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There was something the turtle once said.

“How many kinds of sorcery do you think there are?”

Naturally, I answered that I didn’t know. Listening to this, I realized just how limited my information from the Central Plains, especially the North Sea, truly was.

The heart’s ring created by sorcery.

Demon Energy, Bet, or Taoist Qi—different from what I had known.

What could be achieved by forming that?

The turtle described it as a manifestation of contradiction and alienation.

Sorcery is about making the impossible become possible.

Feeling the intangible, seeing the unseen. That in itself is sorcery.

When it comes to categorizing, there are fundamentally two types of sorcery.

As mentioned above.

Seeing the unseen.

And.

“Touching the intangible.”

Crack!

I grabbed it with my hand. It felt like several ropes twisted together. But in reality, nothing was being grasped.

It was merely a sensation, a sight, and a touch that I was perceiving.

Sorcery is a bizarre and difficult power to explain.

What those Zege folks were displaying was still within the domain of sorcery, but it leaned more towards formations and barriers.

Threads of sorcery energy that I was witnessing, intertwining, creating, expressing, and bringing forth.

The source is the wind.

The desire for sorcery to manifest in this way—a foundation upon which techniques are formed and results generated.

When I first heard it, I thought, “What nonsense is this?”

It was indeed nonsense.

In the end, it was an explanation that left much to be desired. The turtle said it was better to accept it rather than to seek understanding.

As I thought to myself, “There’s such a thing as this,”

Ultimately.

“It just has to work, right?”

Whatever it is, it just has to happen. I didn’t understand the complicated explanations about techniques.

That’s why the turtle referred to it as shock.

“How in the world does this happen?”

What a technique is, how it’s structured, and why the results turn out that way.

I didn’t know.

Yet, the results were still coming out intact.

It manifests as desired.

If that were the essence and source of sorcery, then it seemed I was indeed the most suited at its core.

“…This makes no sense.”

I could tell from the shocked expression on the turtle’s face.

No doubt.

“I have talent.”

I felt like I had a knack for sorcery.

*

Kiiiek—!!!

I pulled on the thread. I could see it convulsing. The void twisted. The threads surrounding its body shook simultaneously.

“What the—!!”

Startled by the sudden vibrations, it raised its voice.

I laughed at its reaction.

“It’s working.”

Something is happening.

What that something is, I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter.

“This is how it should work.”

I moved my hand, pulling up the thread I had grasped.

Kuuuuk–!!! The vibration erupted. The void tore apart.

“You’re wearing quite a lot of clothing, huh?”

I said to it.

“…!!”

Its eyes widened. Confirming this, I pulled as hard as I could.

Ziji—!!! The threads pulled, releasing the bindings around it.

Thwoooom-!!

The void shook violently. The backdrop around it changed.

Realizing why my attacks hadn’t reached it before, I understood.

“That’s why.”

It was a matter of position.

With the change in space, its location had shifted—about six paces to the side.

That was where it originally had been.

My perspective had been warped, placing me further away than I thought.

“I see now.”

At that position, it was only natural that my attacks wouldn’t land.

That was also the reason for the strange perceptions.

Flame Burst.

As I grasped the reason, I gathered fire in my hand.

“This guy…”

It seemed bewildered that the sorcery binding it was coming undone. Its eyes trembled as it spoke.

“What have you done?”

“What do you think I did?”

I flicked my hands.

“I saw you wearing something strange, so I thought I’d strip you of it.”

“…Huh.”

With a flap.

Its wings unfurled fully. Once opened, their size surpassed imagination.

I had thought they were sizable, but what in the world was that large?

At that size, speed was secondary; they were cumbersome.

Rustle.

From such large wings, black feathers fell. Grabbing one of the feathers that had dropped.

Shwooosh-!

The feather transformed into the trident I had used earlier.

“So you’ve got some awareness, huh?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“This is no place for an intruder to tread rashly. What’s your purpose?”

Swoosh.

The trident spun around once, then pointed its end at me.

“Why is a dragon that should have disappeared still lingering? And for what purpose have you come?”

“……”

As expected.

It seemed this guy knew who I was. That meant,

“It’s you, the general the Duryeong spoke of.”

It was the last general I had yet to meet—a being the Heavenly Demon had neglected.

That seemed to be this guy.

As soon as my mouth spoke the name Duryeong, a flicker moved in its eyes.

“That means you’ve dealt with Duryeong, haven’t you?”

“Well, maybe?”

Whoosh.

I wrapped Blue Flame around me, producing the Flame Jade Sacred Spear.

“You’ll find out when you see it.”

Bang-! Bursting forth with fire power, I charged.

The Sacred Spear aimed at it. This time was different. I targeted its flesh properly, and in that moment.

Crack-!

Spear met spear tip. Fire Burst—!!! Energy clashed and erupted. My eyes widened at the sight.

“Look at that?”

Stronger than I expected. I thought the impact would explode upon contact with my spear, but it was holding up surprisingly well.

“Hmmm.”

I injected strength into the spear—not to push further, but rather, to make it explode.

Screech-!

“…!”

It widened its eyes at that.

Then.

Whoosh-!

It spread its wings and quickly distanced itself. It seemed it had caught on to what I was planning.

“It’s too late.”

Thud-! KUAOAAAAAAA—!!!

The Sacred Spear detonated. Waves of heat made of flames spread in all directions, obscuring the space.

It’s not like it would vanish from sight. The fire was mine, and I knew well what lay beyond and within it.

Shiririri-!!

From my arm, Gui Jeong stirred.

Piercing through the flames, it shot towards somewhere. I had spotted where the crow had fled.

“What?!”

The guy barely managing to escape the heat flinched at seeing Gui Jeong.

As Gui Jeong quickly dashed at it, its arms were completely bound.

Fixing it in place.

“Grrr!”

The guy struggled to break free.

Using it as a pillar, it pulled on Gui Jeong to propel itself forward.

Smash-!

It rushed at the guy in an instant.

The distance closed rapidly until I was right in front of it.

With the distance shortened, I curled my hand.

The martial art was already complete. This time was different.

Heavenly Demon Chaos Jade.

Gathering screams to materialize a wail.

I placed it against the guy’s abdomen.

“Grrr!”

I could feel its desperate attempts to escape.

—Stop.

With that, I commanded to stop its legs.

Then.

“……!”

Its body stiffened, rigid…

‘…Huh?’

Something felt strange. It was stiff, but something felt off.

Since I couldn’t stop it, I exploded the Hong Ok in front of me.

KUAOOOOOOOOOO–!!

KIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!!!

The force far exceeding that of the Sacred Spear’s explosion. The energy screamed terribly, engulfing everything.

Had I detonated it at ground level, it would’ve left a massive mark. Instead, a small storm erupted in the void.

Shiiiing.

As the explosion subsided, something fell to the ground.

Thud-!!

It rolled onto the ground, and as I flew towards it.

The crow was rolling on the ground, its body a mess.

It was more accurate to say it wasn’t even that.

A fragment, perhaps, with only the upper body barely remaining.

It was a sight that can scarcely be described as alive, and so naturally, it seemed dead.

“……”

I frowned at the sight.

That sensation from earlier. No matter how I thought about it, it felt odd.

So, I observed it quietly and, with a lowered voice, said.

“Get up.”

“……”

It didn’t budge in response. I couldn’t feel any vitality.

It looked like it had already lost its life, but.

“Stop fooling around and get up.”

Even as I watched it, I said that.

“You’re listening, right?”

“……”

In that moment.

“Oh my.”

Surprisingly, sound came from its body. There was no sign of vitality, yet its mouth was moving.

“How did you know? It was a perfect act.”

“Stop with the nonsense. I told you I’m a little quick on the uptake, didn’t I?”

It was a lie. I couldn’t have figured it out just by intuition.

The reason I found out was simple.

“You. My command didn’t work on you?”

The command I had unleashed. The issue was that it didn’t reach the guy.

Until now, with Yusa and Duryeong, or anyone I encountered in Mankye, they had all responded to my command.

When I heard about the command, it was said to be one of the laws established in Mankye.

A power able to bind those weaker than oneself by word.

The fact that I could command the generals was because.

“I am my mother’s child.”

I was both the Master of Mankye and the bloodline of my mother, called Sky. It was said this granted me the ability to command all beings except her.

“But it didn’t work on this guy.”

I sensed it instinctively. The command didn’t connect with this guy just now.

It stopped at my words, but.

“That’s a lie.”

It pretended to stop despite the command not reaching it. I could feel the peculiar sensation arising from that.

So, why? Why didn’t my command reach this guy?

It was stated that the command works on all beings weaker than oneself.

The fact that my command didn’t touch this guy meant, alternatively:

‘It means he’s a being higher than me.’

This implied that he was on a level above not just the generals but even above me, as the child of my mother.

“What are you? What is your true identity?”

Why was such a being placed beneath generals in the name of my mother?

Unable to fathom that, I posed the question.

“Kukukuk.”

It suddenly burst into laughter.

And then.

Wooong woong—!!!!

The ground trembled.

Specifically.

‘The crystals…’

The crystals infused with life that had risen from the ground began to tremble wildly.

In an ominous manner.

 

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