Chapter 324

Night fell.

A time when the moon—normally bright—looked oddly dim.

Thick storm clouds had packed together and cut off the light. Even with lanterns lit, it was the kind of night that still looked dark somehow.

I didn’t know if it was just the weather, or if my mood was coloring it that way.

But that’s how it felt.

“Are we fully prepared?”

“Ah, yes.”

I answered the Plum Blossom Commander’s question.

Truthfully, there wasn’t much to “prepare.” If the people had gathered and loosened up their bodies, that was preparation.

“We’re finished preparing on our end as well.”

The Plum Blossom Commander said it with eyes full of resolve. At his words, I looked behind him.

I could see the Plum Blossom Swordsmen arrayed out.

But—

‘Half of them are spies.’

Half.

More precisely, it looked like everyone I hadn’t handed over as “information” was gathered here.

‘...Hmph.’

Was this his way of saying he was going to do it properly? That old man really was something.

‘To that extent.’

Did he really have to go that far to satisfy his greed? What kind of desire demanded that much?

There were times I’d wondered.

But—

‘It doesn’t matter anymore.’

None of it mattered anymore. Not after the moment the Plum Blossom Commander crossed the line.

So.

“Let’s get going.”

“Let’s.”

Now, I wasn’t doing what I had to do.

I was doing what I wanted to do.

*****

We left Mount Hua and climbed higher into the mountains. I’d already been given the location, but the route to it was strangely crooked.

Even paths that should’ve gone straight didn’t.

We were raiding a hideout, and there could be an ambush along the way, so he was probably twisting the route on purpose.

I understood the intent. I would’ve done the same.

But—

‘Tch.’

Knowing what that old bastard was thinking made it nothing but irritating.

‘Just for show.’

He was only doing the motions—making sure everyone saw him doing them. Knowing that, I could only narrow my eyes.

[You’ve been going in circles for a long time.]

Yoo Cheongil spoke with a bored expression. Thankfully, I wasn’t bored.

‘I’m getting more tense.’

The longer we kept walking, the tighter the pressure coiled inside me.

I pretended not to notice, and kept walking, and walking.

How much time passed like that? By feel, somewhere between half a shichen and a full shichen.

SWISH

While he was in the lead, the Plum Blossom Commander raised a hand.

Everyone stopped.

We killed our presence. I could feel energy ripple through the surroundings for a brief instant. I suppressed mine too.

-Ahead.

At the Plum Blossom Commander’s words, I looked straight forward.

A cave mouth cut into the forest.

A cave again.

The problem was—

‘This isn’t where my calculations pointed.’

It was completely different from the place I’d calculated for finding the stake. Maybe I’d missed something, but... no. Probably not.

‘This is just a trap.’

A prepared trap.

A trap the Plum Blossom Commander had set—

For me.

-I don’t see any sentries ahead. We’ll enter slowly.

-...Understood.

He asked permission and I granted it. No sentries? That, too, was part of the trap.

They started forward.

Watching them, I spoke immediately.

-Senior. Teacher.

A voice transmission to both Teacher and Do Hyeong, positioned on either side.

-I have a request.

At my words, both of their gazes turned toward me.

*****

We entered the cave interior. Everyone’s tension was obvious, but no one’s steps hesitated.

The Plum Blossom Swordsmen advanced as if they were confident there were no traps, and even though an ambush could come at any moment, they walked with lanterns lit.

Were they even trying to hide it? Or did it only look this strange because I knew what was going on?

To me, it just looked sloppy.

‘If you’re going to hide it, do it properly.’

Even without eyes that could read energy, it would’ve been obvious.

‘The cave isn’t that deep.’

It looked winding, but judging by the state of the cave, it felt like we were close to the destination.

If there was a problem—

‘There’s only one passage.’

It looked like there was only one hole to escape through.

There could be another way out where the Plum Blossom Commander was leading us, but that seemed unlikely.

‘He’s cutting off the escape route.’

I narrowed my eyes.

I kept turning calculations over in my head. I’d come here fueled by emotion, but I still had to do the math.

‘Yuyeon...’

I looked at Yuyeon moving forward among the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.

Her steps looked calm, almost leisurely—but something cold lay inside them.

A blade honed clean.

That thoroughly changed atmosphere had altered the air around Yuyeon.

‘...If I get too close, I’ll get cut.’

If I got close to Yuyeon, I felt like I’d be cut. Not metaphorically—like even the wind would slice my fingertips.

That was how strange her atmosphere was.

Then—

[Kid.]

Yoo Cheongil asked me something.

I flicked my eyes at him. It was a sign to continue.

Seongheon was beside Yoo Cheongil, too. As long as he was within Yoo Cheongil’s range, he was still following.

[What did you do earlier?]

‘Earlier?’

I hesitated, trying to figure out what he meant.

What was “earlier”?

Judging by it, Seongheon looked like he was curious about the same thing.

[That thing where you subdued that little girl’s energy.]

‘Ah.’

Only then did I get it. That.

‘How, though...?’

It wasn’t like I’d done anything incredible. I’d just made it stop.

And I hadn’t made it stop with words.

‘I just messed with the energy a bit.’

Heavenly Killing Star, was it?

The worst burden that had descended on the Central Plains. That terrifying burden the Heavenly Demon had supposedly carried as well.

That wasn’t just some lunatic packed full of killing intent.

I’d only seen Yuyeon, so I couldn’t say for sure—but—

‘That killing intent wasn’t just physical energy.’

There was definitely soul involvement.

If Heavenly Killing Star was a human fate—

Then the energy it produced came from deep inside the soul.

So.

‘You just make that stop.’

If I excluded the soul’s involvement, wouldn’t that block the Heavenly Killing Star from running wild?

That was why I’d tried it.

At the very least—

‘If it’s something soul-related, I can handle it.’

In my past life, that had been my whole life—over and over. I’d only thought it might work.

But.

‘It worked.’

It ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) actually worked. Touching the soul and pushing it back in.

[...Hm?]

Yoo Cheongil tilted his head. Explaining with only my eyes had limits.

Do I have to explain it later?

‘When the time comes.’

I didn’t feel like spitting out the words just to be bothered.

How the hell do you even explain that? You just live with it.

The important part was—

‘Either way, I could block Yuyeon a little.’

I shoved the leaking killing intent back in.

Since it came out of the soul, it was possible, but—

‘...It was kind of hard.’

Blocking something that had only slightly slipped out was weirdly difficult.

If it swelled bigger than that, I didn’t know what would happen.

‘Heavenly Killing Star is scary.’

Maybe because it was a burden embedded in the soul, it was strong. Normally, I would’ve stopped it easily, but I couldn’t.

I stared at Yuyeon’s small back.

What the hell was packed inside that tiny body?

Thinking that, I let out a short laugh.

‘...Grandmother was right every time.’

She said my fate had been screwed for a long time, so everyone I ended up tangled with would be abnormal.

That the men wouldn’t just have a few screws loose—they’d have none at all.

And the women would all be insane.

‘...Jesus.’

Remembering my past life made it sound painfully believable.

But even after dying, having it be like this—

That was just unfair.

I wrinkled my face. And while I was walking with that in my head—

-Arrived.

“...!”

The Plum Blossom Commander’s voice transmission hit my ear.

We’d reached the target.

And—

-I sense presence. Everyone, prepare for battle.

CLACK

Presence from beyond the cave.

At that sound, power flared from every direction.

I slowly drew my sword too.

The Divine Sword showed itself to the world.

In that moment—

-We enter.

BANG—!

At the Plum Blossom Commander’s command, the force infiltrated the interior.

“What is it—!”

“It’s a raid!”

The people inside reacted to the sudden breach.

‘HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE bastards.’

I could feel their energy—whether they’d truly been sent by HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE or not.

“Mount Hua Sect...?!”

“How—! This place was supposed to be—!”

Their eyes grew huge as they saw the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.

“Damn it... what the—!”

They were clearly shaken. From the reaction, they looked like they’d come here on an assignment.

And that assignment was probably—

‘Also the Plum Blossom Commander’s doing?’

It might be.

SHK—!

A sharp sound rang out. One HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE martial artist had his neck severed by the Plum Blossom Commander’s sword.

“Everyone! Execute the enemy!”

The shout carried inner power. Thick battle aura swallowed the room.

SSRRNG—!

Light coiled around my blade.

Third Form: Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn spread along the tip.

[Be careful.]

Yoo Cheongil’s warning came through.

Don’t throw power around and let the problem inside me burst.

‘Yeah.’

The cave interior was wide.

And there were a lot of bodies.

‘...This is my first time.’

I let out a suppressed groan as I took in the situation. I’d killed people after my past life, but a filthy brawl like this was new.

-AAAAAAAH—!!

SLASH—! SHK—!!

Screams and the stench of blood filled the air.

The other side’s resistance wasn’t small.

But our force was overwhelming.

Of course it was. Mount Hua Sect’s Plum Blossom Swordsmen were gathered here—and the Plum Blossom Commander was at the center of it.

And with Teacher—another absolute master—joining in, no matter how strong HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE’s fighters were, they had no choice but to be pushed back for now.

As time passed—about half a shichen, by feel—

“Cough...!”

The last martial artist still standing dropped to one knee.

Every HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE martial artist inside was dead.

“Hoo...”

As if they’d sensed the battle was over, a few of them exhaled.

Relief seeped through the air.

In that gap, I found Yuyeon.

She wiped sweat with a trembling hand.

There was no blood on her sword.

Meaning she hadn’t cut anyone.

Did she hold back, even in a situation like this? Maybe bringing her wasn’t a mistake after all.

“Is it over?”

“...This is pretty flimsy for a hideout...”

For something we’d come to raid as a “hideout,” it felt weak.

The numbers weren’t tiny, but their level was too low.

Half of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen looked like they found it strange too.

‘And the other half—’

They still hadn’t let go of their tension.

The spies.

‘...He used them as disposable pieces.’

The dead were here to be used for something.

And the fact they hadn’t relaxed meant—

‘There’s a next part.’

The fight wasn’t over yet.

‘Hmph...’

I tightened my grip on the sword.

“Moon Knight.”

The Plum Blossom Commander called me.

“Yes.”

“Something seems off.”

So he was going to bring it up first.

“Yes. That’s what it looks like to me too.”

“For a hideout, there’s nothing here... It’s like...”

The Plum Blossom Commander spoke as if he’d realized something.

“Like they prepared a trap.”

“...”

Trap.

That word was the trigger.

RUUUUMMMBLE—

From the entrance.

A harsh sound rolled in from there.

[This—.]

[Something’s coming. When did it get here? I didn’t notice it.]

Yoo Cheongil and Seongheon spoke.

At that, I turned my head toward the entrance.

They didn’t notice it?

Again?

‘Could it be—’

The Strange Demon?

It could be the Strange Demon showing up.

When he’d appeared before, Yoo Cheongil’s soul had gone dead.

‘If it’s the Strange Demon, he could’ve figured it out and come.’

If it was him, he would’ve read my intent—and he might have come here exactly as I expected.

While that thought was still forming—

“Ahhh. Well, well.”

“...Huh?”

The voice echoing from the entrance made my body lock.

That isn’t the Strange Demon’s voice.

But I’d heard it somewhere.

This was—

‘In the county...’

“Looks like everyone’s gathered here.”

That ominous, unlucky voice.

The bastard who’d turned the inn into a slaughterhouse, slipped through Teacher’s pursuit, and vanished.

“Happy to see me?”

He stepped into view at the entrance—

And greeted us.