The Master of Mangye (The Myriad Realms).

And beneath them, four beings blessed with power and authority.

Here, they are called Generals.

Each General had their own nation.

Mangye was vast, and countless regions existed, yet there were only four true nations.

Those were the Generals' lands.

Among them, Yahwol Palace was the domain where most of the Moonlit Night Tribe resided.

And the General who ruled this place was said to be named Yusa Sado (Apostle of Yusa).

“Yusa.”

As the name surfaced, someone came to mind.

Overlaying it with the name he had just uttered—

“It’s nothing like the name.”

He’d mentioned Mongmong, but it bore absolutely no resemblance.

A young man with a pale green appearance, yet called Mongmong?

“What a peculiar character.”

He was a strange one.

And also—

“A strong one.”

A very strong one.

Their encounter had been brief, yet the memory of it remained vivid.

Even when just slightly unveiled, his presence filled the surroundings.

A force so immense, it left one questioning its full extent.

If that was what a General was—

“This won’t be easy.”

It wasn’t that the so-called leader was uniquely powerful; it was that most Generals were on such a level.

As he listened, he methodically absorbed the information.

And after a while—

“Are you listening?”

“Oh.”

The black-clad figure, said to be Gubong’s father and a noble, addressed him.

After his encounter with Mongmong, he had come here directly to talk.

“Yes, I’m listening.”

“...”

The man’s eyes betrayed doubt.

It was true he hadn’t caught the last part.

Still, he’d heard all the important bits, so it should be fine, right?

He offered a slightly embarrassed smile and said,

“Anyway, that General named Yusa seemed to be looking for me....”

He had known about the Generals to some extent, but meeting one so soon had been unexpected.

“Is it because of the recent incident here?”

“...”

The leader didn’t respond, simply observing him.

Though he seemed lost in thought, what those thoughts were remained a mystery.

So he waited for a reply.

After some time—

“What did the General ask you?”

The leader raised his own question rather than answering his.

“What did they ask?”

They asked if I was behind the recent events. That was it.

“...And?”

The leader frowned as he listened.

“So I told them no.”

“...”

The leader’s expression subtly shifted at the response. What was that face about?

“Why?”

“You said no?”

“Yes. I said no.”

“...”

“Why is that so hard to believe?”

No matter how one looked at it, he didn’t seem convinced.

And yet, he really had said no.

With a faint laugh, he added,

“Do you think I did it too?”

“Well, I’m not sure.”

“No, you don’t mean you’re not sure.”

Tap, tap.

He drummed his fingers on the table, signaling for focus.

“What’s important to you isn’t whether I did it. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

“...”

At those words, the leader’s eyes grew sharper.

And at that moment—

Ssshhh.

Shadows began pooling on the floor.

The encroaching darkness slowly expanded, threatening to fill the room.

But seeing this, he lightly stomped on the ground.

Thunk!

Crack!

“...!”

The shock shattered the darkness, and the leader’s eyes widened like saucers.

“Let’s not bother with petty tricks like this.”

“You...”

“We’ve already been through this before. There’s no need to go over it again, is there?”

He had a habit of resorting to strange formations—

likely designed for mental disruption or hallucination.

“But I’m not someone who can be caught by such things.”

These were tricks that only worked on the weak-minded.

While he might have been half-broken, his life had never been easy, so he wasn’t susceptible to such ploys.

“Wouldn’t it be easier if we just got to the point? I didn’t come here for a power struggle.”

“...Hah.”

At his words, the leader finally withdrew his strength from the floor.

Not that he seemed to understand—he looked more incredulous.

“What are you?”

“Can’t you see my attire?”

He confidently pointed to the plum blossom emblem on his chest.

The leader curled his lips in disdain.

“Utter nonsense. You don’t exude the same aura as them.”

“You wound me. What’s so different about me?”

“Resolve.”

“...”

That word left him momentarily speechless.

“Resolve, determination, and spirit. Those associated with Mount Hua may appear overly ambitious, yet they possess those qualities. But you—none of that is evident.”

“Then what do you see in me?”

What do you see in me, then?

When he asked that, the leader replied while looking directly at him.

“Nothing.”

“What?”

His face twisted at the ridiculous answer, but the leader continued speaking.

“There’s nothing there. Like an empty void. That’s why you aren’t of Mount Hua.”

“...”

It felt awful.

How could words sting so much?

The worst part—

“I can’t refute it.”

He couldn’t argue against it.

An empty void.

Words that strangely turned him inside out.

Or maybe—

“You aren’t of Mount Hua.”

Was that what gnawed at him more?

He didn’t know.

But he had to let it slide.

Yet—

“Does that really matter so much to you?”

He couldn’t fix his tone.

It was dripping with discomfort. Even after speaking, he had to suppress a startled gasp.

His emotions had surged more than expected.

He was angry at his own inability to hide this. Yet, ironically, this was his best attempt at concealing it.

“I know people like you all too ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) well.”

Suppressing his anger, he continued.

“Eyes that hide what you truly desire. Struggling to find a path to the top, desperate to climb higher.”

“...”

“And once they find it, they don’t rush in blindly. They watch and wait. That’s exactly what you’re doing.”

Their faces were close now.

If either of them wanted, a fight could break out instantly.

Yet, he was certain this man wouldn’t attack him.

“So, do you still need to tread more carefully? What do you see in me now?”

“How utterly foolish.”

Screech.

The leader stood, his height exceeding his own by a full head.

“Do you truly believe you can serve as a bridge?”

“That’s not for me to decide. It’s why you’re here with cards in hand, isn’t it?”

“A man who cannot even state his identity—what can he possibly accomplish?”

The leader spoke with a faint smirk.

For the first time, an emotion seemed clearly visible.

“I already told you, didn’t I? I’m from Mount Hua.”

“Are you just going to keep playing games with me?”

Crackle—!

Suddenly, the room filled with energy.

Unlike before, this was no illusion—it was the real thing.

It wasn’t qi. The energy here, though different from the qi stored in one’s dantian, felt distinctly unusual.

“Gubong, Seol Yeong, and the Mount Hua disciples seem to use it, but...”

For others, calling it qi felt completely alien.

Yet it tickled the heart, almost like—

“It’s similar to sorcery.”

Of course, it wasn’t sorcery either. It was simply closer to that than qi.

“You might’ve been tolerable enough to receive mercy, but your arrogance is no different from the rest of those Mount Hua wretches.”

“Mercy? Arrogance?”

I let out a laugh.

“...Why is it that wherever I go, people say the same damn thing?”

As always, those words never changed.

Grit—!

I endured the pressure and stared at the leader.

The mocking expression on his face had long disappeared.

“I don’t know how you managed to slip past the General’s eyes, but if they’ve taken notice of you, it’s already too late.”

The leader continued speaking, and the pressure in the room only intensified.

That tickling sensation clawing at my heart grew stronger.

It was strange.

“If that’s the case, I might as well get rid of you now and save myself the trouble.”

“So, what are you planning to do? Kill me?”

As with the last encounter with the White Leader, the energy here made my heart and even my skin feel itchy, as if—

“I should do something.”

That’s the feeling it gave.

“What is it?”

What am I supposed to do?

“What’s bothering me?”

Why was I wasting time with this verbal sparring?

No—this wasn’t just a verbal spar anymore; it was on the verge of turning physical.

I had no intention of fighting here.

This was a rare opportunity I’d created—why ruin it with a fight?

The plan was to handle things smoothly and use this chance to my advantage.

Yet, I was provoking the leader.

“Why?”

I tried to think.

Why was I doing this?

Why was I acting on instinct rather than reason?

“Was it because of earlier?”

That moment when I met Yusa.

And even the fleeting moment when we parted.

If I had to pinpoint it, the problem started then.

Since that moment, my emotions had been running high.

Especially—

“When I heard the words.”

The moment I heard something akin to Dragon Speech with my own ears.

That was the turning point.

The leader in front of me held his head high, looking down on me.

And the way he kept provoking me—it grated on my nerves.

“...Damn it.”

It was an emotion I was barely suppressing.

Since becoming the Dragon, I’d often been swept up in inexplicable euphoria and unnecessary emotions.

After mastering the Nine Flames Firewheel Technique, it had only grown worse.

And today, it was particularly intense.

I scratched my neck with my fingers.

Perhaps a little too hard—the tips of my nails dug into my skin, and I felt a sharp pain.

Drip.

Blood trickled down, staining my neck.

At that moment, Cheonma, who had been standing behind me, stirred.

“Don’t delude yourself.”

The leader’s energy flowed along his shoulders, its black hue reminiscent of his hair.

“No matter what secrets you’re hiding, here, I am the law.”

Buzz—!

A vibration reverberated in my chest.

The floating sensation that spread out began to take hold of my body.

It felt familiar.

“This is—”

It was similar to the strange energy Mongmong had infused into his words.

The sensation when his words suppressed me, encasing me entirely—

But this time, unlike then, it didn’t dissipate before touching me.

“...It’s certainly a peculiar feeling.”

Even experiencing it once left a vivid memory. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It wasn’t the same as using Dragon Speech.

This was something else entirely.

It didn’t just suppress the body or actions—

“Hmm...”

Yes.

“It tramples the soul itself.”

That description seemed more fitting.

For example—

“You dare not raise your head—”

[Sit.]

Thud—!!

“...!!”

“Oh.”

The leader suddenly collapsed into his chair, as if someone had forcibly pushed him down.

His eyes widened as he looked at me.

“...This... What is this?”

He trembled, his expression frozen in shock.

The sight was almost comical, given how utterly startled he seemed.

Of course, he wasn’t the only one surprised.

“It works?”

It actually worked.

I hadn’t felt anything when I was on the receiving end, so I wasn’t sure.

But using it on someone else—it seemed effective.

“It’s certainly similar to Dragon Speech.”

The method was similar, but the effect was different.

“It’s more definite.”

For someone as strong as the leader, Dragon Speech might have struggled to suppress him.

But oddly enough, the moment he heard the command, he was subdued so easily.

As I marveled at this—

Thunk.

I felt something unbind in my chest.

“...Tch.”

The leader’s body regained its freedom.

Not that I had released him intentionally.

“The duration is short.”

Was the short duration a tradeoff for its effectiveness?

Or was it simply that I hadn’t used it properly?

Questions arose.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on them.

“Who... are you... really?”

The leader looked at me with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief.

“Who are you...?”

His tone had changed.

“What the—?”

What was wrong with him?

He should’ve been angry, ready to fight.

Instead, he suddenly seemed deflated.

“Was it because of that?”

That moment when I mimicked what Mongmong or Yusa had done—it seemed to have caused some kind of issue.

That must be why he was reacting like this.

And while it was amusing—

“My identity?”

I smiled and replied,

“What do you think it is?”

This was perfect.

If he misunderstood, all the better.

I decided to take full advantage of it.