Hearing those words, I narrowed my eyes and stared at Du Ryeong.

The Dragon Lord—no, the Blood Demon—had been sealed by the master of Mangye. That sound buried itself in my ears.

What... did I just hear?

‘That really happened?’

Then, when did it occur? If he was sealed...

‘Was it before or after he invaded Zhongyuan?’

The timing was crucial. If the Blood Demon had been sealed...

‘It means he invaded Zhongyuan while in a sealed state.’

I didn’t know the nature of that seal, but whatever it was, it clearly had a negative effect on him.

Even so, if he had launched an invasion in that condition...

‘...What kind of monster was he?’

It meant that understanding the true extent of the Blood Demon’s power was practically impossible.

That was... problematic.

‘I’m still not there.’

I may have reached transcendence, surpassing the level I had achieved in my past life. Yet, I remained weak.

I still couldn’t feel confident that I could defeat Shin Noya in a fight.

Yet... several individuals of that caliber had confronted the Blood Demon together.

And he was in a sealed state at that time?

“That’s absurd.”

It was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but voice it aloud.

Fixing my gaze on Du Ryeong with a sharp glare, I spoke.

“A seal? What do you mean? Explain it clearly.”

I drew my demonic energy once more. The aura gripped Du Ryeong’s throat.

“Ghhk!”

Du Ryeong let out a strained groan.

“Khhh...!”

I could see him struggling, resisting the force of my demonic energy. Observing his efforts, I tightened my grip.

Kuuuuuk—!!!

In response to my will, the pressure of the demonic energy around him intensified.

The fact that he could endure this much was impressive. I kept pouring more and more power into it, and then—

“...The Dragon Lord broke the law.”

Du Ryeong began speaking again.

“The law?”

“One may not interfere with another world without its permission. He violated that law... and so, the master intervened.”

Interfering with another world without permission—those words made me tilt my head slightly.

Who grants that permission? Something came to mind.

‘The world itself.’

The world.

Or perhaps, existence itself.

An unknown will that etched laws into the world and moved according to its whims.

It was that same will that had carved a destined path for me through my mother.

The Blood Demon’s invasion of Zhongyuan was also a result of that will’s influence.

Yet...

‘So that will wouldn’t permit him to invade another world without its consent?’

Was my mother the one who moved to stop him? And after clashing with her, was the Dragon Lord defeated and sealed?

Then...

‘Is that why he spoke of the destruction of the Dragon Realm?’

The fall of the Dragon Realm, which had once ruled over the small races, allowing them to scatter into Mangye. The claim that the dragons were no more.

The deep-seated hatred many harbored for dragons—

‘Was it because the Dragon Lord kept invading other worlds?’

Because his actions had destroyed countless worlds...

That raised another question.

‘Then why—’

Why send the Dragon Lord to Zhongyuan after breaking such a law?

It didn’t make sense.

Moreover...

“Then... is that why you despise dragons? Did they ravage your world too?”

As I questioned the source of Du Ryeong’s hatred, his body suddenly expanded—

Kugugugung—!!!

A murderous aura, thick with hatred, materialized and surged outward.

“Khhh...!”

“...”

So, I was right.

‘I see.’

He wasn’t from the Moonlit Night Tribe. In fact, he wasn’t even native to Mangye.

That meant he was from another world, one that Mangye had granted refuge.

But for Mangye to grant such asylum...

‘His world must have been destroyed.’

When a world dies with its master, its remnants fall into the Abyssal Pit.

Some of those lost souls emerge on the surface of Mangye. Du Ryeong was likely among them.

I didn’t care what he had been in his world or what his world had been.

What mattered was—

‘His world was destroyed by dragons.’

That was the source of his seething hatred for them.

“...Dragons must be eradicated.”

Chijijijik—!!!

“Krrgh—! Dragons...!”

The demonic energy, surging with force, pierced into his flesh, inflicting agony.

Even through his suffering, his hatred for me—no, for dragons—burned without end.

“Hmph.”

I felt his suppression slipping. He was resisting by discarding his body entirely.

Crack—!

Bones snapped, and his skin tore open. Though weakened, his immortality allowed him to regenerate continuously.

He was barely holding on. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

‘The sun will rise soon.’

Once it did, he would lose the ability to use his authority.

‘If I let him be—’

It was obvious he wouldn’t stop. Leaving him unchecked could lead to something catastrophic.

“Tch.”

Clicking my tongue, I clenched my fist.

Then, I struck his jaw.

Boom—!!

The impact rocked the rocky ground, sending tremors through it. Knowing that a lesser blow wouldn’t faze him, I had used considerable force.

“Ghk!”

The bastard let out a faint groan, then his massive body collapsed to the ground.

It seemed he had lost consciousness. Without hesitation, I placed my hand over his chest.

Wuuung—!!

Demonic energy surged into him—energy thoroughly filtered and refined.

I forced it into his body.

‘Find it.’

I ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) began searching, chasing after the root of his energy.

‘Not the dantian.’

Though he appeared human, that was only on the surface. His energy core was not in the dantian, as it would be for a human.

Then...

‘The heart?’

I redirected the flow of my energy toward his heart.

‘Bingo.’

His energy was not in his dantian but bound within his heart. I flooded that spot with my demonic energy.

With his immortality, he would regain consciousness soon enough.

I used the demonic energy to prolong that moment—

‘Using my authority might cause complications. Let’s stick to pure demonic energy for now.’

If I sealed his power completely with authority, who knew what side effects it could cause? Besides, the effect would weaken the farther I moved from him.

So, I pushed an intense surge of demonic energy into him, ensuring he wouldn’t awaken.

Additionally—

Sssss—!!

I poured power into his heart, weaving threads of sorcery that scattered around us.

This technique was an adaptation of the spellwork I had seen at Mount Marryeong.

I wasn’t certain if it would work—it was my first time attempting it—

But...

‘I can do this.’

A firm conviction rose within me. I knew I could do it.

Guided by that certainty, I performed the spell.

Snap—!

A sound, like something binding together, echoed—

And the world shifted.

It was as if a massive rock had enveloped the space.

From the outside, nothing within was visible.

‘Got it.’

It worked.

The area was small, barely enough to cover Du Ryeong’s body, but it would suffice.

I withdrew my hand from him and rose to my feet.

Sssss—

Stepping beyond the sealed space, I emerged outside.

The timing was perfect. The sky was slowly brightening.

‘Hmph.’

Depending on the intensity of the demonic energy, Du Ryeong would remain unconscious for about two shichen.

If his immortality failed to trigger, it could last even longer—but I didn’t count on that.

‘Four hours.’

That’s a decent window.

With that thought, I began to move.

**********

I returned to Mount Marryeong.

With the gemstone now absorbed into my body, finding my way was far easier than before.

By now, night had fully receded, and day had taken its place.

As I arrived and stepped forward, the figures within Mount Marryeong came into view. Some of them hadn’t been visible the first time I came here.

‘No—more precisely, I can only sense them now.’

Back then, during the night, I could detect the presence within Mount Marryeong, but...

‘There were those I couldn’t sense at all.’

Back then, if someone was inside a building or hidden from view, their presence would vanish entirely.

‘But now, I can feel all of them.’

Unlike before, I could sense everyone within Mount Marryeong.

It could only mean that the sorcery that once veiled this place had completely dissipated.

Feeling this, I took a step forward—

And in an instant, the scenery shifted, and I stood right before the lake.

“Ahh!?”

“Hik!”

The people around me recoiled in shock at my sudden appearance. I ignored their reactions and pressed onward.

The lake. And beneath it—

The Divine Tree.

The sacred tree that once bore a black shell had shed it, appearing as nothing more than an ordinary tree.

Beneath it, a woman sat, collapsed on the ground.

It was the Spirit.

“Ah...”

She reacted upon seeing me.

Though her face was veiled, I could see it in her eyes—emptiness, drained of all strength.

“You...”

“You look miserable.”

“...”

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

What the Spirit had long desired—

To be freed from Du Ryeong. To break every binding that shackled Mount Marryeong.

She got exactly what she wished for.

“So... now that it’s resolved, why are you like this?”

She had sought this—

Yet now, with everything undone...

“Does it feel... wrong somehow?”

“...”

The sorcery that had veiled the surroundings had dissipated entirely.

The gemstone she once held now resided within me.

And though Du Ryeong still lived, his days as a commander were surely over.

So, then...

“Isn’t this freedom?”

Wasn’t this the liberation of Mount Marryeong?

But—

“...”

The Spirit gave no answer.

Seeing that, I smirked faintly. I understood why she was like this.

“You wanted so badly to escape... but now that you’re finally free, you don’t know what to do with yourself, do you?”

“...”

Perhaps it wasn’t the severed connection with her master that truly troubled her.

I knew that feeling all too well.

To be freed from bondage—only to realize that a life spent in chains had left you directionless.

That had been me.

I opened my mouth, about to speak—

—Chiiiik—!!

“Hm?”

A sound—sharp and sudden—rang out from beside me.

What was that? I turned my head.

Wuuuuuung—!

“What... is this...?”

The very air was splitting apart.

A rift—

A sudden fracture in space.

‘A Magyeong Gate...?’

Or was it the same kind of rift that once delivered troops to Du Ryeong?

But...

‘No. It doesn’t feel... hostile.’

Still, unsure of what it was, I prepared to guard myself—

And then—

“Oh.”

“...Huh?”

From within the rift—

Cheonma stepped out.

“You...?”

“Hey there.”

“You—where the hell did you... No, wait. What...?”

Stunned, I demanded—

“...You could open a rift?”

“Hmm?”

Cheonma tilted their head at my question—then, with a small nod—

“Yeah.”

They said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“You could do that all along?” I asked, my voice shaking slightly.

Cheonma narrowed their eyes just a bit—

“You never asked.”

...Ah.

I dragged a hand down my face.

Annoying—

But she was right.