A back, drenched in blood. The scent of blood spreading rapidly. The warm, sticky sensation.

Seolhwa looked down at her hands.

What once had been so familiar, something she had become numb to, was now once again foreign to her, staining her hands.

Death.

The scent of death clung to Yugang.

“....”

Her heart began to pound.

Her mind grew hazy, and a faint ringing echoed in her ears.

Seolhwa’s fingertips trembled.

Despite having witnessed countless deaths, she had never felt this kind of suffocating, dizzying sensation before.

The ragged, labored breathing sounded more threatening than any weapon.

“How is he? Does he look like he’s about to die? It’s too dark to tell, isn’t it?”

Seolhwa lifted her gaze to the Hwangryong Division Leader. A crimson light flickered in her eyes.

“Wow... The way you’re looking at me is a bit frightening.”

“Why... did you do it?”

“Hmm...”

Hwangryong Division Leader nonchalantly shook the blood from his sword.

“I wasn’t planning on stepping in, but watching you idiots fumble around like that—it was just too frustrating. All this fuss over failing to catch a single brat.”

“....”

‘Namgoong Horak.’

There was only one thing Seolhwa knew about Namgoong Horak.

‘Yeon Solran’s lover and Namgoong Soryong’s biological father.’

A parasite within the Namgoong Clan, a man who tried to devour it from the inside using Solran and Soryong.

That was the Hwangryong Division Leader Seolhwa knew.

In her previous life, before the Blood Demon Cult’s uprising, he had fled early, taking Solran and Soryong with him.

‘...I see.’

Now she understood.

She finally knew why they had been able to escape before the Blood Demon Cult’s rebellion even began.

“Haa...”

A cold breath escaped from Seolhwa’s lips as she finally grasped the truth.

This was a clear mistake on her part.

Her complacency, believing she could deal with him whenever she wanted, had led to this fatal error.

Leaving him to be dealt with by Cheonghae had been a blunder.

‘Mistakes must be corrected.’

Sreung—

Seolhwa gently laid Yugang down and reached for the sword lying nearby.

The massive sword, far too large for her frame, was one she had taken with her when they left Suro Stronghold, just in case.

“Run.”

Her low, firm voice carried through the underbrush to the children hiding there.

The bushes rustled as Hwarin and Soyak, who had been holding their breath, flinched.

“Run as far as you can. Don’t look back. Don’t stop. Just keep running until you can’t run any further.”

Moments later, the sound of the two children fleeing echoed faintly.

Hwangryong Division Leader whistled, watching the direction they had run off to.

“Well, well... So considerate, aren’t you, Miss Soruju? Were you worried I might kill those brats?”

The sound of their footsteps gradually faded until it was no longer audible.

“With the way those kids run, how far could they possibly get...?”

Tsk.

“No.”

“Huh?”

“I was worried I might kill them.”

“...What?”

For a brief moment, the Hwangryong Division Leader felt as though the entire area had been swallowed by darkness.

The already dark forest seemed to grow even darker, as though a deeper blackness was consuming it.

“What the...?”

A chill ran down his spine as goosebumps erupted across his skin. His grip on his sword tightened instinctively.

He watched as the darkness inched closer, step by step.

The only place untouched by that darkness was the space behind her—where Yugang lay.

‘...Is it possible to control killing intent like this?’

Not only was this killing intent thick and suffocating, but it was also covering the entire area.

It was as if...

‘A ruler.’

She was like a ruler, reigning over life and death.

Swoosh—

From within the darkness, a sharp aura surged forth.

Clang—!

“Urgh!”

The Hwangryong Division Leader instinctively blocked the attack.

The moment his sword clashed with hers, he drew upon his internal energy.

The suffocating pressure from her killing intent eased slightly, allowing him to catch his breath.

But the reprieve lasted only a moment.

Swish— Swoosh— Swish!

Clang! Clang! Clang—!

A relentless storm of sharp strikes followed.

‘What the hell is with this brat’s sword?!’

How can it be this heavy?!

It wasn’t just heavy—it was also fast and precise.

Any momentary lapse in concentration and his throat would be slit.

Every second, every blow carried the intent to kill.

Slash—

“Aaargh!”

The Hwangryong Division Leader couldn’t block all of Seolhwa’s strikes and ended up exposing his left shoulder.

He hastily leaped back several steps, glancing at his throbbing shoulder.

Blood flowed from a gash about as deep as a finger joint.

“It’s not over yet.”

Gritting his teeth, the Hwangryong Division Leader glared at the approaching girl.

‘Wasn’t she supposed to have just reached the Peak Realm?’

He had heard she had discarded her demonic energy and was rebuilding her internal energy.

Then why... why was he, someone who had fully mastered the Peak Realm, being pushed back like this?!

‘Damn it.’

As Seolhwa «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» drew closer, the Hwangryong Division Leader steadied his breath and quickly pulled something out from his sleeve.

It was a pill the size of a thumbnail.

Seolhwa halted abruptly as soon as she saw the pill.

“I saw your skills at the Celestial Martial Festival. Did you think I came empty-handed?”

The Hwangryong Division Leader sneered as he tossed the pill into his mouth. A crunching sound echoed, like bones being chewed.

“Urgh... Kraaaargh!!”

Clutching his chest as if in agony, the Hwangryong Division Leader’s body trembled violently. Then, a burst of dark crimson energy exploded from him like a raging storm.

Seolhwa frowned as she watched the overwhelming surge of power.

‘Bloodburst Pill.’

A pill created by the Blood Demon Cult that forcibly amplifies one’s blood energy to unleash explosive power.

Upon consuming the Bloodburst Pill, the heart races, the blood vessels expand, and the blood flows rapidly through the body.

The effect typically lasts for at least one keun (15 minutes) and at most two keun (30 minutes).

“Kuhuhuhu....”

The Hwangryong Division Leader’s power surged from the Peak Realm to the Transcendent Peak Realm in an instant.

Basking in the overwhelming power, a feeling of liberation washed over him. Seolhwa’s voice cut through the air.

“Are you aware of the side effects of the Bloodburst Pill?”

While the pill could grant a surge of power, the strength was forcibly drawn out. Once the effect ended, the body, overloaded with energy, would collapse immediately.

At minimum, the user would be rendered incapable of moving for half a shichen to one shichen. In severe cases, especially with multiple doses, a heart attack could occur.

‘Because of those side effects, even in my previous life, the Blood Demon Cult limited its use to critical moments.’

To use it so recklessly like this...

“Kuhuhu, of course I know. But I plan to finish you off before that happens. Now then, let’s see how you handle....”

Woosh—

“This!”

Heavenly Wind Sword Art, Second Form — Coiling Dragon of Death!

True to his identity as a Namgoong swordsman, the Hwangryong Division Leader used the Namgoong Clan’s sword technique.

However, the energy emanating from his sword was not the usual azure hue.

It mimicked the form of the technique, but the sky was absent from his blade.

As the Hwangryong Division Leader’s sword surged toward her, Seolhwa twisted her body, deflecting the strike.

Clang— Clang—

‘If I try to block it head-on, I’ll be overpowered.’

If she faced that raging, pill-induced energy head-on, both her sword and body would be unable to withstand it.

Seolhwa grit her teeth, narrowly deflecting each strike.

While his internal energy had risen to the Transcendent Peak Realm, the Hwangryong Division Leader’s swordsmanship remained at the level of false internal energy.

On the other hand, despite Seolhwa’s power being at the Peak Realm, her swordsmanship had once reached the Flowing Realm.

The two opposing swords clashed dozens of times in the blink of an eye.

Yet, no matter how experienced she was, enduring the Transcendent Peak Realm’s strength was not easy.

Seolhwa was being pushed back, step by step.

‘If I can just hold out until the Bloodburst Pill’s effects wear off....’

“The Red Demon said this to me! If I bring you back to him, he’ll kill Namgoong’s First Young Master for me!”

Thump.

Clang—!

The strength in Seolhwa’s sword wavered for a brief moment.

The Hwangryong Division Leader’s lips curled into a grin, having caught that fleeting moment.

‘This is it!’

He swung his sword more aggressively and rapidly, pressing Seolhwa harder.

“You do know, right? After that explosion earlier, the First Young Master’s energy completely vanished.”

His ploy to shake her composure was sharp and ruthless.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Seolhwa’s sword, struggling to deflect the blows, began to tremble.

‘Yes! No matter how strong she pretends to be, she’s still just a kid! If I keep pushing her like this...!’

“That damned brat may have been lucky enough to avoid a fatal blow, but he’s probably breathing his last right about now.”

The Hwangryong Division Leader let out a low, mocking laugh. The oppressive killing intent that had once terrified him now only fueled his deranged confidence.

“Whether it’s the First Young Master or that bastard, do you know who’s responsible for them dying in a place like this?”

Clang! Clang...!

“It’s all because of you...!”

Clang—!

With a thunderous clash, Seolhwa’s sword flew from her grasp.

The blade spun through the air before embedding itself into the ground three paces away.

“....”

Seolhwa clutched her trembling right wrist.

Her bloodshot eyes glared at the Hwangryong Division Leader with a ferocity that could pierce through bone.

Feeling a sudden chill run down his spine, the Hwangryong Division Leader gulped nervously before forcing a smirk.

“You should never have come back to Namgoong. If you hadn’t returned, the First Young Master would never have come back either. My plans wouldn’t have been disrupted.”

If he had successfully installed Namgoong Soryong as the next clan leader, then Soryong’s sons, Woong and Soryong, would naturally become the next in line.

Namgoong Woong was too mild-mannered to challenge his older brother for the position of clan leader, so Soryong would have been the rightful successor.

If that had happened...

‘Namgoong would have been mine!’

“Why the hell did you come back to this place, covered in blood and filth...?”

“Is that something you should be saying to a kid who risked her life to return?!”

Thwack—!

A dull, heavy sound echoed as the Hwangryong Division Leader’s body was sent flying.

Seolhwa, who had been staring blankly at the spot where he had just stood, slowly lowered her gaze to the sturdy foot planted firmly on the ground.

Then, she lifted her eyes to the owner of that foot.

“Who the hell gave this scum the right to spew such filth from his rotten mouth?! You think you can say whatever you want just because your damn mouth opens?!”

Standing in front of Seolhwa, breathing heavily, was none other than Seop Mugwang, the leader of the Bifang Division.

“Ptooey! What a worthless sack of trash! Even if he rots away to nothing, it’d still be too good for him!”

Despite his usual carefree demeanor, Seop Mugwang was now surrounded by an intimidating and fierce aura, unlike anything Seolhwa had ever seen before.