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Chapter 300

I don’t know exactly what profound truth that Heaven-Shattering Annihilation Fist contains, but if it’s anything like what I think, then the conclusion is obvious.

The ultimate extreme.

A life-defining technique, created by a martial artist who pushed their martial path to the very edge.

Naturally, such a technique—regardless of its structure—is not something that can be fired off in succession.

Whichever way, I had to admit it was impressive.

But honestly, for me, who treated martial arts more as a means of survival than a pursuit of enlightenment, it was nothing more than a waste.

Come to think of it, that explains it.

Every time I sparred with Luna using martial arts, Cheon Ryeong and Hwa Ryeong’s expressions would turn so strangely complicated.

“Remarkable. You’ve already surpassed the level of a late-stage expert. No… that strike you just showed— even I would have trouble receiving it easily. Let me ask you only one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Just… what are you?”

A fundamental question.

Who the hell was I, that I could wield such power at such a young age?

“Don’t tell me… you’ve undergone regression to youth…”

“Uh… Well, I am twenty years old. And besides, regression isn’t some almighty cure-all.”

After all, in Labyrinthos, time didn’t pass.

So yes, I was still young.

“This is…”

He muttered hollowly, his expression filled with disbelief.

“Then why… why did you enter this tournament?”

“Hm? Oh, because I made a promise.”

“Surely you don’t think I’d believe that excuse.”

Looking at me now, it was clear.

From the very beginning, there was no need for me to wrestle with Gu Hwan and make that promise in the first place.

I was already strong enough.

If I insisted on doing all this, people might assume I just wanted attention or to flaunt my superiority.

But he seemed to think otherwise.

“Then what is it you truly desire?”

“Hmm… the championship prize from the Guild. That unusual elixir.”

“But such an elixir would mean little to you, would it not?”

“Well. It’s hard to explain clearly, but let’s just say it’s a necessary step for me.”

Otherwise, I’d have to steal it by force.

And I didn’t want to.

That’s why I set this whole plan in motion.

At my words, he swallowed his reply.

He clearly had a lot he wanted to say… but held it back.

“Then… may I take my leave?”

“Y-yes… yes, of course.”

Leaving him standing there, dazed, I walked away with light steps.

* * *

In the following matches, many won and lost in turn.

And soon, one of the expected bouts arrived—Gu Hwan of the Muyeol Clan and So Wuryeong of the Sichuan Clan stepping onto the stage.

“So, who do you think will win between those two?”

“If it’s purely based on skill, Gu Hwan can’t defeat So Wuryeong.”

Sitting in the audience, munching popcorn, I suddenly had a hand dart out—Lispa Elde snatched a handful straight from mine.

I didn’t have many left in subspace storage, and while it was a bit of a waste, I decided not to be petty over snacks.

“Then doesn’t that ruin your plan?”

“Plan? What plan?”

“Well… you said you were supposed to fight Gu Hwan, didn’t you?”

I tilted my head at her question.

“And who said my goal was to fight him?”

“Huh?”

“Look at this person. Our objective is the prize, not that guy.”

“Oh, right. Guess I forgot, it just felt so natural. So, are you just going to let him off then?”

“Annoying people can always be dealt with later. I don’t have to do it here in the tournament.”

“Fair point. Oh right—want to see something?”

Giggling, she gestured in the air, and a small sphere of light appeared.

Despite the glow, none of the surrounding spectators noticed.

Inside the light, Gu Hwan could be seen speaking urgently with several elderly figures.

-I’m telling you! That bastard is clearly using sorcery! He’s mocking the very meaning of the tournament!

-Hrm… it’s not that we don’t understand you, Clan Heir, but… there’s no proof…

It was a strange scene.

Gu Hwan was desperate to persuade them, but the elders looked unconvinced.

-Gu Hwan, you know how important this plan is. But if we could secure the formula for his Heaven-Shattering Annihilation Fist, then that plan wouldn’t matter in the slightest.

-What?! Are you saying you’ll back out now?!

-Our judgment is that maintaining ties with him would be more beneficial. Now then… we wish you good results in the Martial Arts Tournament.

-You damned old fools!!

When the elders left, Gu Hwan, furious, began hurling furniture around.

So that was it.

Those who had been allied with him to topple the Sichuan Clan had suddenly gone lukewarm after seeing a few of my strikes, their greed turning their eyes elsewhere.

What she showed me was a record.

Something that shouldn’t even exist—dummy data, captured and preserved.

“But… while we’re doing this, won’t Eve be looking for us?”

“Come on. Finding us here would be like searching for a glass bead in the desert. Eve or not, there’s no way. Don’t worry. We didn’t come here for nothing.”

And then—

From the arena, the fierce sound of clashing swords rang out.

So Wuryeong and Gu Hwan’s duel had begun.

Predictably, Gu Hwan’s blade seemed laced with some strange substance meant to corrode So Wuryeong’s skin-mask.

But unlike before, she charged in without hesitation, attacking relentlessly.

Each clash of steel sent invisible particles scattering through the air—those same mysterious powders he had once used to melt her disguise during the banquet.

Yet things didn’t go the way he expected.

“W-what?! Why isn’t it working?!”

Gu Hwan’s face twisted with panic, whispering under his breath.

“Ahahahaha!”

Watching, Lispa Elde burst out laughing, delighted.

I could understand why.

By rights, her mask should have been slowly dissolving, yet So Wuryeong’s beauty remained entirely intact.

Then, in that moment, Gu Hwan’s eyes went wide.

“No… no, that’s impossible…”

“What’s impossible?”

“It can’t be… you mean it wasn’t a mask at all?”

“Hah.”

Deflecting his blade, So Wuryeong sneered coldly.

So Wuryeong deflected Gu Hwan’s sword and let out a cold laugh.

“Only realizing it now?”

“Impossible!! That’s not something that can just be resolved all of a sudden…….”

“You speak as if you know it well. Don’t tell me—you’re the one who cast that curse.”

“Urk?!”

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Gu Hwan tried to cry out in protest but clamped his mouth shut.

From the very beginning, his entire plan had been built on exposing So Wuryeong’s cursed state to the world.

If that premise crumbled, the entire plan fell apart.

He desperately tried to deny So Wuryeong’s words.

In the end, he resorted to disgraceful acts unworthy of a martial artist, even attempting to lay hands directly on So Wuryeong’s face.

But what could he do?

He was already inferior in sheer skill, so against her, there was no chance.

His body, trembling and pressed against the ground, suddenly locked eyes with me.

“Pfft.”

My mocking laugh only twisted his face further in rage.

His breathing grew more ragged.

His allies had abandoned him, his plan had collapsed—what options remained for him?

I sent him a voice transmission as he shook in confusion.

—Losing your temper? And so what? What can you even do? Other than lying there and panting like a beaten dog, what else can you possibly do?

Startled, he looked around frantically until he finally spotted me, seated among the spectators, and glared at me.

His bloodshot eyes were filled with such menace it seemed he might tear me apart on the spot.

“Haa… haa…”

As his harsh breaths echoed, So Wuryeong slowly approached and leveled her sword at his neck.

With a detached, ice-cold gaze—like a master addressing a pitiful novice—she spoke.

“The outcome’s already decided. Why don’t you just surrender?”

Despite her demand, his breath only grew harsher.

“Hhhhhh!!! Ghhhhh… hhhhp!!”

It was then.

Crack… crackle.

A strange sound spilled down from the sky and reached the ears of Lispa Elde. Simultaneously, we all froze with bitter expressions and turned our eyes upward.

There, faint beams of light trickled down and seeped into Gu Hwan’s body.

At once, his aura—barely that of a mid-level Expert at best—began to surge dramatically.

Yet the others present sensed nothing of the light.

Meaning: it was power from an external source.

And as if time itself had stopped, everyone except Lispa Elde and me was frozen in place.

The implication was obvious.

A higher being that had been searching for us was now beginning to interfere directly from beyond.

“I thought you said they couldn’t find us.”

“Damn it, that thick-headed woman actually rummaged through everything until she found a way to tap into this?”

Eve’s behavior was odd. This text is hosted at N0velFire.ɴet

It wasn’t like she was simply trying to stop me from finding the last piece.

No—her actions suggested that what was hidden wasn’t just a trinket for Luna, but something far more valuable.

Something the goddess Eve was desperately trying to keep secret.

Meanwhile, the Cascadia mansion, left behind by Leon, remained as quiet and gentle as ever.

For a household tasked with guarding the Demon Realm, one might call it too soft, but truly, such vigilance was only necessary at the borders of the Demon Realm.

The ducal estate itself had no need to maintain that kind of tension.

“Everyone, prepare.”

A group of figures watched the Cascadia duchy under the dark veil of night, their faces taut with tension.

“The target is not in Cascadia right now. That means we only have one chance. We must retrieve the Void Enchanter.”

A cursed staff that, once grasped, would flood the wielder with immense magical knowledge.

They didn’t know its true history or origin.

But they did know this: within the cult, it had long been an invaluable tool for raising instructors.

Its conditions were finicky.

Only through specific rituals could side effects be minimized and the needed knowledge extracted without disaster.

Even among the cultists, the staff’s very existence was baffling.

Why would something so dangerous be allowed to exist?

Yet in the end, it was still a priceless treasure, one they could never allow to be lost.

“Damn it, all of this is because of those bastard Moon Watchers.”

To avoid attracting attention, they had refrained from mobilizing strong forces.

If even one stirred, the Moon Watchers would sniff it out immediately.

But of all things, they had the worst luck—it had to fall into the hands of the Mad Dog.

Within the cult, Leon Cascadia was classified as a calamity: someone you avoided at all costs, never provoked, never crossed.

Even if the entire cult mobilized, they could not guarantee victory against him.

And yet the mission had to proceed.

The Void Enchanter’s value was that critical.

So the infiltrators slipped into the mansion like assassins, sharpening their senses to the utmost in case of unexpected dangers as they advanced cautiously.

Their destination: Leon’s workshop.

“W—”

Thud!!

A maid patrolling nearby collapsed unconscious before she could even cry out.

Normally, she would have been killed on the spot.

But the cultists knew one thing for certain:

No human in this mansion could be touched carelessly.

The staff was something they could at least bargain over.

But if they harmed one of his people, then they would have to face open war with the awakened calamity himself.

That was why the cult avoided direct contact with Leon in the first place.

As long as they didn’t harm anyone, he would not act.

But if they dared to touch his own?

According to their intelligence, Leon would annihilate the cult down to its very roots with methods no one could predict.

That was why the maid’s life was spared.

The workshop lay silent.

Of course, who would be in there at night?

In any case, the quiet was a relief for the cultists.

They slipped in stealthily and began searching for the object of their mission.

“There’s no time. Find the target quickly and retreat.”

“Yes.”

It was then.

Something shifted in the darkness, and every cultist froze on the spot.

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