A sword so worn down it didn’t even seem usable as a sword.

With it clenched in her hand, Yuyeon stared straight ahead.

Bang Sungyeon.

He was staring back at her without blinking.

“Let’s fight.”

He’d shown up out of nowhere, dragged her out, and now he was picking a fight. What? Her thoughts tangled into a mess. She couldn’t even tell what kind of situation this was.

“.......”

Yuyeon looked at Bang Sungyeon with a baffled expression, but he only threw out the words and waited for her answer.

Fight? Now?

“.......”

Yuyeon looked at him, then glanced back. To where her master was lying.

He wanted her to fight here? Yuyeon shook her head.

It was meant as a sign that she wouldn’t.

But—

“You’re going to run?”

“.......”

Freeze.

At Bang Sungyeon’s next words, her body locked.

“You ran your mouth about being the number one late-generation youth and all that—and in real combat, you couldn’t even kill someone, couldn’t even protect anyone. Now you’re going to run too?”

“.......”

It stung. Like he’d scraped her raw from the inside. Why was he talking like that? Yuyeon’s eyes sharpened.

But even looking at that, Bang Sungyeon’s attitude didn’t change.

“If the sect master sees you like this, he’ll be thrilled.”

“.......”

CRUNCH.

Yuyeon gripped the sword. Aura spilled out of her without her meaning it to.

That old sword.

Still holding it, Yuyeon leveled the tip at Bang Sungyeon.

In that moment—

FSSSS—!!!

Flower petals began to drift down from the sky, settling softly with her as the center.

*****

‘Damn.’

I swallowed a dry mouthful at what I saw.

‘That’s insane.’

How do you even describe it. Facing Yuyeon head-on feels like facing a vast stretch of nature. She’s only holding a sword.

She’s pretty, yeah, and she looks so blank it’s almost stupid—but holding a sword ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ changes something.

It was beautiful. The sword dance Yuyeon showed at night definitely was. It was closer to a dance than swordsmanship, and the way her steps fluttered like a breeze was so pretty it made your head go empty.

‘But it’s vicious.’

Point that blade at me and the thought changes fast.

‘So this is why everyone freaked out?’

It’s... atmosphere.

Or presence.

Yuyeon as an opponent wasn’t the airhead I knew.

‘A beast.’

My hair prickled. Intense. Intense as hell.

Yuyeon was facing me while letting out a brutal presence.

Fss.

In the faint air, a vague flower scent seeped in. It wasn’t actual fragrance. It was the scent of energy I’d been smelling constantly since coming to Mount Hua.

‘...Mount Hua’s internal art.’

Plum Blossom swordsmanship, said to hold falling plum petals and fully-bloomed nature.

It’s the internal art’s signature—what makes that possible.

[You’re a nasty little bastard.]

Behind me, Seongheon spoke like he couldn’t believe it, looking at me.

[To think you’d sell me out.]

Maybe it bothered him that I’d provoked Yuyeon by saying the sect master wouldn’t like it.

I snorted.

‘So what.’

If it works, who cares. If this is what it takes, I’ll use anything.

[Why did you challenge that child to a fight?]

Seongheon looked like he couldn’t understand why I’d picked a fight with Yuyeon. Of course he couldn’t. It’s not like I did it because I’m some fight-crazy bastard.

‘I’ve got my own situation too.’

The reason was the sword Yuyeon was holding.

The goal was to peel the burden off that sword.

If I carried out an object a ghost left behind, the burden would pile onto me.

If I’d found it by accident, maybe it’d be different. But if I took it because a ghost told me information and I brought it out, then that was the problem.

No matter how worn out that sword looked, it was an object with a heavy story attached.

‘And the owner who held it wasn’t some ordinary person, so of course.’

Mount Hua’s sect master. A hero of the Heaven-Beyond-Heaven.

If it was something he’d used, there was definitely a story embedded in it. And the story of someone that immense becomes burden when it clings to someone without permission.

And the one without permission is me.

A being who twisted fate and died—then clawed a miracle out of it.

The world hated people like that.

And it loved dropping enormous curses on those wearing clothes that didn’t fit them.

‘So.’

If I accepted that sword as-is, burden would pile onto my soul and turn into a curse. I needed a way out. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

And luckily, there was a way.

‘It’s a trick, but.......’

So I made Yuyeon hold the sword.

Someone with a tie to the caster—before I truly “owned” the sword, I could immediately put it into another’s hands and make it be used.

‘Since I already touched it, there’ll be some backlash no matter what, but.’

You mix story into story.

The stronger Yuyeon’s existence is, the more the burden stuck to that sword would be obscured.

‘...Not bad.’

The conditions were good. Yuyeon was born with absurd talent, and she was Seongheon’s disciple.

And—

‘The Heavenly Demon’s daughter.’

The true bloodline of the dead Heavenly Demon, and maybe because of that she even carried the Heavenly Killing Star.

It’s a story that isn’t normal, and from where I’m standing, it’s high-grade. With that kind of weight—

‘It can be buried.’

If I layered it in advance, it was doable.

So I had to make her use as much strength as possible.

‘Make her use that sword as well as possible.’

And pour emotion into it.

That was how I’d escape the sword’s burden.

Story covers story.

If I’d become the one delivering it, it was something I had to do.

And—

‘Even if it wasn’t that.’

Fss.......

Watching Yuyeon raise her energy, I suppressed mine too.

More accurately, I felt Seongheon behind her, eyes closed.

‘I feel like I have to do it.’

Pointless meddling. Or pointless concern.

I can’t even say exactly why. I just felt like it would be needed.

Not for me. For that kid.

SWIIISH—!!!

“......!”

A sword is caught in Moon Eyes. I didn’t even cast it, but light was already flooding my vision.

Moon Immortal Sword’s Path.

The path of the sword drove in sharply.

The problem was—there were too many.

A single thrust. Yuyeon’s sword was one line, but the paths branching off it were close to dozens.

I jerked my head and avoided it.

‘No time to think.’

Which one is real? There was no time to figure it out. I only twisted away once it was already right in front of me.

‘Shit.’

This was how I knew for sure my realm had risen. If it was before, dodging like this would’ve been hopeless. My body was ridiculously light.

WHIRL.

Using the recoil from twisting my head, I spun once and swung my sword at Yuyeon.

SKRIIIIITCH—!!!

‘Well, look at that.’

Yuyeon had already retrieved her sword and blocked. The blade edge scraped away.

That worn-out thing—despite being special-grade, it didn’t even tremble.

SLIDE.

The blade that had been pushing hers away shifted angle.

Not my will.

Yuyeon had flowed it aside.

A flower scent stabbed into my nose.

Plum Blossom swordsmanship.

Plum Blossom Lotus-Fragrance Path.

Purple-plum sword aura flooded out in all directions.

A full bloom of petals.

My view was completely swallowed. Feeling that, I moved.

SWIIISH—!!!

I dodged the sword shooting in.

My vision jolted for an instant, but—

‘Moon Eyes sees.’

Moon Immortal Sword’s Path found the route even in there.

I dodged the repeated slashes and turned my eyes.

Dense. No gaps.

Yuyeon’s sword kept driving in like that—sharp as hell, but—

‘...Slow?’

Why does it feel slow?

Because I’m in Transcendent Peak now?

My sight and body felt clearer, faster than before.

And then—

CLANG!

“......!”

Using a slit in the middle, I twisted Yuyeon’s sword path.

‘It shows.’

I can see it.

What I couldn’t see before, I can see now.

And because my body is faster, I can feel it.

So—

‘Maybe I can do this too.’

Yuyeon flinched, startled, then swung again—

CLANG.

“......!!”

—and it got knocked aside again.

When you start feeling what you couldn’t feel before, this is what changes most.

‘Habits show.’

How much her feet move.

How much her shoulder follows with it.

The shape of her nose and the feel of her gaze when she cuts sideways.

I could see all of it.

“.......”

Yuyeon’s face twisted as she watched me.

And in an instant, she changed.

The same sword flew in, but it wasn’t the same as before.

‘The habits disappeared.’

Those obvious habits faded.

It was the same thing that crazy bastard from the Peng Clan did—realizing what could become a weakness and fixing it immediately.

‘This is why geniuses are a pain.’

Geniuses from another world are like this.

I bit my lip and pressed in.

CLANG—! CLANGCLANG—!!

Swords collided again and again for a long time.

“.......”

Yuyeon’s face hardened more and more.

Was she surprised I could fight like this?

Or—

‘Did she realize she’s getting pushed back?’

Maybe she realized she was slowly getting pushed back.

Probably the second.

‘Because I didn’t think I’d push her back like this either.’

Yuyeon had been endlessly strong. Even I thought she was a monster. It’s ridiculous that raising my realm a bit lets me endure this.

Of course—

‘It’s probably not just that.’

There had to be a reason.

With that in mind, I pulled back and opened distance.

“What are you doing?”

“.......”

At my words, Yuyeon froze too.

“This isn’t some joke. What are you doing with this? Are you holding back on me?”

“.......”

Yuyeon answered with her eyes. Like it wasn’t that.

But—

“Bullshit. You’re scared and that’s why you won’t go all-out.”

“.......”

“You’re scared you’ll do something weird like last time. Scared I’ll die. That’s what it is, right?”

“.......”

Yuyeon’s eyes shook. Like I’d hit the center.

Heavenly Killing Star.

I don’t even know whether she knows she has it, but her fear was obvious.

That’s why her swings kept hesitating.

So.

“Cut it out.”

I had to break that first.

“Whatever you do, I win anyway.”

“.......”

“Being scared like that is why nothing happens. Look.”

I gripped the Divine Sword.

Poured energy into it.

SAAAAAAH......!!

Third Form: Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn pushed back.

Beautiful light spilled out as killing force.

“You couldn’t protect your master or yourself. And you’re worried about someone else?”

“.......”

When I said Seongheon, Yuyeon’s brow reacted again.

Every time I talk like this, I feel it—this really doesn’t suit my temperament.

Using someone’s precious person as a hook to scrape at them.

“Worry about yourself first. Even doing everything you can wouldn’t be enough—if you’re going to freeze because you’re scared, why live at all? Like that, you’ll end up never being able to protect any—”

I stopped.

My mouth closed mid-sentence.

Because Yuyeon’s atmosphere changed.

Was it just atmosphere?

No.

‘The air.......’

Even the air felt heavier.

[This—!]

I heard Seongheon speak urgently.

But—

FSSSSSS.

‘Oh.......’

Like it was already too late, Yuyeon’s shadow wavered.

A chill ran through me. Every hair on my body stood up.

Same as last time.

Killing intent.

Killing intent was leaking from Yuyeon’s body.

It wasn’t perfectly identical.

It didn’t look like it would swallow everything around her outright.

But the problem was—

‘...I think I poked the wrong thing.’

Even just that much was enough to make my stomach drop.

And like my suspicion wasn’t a mistake—

KRAAAACK—!!

“Ugh!?”

Yuyeon’s sword drove for my throat.

As I barely blocked it, I knew for sure.

‘...I’m screwed.’

This was going to be heavier than I’d expected.