Strange Demon’s first arrival had been before the fighting broke out.

He had already received a message that Bang Sungyeon would come here.

He’d read Plum Blossom Commander’s thoughts long ago—along with that man’s lesser sky.

And because he’d also caught what Bang Sungyeon truly wanted, he had already brought his full strength and infiltrated the inside of the cave.

After a short while, just as he’d expected, he saw the others arrive.

Kill Plum Blossom Commander.

Strange Demon had intended to do exactly that when he heard it.

He had finally found a sky.

If the sky desired something, he would do anything to fulfill it.

That was what he’d thought at first, but—

‘Hm...’

A strange thought brushed past.

‘Would...’

If it were truly his sky, would such a request have been made?

The former sky would do it personally if it needed doing—never the type to ask another person for something like that.

But asking him to kill Plum Blossom Commander...

That tiny spark worked sourly, like blood.

Able to hold the Divine Sword, carrying that unique gaze—

Those qualifications and conditions were more than enough, but.

‘...Even if the qualifications are enough.’

If the vessel itself was different, wouldn’t that change everything?

Strange Demon’s thoughts slid that way.

So he decided to watch a little.

He raised a barrier using a formation.

He buried every trace of himself.

He meant to observe how things unfolded, but—

An unexpected variable appeared.

‘...Grand Demon?’

Grand Demon.

One of the three new Eight Demonic Ones who had surfaced with the little master’s rise.

One of the ones Strange Demon refused to acknowledge as a demonic disciple.

‘A half-baked bastard who never received demonic energy or a consecration.’

The little master had given them names, but the little master wasn’t the Heavenly Demon.

So there was no consecration granted by the Heavenly Demon—only half-baked things.

That was what Grand Demon was to Strange Demon.

HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE.

Propped up by those unknown bastards. If the Heavenly Demon were still alive, they would’ve been swept away long ago.

But the little master took their hand.

And from that moment, the DEMON CULT lost its light.

That was why Strange Demon refused to acknowledge the little master and the other Eight Demonic Ones.

It was also the reason he could maintain this youth.

‘This is to find my sky.’

He needed time.

To reclaim and restore everything the Heavenly Demon had built.

For that, he’d only taken the hands of things that made him sick.

But—

‘Why is that bastard...’

Why was Grand Demon here?

This should’ve been something he couldn’t know.

‘A sharp bastard.’

Strange Demon realized it then.

Grand Demon’s instincts were far stronger than expected, and he knew how to use his head.

He must’ve sensed something off somewhere and shown up.

“......”

Truly a variable.

But.

‘How will you respond.’

Strange Demon watched anyway.

Because he wanted to see how his lesser sky would respond. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Because he wanted to know if Bang Sungyeon could truly become his sky.

KUUUUNG—!!

And then, at what happened next, Strange Demon’s expression darkened.

With a brutal sound, Bang Sungyeon was slammed into the wall.

It was unbearably slow.

Fine—he could admit the martial prowess was lacking. Grand Demon was still a master, even if Strange Demon didn’t acknowledge him.

But.

‘...Pathetic.’

Bang Sungyeon’s choices and thinking were full of holes.

Even accounting for his youth, it was a disappointing set of choices.

‘Was I wrong?’

Had what he’d seen been wrong?

And just as that thought formed—

WOOOOOOOO—!!!

“...Huh...?”

A shadow poured out of the collapsed Bang Sungyeon.

And Strange Demon went rigid like stone.

That was clearly—

“...Sect Master...?”

It was the presence of his sky.

*****

Fingers trembling violently, Strange Demon kept his head lowered and offered full etiquette.

“...Ah... ah...”

All he could barely force out was a small moan.

It clashed grotesquely against the iron stink and blood reek filling the air.

“My sky...”

Strange Demon’s voice shook like it had lost its mind.

Not just the body—every last emotion was being shaken to pieces. It was obvious.

“......”

Bang Sungyeon moved, leaving Ox Duke collapsed like a corpse.

“Was it fun, watching in secret?”

Strange Demon’s body froze instantly.

“...I’m sorry. I’m sorry. With my narrow gaze, I committed disrespect toward the sky.”

BOOM—!

Strange Demon smashed his forehead into the ground.

So hard the area shook.

It looked like he was trying to break his own skull—but the strange thing was, nobody around them reacted to the sound at all.

As if nobody had even recognized there was a person here.

THUD—! THUD—!

Strange Demon kept slamming his head down like that, and just as he raised it to smash down again—

“This is strange.”

Halt.

At Bang Sungyeon’s words, Strange Demon stopped mid-motion.

“I don’t remember giving you permission to die.”

“...!”

Strange Demon lifted his head from the ground.

And met Bang Sungyeon’s eyes.

A chill ran through him.

Red-stained gaze. Expressionless face.

It radiated—bluntly—that Bang Sungyeon had not even a sliver of interest in him.

Arrogance.

Or conceit.

The indifferent gaze looking down carried a hint of that—

and yet Bang Sungyeon’s presence made every one of those emotions feel like the most natural thing in the world.

“...Ah...”

This was a blessing.

TRICKLE—!

Tears and drool ran down Strange Demon’s face.

The sight he’d wanted so badly.

“...My sky... my sky...”

This was the answer.

Every last lingering doubt and uncertainty burned away into nothing.

“I dared to test you...”

A figure he’d thought he would never see again overlapped on top of Bang Sungyeon.

The sky had descended.

His night—his own night—he’d believed had set with the moon, never to be seen again.

“A test...”

At Strange Demon’s words, Bang Sungyeon narrowed his eyes.

It was like a shadow fell across his face.

In that darkness hiding his expression, only the red irises remained.

“Fine. And what was the result of your test. Did it satisfy you.”

“...Ah...”

How could he answer?

Only now did he realize it was something he had no right to judge.

“Please forgive this foolish one...”

“Wrong answer.”

GRAB—!

“...!”

Bang Sungyeon suddenly seized Strange Demon by the throat.

“I asked for the result of the test. Give the correct answer.”

“...Hrk... hk...”

The grip wasn’t strong.

If he wanted to, he could’ve torn himself free.

It ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) wasn’t a strength that felt like it would snap his neck on the spot—yet Strange Demon couldn’t make himself brush that hand away.

He couldn’t dare.

Yes.

He couldn’t dare.

He couldn’t dare brush it away.

It was instinct.

“Did you pass.”

“...Of course... of course...”

“Yeah?”

A grin.

Bang Sungyeon smiled, and Strange Demon’s heart lurched.

THUD.

The strength left Strange Demon’s body, and he collapsed down.

“Pass. Good.”

As he spoke, Bang Sungyeon tapped Ox Duke’s collapsed body with a casual motion.

“Get rid of this trash.”

“......”

Strange Demon’s gaze shifted.

Grand Demon.

Even the whites of the eyes had turned black—collapsed like death.

That distant sensation coming off him made Strange Demon tremble again.

Demonic energy.

Something like what that one had carried.

A sensation that fit the word omnipotent better than anything else—he could feel it there.

“...How...”

Why do you possess that power?

He tried to ask.

Then closed his mouth.

It hadn’t been permitted.

Not his death.

Not questions.

Nothing was permitted—so there was nothing he was allowed to ask.

So Strange Demon kept his mouth shut and stepped toward Grand Demon—

“I’ll come find you next time, so be prepared.”

“...Ah!”

At those words, Strange Demon’s expression brightened.

“Yes... I’ll wait with everything I have.”

Strange Demon said it as he hoisted Grand Demon onto his back.

Their builds were absurdly mismatched, and yet Strange Demon slung him on without effort.

“...It was an honor to see the sky.”

Strange Demon offered a deep bow and turned away.

He moved toward a passage prepared inside the cave.

And in that moment—

FSSSSSS.

The cave entrance that had been open closed as if by a ghost’s hand.

Like nothing had ever been there, a smooth, clean wall appeared in its place.

And then.

CLANG—! KRAAAACK—!!!

The sounds of battle, which hadn’t been audible, began to reach them again.

As if a lowered curtain had been lifted—things that hadn’t been heard could be heard again.

In that gap, Bang Sungyeon looked to the side.

Sword Phoenix.

She was staring at Bang Sungyeon with a rigid face.

A small smile tugged at Bang Sungyeon’s mouth as he looked up.

Up there—

[.......]

[.......]

Seongheon and the ghost of Yoo Cheongil were looking down at him.

Seongheon’s expression was subtle.

Yoo Cheongil’s face was twisted.

“Those eyes are fun.”

Bang Sungyeon said.

Yoo Cheongil reacted to that voice.

[You... you—how...?]

“Is it that strange? You don’t look all that different from me.”

“...?”

Sword Phoenix’s brow tightened.

Who was he talking to?

She couldn’t understand.

Even if she looked up, there was nothing there.

“How is it.”

Bang Sungyeon asked.

“Did you find your moon.”

[.......]

Yoo Cheongil didn’t answer.

No—he couldn’t.

A conversation from long ago coiled around his head.

—Go look for the moon.

—I’ll look for a night where that moon can rise.

—Night Moon, huh? A pretty good name. A moon rising at night—nothing bad about that.

A twisted memory.

He tried to erase it, but once something was recalled, it couldn’t be undone.

So it rose all the way to the end anyway.

—Yoo Cheongil. You were wrong.

GRRNNNNK—!!!

Yoo Cheongil’s soul shook violently.

That wave affected even the surroundings.

CLANG—!!

CLANG CLANG—!!!

Do Hyeong, who had been fighting at full tilt, knocked away a blade and widened his eyes.

WHOOOOSH—!!

Something felt wrong in the body.

He shoved the opponent back and looked somewhere.

“...Bang Sungyeon?”

Bang Sungyeon and Sword Phoenix.

He could see Bang Sungyeon standing there blankly.

What is it?

WHIIIISH—!

“...!”

No time to think.

Do Hyeong dodged the blade.

And the small light circling Do Hyeong’s body was shaking like it had gone mad.

[...Heavenly Demon.]

In the moment Yoo Cheongil froze, Seongheon spoke.

Bang Sungyeon’s eyes curved.

“A nice title. It always was.”

[...How are you still here.]

“Didn’t I already tell you the reason. That I wouldn’t be much different from you.”

[You know better than anyone that’s impossible.]

It was absolutely impossible.

Seongheon’s expression was full of certainty.

[You—]

“Right.”

Before Seongheon could finish, Bang Sungyeon cut him off.

“This one can’t possibly be like that. Didn’t you do something filthy to me.”

[.......]

This time, Seongheon closed his mouth.

“But not everything goes the way you want. Isn’t that right.”

Bang Sungyeon’s gaze slid to Yoo Cheongil.

“Where there’s a moon, there has to be night. Right?”

[You—]

“Remember that fact. That’s the only way...”

Bang Sungyeon slid the Divine Sword back into the waist sheath.

CLICK.

The Divine Sword seated fully in the scabbard, and in that instant—

“...You and this one will both reach the goal we wanted.”

THUD!

The moment Bang Sungyeon finished speaking, the body collapsed like a snapped string.

“...!!”

Sword Phoenix startled and hurriedly caught him.

What is this—?

She checked him in panic.

“......”

Bang Sungyeon was breathing softly.

He was asleep.

In the middle of this absurd situation.