Time stopped.

The falling leaves halted mid-air, the drifting dust stilled, and even the chirping insects fell silent.

The air felt stifling, as if nothing flowed through it.

Within the heavy and stagnant atmosphere, it was I who broke the silence.

“...What are you...?”

I glared at Yarang as I spoke.

There was no way I couldn’t.

"What the hell are you?"

I asked sharply, my voice rough.

Yet—

“...”

Yarang said nothing. She simply stood there, staring at me.

Those eyes.

Those clear, golden eyes.

I bit my lip.

‘Why...?’

Why was that face staring back at me from behind the mask?

I couldn’t understand it.

Long brown hair.

Pale white skin with slightly drooping eyelids.

A captivating yet serene beauty.

And those brilliant golden eyes.

A face I had longed to see.

Both in my past life.

And even now.

And then—

‘This energy.’

The faint energy emanating from her kept scratching at my insides.

If it was just her appearance mimicking that face, it wouldn’t have rattled me this much.

But—

‘This isn’t just imitation.’

It wasn’t just her face.

I could tell.

That presence within her.

Those eyes looking at me.

It was her.

“...You...”

Just what the hell was she?

What was she, to bear that face and that presence?

I was about to grab her and demand answers—

But—

Ssshhh.

Yarang lowered her head and picked up her fallen mask.

Then, she covered her face once more.

Whooong.

The energy I had felt disappeared entirely.

In an instant.

All she did was put on a mask, and yet—

‘...Is this the same power as the mask Shadow King gave me?’

The mask I used for my performances...

Its power felt eerily similar.

But—

‘That won’t work on me.’

Did she really think hiding behind a mask would make me forget what I saw?

“Answer me. Why are you—”

Why are you here?

Why the hell are you in Mangye, looking like that?

And—

‘Why do you keep hovering around me?’

Just as I was about to voice my questions—

Sssssshhhhhh—!!!

BOOOOM—!!!

Something crashed down from the sky.

The impact sent a massive shockwave through the ground.

Thud—!

Kicking up dust and dirt, Cheonma landed.

Dark energy swirled around her as she stood before me.

“...You again?”

Cheonma spoke.

“I told you last time.”

Her voice carried an unmistakable killing intent.

“The next time, I will truly kill you.”

Whoosh—!

As she spoke, black energy coiled in her hand.

‘That’s...!’

Seeing it, my eyes widened.

That was the Cheonma Sword.

The very same energy blade she had wielded in my past life.

Cold and relentless.

The sword that had slaughtered the Three Elders and wiped out several sects of the Nine Great Clans.

The power that had left devastation in its wake—

It was now forming in Cheonma’s grasp.

Ssssssssshhhh—!!!

It trembled violently, as if devouring all the surrounding energy.

Fierce and overwhelming.

Even just looking at it made my brows furrow.

Gripping that power in her hands, Cheonma moved.

She lunged toward Yarang.

Seeing that, I immediately shouted—

“STOP—!”

But Cheonma didn’t stop.

This was bad.

I clenched my teeth, my mind racing—

Whooong—!

At that moment, something shifted around Yarang.

Clang—!

“...What?”

Yarang blocked Cheonma’s sword.

At some point, a blade had appeared in her hands.

It bore the same shape as Cheonma’s sword—

But its color and aura were the complete opposite.

‘That sword....’

I froze.

I knew that sword.

The Anti-Demon Sword (Pama Geom / 破魔劍).

A brilliant white blade.

The same sword that Wi Seol-ah had once infused with her energy in my past life.

The sword that existed to punish demons and slaughter demonic beings.

A sword that, upon contact, would unravel and extinguish all demonic energy.

Like now.

Crackle—!!

The moment Cheonma’s sword met Yarang’s, it began to break apart.

Seeing that, Cheonma scowled.

Her sword was already half-destroyed—

But she didn’t retreat.

Retracting her weapon, she moved her hand.

Shadows spread across the ground.

‘Shit....’

She was activating her domain.

A field of pure demonic energy engulfed the forest, swallowing everything like a flood.

Thump—!

As the demonic energy brushed against my feet, my own demonic aura stirred wildly.

It reacted instinctively, resisting the pull.

At the same time—

Fwoosh—!!

Flames erupted at my fingertips.

But—

It wasn’t my black flames.

It was white flames.

‘...What the hell is this now?’

Why the hell was this showing up now, of all times?

I stared at the fire in disbelief, but I had no time to dwell on it.

Thump—!

Cheonma stomped lightly on the demonic-infused ground.

WHOOOOM—!!!

The earth convulsed violently, waves of force surging outward.

A vortex formed, churning like a massive tide.

The energy was moving to swallow everything.

"Rise."

At Cheonma’s command, the shadows surged.

The expanding darkness, consuming the surrounding energy, lunged toward Yarang.

It was as massive as the wave I had once created with my black flames.

That kind of force—

It was enough to engulf Yarang in an instant.

Should I let it happen?

Before I could decide—

“...”

Yarang raised her sword.

Sssshhhhhhh—!

White energy gathered around her.

Seeing that, my mouth fell open slightly.

‘Moonlit Sword Dance (Wolseon Muggeom)...?’

She was revealing her true power, as if telling me not to be confused anymore.

The white energy condensed into solid blades—

Blades similar in shape to the one she was holding.

I knew this power.

It was Wi Seol-ah’s signature technique, both in ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) my past life and this one.

In this life, she could barely manifest ten swords.

But the number I was seeing now...

It was several times greater.

Then—

Whoosh—!!!

Yarang unleashed the swords toward the incoming wave.

BOOOOOM—!!!!

The blades pierced through the dark tide relentlessly.

The massive surge of demonic energy began losing form, its shape collapsing.

As the towering wave shrank, nearing its end—

Whoosh—!

Cheonma rushed forward, cutting through the remnants.

Had the wave been a mere distraction?

She closed the distance at frightening speed, swinging her sword.

Clang—!!

Yarang countered with her own.

Clang! Clang—!

Fierce collisions rang through the air.

The two clashed at an incredible pace.

They were fast.

Not just fast—

But with every clash, the force between them sent out massive ripples of energy.

Each time Cheonma’s sword met the Anti-Demon Sword, it crumbled—

But Cheonma didn’t care.

She simply created another.

And another.

And another.

Their battle intensified.

At a glance, it seemed like Yarang was being pushed back.

And then—

Clang—!

Cheonma’s upward strike sent Yarang’s sword flying into the air.

And just like that—

She thrust her sword toward Yarang’s throat.

Clench—!

But the blade never pierced her neck.

Because I stepped in and grabbed it.

“...Enough already.”

“...”

Cheonma glared at me, her gaze sharp.

At the same time, pain shot through my hand.

Of course, I had grabbed it with my already injured hand.

I had no choice.

It was the only hand Eternal Bind was wrapped around, making it the least damaged.

And—

Fwoosh.

The white flames surrounding my hand blocked Cheonma’s sword.

I watched them burn before speaking.

“Calm the hell down.”

“...Why are you stopping me?”

Cheonma looked at me as if she truly didn’t understand.

I didn’t understand either.

“What do you mean, ‘why’?” I snapped. “Then what about you? Why are you fighting in the first place?”

“She was following you.”

“So what?”

What did that matter?

She was following me.

Why the hell was Cheonma interfering?

I clenched my jaw and turned to Yarang.

“...And you?”

I met her golden eyes.

“Are you planning to keep going?”

“...”

She didn’t answer.

She simply stared at me for a moment before loosening her grip.

The sword in her hand dissipated into energy.

At the same time—

Ssssshhhh.

The swords floating behind Cheonma also vanished into light.

Just now, Cheonma hadn’t won outright.

Before her sword could land, Yarang’s Anti-Demon Sword could have struck her first.

‘...That confirms it.’

Watching their fight, I was sure of it.

‘She’s inexperienced.’

Her combat style had no refinement.

She wasn’t like the Cheonma from my past life.

Seeing it up close made it clear.

This Cheonma didn’t know how to fight.

She just brute-forced her way through battles using overwhelming strength.

And since her power was far beyond others, it worked.

In short—

‘She’s a novice with absurd strength.’

There was no calculated precision or strategic finesse.

She was nothing like the Cheonma I had known.

Back then, she had been untouchable.

No attack, no force could reach her.

Only Wi Seol-ah’s Anti-Demon Sword had ever wounded her.

But now—

She felt too close.

Like I could reach out and land a hit on her.

Was this really Cheonma?

And—

‘What is she...?’

No—right now, my mind wasn’t on Cheonma.

It was completely fixated on Yarang.

This couldn’t be happening.

It was impossible.

And yet—

Every instinct in my body screamed that Yarang was Wi Seol-ah.

Not just Wi Seol-ah.

Wi Seol-ah, the Divine Sword.

To my eyes, Yarang was her.

No matter what the world told me.

No matter how absurd the situation was.

I knew.

“...Why are you here?”

I repeated the same question.

Over and over again.

She was Wi Seol-ah.

“Answer me... Why—”

I reached out to grab her hand.

But—

Swish.

Before I could touch her, she pulled away.

And then—

Clang—!

She conjured a sword again and moved to strike.

Clang—!

Cheonma immediately intercepted, deflecting the Anti-Demon Sword with her own.

Fragments of energy scattered.

Seeing the white aura flicker in the air, I frowned.

“You...!”

Cheonma growled and moved to attack again—

But I grabbed her shoulder and stopped her.

This time, she didn’t charge.

She simply glared at Yarang with a twisted expression.

Two identical faces stared at each other.

Yarang’s expression was hidden behind her mask.

But Cheonma...

Her face was filled with raw emotion.

It was the complete opposite of what I had seen in my past life.

The contrast was unsettling.

I bit my lip.

I couldn’t get used to this.

Then—

“...”

Yarang erased her sword.

She turned to look at me.

Even through the mask, I felt her golden gaze.

What was she thinking?

I couldn’t tell.

It was worse than unreadable—

It was completely empty.

I had a mountain of questions.

But none of them came out.

We simply stared at each other in silence.

And then—

Thud.

Yarang suddenly leaped into the air and disappeared.

And I—

I didn’t move to stop her.

I simply watched.

As she vanished into the distance, leaving no trace.

And when she was finally out of sight—

“...Let go.”

Cheonma spoke softly.

It was only then that I realized I was still holding her shoulder.

I let go.

My mind was a mess.

I felt like I had been punched in the skull several times.

I struggled to regain my senses and looked at Cheonma.

She had turned away.

I stared at her back and spoke.

“Where the hell did you come from all of a sudden—”

Thud—!

“Guh—!”

Her fist slammed into my gut.

A direct hit.

She had spun around and landed a punch before I could react.

I had been too close to dodge.

“Kh...!”

The impact dropped me to my knees.

I couldn’t even summon my energy to resist it.

My bones felt like they were shaking.

“You... crazy... What the hell... was that for?!”

I tried to snap at her—

But when I looked up,

My mouth snapped shut.

Cheonma was staring at me.

And for the first time ever—

Her expression was filled with sorrow.

I had never seen that face before.

Her lips trembled as if holding back words.

And then—

“...I don’t know... You... idiot.”

Barely forcing out the words,

She turned and flew off.

In the opposite direction Yarang had gone.

“...”

I remained kneeling on the ground, unable to move.

I could only sit there and replay her words in my head.

‘...Idiot?’

It sounded like she had spent a long time thinking of what to say,

Only to blurt out the simplest insult she could manage.

And honestly—

There was nothing more fitting.