WAAAAAAAH—!!!!

I won.

WAAAH—!!

Little Sword Saint—! Little Sword Saint—!

In the middle of the pouring cheers, I forced my breathing back under control.

I felt like I was about to collapse immediately, but I could still barely stay on my feet.

“Haaah—”

The breath I let out was quiet, and the tension packed inside it was obvious.

The tension that had been cinching my body tight until now slowly melted away.

And as that heat cooled and cooled again, my body started to tremble softly.

“Ah—”

I let out a single syllable.

“I won......?”

I won this?

I widened my eyes as I stared at the fallen Black-Grand Saber.

He was down.

How did I even win?

Even after winning, I couldn’t believe it.

‘Me? I won?’

Did I really beat that monster?

How?

My head considered it, but it didn’t make sense.

I swung my sword like a madman, and it ended up like this.

And—

‘At the end, I thought I was going to lose.’

My energy hit bottom. I couldn’t fight anymore.

But—

‘He came over and pulled me up.’

Black-Grand Saber walked over, grabbed my hand, pulled me upright—

and then collapsed.

‘......What. Don’t tell me he threw it?’

For a second, I wondered if he’d gone down on purpose, but judging by his personality, it didn’t feel like that.

So why did he grab my hand and pull me up?

I didn’t know.

I didn’t know, and by now Black-Grand Saber had been unconscious for a while.

“......”

With tired eyes, I stared down at him.

Someone rushed over and loaded him onto a stretcher.

Probably Peng Clan martial artists, carrying him away.

No—

Peng Dojun’s face was still smiling.

Like he was completely satisfied.

I was the one who won, so why the hell did he look more satisfied than me?

Seriously.

“He’s a weird bastard......”

The words stuck in my gut spilled out on their own.

Ha.

I spoke, and a laugh slipped out.

Was I laughing because it was over—because I felt empty?

No.

This emotion wasn’t that simple.

This was—

‘Satisfaction.’

I felt satisfied.

Strangely satisfied that the match was over.

It’s fun. Yoo Cheongil kept telling me to admit I was enjoying it.

Looks like he was right.

‘......I’m enjoying it.’

I really do enjoy fights.

I hated pain, and I hated moving my body so much it made me want to lose my mind—

but while I was fighting, I didn’t even care.

Even when my body got cut, even when I bled so much my head went light—

I didn’t care.

I just thought crossing blades was fun.

Drip.......

“Ghh.......”

Something ran down my body.

Blood.

The clotting I’d forced with inner power came loose, and it started spilling down.

My body wobbled like I was about to fall—

TAP—!

Someone caught me and held me up.

I turned at the calm touch.

“......Sword Phoenix?”

“.......”

Sword Phoenix.

I didn’t even know when she showed up, but she was supporting me with a slightly blank stare.

“......What.”

When did you get up here?

I stared at her, flustered, and she tightened her grip on the arm holding me.

She moved me slowly, pulling me down off the tournament stage.

The place we reached was the waiting seats.

The moment I sat down properly, other people approached.

Doctors—judging by the look of them.

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

A doctor asked permission and examined my body.

He checked the wounded areas here and there, then hurriedly brought bandages.

As he treated me, the doctor explained.

“First, congratulations on your victory. The injuries are not immediately deep, however... your level of physical fatigue has accumulated significantly.”

His face was a little too serious.

“You must prepare for the next match, but in this condition, we recommend forfeiting... What do you think?”

A forfeit.

I had to fight the next match—the final.

And it wasn’t the next day.

It had to happen today.

So if my condition was like this, he was telling me to give up instead of forcing myself onto the stage.

‘......A forfeit.’

He was right.

For now, forfeiting was the right call.

And it was obvious who my next opponent would be.

‘Sword Phoenix.’

The woman supporting me—sitting there with those black, emotionless eyes.

Looking at the bracket, it was obvious Sword Phoenix would win, and in the end, the final would be her versus me.

‘Can I win?’

I didn’t know.

Even fully prepared, I didn’t know if I’d win or lose against her.

Going out there like this meant I’d lose for sure.

I knew that—

but—

“......It’s fine. I’ll do it.”

My mouth said something stupid, completely separate from reason.

“......Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

The doctor looked shocked, and I still gave the same answer.

After that, he didn’t say anything else.

He just started applying more wound salve.

He didn’t push it.

He was a doctor, so maybe he was used to it.

Martial artists making stupid choices.

“Huuu.......”

I breathed and steadied myself.

The heat still hadn’t cooled.

The aftermath of my fight with Black-Grand Saber—

and—

BZZZT—!

‘......Damn it.......’

The muscle pain flooding my whole body, too.

Moon Heaven’s side effects.

Just like last time, every muscle screamed.

Even feeling that, I didn’t open my mouth.

I noticed it the first time I used Moon Heaven—doctors couldn’t recognize this muscle pain.

And if I groaned, they’d just assume my condition was worse.

So I kept my mouth shut and endured it.

As I rolled my eyes with tired focus—

TAP.

Someone approached.

Sword Phoenix.

“......Why.”

I asked, looking at her.

“Aren’t you up next?”

Sword Phoenix nodded.

“Then why are you here? Go prepare.”

“.......”

No answer.

She just stared at me.

What kind of look was that?

I stared back. I couldn’t read her emotions.

But given the situation—

“Don’t tell me you’re worried?”

“.......”

Sword Phoenix didn’t answer again, but for some reason I felt like that was the right one.

I let out a snort.

“If you’re worried, then why don’t you just lose next time.”

“.......”

This time, unbelievably, Sword Phoenix shook her head.

“You’re worried, but you won’t throw it?”

Nod.

“......What the hell is that. Then go prepare for the match. I’m going to rest.”

“.......”

Sword Phoenix slowly stepped back, like she really was going to listen.

Then she disappeared.

‘Jesus...’

Everything hurts.

Feeling it, I laughed.

I’m really forcing myself to endure this.

If it hurts, I can quit.

If it’s hard, I can just not do it.

But here I am, insisting I’ll do it anyway—pulling this idiot act.

It’s ridiculous.

‘It’s all because of that old bastard.’

He shoved pointless wind into me for no reason.

He injected weird passion into someone who was planning to live without caring about anything.

I was sure it was all his fault.

‘And where the hell did he go, anyway.’

I survived and won—so where did Yoo Cheongil disappear to?

Same as always.

This guy was never around when I needed him.

Even now.

*****

After the matches ended, all I could do was sit there like a worn-out corpse.

I got treated, but fatigue slammed into my body, and with blood loss my head was still hazy.

In the middle of that, I slowly circulated my inner power.

That was something I learned after reaching pinnacle.

Circulate inner power through a tired, battered body and recover a little of the fatigue.

Good thing I ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ learned it.

I had to use something like this.

“Ugh...... ow, my whole body.......”

Everything ached. Honestly, it was a miracle I could even talk.

Even I thought it hurt like absolute hell.

‘Ahh...... ahhh.......’

I couldn’t even groan properly.

Even letting words slip out wasn’t easy.

The level of exhaustion was ridiculous.

Is this really how bad Moon Heaven’s backlash is?

‘......It really was insane.’

It made sense, though.

Considering the value of the power Moon Heaven carried, maybe even this was acceptable.

‘An artificial egoless state.’

An egoless state—the path of enlightenment, martial artists called it.

And Moon Heaven was a power that forcibly sent you there.

That alone proved how monstrous it was.

And on top of that—

‘Even Black-Grand Saber lost.’

A Rising Prodigy called the Heaven-Martial Body—practically confirmed as the Peng Clan’s Young Lord.

Even Peng Dojun of the Hebei Peng Clan could be beaten with Moon Heaven.

Of course—

‘I can’t say I won purely on skill.’

Peng Dojun’s mistake helped.

‘Using Black Cloud first.’

Locking me inside Black Cloud from the start.

And—

‘Not finishing me inside it.’

Even after using Black Cloud to bind my five senses, he didn’t attack.

That was the problem.

‘......Honestly, Yoo Cheongil’s help mattered a lot.’

I knew why.

Because Yoo Cheongil had ordered me around and moved me.

That made Peng Dojun hesitate.

‘He probably decided I was losing on purpose.’

I don’t know why, but I wasn’t showing my full ability.

That’s what Peng Dojun must have thought—so he couldn’t just rush in to end me.

And that became my chance to drag the match out.

And also—

‘Even that was Yoo Cheongil’s help.’

Getting out of Black Cloud—

even that was Yoo Cheongil.

‘.......’

In the end, it meant I couldn’t have won without Yoo Cheongil.

‘This isn’t something to celebrate.’

I didn’t beat Peng Dojun with my own skill.

Calling it “luck is skill” didn’t sit right with me, so I wasn’t exactly thrilled.

“Haa.”

I let out a breath, then looked up at the tournament stage.

Right then, it looked like things were wrapping up.

BANG!

With a small sound, something shot up into the air.

A sword.

One sword glinted as it launched skyward, then spun—whirl—before dropping back down.

CLINK-CLINK.

With a clear ringing sound, the sword rolled across the floor—

and Sword Phoenix Yuyeon’s blade was at her opponent’s throat.

“Victory, Mount Hua Sect’s Yuyeon.”

At the referee’s words, a shallow cheer poured out.

It was lower than what I’d heard earlier.

Probably because it ended too cleanly.

‘How long did it take?’

I didn’t know.

I’d been half-asleep, so I didn’t even get to see what Yuyeon’s match looked like.

‘Even if I did, it wouldn’t have changed much.’

There wasn’t time to watch who did what, how.

I shouldn’t have been watching in the first place.

‘......I dozed off.’

I was so tired I nodded off for a moment.

Meaning I missed the match completely.

‘Ah, damn it.’

I missed it......

That’s a pretty fatal screwup.

I sat here on purpose to watch that.

‘No—Even if I watched, it probably wouldn’t have been that different.’

What would I even see in that short moment?

I felt bitter, but reality was reality.

‘I’ve got nothing.’

There’s no information on Yuyeon—none.

The only things I have are—

‘Mount Hua Sect’s youngest Plum Blossom Sword Unit....’

And, from Yoo Cheongil’s words, that she has strange eyes.

And that other Rising Prodigies call her a monster.

That’s it.

Even in her match with Baek Cheonin—

‘......It was too refined to “watch” in any useful way.’

Her movement was like watching a perfectly woven exchange.

A beautiful fight without a single wasted motion.

A fight that made you admire it just by looking.

So maybe that’s why—

‘I couldn’t see anything.’

In those movements, there were no simple habits.

Nothing repetitive showed itself.

‘Fuck.’

What kind of nonsense is that?

Maybe it was because my level was too low—

but—

‘That makes it worse.’

It means there’s no method at all.

All it did was piss me off.

“Ugh......”

Should I not have insisted?

If I’m just going to lose anyway, I should’ve quit.

Feels like I forced my pride for no reason and ended up like this.

“Tsk......”

I bit my lip, holding back a groan—

[Look at you.]

“.......”

A familiar voice.

I lifted my head, and that disgusting face floated there.

[You won, didn’t you?]

He spoke with a crooked little smile, and I frowned.

Where the hell did you run off to?

I mouthed it silently.

[There was something I needed to go see.]

Yoo Cheongil said.

Sure. Of course you always have something to go see.

[Your eyes look funny. You look pretty unhappy?]

How could I not be?

[Who do you think you won because of. You shouldn’t be unhappy.]

He chuckled, and I let out a breath.

It wasn’t wrong.

Yeah. I did win because of this old bastard.

[Congratulations. I didn’t think you’d win, but you pulled it off.]

‘......You didn’t think I’d win?’

I stared at him like he was insane.

He said that like it was nothing?

I fought like hell and barely won, and he’s dropping that like a curse.

[Heh heh heh.]

As if he’d read my thoughts, Yoo Cheongil burst out laughing.

He really was a damn malicious ghost.

‘......You vanished, and it bugged me. You show up, and you piss me off immediately.’

Damn old bastard.

As I kept swallowing my sighs while staring at him—

[Kid.]

The old bastard called me.

“......Yes.”

I answered quietly.

There weren’t people right next to me, but still—just in case.

[Where did you put the Divine Sword?]

“Ah, that’s over there.”

[Over there?]

At my gesture, Yoo Cheongil turned his head.

Not far away. It was leaned against the wall.

[.......]

After checking the wall, Yoo Cheongil twisted his mouth and looked back at me.

[......You just tossed it there like that?]

“......So what. You think someone in the Martial Alliance is going to steal it?”

He was saying it’s a top-tier weapon and I left it too carelessly.

I didn’t care.

If he hates it so much, he can go pick it up himself.

I was already busy enough. I didn’t have room to worry about that too.

[No... ah... fine.]

Yoo Cheongil started to say something, then gave up.

[......Anyway, knowing where it is is enough.]

“Why? What are you even going to do with that?”

[What do you think. I’m going to use it.]

“......Use it for what?”

You can’t use personal weapons in the tournament.

That’s why Black-Grand Saber and Thunder Dragon both used Martial Alliance-issued weapons instead of their own.

So “use the Divine Sword” didn’t make sense.

As I was about to press Yoo Cheongil—

“No—”

“Prepare for the final match—!!”

“.......”

The referee shouted.

Ah, it’s already time?

I wanted to rest more.

But I wasted time bickering with this old bastard.

“Ugh...... damn it.......”

Groaning, I pushed myself up.

CRACK.

Something popped—back, leg, I didn’t even know.

“Huu.”

I forced down my exhausted face and walked.

Not long after, I climbed onto the tournament stage.

On the stage, the referee stood—

and Yuyeon was already there.

“......Are you alright?”

The referee checked me and asked about my condition.

“Yes.”

I wasn’t, but I said I was.

If I said no, he’d tell me to step down. That was all.

“......Understood.”

Anyone could tell I was in bad shape, but the referee confirmed my will and nodded.

The distance between us widened slightly.

I stared at Yuyeon for a moment.

An expressionless face.

Pale-white skin and long black hair.

The girl I’d seen before—everything about her back then was gone.

It was still surprising.

That quiet kid who barely talked—

‘How did she become Sword Phoenix?’

How did she become Mount Hua’s rising hope, called a once-in-a-generation talent?

And also—

‘What did she do?’

Even if she didn’t talk much, she used to speak sometimes.

How did she end up unable to speak like this?

That kept bothering me.

Honestly, it’s hard not to be curious.

But—

‘I’m busy, and I’m dying over here.’

I didn’t have the space to waste my brain on old ties.

I could barely keep my own mess from collapsing, consider that, too?

“Draw your swords.”

At the referee’s words, Yuyeon and I drew our swords.

‘Huuu...’

I gripped my sword and let out a breath.

No matter how I looked at it, there was no hope.

Even if I came back after beating Black-Grand Saber, I still didn’t know if I’d win or lose—

and now I’m supposed to fight like this?

‘Yeah. I’m an idiot.’

The fact I insisted on doing this—

that alone was ridiculous.

Even now.

‘Even though I know every reason I should quit.’

And yet here I was, drawing my sword anyway.

If it were the old me, I’d never have made this choice.

Lately, I’d been making choices I’d never make.

Even I found it unbelievable.

“The final match. Mount Hua Sect’s Yuyeon versus—”

The referee’s voice rang out.

Where was Yoo Cheongil?

I didn’t check.

Normally I would’ve, but since entering the tournament I’d never really bothered.

“Blue Moon Sect’s Bang Sungyeon—”

Tension climbed up my spine.

How much inner power do I even have?

Not even half recovered.

I’m going to lose.

This match—I’m going to lose no matter what.

Nothing about my situation, my realm, my condition lines up.

I knew all of that—

“Begin!”

CLINK.

And still, I raised my sword—

“You.”

“......?”

My head snapped.

Who?

That voice—first time hearing it.

It wasn’t the referee.

My eyes turned—

and someone was standing between me and Yuyeon.

A figure with a black cloak pulled up over their head.

A sudden situation.

The referee saw it and moved his hand to his waist.

“Who—!”

SLICE—.

The shocked referee collapsed mid-sentence.

Blood sprayed.

The referee’s severed neck slumped as his body slowly toppled.

Time felt slow.

My awareness felt slow.

But—

SWISH.

My body moved.

I drove the sword in my hand straight at the figure.

I have to cut them.

Instinct screamed it.

FSSSSSH—!!

Third Form: Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn burst out on its own.

The moment I tried to fire the sword force wrapped around my blade—

TAP—!

“.......!”

Yuyeon grabbed my wrist and yanked me backward.

Even as my body moved—

Slide.

A hand appeared right in front of my face.

Big. Old.

Fingertips brushed past my cheek.

“Hm.”

The figure’s gaze shifted to Yuyeon.

“You can see me.”

Chills ran up my skin.

An emotion I couldn’t name dripped through that voice.

I’m going to die.

Death pressed against my body.

I started trembling—

then—

SWISH—!

With the short sound—

KRAAAASH—!!!!

Something plunged down right in front of us and shot toward the figure.

The entire tournament stage shattered as the impact exploded.

Fragments blasted everywhere.

And in that chaos, I could see what had fallen.

‘A spear...?’

A spear.

A spear fell from the sky.

‘A spear...?’

Seeing the weapon made one person come to mind.

Then— 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

TAP.

Through the slowly rising debris, someone landed, facing the figure, gripping the spear.

I widened my eyes at the old man.

Divine Spear.

The Martial Alliance Leader—and the most likely candidate for the current First Under Heaven.

That massive old man gripped his spear and stood in front of me and Yuyeon like a wall.

“Are you alright?”

Divine Spear asked.

“......Ah, yes.......”

At the heavy question, my head nodded on its own.