An hour had passed. The sun was still high in the sky.

Judging by its position, there was still a long time before it would set.

I slowly moved forward, step by step.

Even as I calmly controlled my movements, my mind was filled with countless thoughts.

I recalled what Shin Noya had said about Yusa.

At the same time, I assessed my body's condition in preparation for any unexpected situations.

‘...Tsk.’

Circulating my energy and observing my physical state, I found it was in poor shape.

It was inevitable. My body had already been significantly damaged from my fight with the Blue Commander last night.

There were no severe injuries, so it wasn’t the worst-case scenario.

But because I kept moving instead of letting myself heal, my wounds had no time to recover.

‘...Using Qi Substitution Technique hinders regeneration.’

Although it was an invaluable ability that allowed me to transform my body, its drawbacks were clear.

Every time I altered my form, it felt as though my bones were being shattered.

Even after the transformation, maintaining the altered body required a significant amount of energy.

On top of that—

Wounds healed more slowly in my transformed state, and pain became even more pronounced.

When looking at it objectively, aside from being able to change my physical form, there weren’t many benefits to this technique.

Because of that—

‘I hope nothing happens.’

Considering my previous battle with the Blue Commander and the injuries I sustained before that, my body was far from being in optimal condition.

Knowing this, I wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble as much as possible.

‘...But will that really be possible?’

An inexplicable sense of unease crept up on me, and I tried to ignore it.

Like that, I continued moving until I arrived at my destination.

‘Hmm.’

I found myself standing amidst a dense forest clearing.

I scanned my surroundings.

‘There’s nothing here?’

I couldn’t see anything out of place.

Was someone watching me from a distance?

To confirm, I slightly heightened my senses.

Rustle.

A presence.

The moment I sensed it and turned around—

“Hahaha!”

A cheerful, boisterous laugh echoed through the clearing.

At the same time—

“There you are!”

An overwhelming killing intent crashed down on me.

*******

BOOM—!

Something descended like a falling meteor.

I twisted my body, dodging the attack.

‘What the hell?’

A sudden ambush.

What was this?

As the attacks continued, I evaded them while trying to analyze the situation.

Was this Yusa’s doing?

If so, then it was undoubtedly orchestrated by him.

However, it didn’t seem like he was the one attacking me directly.

Did he call in reinforcements?

‘No, that’s not it.’

The presence I sensed was only one person.

It was just that this single individual was radiating an absurdly strong aura.

I narrowed my eyes and focused on my opponent.

Through the dust cloud that had risen from the attack, another strike came flying toward me.

I dodged a set of clawed fingers and, in doing so, caught a glimpse of the attacker’s face.

‘Ah.’

Now I knew who it was.

This was my first time seeing her in person, but I was already well aware of who she was.

‘The Red Commander.’

Hong Jeong.

The so-called strongest noble among the Commanders—or something like that?

‘If I go by the name alone, it implies she’s the strongest of them all.’

She looked young.

The other Commanders also appeared unusually youthful for their age, but that was a known trait of the Moonlit Night Tribe.

Even so—

‘She doesn’t even look twenty.’

While the others looked around their thirties or forties,

this Red Commander barely seemed to have passed her twenties—if even that.

“Hehehe—!!!”

For some reason, she was bursting with excitement as she charged at me like a lunatic.

‘Tsk.’

She was fast.

She wasn’t using any weapons.

Her fighting style focused on hand-to-hand combat, primarily using her fists and claws.

Boom! Bang! Bang!

Each time her fists and claws grazed the ground, the earth shattered, and trees were torn apart.

The energy imbued in her movements was immense.

‘Hmm.’

What should I do about this?

‘Why the hell did she suddenly show up?’

I didn’t even need to think about it.

It was obvious.

‘It’s Yusa’s doing.’

That bastard was behind this.

Was this the confirmation Shin Noya had been worried about?

Why did he specifically send the Red Commander?

One question led to another.

But—

FWOOSH—!

‘Damn it.’

Now ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) wasn’t the time to be thinking about this.

I dodged another claw strike.

THUD!

I slammed my foot into the ground and twisted my body.

My spinning kick connected with the Red Commander’s torso.

BOOM—!!!

A shockwave erupted, sending her flying backward.

But it wasn’t a clean hit.

Even in that brief moment, she managed to block and adjust her landing.

“Oh... You attacked in that brief opening?”

She widened her eyes in surprise.

Suppressing a sigh, I spoke to her.

“You are not the one I sought.”

The meaning was clear—

Where was Yusa, and why was she here instead?

But—

“No, you got the right person. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Hong Jeong grinned as she spoke.

“I was getting curious after hearing my dumb older brothers got their asses handed to them.”

CRACK—!

She crouched low, preparing to leap.

The ground beneath her feet cracked under the sheer pressure.

“Let’s see what that face of yours looks like.”

BOOM—!!!

A crimson flash shot toward me.

Oh, come on.

Seeing her charge in headfirst, I frowned behind my mask.

I hadn’t expected her to just recklessly rush at me like that.

CLANG—!

‘Tsk!’

I narrowly avoided her claws.

But in that moment, her tail whipped around violently.

SWISH!

I saw the tail lashing toward me.

I moved my hand—dodging wasn’t an option from this angle.

I had to block it.

THUD!

Pain shot through my arm as the impact sent me skidding backward.

It looked like a simple bundle of fur, but why the hell was it this solid?

‘Goddamn it.’

I bit my lip and gathered my energy.

A layer of Qi enveloped my body, activating my physical state.

I focused my Insight into my eyes, trying to analyze her movements.

‘What the hell?’

I had to suppress a curse upon seeing her.

‘I can’t see her technique.’

Even with my Insight, I couldn’t properly discern her actions.

The whole point of this ability was to read an opponent’s energy and predict their next move.

‘This bitch...’

But with the Red Commander, that wasn’t happening.

It wasn’t that she lacked energy.

She was still radiating fierce killing intent as she charged at me, so she clearly had energy.

‘Does that mean she simply doesn’t use techniques?’

I couldn’t predict her movements at all.

She wasn’t following any structured martial form—only raw, instinctive motions.

‘This is new.’

She wasn’t some kind of beast.

She looked human, yet she fought exactly like an animal.

I’d never faced an opponent like this before.

“Hahahahaha!!!”

Red Commander Hong Jeong laughed manically as she charged again.

Watching her, something clicked in my mind.

‘Ah.’

This wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar feeling.

I had fought someone like this before.

‘She fights like Bong Soon.’

The style was nearly identical to Bong Soon’s—fighting purely by instinct.

She looked human enough, but the way she lunged at me was just like that damn beast.

“Why do you keep dodging?!”

CRACK!

Her claws tore through the air.

Her Qi was so potent that the space she slashed actually left visible scars in the air.

I twisted my head side to side, barely dodging her attacks.

If she had been swinging a club instead, she would’ve been Bong Soon in human form.

The problem was—

‘She’s a much stronger Bong Soon.’

The difference in level was staggering.

At minimum, she was as strong as Gui Ak-chang in my past life.

“Hahaha!”

The way she continuously laughed while attacking,

the crazed look in her eyes—

‘Anyone would think she’s a damn demon.’

I had no idea how someone with a sane mind could make an expression like that.

After moving around for a while, I suddenly stopped.

“Oh my? Are you giving up—”

THUD!

“Gah—!”

I dashed in and drove my fist straight into her solar plexus.

The impact sent her flying backward.

This time was different from before.

She couldn’t block it, nor did she manage to land safely.

CRASH!

A loud explosion rang out as her body smashed into the ground.

I dusted off my hands and loosened my muscles.

A stronger Bong Soon?

At Gui Ak-chang’s level?

‘So what?’

It didn’t matter.

It was daytime.

And the Moonlit Night Tribe without their moon was nothing to be afraid of.

“Cough...!”

Through the dust cloud, I saw Hong Jeong on her knees.

She clutched her solar plexus, coughing up blood.

“Heh... Hehehe...”

Even now, she was laughing.

Grinning while vomiting blood—now that was truly grotesque.

“This is fun... It’s been a while since I’ve had fun...”

Her eyes glowed ominously.

She radiated a sheer desire to kill me, her intentions clear as day.

What should I do with her?

Even in my current state, I could win.

‘There’s still plenty of time before nightfall.’

Preserving my stamina was my priority.

‘Should I provoke her a little?’

Might as well. If I could bait her into fighting recklessly, it’d make things easier.

With that in mind, I opened my mouth.

“Pathetic.”

Hong Jeong’s gaze snapped toward me.

“You aren’t even entertaining enough to be a proper performance.”

“...Hahaha. What? At least I’m more fun than the Blue Commander, right?”

“The Blue Commander? Ah.”

I nodded as if I had just remembered.

“Oh, that guy existed.”

“Pfft. You put a hole in his chest, and you forgot? It hasn’t even been a full day yet.”

“I do not waste my memory on the weak.”

“Oh... I like that answer.”

“And you are no different.”

Flick. Flick.

I casually dusted off my hands.

“This is nothing but a dull waste of time. Boring and tedious as ever.”

I tightened my grip, letting Demonic Qi coil around my fingers.

“If I had to pick, the show from yesterday was more amusing.”

“What...?”

Hong Jeong froze.

Hearing that the Blue Commander had been superior seemed to stun her.

‘Hoh.’

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

I had only meant to provoke her a little, but did it actually get to her?

If not, I’d have to come up with something else.

“Oh, that’s...”

Luckily, I didn’t have to.

“That pisses me off.”

BOOOOM—!!!

‘Fucking hell.’

I cursed inwardly as her energy erupted.

The sheer killing intent and aura she unleashed was incomparable to before.

‘...What was it they called her again?’

The strongest noble?

The greatest noble?

I vaguely remembered someone mentioning that.

‘This is overkill.’

It felt like she had been holding back until now, and she had finally released her full power.

Did I mess up?

I clicked my tongue in irritation.

It seemed I had.

At this rate—

‘I have to kill her.’

I had wanted to keep her alive to see if she would undergo demonification.

But at this level, I wouldn’t get that chance.

I hardened my resolve.

‘Let’s kill her.’

Just as she did,

I unleashed the killing intent I had been suppressing.