Chapter 928

The darkness that spread across the ground consumed the entire field like a predator devouring its prey. The range of the domain extended to the size of a massive lake, vast and oppressive.

The endless darkness swallowed the trees and bushes in its path until it had created a completely blackened territory.

Crack.

Snap.

From the blackened ground, an eerie ash-like substance rose in wisps, akin to a heat haze.

It was foreboding.

And it was revolting.

“...”

The masked woman silently observed the ominous domain through the veil of her mask.

Her eyes darted, scanning the area to pinpoint the presence responsible for creating this space.

Suddenly—

Squish—!

“—!”

Her footing sank into the ground, throwing her balance off.

And then—

Shiiing—!!!

A sharp spike shot up from the ground, aimed directly at her neck.

She moved swiftly, slicing through the spike with her energy-forged sword.

Planting her strength into her legs, she yanked herself free and leapt back to create distance.

But—

Swoosh—!!

Countless hands erupted from the ground, clawing toward her.

Seeing this, the woman prepared to swing her sword again, only to feel a sudden grip on her back.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The master of the domain had already appeared behind her.

Before she could break free, her neck was seized, and her perspective spun as she was hurled violently to the ground.

Thud—!!

Her body sank into the earth, engulfed by the sticky sensation of mud as though she were being buried alive.

Her opponent, of course, wasn’t content to merely watch.

Rumble—!!!

A vortex of dark energy spiraled into a singular point, gathering in immense concentration.

The sheer pressure emanating from it was overwhelming.

The domain began to shrink, but it wasn’t simply contracting—it was compressing.

The vortex pulled the space tighter, its mass undiminished despite the reduced area, causing the pressure to skyrocket.

Adjusting the gathered energy in her hand, the black-haired woman clapped lightly.

Clap—!

And then—

BOOOM—!!!

The amassed energy exploded in an instant.

The range of the blast defied imagination.

The entirety of the ground that had been consumed by darkness erupted, leaving only a massive, deeply gouged crater as a scar of destruction.

Ssshh…

Faint remnants of the dark energy scattered like ashes.

The violet eyes of the Cheonma stared indifferently at the aftermath.

Was it dealt with? No. It wasn’t.

In the center of the crater, something gleamed—a small sphere radiating a faint magenta glow.

Creak.

Cheonma tightened her grip on her sword.

With a simple slash, she sent a heavy black crescent of energy flying toward the sphere.

BOOM—!!

The impact generated a shockwave, scattering dust and debris, but the sphere remained untouched.

“Hm.”

Cheonma furrowed her brows, dissatisfied.

There hadn’t been even a scratch—it was strange.

“What’s going on?”

Was the strike too weak?

She gripped her sword tighter, pouring more energy into it.

The blade, slightly dulled from the earlier attack, grew thicker with power.

This time, she decided to attack properly. As she steadied her stance, preparing to release her full strength—

Flick—!

Suddenly, something burst out from the sphere.

The woman emerged, dragging her sword across the ground as she surged toward Cheonma.

With a swift motion, she swung her sword upward.

Clang—!

The attack failed to connect, blocked before it could gain momentum.

Cheonma calmly extended her hand toward the woman’s face—

Crack—!

“Huh?”

Something broke. Cheonma glanced down.

Her sword was cracking, splintering into pieces.

Which meant—

Shiiing—!!!

The woman’s blade streaked toward Cheonma’s face.

Cheonma twisted her head at the last moment, narrowly avoiding the strike.

As she dodged, she tilted her head slightly.

“What the hell?”

Why had her weapon shattered so suddenly?

It didn’t make sense.

But she didn’t dwell on it for long.

There was no time to think—another attack came immediately.

The sound of wind splitting trailed behind the blade, a testament to its incredible speed.

Despite the rapid onslaught, Cheonma evaded each strike with an unchanging expression.

Something about the attacks felt oddly familiar.

Though she couldn’t pinpoint why, the sensation was undeniable.

Have I seen this somewhere before?

Cheonma wasn’t one to dwell on such thoughts.

After all, the world was full of unfamiliar things that could feel strangely recognizable.

But none of that mattered right now.

Bang—!

Cheonma was curious about what lay behind the woman’s mask.

Deflecting the woman’s blade with a surge of energy, she closed the distance.

Her own dark energy surged outward, vast and overwhelming from the moment of her birth.

She didn’t bother to restrain it—she had never learned how.

The oppressive energy made the woman falter for a brief moment.

Then—

Whoosh—!

She took a single step back. Just one.

Gripping her sword tightly, she twisted her body.

Her blade sliced through the air, and Cheonma saw it clearly.

“White?”

Amid the magenta energy coiling around the blade, there was a streak of white.

Cheonma’s eyes locked onto it, transfixed.

Screeech—!!!

Slash—!

Her fixation cost her.

The energy tore into her, leaving scratches on her body, but she couldn’t look away.

“Ah.”

It hurt.

Cheonma clutched her chest, stepping back.

“Urgh…”

She bit her lip, overwhelmed by the sharp pain.

Sizzle…

Her wound hissed, emitting a strange sound as if it were burning.

Her face twisted in discomfort.

“It hurts…”

Lifting her hand from her chest, she found it stained with blood.

To make matters worse, her clothes were dirty.

Cheonma’s expression crumpled as she looked at her bloodied garments.

‘I’m going to get scolded.’

She had been told not to cause trouble.

To stay out of sight. To avoid making a mess.

“Mm…”

What are they going to say now?

The thought of further rejection made her bite her lip again.

Her chest throbbed with pain.

Was it from the wound? It hadn’t felt this bad earlier, but now it was unbearable.

“…Ah.”

And then she realized.

Cheonma raised her head, looking straight ahead.

“She’s gone.”

The woman had vanished.

Lost in her thoughts, she had let her escape.

“…Hmm.”

Scratching her head, Cheonma nodded to herself.

This was the second time.

Next time—

“I won’t hesitate to kill her.”

She resolved firmly.

************

‘What’s this?’

I turned my head to the left.

Something stirred over there. A strange energy.

Was I imagining it?

There was an ominous feeling, but as I focused, it faded into nothing.

“Am I just tired?”

It was possible.

I hadn’t slept for days now.

I usually don’t sleep much, but since coming here, I hadn’t rested at all.

There were too many things to investigate, too much to understand. Sleep felt like a luxury I couldn’t afford.

“Should I sleep now…?”

I considered it—there wasn’t much to do anyway.

But then again—

“Yeah, this definitely isn’t the place for that.”

I sighed as I glanced around.

The damp and cold ground.

The humid, uncomfortable air.

And the iron bars right in front of me.

This place had a strange familiarity.

Oh, right—I was in a cell.

Handcuffed, no less.

“Hah.”

I chuckled dryly.

How long had it been since I’d been locked up?

Probably not since the life before my last, back when I met my end.

Should I feel nostalgic about this?

Clang.

I clicked my tongue as I looked down at the cuffs on my wrists.

How did things end up like this?

“Man, I really didn’t see this coming.”

Of all things, I hadn’t expected to land myself in a cell.

I stared at the chains for a moment before raising my voice slightly.

“Hey.”

The sound stirred movement outside the bars.

“Quiet down.”

A figure in black appeared, issuing a warning. I smiled at him and asked,

“How long am I supposed to stay here? Come on, I’m a guest, after all. This isn’t how you treat guests, is it?”

“Guest?”

The man snorted.

“How the hell are you a guest?”

“Well, I went through all the trouble to drag Gubong here, didn’t I? Considering how much effort I put in, I think I deserve at least a little hospitality—”

“Shut up!”

The man’s reaction was intense.

“Damn, no need to yell.”

“Do you even know who you’re talking about when you mention him?”

Ah, so it was mentioning Gubong that set him off.

I replied nonchalantly.

“Who else would he be? Looks to me like he’s the family’s golden boy or something.”

“...”

“Is he the eldest? The second son? Or maybe an only child?”

“You little—”

There was a growl in his voice, almost animalistic.

I smirked as I replied,

“Eh, doesn’t matter. That’s not important. Anyway, seriously, how long are you planning to keep me here?”

I tapped the ground lightly with my fingers as I spoke.

“You see, I’m kind of used to a higher standard of living. These conditions don’t really suit me.”

In truth, I could sleep in a mud pit if I had to, but that wasn’t the point.

The man clenched his fist, trembling for a moment before letting out a strained laugh.

“Who knows.”

“Huh?”

“There’s been no word on when to let you go. Hell, we might never let you go.”

“Yeah, that’s going to be a problem.”

I leaned back lazily, propping my chin on my hand with a frown.

“I’ve got a lot going on, so forever isn’t going to work for me. Think you could speed things up?”

“Hah.”

He scoffed in disbelief.

“If the leader sets the rules, then they’re absolute here. Do you really think your opinion matters? You’re nothing but a pest from Mount Hua, yet you have so many demands.”

“…Hmm.”

I scratched my cheek, realizing I’d pushed him a bit too far.

He seemed to genuinely hate me now.

“So, you’re really not letting me go?”

“Exactly. Now shut up and sit quietly.”

“Wait, seriously?”

“Are you deaf?”

“Ah… damn.”

I hung my head in mock dejection, and the man nodded in satisfaction.

“Finally, you’ve realized your place—”

“I thought you’d at least treat me like a guest. What a hassle. Now I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.”

Before he could finish his sentence, I stood up.

Crack—!

I ripped the cuffs from my wrists.

“What the—?!”

The man moved, startled, but I was already gripping the iron bars.

Creak—!

With a firm yank, I tore the bars apart.

The man’s eyes widened as he processed the situation.

I flexed my wrists casually and spoke.

“If you’re not going to treat me like a guest and instead like a prisoner… then I’ll just act accordingly.”

“You bastard—!!”

The man charged at me—or at least, he tried to.

Grab—!

“Gah!”

I caught him by the face, his jaw forced open as I held him in place.

His teeth were clearly visible, so I plucked out one of his fangs.

Flick—!

“...!!!”

He trembled violently, struggling in my grip, but he couldn’t shake free.

For all his pride, he didn’t even scream.

“Listen carefully.”

Crunch!

I crushed the fang in front of his eyes and continued.

“I’ve got a few questions for you.”

“Guh… guh…”

“If I don’t like your answers, I’ll pull out another tooth. Then your nails. Then your eyes. And finally, your bones. If you’d rather stay quiet, that’s fine too—it’ll just hurt more.”

I loosened my grip slightly, just enough for him to speak.

“Now, first question.”

I looked at the terrified man with a rare excitement.

“What’s Gubong’s deal?”

It's been a long time since I last had the chance to enjoy torture.