The second day of the Azure Wolf Festival.

There were still plenty of people.

What should have been a gathering of disciples alone had swelled far beyond that. Third-generation disciples, second-generation disciples, and even first-generation disciples had turned out in large numbers, so the crowd was immense.

To begin with, the Azure Moon Sect was a place that did not fall behind the Nine Great Sects in the slightest, so it had no shortage of disciples.

And now all of them were gathering here, even canceling their training to do it.

Because everyone knew exactly how rare a spectacle it was to watch members of the Lesser Moon Unit fight each other.

“Senior brother, who do you think will win?”

A disciple asked, sounding genuinely curious. At that, the young man called senior brother sniffed once and rubbed at his nose.

“Snff. Ugh, my nose is stuffed. Who knows...?”

It was a flat, indifferent response.

“As of yesterday, I thought Senior Seo Seon would win for sure... but the whole situation’s been turned upside down, so I can’t say anymore.”

“That’s true...”

Seo Seon, the current spearhead of the Azure Moon Sect and its most senior active member, the man everyone had thought would eventually inherit the post of Lesser Moon Unit leader, had lost to the Moon Hero.

That fact alone had stirred the Azure Moon Sect into an uproar for quite a while.

The same went for the match between Dohyeong and Cheon Hyein. No one had expected Dohyeong to drive Cheon Hyein that far.

And no one had known that Yu Yul, the Silver Moon Sword, would be that strong.

It had been a parade of developments no one had foreseen, so naturally, this match too had become something no one could predict.

“...Then the Moon Hero could win too, couldn’t he?”

Moon Hero Bang Seongyeon.

The Savior of Henan, called the Sword Saint’s inheritor.

Since he had defeated Seo Seon, it was entirely possible that he would keep winning all the way to the end and take the Azure Wolf Festival.

“Maybe. But Senior Yu Yul won’t be easy either.”

Yu Yul, the Silver Moon Sword.

Moon Immortal Sword’s disciple.

No one knew what he had gone through during that long mission, but he had returned in an overwhelmingly stronger state.

That was something everyone had been quietly wondering.

Between the Sword Saint’s inheritor and Moon Immortal Sword’s disciple, who was stronger?

The inheritors of the current Sect Leader and the former Sect Leader were about to clash, so even while pretending otherwise, everyone’s eyes were fixed on it.

“And besides... the Moon Hero seems to have changed a lot too.”

The junior disciple couldn’t hide his admiration as he stared at Bang Seongyeon, who had already stepped onto the match platform ahead of them.

What in the world had happened to him?

In the short time they had not seen him, the Moon Hero had changed far too much.

“...How can a person even look like that?”

There had already been endless talk before about how handsome he was, but now he had gone beyond that.

If that weren’t true, all those female disciples who usually never showed themselves wouldn’t have come out just to look at him.

And yet the man himself only stood there with sleepy eyes, not giving the attention the slightest acknowledgment.

Seriously...

Could that rumor really be true?

That rumor that he underwent rebirth.

Rebirth, the miracle of martial artists.

They said it made the bones grow and widened the vessel one possessed.

And the Moon Hero’s appearance fit that exactly.

So had he really undergone rebirth?

At his age?

They said it was something that came like a miracle only after a martial artist had reached a high level and accumulated long years of enlightenment.

Is that even possible at that age?

He was barely twenty.

Could something like that really happen so young?

No matter how much of a genius the Moon Hero was, it sounded impossible.

...At this point, it almost feels more believable that the Sword Saint really descended again.

That seemed more plausible.

It almost sounded easier to believe that the dead Sword Saint had reincarnated than to believe what they were seeing now.

That was why the attention on the Moon Hero showed no sign of ending.

And also—

Annoying.

Knowing all of that only made it more annoying for me too.

As expected, being the center of attention isn’t always a good thing.

Had it ever been?

I’d felt that since my past life. It really didn’t suit me.

I turned my gaze.

Toward Moon Immortal Sword, seated in the place of honor in the distance.

“...”

He was looking down at the match platform with an expressionless face.

A face that revealed nothing of what he was thinking.

A man whose gaze did not contain even a trace of interest.

Suddenly, I remembered Cheon Hyein saying, without the slightest hesitation, that she would kill her father.

I wonder.

Just how strong was that man?

At least one thing was clear. As I was now, I could not beat him.

The real question was—

How does he compare to the Five Kings Under Heaven or the beings beyond heaven?

Moon Immortal Sword’s exact level was still vague.

I had never actually seen him fight.

According to Yoo Cheongil, he used to be some snot-nosed brat who ran around crying.

...In what world?

He looked like the kind of man you could stab with a blade and not draw a single drop of blood.

Crying, my ass.

At this point, I was honestly just curious.

How strong is he, really?

How strong could a being I couldn’t even measure possibly be?

...Tch.

I clicked my tongue.

Because I knew where that curiosity was coming from.

Now that I can actually fight a little, I’m starting to feel like I’m somebody.

Longing. Competitive fire.

The craving that came with starting to grow stronger, the sense that maybe I could climb even higher.

I tried to crush it.

Hadn’t I already learned from my past life?

This is when it’s most dangerous.

Right when you start to puff out your shoulders because you feel like you’ve become something.

That was when things went wrong.

Know your place.

The fuller the rice stalk, the lower it bows.

As for me, the more I ripen, the more I should lie flat on the ground.

Walking around with my head held high was no different from proudly asking someone to cut it off.

Hide your neck.

That was how I had lived.

Click.

I gripped the hilt and turned my gaze.

My opponent in today’s Azure Wolf Festival match was standing there.

And once again, I was in the first match.

My opponent was—

Oh.

A familiar face.

The moment he spotted me, his brow twisted deeply.

“It’s been a while, senior.”

“...Tch.”

At my greeting, the man bit down on his lip.

My opponent was—

Seom Seonggyeong, right?

The one I had once fought when I was trying to enter the Lesser Moon Unit.

The man who had been utterly destroyed by Yoo Cheongil while wearing my body.

“We’re meeting here again. I hadn’t seen you around much, so I was starting to think you weren’t coming out anymore.”

I hadn’t exactly been diligent about Lesser Moon Unit activities myself, but I still saw a few of the members here and there.

I hadn’t seen Seom Seonggyeong, though.

“I even thought maybe you were avoiding me on purpose.”

“...”

“...Wait. Were you?”

Awkward.

With no answer from Seom Seonggyeong, I scratched the back of my head.

There was a strange resentment in his eyes.

“...God damn it.”

With that short curse, Seom Seonggyeong drew his sword.

“Hm.”

Watching him, I drew mine as well.

Sunlight flashed along the blade.

That man...

He had been strong in his own right.

At the very least, they had said he was one of the upper-middle ranks of the Lesser Moon Unit.

Back then, Yoo Cheongil had fought in my place, so I hadn’t really known.

But now...

I could see it clearly.

The value Seom Seonggyeong possessed.

The level he stood at.

And also—

...Hm.

I could tell whether I would beat him.

“Match—”

The moment both of us drew our swords, the judge spoke as if he had been waiting.

“Begin!”

FWOOSH—!!!

The instant the signal fell, Seom Seonggyeong rushed in.

A blue glint mixed into the tenacity and aching resentment in his eyes.

SWISH—!!!

I stepped back once and avoided the blade that came flying at me.

Sharp.

And fast.

Only then did I activate Moon Eye.

Lines appeared before my eyes.

I tilted my head and avoided the second strike too.

...Oh.

That surprised me.

Not just because he was fast, but because his sword was dazzlingly elaborate.

Was this the kind of sword he always used?

Things I hadn’t been able to see back then now stood out clearly.

The incoming sword was supple and free.

I could tell what kind of path he was pursuing.

But—

Something about it...

There were moments where it became heavy and seemed unnecessary.

Was it because Moon Eye had reopened?

I could see exactly where it would be better if he moved differently.

If I had to put it simply...

Maybe—

Like this.

Swish—!

CLANG!

“...!!”

Seom Seonggyeong’s sword was knocked aside.

I tilted my blade and let it slide along the same direction as his.

His eyes widened as he looked at my sword.

“You bastard... How... how are you...”

Looks like he had noticed that I had just copied his sword.

“...Ha...”

The veins in his eyes swelled red.

Ah. I had only meant to try it, but I guess it just made him angry.

“I wasn’t trying to mock you. I was just—”

“How much are you planning to take from me?!”

“Hm?”

I gave him a strange look at the words.

Shrrrng—!!

Something violent rose within his Sword Aura.

This—

Killing intent?

It was killing intent.

A vicious force clung to Seom Seonggyeong’s blade.

I narrowed my eyes.

I stepped back once, opening the distance, and knocked his sword aside with the flat of my blade.

The sword path shoved off course sliced uselessly into empty space.

Maybe because emotion had gotten into it, his level looked lower now.

Openings appeared.

The moment I saw them, I drove forward.

Tap—

The light push from my foot carried me straight into Seom Seonggyeong’s range.

Too late now for him to recover his stance.

The moment I saw that, I brought my sword down hard.

Night Moon.

Like a great night swallowing the moon, it poured down toward Seom Seonggyeong’s forehead.

Stop—

The blade halted just before it touched skin.

“...”

“...”

Both Seom Seonggyeong and I froze in silence.

It works.

There had been no need to use Great Moon.

No need to activate Moonbolt either.

Seom Seonggyeong, who had once seemed so high above me, now looked endlessly low.

A few seconds passed like that before Seom Seonggyeong reacted first.

“...Th-this... damn it!!”

The blood vessels standing out in his eyes were thick with violent emotion.

“It’s you again... again... this time too, it’s you...!”

“No... What exactly did I even do?”

All I had done was fight the match, so why was he acting like this?

I stared at him in disbelief, but Seom Seonggyeong looked like he couldn’t hold himself back anymore and gripped his sword again.

Huh?

This is bad.

Was he about to come at me again even though the match was already over?

The distance was too close.

Too close to evade easily.

What should I do?

Just as I was about to hastily activate Moonbolt—

“That’s enough.”

Someone appeared between Seom Seonggyeong and me.

A moment later, a huge hand shoved the two of us apart.

Whooom—!!!

An overwhelming pressure struck my chest and drove me back before I could resist it.

The one who had appeared was none other than the Lesser Moon Unit leader.

“Seom Seonggyeong.”

He spoke while staring coldly at him.

“The match is already over. What do you think you’re doing?”

“...Ghk...”

At the Lesser Moon Unit leader’s words, Seom Seonggyeong flinched.

Even then, his eyes were still glaring at me.

Seeing that gaze, the Lesser Moon Unit leader released a fierce pressure as he spoke.

“There’s a demon in your eyes. I order you confined until you come back to your senses.”

“Unit Leader—!”

Seom Seonggyeong tried to protest.

Wham—!

“Ghk!”

The Unit Leader’s huge fist drove straight into Seom Seonggyeong’s abdomen.

His waist folded as he retched, then he lost consciousness on the spot.

Thud—!

The Unit Leader grabbed the collapsed Seom Seonggyeong and simply threw him off the match platform.

“The match is over. Judge.”

“Ah... Ah, yes...!”

The judge looked at me in a hurry and announced it.

“The winner... Bang Seongyeon.”

The match ended in victory, and applause broke out among the disciples.

Hearing it, I too turned a somewhat chilled gaze toward Seom Seonggyeong.

It’s because of you...!

That resentment clung to my ears. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

...Because of you...!

For an instant, words I had once heard in my previous life rose in my mind, and I clicked my tongue inwardly.

An irritating memory had flashed past.

What a rotten mood.

I turned my back and stepped down from the match platform.

When I got down, I saw Yu Yeon already waiting as though she had been there the whole time.

I walked over to her.

“What are you watching now?”

I asked with an awkward smile.

Yu Yeon shook her head.

I had no idea «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» why.

Then she pointed behind me.

“Hm?”

I turned around.

Someone was stepping onto the match platform.

It was the match after mine.

And the two people standing there were—

“Ah. Right. It was those two this time.”

Cheon Hyein.

And Yu Yul.

It was their turn.