CFZ

"Aaaaaargh—!!!"

The Celestial Stream Sect Leader screamed as the flames consumed his face.
Staggering backward in pain, he desperately tried to pull the fire from his face.
"Grrr—!!"
The flames wouldn’t go out. It felt as though his skin was being burned away entirely.

Unable to withstand the agony, he collapsed and rolled on the ground.
Whether it helped or not, the flames began to diminish.
"This… what is this…?"
His face, still emitting heat and smoke, was partially visible as he covered it with his hands and struggled to stand.
At that moment—

"Stay down."
A voice reached him.
The Celestial Stream Sect Leader lifted his head.
"Insects belong on the ground."

With a low tone, a fresh wave of scorching darkness descended upon his face.
Fwoooosh—!!
"Aaaaaargh—!!!"
This time, his screams were even louder. He couldn’t move at all; the flames clung to his face, flaring wildly.

"Grrhh…!!"
He flailed, writhing on the ground as the overwhelming heat engulfed him. He struggled to escape, but his body wouldn’t respond.
"Insects burn far too slowly."

The voice, devoid of rhythm or emotion, sent a chill down his spine despite the unbearable pain.
There was no trace of humanity in that voice.
And yet, it carried an undeniable killing intent.
How could such contradictions coexist?
He couldn’t understand it. And yet—

["How… how does he wield flames…?"]
A moment ago, this man couldn’t even use fire techniques, and now he was unleashing such devastating black flames.
Was he hiding his power all along? If so, why?
Why wait until now to reveal it? What was his reason for withholding his strength?

The incomprehensible situation offered no answers.
"Grrrgh!!"
Now wasn’t the time to think. Even enduring the pain was a challenge.

As the Celestial Stream Sect Leader struggled, Gu Yangcheon spoke.
"Does it hurt?"
His voice carried genuine curiosity.

"Does something this minor really hurt?"
"Ghh… gah!!"
The Celestial Stream Sect Leader forced his energy to stir, twitching his fingers.
Four swords lying on the ground flew toward Gu Yangcheon.
Shiiing---!!!

The blades pierced through the air at tremendous speed. Gu Yangcheon merely shifted his gaze, watching them approach.
Then, he whispered:
["Stop."]

Clang—! Clang, clang—!
The swords lost their momentum mid-flight and crashed to the ground.
"Grrr—!!"

Even in the face of this inexplicable event, the Celestial Stream Sect Leader had no time to process his shock.
"You’re pathetic."
The flames on his face abruptly vanished. But before he could feel any relief—

Crack—!!
"Aaaaaargh—!!!"
His arm bent at an unnatural angle.
The force was so severe that the bone nearly pierced through his skin.

"Y-you… bastard—!!"
Despite the excruciating pain, the Celestial Stream Sect Leader glared at Gu Yangcheon. His melted skin was slowly regenerating.
The regeneration process was accelerating.
He knew the power of the Dragon Orb was spreading rapidly throughout his body.

Just a little longer. If he could endure a bit more, he would become a perfect being.
Judging this, he focused his strength.
However—
"Insignificant."

Gu Yangcheon’s gaze remained unchanged as he watched. His eyes, as if staring at a bug, held only disdain.
There was a slight difference now. Amid the depth of his gaze, another emotion was surfacing.
The Celestial Stream Sect Leader identified that emotion.

"Your eyes displease me."
It was contempt.
Gu Yangcheon reached out and plucked the Celestial Stream Sect Leader’s left eye from its socket.
 

 
****************
 
Swoooosh---!!!

A tidal wave surged, sweeping across the ground and dominating a vast area.
I planted my feet firmly and leaped, putting as much distance as possible between me and the wave.
That massive thing was even faster than it looked.
No ordinary speed would let me escape it. I had to push myself to my limit.

Even brushing against it would be fatal.
That wave wasn’t just an ordinary tidal wave.
"Goddamn, it’s hot."

The entire wave was composed of searing black flames, pursuing me as though intent on melting everything in its path.
"You crazy bastard."
Even as I dodged, I couldn’t help but curse. Who the hell unleashes something like that?

"No wonder your skills never improve, you idiot."
Firing energy so recklessly only increased his destructive power without refining his technique. The flaws were glaringly obvious now.
"…It’s terrifying, though…"

Experiencing it firsthand was something else entirely.
The overwhelming wave of fire surged toward me like an all-encompassing flood.
How could it not be terrifying?
I finally understood the fear I saw in people’s eyes when they looked at me.

It made sense now.
Wiping out entire villages or incinerating countless soldiers on the battlefield with a mere wave of my hand—it was only natural for people to see me as a monster.
That bastard… he’s utterly insane.

"Shit."
I glanced back, scowling.
The black-flamed idiot was standing atop the tidal wave, still pursuing me.
He didn’t seem to tire.
If anything, it looked like I was the only one exhausting myself.

My energy and skills had improved since then, so why was it always me running out of steam?
As always, the problem lay with the fire technique itself.
"It’s so damn inefficient."

Even though I had learned Tua Pacheonmu, the foundation of my power was still rooted in Flame Revolving Core.
While my movements weren’t entirely tied to it, it remained the core of my footwork.
Using bursts of fire to propel my speed—it worked, but with my fire techniques sealed, it was problematic.

"I’m too slow."
To be precise, I had to use far more energy to achieve the same speed.
"Damn it."

Not being able to use just one technique had left me in this state. It was infuriating.
"No, wait. Isn’t it normal to die when one technique is blocked?"
It’s only because of my ridiculous body that I’ve managed to hold out this long. Under normal circumstances, I’d already be dead.

But that doesn’t matter.
"What good is that reasoning right now?"
It didn’t provide any solace. It wasn’t helpful at all.

What good was survival if I couldn’t use it?
Fwoosh—!
"Tsk."

The heat drew closer, and the gap between us narrowed significantly.
There was no point in running anymore. I’d known that for a while now.
Besides—

"That bastard. He’s not even going full throttle."
That damn idiot was toying with me on purpose. I knew it because I was him.
If he wanted to, if he really wanted to—he could make that wave twice as fast and twice as large.

"Goddamn bastard."
The thought infuriated me.
Thud—!

I stopped running and twisted my body.
Energy surged within me, focusing entirely on my fists.
Tua Pacheonmu.

Second Form: Prepared Celestial Strike.
A storm of combat energy collided with the tidal wave.
Boom—!!!

A massive hole tore through the approaching wave.
It wasn’t a complete block. The difference in energy levels made that impossible.
"Tua Pacheonmu isn’t designed for raw firepower."

No matter how much my flames improved, Tua Pacheonmu was fundamentally built on compression.
Trying to increase its power beyond its limits would only degrade its effectiveness.
This was the best I could do.
"And besides, I wasn’t planning to block it anyway."

If I intended to stop it, I wouldn’t have done this.
This was simply to create an opening.
To halt the wave momentarily and force him to change his actions.

As expected, the bastard moved just as I predicted.
He rose slightly above the now-paused wave, raising his hand.
Fwoooosh—!!!

The massive wave beneath him began to ripple violently before slowly rising into the air.
Watching all those flames ascend, I couldn’t help but think—
"Seeing it up close, it’s really something."

No wonder he earned that absurd nickname.
It was undeniably spectacular.
The flames rose higher and higher, occupying the sky, their center focused on his outstretched [N O V E L I G H T] hand.

What was he trying to do? I already knew the answer.
Fwoooooom—!!!
All those flames were being drawn into his hand, steadily forming into a shape.

A massive, black orb.
As I watched the shape form and solidify, my brow furrowed.
Great Flame Orb.

Even just looking at it, the sheer density of energy sent a chill down my spine.
But that wasn’t the reason for my reaction.
"He’s such an idiot for using it like that."
How could the compression be so poor?

Even with all that energy gathered, that’s the best he could manage? And the rotational force? Laughable.
What I saw in that orb held no meaning whatsoever.
A proper Flame Orb required compression, and rotational energy to maintain it.
But his Flame Orb? It was just a crude shape—empty of intent, devoid of technique.

"Embarrassing."
I felt an overwhelming sense of shame.
"And he’s using that as a martial technique?"

The words of Paejon—and even before that, of Noya—came to mind.
"A martial art without conviction is nothing but empty showmanship. What conviction lies in your techniques, child?"
Back then, what had I answered? I couldn’t recall.
Whatever it was, it must have been pitiful.

And now—
"I was the same back then."
Memories I’d rather forget surfaced. At the end of those recollections stood that bastard.

I clenched my fist tightly.
Even if I couldn’t use fire techniques, it didn’t matter.
Because unlike back then, I had more tools at my disposal now.
Rumble---!!!

The enormous black Flame Orb roared to life.
As it finished forming, he moved his hand slowly, clearly planning to drop it on me.
In response, I made a quick twist of my waist.
A subtle motion rippled through my shoulders.
It wasn’t a large movement.

I’d learned something recently.
"It doesn’t have to be big, as long as it gets the job done."
The efficient use of one’s body—this was something I’d been coming to understand lately.

Thud.
A short punch struck the air.
In that instant—

Crunch---!!!
["...!!"]
His chest caved in, bones shattering.

The Heart Strike had landed cleanly.
Blood spurted from his mouth.
Was it a direct hit? As I narrowed my eyes, I saw his body falling from midair toward the ground.
Thud—!

He finally hit the ground, rolling to a stop.
I quickly approached him.
["Cough."]
As I drew near, he was coughing up blood, staring at me with vacant eyes.

It was surreal seeing my own face in such a state, sprawled on the ground.
Was he dying? His vision seemed to blur, and his breathing was unstable.
"Damn, this is exhausting."
I, too, was out of breath, having used a significant amount of energy.

Grabbing him by the collar, I spoke.
"Who the hell are you, really?"
[...]

"What’s your deal, bastard?"
Why was he so obsessed with taking me down? I couldn’t understand it.
"Why do you keep coming at me like this…?"

["Did you bring the answer?"]
"What?"
I frowned at his cryptic words.

"What the hell are you talking about?"
["The answer from back then. Did you bring it?"]
"The answer?"

Narrowing my eyes, I recalled the question he always asked me.
"Why do you continue to live?"
That question, repeated every time he saw me.

"Hah."
A hollow laugh escaped me.
"Why are you so damn curious about that? What does it matter whether I live or not? Are you saying I should just die?"

["Yes."]
"You son of a—!"
["You don’t deserve to live."]

"You’ve got a lot of nerve for a lunatic."
I wanted to tell him he had no right to decide that. But the words wouldn’t come out.
Seeing me falter, he spoke with his fading, hazy voice.

["Still haven’t found your answer, have you? Then I’ll ask something else."]
"And you never answer me, do you? Why the hell do you keep—"
["Why didn’t you kill me?"]

"..."
My eye twitched involuntarily.
["Just now, you could’ve killed me. But why didn’t you?"]

He was right. The Heart Strike earlier—if I’d aimed for his heart or head instead of his chest, it would’ve been over.
So why hadn’t I?
"That’s because… I had questions to ask—"

["Your excuses are pathetic."]
For the first time, he laughed.
["When you were desperately clawing to get out of here, what stopped you now? What shook you?"]

With every laugh, blood dripped from his lips.
["You’re afraid."]
His voice wormed its way into my ears.

["You’re afraid to erase the current me. That’s why you ultimately lost this fight."]
"..."
I should’ve denied it. I should’ve shouted that he was wrong. But once again, my lips wouldn’t move.

["You say you want to forget me, yet here you are, where I remain."]
I tightened my grip on his collar.
["Isn’t that true?"]

"...You sure talk a lot, bastard."
["You’ve grown dull. Far too dull."]
I held back my irritation and retorted.

"Yeah? So what? You’re going to die soon anyway, so—"
Mid-sentence, my eyes widened. Something was wrong.
The lifeless eyes that had been losing their light regained focus.

His ragged breathing returned to normal, and the blood dripping from his lips had stopped.
The moment I realized it—
Fwoooosh---!!

"Damn it."
I looked up at the heat I felt.
["That is your downfall."]

The Flame Orb he’d created earlier hadn’t disappeared. It was falling toward me.
It was too late to dodge. I quickly surrounded myself with energy.
Boom—!!!

The explosion consumed me.
"Urgh!"
The shockwave hurled me through the air.
I tumbled across the ground several times before finally coming to a stop.

"Kuh…"
The aftermath of the explosion was no joke. My energy had barely kept me intact, but I still suffered significant recoil.
This time, it was my turn to cough up blood.
"Wow. What a dirty bastard."

Enduring the pain, I looked back at him.
When had he planned this?
He must have distracted me with his fall, only to use the Flame Orb in the opening.

Did that mean he’d planned this from the moment he started forming the Flame Orb?
Either way, it was a cunning tactic.
One that I often used myself.
"Hah…"

I staggered to my feet. The damage was significant, but it wasn’t catastrophic.
The attack hadn’t landed cleanly, after all.
But that wasn’t because I dodged well.

"This bastard… he’s still holding back, isn’t he?"
It was clear he had deliberately avoided a direct hit.
Fwoooosh.

Floating in midair again, he looked down at me from above.
["Let me be clear—don’t misunderstand."]
Black flames radiated from his body, spreading outward. For a moment, they resembled wings.

["If this ends like last time, you will die. And—"]
The wings tore through the air.
["I will take your place."]

Fwoooosh---!!!
The countless fragments that scattered transformed into Flame Orbs.