SWISH—!

I moved my body this way and that, dodging the Black-Grand Saber’s fists.

For a long while, it was nothing but dodging, and dodging again, and dodging again.

I was moving by predicting the expected path, and even tuned the slightest anomaly that popped up in the gaps.

How many exchanges did I endure like that?

‘I’m hitting my limit.’

My legs were trembling.

The wounds on my body hurt, and blood kept flowing, to the point I felt like I might get dizzy.

My speed drops.

And I had to calculate even that dropping speed.

At this rate, I felt like smoke was going to start pouring out of my head.

I’m going to die. Seriously.

Am I even dodging properly?

There’s no additional impact, so I must be dodging properly, right.

I had to think that way.

If I didn’t, I felt like I’d collapse on the spot.

It was hard.

Even enduring this.

These five senses that can’t see a damn thing squeeze my throat harder than I expected.

‘What kind of ridiculous power is this.’

What the hell did that Blade God even make?

‘Can you really call this martial arts?’

Can you even dare to call this martial arts?

If anything, this is—

‘Isn’t it closer to an array?’

Rather than martial arts, an array.

It was more similar to the secret arts the Jegal Clan uses.

I’d heard it was something far removed from martial arts—well, if this isn’t an array, then what is it?

What principle does it work on?

That question crept up on me, despite myself.

And even so, my body kept moving.

If I stopped moving, I could barely hold on.

The problem was how many more exchanges I could endure like this.

‘Two or three, at most. And if the Black-Grand Saber grabs his saber, it’s over.’

Right now, he’s dealing with me using fists, so it’s like this.

If the Black-Grand Saber decides he’s going to use his saber, I won’t be able to endure it.

So I had to find it.

‘A way to break through.’

A way to escape this vicious darkness.

I had to find it.

—What the moon has to do.

What is the moon Yoo Cheongil talked about?

What the hell am I supposed to find in the moon?

I think and think and think again.

WHIP—!

Something brushed past my face in the middle of it.

Was it the Black-Grand Saber’s fist?

I don’t know.

‘I can’t see, so what the hell would I know.’

It’s darkness that reflects nothing.

I couldn’t even see my opponent, and I don’t even know if my eyes are open or closed.

In this darkness, what am I supposed to find?

I can’t see an inch ahead.

In a place with not even light, what can the moon even do—

‘Huh?’

Wait.

‘Darkness? Light?’

My thoughts stop.

Then they start turning again.

The tangled mess unravels in an instant, then spins the other way.

‘Light.’

The moon’s role.

The role °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the moon has to play in vicious darkness.

When night comes, what does the moon do?

Yoo Cheongil called it rising.

The moon rises.

When it rises, what does it do?

‘It gives off light.’

It brightens the night so it isn’t dark.

It rises into the sky and drives off darkness.

That is the moon.

SSSS.

I put strength into my arm.

Inner power roils, and sword force forms.

I still couldn’t see the light.

But instinctively, I felt sword force had bloomed.

And I put strength into my Moon Eyes.

I tried to apply the Moon-Spirit Sword Path—

But it was the same.

Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn, Moon-Spirit Sword Path—nothing showed me anything.

Light that devours all of it.

My thinking turns.

Is this not enough?

Then what’s left?

‘Light.’

Light that drives off darkness.

‘Is it that.’

There was one thing.

Not sword force drawn from light, and not a path that shows the moon’s light.

A power that simply drives off darkness and finds light.

I immediately put strength into my dantian.

BZZZZZ—!!

Inner power cycles and flows through my entire body.

And then—

WHOOOOSH—!!!

Light burst out of my body.

Moonlight.

Maximizing the inner power of the Blue Moon Heart Art and blasting out light.

It’s power that can be mixed and applied into Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn, but when it exists on its own, it does nothing but emit light.

Yeah.

Light.

WHOOOOSH—!!

Darkness retreats from the light bursting out of my body.

Black Cloud got pushed back.

“...Ah.”

Watching that, I let out a single sound.

“Holy shit. This was it.”

A hollow laugh comes out.

I wondered if there was something incredible hidden somewhere, but—

He was just telling me to emit light?

Blow out light and push the darkness back.

It was really just that simple.

‘That old man, seriously.’

It’s absurd.

I don’t know if Moonlight always had this kind of power, but if I’d known, he could’ve just told me plainly.

Instead, he made me find it the hard way.

WHOOOOSH—!!

I can see in front of me.

The Black-Grand Saber I couldn’t see—he was gripping a saber wrapped in black sword force and charging at me.

I could see clearly.

I couldn’t see far, but at least the surroundings were visible.

Did my senses come back?

I don’t know.

I didn’t have time to find out.

I roll my eyes.

Eyes with the Moon-Spirit Sword Path unfurled swept over the surroundings.

Fatigue crashed over me.

Even more so because it’s power I can’t use for long.

But—

‘I can see.’

As if the moon found light and got excited, it tells me the road I have to take.

A line drawn along the wall.

Watching it, I twisted my waist immediately.

ZZZAP—!

My injured body screams.

I ignored it.

So what if it hurts a little.

SWISH—!!!

Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn cleaves through empty air.

It isn’t aimed at the Black-Grand Saber.

My sword—

WHACK—!!!

cut Black Cloud.

“...!”

Space splits open.

Like tearing fabric, Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn sliced through Black Cloud’s darkness. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Even watching Black Cloud split, I didn’t stop my sword.

I push further, just like this.

The Moon-Spirit Sword Path’s road didn’t end.

The long, connected line rides along Black Cloud and points at the Black-Grand Saber.

KRRRK.

I put in more strength, and packed inner power into the soles of the feet braced on the ground.

KRAK—!

The ground breaks and fragments fly.

I had to follow the line, so I moved.

The Black-Grand Saber charged in.

Even knowing that, I didn’t hesitate.

Why?

I don’t know.

‘It feels like I have to.’

It felt like I had to.

Even if that saber cuts my body, even if this attack fails—

Even then, I thought it was something I had to do.

SWISH—!!!

Night Moon.

A downward slash that splits the night drives straight into the Black-Grand Saber.

The Black-Grand Saber’s saber likewise drove straight into me.

My speed is slower.

If this keeps going, my body will get cut.

Even knowing that, I swung.

The sword path tells me.

I entrusted my body to moonlight.

Line and sword become one, headed straight for the Black-Grand Saber—

CLANG—! WHACK—!!!

My sword was knocked away at the end.

My body wasn’t cut.

The Black-Grand Saber pulled back the attack he was about to land on me and shifted to defense.

Our attacks bounce off each other, and inner power bursts out as shards.

At the same time—

FSSSSSSSS—!!!

Black Cloud that had wrapped around us vanished in an instant.

The energies scattered across the ground like ink poured out dry up and disappear.

“Ha....”

Far away, the Black-Grand Saber let out a sigh.

Then—

“...AHAHAHAHA.”

He burst into rough laughter.

“AHAHAHAHAHA—!!!!”

He looked like a beast roaring.

“AHAHA! This is it! Yeah, this is it! This is right!”

“.......”

What the hell is that crazy bastard saying.

I stared at him with exhausted eyes, and his oddity comes into view.

‘Cold sweat.’

The Black-Grand Saber was sweating.

The beads on his forehead and the trails down his cheeks showed he was worn out.

Even his shoulders were faintly rising and falling—his breathing was off.

‘What?’

Why is he that tired?

‘Is it the aftereffect of using Black Cloud?’

Is Black Cloud really power that produces that much fatigue?

Maybe.

As long as it’s a power called an ultimate move and a secret art, it wouldn’t be strange for it to come with backlash like that.

Of course—

TAP—!

“...Ghh....”

If we’re comparing who’s worse, my body was worse.

Blood from my upper body dripped down onto the floor.

‘This hurts like hell.’

It hurts so much I feel like I’m going to laugh.

And even in this, the Black-Grand Saber laughed.

“Yeah. I was wondering where the light went. You were hiding it...!! Little Sword Saint—!!”

What’s with the light talk.

I don’t know what he’s talking about.

‘...He shouldn’t be able to see it.’

I swept my eyes around.

Yoo Cheongil wasn’t there.

He was gone, not around.

It meant he had no intention of helping with the match.

If so, the Black-Grand Saber had no reason to feel any “light” presence from me right now.

“That’s it. That’s what I wanted to see.”

He grinned chillingly, like he felt something from me.

‘That bastard definitely snapped because he’s tired.’

He was already a crazy bastard, but now that his body’s exhausted, he must’ve gotten even more unhinged.

That’s the only way to see it.

“Fffuuuh....”

I let out a deep sigh.

Heat rose into my head.

How long has it been since I had senses?

Only now did I finally hear my own breathing by my ear.

“Of course. Of course. You are—”

“Shut up, asshole.”

“What?”

At my words, the Black-Grand Saber’s eyes widen.

I rake a hand back through hair soaked with sweat.

He keeps getting noisy, making my head spin.

“You’re huge and distracting, and you won’t shut the fuck up. I don’t know what you’ve got so much to say for.”

Even as I spit it out, it’s subtle.

I feel like I’m floating, somewhere.

Even though blood is still pouring, I couldn’t feel any more pain now.

SWISH.

I put strength into my eyes.

The Moon-Spirit Sword Path that I’d blocked off for a moment activates.

And Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn blooms again on the sword in my hand.

“What are you gonna do. Are you coming or not.”

“.......”

I said it while aiming my sword tip at the Black-Grand Saber.

Then the corner of his mouth shoots up.

“AHAHAHAHA—!!! You ask something obvious.”

KRAAASH—!!

The Black-Grand Saber swung his saber.

A gale of pressure raged, scattering all the fragments on the floor.

“I have to. This is what it was all for. Of course I have to.”

Something weird leaks out of him as he speaks.

The shadow on the ground.

Black energy rising from it crawls up his body.

The energy winds around him like a tattoo.

The saber scorched black, and the energy bound around his whole body made his rough appearance stand out even more.

‘That is....’

Seeing his state, I realized what it was.

I’d read it in the information.

The name was—

‘Ink Man Shadow Master.’

One of the Peng Clan’s secret arts.

They said it wraps energy from the heart art around the body, in a form like wearing a shadow over yourself—

‘That’s exactly it.’

The Black-Grand Saber looked exactly like that.

Just like the explanation.

“Little Sword Saint.”

CRACKLE. The Black-Grand Saber steps forward as he speaks.

“It’s fortunate I met you. I almost got disappointed for a moment—but that, too, must have intention.”

“.......”

I didn’t answer.

I don’t know what kind of bullshit misunderstanding he’s having, but I wasn’t going to respond.

“So I’ll repay you. I’ll show you what I carry.”

“...You don’t have to show me?”

“You can’t do that. I received something, after all. Now. Then.”

BANG—!!!

“Here I come—”

The Black-Grand Saber smashed the ground and charged at me.

A speed far faster than before.

In a blink, he was right in front of my nose.

‘Damn.’

I crushed my lips and thought.

Looks like—

‘...I can’t do this anymore.’

Like this, I can’t do anything else.

So I don’t have a choice.

‘That old man isn’t going to get mad, right.’

It’s a hundred times better to do something before losing than to just lose.

That old man would say that.

WHOOSH—!!

Light surges up into Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn and the Moon-Spirit Sword Path.

The heart art spins and fills my entire body.

Just like that—

WHOOOOSH—!!!

Light surged up.

Moon Heaven.

Once again, the moon invaded me.