CFZ

Crash—!
The ceiling split apart, and blades rained down.
I quickly counted—five swords.

Five blades aimed straight for my neck, yet I didn’t bother moving.
I already knew they would stop.
And just as expected, the swords froze mid-air, halting just before my throat.

The strange part?
There was no one holding them.
Five swords floated in the air, their tips pointed directly at me.

Aerial Swordsmanship?
Even experienced martial artists struggled to control a single floating sword.
But here he was—manipulating five with ease.

It was a subtle glimpse of the Celestial Stream Sect Lord’s strength.
I looked at the razor-sharp blades, as if ready to pierce my throat, and spoke—
“Seriously? I just asked a question, and this is your reaction?”

Shrugging, I met his icy gaze.
“What the hell are you?”
“Hmm?”

What kind of question was that?
I responded casually,
“Do you need me to introduce myself again? A bit of a hassle, but I guess I can, for you.”
“Tsk—!”

I was offering a proper introduction, and this old man was grinding his teeth?
Rude bastard.
“What? Don’t like it?”

“Are you planning to keep joking around?”
“Joking? If this is funny to you, then great. I’m glad I could help.”
“…Hah.”

Whoosh—!
Killing intent burst out of him, flooding the room.
The pressure was thick—so heavy it even pushed against the barrier I’d set up earlier.

“Are you asking to die here?”
His words dripped with malice, but—
“Old man.”

I grinned.
“Stop acting tough. Keep it up, and I might just rip your damn mouth open.”
“You arrogant little—!”

Clink.
The five swords trembled in the air.
Watching them, I added—

“Don’t believe me? Wanna try it? See what happens?”
“You think being hailed as the Star King in the Martial Alliance makes you invincible? I warned you before—what you see isn’t all there is to this world.”
What you see isn’t all there «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» is—he was right.

For me, though?
That truth applied even more.
Which is why this was so damn funny.

“Yeah, you’ve got a point.”
I clenched my thumb inside my fist—not to hit harder, but to keep myself from acting on impulse.
“But if you know so much, why the hell are you pushing your luck?”

“What?”
“You’re so perceptive, right? So why are you burning away what’s left of your life with your own damn hands?”
Creak.

I leaned forward, closing the distance between us.
One of the blades pressed against my neck.
The Sect Lord’s eyes widened in surprise.

The tip of the sword nicked my skin, and I felt a thin line of blood trickle down.
It stung.
Just enough to be annoying.

“You think I can’t see anything? With those sharp eyes of yours? That’s a joke.”
“You bastard….”
“Do you really think you can kill me? That’s rich.”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter.
Power surged from within, creeping outward.
“Do I look that weak to you? Weak enough for you to try this shit?”

“…!”
His face twisted, and the swords trembled again.
I felt them shift—ready to move.

“Think carefully, old man.”
The blades hesitated.
“Keep pushing your pride, and I’ll have no choice but to tear this place apart. Should I dance for you? Cut loose?”

“You think I’ll flinch at that?”
“Go ahead, then. Try it. I’ll slaughter every single one of those bastards you brought with you.”
“...”

His expression stiffened.
“What do you mean?”
“What do you think I mean, you son of a bitch?”

Was he seriously trying to play dumb?
I scoffed.
“Keep pissing me off, and it won’t just be you—I’ll kill all six of the guys you brought along too.”

His eyes twitched.
He hadn’t expected me to know the exact number.
“You thought I wouldn’t notice? That’s disappointing.”

I leaned back slightly and added,
“And don’t worry. I’m not going to scold you for bringing backup.”
I’d told him to come alone, but I never expected him to actually follow through.

I’d already detected the presences outside—every last one of them.
Not just me—Amwang had them all locked down.
Of course, I could’ve sensed them without him.

But Shadow King was always more precise.
“So don’t waste time pulling this crap. You didn’t come here just to show off, did you? We’re working together because we have a common goal—right?”
“...”

Blood trickled down my neck.
It was a warning.
Cross the line again, and everything would come crashing down.

And I meant it.
If he pushed me any further, I’d kill him.
Sure, he was useful, but not enough to justify keeping him if he couldn’t be controlled.

He had no idea that Amwang was already behind him—ready to strike.
The Sect Lord hadn’t even noticed.
If I wanted, I could end this right now.

No matter what kind of miracle he thought he’d stumbled upon, he clearly wasn’t sharp enough to sense Amwang.
I saw the hesitation flicker in his eyes.
“So… how about we stop this stupid game and put the swords away? Or do you really want to see how far this goes?”

I tightened my core, gathering Qi into my meridians.
Energy rippled outward as my muscles tensed, preparing for a real fight.
The sword tip pressed against my throat.

But I didn’t care.
If he wanted a fight, I’d give him one.
I was ready to tear him apart.

Then—
“…What do you want to know?”
The Sect Lord finally relented.

I smirked and leaned back.
“What I’m curious about? I already asked.”
Ilcheon Cult.

I had clearly brought it up earlier.
The Lord of the Celestial Stream Sect frowned deeply at the mention of it.
“How the hell do you even know about that…!”

His words cut off midway.
His face tensed, as though something had suddenly come to mind.
“You… could it be—?!”

“Hmm?”
I tilted my head, feigning ignorance.
Of course, I already knew what he was thinking.

“What’s wrong?”
“...”
The Sect Lord hesitated, unable to speak.

He was probably recalling a certain incident.
The recent destruction of one of their outposts—the one linked to the Celestial Stream Sect.
News of that was likely to have reached his ears.

Now, with someone standing in front of him casually bringing up the Ilcheon Cult, he’d naturally start to suspect—
Was this bastard the one behind the attack?
He had to be thinking that, but—

“Well.”
All he had was suspicion.
No proof.

Amwang wouldn’t have left behind any evidence.
If there were, the Sect Lord wouldn’t be reacting like this—he’d have acted already.
That uncertainty was exactly why he couldn’t make a move.

“Got something to say?”
I tossed out the question, and he finally managed to respond.
“…How do you know about the Ilcheon Cult?”

He clearly wanted to ask if I was the culprit.
But he swallowed it back—for now.
And the answer to his question?

“Why does it matter?”
“What?”
“I already told you—my eyes reach farther and deeper than you think.”

I pointed at my eyes as I spoke.
“But that’s not what’s important, is it?”
The important part wasn’t how I knew—it was the fact that I knew.

I’d told him that before.
But—
“There’s a flaw in your logic.”

“A flaw?”
“If your eyes are so sharp, then why bother asking me about the Ilcheon Cult in the first place?”
“...”

Oh.
‘Look at this old man.’
Sharp as ever.

He had a point—if my network was so reliable, why would I need to ask him anything?
That was what he was digging into.
And—

‘Now he’s convinced.’
He was starting to believe I’d been involved in the incident.
Was that a slip-up on my part?

‘No.’
Not quite.
“You’re right. I didn’t need to ask.”

“Then why did you?”
“Because now I’ve confirmed something.”
“What?”

“That you’re definitely connected to the Ilcheon Cult.”
“…!”
“Can you deny it? I don’t think so.”

His brow twitched.
Strictly speaking, this was just wordplay.
I’d already known about his ties to the Ilcheon Cult.

My memories from the past life might’ve seemed shallow, but they ran far deeper than he realized.
“Even if I don’t know everything about the Ilcheon Cult, I know you’re linked to them. That’s enough.”
“Enough?”

“Yeah. Enough reason to ask you about it.”
“...”
His beard quivered, and faint killing intent began to seep out.

The tension thickened, the atmosphere simmering—ready to explode.
But this time, I was the first to move.
Slide.

I pulled back, widening the distance between us.
The blade at my neck moved away as I did.
The Sect Lord’s expression shifted, clearly unsure what to make of it.

I noticed the change and said—
“Honestly? It doesn’t matter if you don’t answer.”
“…What?”

He blinked in surprise.
After pressing him so hard, stepping back like this clearly caught him off guard.
But that was the reaction I wanted.

“I was curious, sure—but I really just wanted to see how you’d react. If you don’t want to answer, fine.”
I didn’t actually need him to talk.
There were other ways to dig up information.

This was just a formality—a pretense.
“So, are you going to tell me or not?”
“...”

“Judging by your face, I guess not.”
I fully stepped back and relaxed.
“Seems like I got what I needed. We’re both busy, so you can go. I just wanted to make sure you were doing what I asked.”

I reached out and patted his shoulder.
The floating swords still hung in the air.
“It must’ve been a pain to come all this way. I don’t have anything to give you, so just—”

“Did you ask what the Ilcheon Cult is?”
His voice cut me off.
I paused mid-sentence.

“Oh? You’re going to talk now?”
“Do you have any idea what the righteous sects are like these days?”
“What?”

What was with this sudden shift?
I tilted my head.
Righteous sects?

I frowned slightly, and he continued as if waiting for that reaction.
“People don’t seem to realize it, but the righteous sects today are…”
“Rotten to the core.”

“...”
His words trailed off as I finished his sentence.
I smirked.

“Sorry. It just came to me, so I couldn’t help myself. Go on.”
“...”
“...”

But he didn’t continue.
I might’ve gone a bit too far this time.