---

Chapter:

Kuururuung.

A gust of hot air filled with flames brushed past me. If I, too, lived with flames within me, then for me to feel such heat meant it was quite intense.

‘How?’

How did he even figure it out?

Frowning at the figure of the Duryeong before me, I thought, ‘…Surely, I had concealed my presence completely?’

I glanced up. The Flame Wheel Sun still floated around the moonlight.

‘Did I mess up my usage?’

There were indeed ways to maximize presence by distorting the Flame Wheel Sun, but…

‘No.’

This time, I used it correctly. There’s no way I wouldn’t know, as the caster was me. I had used heat to properly conceal my presence.

‘Yet he still noticed?’

But the Duryeong had caught on to me.

‘How is that possible?’

In this state, even the King of Demons, who had reached the peak, wouldn’t be able to sense my presence.

I couldn’t comprehend how the Duryeong had noticed me.

‘Could it be…’

Looking to the side, I wondered, ‘Is it because of him…?’

The Heavenly Demon, who was observing the situation beside me, crossed my mind as I pondered.

‘No way?’

I assessed the Heavenly Demon, and there appeared to be no issue. Despite being right next to me, his presence was still faint. Which meant, from that distance, he wouldn’t be able to notice me at all.

‘…Tsk.’

While I couldn’t grasp the understanding, now wasn’t the time to think deeply about it.

“Intruder.”

The Duryeong spoke, looking this way.

“Are you the one causing chaos in Mankye?”

“……”

I stayed silent. I wondered if he was pretending to have noticed me just to gauge my reaction.

‘No way.’

Sadly, that didn’t seem to be the case. His gaze was undeniably directed at me.

That was proof he had clearly caught on to my presence.

‘Tch.’

I didn’t know how things had turned out this way, but there was no time to waste.

I rose from my crouched position, revealing myself from behind the rock.

At the same time, I gathered strength in my heart and released my energy.

Kukugugu—!!!

The ground around me began to tremble from the energy that erupted from my body.

“To disturb order? What a ridiculous statement.”

Even after revealing myself, the Duryeong didn’t shift his gaze. He had originally been staring in this direction.

It was apparent he was certain of my location.

“I, who am order itself, how dare anyone speak of order—”

“Pfft.”

“……”

I glanced at the Heavenly Demon, who suddenly laughed beside me. What an absurd creature?

“…Ah, sorry.”

The Heavenly Demon hastily apologized to me. My hands clenched behind my back. Damn it. A wave of embarrassment washed over me, but I tried to ignore it.

“…Go.”

“……”

I barely continued speaking. The fact that my voice didn’t tremble was a testament to my effort.

The Duryeong made a somewhat perplexed expression at my reaction, but thankfully, he didn’t seem too bothered.

Or perhaps he felt he didn’t have to be.

“Order? Are you declaring yourself as order?”

“Indeed, I am order.”

“Arrogant.”

Boom-! Kwaaaah—!!

With a fierce impact, the Duryeong plunged the axe into the ground.

The Qi steadily intensified.

Kuhuhuhung—!!!

Flames seeped from the Duryeong’s breath, filling the ground with fire.

“Doesn’t matter.”

Kwaak.

I felt the strength in the hand holding the axe tighten.

“Whatever it may be.”

I noticed the Duryeong’s knee bending. Tension rose within me as I observed it.

In that moment.

“Anyone who disrupts Mankye’s order shall not be forgiven.”

Kwaaang—!!!

The Duryeong charged toward me with his massive body. It happened in an instant. It took merely a moment for that behemoth to arrive before my very eyes.

As I turned my gaze, he swung the huge axe toward me.

I shifted my body by moving my toes.

Kuaaaaah—!!!

The rugged axe embedded into the ground. Instantly, the floor shattered, causing an immense area to shake.

Debris flew from the aftermath. I rolled my eyes, scanning the ruin for the biggest piece.

With that, I swung my leg and kicked the debris at the Duryeong. The boulder wrapped with strong energy soared toward him at great speed, but…

Kuhuhuhung—!!!

I saw the piece of debris vanish in the flames he created.

Insane.

‘Who needs to force a bet just to release that much heat?’

This guy released flames just by sneezing.

What preposterousness.

Tch.

I clicked my tongue internally and moved my left hand. Slowly—! I felt Gui Jeong loosening.

‘First test.’

Whiriri—!!!

The moving Gui Jeong flew toward the Duryeong, wrapping around his left arm.

“……?”

The sudden appearance of the Gui Jeong made the Duryeong furrow his brow.

Kwak-!!

He immediately tugged at his arm. It felt as if his arm was trying to move, but—

“Humph.”

Hooook-!

He wildly swung his arm, as if finding it laughable, causing my body to be flung.

Once I realized that, I released the Gui Jeong.

Only then could I barely catch my body from flying away.

‘For now, I can’t compete in raw strength.’

In a power struggle, I would lose. The difference compared to Yusa was monumental.

‘Then, the second.’

Kuaaaaaaa—!!!

The axe came flying at me.

Due to my body’s center already being off-kilter, I couldn’t evade.

If this continued, I’d be smashed by the axe, but—

“Stop—.”

“—!!!”

Woosh.

The Duryeong’s body stiffened like stone at my command. Confirming that, I regained my balance.

Then, I burrowed into his flesh and unleashed the Heavenly Demon Technique into his heart.

Kiiiiiing—!!!

Friction erupted. Immense pressure and rebound settled upon my body.

I wrapped the vibrations around my arm.

Chaos was born within my fist.

Heavenly Demon Technique.

My first strike.

‘Heavenly Demon Fist.’

The chaos I had clasped collided directly into the Duryeong’s abdomen.

Kiaaaaaaaaaaa—!!!!

With a tearing sound, explosive energy tore apart the Duryeong’s entire body.

“Kuoeueue—!!!”

He screamed as he soared away.

Boom-! Kwaaaaak–!!

That massive body flew in the air and crashed to the ground, rolling.

The rocky ground cracked in haste under the impact.

After rolling for a good while, the Duryeong finally managed to stabilize his body.

“Kuheuk….”

His condition was unacceptable. His abdomen, hit by my strike, was completely hollowed out.

Without any internal organs spilling out, it was astonishing that they remained intact.

Suuuuuu—!!

“Hmm.”

His body began to recover rapidly. The wounds vanished as if they had never existed.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“You’ve got something interesting.”

“Kuuhuh… you…”

The Duryeong’s eyes were filled with shock. Had he suffered a hit? No.

“How… are you using Ming…?”

Like Yusa had reacted, he was astonished I could use Ming.

Seeing that, I nodded secretly.

‘The second one is a success.’

Ming is effective. That was sufficient for now.

The issue was.

‘The recoil is too much.’

I flicked my tongue against the inside of my mouth. A metallic taste lingered as I licked my lips.

Blood was flowing. I felt the recoil in my body, and a moment later, blood erupted.

‘Just like with Yusa, I need to use it with caution in the right situations.’

It was the recoil from using Ming.

Specifically, it was the backlash from forcibly stopping the Duryeong’s movements when he acted wildly.

Using it while being still wouldn’t be a problem. However, since it was employed during specific actions or energy movements, the backlash from that slammed upon my body.

While it was bearable, the regenerative ability I possessed at night helped me endure, but still, I needed to be cautious.

“It’s natural to ask the obvious.”

I hid the fact that my body was damaged and spoke to him.

“If I told you to stop, you should certainly stop, right?”

I continued speaking, filled with laughter.

“What can someone like you possibly do?”

“……Kuuhuh.”

While the Duryeong was still overwhelmed with surprise, he didn’t seem intent on stopping, as he applied more strength to his axe.

Hwarrurururung—!!!

Flames coiled around the axe.

An intense heat was felt all at once.

“Huumph—!!”

He expanded his muscles and swung the axe at me with all his might.

Hwahaaaaaaaaa—!!!

A huge flame obscured my vision in an instant. The intensity was nearly unfathomable.

Should I evade? That thought crossed my mind, but my feet wouldn’t move. I merely extended my hand.

And then, the scorching flame met my palm.

Kwak-!!

The fire burned my hand. Pain shot through me. I forced it back using my Qi.

The flames extinguished from my energy.

My right hand, which I had defended with, was left in ruins. Though it wasn’t melted flesh exposing bone, it was sizzling and smoldering.

Seeing that, I twisted my body.

Whiik-! Kwuung-!!

The moment the flames disappeared, the axe flew toward me. The feint was over; he was charging in.

Boom-! Kwakdeuk-!!

The melee battle commenced.

Dodging the axe or swirling my Gui Jeong, I launched my attacks whenever I saw an opening.

Every time my attacks connected, the Duryeong suffered damage but would recover almost instantly.

Dodging and weaving, I thought.

‘In terms of speed, I’m faster.’

It wasn’t too difficult to evade. However.

‘If I get hit, that would be a major problem.’

It felt like one proper hit would crush my body.

So, focusing on dodging, I continued the battle while keeping my distance.

Boom-!!

Just in time, the Duryeong and I separated, creating some distance.

The excessive heat was whisked away by the night breeze, gradually lowering the temperature.

As we both calmed our breaths, I addressed him.

“It seems greetings are over. Will you continue? I’m getting a bit bored, you know.”

“……”

We both were not showing our full power.

As I meant to say that, the Duryeong shifted his posture.

He leaned his axe against the ground like a staff.

Hwarrurururung—!!!

The flames originating from the axe began to entwine around his body.

The heat of the fire was rough and scorching, as I had felt just moments ago.

He released energy in all directions, and I wondered what he was trying to accomplish.

“Hm?”

I squinted at him.

The Duryeong’s condition was unusual. Red spots began to appear on his black skin, and the fur on his head was also turning red.

 

---