Whoooosh—!!

A massive tail swayed through the air. Counting them, there were about four. The huge, white, fur-covered tails were thrashing violently.

“Grrrrr—!!”

The beast’s cry reverberated deeply. Although it wasn’t loud, the quiet growl resonated so strongly that it shook the ground.

“Ugh—!!”

The man gripped his neck, exerting all his strength.

He had to break free.

He had to escape this strange thing, but he couldn’t.

“What kind of power—!!”

The force was overwhelming. Just by being pressed, waves of energy were created, threatening to crush everything around him. As he felt it, the man became certain.

The shock from earlier, the moment he briefly lost consciousness, must have been caused by this creature.

“Where... did this thing come from?”

“Grrrrr—!!”

Listening to its growl, the man observed his opponent. It certainly appeared to be a member of the Moonlit Night Tribe.

It seemed to have received all the blessings of Mangye from the dead of night.

Especially, its bloodline seemed to be pure, akin to that of the full-blooded Moonlit Night Tribe.

It was similar to when Yusa revealed its true form.

“The level of power...!”

Compared to Yusa, it was a level far beneath.

The pressure, of course.

“It’s breaking divinity.”

With ease, the power that pressed down was shattering the divine energy. How could this be possible?

A divine being’s power shouldn’t even be able to reach such a level.

Earlier, the energy they used somehow pushed back, but—

“This shouldn’t be possible...!”

This was on a completely different scale.

Even if he were only half a master, having risen to his master’s level, a mere being could never touch or even confront it.

Yet this creature before him effortlessly dismissed it.

As though it was no different from him.

Creeeak—!!!

The man’s vision blurred. By the time he realized it, his body was crossing the air.

The speed was staggering.

At this rate, he might end up flying out of the barrier and shattering it.

Barely regaining his senses, the man spread his wings.

Whoosh—!

The three pairs of wings spread and stopped his rapid flight.

At the same time, he turned his gaze to locate the creature’s position.

“Grrrr—!!”

“...!”

The growl echoed from behind the man. Quickly turning, the white sky greeted him.

Boom—!!

A fist slammed into his face.

The shock sent him crashing to the ground.

Crash—!!!

His small form hit the ground, shattering it into pieces.

“Ugh!”

The man groaned, struggling to rise despite the pain.

Whooo—!!

A sound reached his ears. Raising his gaze, he saw the creature trying something.

Flames gathered at its mouth.

This wasn’t good. It felt ominous and unsettling. His instincts screamed at him. He had to stop it now.

“Stop—!!”

He immediately cast the command.

Thump—!!

The binding energy shot toward the creature, attempting to constrict its body, but—

“Grrrr—!!”

Impact—!

“Huh!?”

As soon as the command touched it, it shattered. That was the meaning of the creature’s response.

“Is this truly a vessel?”

This creature, too, was a vessel destined to become a master.

It had the potential to ascend to a supreme being.

Where had this creature come from?

“Ugh...!”

The man groaned, pulling his energy up and accelerating his movement.

The divine power within his wings manifested, increasing his speed.

As the man changed position, disaster rained down on where the creature had been.

Creeeak—!!!

A violet flash poured down onto the ground. A massive column of energy tore through the ground.

The man squinted as he felt the energy emanating from it.

“This is...?”

It was divine power.

The energy carried the weight of divine authority.

“What is this...?”

What was this creature?

He had applied the divine power and vitality granted by Taechun into his body, but what was this creature?

Could it be...

“A vessel from another world?”

He briefly wondered if it might be a servant sent by another world’s master, like himself. That thought flickered.

It wasn’t an impossible possibility.

After all, there might be others besides Taechun targeting Mangye.

“Then...”

It must be eliminated. No matter where this creature came from, if it was an obstacle to Taechun’s plan.

Crash—!!!

“It must be removed.”

Dozens of feathers gathered to form a white trident. It was much stronger and sturdier than the one he had held before.

Vitality coiled around it. Divine power surged, and white lightning spread.

Boom.

The ashen sky rumbled, shaking in response. This was the man’s space, where his will influenced everything around him.

Swish.

The trident was raised high.

In that moment, the currents of lightning that had gathered in the ashen sky converged into a dark bolt that collected {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} at the tip of the trident.

Rumble—!!!

Crackle.

“Hah.”

With the trident in hand, the man moved. He had used a portion of the vitality he had gathered over countless years.

He had thought it would be endless, but sensing the danger from the creature, he immediately used a large amount of it.

“There’s still so much left to do.”

He had succeeded in becoming a vessel, but only halfway.

There was still much to gain in Mangye. Once he obtained more and more—

“Only then will I truly reach the master.”

The current master, who hadn’t fully recovered from the unforeseen event, must still be unaware.

He had to swallow her too, fulfilling Taechun’s will.

So—

“You will die here.”

Anyone who defied that will would die here.

Swish—!

The man glanced to his left. The trident he had aimed was gone.

His arm had been torn off. The trident he held was flying through the air. What was going on?

“You...!”

“Grrrrr—!!!”

The creature, which had closed the distance, slashed with its sharp claws, tearing off his arm.

The speed was incredible. Along with that—

“Aaaah—!!”

Boom—!!

It wasn’t just speed.

The impact sent the man’s body swaying once again.

He blocked a fist, but another one came at him. He blocked again.

Boom—!

The impact pushed the man further away.

He had to use this rebound to gain distance. He extended his hand, and energy surged out, wrapping around his flying hand.

Shweeek—!!

The hand flew straight toward his left shoulder. It was faster than regenerating.

He attached it to his shoulder, slightly moving the restored arm to adjust, but—

Shweeek—!!!

The tail of the creature stretched out, wrapping around the man’s body.

He tried to escape quickly, but it was impossible. The tail wasn’t just one, and there was no space to run as the creature’s multiple tails blocked his every direction.

“Tch—!”

This was problematic.

The man narrowed his eyes.

Thud—!

His heart pounded, and the energy within him was unleashed.

The power.

The man tried to use the power granted to him to escape the crisis, but then, a problem occurred.

Crack!

“...What?”

Suddenly, something flew out and bit into his thigh.

It was a dark figure. As he looked to see where it came from, it flew from the creature ahead.

What was this? Another attack? It didn’t take long for the man to realize.

“What...?”

The power couldn’t be activated. Normally, it would have erupted, but it wasn’t moving.

The man was stunned. What nonsense was this? His body froze for a moment as he struggled to understand.

“Grrrr—!!”

The creature didn’t miss the opportunity, thrusting its fangs forward.

“Damn—!”

The space was constrained, and the distance was narrow.

He couldn’t dodge.

Just as its fangs were about to sink into his throat, everything paused.

Thump—!

“...?”

Right before the fangs pierced his skin, the creature’s massive form suddenly began to shrink.

The large body shrank, and all the bristling fur began to fall off.

The overwhelming presence and size deflated, and the creature collapsed before the man.

“Huh...?”

The man let out a hollow laugh as he watched the creature fall. The strange being that had just overwhelmed him was now revealed.

“It’s a dragon.”

It was a dragon. The same one that had entered this space to interfere with him.

Was that creature just now the same as this one?

“How...”

How did it show such power?

A question arose, but—

“It doesn’t matter now.”

Right now, it didn’t matter what it was. What was important was that he was still alive.

“I will kill you.”

The creature had failed to fulfill its role and had lost consciousness.

This was dangerous.

It wasn’t just a dragon, but its presence and power had been truly dangerous.

“It’s a good thing. I can deal with you now.”

The man thought, preparing to deal with the obstacle right here.

He raised his trident, intending to pierce the creature’s neck.

Crack—!!

“Tch!?”

A spike shot up from the ground, and the man quickly rotated the trident.

His body was pushed back. It was a split second.

The man was about to throw the trident, but—

“This...”

The creature that had just been lying on the ground was gone. The man quickly turned his head.

He looked toward where Yarang was lying.

There, he saw—

“You...!!”

It was a figure he knew well.

A woman with black hair, long hair, pale skin, and a small frame.

As their eyes met, an unsettling feeling washed over him.

“You were here too.”

“....”

It was the same woman who had driven him to the edge on Mount Marryeong.

She was holding the fallen dragon in one hand and lifting Yarang with the other.

Her posture clearly showed she was trying to escape.

“You think I’ll let you go!?”

The man wasn’t about to let go, so he immediately threw his trident.

“....”

The woman lightly moved her hand, and a sword appeared in her grip.

Clang—!!!!

The sword deflected the trident. She didn’t completely block it but merely deflected it off its course.

The trident flew off into the air.

Whoooosh—!!!

The trident exploded as it ascended into the ashen sky.

An enormous burst of energy spread across the sky.

Ki-iiiii—!!

A tear opened in space behind the woman, who had blocked the attack.

“This is—?”

The man accelerated, intending to charge in, but before his hand could reach her, the woman disappeared into the rift in space.

Thud—!

He reached the closed space just as his hand brushed against it.

“...Damn.”

He had missed.

Crack. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

The man clenched his teeth. Even though he had risen to the master’s level, he had failed to deal with what needed to be dealt with.

“The master will be angry if he finds out.”

His fist tightened.

Should he go after her? It seemed like finding and dealing with her would be the right thing to do.

“...No.”

The man shook his head. Rather than searching for the one whose whereabouts were unknown, there was something more urgent.

“...First, I head to Mount Hua.”

Taechun had given a command.

Once he reached the vessel, he was to go to the place called Mount Hua.

And so...

“Swallow the hidden treasure of Mangye.”

He had to acquire the will of the master that resided there.