Wi Seol-a and Namgung Bi-a are fighting.
It is not a particularly strange thing.
Even in this life, I had occasionally seen them sparring.
It was not something that happened all that often, but the two of them would sometimes cross swords.
The result was unclear.
It was not a spar intended to determine a victor, after all. They were merely crossing swords, so neither of them had likely been serious.
Just lightly exchanging blows.
That was all their sparring had ever amounted to.
So I did not think much of it.
It would be a simple exchange, wouldn’t it? That was what I had thought.
Kiiiig—!!
Fzzzzzt—!!
“...”
Something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.
That was the thought that came to me as the fight progressed.
The spectacle of the qi scattering in all directions was enough to make me swallow a groan.
Kiiiiiiii—!!
The roar produced by their speed felt as though it were tearing space apart.
In the wake of the sword aura, golden fragments drifted gently down.
The sight was beautiful at first glance, but—
Kiiik—! Kiiiiiing—!!
Looking at the sword aura raining down, it was difficult to call it beautiful.
Countless flashes illuminated the sky.
Crescents wrapped in sword energy repeatedly filled the air.
To call them mere sword winds would be to underestimate their ferocity and destructive power.
It was obvious that even firing one would consume a considerable amount of qi, yet—
‘This is a little late to be saying it, but Wi Seol-a’s qi reserves are no joke either.’
I had seen Wi Seol-a fall behind in skill or stamina during their spars, but I had never once seen her lacking in qi.
That meant her dantian and vessel were considerably vast.
The firepower she was unleashing was founded on an enormous amount of qi, but the important thing here was—
‘Separate from that explosive firepower, her control is also extremely precise.’
Amid all the qi she was pouring out, the flying sword continued to spin.
It was meant to keep her opponent in check, while also creating variables for her attacks.
Even as she fired sword aura with her sword, she was controlling the flying sword.
How difficult and absurd that process was could be seen from the expressions of everyone watching.
What sort of explosive strength and control could come from that small, delicate body?
It was an outcome that could not easily be achieved according to an ordinary martial artist’s common sense.
The fact that she possessed such strength at her age—
The fact that she did not simply dismiss it as the result of some fortuitous encounter, but instead controlled her power perfectly—
Wi Seol-a was an existence to whom ordinary common sense simply did not apply.
It was only natural that everyone watching was aghast at the sight, but—
Crackle—!
What was astonishing was—
Fzzzzzt—!!!
That this applied not only to Wi Seol-a, but to her opponent as well.
Crackle—!
The lightning qi erupting from her toes revealed an immense presence.
Strands of energy that were anything but shallow.
They spread in several directions, racing toward the sword aura in an instant, and—
Boom—! Kwaaang—!!
The moment the sword aura and lightning qi met, an enormous impact erupted and exploded.
And it did not happen only once.
There were countless bolts of lightning qi, and without pausing for even an instant, they raced toward every blade of sword aura.
Boom—! Boom-boom—!
Every sword aura that had filled the sky exploded one after another.
Lightning qi even poured toward the flying sword circling protectively around Wi Seol-a immediately after it blocked the sword aura.
This was no coincidence.
Could that many bolts of lightning qi possibly succeed in their attacks by mere chance?
It was more accurate to regard them as attacks fired according to perfect calculations.
Just as Wi Seol-a was displaying immense firepower and control—
So too was her opponent, the owner of the lightning qi, Namgung Bi-a.
Hwaaaaaa—!!
The aftermath of the colliding energies made it look as though stars had appeared in broad daylight.
Blue and golden dust mingled and scattered through the air.
The sight was as beautiful as the Milky Way descending upon the earth, but—
Clang—! Kiiiig—!
As if there were no time to admire it, their sword blades met on the ground and scraped against one another.
The moment the battle of firepower ended, they entered close combat.
Both of them radiated a chilling momentum, as though neither had the slightest intention of backing down.
Boom—! Krrrk—!
Sword paths of different colors and distinct characters followed one after another.
Their footwork shifted between each exchange, of course.
The way they maintained their balance without wavering even under the fierce recoil was nothing short of artistic.
Clang—! Clang—! Clang-clang—!
The sounds of their collisions were dull and heavy, announcing the weight of the force contained within each blow.
Fwaaah—!!
The feints packed tightly into the gaps between their exchanges were simply dizzying.
Pretending to aim high while targeting low, or making it seem as though they were attacking from the right before burrowing in from the left.
Each moment was one in which the slightest lapse in concentration would lead directly to the end of the fight.
And they repeated such moments hundreds of times over.
‘…Heh.’
This fight was simply on a level far too high.
Watching it, all I could manage was a hollow laugh.
‘Amazing….’
I knew the two of them had been growing stronger without end.
But I had never dared to imagine that they had grown this much.
They understood their realms and the power they possessed perfectly.
The movements they displayed were possible only because they recognized that fact objectively.
This was almost as if—
‘…I were watching their past lives.’
Not the two of them as they were now, but the two of them from their previous lives.
The time when they had been called the Demon Sword Empress and the Little Sword Saint.
The Demon Sword Empress, whose cruelty had rivaled even that of the Sword Demon, and the Little Sword Saint, who had built his reputation by gradually eliminating the demonic humans.
Their battle now reminded me of those two from that time.
If there was a difference—
‘It was that the Demon Sword Empress and the Little Sword Saint had been far more complete….’
And that there was no killing intent at the tips of the swords the two were wielding.
When had it been?
There had once been a time when the Demon Sword Empress and the Little Sword Saint had fought in earnest.
There had been a considerable difference in their overall strength at the time.
And because I was better suited for mass slaughter, the Demon Sword Empress had been assigned to buy time so that the Little Sword Saint could not enter the battlefield.
The Little Sword Saint had been cloaked in the power of the Demon-Slaying Arts, making him deadly to demonic humans.
But despite the title of “Demon,” the Demon Sword Empress herself was not a demonic human.
The plan had been for me to destroy the Alliance’s forces within that time and then join the Demon Sword Empress, who would hold out until I arrived.
‘But I was late.’
A problem had arisen along the way, and I arrived later than planned.
Anxious that something might have happened, I hurried to the destination.
The sight I saw then remained in my mind even now.
‘…Because it was far too horrifying to forget.’
The two women had clashed while radiating killing intent, to the point that it made my knees go weak.
Everything around them had already been destroyed, and both were drenched in blood, apparently having suffered injuries.
They looked as though they could collapse from exhaustion at any moment, yet even in that state, the two fought endlessly, as though neither would retreat.
“Desperate” would have been the right way to describe it.
Yes, it had truly been desperate.
They acted as though they were consumed by such fury that they could not bear to let the other live.
Had they argued before the battle?
The Demonic Cult and the Murim Alliance had been bitter enemies, so it was not strange for them to fight so fiercely.
But recalling the scene from back then, it had felt somewhat different.
There had been something more to it than simply calling them enemies.
It had been a blood feud.
A bloody battle as though they had both sworn never to lose to the other.
They fought desperately, as though losing would mean losing something precious.
In the end, there had been no victor.
I had intervened before the fight could be decided.
If I had left them alone, one of the two would truly have died, and I had not wanted to see that happen.
Thus, the battle was ultimately brought to an end.
Immediately afterward, I asked the Demon Sword Empress why she had fought so fiercely when they had only agreed that she would buy time.
At that time, the Demon Sword Empress had answered—
-There are… things I cannot… give up.
It was something I could not understand.
I supposed it meant that she could not bring herself to give up, somehow, but—
‘If they had continued fighting.’
The Demon Sword Empress would have lost in the end.
Of that, I was certain.
In reality, the Demon Sword Empress had suffered more wounds, even sustaining an injury near a vital point.
Judging by the amount of blood she had lost, she looked ready to collapse before long.
It might have been different had she used the Thunder Fang.
‘But the same was true of the Little Sword Saint.’
The Little Sword Saint had not used his strength to the extreme either, so the conclusion would still have been the Demon Sword Empress’s defeat.
That was certainly how it had been back then.
And yet—
Crack—!
Now, the scene seemed a little different from then.
“Ugh!”
With a rough cry, Wi Seol-a was driven backward.
‘Damn.’
I had been lost in thought and failed to watch properly.
What had hit her?
Judging from the sound, it had not been a sword.
Krrrggg—!!
Wi Seol-a drove her sword into the ground to halt the recoil of being pushed back.
Thanks to that, her momentum stopped immediately, but—
Crackle—!!
“…Tch!”
Namgung Bi-a had already closed in right in front of Wi Seol-a and was swinging her sword.
Wi Seol-a was in no position to block it properly.
Knowing that, she had only one option.
Tap—!
She let go of her sword.
And then—
“Hup!”
She infused her fist with sword aura and slammed it straight into the ground.
Kkwaak—!! Kuuung—!!
The ground shattered with the impact, sending fragments flying upward.
My vision was obscured.
But Namgung Bi-a did not waver, as though she had not been surprised.
The only thing that changed was the trajectory of her sword.
Swish—!
From a straight line to a diagonal.
The tip of her sword flew in, slicing through the fragments as well, and—
Clang—!
“Ugh!”
It finally struck Wi Seol-a.
However, the sound was somewhat strange for something that had struck flesh.
That was because the attack had not landed cleanly.
Even though she had immediately twisted her sword, the fragments had slowed it down. That instant of hesitation had been enough for Wi Seol-a.
In Wi Seol-a’s hand, which had successfully defended against the attack, was a sword.
Not the iron sword she normally used, but a sword of sword aura that she had been using as a flying sword.
Naturally, its durability was poor, and it shattered the moment it blocked the blow.
Crackle—!!
Lightning qi flew toward her.
At the same time, Wi Seol-a stretched out her hand.
Whoosh—!!
Her sword returned to her hand faster than the lightning qi flying toward her, and—
Ssshhk—!! Shhk-shk-shk-shk—!!
Wi Seol-a swung it at tremendous speed, cutting apart the lightning qi.
“...”
It was fierce.
There was not even enough time to breathe properly.
Just watching made cold sweat run down my back.
Even those who had only been screaming at the qi before had unconsciously begun holding their breath as they watched the two fight.
‘No….’
What was so important about the position of vice-leader that they were fighting so desperately?
‘Weren’t they normally on good terms?’
They seemed to spend plenty of time together, so why were they fighting so terrifyingly now? I could only swallow a groan as I watched.
Perhaps seeing this reminded me of something the Divine Doctor had once said to me.
-Those two are on good terms? Hah. Even a passing dog would laugh at that.
I had said it because the two of them had been playing gonggi together so amicably, thinking that they must truly be close.
The moment he heard that, the Divine Doctor had said to me—
“You fool. That is not what you call being on good terms.”
I could not understand him. Weren’t they obviously close?
It had felt different from their previous lives, so I had been watching them at ease, but—
“Then what is it?”
When I asked with genuine confusion, the Divine Doctor added—
-They are nothing more than predators sizing each other up over their prey.
“What?”
-If they fight recklessly, both sides will suffer, and the prey they have worked so hard to keep close may escape. So, for the moment, they have formed an alliance. It is better than allowing it to run away.
“What sort of bizarre nonsense is that? Where is this prey in the first place?”
What predator? And what prey?
I could not understand him at all and asked him again, but—
-….
The Divine Doctor looked at me with an expression of deep displeasure before saying—
-Just live as you are. It seems that is the right thing for you after all.
“…?”
He shook his head as though he had given up on something, then offered that answer.
I asked him more about it afterward, but he refused to answer, leaving me with an extremely unsettling conclusion.
I still thought the same way.
‘Predators, my foot.’
At most, they were like a puppy and a cat. What did he mean by predators?
They were probably fighting like this simply because the position of vice-leader was important.
I sighed as I thought that.
“…Whew.”
They had told me never to interfere, so I had barely managed to restrain myself, but I was reaching my limit.
‘This is genuinely dangerous now.’
For the moment, they had suffered only moderate bruises, but it was obvious that both of them were tiring.
The more exhausted they became, the closer the end of the fight was—and the higher the chances that a serious accident would occur before then.
Besides—
‘Reaching their limits means they might use the techniques they’ve been hiding.’
They still appeared to be holding back well enough.
But no one knew what might happen next.
Thus, I watched the situation with my brow deeply furrowed.
So that I could intervene at any moment.
Just as I was quietly watching the two while suppressing my concern—
Ssshhk—! Clang!!
“Huh!”
Wi Seol-a’s right arm flew upward, and she let out a startled gasp.
She had failed to hold her center and could not properly block Namgung Bi-a’s assault.
Her sword had risen high.
Her stance had collapsed, leaving an opening.
It was the perfect situation for an attack.
There was no way Namgung Bi-a could fail to notice it.
Kkak—!!
She immediately stamped hard on the ground and hunched her body.
Fzzzzzt—!!!
Lightning qi condensed fiercely in an instant.
Her intense resolve to end it with a single sword strike was plain to see.
At least in a situation like this, that attack could never be avoided.
And so—
Hwaa—!
Wi Seol-a made her choice.
“Damn it.”
If the situation could not be avoided, she would make it so that it could be avoided.
A change passed through the golden aura wrapped around Wi Seol-a’s body.
A faint white color could be seen within the golden aura.
It was not yet distinct, but I predicted it would spread in an instant.
It was dangerous.
That was dangerous.
‘Damn it.’
The moment I saw it, I drew on the strength in my body.
I had tried to stop this disaster long before it happened.
Crack.
My foot dug into the ground as I prepared to leap at maximum speed.
Squeeze—!
My muscles swelled violently.
I would rush in between them and stop both of them—
“…Huh?”
I flinched—
—and froze in place.
I needed to run over and stop them immediately, but I could not.
The reason was simple.
Tap—! Tap-tap—!
“…Ugh!?”
“Huh….”
The two who had been preparing their final strikes suddenly collapsed onto the ground.
The reason was none other than this:
At the instant they prepared their movements, both of them had been struck in the chin at the same time.
They must have been hit squarely, because both lost consciousness and fell to the ground.
And standing at the center of the two was the person who had stopped the fight.
A small woman with pale green hair.
The daughter of the Tang Clan.
The Poison Fist, Tang So-yeol.
Looking at the two unconscious women, she placed both hands on her hips and declared with an immensely triumphant expression—
“I did it!”
“...”
She looked truly proud of herself.