Namgung So, who had displayed anger, lament, and inferiority, suddenly became expressionless. Like a person made of wax, he was indifferent and yet serene.

To Namgung Cheonghwi, this calmness was more threatening than a rough storm.

He knew because he had experienced it. That tranquil lake was bottomless, heavier than the same volume of iron, instantly dragging swimmers down into an abyss.

“…”

Vital energy surges.

The secret technique of the Blood Cult forced its way through Nangong Suo’s body, coercing the Heavenly Demon to fulfill its purpose. That formidable power was to be used to kill and drain blood, flourishing the Blood Cult.

The Blood Cult alone is your ally, and all others are mere prey. Paint the world red and open the annals of a thousand-year history of blood──

“How crude.”

The Heavenly Demon, gazing intently at the Demonic Subjugation Technique in his hand, lightly clenched his fist as if refusing to allow the intrusion.

Swish.

The vile secret technique of the Blood Cult was sliced into thousands of pieces and scattered.

Having freed himself from the chains that bound him, the Heavenly Demon seemed to ponder what to do next. He found his answer within the possessed body.

“Do you wish to become the head of the Nangong Clan? I shall grant it.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

The Heavenly Demon chose the fastest and most precise method available to him.

“If you kill all of the Nangong lineage and remain alone, you will become the head.”

“──I will not let it be so!”

Clang!

Nangong Cheonghwi drew the Heavenly Demon’s gaze with the ringing of his sword. As he turned to Cheonghwi, it felt as if he had been stripped bare.

Under the moonlight’s downpour, a heavy silence enveloped them, and Nangong Cheonghwi swallowed dryly. Amidst the suffocating tension, Cheonghwi used all his consciousness to discern the Heavenly Demon’s movements.

The vital energy wrapping around his body flickered like a candle flame, gradually diminishing.

In sync, Nangong Suo’s body was also dying. Muscles atrophied, complexion paled, and the body became gaunt at a visibly rapid pace.

When the candle burns out, the Heavenly Demon will depart from the body.

How long will it take? Half an hour? Or a full hour? Unknown. But in just a brief moment, the Heavenly Demon could drench the Nangong Clan in blood.

Thus, this is a war of delay.

Nangong Cheonghwi’s mission was to keep the Heavenly Demon confined to this forest.

“Haaah──!!”

Cheonghwi charged in with a single sword.

—

The boy strikes from above to below, deeply contemplating it.

He anticipates hundreds of derivatives, cutting away the clumsy and useless branches. Then, he blocks the end of each branch one by one.

If it comes like a butterfly, he pulls and wedges it like a mantis; if it storms like a tempest, he folds and quietly slips away; if it presses like rigid iron, he uses the weight like a seesaw to reverse it.

After repeating the process of blocking all possibilities, there is no path left but victory.

The Heavenly Demon shook off his hand.

Crack──

“Ugh…”

With a short strike, Namgung Cheonghwi’s arm bone snapped. His face contorted with intense pain, but he endured the agony and continued his assault.

That too was within Cheonma’s expectations. Cheonma smoothly shifted his stance. Thus, Cheonghwi’s blade merely grazed his shoulder. The attack missed its mark.

Namgung Cheonghwi felt a chilling sense of crisis down his spine.

Another strike was coming. Should he focus on defense? No, defense would be futile. Then should he continue to attack? No, he would evade it.

In the vague sense that nothing would work, Cheonghwi unleashed the greatest change he could muster. He had to follow Cheonma’s transformations. He had to play an unpredictable move. If he didn’t change, he would die!

Cheonghwi fired a Bursting Fist with his remaining arm. In that single move, he incorporated the subtlety of the Footwork Technique, the whipping motion of a salamander’s tail, and the swift speed of a foot technique.

But it was anticipated.

Tap, thud.

With Cheonma’s short, two-strike counter, the Bursting Fist brushed past Cheonma’s neck, and Cheonghwi’s torso was left defenselessly exposed. Cheonma’s hand slowly flew towards his heart.

Thousand Pound Fall.

Namgung Cheonghwi shifted his weight to his upper body and flexibly bent his knees. He then laid his body almost horizontal to the ground, dodging Cheonma’s attack. It was a technique from the Iron Plate Bridge.

As Cheonghwi was about to continue his attack with a kick, a foot flew before his eyes. It was a kick technique shot from the distant past, anticipating that he would duck low to avoid it.

Cheonghwi clenched his eyes shut.

Thump──!!

“Argh…!”

Namgung Cheonghwi’s body soared and tumbled three times before he could barely stand up, with blood continuously flowing from his nose and his head spinning.

Cheonma stood unscathed and serene.

Clouds drifted, obscuring the moonlight, and a pitch-black night fell upon the forest. Cheonghwi tore his clothes and tightly bound his broken arm. A sharp pain throbbed painfully.

“Cough, cough. Hoo…”

Cheonma did not deliver the final blow.

Had he kicked with full force, Namgung Cheonghwi’s head would have burst open like a watermelon. But he did not do so.

Cheonghwi faintly understood that it was the result of pursuing efficiency.

To win perfectly with a 100% probability, without any variables. Gradually, like plucking the limbs off an insect. That’s how mechanically he was fighting.

“So until all my limbs are completely broken, the fight won’t end, will it? Isn’t that so?”

No answer came.

Cheonghwi stepped into the darkness. Only one arm had been taken so far. If a limb was lost every time he was cornered, he could face off three more times.

Even if he were to die here.

“You will end in this forest.”

I will not send it forward.

—

Clang──!!

After the seventh clash, the sword snapped in half.

“Gah… hah, heave, hooeek…”

Nangong Cheonghwi, clutching the broken sword, lay prostrate, vomiting a mouthful of blood. His left arm was broken in three places, taking on a ridiculous shape, and there was not a single spot on his body that was intact.

The vital energy enveloping Nangong So’s body had noticeably diminished, but it was still insufficient. He remained the Heavenly Demon.

His vision was blurry. The figure before him split into two, then merged back into one, over and over. Even standing up was an overwhelming effort.

Shaking violently, he overworked his trembling muscles, gathering every ounce of strength to barely stand on the ground. Yet, if he lost focus even for a moment, he felt he would collapse.

Could he even wield a sword in this state?

The Heavenly Demon still looked at Nangong Cheonghwi indifferently. He was the living embodiment of infinity, and no matter how much Nangong Cheonghwi changed and followed, he could never catch up to that speed.

Martial arts (形) were ineffective, and his body (形) was tattered.

All that remained was the spirit (意).

“……..”

Swoosh. The wind blew.

Clouds drifting across the sky leisurely flowed by, revealing the moon that had been hidden. Warm moonlight descended upon Cheonghwi’s head.

Only the spirit mattered.

There was an agonizing enlightenment just within reach, yet elusive. It merely lacked a vessel to contain it, circling around aimlessly. Nangong Cheonghwi needed something to hold this enlightenment.

What brushed through his mind was the tale of the Emperor Sword Form (帝王劍形).

In the secret chamber of the Nangong family, there were no sword marks (形). There was nothing but a beautiful flower garden, without a single trace of being cut.

Nangong Chaegong saw this and was greatly disappointed, deeming it meaningless. But perhaps, that absence itself… held a significant meaning (意).

The Heavenly Demon raised his hand to finish it.

His opponent was the Heavenly Demon (天魔), a being who calculated all possibilities to derive the optimal solution. He was infinite and could not be caught. If that was the case.

To stand against the infinite, one must become infinite.

“If you wish to cut the sky…”

Either the blade must be as vast as the sky, or.

“If the sky is to be written with a blade…”

Nangong Cheonghwi gripped the halved sword with both hands and raised it high. As if he would bring it down mightily at any moment, he held it aloft above his head.

Whether the blade existed or not was irrelevant. It was better off absent. He simply filled the void with everything.

The scars of the past, the pain of struggle, the joy of conquest, the affection of family, the weight of promises, he imbued all the meanings that had brushed past him, extending infinitely.

In contrast to the Heavenly Demon who reached infinity through form, he had reached infinity through intent.

────.

The Heavenly Demon’s steps halted.

It should have been a fight that would end with ten steps forward and a thrust to the neck, yet his feet would not move. Only the sense of danger steeply rose.

That is merely a dying boy. His skills are mediocre, and he never dared to be a match for himself. The changes he extends are just a tiny part of it, which could be countered without consuming much computational power.

But what is that? Clearly, he’s just adopting an upper stance with a broken body.

It feels like he could become anything. If shaken from below, it seems he would strike down like lightning. If prodded from the side, it seems he would crush and flatten.

It seems like no attack would work. The Heavenly Demon pondered all sorts of changes to find an opening, but they lined up parallel to each other.

Faced with infinity, the Heavenly Demon stopped moving to counter the infinite possibilities.

Weaving infinity with his mind, he exerts the emperor’s presence that presses down so that none dare act rashly. There’s no need to swing; just the sword form is enough.

Metamorphosis.

“Emperor Sword Form.”

Nangong Cheonghwi decided to make it the vessel of his heart.

Kooong──!!

An intangible power presses down in all directions. The Heavenly Demon staggered under the pressure coming from all around, as if the sky became a giant hand squeezing down. He muttered,

“…Emperor Sword Form?”

The weight of the sky was unavoidable for Cheonghwi as well. He became a pillar connecting heaven and earth, gritting his teeth and enduring. Screams came from every joint in his body, but his heart was free and overflowing.

I can do it. I will make it!

Click.

The Heavenly Demon struggled to take a step. His body writhed. The monster handling infinity was still constantly changing its movements to find a solution, but it was slow.

The Heavenly Demon’s brain was working at an unprecedented speed, but still, it was slow. In a space where time seemed to slow down, the Heavenly Demon reached out his hand──

Thud.

The Heavenly Demon’s knees wobbled and buckled.

Time was up.

Without the sound of crickets, the moonlit duel quietly concluded.

Cheonghwi held the sky and endured its weight, while the Heavenly Demon exhausted all the given time to stand against it.

“…Interesting.”

The Heavenly Demon left those last words and disappeared. The surging vitality finally extinguished. The emaciated body of Nangongso collapsed just like that.

At the same time. Nangong Cheonghwi also closed his eyes and fainted.

A small smile hung on the lips of the fallen Cheonghwi. He had protected his family.

On a warm and sunny day, Namgung Cheonghwi was packing his bags to leave through the main gate of the Namgung family estate. As he stood on the threshold, taking a brief look back, a young boy’s voice caught him.

“Brother Cheonghwi, are you leaving?”

“Yes, I am. No… Yes, I am.”

“To travel so far away. We’ve only just become family… It’s too soon.”

“There’s a prior engagement I must attend to. I’ve agreed to a duel, and I can’t just back out… Besides, there might even be a chance for a bride.”

A bride!

Namgung Myeong’s eyes sparkled as he jumped up, eager to pry into the details about this potential bride, but he cleared his throat and suppressed his curiosity with a dignified air.

Yes, a man must venture out if he’s to forge his own love story. Namgung Myeong brushed aside his feelings of disappointment and filled the void with support.

“Please introduce me!”

“Sure. If things go well, not only will I introduce you to the bride… I’ll introduce you to my brother as well.”

“My brother’s brother?”

“He’s a bit rough around the edges, but a good person at heart.”

How does one act to be considered good despite being rough? Namgung Myeong’s face was a picture of confusion. Seeing this, Cheonghwi laughed heartily.

From noble mtl dot come

It was time to depart. It might be a long while before they saw each other again. After his duel with Luna, he was to head to the Redburn family.

He would face his lineage head-on and settle all matters. There was nothing to fear, not even the grand metamorphosis.

“Take care… I’ll be back soon.”

“Yes. By then, I might have grown quite a bit… Maybe even taller than you, Brother! I’ll be a great family head, so don’t take too long to return!”

“I will. I’m looking forward to it.”

Namgung Cheonghwi picked up his bundle and stepped out the door.

He took one last look at Namgung Myeong waving goodbye, then turned his back and left. The journey home would be long and arduous, but he was not afraid. A true man stands firm in his resolve.

The figure of Namgung Cheonghwi grew smaller in the distance, shrinking to the size of a grain of rice, and then, with a whoosh, vanished like a phantom.

—

On a beautiful moonlit night, Luna and Enverus drew their swords and faced each other.

“You seem different.”

“Do I? I’m glad you noticed.”

Enverus was wrapped in confidence. Luna tilted her head slightly at his markedly different demeanor and asked,

“Are you confident?”

“Let me tell you in advance, I have completed my metamorphosis. If you think of the old me, you’ll be in for a surprise. Or you could concede defeat now. I don’t want to hurt you…”

Luna responded to Enverus’s bravado by straightening her middle finger at him. It meant ‘bug off’.

Enbus smiled broadly at the sight, and Luna also flashed a small smile on her lips. As the atmosphere became more palpable, the dueling began naturally.

“I’ll show you the absolute power of Namgung Cheonghwi.”

“…Who are you, Enbus.”

“Take a look, this is the martial art I’ve honed as the Heavenly Demon!”

“Hmph.”

There was no need for long words. They had already revealed their whole selves from the start, and clashed. The two idols’ energies intersected──

Zzzt. The noise stopped.

Suddenly, the video feed froze, and the important kiss scene couldn’t be seen. The producer was enraged.

“Ah! Ahahah!! Video! Why isn’t it working?”

“Ah! Don’t hit me, producer-sama, this is… similar to a DDoS attack, and the observation equipment is malfunctioning, so I can’t do anything!”

Consecutive punches rained down on the magician’s back. kk.

“Fix it! Fix it!”

“No, it’s not fixed just because I hit it, is it?! Pinvalley, stop… where are you?”

“I’ll go see for myself. If the equipment is malfunctioning, I can observe with my own eyes, can’t I?”

“…!! I’ll go see for myself too!”

Pffft. People who were famished for romance research leapt out of the laboratory. The magician was taken aback by the commotion, and chased after the producer and Pinvalley who had already left.

The kiss scene was unbearable!