It was during the height of the repeated all-out battles against the DEMON CULT.

Demonic disciples had poured out like mad.

With the Eight Demonic Ones at the forefront, the war had dragged on with relentless brutality.

The righteous sects, who had only barely managed to unite, clashed head-on with the DEMON CULT, and the great war fought in Qinghai, where Kunlun stood, was still recorded as a desperate slaughter known as the Heavenly Blood War.

On that day, the Heavenly Demon had not even appeared.

The leader of the DEMON CULT had not shown himself, and yet the righteous sects were still being overwhelmed by the DEMON CULT’s strength.

The Eight Demonic Ones were strong.

The monsters who boasted that they had received the Heavenly Demon’s baptism vomited forth monstrous power, and even the absolute masters of the righteous sects found it difficult to stop them with ease.

Call it a defeat of strategy.

Jegal Jin had played his moves, but the righteous sects were swept away by the opening the DEMON CULT had been aiming for.

The righteous sects’ absolute masters.

Seventy percent of those now called the Heaven-Beyond-Heaven had been pinned down.

And those who could truly be called usable fighting power numbered only four at most.

By simple calculation, each one had to face two of the Eight Demonic Ones.

And in reality, it was no different.

At the time, the Tyrant King had also been there.

Ghost Demon and Slaughter Demon, both members of the Eight Demonic Ones.

He had been locked in a razor-thin struggle against them, but the limits were obvious.

If he had only needed to deal with those two, he might have endured as long as he pleased.

But the righteous sects were being pushed back.

Because the DEMON CULT’s demonic disciples were even stronger than that.

It had reached the point where anyone could see the front gradually collapsing.

And just when it had become clear that if things continued like this, the war would end right there—

The righteous sects’ fighting spirit had cooled as if they were dead mice.

And when defeat in the war had come right up to them—

KUUUUUNG—!!!!

Something appeared, shaking the ground.

A single streak of light.

The blue-white flash that poured down onto the battlefield shot into the sky as though it were forming a pillar.

And that light massacred the surrounding demonic disciples in an instant.

“Gaaaaaahhh!!”

As if swallowed by the light, the demonic disciples were snuffed out on the spot.

It had happened in a truly fleeting instant. A vast pressure and violent force.

At that supreme might, everyone froze.

Demonic disciples and righteous sect warriors alike.

Hah.

The Tyrant King let out an empty breath through that gap.

“Draw your swords.”

A voice rang out from the center of the pillar of light.

“I have arrived.”

As the pillar vanished, a large figure stood quietly at its center.

Long, thick white hair tied back tight.

Blue eyes sweeping over the battlefield.

At that gaze, the demonic disciples trembled, while heat slowly returned to the bodies of the righteous sect warriors.

War God.

For an instant, that title flashed through the Tyrant King’s mind.

But no.

“You will not die today.”

He was the Sword Saint.

*****

Longed for.

Or feared.

Or perhaps revered.

The Tyrant King recalled that fleeting memory and looked ahead.

His successor, was it?

He had not believed it. No, there had been no need to believe it. No one could ever contain that monster’s vessel, nor could anyone ever resemble him.

So even when he heard the word successor, he had not cared much. At best, a little interest.

Only that much. Anything more than that was too much for him to spare while he still had his own business to handle, so he had intended to leave it at simple curiosity.

Well now.

Looking at the young man before him, the Tyrant King could not help lifting the corner of his mouth.

I thought he looked a little similar.

Because he had inherited martial arts from him.

That was why he had thought the resemblance ended there.

So that wasn’t it.

The light just now.

The look in his eyes now.

All of it was him.

Though the face is very different.

So he really is a successor. Not just in name, but one who inherited those things.

Great Moon.

There was no mistake. The dazzling light that had poured across the battlefield back then.

The light of that age, the one that had planted absolute terror in the demonic disciples, was right there.

Which meant—

I have to test him.

The veins in the Tyrant King’s eyes stood out.

The fact that the boy was a much younger junior no longer even registered.

The Sword Saint’s descendant. The Sword Saint’s sword.

Someone who seemed very different, yet resembled him in countless ways.

To the Tyrant King, Bang Seongyeon was only that.

“...You said you’d spot me five exchanges, right?”

Bang Seongyeon asked.

At that, the Tyrant King smiled.

“That’s right. Five exchanges.”

“Would you be willing to give me a little more?”

“One arm and one leg, and I even said I wouldn’t move. That’s a bit shameless, isn’t it?”

“It is, isn’t it?”

He accepted that quickly. What a strange bastard.

He doesn’t find me difficult.

It had been a long time since he had seen a younger martial artist who did not find him intimidating.

To begin with, it was not as though he had many points of contact with younger martial artists, but even so, most of those he met tended to be afraid of him.

This one wasn’t.

Because he’s met so many monsters already?

Was it because he had already met Divine Spear, and even the now-dead former sect master of Mount Hua, masters of the Heaven-Beyond-Heaven?

No.

That wouldn’t be it. If something like that were enough to explain it, then there would be no mystery at all.

This was simply that bastard’s nature.

Unless—

Unless he’s spent all day stuck beside a monster of a man.

Then it was simply the individuality and disposition he had been born with.

He’ll become something big.

Not bad. The Tyrant King gave him points in his mind as he shifted his stance.

“...Are we starting right away?”

“Is there a problem? I’ve given you more than enough conditions.”

“...Hmm... Then may I ask one thing?”

“Ask.”

The moment he gave permission, Bang Seongyeon spoke.

“What exactly do you gain from this duel, Tyrant King?”

A duel with nothing but losses on one side. What could possibly be gained from it?

At that question, the Tyrant King grinned so widely his mouth nearly split.

“Fun.”

“What?”

At the firm answer, Bang Seongyeon made a blank expression.

“Fun...?”

“That’s right. Fun.”

“What exactly is supposed to be fun about it...?”

What fun could there be in a duel with nothing but losses? Bang Seongyeon asked because he truly did not understand.

“How could it not be fun?”

The Tyrant King answered simply.

“I saw a forgotten past in you. So show me. That’s enough.”

“...No.”

“If that still isn’t enough for you... then fine, let me ask one thing. If you answer my question truthfully, that will be enough. Does that settle it?”

“.......”

If I had just kept my mouth shut, it felt like nothing extra would have been added. Instead, I’d spoken and gotten useless extra conditions attached.

“Understood.”

Even so, Bang Seongyeon’s choice did not change.

“Let’s do it.”

Strangely enough.

I didn’t feel like I was going to lose this bet.

*****

Ssshhh.

I raised the sword and steadied my breathing.

Is this really okay?

For a moment, that thought crossed my mind.

What the hell is with this old man?

It was absurd enough that the Tyrant King had suddenly asked for a duel.

He’s serious?

I could also tell that this old bastard genuinely wanted to fight me.

...Why?

Why, really?

Was this martial art called Great Moon the problem? I couldn’t tell.

The real problem was that I had already accepted before I understood the reason.

...The conditions aren’t bad, though.

Five exchanges of concession. One arm and one leg. No moving from where he stood.

Just hearing that much already made the terms absurdly generous.

But.

The opponent is the Tyrant King.

One of the Five Kings of the World, and if you ranked them by martial might alone, perhaps the highest among them all. Which meant, by any standard, he was a figure on the level of the Heaven-Beyond-Heaven.

Could I really win even with restrictions like that imposed on someone like him?

SHHHHHH—!

Contrary to my thoughts, my body was already moving on its own.

...If it’s that energy from before...

That power had shocked even me after I used it.

If I could make proper use of that unknown force, things might be different.

[Heh heh heh—]

That rotten evil ghost was laughing because he found the whole situation amusing.

...First strike.

Ignoring him, I stepped forward.

First—

Moon Wolf.

Not something resembling Moon Wolf. The real Moon Wolf.

Blue sword force seeped into the blade and traced out a crescent moon.

The finely drawn line rushed straight at the Tyrant King, but—

Thunk!

“...!!”

The Tyrant King threw a casual punch, and Moon Wolf was shattered when it struck the flat of my blade.

I wavered. My upper body lurched violently, but I barely held my center with my lower body.

I didn’t lose the sword, and I didn’t let the energy disperse.

“Hup...!”

Not yet.

Using the force that had bounced me back, I spun once and whipped the sword upward.

The upward slash flew toward the Tyrant King, but he bent his upper body backward and avoided it.

What the hell.

He kept his legs planted and still bent back that far? The old man was freakishly flexible.

...Then.

What about this?

Keeping the sword raised, I poured Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn into it.

I unleashed Night Moon.

I brought the sword down, creating the night, but—

“Hmm.”

The Tyrant King watched and moved one arm again.

KUGUGUGUNG—!!!

“...!!”

The force exploding from his arm collided with Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn.

It was a short burst of offense, but instead, Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn got pushed back.

The angle of my sword shifted and grazed past the Tyrant King’s side.

KWAK! The sword stabbed into the ground.

“Khk...”

I felt a vibration run through the Divine Sword.

“Is that all?”

The Tyrant King asked. There was doubt in his eyes. Was this really all there was?

That was the genuine question written there.

The words scratched at my nerves for a moment.

My grip began tightening around the hilt—

[Now then, what did I tell you?]

Yoo Cheongil spoke to me in a tone and with an expression that said I was pathetic.

[There is nothing more pointless, and nothing less helpful, than useless force. I know for a fact I taught you that, and you’ve forgotten already?]

“.......”

Useless force.

The moment that came back to me, strength left my hand.

Click. The sword lifted.

[Do not be impatient. You are only walking the same path again. I am telling you not to try to walk it faster than before. Kid, there is only one thing you need to see.]

I loosened my breathing. It was rougher than ever, but even so, it had to be calm.

[Precisely.]

PAJIJIJIK—!!!

Light wrapped around my body like thunder striking flesh.

[Walk precisely. Think only of that.]

Do not try to walk the path you already took more quickly. Try to walk it more exactly.

At those words, my eyes sharpened.

“Oh?”

The Tyrant King’s eyes lit up.

I unleashed Moon Heaven. It should have begun from the fourth sword path, but this time it came faster than that.

I get it.

After using it once, I understood.

This had to begin from Moon Heaven in the first place.

Yoo Cheongil’s martial arts.

They were—

All made to be used in a state of Moon Heaven.

I finally understood what Yoo Cheongil had meant when he kept saying I wasn’t qualified.

KWADUDUDUK—!!!

Light seeped into my muscles.

“Ssssss—”

My breathing sped up, slipping free of calm.

SHIIING—!!!

The blade flew toward the Tyrant King. It was the fourth sword strike.

This time was no different. The Tyrant King casually deflected the sword again. Even strengthened by Moon Heaven, the result was the same.

“...So this too is—”

The end?

The Tyrant King flinched before he could finish saying it.

Five.

After four came five.

I paused for a moment, then poured strength into the next strike.

Before, I had detonated it immediately. This time was different.

The reason I swung the sword four times.

Moon Wolf and Night Moon. And the sword strikes between them.

I still did not understand why they existed.

But the purity of the energy is different.

The more I swung, the more clearly I could feel the way the energy responded.

It’s like...

Like a lake on the verge of overflowing, and the stillness before a storm about to break.

The energy gathered through the sword strikes had all been preserved completely within the sword.

The reason the fifth sword path deliberately creates a gap...

Was to refine that gathered energy—

And gather it once more—

So it could all be compressed into a single point.

That was how I understood it.

KUUUUUUUNG—!!!

So I did it.

I unleashed Moon Heaven, and poured my strengthened body and the gathered energy into the tip of the sword.

I did not release it immediately. I gathered and gathered, building it to the limit.

And then—

Here I go.

Using the Divine Sword as a launch platform, I detonated it.

“Ah, wait—”

The Tyrant King tried to say something when he saw it.

But he was too late.

Thunk!

KUGAGAGAGAK—!!!!

A light beyond anything from before burst out.

KUGUGUGUNG—!!!!

A storm. A storm made of {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} pure energy ripped through the surroundings.

It raged violently, as if a typhoon had descended.

But it died down quickly.

Sssshhhhhhh...

After the energy vanished—

“Hahk...! Hrk...!”

My whole body gave out, and I collapsed.

“Ugh... Hrk...”

I had no energy left. I had burned through the half I’d kept in reserve all at once.

And when I looked ahead, staggering—

“...Hah...”

The Tyrant King was standing there completely unharmed, looking at me.

Did I lose the bet?

I was just about to bite my lip in frustration when—

“...What a monstrous bastard.”

The Tyrant King spoke.

“...I lost.”

At those words, my eyes widened as I looked at his feet.

One step. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

He had retreated a single step from where he had originally been standing.