Chapter 966
Chapter 8: The Tension of Confrontation
“Ugh… Kek!!”
“…”
There was a young man with moss-green hair, thrashing about while tied up with a rope.
I was left speechless as I looked at Yusa, one of the captains of Mankye.
‘…What on Earth happened here?’
What should I even say in this situation?
‘Why is that guy acting like that again?’
Still, he was one of the four generals of Mankye.
Yet last night, he had exuded an aura almost on par with the Three Eminent Beings.
“Kugh!!!”
What in the world was that appearance?
Not only was he tightly bound with ropes—
‘What’s that in his mouth? A muzzle?!’
Something incomprehensible was lodged in his mouth.
Despite his futile struggles, it seemed he couldn’t get free.
“Kugh! Kugh!”
He seemed to have a lot to say, veins bulging in his eyes as he made noise.
But strangely, the ropes that bound him wouldn’t budge.
At that moment—
“Oh, this guy is just too noisy.”
Bang!
“Cook!”
Shin Noya swung his arm and smashed Yusa’s head.
The shock sent Yusa’s forehead crashing into the ground with a thud.
Crack!
The floor shattered, creating a long crack.
“Kghhhh…!”
Yusa groaned in pain.
It didn’t seem like his forehead was hurting, though.
‘Looks like the back of his head is the problem.’
The side Noya hit must be aching.
‘…What is this all about?’
Why is that guy tied up and what’s going on here?
Especially the expression on Gu Bong’s face was quite the sight.
It seemed shocking to see a general struggling while bound.
Well, if it looked shocking to me, how would it seem to him?
In this world, the position of a general seemed beyond imagination.
In a land this size, it could almost be compared to Hanam.
The general was the ruler of this place.
Considering his strength, his status was comparable to that of the Three Eminent Beings in their prime in the Central Plains.
And now here he was—
‘…Tied up and squirming around like that.’
I couldn’t help but find it absurd.
Anyways.
“What happened here…?”
What on earth led to this situation?
When I asked, Noya replied with a nonchalant expression.
“What’s there to explain? He kept whining, so I tied him up.”
“A general?”
“Why? What’s the problem?”
Wouldn’t there be a problem, you old man?
There was so much I wanted to say, but I had to choose my words carefully. This was the main issue with meeting Noya face to face.
In the past, it wouldn’t have been a problem to speak my mind. But now, if I misstep, I might get hit.
So after a moment of contemplation, I decided to phrase it as politely as possible.
“Noya, have you… lost your mind?”
Smack!
“Ugh!”
I fell to the ground, clutching my head. What the heck?
“…After all that thinking, is that what you came up with?”
“That was as polite as I could be…!”
“Ugh. What the heck should I do with this mouth of yours?”
What do you want me to do about it?
If he hasn’t learned by this age, it’s probably a lost cause.
“Ugh…”
I got back up, suppressing my scream.
He had quite a heavy hand at that age.
‘What the heck is this guy’s strength?’
It seemed like Yusa was also subdued by Noya. But there were no signs of a battle around.
That meant—
‘He must have subdued him easily.’
How is that even possible?
‘This is… on another level compared to the Three Eminent Beings.’
How strong was Noya?
Even when I was at my prime, battling Yusa with full strength seemed a stretch.
But if he could defeat someone like that, it really made me rethink how strong Shin Noya is.
A sense of awe washed over me.
Is it possible for a human body to become this strong?
While it made Noya seem remarkable, I still tried to swallow my feelings.
“So what’s going on?”
I didn’t want to show too much interest in that matter and managed to ask again.
Then he replied.
“I just explained. I tied him up because he was whining.”
“So, why did you tie him up? I came here secretly…”
At my words, Noya tilted his head.
“Secretly? Who?”
“…Huh?”
This time, I was the one caught off guard.
“Who? Noya, didn’t you come secretly?”
“Why would I do that?”
“…Huh?”
“Why would I sneak in? I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“…”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words. If he hadn’t done anything wrong, that makes sense, but…
‘Still, considering his thoughts on Hwasan…’
‘…Let’s put that aside for now.’
I held back a sigh and said.
“…Then, what about the crime you’re committing now?”
“Crime?”
I gestured towards the bound Yusa.
“If you’ve done this to the general, that’s a crime that didn’t exist before…”
“Aah. This guy?”
At my words, Noya chuckled and moved his fingers.
Then, the rope slightly trembled as the gag that was in Yusa’s mouth fell away.
In that moment.
“You—!”
As Yusa was about to explode with anger—
Bang!
Noya swung his fist and struck the back of Yusa’s head again.
Seeing that, I was taken aback and had to restrain my energy.
Kuaaaahhh—!!!
A wind pressure swept in all directions.
I hurriedly deployed an energy barrier, fearing it might affect the outside.
How hard did he hit him?
“Ugh…!”
As Yusa’s head bounced back, Noya stomped down on it with his foot.
Crunch!
“Didn’t I say it was noisy?”
“Ugh… ugh…”
“I didn’t allow you to speak. Why can’t you understand?”
Noya said with a grin while speaking to Yusa, and I felt a chill run down my spine.
‘…This old man.’
He can emit that kind of energy too.
It wasn’t just a reckless killing intent; it was a concentrated killing energy.
Though it felt thin like a thread, there was something in it that wouldn’t easily break.
It’s intimidating.
The casual tone of his words belied the energy that was far from kind.
“Yusa, do you want to wear the collar again after so long?”
“Ugh…”
“If you don’t want to, behave. I can’t smash your head in front of the kids.”
As Noya finished his words, he slowly lifted his foot. Yusa’s face, which was embedded in the ground, began to rise.
“Asshole…”
Just a moment ago, he was ready to scream, but now his voice was significantly dulled.
Though he still bore hatred and hostility in his glossy eyes, it felt like he was holding back from releasing it.
“Master has been quite generous, and yet you dare act up…!”
“Acting up? I came here genuinely to travel, you know? You’re the one who’s stirring trouble.”
“Trouble? Don’t kid with me. Let me go!”
Crunch!
Yusa struggled against the ropes, but they showed no signs of breaking.
I widened my eyes as I watched.
I had felt Yusa’s power before.
He should be able to easily snap those ropes—but to find him struggling like that?
‘…Could it be?’
I focused on the ropes, applying my perception. Then, the reason became clear.
‘He infused his Taoist Qi into the ropes.’
Noya’s bet could be felt from the ropes.
So that’s why they wouldn’t break.
He had soaked them in his energy, preventing Yusa from escaping.
But the issue was—
‘Would that even stop him?’
No matter how much energy was infused, there must be a clear limit.
Yet Yusa was still thrashing about, unable to break free.
‘How did he even do that?’
I watched with interest.
It was fascinating. How is this even possible? Is this also part of the compression technique?
As I approached out of curiosity—
“This guy, what are you doing…!”
Yusa snapped at me the moment he saw me step closer.
“Oops.”
Oops. I unintentionally—
“Sorry!”
I stepped back with a sheepish grin, and Yusa looked at Noya and me as if utterly baffled.
Then he said.
“…I knew it. This brat was sent by you, wasn’t he?”
“Hmm?”
As if he had realized something, he looked towards Noya.
“What do you mean by that?”
“There was always something strange about the Hwasan Sect’s members! What are you trying to do this time?”
“…Oh boy. This guy’s lost it again.”
“The kindness our Master has shown you is not to be trifled with…! I held back my urge to kill you the moment I found you and allowed you entry, and yet you dare…!”
Grind!
Yusa ground his teeth. The ropes twitched slightly as a result.
“How dare you cross the line?!”
“What line are you crossing? I’ve mentioned before that you should fix that habit of daydreaming. You just don’t listen, do you?”
As the conversation continued, a faint suspicion began to emerge.
It felt like we might have known each other from before.
I thought it was to be expected, but the connection seemed deeper than I had anticipated.
“Ha…! So you came on the day Master arrived in Yawol and it’s all just coincidence? Don’t make me laugh.”
“Who’s laughing? I was just as surprised, you idiot.”
“It’s definitely you.”
The veins in Yusa’s eyes became more pronounced.
“That night when you showed up as the Heavenly Demon, that was also your doing, wasn’t it?”
“Hmm?”
Noya hesitated briefly at Yusa’s words.
Then he turned his gaze towards me.
His eyes were narrowed as he looked at me.
“Cough…”
I tried to look away from that gaze.
“…Heavenly Demon… Heavenly Demon?”
“Don’t play dumb. You’re the only one here who could cause such chaos in Mankye.”
“Do you think of me as some kind of accident-prone fool?”
“Are you saying that you’re not?”
“Of course I—”
Noya fell silent for a moment, as if pondering something.
As I watched him, an inexplicable sense of anxiety welled up.
After a brief moment passed—
“No.”
Noya assertively denied it.
As relief washed over me, he continued.
“The Heavenly Demon is someone far beyond me, a being I could even compare myself to.”
“…Huh?”
Noya suddenly started spouting nonsense.
“Noya…? What on Earth are you—”
“How extraordinary can someone be to be called the Heavenly Demon? A demon from the sky. Just hearing the name would make anyone quiver in fear.”
Noya burst into laughter, seemingly fascinated.
I stood there with a blank expression, not understanding what this old man was up to.
In contrast, Yusa had a knowing smirk on his face as if he expected this.
“You… You really do have some connection with that fellow…!”
Killing intent emanated from the eyes that were turning sharp above his broken smile.
“Do you think you can survive after this? Now that this has reached my ears, it means your end is nigh.”
“End? What are you talking about?”
Yusa’s words caused Noya to burst into laughter.
What an absurd thing to say; he found it utterly hilarious.
But then, just as quickly, Noya wiped the smile from his face.
“If I kill you here, there won’t be any issues.”
“…!”
His cold tone silenced Yusa.
Noya’s words made Yusa flinch. Seeing that, Noya chuckled softly.
“Just kidding. There’s no way I’d eliminate such a great general here.”
“…Y-you…!”
“However, since I came for a purpose, why not chat a little before you lose your temper?”
Yusa frowned at the suggestion Noya made after he was about to blow his top.
“…A purpose? You have one for me?”
“Indeed. I simply came to pay you a visit and, well, I have something to discuss.”
He came to see Yusa?
I was just as startled by Noya’s words. I had been curious about why he came to Yawol and now I was beginning to realize.
‘He came to see Yusa?!’
I couldn’t believe that Shin Noya’s intention was Yusa.
While I quietly observed the situation, shocked by this, Yusa suddenly broke into laughter.
“Cough cough…!”
“What kind of purpose do you have…? That’s quite amusing. Were we on such good terms?”
“I thought we’d be a decent enough pair to share a conversation.”
“No way in hell.”
Then Yusa spoke to Noya with eyes that glistened like polished stones.
“Since the moment you betrayed the Master and ran away from the position of General, that relationship ended. You’re simply a stranger now.”
