Published at 27th of August 2026 7:15 pm

Chapter CH.1126: The World of Ascension (56)

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"......."

I remained silent at her question.

"Are you the same as me?"

It was sudden, and I had no idea how to respond.

"The same?"

How was I supposed to understand that?

While I was still caught off guard—

"No?"

My mother asked again.

"...What do you mean by that?"

I decided to ask directly.

She tilted her head slightly before replying—

"...No, but yes."

"What?"

Even when I asked again, she didn’t give a proper answer. Instead, she suddenly leaned toward me.

Startled, I tried to pull back, but I was already seated against the tree, leaving me with nowhere to retreat.

Sniff.

She moved even closer, sniffing me.

"...What are you doing?"

"You don’t smell."

"Of course not. I bathe regularly."

"...No, that’s not it."

"Not what?"

That was a pretty rude thing to say.

At the very least, I took care of my hygiene.

No—this wasn’t the issue right now.

"...How did you even get here?"

She was supposed to be at the Martial Alliance Anhui Branch.

Why was she here? Her sudden appearance caught me off guard.

"What about Miss Mi?"

"Hyoran doesn’t know. I came in secret."

"Why?"

"Because you’re here. You wouldn’t like it if I brought her along, right?"

"...."

I narrowed my eyes.

With a blank expression, she had pinpointed the most crucial part.

"Wouldn’t like it if she came along."

That meant—

"She knows I don’t want to be seen like this."

Even though she wasn’t the same as she had been when she ruled over All Things, she still seemed to instinctively know.

"...Then how did you know I was here?"

"I could feel it."

"You felt it?"

"Yeah. I could feel it."

Poke.

She suddenly pressed a finger against my forehead.

"You’re the same as me. You’re in here."

"What...?"

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"...."

Her questions kept jumping from one thing to another.

"As you can see, I’m fine."

"Really? That’s a relief."

Her finger, which had been poking my forehead, moved slightly upward.

Then she opened her palm—

Rustle.

And ruffled my hair.

"You did well. Really well."

"...."

Caught off guard, my body tensed.

She earnestly patted my head as if genuinely praising me.

"Wait..."

I forced myself to relax and tried to push her hand away.

Though, honestly... a small part of me didn’t want to.

But I had no choice.

"This is a problem."

Moments like these were dangerous.

It was best to cut off any unnecessary attachments before they could take root.

It might seem insignificant, but one never knew.

So I reached up to remove her hand—but before I could, she pulled it away herself.

"As long as you’re not hurt, that’s enough. I’m leaving now."

"...What?"

She was leaving?

Appearing like the wind, then disappearing just as quickly?

Before I could think, my hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"Hm? What’s wrong?"

She tilted her head at me.

"Wait... That question. Whether we’re the same or not—was that not important?"

"Then what about you?"

"What?"

"Are we the same or not?"

"...."

"See?"

She smiled.

"You can’t answer. That means it’s fine."

The strength in my hand loosened on its own.

Freed from my grip, she clasped her hands behind her back and bounced away with light steps.

Before I knew it, she had vanished beyond the trees.

"Haa."

Left alone, I let out a sigh—like I had just seen a ghost.

What the hell was that?

"The same?"

I replayed her words in my mind.

"You’re the same as me."

That sentence stuck with me.

What exactly had she seen in me?

What was she referring to?

But...

"...There’s no need to overthink it. The answer is obvious."

The truth was already clear.

"The Master."

The being that should have become the ruler and calamity of the world.

That was what she had meant.

**********

After resting briefly, I moved toward my next destination.

The Authority of Oblivion would soon wear off, so I had to return before that happened.

I used my energy to rush back.

It was the right decision.

"Damn, that was close."

Just as I slipped in undetected, the Authority dissipated.

"WAAAAAH—!!! WE SURVIVED—!!"

Even now, cheers rang out.

Whether it was out of joy for being alive or amazement at having stopped the White-Rank Magyeong Gate, I wasn’t sure.

Either way, it made sneaking in easier.

"Good work, everyone."

At the center of it all, Namgung Jeohwi stood at the front, addressing the crowd.

"...Thanks to everyone’s efforts, we have protected Anhui and the Namgung Clan. As the head of the clan, I—"

He was speaking with a proud look on his face.

I couldn’t help but smirk.

"So he’s not completely incompetent after all."

When the monsters had nearly overwhelmed him, he had been frozen in fear.

But now that the crisis had passed, he was standing tall and acting like a leader.

It was irritating to watch, but at the same time, it meant he had some ability to control the situation.

"Hah."

Leaving him to his speech, I turned my attention elsewhere.

I had something else to take care of.

As I moved, I spotted the people I had been looking for.

The Azure Dragon Division.

"Ah, there you are."

Scratching the back of my head, I stepped forward.

The woman in front—Soi—glared at me.

"...Baek Yangcheon."

Her expression was frightening.

"Where the hell have you been?"

"Ah. I was over in that corner."

"...You weren’t anywhere during the battle."

"There were a lot of people. You might’ve just missed me."

"...."

Soi’s frown deepened with every word I spoke.

Last time, she had seemed somewhat impressed when I said I’d stay.

But now...

"Yeah, I think I hit rock bottom with her."

Not that I could blame her.

"I mean, what could I do?"

The Authority of Oblivion was meant for illusions, not combat.

It was just a way to maintain the illusion that I had been present.

So, from her perspective, it must have looked like I had hidden away instead of fighting.

That explained why she was glaring at me so intensely.

Of course...

"Not that it makes a difference."

No matter how much she stared at me, there wasn’t much I could do.

"I’ve been too busy cleaning up this mess."

I had worked my ass off fixing the disaster I created—making sure as few people as possible died.

Worrying about Soi’s feelings on top of that was beyond me.

"You...."

Just as she was about to say something—

"Baek Yangcheon."

This time, my father, who had been sitting nearby, spoke.

"Yes, Deputy Division Leader."

"......."

As I answered, my father stepped forward, his expression thoughtful.

A brief pause followed.

"Did you see him?"

"Him? Ah."

I quickly understood what he meant.

"Yeah, I saw him. That weird guy with the mask. That’s who you’re talking about, right?"

"That’s right."

"There was no way I wouldn’t notice. But why do you ask?"

He seemed troubled by my indifferent response.

"Did you sense anything?"

"Huh?"

"Anything at all? Did anything feel off?"

"...Specifically what?"

"Anything. Did you sense anything unusual?"

"...Not really? Just that he was a strange guy."

"......."

My father frowned slightly, clearly unsatisfied with my answer.

But—

"I see."

He didn’t press further and turned away, walking off.

He looked... exhausted.

"Is he tired?"

"It’s probably not his energy."

He hadn’t used much internal energy in the battle.

Something else was bothering him.

And that something was likely—

"That moment when he asked if I was the former head of the Gu Clan."

The way he looked at me when I was acting as Cheonma.

That was probably the reason for his unsettled state.

"Hmm."

It bothered me too.

Of course, it did.

I was a part of the Gu Clan, after all.

"And more than that, I now knew what the heads of the clan were supposed to do."

Watching my father react like this only solidified my decision.

"I have to go to Shanxi."

Specifically, to the Gu Clan of this era.

I had made up my mind.

**********

Nightfall

With the White-Rank Beast eliminated and the Magyeong Gate gone, the battle was officially declared over.

It was only now that the people truly relaxed.

And then, at last—

They started celebrating.

The Namgung Clan hosted a grand feast, and it was far louder than before.

"Wahaha—!"

The cheers grew even louder.

People were drinking and partying nonstop.

And at the center of it all—

"Who on earth was that?"

"...You mean the Black Warrior?"

Obviously, they were talking about me.

A mysterious figure had suddenly appeared, wiped out the Red-Rank and White-Rank Beasts, and then vanished.

A warrior of impossible skill.

Even as they enjoyed the feast, everyone was gossiping about it.

"...Ugh."

I didn’t want to hear it, so I quietly slipped away.

There was nothing for me to do at the feast anyway.

I wasn’t the type to enjoy such things.

I was satisfied knowing that the situation had been resolved.

I had planned to head back to my room and rest, but—

"Ah, there you are."

"...?"

Someone was waiting in my room.

A man was lying comfortably on my bed.

Namgung Hyeong.

"...What the hell is this?"

Why was he here?

I stared at [N O V E L I G H T] him in confusion.

"Oh, it’s nothing. You remember our talk last time, right?"

"Last time?"

"Yeah. When I asked you for a favor."

"...Ah."

I remembered now.

Namgung Hyeong had said he’d keep quiet, but in return, he wanted me to side with him.

"...And why are you bringing it up now?"

I gave him a suspicious look.

"Because I need it now."

He grinned at me.

"I need your help with something."

"...Right now?"

"Yeah, right now. This is the perfect time."

"What exactly are you—"

I was about to ask why he was bringing this up during the feast when—

He spoke first.

"I’m about to run away from home. Help me."

"......."

I frowned deeply.

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