---

Kwaaaak–!!

The ink covering the floor surged violently.

It resembled a swirling vortex.

Amidst the rough and intense shape maintained.

Hwaruruk—!!

Flames burst forth over the waterway.

Sizz-!! The incredibly hot flames evaporated the water in their wake.

Such scorching and radiant flames.

With a heat akin to that of a dragon, they turned everything upside down.

Overwhelming in both size and maintenance.

The elder was quietly watching this scene from the water.

Moments later.

Kyaaaahhhh–!!!

The flames lunged at the elder as if howling.

Massive three streams of fire began to coalesce and pour down upon one point.

The heat was so intense that just getting close felt like being scorched.

If that fell, ordinary folks would never even find their bones.

Slez.

A small sound echoed.

Pahh-!!

Chwaaarrrr–!

In an instant, the flames split into dozens of trails and began to vanish.

“Damn it.”

From a distance, I chuckled dryly.

What the hell was that?

“I barely even saw it.”

I only heard a sound for a moment. I couldn’t keep track of how it moved.

It just looked like a single slash.

Yet the result was dozens of cuts.

How fast did they swing to achieve that?

As I stared at the disappearing flames, my brow involuntarily furrowed.

At that moment.

[Seven.]

The elder’s voice echoed.

[Three more left.]

“Y-Yes. I understand.”

I answered, gathering my energy in hand.

Tsk.

As the elder had said, I had attacked seven times already, but had landed not a single hit.

“Really, what the hell.”

All the elder had done was deflect or dodge the sword strikes.

Despite employing such a straightforward method to block, I had never succeeded even once.

Though I felt incredulous, various thoughts crossed my mind.

The first thought was.

“Is it a problem of space?”

Could it be that this place was somehow different from reality?

Was it that the old man was doing something that made my attacks ineffective?

“No, it doesn’t seem like it.”

The feel of my energy and the clarity of my movements were unique.

It felt oddly like reality rather than just a mental realm, and the elder’s presence felt the same.

Which meant.

“Is that elder just ridiculously strong?”

A painfully simple conclusion.

Even in this state of the soul, it seemed like that strength belonged to the elder.

“I really don’t want to believe that.”

No matter how you look at it.

“Is it possible that he’s that strong but still can’t catch the Blood Demon?”

If so, it just meant that the path I had to walk was incredibly long.

That seemed utterly impossible.

Hwaruruk.

I wrapped my hands in flames and focused my heart.

Thump-! My heart rumbled heavily, and my blood surged high into the sky through my shoulders.

Hwaaaaaaak—!!

A blue light enveloped the dark space.

Red Sky (赤天).

Or should I call it Blue Sky now? Either way, it didn’t matter.

As I unleashed the domain, strength flowed through my body. My toes felt light.

[Hmm.]

The elder gazed at the changed situation with interest.

I felt not a trace of tension.

Damn it, he looked so irritatingly composed that it made me even more annoyed.

That led me to use my energy even more excessively.

Kuuuk.

A Flame Jade far larger than the Great Flame Jade I had used for Yeongpung gripped my hand.

Just considering the amount I was using, it was much larger than that which went into the Sacred Spear.

I threw it without hesitation.

Wuuuuuung–!!

A massive sphere flew towards the elder.

This time, the elder attempted to cut it with his sword, but before he could move.

Snap-!!

He flicked his finger as a signal.

Kuaaaaaaah–!!

Immediately, the Flame Jade exploded, engulfing the surroundings in flames.

Maybe it was because there was so much contained within, but the size of the flames was also considerable.

That meant.

It was enough to block visibility.

As the flames erupted, I distanced myself and clenched my fists.

“Getting close won’t work.”

So, what if I attacked from far away?

“I used the Sacred Spear, so he’ll feel that. Most of the Technique of the Flame Wheel will too.”

The number seven in front of me wasn’t just a mindlessly used count.

“The more attacks I land, the more familiar I become. The same goes for my opponent’s energy.”

This was a calculated action aimed at making the elder accustomed to my flames.

By now, the elder’s body and eyes must have adjusted.

So now was the moment.

Inconsistent actions should be introduced when the opponent has become familiar.

Tua Pacheonmu.

If he had grown accustomed to the flames, now was the time to employ a completely different power.

‘Third Technique.’

The energy of Tua concentrated at my fist.

I sharpened and brutalized it even further.

If the previous first and second techniques had all been for close combat, the third technique aimed for something distant.

‘Tua Gyeksum.’

Concealing my presence, I felt the energy wrapped in flames.

I targeted the opponent and unleashed a quick and sharp punch.

Then.

Thung-!

A wave sound echoed through the empty space.

Kuaak-!!

A circular hole appeared in the engulfing flames.

Tua Gyeksum had no physical form or visible shape.

It was an attack consisting solely of Qi, and the recipient wouldn’t have had a moment to feel it.

The sudden ambush would have undoubtedly overwhelmed the elder.

No, it should have been the case.

[Eight.]

I bit my lips hard at the voice I heard from the side.

[The attempt was good. The application was decent as well. Plus, the completeness isn’t low either. I wonder what kind of guy taught you such notions.]

The elder was now explaining while gazing at me with genuine curiosity.

“…That was a bit fast, wasn’t it?”

That was not just fast; it was absurdly so.

I hadn’t even realized how fast it was until I tried to ask.

[In my lifetime, there were very few that were faster than me. Perhaps only two that I can recall?]

He chuckled, sharing his thoughts.

[One is Yeon Ilcheon, and the other is Tang Je-mun. Excluding those two, I doubt there’s anyone faster than me in the Central Plains.]

The Divine Thunder Sword and the Poison Heavenly River, huh.

Considering that, the Divine Thunder user was certainly likely to be the fastest, and Senior Tang Je-mun must have been fast as an assassin.

Then a question came to mind.

“What about Yeon Ilcheon?”

The absence of mention regarding the world’s greatest at the time seemed to imply that the elder was faster.

I asked with that implication.

[That guy was strong, but he wasn’t known for speed. It was only his strength that…]

The elder halted his words and moved.

He swung his fist before I could even hear his reply.

Tua Pacheonmu, second technique.

Tubi’s Heaven-Sent Fist.

The vortex of energy surged towards the elder.

Explosions erupted around me in all directions, yet.

[What a cowardly young lad you are.]

The elder again easily absorbed all the energy in my attack.

Absorbed it.

What utter nonsense this was.

Tua Pacheonmu was a form of explosion.

The violent energy swirling from simply circulating my energy was not to be taken lightly.

Being a technique that relies on the physical body to unleash, any explosion should leave traces behind when it burst.

Yet, even from close quarters, the elder suffered no damage. The reason was clear.

“He deflected all of it.”

“A treasure which cannot be broken.”

He wielded the Gui Jeong and collected all the energy approaching him.

“That’s truly a monster.”

[Calling me a monster when I’m but a senior, what on earth is this mess?]

People who have seen me every day called me a monster.

I wanted to show those people what a ‘real’ monster looked like.

[Well, you have one final chance left.]

It was infuriating how leisurely the elder moved his sword.

I really wanted to just land one solid hit.

“One final chance.”

The last opportunity I had given.

I pulled my feet back and bent my waist.

Hwaruk. The ring began to expand.

How much energy was left?

“I have no idea.”

Maybe just over half?

The fortunate part was that since it wasn’t reality, there were no lasting injuries or internal injuries.

“…But what good does that do?”

Whether I had internal injuries, or how much energy was excess, it didn’t hold much meaning.

Because in the end.

“None of it will work on that elder.”

For the self-proclaimed Hwasan Sword God, ‘whatever’ was still whatever.

That was a truth I had always known.

Oh, of course, facing him had somewhat altered my thoughts.

“Even worse than I thought.”

From thinking, “He’s strong,” it changed to, “Is this really a human?”

It was insane.

“Is this what it feels like to fight against the Three Eminent Beings?”

Even facing this elder, death was still in the air.

One step.

As I took that step, my neck felt like it was being severed, and my heart pierced.

Such delusions crept into my mind.

I knew.

That elder could, yet chose not to.

Moreover, he was let me know that I could very well do the same.

I recalled my previous life.

‘The Heavenly Lord wasn’t like that.’

The true practitioner of the Nangong Clan.

I had often faced the Heavenly Lord of the Three Eminent Beings. Yet, I had never felt such oppression before.

This time, it felt like it might be worth trying? Such thoughts floated in my mind.

The Pejon was.

“Truly scary.”

His ability to cause natural disasters with just one or two swings of his fists made no sense. Yet, even he wasn’t quite like this.

I had no knowledge of the Sword Sovereign; I had never faced him and had kept to avoiding him.

What was crucial now was.

‘The Heavenly Lord was under the influence of an Evil Spirit, and the Pejon had been experiencing the Rejuvenation Technique.’

Considering that, their strengths hadn’t been authentic.

Currently, the Hwasan Sword God stood on par with the Three Eminent Beings. Perhaps even beyond.

That meant.

“I have no chance.”

It meant that no matter what I did, there would be no winning.

I knew far too well.

Even knowing all this, I moved my arms.

Hwoosh-! I infused power into the flames wrapping my arms.

Flames scorched on my hands as I clapped them together with force.

Zzaaak-!

The shockwave erupted, and embers burst out in all directions.

The embers that should have risen and extinguished now lingered in the air.

Then.

‘Transformation of Flame Jade.’

The scattered embers gathered and swelled, transforming instantly into flame jade.

Countless pieces of flame jade filled my surroundings.

This was also an application of the Technique of the Flame Wheel.

I saw the elder narrow his eyes.

“Pour out!”

Suuuaaaaah—!!

The blue Holy Mark that had risen into the sky poured down.

Kwaaaaahhhh—!!!

An offensive aimed solely at one being.

The power concentrated enough to erase an entire small village surged forth.

Yet amidst all that, I could still see it.

Chwaak-! Chwa-jaja-ja-jak-!!

From where he stood, the elder swung his sword.

An unfathomable speed. The strike that had been invisible until now wasn’t merely invisible because of its continued dynamics.

Due to the rapid sequence, even a trace was left.

The swordplay he used was the very one Yeongpung had been practicing.

Sophisticated yet unfettered, chaotic yet profoundly based; it was the peak of sword mastery.

That complete form was unfolding there.

Chwa-jaja-jak–!! Chwa-jak–!!

The Holy Marks were ripped apart and vanished in the blades.

Not a flame stood a chance before that sword.

Whoosh-! He waved his hand.

Continuing to generate flame jade, I commanded the flowing liquid.

The countless flames adjusted their movements.

From two paths into three paths.

If one were to block above, they wouldn’t be able to escape left, right, or above.

Though I sent flames tumbling from all sides.

[Hmm.]

The elder’s handling was simple.

Chwaaarrrr–!!

He moved even faster. If stopping one spot became difficult, he would swing to block with an even greater speed.

With that motion, he slashed every single piece of flame jade, not missing a single one.

As I watched that, a dry laugh escaped me.

It was utterly despairing.

 

---