ROLL ROLL ROLL!

TAP—!

Sword Demon’s head hit the floor.

Blood burst out like a fountain and soaked everything around him, and in the middle of it Bang Sungyeon swept his hair back.

As if he didn’t care at all about how much blood had smeared all over him.

The way he smiled—eyes faintly crumpling into a soft blue—was somehow savage, and yet beautiful.

Everyone just stared, slack-jawed.

A gleaming sword. A handsome face that still looked good even drenched in blood.

White hair, and even that black, ink-dark sword.

Cruel and yet mysterious. And while everyone’s gaze was locked on that sight—

“Sword Demon’s dead......?”

“H-he... Sword Demon...... by the Little Sword Saint.......”

Sword Demon, the one everyone thought stood on the same tier as the Heaven-Beyond-Heaven, had been killed by the Little Sword Saint’s hand.

On the faces of the witnesses, shock and awe mixed together.

More shocking than the fact Sword Demon had returned alive was this—

That Sword Demon had lost to a rising star who hadn’t even properly passed early adulthood yet.

To the Little Sword Saint, the Sword Saint’s successor.

While everyone was still reeling from that fact—

“Hah...... hahahaha.......”

Black-Grand Saber, bleeding in the corner, started laughing.

“Hah....... Khk.”

Halfway through, like it hurt look just to keep laughing, he spat out a cough mixed with blood.

Hearing it, Bang Sungyeon turned his head to look at Black-Grand Saber.

The moment their eyes met, Black-Grand Saber’s breathing twisted slightly.

“......Monster...... you’re a monster.......”

The light felt too strong for him to even open his eyes properly.

What the hell was inside that body?

That light that had felt weak up until now.

No—maybe the thing he’d almost been disappointed by, thinking it wasn’t even there, had bloomed starting from the moment they crossed swords.

‘This is.......’

It wasn’t just blooming.

It felt like light itself had taken on a human shape.

No one.

No matter what existence he’d ever looked at, he’d never felt this kind of reverence.

And he was feeling it toward the Little Sword Saint.

Sword Demon, was it? Even when he’d seen that absolute master from the previous generation, it hadn’t been like this.

The helplessness that comes from realizing the gap in level—

And the reverence you feel when you look at something you can’t even dare meet eyes with—

They were different.

And right now, what he felt toward the Little Sword Saint was reverence.

TAP—!

A hand landed on Black-Grand Saber’s shoulder.

It was Bang Sungyeon—already there at some point.

“Good work.”

“.......”

The instant that hand touched him, his breathing came back. A faint current wrapped around his body.

“You’re going to be big.”

Bang Sungyeon was smiling. Black-Grand Saber wanted to say something—anything—

‘Nothing comes out.’

He couldn’t open his mouth.

This much energy was moving through his meridians, staunching the bleeding inside his body.

He was amazed at how delicate and clear the movement was—

And at the same time—

‘......If I open my mouth, I die.’

With this much energy being fired out in every direction, if he spoke, the pressure he’d barely held together could collapse.

So Black-Grand Saber kept his mouth shut, but—

“Sword Demon. That idiot seems to have gotten something wrong.”

Black-Grand Saber couldn’t understand it.

‘How...... can he talk?’

He was the one receiving it, but Bang Sungyeon was the one controlling it.

Even for him, one pointless motion could make the energy surge backward.

Yet Bang Sungyeon was speaking like it was nothing.

“Blade God. You’re better than that old man. Remember that.”

“.......”

Out of nowhere, he brought up his grandfather. He could’ve gotten pissed, but for some reason, Black-Grand Saber didn’t feel all that bad hearing it.

He didn’t know why. He just didn’t.

“You’re sharp. Doing what I told you this well.”

“.......”

What he told him.

Right. That was why Black-Grand Saber was on the floor like this.

When he’d first faced Sword Demon—around the time Black Cloud collapsed in Sword Demon’s hand and he was dropping—

‘Listen carefully.’

A voice transmission had come to him from Bang Sungyeon, who was standing in front of him like a wall.

‘Sword Demon is going to go for Jegal Jin.’

It was a voice so certain it sounded like a prophecy.

‘You stop it. No matter what it takes.’

Black-Grand Saber hadn’t answered. He hadn’t even had the time.

Because Bang Sungyeon had already leapt into battle with Sword Demon right after that.

And time passed, and Sword Demon really did charge at Jegal Jin—

And Black-Grand Saber stopped that moment.

‘......How.’

How had Bang Sungyeon known?

And also—

‘Why did he trust me?’

Why did he trust him?

The fact he’d rushed off without even waiting for an answer meant he’d believed Black-Grand Saber would do it.

‘He’s a guy I can’t understand.’

What the hell is he, really? Black-Grand Saber had no idea.

So he just laughed inside.

“What’s with this bastard—why’s he grinning like that?”

Watching him, Bang Sungyeon frowned.

Maybe the bleeding had been controlled to a point—Bang Sungyeon took his hand off Black-Grand Saber’s body and turned his head.

“Are you alri.......”

He was asking Jegal Jin. He visibly hesitated mid-sentence, but no one cared.

“How did you know.”

Instead of answering, Jegal Jin threw him a question.

“Know what?”

“That Sword Demon would rush me.”

“Oh.......”

Bang Sungyeon gave a small nod.

“Whether it was ‘predicting’ or not, that’s something even you already knew, Strategist...... sir.”

“No. It’s different.”

“Hm? What is?”

“The thing I predicted was when you attached that child to me.”

Jegal Jin said it while pointing at Black-Grand Saber.

While Sword Demon and Bang Sungyeon were fighting—

Black-Grand Saber had come near Jegal Jin and stood there, tense and on guard.

The moment he saw that, Jegal Jin understood.

Bang Sungyeon told him something.

He heard it and came here.

From that point on, he finished every prediction.

Because the information was enough.

The problem was—

“Then how did you know?”

How had that kid in front of him known this situation would happen?

Not just known—he’d placed a rising star Sword Demon wouldn’t even bother to be wary of, and used him to block it.

To Jegal Jin, Bang Sungyeon was strange. And eerie.

“How’d I know...... well.”

Bang Sungyeon smirked and answered.

“Because it felt like he would.”

“.......”

It wasn’t a rational, calculated answer.

It was an easy answer—mostly instinct.

And yet Jegal Jin’s expression twisted even harder.

Because it was absurd? Because it was outside common sense?

Sure, that too.

But—

“Hah.......”

That wasn’t the only reason.

“......To think I’d hear that answer from someone other than that man in my lifetime.”

Because there was someone who used to give Jegal Jin that answer.

Someone who predicted what even he couldn’t predict.

Someone who handled every contingency.

The only man like that.

Jegal Jin had asked him over and over how it was possible—

And his answer was always the same.

‘Doesn’t it feel like it would?’

Just because it felt like it would.

There had been a man who handled everything thinking only that one thing.

“......You’re the spitting image of my master.”

Sword Saint Yoo Cheongil.

That strange man was this kid’s master.

Different face, different voice—

But in Jegal Jin’s eyes, Bang Sungyeon and Yoo Cheongil were overlapping.

“.......”

And while he was staring at him in silence—

“Looks like it’s mostly done. Handle the rest on your own.”

Bang Sungyeon turned his back, sword still in hand.

“In the meantime, I’ve got somewhere to go, so take care of those kids for me.”

“......What? You’re leaving?”

Jegal Jin panicked at Bang Sungyeon’s words. Leaving—now?

“Where are you going.”

“Where else.”

Bang Sungyeon pointed with his hand.

“There’s still someone I need to see.”

The direction he pointed wasn’t anywhere else.

It was the tournament stage.

Right where Divine Spear and the Palace Lord were fighting. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

*****

RUMBLE.

Energy surging straight up into the sky.

To everyone else, nothing would be visible—but there was someone watching it.

Baek Cheonin—no.

The Deputy Leader—was looking up and giving a shallow shake of his head.

He could see it.

Something clumped together up there in the sky.

Disaster and darkness gathered together—distant and alien.

It invaded his eyes, making the world spin.

“Beautiful.”

Truly lovely.

That spirit medium had said it, right?

If everything really went just the way she said, he’d see a world more beautiful than anything.

“She was right.”

She was right.

The world he was seeing right now was more beautiful than anything else.

“How tragic.”

This place was full of disgusting vermin who couldn’t see such a beautiful world with their own eyes.

The Deputy Leader only found that fact tragic.

Yeah. Tragic. So tragic, so unbearably tragic that—

“A world without those people who can’t see it.......”

Wishing for a world where those who can’t see «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» simply don’t exist—

That couldn’t be so wrong, could it?

KRRRK.

The air was screaming.

As the energy grew stronger and stronger and the Deputy Leader’s smile deepened—

“You plan to just keep standing there.”

A dry, old voice reached him.

It was the Heaven-Breaking Palace Lord.

“I’m in a good mood.”

Only then did the Deputy Leader lower his head.

“Doesn’t seem like a time to be relaxed.”

“Well.”

The Deputy Leader laughed.

“I sent none other than Sword Demon. I can afford this much relaxation, can’t I?”

Sword Demon was one of the strong ones even among the DEMON CULT’s masters.

He could only bring out thirty percent of his peak, sure—

But in the current Martial Alliance, aside from Divine Spear and a few others, no one could face him.

And besides—

“If you hadn’t put that pathetic golden seal on Sword Demon, wouldn’t things have been easier? Don’t you think?”

The one who put the golden seal on Sword Demon was none other than the Heaven-Breaking Palace Lord.

He can’t kill people by his own will.

If that ridiculous golden seal hadn’t existed, this job would’ve been twice as easy.

“Like I told you then, it was an inevitable step.”

“Sure. Of course it was.”

The Deputy Leader wiped his smile away and turned his back.

That man pissed him off every time he saw him.

If it weren’t for his own ambition, he would’ve already split from him long ago—

No, he would’ve done everything he could to kill him.

“Anyway, you did help. So this time, you’d better properly help the DEMON CULT.”

“I won’t forget. As long as the job is actually handled.”

“Ha—”

Like the tail end of that caught in his throat, the Deputy Leader growled and raised his energy.

KRRRK—!!

Rippling red light burst from his eyes.

“Are you insulting the DEMON CULT?”

“As if. I know what the previous Heavenly Demon built. How could I dare look down on the DEMON CULT.”

GRIT.

The Deputy Leader felt the thorn buried in those words.

He’s afraid of what the previous Heavenly Demon built.

Meaning he doesn’t fear him that much.

“You.......”

Right as the Deputy Leader was about to say something—

—!

“......!”

Sensing something, the Deputy Leader snapped his gaze somewhere in a hurry.

“Hm?”

The Palace Lord seemed to feel it too, turning his eyes toward a corner of empty air.

And from there—

SWISH—!!

Something was falling fast.

Light.

Like a meteor dropping through a clear sky, it threw off a flash as it plunged downward—

BOOOOM—!

Light exploded up from the ground, kicking up a monstrous wave of energy.

“What is that.”

The Deputy Leader narrowed his eyes—

“Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo. Ah, doing this after so long isn’t easy.”

Someone walked out through the dust.

“......Huh.”

Seeing it, the Deputy Leader let out a strangled exhale.

“......You.......”

The figure emerging through the dust was—

“The Little Sword Saint......?”

Bang Sungyeon.

White-haired, sword in hand, he strode out without hesitation.

And—

“......How are you....... Huh?”

The Deputy Leader started to add more, then froze after seeing something on Bang Sungyeon.

His hand.

That ink-dark sword in his hand.

The Deputy Leader’s eyes trembled.

That was unmistakably—

“......The Divine Sword?”

The DEMON CULT’s treasured blade they’d been desperately searching for.

The Heavenly Demon’s beloved weapon.

The Heavenly Demon Divine Sword.