Chapter: 971
The sunset passed, and night came.
As always, the magenta backlighting was abundant.
More than one moon filled the night sky.
I glided past the stars, brushing against the moon as I made my way to my destination.
Time in the Universe flowed particularly slowly, but one strange thing caught my attention.
The time between sunset and the arrival of night was inexplicably short.
It was literally in the blink of an eye.
Before I realized it, the sunset had faded, and already night had come.
Even while observing this strange occurrence, I kept flying.
Not long after, I reached my destination.
It wasn’t particularly difficult to enter; perhaps I was hiding my presence well, or maybe it was due to the lingering effects of the spell.
I might be mistaken, but the borders of the Night Moon Palace didn’t seem that strong.
It felt surprisingly easy to get in, especially considering that there had already been several raids.
‘There must be another reason why they’re not acting.’
It wasn’t simply about how to deploy personnel.
The presence of people was clear, but they weren’t creating a domain with their sense.
This meant it was easy to infiltrate, which was quite convenient for me.
‘That’s odd.’
It raises questions as to why the defenses are so weak.
Normally, if something goes wrong, you’d expect them to either deploy more people or solidify their boundaries to establish a firm stance.
But here, there was none of that.
What could the reason be?
While I felt strange about it, my body was slowly descending.
It was because I had reached my destination.
Thud.
The tips of my feet touched the ground.
It was a sprawling mansion building.
Since I had already been there once, getting there wasn’t too difficult.
After landing, I scanned the surroundings.
I sensed a presence above the mansion.
I immediately turned my steps towards it.
Hwaruk! Tiny sparks flew and my body moved.
The location matched the direction where I sensed the presence.
As I descended a little, I spotted someone.
He seemed to notice me as well, his eyes widening.
“What!”
I saw him trying to open his mouth for confirmation.
“Come in!”
But then.
Bam!
“Ugh!”
I charged straight at him, covering his mouth with my hand.
And then—
Crash!
“Gah!”
I smacked his head against the wall, knocking him unconscious.
He fell to the ground with a thud, as if it really took effect.
Zap.
There were still several more people caught in my senses.
Dealing with all of them felt tedious, so I only took care of the ones in my path.
“Ugh!”
“Kugh!”
“Gah!”
They fell one by one, unable to make any real noise.
Although their numbers were small, they weren’t negligible.
Once I knocked out those overheated guys, I sighed and clicked my tongue.
Tsk.
“It’s annoying.”
Sneaking in like this was indeed quite a hassle.
To be honest, I wouldn’t have used this method if it were under normal circumstances.
‘If I act too noisily for no reason…’
Knowing that the Night Moon Palace wasn’t just a simple place, it was better to tolerate it as much as possible for now.
But…
‘That being said…’
Holding back too much felt uncomfortably stifling.
‘Maybe I should give it a little try?’
Whoosh!
I wrapped my hand in black flames.
As always, seeing the black flames left an uneasy feeling.
This was also a symbol connecting my past and this present life.
I still felt like nothing had changed since then.
That made me quite uncomfortable.
But now, I had no choice but to make use of it.
‘The location is probably…’
Just upstairs from here. That’s where it’d likely be.
Because that was where I found it last time too.
As I judged this, I reached out my hand.
Whoosh—!!!
Crash!
The black flame shot out from my hand, piercing through the ceiling.
At the same time, I surrounded the air pressure to muffle any sound.
Boom—!!!
I broke through to the desired position.
After quickly checking and retracting the flame—
Thud!
I jumped up and slipped my body into the hole I had made.
In an instant, I soared upward and reached my destination.
“… What the…!”
As soon as I got up, someone stared at me in shock.
He appeared to be around twenty, but given his looks, he was likely much older.
I couldn’t determine his age, but it was hard to gauge.
Judging from the moon-like creatures, they seemed to have longer lifespans than humans, making it impossible to predict.
‘Well, surely he’s older than me.’
Whatever I imagined, it was clear he had more years than I did.
With blue hair, a dashing face, and rabbit ears that just didn’t fit.
It was the same last time, but I still couldn’t get used to it, no matter how much I tried.
Other beastly ears and tails could be overwhelming, but rabbits stood out even more.
“… Yes, you…!”
The head of the Blue Clan who had been with Yusa.
He looked my way, aghast.
Thank goodness.
‘There he is.’
The bastard was right there, safe and sound.
I landed lightly and adjusted my stance.
With my arms crossed, I stared him down, and he frowned, obviously uncomfortable.
“Where the hell do you think you’re coming to again…!”
[Hmm?]
I nodded slightly upon hearing that.
I had to show a look that was utterly clueless, as if I simply couldn’t comprehend.
[What does that even mean?]
“What…?”
[There’s no place on this earth I cannot go.]
Arrogant and lofty indeed.
He was clearly mindful of every word he said. The face was hidden, so there wasn’t any need to discern that.
With my arms firmly crossed behind my back, I took confident strides forward.
An attitude that suggested I wouldn’t be defeated by anyone, matched with an air of invulnerability.
The way I presented myself was practically an imitation.
As if I was repeating what I had seen.
Physically channeling the actions of the desired person.
It goes without saying who I was mimicking.
I was the original owner of the appearance I currently held.
[I came to exchange greetings, which we missed last time. Are you ready?]
“… Innom…!”
[Unfortunately, it seems the general isn’t around…]
Drag, drag.
I laughed lightly as I spoke to him.
[It wouldn’t be too bad of a place for some entertainment.]
Chuckle!
The Blue Chief’s face turned sour upon hearing my words.
With such a handsome appearance, it didn’t change much, but still, it was aggravating.
“… Being overconfident has its limits. Do you know where you are…!”
Boom—!!
The guy’s body recoiled violently.
It wasn’t like some sudden change of color like white or red.
Simply, the ratio of his body hair began to rise. Plus.
‘His muscle mass is increasing.’
I could see his physique strengthening.
The changes were particularly severe in his lower body.
[Hmm.]
I observed with interest.
At the same time, I glanced out the window behind me.
Night had fallen and the moon had risen.
They say a darkened sky symbolizes the existence of moonlight.
‘This is somewhat of a gamble though.’
I slightly clenched my fist.
This was meant to heighten the tension and also to awaken my own body.
[Are you planning to show off your abilities?]
Crack!
My stepped power smashed into the ground.
[Let’s see what you’ve got.]
The moonlight was strong at night.
Among them, there was a leader-level existence.
I gulped down my doubts and felt my energy surge, questioning if I could genuinely win.
At that moment.
Boom—!!
The blue monster lunged at me.
*
Thud, thud, thud!
Debris rained down from the ceiling.
The wrecked ceiling had already lost its shape.
Of course, the pillars holding it up were in similar trouble.
The elegantly laid floor had been in ruins for a long time.
I genuinely wondered how they managed to maintain any semblance of space.
And in that gap, something thudded down!
“Kurururuk…!!”
The massive blue-furred beast knelt down, spewing out blood.
It was a giant creature of incredible size.
He collapsed and curled up as if completely drained.
After a moment, the massive form began to shrink gradually.
Pwahh!
His energy released into a smoky emission.
As his form continued to shrink, it began to resemble a human.
He reverted back to the appearance of the Blue Chief I had encountered earlier.
“Ugh… Ugh…”
He looked severely pained.
Which was understandable; how could it not hurt to have a giant hole through one’s torso?
“This… bastard… what the hell….”
[… Hoo…]
I let out a deep sigh upon seeing the despair in his eyes.
[For a performance, it was not bad.]
And then, I started to think in frustration.
It wasn’t bad, alright.
‘I was almost killed here.’
Even though I pretended to be fine, my body was quite fatigued.
Two ribs were cracked, and there was injury on my left arm.
The palm of my hand, which had been bound up, was beginning to ache as the wounds reopened.
The state of my body had been altered due to the recent fight.
The fortunate part, if I could call it that, was—
‘It’s not showing on the outside.’
That was the only point, right?
Thanks to this, I could pretend to seem alright.
“What on earth… what on earth is your purpose…?”
The Blue Chief asked with trembling eyes.
Purpose…?
I nodded, contemplating.
[Hmm, well.]
I approached him, nodding.
[It seems I have no reason to share that with you.]
“Ugh…!”
I said it sarcastically while patting his chest a few times with my hand.
At that, the blood that had been spilling out stopped flowing.
“Uh… how…?”
He was taken aback when I suddenly tended to his own bleeding.
[Your trick wasn’t too bad. I won’t take your life.]
I thought about killing him, but it would be wise to keep him alive for what was to follow.
Aside from that, I had just finished the first thing I ought to check.
The one thing to confirm. That is:
‘I can beat the leader under the moonlight.’
Seeing that the Night Moon beings grew stronger at night, I wanted to find out if I could really defeat them at my current level.
‘Looks like I figured it out.’
I’d just realized it.
‘I can win.’
I could win.
Although I’m unsure about the capabilities of the others.
Comparing with the Blue Chief—
‘If things went perfectly, it wouldn’t be all that hard.’
If my physical state were optimal, I’d be able to save it.
Even at the current level, I could potentially do it.
‘If I apply the Celestial Demon Arts with the intent to sacrifice my body, I won’t have to worry about defeat.’
‘…This works out.’
The strength that the Blue Chief had displayed during battle was at least on par with that of a top-tier master.
‘Comparable to the Sword Lord, perhaps?’
While I hadn’t actually fought the Sword Lord, I guessed it would feel somewhat around that level.
What this implied was—
‘I now easily surpass the levels of the top teenage masters.’
This meant my power had exceeded that level.
‘…So now, I should aim for the three supreme masters.’
This signified that I was closer to reaching the level held by the three beings known as the absolute rulers of the Central Plains.
‘While it might be close, there’s still a clear divide.’
The gap between a top teenage master and a supreme master is beyond imagination.
It would take some time to bridge that divide.
‘But I don’t have time to wait for that.’
No intention to wait around for that long.
Somehow, I would close the gap.
With that in mind, I turned away from the Blue Chief.
“Wait… Wait…!”
He struggled to hold onto my words, forcing them out.
Naturally, I didn’t listen.
“Wait, I say!”
[That’s quite a long-winded complaint for someone weak.]
“Ugh…!”
Despite raising his veins and trying to move, it didn’t matter.
[Tsk.]
I shifted my feet slightly, observing him.
Thud!
The energy burst from my foot struck his chin.
Thud!
He collapsed back, seemingly unconscious.
Finally, was he calming down?
I was standing still, waiting to move away when suddenly—
“Chief!!”
Someone burst through the door.
Oops.
‘I guess my senses have dulled since the battle ended.’
It appeared I had overused my power, causing my sensitivity to weaken somewhat.
So someone came through my lapse in awareness—
It seemed they were the ones who heard the aftermath of the combat.
And leading the way—
‘Ah.’
A familiar face stood out just like the Chief’s.
‘That guy.’
Last night, he was the one who claimed to be in love with Cheonma and demanded that I belonged to him.
That guy who was said to be a blood relative of the Chief.
[…]
Upon realizing this—
“Chief…! What on earth is going on…!”
Before he could finish his sentence.
Bam!
My hand lunged for his left eye, gouging it out.
[Oh, dear.]
My body moved of its own volition, and I realized—
That was a mistake.
“Gahhh!!?”
He screamed in sudden agony.
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