CFZ

The duel didn’t last long.
At most, it was fewer than twenty exchanges—a fight so clean that neither bore any significant wounds.

Ssss...
The scattered Qi slowly settled.
The lingering heat was evidence of the lightning techniques left behind.

The mist conjured by Silver Wolf Sword was also starting to dissipate.
Swish. Clang—!
The blades slid smoothly back into their sheaths.

The sound of both Silver Wolf Sword and Namgung Bi-ah withdrawing their swords signaled the end of the duel.
Only after the motions and sounds faded did the spectators finally release their held breaths.
“…Unbelievable…”

“Are you saying the Steel Dragon Lord lost? To that woman—the Sword Dancer?”
He was one of the Hundred Masters of the Martial Alliance.
A renowned Hwagyeong-level martial artist, trusted to uphold the alliance—yet Silver Wolf Sword had admitted defeat to a woman who wasn’t even in her thirties.

Had they only heard about it, they wouldn’t have believed it.
But they had witnessed it with their own eyes.
Neither fighter looked seriously injured, and the fight could have continued, yet Silver Wolf Sword himself had declared his loss.

He seemed to have the upper hand in terms of power and momentum, so why did he concede?
While everyone pondered this question—
‘Damn.’

I silently let out a breath.
‘She’s insane.’
I was genuinely shocked.
Was it because Silver Wolf Sword had lost? Of course.

But more than that—because I hadn’t expected Namgung Bi-ah to go this far.
To be honest, I hadn’t expected her to win.
The original plan was simply to prove that Namgung Bi-ah was skilled enough to qualify as a formidable warrior.

Even the wager had been settled after her first strike secured the justification she needed.
A victory through ambush.
She had exploited Silver Wolf Sword’s lapse in focus and claimed what seemed like a victory.

Of course—
‘I may have interfered a little.’
I had ensured that Silver Wolf Sword wouldn’t accurately gauge her true strength.

I subtly distorted the flow of Qi around him, making her seem weaker than she actually was.
This minor manipulation caused him to let his guard down, enabling her surprise attack.
That was as far as my calculations had gone.

I had expected Namgung Bi-ah to capitalize on the opening and secure a symbolic win.
‘But this…’
The duel that followed had completely shattered my expectations.

Namgung Bi-ah provoked Silver Wolf Sword, drawing him into a second duel.
He accepted, and while I debated whether I should stop it, I ultimately didn’t.
‘Because Namgung Bi-ah wanted it.’

That was the only reason.
She had clearly desired this fight.
At first, I was confused.

Namgung Bi-ah had always enjoyed sparring.
Aside from times she needed rest for recovery, she constantly sought out duels.
She seemed to revel in fighting stronger opponents, growing through each match.

But this time felt different.
This wasn’t a training session.
Losing here would have had consequences—for her and for me.

I knew the current Namgung Bi-ah wouldn’t take such a risk lightly.
And yet, she had pushed for the duel.
Was she certain she could win?

No, that wasn’t it.
‘Namgung Bi-ah must have known.’
She had to have realized that Silver Wolf Sword held a higher cultivation level.

Fighting in an open arena like this only lowered her odds further.
Despite that, she still challenged him.
I couldn’t understand why—

‘Until I did.’
When the reason hit me, I nearly laughed out loud.
Namgung Bi-ah hadn’t gambled without confidence.

On the contrary—
‘She knew she would win.’
She was certain of it.

How was that possible despite the difference in their levels?
The answer lay in the technique that had secured her victory.
‘A Heart Sword? Seriously?’

It wasn’t a technique tied to raw strength or cultivation.
The Heart Sword belonged to the realm of the mind—
A manifestation of intent, achieved only by those who had reached the state of Sword-Mind Unity.

It was a power that only the most enlightened warriors at Hwagyeong could grasp.
In my past life, even the Demon Sword Queen had reached that level—
‘But I didn’t expect Namgung Bi-ah to reach it already.’

Seeing her wield it now left me speechless.
Especially because—
‘She used it to set a trap from the very start.’

From the moment she had launched her first strike, the plan had been in motion.
Thinking back, it was clear.
‘She planted the Heart Sword during her ambush.’

By placing her blade at his neck, she had drawn his attention—and at the same time, laid an invisible blade behind him.
The placement was so subtle that even I wouldn’t have noticed without using my Mind’s Eye.
‘I didn’t even know a Heart Sword could be used like that.’

What Namgung Bi-ah had demonstrated felt fundamentally different from the Heart Sword techniques I was familiar with.
It was sharper, finer—like a thread instead of a blade.
Namgung Bi-ah had planted the Heart Sword behind Silver Wolf Sword’s neck.

From that point on, every step of the duel had been meticulously calculated.
Even if the Heart Sword’s presence was faint, someone as skilled as Silver Wolf Sword might have sensed it.
That was why Namgung Bi-ah worked relentlessly to keep his attention occupied.

She risked closing the distance.
She scattered lightning Qi everywhere, flooding the battlefield with distractions.
And—

‘She even modified the Imperial Sword Formation.’
Maintaining the Heart Sword while using lightning Qi—and then layering the Imperial Sword Formation on top of that?
Impossible.

The Imperial Sword Formation was one of the Namgung family’s most Qi-intensive techniques.
Using it in its proper form under such conditions was unthinkable.
So Namgung Bi-ah had chosen another path.

‘If she couldn’t use the complete form, she adapted it.’
She reduced the Qi output to make it manageable, sacrificing raw power for precision and pressure.
‘Is she insane?’

It sounded simple, but it wasn’t.
The level of Qi control required for such an act was absurd.
‘For me, it’d be like trying to use Flame Spear while maintaining separate fire formations.’

…The very thought was dizzying.
Not impossible, but far from efficient.
And yet—

‘In this situation, it worked.’
It drew focus.
It kept Silver Wolf Sword from noticing the real threat.

Right until the end—
‘He only realized the Heart Sword was at his throat when it was too late.’
Once Silver Wolf Sword fully grasped the situation, he had no choice but to concede.

From the very first strike, it had all been calculated.
An ambush.
An overwhelming display of dominance.

Enough to drain his fighting spirit.
And it showed.
His expression looked sour.

“…It was a good match.”
“...”
Namgung Bi-ah merely nodded at his words.

Then Silver Wolf Sword descended from the stage and approached me.
“…Star King.”
“Yes?”

“I lost. I apologize for my narrow-minded judgment.”
‘Oh?’
That was… unexpectedly clean.

I half-expected him to cry foul or accuse us of trickery.
Instead, Silver Wolf Sword accepted his defeat without excuses.
‘That’s surprising.’

He had the higher cultivation level, no question about it.
Nine times out of ten, he’d have won.
And yet, he admitted defeat without a fuss.

‘Maybe he’s more reasonable than I thought.’
Or maybe it was just his martial honor showing through.
I studied him curiously before speaking.

“You’re taking this better than I expected.”
“There’s no reason not to accept the outcome.”
“No regrets?”

“Of course I have regrets. But…”
Silver Wolf Sword glanced at Namgung Bi-ah.
“This duel was a complete loss.”

“...”
I nodded.
He wasn’t wrong.

“Fair enough. You’re taking it gracefully. But don’t forget about the wager.”
“…I know.”
Mentioning the wager made his expression darken.

“I’ll take my leave.”
“Not staying to watch?”
“No. I can’t keep face if I linger.”

“Fair point.”
“...”
Of course he’d be embarrassed.

I knew that when I asked.
His face twisted like he’d swallowed something bitter, but he still bowed respectfully and left.
The Iron Dragon Division members followed him, and the arena quickly emptied out.

I turned back toward the dueling platform.
“Now then…”
I was about to resume the trials when—

“...”
“...”
Namgung Bi-ah was still standing there.

She locked eyes with me, and I reflexively swallowed.
‘Damn it.’
I already knew what she wanted.

And honestly, I didn’t want to give it to her.
If I accepted her here—
‘It’d be like recruiting another Black Flame Unit.’

Not just that—I’d never intended to involve Namgung Bi-ah in this mess.
I’d been set on rejecting her, and yet—
“...”

Facing her now, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
Her gaze practically screamed, “After all this, are you seriously going to reject me?”
She had defeated Silver Wolf Sword and proven her strength.

Could I really turn her away after that?
‘It’d look impartial.’
It would show that the trials were fair, free of favoritism.

Rejecting her now wouldn’t be unreasonable.
But—
‘Damn it.’

I hesitated.
The thought of her glare—and the aftermath of rejecting her—made me pause.
And besides—

‘She earned it.’
Could I really ignore all that effort?
I mulled it over, but in the end—

“Haa.”
I sighed and gave my decision.
Looking directly at Namgung Bi-ah, I spoke:

“…You pass.”
“…!”
Her eyes widened.

Surprise flickered across her face, followed by a small, pleased smile.
“Gasp—!”
“W-what?!”

The crowd erupted.
I could already hear the whispers and protests.
For a moment, I considered ripping out all their eyes.

The thought was oddly tempting.
  
   ******************
   
Not long after, the selection test for the Star Dragon Division came to an end.

The process hadn’t changed from the start, so it progressed quickly.
Without any disruptions like those caused by Silver Wolf Sword, the test wrapped up in less than two hours.
However, instead of the planned ten candidates, only seven passed.

Rumors spread that another test would be held in a few days to select the remaining three.
Shortly after the test concluded—
Boom!

“Damn it all!”
A man roared in anger, driving his fist into a boulder.
Crack!

The massive rock shattered instantly under the force of the blow.
The one responsible for the destruction was none other than Twin Crescent Swords, the Gold Dragon Lord.
With rage twisting his features, he continued venting his frustration on the rocks.

“That idiot, Silver Wolf Sword—losing to some damn woman?!”
Grind—!
Clenching his teeth, Twin Crescent Swords swung again.

Boom! Another boulder burst apart like brittle clay.
“That moron! Acting all high and mighty, only to make things worse!”
He cursed his own foolishness for trusting Silver Wolf Sword.

He had backed the man, offering support to further their plans—only to have everything blow up in his face.
“Damn it…!!”
The situation had spiraled out of control.

Silver Wolf Sword’s defeat had bolstered the Star King’s position, and on top of that, his schemes had been exposed.
‘How the hell did he figure it out?’
How had the Star King discovered that Twin Crescent Swords had infiltrated the test with his own men?

Recalling the precision with which the Star King had called him out, Twin Crescent Swords wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
“Could there be a spy in Gold Dragon?”
It seemed plausible.

Surely, no one could detect such things through Qi alone.
That kind of ability simply didn’t exist.
A spy within his own ranks seemed like the more logical explanation.

‘If there’s a mole, who is it?’
Very few people in his division even knew about the plan.
If he had to pick someone—

“Was it you?”
His words made the man beside him flinch.
“M-me? What do you mean, my lord?”

“I’m asking if you’re the Star King’s informant.”
The Vice Commander immediately paled under Twin Crescent Swords’ glare, waving his hands in panic.
“W-what?! I would never—!”

“You’d better not be.”
“I swear! I’m loyal!”
The Vice Commander’s frantic defense seemed genuine.

He wasn’t the traitor.
He knew all too well how brutal and obsessive Twin Crescent Swords could be.
Even in the past, he had crushed countless martial artists under his heel—some had been harassed so relentlessly that they took their own lives.

“I-I swear it wasn’t me!”
“Then how did he find out?”
How had the Star King uncovered the plot?

No matter how hard he thought, Twin Crescent Swords couldn’t come up with an answer.
“Tch…”
He grew more agitated by the second.

The Star King had suddenly appeared, throwing everything into chaos and showing no signs of backing down.
He hated it.
‘How do I get rid of him?’

He needed to eliminate the Star King, but every attempt so far had failed.
Was there another way?
Then—

“Ah.”
His eyes lit up with sudden inspiration.
“Yes, that might work.”

“What do you mean, my lord?”
“Silver Wolf Sword—what if we claim he lost because of witchcraft?”
“…What?”

The Vice Commander frowned in confusion.
“What if we [N O V E L I G H T] spread rumors that it wasn’t a fair duel—that there was a secret deal?”
“Are you saying Silver Wolf Sword threw the fight?”

The Vice Commander’s face turned pale.
Twin Crescent Swords smirked.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s true.”

“…What?”
“All that matters is the damage the rumors will cause.”
“But wouldn’t that hurt us too?”

“Not if we don’t get caught.”
“…But—”
“We don’t need evidence. Just the rumors are enough to stir trouble.”

Twin Crescent Swords grinned, as though the plan were already in motion.
“We could even reach out to the Beggar’s Sect through one of their disciples I know.”
“You’re serious? You’re going to accuse the Star King and Silver Wolf Sword of making a shady deal?”

“Exactly. Now you’re getting it.”
“But who would believe such nonsense?”
“It doesn’t matter if they believe it. The accusations will force them to waste time defending themselves while we prepare for the next move.”

Twin Crescent Swords continued explaining, but midway, he stopped.
Something felt wrong.
The voice replying to him hadn’t sounded like his Vice Commander’s.

The tone was different.
Suddenly suspicious, Twin Crescent Swords turned his head—
“Ah, so that’s what you were planning.”

Standing there—
“You’re even dumber than I thought.”
The Star King.

His Vice Commander lay unconscious at his feet.
“Y-you—how did you—?!”
Twin Crescent Swords tried to speak, but the words stuck in his throat.

‘What?’
Before he knew it, he was staring up at the sky.
Only then did he realize—

He was flat on his back.
A shadow fell over him.
The Star King’s foot.

Boom—!!!
Twin Crescent Swords’ face was brutally stomped into the ground.