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The Chilling Atmosphere

In the cooling atmosphere, the man faced Heuksak and spoke.

“Hani, choose.”

No answer came back.

How am I supposed to make a choice in this situation?

Questions arose, but Heuksak quickly grasped the answer.

Uuuuuuuuuuuuung—!!!

‘What is this…?’

Something was creeping into his body from the hand gripping his neck.

“If you decide to follow me, do not refuse and accept it.”

Uuuuuuuuuung—!!!

“Ugh!?”

What kind of energy is this? I couldn’t understand.

It slowly burrowed from outside his body to the inside.

Like a bug gnawing at flesh, bit by bit.

It relentlessly inflicted pain as if trying to rot the wound.

I felt like I might vomit.

But I couldn’t even do that.

“If you dislike it, speak up. I will show you some kindness, personally.”

“Ugh—!!”

You asked me to speak, but words wouldn’t come out.

All I could produce was muffled groans of pain; how could I refuse?

I couldn’t say anything, only struggling silently.

“Well, the lack of an answer can be accepted as a yes, right?”

The man smiled, as if he predicted this.

At that moment, Heuksak realized.

‘This guy… from the start…’

He never intended to give me a choice.

It was as if he had already set my fate, rushing me down one path.

Though he clenched his teeth in delay.

Kwaaaaaaah—!!!!

“Graaah—!!”

As the energy surged, Heuksak’s consciousness finally slipped away.

*

Kwaddukdukk—!!!

With a rough sound, a tree fell.

It looked like a massive old tree, but it was unrelenting as it toppled.

Thud-! Thud thud-!!

It wasn’t just trees.

From rocks to the flat ground, everything was breaking and collapsing.

In the midst of that chaotic storm.

Kraaah—!!!

For some reason, the cry of a beast echoed like a roar.

The wind pressure whipped up sand and shot it into the sky.

Debris lying on the ground also lifted in swirls.

After a while, the debris that floated in the void came crashing down.

Bang-! Bangbangbangbang—!!

The ground was overwhelmed by the shower of debris and became a mess.

“Huff… huff…”

The one responsible for this chaos was struggling to breathe at the center.

Not out of fatigue or exhaustion.

The young man was not the kind of being to tire out from something like this.

It was merely an expression of fury.

His labored breath, contorted face, and bulging muscles were just that.

A means to vent emotions.

“Damn it.”

What have I done? The young man had to grit his teeth at the sight he displayed at the banquet.

“Damn it…!”

As he kept venting his emotions, the young man finally glared behind him, baring his fangs.

“Stop staring and speak up if you have something to say-!”

He yelled, grabbing a huge tree from the ground and throwing it. The moment he hurled it, the man’s shoulders expanded and grew larger.

Whooooosh—!!!!

The tree shot through the air at incredible speed.

At that moment.

Swish.

With a sharp sound, the tree split in half and scattered.

Thud-!!

The split tree fell behind, and through the gap, someone approached the young man, Yusa.

“Your temper, still as bizarre as ever. Does wreaking havoc help you unwind?”

“…Ughhh—!!”

Yusa’s face twisted like a demon. His furious expression gradually showed his pupils dilating.

Seeing that, the elder chuckled softly and deftly turned on his heel.

Before long, the elder, Shin Cheol, reached Yusa.

“Can you see this fool’s eyes?”

“Why? Want to take a swing?”

“This punk…!!”

“Hehehe.”

Yusa immediately tried to move his arm at that statement, but Shin Cheol did not budge.

He merely gazed at Yusa with distinctly pink eyes.

Seeing that, Yusa hesitated for a moment.

“What?”

Shin Cheol asked.

“Why not just go for it? Why stand still?”

“…Crack.”

At the taunting voice, Yusa bit down on his lip, but even so, he did not move his extended arm again.

It wasn’t for lack of courage.

‘If I reach out.’

If I extended my arm even a little further here.

‘It would be severed.’

His own arm would surely be cut off.

Yusa was sharp. He prided himself on having the keenest instinct in Mankye.

He had used that instinct to win battles and preserve his life countless times.

This was not a guess; it was a certainty.

‘This damned bastard…!’

Yusa narrowed his eyes at Shin Cheol.

His hands were clearly behind his back.

There was no sword visible at his waist, yet—

‘Where?’

Where was this sharp energy emanating from?

With no blade in sight, Shin Cheol radiated an overwhelming killing intent.

A well-sharpened sword. A blade that would cut if grazed.

Moreover, it was something imbued with the lives of countless beings.

Shin Cheol possessed that.

“Hmmm.”

Shin Cheol held his gaze on the still Yusa and clicked his tongue.

“How boring. You seem awfully afraid.”

“…Shut up.”

Kwaaah—!! Yusa flicked his hand, which he had been trying to extend into the air.

The accumulated pressure burst, exploding in the void.

It was an incredible destructive force, but Shin Cheol seemed unfazed, continuing to speak to Yusa.

“How about it? I think it’s been enough time for contemplation.”

“…”

“Thinking is fine, but it’s about time you gave me your definite answer.”

“…What do you mean by definite answer?”

“What do you think I mean.”

Shin Cheol smiled brightly. That smile sent a shiver down Yusa’s spine.

Physically, he didn’t look too bad. But that smile felt deadly.

“Enough of your nonsense, just join us.”

“…Hah.”

Hearing that, Yusa let out a dry laugh.

“Join hands…? Me? With you?”

“No, Yusa. That’s not it.”

“What?”

“Not you; it’s us.”

“…”

Yusa dazedly stared at the implied implication in those words. Not ‘you’ but ‘us’?

He pondered over what that could mean until realization struck him.

“…So, you mean to join hands with that Hwasan Sect you’ve created?”

He almost laughed out of disbelief.

“What difference would it make to join hands with something so trivial—”

“Don’t you wish to be the master?”

“…!”

At Shin Cheol’s words, Yusa’s voice stopped.

Simultaneously, his widened eyes split wide open.

“You’ve gone mad…! How dare you speak such words here!”

He shouted fiercely, looking around.

Yusa acted that way for a simple reason. The master of Yawol was currently wandering about.

If that master heard those words just now, then—

“Then it would be the day Yawol meets its end.”

If that’s what they intended, a few gestures would surely suffice.

Even with a frivolous flair, the master could reduce Yawol to ruins.

She was that kind of being.

‘Damn it.’

Yusa gritted his teeth at that thought, but Shin Cheol remained unbothered.

“After all, right now, the main body is stuck underground, unable to move. Are you truly afraid of just that shell?”

The master’s main body couldn’t move anyway.

The moment it did, chaos would erupt. It would be crucial to prevent that from happening.

In that context.

“This is an opportunity for you, isn’t it?”

The current situation could be viewed as an opportunity for Yusa.

“Isn’t it true? You could solidify your position as a general, and… who knows, maybe achieve what you originally desired.”

“Hah… Do you think you know what I originally desired?”

“You dreamed of being the master, didn’t you?”

“…!”

Shin Cheol’s resolute statement silenced Yusa instantly.

“Among the current generals, you’re the only one who has lived a life similar to the master’s, and you’re the only true member of the Moon Night Clan.”

Crack.

Shin Cheol took a step forward.

At that moment, plum blossom leaves gently drifted down.

“I heard you originally aspired to be a master but couldn’t make it. Have you no lingering attachments?”

“…I am content with the position the master has given me. Do not play your petty mind games.”

“Really? That seems rather strange.”

Hehe.

Shin Cheol grinned widely.

“I would think otherwise. You maintain that current state, don’t you?”

“…What have I done?”

“What do you mean? You merely opened a banquet and ended up talking nonsense with the leaders of the sect.”

As Shin Cheol walked closer, he eventually reached in front of Yusa.

Fixing his gaze entirely on Yusa, he added.

“Meanwhile, you haven’t uttered a word about the information you possess.”

“…!!”

Shin Cheol’s words widened Yusa’s eyes.

How did he know? At the banquet, he hadn’t sensed anything. Was he watching all this time?

Caught off guard, Yusa couldn’t react hastily.

“Looks like I was right.”

Shin Cheol asserted with certainty.

Only then did Yusa realize he had been tested.

“This bastard…!”

“Why did you do that? You surely know that what’s happening in Yawol is tied to me and, moreover, to Hwasan. Why didn’t you speak of it?”

“…”

“Not saying anything means that in contrast to your current satisfaction, you’re also hoping for something. You’re clinging to the possibility of change, aren’t you?”

Clinging to the possibility of change.

Those words dug deep into Yusa’s chest.

After a long silence, Yusa finally asked Shin Cheol with a voice as twisted as grinding teeth.

“…What do you want from me…?”

Hearing Yusa’s words, Shin Cheol narrowed his eyes.

Because what was desired had finally been spoken.

It was now.

“Do you believe the current Mankye is truly right?”

Shin Cheol spat out the words he’d prepared for Yusa.

Yusa heard the question and responded with silence. Did he see it as right? Certainly not.

At least not for him.

“That’s right. So we shall correct this twisted Mankye together with that person.”

“‘That person’…?”

“Indeed.”

Though it felt like thorns were poking his tongue, Shin Cheol had to endure.

“The true being who can contend with the current master.”

Flap—!

As Shin Cheol turned his back, the white martial robe he wore fluttered.

“Yarang. The true bloodline of Mankye, not her.”

“What?”

Yusa widened his eyes at the next statement.

 

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