WHOOOOSH—!!!!!!

Shards shot up into the sky. The tournament stage, so pristine a moment ago, shattered in an instant and sprayed outward in a chaotic scatter.

As energy surged up with it, a gale wrapped around my entire body.

“Ghk—!?”

The wind hit and shoved me hard. By the time I realized it, my body had been swept clean off the stage.

My feet wouldn’t listen—my balance twisted—and Yuyeon grabbed my back and set me down safely.

“......Uh. Thanks.”

I tried to get the gratitude out—

KUUUUUUUUUUNG—!!!

“......!”

The pressure that poured down turned my body rigid.

“Ghk.......”

I couldn’t breathe. The air itself had changed. Something so distant I couldn’t even feel the winter cold anymore.

I forced my trembling head up and stared at one point.

‘......There.’

The center of that vast, breathtaking presence.

Divine Spear.

An absurd pressure was blasting out of the current Martial Alliance Leader.

It was a banquet of presence. Across the wide, wide stands and the entire stage, Divine Spear’s presence sank in, heavy and absolute.

‘Is that......?’

Is that what an absolute master is?

It wasn’t even in the same dimension as what I’d felt in fights between Rising Prodigies.

A real martial artist.

The pressure rolling off a true hero who’d distinguished himself in the Orthodox-Demonic War was so far beyond my imagination it made my thoughts feel small.

“Who are you.”

Divine Spear asked, spear drawn.

He was speaking to the old man in front of him—draped in a black cloak.

The man who’d appeared out of nowhere.

As the question landed, the old man moved.

A dried-out, worn hand lifted, almost gently—

WHACK—!!

A sword snapped out of nowhere and dropped into his grip.

“Who am I?”

Heh heh heh heh.

A dry, hollow voice. There wasn’t a scrap of life in it, and goosebumps climbed my skin before I could stop them.

That wasn’t even the worst of it.

‘What the hell is that.’

My stomach lurched like I was about to retch.

Just looking at it made my insides sting.

‘......What is that.’

A knot of malice.

Something that hadn’t been visible—something I couldn’t feel or see when it was close—was suddenly, now, painfully clear.

The thing behind the old man’s back.

That.

‘The same thing those HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE bastards carried.’

A trace of HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE I could see now.

A shape of malevolent aura that looked like it had been artificially packed together.

And it was planted behind that old man’s back, plain as day.

More distinct than anyone’s—more disgusting than anything I’d ever seen.

‘Dangerous.’

I wanted to rip my eyes away immediately.

That was outside the scale.

‘......A mountain god? No.’

It was beyond a mountain god.

A higher god.

‘If it were my past life......’

It was the kind of grotesque something that could’ve swallowed an entire city in disaster.

Even now, remembering it made my teeth grind.

‘......And to think of the bullshit I pulled trying to stop something like that.’

Never get tangled up with that again.

That was how I’d lived.

And then—

‘......This is a fucking joke.’

Of all things, I’d end up witnessing it right in front of me.

Cold sweat slid down my skin. Who the hell was he?

What kind of life did you have to live to hold something like that inside your body?

That question rose—

“......Who I am, you know better than anyone. Divine Spear.”

“.......”

At the old man’s words, Divine Spear’s face hardened.

The pressure he’d been holding back flared even hotter.

“I see.”

Divine Spear nodded like he’d accepted it—

WHIRRRRRRRR—!!!

—and started whipping the massive spear in his hand.

The gale that had been howling grew sharper and stronger.

“AAAGH!”

“Kyaaaah—!!”

As screams began rising from the stands under the relentless storm—

Divine Spear looked at the old man and said,

“So you’re the Heaven-Breaking Palace Lord.”

“......!”

This time my eyes went wide.

‘Heaven-Breaking Palace Lord......?’

“Lord” meant—

‘The head.’

The leader of those unknown bastards called HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE.

And—

‘......That old man.’

Was that the one who said he killed Yoo Cheongil with his own hands?

Thump. Thump.

My heart hammered.

The instant I saw the old man—no, the instant I saw that malevolent aura behind him—my heart went wild.

Other reasons mixed in and made it pound even harder.

Was it because he was the Lord? Or because of that malevolent aura?

Either way, more than anything—

‘Why now?’

How does a “Lord” just barge onto the tournament stage?

In the heart of Martial Alliance territory?

‘.......’

I forced my breathing steady and spun my thoughts. I didn’t understand how boldly he’d appeared.

Was he that confident in his strength?

Or—

‘......Ah.’

I turned my head.

No way.

“......Damn it.”

I narrowed my eyes and scanned.

I was right.

Whether or not he was confident, if he wasn’t the type to make a brain-dead choice like this—

Then there was only one conclusion.

‘He’s making it a situation where he can.’

My head spun. The HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE thugs I’d seen on the streets—

Everything snapped into place as the situation connected.

I saw it.

‘They’re here.’

HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE martial artists—suddenly positioned all over the place.

“Everyone! Evacuate immediately!”

“It’s dangerous—evacuate right now—!!”

SLASH—!

“Guhk!”

“What—!?”

A Martial Alliance martial artist who’d been shouting evacuation orders to the crowd took a blade to the chest.

From someone wearing the same Martial Alliance uniform.

“Agent Jeong—! How could you—!!”

The man beside him reacted in shock—

FSSSSSH—!!

“Guhk!” 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

—and he went down too.

And that wasn’t all.

KYAAAAAA—!!!

Screams exploded everywhere.

Meaning something had started.

My eyes spun fast. Was I in a state to “assess the situation”?

No. Not even close.

AAAGH—!!

Inside the screaming, I put strength into my legs. Move first.

That was the decision I made—

“Over there! You have to move now!”

Someone rushed toward me and Yuyeon. He was wearing a Martial Alliance uniform.

“It looks like an unexpected attack has occurred, so for now...... evacuate—!”

The man closed in, desperate, still talking.

Before he even finished, I spoke first.

“Ah...... thank you. Where should we go?”

“Martial Alliance members are gathering over there, so first head that way—”

He stepped in closer as he answered.

The distance was right.

FSSSSSH—!!

I drove my sword into his throat.

The man’s eyes trembled as the attack hit him out of nowhere.

I bit down hard.

‘This bastard’s HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE.’

The malevolent aura behind him—this one looked like their martial artist too.

It wasn’t certainty. It wasn’t.

That was why I had to choose.

And this was the choice I made.

But—

‘Shallow.’

It didn’t sink deep enough into the throat.

“Gkk...... guh......!”

He tried to draw the sword at his waist.

Too close. This was dangerous.

The instant his blade was about to swing at me—

SWISH—!! BANG!

“Guhk!”

Another sword shot in and struck mine aside.

The sword lodged in the man’s neck jolted loose—his throat split open as it slid.

TAP—!

The severed head rolled across the ground, and the body toppled over uselessly.

Blood spilled out of the collapsed corpse.

“......Hah...... hah.......”

I steadied my breathing and looked to the side.

The person who’d struck my sword aside to help.

Yuyeon.

She was staring at me with a stiff, hardened gaze.

“......Thanks.”

When I thanked her, Yuyeon nodded once.

“......But why did you help?”

“.......”

It was a real question. To Yuyeon, it must’ve looked like I’d just attacked a Martial Alliance man for no reason.

It was strange that she’d helped without hesitation.

When I asked, she hesitated for a moment—then spoke.

“......It felt like it’d be fine.”

“.......”

That short answer was enough. I didn’t press.

This wasn’t the time.

I still couldn’t be certain that malevolent aura meant HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE.

But—

‘......For now.......’

I decided not to think about it.

Surviving what was happening right now mattered more.

AAAGH—!!!

Screams kept coming.

Then—

[kid.]

A voice hit my ear and my eyes widened.

[First, get away from here.]

Yoo Cheongil spoke with a firm expression.

[Staying here will only get you hurt by that bastard. Move.]

That bastard.

At those words, I looked toward one spot.

Where Divine Spear was.

BOOM—!!

Something started.

The problem was—

‘I can’t see it.’

BANG! CRACK—!!! Explosions and scraping roars rang out, but where the sound came from, there were no bodies.

No—there were.

For a split second, only afterimages.

Which meant—

‘The sound can’t keep up with the body.’

So fast the sound lagged behind.

Feeling that, I swallowed hard.

‘......I have to get out.’

I needed to get away from here, now.

I started to move—

[Ah. Wait.]

Yoo Cheongil stopped me.

[Take the Divine Sword with you.]

“.......”

At his words, I glanced aside.

The Divine Sword was nearby.

‘What?’

I swear it had been on the opposite side.

Had it always been that close?

Maybe the wind had blown it here.

I made the quick read, grabbed it, and ran.

“......Young Lord Bang!”

A voice called out—familiar.

I turned my head.

‘......You’ve gotta be kidding.’

Murong Yeongsun was sprinting toward me, panicked.

Her clothes—so carefully put together—were completely ruined.

*****

CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—!!!

BZZZZZ—!!

Shards flew as collisions smashed into each other. Every exchange tore something down.

Monsters and miracles—was that what they called it?

Beings that had already stepped out of the human frame.

And among them, those placed at an absolute height were called absolute masters.

But even among absolute masters—

Someone who’d reached Heaven-Beyond-Heaven.

Divine Spear Jeok Homyeong.

An old man with a massive body—eight cheok tall—was whipping his spear like he’d gone mad.

Every time he swung, a gale erupted.

And that gale shook the ground like an earthquake.

KUGAGAGAGANG—!!!

With one stomp, the earth caved in, and he wrapped that force around his spear and ripped it through the air.

A single-strike spear of monstrous strength.

TWOOOONG—!!

The spearhead, brutal with gripping force, screamed straight for his opponent—

KIRIK—!!

—but the opponent simply guided it aside with the flat of his blade and knocked the attack away.

TWOONG—!!

The energy shot into the sky and burst like fireworks.

Jeok Homyeong’s face twisted, but he didn’t slow down.

BANG! BANG!

Fast, despite that massive body. A storm of blows at a speed my eyes couldn’t track anymore.

It was the unmistakable shape of an absolute master.

And yet—

“What a pity.”

The opponent didn’t give an inch. He just swung his sword.

“Isn’t it, Divine Spear?”

“.......”

Even as impacts detonated in a chain, the old man spoke to Jeok Homyeong.

“If your eyes were intact, or if you hadn’t shown an opening trying to save that brat...... it would’ve been a better fight.”

“Shut your mouth.”

Jeok Homyeong fired his spear like he couldn’t stand hearing it—

KIRIK—! KUUUUNG—!!

—but the attack was blocked again.

The power wasn’t what it should’ve been.

Jeok Homyeong looked for the reason.

The arm holding the spear—there. The wound on it was the problem.

“You’d be lying if you said you weren’t disappointed. That’s why I don’t understand. Why did you step in and block it instead?”

It had just happened.

In the middle of the duel, when the old man tried to pressure the Little Sword Saint, Jeok Homyeong had intercepted it.

That was the wound—but for a wound, the damage was too severe.

How could it be like this?

As he stared at his arm, Jeok Homyeong arrived at the answer.

“You used poison.”

Poison. Something had been smeared on it.

“Good. You catch on quickly.”

The old man smiled.

“......I see.”

Divine Spear accepted it again and tightened his grip on the spear.

At that, the old man tilted his head.

“You won’t call it petty?”

“Annoying talk.”

He simply leveled the spear at the old man.

“The one who gets caught is the ignorant one. War has always been like that.”

“......Oh.”

The old man nodded at Divine Spear’s words.

“True. And a fine thing to say. Thanks to you, I’ll feel a bit less guilty.”

“.......”

“So, as payment for giving me that line, I’ll show you something interesting.”

Divine Spear didn’t listen anymore.

The fight was still going.

BANG!

He leapt again and was about to drive the spear forward—

Sss.

The old man reached up and removed the black cloak that had been covering his face.

In that instant—

“......!”

Divine Spear’s eyes widened. His body ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ froze for a heartbeat.

And then—

WHACK—!!

The Heaven-Breaking Palace Lord’s sword carved across Divine Spear’s upper body.