Bzzzt. Crackle.

A dry rustling sound scraped at my ears. It sounded like paper being crumpled as hard as possible. It also sounded like electricity snapping.

What was that sound?

It was unpleasant as hell.

Crackle.

The noise kept going, and in the end, I opened my eyes.

My eyelids felt strangely heavy.

And when I finally did open them—

“I’ll ask you one thing.”

CRUNCH.

A man with long hair whipping in the air was stomping something underfoot and crushing it apart.

That’s...

I wondered what he was stepping on, and then realized, to my surprise, that it was an evil ghost.

Dense, filthy evil qi spread everywhere.

It wasn’t just one.

Evil ghosts filled the whole area, and amid those sinister things, two living humans stood facing each other, utterly out of place.

“What?”

The woman standing before the man answered his question.

The moment I saw her, my eyes widened.

What the hell?

She was insanely beautiful.

For a second, the sight of her blanked out my mind.

I’d grown up around women like the Mo Family brat and that blockhead from Mount Hua—my sisters, more or less. Their personalities were rotten, but at least they looked fine, so it usually took a lot to surprise me with a pretty face.

This is ridiculous.

Even I was stunned.

She had blue eyes and white hair as pure as snow, a woman with foreign features.

“You bitch. What exactly is your purpose?”

The man asked the woman, and even though I could only see his back, I knew who he was.

The Heavenly Demon.

It was the Heavenly Demon.

That distant, suffocating force spilling off him—

They called it demonic qi, didn’t they?

The energy used by the Demonic Cult.

And the fact that he carried it in such pure form meant there was no doubt.

This was the Heavenly Demon I knew.

And the sword at his waist made it even clearer.

...The Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.

The sword hanging at my own waist now, repaired in the present, was at his side.

“My purpose?”

The woman smiled at the Heavenly Demon’s question.

The place was dark and revolting, but when she smiled, it almost felt as if the surroundings brightened for a moment.

“I don’t have one.”

“Hah.”

The Heavenly Demon let out a dry laugh.

“That excuse is laughable, woman. Who do you think you’re trying to fool?”

“How could I ever deceive the great sky of the Holy Cult? If anything...”

The smile vanished from her face.

“Wouldn’t it be you who’s deceiving someone?”

“What?”

“If we’re talking about purpose, aren’t you the one carrying it, not me?”

“You dare play petty games with me. Should I tear your tongue out so you come to your senses?”

“Isn’t it true, though? If he found out the two of us were meeting like this, what do you think would happen?”

“...”

At her words, the Heavenly Demon fell silent for an instant.

Seeing that, the woman smiled again.

“We’re alike. You know that too, don’t you?”

“Spare me the revolting nonsense. My ears are rotting.”

“Hahahaha.”

Maybe she genuinely found his words funny, because she laughed again.

And the moment she did—

SKREEEE—!! SKIIII—!!!

The evil ghosts surrounding them convulsed violently.

It seemed like they were reacting to her laughter.

The man clicked his tongue.

“You’re foul.”

“Hearing that from you is almost hurtful.”

Rustle.

The woman lightly waved the fan in her hand.

At once, the evil ghosts stopped reacting.

It was as if they moved at her command.

What the hell is that?

Evil ghosts listened that well?

That was a first.

Who was this woman?

And more than that—

This is...

Whose memory was this?

The Heavenly Demon’s?

I was watching in confusion when—

“Whatever your purpose is, I don’t care.”

The Heavenly Demon spoke.

At the same time, he drew his sword.

“What matters is whether you’re a threat.”

“Haha.”

The woman raised her fan and covered her mouth.

“So what? You’re saying you’ll cut off my head right here?”

“That wouldn’t be difficult.”

“That’s true.”

Wooooong.

Energy flowed out from her body.

Feeling it, I rubbed my shoulder.

The air seemed to be turning colder.

“You could do it. If it’s you. But could you really?”

She looked supremely confident.

“If you kill me now, everything will turn to nothing.”

“Hah. And what exactly do you know, to sound so certain?”

“You really think I wouldn’t know?”

Her blue eyes swept across the evil ghosts.

“How many eyes and ears do you think I have? Besides.”

Tap.

As she spoke, one slender finger pointed past the Heavenly Demon’s back.

“You should get rid of that before you talk. At least when you’re talking to me—”

“...”

That?

My gaze followed where she was pointing.

There was nothing there—

No.

I narrowed my eyes.

Something was there.

Something shimmered behind the Heavenly Demon like heat haze.

What was that?

I focused.

I can barely see it.

That much concealment was strange enough.

What was stranger was that my eyes couldn’t make it out.

Is it because this is a memory?

For a moment I thought that might be why it was blurred, but that didn’t feel right.

Something like that couldn’t obscure this.

Which meant—

It’s something I can’t see at this level of release.

The restraint I’d placed on myself.

That was why I couldn’t see it.

That high-ranking?

I should’ve been able to see almost anything.

If even I couldn’t see it, then whatever spirit that was had to occupy a very high place.

...Tch.

I wanted to know.

Should I release it a little more?

For some reason, it felt like I had to see it.

Thinking that, I reached toward the shackle wrapped around my heart—

[That’s far enough.]

“...!”

Someone covered my eyes.

[Pointless curiosity invites death. Look only at what you are permitted to see—]

And with those words—

Whoosh!

“...!”

My consciousness snapped awake.

“...Haa.”

Staring up at the ceiling, I let out a breath and /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ pushed myself upright.

Damn.

That last voice had sounded like the Heavenly Demon.

Did he block it?

If so, why show it to me in the first place?

I couldn’t make sense of it.

And—

That woman just now...

The woman from the memory.

No matter how I looked at it—

That was Bow Ghost.

It had to be.

A foreign-featured woman from the North Sea, famed as the greatest beauty under heaven.

And judging by how the evil ghosts reacted—

She’s Bow Ghost.

The person in the Heavenly Demon’s memory really did seem to be Bow Ghost.

What is this?

What kind of connection was that?

Why would Bow Ghost be with the Heavenly Demon?

And when had that memory taken place?

A woman called one of the beings beyond heaven—and a hero—having a private conversation with the Heavenly Demon.

It felt like it had to mean something...

Tch.

But I had no idea.

How the hell would I know?

How was I supposed to understand something from the past?

Anyway.

Those people all seemed tangled up in something unbelievably complicated.

That aside—

“Where...”

Where was I?

I tried to get up first.

CRACKLE—!!

“—!!”

The instant I moved even a little, pain tore through me, and a groan burst out.

“Ghk...”

What the hell was that?

It hurt like hell.

I couldn’t even scream properly.

“Son of a...”

Was this the backlash from Moonbolt?

Well, it was the first time I’d used it that long. Some recoil was one thing.

...But this is too much.

Pain so bad I couldn’t even make a sound?

That was absurd.

I was bent over, grinding through it, when—

“Huh.”

I sensed someone.

I raised my head.

It was Cheon Hyein.

What was she doing here?

“...You’re awake?”

“As you can see.”

“Are you okay?”

“What do I look like?”

“You sound fine, so I guess you are.”

“...Is your eyesight bad, by any chance?”

What part of this looked fine?

I was still grimacing and trying to settle my insides down when Cheon Hyein walked over.

“Want some water?”

“...You have some?”

She picked up the bottle beside her, poured water into a cup, and handed it to me.

As I took it, I stared at her.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“...What is this? Why are you being nice? It’s really weird.”

“...”

At my words, her brow twitched.

“Do you want me to throw it in your face?”

“Ah, that’s more like it.”

“Hah.”

Cheon Hyein looked at me like I was ridiculous.

“Unbelievable.”

“So.”

Ignoring her entirely, I asked,

“What happened?”

“...”

Maybe she didn’t like me cutting in, because her eyes turned flat.

“What do you mean, what happened?”

“The situation.”

I meant what happened after I collapsed.

Cheon Hyein propped her chin on one hand.

“...Five days have passed since the Azure Wolf Festival ended.”

“Five days?”

That much time had gone by?

I was genuinely startled.

And my body still hurt this much?

“What about Silver Moon Sword?”

What happened to that bastard?

At that, Cheon Hyein answered,

“...That man woke up a while ago. But his wounds were pretty deep, so I heard he still needs treatment.”

“Really?”

So he had woken up.

I nodded.

“What about you?”

“What about me?”

“I’m asking how your body is.”

“...Huh?”

My body?

At her question, I stared at her.

“...Why?”

“...?”

When I asked that back, Cheon Hyein made a strange face.

“What do you mean, why?”

“Well... you were asking because you were worried about me. Or were you planning to stab me after getting me to let my guard down...?”

“...What exactly do you think of me?”

“Not particularly well?”

“I’ll stab you right now. Just wait.”

“I’m joking, I’m joking.”

She actually started reaching for her sword, so I hurriedly stopped her.

This lunatic was really going to do it.

“Hah.”

Cheon Hyein let out a long sigh.

Her expression looked thoroughly foul.

“...What are we even doing right now?”

“Seriously. What are you doing?”

“Forget it... The more I talk to you, the more irritated I get.”

“...No, really.”

She was the one who barged in out of nowhere and started this.

I was the one who found it absurd.

“You must really be fine if you’re messing around like this.”

As she said that, Cheon Hyein stood up.

Was she leaving now?

Just as I thought I might finally get some rest—

“Since you’re awake, go to the Sect Leader’s office.”

“The Sect Leader’s office?”

“Yes. The Sect Leader is looking for you. And...”

Cheon Hyein tilted her head.

Toward the doorway.

I turned and saw someone there.

“...That person has also been desperately hoping you’d wake up.”

“That person...?”

Ah.

So that was who it was.

Tyrant.

That old man had his head poked in and was peering this way.

“...Right.”

That’s right.

He had things to say too.

Remembering that, I met his eyes.

Grin.

Tyrant smiled at me, like a long wait had finally ended.

“...”

The moment I saw that smile, I grabbed Cheon Hyein before she could leave.

“...!”

She froze when I suddenly caught her by the wrist.

“Wh-what, what is it?”

“Stay a little longer.”

“Pardon...?”

“Preferably for a while.”

“What is that supposed to—”

She looked flustered.

Her eyes shook madly, and her face turned oddly red as she trembled.

“...What are you saying?”

“No, it’s just that if you leave now, dealing with that old man is going to be really annoying. So can’t you stay a bit?”

“...”

The instant I explained why, Cheon Hyein’s face twisted.

SMACK—!!

“Ghk!?”

A fist drove straight into the top of my head.

I clutched it.

“You lunatic...! You hit a patient?”

“You deserve to be hit.”

Whip.

After punching me out of nowhere, Cheon Hyein stormed out.

All I could do was stare blankly at her retreating back.

...What the hell was that?