to kill him.’

He had to kill that bastard.

This wasn’t like dealing with Sword Phoenix.

‘If I don’t erase that.’

Someday, it would become a problem for the little master.

No matter what, he was still only a rising generation talent—Ox Duke couldn’t even afford that kind of carelessness.

Full power.

A resolve to kill that bastard here by any means blasted out through the body.

“HRAAAAH!!”

Ox Duke launched forward.

In an instant, the distance collapsed, and he reached Bang Sungyeon.

WHOOOOOONG—!!!

Wind roared.

A storm made of energy burst up from Ox Duke’s body.

Taechonmuak Sword.

Taeryongayeon.

The sword aura packed into Ox Duke’s blade mutated.

Like a dragon baring its fangs—rough, vicious.

An ultimate art, a divine technique.

The signature skill he carried shot straight at Bang Sungyeon—

SLICE—

“...Huh?”

What was that sound?

Something being cut.

Ox Duke’s eyes shook.

The sound had come from the right arm.

With trembling eyes, he looked down—

THUMP.

Something dropped to the floor.

An arm.

His arm rolled on the ground.

“...!!!”

AAAAAARGH—!!!

Ox Duke clutched the stump and screamed.

When?

When did it get cut?

“You—! You bastard—how...!!”

How did you cut it?

Ox Duke looked at Bang Sungyeon with eyes twisted in agony.

And then.

“Shh...”

“Ghk...!!”

His throat locked—his mouth snapped shut.

“Don’t raise your voice.”

Bang Sungyeon met Ox Duke’s eyes.

“I told you earlier. Don’t bark in front of me.”

“...You... bastard...”

Bang Sungyeon reached out toward Ox Duke.

An index finger.

A slim, beautiful fingertip touched Ox Duke’s chest.

“I’m not the type to forgive a dog that barked at its master.”

FSSSSSSSS—!!!

“...!”

Ox Duke realized it. Something was happening at that fingertip.

“But I can see your neck being useful to this body in the future, so I’ll grant mercy.”

The tip of the finger turned black.

“You thing that failed to become night. Watch closely.”

WHOOOOA—!!

Black energy poured out from Bang Sungyeon’s body.

A form took shape behind him—and Ox Duke’s body began to tremble.

“This is true night.”

THUD.

“Gk—gh...!”

Energy flowing from the fingertip devoured Ox Duke’s entire body.

In an instant, the whites of the eyes turned black—

BOOM—!!

—and Ox Duke’s massive body collapsed onto the ground.

“......”

Sword Phoenix watched, eyes shaking.

Bang Sungyeon glanced at her.

SHING—!!

Without even meaning to, Sword Phoenix leveled the sword at him.

She stared at Bang Sungyeon with eyes full of wary tension.

Bang Sungyeon smiled at that.

“Good instincts.”

“......”

“But not now.”

Bang Sungyeon straightened after looking at Ox Duke lying there.

The fighting was still going on.

In the middle of it, Bang Sungyeon looked somewhere.

A place that couldn’t be seen beyond the wall.

Bang Sungyeon spoke toward it.

“Come out.”

What was he looking at?

Sword Phoenix’s doubt flashed—

WHOOOOA.

The wall warped for an instant, and unbelievably, a person burst out from it.

“...Ah... ahhh... ahhh...”

A young man, tears streaming down his face like he was drowning in emotion.

Flushed cheeks. Eyes trembling with awe. Tears that wouldn’t stop.

There was a kind of madness in it.

THUD.

The young man dropped to both knees.

“...My sky... I greet the new sky...”

It was Strange Demon.