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‘I found the trace of that scoundrel.’

General Yusa spat those words towards Hongjeong.

How long has it been since the banquet ended? To already be searching for traces?

A question arose, but it didn’t matter much to Hongjeong.

What was important here was—

‘You deal with it.’

The fact that the General had given her that order.

And when Hongjeong heard that, she didn’t appear surprised at all.

‘Oh my.’

She smiled brightly, pleased.

How could she not be pleased?

A bizarre person suddenly appeared, toppling the chiefs one after another.

With no identity known, nobody knew how strong he was either.

It was said white had already suffered, while blue was close to death.

But that didn’t matter to her.

A foolish fool and a weakling.

The remaining one was an infuriating character.

Usually, they wouldn’t engage, let alone spend time with such insignificant beings.

Yet, weak they were not. Hongjeong acknowledged that much, even if she didn’t recognize anything else.

‘Two such beings have fallen.’

To have been defeated by an unknown presence.

Just how strong was that existence?

Hongjeong trembled at the thought.

‘…I want to fight him.’

She despised the weak and adored the strong.

That was the essence of the Red Family.

That was why.

She ripped apart her weak father and plucked the hearts of her even weaker brothers.

They were so much weaker than her. She couldn’t grasp why they existed above her.

So she killed them. She couldn’t accept the existence of the weak being above her.

Hongjeong was that kind of person.

Enjoying fights with the strong and despising the weak.

Even her story of nearly being killed when confronting General Yusa was famous in Yawol.

The thirst for the strong.

That was Hongjeong’s identity and reason for existence.

“Hahahaha—!!”

Thus, Hongjeong couldn’t hold back her laughter seeing the killing intent erupting before her.

Gu Gugu…!!!

‘What is that?!’

Suddenly showered with killing intent, the Red Chief, Hongjeong flinched.

It was an enormous energy. So thick and sharp, her tail stood straight up.

How could the killing intent emanating from a living being be this thick?

Hongjeong broke into a cold sweat, recalling the past.

The day she faced Yusa.

The killing intent she felt at that time was terrifying, but this felt different.

If Yusa’s killing intent was filled with rage and various emotions, then this was—

‘Just killing intent itself.’

Only the intent to kill the opponent existed.

No other emotions could be felt.

Neither anger nor any other emotion.

From this author, solely a simple intent to kill existed.

‘…Incredible.’

She rolled her arms.

This killing intent was unlike anything she had ever felt.

Feeling the energy, Hongjeong split her lips into a smile.

“Ehehe.”

She craved the strong.

Should she be grateful to the General for giving her such an opportunity?

She didn’t know.

Hongjeong clenched her fists without thinking.

At that moment.

“Fool.”

The man before her.

What did he say? Ah, right.

‘Heavenly Demon.’

The demon granted by the sky.

The one who referred to himself that way spoke to Hongjeong.

“I despise those who do not know their place.”

The more he spoke, the greater the killing intent grew. The more she looked and felt, the more fascinating it became.

How could he be that strong?

Hongjeong found herself unexpectedly looking up towards the sky.

The sky was clear. It was daytime.

The blessing given by the Master of Mankye to the Moon Night Clan.

The power of blood that could make one stronger than anyone on a night when the moon descends.

How could the Moon Night Clan, who hadn’t received that, be this strong?

‘Could the General do that too?’

Yusa was undoubtedly a member of the Moon Night Clan. Among the pureblood Moon Nights, Yusa was the strongest.

Could he also emit such presence during the day?

Hongjeong suddenly wondered this but felt it unlikely.

At that moment.

“What are you looking at?”

The Heavenly Demon spoke to Hongjeong.

“Why are you looking at the sky when you have the sky right before you?”

Such arrogant words.

His bold claim of being ‘the sky’ made Hongjeong widen her eyes unconsciously.

In the sky of Mankye, only the Master exists.

That was something every living being in this world knew without exception.

To think anyone beneath the land made by that being could claim to be the sky.

“Are you really insane?”

Surprised, Hongjeong laughed as she spoke.

“Perhaps.”

The Heavenly Demon, exuding killing intent, spoke to Hongjeong with a peculiar tone.

“Maybe.”

Kwaddududuk–!!!

“…!”

Hongjeong glanced aside at the terrifying noise. A knee had sunk into her arm.

Perhaps due to the shock, she could see her arm twisted unnaturally.

Before the pain hit her.

Kwuaaa–!!

Hongjeong’s vision turned upside down.

Her eyes that once faced forward were now looking at the sky.

It meant her body had been lifted up.

Her perception was slow.

Hongjeong bit her teeth and tried to gather strength.

While barely trying to turn her body with energy exploding out…

Phastic-!

This time it was her waist.

Bang-! Crack–!!!

And then her leg.

“Gah!”

Even while spitting out a groan, Hongjeong couldn’t hide her shock.

The spots being struck were accurately targeting her predicted movements.

To not let her turn.

To not let her escape.

To not let her resist.

To not let her move.

The Heavenly Demon thoroughly beat down Hongjeong’s body.

Yes, beat down. That would be the right expression over any other.

Bang-! Her forehead slammed into the ground and bounced up.

The body that had been looking to the sky was now looking down at the earth.

“Cough…!”

Blood spilled out. Yet her eyes didn’t close.

She could see it. The sole of the foot digging into her face.

She raised her hands to defend. This time she blocked it properly—but—

Smack-!

“Cough…!”

Not her face. It was her belly that got hit. Everything was already empty.

The body that was hit in the belly rose up. It would have floated in the void, yet—

Whoosh-!!

The Heavenly Demon wouldn’t even allow that.

Wherever it came from, cloth wrapped tightly around Hongjeong’s body.

A perfect bondage.

Desperately trying to tear the cloth, Hongjeong gathered strength in her body.

‘Why…’

The cloth was strangely tough and wouldn’t tear.

That’s when it began.

“Hu.”

The low sigh of the Heavenly Demon reached Hongjeong’s ear.

Babababababak—!!!

With unbelievable speed, the Heavenly Demon pounded Hongjeong with fists. Even after being pushed back and shaken, he returned again.

The shock engulfed her entire body.

“—-!!!”

She couldn’t even scream. Just endlessly being struck by fists. All she could do was watch the fists stretching out beyond her swaying vision.

After taking quite a beating, the bondage of cloth around Hongjeong finally unraveled.

“Gah… ooooh.”

With a voice filled with pain, Hongjeong slowly fell.

Is this the end? When her vision was clouding and she was losing consciousness—

Kwahak!

The Heavenly Demon grabbed her hair and lifted her up.

Along with that, he poked her forehead with a hand imbued with energy.

Jjiririiit–!!

“……!!”

The energy spread throughout her body, snapping Hongjeong’s consciousness back to reality.

“Gah…uhhhh….”

Whether it was saliva or blood, it flowed down her lips. Hongjeong looked at the Heavenly Demon with trembling eyes.

“What are you doing?”

It was a low voice.

The tone and atmosphere were completely unchanged from the first time she saw him.

And the gaze was absolutely unchanged.

The arrogant eyes looking down at her from above.

“Useless fool.”

The deep voice of the Heavenly Demon brushed past Hongjeong’s ear.

“I haven’t permitted you to fall yet.”

Clunk-! At that statement, Hongjeong felt her body trembling unconsciously.

“Shouldn’t you at least provide a bit of amusement?”

For the first time, she felt a change from those words.

A hint of humor.

Inside that blunt and heavy manner, laughter seeped through.

Listening to that, Hongjeong felt a stirring emotion inside her. What is this feeling?

She had never felt it before.

Something making her insides churn, break out in cold sweat, and tremble her body.

‘Ah….’

As Hongjeong pondered, it didn’t take long for her to understand what her feelings were.

‘This is fear.’

This was fear.

An overwhelming emotion she hadn’t even felt from the General.

This is fear.

Additionally, this is terror.

“Gah… hehe… ehehe…”

While bleeding profusely, Hongjeong laughed.

‘…It’s exhilarating.’

She realized too late that fear could be this exhilarating.

She wanted to feel more.

She wanted to feel this thrilling and exhilarating sensation more.

As she thought that, Hongjeong looked at the Heavenly Demon, but—

“Your eyes are disgusting.”

The Heavenly Demon seemed no longer interested in Hongjeong. He reached his hand towards her eyes.

Was he planning to pluck them out? Just as his fingertips were about to touch her eyes—

“…Stop.”

At the voice that came from behind, the Heavenly Demon halted his hand.

And then, with a chuckle, he spoke to the owner of the voice.

“How unfortunate. If you had been a bit later, I had intended to play a bit longer….”

The Heavenly Demon appeared calm as if he recognized who had approached.

“Why have you appeared? If you were planning to hide like a rat, you should have stayed away.”

“….”

Yusa frowned at the Heavenly Demon’s words.

“Did you know I was hiding?”

“Haha.”

At Yusa’s words, the Heavenly Demon couldn’t contain his laughter.

And then—

Bang-!!

He forcefully tossed Hongjeong to the ground.

Hongjeong’s unconscious body tumbled upon hitting the ground.

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice your little tricks?”

“….”

Yusa narrowed one eye at the Heavenly Demon’s words.

“Then you knew I was hiding, yet you still engaged with the Red?”

He should have been able to intervene and turn the situation around at any time if he knew that.

Yusa, confused at the fact he engaged with the Reds even while knowing that, spoke, but—

“Engagement?”

The Heavenly Demon said as if it was absurd.

“Did you think I would call your antics an engagement?”

“….”

What the Red acted upon was merely a jest. Besides, even if Yusa intervened, it would have been on such a level that it would not have mattered.

With that implication, Yusa’s face twisted into an expression of disgust.

 

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