CRUNCH—!

With a harsh sound, the Young Cult Leader’s face snapped to the side. I’d driven my knee straight into his face, packing every bit of my feeling into it.

“Ghk!”

Blood streamed from his nose. The instant his face caved in, sharp sounds rang out from all around us.

SHING—!!

SHING—!!

Swords came out on every side. The Demonic Cultists. They took offensive stances at my surprise attack, but—

RUMBLE—!!!

Our side was no joke either. There had been beings beyond heaven seated here from the beginning.

The Lesser Moon Unit leader drew his sword and let his presence surge upward, and the other unit members did the same.

Then, at that moment—

“Enough.”

The Young Cult Leader spoke.

Drip. Drip. Blood ran from his nostrils. The blood soaking the tabletop was the same color as his eyes.

“This is an important gathering. Refrain from unnecessary behavior.”

“...”

At the Young Cult Leader’s words, the Demonic Cultists slid their swords back into place.

“Now then. Explain.”

His gaze turned to me next. The killing intent in it was thick enough to ache.

“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”

It was the kind of look that said if I failed to answer properly, there was no telling what would happen next.

Looking at him, I spoke.

“What do you mean, what am I doing?”

Can’t you tell?

“You pissed me off, so I hit you.”

“...What?”

“Ah. That felt better than I expected.”

Was it because I’d done something I normally wouldn’t? It felt strange, but not bad.

“Might be worth doing once in a while.”

“...Ha.”

The Young Cult Leader let out a laugh. By then, the blood had already stopped.

“You’re rougher than I expected, aren’t you, my friend?”

“I’m more on the gentle side. It just changes depending on the situation.”

“Depends on the situation, does it? Then what kind of situation is this?”

“The kind that feels like shit.”

Ssssh.

Energy moved.

“Hey.”

I kept careful watch on my pounding heart. In case the ring slipped loose. That was what I had to watch.

“Quit acting cute and get your head on straight.”

“...What?”

“If you came here to negotiate, then keep to the proper bounds. Everyone here already knows the problem starts with the fact that you’re sitting there in the first place.”

I hadn’t killed him.

He wasn’t dead.

Even after the bastard called the Young Cult Leader set foot in Henan and made it all the way here, his neck was still attached.

That alone was the problem.

“You know what?”

When it came to the life I’d lived—

“I hate people like you the most.”

I despised people who used pathetic standards when it came to human life.

“The kind that look at human lives like they’re bugs.”

The sword at my waist gave a tiny click and trembled. Because it was pressed against my side, I could feel it all the more clearly.

“That’s why I used to hate martial artists. But if I want to stay alive, I wound up taking up a sword too.”

This wasn’t me saying I’d never kill anyone. It had been that way from the moment I was reborn in the Central Plains and strapped on a blade.

But at the very least—

“If you stir up shit, you ought to know how to slam your forehead to the floor for it, you worm.”

At my words, a sound came from beside me.

Click. It was the sound of a hand clamping around a hilt. I started to move the instant I saw it, but—

“Ah, ah. No.”

“...!”

A sword was already at the Demonic Cultist’s throat.

“The two of them are talking. You can’t just butt in like that.”

Amazingly enough, the one blocking the Demonic Cultist was Yu Yul, the Silver Moon Sword. At some point he had drawn his blade and was threatening the Demonic Cultist.

“It’s just getting fun, isn’t it, junior?”

“...”

Yu Yul spoke with smiling eyes. What the hell was wrong with that man? Still, thanks to him, I didn’t have to move as much.

I’d already calculated it, though.

That Demonic Cultist had been the one I expected to move first. Yu Yul sticking his nose in had thrown it slightly off.

It doesn’t matter.

It didn’t matter. Not something like that. Not now.

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

The Young Cult Leader glared at me as he spoke.

“I intend to address this on the premise of an apology. What more could possibly be required beyond that?”

“Wow. This is...”

I stared at him like I was looking at something unbelievable.

“You really don’t know how to function around people, do you? It’s not like anyone goes around praising my social skills either, but you? You just don’t have any at all.”

“...What?”

At my words, the Young Cult Leader’s brow twitched.

“You break into someone else’s house, set it on fire, smash everything up, do every kind of damage you can, then come back and say, ‘Back then I was driven by revenge, so it couldn’t be helped. I’m sorry. I apologized, so that should be enough, shouldn’t it? And if you still don’t like it, I’ll offer compensation too?’”

A laugh burst out of me.

“Listen to the unbelievable shit coming out of your mouth.”

Creak.

The Young Cult Leader’s face twisted at my words.

“I still don’t like you.”

“Same here.”

It had been that way from the beginning. More than the disgusting smell clinging to him, I simply didn’t like this man at all.

Creak.

The Young Cult Leader rose to his feet. In that instant—

Tung.

FWOOOM—!!

“...!”

“...!!”

A heavy vibration swept through both of us. Our eyes turned. It was Divine Spear.

He lightly flicked the cup of water sitting before him with a finger, and a dense tremor rippled through the hall.

“Calm yourselves.”

“...”

With those words, Divine Spear rose.

His massive body rose together with the lingering tremor.

“Young Cult Leader. I ask that you overlook the discourtesy Moon Hero has just shown, in light of what you did to us.”

“...Alliance Leader?”

At those words, I frowned.

“It seems things have grown overheated. Let us postpone the rest of this discussion until tomorrow. ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) That will be acceptable, yes?”

Crack.

The Young Cult Leader touched his nose. I could hear bone shift as if he were setting a break.

“As you wish. A day is nothing... I am grateful for the Alliance Leader’s consideration.”

Without answering, Divine Spear left the negotiation hall.

“...Hmmm.”

As I let out a breath in the middle of all that, other martial artists appeared.

“We will guide you.”

It sounded like they had prepared quarters. The Young Cult Leader also rose.

“We’ll continue our unfinished conversation later. It seems we have a great deal to say to each other.”

The Young Cult Leader said that as he passed by me. The Demonic Cultists all followed him out.

By the time silence settled over the hall, the one who broke it was Thousand-Mile Divine Eye.

“Why did you do that?”

I knew that question was directed at me. Hidden inside it was the meaning: Why would someone like you suddenly go and make a scene?

Hearing it, I gave an awkward smile.

“That’s a good question.”

It wasn’t something I should have done.

Under normal circumstances, I definitely wouldn’t have.

“But for some reason, it just pissed me off.”

Was it his miserable attitude toward human life that snagged me?

Or was it simply that he was the kind of person I hated?

Or else—

Maybe I’d been influenced by that old man without even realizing it.

“...”

Thousand-Mile Divine Eye stared at me. There was something oddly burdensome about that gaze, and before I knew it, I was avoiding it.

“...Get down already. How long do you plan to stay on top of the table?”

“Ah, right.”

At the rebuke, I quietly climbed down.

I’d stayed up there the entire time after beating the hell out of him.

“Hoo.”

Thousand-Mile Divine Eye let out a sigh. Had I gone at him too much, too explosively? I scratched my head awkwardly, and then—

“Well done.”

“...What?”

“Go back and rest. If I need you again, I’ll call for you.”

To my surprise, Thousand-Mile Divine Eye gave me praise and walked away.

“...Oh.”

To hear something like that from him. That felt strange.

And then—

“You were awfully fiery.”

The instant I got down from the table, Yu Yul started poking me in the side with his elbow.

“I told you I had a good eye for people. You really are an interesting friend.”

“...”

“I admit it.”

There was absolutely no benefit in being acknowledged by this bizarre man. If anything, it just made me feel worse.

“...Thank you so much.”

“Don’t mention it. Ah, but that aside, that was a shame.”

“What was?”

“The person who was about to draw a sword just now.”

“That woman?”

“A woman?”

“Yes. The woman at the entrance who was about to draw her blade.”

“No, I meant the person I was trying to stop.”

“It was the same person.”

“Mm?”

Yu Yul reacted like he didn’t understand.

“With a mask on, and with that sort of build, how can you be sure?”

At that, I explained.

“The spacing of the breaths, the width of the stride, the distance between the arms when the sword came out. It was all the same.”

“...”

Yu Yul’s brow twitched as he listened.

“...You saw all that?”

“Rather than saw it...”

It was more like I noticed it out of habit and remembered it.

“Ahaha.”

Tap tap tap. Yu Yul’s elbow started jabbing me even faster.

“I knew it. You really are interesting.”

“...”

That made me feel even worse.

*****

After seeing the Demonic Cultists off, I returned to my lodgings.

I was in an extremely foul mood. Part of it was the nasty feeling from before, but I could also feel the atmosphere of the Alliance itself cooling at a rapid pace.

“The martial artists are the ones I feel sorry for.”

Their senses were raised to the extreme, pulled taut to the limit.

Not only was it obvious from the way they carried themselves that they were on edge, worried something else might break out at any moment, but that energy mingled with the martial artists’ inner qi until even the air itself felt different.

Is this really all right?

I had to wonder whether this situation really counted as all right.

“Hm.”

I dropped down as if collapsing into my seat and leaned back against the wall.

...What do I do?

The Demonic Cultists showing up was one thing.

But along with that, there were two other things bothering me.

One of them—

This was your doing, wasn’t it?

I asked the Heavenly Demon.

[What are you talking about?]

At his answer, I frowned. Him pretending not to know pissed me off.

Don’t play dumb. I definitely felt it then.

Right before I lunged at that bastard, the Young Cult Leader, something had bored in as if it were fanning the anger already burning inside me.

It had been so faint that it was hard to notice, but—

...What did you do?

That was the energy I’d felt from the Divine Sword.

[Heh heh-.]

At my accusation, the Heavenly Demon laughed.

[...Your senses are sharp. I did not think you would notice.]

What did you do?

[Do not worry. I did not forcibly make you act. I merely stimulated it a little.]

Stimulated it?

[I merely gave a slight push to the will that was already there.]

So you shoved me from behind. That’s what you’re saying.

[It is different.]

How is it different?

[Even if I had not done it, you would have done it in the end. You know that.]

“...”

At that point, I had no answer. I couldn’t bring myself to say he was wrong.

[I sensed that you wanted to do it. So I merely lent that will a little strength. Would it help if I said I simply backed you up?]

“...Tch.”

[Judging by how you tried to pin on me something you already know yourself, it seems you truly did not like it.]

“...Enough.”

I shook my head. He was right.

That line about how I would have done it even if he hadn’t pushed me—

I had no choice but to admit it.

If anything—

I only snapped because it felt like he was giving me that push.

I knew there was no point trying to deny it.

I let out a sigh.

Then...

There was another problem besides that. Setting aside the fact that the Heavenly Demon could do something like this—

What am I supposed to do about that?

I focused on what I could see in front of me. It had probably been since right after I met the Death King.

Something had been following me ever since.

Ssssss.

A huge eye rose up inside the shadows.

The same thing that had been attached to Yu Yul was staring at me.

It had been doing that the whole time, ever since earlier.

I kept turning my gaze away and pretending not to notice it.

Then—

[...What a disgusting bitch.]

The Heavenly Demon murmured quietly.

His voice was saturated with absolute revulsion.