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Black stars rose above the brightening sky. Their number reached dozens.

Each one contained an immense wager, compressed into a fiery form.

One could easily call them stars.

I raised the corners of my mouth while gazing at the thickly layered comets.

“…That madman…”

How obnoxious. To look perfectly fine while pouring out bets like that.

No, it wasn’t just that he looked fine; he probably was acting fine but wasn’t actually fine at all.

“You must be struggling too. Is it really necessary to flaunt your pride like that?”

I was, after all, speaking to myself. I couldn’t be oblivious.

“Don’t pretend to be okay. It’s pathetic.”

I took a breath. My mouth still hurt from the recoil.

Damn it. How petty to fight like that.

‘Smart move.’

Anyway, at least he’s clever. He never expected I’d end up like this.

Crack.

I slightly twisted my shoulder and hit the bone. I think I might have dislocated a bone while dodging earlier.

‘Looks like my arm and ribs are also a mess.’

There were quite a few fractures in my bones. They weren’t fatal, but it meant I wasn’t in great shape to move.

‘Hmm.’

I pondered about the amount of wager he had put down.

Having cast that much, it must have depleted some of his energy…

‘Regardless, with my fire technique blocked, the disadvantage lies with me.’

It was one thing to end it quickly, but I wondered if I could even finish it completely.

His realm was high, and he hadn’t even touched the realm of the heart.

Of course.

That cockroach could never awaken the realm of the heart. Especially with a complex like his, he couldn’t even touch the authority of the heart.

‘So why do I keep getting pushed back?’

Is it reasonable to be this overwhelmed just because I lack fire technique?

Let alone, I’m no longer even human.

What could be the reason for my setbacks?

-Truly numb.

The words he had said before echoed in my mind. Numb…. Is that really the reason?

Thinking so made me chuckle a bit.

‘What then? Should I have lived like that forever?’

If I have become numb, does that mean he’s sharp? If that’s the case, I definitely can’t accept it.

That’s not sharpness.

‘It’s just that he’s hiding the fact that he’s broken while pretending to be sharp.’

Like a sword that knows its edge is breaking yet continues to push harder.

Then,

“Do you want me to go back to that kind of life?”

As I grimaced and spoke, he looked down at me and replied.

[Wrong.]

“What then?”

[Your pathetic state of being complacent in reality and running away. It’s utterly disgusting. I want to burn you alive right now.]

Flame Burst.

The stars gathered strength. It was a slow build.

“So, you don’t like it, so you’re going to take it from me? Who do you think you are?”

What gives you the right to do this to me? I didn’t see him merely as a memory from my past life.

It seemed that was merely the surface. The feelings were too subtle for me to call it entirely that way.

“What are you?”

No matter how many times I asked, his expression remained unchanged.

Just like at the beginning. He looked down at me while moving his fingertips.

[That answer is.]

His thumb pointed downwards.

[You find it yourself.]

Dozens of stars crashed down on me.

Gu Gu Gu Gu Gu—-!!!

The arrival of shooting stars. Hundreds of Flame Jades flew towards me in an instant. I pushed strength into my toes and burst through.

Kwahahahaha—-!!! I sensed an overwhelming firepower behind me.

I didn’t look back.

It was exhausting just to keep my eyes forward.

It was impossible to dodge them all with such sheer numbers.

Bang-!

“Keugh-!”

One hit my shoulder. And then—

Kwah-aaa!!! I was swept up in the explosion. I spun my body to maintain my stance, barely enduring it.

I couldn’t slow down. My feet had to keep moving, continually striking at the void.

Bang-! Bang bang-!!

As the realm of the heart erupted, I shattered several Flame Jades. I cleared only the surroundings for easier dodging.

If I took out everything, I’d collapse from the energy drain before that.

‘The front is clear, left and above are dangerous.’

Should I push straight ahead?

‘No.’

That was intentionally left open. Then—

‘I’ll go up.’

I crouched my running body and leaped upwards.

Above me, there were still plenty of Flame Jades. Nevertheless, I chose this course for a reason.

As I jumped, I released the energy within me. It was the Tua Pacheonmu’s Changcheon.

My body activated, and the Heart Eye awoke simultaneously.

I confirmed my path.

‘That’s close.’

Still, it should be fine. Just a few hits and it’ll be over.

Gu Gu Gu Gu Gu—!! The Flame Jades exploded in the air. My body shook from the blast, but I didn’t change my path.

I confirmed the destination with Qi Perception as I originally intended.

As expected, when I reached this point, dozens of Flame Jades were falling directly in front of me.

Thank goodness.

‘Seems like the paths of the Flame Jades haven’t changed yet.’

It seems they can predict and release in advance but can’t change the direction once they’ve been launched.

‘That’s because they can’t utilize compression or rotation. You fool.’

If I could use my current capabilities, I would surely have shown it. How frustrating.

Unable to use a single fire technique and still unable to beat that fool.

I glanced around. The number of Flame Jades surrounding me had drastically decreased.

This was originally an airstrike meant for mass slaughter; it wasn’t designed to capture a single opponent.

‘Where are you?’

I searched for the hidden figure. My Qi Perception was wide enough to make it easy to find.

From the start, he hadn’t hidden at all.

Growl—!!!

There’s no way to hide such a large thing.

“Phew.”

I was floating to evade the Flame Jades, while he was now standing on the ground.

And then—

Growl—!!!

His surroundings were enshrouded in a fierce Black Flame.

Its form resembled that of a wolf.

The energy was growing larger and larger. I already knew what that meant.

I clenched my fist.

‘The void is a bit dangerous.’

It was hard to maintain my stance. But I had to try.

As he moved his shoulders like he was handling the Black Flame.

It wasn’t extraordinary martial arts. It was merely Gu Yeomtaeyarang (Technique of the Flame Wheel).

He didn’t change it, and though his intention remained intact, the amount of wagering within it was unimaginable, making it extraordinary.

Kraaa—!!!

The wolf made of flames opened its mouth wide and charged at me.

It seemed hard to simply dodge in the void. It would be reckless to counter it with my own attack.

Then—

‘I’ll pierce through.’

Rather than block or dodge, I decided to penetrate.

I imbued the Tua Pacheonmu into my clenched fist.

And compressed it.

‘Thinking of it like piercing a thin hole instead of erasing everything.’

I focused and focused. Just as the wolf was about to reach me.

“Whoosh!”

With all my might, I thrust my fist and pierced through the wolf, shattering the flames. The issue was…

Even before the flames dissipated, he was already flying towards me.

I saw his fist. The moment I saw it, I swung my fist again.

Kwah—!!!

The surfaces of our fists clashed, releasing an immense air pressure. I blocked well. Since I had compressed strong energy, I didn’t suffer much damage.

“This!”

Due to being in the void, it was disadvantageous for me.

With no foothold, my balance was flimsy. I was the only one being pushed back by the impact.

My body quickly fell to the ground.

Kwah-! I crashed hard into the floor. I couldn’t bear the pain. I immediately rose up.

I needed to set myself up again.

Thud-!

“Keugh!”

Before I could properly rise, a hand grabbed my neck.

I was lifted up.

“Grrr…”

The sensation against my neck was exceedingly hot. Enduring the pain, I lowered my gaze.

It was just like before. The same sight as when my heart was pierced.

He lifted me by my neck, and I looked down at him from that position.

It was a method I often used to trick my opponents, but now I felt the need to exercise restraint.

Being on the receiving end of it felt utterly miserable.

“…You… bastard…”

Looking down at him made me laugh. I had been sensing something strange all along. Yet, after reaching this point, I couldn’t ignore it.

“Tell me honestly. You’re not even out of energy, are you?”

At this point, he should be exhausted, if not out of energy entirely. But this bastard didn’t even break a sweat.

I felt a surge of conviction.

“…As I thought. You’re not my previous life.”

What I had suspected turned into certainty. This guy was not simply the embodiment of the Black Flame.

No matter how much my past self overflowed with energy,

The state I was in now was inefficiently weak, yet this situation didn’t make sense.

“…What the hell are you?”

There’s something different about him. What the hell gives him the right to wear such a ridiculous facade and pummel me relentlessly?

As I genuinely couldn’t comprehend, I asked.

[You must already know, right?]

He spoke to me with his characteristic half-hearted gaze.

“…Bastard. I’m asking because I don’t know. Why would I ask if I knew?”

[That might be understandable. You’re that kind of person.]

“…What the heck are you talking about?”

[Though you already know the answer, you’re too busy pretending you don’t. That’s no different from this situation. You, right now, certainly know what I am.]

Just pretending not to.

He whispered those words under his breath.

[I have watched you for a long time. From the moment you were born until now. You may not realize it, but you can’t fool me.]

“What?”

My eyes widened at those words.

You’ve been watching me since I was born? With a feeling of knowing something, my eyes trembled.

Seeing my eyes, he continued speaking.

[Only now have I finally had the chance to face you. How pathetic it is.]

His eyes were filled with the same contempt as when I first saw him.

[Listen closely, little goblin.]

The change in his address made the corners of my eyes twitch.

[You are not worthy of embracing me as you are now.]

Only then did I seem to understand. What his identity was.

[This is the time to prove that.]

‘…Technique of the Flame Wheel?’

The fire technique that burned the demon energy within me.

It was that itself.

 

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