SHSHSHSHSH---!!!

It pours down.

SHSHSHSHSH---!!!

In a space that seems wide yet narrow.

Countless lights poured down.

SHSHSHSHSH---!!!

It sounded like something being crushed.

Also, like something somewhere was crumbling.

Ah—

Watching that, Tang Yeran let words slip out with a vacant face.

“Ah.”

In that single word, a small note of admiration was mixed.

Beautiful. The only thought that sprang up the moment she saw it was that.

What was happening.

What kind of situation was unfolding.

None of that entered her eyes.

Only the beauty before her.

Only the slowly falling sky filled Tang Yeran’s eyes.

‘What is that?’

What is that.

What could it be to show something so beautiful.

Without realizing it, Tang Yeran reached out toward a falling fragment.

CRACK.

The moment it touched her hand, the fragment shattered.

Along with it, at the tips of the fingers that had stroked it, she felt an unknown energy.

‘Cold.’

The energy was cold enough to bite.

And at the same time—

‘Hot...’

It was strangely hot.

Contradictory sensations. What on earth was this.

She couldn’t tell.

But—

‘...My eyes.’

She couldn’t look away.

She had to somehow hold that brilliant spectacle in her eyes. Her instincts said so.

So, hardly even blinking, she stared ahead.

Through the light that was spewing, someone could be seen.

Someone standing at the center of the light, a great saber slung over the shoulder, looking straight ahead.

‘Ah—’

Huge.

A back so big and broad it would lightly surpass eight feet.

Where had she seen a back like that? As Tang Yeran reached into the past, she remembered someone’s name.

‘...Elder Yoo.’

The Sword Saint Yoo Cheongil.

His back had looked just like that, she thought.

The moment she recalled that and felt it in common—

The back that was coming into view gradually shrank and grew small.

As if it had been an illusion, it transformed into someone else’s back.

A back that wasn’t big, a height that wasn’t big either.

A figure not resembling the vision at all and yet—

‘...It’s similar...’

Looking at that back, Tang Yeran thought of Yoo Cheongil.

Why? The question followed, but it didn’t last long.

THOOOM--!!!

A great sound rang.

At that sound, Tang Yeran came to her senses.

Only then could she realize whose back she was looking at.

“Y-Young Master Bang—!”

It was Bang Sungyeon standing there.

Bang Sungyeon, who had suddenly grabbed Full Moon and started fighting Pal Duyeok.

What if something had gone wrong.

The instant she widened her eyes with that thought—

THUD--!!

A sound similar to before rang out again.

Where on earth was that coming from? To Tang Yeran’s eyes, Bang Sungyeon was still standing.

She slowly moved her head to take in the situation when—

“...Huh...?”

Tang Yeran realized where the present sound had come from.

The cause was Pal Duyeok.

Pal Duyeok, who had been fighting just now, was lying on the floor.

With his neck severed at that.

“Huh—huh...?”

The huge body lay stretched out on the floor.

The body of a martial artist who had been exuding hardened qi just a moment before was cooling that coldly.

‘He’s dead...?’

Pal Duyeok was dead.

The moment she recognized that—

“U-Unit Commander—!!”

“The Unit Commander...!!!”

Reactions burst out from all sides.

****

DRRRIP.

The floor was gradually soaking red with blood. The sickening fishy stink and the clammy touch coiled around my toes.

My body felt like it was floating, and my head was about to go hazy.

“...Hoo... Hup.”

Through ragged breaths, I somehow held onto my senses.

I had no choice.

“...Hoo... Hoo... Hoo...”

Given the situation, there was no enduring it otherwise.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

My heart pounded like mad.

It thrashed so roughly that I could feel the vibration even standing still.

“Hoo...”

My quickened breathing wouldn’t settle.

In the midst of that, I lowered my eyes and looked at someone.

‘...Pal Duyeok.’

The bastard who had just been fighting with my body was lying on the floor.

With his neck severed at that.

The blood flowing from his neck had soaked my shoes through.

I shifted my gaze and looked at the spear he’d been holding.

‘...It’s cut.’

The spearhead and the shaft were cleanly severed.

They were rolling around on the floor like nothing.

What happened?

‘...No.’

Pal Duyeok had rushed in spraying hardened qi.

With that overwhelming fighting spirit and killing intent, and the energy wreathed around it, I could well have been terrified without knowing it, and yet—

‘How did this happen?’

At the situation that unfolded right after, I’d had to widen my eyes and tremble.

For an instant, light poured down.

No—rather than pouring down—

‘It burst.’

Light enough to fill my vision burst from Full Moon.

‘...By the time the light faded, Pal Duyeok was dead.’

By the time I realized it, Pal Duyeok had ended up like that.

When the light burst, what did it do?

‘...’

I raised the question, but I knew the answer.

Even if my eyes didn’t see it, my body remembered.

‘I moved.’

While the light was coming out, my arm kept moving.

Only, it was a speed I had never once produced.

ZZZZT-!!

“Kh—!!”

At the sudden sharp pain, strength left my hand.

CLATTER-!!

I dropped the sword I was holding.

I grabbed my aching wrist.

‘Damn.’

The pain was no joke. Wondering why, I realized the problem was Full Moon on the floor.

‘...I fought while holding that?’

It had been hard to lift for even a moment, and my body had been holding it.

‘Holding that—could my body have endured—’

ZZZT.

‘Rot.’

My body answered before I could even worry.

Shoulder and elbow joints. Wrist. Etcetera, etcetera.

From every part, a tingling sensation spread.

“...Tch...”

Barely holding back a groan, I somehow managed to stand.

[Heh heh.]

Right next to me, an obnoxious voice sounded.

[So? Do you like it?]

“...”

It was Yoo Cheongil. Before I knew it, he had slipped out of my body and was laughing beside me.

What was I supposed to like? With that question in my eyes, I glanced at him.

[I did what you can’t with your body. I told you to watch every last thing—did you not see it?]

Ah.

Hearing that, I remembered. It was what he’d said before I let Yoo Cheongil take my body.

‘I did hear it then, but...’

I shifted my gaze slightly and looked again at Pal Duyeok lying dead.

‘...To think we actually won.’

An absolute-tier martial artist. Among them, a master presumed to be quite strong—I had killed him.

Even if Yoo Cheongil had moved the body—

‘How did we beat someone who uses hardened qi?’

Beating a master who handled hardened qi was astonishing in several ways.

Which meant—

‘...My body can use hardened qi?’

It meant I, too, was a martial artist who could use hardened qi.

In fact, I’d just used it.

‘The shining energy.’

The hardened qi that had wrapped Full Moon.

That splendid white-azure light. Remembering it, I bit my lip lightly.

‘If it was hardened qi, it would have shattered Pal Duyeok’s hardened qi, but...’

Was that really hardened qi?

It’s not like I’ve seen a lot of hardened qi or used it to know.

I couldn’t be sure, but—

‘If it wasn’t hardened qi—’

There’s no way I could have blocked Pal Duyeok’s onslaught.

So it must have been hardened qi.

‘How did I use it?’

How on earth had I used hardened qi.

No matter that I’d absorbed the Supreme Great Rejuvenation Pill, I was first-rate.

By common sense, with a first-rate body, I shouldn’t be able to use hardened qi...

[Tsk tsk.]

Before I could even think that, Yoo Cheongil clicked his tongue.

[I told you a moment ago—bright head, slow to learn. I told you.]

With a sigh mixed in, Yoo Cheongil spoke to me.

[Don’t be shackled by common sense. Who on earth said so—that you can’t use hardened qi with a first-rate body.]

‘...Well, that...’

Right?

Who had said that.

I stopped thinking and frowned.

That really was common sense.

Only upon reaching the absolute peak could one grasp the feel for using hardened qi.

Only when one had matured enough to handle it skillfully did one seize the chance to step to the next realm.

That was the common sense widespread everywhere, and yet—

‘...So it wasn’t?’

From Yoo Cheongil’s point of view, it seemed he was saying that common sense was wrong.

What’s more—

‘He proved it.’

He proved it.

He had unfolded hardened qi with my body directly.

Even if that hardened qi was somewhat different from what I knew, the fact Pal Duyeok fell was the proof.

[If I had my way, since it seems you don’t get it, I’d like to explain a bit more in detail, but—]

Yoo Cheongil tilted his chin.

Following the tip of his jaw as it moved, I turned my eyes.

“The Unit Commander—!”

“Urgh!”

CLANG-!

CHING-CHING--!!

“...!”

The fighting was still going on.

“Damn...!”

Catching the head bastard didn’t end the fight. I’d forgotten that for a moment.

Do Hyeong and Cheon Eujin were still fighting, and the moment I saw that, I looked around to grab my sword again.

‘Where is it?’

Where’s my sword?

‘Damn it.’

Maybe because I was in a hurry, I couldn’t see it. Picking up Full Moon again seemed impossible; I was just going to grab some sword lying on the floor when—

STAGGER—!

“Huh?”

Suddenly my vision blurred and strength left my legs.

I barely forced myself to keep from collapsing entirely.

SLOSH—!

Something ran down from my head.

When I touched it with my hand, it was red. Blood.

“This...”

What blood is this? Staring blankly at it, I realized.

‘Ah, right.’

I got hit earlier.

I remembered getting hit hard by Pal Duyeok and going down.

[Don’t move too much.]

Yoo Cheongil spoke to me.

[I was stemming the bleeding with inner energy, but the limit is clear. If you force yourself now, you’ll go straight to the grave. Just go ahead and pass out.]

“...”

Don’t move like this? At those words, I ground my teeth.

They were still fighting over there, and he tells me to let go of my senses like this.

Not knowing how it would turn out, I couldn’t.

So, I tried to force strength into my body, but—

PSSHK-!

“...Kh...”

The blood came out harder, and my body swayed worse than before.

“Young Master Bang...!”

Tang Yeran rushed over and supported me.

“...Hup...!”

Seeing the blood on my head and Pal Duyeok’s blood on the floor, she trembled.

I’d heard what Pal Duyeok said earlier—

‘She’s afraid of blood?’

Tang Yeran, it seemed, might have some kind of phobia of blood.

“Are you all right...?”

Even in that state, Tang Yeran worried about me.

Her face had gone deathly pale—she looked to be having a hard time.

Even so, I could see her trying.

“...I’m... fine...”

Seeing that, I tried to say I was fine.

WUUUUM-!

My head rang and my vision narrowed.

‘Ah. Damn.’

This isn’t good.

It’s really dangerous. I felt like I’d let go of my senses like this.

I had to somehow hold on and help Cheon Eujin and Do Hyeong.

So, just as I was about to pull myself together with everything I had—

[Hey, I told you not to worry. You’re stubborn about not listening.]

Yoo Cheongil spoke to me.

[You don’t need to butt in. Anyway.]

At that moment—

KWHAAAAAAAAAM---!!!!!

A great blast boomed from the wall.

[Because the owner of this place will take care of it.]

KRRRRRRRRRRR---!!!

The left wall—the wall where the Poison King was trapped—collapsed, and dust scattered.

WHOOOOOOOSH---!!!

Along with that, a rough wind blew, and the dust was swept away in an instant.

STEP.

Someone’s footsteps rang through the entire chamber.

The one who emerged through the dust was none other than the Poison King.

Whether he’d succeeded in escaping, he appeared with eyes flashing and looked this way.

After checking Tang Yeran’s side, his face immediately twisted.

At that fiend-like visage, my insides lurched.

ROAAAAAAAAR---!!!!

What followed was an impossible energy bursting from the Poison King.

From the Poison King, there exuded a savagery that couldn’t even be compared to the killing intent I’d felt from Pal Duyeok.

What was ridiculous here—

At that boundless, ominous figure—

‘...Ha.’

I instead felt relief, and I could slowly let go of my thread of consciousness.