Kwaaaaa—!!!!

A tremendous force erupted.

Yusa's tail swelled in size, and light filled his torn pupils.

The air was on the verge of distortion due to the sheer bloodlust.

The killing intent, interwoven with his aura, wrapped around Yusa's body, gradually taking shape.

I caught a glimpse of it—it resembled the form of a beast.

The shadows, which had been flickering since earlier, also began shaking violently.

As I silently watched—

"Regret?"

At my words, Yusa looked at me and spoke.

"I am Yusa, General of Mangye."

Crack—!!

As Yusa stepped forward, the ground crumbled. Rather than a result of exerted force, it seemed that the ground simply couldn't withstand his weight.

"Those who defy me will meet death as prey. That is—"

He lowered his head.

Seeing that, I steadied my heart.

"You are no different!"

Kwaaa—!!!

Yusa charged at me.

Fwooooosh—!!!

I immediately ignited flames over my body.

The emerald beast and the blue flames collided head-on.

*****************

Kwaaaaa—!!!

A roar of destruction erupted. Strength clashed against strength, shattering everything in sight.

Kraaaaa—!!!

Along with the beast’s roar, the ground was crushed. The rocky terrain, battered by air pressure, was continuously being pulverized like tofu.

Fwooooosh—!!!

The surging flames were swept up by the violent winds, soaring endlessly into the air.

Boom! Bang!

Auras clashed violently.

Shraaak—!!

I dodged an incoming attack from somewhere. I burst forward with an explosion of fire, evading the assault.

Shraak! Shraaak—!!

Attacks continued to tear through the air. I weaved through them, but there was no opening to counterattack.

‘Hmm.’

They weren’t just fast—the force behind them was immense.

And above all—

There were too many.

The relentless barrage kept me too occupied to do anything else.

‘What should I do?’

I pondered, watching the attacks rain down like an endless barrage.

There were many ways to stop them.

The simplest would be to command them to stop using Dragon Speech.

‘Not yet.’

I didn't want to use it just yet. That was pure stubbornness.

‘I haven't confirmed it yet.’

How far could I go?

How much could I handle with the level I had reached?

I wanted to find out.

I had reached transcendence.

And now—

I wanted to see what this newly attained state could accomplish against an enemy of this caliber.

Judging by what I sensed, a General was on the same level as the Three Elders.

The Three Elders of Zhongyuan, the absolute rulers of the orthodox sects.

Could I face an enemy of their level purely as a martial artist, relying only on my strength?

That was what I needed to know.

So—

‘I will seal away all external powers for now.’

No Dragon Speech, no Heaven’s Command.

Not even Demonic Qi.

I would face Yusa with nothing but my own strength.

Crack.

I dodged another slash.

‘He’s really furious.’

I smirked, sensing his immense rage.

‘Well, of course, he'd be confused.’

Honestly, it was a bit disappointing.

This wasn’t how I wanted to fight him.

‘I always intended to face him someday—but not now.’

It should have been later. If possible, at the very end.

‘But things got messed up.’

Everything had gone wrong.

The moment my realm advanced and I killed the White One, it created problems.

The fact that his master hadn’t appeared was another problem.

But above all—

I had underestimated Yusa’s temper.

Considering the situation, it made sense.

The frustration pressing in from all sides, his subordinates dying—

His master remaining silent despite everything—

And then there were fools like me constantly provoking him, testing his patience.

It was inevitable that he would explode.

‘I just didn’t expect it to happen so easily.’

I didn't think a General would be shaken this easily.

I thought I’d have to push him much harder.

‘Hmm.’

If possible, I wanted to use him a little more.

It was a shame that I wouldn’t be able to.

‘But I’m also running out of time.’

Dealing with this step by step was no longer an option.

So, even if it was reckless and dangerous—

I had to push forward.

In that sense, his reaction was somewhat welcome.

Except—

‘The risk just skyrocketed.’

I scanned my surroundings.

The attacks had suddenly stopped.

The ground was torn apart, and the thick dust clouding the air obscured my vision.

I focused my gaze.

I activated Heaven’s Sight to assess the situation.

And at that moment—

Clack—!

Something shot through the dust, aiming straight for my face.

I barely dodged.

But—

Krrrhhhhh—!!!

It was a feint.

Yusa shot through the air.

His tail coiled around my ankle, locking me in place.

With my movement sealed, his fist came crashing down.

BOOM—!!!

The impact sent my body hurtling into the ground.

Kwaaaaaang—!!!

The assault didn’t stop.

There wasn’t even a moment to process the impact.

I had to get up immediately.

Kraaaaa—!!

Yusa’s monstrous roar signaled the beginning of close combat.

My eyes darted rapidly.

I had to analyze every single one of his movements and dismantle them.

Thud! Thud-thud!

Our limbs clashed.

Every time, it sounded like metal ringing.

And the sheer force—

‘Damn, that hurts.’

Even with Qi Reinforcement, each impact sent shattering pain through my body.

It was absurd—like cracking a walnut shell with bare hands.

He wasn’t considered Three Elders-level for nothing.

His destructive power was immense.

‘And it’s not even night yet.’

The true strength of the Moonlit Night Tribe had yet to awaken.

How much stronger would he become once the moon was up?

I was both curious and somewhat uneasy.

Bang!

As we exchanged another clash, I subtly shifted my stance.

I twisted my waist and sent my arm backward.

My palm opened—

Fwoooosh—!!!

Flames coalesced into shape.

Forming an Inferno Spear, I immediately altered its structure.

With transcendence, my casting speed and precision had evolved drastically.

Before, it would have taken a moment.

Now, I could form it in an instant.

I leveled the spear and thrust it forward.

Kiiiing—!!

Like slicing through air, the Inferno Spear shot toward his torso.

But—

Krrr—!!

Crack—!!

‘Heh.’

He caught it.

His arm was now engulfed in flames.

With its extreme compression and rotation, the spear should have torn through his flesh instantly—

But Yusa simply stood there, gripping it.

He grabbed the holy spear and halted.

Just like that.

"Ugh!"

With his remaining hand, he clenched his fist and hurled it towards my face.

'Tsk!'

Seeing that, I clicked my tongue and released the power from the holy spear.

It was not a retrieval but an explosion.

Boom---!!!

At such close range, triggering an explosion of energy was bound to hurt me too, but it wasn't the time to worry about that.

The holy spear burst, and the explosion ensued. Ignoring the recoil, I focused on the bursting energy.

Even if it harmed me, this was my own energy.

I gathered all the floating sparks in the air.

Dozens of flaming orbs were formed.

Without hesitation, I hurled them at the opponent.

Boom---!!!

They poured down like meteors. As soon as he saw the flaming orbs flying towards him, he crouched momentarily.

"AAAAAAHH---!!!"

With a fierce roar, he exploded with energy.

It was merely a release of energy from his body, yet the intensity was so fierce that the flaming orbs fizzled out before reaching him.

In the air, blue flames burst like fireworks.

'Hah.'

Just a simple roar, and it's this intense? I couldn't help but admire it.

However, it wasn't the time to leisurely admire.

"Grrr-!"

He charged at me, his claws raised and his fighting spirit swirling.

The hand that had grasped the holy spear had long since regenerated.

Crack---!!!

His hurled claws slashed the ground. The tail flew towards me, my body too bulky to dodge.

It puffed up, showing off its size.

This time, I didn't dodge. The range was too vast, and dodging was a bit too difficult.

'I have to strike it down.'

If I can't dodge, I must strike.

Thus, I launched my clenched fist, emitting flames like spewing fire.

Fire Infant Technique.

The flame-filled punch assaulted his tail. The flames wrapped around the tail, blocking its approach.

"Argh!"

Perhaps because of the flames, he groaned. A pained ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) expression was visible, but it only paused his actions momentarily.

Swoosh-!!

His claws swept across my upper body. It was an attack I couldn't block.

'Ugh.'

Suppressing a groan, I widened the distance between us. The wound wasn't deep, so I was fine.

Tick-!

He dispelled the flames on his body with his energy.

Thud thud.

I casually wiped off the blood flowing from me as I looked at him.

Our gazes met. Then, he grimaced at me.

"What?"

His face was full of questions.

"You. Are you weaker than I thought? Are you hiding your strength?"

He thought I was weak. I inwardly clicked my tongue.

I hadn't given my all, but it seemed he wasn't satisfied with what he saw.

"Hmmm..."

The question turned into doubt. Was I really hiding my strength?

If so, why would I hide it?

Or, was it that I was actually weaker than him?

Such doubts were apparent on his face.

It wasn't entirely wrong.

In reality, I had tried to appear strong.

But.

'Half right, half wrong.'

As he suspected, I was weaker than expected.

But, I was also hiding my strength.

'It seems, this level won't cut it.'

At this level, I would be overwhelmed.

So, I decided to take another step.

Whooooosh---!!!

I summoned my strength to my heart and pulled up the energy.

Instantly, the sky changed.

The sky, which had been slowly darkening, rapidly turned blue.

It was a limited range but a definite change, and it was my doing.

Azure Sky.

I used the energy to expand my territory.

Under the blue sky, the heat intensified.

There.

Whooooosh---!!!

At the center of the Azure Sky, energy gathered, forming a sphere as if the sun was rising.

Fire Wheel Star.

This too was a secret technique of the Fire Wheel Art.

Creating a sky and floating a sun above it.

I had perfectly constructed the territory.

The opponent was visibly flustered by the change, his eyes rolling.

Seeing that, I tensed my hand.

Fire Wheel Star was originally a technique to focus the caster's presence into the created celestial body.

It could be altered to maximize presence.

'With this.'

I could briefly divert the keen-sighted opponent's attention.

That was my judgment when I cast it.

But as the Fire Wheel Star fully rose.

Thump!

'Hmm...?' 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

I had to stiffen my body momentarily.

'What?'

Something felt odd.

Was it a mistake? My body felt different.

As I was puzzled by the strange sensation.

"Grrr!"

The alert opponent charged at me. Instinctively, I moved.

Yes, it was instinct.

Thump-!

"Gah!?"

Before I knew it, my fist had buried into the opponent's solar plexus.

The opponent, struck by the fist, was flung back, harshly sweeping the ground.

'What...?'

Why did the attack connect so easily?

Until just now, I couldn't even touch him properly.

With bewildered eyes, I examined my hand.

Then I understood the odd sensation I had felt.

Why.

'...The power of the Moonlit Night Tribe has been unleashed?'

My body had inexplicably transformed into the form of the Moonlit Night Tribe.

I had used magic to create ears and a tail, but the feeling was unmistakable.

It had definitely changed.

'The moon isn't even out yet, why?'

While I was mulling over this, a thought flashed through my mind.

'Could it be.'

I immediately looked up at the sky.

There, resembling the sun I had created, or perhaps the moon, was the Fire Wheel Star, illuminating and creating light.