Published at 27th of August 2026 7:13 pm

Chapter CH.1096: The World of Ascension (26)

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"You’ve already learned Tua Pacheonmu."

At Paejon’s words, I couldn’t say a thing.

His eyes were sharper than anyone’s, filled with absolute certainty.

How?

How had he figured it out?

With Sword Master, it made sense. That was my mistake—I had let my guard down, so getting caught wasn’t surprising. But this was different.

Where?

Where had he noticed it?

If it had been Nine Flames Firewheel, I might have understood. I had used that technique a few times since coming to this era. Though the chances were slim, if my father had noticed something odd about it, I could at least make sense of it.

But Paejon?

Tua Pacheonmu is different.

I had never used it since coming to this time. Not even once.

Because Nine Flames Firewheel is more practical.

Paejon’s martial arts were designed for fighting humans, but they weren’t particularly efficient against monsters.

And more importantly—

I was extremely careful because of Paejon’s presence.

I had known that the Paejon of this time wasn’t the one I remembered.

Not the weakened old man who had experienced the decline of his power, but the monster of the Three Masters in his prime.

That was why I had been doubly, triply cautious.

Of all the martial arts I knew, I had buried Tua Pacheonmu deep, never letting it surface.

And yet he noticed?

The fact that he had caught on left me completely dumbfounded.

No, ‘dumbfounded’ isn’t strong enough.

What the hell was I supposed to do now?

I struggled with my thoughts, but deep down, I already knew the answer.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Feign ignorance. That was the only choice I had.

"Senior, I don’t quite understand what—"

At that moment—

Kuaaa—!!!

"...!"

I barely had time to tilt my head.

Kwaduduk!

Paejon’s fist grazed past where my head had been.

He was fast.

This crazy old bastard—!

I scowled.

That attack had been real. If I hadn’t dodged, my head would’ve been split open by his Fist Aura.

And it wasn’t over.

Fwoosh!

The first strike was only the beginning.

Paejon exploded forward with monstrous speed, continuing his assault.

Dodging left and right, I gritted my teeth.

Damn.

He was completely serious.

Right now, Paejon was genuinely trying to beat me into the ground.

Even if he wasn’t using his full power, at this level, it was tough to evade him while keeping my strength suppressed.

Twist—!

"...!"

My eyes darted.

Paejon’s left hand.

The air around it was distorting.

I knew exactly what he was about to use.

Tua Limitless Fist.

Kwaduk!

The ground beneath his foot shattered as he twisted his body, unleashing a devastating strike.

Kuaaaaaa—!!!

A shockwave erupted from his fist, swallowing everything in its path.

Tua Limitless Fist became a storm, tearing through the surroundings.

But—there was no direct impact.

It only grazed my side.

I had dodged it while locking my arm to my ribs, ensuring that the force didn’t strike me head-on.

Thanks to that, the attack only swept forward, leaving me untouched.

However—

Buzzzzz.

I saw what came next.

Tua Limitless Fist was a feint.

It had been an illusion from the start.

The purpose of Tua Limitless Fist was to lock down my movements and close the distance.

Chiiiiiik—!

Heat radiated from Paejon’s body.

This—

It’s Azure Sky.

I clenched my teeth.

A crushing force surged from Paejon, his muscles coiling with immense power.

Bang—!

"Urgh!"

My vision blurred.

A dull impact.

My body was flung backward, my breath knocked out of me.

The blow to my solar plexus sent me staggering.

I lost him.

Even with my heightened senses, I had failed to react in time.

And then—

Sssshhh—!

Damn.

As the distance between us grew, my Mind’s Eye calculated a horrifying number of possible attack paths.

Countless possibilities flashed through my mind.

I bit my lip.

Paejon had already moved.

He was right in front of me.

No choice, then.

Clack.

A familiar sensation ran through my body.

Fwooooooosh—!!!

I released the energy I had been restraining.

Clang.

I blocked Paejon’s incoming fist.

"Oh?"

His eyes widened slightly.

"This crazy old man."

Annoyance boiled up inside me.

Fwoosh.

Heat flared across my skin.

The energy I had been suppressing exploded outward, my reaction speed skyrocketing.

"Why are you such a pain in the ass?"

Old Paejon, young Paejon—

It didn’t matter which version it was.

This bastard's temperament was always infuriating.

Kwaduduk.

I tightened my grip around his wrist and gave a small tug.

His balance shifted, pulling him slightly forward.

Seeing this, I condensed energy into my palm.

Heat condensed, surging through my body.

Azure Sky.

I drew out my inner force, channeling it into my hands.

A sphere of gray energy formed in my palm.

"Hmm?"

Seeing it, Paejon’s expression twisted.

He had never seen this technique before.

Of course he hadn’t.

This wasn’t something this version of Paejon had created.

This was something the younger Paejon had invented after modifying his style.

Heaven-Shattering.

Destroying the very sky with my own hands.

Krrrrrk—!

Kuaaaaaaaaaa—!!!!!

The sphere of destruction burst outward.

A violent storm of raw energy erupted.

The sheer force shredded the trees and shattered the [N O V E L I G H T] boulders around us.

Kwadudududududuk—!!!

The gray energy of Heaven-Shattering finally came to a halt after tearing through everything in its path.

The entire area was a complete wreck, reduced to a crumbling wasteland.

"Ahaha."

Paejon stood there, not a single speck of dust on him, a smile on his lips.

"That was fun."

But his eyes weren’t smiling.

"What was that technique you just used?"

"Heaven-Shattering."

"Heaven-Shattering, huh? Quite the violent name."

"Right? It’s a terrible name, honestly."

Whoever came up with it had awful taste.

As I recalled that, Paejon spoke again.

"At this point, I can assume you have no intention of hiding anymore, correct?"

"..."

He wasn’t wrong. I had used Tua Pacheonmu openly.

So, I decided to ask him directly.

"How did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That I had learned Tua Pacheonmu. I made sure to hide it well."

"Hahahahaha."

Paejon let out an incredulous laugh.

"How ridiculous."

"What is?"

"Did you really think I wouldn’t recognize something I created myself, no matter how well you hid it? I am Paejon Bijuu."

"..."

Arrogant, blunt words.

And yet, his name and title gave them undeniable weight.

This is insane.

In short, he had known the moment he felt it.

Or perhaps—

The moment he saw me.

There was a good chance he had noticed from the very first time we met.

Either way, one thing was clear—Paejon was an absolute monster.

Was this another mistake?

Had I underestimated just how sharp Paejon’s senses were?

If so, I could only blame myself.

Damn it.

But this counted as a mistake?

Was that even fair?

Ridiculous.

I swallowed my frustration and rubbed my temples.

Then—

"I’ll ask again."

Paejon’s voice rumbled.

"Who are you? And how exactly did you learn that technique?"

"..."

"Don’t bother spouting nonsense about not knowing. That wouldn’t be very useful. Furthermore—"

Kuuuuuung—!!!

"...!"

A sharp crackle in the air.

An overwhelming surge of power.

A presence unlike anything Paejon had revealed before erupted from him.

The air around him compressed and distorted under the sheer weight of it.

What the hell is that monstrous pressure?

He was simply releasing his energy, and yet cold sweat ran down my back.

I had thought we were on the same level, but this—

And more than that—

Paejon himself had said he hadn’t transcended.

It was something he himself had admitted.

He hadn’t perfected Tua Pacheonmu, and so, unlike the other Three Masters, he had never reached transcendence.

But even so, he’s this strong?

His level should have been lower than mine, yet his presence felt heavier.

My entire body tensed, blood rushing through my veins in response.

"I won’t ask a second time. If you refuse to answer—"

He spoke plainly.

"I will break you."

A direct, undeniable threat.

And I could tell he meant every word.

I bit my lip.

My eyes flickered around, scanning the surroundings.

Beyond the wreckage, something covered the area.

A suppression barrier.

Paejon had set it up the moment we arrived.

It prevented sound and energy from escaping.

Which meant—

He can exert this level of power even while maintaining a barrier of this scale.

It reinforced just how terrifying Paejon truly was.

Can I win?

If I fought him now, could I win?

Maybe, if I went all out.

If I poured everything I had into the fight, there was a chance.

I had Nine Flames Firewheel, and—

The Cheonma Divine Art.

The power of chaos I had created.

If I used it, maybe—just maybe—I could win.

However—

If I do that now...

The suppression barrier wouldn’t hold.

And if it collapsed, this would become a true life-or-death battle against Paejon.

Because he was dead serious right now.

"Haa."

I sighed.

"If you won’t answer, then so be it. I will respect that."

Paejon moved.

"So, boy. You must respect my decision as well."

He clenched his fist, preparing to strike.

His entire body surged with Tua Pacheonmu’s power.

A life-or-death battle against one of the Three Masters—

A duel against my own master.

Honestly, it’s kind of tempting.

An opponent against whom I could unleash the full extent of my power.

That alone made it slightly appealing.

But—

Not right now.

Kuguung!

Paejon’s fist came toward me.

I didn’t dodge. I simply stood there, watching it approach.

Then, just before it hit—

"I am your disciple."

The fist stopped inches from my face.

As I stared at the massive fist before me—

"...What?"

Paejon looked at me in confusion.

I met his gaze and spoke.

"I have traveled through time."

I had made my decision.

I was going to break through head-on.

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